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As Charlie walked through the school gates on the first day back after winter break, he felt a pair of eyes trailing him, watching as he progressed inside. He tried to ignore the deep blush that blossomed on his cheeks and kept his gaze straight ahead, not daring to look back.
He shuffled down the corridors, relatively empty before the first bell, and snuck into the library, finding a secluded corner near the back. Nervously, he fiddled with his phone, scrolling through Instagram, mindlessly double-tapping photos.
Suddenly, strong arms encased his waist from behind and a nose softly grazed his jaw.
“I wish you wouldn’t ignore me by the gates. It’s torture to watch you be so cute every morning and have to act like I don’t want to just scoop you up in my arms.” The voice in Charlie’s ear was low and playful, so enticing as it tickled his skin.
“I don’t want to make things harder for you. Isn’t it easier to keep it all a secret?” Charlie sighed as a light kiss was placed on his neck. He placed his hands over the ones resting on his stomach.
“Just because I’m not ready to come out doesn’t mean I don’t still want to be close to you. We could definitely pretend to be platonic BFFs at school. Just the kind of platonic BFFs that duck away to makeout every so often.”
“Nick,” Charlie turned awkwardly to face the boy in question. They ended up nose to nose, and Nick grinned smugly, “you’re popular and cool. If you started randomly hanging out with the gay nerd, people would start to talk.”
“And what might they say?” Nick’s eyes sparkled with a teasing glint.
Charlie felt flustered under Nick’s gaze, in the best way possible. “I… I don’t know. That I’m going to turn you gay, that you’re gay too, that I’m corrupting you.”
Nick shrugged. “Let them. It’s certainly not predatory like that, but it’s also not far off. I didn’t think I could like a boy before you. And right now, you’re actively making it harder to be corrupted.” He leaned down and paused with his mouth just a hair’s breadth from Charlie’s.
“Nick,” Charlie sighed out, incapable of remembering anything he’d been trying to argue when so close to Nick. So instead, he succumbed to Nick Nelson and his intoxicating kisses.
🍂
It had been a surprise when Nick Nelson, rugby king and universal Higgs crush, had nervously knocked on the door of the music room while Charlie was practicing before the first day of fall term. He’d had to knock progressively louder until Charlie could hear him over the drums, finally startling him out of his state of concentration. When Charlie turned around, he certainly hadn’t been expecting to see Nick, taking up the doorway with his hulking frame but still somehow shrinking in on himself.
“Um, mind if I join you?” While Charlie hadn’t had much interaction with Nick, he never took him to be so timid.
Charlie had nodded, making as much room as he could on the seat next to him. Nick sat down, flicking his hair back as he did. Automatically, Charlie followed the movement with his eyes.
“Hi. I’m Nick.” He looked down at his hands as he spoke but made eye contact after he got his name out. Charlie was mesmerised by the soft brown of Nick’s eyes, delicate and sparkling in the low light of the fluorescents.
“Charlie.” Despite Nick being captivating to look at, Charlie still felt wary of him, fully aware that he was on the same rugby team as the boys who made his life hell last term.
As if reading Charlie’s mind, or maybe just correctly interpreting his body language, Nick stuttered out: “I… look, I know I wasn’t one of the guys who picked on you last term, but I also feel bad about not saying anything to them.” Nick’s eyes softened. “That was really shitty of me. And I’m sorry you weren’t able to come out on your own terms. That really sucks.”
Charlie was dumbfounded. Never in a million years did he expect the conversation to go this way. “Um. Thank you? I’m not… I don’t really know what to say.”
“That’s okay. I—“ Nick took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them, they had a determined look in them. “I thought about you all summer. And at first, I couldn’t figure out why. Maybe I was just feeling guilty or whatever. But then I found myself checking your Instagram everyday and hoping you might randomly show up when I was at the park or the mall or something. And then I realized that I— what I mean is— I— I have a crush on you.”
If Charlie thought he was dumbfounded before, he had no idea how to define how he felt after that confession. “Wh–what?”
“And it’s not some cruel prank or anything, I’m not like that! I was worried you might think that because of who I hang around. But I don’t like Harry and those guys, it’s just because of the rugby team. I swear I’m not like them!” Nick’s eyes grew pleading. “Charlie, I like you a lot. For real.”
They began meeting up during breaks at school in the quiet corners of the library and the blessed seclusion of the music room, just talking and getting to know each other. Nick was not only captivating to look at but also fascinating and sweet and funny when they talked. Charlie’s stomach did cartwheels whenever he made Nick laugh, his cheeks burned red at every accidental touch. It seemed inevitable, these feelings; Charlie wondered if anyone could not feel this way around Nick.
After a week and a half of their rendezvouses, Charlie had leaned over and kissed Nick as they sat on the very stool they’d shared when they first met. Nick had responded immediately, cradling Charlie’s face like he was something special.
Now that they’d kissed, they would sometimes spend their breaks exclusively making out — they were two teenage boys after all. But most of the time, they’d still sit and talk, stealing a kiss every so often, hands intertwined and sides pressed close together.
Soon, Charlie was being invited to meet Nick’s dog, Nellie, and Nick was being invited over to attempt to beat Charlie’s younger brother at Mario Kart. It became rare for a weekend to pass when they didn’t meet up at least once.
But Charlie had insisted they stay secret at school. He didn’t want to make Nick feel uncomfortable or start any rumours. And Nick pushed back on this insistence everyday.
Charlie didn’t want to admit that he’d seen Harry Greene glaring at them when they talked by the school gates the day after they properly met. He didn’t want to tell Nick about the slur he’d heard Harry throw around after he saw Nick waving to Charlie mere hours after they kissed for the first time.
Because Charlie did desperately want to be close to Nick at school. Every time they passed each other in the corridor, Charlie almost ached with the need to reach out to Nick. But he had been through such awful bullying last term, and he couldn’t let Nick go through it as well.
🍂
The first bell jolted Nick and Charlie back to reality, both reluctantly pulling back. Nick tilted his head back with a frustrated groan.
“I miss break. We could just spend hours being together, no bells or other people interrupting.” Nick brought his head forward so he could make eye contact with Charlie. “We can meet up at break, yeah?”
Charlie nodded, biting down a smile at Nick’s eagerness. “Of course. I’ll message you. You leave first, I’ll follow.”
“New form groups. Hope I have someone halfway decent.” Nick was obviously trying to prolong their time together by any means.
“Go!” Charlie laughed as he pushed Nick forward, watching as he defeatedly walked out of the library.
Charlie counted to twenty and then left as well, consulting his hand where he’d written his new form information. Thankfully, the form room was close to the library, so he made it there right before the second bell. Ha, no detention for him today.
“Ah, Charlie Spring!” Mr. Lange was hardly one of Charlie’s favourite teachers, but there were far worse options. “Where have I put you? Ah, yes, next to Nicholas Nelson.”
Charlie turned his gaze in the direction Mr. Lange had pointed, immediately tuning him out when he saw Nick, blazer off and golden in the light streaming through the window. God, he truly was a sight to behold.
A moment too late, Charlie realised Mr. Lange had stopped talking and was now staring at Charlie expectantly. “Right. Thank you, sir.” He gave a small nod and turned towards the back table.
Nick caught sight of Charlie, and his face lit up. He followed Charlie with his eyes, a barely contained smile on his lips.
When Charlie slid into his seat, Nick leaned towards him and whispered a chuffed, “hi.”
“Hi,” Charlie responded, far more nervously than he’d have liked. Despite regularly spending so much time with Nick, he still never failed to get flustered around him.
“Does this mean we can hang out at school now?” While Nick’s tone was mostly joking, there was a glint of hope in his eyes.
“Nick…”
“We’re just friends from form. That’s not suspicious at all.” The hope grew, and Nick’s eyes now sparkled with it.
Charlie felt his reserve cracking, all the months of hiding and worrying and pining chipping away under Nick’s giddy gaze. “Your mates wouldn’t give you shit?”
Nick chuckled. “They will, but I don’t care. I just want to say hi to you in the halls.”
“Settle down. Quiet please. Nick and Charlie, that means you.” Mr. Lange began to call roll as Nick and Charlie tried to keep in their giggles.
“Okay,” Charlie whispered as Mr. Lange was focused on the students at the other side of the room.
Nick turned to him, face the definition of delighted surprise. “Really?”
“Yes, we can be friends at school. Because we sit next to each in form, and that’s not unusual.”
“Just friends?” Charlie’s stomach swooped at the implication.
“In public. But… we can be—“
“Boyfriends in private?”
Charlie almost choked. “Boyf—“
“Nick Nelson,” Mr. Lange interrupted, still doing roll even as Charlie’s heart was doing backflips.
“Here.” Nick called out, voice steady and even. He then leaned in close and whispered tenderly, to just Charlie: “Boyfriends.”
Charlie bit down a massive grin and nodded. “Yeah, that works for me.”
“Nick and Charlie, keep it down please!” They barely held in their lovestruck giggles.