Work Text:
“Nicky?”
“Mum! Are you all right?” Nick tried to tuck the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he pushed his cart through the sliding doors of the grocery store, but the slick glass and plastic sent it plummeting into the cart with a deafening clash of metal.
He snatched it up just in time to catch, “-what happened?”
“Sorry Mum, just dropped my phone into the cart, I’m at the shop. How are you? How’s the knee?” Nick wrestled the cart off to one side so he didn’t block the doorway, digging in his pocket for a pair of earbuds so he could talk hands-free.
“Oh it’s all right - I’ve been trying to get through the day without the harder drugs the doctor gave me, and mostly I manage. I’ve been going through books like I haven’t since I don’t know when.”
Nick chuckled. Memories of his mum sat at the side of the rugby pitch before a match, book in her lap, ran through his head; or of coming down the stairs in the morning to see her already at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and her latest read open in front of her. He’d gotten her a mug last Christmas that said “#1 Bookworm” that had immediately become her favorite. “You must be reading like nobody’s ever read before then! Anything you think I’d like?” Earbuds now in place, he wheeled his cart toward the cereal aisle, listening to his mum talk about books as he shopped.
He was almost to the checkout as she finished describing the series she’d started that week. “And actually, Nicky, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”
“You mean other than coming over to cook you dinner for the third time this week?” He laughed as he started loading his items onto the counter.
“Cheeky! I cooked dinner for you almost every night of your life until you left for university, turnabout is fair play.’ She laughed as well, and it warmed Nick from the inside like it always had. They both knew Nick would go to the moon and back for his mum, and she for him; that had been their dynamic for as long as he could remember. His dad had left, David was David, but the two of them had always been a team - so when she’d told him months ago that she would need to have her left knee replaced over the summer, he’d sprung into action. Luckily the surgery was scheduled a few weeks after the summer term began, so he didn’t have to worry about taking time off from a normal teaching schedule. He was able to shuffle the tutoring work he did over the summer so he could come stay with her full-time for two weeks after the surgery, and after that he’d made sure he came by nearly every day, whether it was to drive her to physical therapy, cook dinner, do his best to look after her garden, or just to have a cup of tea and a chat. He worried about her being on her own, but the doctor had assured him that as long as she kept up with her physical therapy, used the walker they’d given her, and wasn’t experiencing any undue pain, she would be able to get around quite comfortably under her own power within a few weeks of surgery. Still, he wanted to make sure he was there if she needed him.
“I was hoping on your way over tonight you could stop by the library and pick up some books for me? I had a request in for the next three in that series, and I got the notification just now that they’ve just come in. Shouldn’t take more than a moment, the library’s on your way.” He heard her shift, and a sound like she’d smothered a sigh. “I was going to drive over earlier, but my knee was feeling a bit stiff and I figured if you were already coming over…”
“Mum! I thought you said you were feeling all right?” Nick pulled out his card and slid it into the chip machine, frowning slightly. Maybe he should plan on staying the night…
“I am! Just a little stiffness, love, don’t fuss.” He could hear the amusement in her voice and relaxed a little. She’d been teasing him ever since the surgery that she’d never expected her rugby lad to be such a mother hen.
“Okay, okay! Then yes, I’ll stop by the library on my way.” He pulled his card from the chip machine and began bagging his groceries. “Shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes, I’m just finishing up at the shop - I’ll see you soon.”
“Cheers darling, see you shortly.” Before he could end the call, she went on. “Oh! I almost forgot - they changed how you pick up held books now, there’s a new desk on the other side of the entry. Tell Charlie you’re picking up for Sarah, he’ll get you sorted out. We’ve become very good friends these last couple weeks, Charlie and I.” Nick could hear a sly smile in her voice now. “He’s a lovely boy - just about your age, I think.” She paused significantly. “Single, too.”
“Okay Mum, bye!” Nick ended the call abruptly. He could feel himself blushing and hoped the shop clerk didn’t notice. Along with being the world’s best mum, Sarah had set out to be the world’s best ally when he’d come out as bisexual in his second year at uni. Unfortunately, this sometimes collided spectacularly with her mum instincts, resulting in her trying to set him up with any and all nice young people she met - this wasn’t the first time she’d tried to arrange a meet-cute. Nick appreciated her intentions, and had to admit that the people she chose were indeed nice, but he had never once gotten anything out of one of her set-ups except a little awkward conversation and a fun ongoing story to update his friends on when they met at the pub.
Still, he was more than happy to pick up her books for her, so after loading the groceries into his car he headed for the library. He hoped the errand would be as quick as she thought, as he’d picked up a pint of ice cream for dessert and didn’t want it melting all over the boot.
Finding a parking spot in the shade near the library doors, Nick braced himself. He would make this quick. This Charlie hopefully didn’t know his mum was trying to set them up, so he could just complete a very normal errand and be on his way before the ice cream even went soft. He half-jogged to the doors, waving to a car that let him pass, and stepped inside to the sweetly familiar smell of old books. The big checkout desk to the left he remembered, the information desk dead ahead as well, but he turned to the left and saw the new holds desk Sarah had described, and behind it-
Oh. Oh shit.
Behind it was one of the cutest men Nick had ever seen. Curly black hair tumbled down just a little over his eyes, olive skin and the barest hint of black stubble, long elegant hands emerging from the sleeves of an extremely cozy cardigan. Nick watched as he stacked some books on the counter, half-turned away to speak to a colleague, and caught his breath as the stranger smiled, revealing a devastating dimple. He half-consciously had a mental image of a scoreboard: Mum:1
“Um, excuse me?”
Nick jumped and stepped aside, mumbling apologies, to let a woman with a stroller through. He didn’t know how long he’d just stood there in the doorway, staring at this absolutely gorgeous man he could only pray was Charlie. Then again, this quick errand had suddenly gotten much more complicated, and he weighed his options - until he remembered the ice cream, probably already well on the way to melting. He steeled himself and strode towards the holds desk. If nothing else, he needed to get his mum those books.
Right as he reached the desk, the man behind it turned. Confronted with a pair of the deepest blue eyes he’d ever seen, Nick could actually feel his brain short-circuiting, and was dimly aware that he’d stopped moving. Oh wow. Up close, Nick could tell that the librarian was a few inches shorter than him, and had to stamp down the sudden swift thought that he’d be just the right height to nuzzle into Nick’s neck as he held him. Whoa, where the hell did that come from??
A small cough broke the moment, and Nick realized that he and the librarian had just been staring at each other. He cursed his ginger complexion - he knew he was probably visible from space, he was blushing so hard - but then he realized the man across from him was blushing too, and he let a slow smile steal across his face.
“Hi! Can we help you?”
He jumped a little, refocusing on the other person behind the desk - a tall woman with a gorgeous explosion of curls smiled at him knowingly, and he realized she must have been the one who coughed. “Yes! Hi, I’m here to pick up a hold for Sarah Nelson? I think she said there would be three books.” Then, risking a glance back at the other man: “She told me to speak to Charlie?”
Nick thought he heard the woman mumble “I’m sure she did” under her breath, but then Charlie smiled again and he stopped focusing on anything else but the realization that Charlie had dimples on both cheeks. As if from far away, he heard the other librarian say something about shelving, and then it was just him and Charlie alone at the desk.
“Hi.” It came out a little breathless. Nick didn’t care.
“Hi.” They smiled at each other, until Nick realized-
“You are Charlie, right?”
The other man looked confused, then let out a sudden bright laugh that hit Nick like a freight train. “Yes! Yes, sorry, I’m Charlie Spring, I’m in charge of the holds desk. And you’re Nick, right?”
He knows my name.
Nick thought he saw a hint of panic in Charlie’s face as he realized what he’d said, but then Nick laughed and he relaxed again. “That’s me! I’m guessing Mum has mentioned me then?”
“You might have come up.” Charlie’s smile was sly this time, and Nick tried to swallow, his throat suddenly dry. He’d been joking, but the idea that Mum had been talking him up to this gorgeous man was both exciting and mortifying. “She’s lovely, your mum, and she obviously loves you a lot; she talks about you all the time. She’s been coming in a lot since the surgery, so I feel like I’m becoming quite the expert on Nick Nelson.”
Nick smirked, leaning in a little. “Oh really? Go on then, what has she said about me?”
The sly smile was still on Charlie’s face, and Nick was secretly thrilled at how easily they fell into this cheeky, teasing rhythm. “You’re a dog-loving, former rugby-playing primary school teacher who’s incredibly good with kids, incredibly kind, a good cook, and ‘the best son in the world’, according to one Sarah Nelson. Oh, and bisexual. That came up often. She wanted to make sure I knew you and I were both part of the queer community.”
Nick inwardly cheered at the implied confirmation that Charlie was interested in men. “She didn’t say handsome? Usually she includes handsome in there somewhere.”
Charlie’s ears went a little pink. “She might’ve done, I don’t really remember.” Before Nick could muster the courage to ask if Charlie thought he was handsome, the librarian changed the subject. “How’s her knee doing?
Nick suppressed a sigh. “A little stiff today, so she asked me to come pick up those books for her. I guess she’s been devouring this series while she recovers.”
Charlie shook himself just a little. “Right! The books! Hold on just a minute, let me get those for you.” He turned and stepped over to the shelves behind the desk, giving Nick a moment to catch his breath. Stealthily, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and typed a quick text.
Okay you were right, Charlie is VERY nice :D
Ask if he’d like to come to dinner tonight then
MUM
Everyone likes a man who can cook, Nicky ;)
“Here you go!”
Nick jumped, startled, as Charlie set down a stack of books; his phone fell from his hand, bouncing off the counter and landing with a thud behind the holds desk.
“Oh whoops, sorry, I didn’t mean to- Let me just-” And Charlie ducked down, scooping up the phone and glancing down at the still-lit screen. He froze, and Nick realized with rising panic that he was reading the texts he’d just sent. Oh god. If they could see his blush from space before, he was sure this time he was visible from the next galaxy over.
“I’m so sorry, my mum has a habit of trying to set me up with ‘nice young people’ she meets, and she might have mentioned that you were single when she asked me to pick up her books, but I don’t want to make this weird or awkward, I know you’re at work and you probably have no interest in spending time with some random library patrons…” Nick trailed off as Charlie looked up from his phone screen, blue eyes wide, and that gorgeous smile slowly took over his face again.
“What are you making?”
“Sorry?”
“What are you making for dinner?” It took a minute for Nick’s brain to catch up, but then he started to smile too, a feeling oddly like butterflies starting to swirl in his stomach.
“ Coq au vin - mum’s favorite.”
“Sounds perfect.” Charlie was still smiling, but then his forehead wrinkled a little and he bit his lip, looking suddenly thoughtful. Then he turned Nick’s phone toward himself, swiping and then typing something in before handing it back to Nick. “That’s my number - text me your address?”
Nick took his phone back, intentionally brushing his fingers against Charlie’s, suddenly needing to touch him. He almost gasped at the small zing that went through him, and he could see Charlie start as if he’d been shocked. He stared down at Charlie’s number. Charlie Spring . The name suited him. Quickly, Nick typed the address and sent it. “Actually it’s Mum’s address, I’m going round to hers to make her dinner tonight.” He looked up at Charlie, wincing a little but feeling brave. “Sorry, I know that’s a bit weird, asking someone to dinner with me and my mum on the first date.”
Charlie’s eyes went wide, and Nick was worried he’d pushed too far by calling it a date - just because he was instantly smitten with this man he’d just met didn’t mean Charlie felt the same, and oh god maybe he had totally misread this entire interaction - but then he realized Charlie was gazing at him with an expression that somehow perfectly encapsulated the heart-eyes emoji. “A date?”
“A first date.” Nick winked, and Charlie blushed an adorable pink. “I promise I’ll take you out properly for our second.”
“Pretty confident there’s going to be a second, aren’t you?” Charlie smirked, though he was still blushing.
“I suppose that’s up to you, really - I don’t see one dinner with you being enough for me.” Nick hadn’t meant that to come out so earnest, but Charlie didn’t seem to mind. He was still looking at Nick like he’d given him the best present in the world. “So - seven alright? That’s usually when we eat.”
“Yeah, seven is fine.” They both stood, gazing at each other a little longer, until Nick’s phone chimed in his hand.
Well? Is he coming?
Nick grinned at his mum’s text, then remembered the ice cream. “I should really be getting back - I’ve got groceries in the car and chicken to make before seven.” He slid his phone back into his pocket and reached for the stack of books in front of Charlie, intentionally letting their hands brush again so he could feel another zing of the energy between them. He heard Charlie inhale sharply at the contact, and looked up to meet his eyes. “See you then?”
Charlie smiled, soft and private this time, and very deliberately rubbed his thumb over the back of Nick’s hand. “I can’t wait.”
Nick felt like he was walking on air the entire way to the car. He slid into the driver’s seat, setting the books on the seat beside him, then wriggled his phone out of his pocket to respond to his mum’s text.
Yes, he’s coming to dinner :)
Then he swiped back into his messages, pulling up the conversation with Charlie. He stared at the single message with his mum’s address, debating if it was a terrible idea to text him something more conversational, when a grey bubble popped up with three dots. Charlie was typing. Nick watched, holding his breath, butterflies swirling in his stomach again.
Can I bring anything tonight? I meant to ask
Just yourself :)
Although actually some kind of dessert might be a good idea
I kind of forgot I had ice cream in the car, and I’m not sure it’ll be in the best shape XD
One sweet treat, got it
Nick blew out a long, slow breath. Here goes nothing .
Like I said - just yourself is fine ;)
…
Oh that was CHEESY XD
What can I say? You bring out the cheese in me
Omg that sounds terrible, please forget I sent that
Nope
I’m screenshotting that and keeping it forever
I’m beginning to regret Mum inviting you to dinner
There was a pause, the three dots popping up and going away multiple times before Charlie responded.
I don’t have to come if it makes you uncomfortable, I’m sorry if this is awkward
Nick frowned. This had a very different tone, it didn’t sound like they were flirting anymore.
Charlie, I was kidding
Of course I want you to come to dinner
You don’t have to lie to protect my feelings
I get that I saw a text I wasn’t supposed to and your mum is trying to set us up and I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to be nice to me
Oh no. No, he did not like the sound of this at all. He had to fix this.
Charlie, I WANT to be nice to you
I want you to come to dinner with me and my mum, and then I want to take you out to dinner and get to know you
Yes, my mum is trying to set us up
And I really hope it’s working
Because I walked into the library ten minutes ago and you took my breath away
Nick gulped, realizing he might have gotten a little carried away. It really had only been ten minutes since he saw Charlie for the first time. Still, he didn’t like the idea that Charlie would think he was interacting with him out of obligation. He needed him to know this was special.
Nick you can’t just SAY things like that!
I’m blushing so hard
How are you a real person?
Nick grinned.
I was raised by Sarah Nelson, obvs
Yeah, I should have known Sarah’s son would be actually perfect
I will argue with you about my alleged perfection later, I really do need to get this ice cream home
Can’t wait to see you again x
You too
xxx
Nick stared at the three kisses, his mind whirling with what it would be like to kiss Charlie. He shook his head sharply. Save it for the second date, Nelson!
Then he grinned, opening up Charlie’s contact to put a heart emoji next to his name. It felt important. The ice cream could wait.