Chapter Text
Jealousy is a funny thing. It sneaks up on a person, burrowing into their brain and making itself known at the most inopportune times. No matter how much it gets pushed aside, it comes back around—lurking in corners and hiding in the shadows.
It could ruin a relationship if someone lets it. Or it could remind them how precious what they already have is.
……..
Tara Jones.
Charlie scrolled up and down her insta feed. She was objectively beautiful. Her captions were clever and she seemed, for lack of a better word, lovely.
Shit. Why couldn’t she be a total hag? It would make hating her so so much easier for him.
Why had Tao had to go and meddle? If he’d never messaged Otis, Charlie never would have found out about Nick's crush on Tara and he’d been able to live in his happy little naive bubble where he could believe that Nick Nelson was flirting with him and he might actually have a chance.
Tara freaking Jones.
…………..
“So I just ran into Ben”
Nick's heart dropped in his chest.
“Ben?”
Fuck, had Ben been messing with Charlie again? The image of Ben pinning Charlie against a wall flashed across Nick's mind, making his stomach roll with abject horror.
Or, what if Ben had somehow convinced Charlie to give him a second chance? Charlie had clearly seen something in him in the first place.
God, Nick had the worst timing. After weeks and weeks of trying to figure out whatever it was, that was going on between him and Charlie, just when he thought he was maybe getting a clue and the courage to do something about it, Ben Hope was going to block his way.
Ben freaking Hope.
God, how was he supposed to go on when he would have to live with the fact that Charlie was with Ben again?
That Charlie had chosen Ben over him. Not that you ever gave him the chance to choose you his subconscious helpfully provided.
That was even worse. What if he did ask Charlie to choose? Asked him to pick between him and Ben.
God, what if Charlie chose Ben? Nick didn’t think he could handle that. Would he be able to go on being friends with Charlie when he felt like this?
When the very idea of Charlie and Ben together made his stomach roll and his jaw clench?
“And then I pushed him into a wall and told him to leave me alone. I think he got the message this time”
Nick had never been so happy to hear a set of words strung together in any order before. Maybe he hadn’t missed his chance after all.
………………….
Paris had a reputation as one of the most romantic cities in the world. The streets were filled with couples, wandering hand in hand, caught up in their affection for one another.
Nick wanted to act like one of those couples. He wanted to shout his love for Charlie from the top of the Eiffel tower or some other cliche french landmark. He just had to find the opportunity, no, he needed to find the courage to make it happen.
Ever since that love bite had made an appearance on Charlie's neck, every student on the trip had been whispering and speculating about it.
Nick had heard everything from Charlie sneaking out in the middle of the night to hook up with a performer from the Moulin Rouge to an amateur mime.
It took all Nick's strength to not grab his nearest classmate and shake them and shout into their face that it was him you idiots. He and Charlie were together and they had been for a while. They were in love, or well, something like that. They hadn’t exactly said it yet but….Nick felt it. He hoped Charlie did too.
Charlie was his and he was Charlies. Not in a creepy possessive way, just in a true way. An undeniable way. A way that made Nick's entire being light up at just the sound of Charlie's name.
This was why, when in a dumb game of truth or dare when Charlie was dared to kiss someone else, Nick felt as if his head was about to explode.
Nick had never really paid close attention to James before. He was a nice enough kid, but at that moment when the words “I’m up for it” had come out of James' mouth, Nick had wanted to punch the kid directly in his dumb mouth.
The one drink of Darcys spiked lemonade must be going to his head ( it had been awfully strong but one mouthful surely wasn't enough to get him drunk enough to rationalize the caveman-esque instinct he felt in his mind to haul Charlie to his feet and shepherd him off into a corner away from the prying eyes of their classmates who were all now expecting his boyfriend to kiss some other guy. Some guy who was not Nick. Which Nick really didn't enjoy the idea of.
Nick felt Charlie stiffen slightly beside him as the rest of the group stared at him expectantly. Nick wanted to wrap his arms around Charlie and create a physical barrier between his boyfriend and everyone else in the room.
“You have to do it! That’s the dare!” Someone shouted.
“Go on! It’s just one little kiss!”
“Come on Charlie, he’s a good kisser” one of the girl's cats called, shoving James across the circle so he was kneeling in front of Charlie.
James was staring at Charlie with a look that Nick couldn’t quite place, but part of him recognized. Almost like a longing he was trying to conceal. Nick was pretty sure he’d seen that expression before. He was pretty sure he’d seen it in his own reflection back when he was trying to figure out what his feelings for Charlie really were.
“I’m not like…gay. So it’s just for a dare” James spluttered, leaning closer still to Charlie.
Sounded fake to Nick. He internally chastised himself for speculating about someone else's sexuality. He didn’t want people making assumptions about him so he shouldn’t be doing the same to James, but there was something about the way that the other boy was looking at Charlie that set Nick on edge.
“Um, no. I don’t want to” Charlie pushed James away, physically recoiling from the other boy and leaning into Nick's side subconsciously.
“Oh! Um-okay, that’s fine. I didn’t care anyway so.. haha” James scooted back across the circle, his cheeks burning.
Nick felt like a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off his chest.
“Ok, but you have to do a truth instead!” Someone supplied helpfully.
As soon as the question of who had given Charlie the love bite was asked, Nick knew what he was going to do.
He was ready for everyone to know about him and Charlie. He didn’t want any doubt about who his heart belonged to.
“I know who it was” He announced to the group at large, looking over at Charlie to make sure he was okay with what Nick was about to say.
The smile that spread across Charlie's face was enough to make flutters erupt in Nick's stomach. Charlie gave him an encouraging nod, taking his hand and squeezing. Nick smiled, feeling proud of himself as he announced,
“It was me. We’re dating”