Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Charlie supposes that he could blame this whole thing on Dr. Geoff. Under the pretense of self-care and recovery, his therapist suggested that Charlie began making his own food. Charlie could see how that may work. If he cooked his own food, he could control the calorie count and what he was eating. For all intents and purposes, it sounds like a great idea but Charlie knows absolutely nothing about cooking. 

Now, he has cooked before–loads of times actually–but the recipes mostly consisted of bread and deli meat and the occasional pancake or two. So yes, Charlie has been tasked by his therapist to cook at least three meals a week (and eat them) to further extend his very long road to recovery. 

He had shared his thoughts with Dr. Geoff during their session and as expected, he chuckled and gave him some mumbled “that’s what the internet’s for, Charlie” and sent him on his way. 

Realistically, Charlie knows he can get on the internet and look at recipes, but there is something so incredibly daunting about a long ingredient list following a novel of the chef’s life and inspiration for the dish. It was one of the main reasons he didn’t cook. Grocery shopping was a battle in itself and he doesn’t think he could journey through Tesco’s winding aisles without a panic attack and minor trauma. 

It was with that thought in mind that he Googled “Easiest meals to make at home” and hit enter. Though he was at home, in bed, he decided that looking now may reduce his desire to back out when the time came. Know your enemy and whatnot. And he was glad he did. As soon as he pressed “enter” he was bombarded with link after link, videos, blogs, ads, and whatnot. He felt his breath seize at the extensive options he had, but before he shut the laptop he squeezed his eyes shut and just picked a random link. Geoff had said that in times where he needed to make a decision but felt overwhelmed with the options, to just close his eyes and pick. It wasn’t something that Charlie did often, but it seemed to be the best solution in this scenario. 

And boy was he right. 

It started with a loud ad. Some sort of medication and whatnot playing a simple copyright-free song. Charlie peeked one eye open and read the video title as the ad played. Similar to what he searched up, he was met with “Simple Homey Recipes to Cook at Home”. His gaze swept across the screen and he could see that the video was extremely popular. Created by NiceeatzbyNick with over 1 million subscribers, it seemed like fate might have given Charlie a break. 

Or so Charlie thought until the ad ended and he was face to face with broad shoulders and a tight shirt. The man was standing behind a light kitchen island with a cutting board and some other ingredients to the side. Behind him was blurred due to the focus, but Charlie could see shelves of pots and pans and other cooking gadgets. The video was extremely high quality, but the vibes were very warm and homey. 

Though the man’s face wasn’t on the screen, Charlie immediately knew that this man was attractive. He was broad with freckled shoulders. His hands rested at his sides and he could see the light scrawling of veins running up his forearms. He had barely spoken yet and Charlie had resigned himself to a long night of watching cooking videos. 

“Hi,”  Oh.  Charlie was  definitely  watching all of this man’s videos. “My name is Nick and welcome back to my Youtube Channel.” The camera was cut off slightly below the man’s shoulders, but as he spoke he did so with his whole body. He through a wave in there and seemed to jostle with his words. 

“Today I’m going to show you all 3 simple recipes to cook at home when you just simply do not want to go to Tesco.” The man on screen released a slight chuckle and Charlie felt himself dip lower in his bed and tighten the blanket around him. Yes, Geoff said that this would be beneficial to help control his food intake, but Charlie figured a little eye candy wouldn’t be bad either. 

The man had a deep but smooth voice. His voice, like Charlie’s, was accented but warm.  Warm . It seems to be the word to describe the whole scene if you were to ask Charlie.

“For all of my American subscribers, Tesco is a grocery store,” Nick, as the curly-haired boy heard, gave another chuckle, “kind of like a Walmart, but better.” Charlie could hear a smile in his voice and before he could ruminate further about the boy on the screen, Nick gave a clap to notify the audience that he was getting started. 

Charlie watched with rapture as Nick moved around the kitchen with ease. He didn’t flinch at the foods he spoke of. He cut ingredients with ease and was able to create something (supposedly) delicious without a second thought. That’s what Geoff wanted for Charlie, that’s what everyone wanted for Charlie. 

He felt himself give a small smile as he watched the screen. Though he didn’t know this Nick character, he could tell that the man was in his element. He spoke of the recipe with such joy and warmth. He moved with practiced confidence and there wasn’t a second of hesitation from him. 

Charlie felt himself laugh when Nick did and he felt curiosity run through his veins as Nick finished up all three recipes. Charlie could admit that they all looked delicious. Nick used ingredients that Charlie knew he had in his house and created something edible for one, but that looked appetizing. 

“All right!” The video cut to Nick in front of the three dishes on the kitchen table. He was gesturing lightly to all three plates, “Here’s my go at three simple dishes everyone can make at home. Let me know if you decide to try any of these and don’t forget to tag me in all of your recreations. I hope you all have a wonderful day and I look forward to seeing you next time.” 

With a quick wave, Nick’s intro tunes in. There are a few other videos recommended and before Charlie could register what he was doing, he had already clicked on another video. Based on the thumbnail, it looked like some sort of pasta dish. 

The video started roughly the same as the last one, except Nick had a dark apron on with an embroidered “N” on the top left corner. His face still wasn’t in the video, but he was still all broad shoulders and freckled hands. 

The dark-haired boy’s night continued on like this. He watched video after video of Nick’s recipes and even saved some that he would like to recreate. There were definitely a few that Charlie knew he couldn’t make or just simply didn’t want to make, but for the most part, Nick’s recipes and methods appealed to Charlie. It also probably helped that he was the most beautiful man Charlie had ever laid eyes on. He didn’t even need to see his face to know that. 

Charlie looked at the time on the top right corner of his laptop screen and sighed at the time. Though he wanted to stay up all night enveloped by Nick’s voice and strong hands, he had class tomorrow. He shut his laptop screen and laid it on the floor next to his bed. He grabbed his phone and pulled it towards him as he burrowed further into the blankets. His fingers clicked on Instagram from muscle memory and with a thought he searched up Nick’s Youtube name. 

The first result was a verified account with a beautiful border collie as the profile picture. As Charlie clicked on it, he was met with an abundance of color and food. It seems that Nick took a picture of everything he cooked and ate. In between pictures of meals were a scattering of the same dog. Charlie huffed and laughed as he clicked on the most recent picture of the dog. In the picture, the dog was being held in familiar coat-clad arms. Her tongue was lolled out as snow drifted across the camera, but the picture, like all things Nick, seemed warm.

The caption was just the dog emoji and a red heart and Charlie smiled at it. He hesitated before liking it. He didn’t want to seem weird, but based on Nick's following count alone he doubts he would even notice a like from Charlie. Rolling his eyes at his behavior he double-tapped the picture and decided to peek at the comments. 

Charlie was not surprised to see that he was not the only one that could recognize a fit boy when they saw one. A lot of the comments were variations of “I wish that were me” and just general thirstiness. A few heart emojis were scattered about, but for the most part, people were talking about new recipes and sharing their experiences recreating Nick’s videos. A few people were lucky enough to even get a response from the man himself. It was usually a quick “That’s great,” or a “Glad you liked it!”, but everyone seemed to eat up the response anyway. 

Charlie swiped out of the photo and scrolled back up to the top of Nick’s account. His bio was adorned in color with lots of emojis and little tidbits of his life. Charlie felt giddy as he read over it and only hesitated for a second before clicking “follow”. He quickly turned off his phone in some strange act of embarrassment before he buried his head into his pillow. 

Why am I like this? 

As he drifted off he felt his phone buzz. He figured it was a lone message in a group chat and didn’t even entertain the thought of replying before he slipped into unconsciousness. 

NiceeatzbyNick followed you.

Chapter Text

Contrary to what Charlie thought waking up to the notification that his Youtube crush followed him back on Instagram, the world does not suddenly implode and NiceeatzbyNick does not suddenly fall in love with him. 

In fact, much to his dismay, the day started out completely normal. Like every other day, aside from Charlie waking up, reading the notification, and then screaming so loudly that even Tao came to check in on him. 

He was leaning against his door frame with an intense expression. His eyes bored into Charlie’s and the young man felt his face heat up, “why are you being loud?” He could only sputter as he ripped the blankets off of himself and moved to push Tao out of his room. 

“Nothing!” He could tell he didn’t believe him, but the last thing Charlie wanted to do was admit his stupid crush, especially to his roommate. Even if they were best friends. 

So, excluding Charlie’s embarrassing start in the morning, everything else continued as it always does. He brushed his teeth, stared himself down in the mirror and recited 3 nice things about himself, got dressed, changed his clothes, changed his clothes  again , grabbed his book bag, and left. Well, not before Tao chucked a granola bar at his head and wished him good luck with his lecture. 

He eases into the university’s cafe like he always does and orders himself a black coffee  like he always does  and finds his chair (not  his , but it should be considering how often he’s at this place), the one in the right-hand corner facing the entrance. He set his bag next to the chair and settled into his spot. Any other day, Charlie would pull his laptop out and begin studying like he does every day. 

Embarrassingly enough, today can’t be like every other day for Charlie because he is still thinking about that stupid Instagram notification. He glances down at his phone that’s laid flat on the cafe table. He doesn’t quite know what he’s expecting. A text from the celebrity himself? Yeah right. His gaze bounces around the room in fear that there’s a mysterious mind reader in the room who somehow knows how ridiculous Charlie’s being.

 Charlie knows that, rationally, he’s not being weird. Everyone has celebrity crushes, even Tao! In fact, Charlie has so many celebrity crushes. Chris Evans, Kit Connor, and any other man with strong golden retriever energy. So, rationally he knows this, but there is something about having a crush on a faceless Youtube chef that is far more embarrassing. 

Embarrassment aside, Charlie can’t help but grab his phone and click through Nick’s Instagram for the second (okay, maybe third or fourth) time. The Youtuber hasn’t posted anything else, but Charlie is still finding new posts to fixate on. He’s scrolled pretty far down and is stumbling across posts that are years old. The pictures don’t stray from the same theme as the more recent photos, still dogs and recipes, but there is a certain looseness to the older ones. He continued to scroll until one particular photo caught his eye. 

It was another picture of Nick’s dog, Nellie–he found her name during his tumultuous stalking–and Nick. Unlike all the other photos, this one was cropped just under his nose so the screen was filled with a strong jaw and closed-lip smile. Charlie could’ve sworn he was swooning. All signs are pointing to the fact that this man is probably the most attractive man to ever grace the planet.  Sorry, Chris Evans. 

“Ooh, who’s Charlie stalking today?” The boy nearly jumped out of his skin and slammed his phone down. His head jerked toward the voice and saw Tara, Darcy, and Elle staring at him with equal amounts of amusement, 

“Darcy,” Tara, Darcy’s girlfriend, chastised, “leave Charlie alone. He can stalk whoever he wants.” The girls giggle and begin filling in the rest of the empty seats around Charlie.

“Hey! I am not stalking. I am,” He paused because yes, he was stalking but he didn’t want them to know about it, “doing research.” 

Elle raised a brow at him and Tara and Darcy just seemed to get lost in their own world. 

“Doing research, hm?” Elle could easily call his bullshit and she did. “Does the research involve very large arms, a warm smile, and dogs?” 

Charlie rolled his eyes and distracted himself with a cup of coffee. “He’s a YouTuber. Geoff said something about learning how to cook and I found this guy.” His friend still looked amused and she made grabby hands at his phone. He huffed a laugh and handed the phone over to her. “I was just seeing what he gets up to in his personal life.” 

She continued to scroll through Nick’s Instagram with a giggle. It looked like she had had her fill before she paused and then looked up at Charlie. “Charlie Spring, did this man  follow  you back?” 

This also caught Tara and Darcy’s attention as they paused the conversation amongst themselves and immediately snapped their eyes to Charlie’s phone in Elle’s hands. 

The darker-haired man just smiled shyly and reached to rip his phone out of Elle’s grasp. The girl was expecting him to do so and she held his phone just out of reach. 

“Oh. My. God.” Darcy was laughing like a madman and soon all four of them were crowded around the table looking at Charlie’s phone. 

“That’s not weird, people follow people back every day.” He was rationalizing with not only them but himself as well. He had been trying to talk himself out of overthinking all morning. Because, honestly, how often do celebrities just follow people back? It’s not as if Charlie has a little blue check mark next to his name. His posts just consist of pictures of friends and other miscellaneous photos, so why would Nick follow him. 

“Charlie, he’s only following 134 people. One hundred and thirty-four! He obviously doesn’t just follow anyone.” Elle is right, but Charlie doesn’t want to admit it. He thinks that it was probably just an accident and says as such. 

“Accident or not, a very attractive, very  famous  chef follows our little Charlie boy.” Darcy ruffles his curls, “Should we try to get his attention through the art of Instagram seduction?” 

Tara gapes in surprise, “Darcy!” She gives her girlfriend a gentle shove and rolls her eyes at her.

“Nope! No, absolutely not.” Charlie reached over and successfully tore his phone from his friend’s hands. “You guys have lost privileges. Now, can we please talk about something other than my celebrity crushes?”

Charlie finished his classes and felt exhausted. He trudged through the door with bone-deep tiredness. It felt like he had a stack of bricks laying on his shoulders and his head was pounding. Though he had a great time with Tar, Darcy, and Elle in the morning, it seemed like the rest of the day just got worse and worse. 

He was able to eat his granola bar, but the thought of eating anything else made him queasy. He took a deep breath and dropped his book bag on the floor near his bed. He had half a mind to slide his shoes off before throwing himself on the bed. He could feel Tao’s eyes on him from across the dorm. They were piercing but concerned and Charlie felt that he should ease his friend’s worry. 

He gave Tao a tired smile and his friend just huffed at him. “Are you still down to have the movie night tonight? We can skip the popcorn if you’d like.” 

Every so often their friend group tries to get together for movie night. It’s become increasingly harder the closer they get to finals, but it’s still a tradition amongst their group. Tao picks some extremely underground, artsy movies and forces all of his friends to watch it as he describes in  great  detail the artistic and cinematic choices of the directors. 

This is something he knows, something he’s used to and Charlie doesn’t want to miss out on it and he doesn’t want to ruin it for anyone else. “Yeah, I’d still like to do it. The popcorn’s fine, I think I’m just stressed.” 

Tao nods his head and seems to hesitate before talking, “Have you eaten yet? We can run to the cafeteria and pick something up?” The question fills Charlie with warmth. He knows that the past year has been hard on his friends, especially Tao. Charlie’s eating…habits had been difficult for everyone to adjust to, but they were all trying their best. 

Honestly, Charlie didn’t want to eat. He had a long day and the idea of eating made him shiver, but Dr. Geoff’s voice rang in the back of his head,  “you can control what you make” . He’s reminded of the videos Charlie had saved for later.  

“Actually, would you fancy a trip to the store? There are a few recipes I wanted to try out.” 

Tao looked at him with surprise. “Are you cooking for me Charlie Spring?” Charlie huffed before standing up. 

“Not with that attitude I’m not.” He shoved his shoes on before mentally preparing himself for a shopping trip. He could hear Tao getting his own shoes on and his bag. 

“Do you want to invite the group? It might help.” Charlie actually thought that sounded like a great idea. He still felt stress clinging to him, but the thought of spending time with his friends eases the tension. 

“Yeah, that’d be great!” Tao shot a text to their group chat and within the next few minutes, their friends flooded in. Isaac, Elle, Tara, and Darcy all seemed lively and Charlie could feel himself basking in their energy. 

“So Chef Charlie,” Tao began, “What are you cooking for us lowly peasants tonight?” 

Everyone giggled and Charlie even felt himself snort, “Well if you must ask, I’m making pizza!” There was a series of  ooh ’s and  aah ’s which eased his anxiety around cooking. “I figured everyone could choose their own toppings? We can make little individual pizzas.” 

The video Nick made explained that the recipe served 8 people, but knowing Darcy’s appetite he thinks it’ll be the perfect amount. The Youtuber did mention splitting the pizza dough into parts to have personal pizzas and Charlie’s glad he did. 

“Is this recipe from your lover-boy, Charlie?” Elle gasped and Charlie felt his face heat up at Darcy’s words. 

“‘Lover-boy’? What’s that about?” Tao looked at Elle with confusion and then shifted his gaze toward Charlie. 

“Nothing!” Charlie exclaimed at the same time Tara chimed in.

“This cute Youtuber followed Charlie on Instagram. We caught him ogling his posts this morning in the caf.” 

“Tara! You are supposed to have my back!” She only laughed in response and the young man sighed. “Yes, to answer your question, it is Nick’s recipe. Thank you for asking.” He couldn’t help his dry tone at their antics. He loved his friends, but they were the most meddling people he had ever met. 

“Ooh, it’s Nick now, is it? I didn’t realize you two were on a first-name basis.” Charlie flipped Darcy off and glared at Elle as she held back a laugh. 

“Is this any way to treat the man that’s feeding you all tonight?” That seemed to quell everyone’s jokes and with that, they headed on their way to Tesco.

Though he was glad his friends came on his grocery shopping journey, Charlie thinks they may have taken 10 years from his life span. Between Darcy touching  everything  and Tara touching Darcy and Tao and Elle being, well, Tao and Elle they created the most fun but stressful shopping experience of his life. Isaac was the exception, as he always is. He was on his best behavior, outside of pestering Charlie on his new-found crush. 

Despite their antics, they left with what they needed and poured into Charlie and Tao’s dorm, plastic bags in each of their hands. Charlie and Tao were lucky that their dorm had a community kitchen that was  never  used, so they dropped off their bags and purses and Isaac herded them all into the kitchen. 

The recipe he chose was a  safe -ish food for him. Pizza. He figured with all of his friends around, he might be able to get out of his head a little bit. Pizza is simple and easy and  familiar . Nick’s recipe served 8 people and was just one large pizza, but their friend group could never settle on what toppings to put on, so Charlie suggested that they each make their own personal-sized pizza. He’s heard enough of Tao and Darcy arguing over pineapple on pizza to last him a lifetime and he wanted to enjoy his olives in peace. 

So, with a clap of his hands, they all began making their own pizza. The kitchen was filled with laughs and Nick’s soothing voice. Everything–and I mean  everything –was caked with flour. Charlie could see it in his curls. He could feel it smeared against his cheek and with a cursory glance around the kitchen, it seemed that everyone else was in a similar boat. They had to stop the video several times or just rewind it completely to catch up with Nick. Not that Charlie minded hearing his calming voice.  

Tara and Darcy had a “flour fight” which he somehow got roped into, Nick’s video on pause during the chaos. Tao and Elle attempted to sneak a kiss during the dough-making process and came out of it with flour-dusted handprints over each other's jumpers. As always, Isaac seemed to be the exception. They had thrown their pizzas in the oven and milled about in the kitchen. 

This was exactly what Charlie needed. The drone of conversation with the people he loves and trusts the most. He could feel his heart swell with happiness, but before he could say anything sappy he was interrupted by the shrill beep of the oven timer. 

Everyone perked up and gathered around the oven. Isaac shoved on an oven mitt and made quick work of pulling out everyone’s pizza. Eventually, all six lined the stovetop, and a series of  ooh ’s and  aah ’s filled the room as we all took in each other’s work. Darcy’s had a huge smiley face made of pepperoni and pineapple, whereas Tara’s had a heart of sausage and olives. Tao’s toppings were arranged in a neat circle and Elle only sprinkled cheese on hers. Charlie and Isaac just threw on their olives and toppings in a heap in the center. 

Darcy went to grab her pizza but was stopped by Elle’s hand. “Wait, we need to take a picture!” Charlie grinned and grabbed his phone, opening Insta. He clicked on the story option and turned the camera front-facing. 

“Everyone grab your pizza and hold it.” The gang followed suit and soon each of them was holding their own creation. They were all still covered in flour and the mess of the kitchen was plain to see even with them taking up most of the frame. Charlie smiled a huge grin and told the others to do the same. He snapped the picture quickly and fondness filled his chest. 

“Look,” He set his pizza down and showed the others. Elle squealed and demanded he send her a copy. Charlie promised that he would and began typing out his caption. Maybe it was his friend’s meddling from earlier or maybe he was just high on the joy in the room, but he thought of tagging Nick in his post. The man always did say to tag him in their recreations. 

‘@niceeatzbynick ur pizza recipe was delicious, but not gay friendly. none of us know how much 10 grams is’

“Tagging the man himself?” Charlie jumped and glared at Isaac. “This is the start of a Wattpad story. I can feel it.” Charlie glared at him and gave a gentle shove. 

“It absolutely is  not . He probably won’t even read it.” Though he hopes he does. Not that Charlie will say that out loud. 

“What’s this about Wattpad?” Of course, Darcy has to chime in.

Isaac smirks, “Just discussing Charlie’s celebrity crush. He tagged him in that photo.”

Darcy cackles loudly and slaps Charlie on the shoulder with vigor. “You going to start reading Nick x reader fanfics now? I’m sure I can find some good ones.” The whole room erupts in giggles and even Charlie chimes in. He swats away her hands and goes to eat his pizza. 

“Laugh it up. When I’m famous and Mr. NiceEatz, I’ll remember who was truly my friend.” This was followed by a second roar of laughter, but soon they all settled in and ate their creations. They were all lost in conversation and company, so much so that when 3 hours passed by, Charlie didn’t even register the vibration of his phone signaling a notification. 

Chapter Text

“Okay, I know we were having a laugh about this earlier, but it’s starting to get sad Charlie.” He could hear the tone in Elle’s voice, annoyed but fond. 

“All I’m saying is first he follows Charlie and now he’s messaging him? The man has over a million followers and just coincidentally follows and messages him? Do you think he does this to all of his followers?” Isaac is ever romantic and Charlie can’t bring himself to say that yes, Nick does follow and message all of his followers. That Charlie is  not  special and just had a stroke of luck. A misclick on Nick’s end. He can’t say all of this because Charlie asked. Well, didn’t ask Nick directly. He went to Twitter as he always does and scrolled through the NiceEatzbyNick tag for hours. 

Thousands tweeted about the attractive chef and not a single one reported receiving a message or being followed. The most he could find were instances of Nick retweeting or liking a fan’s post, but that was it. So, Charlie does what any 19-year-old does when faced with a dilemma. He hit ‘post’ before he could even proofread his tweet. It wasn’t even that bad. He had asked a simple question,  ‘has nick ever followed any fan back, like ever?’  but it felt sacrilegious. His only saving grace was that he posted where millions of others are thirsting over the same man, some far worse than Charlie. In a sense, these were his people. 

“Isaac, what have I told you about encouraging Charlie’s crushes. Stop it.” Tao rolled his eyes and rested his head on Elle’s shoulder. 

“It doesn’t mean anything.” Charlie ripped his eyes from the Instagram chat and looked at his friends. “He just said “looking good” with the thumbs-up emoji. That doesn’t mean anything, right?”

Tao sighed, “It means you need to take a break from the internet.” Elle gave a huff of a laugh. 

“Just test it, Charlie. Try texting back, if he doesn’t respond then you have your answer.” Darcy, unfortunately, made a great point. If this is something that Nick does frequently with his fans, he probably won’t have time to have a full-on discussion with Charlie. Even though, based on his Twitter notifications, Nick doesn’t typically message anyone  ever  (at least according to Twitter user @nickssluttywaist). 

“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Tao shot his head up from Elle’s shoulder. 

“I want to believe in romance,” Isaac whines. 

“Me too!” Darcy wrenches his phone out of his hands and begins frantically typing. 

“Darcy, you give that back right now!” Charlie throws himself forward from his position on the floor just as the blonde girl throws herself back toward the carpet. Her legs come up to defend her from the attack. 

He can hear Tara chastising her as she also attempts to grab the phone from her. A haunting  whoosh  fills the air amongst their yelling as Darcy hits send. 

“Darcy! You meddling gay!” She cackles loudly and throws her head back. She lowered her legs enough for Charlie to rip his phone from her hands. She must’ve turned it off after sending the message and Charlie felt almost nervous to turn it back on. 

His curiosity far outweighed his anxiety though and he quickly typed in his passcode. His phone automatically opened to their conversation. To Charlie’s–Darcy’s–response. 

Looks good 👍

the pizza or the chefs?

Charlie screeched and flushed. “Darcy Ollson! You are a  menace ! That is so embarrassing!” He slapped at her legs and pressed on the message, intending to unsending it. “I’m unsending this. I can’t believe you were flirting with him!” She released another ungodly laugh. 

“Technically,  you  were the one flirting with him.” Charlie huffed and Tara nudged her girlfriend. 

“You’re evil,” Darcy whined at her girlfriend’s words. 

“You’re not the least bit curious?” Silence filled the room. Charlie was curious. He had no misguided conception that this was going to go anywhere. He knew that Nick wasn’t the love of his life or that Charlie was his, but the man was clearly attractive (okay, he hasn’t seen his face, but he just knows) and Charlie was allowed to have fun. “That’s what I thought. Plus, it’s not like I asked him for his hand in marriage. A little one-sided flirting won’t hurt his rich little head.” 

“What about Charlie’s little head?” Of course, Tao would be worried about him, he always is. 

“I’m fine, Tao. It’s kind of exciting, to be honest. I’ve never had a celebrity follow me before.” Tao just rolled his eyes and Isaac snorted. 

“More than follow, Charlie. He slid into your dm’s.” Darcy giggled and Charlie couldn’t help but join. 

Through all the chaos Charlie realized he forgot to unsend the message. Just as he was about to do so, a line of text appeared at the bottom of his (Darcy’s) message. 

‘ Read’

“Darcy Ollson, I am going to kill you.” Charlie could feel his face heating up. If he unsent the message now it would definitely be weird. Maybe Charlie is overthinking it. The whole situation is weird, unsending the message is probably the least weird thing that’s happened so far. 

“What?! Did he message back? What did he say?” She flew up into a sitting position and leaned into Charlie’s space. Everyone seemed to mirror her, even Tao and they all gathered around his phone. 

The three dots indicating Nick’s typing was haunting him. They all waited with bated breaths. The whole room–Charlie and Tao’s room–was filled with silence. 

The three dots disappeared and then reappeared a few times and Charlie wanted to groan. Tao seemed to share his sentiment but did decide to voice his agitation. 

“This is stupid, can we watch a movie or something?” Everyone shushed him and Elle sent a comforting hand on his back. 

“Aren’t you just a little curious?” A huff fled from Tao’s mouth. 

Whatever he had been about to say was quickly interrupted by the uproar of Darcy, Isaac, and Charlie. Nick responded. Nick responded. Nick responded to Charlie. Nick texted Charlie back. A celebrity is texting Charlie Spring. He was going to faint. 

He was so excited to see a text appear that he didn’t even read it. Darcy was screaming at him to turn his phone back on and Isaac was nudging his shoulder. He did as they all commanded and opened up the messages again. 

Considering it’s my recipe, I’m obliged to say the pizza

The chefs aren’t too bad either though 

“I’ve died. I’ve died and gone to heaven, haven’t I?” Darcy was scouring the message. Charlie doesn’t know what she was looking for, but he honestly didn’t care. “There’s no way that he texted me back, right?” 

“Not just texted,” began Tara, “but  double  texted! Charlie! He double-messaged you.” Okay, he was actually going to faint. 

“Well, are you going to respond?” He started at Elle’s voice.  Oh my god.  He had to respond. Suddenly panic seized him. 

“What do I say?” he frantically looked at all of his friends surrounding him. They all had a look of amusement on their faces. 

Darcy went to grab his phone again but was stopped by Tara. “Absolutely not. You’re done.” She gave a strict point at Darcy and her girlfriend just pouted. 

“Just be you, Charlie.” He appreciated Elle’s words, but this was  Nick  he was messaging. This felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The urge to be compelling and different filled him. The replies to his tweet flood his brain. He thinks back to everyone calling him crazy for even assuming that Nick would message anyone. 

Suddenly, the good mood is gone. Replaced by anxious energy. He’s getting overwhelmed and he feels the anxiety gripping his throat. Quickly, his friends noticed the shift and Elle gently removed the phone from his hand and turned it off. 

“Okay, no more Nick.” Charlie nodded his head quietly, “Can we finally decide on a movie?” Tao started but was quickly interrupted by a gentle finger on his lips, shushing him. “Not you, Love,” Tao whined and Charlie felt the knot in his chest begin to unfurl. 

“Ooh, can we watch Harry Potter?” Darcy’s suggestion was met with varying responses. A loud groan on Tao’s end, a scoff from Tara, a gentle hum from Isaac, and Elle just gave Charlie a look. 

“What do you think, Charlie? We can watch Prisoner of Azkaban. I know that’s your favorite.” Suddenly, everyone’s eyes were on him. He appreciated them so much. 

“I’m fine with that.” Tao begins complaining that Charlie just wants to ogle at the actors and he can’t even begin to argue. It’s not his fault that he loved Sirius Black. 

Over the next few days, Charlie is so busy he can’t even spare Nick a thought outside of watching his videos, checking his Instagram and Twitter, and refreshing their dm’s–okay, so maybe he can spare a few thoughts about Nick. 

The man’s videos are extremely comforting and though Charlie hasn’t cooked anything else from the trailer, he really wants to. He’s still accumulating a playlist full of things he would like to try. 

He actually gets the notification as he’s refining his  ‘Meals to try’  playlist. 

NiceEatzbyNick just uploaded a new video!

He clicked on the notification and it brought him directly to the man’s new video, posted only minutes ago. He barely read the title before the video began. 

‘One Pot Pasta with Nick’

“Hello everyone!”  The video started as they always do. Nick was in front of his island with a dark blue shirt and a black apron on top. He had a watch on his left wrist and on his right was a pot of food.  Most likely pasta , Charlie supplies helpfully. 

“Welcome back to my channel, today we are going to be making some of my favorite one-pot pasta recipes that everyone can make. Even the  gays,  as charlie_spr1 requested.”

He paused the video with a gape. His hand flew over his mouth and he frantically screenshotted his screen. The subtitles spelled out his username and everything. 

He sent the screenshot in their group chat. 

C:  GUYS 

C:  GUYS 

C:  Attachment: 1 Image 

C:  aksjciuefnehg

D:  omg 

D:  OMG

E:  charlie

I:  ROMANCE 

D:  CHARLES

D:  CHARLES SPRING ARE U OJKAY?

D:  send link rn 

Charlie’s heart was racing and he swapped back over to YouTube. He copied the link and sent it in the group chat. 

C:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?NiceEatzbyNickv=OYby6RrA

He ignored the group chat in favor of hitting play on the video. As far as Charlie was concerned, Nick doesn’t mention him in the rest of the video. His heart calms and he takes a deep breath. He felt giddy with excitement.

C:  you can refer to me by mr. niceeatz plz and thx

A flurry of texts follows his response and he just snorts and continues to watch the video. Nick’s intro plays (just a quick compilation of some pan flipping and pasta making) and then the tutorial officially begins.’

“ First up, we are making Skillet Lasagna. Don’t ask me why, it just seemed fun and my mum makes it like this”  He had a few pieces of lasagna noodles in his hands and Charlie watched with rapt as he broke them up. 

As Nick always does, he spoke calmly and with purpose. He tossed in a few jokes in between directions and even managed to bring a smile to Charlie's face a few times. He could tell, even through the screen, that Nick was truly passionate about cooking. 

Twelve minutes and three recipes later, Charlie finds himself watching Nick’s outro. Usually, the man just plays an aesthetically pleasing compilation of his cooking in the video, but today seems different. 

“ Thank you all for watching today’s video. Please don’t forget to join me this weekend on the charity stream! We are going to be cooking for a full 24 hours to raise money for the Trevor Project! All food made during the stream will be donated to shelters across the city. I look forward to seeing all of you!”  Charlie didn’t know about the charity stream, but now that he does he has to join. He doubts he can watch the entire stream, but the Trevor Project holds a special place in his heart, as does Nick. 

He is curious about one of the pasta recipes Nick shared. He also may or may not be desperate to make it and post it on his story to get Nick’s attention. He shoots a quick message in the group chat again. It had gone relatively quiet following their mutual panic about Charlie getting name-dropped. 

C:  who wants pasta?  🫣

D:  thought you’d never ask  🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤

TARA:  we’ll be there <3 

E:  On my way! 

E:  **omw 🏃🏾♀️

I:  be there soon 

“Tao!” He shouted in hopes the man would hear him. Tao has a habit of listening to music at the loudest volume. Luckily, today seemed to be an exception. 

“What?” Tao peeked around the door frame. 

“Pasta for dinner?” His friend just rolled his eyes.

“Why am I even surprised?” Charlie just giggled and dragged Tao to the kitchen with him. 

“I think we have all the ingredients. Will you just help me get them all together?” Tao gave a quick nod and together they laid out all of the necessary ingredients. As they worked, everyone began filing in. 

Charlie cooked while they all mingled and chatted. He could hear their conversations behind him as he watched Nick’s video. Pausing when he needed to and rewinding as he went. He chimed in with his own opinion when it called for, but otherwise, he just focused on cooking. 

It was almost therapeutic. This recipe was far easier than the pizza one, so Charlie felt himself relaxing as he went. It didn’t take long and soon he was dishing out 6 bowls and 6 forks. He took another photo of himself and the group with their pastas in front of them and smiled down at the picture. 

“Okay, dig in!” Everyone giggled and began eating. Charlie could feel the gnawing of anxiety in his chest, but he took a deep breath in and out. He took a bite once he could and some of his anxiety fled out of him. How could something so good be bad, he thought to himself. 

“On a scale of 1-10, how do we like it?” Charlie looked at everyone expectantly.

Darcy mumbled through a full mouth or tried to at least. Tara gave her a smack and Darcy just glared at her and threw 10 fingers up. 

“Delicious!” Tara chimed in. “11/10 for sure.” Charlie smiled and flushed. 

“This is some of the best pasta I’ve ever had.” Elle grins at Charlie and leans down to take another bite. 

Isaac shared her sentiment and Charlie looked at Tao to get his rating. “It’s okay, I suppose.” Charlie laughed triumphantly. In Tao-language, that means that it’s amazing. 

Charlie looked at the photo on his phone again and pursed his lips. 

“Just post it,” said Isaac, “Tell him the gays approve.” 

Darcy snorts. “Approve? I would make sweet, sweet love to this pasta dish if I could.”

“Hey!” Darcy dodges a smack from Tara, “what about me?” 

He tunes their bickering out in favor of posting on his story again. He didn’t feel as nervous. He had a giddiness about him, he knew, but not the whirlwind of anxiety. 

@NiceEatzbyNick we tried your pasta and ur right this is way more gay friendly 11/10

“Okay, Mr. NiceEatz,” Charlie glanced at Elle, “now that we know you can make food like this, you will have to cook for us every night.”

Everyone just nodded in response and Charlie felt his heart swell. He was glad they enjoyed his food. He was glad  he  enjoyed his food. Charlie hasn’t felt this good about his recovery in ages. He knew he had a long road ahead of him, but having control of cooking was doing wonders. He smiled at his friends and was completely torn out of the moment the second his phone pinged. 

N:  Glad they enjoyed it 

N:  I’m curious what YOU thought though 

Charlie grinned down at his phone. Was this flirting? This had to be flirting. 

“What’s that smile about?” Tao looked at him suspiciously and Elle lifted her head up to look at him too.

“Oh my god,” said Tara, “he messaged you back, didn’t he? He responded to your story.” 

Charlie attempted to bite back a smile as he nodded his head. He flipped his phone around to show everyone. “Oh my god!” Isaac let out a giggle and a few of the others joined in. 

“He is definitely flirting with you,” from Elle.

“It’s like he wants to have your babies!” From Darcy. 

“Well, are you going to respond or not?” Indignantly from Tao. 

“I don’t know what to say!” He pouted. 

“Just tell him what you thought of the recipe!” Chimed Isaac. 

C:  i really liked it 

C:  much simpler than pizza 

He hit send before he could talk himself out of it.  Ugh , he feels so silly. 

“Guys, this is stupid.” He knew he was whining, but he didn’t care. 

“Where is the confident Charlie from two minutes ago?” Isaac gave him a comforting pat on the back. 

“He’s gone! He left and he’s never coming back.” He could physically sense the eye rolls from his friends. 

N:  I’m glad you liked it  😊

C: yeah❤️ 

C: yeah! 🥰

C: i loved it! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

C: thank you for texting me

“Oh my god this is painful,” Charlie glared at his best friend. “I have an essay to write, so I’m going to the library.” He looked at Elle, “you coming with me?” She gave a nod and began gathering her things. 

“Did you finish your essay, Darcy?” The blonde looked at her girlfriend sheepishly. “Are you joking? Are you trying to fail?” She shook her head fondly and began standing up with Darcy in tow. 

“Thank you for dinner, Charlie! I’m going to try to get this one,” she pointed at Darcy, “a passing grade in English. Let us know if you make any progress with Lover Boy!” 

He gave her a quick hug and smile and received a pat on the cheek from Darcy. He turned to Isaac and gave the boy a broad smile. 

“You heading out too?” He gets a nod in response. 

“I have a study group tomorrow at seven, so I have to get to bed early.” They both lean in to hug each other. 

“I’ll walk you back to the dorms, though?” Charlie gives him a nod and appreciates the thought. He distantly realizes that he never did respond to Nick. 

“Look, Charlie,” Isaac paused in their trek to the dorms, “Have fun with Nick. This is a great opportunity. Just be yourself and enjoy the moment.” Charlie looked at him and shot him a small smile. “You deserve good things, Charlie. Never forget that.” He flushed and looked down at his feet. 

“Thank you, Isaac.”

Somehow during their talk, they did begin walking again. Soon enough, they found themselves in front of Charlie’s dorm. They exchanged goodbyes and Charlie found himself in his bed alone with his thoughts and a semi-famous YouTuber in his DM’s. 

He still hasn’t responded to the man. He keeps picking up his phone, typing a few words, and then deleting them. It’s an endless cycle and Charlie is giving himself secondhand embarrassment. He decided to call it quits after he deleted his last text and now he’s just pretending to study. Or, he was until a text from Nick jarred him out of his thoughts. 

N:  So, what’s your favorite food?

Charlie smiled at the simple question but quickly frowned thinking of his response. Charlie wouldn’t say he has a “favorite” food. He has “safe” foods. Foods he can comfortably eat without triggering his OCD (sometimes).

C:  tbh

C:  i wouldn’t say i have a fave food 

C:  i like pizza tho and pasta obviously  🫣

That wasn’t so bad, he thinks. That essentially was an entire sentence he sent to Nick without deleting some of it first. Before he could even celebrate his small win, a reply comes instantly. 

N:  Okay

N:  Ur trapped on an island and can only bring one food what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

C:  bowling alley chips 

Charlie laughs at his own response. There is a bowling alley he goes to every year on his birthday with his friends and they have the best chips,  ever.  He normally isn't a fan of fast food or really anything greasy, but they were the best things he's ever put in his mouth. Okay, well maybe not the best, but definitely top 5. 

N:  Bowling alley chips?

N:  May I ask why?

C:  my friends and i (the gays) always go on my bday to this bowling alley

C: we always get these chips and they are delicious 

C:  my taste is probably clogged by nostalgia and good vibes but they are sooo good 

N:  🤣

N:  Have you ever tried making your own?

C:  chips?

N:  Yeah, like homemade?

Charlie decides to push his confidence a bit. He’s been doing well so far during their talk and he doesn’t think he’s embarrassed himself yet. 

C:  nah 

C: you see, i watch this guy on youtube and can only cook what he makes and he hasn’t made a chips video 

He flushed at his own antics and immediately shoved his face into his pillow. He turned off his phone and groaned into the bed.

Why am I like this?

Another vibration rips him out of his pity party. 

N:  Shame. 

N:  Maybe I can put in a word for you? He might be willing to take requests 

C:  oh? what are my chances he’ll actually make it?

N:  Very good

C:  i’ll take your word for it  🫡

He was giddy and flushed. He could feel the heat on his face and the butterflies in his chest. They were definitely flirting. Like, 100% flirting. He was flirting with Nick and Nick was (probably) flirting with him back. 

Having long since put his books away, Charlie lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling. As he began dozing off, he felt himself thinking of what him and Nick would talk about next time, if there would be a next time. 

Chapter Text

Charlie

If you were to tell Charlie of, let’s say, a month ago that he would be texting (quite a lot–like a ridiculous amount of texting) a semi-celebrity he would’ve laughed in your face. Full body, stomach grabbing, snorting laughter in your face because he’s Charlie. He is decent in maths and pretty mid at just about anything and everything else. He’s skinny, dramatic, and according to Tao, has horrible taste in movies. 

Boys don’t look twice at Charlie, they don’t talk to Charlie, and they surely don’t try to get to know Charlie. But, Nick…

Nick.

They had been talking everyday for almost a month following the ‘Pasta Post’. They conversed about anything and everything and they just never ran out of things to say, to ask, or to bicker about. There was a bit of a rocky start as Charlie literally had no clue how to talk to Nick. Lots of awkward pauses between messages and even more cringing on Charlie’s end, but soon they found a flow. 

Nick had posted a ‘ Chips That Make You Feel Like You’re at A Bowling Alley Birthday Party’ (Charlie had argued with him for a week to change the title, but he was unsuccessful) and it just clicked from there. 

So, no, boys are never interested in Charlie, but he thinks he’s okay with that as long as Nick is texting him. It is unnerving or just plain terrifying with how quickly they had become best friends. It felt that Charlie had known him for years, that Nick was some weird missing piece in Charlie’s puzzle of life. 

Ew. Don’t ever say that again. 

If Charlie thought that their race to friendship was terrifying, he was not expecting the utter horror of developing a crush on the YouTuber. To be honest, no one can blame Charlie. It was like he was tailor-made to be absolute boyfriend material. The man loved dogs, cooking, his mum, Marvel movies, tea, and Formula One. He always knew the best questions to ask, and had some of the most attractive arms Charlie had ever laid eyes on. Looking back on it, an actual real-life crush on Nick was inevitable. He knew what he was getting himself into, but as he looks down at his phone, at their conversation, Charlie can’t even find himself to be upset at his silly crush. 

N: I’m just saying, you are shaming cotton candy when mint chocolate chip is RIGHT there

Their most recent spat was over milkshake flavors. Nick had posted a dessert tutorial and to Charlie’s absolute horror revealed that his favorite flavor of ice cream was cotton candy with sprinkles. He had texted the man immediately after watching the tutorial.

C: the sins of another do not forgive ur own 

C: 😐

N: Okay Shakespear 

N: What’s your favorite flavor then?  

N: Probably a cookie dough guy, eh?

C: im almost insulted 

C: chocolate fudge 

C: its literally the best flavor

N: See unlike someone 🙄I will not judge your favorite flavor without trying it first

C: try it 

N: No

N: Wouldn’t dream of cheating on cotton candy like that 

C: if u try chocolate fudge i will CONSIDER trying cotton candy

N: With sprinkles?

C: i will possibly think of MAYbe trying a cotton candy milkshake with sprinkles

C: IF you send me a picture of Nellie

N: Attachment: 1 image

N: I swear you’re only friends with me for my dog 

C: ur dog and ur food  

N: Ouch

N: Is that anyway to treat the man who is literally making you a birthday cake? 

Ah, the Birthday Cake Fiasco (once again, Isaac’s words, not his). Charlie’s honestly surprised he didn’t ask for Nick’s hand in marriage as soon as he told him he was making him a birthday cake. They had been discussing their star signs when suddenly Nick connected the dots that Charlie’s birthday was soon. 

He had managed to weasel the date out of him and had been insufferable ever since. Nick had decided that he would make a birthday cake on his channel that Charlie could follow along to, that way it was like Nick made the cake for him. He would never admit this out oud, but he swooned. Like, actually swooned . 

C: hey

C: no one asked you to make that cake  

N: What kind of chef would I be if I didn’t bake my best friend a cake?

Best friend. Nick thinks Charlie is his best friend. He’s grinning before he could even register the excitement in his veins. The urge to hide his flushed face is strong so he slams his face into his pillow and takes a deep breath in. Nick is so unapologetically open and it always throws Charlie for a loop. 

N: Sorry, was that too far? 

Nick was also very cautious of Charlie’s boundaries. On a particularly vulnerable night, Charlie had come clean about his slew of failed relationships and Nick hadn’t responded how he thought he would. Where he expected sympathy, he was met with an almost protective reverence. The other man had even threatened to “kick their measly asses” if Charlie gave him the word. Swoon. 

C: not at all  

C: just trying to find out how to tell my other best friends that im cheating on them with a hot shot celebrity

N: Celebrity is a strong word lol

N: Can The Gays not share the wonderous Charlie Spring?

C: maybe you guys could do like a shared custody situation

N: I don’t think Tao would even consider that

This is new-er in their relationship friendship. Charlie told Nick all about his friends and Nick was eager to learn about each of them. There was even one time Darcy texted the man from Charlie’s phone. Though Tara had ripped the phone out of her hand before she could do too much damage, “Dammit, Darcy! Stop stealing Charlie’s phone!” Nick said he still enjoyed getting to know his friends. Though he had never spoken to Tao directly, Charlie did tell Nick all about his best friend’s quirks and even let it slip that Tao wasn’t the biggest fan of their friendship

C: ur probably right 

C: you might just have to kidnap me 🤔

N: Somehow I feel that kidnapping is wayyy more difficult than just asking your friends to share

C: are you joking? just tell me you have that apple pie you made a few weeks ago and ill just go willingly

N: I think you’re too easy to kidnap

C: only for you Nick 

C: well 

C: you and your apple pie 🤤

C: ❤️

N: Wow 

N: I see how it is

N: Charlie Spring, using me for my dog and apple pie?

C: im definitely not using u for your ice cream recommendations

N: YOU are a bully 

N: An absolute menace. 

“How’s the Lover Boy this afternoon?” His head shoots up and looks at Tao from his place against the door frame. 

“Nick’s great, thanks for asking.” His response was simply met with an eye roll and a sigh. “What up?” Tao usually only came into his room when he absolutely needed something, or wanted to watch a movie. Charlie really hoped he didn’t want to watch a movie. 

“Elle’s sick and wanted me to pick up some medicine. You want to come with?” Charlie pursed his lips and thought about his answer. They had all been drowned in assignments and hadn’t seen each other as much. 

“Sure,” he began sitting up while typing a response to Nick, “Let me text Nick and get my shoes on. Are we just going to Tesco?” 

“Yeah. She just needs cough medicine, we won’t be gone long.” Charlie nodded and continued to type. 

C: going to tesco with tao 

C: u need anything? 

It was a running joke between them. Whenever they went out they would ask the other if they needed anything. It helped make them feel a little less distant. 

N: Nellie asking for treats 🐶

N: I would also like bubble gum flavored ice cream plz

C: 🖕

N: Did you just flip Nellie off 

C: i would never 

C: i LOVE nellie and she knows that 

C: tell her i love her Nick  

C: tell her i would die for her

N: Attachment: 1 video 

The video is of Nellie sitting on a plush carpet in a well lit room. She was looking at Nick behind the camera and was wagging her tail frequently. 

“Did you hear that girl?” He sounded excited, talking in a baby voice. Charlie hated that he flushed. “Charlie says that he loves you and that he’s bringing you treats!” Nellie visibly perks up and gets so excited she even jumps up and runs towards the camera, towards Nick, before the video shuts off. 

N: She said she would not die for you

N: But she does love you 

“You two are absolutely disgusting.” Charlie jumped at the voice, he had honestly forgotten that Tao was still there. 

“I do not want to hear it. Do you remember what you and Elle were like before you two got together?” They were horrible. Disgustingly sweet and inseparable. 

He smirked when he saw the blush on Tao’s cheeks. “That’s different. Elle and I have known each other for ages. Ya know, like, in real life?” 

Charlie knows he didn’t mean anything by it. It was just Tao being Tao, but it still stung. Charlie had no misconceptions of what the other’s thought about Charlie and Nick’s friendship, but Tao seemed especially against it. He couldn’t help but deflate a little bit and gnawed at his lip as he slipped his converse on. 

Tao seemed to realize the shift in his mood and sat on the bed next to Charlie. “Listen, I didn’t mean it like that. I was being a twat.” He gave Charlie a soft pat on the arm. “I just worry, is all. I can tell Nick means a lot to you. I just don’t want you to forget that you two haven’t known each other for long.”

A sigh breaks free from Charlie’s mouth and he drops his head to Tao’s shoulder. “I know. You’re right.”

“About me being a twat or about you and Nick?”

“Both.” 

Nick

Sai, Otis, Christian, and Imogen were all gathered at his place as they usually were. They were piled in Nick’s living room. Some on the floor, some on the couch. 

“Are you texting Charlie?” Nick quickly turned off his phone and looked at Sai. He was sitting with his legs crossed on the floor next to Imogen. 

“When isn’t he texting Charlie these days?” Sai just laughed and shook his head from his spot on the recliner to Nick’s left. “You can tell by his cheeky smile.”

“I do not have a cheeky smile when I text Charlie.” The others just gave him a blank stare. 

Telling his friends about his crush on the boy was probably one of the worst things Nick has ever done. He spilled his heart out to them in confidence and he’s suffering the consequences every day. 

“Mate,” Christian chimes in on Nick’s right, “we can always tell when you’re talking to Charlie.” 

“Yeah, you don’t get a big ole’ smile when Sai texts you.” Otis leans down and slaps Sai on the arm consolingly. “Sorry, Buddy.” 

“Don’t say sorry to me. It’s Nick’s loss anyway.” He blows a kiss to Nick and the blond just shakes his head. 

“I think it’s cute! You guys have gotten so close recently.” Imogen’s words caused him to fidget.

He loves talking to Charlie. It had been a very impulsive (maybe slightly intoxicated) decision to follow Charlie on Instagram. They had been at a pub celebrating Sai’s rugby game and he had knocked back a few drinks. He remembers seeing the notification on his phone that he had a new follower. Normally, Nick didn’t check his notifications just based on the sheer amount he got but he couldn’t help but check. This weird, innate feeling swelled in his chest and he swiped the notification to open Instagram. 

Amongst the loud music and flashing lights, he squinted at his new follower’s feed. He smiled at some of the posts but was quickly distracted by a yell from his left. Sai grabbed his arm drunkenly and began pulling him off in some direction. He had a fleeting thought of ‘he’s cute’ and before he could register what he was doing, he dropped his finger on the ‘Follow Back’ button and pocketed his phone. 

That was his excuse for why Nick followed him, but he was stone-cold sober when he decided to comment on the boy’s story. He remembers rationalizing that he interacted with his fans quite a bit and that this was no different. Honestly, it wasn’t different. Nick had always liked or interacted with his follower’s recreations, but he’s never over-thought it like he was with charlie_spr1. 

Charlie was unlike anyone Nick had ever met. He was shy but confident. He was cheeky and extremely opinionated. Nick didn’t understand a lot of his pop culture references, but he loved learning about them. Since talking to Charlie he’s discovered a slew of new music and new movies (mostly ones he hates as Charlie only recommends what Tao forces him to watch on their movie nights). Mostly, Nick just feels comfortable around him, like he can be himself. 

“‘Close’ is one word for it. I never see him put his phone down.” Imogen slaps Sai on the thigh. 

“What is Charlie up to today?” He loved Imogen, he did, but she meddles. She’s been increasingly curious about his relationship with Charlie and Nick feels that she’s up to something. 

“Ah,” he brushes his hair back from his face, “nothing much. Going to Tesco’s with 

friend and drum practice.”

“He plays the drums?” Imogen seemed surprised. He doesn’t blame her because when Charlie told him, he was dumbfounded. 

“Yeah. Says he’s been playing since high school, but he decided to keep up with it in Uni. He’s actually really good.” He was really proud of Charlie. They had talked a little about his experiences in high school and in his relationships and Nick almost felt sick. Charlie had brushed off his concern with a quick “I’m fine now, Nick❤️” , but he just thought that the boy was so strong. 

“You’ve heard him play?” The question comes from Christian, but the others nodded their head at the question. 

“Yeah,” Nick felt nervous for a second, “he’s sent me videos of him playing before. At concerts.” 

He’s met with a squeal from Imogen. “You guys are so cute, oh my god.” The boys seem to agree as Nick is met with similar grins. 

“You should just go for it, Nick.” 

“Sai, you know I can’t do that.”

Christian chimes in, “why not? You guys talk literally every day.”

“I don’t think Charlie likes me like that.” A blank silence fills the air. The three of them all look at each other and then look at Nick. 

“Nick, you are not this dim.” Christian slaps Otis’ arm. 

“What Otis is trying to say is that Charlie definitely likes you. Like 100%.” Imogen nods in agreement and Nick drops his head into his hands. 

“He hasn’t even seen my face. And,” He points his finger at Sai, “He’s a fan! What if I tell him how I feel and he feels like he has to say yes?” 

“Mate, in the least homosexual way possible, you do not need to worry about him seeing your face.” Sai shoots Otis a look but nods anyway. “Also, that is the dumbest thing you’ve ever said. If you’re that worried about it, talk to him.” 

“Just think about it, Nick. You guys are getting closer, it’s only a matter of time before he gets curious.” 

Imogen’s words echo in his skull. He’s not scared of showing Charlie his face, he’s scared that he’s not scared. Though they’ve known each other for a short time, he trusts the other boy. He wants to be open with Charlie and he has never felt like this with anyone. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” She places a comforting hand on his knee and gives him a smile. 

“You are a catch, Nicholas Nelson. Anyone would be lucky to have you.” She appreciates her sentiment, but Nick truly feels like the lucky one. “Now,” she claps her hands, “I was promised chicken alfredo and Wii-Sports and have had neither.” 

Nick just laughed and shook his head. He stood up and made his way to his kitchen as he thought about what Imogen said. 

How would Charlie react to Nick confessing that he had a crush? Would he be mad? Would he feel the same way? The blond shook his head to clear his thoughts and began setting up for dinner. 

He would talk to Charlie when the time was right. He was perfectly content with their relationship as is and wasn’t looking to rush into anything now (or maybe ever, if Charlie didn’t feel the same). He valued their friendship, but he valued Charlie much more.