Work Text:
Nick (19:45): I, Nick Nelson, am maturely declaring that I was wrong
Charlie (19:47): have you finally moved on from your marvel phase?
Nick (19:51): Bite your tongue
It’s not a phase, Charles
Charlie (19:52): right right right
what were you wrong about, baby?
Nick (19:54): You can’t just coax me with pet names
That’s against the rules
Charlie (19:57): what rules?
Nick (19:58): The ones in the boyfriend contract
Charlie (20:00): ah yes, the world famous boyfriend contract
Nick (20:01): Keep talking like that and I will never suck your dick again
Charlie (20:03): oh, you wouldn’t be able to stick to that
not even in a universe where you were paid 100,000 p every time you refused to give me a blowjob
Nick (20:04): SHUT. UP.
Charlie (20:04): fine fine fine
what were you wrong about?
Nick (20:07): Pinterest
Thought it was a useless app for people artsier than me but I downloaded it on a whim and it’s awesome
Charlie (20:06): right???
all of the charm of tumblr, but more socially accepted
Nick (20:07): Tbh, I have no idea what that means
Ask me why I love Pinterest
Charlie (20:09): why do you love Pinterest?
Nick (20:09): I’m so glad you asked!!!
There’s actually some funny stuff on there
And maybe a meme I saw sparked an idea?
Charlie (20:11): should i be frightened?
Nick (20:13): Only if us making out with pop rocks in our mouths sounds frightening to you
Charlie (20:13): pop. rocks.
Nick (20:14): Yeah!
The post I saw said “pop rock make out” so I ordered some online
We don’t have to, though
Charlie (20:16): i must admit, i’m terribly curious
so i guess… let’s do it?
Nick (20:17): Once more with conviction
Charlie (20:18): baby, i’d be delighted to kiss you sparking candies in our mouths
Nick (20:18): Music to my ears xxxxx
•••
Charlie slides into the passenger seat of my car after school. He must notice something different about me because his eyebrows are raised and he’s got this dubious look in his eyes.
“What’s going on?” He holds off on strapping his seatbelt, clearly waiting for me to break some sort of news.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.” But the smile tugging the corners of my lips betrays me.
“Did Taylor Swift announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version) or something? You’re squirrelly.” And that’s the consequence of having a boyfriend who knows you much too well.
“God, I wish. It’s something different.” I reach into the glove compartment and show off two black packets with neon lettering. Then, I count the seconds until it registers. One, two, three, four, fi—
“Pop Rocks!” Charlie snatches the candy from me, his face alight with mirth and something like curiosity.
“Yep. My thought was, we could tell your parents we’re going on a cute, little dinner date, but actually—“
“Park up on the hill and put these abominations to good use?” Charlie finishes my sentence, shaking the blue raspberry sweets in a way that manages to be both completely ridiculous and torturously sexy.
I nod my head, fumbling around in the recesses of my brain for anything that resembles human words. “Text them and then we’ll go.”
And that’s precisely what happens.
•••
As much time as Charlie and I spend at each other’s house, sometimes we want a little more independence. When that craving hits, we tend to just get in my car and drive. Early in this series of expeditions, we discovered this secluded hill that proved to be a pretty decent hookup spot. It’s gained such a degree of infamy that our friendship group literally calls it Nick and Charlie’s Hookup Hill. A bit on the nose for my taste, but I’m not one to rain on another’s parade.
The car has barely slowed to a stop before Charlie is scrambling out of the car, the two packets of Pop Rocks in his clutches.
“Eager, are we?” I tease him lightly as I shift the car into park and open my own door.
“What, like it would be better if I did this resentfully?” Charlie slides into the backseat and I follow suit, stifling a laugh.
“Fair enough.”
“So walk me through how we’re gonna do this.” Charlie rests his head on the seat and tucks his legs up, facing me.
I actually have no clue. In theory, I get it. You put some Pop Rocks in your mouth and get to smooching. The issue is I don’t know what it adds to the experience. From my perspective, making out is plenty of fun on its own. Don’t fix what isn’t broken, right? But being a teenager is about doing stupid shit like this.
“I guess we’ll just pop a few, kiss, and see how we feel?” I reply with, somehow, less confidence than when I was trying to get Charlie off for the first time. And then I had about as much confidence as a newborn giraffe, hobbling to take its first step.
“Do you think it will do…anything?” Charlie asks, tearing open one of the packages and shaking a handful into his open palm.
“Yeah.” I just have no idea what.
I take the candy from Charlie, grab a bit for myself, and then look at him. Here goes nothing.
“Bottom’s up!” He says, that trademarked twinkle in his eye. And we both toss the candy into our mouths.
I instantly start laughing. The combination of the staccato fireworks going off in my mouth and Charlie staring at me like I’m a Michelin star meal brews a giggling fit deep in my stomach.
Charlie swats lightly at my shoulder and covers his mouth, probably to keep himself from joining me on the chuckle-route.
Once I compose myself, I lean in and press my lips against Charlie’s.
There’s that tingle in my fingers and belly — that I always get when kissing Charlie — but it’s only furthered by the sensation of the Pop Rocks crackling. I can’t help but laugh again, directly into Charlie’s mouth.
Charlie pulls back with a smack of his lips and a seething, “Jesus Christ, stop laughing!”, which is quite hypocritical, because he’s laughing too.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” But I’m really not. This is fucking hilarious. We each put a bit more Pop Rocks in our mouths and try again, with the same outcome.
“Why do people do this?” Charlie asks after a while. He’s glancing in my rear view mirror, taking in the blue tinge of his tongue and lips. “It doesn’t really do anything besides make your lips blue.”
I wipe my mouth for the third time and the stickiness still doesn’t go away. “And sticky. Don’t forget sticky.”
Charlie tilts his head to the side, like he normally does when he’s thinking. “I guess it was fun, though.”
I laugh at his declaration as I root around for the baby wipes my mum makes me keep in my car. I reckon that’ll fix the stickiness issue. “Really?”
“Yeah. I like laughing with you.” I glance up to see that Charlie’s eyes are shining with unshed tears, not sad ones, but the ones he gets when he’s perfectly happy.
I pull him into a fierce hug and I feel like my heart has grown limbs in an effort to claw its way out and reach him. “I like it too, I love everything with you. I love you.”
“I love you too.” He says. And that’s just what I wanted to hear.