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Nick was fairly certain he'd passed the maths exam. Thanks to all of Charlie's extra tutoring he felt like he'd grasped the concepts pretty well. It was just difficult to concentrate on the problems when he was remembering what else he'd been grasping in between working sample problems. It didn't help that every time he'd looked up from his paper he'd seen Charlie looking at him with his tongue pressed against his canine. Charlie had whipped through the test as usual and turned in his exam paper after about twenty minutes. Mr. Timms finally stopped by Charlie's desk and suggested he go work in the library.
Nick was the last to turn his exam in; he just wanted to go over his work one more time. Charlie often found stupid arithmetic errors when he checked Nick's work and he wanted to make sure he didn't bomb the test over something silly. Mr. Timms smiled at him and told him he'd been impressed by Nick's diligence and overall performance lately, and then joked that he was certain that he couldn't take the credit for it.
He tried and failed not to blush at this and ducked out to collect Charlie from the library. The test meant no homework, so their free period was actually free for once. And so was the east corridor supply closet. He had no idea how he'd managed to keep his hands to himself all through classes and rugby on Thursday, but even though he was planning to have some alone time with Charlie after their coffee date today he couldn't wait.
"We're going to get caught," Charlie warned him. At least Nick was pretty sure that's what Charlie was saying. It was hard for him to talk clearly with his mouth full of Nick's tongue.
"If someone comes in," he whispered, moving down Charlie's jaw to his neck, punctuating each word with another kiss. "We'll just say we were looking for pens."
Charlie snorted but then grabbed Nick hard on both arms as he hit a particularly sensitive spot on his neck. Nick grinned to himself and decided to settle in and get very familiar with that spot. "You have to stop," Charlie gasped. "Or I'll be in no fit state to go back into the hallway."
They had made out a few times but actually acknowledging the effect it had on their bodies was new and a little awkward. And also he really wanted to know more about what state Charlie was in exactly. He wanted visuals. And tactile confirmation.
But he could hardly expect anyone to believe that he was looking for pens down Charlie's trousers so yeah, they should probably stop. He rested his forehead against Charlie's and they held each other tightly by the elbows, avoiding contact anywhere else. "Yeah, okay. I suppose we can pause. For now."
"We can resume after coffee," Charlie replied shyly. "Assuming you're still taking me out."
"I am so taking you out, Charlie." He wanted to stand up on a table in the canteen and announce that he was dating Charlie Spring, but they should probably talk about that before they did anything. They made it out of the closet just before the bell rang and the halls flooded with their classmates. Tumbling out into the hall with his arms around Charlie Spring in front of everyone getting out of classes in the language block would certainly be one way to come out.
They joined Tao and Isaac at their usual table. Isaac said hello, briefly smirked at them over the top of his novel, and then went back to reading and nibbling at his carrots. Tao gave them both the eyebrow and set his hands down on the table.
"Do neither of you own a comb?" he asked pointedly. Nick looked at Charlie's tousled curls and couldn't imagine why anyone would want to change a thing about Charlie's current look. He did look a bit messier than he had in the morning, but personally, Nick thought he looked great.
But Charlie looked at him and laughed. He reached out and tried to comb his fingers through Nick's hair a bit, but Nick looked at himself in his phone and, yeah , he looked like he'd been vigorously snogged. He laughed at himself and soon all four of them were laughing. One thing he'd realized during the time he and Charlie were fighting, is that half the school thought he and Charlie were dating anyway, so what difference did it make if he looked like he'd been making out at school.
Indeed, in his literature class, Harry Greene leant over his desk and chortled. "Nick mate, who were you 'eating lunch' with today? Lottie pop over from Higgs?"
Okay, so there was at least one person at Truham who didn't think he was dating Charlie. Ironic, Nick thought, considering that Harry was constantly giving him grief about his close friendship with Charlie. Nick just ignored Harry in favor of focusing on the analysis of 'Much Ado About Nothing.' In just over two hours he would be snuggled on a soft couch with Charlie sipping cappuccinos; he just had to get through literature and history. He wasn't going to ruin his mood with Harry Greene's assery.
Charlie Spring was going on a date. A real actual date in a public place. With a boy. Not just a boy. With Nick Nelson - the boy . Tao hadn’t even hassled him about missing movie night because he knew what a big deal this was. He felt every second tick down on his watch. It was the Friday before term break and in his last class everyone was abuzz, well aware that they were about to be released for two weeks of freedom.
And reading, Mrs. Nesbit announced as she distributed the novel they were to read over break. There was general groaning, but Charlie didn't mind reading and presumably he wouldn't be spending every second of break with Nick, as delightful as that sounded. When the bell rang there was general pandemonium as the students practically bounced off each other on the way to their lockers. Charlie sorted through the contents of his locker to make sure he had everything he needed for the next two weeks. And of course, he extracted Nick’s blue hoodie from his locker. It was a little warm for it today but he didn't care. He slipped it over his head and shook out his hair.
He said goodbye and wished a good Easter break to the Year 9s who had lockers on either side of him and then headed out swiftly past the music room toward the side exit. The bus he and Nick needed would leave in about fifteen minutes so he didn't need to rush but waiting with Nick sounded fine to him. The door to the music room flew open and nearly hit him in the temple. Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him in.
"What the fuck, Ben?!" Even before he pushed the hair out of his eyes, Charlie knew who he would see standing there.
"So when I got a girlfriend that was it, we were over. But Nick takes a girl out and you two are still going strong? What the hell, Charlie?"
Ben looked absolutely furious and he was still holding Charlie by the arm. Charlie gaped at him and then felt an attack of the giggles come on. Oh wow, did Ben think he and Nick were the same on, like, any available axis? And did he think that Charlie and Nick were a thing already before the whole coffee with Lottie fiasco?
"Wow, Ben. I absolutely do not owe you an explanation about any of this. Let go of me, I've got somewhere to be."
"With Nick I presume? You're wearing his clothes now?" He finally dropped Charlie's arm and pointed at his neck. "And I saw that mark on your neck today. You two are so obvious."
Charlie was tempted to put a hand over his neck or run to the bathroom to check on how 'obvious' it was, but he wasn't willing to give Ben the satisfaction. Ben sure seemed to care a lot about his relationship status with Nick considering he was someone Ben claimed he’d never really liked and they’d broken up over a year ago. It was tempting to point out that it was nice to be with someone who wasn’t afraid to acknowledge his existence, with someone who actually cared about his feelings, with someone who wasn’t too scared to really be with him. Instead he reached behind him for the door, pushed it part way open, and said, "Green really isn't your color, Ben."
He jogged to the bus stop without a single backward glance; he had wasted more than enough time with Ben Hope. He waved to a few people as he passed and then he saw Nick leaning against the gate with his school jacket hooked over his shoulder. He looked so cool and casual, the sun bouncing off his absolutely wrecked auburn hair. Charlie slowed down his approach; skipping up to Nick might be a bit too much. But when Nick saw him, he grabbed his hand and reeled him in for a hug and then tucked him under his shoulder as he walked them to the bus stop near the school gates. Charlie threw his arm across Nick's waist from the back and hooked his thumb through Nick's belt loop.
Nick didn't seem like he gave a fuck about being 'obvious' and Charlie was dying to talk to him about it but in the meanwhile he just enjoyed the contact – and the puzzled looks of the various Truham-Higgs kids who passed them standing there by the bus stop. There were definitely a fair few who seemed unfazed and simply waved at them. On the bus Nick blithely held his hand and they shared his earbuds and listened to one of Charlie's favorite playlists as they rode. He thought he heard one of the girls in the row behind them say see, I told you they were a thing, but it was hard to tell with the music in one ear.
At the bookstore, Charlie told Nick he wanted a lavender latte and he would BRB.
"Did you just say 'BRB' out loud? And you want a lavender latte ?"
"What?" Charlie challenged, hands on hips.
Nick leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "gaaaaaaay."
"Shut up," Charlie hissed back and playfully shoved him. Slipping into the bathroom, he washed his hands with exaggerated thoroughness until the only other patron in there left. Then he took a look at his neck in the mirror and yeah, you could only just see it under the polo collar but there was absolutely a mark. On the one hand it was a little embarrassing. On the other hand, it was... sexy AF .
He found Nick sitting on one of the couches in the back with their drinks. Charlie sat on his knees on the couch and leaned close to Nick. "Hey rugby lad," he whispered. "Speaking of gaaaaaay...." He pulled his collar aside so Nick could get a clear view of his handiwork.
"Oh my god! I had no idea I had done that! I'm sorry, Charlie."
"Don't be sorry. It was hot," he admitted, ducking his head a bit as he sat back into the cushion. He glanced up to see Nick grinning at him. "Oh my god, your face. You are, like, proud of yourself right now."
Nick just shrugged and carefully took a sip of his coffee. Charlie took a swallow of his as well and tried not to laugh. He put his cup down and placed a hand on Nick's knee. "People noticed."
"Oh, yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. Apparently a bunch of people at Truham thought we were dating already."
"Yes, I got a lot of sympathy from people who thought you'd dumped me for Lottie. Thanks for that." No one had actually used those words. Instead they'd said things like oh man, I heard about Nick and Lottie, sorry bro or I guess you know Nick's already seeing someone else . It had been shocking really to learn how much of the school seemed to think he and Nick were together. And at the time it had been so awful because he had no idea how Nick felt about him and he'd just had to carry on like the whole thing was funny instead of ripping his heart out of his chest.
"That would have been a serious downgrade," Nick joked and put his coffee down so he could take both of Charlie's hands in his. "It's just... so weird. Like, someone in my French class asked if we had an open relationship or if I was cheating on you with Lottie."
"Yeah, apparently that's what Ben thought. He, like, ambushed me after school about it -- Oh my god, do not Hulk Out, Nick! It was fine." Charlie flexed his fingers where Nick's grip had tightened and Nick took a breath and loosened his hold. "It was mostly funny. But seriously, are you okay with people knowing we're going out?"
"Yeah," Nick replied immediately. "I need to, I guess, come out? To my mom I mean. She doesn't know." He dropped one of Charlie's hands to grab his coffee again. "I thought I might tell her tonight. I don't want anyone else telling her first."
Nick was so sweet and sincere. Charlie squeezed his hand hard and blinked before he teared up. It meant a lot to him that Nick didn't want them to be a secret. He had hated being a secret with Ben and with Eric at band camp over the summer. "Okay," he said quietly. He took a few more sips of his coffee and just enjoyed being out on an actual date. They talked about their family’s Easter plans and their homework for the break. Nick offered to buy him another coffee but Charlie waved him off.
"You know, I didn't actually tell Isaac and Tao but clearly they figured it out. Like immediately."
They both laughed. "We've been super subtle, I think is the overall takeaway here."
Charlie took one last sip of his coffee. "Do you want to go back to my house and be super subtle for a while?"
"God yes!" Nick replied, practically leaping up from the couch. Charlie laughed and gathered up their cups and saucers to return to the coffee counter. James McEwan was working and he gave Charlie his usual wide smile and whispered that he was so glad that Nick and Charlie had worked things out. Charlie winked at him, grabbed Nick's hand, and dragged him to the bus stop. It was going to be the longest bus ride of his life, but his parents wouldn't be home until late and Tori wouldn't bother them. He needed to put his own mark on Nick.
Telling his mom had gone really well. Actually spookily well. She had teared up a bit, and thanked him for telling her, told him how much she loved him, and asked how long he and Charlie had been together. She'd seemed a little taken aback when he had truthfully answered 'since Wednesday'. He sent a group text to Tara, Darcy, and Imogen to tell them they could all stop teasing him about it, he'd finally gotten together with Charlie.
Pics or it didn't happen was the reply from Imogen. So he sent her one of the pictures he'd taken at Charlie's after coffee, the two of them on Charlie's bed kissing. Some of the pictures were intense -- he'd just lifted his right arm up and taken a few bursts before dropping the phone on the floor and rolling Charlie under him. He wasn't sure how he'd managed to stop at just kissing Charlie. That was another conversation they needed to have at some point.
He sent one of the better pictures to the group and Imogen sent back a forty-two second voice clip of her screaming. Tara and Darcy were a little less loud in response, but seemed extremely happy for them too.
He had plans with the guys to get pizza on Saturday for lunch. That's fine, because I plan on sleeping until 3 on Saturday anyway Charlie had replied when Nick told him. Nick had assured him they would spend the remainder of the afternoon together. So while he and his friends waited for their pizza they watched rugby and Nick cleared his throat and said, "Hey, I wanted you guys to know, Charlie and I are dating. Like, Charlie is my boyfriend."
Otis just nodded. "Cool, cool," he replied.
"I for one had NO IDEA. This is such a complete surprise, Nick! I am gooped and gagged" Christian replied. "You and Charlie? No! Impossible. I am gobsmacked. Wow. I would never have guessed that you and Charlie–”
"Lay it on thicker, mate," Sai mercifully cut him off, elbowing Christian hard. "Give over, Nick. How long have you been dating?"
"Like was it over winter break? Because that's what I had in the pool," Christian added.
Nick stared at them all. "Wednesday. It was Wednesday."
Otis grinned and held out his hands. "Pay up, bruvs! I told you he wouldn't be able to keep it to himself once he and Charlie actually got together."
"There was a pool?! You guys were all betting on me and Charlie getting together."
Sai shrugged. "Ben kept saying you guys got together over the summer and I didn't buy it. I mean for one thing, there was Paris girl and bandcamp guy. But after Christmas, I don't know, you guys just seemed really.... extra I guess? Like you were touching Charlie a lot at rugby."
"As if Ben would know anything about Charlie's love life," Christian murmured. "He hates Charlie."
Otis snorted. "Boyo, he don't hate Charlie. Ben wants to bone Charlie. He's down so bad, it's not even funny."
"Can we not talk about other guys boning my boyfriend?" Nick requested urgently. Mercifully his phone chimed. Their food was ready.
He and Otis went to gather the food. "Sorry mate, didn't mean to be rude. We all like Charlie and think you two are hella cute together. Glad you two finally figured your shit out, man, seriously."
Nick thanked him and watched his friends eat. Was it weird , he wondered, that he was a bit disappointed that no one seemed to be shocked? Not that he was looking to experience, like, outright homophobia. But he felt a bit like an idiot that apparently every other human being in his life had figured out that he was gone on Charlie before he did.
Wait a tick, who the fuck was bandcamp guy??
Nick: Done with lunch and headed home. Are you awake?
Charlie: OMG. My first ‘you up?’ text
Nick: Charlie
Charlie: Yes, I’m awake. I wasn’t actually going to sleep until 3
Nick: Can we meet at mine?
Charlie: Yeah when?
Nick: Now?
Charlie: Eager much?
Nick: You have no idea
Charlie: ...
Charlie: ...
Charlie: Think I kinda do actually
Nick’s heart thumped in his chest and he was really glad he’d worn jeans for once and not joggers because Charlie’s response had him thinking… a lot of things. They really needed to talk. Even if talking was like seventh or eighth or so on the list of things he wanted to do with Charlie right now. He managed to make it back to his house without tripping over his own feet. He greeted the dogs and let them out into the backyard for a bit.
Mom: Going to dinner with the girls. Order yourself a takeaway on the card.
Nick: Is it okay if I order something for Charlie too?
Mom: Is Charlie over?
Nick: He will be
Mom: Yes, that's fine.
Mom: Nicky, be safe.
Nick: Mom!
He didn’t really know what else to say to that. He let the dogs back in and wondered what the hell exactly his mom thought he and Charlie were getting up to today. He wondered what the hell exactly he thought he and Charlie were getting up to today. And then Charlie was ringing the bell and smiling at him from the other side of the door and he barely let him get in over the threshold before he was pushing up against the closed door and kissing him hard. Okay, so maybe his mother was right.
Nick pulled back and for a moment just let himself enjoy how flushed and addled Charlie looked after being kissed. He was wearing the hoodie again, over a pair of denim shorts. His hair was a mess. Nick brought his fingers up to stroke Charlie's jaw. Apparently he hadn't shaved that morning and there was just the barest bristling hint of stubble there. He hadn't really put that much thought into the idea that he was kissing a guy so much as that he was kissing Charlie . It was definitely different, but it wasn't off-putting.
"Hi," he breathed, realizing that they hadn't actually spoken. They'd just jumped straight to making out.
"Hi," Charlie replied. He smiled at Nick. "How was lunch with the lads?"
Nick rubbed the back of his neck. "Good, fine, yeah," he wandered over to the couch with Charlie following behind him. "They all already knew. Like they had a running bet going on when we'd get together."
"Oh my god," Charlie laughed.
Nick bumped his knee against Charlie. "Sometimes I think I was the last person in Kent to realize that I had a crush on you."
Charlie smirked and put a hand on Nick's knee. The heat of it ran all the way up Nick's spine. "You have a crush on me, Nick Nelson? How embarrassing for you."
"You're such a dick."
"Yeah, and you like it," Charlie teased.
Nick pulled Charlie close and kissed him. "I do."
Charlie kissed him back until they were both gasping. It occurred to Nick that they both needed to work on their breathing while making out. Not that he was complaining. "For the record," Charlie said, "I'm pretty sure I was the last person to figure out you were into me. Like until the third time you kissed me I was pretty sure there was no way you would ever be interested in me."
"The third time? What did you think the first two times were?"
Charlie shrugged. "Fever dreams? Experiments? Accidents? I don't know. It was just something I'd thought about for so long it was hard to think I hadn't, like, hallucinated."
Charlie's tone was light, but something about it made Nick sad. How long had Charlie been into him? He thought about how he had felt when he found out Charlie was having lunch with Liam Sharma, how it felt like someone was slowly dissolving his lungs. Had he made Charlie feel that way?
"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure this out," he said finally.
"You don't need to be sorry about that," Charlie objected.
"Maybe, but I mean we could have been doing.... this... and I guess I'm just mad about all the kisses I missed out on."
Charlie leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth. "We will just have to make up for lost time then."
"Yeah," Nick agreed. "But also I think maybe I hurt you a lot in the meantime. Without meaning to."
"It doesn't matter, Nick."
"It does."
"No," Charlie insisted. He sat up on his knees so that he was leaning over Nick. "You didn't owe it to me to like me because I liked you, okay. Like I am glad that's not why you're here with me now. I don't want you to be with me like this because we're such good friends or because you feel obligated to return my feelings or that you're doing me a favor. That would hurt me."
"That is not why I'm doing this," Nick sighed. He reached up and grabbed the sides of Charlie's face. "I am kissing you because the idea of not kissing you feels like the most impossible thing in the world." He pulled Charlie's face to his and rubbed his cheek against Charlie's for a moment before bringing their mouths together. Charlie was still hovering above him and Nick grabbed at the waistband of his jeans to pull Charlie down fully into his lap. He could feel Charlie's chest hot against his and the warmth of his lower body pressed against his rapidly expanding cock. They definitely needed to talk about what they were or were not doing, but at the moment he really needed Charlie to know just how sincere his desire for him was. "I just like you so much, Charlie."
Charlie laid his head on Nicks's shoulder burrowed into his neck, gently kissing the spot where he'd bitten him the previous evening. "I like you too, Nick."
"You know, I wasn't completely sure you liked me back either. I was afraid you were just letting me kiss you because I was in such a state."
Charlie lifted up and raised an eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Why are we like this?"
Nick smiled at him and Charlie kissed him again. Their bodies rocked together slightly and he heard Charlie gasp into his mouth and then move back so that his clothed penis was no longer pressed against Nick’s stomach. They really, really needed to talk but what they were doing felt so good .
He and Yvette hadn't talked -- and at the time it had felt good and natural and easy, but after he got home he realized he'd put parts of himself inside someone else and they hadn't discussed it at all or used any kind of protection or anything. There had been a lot of nonverbal communication, like she'd been the one to pull his hand under her skirt and he'd absolutely not minded when she'd stripped his pants down. He'd made himself go to the clinic for some tests. He had no idea if Yvette had been with anyone else before him or not and he certainly was not going to message her and ask. He'd gotten a clean bill of health, a box of condoms, and a lecture about safe sex and consent.
Given Charlie's history, Nick wasn't going to do anything he wasn't 100% sure Charlie wanted. "Charlie," he forced himself to say. "It's fine if you're not ready to do anything more than kissing."
Charlie stilled completely and looked down at him. "Oh, I... I don't know." He looked off over Nick's shoulder and whispered. "I haven't done, like, anything else with anyone. Have you?"
Nick gently tugged Charlie's chin until he was looking at him again. "Yeah, some. But that doesn't mean we have to do anything." Charlie folded in on himself a little and slid off of Nick's lap. "Charlie, it really is okay. I'll wait as long as it takes."
Charlie looked away from him but he nodded. "Not yet," he said quietly. Nick grabbed his hand and threaded their fingers together. He would live with that. "Kissings still okay?" Charlie asked quietly.
Nick ran his thumb over Charlie's jaw and pulled him close and kissed him softly. He let Charlie be the one to deepen the kiss. Their knees pressed together hard and he was going to be aching until Charlie went home and he could relieve the pressure but it was worth it.
They got into a pattern that week – their parents were at work during the day so they met at each other’s houses for Mario Kart and making out and movies and making out and one day Charlie helped Nick make roll out cookies in the shape of chicks and bunnies and eggs and decorate them with icing that Nick made and dyed and only a little of which ended up smeared all over their faces. Charlie had a feeling that the sensation of licking icing off of Nick’s fingers was going to stay with him for a long time. It was impossible not to think about having other parts of Nick in his mouth and he was starting to wonder if maybe he was ready to do more than kissing .
Basically every moment that wasn’t spent kissing Nick was spent thinking about doing more than kissing with Nick. Was he ready for more? How much more? How much more had Nick already done? What if he was bad at it? What if he did something wrong and Nick never wanted to see him again? He got up at the ungodly-for-school-break hour of 9 and went for a run to just try to work out some of the ridiculous tension that was coursing through him. They were all going to Isaac’s for a movie night sleepover, so if he and Nick were going to do anything today it would have to be soon. But it was Saturday, so their parents were around.
He took a shower after his run and thought a lot about more than kissing with Nick, then let the evidence of those thoughts run down the drain. He had a few hours before he had to be at Isaac’s. Maybe he should talk to someone about it? He heard the mournful music coming from Tori’s room and decided absolutely not Tori. Not Isaac either for truly obvious reasons. Tao? That was… no, no way. All he would get from Tao was some sort of lecture on how it was too soon and that Nick was just going to dump him once he got his rocks off, basically just repeating his own worst fears.
Which left Elle. From a few comments, Tao had made Charlie got the impression that they’d progressed beyond kissing. He wasn’t sure how far beyond and the details weren’t any of his business but he thought there was a good chance that Elle would at least take him seriously.
Charlie: Can we get coffee?
Elle: What’s wrong Charlie bear?
Charlie: Nothing. Need some advice.
Elle: Walk and talk?
They got coffee from the cart near the entrance to the park and Charlie paid. Elle lifted an eyebrow at this. “Oh, it’s really serious then. Did you and Nick have a fight?”
Charlie knew he was blushing. “No, it’s like… the opposite of that I guess? Things are going well. Like, really well.”
“Charlie!” She elbowed him and blew on her coffee. “What’s the problem then?”
He looked around to make sure there was no one else near them on the path. “How did you know you were ready to… do stuff with Tao?”
Elle stopped mid-stride. “Is Nick pressuring you, Charlie?”
“No! No! He’s been really sweet and patient, but like, I think I want to? But we’ve only been together for like a week? Will he think I’m a slag? What if it is too soon? What if I do it wrong? What if he dumps me like a bad habit the next day?”
Elle pulled him over to a bench near the trail. “Charlie, that’s a lot .”
He swirled his coffee. “I am a lot .”
“You really aren’t.” She sighed. “I don’t know how I knew exactly. I just did. I just listened to myself. Not at first though, at first I basically told myself to shut up. But eventually, I listened. So I guess what I’m saying is, I completely understand where you’re coming from.”
Charlie nodded and took a miserable gulp of coffee. It was still too hot for that and burned his throat on the way down. “I think he might actually like me, Elle.”
“Of course he likes you, Charlie! You’re a biscuit.”
He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. Like let’s be serious, Nick could probably have me even if he didn’t like me. You know, given how much I like him.”
“Okay, first of all if Nick were the kind of guy who was just trying to get a leg over then he wouldn’t be Nick . I mean, Nick is probably home right now baking cupcakes for Isaac’s sleepover and thinking about which sweatshirt from his vast collection to ‘loan’ you next.” She nudged him “To be clear, this is not me saying you should run over there and jump Nick’s bones right now. I’m just saying that you’re right, he genuinely likes you, and you should do or not do what feels right for the both of you. If and when you want to.”
“Thanks, Elle.”
She stood and pulled him to his feet. They walked with their arms linked and tossed their empty cups. As they turned the curve they ran into Imogen walking her puppy, Brooklyn, and they slowed to match her much shorter stride as she babbled on about her dog and her plans for the second week of the break and gushed about her super secret new crush who she refused to name and swore them to secrecy about but who was so clearly Christian that it was hilarious. They both promised not to breathe a word and he parted ways with the girls and headed to Nick’s.
There were, indeed, cupcakes cooling on the counter but Sarah directed him upstairs and warned him that Nick was doing some spring cleaning, so no telling what sort of mess he would find up there. There were piles of hoodies on the floor and it looked like he’d dumped out the contents of his bedside drawers on top of the duvet and was sorting through it when Charlie walked in.
When he saw Charlie standing in the door, he smiled and walked over to press Charlie against the door frame with a kiss. “Hi,” he murmured against Charlie’s neck.
“Hi yourself. Sorry if I interrupted. I should have texted instead of just showing up.”
Nick gently shook his head against his neck which caused a chain of sparks to run through Charlie and he instinctively tightened his grip on Nick’s arms. “Show up any time you like.”
Charlie sighed and let himself memorize the feeling of having Nick pressed against him, the imprint of his smile against his throat. After a moment, Nick sighed and took a step back. “It’s a bit of a mess in here.”
Charlie took a seat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through the collection of foreign coins, rubber bands, paperclips, ticket stubs, pens on the blanket. “What are you doing with this stuff?”
Nick shrugged. “Honestly, most of it is probably going right back in the drawer,” he admitted.
There was a small blue box that looked like something from a jewelry store. Had Nick bought something for Imogen or Paris girl and then wussed out on actually giving it to them? Fully aware that it was none of his business and possibly a great way to stick a knife in his own heart, Charlie poked at it and asked, “What’s this?”
Nick looked slightly chagrined as he picked the box up. “My grandmother got it for me last year.” He took the lid off and passed it back to Charlie. “Apparently these were all the rage when mom was my age. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that it wasn’t really my style.”
The bracelet had a thick silver chain and a wide plaque with Nick engraved into it in a swoopy font. There was something old-fashioned about it, like it really did seem like something he would find at the bottom of his mom’s jewelry box, a relic of her teenage years. But it had a nice heft as Charlie laid it against his wrist.
Wordlessly, Nick reached over and fastened it, then went back to gathering up euros and 20 cent pieces and putting them back in the drawer. Charlie stretched out on the bed and watched him. He must have fallen asleep because when his eyes drifted open again it was just him and Nick on the bed, all the assorted detritus gone. Nick was pillowed on his chest, one heavy arm draped over his waist and one of his own on top of Nick’s. The silver of the bracelet gleamed in the sunset glow. Sarah stood in the doorway looking at them fondly. Her footsteps must have woken him.
“I’ve made tea,” she announced. “You boys best get around if you’re going to make it to your next sleepover.”
“Thanks,” Charlie said. Nick hadn’t moved and he awkwardly shifted out from under him. The movement jostled him into consciousness and he blinked happily at Charlie.
They shuffled down the stairs after Sarah and sipped their tea. “I boxed up the cupcakes, Nicky.” She indicated a large plastic container and Charlie noticed that they all have swirls of frosting and sprinkles on. How long had he been asleep before Nick joined him? Apparently, a while. He’d gone for a run and then a walk with Elle and he’d skipped lunch; no wonder he was exhausted.
“Thanks mum. We should probably get moving. We need to go pick up your stuff first, yeah?” he asked Charlie. After a few more minutes of pleasant chatter with Sarah, they headed back up to Nick’s room and Charlie salvaged one of Nick’s old sweaters from the pile on the floor. It was the one he had worn to Charlie's birthday bowling bash last year and it was slightly less enormous on Charlie than some of his others would be; it must have shrunk in the wash.
Nick grabbed his bag and smiled at Charlie. Charlie started to take the bracelet off but, Nick wrapped his hand around Charlie’s wrist. “You can keep it,” he said. “I think…. I think I would like that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I mean, it kind of… it makes it look like you’re… mine.” He blushed under his freckles as he spoke and Charlie felt like his face might break from smiling. It felt like something had just slid into place for him. He reached up on his toes to kiss Nick again and they kissed for a long time, until they heard Sarah call up that she would drive them to Charlie’s and then Isaac’s so the cupcakes didn’t get too jostled from all the walking. Charlie sat behind Sarah in the car so he could watch Nick’s face on the drive and he decided what he was doing for his birthday.
Everyone oohed and ahhed over his cupcakes, which made Nick feel pretty good. He didn’t do movie night with the crew every weekend, but he’d started doing it more and more in the last few months. It was funny to think now as Charlie settled into his lap that the last few times he’d made a point of not sitting anywhere near Charlie. At the time he’d been telling himself that his body was just reacting to the warm presence of another body and not specifically to the presence of Charlie pressed against him. Because, apparently, he was an idiot.
He looked at everyone crowded around Isaac’s TV. Isaac, Tao, Elle, Darcy, Tara, Imogen and Sahar and James too this week. Charlie had told him that this time last year, movie night was just himself, Isaac, Tao, and Elle crammed together on Tao’s bed watching movies on his laptop, but now that their circle had gotten so much wider, Isaac’s mom had been good enough to let them use her house. This weekend she’d gone to Leicester to visit her sister, so she was trusting them not to make a mess of the place.
Elle took and posted a picture of Tara, Darcy, Sahar, and Imogen piled on the couch next to him and Charlie and he thought about how similar it looked to the picture a couple of weeks ago of Charlie at movie night only this time he was in the picture, right where he should be, arms around Charlie.
The pizzas showed up and they temporarily decamped to the kitchen to eat. He made sure Charlie was actually eating. The long nap at his house had been a great opportunity for him to surreptitiously get a few pictures of a slumbering Charlie and being able to curl up with him for his own little nap had been amazing. But typically when Charlie fell asleep in the middle of the day, it meant he hadn’t been eating enough. He paused in his oversight of Charlie to check out the comments on Elle’s post. Otis had tagged three other members of the rugby team with the comment, you still owe me 5 quid.
Everyone moved back to the living room where there were plenty of snacks and sweets laid out if anyone was still hungry after pizza. With Charlie tucked under his arm, it was hard to pay attention to the film completely. It was some old movie from the 90s which was apparently a romantic comedy? But about a hitman with a heart of gold or something? Sometimes old movies were weird. Tao had derisively introduced the movie by saying he was sure Nick would appreciate something with a certain amount of shooting. It was actually pretty fun, and he thanked Tao when the credits rolled but clarified that he would watch movies without gunfire as well.
They all got up to stretch and take turns in the bathrooms, getting sleeping bags out and pajamas on in case people started nodding off during the second movie. Nick stepped out onto the back porch for some fresh air. He had more notifications from the post Elle had tagged him in. Kiernan was asking Otis if he was sure Nick and Charlie were actually together or if they were just being handsy again like at Halloween.
Someone remembered Halloween much differently than he did.
Yes, me and Charlie are actually together as of Wednesday last. Everyone pay Otis.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe how much the rugby team cares about your love life,” Charlie teased and leaned against him on the porch.
“Well, they’ve not got any romance in their own lives, I suppose,” Nick mused. “Is it okay that I’m just telling people?”
Charlie looked up at him and smiled a bit sadly. “Do you seriously not get how, like, over the moon I am that you’re just telling people? You’re amazing, Nick.” Nick grabbed him up and hugged him hard. He had changed into his joggers and t-shirt for sleeping and he was shivering slightly in the breeze. Nick huffed out a laugh and stepped back to take his hoodie off and pull it over Charlie’s head. Charlie giggled and pushed his arms through the sleeves, rearranging the bracelet to rest above the cuff on his wrist where it rested on Nick’s chest. “Nick, you know it’s my birthday in like three weeks?”
“I am aware, yes. Do you have plans yet?”
Charlie’s eyebrows went up and his tongue rang over his teeth. “You could say that.” He took a deep breath. “I know what I want for my birthday,” he said, fidgeting with the bracelet.
“A regift does not count as your present, Charlie. I’m getting you a proper present this time.”
Charlie huffed out a laugh. “No, I wasn’t talking about the bracelet. I want…” He paused and looked at the open door to the back porch, making sure no one was lingering close by. He leaned in close enough for Nick to feel his breath on his ear as he spoke. “For my birthday, I want more than kissing.”
Nick was fairly sure he stopped breathing for a minute. He blinked rapidly and looked at Charlie, who was looking at him expectantly. “You’re sure?”
“Very sure.”
“How…. how much more?”
“Oh, um, maybe not everything all at once, but you know, more. We can start slow?”
“Yes, absolutely,” Nick jumped to reassure him. “And you can change your mind.”
Charlie laughed and looked up through his lashes. “Thank you. But I won’t.”
“MOVIE TIME!” Darcy shouted, bounding out the door. They both startled and jumped slightly back from each other. “Sorry to interrupt you being so adorably gay, but Tao is starting to get restless.”
For five hundred pounds, Nick could not have told anyone what the second movie was. He spent the next 114 minutes hyper-aware of Charlie curled up next to him, one hand casually draped over the lower part of his thighs, his curls pressed into his bare arm, the way his face moved when he laughed at the action on screen. His brain frantically did the math. It was 18 days until Charlie’s birthday. Would they be having this private celebration after school that day? Did he need supplies? Maybe not, depending on how slow they were starting. By the time everyone was moving into their sleeping bags, he felt exhausted and grateful for the layers of fabric that separated him from Charlie, even as they moved as close to each other as possible while still being in separate sleeping bags.
When he woke up, it would only be 17 days.