Work Text:
Nick hummed to himself as he packed his suitcase for the week. He would miss the comforts of home, the ease and domesticity of waking up beside Charlie. Of starting off the morning with tea, listening to the news on the radio, while he starts the coffee going, knowing that Charlie will soon be entering the kitchen bleary eyed. Nick loves arranging things in the morning for Charlie.
Over the years since they graduated their lives had slotted together into a simple, peaceful routine. Wake, breakfast, Charlie heads off to work while Nick works from home, with the occasional travel. Selling and promoting sports protective equipment wasn't what he had expected to do after uni - hell, he majored in education - but the flexible hours, mostly working from home, and the occasional but not too frequent travel was too good to pass up.
Particularly the travel.
At home, Nick and Charlie were diligent about their food plan each week - they grocery shop together, meal plan, cook together, often sending each other links to new recipes to put in their "try" list, and possibly add to the permanent rotation of safe comfortable foods that they both liked. Cooking with Charlie is honestly one of Nick's favorite things. But there is something different about when he is traveling for work.
Nick has a secret - one he's maybe a tad ashamed of. In fact he has never mentioned it to Charlie. Is even a little bit worried that it may trigger some of Charlie's food issues. Nick has a weird obsession with local food. Not local fine dining, or the best 5 star restaurants in the area or the most acclaimed chef with the latest cooking show on TV. When Nick travels he seeks out the most bizarre local food he can find. The stranger it looks - and more unhealthy it is - the better.
When Nick first took this job he started noticing the variety in small town food. Sure you can get amazing food in big cities everywhere, but there is something about food that comes from a restaurant that is named "restaurant" with a blinking neon sign that just calls to him. If he is in a city, he prefers something sold from a cart in the street rather than a place with chairs and real cutlery.
Nick has one additional secret. The Instagram account dedicated to documenting all the weird food he has eaten, with pictures from the past 5 years that he has traveled for this job. The search to find the most interesting, strange looking (but often delicious) thing in a given region has garnered him almost 10,000 followers. 9,864 to be exact. Last time he looked at least. Not that he checks more than once a day. Usually.
Nick chuckled to himself. This week he is headed to Purdue University in the US. Indiana to be specific. West Lafayette, Indiana. A long flight for a short stay, but he was hoping to close the deal on the athletic supply equipment for the university's entire sports department. And Nick knew exactly what he was going to do while there. He had googled, and had his eye on a breaded pork sandwich that was larger than the plate it was served on. It was called a "Hoosier pork tenderloin sandwich" and it was one of the most ridiculous and delicious things he had seen yet.
---------
Two days later, after jet lag, and a bit of an upset stomach, Nick was headed back home. Fingers crossed that the contract would be signed soon and with it a healthy holiday bonus from his company at the end of the year. Nick was already daydreaming about spending the bonus on a vacation, just the two of them. Somewhere warm. A happy feeling permeated through him as he knew he would be back home soon, back in his comfort place, back to his Charlie. Smiling, he pulled out his phone to shoot a quick message to Charlie saying he was boarding his flight, and would be home soon.
It is mostly nostalgia, but Nick loves messaging Charlie through Instagram. It reminds him of those early days when they were first building their friendship and later relationship. Those first tentative messages which their entire relationship has blossomed out from. He is such a sucker for the small things.
---------
Charlie busied himself around the flat, tidying a bit. Nick would be home this evening, and they had plans to meet up with friends tomorrow for a lazy movie night that would no doubt be more catching up and less movie. Good times with close friends, and Nick back home after a week away. Charlie didn't mind when Nick traveled - it gave him time to try and catch up on the stack of books on his nightstand. He loved living with Nick, but could appreciate quiet alone time as well. As long as it wasn't too frequent, it was actually quite enjoyable
Charlie felt his phone buzz in his pocket, accompanied by the signature ding of Instagram. He softly smiled knowing it was Nick. No one else messaged him through Instagram anymore. It was their little inside thing. Like a secret "look how far we've come but we are still us" subtext to each message that was sent. Nick was sentimental like that but Charlie wouldn't change it for the world.
He glanced at his phone, stopped, looked again puzzling. "NelliesNums" had just messaged him saying that he would be home soon. Quickly puzzlement turned to amusement and then outright laughter once Charlie looked at the account that had messaged him.
That evening, snuggled in bed together, basking in each other's attention, Nick whispered to Charlie about the vacation he wanted to plan if the contract goes through. Charlie listened, but had an strained look on his face. He just couldn't contain it anymore.
"Nick!"
Nick looked up puzzled, noticing Charlie's odd expression.
"Yes? What is it?"
"I just have to know - did you eat that entire sandwich?"
----------
NelliesNums - 9,865 followers
