Chapter Text
Nick had been watching Charlie for a while now.
Not in a weird way, obviously.
Just like a . . . concerned friend, kind of way.
He’d be acting different recently. In a strangely contradicting type of way, he seemed both better and worse than he ever has.
Better in the sense that his skin seemed clearer, his hair shinier, and his whole body . . . firmer? Nick couldn’t really place it exactly. It was almost as if someone had turned up the resolution on Charlie from 1080p to 4k. He was just enhanced.
But worse, too: he seemed constantly on edge, twitching at loud sounds or sudden movements. He avoided the dining halls, making up excuses to skip meals, and didn’t even drink tea anymore when offered, let alone Nick’s homemade brownies Charlie used to be obsessed with. He had dark shadows under his eyes and his skin (while free of blemishes) often looked gray and lifeless.
Something was wrong, and Nick had a theory. Granted, it was a far-fetched theory, but it was the only thing that made sense to him.
He had finally worked up the courage to ask on Friday afternoon. They both had had classes in the science building that let out at the same time, and usually hung out in the park nearby for a bit, just catching up or studying. “Hi!” Charlie said when he saw him waiting by the exit, nerves filling his stomach.
“Hi,” he said, smiling warmly, his heartbeat racing just at the sight of him. His massive crush on Charlie was not what he needed to be thinking bout right now. Just his theory, and making sure Charlie was okay. That’s all that mattered today. His feelings could be pushed aside to deal with (and surprise further) another day. “Shall we?”
Nick gestured and Charlie followed him through the park. They talked for a few minutes about their days before settlings on a nee spot of grass under a fairly secluded tree. Charlie laid back in the grass and Nick followed suit, their heads just inches from each other.
He’s going to think I’m crazy, Nick thought, watching as Charlie closed his eyes and relaxed into the grass. You’re doing this for Charlie, he told himself, before taking a deep breath, and going for it: “Can I ask—“
“Nick, do you—“ Charlie started talking at the same time. Both boys turned their heads to each other and laughed. “You first,” Nick insisted when they settled.
“Oh, okay,” Charlie said, looking away bashfully. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, actually.”
“Yeah?” Maybe he’s going to tell me himself! Nick was elated by the idea; he could be spared the embarrassment of his theory being outlandishly wrong.
“Yeah, um. I . . I wanted to tell you that I—“
“—am a vampire,” Nick finished for him, without even thinking. It just came out of him, his mind so zeroed in on the topic. Shit, why did I say that? he scolded himself, but it was too late. The damage was done; the theory was out there.
Charlie’s head whipped towards him, his brows furrowed. “Wh—what?”
Nick forced himself to be brave. Charlie would never admit it now, not if Nick gave him an out. He had to stand his ground. “That’s what you were going to tell me- that you’re a vampire.”
Charlie’s eyes were wide with shock and something else Nick couldn’t place—anger, maybe? Relief? Charlie swallowed hard and denied it again. “No, Nick .. . I’m not . . . I’m not a vampire, that’s ridiculous.”
But Nick was confident now — if he wasn’t a vampire, he would have surely laughed at such a ridiculous accession. But Charlie seemed genuinely phased by Nick’s words; it had to mean something. He started to ramble, desperate for Charlie to be honest with him. “I’ve been watching you, Charlie. You’ve changed these past few weeks. It’s kind of obvious—“
Charlie sat up now, his voice harsh. “What would even make you think that?” Nick sat up, placing a comforting hand on Charlie’s thigh.
“Char, I haven’t seen you at the dining hall in weeks.”
“I’ve been microwaving meals—“
“And you look pale all the time, washed out.”
“I’m just not sleeping enough, it’s nothing—“
“You were acting strange that time Darcy got a nosebleed—“
“Well nosebleeds are gross!” he snapped.
Nick decided to take a different approach. “If you are a vampire, it’s okay, Char! I still want to be your friend, I just—“
“I’m not a vampire, Nick!” Charlie huffed, crossing his arms.
Nick didn’t know what else to say. He had laid it all out there and Charlie was still denying it. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe he’s seen too many movies. Maybe Charlie’s just sleep deprived and holing himself up in his room.
“Okay. I’m sorry, Charlie. I just . .. I care about you and I want you to be okay, that’s all.”
Charlie nodded in acceptance. The two were quiet for another moment, just sitting there in the cool autumn air. Then Charlie seemed to realize something; he tilted his head up and looked at Nick with a pained expression. “Were you only . . . watching me because you thought I was a vampire?”
Nick swallowed. No, he wanted to say. I’ve been watching you because I’ve had a crush on you for two years and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.
But he couldn’t say that. Not when it was so clear in this moment that Charlie would never reciprocate his feelings. “Yeah,” Nick said with a little laugh, trying to play it off casually. “Why else would I be watching you?”
Charlie’s mouth opened and then closed. He let out a long breath before nodding, a tight-lipped smile on his face. “Yeah, ‘course. Never mind. I’m fine, Nick. Really.”
Nick surveyed Charlie, his thin smile and tired eyes, his hair ruffled from laying down in the grass. He seemed genuine enough; and besides, the whole vampire thing was far-fetched. “Okay, yeah. Sorry for being weird. You’re okay, though? Getting enough food and sleep?”
Charlie just gave a small nod. “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Nick said, deciding to drop it. If he pushed any more, Charlie would just resent him. He was about to suggest they walk back towards the dining hall and grab dinner when he remembered something. “Wait — what were you going to tell me?”
“Hmm?”
“When we got here, we both had something to ask. Mine was, stupidly, if you were a vampire,” Nick laughed in a self-deprecating kind of way. Saying it outlaid made him realize how foolish he had been. “But you never got to ask your question.”
“Oh,” Charlie said. He bit his lower lip and looked away, towards campus, before his eyes settled back on Nick’s. “I just uh . . . wanted to ask if you were free tonight? For a movie?”
Nick had a feeling that wasn’t what Charlie was going to ask earlier today, but his face lit up nonetheless. Time with Charlie was always a plus, even if he was clearly avoiding talking about something “Yeah, that’d be great. Wanna stop and grab some dinner from the dining hall?”
Charlie paled at that. “I’m not really hungry. But you can grab something and meet me after?”
Nick tried not to let his disappointment show. “Char . . . you need to eat.”
“I know,” Charlie snapped. “I am eating. I’m just not hungry now.”
“Okay, fine. Can I grab you something for later? A sandwich or something?”
Charlie just shook his head. “No, uh, I have some protein bars in my room if I get hungry during the movie. Just get what you want and I’ll see you in a few, okay?”
Nick wanted to fight back, but he held it in. “Alright. Get something queue’d up for us?”
Charlie smiled. “Sure, Nick.”
————
Three days later
Nick was sitting at his desk, three different textbooks sprawled out in front of him and a now-cold cup of tea. His roommates, Ivan, was out for the night at some big party and he was taking advantage of the quiet to finish some assignments.
There was a loud banging on Nick’s door, which was odd—he had told his friends he was on strict Do-Not-Disturb mode tonight. He opened the door to find Charlie standing there, looking shockingly well-rested and bright. “Hi,” he said, his voice just a whisper.
“Hi,” Nick smiled, happy to see Charlie. Everyone needed a break from studying, right? He gestured for Charlie to come in before closing the door. The two stood across from each other, the room feeling oddly charged. “Everything okay? I’m just doing some revising, but you’re welcome to—“
“I am a vampire,” Charlie blurted out.
“What?” Nick laughed.
“I lied the other day. I’m a vampire.”
Nick squinted at him, examine his facial expressions. “Wait - you’re being serious right now? You’re not taking the piss, like you’re 100% serious? Cause if not, it’s not funny—““I’m being serious, Nick,” Charlie said, though his rolling eyes said otherwise.
“Cause I was only like 67% sure—“ Nick added, just in case Charlie was messing with him.
“Nick, hey,” Charlie said, grabbing hold of his shoulders and finally making eye contact with him. “I’m being completely serious.” He took a deep breath, and Nick held his gaze. “I’m a vampire. I got bitten a few weeks ago and it’s been a horrible transition. I should have told you the other day but I’m still adjusting, and figuring things out, and nobody knows and—“
“Oh, Char,” he breathed, wrapping his friend into a hug. Nick let out a sigh—both of relief and sadness. Relief that Charlie was finally being honest with him; sadness that Charlie (his sweet, kind friend) had been forced into this life, and been dealing with it alone. “It’s okay, I forgive you.”
Charlie collapsed into the hug, tucking his head into the crook of Nick’s neck and Nick tangled his fingers in Charlie’s curls. “I thought you’d hate me,” Charlie whispered against his skin. “Or be afraid of me . . . think I’m some sort of monster.”
“I could never hate you, Charlie,” Nick said, kissing the top of his head. He’d never done that before—and he might have a bisexual meltdown about it later—but it felt right. He wanted to comfort Charlie in whatever way he could, and the kiss was his body’s natural response.
“I could hurt you,” Charlie countered, though his quiet tone of voice was far from threatening. “I could kill you, Nick. It’s not—“
“Charlie, your nose is literally pressed against my neck right now. If you were going to hurt me, you would have already done it,” Nick laughed. He didn’t know how much of his vampire knowledge was truth or myth, but he did know the basics. If a vampire was this close to a human’s neck, there was a good chance they’d bite. But Charlie hadn’t — and he never would (not at least without explicit permission). Nick knew that. He trusted him.
“Well that’s — that’s just because I just ate,” Charlie protested, pulling away and wrapping his arms around himself. “If I was around you when I was hungry, if I was this close to you, it’d be dangerous.”
“Char,” Nick said, gently guiding his friend’s chin back towards Nick so he could look him in the eye. “I know you well enough to know that you’d never hurt me, or anyone you care about. You’re not that kind of person.”
“But what if I am that kind of person now? What if being a vampire altered the part of me that could ever truly love someone enough to keep them safe?” Charlie mused, his head in his hands.
“I know that’s not true,” Nick mused. “You’ve been a vampire for what, three weeks, and you haven’t hurt me yet. Or Tao or Elle or Darcy or Tara. Anyone, right?”
Charlie shook his head. “No . . . I’ve been drinking from animals in the park.”
“See? And you did that without help from anyone? All by yourself? Char, your heart is good. You are a good person, vampire or not. You care about your friends and your family so much. That’s one the reasons I love you.”
Charlie looked up, his brow bent in confusion. “Really?”
“Yes, Charlie!” Nick smiled, warm with fondness, wrapping his arms around Charlie and pulling him back in for another hug. “You have to know I love you. You’re my favorite person.”
Charlie sniffled against him. “You’re my favorite person, too.”
“Yeah?” Nick said, and Charlie lifted his head to meet his eyes, their noses touching. “Yeah,” Charlie whispered.
Nick’s heart had basically stopped in his chest; butterflies crowded his stomach. He felt like maybe, just maybe, Charlie was on the same page as him, felt the same way as him. His eyes were wide and his lips were turned up in the barest of smiles, and Nick wanted oh so badly to kiss him.
So he did.
He leaned in, closing the small gap between them, and pressed his lips to Charlie’s. They were slightly cold, but smooth and soft. Nick reached a hand up into Charlie’s curls and tugged, ever so slightly, until the vampire pressed back against him, opening up to him. One of Charlie’s hands snaked around his neck while the other wrapped around his waist, pressing their torsos together.
Fireworks were going off in Nick’s head. He thought his whole body might explode from glee.
But they needed to talk about this, so he pulled back. Charlie looked like he was a in a daze, staring at Nick like he might wake up any second. “You—you kissed me?” Charlie said it like a question, his tone tilting upwards at the end.
“I did,” Nick laughed, blushing. “I’ve been wanting to do that for years, Charlie.”
“What?” Charlie gasped then shoved at Nick’s chest playfully. “Nick Nelson, what are you talking about?”
Nick kept laughing, the euphoria of the kiss seeping through his body as he grabbed Charlie’s face in his hands and kissed him again, just once, quickly. “I’ve been in love you forever, Charlie.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Charlie asked, his eyes still wide in shock. “I’ve been in love with you for years!”
The two both burst out into laughter, collapsing down on the bed and cuddling close to each other. “Why are we like this?” Charlie squeaked out as Nick kissed his forehead.
“I didn’t even know I was bi until, like, half a year after we met. But at that point, you were had started dating Jason. So I started dating Marcy, and then you were with Vic, and I moved onto Sean, and then you were in your big ‘Single Era’,” Nick rolled his eyes as he talked through their dating history. “And then this year, you were dating Ben . . . and when you guys broke up a few weeks ago, I wanted to give you space before even assessing if we could be something, if the timing was finally right.”
“Nick,” Charlie said, his hand cupping his cheek. “I wish I had known. I never liked any of them more than I liked you. I just didn’t think you were an option.”
“It’s okay,” Nick smiled. “Neither of us knew. But we’re here now! It only took you becoming a vampire for us to finally express our feelings for each other.”
Charlie nodded then closed his eyes. He took a long breath before opening them again. “About that,” Charlie said. “It was, uh . . It was Ben. Who Turned me.” Nick let out a gasp, and Charlie continued. “When I called things off with him, he didn’t take it well. He called me horrible names and said he’d hurt me if I didn’t get back with him. I kept refusing and he . . . he attacked me, really. I guess there’s no way to sugarcoat it.” Charlie shrugged and Nick felt an ache in his bones. “He Turned me as some sort of act of revenge, I guess, then disappeared. I woke up the next day so confused. I was so thirsty but couldn’t drink enough water. It was dreadful. I started putting the pieces together and tried to call him to get some help, but his number was discontinued. He left university—no one’s seen him in weeks.”
“Charlie, that’s horrible,” Nick said, clasping his hands. “God, I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve that. No one deserves that.”
Charlie just exhaled, running his thumb along the side of Nick’s jaw. “I know that now.”
“Did you know? That he was a vampire?”
Charlie shook his head. “No. I never even thought anything was weird . . . I guess I should have been more observant but it wasn’t like it’s something I would have known to look out for? I mean, until a month ago, I thought vampires were myths. I’m honestly still surprised you figured it out.”
“What can I say? I pay attention to you, Charlie,” Nick said with a teasing smile.
“I know you do,” he said, leaning in to kiss Nick. “So where does this leave us? Are we . . . like—”
“Boyfriends?” Nick filled in excitedly, making Charlie giggle.
“Yeah. Boyfriends. I’d like that, if you want that too?”
“I’d love that.” Nick pulled Charlie on top of him, kissing him languidly. His weight felt good on him, their bodies slotting together naturally, and Nick’s heart raced at the idea of getting to do this regularly with Charlie. He was Charlie’s boyfriend now. “That means I have to take you out on a proper date though.”
“Unfortunately, my new vampire status rules out like 80% of normal date spots.”
Nick just shrugged under him. “That’s okay. We’re not normal, anyway.”
Charlie grinned. “No, we’re not.”
They kissed again, teeth dragging against lips hands roaming feverishly over clothes. Nick’s whole body was alight, and he once again found himself in awe that he could have this. That things had worked out this well for him.
One thing was still bothering him though. “Char—can I ask you something?”
Charlie sat back so that he was straddling Nick’s hips, and Nick propped himself up on his elbows. “You said you were drinking from animals? How often do you have to do that?”
Charlie stilled, suddenly getting a bit self-conscious. “Um, about every 2-3 days, I guess? Depending on the animals . . . I went 4 days once but by the last day I was really uncomfortable. It was hard to be near people.”
“Do you think . . . do you think you could go longer if it was human blood? Since that’s, like, what you’re supposed to be drinking?” Nick pondered.
Charlie thought about it, avoiding Nick’s eyes. “Probably, but I don’t know. I’d imagine but it’s not like I’m in the mood to start murdering random people.”
“No, obviously,” Nick said, now shifting to sit up fully, keeping Charlie in his lap. He twined his arms around Charlie’s neck, rubbing the soft skin at his nape with his thumb. “I just mean . . . well, if you ever wanted to try it. Drinking from a human—not murdering people, of course! If you wanted to try it, you could drink from me?”
Charlie’s eyes widened even further and he sat backwards, shifting away from Nick. “Nick, no—I would never even try.”
“Not now, maybe not for a while, till you’re more comfortable with everything. But will you think about it? In a few months or something?”
Charlie shook his head. “No, there’s no point. The animals are fine. It’s not worth the risk.”
“There’s no risk, Char. I want to help you. If drinking from me could last you 4 or 5 days, and make your life easier, I want to do that.”
“I—“
“You don’t have to decide now. I just wanted you to know that I would do that for you. I want to do that for you,” Nick confessed. And he did. He would give everything, his whole life-force, to Charlie if it meant keeping him healthy and happy. So what’s a little blood here and there? Besides, he couldn’t lie: there was something inherently sexy about getting bitten by a vampire.
Charlie let on a long breath of air. “Okay,” he nodded. “I’ll think about it—that’s it. Can we just . . . focus on being normal boyfriends first, though?”
Nick chuckled. “Yeah, baby,” he said, kissing Charlie’s knuckles. “We can definitely do that.”