Chapter Text
“You do know you’re going to be my taxi driver from now on, don’t you?” Charlie asked, smirking.
“Really?” Nick replied.
“Mm.”
“Lucky me.”
Nick grinned to himself as he opened the car door. Little did Charlie know that practicing for his driving test was one of the few things that kept Nick sane during his boyfriend’s time in inpatient. In fact, being Charlie’s permanent chauffeur upon his return had been his plan all along.
Nick lent over the center console to peck Charlie on the cheek, wordlessly handed him the aux cord, then started the car.
“So insecure about your car DJ skills?” Charlie asked sassily, already scrolling through his music library.
Nick rolled his eyes dramatically as he reversed out of the driveway. “I’m afraid all I’ve been listening to recently is Christmas music or Taylor Swift, and I know neither of those appeal to you.”
“Yet here I am, even with your questionable taste, loving you anyway," Charlie confessed, and even though he was teasing, there was undeniable fondness.
“Blame Tara! She did me in by starting with folklore, and well, now you sound as obnoxious as Tao,” Nick replied.
“Hey!” he retorted, shoving his arm.
Nick gasped dramatically. “Assaulting the driver?? Charles Spring.”
Charlie giggled, and in lieu of a response, played the first song.
swimming in my t-shirts
no matter the weather
say what you mean
i want to be with you
For reasons he couldn’t quite understand, Nick felt tears prickling behind his eyes, an involuntary response to the lyrics. He was just so happy that Charlie was back, and that he was sat beside him, and that they were able to go to a party together with their friends. That they’d get to ring in the New Year together, marking almost a full year since they’d met in form.
As he looked ahead at the road, Nick placed his hand on Charlie’s thigh.
Charlie gasped quietly but managed to keep his composure. “Making a move on me so soon Nelson?”
Nick chuckled. He decided that honesty would be the best policy, preparing for the likely event that his voice might break. “While driving alone, I just imagined… I’ve been really wanting to do that, and…I’m glad you’re here with me.”
Charlie removed Nick’s hand from his thigh and kissed it repeatedly. “I’m glad I’m here with you too. I love you.”
Nick smiled, taking his eyes off the road at the red light to look at his beautiful boyfriend. “I love you Charlie.”
After Charlie shuffled through his library and landed on The Strokes, Nick felt his boyfriend's eyes on him in his periphery. And to further the older boy's confusion, his passenger then giggled.
“What, Char?” he asked, accusingly.
“I think I kind of understand your obsession with Charles Leclerc now,” Charlie declared.
“What do you mean?”
“Like… you’re already hot, but when hot people know how to drive? Oh it’s over.”
Nick felt his blush creep up his neck and, in lieu of a response, placed his arm on the center console, letting Charlie do whatever he wanted with it. Charlie interlaced their fingers together, welcoming the invitation.
“Just the first turn on the left,” Charlie whispered, a bit breathless.
Nick turned, parallel parked a bit away from the house, then turned off the car.
“We could’ve parked closer,” Charlie said.
“Yeah, I know,” Nick replied, his voice deepening.
“Then why–”
To answer his question, Nick interrupted him with a kiss. Immediately receiving the message, Charlie deepened the kiss, placing a hand on his cheek. Once Nick realized the turn things were taking, he began playing with the hair at the nape of Charlie’s neck and caused the younger boy to sigh.
A few moments later, Charlie drew back, panting.
Nick admired Charlie’s apparent self control, interpreting his behavior as ending things before they became too heated. “Yeah, we should probably–”
“Backseat. Now.”
If Nick was surprised, he didn’t show it. In fact, he was thrilled, wanting to do nothing more than immediately follow Charlie’s command. He then scrambled to unlock the back doors, and had barely sat down and shut the door before Charlie climbed onto his lap.
“Well, well,” Nick whispered while caressing Charlie's arms.
“Don’t act like you didn't just flex while parking just now,” he replied.
Before Nick could respond back, Charlie had already begun kissing his neck.
Coming up for air, the younger boy continued, “You driving us around is just… so grown up. We can go so many places now, do so many things, and... actually have privacy.”
The final part is what did Nick in. He tilted his head up to capture Charlie’s lips in a kiss, basking in what all this could mean. As they satiated their hunger for each other, they could’ve been going on for seconds, minutes, or hours.
Bliss was interrupted when Charlie’s phone started buzzing.
Emerging out of his stupor, Charlie’s eyes widened when he saw Tao’s name pop up.
“Yeah, hey Tao,” Charlie said, breathless, his voice raspy and tight.
“Why do you sound like you ran a marathon? Also weren’t you and Nick supposed to get here like twenty minutes ago?”
“We just got here, actually,” Charlie lied. “We’re pulling up.”
Then, Tao deadpanned, “Then why doesn’t the car sound like it’s on?”
Charlie sighed. “Must you take things so literally? We’re coming, okay?”
“Stop making out in the car and hurry up!!! We’re all here and wanna see you.”
Nick gasped loudly at that, feeling exposed. As soon as Charlie hung up, he pulled him in for a few more kisses, paying special attention to each of his dimples.
Charlie laughed as he clumsily got off Nick's lap. “Caught. Okay, let’s go.”