Chapter Text
April 2025
“CHARLIEEEEEEEE!”
Charlie lowered his headphones, giving his boyfriend a semi-amused look. “I mean, walking up behind me and putting your hands over my eyes would’ve worked since we were planning to meet up here.” He gestured around the park.
“I know, but I’m excited!” Nick said, practically vibrating. He was walking Henry who was even more excited than Nick, though probably just because Nick was home for Easter holiday.
“You’ve worn a bag.” Charlie remarked. “I don’t know that it’s what you’re excited about though, I bought you that.”
“I wear it almost every day and tell everyone my amazing boyfriend got it for me.” Nick stated proudly, kissing him.
Charlie blushed. “It’s not like name brand, it’s just a-”
“Nuh-uh. Nope. It was a gift and a reminder of us when I can’t look at your photo during class.”
“Fair. So, what has got you looking like Oliver on Christmas?”
Nick gestured him to follow him over to a bench and handed Henry’s leash to him. He pulled out a sports magazine and swapped Charlie for the leash. The front cover said Desert Queens presents: Queer in Sports! Charlie looked through it.
“This is what I’m excited about.” Nick said.
“Er-you’re not in it.” Charlie said, confused. “I mean, it’s a cool thing and I’m proud of our community, but it seems a bit odd for you to be so excited over-wait, you had more.”
“Oh yes I did.” Nick said, taking out his phone. “Oh darn, we should’ve been at your house so you could give me a drumroll.”
“I’ll do one on my knees.” Charlie did a drumroll as Nick showed him an email.
“I’ve been invited to California to be part of an article for international sporting. They couldn’t get any famous queer people, so they started asking around and I guess someone had a connection to Leeds and asked if any of us wanted to go. They’ll let us have a plus one and I thought it would be a fun trip before you go to UCL next year.”
“Wait, soon?”
“It’s in the summer, that’s why we have to book tickets soon.”
“And get our passports.”
“Damn, almost forgot about that. Er-how long do they last?”
“A good while, but we should still make sure they’re up to date.”
“So you’ll go with me?”
“I wouldn’t want you to go off alone.”
“I mean, I would’ve asked my mum or aunt…but then again, it wouldn’t be romantic.” Nick kissed him. “And I already was thinking of some things we could do out there while I was walking over here.”
“Who am I to stand in the way of your romantic side plans?” Charlie said. “Alright, an international adventure it is!”
Nick cheered and hugged him. They went to Nick’s house and told Sarah they were going. She was the first person he told about it. He was relieved that his passport was good to go and he could buy himself a ticket. It was then that he learned that Sarah couldn’t just buy the ticket under her name and then give it to Charlie. Charlie was technically a minor and after a bit of calls and talks with the airline about how it was almost his birthday, they settled on him being able to get a ticket, but was reminded he needed a valid passport.
They decided to tell the Paris Squad before the Springs. Everyone was clamoring over it and Tao got teased because he said he wanted to do a piece and was told that he didn’t even want to do a run for sports day. Elle requested her art and Lambert be advertised, the rest agreeing with her. Tara told Charlie he should write a bit of their story for the article and he said he’d think about it. Nick thought it was a great idea to tell their story, or at least the parts about him.
Charlie was worried about telling his family because of his mother’s response. Jane had tried her best not to be overbearing and to let Charlie figure things out, but this was something she hadn’t encountered before. Most trips Charlie had, save for Paris, had been with her or Julio. And Paris had been a school trip with friends he trusted, so Jane trusted them. She never had to worry about him going off to a different country before. Nick went with him to talk to the family. Julio was busy looking for Charlie’s passport, not having been told why.
“Does that mean you’re going to Disneyland?!” Oliver asked, half excited and half worried that his brother was about to have fun at a theme park without him.
“That’s in Anaheim, we’re going to Los Angeles.” Charlie said. “And we didn’t buy any tickets for Disney.”
“Oh okay.” Oliver said, relieved. Nick and Charlie exchanged grins.
“You said you are going?” Jane said. “Meaning you’ve already booked the flight?”
“Er-well, Nick has.” Charlie said, grin sliding off at his mother’s tone. “His mum’s prepared to buy the ticket for herself if we can’t get my passport settled. But I’m determined to go.”
“Charlie…” Jane sighed “I worry about you traveling so far.”
“I’ll be with Nick and around the queer community as well as allies. And technically I’ll be eighteen. So it’s less me asking permission and more me telling you and asking for a passport so I can go.”
Julio silently came up behind her. “I think you should.”
“It would be hardly a romantic getaway with his mum.” Tori said.
“I was brainstorming some romantic things.” Nick said.
“Like what?” Oliver asked.
“Dates. I wanted to go to fancy restaurants.”
“Is that all?”
SLUUUURP
Charlie glared sharply at Tori. Oliver was the only one who missed this exchange.
“I mean, we might go on picnics and watch movies and such.” Nick said. “Different kinds of dates at new places.”
“Oh.”
Julio cleared his throat. “If we want to book it soon, we’ll have to get your passport renewed.”
“How fast can that happen?” Charlie asked.
“We should start the process right now, actually. You'll be able to just make it.” Julio said, his hands on Jane’s shoulders. She was actively trying not to say something that would screw this up, but everyone except her youngest could tell she had something to say.
Nick went home to prepare while Julio took Charlie to get his passport renewed. Oliver was excitedly talking about all the things he wanted Charlie to bring back for him and Tori was half listening as their mother made dinner. Jane was silent, other than the occasional response to Oliver when he directly spoke to her. Tori sent Oliver upstairs to make a list of things he wanted Charlie to try to bring back for him or take pictures of.
“I don’t want us to argue over your brother.” Jane said.
“Something’s bothering you. I doubt you’d have the same reaction if I was going to America.”
“I’d be worried for any of you kids. I’d be worried if it was just Dad.”
“Yes, and I’m sure Mrs. Nelson has some worry too, but she trusts them. Because it’s Nick and Charlie. They have each other and as Charlie said-”
“I know what Charlie said.” Jane interrupted. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s just…do you think I wouldn’t be concerned if you were the one going to the other side of the world?”
“Sometimes I think you don’t.” Tori mumbled.
Jane sighed and put down the dish she’d been drying for the last minute and turned to her daughter. “Tori, I would be terrified for any of you. Well, first off, I don’t believe Oliver would be going much anywhere without me or Dad, but if he decided on a trip like this when he’s eighteen, yes I would be just as terrified for either of you. I have no idea what older Oliver will be like, but I know you and Charlie. I love you very much. I know, though, that you’re independent and very capable of handling yourself. And yes, I know Charlie is too. I know he and Nick are, but the days that I-I feel I could’ve done something…they still haunt me. He’s doing so much better, but I know sometimes I make things so much worse…”
“What’s the thing you worry about least?”
“I don’t worry about him being alone or about them not being able to defend themselves. You’re both right that he’d be with Nick and allies. I trust Nick with him as much as Sarah trusts him with Nick. They’ll have each other and whatever they get up to, they can leave some detail out.” Tori’s brows rose. “Come now, I’m not oblivious and I did catch exactly what the slurp and looks implied. Don’t tell your brother, but I found it slightly amusing, mostly because I’m grateful it was steered away from Oliver. I definitely don’t worry for him harming himself because of reasons I just stated. It’s just…America tends to have larger portions and very fatty and overly salty foods. It’s not something he can just get away from if he’s around a bunch of people he doesn’t know and Nick can’t always-I mean, he does help a lot, but he can’t always find a secluded place or make sure he has his safe foods…”
“He has a handle on it, Mum. I think you’re underestimating all the work he’s put in and he wasn’t alone. He had a team and we were part of that team. His family, friends, Nick, we’re all part of that team. He’s not alone and not without his team. They both know that, if for some reason he and Nick can’t figure it out, they can call us.”
Jane sighed. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Tori said.
Later, Julio and Charlie returned with grins and an email confirming Charlie’s plane ticket on the same day and time as Nick. After a few phone calls, Julio managed to get the ticket and all they would have to do is call to confirm the passport expiry date once they got Charlie’s new one, then they’d email his ticket. They had a family meeting that night, minus Oliver who was playing video games, and Jane expressed her main concern. She said she knew Charlie was eighteen, but sometimes, she could still see the scared thirteen year old she couldn’t protect. Who felt he had to hide what was happening from her for two years until it bubbled over. Who she couldn’t tell was hurting himself.
“Mum, I know it seems like I’m still that kid.” Charlie said. “I’m not done with secondary and I’m still teen, but I’m almost an adult. There were a few times where I didn’t think I’d make it to adulthood, but I did. And I didn’t do it without your support. We all had learning to do after and yeah, the road wasn’t the smoothest, but life isn’t exactly a smooth ride for anyone.”
“I know, darling. I believe you can handle it. I don’t know much about sports, but it does sound like a good opportunity for Nick and I know you want to support him.”
“Here, Nick gave me this magazine to get a taste of what to expect.” Charlie went to get it and brought it down.
Jane and Julio started looking through it. Neither were very sports oriented. Actually, they’d always been the nerdy and quiet types, Jane more serious and reserved due to her upbringing. But they liked Nick and didn’t want to dismiss his interests as Charlie didn’t. Besides, Charlie had participated in rugby a bit in school and they couldn’t just dismiss that. They were proud of him for putting himself out there even if it was mostly to be closer to Nick.
Jane’s brow furrowed in confusion. She took it and flipped to the beginning. “Charlie, have you looked through this?”
“Skimmed it a bit, but there wasn’t much time.”
“I-well, this is an odd question, but are you certain this is legitimate?”
“Why?”
“Take a look at the names on this page.”
Charlie looked at an article about a gay American football coach. “-coach Cam is known very well by many, including yours truly-” Charlie stared at the name and flipped to the beginning, bewildered to see a name he didn’t even know if he could pronounce correctly “Pepper Saltzman and Long-lon-gee-nies St Germain?”
“Charlie, darling, they sound like fake names.”
“Yeah, but-but they sent this to Leeds, surely someone should’ve seen.”
“I know I would’ve if I were a university administrator.” Julio said.
“If you were an administrator with your personality.” Tori said. “Imagine a very sports oriented, excitable admin with a personality similar to Oliver. I’m assuming Nick and his mum didn’t go over it with a sharp eye.”
Charlie sighed. “How am I going to break it to Nick? I mean, we can get credits for our tickets back and I was due for a passport renewal anyway, but damn, I could hardly tell if he or Henry was more excited…he’s going to be devastated.”
“Better sooner rather than later.”
Charlie nodded despondently and went upstairs to his room. He didn’t know how to break this. He texted Nick that he wanted to talk about something serious. Nick called.
“Is it something we should meet in person for?”
“It’s rather late for that, Oliver’s being put to bed, but erm…it’s about the trip.”
“Char, if it’s about eating, don’t worry too much. I’ll be there and I’ll make sure I pay attention to you. I won’t be so focused on this that I’ll forget you’re there. I am looking up places for our dates and looking for hotels to book.”
“I don’t think we should book a hotel quite yet.” Charlie said, feeling anxious.
“No, it’s a bit late for that. I want to do it with you and during the day when we can phone the hotel if we run into any issues.”
Charlie sighed heavily. “Nick, I erm…don’t know how to tell you this. I-I’m worried about-I mean I think that-” He groaned in frustration.
“Deep breath and just rip the bandage off. You and I are fine with flying, you know I’ll be there and we’ll share food and come up with plans for a variety of issues we may encounter.”
“Right. Alright, here goes.” Charlie took a deep breath. “I think you got scammed.”
Silence fell. Charlie started to feel anxious again.
“What?” Nick finally said softly, his small tone making Charlie feel guilty.
“Did you look at any names at all in the magazine?”
“Not really. I mean, someone named Pepper and an article mentioning a few guys I don’t remember the names of.”
“His name is Pepper Saltzman and he and his friend co-wrote it. I can’t pronounce his name, but it’s spelled L-O-N-G-I-N-E-S and his surname is St Germain.”
He could hear Nick trying to work out the name under his breath, then a soft groan that made Charlie’s heart hurt. “Shit, that does sound fake…nooo, uuuugh, Charlie, please tell me I didn’t get scammed…oh bollocks, I did.”
“I get one free ’s’ word only because it’s consolation I’m not blaming myself-I’m sorry. We can still get some credit back and y’know, this was a good opportunity to renew my passport since Mum and Dad want to go to Spain for Christmas.”
“Yeah…” Nick said glumly “we’ll call the airline tomorrow.”
“I really wish I could hug you, I’m s-”
“You used your free ’s’ word.” Nick’s tone didn’t change.
“I did. Try to get some sleep, I’ll come over first thing in the morning and we’ll sort everything out. We can still have a fun summer. I love you.”
“I love you too. Night.”
“Night.”
Charlie got ready for bed and Jane tried to apologize, but he hugged her and told her not to. He’d rather have found out now instead of getting there and realizing they wasted time and money on a scam. He was upset, looking over the article. It seemed so real. These people looked like actual people. But then again, they could be dressing up. Why though? Why fake it? He felt angry. Poor Nick sounded so defeated. He noticed an email address on the back page and decided to send an email to Pepper. He then quickly realized that he should’ve created a backup email in case it was a scam and now this random guy in America had his email and knew that Nick went to Leeds.
His anxiety kept him up, wondering why he wasn’t more careful. He kept looking at his phone sporadically through the night. Maybe the scammer wouldn’t email back. Maybe he didn’t want to deal with Charlie and decided to ignore him. Maybe he didn’t remember Nick’s school or even sending an invitation and magazine out to Leeds. He looked at his phone yet again. Past midnight. Everyone else in the house was asleep. Nick probably was.
And I’m here worrying that I’ve just given personal information away like a damn idiot. Maybe he did want someone to go out there and now he’s going to ignore me because we sound like we’re not. I really hope I’m not about to get spammed. Or worse, he threatens us because I’m an idiot who used the word Leeds in a damn email to some damn scammer somewhere who now knows where Nick is and oh my god what if he’s a creepy stalker who comes out to Leeds and finds him-
DING
Charlie nearly screamed. Heart pounding, he opened the email.
Good morning, Charlie, this is Pepper Saltzman (changed my first name from Sherman). I understand your concerns and yes, I should’ve realized how odd my friend’s name might sound to people outside our circle. I apologize if I’ve put you and your boyfriend through any trouble. The offer to come out to LA for the magazine still stands. It really belongs to Longines (lawn-gin-es) who changed his name from Larry Jones. If you research my name, you’ll find my website and see that I’m a very successful wedding planner. I couldn’t play a game of kickball to save my life and received a half hour lecture from Cam about how football and rugby were different. Don’t tell him I still haven’t a clue why either appeal to anyone. I have very sports motivated friends, mostly Cam, and was asked if I knew anyone internationally who might be interested. The person I contacted in Leeds, I believed to still be there, but I was told they moved to Devon. The admin asked if I still wanted to ask anyone from Leeds, so I did. You may call the admin’s office if you wish to get confirmation. I promise this is legitimate and that you would not be wasting time and money. Please let me know if the two of you are still interested and I’ll keep you on the list and I’ll have the hotel charge me your fees as was the offer.
Pepper Saltzman, wedding planner extraordinaire
Ps- A little advice, if I were potentially a scammer, you should’ve used a throwaway email. Don’t worry, if you don’t want to come and wish to cease communication, let me know and I’ll stop.
Charlie let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t email back just yet, but he tried calling Nick. He got a half mumble of something when the phone was answered the third time he called. He told Nick it wasn’t an emergency and that he probably wasn’t scammed. The answer was light snoring as his boyfriend fell back asleep after hearing it wasn’t an emergency. Charlie hung up and texted, then fell asleep, feeling more at ease.
Nick and Sarah decided to come over and everyone talked about the trip. They all saw the wedding planner’s website and contact information as well as socials. Checking out a couple, they saw that he had been of the founding members of LA’s growing queer community since 1995. Pepper cited knowing Cam Tucker since ’97 and planned his wedding in 2014, the picture was on his website too.
“It wouldn’t be a wasted trip especially now that we know he’s paying for the hotel.” Nick said.
“Why can’t he pay for all of it?” Oliver asked.
“Plane tickets are very much more expensive than a hotel. And we did have to pay for passport renewal.” Julio explained.
They didn’t want to keep Pepper waiting too much longer, so they officially booked the flights and hotel room and let Pepper know. He was excited that Nick and Charlie were on board and told them to email him or text him if there were any concerns.