Work Text:
TW/CW: fainting, mention of eating disorders/disordered eating, eating
Charlie woke up and immediately knew something was off.
He couldn't quite pinpoint what the feeling was, but he didn't like it. Still, it was a school day, which meant he would just have to tough it out.
Charlie sat up slowly, squeezing his eyes shut and holding a hand to his forehead. The feeling diminished after a few seconds, but still managed to linger in the back of his mind. Charlie ignored it, getting dressed for school and getting his things together.
He went downstairs, nearly running into Tori in the kitchen. She narrowed her eyes at him, looking Charlie up and down suspiciously.
"You look pale," she noted bluntly, eyebrows furrowed ever-so-slightly. Charlie shrugged, going around her to grab a glass from the cupboard. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm just tired, Tori," Charlie muttered, filling the glass with water and taking a sip. He leaned against the sink, swirling the water around in the glass absentmindedly. "It's fine."
"Mm. Sure." Tori didn't sound convinced, but she didn't push it further. "Bus comes in five minutes." Charlie choked on his water, quickly dumping the rest of the glass in the sink before grabbing his things to follow Tori out the door.
The bus ride was quiet, at least between Charlie and Tori. They didn't speak, Tori just watching her brother with narrowed eyes the entire trip. When they had to get off, Charlie left quickly without so much as a goodbye.
Nick was waiting at the front gate of Truham, typing away at his phone. He glanced up, eyes immediately drawn to Charlie as he grinned brightly, shoving his phone in his back pocket as he stepped forward to greet his boyfriend.
"Charlie!" Nick exclaimed, eyes crinkling. However, as Charlie got closer, Nick's smile faded.
"Hi," Charlie mumbled, pressing his lips together in a weak attempt at a smile. Nick frowned, eyes filled with concern as he gently grabbed his boyfriend's shoulders.
"Woah, hey, what's going on?" Nick questioned, tilting his head so he was in Charlie's downcasted line of sight. The smaller boy made brief eye contact before turning his head away, shrugging.
"I'm just tired," Charlie whispered, taking a heavy breath. Nick's forehead creased with worry. Charlie seemed less energetic than he usually was, and he appeared paler than normal.
"All right. If you say so." Nick hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around Charlie, nuzzling into his neck. Charlie's arms slowly made their way around Nick's midsection, his head resting against his boyfriend's shoulder. They stayed like that for a few moments before Nick pulled away, hands resting on top of Charlie's shoulders.
"If you don't feel well, let me know. I'm always here for you," Nick reminded. Charlie glanced to the side, nodding.
"Yeah," he sighed. "I know. Sorry."
"Nope! No s-word!" Nick teased playfully. Charlie smiled lightly, shaking his head.
"Shut up!" He laughed softly, rolling his eyes. "Let's just go inside."
~
Charlie jogged along the track, breathing heavily. He was slower than usual today, almost to the point where he was trailing behind the rest of his class.
"Charlie!" Mrs. Singh yelled, catching his attention. "Come over here!" Charlie glanced around, diverting from the track to get to his teacher.
"Yes?" Charlie panted, leaning down to rest his hands on his knees. Mrs. Singh frowned, pursing her lips.
"Charlie, are you feeling well?" She questioned.
"Yeah, I'm just-" Charlie paused, closing his eyes briefly. "I'm just tired."
"Are you sure? It's not like you to be running this slow," Mrs. Singh noted, unconvinced. Charlie shrugged, corners of his lips curling up in an unsure smile. Mrs. Singh sighed, glancing around the field. "All right. Look. You're friends with Nick, yeah?"
"Yeah?" Charlie's gaze shifted to the other field, where Nick was with his year 11 gym class.
"I'll excuse you from class. Him too. He's going to keep an eye on you for a few minutes," Mrs. Singh decided. "Follow me." Charlie stood up straight, blinking slowly. He followed Mrs. Singh, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cold March weather.
Charlie stood behind her, staring blankly as she spoke to the year 11 gym teacher. He felt weird, like his head was floaty but his body was heavy.
"Charlie? Charlie?" Nick called, snapping Charlie out of his trance. The smaller boy blinked rapidly, looking around for a second before his gaze landed on Nick. The strawberry-blond seemed worried, eyes searching Charlie's face for any sign of what could be going on.
"Hm?"
"Are you alright? Mrs. Singh told me to watch over you for a little bit," Nick explained, frowning. "You really don't look good."
"Oh," Charlie said simply. He looked down at the ground, eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Wait, no. No, Char, that's not what I meant," Nick backtracked, waving his hands in denial. "You don't look healthy, is what I meant."
"What?"
"It's just- you look a bit pale, and you're sweating… it's 5 degrees (41°F) out here!" Nick exclaimed. Charlie blinked slowly, frowning. He didn't respond, a weird feeling washing over him. His vision was limited, spots taking over.
Charlie stumbled, one knee threatening to buckle. "...Nick…?" He slurred, eyes rolling back into his head as he collapsed. Nick gasped, quickly moving to catch Charlie.
"COACH!" Nick shouted, panic bleeding into his voice. He lowered Charlie down carefully, cradling him close to his chest. "Charlie, please wake up… wake up, please, you need to wake up!"
"Nelson! What happened?" Mrs. Singh asked, running toward the pair. Nick's eyes were wide, lips parted with surprise as he stuttered out words of confusion and fear.
"He- he just collapsed! And- and he-" Nick shook his head, curling his body around Charlie's protectively. He sniffled, a few tears falling from his eyes. "Charlie!" Nick cried, pain clear in his tone.
"All right, Nick, you need to let me see," Mrs. Singh insisted, keeping as steady as she could. Nick hesitantly allowed her to get closer to Charlie. Mrs. Singh grabbed Charlie's wrist, two fingers positioned over his pulse point. "I think he just fainted," she explained, setting his arm back down.
"Mm…" Charlie groaned, head tilting back and forth slightly. Nick gasped, running his hands through Charlie's hair comfortingly. The dark-haired boy opened his eyes, squinting in the light. His ears were ringing, slowly fading out to the sounds of the world around him.
"Charlie? Can you hear me?" Mrs. Singh wondered, frowning deeply.
"Mhm," Charlie hummed in response. His gaze shifted to Nick, realizing that he was laying in his boyfriend's lap. "Sorry."
"Char…" Nick sighed, shaking his head.
"What happened?"
"You- you passed out , Charlie, and I-" Nick stopped, shaking his head with a sigh. "Are you okay?"
"Did I…" Charlie frowned, ignoring Nick's question. "Did I fall on you?" He looked nervous, maybe even uncomfortable.
"I- well, sorta. I caught you." Nick shrugged. "I wanted to catch you," he added.
"Oh."
"Yeah… but are you okay?"
"Um… yeah. I'm okay," Charlie answered. "Just… really embarrassed."
"Are you sure you feel okay, Charlie?" Mrs. Singh pressed, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Yeah, I just-" Charlie sighed, shrugging. "I haven't eaten enough today." Nick's expression saddened, staring directly at Charlie. Mrs. Singh nodded, standing up.
"All right. Nelson, I trust you can get some food into him?" She questioned. Nick nodded, forcing a smile to her. "Good. If he feels dizzy or nauseous or anything, get him to the nurse."
"I will," Nick assured. Charlie nodded as well, both of them watching Mrs. Singh leave. They were on the edge of the field, a good distance away from the gym classes. Charlie sighed, leaning into Nick's chest.
"Nick…"
"Char, you need to eat," Nick murmured, running his fingers through Charlie's hair.
"I know, it's just-" Charlie sighed, frustrated. "It's not that easy…"
"I know. But I want to help. Whatever I can do to make it easier." Nick glanced around, frowning. "We could go somewhere quieter, if you'd like. You still have your lunch with you?"
"I…" Charlie nodded. "I guess…?" He seemed uneasy, but Nick was just glad he accepted.
"We can go around the school. Nobody should be out there right now, so it's nice and quiet," Nick explained. "Just you and me. Nick and Charlie."
"Yeah," Charlie whispered, half-smiling. "Nick and Charlie."
"There we go!" Nick exclaimed, a bit more of his usual wholesomeness back. "Now, can you walk, or do I need to carry you?"
"I'll walk," Charlie answered quickly. His cheeks were red, eyes averting their gaze. They both got up, Charlie being a bit shakier than he had anticipated. Nick didn't say anything, but put his arm around the smaller boy as extra support. They went behind the school, away from the fields.
“Here, we can sit in the grass.” Nick sat down with Charlie, pulling the smaller boy so he was leaning against Nick’s chest. “So, what do you have for lunch today?”
“Um…” Charlie slowly pulled his sandwich out of his backpack, shrugging. “Ham with lettuce.” Nick nodded encouragingly, lightly wrapping his arms around Charlie.
“That sounds good!” He grinned, glancing around before kissing Charlie’s temple. The dark-haired boy hummed, clicking open his tupperware container. He stared at the sandwich, brows furrowed slightly. Charlie sighed, leaning his head into the crook of Nick’s neck. “Char…”
“I know, I know.” Charlie took a breath, pressing his lips into a thin line. “Just give me a moment.” Nick nodded, gently rubbing Charlie’s arm. Letting out a long breath, Charlie picked up half of his sandwich, hesitantly taking a bite. He chewed slowly, curled into Nick’s side.
“I know it’s hard. I really am proud of you, Char,” Nick murmured, smiling lightly as Charlie slowly ate half of his sandwich. “But… I just wish you would tell me these things. Like when you don’t feel good, or when you need support, or anything.” Nick leaned his head against his boyfriend’s, sighing. “I… I want to be there for you. No matter what.”
“Nick…”
“Charlie, I really care about you. Like, more than I can explain in words. You matter so much to me,” Nick explained quietly. “And I just want to help. God, Char…” Nick frowned, sighing. “I’m worried you might have an eating disorder. I’ve noticed you don’t eat a lot, and wh…”
Charlie’s world stopped. Faintly, he could hear Nick talking in the background, but it was incomprehensible. Nick thought he had an eating disorder? But… he couldn’t, right? He just ate differently, that’s all. Surely it wasn’t bad enough to be a… an eating disorder?
“Charlie. Charlie!” Nick tapped his arm, frowning worriedly. Charlie looked up at him, feeling guilt wash over him. He was the reason Nick looked so upset.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, no, you have nothing to be sorry about!” Nick insisted. “I just want you to get help. You’re not okay, but that’s okay.” Charlie curled into Nick’s chest, chin trembling. Nick wrapped his arms around Charlie, holding the smaller boy in a protective embrace.
“I want to get better,” Charlie mumbled, voice quivering slightly. “It’s just hard to talk about.”
“You could start with telling your parents?” Nick suggested.
“I…” Charlie grit his teeth, sniffing quietly. “What if they think I’m faking it? Or they think only girls get… um…”
“Eating disorders?” Nick finished. Charlie cringed, nodding. “But that’s not true! I’ve looked it up, and anybody can get eating disorders!” He exclaimed, eyes wide. Charlie half-smiled, nodding. “And I can help, if you want. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.”
“Thanks, Nick,” Charlie smiled weakly. “I just don’t know if I could even say it.”
“That’s okay! Maybe you could write it down? That makes it easier, I’ve read.”
“Yeah,” Charlie breathed. “I think I could do that.”