Chapter 1: The Postcard
Summary:
Charlie lives alone in a cottage in a Yorkshire village. One day he receives a postcard, or rather the three stuffed animals in his bedroom window receive a postcard. The card is from the stuffed animals in the back of the car of a commuter who regularly drives past the cottage. He has no idea what to make of it or how to respond. Should he even respond?
Notes:
I want to start by thanking the absolutely incredible phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and bbxreezy who’ve stuck by this fic. I wrote the beginning, became obsessed with it, and then put it down for writer’s block. Then a series of shiny drabbles got me writing again, and this story has come back to the foreground. Your affection for this story and these boys has been so important and I love that it’s finally coming out to the world.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Ever since Charlie bought his little cottage in Ilkley, he’d worked hard on filling it with charm befitting its chocolate box picture exterior. It was built of the same solid grey stone as the rest of the town and, while a desirable property, sat right on the main A-road through towards Leeds, so traffic noise was a constant rumble.
He carefully set Kitty, a fluffy giraffe he’d won at a school fair and the Dulux dog that his mother had given him one year in a line on the windowsill of his bedroom. The latter had been a poorly executed attempt to placate him for not being willing to get a real dog even though he asked nicely. From their vantage point, they watched the traffic slog pass every day and for what it was worth, Charlie learned to sleep through the low murmur of it rolling past the front door.
One sunny afternoon, he was just taking a break after a particularly unproductive meeting with a new author- who was insisting that Charlie’s input was ‘pedantic and slowing down the process’- when he heard the post slip through the letter box and went to go and retrieve it before Piper got to it. Hearing her nails skitter on the hardwood floors as she leapt from her place on the sofa in his study, he reached down to stroke her head.
“I got to them first this time, good girl, I know how much you like to bring them to me. Next time.”
Growing up in the dawn of a digital age he’d had a mobile phone by the time he was thirteen and so had all of his friends. It meant that the art of writing letters was almost entirely lost on him. The extent of it was probably sending the obligatory postcards to grandparents whenever the family had gone on holiday when he was a child.
As such and as he strolled into the kitchen to put the kettle on, flipping through the envelopes as he walked, he was expecting nothing more than the usual circulars and maybe a gas or water bill to brighten his day. He was not expecting a postcard with a photograph of Leeds City Centre on the front. Who would be writing to him, from Leeds? He didn’t know anyone up here. Tao and Elle had moved to Paris after school, Issac was basically living in the libraries in Cambridge, he’d come up to the North to put some necessary distance between himself and his mother and it was working in their favour. Still, the card was there, in technicolour, and was definitely Leeds. He put down the other envelopes and poured the boiling water from his gooseneck kettle slowly over the coffee grounds in his carafe and waited for them to bloom. Once they had, he finished the pour-over process and waited again for the coffee to brew. He could resist no more and turned over the card.
To the Kitty, Giraffe and SheepDog in the front window
Alright, this was getting strange now, who was writing a postcard to his stuffed animals? Was this person a complete psycho or just really bored?
Hi! We pass by your lovely cottage every day when our owner drives to work.
He works in Leeds but fell in love with the moors and lives in Adingham. Anyway, we pass
this way every day and you always look out and you look friendly. We insisted
that he help us write to you all and introduce ourselves. I’m Bella and I’m a golden retriever,
there’s also Don and he’s a rainbow coloured Beanie Baby bear, and then there’s Micah and she’s a
ring-tailed lemur. We really hope that you’ll wave when we pass next. Our owner
drives a rather old silver Nissan Micra that he could absolutely upgrade if he wanted to.
Nice to meet you and we’ll be seeing you around.
Bella, Micah and Don from Nick’s car
Charlie poured himself a cup of coffee and moved into the conservatory, opening the sliding door wide to let Piper out for a romp around and let in the summer breeze. He looked out over the view that had made buying a house on a main road worth it to him. The vista spread right out over the valley below him, the ground plunging down and away from the stone wall at the bottom of the garden, down into a wide flat pasture to the river below, decorated with fluffy white sheep, and then up again on the steep slope of the other side to the moors beyond. He took a deep breath, inhaling the sheep mown grass and the coffee and then he stared again at the postcard.
He honestly could not figure out what to make of it. Clearly there are no soft toys writing postcards, which means that there’s actually an adult, apparently named Nick, who was bold, deranged or actually stalkery enough to pay money for the card and the stamp and sit down and write this. Maybe it wasn’t stalkery, presuming this Nick character hadn’t seen him, and the actual words in the card were innocuous enough. There were no questions asked, no requests other than that his own animals wave if they see a silver Micra pass by.
Given the poses his soft toys were in, Kitty was the only one who could be fashioned into a position that would make her look like she was waving. Gerry the giraffe and Bruno the old English sheep dog were both in poses where all four feet were together. They wouldn’t be able to wave.
“Piper,” he said as she came back in from the garden, a contented expression on her face at a successful surveillance, and at not having come across Rosy, the mad red setter who lived next door. “What am I doing? Why am I considering this, why am I dwelling on how I’m going to make them wave? Why is it important that this Nick character knows I got his card? It isn’t even to me, it’s to the damned stuffed toys on my windowsill.”
Piper looked up at him through her lashes and he bent to rub her ears.
“You’re right, baby, time to let it go!”
He shook himself, put the card down on the table and made his way back into his study, armed with caffeine and a renewed vigour to forget the randomness of his soft toys receiving a postcard from a stranger. Piper padded back in after him and took up her position on the sofa, her head resting, as always, on the arm of it.
Having a difficult author who was absolutely not taking to working with an editor who wasn’t just fawning over his every flowery phrase did mean that Charlie was able to stay distracted for the rest of the afternoon, eventually shutting down increasingly strident Teams chats with a promise that they could pick this all up again the following day.
He stretched his aching back, went upstairs and changed into his running gear. The summer light was going to mean he’d have light for a good while yet and he needed to get out of his head and into his body.
“Piper!” he called out, holding her lead out and waiting for her to sit before clipping it onto her collar. “You ready for a run?”
Her tail wag indicated her excitement and the pair set off up the steep drive and left out along the narrow pavement. The first part of the run was the least enjoyable, out along the busy road, but soon enough there was a road to the left where they could turn off and down a steep hill towards the river path and the fields below the house. Piper knew the route and kept pace with Charlie as his strides lengthened and he settled into his pace.
He wasn’t on a mission today, just wanting to put in some miles and clear away the cobwebs. The river was low, bubbling gently over the weir at the base of the comforting stone pedestrian bridge that carried the pair of them over the water and out into the fields beyond. He slowed and held Piper back as a young child, probably no more than five, was lifted up to see over the stone wall, dropping in a stick at the same time as their dad, and then placed down to run pell-mell to the other side to watch them come out. He wondered if he’d ever played Pooh Sticks. He couldn’t recall. It would have been a game that he and Olly would have played, not really Jane’s speed. The father gave them a wave, and a quick sign of appreciation for letting the child run unimpeded as Charlie and Piper set off again down the other side of the bridge.
They took a left at the bottom and wound their way along the path beside the river, heading for the suspension bridge a mile or so further down. The route took them down beside the sports fields and Charlie was unapologetic about the fact that running at this time meant that rugby practice would be in full swing. The pert bums in short shorts held up by thick thighs were the icing on a decadently sedate run and he was here for the clearing of his mind.
They reached the suspension bridge and, with no one around, Charlie let Piper off her lead as he let himself walk along beside her. She headed down into the water, tooling her feet and lapping up a drink before heading back to him and sitting, ready to set off again.
“‘You sure you got enough to drink?” Charlie asked her, clipping her up once she stayed seated and didn’t make a move back down the banks into the water. “‘You ready to go home?”
He could swear she nodded at him and he grinned down at her and stroked her head as they set off again, across the bridge and back down the other side of the river, through the park and back up the steep slope to the main road and home.
Piper headed straight for her water bowl and Charlie sat on the back steps, doing some gentle stretching while he cooled down enough to get a shower. Piper came and inserted her head under his arm, lying down next to him.
“That was a lovely run, Pip, thank you for coming with me.”
The two sat and watched the cloud skud along the valley until Charlie got up and headed inside to clean up. His eyes caught on Kitty and the others in the window. He didn’t let himself linger, heading into the bathroom and putting all thoughts of the postcard out of his mind. Except he couldn’t. He knew what he was going to do and as he dried himself and wandered into his room to get dressed he reached for Kitty, taking her left front paw and holding it up in a wave and pressing it up against the glass to hold it in place. As he’d suspected, Bruno and Don didn’t have the capacity to wave, so he worked on a more jaunty angle for them in general and then shook himself and went downstairs to settle in for an evening with a glass of wine, pesto with pasta and sugar snap peas, and a few episodes of Jonathon Creek. Piper rested her head on his lap when he put down his bowl, and Charlie let himself relax.
Chapter 2: We Got Your Card!
Summary:
After sleeping on it, Charlie made a decision about what he was going to do about the bizarre postcard that arrived, addressed to the soft toys in his window. He was going to respond!
Notes:
I want to thank you all for the reception that chapter one received. This story has been in the works for a while and I’m proud of where it’s going. I need to start with a thank you, too, to Riley and L56895 for helping me figure out coding. Workskins are a new endeavour for me, but from here on will play a distinct role in this fic, which you’ll discover as you read this chapter.
I also need to thank the wonderful furry fiends phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and bbxreezy, who’ve beta’d my story and talked me out of uncertainties and even set their own soft toys in their windows, waiting for postcards. You’re all amazing!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Waking up the morning after he’d set Kitty’s hand up to wave to Nick and his chatty soft toys, Charlie was still unsure how he felt about the whole scenario. He was a little bit annoyed with himself for not being able to simply let it go, to just let it be a nice thing that happened. He wanted to hear from them- from him , again. He got through his normal morning routine but before he could get started with work, he booted up his laptop.
How will I ever know if Nick saw that Kitty was waving? Do I need to just wait to see if he writes another postcard? Why would he? It’s a very one-sided conversation if he does, and what would he even say? I have no way of getting in touch with him. What if… No, that’s ridiculous!
He opened a document and worked for a few moments until he had a message he was happy with, and printed it out so that the letters were large enough that he hoped they’d be visible from the road. Taping them up above his waving Kitty, he stepped back from the window to survey his handiwork.
Over the next few days, Charlie went to bring down Kitty’s arm more than once, to take down the message, trying to convince himself that he was being ridiculous by playing into this game based on one random postcard. Whenever his brain was idle, though, it drifted back to the card, and the innocent exuberance of the kind of person who could be bold enough to write it.
He was lying in bed one morning, grateful for the comforting weight of Piper’s head resting across his shins. His eyes were drifting over towards Kitty and then back up to the ceiling almost as if there were a tennis match and his eyes were following an imaginary tennis ball being batted back and forth.
Piper let out a gusty sigh and started to get restless.
“You’re right, Pip,” Charlie acknowledged, scratching her head and joining her in a whole body stretch. “Time to get up.”
The two of them made their way downstairs and while the kettle boiled, Charlie unlocked the door out to the conservatory and let Piper out into the garden. He made his coffee; the involved, multi-step process of making a true pour-over helping him to ground himself into his day. He sat on the sofa in the conservatory and watched as Piper and Rosy from next door got into an involved woofing-match across the fence and grinned down at her.
He scrolled through the news on his phone, enough to at least get him acquainted with the stage of the fire, and then put his phone back down and took his coffee cup back into the kitchen for a refill. After his regular morning routine was complete, he came back downstairs to log onto his work systems. The problematic author had thawed a little, but was still stubbornly resistant and Charlie was having to work much harder than he’d like to get him to accept his comments.
That morning, for the first time in a while, he had no emails from him in his inbox and the feeling was unnerving. What was worse is that it was leaving him with too much time for his mind to drift.
Then the post arrived.
He sat in the sun, soaking up a little much needed vitamin D, turning the card over and over in his hand. Looking at the picture for the longest time. It was a stunning photograph of Bolton Abbey, the warm light pouring through the ruined roof. The words, once again, were light and unassuming, soft and silly.
Thank you for your note in the window, we’re so glad to know your names
We made Nick pick out this card after he went for a walk around this place on his last day off, isn't it something?
We hope this card finds you well and that you have a fabulous day!
Bella, Micah and Don
Charlie had hoped that hearing from the animals again, seeing that they’d seen the message, might allow him to put a stop to the whole thing in his head. He couldn’t reciprocate, and that needed to be the end of it. There was only so much that he could put into a message in the window, and waiting days for postcards that might or might not come was too much uncertainty.
Unfortunately (or fortunately), having locked onto the game, Charlie was still unable to just move on. Nick’s animals hadn't given him any detail other than that they came through from Addingham most days to Leeds, so he couldn’t reciprocate the postcards. The idea that had been percolating along with his coffee since that morning wouldn’t leave him alone, though. As hard as he tried to focus on the new pages, he couldn’t.
By the time lunchtime rolled around he was itching with the effort of having resisted all morning and he knew what he was going to do while he took a break from work.
Charlie made a quick sandwich, let Piper out into the garden, and headed back to his computer. He pulled up his personal laptop and navigated to a new email browser. Generating a new email address was a matter of minutes and a few keystrokes. Once it was ready and he’d tested its connection to his personal email account, he only had one more thing to do.
He used the same method he’d used to create the first message, and wrote a new one. Printing out the pages he got them ready, took them upstairs, and taped them up to the window in place of the first.
He put the message up in the window, then left the room quickly to head back to work. Burying himself in the pages and allowing himself to get brutal with his commentary, so that he’d have somewhere to back down from when the author inevitably didn’t want to accept all of his suggestions. He pointedly did not check his newly created email account.
Charlie continued not to check the Kitty email address all evening. He went out for his run- slowed, for reasons, to watch the rugby lads crash into each other and grab each other’s waists- and took off again at his regular pace back to the cottage. He took his time with his stretches, drank a glass of water and when he was properly cool, took his time in the shower. He had a luxuriously lengthy wank, imagining one of the rugby lads he saw regularly was the one touching him and letting the endorphins from his run mingle with those from his orgasm. The resulting bonelessness was a welcome relief to the tension he’d been holding in. He went all out, after he regained confidence in his legs, and did his full curl routine on his hair. Coming downstairs, flanked by Piper, he took himself into the kitchen to make dinner and took the bowl of stir-fried veg and chicken into the living room with a glass of sauvignon blanc.
Charlie forced himself to watch two episodes of The Vicar of Dibley, needing the comedy, the inanity of Alice and the quick wit of Geraldine to keep the itch in his finger tips from allowing him to check for an email. The message had only been up there since lunchtime. Even if Nick (or his animals) had seen it, they’d only had one pass by the window to not only see it but record it somehow. It was going to take a few days, surely, for anything to come through, presuming it ever did.
Piper could sense his restless energy, lying her whole chest over his legs as his feet tapped on the floor, his knees bouncing up and down.
“Thank you, my good girl,” Charlie said, rolling his fingers into her soft black and white waves. When he’d moved into the cottage getting a dog had been high on his priority list. Dogs, pets of any kind really, had not been allowed when he was growing up, and yet he’d always felt like having a dog would help him feel grounded. So it had proven. Having Piper in the house meant that the rooms he entered were never empty, he had someone to sit with him while he was working and someone to go out with him when he went running. She was insightful and always seemed to know what he needed, to find balance when his emotions were… spiky.
Turning off the TV, he wandered into the kitchen, cleaning down completely and putting everything in its proper place, before letting Piper out for one final pee and scout of the garden.
“I am not checking until tomorrow, lunchtime at the earliest.” He said to Piper as she came in, wagging her tail as he stroked her head. “I am just not going to. It’ll be so much easier to live with the idea that there’s an email in there, than the certainty that there isn’t.”
Piper looked up at him through her eyelashes and sat down on one of his feet.
“Yes, okay, I heard myself too, Pip, thank you!” Charlie grinned to himself. “Fine, I’ll get myself some closure, confirm that there isn’t an email, and then I can sleep and see if one comes through tomorrow.”
Piper followed him upstairs, giving him a look that seemed to rather uncharitably say that she thought he was going to check downstairs and right when he said rather than dragging it out even more. He shook his head, changed into a pair of sleep shorts and one of his old Cambridge hoodies, and brushed his teeth. Slipping into bed, he picked up his phone, toggled to his gmail app and flipped to the Kitty email address, closing his eyes for the brief flash as the screen redrew from his own personal email to the new one.
One email sat in the otherwise empty inbox.
His breath caught in his throat.
He put down the phone.
Why did this matter so much, why was it important that there was a way for Nick’s car animals to communicate with Kitty, Gerry and Bruno, how was this even going to work?
Find out what they said first, then panic, he told himself as he let his thumb hover over the email from [email protected]
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie read the email several times, taking it all in. First things first, they were, apparently, going to be continuing to communicate through the animals.
Right then, Nick, two can play at this game .
He settled in and stretched his thumbs, and then began to type.
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Hitting send without letting himself overthink it, Charlie put his phone onto the charger and set it, face down, on the bedside table. He pulled the pillow from the other side of the bed so that it lay crushed up against him and cuddled into it. It had been a long time since he’d made a new friend, and this was absolutely a first. This Nick guy was probably some lonely old codger.
What did it matter who he was, or what he looked like, or what he did in Leeds?
Charlie slept deeply that night, dreaming intermittently of flying alongside a speeding car as it manoeuvred the roundabouts on the outskirts of Leeds, heading for who knows where. The windows were tinted, but there was a presence in the car with a calming energy to it and sitting in the back window were a golden retriever, a Beanie Baby and a ring-tailed lemur.
The dream shifted from the car to the dream he had most often, the reason that he had settled on taking his runs in the afternoons rather than in the morning, the sight of the rugby players, crashing together in their scrums, holding onto their shirts as they threw one of them up in the air for a line up. For a macho sport it was so homoerotic, and Charlie was absolutely not complaining.
He became the guy who was being thrown in the air by a faceless rugby lad, and caught effortlessly. He wrapped his legs around the man’s solid waist and wrapped his arms around his strong neck. Their faces were just about to meet in a kiss he just knew would be searingly hot, when he woke with a start, and a throb in his cock that he knew he’d have to deal with before he could … he checked the clock on the bedside table … try to go back to sleep. He groaned. 3:02am.
He let his mind wander back to the way his rugby player had held him up like he weighed nothing, to the imagined way that his calloused fingers felt around his waist, he let the scene move forward from where the dream had rudely been interrupted and brought his face down to kiss him. Reaching into his loose sleep shorts, he wrapped his hand around his aching erection. Soon, a combination of gently lubricated friction and the continued stream of sparky visuals in his head, he was gasping and coming into his fist. He grabbed a wipe out of the drawer in the bedside table and cleaned up. He was gasping from the intensity, and lay quietly for a while catching his breath.
He grinned up at the ceiling, then let himself drift back off to sleep.
Chapter 3: Getting To Know You
Summary:
Nick and Charlie’s animals continue to act as conduits as the two become better acquainted. Nick has a bad day and Charlie has to figure out how to give him advice through his stuffed toys.
Notes:
Apparently, once these two start sending emails, they don’t stop.
I am going to continue to brag about this crew of cheerleaders who’ve been such eager supporters of this fluff-fest: phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and bbxreezy, you’re all amazing and I appreciate you so much!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When he woke again in the morning it was to a sense of pressure against him that was too warm to just be his pillow. It took him a few seconds to recognise this as being a perfectly regular place for Piper to be, his brain still full of mystery cars and hot strangers in rugby kit.
He breathed in deeply and snuggled into Piper just a little, answering her heavy sigh,
“Life is just so hard, isn’t it my good girl?”
Another sigh was his only answer and he took this as agreement.
“Still time to get up, Pips,” he nudged, as she reluctantly lifted her head and looked back at him, clearly aiming for her eyes to tell him how disapproving she was of this notion.
“I am absolutely with you, shall we just not today? Shall we just skip it and stay here in bed?”
Piper huffed out a breath, and then lumbered onto her chest before sliding fluidly out of the bed.
“You are so responsible! Thank you!”
Even though Charlie had showered after his run, he took a fast rinse before dressing for the day. His dreams and the middle of the night wank had him feeling like a clean up was needed before he tried to human.
Otherwise, his morning routine didn't vary. He let Piper out and brewed his coffee, sat and scrolled through the news and made a protein smoothie for breakfast to take to his desk. That was going to be the whole of the plan until he noticed the notification number on the top of his Gmail icon.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie read the email twice. A few things were becoming clearer and there was something to be said for a little clarity in this situation. He squared his shoulders and started typing.
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie sat back in his chair and ran his fingers gently through his curls. Piper sighed from her position on the sofa behind him and he turned around to look at her.
“What am I getting myself into, Piper?” he asked her gently, reaching over to stroke her soft curls. “This guy could be literally anyone. I mean, okay, so with email, we can at least find out a bit more about each other, and it’s nice that he’s a nurse, that’s a detail. What on earth can possibly come of this, though?”
Piper nudged her head back into his hand where his fingers had slowed their massage of her ears. She then tipped her head up and looked over her shoulder and Charlie followed her gaze. Whether she knew all the details or not, the gesture made him think up to his room, where a large note still flashed a random email address to every passing motorist.
“You’re so right, Piper!”
He took down the note, and left Kitty waving. The letters had done their job and he didn’t need more than the one unique penpal situation. He headed back downstairs, turning the pages over and adding them to his scratch paper stack for making notes on, and looked back at Piper.
“Right, beastie, you settle in. I am going to get some work done if it kills me, and I am not going to check to see if he replies.”
Charlie turned back towards his computer, took a swig of his cooling coffee, and settled into the new pages that the belligerent author had sent him. Something he was saying must be rubbing off on the plonker because Charlie was pleasantly surprised that a thematic issue that he’d pointed out in an early review had been rather cleverly filled in, and some of the persistent grammatical errors he’d been redlining were occurring significantly less frequently now. By the time he took a break for lunch, he was actually feeling rather proud of the little eejit.
“Okay Piper, you ready for a break?” he asked, as he stretched and led the way into the kitchen. The yellow cupboards were glowing in the bright sunlight coming in through the windows over the sink and he let Piper out into the garden while he made a sandwich and a fresh pot of coffee. He took his plate and went to sit at the little wrought iron table at the bottom of the garden, from where he could see over the garden wall and down into the valley below the house.
He couldn’t believe that there had ever been an attempt, by some twonky developer/politician duo, to build an elevated road on stilts right down the middle of this pristine valley, just to reduce some of the traffic going through Ilkley’s town centre. Looking down at the sheep placidly grazing, and the far off glint of sunlight off the river, he found it hard to believe this was actually his home. Piper came to lie beside him and he stroked her absentmindedly as he finished his lunch and sat back to sip his coffee.
He gathered up his plate and mug and wandered back up to the house, taking in the sight of the creeping wisteria that clung to the stone, forming frames around the windows, and the conservatory roof that could really use a good scrubbing, and the chip in the stone step that needed mending. There was some maintenance to do, definitely, but so far he’d been absolutely stunned at how little he had to do to this place.
When he’d bought it he’d been told that since it was built only one family had ever owned it. Three generations had kept it on and loved it and that showed in the attention to detail to the upgrades that had been added as it had needed each round of modernisation from its rather more basic origins.
He washed up his plate, and poured a fresh coffee before taking it into the study to settle in for another stint, continuing to see signs that the author was actually hearing what he was saying, even if he was a reluctant listener. He pointedly, and quite determinedly did not check his Kitty email address.
After logging off from work he changed clothes and took Piper out for their run, deciding to swing around to the left and run along the river the other way, past the tennis club and along past a beach where there were lots of fabulous skimming stones. He let Piper off her lead to paddle about, and picked up a few of the perfect round flat stones, bending down and holding the stone level in his hand before flicking his wrist and sending it bouncing three times to land on the banks on the other side of the river. By the time he’d found another few stones, Piper had cooled off a little and had a drink and was sitting at his feet ready to keep going.
They ran on, until the riverside path joined up with the road, and rather than run along with the cars, they turned back and ran back through the fields. He felt good, his legs strong underneath him, his breathing under control. Life was good.
Back at the cottage, showered and changed into soft shorts and a hoodie, he poured a glass of wine and sat watching the light glow and fade. He managed to get through the evening without checking Kitty’s email.
📧 📅 📧
Over the next few days, Kitty, Gerry and Bruno did receive several more emails. Charlie periodically moved Kitty, Bruno and Gerry around in the window, occasionally even setting them up in poses, as much as their fixed positions would allow. The movements often got mentioned in the emails, and the back and forth was pleasant and comforting. Topics were superficial at first, commentary on the weather, great walks in the area, as well as great pubs, more importantly great walks to pubs. Charlie actually flagged that email as Nick had clearly done some exploring in a few areas he’d yet to venture into and he actually wanted to check some of them out.
It was about two weeks into their email exchange, and they were up to emailing most days by that point, that Charlie checked Kitty’s inbox to find a new message one afternoon:
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie read the message and thought for a while about how to reply. This whole thing had started as emails between Nick’s animals and his own, and up until this point they’d kept things really light, and restricted to the sorts of things the animals would know about, either from having been there or having been told in apparent conversations between their humans and them. This latest one, though, it was edging into more personal territory. How was he going to respond in a way that the animals in his bedroom would?
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie was proud of this one, getting his advice through to Nick but couched as if it came through his soft toys. He wasn’t entirely sure how long they could keep this up, though, not if they wanted to actually get to know each other.
Did he want to get to know Nick? Was this not just supposed to be some silly game? Did it stop being a silly game the moment he made an email address?
The reply came as he was finishing his washing up after dinner a few days later.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie looked down at the screen and felt warmth spread through him. Even in this veiled and slightly ridiculous way, speaking through the voice of his stuffed Kitty, Charlie could sense that the words he’d used had influenced Nick’s life, generated a new pattern for him and maybe helped him gain some perspective. He hadn’t known what to expect when this whole thing had started, hadn’t had any sense of scale or potential for anything that even resembled this sort of second-hand pen-pal situation. Now that he was in it though, he was far too intrigued to put a stop to it and only hoped that Nick was too.
He headed upstairs for a shower, stepping under the warm spray and letting the water play across his shoulders. His mind drifted in the steam, conjuring images of a nurse, in scrubs patterned with cartoon dinosaurs. He didn’t have any descriptors, so he made them up, gave his fictional nurse broad shoulders and fair skin decorated with a smattering of freckles and sandy blond hair in a soft non-threatening cut. His body was responding to the creation in his head and he reached for the tube of lube he kept on the shelf for such times and then closed his eyes and let his imaginary nurse take over. The scrubs were gone and he’d joined Charlie in the shower. Charlie felt a hand warp around his length and gasped at the touch. The hand moved slowly, with just the right amount of pressure and a moan escaped his lips, captured immediately by a soft warm mouth as they kissed and the hand sped up. He felt a second hand travel around his hip, feather soft touch to match the drumming of the water. A lubricated finger teased his hole and then gently pressed inside, pausing to allow him to adjust before moving further and then in tandem with the hand still moving in gentle strokes around his dick.
The combination of both hands and the water and the visual in his head had Charlie gasping and moaning as he came hard, leaning his head against the tile to hold himself steady as he swam back to reality.
“Fuck!” he sighed into the steam before finishing his shower, drying off and heading across the landing and falling into bed.
Piper was waiting for him, huffing over her shoulder as he patted her on the head.
“It’s just a fantasy, Pips,” he reassured her. “For all I know this whole thing is an illusion. It’s not as if we’ll ever actually meet anyway!”
Notes:
Fics that I love:
wish upon a... t-shirt? By kaalee
The Summer Camp Effect by Caelge, phlimsical, which I happen to know is imminently coming out of hiatus
Standing Together by hereforhsfanfic
This Dance by Growlstreak
Chapter 4: Losing the Ruse
Summary:
Charlie decides the time is right to get a little bold, and sends an email as himself. Nick responds eagerly (who's shocked?)
Notes:
The reception to this fic has been so sweet and welcoming. I started to write it not knowing exactly where it would take me, deciding to let the boys communicate and share and see where that took me for a change, without planning all the details up front. I so appreciate all of you who’ve read and cared for this sappy sweet story.
I want to thank the fabulous phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and bbxreezy for being my cheerleaders and GoogleDoc flailers. You keep me going!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The emails stayed superficial at first, and didn’t arrive every day. Ultimately, there was only so much that the soft toys in Nick’s car had to talk about with the soft toys in Charlie’s bedroom window. Without continual references to things that Nick or Charlie had apparently said to their soft toys, it was tricky to come up with more scintillating conversation for them to have with each other. The whole thing was starting to feel awkward for Charlie as he thought about the latest exchange that they’d had that had been largely limited to the traffic on the motorway and the views out of the window as they drove over the moors.
Charlie made a decision, braced his fingers over his keyboard and started to type:
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
It had taken a few days to receive a reply, during which time Charlie grew increasingly anxious that he’d simply stepped outside the game and it was over. He was disappointed at that potential and curious that that disappointment felt better than indifference. Even as superficial as their emails had been there was something brewing and Charlie had found himself genuinely curious to see where it could go.
He and Piper got home after a run and once he’d showered he let himself check Kitty’s email address. He opened the inbox to the familiar little 1 above the message icon and his breath caught in his throat when he saw:
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
Charlie let out a shaky breath, wondering, not for the first time, what could possibly come of this, but also glad that there was more potential in an actual human connection now that they were communicating directly, as humans. He felt oddly vulnerable, even though this person, this Nick, still knew next to nothing about him and vice versa. Somehow though, the anonymity, the contact still happening through the animals’ email addresses even though they’d given in and started to write as themselves, it all felt like it placed a safety net around the whole conversation.
For a few days, there were a couple more emails, the main subject of which were seemingly generic ‘getting to know you’ questions. On Friday, he was just finishing up work when the inbox pinged. He’d finally allowed himself to turn on the alerts, now that they were messaging more regularly, and he found that the restraint involved in trying to hold off on checking was simply not working for him anymore.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie sat and read the words a few times. He’d just come back from a run with Piper and he was sitting with his water and the view after his stretches. He looked down at his phone again. Who was this guy? A rugby playing paediatric nurse who didn’t want to live in the city he worked in because he preferred the country, and who baked Nigella Lawson’s shortbread to take in to his colleagues? The combination of features was making it impossible for him to make a picture of the man in his mind. What should he say?
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie put his phone down on the table in the conservatory and went upstairs to shower and change into comfy clothes for his evening in. Glancing down at the screen when he got back down, he was surprised to see the icon on his email indicating a new message. This was the fastest that he’d had a reply from mystery Nick.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie read the email and stepped out into the garden, Piper following at his feet. He stood in the middle of the lawn, taking in his flowerbeds. He looked up into the branches of the massive blue cedar that stood majestically at the bottom of the garden, apparently planted by the first owners of the cottage. A pair of magpies hopped about and squawked at each other as he turned his attention down the valley to the windmills that stood turning the airflow into energy. There’d been a lot of uproar about the turbines, concerns from folks about them being an eyesore. Charlie personally disagreed, seeing grace in their simple lines and the climate forward approach to renewable energy. In that direction lay Addingham, the village in which Nick, Bella, Micah and Don all lived.
He let his brain wander in that direction for a while, soaking in the late evening light, before taking himself inside to make his dinner and pour a glass of wine. He sat at the table in the kitchen with his latest book from the library of Isaac Henderson, his best friend since school, who periodically would send him a parcel with a note inside that often simply read, “here’s a few you simply must-read”.
Piper nudged her head under his arm a few times, and he looked down and scratched her head.
“Can you tell how distracted I am too, baby girl?” he asked her, rubbing around her ears. “You’re right, I should just write back, shouldn’t I?”
Charlie decided that rather than faff with typing on his phone he’d pull up his laptop. He brought it into the living room and curled up on the sofa, extending out the recliner foot rests and grabbing the blanket. Piper hopped up next to him and curled herself into a tight ball, resting her head on her paws and releasing an emphatic sigh.
“Life’s so hard, isn’t it Pips?” Charlie asked her as he got settled in.
Opening his laptop he toggled over to his browser and opened Nick’s email.
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie checked the clock, it was a little after nine thirty.
“Right, Piper, time for bed, beastie. One more romp outside, yes?”
Piper sighed at him and reluctantly unfurled and slid as if made of liquid off the sofa. She followed him out to the backdoor and took a seemingly reluctant step outside.
“I know, I know, you have a bladder of steel, but come on, off you go, one last try before bed.” Charlie encouraged her.
He stepped back into the kitchen, and boiled the kettle, pulling out a chamomile tea bag for a little something soothing to help him sleep. Piper came back inside, shaking herself all over and giving him a look that clearly indicated he needn’t have insisted.
Picking up his abandoned book from the kitchen table, he and Piper made their way upstairs to settle in for the night.
Notes:
Fics I’ve been enjoying and/or just discovered:
Every Inch, A Feast by swise
Bi Bi Bi: July 2000 and January the present by BluestJM
bully me by cachicamoo and kaalee
Sing a Rainbow 🌈 by HS_Obsessed
Chapter 5: Misunderstandings
Summary:
Last time: Charlie made the decision that continuing to communicate through their stuffed toys was too restrictive and he took the leap to email Nick directly, and as himself. Nick was very open to the switch.
This time: Charlie finds a treat on his doorstep and the pair continue to get to know each other, no barriers or pretense in the way.
Notes:
This story is such a fluffy joy to write, not least because the two of them are really taking the time to get to know each other, the anonymity allowing them to share in a way they might not always allow themselves. I so appreciate all of you who’ve been following along, and anyone who’s catching up.
I want to thank my happy hamsters phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and bbxreezy for all the flails in the doc.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie hadn’t been surprised, okay maybe a little bit, when he’d come home from a run a few days later to find a tupperware box of homemade Millionaire’s shortbread on his doorstep, with a postcard of The Cow and Calf rock formations on the front.
On the back it simply read:
Charlie
As you said, I already had the shortbread recipe, and I just needed to add caramel and chocolate. This time, I didn’t make the mistake of taking them all to work, but I also couldn’t eat them all, so help me not be a complete pig and share these with me? You’ll have to let me know if they’re any good, this is a first for me with caramel this consistency, and let’s just say it took some trial and error.
Enjoy
Nick xx
Charlie bit back an audible moan when he’d taken out a square of the decadent treat and bitten into it. The chocolate layer cracked deliciously as his teeth sunk down into the smooth caramel layer. The buttery softness of the shortbread, which melted on his tongue was just divine and he closed his eyes to let his taste buds take over his senses. He stayed like that as the flavours mingled and his mind took in the sensation of the delectable present. He couldn’t quite bring himself to finish the square, taking small bites to sustain the experience. When he was done he headed for his computer and composed an email that was entirely hinged and considered, and didn’t gush or use hyperbolic sentiment, to describe how thoroughly he’d enjoyed his present. Who was he kidding, he was a lunatic, but he also couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made him anything, much less his favourite biscuit.
It had been almost a week since he received the sweet treat on his doorstep. He was trying not to check the email address multiple times a day, trying and failing because here he was knowing that it had been almost a week. He had a huge deadline that he was working towards and the level of distraction he felt was seemingly out of proportion for an unlikely pen-pal he’d known for such a short time. There were all sorts of reasons for Nick not to write and he let his brain filter around the list whenever it was quiet enough on his work emails to let his mind wander for even a few seconds. He’d just received the final batch of pages and really needed to knuckle down to the in depth editing to try to drag this author kicking and screaming into the literary light, when his phone pinged a notification.
He didn’t have time but he checked anyway, and sure enough it was an email received to the Kitty email account.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie stared at the screen, fixated on the word girlfriend subtly tucked into the middle of the email like it meant nothing. What was Nick talking about? He’d made no mention of a girlfriend. He looked back over his email and then he saw it. He’d described heading out into the moors with Piper, but he hadn’t said anything about her being a dog. He scrolled back through their entire chain to check to see if he’d mentioned that he had a dog at any point and couldn’t see anywhere.
“Pips, how did I manage that, hey?” he asked her, not expecting an answer. “How have we been talking all this time and I’ve not told him about my favourite girl? My only girl!”
Charlie groaned as his pomodoro timer went off. His five minutes was up and it was time to dive back into twenty minutes of uninterrupted productivity. He’d have to wait to respond to Nick but he felt like it was important to clear this up as soon as possible.
He toggled back to his work screens and hit start on the timer.
After a long morning slogging through the pages, he was finally happy with his edits and ready for a proper break. He walked through to the kitchen and let Piper out, bringing his laptop with him and setting it down on the kitchen table while he boiled the kettle.
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
To Nick,
Everything you say about your work sounds so exhausting. The hours, the emotional rollercoaster, the importance of every decision. I admire you so much for doing such noble work.
The walks are definitely worth investigating. I do feel I should clarify, though, that Piper is my dog.
She’s a border collie, so she has absolutely limitless energy, and as long as I keep her from worrying the sheep, the farmers don’t mind that I take her on runs and up into the moors with me.
I don’t know why, but I didn’t have you pegged as a Calendar Girls fan. No reason for that assumption, it was just a bit niche and I don’t know anywhere near enough people who’ve seen it. What other films do you enjoy?
Rugby lad, got it, not sure we can be friends. I’m joking, of course. Although, I did have a few less than positive run-ins with the rugby twits at school. I’m sure the blockers you play with are much nicer.
If I had a superpower… good question …. I think it would be flight. When I run I sometimes get the sense of being free from my brain for a little while. I’ve often wondered what freedom from gravity would feel like, the potential to be just out there in the air, taking it all in. How about you?
Write soon,
Charlie
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie hoped that that had sounded nonchalant enough, and not entirely defensive. He’d considered going on and finishing that thought by acknowledging that he wasn’t looking for a girlfriend, but he wasn’t sure if he and Nick were at the point in their friendship where they would be talking about their sexualities just yet. It was enough, for now, to make things clear about Piper.
Once he paused though, the other thing that he had to wrap his arms around was that Nick- whoever he was- was a whimsical, soft toy post-card writing, country-life-loving, paediatric nurse, who played rugby. Rugby, of all the sports. He let his brain drift to the misfit crew he scoped out on the rugby pitches here when he was out running. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he got up and actually made the coffee he’d been promising himself before the urge to simply reply to this email had made him let the kettle cool.
He took his mug down to the bottom of the garden and looked down over the valley. The sheep had been rotated into a different field, and the river was really low after several weeks without rain. He found himself looking up and taking in the expanse of periwinkle blue sky above him, decorated here and there with cotton wool fluffy clouds.
He made a quick sandwich and finished up his work day, and then, as was his habit, got ready to head out for his run. As was also now his habit, he kept his eyes peeled for silver Micra’s, and checked the back windows of those he saw to see if Bella, Micah and Don were waving at him.
No silver cars of the right make caught his eye and he turned back down the steep driveway to the cottage, stepping back through the gate and up towards the conservatory steps and was just finishing his stretches when his phone dinged with a new notification.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie fed Piper, showered and changed and started to prep vegetables for a stir fry. Piper was lying on her bed in the corner of the kitchen, working on a carrot, when he felt his phone vibrate.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Piper nudged Charlie’s hands as they hovered over the keyboard after he sent his email. He really had found that there was some catharsis that had come from telling this virtual stranger about his mum, and he hadn’t shared that with anyone in years.
“Pips,” he said, stroking her head and heading to the conservatory door to let her out for her final patrol, “I think I need reinforcements. Time to bring in Isaac.”
Notes:
Check the links below for some fics that I recommend:
What Happens Next by TheIrishGirl
Did You Hear About Harry Greene's Party? By Coach1305
Egg-cellent by phlimsical
to texas, with love by j8tt
Everything I Know Now by Pocketfamily and Swoog
Chapter 6: Gaining Some Perspective
Summary:
Last time: Charlie found a treat on his doorstep and the pair continud to get to know each other, no barriers or pretense in the way.
This time: Isaac has opinions and makes sure Charlie hears them. Later, Charlie is out for a walk and makes an unexpected sighting.
Notes:
I want to continue to say how grateful I am for the responses that this fluffy fic is receiving from you all. I know that life is absolutely nuts, that there is so much going on in the world and everywhere. To hear from you all, to know that this is providing an escape from the madness, is everything I could wish for. I thank you all for hitting that kudos button and dropping comments as you read along. I so appreciate it.
I absolutely appreciate my fabulous frolicking betas: phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and bbxreezy, you’re lovely, and I do so live for your flails.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie desperately needed perspective, and it wasn’t late, so he poured a glass of wine and sat on the steps of the conservatory, picking up his phone and scrolling to Isaac’s number. He answered on the third ring.
“Hello there Charles, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Alright Isaac, time to come out of the period dramas for a little while, you’re taking on the mannerisms again,” Charlie teased him at the formality of his salutation.
“To which mannerisms do you refer, my good sir?” came the equally teasing response down the line and Charlie felt himself relax in the way that only talking to Isaac could provide.
“Isaac, I need you. I’ve done something crazy and I need you to tell me it doesn’t make me actually certifiable.”
Charlie could hear a small shuffle of pages as Isaac actually put his book down before responding.
“I’m all ears, Charlie, what fabulous thing have you done now?”
“I think I resent the ‘now’ in that question, but I appreciate the ‘fabulous’,” Charlie started, before launching in and telling Isaac all about the postcard to his animals and how he’d responded with messages in the window and gone so far as to establish an email communication with someone he’d never met or laid eyes on.
He told Isaac everything and then paused before saying, “Now's the part where I ask you to tell me if I’m being reckless, I can’t always perceive it so well in myself.”
Isaac takes a few deep breaths that Charlie can hear down the phone line as he starts bracing himself for the response.
“Well, well, well, Charlie!” Isaac starts, still not giving away whether this was a good or bad sentiment. “I am absolutely loving the set-up here. It rings of the ‘wrong-number’ trope but it really isn’t, is it? Because he approached you quite deliberately.”
“Isaac, be serious for two seconds, I don’t need you to distill this down to romance story tropes, I need you to help me figure out if I’m going completely mad.”
“Charlie, what makes you think you’re going mad? It sounds like you’ve found a confidant, someone to talk to. Sometimes it’s just easier to tell things to a stranger and you have one, on demand. Bonus points if he’s hot. Is he hot?”
“Isaac! I don’t know what he looks like, we literally exist to each other through email and we have not swapped any pictures. I don’t even know what his orientation is for Eros’s sake!”
“You know you are always much more transparent than you think when you start bringing the Greek gods into it, Charles,” Isaac teased, earning himself a single finger salute that Isaac couldn’t see but would know was there. “Anyway, not knowing these things is hardly the point, you can ask, can’t you?”
“I don’t know, isn’t that weird? We’re not exactly friends.”
“You told him about Jane, Charlie, I would say you probably are friends at this point.
“That’s the thing, if this was a person I’d known for this short of a time in person, I would never have dreamt of telling them about all my family dynamics. His emails are comfortable. He’s observant and funny and astute and he shares too so I never feel like it’s all about me giving him things or me venting and him putting up with it.”
“Charlie, you realise what that sounds like, don’t you?”
“Enlighten me.” Charlie said, a little defensive but wanting to hear it.
“Friendship.” Isaac said gently. “It might not be conventional in terms of the meet-cute of it all but, however it works out, you and he appear to be compatible, at least intellectually. Is your objection to that based on the fact that you don’t know who he is?”
“I don’t know. Objection is a strong word. I suppose I’m just putting the whole thing in context and wondering how it’s real, if it’s real.”
“It sounds more real than the relationship you had with whats-his-face last year,” Isaac shot back. “Did he ever hear all about Jane?”
“ He did not, and his name was Lionel.”
“Precisely, need we say more?” Isaac laughed and earned himself his second gestural expletive of the call.
“Alright, alright, I see your point. Thank you for being brutally honest.”
“Always, love, you know that,” Isaac assured him.
They talked for a while longer, catching up on work, on the books that Isaac had been reading that simply must be added to the stack on Charlie’s bedside table, until Pip came over and nuzzled his hand.
“I’m getting the signal from Piper,” Charlie said, an indulgent smile in his voice.
“She’s right, things to do, books won’t read themselves,” Isaac said, amused. “Goodnight, Pips. See you soon!”
“Goodnight, Isaac. Thank you for talking this all through with me, putting it all in perspective.”
“Anytime, Charlie, of course. Call me with updates. Now that I know there’s an ongoing saga, I’ll expect progress reports!”
“Hush, you,” Charlie said, without emphasis, the affection in his voice undercutting his insistence.
“Love you too, Charles,” Isaac said, ringing off.
Charlie looked out over the darkening garden, and then into Piper’s liquid brown gaze.
“We need to make sure we see Uncle Isaac soon, good girl. It’s been too long.”
Piper yipped softly and then looked inside.
“I can take a hint, Piper,” Charlie said even as she looked at him with an expression that implied she had questions about that sometimes.
The two went inside, Charlie locking the conservatory door behind them. Cleaning up the kitchen was a matter of moments along with Charlie’s nighttime skincare routine.
Piper hopped up onto the bed, turning three times and settling down next to him.
“Is this better, Piper?” he asked, as the dog let out a contented sigh.
📧📧
The next day was Saturday and Charlie had a leisurely breakfast before deciding to take a walk into town to go and visit the Grove Bookshop. The bookshop had been a bookshop for as long as anyone could remember and was a treasure trove. It housed all the current best-sellers but it was also a place for a really good rummage in the second hand section. The stroll along the main road wasn’t picturesque, but the Grove, the cherry tree lined main street of the town, was quaint and artsy. Clothing boutiques and charity shops sat side by side, with the mandatory high street staples like Paperchase and WH Smiths. Midway along the row of shops, towards the bookshop and outside of Betty’s, the famous bakery that brought in tourists specifically to the area, Charlie spotted a silver Micra parked outside.
There are thousands of silver Micras , he chastised himself. It’s not Nick just because there’s a car the same model that he drives.
He walked on and tried, he honestly did, not to look back to check the parcel shelf. He walked slowly, steadfastly towards the Grove Bookshop and he reached the point where he’d almost convinced himself that looking back would only confirm the obvious, that his wasn’t Nick’s car. Almost.
He turned and saw, sitting in a row and looking out of the back window - Bella the golden retriever,
Don the rainbow Beanie Baby bear, and Micah the ring-tailed lemur. It would be far too much of a coincidence for there to be two silver Micras roaming the Yorkshire Dales with those particular soft-toys on the parcel shelf. He stared for whole minutes, torn and indecisive, about what to do next. Should he presume that Nick was just inside grabbing something from the bakery, or had he gone in for breakfast in the restaurant at the back?
More importantly, was he ready to actually meet this guy? Nope nope nope , he decided, spinning on his heels and striding off in the direction of the bookshop. I can’t do it, it’s too soon and too real already.
He wasn’t able to concentrate in the bookshop. Typically, he could go in and browse and read blurbs and generally soak up all the words for at least an hour. It was less than twenty minutes later and he felt the familiar itchy impatience to head home. Or was it just that he wanted to walk back along the Grove to see if the car was still there?
Making decisions, the evil that is choosing one thing and by necessity having to not choose the other thing. Charlie was typically a decisive guy. He’d maybe not started out that way, but being assertive and making sure that his needs were met had developed with therapy and several hundred miles between his home and his parents. This time, despite knowing that he would not, in fact, have wanted to change his decision, he was caught in the wanting to know.
He stayed in the bookshop another few minutes before giving into his curiosity and walking back along the Grove in the direction of home. Sure enough, the little silver car with its furry passengers wasn’t still sitting in front of Betty’s and he found himself equal parts glad and disappointed.
Shit, he thought to himself, what do I tell Nick?
For the rest of the walk home he pondered what this near miss meant and how to share his part in it with Nick.
He let Piper out into the garden and took his laptop out, getting ready to send Nick an email, but there was one waiting for him from Nick that he took the time to read first.
📧
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
📧
Charlie sat and looked out over the valley, letting his ears register the bleats of the sheep below him and the rustle of leaves, taking in the increased connection that had just been imparted on him by Nick sharing what he had about his dad. His relationship with his own parents had never been straightforward, but they were both always there and underneath it all he knew that he could count on them to be a united front, a solid force for support even when his mum wasn’t sure how to deliver it sometimes. There was an argument for that being better than a parent who couldn’t even see you.
He pondered now, rethinking how he was going to tell Nick about having seen his car in Ilkley, sitting right where the sweet transparent man had said he’d been that day, outside Betty’s tea shop.
Piper nuzzled her head into his hands and he stroked her ears.
“What do I do, Pips?” he asked her. “Is he going to think that I’m a complete coward for seeing the car and not trying to find him? Is he going to think that would have just been so super weird? I wasn’t ready to find out if this email connection we have translates into the real world and I don’t want the close-call to make him suggest that we do that now.”
Piper huffed a breath out through her nose and looked up at him through her long eyelashes as he stroked her soft head.
“You’re right, we’re not exactly holding back on honesty with each other up to this point. For whatever reason, and whoever this guy is, I just don’t feel like now’s the time to start holding back. I’m going to tell him.”
Piper settled down at his feet and he turned back to his screen, hitting reply on Nick’s latest email:
📧
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie closed his laptop, determined to put it away and try not to keep checking for replies all evening. He went inside, cooked dinner and took a glass of wine into the living room while it simmered. Piper followed him and hopped up onto the sofa next to him, placing her head on his lap. He reflexively put his hand down and ruffled her ears.
“What’s he going to say, Pips?”
Notes:
Here are some other fics that I’ve been enjoying lately:
You Macro my Heart Beat by roo_writes
Go for that coffee ❤️ by Coach1305
May Madness by Horny_sparklez
Poor Old Bear by charliesprung
Chapter 7: Sharing Truths
Summary:
Last Time: Isaac had opinions and made sure Charlie heard them. Later, Charlie was out for a walk and made an unexpected sighting.
This Time: Nick reacts to finding out that Charlie actually saw his car and the pair of them share more, protected by the continued anonymity.
Notes:
I want to say thank you so much to all of you for reading and commenting and being so supportive of this fluffy story. I am so thoroughly enjoying the whimsy of it, and the way that the emails have given them this freedom to share things they wouldn’t naturally share with people in their real lives.
phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and bbxreezy you have all been such fabulous flailers for this fic.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The next morning, Charlie made a point of getting out for Piper’s walk early. When they got back, he got them both breakfast and then went through his usual morning routine with emails and editing, before he allowed himself to check his animal’s email account to see if Nick had replied. He knew he could have checked earlier, and just couldn’t face the idea of seeing the zero received emails notification. He wasn’t sure exactly why he thought that Nick wouldn’t have responded yet, maybe it was just that he didn’t know what Nick’s response was going to be to having almost met.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie sat back from his screen and sighed in relief.
“He wasn’t ready yet either, Pips,” Charlie sighed.
Piper nudged him and he let her out into the garden for a patrol and a sniff around the perimeter. He made a quick sandwich and ate it while listening to the sheep below.
After getting his afternoons work done he set off for his afternoon run. Sometimes, Piper was happy to be led and it seemed like other times she had her mind set on a route and today was apparently one of those days. Charlie followed her lead along to the postbox and down the hill towards the river, peeling off to the right to go over the pedestrian bridge at the bottom and along in the woods towards the old suspension bridge on the other end of the town. They kept up a comfortable pace, not out to push towards breathlessness, just fast enough to feel the burn in his legs and the drive in his heart rate. It was a beautiful evening, softly warm, the light soft and sparkling off the river as it burbled away to his right. He glanced down at his smartwatch to keep track and paced off Piper. Her breed meant that she was typically more of a sprinter, but she also had stamina for days and energy levels that required runs like this to prevent her getting bored, and he knew she was enjoying it thoroughly. He let his mind wander back through the near miss, through Nick’s response and it trickled around, starting to figure out a way to answer. There was so much going on in his mind. So many opportunities, but also ways for it all to be blown out of proportion. He knew so little about this person, and yet there was something about the way that he wrote emails that was so transparent, so open. That’s how he’d described it to Isaac, and he hadn’t realised how appropriate that was until he said it aloud. They really didn’t have any reason to be disappointed they hadn’t met face to face, it was too soon, wasn’t it?
Should I ask him how old he is? No, because what reason would I have for asking that and what is he going to read into me asking that? Same with asking about what he looks like or about anything else along those lines. He hasn’t asked anything like that about me either. Does he already know what I look like? Is that why he sent the first postcard? Or was that really and truly as innocent as he’s made out so far?
The questions went on and on and he and Piper were almost down to the suspension bridge, typically the turning point that would lead them back across the river and onwards towards the cottage, when he felt her slow down. They had come alongside the rugby pitches and Charlie did appreciate the view and the breather. Piper looked up at him expectantly, this was when he would let her off her lead so she could head down the bank to paddle and have a drink. He reached down and unclipped her and she took off into the water, launching herself over the rocks on the bottom and splashing about joyfully. In the meantime, he took a moment to turn and look at the rugby pitches. His eyes tracked around, seeking out one specific guy he’d been noticing regularly on this run. His broad shoulders and thick thighs were clear and obvious traits, his enthusiasm for the game, including all of the shirt grabbing, waist hugging and leaping around that rugby necessitated, those were bonus details. Charlie felt his mind shift focus from where it had been wholly preoccupied with Nick, to narrow in on his rugby player instead. Nick had mentioned he played rugby, Charlie wondered where he played.
He was pleasantly daydreaming when Piper splashed back out of the water and stuck her wet nose in his hand, he jumped and looked down at her.
“Thank you, Pips, that was nice!” he said, rather more jumpy than he’d meant, clearly he’d really been distracted not to have heard her coming. “You’re ready to keep going, I take it?”
Her head bobbed as if in response and he laughed, clipping her lead back on. “Come on then, little one, let’s get round the rest of this circuit.”
They set off, Charlie dragging his eyes off the rugby pitch where a roar could be heard across the grass as the two teams crashed together in a beautifully choreographed scrum. Piper led the way across the bridge and out into the park on the other side, lengthening her stride a little and he felt the familiar and comforting pull of air into his lungs as their pace tweaked up. It was often like this on these no consequence runs, that they’d lope out more slowly and then push themselves to drive a little harder on the way home, knowing that cool water and the comforts of home were waiting for them.
“Good girl, Piper!” Charlie puffed as they arrived on the doorstep. Piper went straight for her water bowl as he opened the backdoor out into the garden. He stood out on the lawn and ran through his post-run stretches, caring for his muscles and generally trying to let his mind empty. After a brief shower, during which he actively did not let himself think about rugby players and the way their muscular legs moved when they threw themselves around after that oval shaped ball. Who was he kidding, of course he did.
Clean and in a pair of shorts and a cosy deep blue shirt, he padded downstairs barefoot to make his dinner before settling in the conservatory, where he could see Nick’s sky, to write back.
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
Charlie sat back and closed his laptop, breathing a little more shallow than usual. He'd deleted that passage and then thought better of it and put it back. Over the years he’d had all the classic reactions to him coming out. He’d experienced the derision, the crowing, the pity, the hatred, the benign ambivalence, the eager welcome, the unquestioning acceptance. He’d learned how to read a room and know where and when, based on the vibe, it was going to go well or be met with negativity. This thing with Nick, though, and who knows what this thing actually was, it was all on screen and reading the vibe was significantly harder. In the end, seeing Don on the parcel shelf of Nick’s car, soft fur all mottled with every colour of the rainbow, that had made Charlie choose to throw caution to the wind and let him in. He went into the kitchen to refill his wine glass, and took it out into the garden while Piper did a perimeter check. His phone pinged in his pocket.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie read all of Nick’s words, twice. He was so earnest, open without feeling like he was trying too hard or being insincere and without making Charlie feel like it was some sort of quid pro quo. They were simply sharing information and it was refreshing. There was still a chance that the openness was being supported by their anonymity. Charlie couldn’t imagine a scenario under which he met a person in real life and was this smoothly sharing painful memories about his childhood or his learned coping skills as they related to his mum. It seemed like Nick was feeling it too and something about that made a warm glow filter through Charlie’s core and a smile paint itself over his lips.
He schooled his face. The things Nick had shared weren’t amusing. Figuring out he was bi and then having his dad dismiss it as something he could simply opt out of was awful. Nick is bi, the animal part of his brain got stuck on the thought, Nick is bi. He shook his head briefly as if to dislodge the words. What exactly do you think that changes, Charles? He’s still a perfect stranger you know nothing else about. Okay, the way that he talks about nursing doesn’t make him sound like he’s been in it for so long that he’s that much older than you, but you don’t actually know how old he is, much less what he looks like - yeh yeh looks don’t matter - whatever.
Charlie let his mind wander around in that vein for a while before shutting it down and settling back in front of the screen. He needed to decide how he was going to respond, and was all set to hit reply and begin drafting when the green dot in the corner of Nick’s email address lit up. He was online and in the account. The chat tab in his gmail was taunting him but he wasn’t sure if he could quite bring himself to be that bold. They were email pen pals. Opening up live chat was an escalation in their - whatever this was - and would Nick even want that? He couldn’t. Could he?
Notes:
Check out some other fics I’ve been going back to lately:
True Blue by cachicamoo
Copycat by emmyarcher
My Winter Rose by InkpotGod97
Just Chemistry by Coach1305
beautiful agony by kaalee/a>
Chapter 8: Sibling Download
Summary:
Last Time: Nick reacted to finding out that Charlie actually saw his car and the pair of them shared more, protected by the continued anonymity.
This Time: Charlie has a group video call with Olly and Tori, who have opinions. Let’s face it, mostly Olly has opinions. Charlie, emboldened, decides to be brave.
Notes:
What is there to say about the wonderful wicked witches who’ve been cheering me on throughout this whole fic. I hit a writing wall recently and this crew got me up and over it. phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and bbxreezy, you’re fabulous!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie let himself contemplate the open chat window for a few more seconds and just as he was about to actually start typing, he was startled when his phone rang. It was the sibling group WhatsApp, because of course it was. They had a sibling chat every weekend around this time, and he’d become so distracted he hadn’t remembered what day of the week it was. He needed to get a grip. He picked up the phone to answer immediately. He didn’t dare miss the call, for the wrath of Tori was not worth incurring after such a blissful evening.
“Alright tosser,” Olly launched immediately on seeing his face on the screen.
“University was lost on you, Ols,” Charlie laughed. “Did you learn anything at all during your degree?”
“I did actually, thank you Charles, I learned the best times of day to head to the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, and never to do that on a night I planned to hit Canal Street to find a playmate!”
“Oh my goodness, the pair of you! Olly, seriously, I’m right here and I do not need to hear this stuff,” Tori interjected, a scowl affixed and her lemonade straw just released from her mouth.
“Nothing you haven’t heard before, Sis. I don’t even know why it shocks you anymore.”
“Who said anything about ‘shocked’, Oliver, I was indicating disgust.” Tori paused before going on, “clearly not disgusted at you, disgusted at the sharing!”
“Don’t say it, Olly!” Charlie said quickly, trying to cut his brother off from the inevitable line that followed every time Tori tried to tell Oliver he was oversharing.
“Sharing is c…”
“STOP!” both Charlie and Tori called out and they all laughed.
“You both suck, just so you know -”
“Anyway!” Tori interjected. “How are you, Charlie? What’s new?”
“I’m well, thank you. Life in the country is just as bucolic as ever, I see more sheep than people in a given day and it’s suiting me just fine. Piper is wonderful company.”
“You are going to end up a lonely old man if you’re not careful, big brother,” Olly quipped, grinning into the screen.
“Not all of us are interested in the kind of company you keep, little brother,” Charlie said pointedly.
“Ah but you should be, it’s so much fun!”
“How is it that we were talking about Charlie and have still managed to twist around onto the topic of Olly’s varied love life?” Tori interjected.
“I resent that, there’s nothing wrong with my love life, thank you! I am young and exploring.” Olly shot back, sticking his tongue, newly sporting a silver stud through it, at the camera.
“Anyway,” Charlie laughed, “I’ve been dying to tell you both, and Olly, seriously, try to rein it in when I tell you this, it’s not what you think, but I have made a new ….” he paused for a second, a new what? “A new friend. At least I think they’re a friend.” Charlie finished the sentence with enough of a question mark in his inflection that Tori glanced at him over her lemonade glass.
“Are you asking us if you made a new friend, or are you telling us?” She asked, while studiously ignoring the way that a third of the screen had started jumping up and down.
“He’s not using pronouns, Tori, it’s a boy!” Olly squealed.
“Calm down, Olly, I told you, it’s not what you think,” Charlie assured his bouncing brother.
“Charlie, you haven’t mentioned a new person in your life in, forever, this has to mean something. Who is this person, what do they do, how did you meet?”
“To answer those questions in order,” Charlie grinned, “his name is Nick, he’s a pediatric oncology nurse and we actually haven’t met.”
“Okay, roll back to the beginning and tell us more, Charles, immediately.”
Smiling indulgently at his excitable little brother and curious sister, Charlie shared with both of them the same details that he’d shared with Isaac.
“Oh my goodness, Charlie, this is all so romantic!”
“Romantic? How do you get there?” Charlie scoffed. “I have no idea what he looks like, or what his type is! He plays rugby, for heaven’s sake. Haven’t I dealt with enough rugby idiots?”
“Oh sure, like you’d turn down the chance to be squeezed between the massive thighs of some hunk if he opened his legs for you!”
“Olly!” Tori exclaimed. “You promised not to be crude. Sister present and unwilling to hear any such details about either of her siblings, thank you very little!”
“Come on Tori, admit it, it’s been long enough since Charlie got laid! He said this guy is genuine, and open and he’s sharing details about himself. That sounds like a recipe for something good to me, plus he’s a fit nurse who plays rugby, yes please!”
“I love you, Olly, and your optimism and enthusiasm are fabulous, but I honestly don’t even know whether he wants to meet up. I saw his car outside Betty’s and when I told him that I didn’t want to be the stalker who hovered around waiting to see who got into the car, he honestly seemed relieved that we didn’t meet.”
“Do you think that’s got more to do with that being a less than ideal meeting, though, Charlie?” Tori interjected, surprising Charlie by actually seeming to argue for seeing what happened with Nick.
“You know, Tori, I don’t know anything. This whole thing has spiralled out of the most random situation. I mean, who sends a postcard to the soft toys in the upstairs window of a random cottage?”
“Who writes back to the person who sends a postcard to the soft toys in his bedroom window?” Tori shot back, the tiniest smile tweaking the edges of her mouth.
“Fine, I am just as involved in the development of this bizarre friendship, or whatever it is, but does that mean that I need to make plans for it to be more than that? Olly, before you jump in again, I am not disputing that it’s been a while, nor that the combination of rugby player physique and pediatric nurse emotional capacity aren’t absolutely intriguing. Just because he’s bi doesn’t mean he’s actually looking for anything more than writing back and forth, or that he’d find me attractive if we met.”
“Hold the phone, you know he’s bi?” Olly asked, eagerly. “Does he know you’re gay? You’ve shared more than just your careers if you’ve gone that far, Charlie!”
“It came up, yes.” Charlie tried to keep his expression curious, but he knew the implications, he’d felt them at the time. “I can’t explain it, Olls, there’s something about the way he responds, and the way he shares just as openly, it makes it really easy to tell him things.”
“Fine, I’ll stop pushing, but let’s just say I won’t be surprised when the next update we get is that you’ve met up somehow or at least progressed to more than email.”
Charlie decided that this was not the time to share that he'd considered testing out using Google chat. There were some things that Olly didn’t need to know yet.
“You’ll just have to wait for the next installment, won’t you? Anyway, you’re not usually prepared to talk about me this much, what’s new with you?”
Olly grinned a grin that portended a story that was going to make Tori hang up and leave them to it; and, sure enough, as Olly opened his mouth Tori stuck up her middle finger at the screen, gave a small indulgent smile, and her screen closed out.
“There was this guy, and this girl,” Olly started.
“And you couldn’t choose which of them to take home from whichever bar you were in on Canal Street this weekend?” Charlie grinned.
“You are correct, big brother, so I didn’t choose!” Olly laughed.
“Of course you didn’t,” Charlie laughed. “I am not convinced I need to know the rest of the details on that one. How’s the new job, still convinced that social work is the calling?”
“Oh you know, it’s entry level, so it’s long hours and house calls, and broken teens. Then again it’s also resources for the families of those broken teens and the hope for more understanding. I have this kid I’m working with who just needs to have someone to talk to, no siblings and unfortunately no conviction that their parents are going to be receptive. I’m working on getting them set up with a counsellor, and looking at connecting them up with some community projects so that they can learn more about themselves in a safe space.”
“That’s absolutely great, Olly, it really is. It does put mum and dad in perspective sometimes, doesn’t it? I mean, mum wasn’t always the easiest, but she never blinked when it came to the three of us coming out.”
“She did not, she had her moments.”
“So, do you think this kid you’re working with will be okay?”
“I do. We’ll make sure they have what they need now, and in a few years they’ll be heading for university where they’ll be surrounded by a bunch of other kids exploring themselves too.”
“Proud of you, Olly, I mean it. You found a field where you get to use that huge heart of yours.”
“Don’t get gooey on me, Charlie, I’ll blush,” Olly laughed, deflecting but also appreciative.
“Right then,” Charlie smiled. “Now that you’re blushing, I’m going to head off. Stay safe out there, Olls.”
“You too, and I want updates on your mystery Nick!”
Charlie blew a kiss at Olly through the screen and watched him catch it and stick it, dramatically, to his face, and then they hung up.
He sat back and patted Piper’s head, where she’d asserted herself onto his lap while he’d been on the phone.
Looking down at his laptop screen, he saw that the green circle next to Nick’s email name was still lit. He’d heard Olly loud and clear, and he knew it was true, it was time to start learning more. He quickly toggled over to a new chat window, inserting Nick’s animal email address and typing out:
You:
Hi Nick, I don’t actually know what’s possessing me right now,
but you’re online and I thought I’d say hi - Hi
He sent the message without letting himself think about it anymore and stared at the screen to see whether the little ellipses would show up to indicate that Nick was typing back. Then he almost squeaked, startling Piper, when they showed up.
At that point, Piper nudged Charlie’s hand and he looked up, acknowledging the time. He was torn between wanting to keep talking and knowing that it probably was time to head to bed.
“You’re right, Pips, give me one second and we’ll go outside for a patrol in the garden.”
He turned to the screen and typed a quick message to Nick, letting him know that he enjoyed talking but that he had to take Piper out and get ready for bed. They exchanged goodnights and promised to talk again, before Charlie closed his laptop and headed to the back door to let Piper out. He stood, looking out over the dark valley below him, listening to the rustle of leaves in the trees.
After their night routines were done the pair settled into Charlie’s bed.
“Well that answers that, Pips,” Charlie said as he ruffled her ears and she huffed out a breath as her nose came down on her paws. “He didn’t know who lived here when he sent the card, but now we know what he looks like.”
Charlie drifted off to sleep to images of auburn haired strangers, with molten brown eyes and thighs the size of tree trunks.
Chapter 9: Local Sights
Summary:
Last Time: Charlie had a group video call with Olly and Tori, who had opinions. Let’s face it, mostly Olly had opinions. Charlie, emboldened, decided to be brave.
This Time: Nick and Charlie chat some more. Charlie goes for a run with Piper. Then he and Nick exchange some emails and share about their friends.
Notes:
Thank you so much, all of you, for following along with this soft and fluffy story. Charlie’s really leaning into this one, and I am so appreciative of all your support for him.
Going to thank my fabulous beta’s too. phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and bbxreezy have been such a support.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie woke up slowly, keeping his eyes closed in a desperate attempt to hold onto the dreams of thick rugby thighs, coarse curls of leg hair under tiny shorts that encapsulated within the most wonderful firm bum. He sighed a little as the dream fades, leaving him acutely aware of a throbbing need between his legs. Leaving his eyes closed he rolled to his side, reaching into the drawer of the bedside table and pulling out one of his favourite toys. It’s a slender turquoise that has always provided him with the perfect sense of being open and full without feeling overwhelming when he’s on his own. He let his hand run down his chest, tweaking his own nipples before sliding further down. He lay on his back, letting his legs fall open and reached for the toy and the lube he’d pulled out with it. Starting slowly he pushed gently, by increments, allowing his body to adjust to the sublime intrusion until he had it fully seated inside him.
“Mmmmmhmm,” he sighed into the empty room as he let the sensations settle over him. Turning on the toy and adjusting the angle of his hips, he moaned more vehemently as trembles coursed over his prostate and his inner walls clamped down on the toy. He lay, panting, feeling every nerve ending fire in response to the pressure of the toy inside himself, until it all built up and he couldn’t hold off any longer. Grabbing the bottle of lube, he poured out a generous amount before crying out as he took himself in hand. The added stimulation was almost too much, and so he caught the rhythm of his surging hips, matching it with his hand and brought himself off, shuddering and gasping into the silent air of the cottage.
He let the vibrations continue for a few minutes, enjoying the tingles as his overstimulated body fell into delicious waves of aftershocks. Eventually he reached down, pushing on the end of the toy and moaning at the pressure as he turned it off. He left it where it was, though, not quite ready to simply feel empty. He let his arms fall to his sides, splayed out in a star shape in the middle of his wide bed, which had been a treasure located in the back of a craft shop, all pine and craftsmanship. He let his body cool for a few more minutes before he started to feel uncomfortable in the cooling aftermath of his release.
He got up carefully and took himself through to the bathroom, showered and then came back into the bedroom to strip the sheets and replace them with fresh ones from the airing cupboard. This set always made him happy; white sheets, with a plain teal duvet cover and pillow cases that gave the room an elevated look and made him feel like he’d made an effort.
He went downstairs in search of Piper, who’d excused herself this morning.
“There you are, good girl!” he said, rubbing her ears and kissing her nose. While the kettle boiled and Piper was outside doing morning patrols, Charlie picked up his phone and opened the Google chat window, putting the phone face down on the table very quickly.
He can’t see you just because he’s online, you numpty . He admonished himself when he realised what he’d done. He’s online , he thought, a second later, and picked the phone back up.
On the screen there was a message waiting.
You like Charlie Brown? Only a regular amount that won’t show me up as some kind of comic book geek
I think it shows good taste Oh, well then, yes!
Nice save Anyway, sadly I have to get ready for work, but let me know how your day goes, and if you find another good spot for a hike, I’m always in the market for new routes
Sure thing. Good luck today with the charm-offensive! Ta, feel like I’m going to need it
Charlie signed off and looked down at where Piper had settled at his feet on the carpet.
“You ready for a walk, Pips? Shall we go run Heber’s Ghyll, see if we can find any trolls?”
Piper yipped softly and went to find her lead, on its hook in the hall. Bringing it back to him, she let it fall to the floor at his feet and he laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, clipping the lead onto her collar and grabbing his key, tucking it into the small zipped pocket on the inside of his shorts.
They turned right and then left at the crossing up Victoria avenue and wound their way through the streets up the valley towards the base of the local beauty spot.
“Right, Pips,” he said to her, reaching down to scritch her ears. “Are you going to be good if I let you off your lead while we head up? There are no sheep for you to bother until we get to the top.”
Piper looked up at him through her eyelashes and he laughed at her feigned innocence.
“Let’s go!”
The pair took off gleefully. The valley was lush, the stream babbling mischievously away alongside the path, which criss-crossed it in a meandering manner via sturdy, if basic, wooden bridges. The ferns and moss covered rocks were verdant and gave the whole scene a loamy scent and Charlie breathed in deeply as they ran up the hill. Crossing the fifth of the seven bridges Charlie paused briefly, Piper stopping to look back at him, and snapped a photograph.
“Don’t look at me like that, Pips,” he said to her disapproving look at the loss in their momentum, “he asked me to let him know how it was, and if he’s never done Heber’s Ghyll then he’s missing out.”
Piper huffed a breath at him and turned around, waiting to sense his renewed footfalls before taking off again, agile feet moving easily over the gravel of the path, avoiding the tree roots and small boulders as she passed over them at her usual easy loping trot.
Charlie laughed and took off after her, pushing them a little faster as they came across the last of the bridges. Before they got to the wall at the top Piper paused and ran back towards Charlie.
“Good girl, Piper!” Charlie praised her, clipping her lead back onto her collar as they moved through the kissing gate and out onto the moors at the top. Out of the wood the wind was blustery and Charlie zipped his windbreaker and they turned left, setting off through the hillsides glowing purple with heather and sprinkled with yellow gorse and white sheep.
Charlie’s heart rate was up from the trail run up the valley, and he let his stride open up as he let the wind blow away the week’s cobwebs. They ran alongside the reservoir and heading up further onto the ridge, striking out in the direction of the Cow and Calf. Reaching the huge rock structures they paused for a breather on the top of the Cow, looking down into Ilkley sprawled out below them, before taking off again, down the hill, past the train station and dropping down towards the river, through the park and towards the Pooh Sticks bridge at the end.
Charlie and Piper snuck around the back of the house into the back garden and sank down onto the steps of the conservatory. Piper’s long pink tongue stuck out as she panted and Charlie scratched between her ears.
“Thank you for that fabulous run, Pips,” he said to her, opening the door so that she could pad in and get herself a drink. He poured himself a glass of water before stepping back out into the garden with his yoga mat and laying it in the middle of the lawn. He settles into his usual post run stretches as he cools down in the warm sunshine.
After a shower and some lunch he grabbed his laptop and rattled off an email to Nick, to share the photo he’d taken on their run and just because the thought of not writing to him felt weird at this point.
📧
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
To Nick,
I don’t know exactly what your shift looks like, so I thought I’d email instead of sending you an instant message. I’m attaching a picture that Piper and I took when we went for our run up Heber’s Ghyll. If you haven’t done that hike yet it’s a great one. It’s a great place to look for trolls, they hide under the bridges and the forest is so ancient and quiet. It’s a great escape from all the things you might have on your mind.
I hope your shift goes okay!
In the vein of continuing to get to know each other better: Where in the world have you always wanted to visit?
Write soon,
Charlie
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
📧
Charlie spent the rest of the afternoon getting caught up on washing, driving to Booths to get his shopping and generally resetting the cottage for the upcoming week. He pulled off his sheets and put fresh linens on the bed, fluffed the sofa cushions and ran the vacuum cleaner around. All the while, Piper followed him around, or lay in a corner looking up at him balefully as if willing him to run out of energy and sit still.
“I know, Pips,” he said after the umpteenth time he caught her looking at him. “I know you just want me to chill out, because you can’t settle if you have to keep following me around, but I’ve told you before you actually don’t have to do that, you can just go sleep anywhere you want.”
She huffed out a breath and he laughed, rubbing his hand over the top of her head and scritching her ears.
He went and grabbed his laptop and sure enough, there was an email from Nick.
📧
📧
“Piper, what am I supposed to do with this?” Charlie asked his dosing dog. “This man could be absolutely fucking anyone, and yet he’s a rugby playing nurse who doesn’t like scary movies, drives around with stuffed animals on his parcel shelf including a Lemur he brought back from Madagascar, and now he wants to go to Costa Rica to see sloths. Fuck this is confusing!”
Piper, wriggled in her bed and let out a sigh in response to his musings.
“Wholly unhelpful, Pips!” He said to her sleeping form. Picking back up his laptop he began to respond.
📧
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
To Nick,
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Notes:
Some fics that I’ve been enjoying:
Forget-Me-Not by two_words_apart
Fuck the Calendar by roo_writes
Did you hear about Harry Greene's Party? By Coach1305
Chapter 10: Graduating from Pen-Pals?
Summary:
Last Time: Nick and Charlie chatted some more. Charlie went for a run with Piper. Then he and Nick exchanged some emails and shared about their friends.
This Time: Nick decides to get brave and asks Charlie a pretty big question.
Notes:
To all of you lovely readers, I so appreciate you and hope that this fic continues to wrap you in warm hugs as these two soft boys dance around each other and all the potential that is fizzing between them. They are building to something, a milestone if you will, and can hear you all as you encourage them. Thank you, in advance for any comments/kudos you drop. I am behind on responding to my comment section, but I do promise to catch up. I so appreciate all the feedback and hearing the moments that you connect with.
To my lovely beta’s, phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85, a huge big squishy hug for sticking with the fluffy story, and encouraging me when the brainwaves hit for a chapter six ahead of where I’m actually writing
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie woke up to Piper rolling over him and giving his face a thorough inspection with her tongue. He spluttered and shoved her gently so he could sit up.
“Good morning to you too!” he laughed at his enthusiastic furry companion. “I take it, it's time to get up?”
More kisses served as his answer and he extricated himself from her to the point where he could get up. He padded downstairs, letting Piper out of the backdoor into the garden for a patrol, allowing him the time to sort out his morning routine and make the bed. He met her back in the kitchen where he filled her bowl and started the kettle.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Charlie sat, unmoving, staring at Nick’s email, emails plural, and the words Do you want to meet? His vision blurred just for a second and he closed his laptop slowly.
“Pips, you ready for a run?” he asked into the quiet, comforted by the skittering of her nails on the laminate floor and the press of her furry face into his leg. He grabbed her lead, laced his shoes and tucked the front door key into the zipped pocket in the top of his shorts. They headed down to the river and over the Pooh Stick’s bridge, swerving off to the left. He headed out past the Ilkley golf course and along the quieter lanes out along the bottom of the valley. His brain was whirring.
Meet. Is he serious? We know next to nothing about each other. I mean, I suppose we do know something, and ironically he knows some things that it takes me forever to tell people in my actual life. Is that why I don’t know if I want to do this? Is that why this feels like a huge step? Meeting doesn’t have to mean anything. Right? I mean, what would it even mean? Okay, so I have a better sense of his age now, he’s referring to himself as a millenial, so that gives me a range I didn’t have before, same as me, so that’s something. So what else is it that made you literally see that email and RUN AWAY? I mean, yes we were going to go for a run this morning, that was always the plan, but it was supposed to be after breakfast and a coffee and my Wordle. What even are we? I mean, are we friends? If we’re friends, doesn’t it make sense to meet? If we’re just pen-pals then could this really stay electronic forever, or does that start to get weird? I mean, we seem to always have something to say in emails, but what if that doesn’t translate in person? What if it doesn’t translate in person and then he doesn’t want to email anymore? Why do I not want that to be the outcome?
The spinning brain and endless flurry of questions in his mind made him look up when his watch alerted him to the three mile mark. He looked up and around him and realised that it wouldn’t be long before he hit Addingham. That was where Nick lived. So, actually, as much as his brain had been spinning and as many questions had just spun around his mind at the thought of meeting up with him, even in his visceral reaction to run away from the email, he’d run towards the village where Nick lived.
So, that doesn’t mean anything, part of his brain insisted. You run this way all the time, and it’s not unusual for you to want a flatter run when you just did Heber’s Ghyll yesterday. Ilkley isn’t blessed with a lot of flat, so running along here is one of precious few options without getting in the car first. Another part of his brain countered. Ah, but you could have just headed out towards the park and the rugby pitches if you wanted a flat run, you didn’t need to head to Addingham. Also, maybe it isn’t so fucking scary to actually consider that you made a new friend. Okay, so it wasn’t conventional, but you aren’t exactly swimming in chances to make friends in conventional ways. What’s so special about convention anyway?
Charlie made a decision as he and Piper turned around and headed back the way they’d come. His least favourite thing about routes like this was there was no way to make it circular. Retracing his steps just didn’t feel as satisfying as coming back around by a new path, but he knew from experience that coming through Addingham itself and back around meant a long proportion of the return being actually running along the Skipton Road and A-roads just simply were no fun to run next to.
He and Piper were both breathing hard when they got back to the house, the flat run and the new revelations making Charlie choose a pace a hair faster than he’d maybe intended when they set out for what ended up being a six mile run. He filled up Piper’s water bowl and opened up the conservatory doors to let in the breeze while he worked on his stretches and re-boiled the kettle. Coffee was going to be necessary.
After a quick shower and a much needed post-run breakfast, he opened his laptop, intending to pull up the email from Nick. He saw the little indicator of a new message having come in since he left for his run and he opened up to see another message from Nick.
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
How is this guy real? Is he seriously pulling that back to save my feelings? I honestly don’t know how to handle anyone this genuine.
He pulled up the email with the invitation and purposefully hit Reply.
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
It had only been a few seconds when Charlie saw the small box of his Chat icon light up and he opened it to see a message from Nick.
Notes:
Fic Recommendations:
It’s pride month, and I want to make sure that everyone gets the chance to read this collection of fics that were written for Aromantic Visibility Day on 05Jun2025: Heartstopper AO3 Commune: Aromantic Visibility Day collectionOther fics that I have enjoyed recently:
two dumb kids by kaalee
"Buckle up, Spring!" by VroDo
Chapter 11: Change of Plans
Summary:
Last Time: Nick decided to get brave and ask Charlie a pretty big question.
This Time: Unfortunate circumstances require a last minute change of plans and the boys figure out how to navigate them.
Notes:
I got behind on replying to my comments and while I had to spend time making sure that I got back to you all, finding that time to read all your messages all at once was a balm, it really was. I so appreciate all the support that you’ve given this story, and all the flails and hypotheses that you’re putting out there for how things are going to go. I love that this story is providing a balm and a drop of sunshine for so many of you.
Big thanks, too, to my beta-creatures from around the world. Your flails in the margins and chatters when I need to pause and brainstorm, keep this fic on track and made the fic so much better. phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 you’re lovely and I appreciate you too!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie woke up again after another medication-fueled nap and knew that it had been the right thing to do to tell his manager that he was ill, but also, and this bit had hurt so much worse, to cancel lunch with Nick.
The two had firmed up the plan, mentioning it almost daily as the countdown to Thursday had arrived. Sending him a chat message to say that he had been struck down by something as prosaic as a migraine had been like throwing a bucket of cold water over a birthday cake.
The fact that his blackout blinds, visual flashes and disrupted sleep meant that he was only sending the message an hour before they were supposed to meet also wracked Charlie with an added layer of guilt. He just hoped that Nick would check his account before he left the house and would be able to save himself the trip. When he was feeling better, this was at least going to give him the impetus he’d been hoping he’d get from meeting in person, to ask for Nick’s phone number.
Charlie opened one eye a slit to check the bedside clock. Nine o’clock. He closed his eye again and groaned, really hoping that Nick had got his message and that he wasn’t so mad that he didn’t want to talk anymore. He had shown no signs, so far, of being the kind of man who would react this way, even to disappointment, but honestly it wasn’t as if they knew… but they did, didn’t they? They did know each other well enough. Nick had told him about his absent father, he’d told Nick about his issues with Jane, these weren’t details that it would be typical to share with someone with whom there was no trust.
He was roused from his inner spiral by the need to go to the loo, which also brought to sharp attention the fact that Piper had had no respite at all all day.
“Pips, where are you, good girl?” Charlie called out into the house. The jingle of her tags and the quick feet landing up onto the bed were the only warning he got before she was up on the bed and licking his hand as he reached out to scratch behind her ears. “You need to go out, baby?” he asked, knowing the answer. Piper yipped and turned in a circle before bounding off the bed and heading for the door.
He tested his head on being vertical. Yup, still aching, and auras were less pronounced but still there, dancing lights in the corners of his vision. He did think he’d be able to make it downstairs without messy implications, though, so he gingerly turned and got out of bed.
Missions accomplished for both of them, and food and water down for Piper, Charlie crawled back into bed, knowing that a full night's sleep was really going to be the only cure for the rest of this beastly migraine.
Before letting himself drop back to sleep he reached for his phone on the bedside table. Even if he was punishing himself and Nick was annoyed, he needed to know if he’d seen the message, and if he’d responded.
📧
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
📧
Smiling softly in the acknowledgement that Nick wasn’t mad, Charlie let himself drift back to sleep.
🐕
Charlie stared at Nick’s messages again. He’d slept through, and woken feeling groggy with almost two much sleep, and the fuzzy feeling that always lingered after the effects of a migraine wore off. He had made it downstairs and was sitting in the conservatory with a cup of coffee, watching Piper do a patrol around her perimeter, having a woofed conversation with Rosey over the drystone wall that separated their two gardens.
The messages were so uniquely Nick. He’d half expected them, probably more than half expected that Nick would be empathetic and forgiving. He still felt bad that Nick had made the trip out to the far end of Ilkley from where he lived for nothing. No, not for nothing. He said he went out for a walk, got lunch, he may not have been with Charlie but Nick hadn’t just turned the whole thing into a sulk and a reason to fuss. That was a sign of a personality far different from some of the disastrous men whom Charlie had had the pleasure of interacting with in the past. It was refreshing to be interacting with an adult, and Charlie smiled down at the screen.
He thought about it for a few more minutes and then started to write.
📧
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
📧
He locked his phone and put it face down on the sofa next to him. Piper came in from her rounds and nudged his hand.
“You’re right, Pips, we both need a walk. Let’s get out of the house, shall we? We need a few things from the shops and this will get us into the village.”
He finished getting ready, gathered his backpack and Piper’s lead and picked up his keys from the bowl on the bookshelf by the front door.
The pair set off up along the Skipton road in the direction of Ilkley, past the postbox on the corner and onwards. They crossed opposite The Vaults, and turned right up Bolton Bridge road, hanging a left down the little cut-through that would take them down the side of the Ilkley Bowling Club green. Charlie was feeling like a proper wander, so he and Piper took a circuitous path through the town, back up along the Grove and down the hill to rejoin the Skipton road on his way to Booths at the far end of the village. The supermarket was fancier than the little Co-Op he’d passed already, but after the migraine he was in the mood for a few treats. He picked up bread and milk, but also hit the deli counter and splurged a little, picked out his favourite olives and a couple of good cheeses.
Satisfactorily stocked up, he untied Piper’s lead from where he’d tied her to a rail outside the shop, smiling indulgently at the little girl who’d clearly decided it was her duty to keep Piper company while he was inside.
“Do you want to stroke her?” he asked.
The little girl smiled shyly and looked eager. She nodded her head and Charlie nodded so she’d come forward.
“She’s so soft,” the girl whispered adoringly.
“Isn’t she? I mostly can’t help myself wanting to stroke her all the time. She doesn’t seem to mind.”
“Thank you for letting me pet your dog,” the little girl said, very politely, before skipping back inside.
Piper looked up at him and he smiled down at her. “Yes, you were a very good girl!” he said, acknowledging her patience with the stranger. “Right shall we go home?”
Piper nodded her head, getting up and trotting off in the direction of the cottage.
A bit more laden with the shopping, they took the straight path back and were home in no time. Charlie stopped, as they came down the steep driveway because he could see something sitting on the doorstep. As they got closer he could see that it was a tupperware container. Piper sniffed at it and only seemed to get more curious rather than less, so he reached down and picked it up.
He opened the front door and let Piper off her lead. “Thank you for coming out for a walk with me, baby girl,” he said to her as she headed for her bed in the conservatory. Putting his back of shopping down he saw a note attached to the side of the tupperware box:
Charlie turned the note over, amused that there was more on the back. This man was so fucking earnest, he was having trouble keeping his usual rampant cynicism at the state of humanity intact in the face of it.
Charlie smiled softly, turning the note over and over. He preferred Nick’s eagerness on the first side, the side he’d left facing up, clearly having second guessed himself but still not prepared to actually discount or throw out his first draft. His handwriting was clear and legible and he’d taken real time to consider his words. Not for the first time he wondered who Nick was, and how exactly it was that the universe had seen fit to throw them together.
Suddenly aware of how hungry he was, he took the tupperware over to the stove, took out a small saucepan and decanted the soup into it to warm it through. He unpacked his shopping and put everything away, tearing the end off the crusty loaf of bread he’d bought and slathering it with a thick layer of butter.
The soup was delicious and really did feel like it was nourishing him, deep down. He ate every bite, dunking his bread in several times before using the last of it to mop out the bowl. With the bowl and saucepan washed up he got out his computer and settled in with Piper on the sofa.
📧
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Chapter 12: Seeking Advice
Summary:
Last Time: Unfortunate circumstances required a last minute change of plans and the boys figured out how to navigate them.
This Time: Nick and Charlie figure out the aftermath of the missed opportunity. Nick works on trying to get some advice.
Notes:
I deeply appreciate you all interacting with this story, finding the solace in it that you do, and for how supportive you all were for Charlie last week. Migraine’s are no joke and poor Charlie needed a little hug.
Thank you to my betas, who encourage me and work with me on brainstorming when I need to get the pacing right. phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85, you all rock.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie and Nick had settled into a rhythm, they still emailed, but since they’d swapped numbers there was also a hefty text thread, occasionally the odd swapped voice note when Nick was driving back from Leeds late at night and couldn’t text.
Charlie was settling in for the evening with a glass of wine and a new film, Piper’s face lying heavily over his feet as they were propped up under him on his sofa when his phone dinged an incoming email. He picked up his phone, too curious to wait until after the film to read it, and he sat up to focus on the screen as he read:
📧
📧
Charlie sat and stared at his phone for whole minutes, absently stroking Piper’s soft head, which she’d placed strategically under his free hand knowing this would be the outcome. He took a deep breath, that had been a lot, and Nick absolutely had not intended it for him, that was clear from the salutation onwards. He oughtn’t really to have read it at all, but who had that kind of will power? Not him. How to respond without having Nick completely freak out?
“Piper, what do you think? Are we ready to meet this Nick in real life?”
Piper looked at him balefully, through her eyelashes.
“Fine, yes, I already know. Okay, here we go.”
Picking up his phone again, Charlie started to type:
📧
📧
It wasn’t long before a short response came through, followed by a more considered one, and Charlie laughed through them both.
📧
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
📧
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
📧
Charlie tried to figure out what he was going to say, but it really did sound like Nick was coming back. He checked the chat feature in case Nick was switching to that, although he was fairly confident Nick would not want to do that in the wake of his inadvertent blunder. Charlie understood how it had happened, and would absolutely delete the email he hadn’t been meant to receive. It did give him pause, though, a moment of something close to relief that he wasn’t the only one having periodic spirals about what the hell this was. His chats with Isaac and his siblings now felt more justified, more appropriate a response to the uncertainty and rather unique circumstances of how they knew each other and what it actually meant.
Apparently, whatever they were calling it, this meant something to Nick too, otherwise he wouldn’t be firing off frantic emails to his friends to try to get their insight. Was it wrong to feel good that Nick was feeling frantic? It was sweet.
Nick didn’t show up in the chat, so Charlie turned on his film, unsure if he’d be able to pay attention to it. Nick had said he was coming back, and he tried really hard not to sit and refresh Kitty’s email inbox too often as he let the film play out in front of him.
After about enough time for him to have convinced himself that Nick had, in fact, simply fallen asleep, his phone dingged to indicate an incoming email and he paused the film and grabbed at his phone, which he’d flung to the other side of the sofa so it couldn’t be messed with.
📧
📧
Charlie sighed with relief, this was the Nick that he’d come to know over these past few months; open and unguarded in his stories, with a hint of self-deprecation thrown in for colour. He was relieved that Nick had said he was going to be offline and no immediate response was necessary, not because he truly needed to think about it. He had been ready before, and really disappointed when the migraine had prevented him from being able to make it up to the Cow and Calf that day. Finding a way to meet was absolutely a given, curiosity was simply too high now, and there was no way that this thing, whatever it was, was staying digital for good.
That part was easy, deciding how to respond to the question about his adult self sharing with his teenage self, however, that was going to require some thought.
“What do you think, Piper?” he asked as he scratched behind her ears, smiling as she let out a sigh of satisfaction and stretched her legs against the back of the sofa to the point of almost pushing herself clean off. “Daft girl, you’ll end up on the floor one of these days. Hold still! Now listen this is serious. What are we ready to share about my teenage self with this intriguing man? My teenage self had challenges, but he did set me up for being me. Teenage me would not be surprised that I moved halfway up the country, he wouldn’t be surprised that I work in publishing. He might be surprised that I have you, but probably not, it was really only Mum and Dad not liking animals that meant I didn’t have a dog sooner, goodness knows I asked.
Charlie pondered for a while longer, let Piper out of the backdoor for a patrol of the garden, and then settled in, knowing he didn’t want to leave Nick in suspense for too long, lest he check and not find an email and think Charlie really was letting it all go. He couldn’t have that.
📧
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
| ➦ Reply | ➦➦ Reply to All | ➦ Forward |
Satisfied with his answer, Charlie hit send, and then play on his film so that he could finally finish it before he went to bed himself. That night he dreamt of potential tattoo designs, this trip for a simple piercing was going to require some serious willpower.
Chapter 13: So That Someone Knows
Summary:
Last Time: Nick and Charlie figured out the aftermath of the missed opportunity. Nick worked on trying to get some advice.
This Time: It’s the day of the rescheduled lunch and Charlie makes a really important call.
Notes:
I want to say thank you to everyone who follows this story on Mondays. I’m outside my normal routine and yesterday completely escaped me. So here’s the updated chapter, it’s a little safety interlude before the event that you’ve all been clamouring for. A necessary deep breath.
Thank you, also, to the lovely phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 for being such fabulous cheerleaders throughout the writing of this fic.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
On the morning of the rescheduled meeting, Charlie woke from a questionable night sleep buzzing with anticipation. He knew he wouldn’t be able to settle on anything productive this morning and he wasn’t meeting Nick until lunchtime.
“You up for a run, Pips?” he asked, running his fingers through the soft hairs on the top of her head and around her delicate ears as she yipped in excitement and scampered off to get her lead. “I’ll take that as a yes, shall I?” Charlie laughed, clipping the lead to her collar.
They took their time, Charlie knowing he needed to save some leg energy for the walk that afternoon, just knowing if he didn’t burn off some of the jitters he was going to be a nervous wreck. Maybe he would be anyway. This was likely the most nutty thing he’d ever done since printing out a crazy poster and making Kitty wave out of his bedroom window.
Getting home an hour later the endorphins were present enough that he was able to get himself through a shower and change of clothes without issue. He knew the last thing he needed to ground himself into this afternoon though. Sitting down on the steps of the conservatory and watching Piper make her rounds he picked up his phone and dialled.
“How are you doing, Charlie?” Isaac’s reassuring voice came through the line and he immediately relaxed.
“I am a bundle of nervous, if excited, energy, Isaac. Today’s the day and I am so sure that I want to know more about this man, that everything that I know so far has me intrigued and yet the idea of him being a real human is … I don’t know what it is. Thrilling? Overwhelming?”
“You’re meeting your Nick today? Good for you!”
“Excuse me, not my Nick, thank you very much! What makes you say that?!”
“Oh Charles, pull the other one. This man had you from the minute he left Millionaire’s Shortbread on your doorstep, which he made himself!”
“Aargh, fuck off, I am not that easy, you wanker!”
“Sure you’re not, and I’m not a book dragon. Anyway, not the point. You’re meeting Nick today? When and where and when do you want your ‘emergency’ call?”
Charlie smiled at the easy way that Isaac knew exactly what had actually prompted him to call this morning. Setting up these arrangements had been a safety precaution for years and the system was well honed. Rattling off the details, Charlie felt better already, knowing that there was a buffer, and a net that would absolutely catch him if this all fell apart.
“Right, I have a meeting right about then, but Rae has the day off, so they can do your ‘emergency’ call, presuming you’re okay with that?”
“Obviously! I presume they know all about Nick and this whole crazy scenario by now!”
“You didn’t indicate it was a secret, and yes, Rae knows all. They want you to have the best time, they’re hopping about next to me right now.”
“Hi, Rae!” Charlie called out a little louder into the phone. “Thank you, in advance, for coming down with food poisoning and needing a lift to A&E.”
“Seriously, Charlie, food poisoning?” Charlie laughed as Rae’s soft Liverpudlian accent took over from Isaac’s Kentish vowels.
“Well, you surprise me. Just know, I’m seriously hoping to be able to tell you that the head injury surely isn’t that bad and that you don’t need me really, when you call.”
“Heard and understood, Charlie.” Rae laughed in return. “I’ll make it something that a little bed rest with a good book would fix too, just in case a ride to the local hospital doesn’t fit your needs when Nick turns out to be just as disgustingly wholesome as his emails lead you to believe.”
“Listen, you!” Charlie attempted to sound offended, knowing he was failing miserably. “Fine, you’re probably right. It’s seriously hard to imagine he’s going to turn out to be something else at this point, but you just never know.”
“We’re here and we’re rooting for you, Charlie-bear.” Rae said affectionately. “I’ll pass you back to Isaac.”
“Thanks, Rae, love you!”
“Love you too!”
“Charlie, I’m back. My beloved really does know what to say. Speaking of those who know what to say, what does Tao know about all this?”
Charlie paused, feeling a little bit guilty, he hadn’t told Tao about any of this. Not the postcard or the message in the window and certainly not the subsequent emails. He loved Tao, but he didn’t need his level of reality check to this thing yet. Maybe after today.
“He doesn’t know any of it yet, Isaac. Before you get on me, yes, I know he’s one of my best friends and it’s not right that he doesn’t know. I just had to know what it was before I said something to him, you know? Couldn’t let the level of solid realism Tao was likely to heap on what he would have dubbed a frivolous risk to my safety. Plus, I couldn’t handle him telling me that now I need to be prepared to move because Nick knows where I live.”
“I get it. You’ll talk to him later, once the reality check has been had and you’ve met Nick in person?”
“I promise! Anyway, tell Rae I feel better? It’s reassuring knowing you both know where I’ll be and that Rae’s going to check in. Like I told them, though, I really am hoping I won’t need the escape route. I’m just trying to let the emails and everything be a foundation, and not a mechanism that’s set us up for everything beyond them being a let down because it’s too mundane and real to fulfil whatever we’ve built this up to in our heads.”
“Not sure you’re aware, Charlie, but you just put that thought onto both you and Nick. Telling, don’t you think?”
“Fuck right off, no psychoanalysing me, thank you.”
“Fine! I’m just saying, it’s interesting.”
Charlie flipped Isaac off through the air he couldn’t see and accepted that he was probably right. He had just assumed that Nick was feeling the same sense of having built up their connection into something important, too important for reality to hold a candle to. He had no way of knowing that.
“Come back, Charlie, you’re overthinking again. This is lunch, and a walk, with someone you know more about in a short time than you learned about that twit of a whatever-his-name-was. Anyway, it’s not as if this is a date.”
“So true, it absolutely is not. Thank you, my friend.”
“Anytime, Charlie. Go, have fun, don’t let your brain put pressure on you, and just let yourself explore.”
“I will. Thank you! Say thanks again to Rae, too.”
“They will call at the designated time and look forward to being unceremoniously told they’re on their own with their life threatening pinky toe bruise.”
Charlie laughed and, feeling much more grounded, hung up.
He wiped down the worktops in his already clean kitchen, put the washing out on the line where it could dance in the breeze rolling off the moors under the protective eye of the huge blue cedar that had been planted at the bottom of the garden by the couple who’d owned the cottage before him.
He gave himself one more once-over in the mirror, locked the back door, gave Piper a peanut butter chew toy to keep her busy while he was gone, and walked out to his car to drive up to the pub where he was meeting Nick.
Please let him not be a psycho who is just carefully disguised as an intelligent human being in writing! He said to himself as he put the car in gear and headed off.
Chapter 14: First Date (Not a Date!)
Summary:
Last Time: It was the day of the rescheduled lunch and Charlie made a really important call.
This Time: The moment of truth, the day they’ve been waiting for is here and Charlie pulls up in the car park, ready to meet Nick in person for the first time.
Notes:
We had an unplanned break in the posting schedule last week when life simply got in the way and while the chapter was written and everything was ready, I simply didn’t have a minute to sit and get it uploaded. I know, the absolute worst moment to hold off on you and the edging, while satisfying, was unintentional and I hope that this chapter’s eager anticipated antics will make up for the fact that you’ve all waited (impatiently?) for the moment of truth. Nick and Charlie finally laying eyes on each other for the first time. I so appreciate all of you and your affection for this story, it matters to me, so much!
While I’m here I want to thank my fabulous betas for being so supportive. For championing my taking the time I’m away to simply be with family and reassuring me that a week off was allowed. phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 you’re fabulous!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie parked in the back of the pub. He knew the pub wasn’t open yet, they’d timed their walk beforehand so that there’d be a chance they’d still get a table after their walk. The owners didn’t technically let people who were there for the hike park there, but having been coming for years, Charlie knew that as long as he truly intended to stop in for lunch after his walk, they didn’t mind as long as he left the car round the back out of sight, so other tourists didn’t get the same idea. There was a silver Micra parked back there too, exactly as they’d discussed.
You can do this, he told himself, turning off the engine and stepping out of the car. He grabbed his hiking bag from the boot and changed into his walking boots. There was no one in the silver car, so Nick must have stepped round to the front. So much for him standing by the car so he’d be recognisable, but then again there was no one else parked here, so he shouldn’t be hard to spot. Ready to go, Charlie closed the boot and locked the car.
He walked around to the front of the pub and stopped. There was a man standing against the wall. He was propped against it like it was holding him up, but as Charlie watched he shifted on his feet, changing his pose another couple of times as if reaching for one that felt was the pose to be discovered in. That is fucking adorable, Charlie thought. He held his step for a second longer to take in the back and side profile of the man, which was all he could see as he shifted yet again. He was tall, arms and legs clearly honed for the rugby pitch, auburn hair that was catching the light and glowing as the sweeping front section blew into his eyes forcing him to lift his hand in a clearly practiced gesture to push it up off his face. His nose was straight, and his ears didn’t appear to be bugling with cheloids the way so many rugby players’ ears did after all the constant collisions. His mouth was a grimacing line, born out of discomfort rather than surliness. It made Charlie smile, watching Nick’s nerves was somehow dimming his own, and he needed to find a way to make Nick feel better.
Stop making him wait for you, you twit, Charlie admonished himself and set off purposefully along the gravel, being sure to make a lot of noise so that Nick would hear his approach.
“Nick?” Charlie said, leaving a question mark in his tone even though he was certain that the man standing there, auburn hair whipping around his face, beard neatly trimmed, was definitely Nick. The man turned to face him and the sun came out all over it. Recognition bloomed in his features as though he were meeting Charlie again after a long time apart rather than for the first time, and the sensation of being familiar, remembered, made Charlie glow from inside.
“Charlie!” Nick said, a crack in his voice that Charlie would have to decipher later. “Is this real? How do you feel about hugs? Are you okay with them? I’m a hugger and I’ve been working on not making the assumption that everyone is as comfortable launching into that level of contact.” He paused for breath before launching again, “and now I’m talking too much and asking back to back questions without giving you a chance to say anything. Shutting up now!” The adorable man in front of Charlie went so far as to close his lips and mime zipping them closed. Did anyone do that anymore? Apparently so.
Charlie let out a relieved little chuckle as the rest of the nerves he’d been feeling at meeting an almost stranger for the first time evaporated in the midsummer heat. “It’s okay, Nick, breathe. To answer your questions in order: Yes, this is real. Yes, I’m comfortable with hugs. Yes, I’m okay with them.” Pausing himself to let his answers reach Nick. “Hug?”
Nick exhaled audibly and they hugged. It was over too quickly, the briefest of moments, but it gave Charlie a glimpse into what it would feel like to be actually held by this man and the realisation that that was even a thought in his head was something else that he decided he would unpack later, with a glass of wine, and maybe some or all of his friends on video chat for dissection and understanding purposes.
“Shall we?” Charlie said, keen to ensure that they kept up the pace. Releasing from the hug, a flash of the awkwardness he’d expected to feel whipping through his nerve endings. Refusing to let it win, he made the universal sign of being ready to go for a walk, and mimed the stride, pausing with one foot off the ground, waiting for Nick to indicate he too was ready to launch. Nick fell in beside him and they walked. The terrain wasn’t tricky up to the top of the great Millstone grit boulders that made up the Cow and Calf. There weren’t too many tourists around, but enough to add the odd friendly nod and smile and add the quintessentially British remark about the weather as they passed folks on their way down.
There were a couple of runners, out for a proper fell run and Charlie watched in amusement as Nick’s eyes tracked up the legs of the pair of slender guys, tiny shorts flapping around their strong thighs, tight calves on full display. Interesting, he noted to himself, letting himself get just a little ahead of Nick to give him the opportunity to check out the same view on him. He felt bold, and a little bit ridiculous, but there was something about the undemanding pace of this man that was making him feel bold in return.
Just then, Charlie’s phone rang and he started. Oh, was it really that time, already? He knew he needed to get rid of Rae as efficiently as possible. He gave Nick an apologetic glance as he answered the call.
“Good afternoon Charlie, Isaac and I either have food poisoning and need you round to drip feed us electrolytes and peel us grapes for the possible dehydration, or I’ve just rather badly stubbed my pinky toe and need to go and rest it with a book and a mug of tea. I needed your expert opinion.” Rae’s voice sounded amused and light and Charlie felt the deep warmth he always felt whenever his friend came through for him like this. Not that there was any surprise left.
“I’m so sorry to hear you stubbed your toe, Rae. I do so hope that the book and mug of tea do the trick, you go and curl up. Now’s not a great time to catch up, so I’ll call you later and check on your pinky toe, yeh?”
“Oh, I see. He's pretty!! You’d better call, Charlie. My toe could fall off, you know, definitely needs a check in.” Charlie could hear the affectionate smirk in Rae's voice. “Love you, talk later.”
“Bye!”
Charlie looked back over at Nick. Correct decision made, no get out of date free card needed.
“A friend of mine stubbed his toe and apparently needed to report that to me.” he said, by way of explanation. Nick let it go.
Falling back in step as the path widened, Charlie was gratified when Nick opened the conversation. They talked about the moors, Nick’s love affair with the sky, bemoaned the ever changing weather and the storms that would sweep down the valley. Charlie noted how much he loved listening to thunder, whereas Nick hid away from it.
“Oh, I just know that whenever there’s a really raucous storm like that, there are Greek gods up there, handbags at ten paces, chucking their lightning bolts out of the pram because they didn’t get their way. It’s hard to take it seriously after that.”
“Seriously?” NIck looked incredulous. "Greek gods in a hissy fit, that’s the visual?”
For a second Charlie was concerned that Nick was mocking him, until he went on.
“I am seriously going to have to try that. I am an absolute wimp when it comes to being scared. I’ve never understood why anyone would choose to scare themselves. Scary rides, scary films, scary caves … no thank you!” The man shivered, visibly pulling away from the mere thought of being scared.
“That’ll make film nights with my friend Tao a little awkward.” Charlie said without thinking, clamping a hand over his mouth as he realised that he’d assumed that Nick would want to meet up again after today, much less meet his friends or come to film night. “Shit, didn’t mean to assume that!” he countered quickly.
“Charlie, it’s okay. Your turn to breathe. Film night sounds like fun,” he paused himself, “as long as the film isn’t scary.”
Just then, Nick’s phone rang and he rummaged in his pocket to retrieve it. He looked apologetically at Charlie, who smiled in understanding and stepped up the path a little way to give Nick privacy to take the call. He didn’t step far enough away to not hear a few phrases.
“Thank you for calling, Mum.” Interesting , Charlie thought. “Yes, thank you. No, really, I’m fine and I’ll call you later, thanks Mum, gotta go, bye!”
Charlie heard him hang up and turned back around as he heard Nick’s footsteps behind him, catching up.
“Sorry about that, Charlie. Mum had forgotten I was going to be out today.”
“Not a problem. Do you talk regularly?”
“We don’t have a specific time or anything, but yes we check in pretty often. She’s my rock.”
Charlie smiled, knowing that Nick already knew some of the issues he had with his own mother. They moved on, but Charlie couldn’t help the flash of a feeling that this call felt like it had a very similar timing and pattern to the one he’d just taken from Isaac. Was Nick’s mum the person he set up for his bail-out calls? How was this man single? That was so fucking cute.
Charlie sighed internally and determined to move on to safer territory. He’d prepared a few of his ‘getting to know you’ questions, for a moment such as these and he pulled one out. “What’s the worst thing you’ve stepped on in the dark?”
“Ooh, good one,” Nick said, his face showing relief at the change in topic and the unassuming question. “Worst thing I’ve stepped on in the dark … okay, probably just because the sensation was much too ambiguous and took some deciphering and a lot of hopping around not wanting to put my foot back down. It was wet and soft and I had no idea what it was. Turns out it was just one of Nellie’s dog toys that she’d given a thorough chewing, but the wet, furry sensation was horribly confusing in the dark and I started walking around the house with a torch/some kind of light because I refused to risk it.”
“Oh yes, I can see that. Not fun! For me it was one of my little brother’s tractor’s. He’d left it right in the middle of my room with it’s bucket raised in triumph and those fuckers are sharp!” Charlie gave a grimace followed by a little laugh at the memory. “Right on par with Lego bricks, those are probably the universal answer to that question, if there is one. Everyone’s done it.”
Nick laughed, and his face lit up again, sunshine pouring out of his freckles. “So true, Lego bricks are evil.”
As they continued to talk Charlie noted that they’d reached the top. The Cow, her huge sandstone facade facing proudly out into the valley, watching over her Calf a little way below her down the moor, was such a proud sight. The pair sit where they were abandoned by the clawing traverse of an ancient glacier as it had carved out the valley they stood in, thousands upon thousands of years before. The history of that making them pause, out of respect for that ancient, alien landscape.
They walked out onto her back and gazed out down the valley, at Ilkley sprawling below them, the heather lighting up the slopes in splashes of purple among the rich greens of the ferns. Conversation stilled as they watched, simply taking it in. Standing together, a few feet apart.
That answers that question, Charlie thought to himself, the conversation works, but it’s not necessary. He’s comfortable in the quiet too.
“Do you want,” Nick started, just as Charlie spoke up. “Would you like to,”
They laughed at the coincidence. “You go,” Charlie offered.
“Do you want to go and climb the Calf, sit for a while?” Nick asked.
“I was about to ask the same thing,” Charlie laughed, smiling a soft smile that he knew activated his dimples and enjoying the expression that flashed quickly across Nick’s face in response. Interesting, squared.
“Let’s go!”
They scrambled down the side of the Cow and along to the base of the smaller sandstone boulder. So many people climbed her these days that there were routes that were possible to boulder without ropes and Charlie followed Nick’s sure feet and hand placements as they made their way up. They sat on the top, legs slung over the edge.
“We’re sitting right where Jem and Gaz sat in Calendar Girls,” Nick said. Charlie smiled, remembering one of their early emails when Nick had shared his love for the film.
“That’s right, they did sit up here, didn’t they?” Charlie acknowledged.
“I love my mum, and I know that I’d have had a lot of feelings to come up here and process if she informed me that she was taking her clothes off and posing for a Women’s Institute calendar with a bunch of her friends, too.” Nick laughed.
“Oh my goodness, that is a visual that I do not need about my mum. All bodies are beautiful and all that, but I am with you on needing to process before I find my supportive side on that.”
Just then, Nick’s stomach rumbled, and they both laughed.
“Do we need to get you down to the pub for some lunch, Nick?” Charlie grinned.
Nick laughed, “apparently so!”
They got up, donned their backpacks again and made their way carefully back down the side of the rock.
The hop back down the hill from there wasn’t far, or too steep and they were back at the pub in good time. Nick surprised Charlie by walking in and revealing that he’d actually made a reservation.
“I didn’t want to risk not getting a table,” he explained easily as they were shown to their table.
Conversation flowed easily from there. Discussions about the menu, and their respective preferences when it came to beers starting them off strong. Nick was a sours guy, leaning into some of the craft beers that the Ilkley brewing company were putting out more recently. Charlie was more inclined towards the hoppier IPAs. After they’d ordered and they waited for their food the conversation shifted, flowing naturally and without Charlie needing to pull out any more of his ‘getting to know you’ questions. It was light and flexible, and didn’t require the kind of effort that Charlie usually felt he had to put in when meeting someone new.
Why can’t all dates feel like this? Charlie wondered to himself when was sitting by himself for a few minutes while Nick went to the loo. Shit, that’s presumptuous. What made you call this a date? Just because he’s queer does not mean he’s into you, you dingbat. Even if he did, this is the actual first time that you’re meeting each other. Maybe work up to it, hey?! He shook himself, physically working to let go of the entire train of thought.
“Are you cold, Charlie?” Nick asked, as he slid back into his chair across the table from Charlie.
“What makes you ask that?” Charlie asked, a little flustered.
“You shivered.” NIck said. Fuck he’s observant. Charlie noted and stilled his body.
“Thank you, no definitely not cold. Potentially running a little low on social battery, though. I am feeling really torn admitting that because I’m having a great time. It is probably time I went home to check on Piper, too, she’s got a bladder of steel but probably needs to get out.”
“Ah, Piper!” Nick said in a soft excited voice. “You should bring her next time.”
Next time.
“Next time?” Charlie asked aloud, not letting that thought stay in his head.
“Yes, obviously!” Nick’s voice was a little higher, more breath in the words making them softer somehow and Charlie smiled in response, generating another of the sunshine smiles on Nick’s face.
“Yeh, definitely,” he said. He looked at Nick’s lips, just briefly, before dropping his eyes down to the floor. “Hug?” he said again, mirroring his question from earlier.
“Most definitely!”
Nick’s arms came around him, and the larger man was firm and yet soft against him. The hug was tight and Charlie felt safe, in a way he had not expected to after just having met him. Was this all really a first meeting, though? Cut it out, Charlie. Just because he’s queer doesn’t mean he’s interested, plus get over yourself, you just met! After all that they’d shared in their emails, though, it didn’t feel like a typical introduction. It all felt too familiar.
He found himself breathing in deeply into the warm hug, the musky smell of the fells on Nick’s skin and an underlying spicy quality from one of his products. Time to let go before this is weird, Charlie, he thought to himself, just as Nick seemed to think the same thing, if the way their arms reluctantly released at the same time was anything to go by. Was he not ready to let go either? What would that mean?
“Yeah, okay, so, um, see you next time.” Nick almost stammered as he turned and reached for the door handle of his car.
“Yeh, next time. Bye Nick. This has been really fun.”
“It has, thank you, Charlie! You’ll email soon?”
Why is he so sweet? “Sure, Nick. I will.”
Charlie stood and watched Bella, Micah and Don on Nick’s parcel shelf as he pulled away and merged out into the traffic.
Well, fuck. It’s real as all get out now, isn’t it? I need Elle!
☀️☀️☀️
Charlie drove home, let Piper out for a patrol in the garden and made himself a mug of tea. A quick text to Elle before he’d left had confirmed that she would be available for a chat. He settled down on the sofa in the conservatory, looking out over the valley through the needles of the blue cedar.
His phone rang exactly when she’d said that it would and he propped it up on the teetering stack of books and magazines beside the sofa so that he wouldn’t have to hold it up and would still be able to see her face.
“Hi, darling!” she said in greeting as their faces joined on the screen. “You know we typically have our chats on Wednesdays and this is no Wednesday, so there’s something up and I must know what it is!”
“I did a thing, and I didn’t tell you before because Tao was going to have opinions about it.”
“Tao was going to have opinions about what?” came Tao’s voice from somewhere behind Elle.
“Nosy!” Charlie laughed. “Was talking about you, not to you!”
Tao showed up on screen, his head on Elle’s shoulder, and stuck his tongue out at Charlie, who just laughed harder.
“Fine, if you’re there, I suppose I’ll tell you both, saves me saying this twice.” He proceeded to tell them all about Nick, from the postcards to the lovely walk they’d had and the confusing way that the whole thing had left him feeling. “Tao, don’t look at me like that, I couldn’t tell you before.”
An offended, “Rrrrrrude” exclamation emerged from Tao, who rolled his r’s for emphasis and stuck his tongue out again.
“You’d have talked me out of it. And before you hit me with another ‘Rrruude’, pause for one second and acknowledge that, well meaning as it would have been, you would have. I didn’t want you to talk me out of this. I did follow all your advice though. Got to know him first, met him in public … he does already know my address, but that was kinda built into the meet-cute of it all, so I couldn’t do much about that. Isaac knew where I was. Promise.”
“Ignore him, Charlie! I’m so excited for you! When are you going to see him again?”
“Elle, love, I have no idea. I haven’t heard from him this evening, but we did just spend several hours together, so I really wasn’t expecting to either, and it isn’t as if I’ve reached out to him. Nothing about this has been ‘normal’, so there are no rules for how long either one of us should leave it before writing another email or whatever. I just … I had a really good time. I suspected, based on how he articulates himself in writing, that he was either going to be a troll who has a ghostwriter, or he was going to be just as intelligent and funny in person. He’s fast, Elle, quick with a punchline and self-deprecating without me wanting to punch him for it, in that way that doesn’t make you think he’s just fishing for compliments.”
“That’s all great, Charlie, but absolutely not what I was asking.” Elle all but interrupted. “When are you going to see him again? How was he to look at? You have been in the mother of all dry spells and other than your regularly scheduled fantasies about the rugby players down on the green you are not exactly out there!”
“Aaaagh, ouch!” Charlie let out. “Low blow bringing up my rugby players! You leave them alone, they don’t know.”
“He doesn’t play a sport, does he?” Elle asked, ignoring him affectionately in his feigned indignation.
Charlie paused, not wanting to fuel this particular fire but knowing she’d get it out of him eventually. “As a matter of fact, he plays rugby.”
“Shut the front door, he does not!” She squealed, jumping up and down and knocking her phone over from where it’s been propped against the fruit bowl.
“He does. He’s the whole fucking package, Elle, and I am so utterly screwed.”
“Not yet you’re not, but oh my goodness, this is so promising!”
“Elle!” Charlie exclaimed.
“What?!”
“Oh no, don’t you even pretend to play the innocent card with me, mister. You still haven’t answered my questions about how he was to look at, from which I can only conclude that he’s beautiful and you absolutely failed to follow through and give his bum a good squeeze.”
“Elle!” Charlie and Tao let out this time, the combined tones causing her to give off an even more smug impression of having been right. “You’re absolutely right, I did not do that. We hugged. That’s it.”
“Missed opportunity if you ask me!”
“I wasn’t, asking you that is.” Charlie teased. “I actively wasn’t. This does at least affirm why I didn’t tell you guys about this before I went. You’d have had me jump him in the pub car park and Tao would have sent out a search party.’
“Too right!” Tao interjected. “I think it was reckless, to say the least, to meet with a man you don’t know. I am proud of you for meeting in public and for making sure someone knew where you were. Will have to have words with Isaac about being lazy in his duties, though.”
“Why, because he didn’t take your role and try to talk me out of it?”
“Absolutely.”
“Shut up, Tao. We’re happy for Charlie. He’s found a fucking unicorn. A bearded paediatric nurse who hikes and plays rugby. Who are we holding out for if not this man?”
“Elle, you are getting about eighteen trillion steps ahead of where we are right now. We’ve emailed and we’ve met for one lunch. Just because he’s queer, and wholesome and … fine … FIT AS FUCK … doesn’t mean this is going anywhere.”
“Oh, it’s going so many places there’ll be no point in forwarding your address. But fine, you keep thinking that, no problem.”
Piper chose this moment to nudge Charlie’s arm, reminding him of her dinner and evening constitutional that were still necessary steps in the evening routine.
“Piper’s telling me I have to love you and leave you now. So sorry to not be able to continue this delightful bashing of my non-existent love life. Right then. Goodbye for now you two. Love you lots!”
“SNOG HIM!” Elle said with emphasis on the first word. “Fine, love you, tell us everything, bye!!”
Charlie extended his middle finger at her and hung up.
He grinned at Piper and ruffled her ears. “Right, baby girl, let's get you taken care of, shall we?”
When he went to bed that night, his dreams were up on the Calf, legs dangling over the side with Nick.
Notes:
Some fics that I’d recommend you go and check out:
L'amour Si Familier (Love So Familiar) by chaosvibes
Nothing Toulouse by TheIrishGirl
American British Sex Pie by Coach1305, Yee_333
Chapter 15: A Full Debrief
Summary:
Last Time: The moment of truth, the day they’d been waiting for arrived and Charlie pulled up in the car park, ready to meet Nick in person for the first time.
This Time: A full debrief is necessary and decisions are needed as to how to communicate moving forward. Charlie is relieved when it seems that the emails still feel appropriate for some things, and they continue to get to know each other better.
Notes:
Life can’t go back to being the same after a pair that I’ve kept apart for longer in the story than in anything else I’ve written finally meet for the first time. The mood has shifted and they have questions. I’m so honoured by all your feedback and responses, your comments have been so lovely. I am getting into responding to them, I promise.
Thank you to the wonderful phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 for your feedback and support as I churn out these chapters and you help me make sure they’re the best they can be.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Charlie, m’boy! Tell me all about it.”
Isaac’s face was on the screen and his voice was in Charlie’s ears and he was still floating. This was going to be just what he needed to get grounded again. He could tell that he was grinning like an absolute idiot, though, and Isaac would absolutely see that in approximately two-point-five seconds. Charlie decided not to do anything to fix his face, though, just let it happen. Charlie had texted Isaac the previous afternoon, after his call with Elle and Tao, asking to put off their debrief to today so he could process. Isaac, ever approving of processing time, had of course said that it was okay. Still, Charlie knew he’d be itching to hear the details.
“Oh, Isaac, I don’t understand any of it.” Charlie swelled dramatically, puffing his chest and inflating his cheeks as he took in a pronounced breath and held it.
“Start at the beginning, Charles.”
Charlie poured it all out. “Isaac, his mum called just after Rae did and he got her off the phone really quickly, but …” Charlie paused, saying this outloud was new.
“That’s so cute, his mum is your ‘me and Rae’!” Isaac interrupted before he could say the words. “Alright, what’s wrong with the man? He can’t be good looking, have the most wholesome hero job in the whole world, play rugby just for fun and be close enough to his mum that she’s his ICE person.”
“His Mum called him?” Rae piped up from the background. “That is too fucking cute for words. I cannot. If I weren’t currently -”
Charlie cut Rae off without meaning to be rude, “And now you see my dilemma.”
“Did he grope you?” Isaac cut in.
“Isaac!” Charlie exclaimed. “No, of course he didn’t, he was a gentleman.”
“There’s the problem with him then!”
“You are absolutely no help.”
“Oh Charlie,” Isaac said, his tone softer and less full of the mirth of moments before. “I know that you’ve been emailing for a long time, but it really was the first time you met, yesterday. This is no grindr hookup. No reason to make assumptions.”
“I know, but fuck, Isaac, I wasn’t expecting this. It all feels so surreal and way bigger than ‘emails and a lunch’. I just can’t get a grip on why, or how.”
“Do you need to have a grip on it?”
“Yes!” Charlie shook his head, knowing that Isaac would pick up on the discrepancy between the word and the gesture and see right through his uncertainty.
“Right, well there you are then. Have you emailed him since lunch? Has he emailed you?”
“It was yesterday!”
“So? Not a ‘had a really lovely time, we should do that again, only this time I want to snack on you?’ message.”
“Isaac!”
“I have never been more proud of you, baby!” came Rae’s voice from the background.
“Nope, shan’t be sorry. It’s what you want to say.” Isaac said, a satisfied smile on his face.
“It is not!”
“Liar, but okay, I’ll pretend to accept that you’re ‘not ready’.” Here, Isaac even had the audacity to use his fingers for the air quotes, and Charlie stuck his tongue out at him, waving his own middle finger for good measure. “Charlie, darling, stop overthinking it. Meeting him in person has made something that was a bit nebulous and maybe a bit fictitious-feeling, into something solid. It’s been a while since anyone blew your skirt up like this. I say, get in touch, keep it casual, and let this whole thing continue to play out.”
“I hate you!”
“You love me, and more to the point, you called me. You specifically needed these words out there, so for that you’re welcome and I do so look forward to hearing all the juicy details!”
“You suck!”
“Not really my thing, my friend. You on the other hand… there, see, hands too!”
“I’m hanging up on you now, you’re no help whatsoever!”
“Love you too, bb! Call me when there’s gossip!”
“Bye!”
Isaac laughed as they hung up, blowing a kiss through the phone, which Charlie reluctantly caught.
I know he’s right, and that’s so infuriating, Charlie thought as he stood up to stretch.
Sitting down again he got out his laptop and opened up Kitty’s email account.
📧
| Hi back Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Kitty-Gerry-Bruno [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
📧
Charlie spent the rest of the day actively not checking his emails, not letting himself refresh the screen and not dwell on all the reasons Nick hadn’t written back yet. He and Piper were out for their post dinner walk when his phone finally pinged a response.
📧
| Hi Normal | ☆ | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bella-Micah-Don [email protected] |
➦ ··· |
📧
For the next few days, the emails continued, along with their ever lit up text thread. Charlie was amused, and sort of intrigued that despite having a faster method to communicate they hadn’t let go of emailing each other. He didn’t write like that with any of his other friends, even when they’d all scattered after secondary school they’d stayed in touch via texts and ribbing each other on social media.
About a week after they’d had their first lunch, however, Piper was taking Charlie for a walk along the river when Charlie’s phone rang. Since absolutely none of the rest of his friends would be chaotic enough to call without scheduling the time first like civilised humans he knew before getting the phone out of his pocket that it was Nick.
Smiling, he answered, “hi, Nick.”
“Hi, Charlie. How has your day been? What’s the noise in the background?”
“Oh, you can probably hear the river, she’s loud today. All that rain we had last week, pouring off the tops.”
“You’re out for a walk?”
“Yes, Pips insisted we get out of the house.”
“She’s a smart cookie, that dog of yours. Vitamin D is important and none of us have enough. I’m always saying that to my friends, Tara and Darcy. They’re the ones I was heading to visit when you saw my car and I was picking up pastries at Betty’s that time. Wow, that feels like ages ago and it really wasn’t.”
“How long have you known them?” Charlie asked, curious to learn everything he could.
“Oh, forever. I knew Tara right from the beginning of secondary school. Then mum and dad divorced and I moved schools and we drifted apart for a bit, but we reconnected later on and have been firm friends since. They were the first people I came out to. Crushing as I was on this cute guy on my rugby team, who turned out to be a right bellend, but fuck he was pretty. Not really sure why I’m sharing that but my brain is moving too fast.”
“So they were your queer intro then?” Charlie asked, thinking back on his own peculiar brand of misfits from school. “Crushing on someone from rugby, at school, that has to have been pretty daunting, no? I think I mentioned my experience with rugby-lads after I got outed was less than positive, so I can’t even imagine how I’d have felt if I ever crushed on them?” Charlie paused, before adding, “less concerned about it these days, it seems.”
Nick’s laugh flowed through the speaker straight into Charlie’s brain and straight to his toes. “We’re not all homophobic wankpuffins, Char, but yeah I didn’t exactly let on at the time. As I said, he did turn out to be a prized twerp and that significantly tarnished the pretty factor, so I let it go! Having Tara and Darce there to help keep me from saying anything stupid helped.”
“That’s what I have Isaac and Rae for, and probably more so my friend Tao. He is the protector of the group. Verbally, that is. He couldn’t take on a wet paper bag in a fight, but he’d give it a really strongly worded dressing down. Still, he’s the conscience on my shoulder a lot of the time. Isaac indulges me in ways that drive Tao absolutely crazy, but ultimately they are two of the absolute best friends a guy could ask for.”
“I love that, it sounds like a great balance! I suppose from that standpoint, Tara’s the one who listens, Darce is the instigator, and Immy’s the one I go to spill to when I need to download on something before I get Tara’s perspective and Darcy’s hairbrained scheme. Immy’s the person I told first about our meeting up last week.”
“See, balance is important!”
Nick hummed in agreement before seeming to make a decision, as if a thought had just occurred to him, “Oh, that’s right, I didn’t just call, like some psycho, I did actually have a point.”
“I rather hoped as much, Nick.” Charlie let a laugh escape, even as he tried to hold a straight face. “Not that I don’t love talking to you, and it’s been lovely to hear more about your friends. What was it you specifically called about?”
“I’m aware that it’s only been a week, but it’s also already been a whole week since we had lunch. I was sitting here and wondering if you wanted to make plans to do that again, maybe explore a bit more?”
Charlie’s face lit up in a smile. This confidence was appealing and he softened completely at the earnest eagerness in Nick’s tone, the hint of deference to allow Charlie to back off or slow down if he wanted to.
“That sounds good, Nick. Did you have somewhere in mind?”
“How are you with heights? I mean, I know we were just up on the Calf, so I’m thinking you’re probably okay with them, but just to be sure.”
“Yeh, I’m good with heights, where were you thinking?”
“I’ve been reading about this National Trust spot not far out the other side of Addingham from you, Brimham Rocks. It looks like a fun place for a bit of a scramble. You up for it?”
“I could absolutely be persuaded. That sounds like fun.”
“Let’s consult diaries and get something on the books, that way I can protect the time from my boss if he’s planning to mess with the rota again.”
“Sounds good, Nick. I’ll check when I get back to the house and text you?”
“Look forward to it. I’ll leave you to finish your walk. It’s so nice to talk to you, Charlie.”
“Back at ya, Nick. Talk soon!”
When Nick hung up, Charlie looked down at the dark screen for a few seconds. I really like this guy and we haven’t done anything but email and meet up for lunch once. He’s just real in a way other guys aren’t. If he doesn’t feel this, if he just wants to be friends... what do I even want it to be?
Chapter 16: Out For A Scramble
Summary:
Last Time: A full debrief was necessary and decisions were needed as to how to communicate moving forward. Emails still felt appropriate for some things and Charlie was relieved.
This Time: Nick and Charlie meet up for another hike, this time a scramble around Brimham Rocks, a National Trust site that is absolutely breathtaking. They laugh and share and climb and continue to get to know each other.
Notes:
I think that one of my favourite things about creative writing is the world building and I have, in some fics, thoroughly enjoyed creating my own worlds. This one is set in a town I know well in Yorkshire. The first meeting of Nick and Charlie took place at a highly recognisable landmark and this chapter too, is set at a well known National Trust site, Brimham Rocks. The landscape is like something out of a fantastical fiction, so here’s an image, just to show it’s real:
Brimham RocksAs always, here’s to my fabulous beta team, who flail in my Google docs and always help me parse through ideas to make these two come through strong for you all. Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85, and phlimsical, you’re a dream team.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
They’d had to wait a few weeks to find a window in Nick’s schedule that was long enough for him to have had some well earned recovery time from back to back shifts. Keeping up their constant stream of emails, but having also added in sporadic texts and the odd phone call to their repertoire came naturally and meant time moved quickly, for which Charlie was grateful. The time apart, a little space to add reflection since their highly successful first meeting, too, had helped him add a little perspective.
Maybe Nick just wants to be just friends? They were proving to be pretty good friends, talking about absolutely anything, no subject seeming off limits in their messages, and helping each other work through a couple of difficult moments. Nick had had some great advice for dealing with the snotty author Charlie was editing for, subtle ways to tell the twit that he was being counterproductive and letting his ego get in the way of getting his story accepted by the audience he was aiming for. Charlie was grounded in the reality that this was where they were in their friendship, and that was going to be absolutely fabulous.
The weather was working in their favour. Yorkshire was experiencing a statistically unusual heat wave, and the day dawned just a little overcast, but with no indication it was going to rain. However, the cloud cover did, combined with the early hour they were planning to meet, meant that it wasn’t bakingly hot just yet.
He’d let Isaac and Rae know where he was going, but insisted they did not need to perform a bail out this time.
“No. Do not call me to check in,” he’d insisted when Rae had slyly indicated they might call anyway. “ I’ll call you on my way home if that’ll help stave you off. I know who he is now, we’ve met before, you do not need to call me this time!”
Rae had grumbled about Charlie being a bad sport and Charlie had thrown up his middle finger at the screen, making Rae laugh at the juvenile response.
“Fine, I’ll be good. It goes against my nature but I’ll try it on for size. You’d better call from the carpark, though, because my patience will only last so long. I need to know what that man’s arse looks like scrambling up rocks!”
Charlie had spluttered out a mouthful of coffee and told Rae to piss off, laughing and blushing as he tried, and failed, to not wonder this too.
He was in the car for the drive across the moors, the scenery taking his breath away even after all this time. The rolling hills stretched away on either side of the car, fields of sheep and horses and then wide expanses of heather, ferns and gorse to the horizon. The drive wasn’t long, maybe half an hour, and Charlie kept the windows down and the radio off to just take it all in, letting his mind drift back to their first meeting to remind himself what Nick looked like. Who am I kidding? he mused. That man’s features were etched into my brain from the first moment he turned around and saw me.
Parking the car, he went over to show his National Trust membership card, getting a slip to show on the dashboard to indicate his parking was covered. He scanned around the other cars and didn’t see Nick’s silver Micra. He’d beat him here this time. He walked over to the head of the trail and set himself up to wait against one of the initial rocks. He didn’t have to wait long.
He waved as Nick drove up, indicating his car and watching as Nick neatly parked beside his. Once Nick parked and got his own slip, he stepped over to Charlie and they hugged. It was a warm hug and Charlie let himself enjoy it.
When they pulled apart, Nick said, “I’ve never been here before, do you know it well?”
“I’ve been, but not for years, and it’s one of those places where the options are pretty endless, so it’s different every time anyway. Shall we?” Charlie indicated with his head up the path.
“Let’s shall,” Nick nodded, shouldering his backpack and stepping out into the woods.
Almost instantly the wild majesty of the place hit both of them and they both let their jaws drop. The sandstone monoliths lay in scattered turrets all over the woodland. Some were just massive boulders, others were incongruous towers that appeared to have been made up by stacking boulders one atop the other, which would have required a group of giants to be playing some sort of unknowable game, or playing sculptor.
“Do you know the artist Gravity Glue aka Michael Grab?” Nick asked Charlie after they’d scrambled around on a few of the small rocks near the car park. When Charlie looked quizzical, Nick continued. “He builds these sculptures with rocks all balanced on each other with nothing holding them up except the opposing forces on each rock he adds. This place feels like walking around in one of his sculptures. None of it looks real, it’s incredible.”
“It is, isn’t it? I hoped you’d like it.”
“I really do, it’s fabulous. Come on, let’s go climb that one!”
Nick led them up a steeper boulder, reaching down for Charlie’s hand to heave him up at one point. They climbed quietly, scrambling under rocky outcrops and up over larger boulders until they got to the top and found themselves looking down over a larger swath of the moorland.
“I can’t get over this, it’s so surreal!” Charlie said in awe, the wonder evident in his tone and his eyes wide as he took in the view. They sat down and got out water bottles, and Nick produced a couple compostable sandwich bags.
“Sweet and spicy nuts, or do you prefer something just sweet?”
“What do you have that’s sweet?”
“I made these little peanut butter granola balls, it sounds less appetising than it is,” he blushed a little and Charlie marvelled at the softness of this man, who baked and got self conscious at an innocent reference to balls. Charlie laughed, letting the absurdity linger just a little, the double entendre evident but unintimidating between them. Interesting, he let himself think before pulling out one of his getting to know you questions, selecting one of Nick’s balls at the same time and taking a bite.
“If you walked into a room with everyone you've ever met, who would you gravitate towards and why?”
“Diving in deep with the first round, I see.” Nick smiled, and didn’t seem to mind. They walked for a few minutes while Nick contemplated his response. “Everyone I’ve ever met … that’s easy, but the answer has two parts. If you’d asked me this in one of our emails, asked me before a couple of weeks ago, then my answer would have very quickly been my mum. Don’t laugh at me, Charlie. Fuck off and leave me alone, I am a grown man who loves his mum, she is amazing.
Charlie let the laugh in his eyes linger. “I’m not laughing. I love that you have that level of affection for your mum. I can’t exactly relate, but it’s cute.”
She’s been an absolute rock for me my whole life. She’s learned some lessons, didn’t always handle every situation beautifully, sometimes working a little too hard to admonish my brother when he was a dick rather than focus on what he was actually saying and checking in with me. She got better about all of it and she never blinked when I came out, or when I wanted to move away, or made any of the other life choices she’s had opinions on.”
Charlie nodded and smiled indulgently before pausing, “hang on, you said the question had two answers. What’s the second one?”
Nick looked away from him, pretending to need to watch the path to navigate around a couple of non-existent obstacles in the well trodden earth. Charlie let him hold off, taking in the views around them as they walked on for a few more steps. Then Nick seemed to make a decision and his back straightened.
“Since you’re asking me today, now, instead of a few weeks ago. The second answer is … you.” Nick’s voice was quiet, and Charlie wondered if he was going to stop there, was about to jump in with another question, or a flippant remark when Nick piped up again. “You see, a few weeks ago there was so much unknown. Before, you were a glitch in the system, quite potentially you were a figment of my imagination, one that has had me so intrigued. I never had a pen-pal, never had friends who talk like you do. I have my friends over the valley, who I love dearly, and we text a lot, but it’s mostly Darcy sending me ridiculous memes, and Tara sending me videos of guys doing pull-ups upside down at the gym - for research.
“You ask such intriguing, probing questions, without ever making me feel like I’m being asked to share too much, and yet I’ve shared more with you than with anyone else since I moved up here. I could keep going, but I’m going to shut up before I make this weird.”
“You’re not making it weird,” Charlie insisted. “My friend Isaac said the same thing when I told him about how we’ve been emailing. He was surprised that I’d told you about me and my mum and the notes. I didn’t even tell him , at the time, and it’s not something that I discuss, and yet I did. I won’t ever understand that, but at the same time I didn’t even hesitate and I don’t regret it.
“I see your point about the whole thing having felt a bit made up to start with, something about it all happening through email, maybe? I don’t know. It just felt really comfortable telling you things.”
Nick’s smile lit up his whole face and he seemed to exhale, relief evident in his body language at the confirmation that his experience had been matched by Charlie’s. He is so wholesome .
They took a few more minutes to sip their water and nibble on the snacks that Nick had brought with him before Nick packed away, hopping up and donning his backpack again. He reached his hand down after Charlie zipped his own bag, Charlie took it without question and accepted the help rising to his feet.
“Onwards?” Charlie asked, smiling at Nick as they reluctantly let their hands drop.
“Absolutely,” Nick confirmed.
They set off, scrambling down on the other side of the stack they’d climbed and striking out up the path. Nick led the way up another formation, reaching down for Charlie’s hand to help him up through a tight space in the rocks, and then climbing off ahead of him and affording Charlie unobstructed views of his arse in his shorts. Rae is never going to stop, Charlie thought to himself as he let his gaze linger on Nick’s strong thighs and sculpted bum.
“Charlie,” Nick’s voice interrupted Charlie’s musings. “You coming?”
Charlie shook his head, bringing himself back into the moment. “Oops, distracted. Yes, I’m coming!” Charlie clambered up towards the ledge that Nick was tentatively balanced on and they continued on their way up the column of weather smoothed sandstone boulders.
“Distracted, huh?” Nick teased, a smirk playing over his pretty lips and his eyes twinkling playfully.
Charlie’s cheeks flamed immediately and he laughed softly at himself. “Oh, definitely,” he acknowledged, deciding not to try to pretend.
Nick’s eyebrow crooked. “Good to know,” he teased, before continuing the climb.
Charlie shook his head at Nick’s reaction, smiling softly to himself and then looking up to find Nick looking back at him, giving a slight shimmy for emphasis. Oh, help!
When they got to the top this time Nick got his phone out, snapping a few photos of the view before flipping the camera around and drawing Charlie in. Nick pulled a face, and Charlie laughed at the comical crossed-eyed expression. What followed had them both in absolute stitches as they found somewhere to prop up the camera and take a whole series of photos of themselves, ridiculous poses and more traditional ones mixing seamlessly.
“Send me those, sometime?” Charlie laughed when they decided they were done.
“Absolutely,” Nick collapsed onto the rock, holding his side as he caught his breath.
“I haven’t laughed so hard in forever.”
“We need to fix that. Laughter is the best medicine. Trust me, I’m a nurse.”
“Oh, well, then it must be true. Thank you, nurse Nicholas, for looking out for my health.”
Nick stuck his tongue out at Charlie, which had the opposite effect than was probably intended and only resulted in Charlie’s mind racing to other ways that that tongue might come in handy. He shut the thoughts down and grinned back.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes, just reflecting and looking out at the surreal vistas. Charlie looked around and realised that they’d stationed themselves right next to a series of wild blueberry bushes. He reached over and picked a few.
“Blueberry?” he asked Nick as he proffered the foraged fruit.
“You know, I’d never have known that’s what those were!” Nick exclaimed. “I see them up on the tops all the time.”
“Absolutely, should be about right to eat right now, too. What do you think?”
Nick’s face twisted in concentration as he popped the sweet purple sphere in his mouth. His eyes lit up and he looked at Charlie.
“That’s amazing, they’re so much smaller than the blueberries you can buy, so I wasn’t sure, but they’re so sweet.”
“Welcome to the wonder of foraging, my friend.” Charlie smiled, enchanted by the delight on Nick’s softly pretty face.
They immediately swarmed into foraging, using the containers that Nick had brought his snacks in to collect up enough for him to be able to take home. When they were fairly certain there were none left to collect they packed up and set off again. Walking past the base of one of the taller structures Charlie saw a small opening and noted a tunnel that had been carved out of the rock, it wasn’t too far, but to traverse the tunnel he would have to lie down and scoot along on his stomach.
“Nick! Check it out, it’s the Smartie tube, I read about this thing.”
“Oh, you have to be kidding,” Nick said, looking in through the opening and up the slight incline to where it opened out on the other end. “You’re not going in there, are you?”
“Oh, I absolutely am, you mean you’re not?”
“Not even if you paid me!” Nick said emphatically. “I’m not even sure that I could watch you do it, honestly. Nope, nope, nope. Tunnels, caves, underground. Nope!”
“Not getting you out splunking, then, I take it?” Charlie noted, amused at Nick’s vehement response. It was interesting. Nick was still surprising him, showing and sharing vulnerabilities. “Oh, Nick, you look so worried, I wasn’t about to suggest it. You’re entitled to not like being in tight spaces underground. Not even sure I’d call that a phobia, it’s probably pretty valid.”
“Yeh, never liked ‘em. I was on a French exchange trip in my teens and we got taken into this cave system, in a boat that was being manually pulled along in the water by a guide using a rope tacked into the wall. I freaked out so hard that he pulled me to the front of the boat so he could talk to me. I was hyperventilating and he just looked at me, completely deadpan, and said ‘the one thing you must always remember is to keep breathing.’”
Charlie smiled, the obviousness of the advice clearly not having been the punchline.
Nick went on, “I see your face, and yes, it seems obvious. The trick, apparently, is that in saying something so patently true and obvious, he had me thinking that of course I needed to keep breathing, and then realised that I actually was. It was magic. I still didn’t like being in the cave, or being stuck in the boat and unable to independently choose to leave, but I was at least able to control my breaths enough to not pass out from carbon dioxide intoxication.”
“That is so impressive. You’re right, I was absolutely thinking, well duh breathing is important.” Charlie looked back through the intriguing tube in the rock, wistful but willing to change his plans. “Do you really not want me to go through this?” Charlie asked.
“Oh, I’m not going to stop you if you want to, I just may not be able to watch.”
“Not even to take a picture of me? My brother is going to flip, and insist that I bring him here next time he visits.”
“Fine. For your brother.” Nick looked a little green, but agreed to go and stand at the top entrance. Charlie took up position and made a start shimmying his way through the narrow fracture in the rock. It was a squeeze, but his slender frame fit easily and he grinned up at Nick’s anxious face as he aimed his phone camera down.
When he got to the exit he was laughing, the tight space having given him an adrenaline rush. He hadn’t prepared himself for Nick’s reaction, though. Nick, it seemed, had been working on remembering his French guide’s advice and maintaining his breathing, but as Charlie’s head and shoulders emerged from the tube he let out a huge gasp and reached his hands under Charlie’s armpits, practically hauling him the rest of the way out and enveloping him in a tight hug, his face buried in Charlie’s curls.
Charlie was taken aback, not because the contact was unwelcome, more unexpected. He shook off his surprise and wrapped his arms tightly around Nick’s back by threading them in behind his backpack.
“Oof,” he said with a little laugh, “you alright?”
“Yes, fine, just glad that you are.”
“I was fine, Nick, nothing to worry about. Even without your claustrophobia you’d not want to do that one, you’ve got broader shoulders than me.”
“Yeh, like I said, there isn’t an amount of money in the world that would compel me to try.” Nick’s smile was a little unsteady, but it was there.
“That’s absolutely fair, and I’d never ask. Thank you for the picture, add that to the others you’re sending me.” Charlie looked around, trying to get his bearings. “I think if we follow this path here up and around there’s a little kiosk where we can get a drink and a sarnie, want to do that?”
Nick looked relieved and nodded. They set off up the path and as they set off Charlie noted that Nick had reached for his hand as they let go of their hug, and they had not let go.
Over coffee’s and bacon sarnie’s they talked and laughed and Nick showed Charlie the photos he’d taken and sent them all through to him so he could share them with his family. They talked more about their siblings, and about growing up, revealing somehow for the first time that the small town they’d each described growing up in was the same one. They laughed at how small the world is and shared stories of their favourite places to hang out back home, amused when they both said “the milkshake cafe” at the same time.
Eventually they set off back into the park, scaling a few more of the formations, taking more photographs and then spending an age marveling at one formation in which a huge series of boulders appeared to have been placed, balancing, on a significantly smaller one.
“It just shouldn’t be possible, gravity should be arguing with that more!” Nick said as they circled the monolith and checked on it from all angles.
“You’re so right, the weather is a wonder. A pre-dinosaur glacier put all these rocks here and wind and rain have been slowly whittling away at them ever since. The sediment layers are why it looks like smaller boulders have been put one atop the other, because the different layers have responded to the weather differently, some wearing away faster than others.”
“You sound like the guide book,” Nick teased.
“Well, I read the sign up near the cafe just now while you were in the loo, so I guess I am the guidebook,” Charlie shot back, laughing.
They were approaching the carpark, hand in hand again much to Charlie’s inner squealing delight, and Charlie found himself not wanting the day to be over. He knew that it was time, though, that Nick had said he had rugby practice in the afternoon.
“I’m not saving it for a post outing email this time,” Charlie said as they got to their cars. “I’ve had a really nice time. I’m taking it as a good sign that neither of our phones rang. You didn’t set up your mum to call this time?”
Nick gave him a look of mock indignation, “aargh,” he said. “It was pure coincidence that she called exactly fifteen minutes after I’d said we were meeting with absolutely nothing in particular to say to me. Your friend, on the other hand, makes a habit of calling you when they stub their toe every time, hey?”
Charlie laughed, “Oi! I can recognise a bail out call when I overhear one. Don’t worry, as you noted, I had one too. I’m just glad neither of us needed one today.”
“No, not now.” Nick’s voice was soft and Charlie wanted so badly to ask him to elaborate, but the day had gone so well, and his nerves took over, not wanting to hear Nick say something that made light. So he just smiled, nodded his agreement and stepped back into Nick’s arms for a hug goodbye.
“Talk soon,” Charlie said as Nick unlocked his car door and dropped his backpack through onto the passenger seat.
“Absolutely,” Nick said with a soft wave as he took his seat.
Charlie sat in his car for a few extra seconds after Nick drove away, taking a few deep breaths before he pulled out of the space and down the gravel driveway back towards the road. He hit the speed dial on his phone and soon Rae’s excited voice, and Isaac’s delightfully rational one, filled the car. He drove him slowly, recounting the story of the day and grinning uncontrollably the whole way there.
Chapter 17: Help Me Stay Awake?
Summary:
Last Time: Nick and Charlie met up for another hike, this time a scramble around Brimham Rocks, a National Trust site that was absolutely breathtaking. They laughed and shared and climbed and continued to get to know each other.
This Time: Nick calls Charlie on his way home from work, hoping the conversation will help him stay awake after a series of long shifts.
Notes:
You are all being so spectacular in your support of this slow burn, a burn slowly simmering away to the point where I’m having now rather regular chats with the boys to reassure them, but also to encourage them back to the outline. Let’s face it the outline’s changed eighteen times since I started writing this and likely will a couple more before we’re done. There’s a moment in this one where even my beta’s had to yell, and I wonder if you can find it.
Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85, and phlimsical you’re fabulous and I love the ways that you all love these two and want the best for them. I appreciate you so much.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Nick’s hours really were a challenge. While there were patterns to the shifts, weeks of nights followed by some time off flowing into long days, Charlie sometimes found it difficult to keep up. So, when Nick called him just as he was sliding into bed having stayed up much too late one night he almost didn’t answer.
“Nick?” he asked, still surprised. “Is everything okay?”
“It will be. I know it’s late, but do you have the energy to stay on the phone with me? I feel like it’ll help me stay focused on the road.” Nick’s voice was low and his words were a little slower than his usual cadence.
Charlie settled in against the pillows, leaving the lamp lit so he wouldn’t let himself get too comfortable and let Nick down. He put the phone on speaker and laid it on his chest so he wouldn’t need to hold it the whole time. “Of course, Nick. What’s been going on? Your shifts are long, but this sounds like more than that.”
“I’ve been crashing in on-call rooms for a little longer than is sensible, I suppose,” Nick confessed.
“Tell me all about it, Nick, it’ll keep you awake.”
“Thank you, Charlie, that’s exactly what I was hoping for.”
Charlie could sense the relief in Nick’s tone. The man sounded absolutely exhausted and he couldn’t let him get drowsy on the winding roads between Leeds and Addingham.
“I have been almost living at the hospital and my Charge Nurse kicked me out,” Nick started to talk. “See I’ve got this patient, and he’s so sweet. His parents both work and they’re doing absolutely everything they can to swing being there with him as much as possible. This week’s just been even harder than usual and he’s been on his own a lot.”
“That’s really hard on him.” Charlie nodded, only really intending to say enough to keep Nick talking.
“It is. He’s being a good sport about it, and during the day, the ward is a pretty decent place to be. At night, though, hospitals are big and cold and the machines beep and the overhead announcements can still go off and there are nurses poking around. The kids with a parent or family member there, they have someone, but he’s been alone this week and I couldn’t just go home.”
Nick’s compassion, the depth of the ways that he felt for his patients, was something Charlie wondered if he’d ever get over.
“So, you’ve been working your shifts and then staying to make sure that he’s not alone?”
“I don’t stay in his room, wouldn’t be allowed, but I’ve been sticking around, showing him that I’m there. It got him through the few days that his parents couldn’t stay with him.”
“You, my friend, found your vocation, didn’t you? There can’t be many like you. I’ve certainly never found anyone else.”
“You’ve been looking in the wrong places,” Nick teased. Charlie liked that Nick was able to joke with him, it meant his brain was still engaged. It also meant that he knew Charlie enough to know he’d not get offended and that extra note made the butterflies in his stomach flutter their wings.
“I’d yell at you that that was rude, but you’ve got a point and I can’t even pretend to be indignant.” Charlie huffed, letting the smile on his face shine in his voice. “Even if I want to be.”
“Ha!” Nick snorted, before yawning audibly into the microphone. “Tell me a story, Charlie, or ask me one of your questions. I’m going to wave as I come through Ilkley and pass your house any second and then I’m nearly home.”
Charlie’s breath caught, the fact that Nick drove back and forth past his house every time he went to work still made him grin. He slipped out of the covers and tucked his head under the curtains to look out at the finally deserted main road.
“Look up at Kitty’s window, Nick,” he said as he watched the little silver car round the bend. He waved and the car slowed, the early hour meaning that no one was behind him and he could slow down.
“Hi, Charlie,” Nick said softly as the car drove slowly past the cottage and the lights cut through the dark as it headed out of the village and onwards to Addingham. What was that in Nick’s tone? Charlie wondered to himself as he tucked himself back into bed.
“So, you want a question, to keep you awake the last bit?”
“Yes please,” Nick agreed quickly.
“What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?” Charlie asks, thinking this one will only require a bit of reflection, but hopefully enough engagement that Nick would get home safely.
“Ooh, good one,” Nick said eagerly. “This one’s good in the run up to an uncomfortable or difficult moment where there’s lots of anxiety or spiral potential. An old mentor told me something that has stuck with me. He said, ‘it makes sense that you don’t know what you’d do if that bad thing happens because the version of you that knows how to handle that thing doesn’t exist yet. You have to trust your future self to handle future problems.’”
Charlie's breath caught in his throat, something about these words felt familiar like maybe he’d heard them somewhere. Coming from Nick’s sleepy voice, in the middle of the night they were resonating for him. It was something that Isaac might have said, in one of his existential philosophical moods.
“That’s absolutely beautiful, Nick. No wonder that stuck with you. Have you been able to use it? Does it actually help?”
“It sometimes takes me some time to remember it so that I can practice it, but yes, it has brought me out of some iffy moments when I can properly engage that part of my brain and acknowledge that anticipation is a blessing and a curse and sometimes I just have to wait to be the me who has the tools to handle things.”
“That’s great, Nick. I’m absolutely going to try to adopt that,” Charlie acknowledged.
“How about yours?” Nick asked. “Best piece of advice you’ve heard.”
“I saw a video online and the person was saying that she had named her brain. I almost stopped watching because that sounded so unhelpful, but I watched the rest. She went on to say that since naming her brain she can now have conversations with it and ask it to be reasonable.”
The sound of Nick’s laugh, rich and lyrical, made Charlie shiver. “So you have conversations with your brain?”
“Absolutely. I’ll say things like, ‘oh now come on, Alex, I feel for you but today’s not the day,’ or ‘it’s okay to not be feeling great, Alex, but we’ve got too much to get done today, do you need two minutes to feel your feelings?’ It’s led to me putting some distance between myself and the negativity. I agree, it sounded like whimsical nonsense to start with, and at first Alex was not responsive to the persuasion, but now I can quite often get him to take a timeout and come back reset. It’s helped.”
“Well, that is a pretty decent endorsement for the whimsical nonsense,” Nick smirked.
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, you!” Charlie laughed in return. “How are you doing? Almost home?” He asked the last questions more seriously, genuinely wanting to be sure that his friend had made it back to his house without incident.
“I’m just parking now,” Nick confirmed. “Charlie, seriously, thank you for staying on the phone with me, I really needed that.”
“Anytime, Nick,” Charlie offered. “Well, okay, not anytime, I mean I do need my beauty rest, but of course you can call!”
“You don’t need beauty rest, Char.” Nick’s voice was a little slurred as he went on, “you’re already beautiful.”
“Alright alright,” Charlie blushed a little, knowing Nick’s sleep deprivation was talking and he should help him be quiet so as not to say anything he didn’t mean. “On you go, into the house before you fall asleep in your car. Obviously, parked is better than on the road, but you’re too close to your comfy bed to sleep in the car now.”
“You’re right, thank you again. Going in now. G’night Charlie.”
“Goodnight, Nick.” Charlie picked up the phone and hung up before letting it fall onto his chest.
Fuck! Did Nick mean to say that? He’d just called him beautiful. What did that mean? Would he have said it if he’d not had any decent sleep in a week?
He rolled over, putting his phone on the bedside table and turning off the lamp. Piper snuggled in behind his knees and he scratched her head.
“Oh Piper, why does he have to be so good?” Piper huffed out a huge dramatic sigh in response. “You’re absolutely right, it’s not the time to be thinking about it, time for some sleep.” He smoothed his hand over the soft hairs on her ears and listened as her breathing settled as she fell quickly into slumber.
Charlie, though, lay looking up at the ceiling for a long time before he was able to get his mind quiet enough to follow her into sleep.
🔥🔥🔥
The next morning Charlie woke up slowly, slipping back into reality reluctantly. Since meeting up with Nick a shift in the pattern of his dreams, from anonymous rugby players to decidedly known, had left him waking with an urgency that rivaled anything he’d experienced before.
He reached for his bedside table, grabbing lube and his favourite toy he rolled back over, kicking off the quilt and freeing himself from the loose shorts he always slept in. The relief of his hand wrapping around his fiercely hard dick made him gasp as he simultaneously tweaked one of his own nipples. Eyes closed he let his mind linger in the dream.
“Uuungh, Nick, yes!”
“Is this how you like it Charlie?”
“Fuck, oh, yes, just there!”
Charlie writhed beneath the larger man, driving himself down onto the intrusion and moaning his pleasure as he was filled so perfectly with his length. Strong fingers continued to alternate between tweaking his nipple squeezing the base of his own aching erection, helping him to draw out the pleasure as Nick continued to build an intoxicating rhythm of his hard cock inside him.
“You feel incredible, Charlie, so tight and hot and the way that you’re clenching around me is going to make this end so much faster than I’d like but fuck if it isn’t the best feeling in the world.”
“Flattery will get you, FUCK, everywhere, Nick!”
“I think you’ll find it already got me everywh- fuck,” Nick replied, making Charlie laugh despite himself and the fact that this wasn’t usually the time for jokes.
Nick had found his prostate and was aiming right for it as his thrusts became more forceful and less organised all at once. The building sensation made Charlie’s balls draw up and a flood of pleasure pool in his core as he simultaneously felt Nick’s hand around his cock speed up to meet him. He groaned.
“Oh fuck, yes, I’m coming Nick!”
“Come for me, baby, I’m right behind you!”
Charlie gasped a breath as come erupted across his stomach and chest and his eyes flew open, leaving him panting and a little disorientated.
“Fuckkkkk,” he groaned into the empty room. “This could still all end in tears but fuck that was hot.”
He lay still, panting and catching his breath, until the need to get cleaned up overwhelmed the desire to stay in bed. Carefully, he made his way to the bathroom, showering thoroughly and wrapping a towel around his waist while he worked his way through his curl products and skin care.
Piper appeared at his side as he was finishing up, nudging at his leg to remind him that she needed to go out.
“You’re right, Pips, I’m coming,” Charlie acknowledged, getting dressed quickly. He let Piper out into the garden while he checked his phone.
Charlie smiled to himself, refusing to concern himself with the fact that he’d just invited the man he’d had a monumentally satisfying wank to that morning to come to the house. It’s fine. It’s all going to be fine. He’s objectively hot, fantasies are harmless, it’s not as if I’ve given away anything he doesn’t know about me. In fact, I should probably know where he lives to even things up. I’ll text Isaac and Rae, let them know.
Chapter 18: Walk In The Woods
Summary:
Last Time: Nick called Charlie on his way home from work, hoping the conversation would help him stay awake after a series of long shifts.
This Time: The two of them continue their walk out on the moors before heading back to Charlie’s for a cup of tea and a cake.
Notes:
We’re back with these two and Nick’s coming over to Charlie’s house for the first time, to actually come inside and not just drop something on the front step.
Cheers to these fabulous furry ferrets Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and phlimsical for being oh so supportive. The way you dive into the chapters for this story is so affirming and I appreciate the flails and brainstorming opportunities, always.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Picking his phone back up, he did just that, and then pointedly put his phone on Do Not Disturb as he got himself coffee and breakfast. Soon he was settling into the couple of hours of editing he absolutely had to get done before Nick came over.
Right on time, he looked up from the window of his little study as Nick’s car pulled down into the steep driveway. Charlie checked over his email one last time, hit send and shut down the computer. He stretched out his back as he walked to the front door. Should I feel weird that Nick’s coming to the house? Why would I? We’ve met up twice now and he doesn’t appear to be a complete psycho, sending postcards to soft toys aside.
“Hi!”
“Hi!” Nick responded in kind, stepping up to the door and seemingly glancing around to find where to take his shoes off. Charlie appreciated that.
Piper, though, was having none of it. Charlie had said ‘walk’ and then nothing had happened, now there was no way she was letting the opportunity go and she bounded out of the kitchen with her lead in her mouth. Charlie laughed as Nick bent down to fuss over her.
“Hi Piper! You’re so adorable!”
“Okay, Piper, you’re right. New human, and I did say w-a-l-k. Nick, this is Piper and apparently, if you’re okay with it, we’re going out for that walk now. Is that alright?”
“Absolutely,” Nick nodded, reaching for Piper’s lead, which she handed him without question. Charlie blinked a few times as he put his shoes on. Traitor, he thought to himself as he watched Piper fawn over Nick as Nick scratched her ears. Firm friends already, huh?
“Right then, ready to go?”
“Absolutely.” Nick said again, looking up over Piper’s head to make eye contact with Charlie.
Charlie reached for Piper’s lead, which Nick handed over as a matter of course. Charlie looked down at her, saying ‘okay’ quietly as he stepped out and she followed him, and then the three of them headed out into the afternoon sunshine.
Piper tugged to the right and they made their way, without discussion, up through the village on the way to Heber’s Ghyll. Nick and Charlie chatted amiably about nothing in particular, and Piper swung her head between the two of them, looking over her shoulders to check on them.
When they walked into the woods, Nick stopped and just stared around him. Charlie watched as Nick took in the ancient woodland. The tall evergreens stood sentry over the shade loving cover at the forest floor. The stream splashed merrily away to their left and the first of many bridges took them up into the trees. It was so quiet, the only sounds being the water and the occasional bird call. It was like stepping back in time and Charlie loved that sensation.
“You described this place, and I know you sent me a picture, but I hadn’t had a chance to come here yet. It’s like walking into a fantasy novel. I’m honestly half expecting to see fairies flitting around above the surface, and trolls in the caves under the bridges.”
The awe in Nick’s tone made Charlie smile softly, it was so sweet and the wonder was absolutely justified. It didn’t seem to matter how many times he did this walk it was always so atmospheric.
“It doesn’t get old,” Charlie agreed, before Piper tugged on her lead, not sure why they’d both stopped and eager to get climbing. “Come on.”
The three of them set off again. Charlie let Piper off her lead, knowing he’d have to have her properly corralled at the top, where there might be sheep, but that she could roam around freely here in the woods and wouldn’t go far. He laughed softly as Nick proceeded to take out his phone and snap photo after photo of the bridges and the babbling stream and the little caves and moss covered trees. He had Charlie and Piper pose on bridge after bridge, reaching his long arm out to take selfies with Charlie.
Anytime Charlie got ahead of Nick because he was busy taking a close up photo of a rock with the water flowing over it, Piper would circle back down to him, yipping a couple of times to get his attention before bounding back towards Charlie. Her herding instinct all present and correct. Charlie looked on with a soft smile. Nick’s enthusiasm was contagious and Piper was eager, bounding around his feet as he kept reaching down to stroke her head or scratch her ears.
As they got near the top Charlie called Piper over and she went somewhat reluctantly.
“I know, baby, but you know you and sheep, the instinct is too strong!” Charlie grinned. “The combo of high instinct and low training is not pretty, and even though you hate that I’m right, you know that I am.”
Nick seemed to understand and laughed too. “Oh dear, yes, I can see that going badly.”
“From up here we’re about to walk through a gate out onto the tops. We can take a walk around the moor to the right and over towards the Swastika Stone. It’s not that kind of swastika, promise, pre-dates it by miles. Or we can head the other way, more in the direction of the Cow and Calf. That’s a bit of a trek so we don’t have to go that far. Then there’s two easy ways down, one’s a set of steps that go straight back down into Ilkley, or we can just go back down Heber’s.”
“Let’s just have a roam around up here and turn back when we’re ready. I’m not up for the traipse today, I agree that’d be a bit much.”
“Good call. Piper, over here.”
They’d reached the gate out onto the moor. Charlie looked at it as if he’d not seen one before. The gate was a simple design, engineered to allow humans to pass through but not the sheep. A U-shaped metal railing sat to one side. A metal gate swung on an axis directly across from the U’s centre and the swing of it closed entirely at either end of the U’s arms.
Charlie shook off the instinct to lean back and kiss Nick as the other man followed him through the gate and out into the sky.
“This kind of gate, it has a name, doesn’t it, a wicket gate?”
Charlie groaned. “Oh my goodness, Nick, you are such a sporty lad. Did you play cricket as well as rugby? It’s a kissing gate, since the gate kisses the barrier on either side, often independently, to keep livestock where they’re supposed to be. Country tradition would be for the person who goes through first to lean back over and kiss the second person over the fencing as the gate swung back to meet them.”
What the fuck, Charlie? What did you just say all that for? Charlie knew he was blushing and couldn’t stop if he tried. Shake it off Charlie, you don’t actually have to kiss everyone who comes through with you and what do you think you’re doing putting those words out there?!
Nick, it seemed, was just as taken aback at Charlie’s mention of kissing. The use of the word three times in quick succession had apparently shocked his sensibilities because he was stammering a little and clearly unsure what to say. Piper, however, apparently chose this moment for one of her frequent check-in’s and ran to the gate as Nick manouvered the swing of the metal rail and made his way through it. As he did, he reached down and kissed the top of Piper’s head.
“There we go, country tradition maintained. Which way?” Nick asked.
Oh Piper, thank you so much, Charlie thought to himself as he exhaled a deep breath and sensed Nick do the same. We’re going to move on and pretend that delightful awkwardness didn’t happen. Phew!
They turned right and back on themselves, scrambling up the rocks that lay scattered around the valley, left in the wake of the glacier that had carved it out. They walked quietly, the silence comfortable as Charlie felt the last of Nick’s tension ease from his limbs the longer they stood under the expanse of sky, the ferns tickled their legs and the baleful eyes of sheep watched them from under their shelter.
They reached the stone and looked down at the ancient carving. The symbol was soft, consisting of four spiral arms with a smaller circle in the loop of each arm and also one within the outer ring of each arm. There was also a circle in the centre of the design meaning the little circles themselves formed a cross. A strange curving motif which also encloses a cup also emerges from one of the arms. The addition helped remove any comparison to the usurped angular symbol of the Third Reich.
Charlie talked about the history, letting Nick know that there were actually two such carvings in the vicinity, the fainter being the original, and the sharper being a Victorian era copy generated to preserve the design as the older one, which dated from somewhere between the Bronze and Iron Ages, continued to weather away.
“What the design means is unclear, although it is known that in many ancient civilizations the swastika is recognised as a symbol relating to the sun.” Charlie finished, watching Nick nod along, taking in his entirely unasked for historical facts.
Then Nick looked up and took in the view.
From where they stood they could look down on the whole valley. It stretched out below them, climbing majestically up the other side. They could see the top of Beamsley Beacon, the man-made cairn of rocks at its summit that now stood tall enough that its structure was discernable even from there. Nick took a step out onto the sandstone boulders at the edge. Piper let out her breath in a huff, not liking how close Nick was to the edge.
“She’ll come and drag you away from that edge if you don’t step back, Nick,” Charlie grinned. Piper’s protective instincts wouldn’t let anyone from the pack get lost and Charlie loved that she already considered Nick one of the pack.
Nick looked back towards the two of them, amusement all of his face, mixed with the same sense of childlike wonder at the view he was taking in.
“It’s so fucking beautiful, Char!” he said as he clambered down off the rocks and back towards him.
“It absolutely is,” Charlie agreed, not only meaning the view down the valley. He paused. “Char?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, that’s sort of just slipped out. Do you mind? I know some people hate when their name gets shortened. Only thing to do with mine is lengthen it and my Mum is the only person who gets away with calling me Nicky. Wow, I’m babbling, shutting up now.”
“It’s okay, Nick. I liked it.”
“Oh, well in that case, I’m never calling you it again.”
Charlie looked amused and disappointed all in one as he pouted.
“Fine, maybe I will,” Nick laughed. “Come on!” He reached for Charlie’s hand, the one not holding Piper’s lead, and dragged them both on up the path.
They walked for a while longer, taking in the views and Charlie tried to have his brain focus on Nick’s words but given that Nick had not let go of his hand he was finding it incredibly difficult to pay attention to anything but the feeling of their fingers tangled together. Pay attention, Charlie. He almost had you then when he asked a question and you had almost entirely no idea what he was talking about.
Eventually they took a break, lying down in the tufted mounds of the heather as Piper lay between them, alternating licks to each of their faces. Nick’s phone was back out and he snapped a few more photos of the two of them, Piper’s head on his chest. Charlie smiled into the screen, satisfied in this moment in a way he was increasingly finding himself in Nick’s company.
“Can you send me some of these?” Charlie asked, tentatively.
“Of course, as soon as we’re back down and I have signal again.”
They lay in silence for a while, occasionally pointing out cloud formations that looked like animals or pirate ships.
Eventually, they got up and made their way back down towards the top of Heber’s Ghyll and Nick found just as much wonder in it on the reverse trip.
This man is so sweet! Charlie thought to himself as Piper patrolled between them. I am going to have to talk to him at some point and find out what he thinks this is, because if this is destined for friendship I have some self-protective adjusting to do, and soon!
“Do you want to come back to mine for a cup of tea before you go back?” Charlie asked, throwing caution to the wind.
Notes:
It was my birthday on Saturday and so many fandom friends found the spoons to write or beta or make suggestions or cheerlead and contribute towards this absolutely delicious collection. I can’t possibly recommend anything but going and checking out the fics in here (and anything by any of these folks)!
Chapter 19: Tea and Cake
Summary:
Last Time: The two of them continued their walk out on the moors before heading back to Charlie’s for a cup of tea and a cake.
This Time: Tea and cake turns into video games and binging TV. Charlie gets a hint that Nick might be interested in being more than friends.
Notes:
I cannot get over how you all are responding to this story. The slow burn, the building connection, I appreciate all the ways you’re interacting with it and I appreciate you all so much!
Here’s to my fabulous beta team too. Moss_and_Rocksss, Tee_85 and phlimsical you’re all stars!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Nick had said yes, of course he had, and they’d made their way back to the house, Piper keeping an eye on both men as she led the way down the familiar streets towards home. Charlie took out his keys, a small jolt of nerves tickling under his skin as he opened the door. Nick was actually going to come into his home. Honestly, this shouldn’t be a thing, after all, Nick had known his address the whole time, their entire friendship couldn’t have even started if he hadn’t, but this was still a step up and Charlie allowed himself the frisson of uncertainty. He shook it off, letting their lengthy emails, shared details and the softness of the man standing deferentially to the side behind him calm his nerves. Nick wasn’t crowding him, hadn’t even made his way onto the steps up to the front door, waiting for Charlie to be sure, and let him in. This is going to be fine! he insisted to himself. It’s a cup of tea!
The door swung open and Piper paused, looking up at Charlie. Charlie acknowledged her look and took a step into the house before looking back and saying “okay” in her direction. He saw the surprise on Nick’s face.
“She doesn’t go through doors, outside doors, before me. Part of her training. She waits for me and then she waits for me to release her.”
Nick continued to look impressed. “She really is very well trained.”
“She had to be. Her breed means that she’d have been so bored without structure, and I’d never have been able to have her out on the moors without knowing for sure that I had her full attention, the farmers wouldn’t like it. A lot of them still use dogs just like her and the sheep know the breed, so if she started running amuck, she could really scatter them.”
“Still, it’s impressive,” Nick said.
Charlie looked back, through the door. “Are you waiting for me to release you , or are you coming in?” he laughed, to lighten the comment and ensure Nick knew he was joking.
Nick seemed to shake, laughing too and stepping inside Charlie’s house, properly, for the first time. Charlie covered his quick inhale by turning around to fuss over Piper, taking off her lead and wiping down her paws. He checked her water bowl and smiled as she drank greedily before standing patiently at the door to the conservatory. Charlie reached for the keys and unlocked the door before stepping in and sliding open the door to the garden.
“Okay,” he said again as she stepped out and went to patrol her domain.
Charlie turned around and allowed himself to be almost surprised to see Nick standing in his kitchen. He’d taken off his shoes and Charlie could see them sitting next to his own on the shoe rack in the hall. Shake it off, Charlie! He admonished himself. He’s being polite! Now get a grip and put the kettle on, you invited the man in for a cup of tea.
“What can I get you?” Charlie asked, determined to get himself back into host-mode.
“Tea, thanks, just a regular builder’s tea if you have it.”
Of course Nick would just want a regular tea, Charlie pondered as he busied himself with the boiled kettle, getting mugs off the rack of the china cabinet affixed to the wall, and getting the tin of teabags out of the cupboard.
“How do you take your tea?”
“As is, with a splash of milk,” Nick responded, matter of factly.
“I feel like this is one of those questions where the answer is more revealing than you mean it to be,” Charlie acknowledged. “Do you mind passing me the milk from the fridge? It’s behind you.”
Nick turned and spied the door, built to match the rest of the cabinetry but clearly fridge sized and went unerringly for the bottom shelf rather than the door. Charlie smiled in amusement.
“You don’t keep your milk in the door either?” he asked as he took the carton from Nick, determined to ignore the way his fingers tingled as they brushed Nick’s in the transfer.
“Never. The temperature is the most unstable there, swinging open and closed all the time, milk always in the body of the fridge!” Nick looked affronted. “Do other people put their milk in the door?”
“Apparently very common, but hey, maybe that was the more revealing bit and not just the question of how you take your tea.”
“What did you glean from how I take my tea, pray tell,” Nick teased.
“That you’re correct, and that you were raised correctly.”
“Oh well, thank you, on behalf of my fabulous mother.”
Charlie grinned, and passed Nick his mug. “I’ve got a couple of Fat Rascal's from Betty’s, we could toast these and have them with some butter and our tea?”
“That sounds incredible, thank you!”
After the teacakes were toasted and slathered with fast melting butter, Charlie asked, “where do you want to sit? Garden, conservatory or here?” He realised that he was obnoxiously waving his arm to indicate the various options, even though Nick could clearly see out of the window.
“Show me around the garden?” Nick said, surprising Charlie a little.
“Of course.” They walked through the little conservatory, large enough only for a table and a little two seater sofa and stepped out onto the steps down into the garden. Pots of herbs lined the edges of the steps, and the lawn was cut into curved flower beds all around its edges, with a mix of perennial and annual plants. At the bottom a towering blue cedar provided some obstruction of the view down the valley from the house, but the drama it added far outweighed any issues Charlie had had with that. He’d also heard that the tree had been planted, as little more than a baby, by the couple who had owned the house before him when it was first built, and they’d lived in it together their whole lives. Alongside the garage there was a bistro-style table and chairs, with another set on a rough hewn patio in the bottom right hand corner where it was possible to look past the cedar and out along the valley to the river and the majestic wind turbines out in the direction of Addingham.
Charlie talked to Nick about each detail, describing some of the decisions, some of the history, pieces he’d inherited from the old couple who’d loved this house so much before him. Nick seemed engrossed, asking questions and staying engaged even as Charlie felt like he rambled uncontrollably. Nick seemed particularly enamoured with the stories of the previous owners of the cottage, and Charlie couldn’t help but find that endearing.
They took seats at the table on the end of the garden, sitting and just looking out over the valley, listening to the woodpigeons cooing in the cedar and the sheep down in the fields below them.
“I can tell why you fell in love with this place,” Nick said after they’d sat for a while, and their mugs were well and truly empty and nothing but crumbs were left on their plates. “It’s like settling into a warm bath, that sensation of exhaling after you’ve held your breath for a few seconds too long. I’m not explaining myself well. I just mean, it’s so peaceful.”
Charlie smiled as Nick cut himself off. “I know what you mean, Nick. It is peaceful, and that sensation of exhaling, it’s exactly how I feel when I sit here. I suppose you could say that ‘peaceful’ was the number one criteria I had when I was looking at houses.”
Nick nodded, and turned his head back out towards the fields.
“Don’t get me wrong, the house had its quirks. The previous owner was something of a tinkerer, apparently, and so the appliances, and some of the wiring, were clearly DIY-d to the point of being a little bit suspect, but it also has some absolutely beautiful details.”
Nick laughed, “what’s your favourite detail?”
“Most definitely the fact that the living room doesn’t have an overhead light fixture. The light switch is wired to the lamps, so it turns them on in sync. Saving me from both, never using the overhead light and from having to painstakingly walk around the room and turn on three lamps individually. Chef’s kiss, perfection.”
“Oh, that is genius.”
“Do you want to see?”
Does he want to see? Are you insane? Why would he want to see a light switch turn some lamps on? And even if he does, why would you invite him into the living room? Then what?
“Right this way,” Charlie said aloud, letting his inner monologue rage on. They walked back up through the garden, putting their mugs and plates in the sink as they went through the kitchen and into the living room on the front of the house. Piper followed at Charlie’s heels, settling onto a bed in the corner of the room as Charlie made a show of flipping the switch. Nick made appreciative noises as the three lamps came on, revealing the empty ceiling. Charlie watched as Nick looked around the room, taking in the small upright piano in the corner, the sofa along the far wall and the little wood burning stove in the fireplace.
Charlie sensed Nick’s attention draw down to the gaming system below the TV.
“You play?” Nick asked, indicating the controllers.
Charlie watched an embarrassed expression flash across Nick’s face at the question, since the answer was rather obvious.
“I do. You race?” Charlie asked, softly, wanting to reassure Nick that the question made sense.
“Absolutely. Shall we?”
“Hold onto your hat, Nick.”
They set up, and sat on the floor with their backs to the sofa. Something about gaming meant business and that meant sitting on the floor. Charlie took a race or two to gauge his competition, and then decided he wasn’t holding back, even for his crush. This was serious business and he wasn’t about to go easy on Nick. He had skill, just not as well honed as his own.
After a while, Nick squawked , “No! Charlie, can you just let me win one? How are you so good at this?” Nick paired his exasperated words with a nudge to Charlie’s shoulder, wrestling slightly to push Charlie’s controller up and around to distract him. It was too late, and Charlie’s character passed over the finish line to sirens and confetti on the screen. It wasn’t, however, gentle enough that the pair of them didn’t fall to the side, Nick ending up lying slightly on top of Charlie, both of them laughing and breathing hard as they worked, rather unhurriedly (Charlie noted with amusement) to untangle themselves. Oh fuck, he feels good. He can wrestle me anytime. Shut it down, Charlie! Piper huffed out a deep breath of judgement at the raucous behaviour from where she’d resettled herself on the sofa.
“I have a younger brother,” Charlie stammered, catching his breath and sitting up straighter beside Nick. “He required constant entertainment. Anyway, you get to be good at real sports, I get to be good at digital ones.”
“My rugby game sure had better be better than the performance I just put up there,” Nick laughed. “You trounced me!”
“Well, we can keep playing, you know. I presume you have this at home, maybe we can connect?”
“Sure, Charlie,” Nick said. Charlie let his eyes flicker over Nick’s face when he said that. Was that a blush? Is he blushing?
They put their controllers down and Nick started to get up from the floor.
“I suppose I should get out of your hair,” he said, in a bit of a hurry suddenly. Charlie tried, he really did, not to read too much into this. They’d had a hike, drunk tea, played a game, it had been a long day, Nick had every right to need to get home.
“Of course, absolutely,” Charlie acknowledged, clamboring to his feet.
He followed Nick to the front door, hovered while Nick put his shoes back on and then stood, awkwardly, at the door.
“See you around, Charlie,” Nick said as he reached for the door handle.
“Absolutely, Nick,” Charlie nodded. Stop saying ‘absolutely’, you dolt, you know other words! Nick looked hesitant, unsure how to arrange the moment. Charlie gave into the need for another of Nick’s spectacular hugs and reached up to pull the taller man in. He hummed in pleasure as Nick’s arms circled his waist and they stood like that for a second or two longer than felt truly platonic.
Piper had followed them out to the hall and let out a little huff. Nick released him, turning quickly and stepping out of the door, closing it behind him.
Charlie locked up, then went and collapsed onto the sofa, Piper dutifully hopping up beside him and laying her head on his curled up ankles.
“Oh Piper, I am in so much trouble. I think he may actually like me too, but oh my goodness what am I going to do if he does? What if he doesn’t and I’m just being utterly delusional?”
Piper released a heavy breath, the gush of air warm on his socked feet. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and blinked a few times.
“Well, thank you for that analysis, Pips. That doesn’t help, at all, but I appreciate that you’re here.”
She huffed again and he grinned, stroking her soft feathery ears.
“You’re right, I need advice. Isaac and Rae are apparently in enabler-mode, so Tao it is. He’ll be honest with me!”
Piper raised her eyebrows as if to indicate that that might not be exactly what was called for. “No, no, I know, bb. He’s tough but he’s fair. Dinner first, yes?”
Piper immediately hopped down off the sofa, looking back over her shoulder to make sure he was following.
“Coming, darling,” Charlie grinned.
Chapter 20: Solicited Advice
Summary:
Last Time: Tea and cake turned into video games. Charlie got a hint that Nick might be interested in being more than friends.
This Time: Charlie’s friends have a lot of opinions about where he and Nick stand, and it turns out Charlie agrees with them. Answers need to be sought.
Notes:
We are so close, friends and followers, the boys are dancing around this and Charlie’s friends have very strong opinions that it might just be time for Charlie to stop guessing. I have a feeling you are likely to agree with them. Let me know.
Thank you so much to the sparkling sparkles in my beta chat who help me talk through all the ways in which the boys keep messing with my outline. phlimsical, Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85, you are fabulous!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie waited until he had finished his dinner, cleaned the kitchen, with the dishwasher humming in the corner before making a mug of mint tea and heading to curl up on the sofa with Piper to call Tao. The man would absolutely still be up, and this time of day he’d not be disturbing their dinner.
Tao answered on the third ring.
“What’s he done now?” Tao asked without preamble.
“Argh, excuse you. What about, ‘How are you, Charlie?’ ‘How has life been treating you, Charlie?’ ‘How’s Piper, Charlie?’” Charlie laughed, indicating a series of alternative ways Tao could have answered the phone. “What makes you think he’s done something, or that I’m calling to talk about Nick?”
“Oh give over,” Tao scoffed, his words harsh but his tone friendly. “What do you want then? Why are you in a tizz? Either something happened and you weren’t sure you wanted it to, in which case let me know where to send the strongly worded DM. Or, something didn’t happen and you think you did want it to, in which case I need to know more.”
“Tao Xu, did you just use engineering logic on me?”
“What are you talking about, and how would I do that?”
Charlie tapped on his phone for a few seconds, finding the diagram that he remembered his grandfather referencing when trying desperately to find a way to connect with him by seeing if Charlie had any bent for tinkering with cars when he was a child. It hadn’t worked, but the diagram had proved useful to Charlie over the years.
“Oh well, looking at that, yes I did in fact use engineering logic on you, and I’m actually brilliant.” Tao said when he’d checked his texts and seen the picture.
“Back to me now, please, friend in crisis over here.”
“You are not in crisis, and even if you are, you haven’t answered me. Which is it? Don’t make me repeat myself. I will undoubtedly be less elegant and that will annoy me.”
“You don’t need to start penning your strongly worded DM, he’s done nothing wrong. In fact I think I almost did, but Piper saved me.”
“Say more things, Charles,” Tao said, meaning business as he settled in for a story.
“I let my idiot mouth get ahead of my even more idiot brain and spew a description of the country rules of a kissing gate at him while he was trapped inside one. Thankfully Piper came up to check on him and he was able to kiss the top of her head before I embarrassed myself even further, or worse made him think he needed to kiss me in order to come through the fucking gate. I’m such a twit! I cannot believe that I said that, or that we were able to salvage the rest of the afternoon.”
“Elle, you need to hear this!” Tao called out suddenly.
“Yes, you do, I need opinions on how badly I’ve fucked up. I cannot believe I talked about kissing gates when we’ve only actually seen each other in person three times!”
“Where exactly was this particular kissing gate?” Elle asked.
“The one at the top of Heber’s Ghyll.” Charlie said, curious where she was going with this and only sensing it too late to make up somewhere further afield.
“Oh yeh? Did you guys meet there? That’s a pretty easy stroll from your place, no?”
Just as he’d suspected, too late. “Yes, if you must know. He parked at mine and we walked up. He came in for tea and cake and then I trounced him at Mario Kart afterwards. Then he went home.”
“Is that what you wanted to happen?”
Charlie buried his face in his hands and groaned. “I don’t know, Elle. On the one hand, we’ve only physically met in person three times and that’s absolutely nothing. On the other hand we’ve been getting to know each other for months and months and we talk about everything. Just because he’s bi doesn’t mean he likes me like that - even if I’m starting to suspect he might.”
“You like him like that, yes?”
Charlie threw caution to the wind, if he couldn’t admit this to his best friends then who could he. So what that this was the first time he was saying it all to himself? “Fuck it, yes. He’s a fucking wet dream on legs, he’s sweet and clever, I want him to do really dirty things to me with his beard and he’s a fucking pediatric nurse.” Charlie let out a breath and drew in another larger one. Oh Jiminy fucking Crickets, that was a lot of words.
Elle squealed, and Tao gave a more reserved round of applause. “Proud of you, Charlie. Admitting it really is half the - something significantly more fun than a battle.” Elle cut in before Tao could say anything. “You know what you need to do, don’t you, Charlie bear?! You have to stop being so fucking vague. Ask him out, and don’t let him think it’s another casual walk between friends.”
“My darling Elle is correct, Charlie,” Tao added. “Stop waiting for him to ask you and see what he says. If he likes you too he’ll jump at the chance, and how could he not quite frankly, I mean really?!”
“Tao, darling, you’re getting off track,”
“Thank you, love. What was I saying, ah yes. How could he not? But, if he does just want to be friends it’ll be mildly awkward for a little while, okay maybe a lot awkward for a bit, but then you’ll go back to PG hikes and tea drinking.”
Charlie pondered their advice. They were right, obviously, but oof it was a lot to actually consider. They had a balance working at the moment, Nick was calling him when he needed to stay awake after long shifts, they were meeting up comfortably, he’d met Piper! Charlie didn’t want to mess with that. It was also increasingly obvious that the curiosity to find out if there was something more to it was just not about to slink back into its cave.
“Fuck the pair of you for being all unambiguously together and putting all of that so plainly - and being right.”
“We love you too, Charlie-bug,” Elle trilled affectionately. “Now, off you fuck and don’t overthink it. Just ask him! Then, if he says yes, we can be on standby to help you figure out the date itself.”
“Love you both! Talk soon.” Charlie smiled softly, a little shaky with all the emotions rolling around, but settled on one thing. He was going to ask Nick out, and this time, Nick was going to know it was a date.
🐑🐑🐑
Charlie ruminated on his conversation with Tao and Elle for several days. He chewed over the words to use, how he was going to phrase it, whether he was going to do it in an email or over the phone and what the connotations of each would be. He and Nick were still messaging back and forth most days, still sending emails even. Charlie was loath to mess with their growing friendship, but Tao’s words still resonated in his head and he knew that Elle was right too, he just had to ask and find out if this was all in his head.
In the end he didn’t use any of the planned words. He slipped the words do you want to go out with me, on a date? into a conversation they were having about the types of things they each put in their bean salad and it was somehow the most romantic thing he’d ever done. One minute they’d been discussing the ideal chickpea to edamame ratio and then the question was out there. Nick, to his credit, only faltered for a fraction of a second before eagerly accepting and casually acknowledging that he’d had his two best friends suggesting he do the same thing. Charlie let the implications of that sink in. Nick had been talking to his friends about him, and they’d had some version of the one he’d had with Tao and Elle. He smiled, a warm glow settling in his abdomen as they went back to talking about recipes and the ‘yes’ settled between them, awaiting a more firm plan.
🐑🐑🐑
Unfortunately for Charlie, Nick saying yes to a date didn’t stop the spiraling thoughts, it just shifted their focus and suddenly his entire brain was filled with the question of where to take Nick out on a date. He pondered this as he was making his super extra coffee in the morning. He flicked through his options while he was supposedly editing the damn book from his still over-eager author. He was still letting his mind wander around as he took his run with Piper that evening, managing to entirely miss the crashing of rugby players together in a scrum on the green as they jogged past.
Whatever they did it couldn’t be a walk. Activities to date had been walks and scrambles and while they’d been a lot of fun there was little opportunity for playing with an outfit when the intent was an elevated heart rate. Okay fine, yes there was, but that was different.
Once he was cleaned up after his run and settled on the sofa with a glass of wine he picked up his phone and called Isaac.
“Charlie!” Isaac said, eagerly, his face filling the screen, with Rae appearing at his shoulder seconds later. Charlie was grateful they were both there.
“Oh good, you’re both there.”
“Has he made a move yet?”
“Rrruuude,” Charlie tried, knowing he couldn’t roll his r’s as effectively as Rae and that this was sort of a signature. “No, he hasn’t.”
Rae just waited, the bastard was just sitting, knowing that Charlie would likely feel compelled to fill the silence.
Charlie tried to hold off but caved in an embarrassingly short time.
“No, he hasn’t,” he repeated. “It was sweet, and it still is, we haven’t talked about what we are, what we want, or anything like that. He’s dropping hints, though, and then he pulls away, and I am just going round in circles and I’m not sure how to interpret it all.”
“So he’s not given you any tongue, there’s been no fondling?”
“Rae! How is that helpful? No! If I wanted -”
“ If you wanted? Who exactly are you trying to kid, sir?
“If you’d let me finish,” Charlie waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Rae to tell him off for interrupting. Rae stuck his tongue out at him and blew him a kiss. “If you’d let me finish,” Charlie said again, “I’d have said, if I wanted to find out about the tongue I’d have asked him out and I’d just need to wait until Thursday night.”
Rae paused for a full five seconds before squealing and causing Isaac to almost drop the phone. The screen jerked as he tried to regain control while also saving his ear drum.
“Sorry, Isaac, I should have known they’d squeal when I said that and suggested you cover your ear.”
“It wouldn’t have helped, plus I’m fairly sure my arm just got squeezed clean off, but hey, who needs two of those?!”
“Babe, come on, you cannot expect me not to squeal when Charlie says he just asked Nick out!” Rae tried to look innocent and failed. “Anyway, none of this is important. Charlie tell us everything!”
Charlie did, laying out his conversation with Tao and Elle and then the fumbling way in which the actual question had been asked. “-Now I just need to pin down where I’m taking him.” Charlie finished.
“Oh, sure, and more importantly what you’re going to wear,” Rae added, the grin on his gentle face so wide Charlie was grinning too.
“Now you know why I needed to call you!” Charlie laughed.
“Talk us through what you were thinking?”
Charlie spent an hour with Rae talking through options, looking up restaurants, settling on the fancier of the two pubs, and then mentally flipping through his wardrobe to curate different outfits. Isaac smiled softly at them from over the top of his book and by the time Charlie hung up, and sent Nick a quick email with the details, he took himself off to bed feeling calmer than he had in days.
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
Day 26: Is That Me, Is That You, Are We? By Chescr
Chapter 21: Dinner at the Fleece
Summary:
Last Time: Charlie’s friends had a lot of opinions about where he and Nick stand, and it turned out Charlie agrees with them. Answers needed to be sought. So he sought them.
This Time: Charlie is ready, his outfit is fierce. He’s taking Nick Nelson out to dinner, and this time there is no question mark. This is a date.
Notes:
Alright folks, I know that you’ve all been patient with these two as they’ve navigated their unique meet-cute and their slowly developing friendship. Charlie took the bull by the horns and asked Nick out at the end of the last chapter and the time is now for a first date. I think Charlie planned a sweet evening, let me know your thoughts in the comments if you have the spoons. I love to hear from you!
Thank you so so much to my shining stars Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85. You’ve helped me navigate the slowness of this burn and the story is better for it, even as difficult as it’s been to nudge them to cooperate with the outline. This chapter, maybe in particular, became a balancing act, and I appreciate all the reassurances and flails.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie found that the calm that had resided in him since talking to Isaac and Rae didn’t dissipate the way that it inevitably would have in the run up to a date with anyone else. Sure, his stomach was doing somersaults and his heart rate was flickering around in the region of his belly button.
However, when he scrutinised the sensations they weren’t anxious. This was Nick. The man who had demonstrated his steadiness, honesty and whimsy from the first postcard sent to Charlie’s childhood soft toys. The man who had his mum check in on him on their first walk together, who dropped off baked goods and soup, and who Piper took to in mere seconds.
There had been no need to second guess with Nick. The way his personality had translated into the emails they’d exchanged, such that when Charlie had met him for the first time it honestly had not felt like the first time. It was time to settle the question, to take Nick out properly.
He studied himself in the mirror. Rae had helped him go through his wardrobe and they’d decided on his blue jeans, the ones that hugged him in the right places without being sprayed on, they were going to a pub after all. Anything more than jeans would be too dressed up for any of the pubs or restaurants in Addingham, and anyway, he wanted to be comfortable. Pairing the jeans, however, with his white shirt under a thin navy blue sweatshirt, both of which he’d artfully cropped to just above his belly button, would give the outfit the personality that it was going to need.
He knew that he’d been unambiguous this time, asked Nick out on a date, he was picking him up from his house. Still, he wanted to make sure that he looked like he was there for a date, and not just ready for another of their walks. He gave his hair one more practiced scrunch with his finger tips, gave Piper a last circuit of the garden, and then picked up his keys, phone and wallet and let himself out of the house.
Making the plans for this dinner, getting Nick’s address so that he could pick him up, choosing the place, there had been a lot to consider and not a huge number of options. He was happy with the choice, and ready to get there so that he could figure out if nerves even needed to factor.
He drove to Nick’s carefully, navigating to the address efficiently, grateful for the lack of traffic. He hadn’t fancied having to sit and drum his fingers on the wheel while figuring out how to get around a tractor, an almost daily peril of living in amongst this many farms. He pulled to a stop at the curb outside the little cottage that Nick was renting, sprays of honeysuckle adorned the dry stone wall at the front. He saw Nick’s car, his animal crew sitting sentry on the parcel shelf as always, and he fought the instinct to wave at them and say hi.
He walked up the little path to the front door and the knock had barely finished echoing before the door opened and Nick was standing there, his trademark grin lighting up his face as he took Charlie in. It was something Charlie vowed not to forget, the way that Nick looked at him in that moment. Any residual uncertainty evaporated into the warm evening air, swallowed by the honeysuckle and Charlie grinned back.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, smiling as he observed Nick’s outfit, his dark wash jeans, his white t-shirt that was just tight enough to show Charlie there was definitely more to explore. Nick had a pale blue shirt sleeved shirt, tastefully decorated in a white floral print, over the top. The shirt was open, and yet the entire outfit looked carefully planned and just the right side of formal. Nick was about to step out of the door when he and Charlie seemed to notice at the same time.
“Shoes,” they said together and then burst into laughter at how close Nick had come to walking out of the house barefoot.
Nick turned, grabbing a pair of socks off the bottom step and shoving his feet into a pair of black Vans.
“Right, I think that’s actually me ready now. Double check time.” He patted his pockets. “Wallet, phone, keys, oh yes, shoes.” He laughed and sighed as he walked out of the door and pulled it closed behind him. Charlie felt warm from the inside, there was something endearing about a man who didn’t take himself seriously, who could laugh in the face of a moment that could have been embarrassing and awkward.
“Right then, may I take you out now, Nick?”
“You may, Charlie. Where to?”
“Into the car, we’re heading to The Fleece.”
“We could walk.” Nick tried to argue.
“We could. But this is a date, and I’m picking you up and taking you out.” Charlie leaned to open the passenger door of his car and Nick, looking delightfully surprised by the gallant gesture, folded his tall frame into the seat, reaching down to pull an imaginary skirt out of the way of the door and folding it in his lap as Charlie moved to close it.
Oh fuck, Charlie intoned to himself as he walked around the car to slide in behind the wheel. He’s fucking perfect.
As would be expected, given the short distance from Nick’s house to the pub, they were there in minutes and Charlie slotted the car into a space in the car park. Charlie reached over Nick to still his hand as he made to open his own door, and Nick laughed again as Charlie got out of the car and walked around it to open Nick’s door for him.
“Why thank you, good sir,” he chirruped, extending his hand as if he were a maiden leaving a horse drawn carriage in a period drama and not Charlie’s red Renault Clio . Charlie took his hand gratefully, and didn’t let go as he closed the door behind Nick, clicked the button to lock it and led him into the pub.
“Table for two, in the name of Spring,” he said as they were greeted at the door by the smiles from the barman.
“Right this way,” the young man said as he grabbed two menus from a stack and led them into the quieter dining room towards the back of the building. The lighting was perfect, low and warm and bouncing delightfully off all the polished wood, brass and worn Yorkshire stone. The atmosphere was friendly, and there were enough other patrons to ensure that necessary amount of murmured chatter so that no table needed to feel self conscious.
Nick had apparently gotten the memo about the way that Charlie intended this date to go because he waited beside his chair for Charlie to pull it out from the table before sliding it in as Nick sat. Charlie caught the amused glint in the eye of the barman and took that as a sign. One had to buck trends sometimes and Charlie had never been one to live his life by the silly gender standards that ‘the girl’ needed to be the one who was treated like a princess.
Charlie moved around the table and sat.
“Can I get you gents anything?” He appeared to have magicked a bottle of water and two glasses out of nowhere and set these on the table.
“Absolutely.” Charlie nodded. “Nick, do you fancy starting with a pint, or a cocktail? I can’t go crazy, I’m driving, but we can start somewhere.”
“You know, I think I’m actually going to start with a G&T,” Nick responded to Charlie. Looking up at the barman he asked, “do you happen to have that one from Ilkley, the Wharfedale one with the heather?”
“Sadly, we don’t. I think the place you can pretty much guarantee to get that is the Flying Duck in Ilkley itself. We do have Gorgon’s and Tanqueray.”
“Understood, we’ll do the Flying Duck next time. A Tanqueray is fine. Charlie, what would you like?”
“I’ll do the same, thanks.”
“You’ve got it, someone will be with you to take your order.”
Charlie smiled as he watched the man leave their table with another smirk. Yes, he thought, a couple of queers and their ‘mother’s ruin’.
They spent a few quiet minutes perusing the menu and the silence felt easy and appropriate. Once they’d both seemed to settle on their food, exchanging a few inquiries about starters to share and their mains, they put the menus down and Charlie watched Nick steeple his fingers as if looking for something to do with them.
“Tell me about your week?” Nick asked. Charlie took a breath, letting the way that Nick used eye contact to connect wash through him.
“Oh where do I start?” Charlie launched. “I am still working with this one pretentious author who absolutely cannot use one word if there are eight artfully curated ones that he feels work better. I keep trying to tell him that the run-on sentences are actually detracting from the story and he is absolutely not hearing me. He’s not obliged to accept my edits, of course, but he would do well to. I know what I’m talking about. Anyway, outside of that, I went for a couple of runs with Piper, watched the rugby lads in the park, and spent some time perfecting a new dish.”
Their food arrived and they spent a few minutes faffing with napkins, condiments and passing each other salt and pepper shakers.
What followed was a moment verging on unfit for public consumption as both of them hummed their satisfaction with their meals.
“Do you want to try my shepherd’s pie?” Nick asked.
“Can I interest you in a bite of my fish?” Charlie proffered out his fork.
The pair passed forkfuls of their dish, and Charlie allowed the intimacy of the shared forks to settle over him. Nick’s pie was delicious, the flavours popping on his tongue.
“So, tell me about the rugby lads, I mean tell me about the new dish!” Nick said, laughing, when they were settled back into their meal and Charlie appreciated the levity, and his choice not to make Charlie dwell on his frustrating work week.
“It’s so simple, French onion soup, but with beans. It’s got all the comfort of French onion soup, but with protein from the beans and added something from miso paste that’s added at the end. Delicious. Oh, and I guess that word applies to the rugby lads too. They’re fun to watch.”
“That I can believe, on the recipe and the watching. Do you watch any of them in particular?”
Charlie smiled, it was so refreshing to see a man comfortable enough with his situation, that Charlie was here with him, that he wasn’t put off by Charlie mentioning a passing observation. He decided to throw Nick a little affirmation for being so accepting.
“Oh, definitely, but the rugby player I’m most interested in doesn’t appear to play for the Ilkley lads that I see on my runs.” Charlie made sure to keep the eye contact direct and flirty when he said this, so that Nick would have no way to misinterpret his meaning.
Nick did, and his grin widened, bringing out the warm tones in his eyes as the lamps lit his soft face. “Well, that’s a relief.”
“How do you fit in rugby practice when your shifts are all over the place?” Charlie asked, realising that in all their talks so far he’d not actually asked this.
“During the season I get really protective over practice days. I make the coach give me the schedule in advance so that I can basically preserve those days, and when the tosser puts me on anyway I find someone to switch shifts with me. It does mean I end up trading night shifts and such, shifts they don’t want to work, but it keeps me on the team, so I make it work.”
“How does it feel to be the man most dedicated to the team?” Charlie teased, softening his tone to ensure the tease shone through.
“You laugh, but I think I might actually be, sometimes. The guys are great, though, and it’s still the best way I know for getting my brain to be quiet.”
“That’s what running does for me, I can get out of my head, clear the cobwebs, focus on my feet and my breathing and my stride.”
“See, it’s all that for me, with the added bonus of being able to crash into people. Plus it’s good for releasing negative emotions.”
Charlie nodded sagely, “I can see that,” he said. “I’ll stick to running, and watching the rugby, thank you!”
“Would you want to come to a match?” Nick asked, suddenly eager.
“Of course, Nick,” Charlie assured him. “Come and watch my actual rugby lad crash into people in tiny shorts, sign me up!”
Nick laughed and a couple of people at neighbouring tables turned around to look. “Oops,” Nick smirked.
As they continued to eat and talk about absolutely anything and everything, Charlie marvelled that this was a first date. Acknowledging they weren’t starting from scratch the way a blind date would, this was so easy, so filled with laughter and common interests and while they seemed to see eye to eye on most things no topic was off limits and that in itself felt refreshing.
Their plates were collected by their lovely waitress, who smiled and asked if they wanted to see the pudding menu. After confirming that they most certainly did, Nick cleared his throat and said, “Changing the subject a little, because that one is dangerously becoming a little too exciting, what have you been watching lately, seen any good films?”
“You know, I really haven’t. I’ve skimmed in and out of a few, but nothing’s been capturing my attention. I’ve been rewatching comfort TV instead. Grace and Frankie, the first season because it was the best season!”
“You’re so right about that, the rest of that series were good, but nothing beat that first one.”
Throughout their pudding, sticky toffee pudding for Charlie and apple crumble with ice cream for Nick, they exchanged their favourite scenes, quoting lines to each other and generally fangirling over Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
Charlie laid his hand, palm up, on the table and was delighted when, exactly as he’d intended, Nick reached over to hold it. The touch was soft, nothing tight or grasping, just a gentle brush of fingers that made Charlie’s nerves fire and his skin fizz.
Charlie felt his breath catch a little, felt it get a little harder to follow Nick’s side of the conversation, his entire consciousness seemed to be moving down to where their hands were joined across the table, to the way that Nick was absentmindedly brushing his thumb across Charlie’s knuckles.
He came aware long enough to brush Nick off when he tried to pay. “I asked you out, Nick, I am paying.” Nick took this in his usual good natured manner, and tucked his wallet back into his pocket.
As they stepped out into the summer cool of the evening, listening to the night sounds of the countryside all around them and breathing in the fresh air Charlie decided that he had one more question he was fairly confident he knew the answer to. He wanted to just ask, but that wasn’t really their thing, they asked searching questions and so he rephrased it, as they walked slowly towards Charlie’s car, their hands clasped together.
S ticking with the film theme he turned to Nick and asked, “If your life were a film, what would the audience be yelling at the screen for you to change right now?”
Nick stopped walking, his breathing notably more shallow. He used their joined hands to tug Charlie so they weren’t side by side but facing each other, and looked directly into Charlie’s eyes. The outdoor lights of the pub and the well-lit carpark making it easy for them to see every detail of the rapt expressions on their faces.
“They’d be yelling at me that I should kiss you,” he said before quickly following up, “after I got your consent and confirming you were wanting to do the same thing, of course.”
Charlie took one more deep breath. Of course Nick would factor in consent and wouldn’t just snog him, even in an imaginary film-scenario. “What if you had that?” he asked.
“Charlie?”
“Nick.”
The next thing Charlie knew Nick’s hands were on his exposed waist, and Charlie had swung his arms up to rest on Nick’s shoulders, his wrists linking around the taller man’s neck. Charlie stood up on tip toes as Nick leant down, just slightly, closing the distance as their lips brushed softly together in a kiss that would go down in history as the most sensual kiss of Charlie’s entire life.
Charlie’s mind swirled. Nick is kissing me. I’m kissing Nick. These are not platonic kisses on the cheeks or quick pecks on the lips between queer besties. These are slow sensual kisses that have potential to spin themselves into an inferno if we fuel them too much more. He kisses like he wants this to go on all night, like he’d be happy to just kiss for hours. How the fuck did a man like this come into my life?
They kissed until neither of them could breathe.
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
Primavera by Yee_333
All I ever wanted by zippydoodaa
I'll Eat Her Alive by PoppySquad
Chapter 22: Kisses, Kisses and More Kisses
Summary:
Last Time: Charlie was ready, his outfit was fierce. He took Nick Nelson out to dinner, and this time there was no question mark. This was a date.
This Time: They’re still kissing.
Notes:
Thank you all for coming with me on this journey as a true deep friendship bloomed and Nick and Charlie actually took their time. They have, of course, kissed now and trying to get them to do much besides kissing (except of course more than kissing) has my outline in absolute ruins. Without further a do here’s a chapter with all the kisses.
Thank you love bugs! Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 you are my ever present cheerleaders, talking me through all the ways the boys want to mess with their plot I’ve got laid out for them.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie’s mind completely short circuited, all thoughts ceasing as sensation took over and he let himself float. There had been kisses in his life, okay a while ago, but there had been kisses. This was nothing like any of them. It was a soft, tender, exploration of lips on lips. Nick’s lips, while Charlie was on the subject, were so perfectly pert and pink and precious.
Nick’s hands had come around his waist and his strong fingers were splayed out on his back, tucked just under the loose hem of the cropped shirt-jumper combo top that Charlie was wearing. The grip wasn’t tight so much as it was affirming, Nick’s skin was dry and warm, his thumbs moving in lazy arcs up and down Charlie’s exposed hip flexors.
Charlie let his fingers tangle gently in the hair at the nape of Nick’s neck, assessing the soft strands before allowing himself the indulgence to run his own fingers through the sweeping fringe that fell periodically into Nick’s eyes. He mirrored the gesture he’d seen Nick make when this happened and smiled softly against Nick’s lips.
“What’s funny?” Nick asked, breaking the kiss without withdrawing far, seemingly reluctant to put too much distance between them.
Charlie let his eyelashes flutter as he looked up into Nick’s curious expression. “Nothing. I couldn’t resist playing with your fringe. You have this little practiced gesture, I don’t even know if you know you do it, raking your fingers through it to get it out of your eyes. Urgh, so hot!”
“Okay, not what I was expecting, but now I’m definitely going to do it more often!”
“I should absolutely not have told you that, should I?”
“Potentially not, but I’m glad you did.”
Charlie reached up to touch his lips to Nicks again, closing his eyes as Nick returned the pressure, both of them soaking up the touch as if this had been the one thing missing from their lives. Which, Charlie supposed, it had been.
The next time he came up for air he knew that there was a silly smile on his face that he couldn’t have rewritten, even if he’d been inclined to try. He wasn’t. Nick raised an eyebrow in question.
“This is just so surreal, and yet it’s maybe one of the most groundingly real things that I’ve ever experienced,” Charlie acknowledged. ‘Not even sure groundingly is a word, but I’m going with it!”
Nick’s expression registered the contradiction in his words, but he also nodded. “I know what you mean.”
Words ceased to sufficiently describe the emotion so they both stopped trying as Nick leaned down and Charlie was wrapped up in the sensations once more. The soft, delicate touch of Nick’s lips on his, pressing sensually against Charlie’s own. The firm grip of Nick’s warm hands around his waist, gently stroking up his spine over his clothes and back down.
The evening air was warm and filled with the smells of the grass in the fields all around them, and the wisteria climbing the walls of the Yorkshire stone pub behind them. That warmth was nothing compared to the heat radiating off Nick’s body as he stood in front of Charlie.
Neither of them seemed to be in a hurry to deepen the kiss. Charlie’s hands couldn’t decide where to settle and he wasn’t rushing them, letting them explore the shape of Nick’s muscles under his shirt, the short hairs at the nape of his neck, the way that his beard felt against his palm.
Their heads had instinctively tilted to ensure that there was no collision of noses, their eyes closed against the delicious onslaught of sensation. Their lips, still slowly exploring, pressing and feeling and touching, were eventually not enough and Charlie let his eyes flicker open. He wasn’t surprised to see Nick’s eyes were open too and Charlie sent a question in a glance that instantly made Nick’s eyes glow with an inner fire. The micro nod of his head was all Charlie needed to let his eyes drift closed and open his mouth, letting the tip of his tongue out to taste along Nick’s top lip.
Then he let out a sigh of his own as Nick’s tongue emerged too and they both stepped a little closer together. Charlie wound his arms around Nick’s neck, locking his wrists over each other to hold them still, and the warmth of Nick’s steady frame against his slender one was almost overwhelming. The two of them rocked against each other, lips sliding, arms tightening, tongues exploring and there was nothing else in the world.
“Ta-wit-ta-woo!”
The call came from across the carpark as a group of lads exited the pub, light spilling out of the doors.
Charlie pulled his face back from Nick’s to look around at the source, Nick’s hands not loosening or letting him move far. Both of them looked over and saw the grins and smirks on the faces of their onlookers and so Charlie grinned back, flipping them off good naturedly and pulling Nick back down for another quick kiss.
The spell had evaporated, at least a little, yet the urge to continue to explore Nick was still very much in the forefront of his mind.
“Should we…take this somewhere else?” he asked, a little breathless.
Nick’s cheeks were flushed, his lips a warm pink and kiss swollen, his hair a little disheveled from Charlie’s hands running through it. His chest was rising and falling and he smiled, softly.
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Charlie grinned, knowing his own appearance must match Nick’s and not caring one bit as Nick took his hand. They walked over to Charlie’s car and Charlie, once again, opened Nick’s door for him, waiting for Nick to pull his imaginary skirts out of the way of the door before closing it and walking around the car to get in behind the wheel.
“That’s one win for my imagination,” he said, as he put the key in the ignition and the engine purred to life.
“What’s that?” Nick inquired, smiling.
“I had a feeling you’d be an amazing kisser.”
Charlie reversed out of the space and set off in the direction of Nick’s cottage. The journey was quick, Nick had been right that they could have walked, and far too soon Charlie was pulling up against the curb behind Nick’s car.
Nick looked over as Charlie turned off the ignition.
“Do you want to come in for a cup of tea?”
“I am going to resist that particular temptation, for tonight. Even though the idea is one of the most tempting things since you said that your off screen fans would be yelling at you to kiss me.”
Nick laughed, and Charlie melted further, his resolve to be a gentleman and not go in on a first date slipping slightly in the wake of the way Nick’s laughter filled him up.
“Are you trying to say that your answer to that question would have been any different? I’m fairly sure imaginary folks have been yelling at us to get a move on since we went on our first walk, most definitely the second. By the time I came in to meet Piper it was definitely an expectation. I had to take myself home just to get them to stop screaming in my head.”
Charlie’s eyes widened at the revelation, which might have been a little more than Nick had intended to share.
“That explains so much, Nick. I sort of figured you’d hit a self imposed curfew or something.”
“Oh my goodness, I must have looked like a lunatic.”
“Don’t be silly, not at all. I’m not saying that this doesn’t help me put it in context and reassure me I didn’t do anything to make you dash off.”
“You absolutely didn’t.” Nick’s eyes are on Charlie’s in the dim light inside the car cast by the street light ahead of them. Charlie reached his left hand out to take Nick’s across the gear stick and they interlaced their fingers. “I have really enjoyed getting to know you, your emails and our calls are such a window into who you are and I couldn’t bear to be that person who made it all weird by introducing the idea that we could be kissing if you wanted to just be friends. Then you asked me out, in the middle of a random conversation about salad. We’re going to need a better story about that if we’re ever going to tell people, by the way. Since then I have holding onto all the restraint I possess to not have reached out and kissed you the minute you arrived at the door.”
“First of all, screw you, that was a romantic way to ask you out, we were in the middle of a domestic conversation and it didn’t exactly seem to slow you down saying yes. Second of all, who are you so eager to tell that is going to need a ‘better’ story?”
“You know, you’re probably right. My mum wouldn’t believe me if I told her it happened any other way, to be fair.”
Charlie laughed. “You haven’t told your mum?’
Nick looked a little chagrined, hiding a soft smile and ducking his eyes down.
“Oh my goodness, you haven’t. She was your bail out call when we met up the first time, how does she not know about this?”
Nick took a deep breath and held tighter to Charlie’s fingers. “My mum is amazing, and she knows just enough to be dangerous with the knowledge that you’d asked me out. I think I needed to have this evening without all her advice in my head, not that I won’t hear it when I tell her. Tara and Darcy put enough thoughts in my head, helping me pick out my outfit and talking me through the restless energy to get through today until you arrived.”
“Isaac and Rae had to do that for me.”
“Are you sure you’re not coming in? It’s okay, of course, I just …”
“You just what, Nick?”
“I’m just not sure that I’m ready for this evening to be over.” Nick said, the words coming out quickly, as if having decided to say them he needed to do so quickly to avoid them getting stuck.
Charlie melted, his resolve slipping. He realised he didn't want the evening to end either. Charlie don’t be a prick, going in for a cup of tea does not mean you have to fall into bed. You have self control and you don’t even know that’s what he means. Stop being so presumptuous and say yes.
“That’s sweet, and I’m not sure that I am either. Tea sounds good.”
Nick’s eyes lit up and he made as if to open the door before sensing Charlie clicking his tongue against the back of his teeth in a tut-tut-tut and placing them on his lap. Charlie walked around the car to open Nick’s door, extending a hand for Nick to take as he stepped from the car. They kept their hands linked as Nick walked him up the path. He’d left on some lamps so the cottage was warmly lit as they entered and toed off their shoes in the entryway.
“Back here for the kitchen," Nick said as he guided Charlie through to the pretty room. The Aga in the corner was an unexpectedly classic feature, but Charlie was fond of the charm it gave the room.
Nick let go of Charlie’s hand as he bustled about setting a kettle on the hot plate of the Aga and getting out mugs and tea bags.
“Remind me how you take your tea?” Nick asked, over his shoulder as he moved towards the fridge.
“Splash of milk and I’m all set.”
Once the teas were made they stepped through into the snug little living room and sat down on the sofa. For a few minutes they just sat and sipped, blowing across the surface of the tea. They talked about little things, the conversation flowing with ease as the cosy room wrapped them in familiarity.
Charlie let his eyes glance around the room, taking in the few photographs of younger Nick, pictures of him with his rugby team, and a couple that had clearly been taken at the hospital with the other nurses he worked with. There was one, on the mantlepiece, of an older lady who had Nick’s colouring and a smile that Charlie would recognise anywhere.
“Is that your mum?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“That’s her, the unparalleled Sarah.” Nick confirmed with a smile.
“You look so like her.”
“Well, I won the lottery there then, because the alternative would be that I look more like my Dad, and while looks are not everything, that surly dude is not who I want to emulate.”
Charlie put down his now empty mug on the coffee table, finding a space for it between the medical journals, game console controllers and the stack of what looked like well read books. He watched, amused, as Nick did the same. Both of them apparently eager to have their hands free as they reached for each other. Charlie felt Nick tug him, just slightly, suggestively, and he eagerly moved close on the sofa. A shared glance between them held an entire conversation and assent was granted as they both nodded and then their lips were touching again.
There was no doubt there was more heat now. They were in private, they had experienced the slow and easy first kisses and these kisses felt as though electricity was crackling between them, running to ground through their socked feet on the carpet. Charlie couldn’t remember an attraction making him feel this lit up, this integral to his happiness.
This time their tongues were involved from the beginning, dancing gently as they tasted each other. Their hands were everywhere, too, Charlie’s hands splayed out over Nick’s pecks, his thumbs running along Nick’s collarbones under the collar of his shirt.
They kissed, and kissed, and went on kissing and Charlie felt like a teenager. Back when there was so much time for kissing, for the pure and simple joy of just kissing and touching. Nick seemed happy to stay at this level too, he was giving Charlie no pressure to take next steps, to push for more, and Charlie appreciated that.
Eventually, Nick pulled his lips away from Charlie’s, only to rest their foreheads together and kiss the tip of Charlie’s nose.
“I know.” Charlie acknowledged in a breathless whisper. “It’s time I went home.”
Nick let his head nod, not removing the contact of their foreheads. Smiling softly, his lips swollen and pretty in the lamp light in the quiet room of the cottage.
Charlie leant forward, capturing Nick’s mouth in one more steamy kiss before pulling away and getting up off the sofa.
He walked to the front door and tugged his shoes on.
“I had a really lovely time tonight, Nick,” he said, emphatically.
Nick smiled at him and took his hands, bringing each one up to his mouth and kissing the knuckles. “I had a really lovely time tonight too, Charlie,” he whispered.
“Sleep well.”
“You too.”
“One more kiss for the road?” Charlie asked, a little smirk playing on his lips.
Nick seemed not to mind the cheeky ask as he drew Charlie in and kissed him deeply on the lips before kissing his cheeks, his forehead and finally dropping a second kiss the tip of Charlie’s nose.
“Best first date, ever!”
“Drop me a text, when you get home, so I know you made it?”
“That is too sweet, but yes of course.”
Charlie swooned his way back to the car, strapped in and waved to Nick as he stood in the doorway of his cottage watching Charlie pull away.
Well, that cinches that, doesn’t it? Charlie thought to himself as he took to the country lanes to wind his way back to Ilkley. He’s sexy as fuck … and a gentleman. That is a fucking deadly combination and I cannot wait to explore that - him - more!
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
Just Those Two by emmyarcher
Nothing Toulouse by TheIrishGirl
Chapter 23: After a Perfect Date
Summary:
Last Time: They were still kissing
This Time: Charlie celebrates a successful date and has a download conversation with Isaac and Rae
Notes:
I am so so happy that you all enjoyed all the kissing. These two definitely did and it will come as a surprise to no one that now that they’re kissing, they’re vocalising their intent to do a lot more of that. Stay tuned to see where things progress from here.
Thank you so much, as always, to my treasures Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 who keep me grounded and brainstorm with me when there are questions about pace or activities.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie drove with both hands on the wheel and his eyes wide open. While Yorkshire is famous for its narrow winding country lanes that were technically two way but with actually one one lane and high hedges either side to impede visibility, the roads between Addingham and Ilkley were main thoroughfairs. Even given that, he put energy into focusing on the road in a way he didn’t typically need to. His brain was fizzing and his nerve endings still tingled in the aftermath of a date that simply could not have gone better.
Any questions about whether Nick liked him back had evaporated, doubts about whether or not he wanted to be more than friends were gone and in their place was a gently simmering certainty that the kisses they’d shared were just a preamble.
Fuck, even the way he’d kissed had been respectful. Far too often, it seemed, there was a race to introduce the tongue into the equation very early on, and inelegantly at that. Nick hadn’t gone straight for grabbing at Charlie’s bum or taking liberties with where he touched either. He’d been handsy enough to show Charlie he was wanted, without taking it too far, and Charlie shivered at the way these simple decisions had made him feel seen.
Charlie pulled onto the steep driveway and parked the car. He let himself in through the front door and was greeted with Piper’s nose at his hand immediately.
“Hi there, baby girl, did you miss me? I wasn’t gone that long, was I?” he asked her gently as he moved through, unlocking the back doors and letting her out into the garden for a final patrol before they hunkered down. “I suppose I was a bit longer than I said, I did get talked into a post dinner cup of tea and a cheeky snog, but Pips you wouldn’t have been able to resist him when he asked either.” Piper huffed out a breath down her nose, indicating her disdain at Charlie’s apparent lack of self restraint. “Oh don’t give me that,” he said to her, grinning. “You’ve met him once and went and snogged him through that kissing gate. Don’t you worry, that was not the moment for our first kiss, so I’m grateful for you taking one for the team there, but don’t you think I didn’t notice you sheep-dog corralling him off that ledge.”
Piper turned her back on him, apparently not a fan of having her own hypocrisy pointed out to her, and led the way upstairs.
“You may want to settle on your bed for a bit, Pips,” Charlie said as they made their way into his room.
Charlie made quick work of disrobing, scrubbing a toothbrush over his teeth and an abbreviated version of his skincare routine. He had another, rather more urgent need to take care of and as he got into bed he reached immediately for the drawer in his bedside table. Letting his mind drift back to the way that Nick had kissed him once they were on his sofa, Charlie found his imagination swimming away into a future where decorum and pacing had no place.
🔥
Nick’s hands were under his shirt, fingers splayed over his scapula as his lips were on Charlie’s in a kiss that had heated up in nanoseconds. Charlie’s breath caught in his throat when Nick’s leg came up and over his hips as Nick straddled him. Nick’s hands were still at his back, now trapped between Charlie and the back of the sofa, the fingers wrapping up over his clavicles as the kisses deepened and Charlie moaned into Nick’s mouth. Charlie’s own hands were unable to choose a spot. They strayed up and down Nick’s back, they were holding him by his firm arse and they were roaming around his sides to brace against his chest.
Nick’s weight above him was being expertly held off by his thighs and Charlie marvelled at the restraint, even as he appreciated it, but he also wanted more. He used his hips to thrust up into Nick’s groin and moaned as he felt the answering hardness there, which mirrored his own.
Clothes ceased to be a thing they needed so they were no longer a barrier and Charlie took in the sight of the impressive man above him as their skin met and ground together. Their lips had barely stopped kissing as they’d shed the clothes and only for long enough to remove offending garments and cast them aside.
Nick came up off his lap and encouraged him onto his knees, his arms braced along the back of the sofa, a towel having appeared below them, and Nick’s hands roaming along his back as he shivered in anticipation. The trail of kisses down his spine led deliciously to the feeling of cool lube at his entrance, followed almost immediately by the gentle but insistent intrusion of a couple of fingers, which were even more efficiently replaced by Nick’s cock.
Charlie gasped, then breathed through the adjustment before looking over his shoulder to see the blown pupils and blissed out expression on Nick’s beautiful face as he bottomed out.
“Get down here and kiss me!” Charlie insisted as Nick bent over his back, the added weight and skin contact adding to Charlie’s grounding and deep sensations. Their lips collided in a kiss that was all passion and no finesse as Nick slowly started to move.
The tempo built and far too soon Charlie was yelling into his arms on the back of the sofa and coming all over the conveniently placed towel beneath him as Nick pulsed away inside him, and they were both gasping for breath and clutching at each other as they came down from their high.
🔥
Charlie’s chest was covered in a sheen of sweat and he was grateful for the towel he had in fact brought in from the bathroom to streamline cleanup. He withdrew the dildo and turned it off, gasping for breath and letting his mind and body still.
Fuck, where had that come from? Charlie was used to having men make assumptions about him. His stature almost always made them assume he exclusively bottomed and that he would be decorous and acquiescent in bed. The early part of that fantasy, where Nick had straddled him on the sofa, had felt so hot that Charlie had almost come then and there. Any fantasy in which a man saw him as an equal was always at the top of his hit list, and something about the way that Nick had kissed him tonight made him feel like he might actually be an exception to the rather sad rule.
Once he had his breathing under control, he cleaned up and settled back down in the bed. Piper, sensing that things were going to be calmer now, hopped up and settled into her usual spot at his feet.
“Pips,” he whispered to her in the dark before falling asleep, “I really like him.”
A soft snore met his words and he smiled as he let himself drift off to join her.
🐑🐑🐑
Charlie let himself take a few days before calling any of his friends, and through some sort of miraculous show of self-restraint, likely driven by Elle and Isaac respectively, his friends didn’t call him. He’d heard from Nick, but Nick was back into a tricky shift pattern and so opportunities were sporadic and it was almost just as well, giving Charlie some time to process.
His mind had spun, holding onto all the ways in which the date had felt so natural, the ways the kisses had made him feel and the respect he had for both of them in having called off the evening at kisses.
It was Rae, inevitably, who broke first and Charlie smiled when he saw his friends’ photo appear on his phone with the incoming video call.
“Hi, hello Rae my love, how are you?” he answered, letting his tone lilt with the affectionate terms.
“Don’t you give me, Rae my love, you fucker. Not when you’ve kept me in suspense for literal days!” Rae’s retort was pointed, and would have come across much more hurt were it not for the grin he was sporting. “The only reason you have not heard from me before now is because my beloved kept insisting that if it had gone badly we’d have heard from you by now.”
“Your beloved is quite correct there,” Charlie acknowledged, grateful for the way that Isaac knew him so well.
“That doesn’t help, you wanker, I want to hear the good news too, I need gossip, I need all the tea and you need to tell me now!”
“Well, why don’t I start by saying that wanker is nowhere near the insult you think it is and was in fact how the night ended,” Charlie said, smirking as Rae’s face settled as they realised they were actually going to get the details they craved.
“You saw him naked already? Good going, Charlie!!” Rae exclaimed.
“No, you dirty fucker!” Charlie shot back, laughing. “I came home alone and still in the exact same state of dress as I’d left. We did, however, have an absolutely impeccable meal. The Fleece over in Addingham, by the way, absolutely somewhere we’re going next time you guys come up the food was amazing.”
“Shut up about the twatting food, could you, and tell me more about the man.”
“Alright alright, el-impatient-one! I picked him up at his place, opened his doors for him, which I think surprised him. We had a really great meal and then we had a really great first kiss. Okay, so that was in the carpark of the pub, and maybe not the most romantic of locations, and it got interrupted by a bunch of lads leaving the pub.”
Rae’s face, which had been flashing impatience with soft smiles as Charlie had told the beginning of the story, pinched with anxiety at the mention of lads interrupting their kiss, so Charlie raced to reassure them.
“No, no, don’t worry. For whatever reason this particular group of Yorkshire twats were cool, jeering with smiles and wolf whistles, and very good naturedly fucked off when I flipped them off and kissed Nick again.”
“Fuck, maybe there’s hope for the human race yet,” Rae breathed out, relief in the spread of his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth. “Alright, go on then, so you had your picture perfect snog and then what?”
Charlie went on to describe the rest of the evening and Rae ooh-ed and ahh-ed in all the places Charlie had known they would. Periodically, whenever Rae stayed still long enough, Charlie could see Isaac in the background, taking in the story from over the top of his book.
“So yeh,” Charlie finished, “it was absolutely the best first date, ever!”
Rae jostled the phone to the point where it got confiscated by Isaac, and his gentle face filled the screen as it steadied.
“I’m so proud of you, Charlie,” Isaac said, his voice soft and even. “You really leant into that, letting Nick know this was a real possibility and then actually giving yourself permission to be on a date.”
“I really did,” Charlie said, a little wonder in his voice. “It was just … easy.”
“I love that for you, you’ve definitely liked many a stupider person.”
“Don’t you pull out the Jane Austin on me, Isaac!” Charlie moaned. “You’re right, but still, ouch!”
Isaac laughed and the pair settled good naturedly into their banter. Rae had apparently calmed down and hooked their face over Isaac’s shoulder to get back into the screen.
“So,” Isaac started, “when are you seeing him next?”
“I’m meeting up with him and his two mates for brunch on Sunday. He has a rare weekend day off and already had plans with them but is now insisting that I come. Sort of feel like I’m crashing their time, but also trying to see it as him wanting to share them with me and vice versa, so I’m trying to let it go.”
“Good for you! I didn’t even have to talk you through that!”
“Cheeky fucker, I am capable of adulting all on my own you know!” Charlie exclaimed, indignantly.
Isaac laughed, “to date, my friend, that has remained to be seen, but clearly this man is a good influence if he’s managed to get you to that spot, so I say press on!”
They managed to change the subject, Isaac and Rae catching Charlie up on their work projects and the vegetable garden that Rae was proudly cultivating in their postage stamp of a back garden. By the time they hung up Charlie was soaring on the wave of his friends’ support, and eagerly counting down to the weekend when he would be seeing Nick again.
🐑🐑🐑
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
September 25 - A collection of collection of drabbles, in which several of us are writing a drabble a day for September
Flat white, oat milk by aprms
we're not together by kaalee
Chapter 24: Anything You Want to Share?
Summary:
Last Time: Charlie celebrated a successful date and had a download conversation with Isaac and Rae
This Time: Charlie spends some time catching up with his siblings. There are plans afoot for some more introductions and he needs to talk it through.
Notes:
After a great date, finding ways to talk to the important people is something that requires some time to digest and own it all. Who do you like to share your glimmers with?
Thank you so much to my twin stars for always flailing and brainstorming with me as this fluffity story has evolved. Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 you’re wonderful.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It was a few days after the date. Nick and Charlie had been texting almost non-stop, with slower periods when Nick’s phone was buried at the nurses station so he could actively focus on his patients. The flirt-o-meter was sizzling at a steady level that had Charlie’s blood fizz in a rather deliciously tantalising way. The sensation was new and it felt rather heady, in all its bright shiny newness. It wasn’t even as if they were bright, shiny or new to each other, far from it really. They’d shared way more in their early emails than Charlie might have with someone he’d only known for such a short time, and while that still remained a bit of a mystery Charlie was done trying to make it make sense.
He’d just settled in on the sofa with a glass of wine and was trying to choose between Jonathan Creek and Death in Paradise for a bit of a who-done-it evening when his phone rang. He checked the screen and smiled, it was about time. He clicked accept and looked around for somewhere to prop up the phone as his sibling’s faces settled on his screen.
“Charlie, Charlie, Charlie,” Olly started with a tone in his voice that indicated he had stories to tell that Tori would insist on being absent for.
“Olly, Olly, Olly,” Charlier replied. “Anything you want to share with both of us?”
Olly’s face scrunched as he considered this, before settling on a sly grin and a shake of his shaggy head. “Nah, this can wait until Tori ultimately gives up on me and drops off the call.”
“A concession for your sister’s delicate ears, finally!” Tori intoned, feigning an impressed emphasis to her voice even as her expression indicated she’d believe he’d hold off until she actually saw him pull it off. Charlie nodded, this was fair.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of both of your company this fine evening?” Charlie tried to act innocent.
He took in the glares from both of his siblings and burst out laughing. “Fine, what do you want to know?”
“Charles Frances Spring, you text us AGES ago to say that you put your big boy panties on and asked Nick out, that the date is happening and then what? You fall off the face of the planet, which you can’t do because of, well, gravity.”
“Olly, love, you sometimes just have to let a phrase do its job without embellishing it with scientific accuracy.”
“Never!” Olly stated, looking wildly offended. “It’s nonsensical, I mean, come on…”
“Yes, yes, I know. That one I do get. Let’s let them have their whimsy, shall we? Anyway, if you want details then you need to let me get a word in.”
Olly and Tori both simultaneously mimed zipping their lips and throwing away imaginary keys. Charlie resisted pointing out that most zips don’t have keys that can be thrown lest it set Olly off again.
“I took him out. Picked him up at his place and took him to The Fleece in Addingham. Let’s just say, the food was amazing, the conversation didn’t stop for a second and none of that was the best part of the night.”
“Oh my goodness, Charlie Spring, putting out on a first date, has the world stopped spinning?”
“Aargh, Olly!” Charlie laughed. “Not all of us have your game, Olls,” he said, to soften his reaction.
“How many first dates have you been on that did not involve you getting laid, little brother?” Tori started, before immediately adding, “strike that, do not answer that question I do not want to know and while some people would smirk and say something like ‘wouldn’t you like to know’ you are actually trying to think of a number.”
It was Olly’s turn to look aghast. “Dearest sister of mine, I am offended that you think that I would need to think hard to figure out the answer to that question.”
“Yes, yes, and the small-ness of the number is another reason I do not need specifics. Pretend I didn’t ask! Charlie, tell us more.”
“We’ve been asking each other these sort of random questions, ones that sort of get you to share something random about yourself. I asked him what the audience would be yelling at him if he were a film character. He said they’d be yelling at him to kiss me. Then he did.”
Tori rolled her eyes at the sweetness, before letting a small smile take over her face. Olly was grinning wildely and kicking his feet below the camera such that his torso shook with the vibration.
“Alright, I’m using that, that’s got potential for all sorts of answers.”
“Depends on whether we’re talking about a Hollywood blockbuster or a porno, but sure!” Tori retorted before squeezing her eyes shut. “Charlie, don’t tell me what his face is doing, I just gave him ideas, didn’t I?”
Charlie laughed out loud as he looked into Olly’s increasingly intrigued face. “Yeh, don’t open your eyes yet, Tori. There are bawdy thoughts happening in his head and he’s not fit for sisterly consumption right now.” To Olly he said, “knock it off, Olls, save those thoughts for Canal street.”
Olly shook his head reluctantly, but did as Charlie suggested and fixed his face. “Fine. I’ll stop, but that means that you need to keep talking, big brother. You got all puritanical and offended when I suggested you got laid, you were telling us you had a perfect date and he kissed you. Then what?”
“Then nothing. I took him back to his house, and we kissed some more on the sofa, and then I drove home.”
“That’s really sweet, Charlie,” Tori said. “See, Olly, doesn’t always have to be about sex.”
“No, it doesn’t have to be, but it sure is fun when it is,” Olly agreed with a smirk. “Still, I’m happy for you, Charlie. It’s been a while since you let yourself connect with someone at all. The silly smile on your face suggests that this guy’s making you happy.”
“He is. I don’t know how to explain it, don’t really have any idea how this all evolved from the most random postcard, but it’s as if we were supposed to know each other. I can tell him things, and he shares things with me. It’s like there’s no judgement, no assumptions.”
“We’re happy for you, little brother,” Tori said, her voice soft and full of more emotion than she’d be happy for him to acknowledge. He knew she worried, so he let her have her feelings without pointing them out. Olly stayed uncharacteristically quiet and let the moment pass without teasing her.
“Anyway, how are you two?” Charlie asked, shifting the focus. They talked for a while longer. Tori sharing stories from Michael’s latest tour, Olly giving them an update on some of the cases he’s been dealing with, and trying hard to avoid sharing too much about his sex life to spare Tori’s sensibilities. It was clear he had things to share, though, and she did - as Olly had predicted - leave them to it, after telling them both she loved them.
“Alright, Olls, share away.”
“Do you remember last time, I mentioned that I had found that guy and that girl and I couldn’t pick between them so I didn’t?”
“I remember.” It had been a while since Olly had mentioned a conquest in a repeating pattern, so Charlie was intrigued.
“We’re sort of - together.” Olly paused before the last word, acknowledging the unusual word on his pierced tongue. “I mean, we’re not exclusive, but we’re together. I’m evolving!”
Charlie smiled at his brother. To someone else an open relationship or ENM might not seem like evolution, but for Olly a repeating partner was more than he’d been willing to entertain, so Charlie acknowledged the growth and asked him how he felt and listened as Olly waxed poetic on the feeling of actually being familiar with a partners wants and needs and how they were getting on. When he got around to describing evenings during which the three of them simply sat around watching TV after sharing dinner, Charlie really did see the difference.
“Proud of you, little brother,” Charlie said, smiling softly. “I’m happy you’re happy.”
“I’m happy you’re happy too, big brother. Nick seems like a good egg.”
“He really is.”
“When are you seeing him next?”
“Tomorrow, as it happens. We’re meeting for brunch, with his two best friends. I’m feeling a little nervous about it, meeting the friends feels like a big step, even though it really doesn’t need to be. They just happen to live over in Keighley, so they’re close by and he got so excited at the idea.”
“It’s nice - that he wants you to meet important people. For that matter, when do I get to meet him?”
“When are you next going to be over this side of the Pennines? You're only an hour and a half away, but that’s the determining factor!”
“Details,” Olly shot back, and stuck his tongue out for emphasis.
They exchanged a few more teasing words before Olly rang off, heading out for a date. Charlie looked at his empty wine glass and decided that he’d best turn in for the night rather than turn on a show at that point. He untucked his feet from under Piper’s head and she huffed at him.
“I know, little one, but it’s time for bed. Shall we go do finals and then head up?”
Piper acquiesced reluctantly, sliding off the sofa in a fluid motion, her front paws on the floor while her back half took a few steps to catch up. Charlie laughed at the dozy dog and led her out so that she could do her final patrol.
His phone pinged in his pocket and he pulled it out as he set his washed up wine glass on the draining board.
Charlie checked around him, noting that Piper had come in and was slumped at his feet. He smiled down at her. “You ready for bed, good girl?” She gave him a look that indicated how long she’d been sitting there while he was engrossed in his phone. He locked up and they trooped upstairs. Piper headed straight for the bed while Charlie walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth and apply his skincare. His mind, he found, was spinning possible words around, trying to figure out what Nick might have been typing and deleting. He smiled, not really needing to know. Nick was entitled to his secrets, and Charlie would let him have them.
He crawled into bed, Piper huffing with contentment beside him.
🐑🐑🐑
Charlie took his time getting ready in the morning. He took Piper out for a run, working out her energy so that she’d be ready for a relaxing morning dozing in a puddle of sun while he was out. They ran along the river, the sound of the water soothing his nerves while the endorphins built up in his blood stream. When they got home he put down fresh water and her food bowl and left her to her breakfast while he went upstairs to shower and get dressed for brunch.
He decided on his black skinny jeans with the holes in the knees. They were comfortable, and he needed the familiarity to stay grounded. Meeting new people was always a bit of a moment, and these weren’t any people. They were important to Nick, and Nick was increasingly becoming one of the most important people to him, so the stakes were high.
“What do you think, Pips?” he asked her as he stood in front of the hall mirror, scrunching his hair a few more practiced times before Nick arrived.
Piper looked up at him through her eyelashes bailfully, tipping her head to one side as she did.
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop overthinking it. It’s just brunch.”
Despite anticipating his arrival, Charlie jumped when the doorbell rang and he sprang around to answer it. Nick stood on the step, also in jeans, which Charlie took as a good sign that he’d chosen the right level of casual. Piper moved towards the door to greet Nick, who stepped inside, remembering that Piper wouldn’t be able to come across the threshold. He crouched down and allowed the dog to bump her head into his hands and rub her lean body against his legs.
“Hello, Piper girl,” Nick greeted her sweetly, and Charlie melted a little at the sweet way that Nick interacted with his dog. “You okay if I take Charlie out for a while?”
Piper made a low rumble and bumped along his legs again, almost knocking him off balance.
Nick laughed as he righted himself and stood up. “Okay, I am going to take that as a yes.”
Charlie grinned, reaching into his pocket for the goodbye treat he’d secreted there. “Piper, go to place,” he instructed gently, watching Piper unnerringly move towards her bed in the living room. “Good girl,” he said, handing her the treat and bending down to scratch her soft ears in farewell.
Charlie got into Nick’s car, reaching over the center console with his left hand as Nick settled in beside him, placing his palm on Nick’s cheek and turning his face. Nick smiled, pausing in his efforts to put on his seatbelt and melting into the quick kiss Charlie placed on his lips instead.
The kiss started softly, gentle brushes of their lips. It gained heat as Charlie felt Nick’s tongue gently run along the perimeter of his lips and he opened them to give him access. Nick tasted of toothpaste, a slight lingering scent of his morning coffee behind it adding depth to the sensation. They kissed deeply, slowly, allowing those sensations to build.
“I have been wanting to do that again for days!” Charlie said when they finally broke apart, a little breathless and flushed.
“That makes two of us.” Nick’s voice was slow and full of air as he made an effort to catch his breath too. “As a matter of fact if we weren’t meeting Tara and Darcy I’d have a couple of other suggestions for how we spend this morning.”
Charlie shivered, anticipation sending a ripple of sensation down his spine. “Okay, not sure you’re playing fair now. Who says something like that before making another person go out into a high stakes social situation?” He smiled to soften the words, not wanting Nick to mistake his teasing for genuine discomfort, and saw Nick’s answering smile grow into a smirk as the reassurance landed.
“This isn’t going to be high stakes, Charlie,” Nick said, brushing over the accusation that he’d not been playing fair. “Like I said last night, they’re going to love you.”
Charlie pulled himself all the way back into his own seat, reaching over his shoulder for his seatbelt and plugging it in. “Right, well let’s go, before I figure out how to make you change your mind about keeping our plans.”
It was Nick’s turn to shiver gently, and he fumbled his way through plugging in his own seatbelt before glaring at Charlie for flustering him as he reversed the car out of the driveway.
Charlie smiled, turnabout was fair play, and at least the kissing and flirting and promises for more had done one thing. He wasn’t nervous anymore.
Chapter 25: Saved by the Train
Summary:
Last Time: Charlie spent some time catching up with his siblings. There were plans afoot for some more introductions and he needed to talk it through.
This Time: Nick takes Charlie out to brunch with his friends, only he has a surprise in store for how they’re going to get there.
Notes:
Thank you everyone - and I am so grateful for everyone who’s reading along despite the image hosting issue with the postcards at the beginning. I’m working on figuring out a workaround and will have the images back up as soon as I can!
Thank you Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 for all the ways that you flail in the doc and support this fic so hard. I appreciate you!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie wasn’t sure exactly where they were going, but got slightly suspicious when instead of heading for a cafe, which is where one usually expects brunch, Nick pulled his car into a space at the Keighley train station.
“Nick, what’s going on?” Charlie asked. He saw signs indicating the car park was exclusively for passengers, but that didn’t explain why they were here when Nick had promised brunch.
“I can’t quite believe I’ve lived so close to all this for so long and still not been on the steam trains yet,” Charlie noted. “But … are we?”
Nick’s brow furrowed for a second but he seemed to catch himself.
“We are going to brunch, we’re just going to brunch in Haworth, and the steam trains are the best way to get there. Is this okay? I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Nick!” Charlie exclaimed. “That sounds lovely!” They got out of the car and headed up the path to the platform where Nick went along to a window and picked up tickets he’d clearly pre-booked.
“Are we meeting Tara and Darcy there or…” he didn’t get a chance to finish his question as just then the peace was interrupted as Nick was greeted loudly and effusively by a whirlwind of a human. Cropped blond hair stuck out at all angles from a gentle face sporting a wide grin. Behind the whirlwind stood an equally smiling human with silver embellishments in their braids and a nose ring decorating their left nostril.
Once the whirlwind had squeezed the stuffing out of Nick they turned their attention on Charlie.
“Charlie! My guy,” the whirlwind said, slinging an arm over his shoulders. “I’m Darcy, they/them pronouns, and this is my fabulistic partner Tara, she/her. We’ve heard a lot about you and also absolutely not enough, so start from the beginning.”
“Darce, let the man breathe before you grill him for his entire life story.” Tara was steering Darcy down onto a bench with a practiced move.
“Charlie,” she said, “it really is great to put a face to the name that Nick’s been saying ad nauseum for months.”
“Oi!” Nick exclaimed. “No fair! You are absolutely not going to gang up on me just because he’s all new and shiny.”
“Oh Nick, you didn’t think I was actually going to behave, did you?” Darcy asked with a smirk.
“No, not for a single second, but I wasn’t convinced it would all kick in quite so quickly,” Nick conceded.
“Well, I’m happy to have impressed you with my efficiency,” Darcy smiled before turning their attention back to Charlie. “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, tell us from your perspective how creepy it was to receive a postcard from a complete stranger addressed to your stuffed toys?”
Charlie laughed out loud. Darcy was an absolute trip, they were not going to pull their punches, and he respected that. At the same time, he feared for both he and Nick’s lives if Darcy and Isaac ever met, much less Darcy, Isaac and Rae. That trio were going to be absolute menaces.
“I had a lot of questions to start with, which was awkward because I initially had no idea how I was going to respond to the gesture. For that matter, I had no idea if I was going to respond to the gesture,” Charlie acknowledged. “I mean, it isn’t every day your soft toys are sent a postcard, with no return address or method for return communication. I had to get creative.”
“Nick that really was a bungle,” Tara acknowledged.
“Alright, alright. I didn’t have the foggiest idea who lived there, in my defence, and I wanted to leave myself the opportunity for nothing to happen. It could have been some kids’ room.”
Just then, the train pulled into the station. The impressive black engine was billowing steam, pulling smart maroon coaches behind it.
“Saved by the train,” Nick said in relief as the interrogation needed to be over while they all went over to admire the train, take a few photos, and then got onboard and found their seats.
Charlie looked over at Nick, smiling wide with the childlike exuberance born out of a train journey for next to no reason other than the touristy enjoyment of being on a functioning steam train. Nick’s face was full of the same wonder, and conversation all but lapsed for all four of them as they watched the countryside roll by out of the window.
The sounds of the engine were loud and regular, the clackety clack of the wheels on the rails a soothing rhythm. At a couple of points when the train was going up hills Charlie found himself thinking, ‘I think I can, I think I can, I think I can,’ only for the downhills to relax into ‘I thought I could, I thought I could, I thought I could’. The steam engine was so solid, a piece of history still running, even in this limited capacity up and down the same piece of track each day, the old mechanism still doing exactly as it always had. There was something so steady and reassuring about that, and Charlie let himself feel grounded by that steadiness, along with the heady sensation of Nick’s hand on his knee.
The stations they passed through were so quintessentially Yorkshire, the stone buildings, picket fenced gardens with the station name spelled out in pansies, old fashioned signal boxes with the huge levers to switch the tracks. It was like they’d all slipped back in time.
Then they came through Oakworth station and Charlie gasped. “Oakworth. As in, The Railway Children?”
Nick grinned. “Exactly as in, this is the actual station where they filmed it. Mr. Perks would have been here calling out the name of the station, opening doors, knowing the names of all the passengers who got out.”
“I knew the book, I guess the film too, was set up here. I had not connected the dots. This is so surreal.”
Tara and Darcy looked on a little blankly, so Nick explained. “It’s a book, by E. E. Nesbit. It centers around a family who move from London to Yorkshire and the three siblings don’t have a lot to do, so they spend their time waving at the trains and getting to know the passengers, and the station porter and having adventures. It was made into a film, and the film was set here back in 1970.”
“That’s really cool,” Tara said, seeing a new side to the journey.
“Are we nearly there yet?” Darcy asked as they pulled away from Oakworth. “I’m hungry.”
“Next stop, you impatient imp, we’re getting off at Haworth and I’ve got a plan for brunch,” Nick reassured them.
Charlie looked up at the mention of a plan, intrigued. “Are you going to tell us where we’re going now?”
“No!” Nick looked smug, clearly fairly confident that they were all going to enjoy it.
The train pulled into Haworth station and the four of them disembarked. They paused to take a few group selfies with the engine before taking the path that would lead them up towards Haworth village itself.
The walk took them up steep cobbled streets lined with beautiful cottages, window boxes overflowing with colourful blooms. They hung a left through a pristine local park, Nick and Tara steering Darcy away from the playground swings as Charlie laughed at the exuberance.
The four of them continued up Haworth’s steep cobbled mainstreet, past beautiful shops selling objet d’art and local crafts. Emboldened by their earlier kiss and the general surrealism of having arrived there by steam train, Charlie reached over and took Nick’s hand as they ambled, smiling as Nick’s fingers meshed with his and gripped them. Nick used their clasped hands to tug Charlie towards him, bending slightly to give Charlie the briefest kiss on the lips before turning again to lead them up towards the cafe where they were to have brunch. Tara and Darcy trailing behind a little, looking in shop windows.
When they got closer Charlie was grateful for the choice he’d made to emphasise comfort in his outfit. The place was called Cobbles and Clay and Charlie saw through the window the way that people were sitting with their mid-morning cakes and pots of tea, but also with various pottery objects that they were busily painting.
“Are we going to do that?” Charlie asked, unable to keep the smile from his face.
“We are, is that okay?” Nick asked, suddenly looking nervous.
Charlie reassured him by tugging him in for a kiss. “It absolutely is, that looks fun!”
They checked in with one of the wait staff and confirmed that they had a reservation for brunch and a painting, and got settled in at their table.
Charlie and Tara ordered coffee, Nick and Darcy ordered a pot of tea and they all sat and took in their surroundings. The cafe was bright and airy. One wall was tiled, up to about hip height, in individual squares that had clearly been painted by patrons. They were all so different and yet there was cohesion in the fact that no two tiles were alike. There were rainbows painted by children and flowers reaching for the sky, there were animals of every description, abstract patterns and steam trains galore to honour the steam railway that still ran from the Keighley train station.
“Brunch first, and then the painting?” Nick asked, looking around the table.
“Most definitely, I’m starved!” Darcy entoned dramatically, indicating how almost faint they were with hunger.
“Well, we can’t have that,” Nick laughed, patting them gently on the arm.
Charlie sat still, watching the clearly affectionate banter between the friends, recalling similar moments of patronising affection from his own friends. It was the measure of a true and enduring friendship, in his opinion, and no one would ever convince him otherwise.
Their drinks arrived and they ordered food. The selections all looked so good that Charlie had had difficulty choosing. Somehow he had the impression that this was going to become a bit of a haunt for them, though, so he let himself just make a decision on the unspoken understanding that they’d come back so he could sample other things. When the menus were gone and Nick and Darcy had poured their tea the lull gave Charlie the opportunity he needed.
“So, tell me stories about Nick.” He aimed his invitation at either Darcy or Tara, not minding which of them kicked things off, and smiled across the table at them.
“Oh now, you couldn’t possibly expect us to betray his trust, Charlie. Except that really you do need to know all about that one time that - ” Darcy started.
“Darcy!” Nick laughed, warningly.
“What?” they asked, feigning innocence no one at the table believed in. “Alright alright. Honestly, Charlie, Nick’s a positive angel. He’s been eating and sleeping nursing for years, wedging in rugby practice to a schedule no one else would be able to make any sense out of. It shouldn’t work, but it just does.”
“I know what you mean, it took me a while to wrap my brain around all that too,” Charlie acknowledged. “There’s something reassuring about the rather more violent hobby, though. Otherwise where does all the angst go?” Charlie looked over at Nick when he said this last part.
Nick smiled softly, nodding his agreement. “It’s true, sometimes I really do need to just go and be somewhere where smashing into people and running hard are all that’s on my mind. The harder cases would eat me alive otherwise.” Nick paused, thinking for a second. “Crazy thought, why don’t the pair of you tell Charlie a bit about yourselves instead of busting on me?”
“Oh you know, we could do that,” Tara laughed. “Rude that it implies you haven’t told him anything about us, but we’ll move past that for now.” Looking over at Charlie, she said, “I work in a school, teaching dance. Darcy is a tattoo artist.”
Charlie looked over at Darcy. “Does your shop do piercings too, or are you art only? Oh, did you do Nick’s?”
Darcy was intrigued. “We do piercings too. Why, you have one in mind?”
“I’ve been trying to find somewhere to get my daith pierced. It’s supposed to be good for migraines and - let’s just say a migraine already made me delay one walk with Nick -” He let the sentence trail off, not sure he was quite ready to lay voice to the rest of the sentiment that was brewing on the tip of his tongue. I don’t want anything to interfere with any more.
“Oh, yeh we do those all the time. Here’s my card, we’ll sort you out. And yes, I did Nick’s art. Has he shown you all of them?”
Charlie’s eyes widened. Nick had only mentioned the paw print of his childhood dog. All of them? He looked over at Nick who was glaring at Darcy.
“I hadn’t quite gotten around to telling Charlie about them, Darce. And no, like I already told you there hasn’t been any show and tell!”
“Charlie, you have art work too, though, right?” Darcy asked, seeming to already know.
Charlie nodded, “a sleeve of botanicals on my left arm, outlines.” He rolled up the sleeve of his cardigan a little to show them.
Darcy took his wrist and rolled his arm around to check out the work. “Nice lines,” they conceded.
“Cheers.”
“You wanting any more?”
“Don’t tempt me, Darcy! I mean it. I am looking for the piercing, that’s it!”
“Oh, right, right, sure thing,” Darcy nodded, grinning with impish delight. “I’ll have some designs ready for you to look at when you come in for the piercing. Right, this looks like our food, finally!”
So it proved and the table quickly lapsed into hums of pleasure, sprinklings of seasonings and refills of tea and coffee as they tucked into their brunch.
After their plates were cleared they each went to the little stock room and picked out the pottery object they wanted to paint. They’d had so many options that Darcy had stood a little overwhelmed for a moment, before Tara placed a pottery diplodicus in their hand while she took a pottery triceratops. Nick selected a pottery gnome and Charlie a pottery salt and pepper shaker set shaped like mushrooms. There was whimsy in the process and they’d all apparently decided to just lean right into that energy and bring out the child-like vibes. They were given little pots of coloured glaze, brushes and the freedom to paint their objects however they wanted and paint they did, quietly passing the time. They talked non-stop for over an hour as they painted, sharing stories, world views, pieces of their histories and Charlie looked around the table as they all started to show signs of finishing up and wondered if he’d spent a more peacefully social day, maybe ever.
The plan to come back was built into having done the painting, because once they were done their treasures were going to be fired and they’d have to come back to collect them, so they eventually packed up their table, relinquished their objects and got ready to head back out.
Charlie took Nick’s hand again as they walked out into the mid-afternoon sunshine.
“It’s beer garden weather!” Tara announced. “Unless you two have other plans for this afternoon?”
Charlie looked at Nick, finding him looking at him too and they both blushed. They hadn’t talked about this, although the subtle promises of wanting to do more than kiss back in Charlie’s driveway were flicking back to the surface.
“We could go for a drink,” Nick said after dragging his eyes off Charlie’s face and checking his phone for something. “The next train back to Keighley isn’t for a little over an hour.”
That was interesting, Charlie let himself acknowledge. Nick wasn’t ruling out other plans, just acknowledging they were stranded for now. Tara led the way towards a traditional old pub and they found themselves a table outdoors, settled in with pints and continued to put the world to rights as the sun warmed the air all around them.
Chapter 26: Tea. Yes. Kettle
Summary:
Last Time: Nick took Charlie out to brunch with his friends, only he had a surprise in store for how they were going to get there.
This Time: They get back from Haworth and Nick comes in for tea.
Notes:
Thank you all so much for the space and for being so supportive of the break last week. I have this little slice ready and the ideas are boiling for the next several chapters and am hoping to build up a stockpile again after a little while of the story going silent for me. The outline is rearranged (again) and we’re gearing up for an invasion into his peaceful cottage of a whole load of chaos. Before that, though, this is a soft chapter to tide you over. Thank you again, for being patient!
To my rocks, my brainstorm pals, thank you Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The ride back from Haworth was just as filled with bucolic scenery and gentle teasing as the journey out. The steam train was just as filled with history and simple wonder as it had been before and the four of them sat quietly taking it all in. There wasn’t so much of a need to talk and tease and Charlie enjoyed the way that Nick let his shoulder lean close to Charlie’s, their thighs pressed together more tightly than was truly necessitated by the seats. It was warm, and familiar, and gave him a sense of safety.
When they arrived at the station there were hugs all around and promises to meet up again soon. Charlie waved as Darcy got behind the wheel of a little red Mini Cooper, somehow finding the car to be the absolute perfect choice for them. Nick hurried around to his side of the car, opening the door for him the way that Charlie had done when he took Nick out, and Charlie smiled at the reciprocity.
They drove in silence. It was soft, and it reassured Charlie that quiet wasn’t something that Nick felt the need to fill ‘just because’. Charlie looked over at Nick’s profile, smiling as individual memories from the day swirled in his mind. Little things that had been said, moments their hands had brushed, the pre-planning and careful thought that Nick had put into making brunch an occasion.
He wondered for half a second whether Nick had gone overboard on the plans so as to distract his friends and keep them from talking too much. He dismissed the thought before it even really formed since the train ride might have been spectacular but it had also given Nick’s friends plenty of time to interrogate him. Nick really had just wanted them all to have a great time, and it truly had been.
Meeting the best friends was a big step, and Charlie thought that this had gone well. He still had a few nerves when it came to the idea of introducing Nick to his own people, none of them could be trusted any further than Darcy not to embarrass him, but he was excited too, and that in itself felt significant.
He’d apparently been staring at Nick’s profile long enough that Nick could feel the hole he was boring through his cheekbone and he glanced over, his eyes flicking back to the road quickly but not before a smirk lit his face.
“Like what you see, Char?”
Charlie grinned, “yes, actually.”
“What were you thinking about so hard?”
“Just a little hypothetical regarding what on Earth I’m going to do to encourage my friends to behave as and when there’s an opportunity for me to introduce you.”
“You’re thinking about introducing me, huh?”
“Maybe!”
“I’ll take maybe!” Nick was laughing now, and it made Charlie feel light that there was no pressure, nor apprehension coming from Nick. He hadn’t shared his friends with Charlie with any expectations that Charlie would do the same. He was simply happy to know it was a potential.
They pulled up in Charlie’s steep driveway and Charlie looked up with amusement to see Piper’s judgemental eyes looking at them from the living room window. Nick looked up and saw her too.
“Ooh, Piper, did I keep him out too long?” Nick asked as they got out of the car and Charlie laughed.
“You absolutely did, thankfully she has a bladder of steel and forgives easily with scritches, so you’ll probably be forgiven. Want to come in for a tea or do you want to get off?” Nick’s eyebrows shot up at the innuendo and Charlie stammered, “have to get off, have. Oh my goodness, so not what I meant. I didn’t want to assume you didn’t have plans for the rest of the afternoon.”
Nick put his hands up, still laughing, “Charlie stop it’s fine. I don’t have plans and I’d love a cup of tea.” After Charlie opened the front door and greeted Piper, Nick went on, “not that getting off doesn’t sound good, I wasn’t sure we were there yet.”
Charlie put his hands over his face, walking through the house to open up the backdoor for Piper to allow his cheeks to unflush and his jeans to untighten. Finally, unable to avoid responding any longer he turned and nodded, “I agree, I’m not sure we are either. Though, now that it’s out there, I see us getting there. If you wanted. If you didn’t, that’s fine too.”
“I absolutely do, when we’re ready. Now, how about that cup of tea?”
“Tea. Yes. Kettle.” Charlie gratefully turned and began the ritualistic process of making tea, relishing the familiar steps and the comfort of the smells as the boiling water hit the leaves. He knew making a pot was probably a bit extra, but it felt like the time for it and Nick was looking on approvingly. Piper appeared, returned from her patrol and clearly ready for some affection, the hours alone not a part of her typical day. Nick started to crouch to pet her ears as Charlie said, “you can go through to the living room if you want, she’ll follow you and I can bring the tea in a second.”
Nick smiled, nodding and patting his thigh to encourage Piper to follow him. She glanced up at Charlie, who nodded his approval as she took off behind Nick. Charlie smiled, taking the moment of solitude to re-center himself, focus on his breath and do a quick rainbow check-in with himself.
Something red, the tea pot. Something orange, the niphophia out in the garden. Something green, the packet of coffee from this morning … He went on through the rest of the colours in the rainbow and felt himself relax as he ran through the exercise. The day had been so wonderful, there had also been a lot of socialisation and Charlie was a predominantly solitary creature, or at least had become one. A little mental grounding felt good.
When the tea was appropriately steeped, he pulled out the built-in strainer and finished the tray. Cups, the tea pot, milk jug and the little sugar bowl. He found a packet of milk chocolate Hob Nobs, the best biscuits, and put it on the tray for good measure before carrying the lot into the living room.
The sight that met his eyes stopped him in his tracks and the tray in his hands was the only reason his hands didn’t fly up to his mouth, and he sort of wished he’d been able to muffle the soft moan that escaped his lips. Nick was lying on the carpet, Piper lying over his stomach pinning him to the floor. Nick’s hands were buried in her soft ears and they both had goofy grins on their faces.
Loath to even disturb them, Charlie went more fully into the room and put the tray down on the coffee table, lifting the teapot to pour tea into both cups. He remembered, from after their first date, how Nick took his tea and proceeded to fix it the way that he liked before taking his own cup and sitting down on the floor with his back up against the sofa for support.
Piper, loyal even in the face of a new best friend, leapt off Nick, stepping rather ungracefully on his stomach as she did and causing him to let out an ‘oompf’ in response as she came to lie beside Charlie.
“Hi there, traitor!” Charlie teased and she huffed out a breath of satisfaction as his fingers wove into the hairs behind her ears. Nick, recovering from being trodden on, sat up and leant himself up against the armchair, taking his tea from the tray and taking a contented sip.
They talked about the day, shared moments, drinking their tea as Piper drifted between them for scratches behind her ears and tummy rubs. After a few minutes, Nick put his tea cup down on the tray, stood, and put Charlie’s cup down too. Charlie looked up as Nick offered his hands and let Nick pull him up onto the sofa.
“I hope you don’t mind, I have been wanting to kiss you all day.”
“I wasn’t exactly sure where you were in terms of PDA around your friends, so I let you lead,” Charlie acknowledged.
“I knew they’d get all excited and ask loads of questions. More questions than they were already asking. I didn’t want to try answering those for them before we’ve even talked, hope that’s okay.”
“Very okay, I appreciate that, Nick,” Charlie said, meaning it. It would have been awkward to shift a conversation about where they were and what they might be to each other after one admittedly spectacular date.
“Also, not saying that we need to talk about that now, either, it’s been a long day and I know you probably have things to do this evening to get ready for tomorrow. Still, I couldn’t leave without a kiss.”
“I’d have been very disappointed if you had.”
Nick’s hand was on Charlie’s jaw and the weight of it, the callouses from rugby and the scent of soap created an overwhelm of emotion for Charlie as Nick drew him in for a kiss.
They breathed and settled into each other, adjusting their body position to hold on a little tighter as the kiss deepened just slightly. It was unhurried and intense, soft and building. Each of them took their turns allowing their tongues to explore, running along lips and behind teeth and over and over their lips danced around them.
Charlie was intoxicated. This man could kiss and seemed to be happy to do just that without an assumption that it was building towards more.
🐑🐑🐑
Nick had fallen into a rotten shift pattern almost immediately after their day out on the trains, so they’d fallen back into their pre-in person routine. They were emailing, they texted when they could, and Charlie was wallowing in his routine.
Charlie rose early, wanting to get in a run before he settled into his work day. The summer sun rose early too, so it was plenty light on the trail as he set off. He let his mind drift as he ran. First, he went through the day’s agenda, laying out a plan for how he was going to tackle the new manuscript, and close out the final edits on the last one. He turned the corner and started up one of the more brutal uphills of the circuit.
His mind went deliciously blank in those moments. One of his favourite things about this kind of running was the way the familiar route and the familiar effort in his legs allowed for his mind to clear. He leaned into the hill, pumping his arms and shortening his stride, paying attention to his posture and his stance so that he could maximise his impact without injury. The weather was warm and the summer flowers were filling the air with their perfume. It really was a perfect way to start the day.
Piper, at his side, agreed wholeheartedly, though her tongue was lolling and she looked relieved when he turned the final bend to what would end up being the home stretch, back up to the road and back to the cottage.
“We’ve done well, Pips,” he encouraged her as they made the final few steps along the road. “We’ve definitely earned our breakfast now!”
Piper nodded and waited for him to open the door and give her her command to follow him through it. She headed straight for her water bowl, which he’d filled before they left, and lapped at the surface urgently before collapsing dramatically onto her side on the kitchen floor.
“You are not this gassed, baby girl,” Charlie laughed in her direction as he strode over towards the kettle, getting water ready for his pour-over coffee as he went through a series of stretches to cool down.
Stretches done, coffee dripping, breakfast procured, he took himself out to the bistro table at the bottom of the garden to eat where he had a view. He pulled out his phone and checked for messages, of which he had several. Olly had written to say that he was trying to figure out a weekend to come over from Manchester. Isaac and Rae, too, were suddenly available to make plans for a visit, and Nick was taking a rest break in an on-call room because he had been at the hospital long enough that he didn’t trust himself to drive home. Charlie smiled to himself as he answered the messages.
To Olly, he said that his schedule was flexible and he should come when he had the time. To Isaac and Rae he said a version of the same thing, flinching a little when both Olly’s and their availability overlapped. That was going to be a lot, but he could squeeze them in bedroom wise for the weekend. Olly could have the queen, appropriately enough. Isaac and Rae the final spare room with the two twins. Plans made, he turned his attention to Nick.
Charlie lifted his head from the screen of his phone and smiled. Plans were being made all over the place. He pulled up his calendar app and checked when Nick’s shifts were going to change before adding in the weekend that Olly, Isaac and Rae would be descending on his peace. He added a reminder for earlier in the week to stock up on provisions to accommodate the various dietary requirements of the trio. It was only as he did so that he spotted the overlap. Nick would finally be free at the same time that his house would be absolutely full of invaders.
Hmm, they’d have to get creative.
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
You've Haunted me all my Life by HatcherK2
Unrequited by Coach1305
Lost Time by emmyarcher
Chapter 27: Friends/Invaders Descend
Summary:
Last Time: They got back from Haworth and Nick came in for tea.
This Time: Isaac, Rae and Olly descend on the peace and tranquility of Charlie’s solo life and a long weekend of fun, teasing and interrogations ensues.
Notes:
This chapter is a preamble to a weekend long visit from some of Charlie’s best friends and his brother. It’s a lot for the introverted Charlie. So this goes out to all my introverted friends who love their friends more than life, but also relish the silence of a quiet space and time to themselves. For that matter, maybe we all relish that sometimes.
Thank you so much Moss_and_Rocksss, for keeping me on track. And to Tee_85 for always being there to brainstorm, even when life is being a lot!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie stirred awake, aided by Piper’s long rough tongue on his toes where they’d come out from under the sheet.
“Good morning Pips,” he giggled as he ruffled the fur behind her ears and she crawled up the bed to lick at his face. “Did you sleep well?”
Piper made a hurumph sound that he took as a confirmation.
“We’ve got a lot on today, Piper, you’re going to need to help me,” Charlie told the dog as they lay in gentle communion, allowing themselves a few extra minutes to lie in bed before forcing themselves up. “We’re going to make up the guest rooms, run the vacuum, clean the kitchen, and get the provisions.”
Piper rolled over onto her back and looked at him upside down.
Charlie laughed and nodded, “yeh, that’s about how I feel about it all too! Come on, first things first. Coffee for me, patrol for you.”
Piper flipped over quickly and hopped gracefully off the bed. Charlie followed his dog downstairs, letting her out into the garden while he got coffee brewing. After the essentials, they shared a quiet breakfast and Charlie talked through the rest of the details with her to make sure they were on the same page. They were, as long as Charlie didn’t suggest changing the timing for their run, which he didn’t.
Run, errands completed, vittles put away, and beds made Charlie collapsed onto the sofa. He took out his phone and checked his work email. Working from home and on a specific number of manuscripts at a time did have its perks when it gave him the flexibility for a work day to look like this one, but he did want to at least check in. Confirming that nothing urgent had come in while he was getting the cottage ready for the invaders guests, he turned to his texts.
Charlie smiled as he put his phone down. As much as it was going to be huge to have worlds colliding, the alternative really had been putting off seeing Nick for a lot longer. Olly had met Isaac and Rae on other occasions, so it really was just going to be about trying to school them not to be too embarrassing over one lunch. They could hold back that long, even if he knew he’d get grilled intensely after Nick left.
Who am I kidding? He mused to himself. They are not holding back anything.
He shook his head and looked around. The cottage was ready, the plans were set, it was going to be what it would be.
The doorbell rang and he set his shoulders.
Let the games begin.
“Charlie, darling!” Isaac launched immediately as Charlie opened the door, pulling him into a hug so tight that Charlie squeaked, hugging him back just as hard. Rae came up the steps behind Isaac and Charlie transferred his hug over.
“Do you have loads of bags? What can I help you bring in?” Charlie asked as the three stepped back and surveyed each other.
“Not too much, although Isaac would have brought twice the number of books if I hadn’t reminded him we were coming here and you have walls of books for him to choose from should he finish the ten he brought with him.”
“You’re here for a long weekend, Isaac,” Charlie laughed, hauling a suitcase out of the boot and lugging the heavy case up the steps to the front door.
“Your point being?” Isaac asked, incredulous. “I need options!”
Once they had everything in, and Charlie had shooed them up to their room to unpack and get settled, he got the kettle on and made a pot of Earl Gray tea, laying out a platter of biscuits. He’d got all their favourites; chocolate Hob Nobs, Custard Creams, Party Rings and Pink Wafers and the collection was colourful and delightful and would make his friends smile. They clattered down the stairs moments later, as though Isaac had had a timer on for the exact right steeping time for the tea and materialised to consume it.
“When does tiny Spring get here?”
“Olly will be here later on, he’s getting a later train so he could finish out a shift.”
“It’ll be good to see him, he always has the most amazing stories,” Rae enthused as Charlie settled them around the table in the conservatory, gratified as they ooh’d and ahh’d over the biscuit plate.
“Oh he’ll definitely have stories. We’ll have to hope they don’t make our Isaac here blush!”
“Your Isaac likely will blush, but he’s also well versed in smutty literature, what can Olly possibly bring to the table? He’s a social worker in Manchester,” Isaac reassured them both.
“Who recently grew up - his phrase not mine - and started a relationship. With two people.”
“Ta-wit-ta-woo,” Rae whistled, laughing. “Those really will be good stories. Your romantasy books may be no match for Charlie’s little brother, babes.” They pat Isaac’s knee affectionately. “Are these new friends coming this weekend?”
“Thankfully for the size of the house, no, they were unable to get away, that delight will have to wait for another time.” Charlie smiled, his words teasing but his face indulgent. “I’m looking forward to meeting anyone who can convince my brother that any form of settling down isn’t stifling.”
“Fair point,” Isaac acknowledged, smiling too. “Speaking of settling down, are all the plans in place for us to meet your man?”
“Okay, first of all, we’ve been on two dates, let’s dial back the ‘my man’ commentary. Second of all, let's get all that sort of talk out of the way before you meet him, Iz!” Charlie blew a raspberry at Isaac as Isaac smirked back at him. “You guys are going to ensure I wish I hadn’t put you all in the same room, aren’t you?”
“Us?” Rae put their hand over their heart and opened their mouth in mock shock, “would we ever?”
“Ever what? Embarrass me, overshare, get protective?”
“Oi, you take that back, it’s not Tao here this weekend, that protective bit is his wheelhouse.”
“Yeh, I think I can be grateful that he and Elle weren’t also free this weekend. For a start the house might burst at the seams and for a second I am not convinced Nick would survive.”
“Oh, I’m sure you don’t give him enough credit! From what you’ve told us he’s made of stronger stuff than that, not so easily scared off.”
“I don’t exactly want to test that, thank you, whatever this is is still in its early stages, and I’d like to have the chance to figure out more than how he takes his tea before he has to answer to Tao.”
“You are right. Although I am a little hurt at the presumption that it would be my questions that prove to be too much.”
“You are not!” Charlie grinned at Rae, “you love it!”
They were saved from any further banter by the sound of a skateboard rolling down the driveway. The gang was all here.
Charlie went through to greet his brother, earlier than expected but no less welcome, and made his way back to Isaac and Rae as they waited for him to put his bag down in his room and join them.
“Alright cunts, how’s it hanging?” Olly called out by way of greeting as he came through mere moments later.
Isaac and Rae laughed, getting up to give Olly a multi-arm hug that Charlie couldn’t resist getting involved in, throwing his arms around Rae and Olly’s shoulders and squeezing.
When they all finally untangled each other and Olly had looked askance at the offer of tea and settled in with a cider a flurry of catch up questions were volleyed around until some of the perfunctory catching up was done.
“How are your two, Olly?” Rae asked, an innocent enough question when directed to anyone else. “Cunts or cunt-esses? Charlie didn’t say.”
Olly bent over double in a fit of laughter at the new word, “I am so using cunt-esses forever now!” he said between breaths. “To answer your question, one of each.”
Rae looked on, clearly waiting for more details.
“Mika and Simon. Mika is tall and blond and built like the hockey player that he is. Simon’s a strawberry blond with muscles that rival mine and a sleeve of abstract watercolour tattoos that are so fucking hot I want to drink them!”
“My brother, ladies and gentlemen,” Charlie entoned, knowing that the sharing had only just begun.
“Who are you calling a gentleman?” Olly looked on indignantly. “Anyway, they say hi and look forward to meeting you another time.”
“I look forward to meeting them too,” Charlie acknowledged, meaning it entirely.
“How are you two?” Olly asked, turning his attention to Isaac and Rae. “Read anything good lately, Isaac?”
“Oh don’t get him started, Olly, you’ll be here all night!” Charlie giggled, affectionately squeezing Isaac’s shoulder.
Isaac stuck his tongue out at Charlie as his only response before turning to Olly to launch into a description of some of his latest literary conquests.
Charlie left them to it, heading into the kitchen to start prepping veg for the Thai noodles he planned to make them all for dinner. He heard footsteps behind him as he reached the zen chopping space, bowls laid out around him with strips of onions, peppers, carrots, and courgettes , bean sprouts and water chestnuts lay to the side. Rae stepped into the kitchen and took a seat at the little table. Charlie looked over at them.
“Everything okay, love?” he asked.
“Absolutely!” Rae reassured him, “I’ve just heard about the books Isaac’s regaling Olly with tales of, thought I’d come in and see if you needed any help. Looks like I timed it just perfectly as you’re almost all done with prep.”
Charlie laughed softly. “You’re handier in the kitchen than you give yourself credit for, Rae. Isaac’s said you’re whipping up some entirely edible dinners lately.”
“Yeh, we’re skipping over that backhanded complement and jumping straight back to you,” Rae laughed. “How can I help?”
“You can get the table laid in the conservatory, mats are on the shelves in there, plates over in that cupboard and cutlery in the drawer over by the oven.”
“That, I can do.”
Charlie turned his attention to making a quick marinade for the tofu and setting that to the side as well before clearing down the kitchen prep, leaving his bowls of veg ready for when it was time to start cooking.
Rae came back into the kitchen from laying the table and took up their position in the corner.
“You are dying to ask questions, Rae, you might as well go for it. I’m not going to start dinner for a little bit.”
Rae gave Charlie a mock stern look for seeing through them before letting their shoulders down and launching anyway.
“Tell me all the things you’ve held back over the phone,” they blurted out, ineligantly.
“Honestly, babes, I don’t even know where to start,” Charlie acknowledged. “Everything about this feels surreal, like there’s a shoe that must drop or he’s going to reveal something that makes the illusion fall apart. Then I spend more time with him and that mindset is being eroded with every single thing that I learn about him.”
“Keep going,” Rae nudged, gently.
“Well, let’s not even start with the fact that he’s a nurse, who works with sick kids, cancer patients who are sometimes in the hospital for extended periods. The man bakes, hikes, reads, can hold a conversation about anything from world politics to the nuance of Great British Bake Off and he can string coherent sentences together over email in a way that made me keep writing back. His idea for a second date was to introduce me to two of his oldest friends while we were stuck on a steam train and he couldn’t escape from the banter they threw at him.” Charlie gasped for breath, the words coming out in a stream. He went on for a while, telling Rae everything.
“So, you’re waiting for a shoe to drop because a person like that can’t actually exist?” Rae asked.
Charlie smiled, “I think I was, maybe, up until that dinner that I took him to.”
Rae looked quizzical. “That was your first date, though, the one you took him on.”
“Yeh,” Charlie confirmed. “He was so authentic, Rae. He was able to laugh at himself, doesn’t take himself seriously, and I could kiss, I mean talk to, him for hours!”
“I’m sure you could!” Rae raised a carefully plucked eyebrow in a suggestive smirk.
“I’m serious. Did I tell you when I was holding the door open for him he mimed needing to pull in his skirts, like he was some damsel in a gown. I stopped questioning any of it after that.”
“He did?” Rae asked, the smile on their face lighting their eyes.
“He did. I honestly don’t know where he came from, how of all the houses he saw my window of stuffed toys and decided to write a postcard to them, but if that’s the way our story starts, if that’s the catalyst that needed to exist for us to be in the same universe, then I’m not questioning it.”
“You are so smitten,” Rae teased, softly. “I am even more keen to meet this suitor now. Though it seems we may be too late for any kind of intervention, should one be needed.”
“I honestly don’t think you’ll need to intervene, but I appreciate that you were at the ready.” Charlie bent over Rae and kissed the top of their head as he extended an over the shoulder hug. Rae squeezed his arm and they held the hug for a few minutes.
Eventually, Charlie pulled away, set the wok on high heat and proceeded to stagger in each of the different veggies according to how long they’d take to cook, along with the sauce he’d made, ending with the fresh egg noodles he’d picked up so that he wouldn’t have to use another pan. The meal came together quickly and Charlie appreciated that.
“Grub’s up!” he called out to Isaac and Olly, who came through still in full debate mode.
“Right, book talk can calm down now so that we can eat,” Rae teased Isaac gently, wrapping him in a hug.
“Alright, alright. It’s just nice to have a worthy adversary in a literary discussion and I’ve missed Olly’s penchant for playing Devil’s advocate.”
“He is a wind-up merchant, that’s for sure,” Charlie acknowledged as they all sat down around the table and Charlie encouraged everyone to help themselves to noodles.
Dinner discussion flowed easily as the four of them ate, and Charlie was relieved to not be intensely grilled about Nick any longer, knowing Olly would still likely have questions. As they finished the meal and Rae took on the clear up and dishwasher stacking duty, Charlie drew Isaac and Olly into the living room to settle in for a film before bed.
Rae curled up at Isaac’s side, Olly and Charlie taking the two arm chairs, Piper at Charlie’s feet. Olly sat with his legs crossed in a lotus-esque position in the chair, his knees resting gently on the padded arms of the sofa, and Charlie sat and took in the sight of all the family in the room. It really was a balm to the soul to have them all here, as much as he loved his solitary life.
The rest of the weekend stretched ahead, with plans for brunch at Betty’s tea shop the following day, and then Sunday lunch the following day, to which Nick had been invited and was coming, to meet the family.
By the time the film was over, a film that only he and Olly had watched since Isaac had read his book and Rae had fallen asleep on Isaac’s shoulder minutes into the opening credits, it was time to ferry everyone upstairs while he let Piper out, then they all took turns in the bathroom and everyone settled down for the night.
“What do you think, Piper?” Charlie asked his best girl as they tucked themselves into bed. “Do we think they’re going to scare him off, or is he made of sterner stuff than that? Instinct says, with a friend like Darcy, he’s going to make it through this crowd, hey?”
Piper left out a breath in a huge sigh and closed her eyes.
“You’re absolutely right, baby girl, no point dwelling, just going to have to wait and see. G’night Pips!”
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
sue me by cachicamoo
Rock Hard by kaalee
Unrequited by Coach1305
Chapter 28: What did you think?
Summary:
Last Time: Isaac, Rae and Olly descended on the peace and tranquility of Charlie’s solo life and a long weekend of fun, teasing and interrogations ensued.
This Time: Charlie and Olly take Piper for a run before the chaos-mongers really get their teeth into the weekend as Nick comes over for lunch.
Notes:
You have all been so incredibly fabulous, enjoying the soft moments of this gentle fic and allowing it to evolve slowly. I had no idea it would take hold of me the way that it has or where exactly it was going to take me, and that you are all being so supportive of the pace and softness is so affirming. I appreciate you all, and every comment you leave, loving on Rae and the others. Thank you so much!
My north stars and epic flailers Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 you’ve been amazing.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The following morning started slowly. While they hadn’t had a late night, by any means, Charlie’s friends were clearly making the most of a long weekend and being away from home, to relish a bit of a lie in. He was up early, as was their routine, with Piper.
He was actually surprised when Olly was the first to come downstairs, just as he was lacing up his shoes to take Piper out for her run. Even more surprised when he looked up to see that Olly was also in running gear.
“You want to come, little brother?” he asked. “Pips and I are going to do a quick run down to the river and around to the suspension bridge. Not far, but enough to get her out before the day gets going and it’s too warm to want to.
“If I’ll not cramp your style,” Olly nodded, “I’ve been running pretty regularly lately, it’s helping keep my brain a bit clearer.”
Charlie nodded, knowing the feeling. “Sure! I’ll warn you, Piper does some of the pace setting, when I let her, so don’t feel like you have to keep up.”
“I’ll be alright, if you guys have to take off I’ll figure out my way back.”
“Right then, shall we?”
The three of them left Isaac and Rae sleeping and closed the door quietly behind them. They ran in silence along the main road, the traffic no quieter for it being a weekend, but such was the nature of the major thoroughfare. As they got to the postbox and turned left down the steep road towards the river they settled their stride and Piper was careful not to rush so as not to tug Charlie over.
Charlie looked over, Olly was holding his own and even looked as though the pace was such that he’d be able to talk.
“How are things going with Mika and Simon?” Charlie asked, not having had a chance to talk more about them since the introduction of them to Isaac and Rae the previous day.
Olly looked over and gave Charlie a smile that spoke volumes. “They’re good! It’s not sunshine and roses all the time, we’ve definitely got some teething troubles to work through, there are questions and dynamics that we’ve not had a chance to explore yet, so that’s leaving us open to a bit of miscommunication.”
“You’re not exactly used to needing to communicate over the longer term, Olls,” Charlie acknowledged.
“Nope, and while that part doesn’t feel anywhere near as weird as I was expecting it to, there is still a learning curve. Communication styles are a factor. Mika is a serial texter, sends random gifs throughout the day and checks in. Simon, she’s more of a call when we’re arranging a date kind of girl, and so the group text is a bit interesting. I’m probably somewhere in between, but it’s just a lot to manage. Trying to make sure that I’m not missing the subtle cues along with the actual words. It’s a lot.”
“Are you being safe?”
“Urgh, Charlie!” Olly exclaimed. “A bit late for that lecture, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely not, I wasn’t talking about the birds and the bees kind of safe anyway, you have had that part sorted long enough now. I meant with what’s in there.” Charlie pointed in the general direction of the right side of Olly’s chest.
“Oh, emotional safety,” Olly quipped back, “there isn’t a condom for that.”
“Gross,” Charlie snorted, “but fair.”
Olly laughed, as much as he could, through gasping breaths and Charlie nudged Piper’s lead to encourage her to ease up to a slower jogging pace for a while.
“I don’t know, in all honesty,” Olly acknowledged. “I’m not sure what any of it means, or if we’ll make it long term or what. It’s all a bit new and there’s a lot to navigate. I suppose I’m just leaning into the fact that they’re interesting, and interest-ed in me and I in them, and I’m enjoying the experience. Let’s face it, having to figure out how one person prefers to communicate is one stumbling block in any new interaction, deciding to try to figure out two, and thinking that wires weren’t going to get crossed sometimes was a bit nutty.”
Charlie smiled, appreciating his brother’s words. They reminded him of the way that he’d been navigating his feelings towards Nick too.
“Do you always meet up together? Do you have dates with them individually? Are the three of you exclusive?”
“That is a lot of questions for first thing in the morning, Charlie. Short answers, on which I can elaborate when I’m not gasping for air are - yes, so far. No. And No. Having mentioned the birds and the bees, though, the sex is absolutely phenomenal and that may have something to do with making it all worth figuring out.”
Charlie caught his foot on a rock and stumbled a little, righting himself quickly and settling back into stride. “Thank you for that!” he laughed.
“What? I didn’t tell you the details!”
“Thank you for holding back!”
“You’re welcome, big brother! At least you’re not as squeamish about it as Tori.”
They both laughed fondly, before pausing their run along the suspension bridge long enough to take a quick sweaty photo of them both to send to Tori to show her what she was missing out on by not being free this weekend.
They settled into the jog back towards the house, talking less but companionable in the silence. Charlie was delighted to have had this time to just run with his brother. The train over the Penines really wasn’t arduous, they could meet up more often. He set the intention to make it over to Manchester soon, maybe meet these two people who’d made his brother consider settling down.
When they got back to the house, Piper went straight for her water bowl and Olly grabbed glasses for him and Charlie, filling them at the sink and passing one over as Charlie set the kettle boiling and gathered the wherewithal for coffee and set up the teapot, knowing he’d need both this morning to satisfy the crowd.
Isaac and Rae trailed into the kitchen, clearly having showered and dressed while he and Olly were out for their run.
“Thank you, dearest,” Rae entoned as they came over and kissed Charlie on the cheek.
“What for, dear heart? You’re welcome, for whatever it is.”
“For not waking us up or trying to suggest we come with you for whatever it was that has you and Olly looking like you stood under a waterfall.”
“You are more than welcome for that. Piper needed her run, otherwise she was going to be a menace all day.”
“Piper would have been a menace, huh?” Isaac smirked from where he was already rummaging in the tea cupboard and spooning leaves into the teapot.
Charlie stuck his tongue out at Isaac’s back and Isaac flipped him off over his shoulder.
“Now now, kids,” Olly grinned, “don’t make me separate you two!”
“You want the first shower, Olls?” Charlie asked, diverting the conversation and knowing that clean up was needed and they’d be taking turns.
“No coffee first? You sadist! I went out for a run with you, and you can’t even caffeinate me before I’m banished?”
“I’ll have it brewed by the time you get back down, and cool it on the name calling baby brother or I’ll dig out some of the ones I used when we were kids.”
“Ooh, I’m scared,” Olly feigned shivering as he turned on his heels and headed up the stairs towards the bathroom.
“You two really are something else,” Rae muses as they sort out mugs and start to pour tea from the pot, nodding at Isaac to grab milk from the fridge. “I cannot imagine having that kind of banter with my siblings. That said, I can’t imagine talking to my siblings, so we’re different in that too.”
Charlie gave Rae’s waist a squeeze and kissed their forehead. Their family background was a sore subject that Rae didn’t raise often. “You can have him, you know, as bratty little brother’s go and as much as he’ll wind you up with talk of his sexual conquests if you let him, he’s one of the good ones.”
Rae squeezed back, not saying anything for a minute and letting their hands stay busy preparing mugs of tea for himself and Isaac, looking a question up at Charlie who shook his head and indicated the coffee set up. “Cheers, Charlie.” Turning to Isaac they said, “here you go, love,” and handed him his tea.
“You guys take your tea out into the garden while I put on coffee for Olly and I. There’s granola in the pull out and yogurt and berries in the fridge, or there’s bread if you’d rather have toast. We’re having a big lunch so I wasn’t going to go all out for breakfast if that’s alright?”
“We’ll fend for ourselves, Charlie, don’t you worry.”
The rest of the morning passed amicably. Once Olly was cleaned up and caffeinated his sass calmed down and the four of them settled in around the table with their breakfast. Chat was general, the state of the world and how it could all possibly be falling apart so fast, and they all agreed that politics really wasn’t the way to start a day calmly.
Charlie’s phone buzzed on the worktop in the kitchen and he glanced behind him.
“Oooh, is it the boy?” Olly practically whistled.
“Given that he’s supposed to be on his way over in a bit because the madman insisted on being here to help with lunch prep rather than just come over to eat, yes, probably,” Charlie answered, allowing himself a moment to step away from their gaze to retreat to the kitchen for his phone. Sure enough, a quick message from Nick indicated his ETA and asked, for the third time, if he needed to bring anything. Charlie shot back a quick message and put his phone back down on the worktop.
Nick arrived precisely at the time he said that he would and Charlie was grateful that Olly, Isaac and Rae were all out in the garden with Piper so he got to open the door and greet Nick alone.
“Kiss me, quick, before they notice you’re here and we don’t get another moment to ourselves.”
Nick grinned and bent his head slightly, placing his hands on Charlie’s hips as Charlie’s went up to Nick’s jaw. The kiss was deep and firm and spoke of their time apart and how grateful they were to be in the same space again. Nick tasted of toothpaste and smelled earthy and warm and Charlie wished sincerely that his brother and best friends weren’t about to walk in on them as he reluctantly pulled away.
“Hello to you too,” Nick smiled. “That was not enough, but it would be handy if my first impression to your brother wasn’t me with my tongue down your throat.”
Charlie moaned softly. “Nick, that was just cruel, you cannot say things like that to me when there is no time for me to kiss you back the way that I want to.”
“Anticipation, Charlie, have you not heard? It’s all the rage these days.”
“No it’s not, you bastard, we’re in the age of instant gratification!”
Nick laughed and took Charlie’s hand, tugging him so that he could come all the way into the house and close the door behind him.
“Come on, introduce me, before I squirrel you out to my car and drive us away somewhere so that I can kiss you like I mean it.”
“Fucking tease,” Charlie smirked as he squeezed Nick’s fingers and tugged him out through the kitchen to the back door.
Piper saw him first and hopped up the back steps from where Isaac and Rae had been throwing a ball for her. She weaves herself through his legs and he leans over to ruffle her ears and stroke along her back in greeting.
“Ah well, I see you’re already familiar with Piper here,” Rae says softly as Nick and Charlie come down the steps into the garden, Piper leading the way, her entire rear end wagging as her tail waved frantically. “Charlie, this is your Nick?”
“Less of the ‘my Nick’, but yes, this is Nick.” Charlie caught a flash of something on Nick’s face before it softened into a smile and he was being enveloped in a hug. Interesting, he let himself acknowledge, as he was caught up in the hugs and general giddiness.
“Tell us all about yourself, Nick, warts and all.”
They’d all taken seats around the bistro table at the bottom of the garden and there was fresh coffee and tea and Isaac had apparently decided to launch in with the grace of Darcy at the train station. Nick had acknowledged that his two hadn’t behaved either.
“How much has Charlie already told you? Nick asked, "I wouldn't want to bore you with details you already know.” Charlie was struck by the question. While some might have seen it as a dodge, Charlie saw it for what it was, a sneaky way for Nick to find out how much Charlie talked about him to his people. Fucker, that was clever, he’d have to remember that.
Rae took the bait and launched into Nick’s vital statistics; occupation, hobbies, soft toys and dinner choices, and Charlie sighed inwardly, knowing this told Nick just what he’d wanted to know. That Charlie hadn’t held back when sharing with his people. Oh well, what did he care, he had and he would again and it wasn’t as if he’d shared any of the truly personal things that Nick had confided in him, about his childhood or his dad. Those things were just for him.
Charlie thought about Nick’s line with his friends. “How about you all tell Nick something about yourselves instead of giving him the third degree,” he suggested, grinning.
“What third degree, I asked him one question and he basically made me answer it,” Rae moaned. “Still, fine, I can do that. I’m Rae, I use they/them pronouns and I’m with this delightful bookdragon of a human. Going on, what is it now, love, eight years?”
Isaac nodded, “and three months, two days, but who’s counting?”
Rae reached for his hand, bringing the fingers to their lips and kissing them. “You are, and I love you for it.”
Olly pretended to gag at the deep affection and Rae kicked him under the table. Olly squealed and tucked up his feet. “I’m Olly, Charlie’s little brother. I’m a treat!”
“Olly!”
“I am!”
“On that note, I need help prepping in the kitchen, who’s on deck?” Charlie got up and looked around the table. “We need tatties, carrots, parsnips all peeling, brussel sprouts shredded, then I’ve got a couple of options for the main so we can deal with the varying tastes. Also, no one is telling me that yorkshire puddings are reserved for when there’s beef being served so I’m doing those too. The oven’s getting a workout today and I’m glad I splurged on the double.”
The chatter continued as they made their way inside, dividing up the jobs. Nick, as Charlie already knew, was handy in the kitchen and was soon put to work on the nut roast for the vegetarian main course. The leeks softened in butter with nutmeg, sage and cashews filled the kitchen. At the table veg was being peeled and pans of water were being prepped. Rae was grating a mountain of parmesan cheese and mixing it with flour for dredging the par-boiled parsnips in before they went into the oven to roast along with the potatoes. It was organised and fun and Charlie had slipped on some music to play in the background as they worked.
Lunch ended up being a roaring success, the food was delicious, conversation flowed easily and Charlie relaxed as Nick slotted easily into the world with his family.
After the meal, and the inevitable washing up, they took Piper for a walk down to the river. The pace was slow, all of them far too full for anything intense, but needing to move for the same reason.
Nick seemed unsure where to walk, so Charlie reached for his hand and felt him relax as their fingers laced together. Isaac and Rae were walking ahead, Olly talking Rae’s ear off about a new band he’d seen playing in Manchester.
“You doing okay?” Charlie asked Nick as they slowed a little to let the others get ahead a bit. “They’re a lot.”
“They are, but they’re great, Charlie. Really. I’m thoroughly enjoying them. Olly’s a hoot, and Rae’s really sweet. Isaac’s an old soul, isn’t he?”
“He is, he basically absorbs books. It’s made him wise beyond his years, and he’s disturbingly perceptive. I think often he blends into the background because he’s always reading and people don’t notice the things they share in his presence, or the things he sees over the pages.”
“I’ll watch out for that!” Nick smiled. “Are you alright? I know that you met my two chaotic friends, and that was an unconventional additive to what amounted to our second date, but nothing about this has been conventional.”
“You’re right there,” Charlie agreed, squeezing Nick’s fingers so he’d know that wasn’t an issue. “I’m absolutely fine.” He took a breath and launched, “Nick,”
“Yeh?”
“Earlier, when I pulled back from the ‘my Nick’ comment, did I see that right? You know I only held that off because it’s not something we’d talked about yet? I didn’t want to put anything on you just because Rae was getting overly familiar.”
Nick smiled softly. “It’s probably a bit nuts. I’m. Maybe one day. I’d like to be. Your Nick that is. I’m not seeing anyone else.”
Nick shook his head a little, and Charlie wondered if maybe that had been more than he’d intended to share quite yet. This was all moving really fast and yet it didn’t feel like it was out of control. Charlie stopped walking, Piper turning quickly as the slack came out of her lead. Charlie pulled Nick down into a kiss, before whispering against his lips, “I’d like that.”
They were interrupted by whistles from ahead of them along the road. “Come on you two, we’ll never make it to the river if you are going to make out all the way!”
Charlie gave Nick one more kiss before tugging on his hand again and following the others down the hill towards the river. They walked along the bank towards the beautiful stone bridge, collecting sticks and playing a few games of Pooh sticks from the top. Rae won each time, which they were absolutely delighted by even as Charlie called for recounts made impossible by the river having drifted away with the evidence.
They walked down towards the beach, the river low enough that they could walk back along almost all the way to the bridge. A family of ducks scattered into the water as Piper stepped around them, even though she was looking at Charlie who didn't give her the go ahead to actually chase them.
It turned out that Nick was really good at skimming rocks. He picked up several in a row and, with a flick of his wrist, sent them bouncing across the surface of the water all the way to the opposite bank. Charlie looked on, and then caught Olly’s eye. Olly smirked at him, and Charlie stuck up a middle finger at him. The same thought had occurred to both of them though, that wrist flexibility could come in handy. Charlie laughed inwardly at the pun before shaking it off and looking around the scene.
Isaac was sitting in the perfect bench made from the one tree that sat on the island. Any time the river was in flood the tree was largely underwater and it had grown with a severe bend in its trunk in the direction of flow, the almost horizontal section followed by the way the trunk then moved back towards vertical made for almost day-bed level ergonomics and trust Isaac to have found a comfortable seat on the side of a river to curl up with a book. Rae was sitting on the beach below him, Isaac running his fingers through their hair with the hand not holding the book.
Olly and Nick had taken it upon themselves to build a dam across a small flow of water along one side of the island. They had taken their shoes and socks off and were wading around in the water, moving the rocks to build up walls, checking to see if they’d built them sturdy enough to step onto and rearranging where necessary.
Piper, off her lead because there was no one else around, was wading with Olly and Nick, watching their progress, nudging rocks every now and again with her nose, or a front paw. Charlie picked up a stick and called her over.
“Pips!” She looked over immediately and came bounding to his side. He flung the stick out into the river and she dove in, splashing for a second before swimming confidently out into the strong current, grabbing the stick in her mouth and turning back. Strong swimmer or not, she was much further down the beach when she came back out of the water and had to run back to him before dropping the stick at his feet.
After Piper retrieved the stick a few more times she watched Charlie throw it out into the river for a final time before simply watching it float away.
“You done, good girl?” Charlie asked her, amusement in his tone. Piper was always expressive about her limits and this was pretty clear cut. She took herself over to Rae and Isaac and gave them a ceremonial shower as she shook the water out of her fur. Rae squealed and Isaac bent to protect his book and it did what Piper had intended and galvanised them all into wrapping things up. Everyone was made to admire Olly and Nick’s dam and the fact that it held both their body weight. The engineering was impressive. Given that it was simply made with the rocks from the river bed, it had sluices underneath to maintain flow where they’d wanted it but had redirected it in others.
“Nicely done, you two,” Charlie acknowledged, meaning it.
The walk had had its desired effect, it had helped them all move through their after lunch malaise, aiding digestion. They trooped back to Charlie’s cottage where Nick made his excuses and told them all that he’d see them the following day for their walk. The others went inside and Charlie wrapped his arms around Nick’s neck.
“I know this was the plan and that I love my brother and friends. Right now they’re feeling rather underfoot and they only just got here. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Absolutely you will. Your brother and friends are great, and they’ve only been mildly invasive, so I think I’ll take that as a win.”
“Oh you absolutely should. Olly’s been positively tame. My fear is he’s holding back and tomorrow will be another story.”
“Tell him to bring it on. I can take it.” Nick pulls Charlie in for a hug, followed by a knee melting kiss. “Sweet dreams, Char,” he said as he got into his car.
Charlie watched him pull out and then went back inside where he walked into the conservatory to see Olly, Isaac and Rae sitting around the table clearly waiting for him.
“Alright,” he said, deciding to just launch. “What did you think?”
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
where the night takes us by kaalee
As You Areby NellieSayzBork
Primavera by Yee_333
Chapter 29: Kissing Gate Do-Over
Summary:
Last Time: Charlie and Olly took Piper for a run before the chaos-mongers really got their teeth into the weekend as Nick came over for lunch.
This Time: Charlie gets the dish on what his friends and brother think about Nick, and they all learn more about Olly than he’d intended to share.
Notes:
This chapter picks up exactly where the last one left off and while I am sorry about the cliffhanger, I’m also not. It was where Charlie insisted the chapter break was.
Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 are here in all weathers, supportive while I had writer’s block and now ploughing through the couple of new chapters that have poured out in a few days. I would love to be more consistent, but wouldn’t we all, sometimes?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Alright,” Charlie said, deciding to just launch. “What did you think?” He put his hands up as he said this and added, “and before you say anything, I don’t think I have to tell you that I like him, so get honest with me, but also piss off.”
“Who are you telling to piss off, you cheeky minx?” Rae asked, looking scandalised. “What exactly are you thinking we’re going to say?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Charlie acknowledged. “That if something feels too good to be true it probably is? That Murphy’s Law dictates that the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamps of an oncoming train?”
“How are you applying Murphy's Law to having met Nick?” Olly asked, for once looking like he was genuinely asking, his traditional teasing tone replaced by sincerity.
“Olls, this is one of the most surreal things to ever happen. No one meets a person under these circumstances and has absolutely no questions about the sanity of the situation. What were the odds that that postcard was going to be sent to me, that we were both going to be interested in guys, that we would have anything in common, that it wouldn’t fade to nothing when it stayed digital for as long as it did, that there’d be even the tiniest amount of chemistry when we met?”
Isaac took a breath. “Charles, are you spiralling because you think we are going to try to talk you out of continuing to explore this?”
“Ooh, he’s calling you Charlies, he means business,” Rae smiled, not letting up on the moment but acknowledging the need to provide a little relief.
“I don’t know, Isaac,” Charlie acknowledged, letting out a big breath he’d been holding. “I suppose there’s a part of me that is waiting for the other shoe to fall, because it seems like in life there’s always another shoe and it always falls. I keep finding myself thinking that I should be looking out for the moment Nick says something dickish or proves himself to be less than all the things he clearly is, because that’s what life to this point has taught me to expect.”
Three pairs of eyes narrowed in his direction and Charlie shook his head.
“No, you don’t understand, what I mean is that while I feel like that’s what I’m supposed to be doing I’m not.”
“And that in itself is making you feel like there’s a shoe?” Isaac asked, astute as ever.
“Oh, come on Charlie,” Rae implored as Charlie half nodded his head. “You’re right. He’s a handsome, wholesome, pediatric nurse with a sense of humour, a rockin’ rugby playing bod and a penchant for hair flicks, playing with Piper and oh what was that last thing, oh yes, you!” They paused, considering for a moment. “Nope, you’re right, too good to be true, clearly there’s a shoe, and it’s probably a red stiletto that’s aiming right for a sewer grate ready to give you a twisted ankle.”
“Thank you for that really specific visual, Rae!” Charlie laughed. The serious moment diffused slightly by the gently flippant comment.
“You’re holding something back, though,” Olly nudged. “Are you really looking for flaws? I mean, I was pleased to see you snog him, but you said that’s as far as you’ve gone.”
“We’ve been on two dates, Olly!” Charlie ignored the look on Olly’s face, which indicated that that was plenty of time to decide.
“Two dates, and how many emails, DMs and texts?”
“Oh hush, that doesn’t count, who knew what any of it meant before we actually took the plunge and decided to meet in person?”
“But that stuff is why you decided to do that,” Rae insisted. “General rules for a safe space on the internet. ‘Though shalt not meet strangers off the internet what came into your life by sending an unsolicited postcard to one's childhood soft toys’.”
“That all seems remarkably specific for a general rule of thumb,” Charlie laughed.
“Nah, you’re not special, this sort of thing happens all the time,” Rae smiled.
“Oh well, cheers. That’s good to know, here’s me being worried that the quirky circumstances was part of what was going to make all this fall apart.”
“Yeh, see, take that off your worry list,” Rae giggled. “You’re welcome!”
Isaac placed his hand on Rae’s leg, a comforting gesture that Rae answered by adding theirs over the top and lacing their fingers together for a moment. “While my love may be being a tad facetious, I take their point on the fundamentals,” Isaac said, looking up at Charlie. “Take the postcard out of the equation for a second, although I think it says something fundamental about Nick’s character. If you take the postcard as a catalyst, then it’s no different, ultimately, to the moment two people swipe on a dating app.”
“Going to need you to elaborate on that one,” Charlie acknowledged, intrigued but wanting more details.
“Well, the app is that initial moment of seeing something that interests you about the other person, the initial reach out is tentative and could easily be shot down or ignored. That’s the sending of the postcard. The recipient of that initial contact can choose to respond or not, that’s you deciding to have Kitty wave.”
“Okay, I’m following so far,” Charlie said.
“So, then there’s swapping of some kind of contact information, in-app messaging vs setting up a brand new email address in the name of your childhood soft toys.”
Rae was nodding along and even Olly seemed to have decided to give the analogy its due at that point.
“The messaging was the foreplay, you got to know each other, shared details and learned about each other in ways that you wouldn’t have in any other circumstances, and all power to you. It’s a wonder, though, from that standpoint, that you didn’t jump into his arms the very first time you met.”
Charlie looked aghast, and flipped an arm out to land a swack on Isaac’s arm. “You take that back, what do you mean? How could I have done that?”
“Dearest, you told Nick about Jane, before you even met. Do you know how many times I had met your mum before you let me in on some of the ways that you guys have struggled?”
Charlie cut himself off from an immediate retort and let himself think, surprising himself when he acknowledged that it was true. He didn’t like to acknowledge out loud that things with his mum had been strained. She loved him, and he knew that, and he also knew that there were so many kids, especially LGBTQIA+ kids, who had much worse relationships with their own families.
“Don’t do that,” Rae said quietly.
Startled, Charlie looked up. “I’m sorry, baby,” Charlie said to them. “I know it’s not a competition, nor would I presume to even think about it like that.”
“Do you all not acknowledge, though, that the things that I shared, the way that I was somehow comfortable telling him about mum and about the bullying and that he told me about his brother and his absent dad and whatever, it’s more than I’d share with a person I’d only known for a five minutes in real life.”
“Of course it is,” Olly piped up. “I’ve told one night stands things that I haven’t told mates yet. Anonymity, either in the form of the internet communication, or the statistical chance of never seeing someone again, it does wonders for honesty.”
“That was delightfully astute of you, Olly,” Isaac acknowledged. “He’s right, even though I’d caution against using it as an excuse never to be honest and open with folks who show up on more of a regular basis.”
“You don’t have to sound quite so surprised, Iz,” Olly bemoaned, pouting just slightly. “I do take your point on that, though, and that has been a lesson that I’ve needed to adjust to.”
Isaac looked good naturedly admonished and acknowledged this. “You’re right, you are wise beyond your years.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. Simon has definitely had a couple of gentle words with me about sharing.”
“Sounds like you’ve met your match, someone who’s not just going to let you get away with absolutely anything.”
Olly’s face took on a softly sad expression and Charlie moved to sit next to him.
“What is it, Olls?”
“Finding Mika and Simon,” Olly started, after taking a deep breath before continuing and looking around at the support in the room. “Finding them, it forced a bit of a revelation on me. I was talking to my therapist and it seems that I’ve maybe been wanting to acknowledge that I’m poly for a while, using hook-ups to get me into situations with multiple partners but not letting myself think about them as relationships. Turns out internalised polyphobia is a thing, who the fuck knew?!”
Charlie wrapped his arms around his brother and held on tight. Rae on his other side kissed the top of Olly’s head and Isaac’s book was in his lap. No one said anything, waiting to see if Olly wanted to share more.
“I had myself so convinced that I was already straddling a line, for most people, by being bi,” Olly started, his voice soft and a little hoarse with emotion. “I couldn’t quite see my way clear to dealing with everyone’s opinions on me also being poly. The thought of all that judgement, all the ways that people were going to see me, the presumption they’d make about my commitment issues if I couldn’t commit to a gender I fancied and then couldn’t even stick to just one partner either. So I actively didn’t stick to one partner, but I also didn’t let myself see anyone more than once. If I didn’t committ to anyone, didn’t slow down long enough, then I didn’t have to deal with the rest of it.”
Isaac was the first to speak and his words were so gentle that Charlie knew that Olly would not be able to find any offense in them. “Olly, this explains so much, and we are so proud of you.”
“Isaac’s right, baby brother, that has got to have been so hard, and it puts so many things into perspective. I am so sorry if I ever made you think that you couldn’t tell me this.”
“Oh, no don’t do that, Charlie,” Olly insisted. “I have been pushing this down about myself, this wasn’t about anything I ever thought that I’d get from you, or not get from you.”
Charlie squeezed Olly tightly again and Olly let himself be held.
“Simon and Mika have been great,” he said against Charlie’s shoulder. “They’ve been helping me unlearn a bunch of arguably desructive behaviours, listening when I have to talk myself out of some things and into others, and teaching me how to be in a relationship. It’s new and who knows where it’s going but it’s also the most me I’ve felt maybe ever. I always had a sense that I wasn’t cut out for one person, turns out I was right, just didn’t have to think that meant that I wasn’t cut out for trying out loving more than one people.”
“I am so proud of you, Olls!” Charlie said, mirroring Isaac’s sentiment. “Does Tori know?”
“I talked to her about it a little bit, working on trying to do that, it’s still a new skill.”
“Love you, little brother,” Charlie said into Olly’s curls.
“Love you too, big brother,” Olly responded into Charlie’s shoulder.
The rest of the evening was spent watching re-runs of Jonathon Creek, with glasses of Bailey’s for a little sophisticated comfort.
🐑🐑🐑
The next morning started as the previous one had. Olly, Charlie and Piper went out for a run leaving Isaac and Rae to sleep in. They all had breakfast together and Olly and Rae did the washing up. Nick was due over around mid-morning and they’d planned to get out for a walk. They’d decided on Heber’s Ghyll, because it was a stretch from the house but not the worst one, and even Isaac had to acknowledge the atmospherics of the forest.
Charlie opened the door to Nick’s knock and let the taller man tug him close by his hips, pulling himself up on his tiptoes so that he could more fully return the kiss that Nick planted on his open and receptive lips.
Olly emerged from the kitchen to find his walking boots and gave them a whistle. Charlie stuck up his middle finger and told him to piss off. The moment was gone, though, and the general flurry of getting water bottles into back packs and lacing up boots took over as they all got themselves ready to walk.
They split up into random groups as they walked up Victoria Avenue towards the bottom of the forest. Talking about anything and everything the groups shifted organically and Charlie found himself just looking around at how seamlessly Nick had slotted into his world, with some of the toughest of all his crowd. Okay, so I haven’t had him face Tao yet, he acknowledged to himself as he watched Nick and Rae talking animatedly about something he couldn’t make out. Still, this crowd are no pushovers and they see through absolutely all bullshit, and it’s like they’ve known him forever. How he does that I’ll never know but I refuse to question it either.
“Dont you agree?” Isaac asked him, and Charlie realised that he’d entirely checked out as he’d been dwelling on Nick’s apparent adoption into this group.
“I am so sorry, Iz, I was absolutely not paying attention,” Charlie acknowledged, slightly sheepish.
“Don’t worry,” Isaac responded, a slight smirk marring his attempt to chastise Charlie with a glance alone. “I have a feeling that your mullings likely answer my question.”
“You were talking about the way that Nick fits in?”
“I was, and good thing too since that’s where your brain was, even if it was rather rudely ignoring me as I made the same point.”
“In which case, in answer to your earlier question, yes, I agree,” Charlie laughed.
“Well, that’s all that matters, in the end,” Isaac laughed too, punching him lightly on the arm, causing Piper to look over her shoulder at him.
“Don’t you look at me like that, Piper,” Isaac said, mock sternly. “He deserved it,”
Piper huffed, but didn’t argue, turning back up the hill.
By the time they were walking up through the woods, Nick, Rae and Olly were taking photographs of each other playing the ogre under several of the bridges or rock caves along the path, and Nick’s long arms were used to their full advantage taking a group selfie of them all on the bridge at the top.
When they made their way through the kissing gate out onto the moors at the top, Nick didn’t hesitate a second time and kissed Charlie soundly across the top of it before following him and Piper through. A worthy do-over that had Charlie’s stomach somersaulting and his nerve endings jangle throughout the rest of the blustery walk.
Olly took off on his skateboard for the train station soon after they got back down to the cottage, citing needing to get back for work, even though Charlie knew better and hugged him, telling him to give hugs to Mika and Simon.
Isaac and Rae packed up not long after, and the house was suddenly so quiet. Weekends like this one were a double edged sword for Charlie, acting as both a balm to the soul and a rattle to the brain as he’d soaked up the family but also been overstimulated by all the company.
He liked that, without asking, Nick hadn’t left with the others. They made tea, and took it through to the living room where Piper turned in a circle three times before settling on her bed in the corner. Nick sat on one end of the sofa and Charlie sat with his back to Nick’s chest. They didn’t turn on the TV, let silence continue to reign in the quiet cottage, and Charlie felt more seen than if he’d actively asked Nick to just hold him while his nervous system reset. It seemed he didn’t need to, and that felt so so good.
Chapter 30: Hike to the Beacon
Summary:
Last Time: Charlie got the dish on what his friends and brother thought about Nick, and they all learned more about Olly than he’d intended to share.
This Time: After a call with Tao and Elle Charlie gets ready for a hike with Nick and Piper.
Notes:
The flirting is next level now, gang. As I’ve found in this and other universes, once Nick and Charlie snog it’s really hard (ha-ha) to get them to stop.
Thank you so much to Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 who just keep helping me brainstorm my way around my mangled outline for this fic, which isn’t even really an outline anymore than a series of suggested moments that are going to get woven together, somehow. I’m excited.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The routine was firmly established by that point. Charlie woke up and checked his phone, attuned to and unapologetically keeping up with Nick’s schedule at the hospital by this point, he knew whether he’d be expecting an obscenely late goodnight message that had arrived after he went to sleep, or an equally obscenely early good morning message sent as he set off for Leeds in the dark for an early start.
He rolled over and plucked his phone off the bedside table, sure enough there was his message, letting him know it had been a long shift and Nick was off home to sleep for a week. Charlie sent a quick reply indicating he hoped Nick didn’t sleep for a whole week since they had a date/hike scheduled for a few days' time, but that sleep was definitely well earned.
Piper licked his face as he hit send and he laughed.
“Yes, alright alright, I’m up and paying attention to you now, Pips. Good morning to you too!”
Piper huffed her approval that he finally appeared to have his priorities straight and encouraged him off the bed and down to the kitchen. They navigated their morning routine, including a gentle jog to get them both moving, before Charlie settled himself down at his computer to dig into his latest manuscript.
He lost track of time, and his phone ringing startled him when he broke away from the pages. Shaking his head he looked down at the screen, half expecting Nick before realising he hoped Nick was still asleep. He’d not had nearly enough time to catch up yet. It wasn’t Nick and he smiled as he swiped his thumb over the button to answer the call.
“Perfect timing, love, you just pulled me out of deep entanglement. How are you doing, Tao?” Charlie asked, pushing himself away from his desk before standing and stretching his back and heading into the kitchen.
“Deep entanglement? I do not need to hear about your sexcapades, thank you very little. Do you mind?!” Tao sounded faux annoyed, the teasing tone easy for Charlie to pick up.
“I’m alone in the house, Tao.”
“Hey, that wasn’t an invitation to share more, your solo fun is your own lookout, too.” Tao laughed again, breaking his mock annoyed tone, and Charlie joined him.
“Seriously, though, how are you doing?” Charlie asked once they’d both got their breathing under control.
“I’m peachy, and so is Elle before you try to shenanigan around and keep the small talk going too much longer. You should know that Isaac and Rae called.”
Charlie had felt bad that Elle and Tao were tied up the weekend that Isaac, Rae and Olly had come to stay, except that the idea of adding those two to the mix on that weekend had sounded emotionally exhausting.
“I presumed they would have, and you know you could have called too,” Charlie nudged, acknowledging his own part in not having caught his friend up sooner. “I’ve been busy with this new manuscript and it’s got me in hyperfocus.”
“You’re forgiven, I know the last one was a pain, the author not the manuscript so much, but still. Even so, I do want to know when we need to be saving the date for.”
Charlie flicked the button to request to convert the call to video and Tao’s face appeared on his screen, his home grown smirk in place.
“Wanker!” Charlie said as soon as they could see each other. “Introducing him to my friends is not the same as an engagement. We’ve been on like two dates.”
“Uh huh, and email basically every day and text non-stop when he’s not with patients, and, - ”
Charlie cut Tao off. “Yes, alright alright, I hear you. He met my friends, some of them, and my brother, big deal.”
“It is a big deal, Charlie,” Tao nudged. “Are you really trying to suggest that no part of you is aware of the implications?”
“Implications?”
“Sure. The more you integrate into each other’s real lives the less virtual this thing is, the more that origin story of yours stops being folklore and starts to become a fascinatingly unique conversation starter when you meet new people.”
“It is going to be fun watching people’s expressions. Can you imagine?” Charlie mused, a small smile tweaking the corners of his lips.
Tao smiled too. For all his cynicism and periodically overprotective instincts, Tao’s support meant a lot to Charlie and seeing the way that his best friend was leaning into his budding connection to Nick was a confidence boost.
“It does still sometimes feel like it’s supposed to be harder,” Charlie let himself say.
“You’ve been conditioned to think that. You’ve been surrounded by the mainstream Hollywood paradigm that the protagonists need to overcome some kind of adversary, misunderstanding, sabotage or other natural or man made disaster in order to come out the other side stronger and able to stay together. It’s just as unrealistic as trying to suggest that two people can simply connect and then talk through any issues that come up between them rather than bottling it up, waiting for the misunderstanding to fester and then falling apart for a while before they get their heads out of their arses and communicate. All power to Nick, and to you and Nick if you’re able to be the former and not fall into the trap.”
“Thank you, Tao!” Charlie said, sincerely appreciating his friends’ perspective, putting into words some of the hesitation that he’d been experiencing. “I have been trying to put my finger on that and that all tracks so clearly. I was telling the others how I feel like I’m waiting for a shoe to drop, because it always does, and that maybe there’s something wrong because it just doesn’t feel like it’s going to.”
Elle swam into the frame, her elegant stature matching so well with Tao’s slender build.
“Oh, Charlie,” she sing-songed. “Count yourself lucky Nick is so straightforward. All that guessing as to what they’re thinking and what might be the next hurdle to have to jump, it’s shit and you know you’ve been there, done that and got those t-shirts. Not a collection you need to be adding to, babes!”
“I absolutely agree!”
“I’m so happy for you, it’s about time you found someone who could keep up with you!”
“Aaargh, rude!” Charlie exclaimed, rolling the r’s for emphasis. “Are you trying to say I’m high maintenance?”
“Absolutely!” Elle teased. “Also, no, not at all. I just think you know what you want and you’ve sought it in the arms of some right dishrags!”
“Dishrags? That’s flattering. What does that say about me?”
“That you didn’t know what you were worth, yet. I’m so proud of you for figuring out what we’ve known forever. You’re a fucking treat, Charlie, and you have always deserved someone who could match you for conversational sparkle, energy levels and actual human intelligence.”
“The fact that he’s hot in all caps is no small thing either,” Charlie added, winking at them both and making Tao mimic throwing up, which made them all laugh.
“Eww, Charlie, we don’t need to know how small, or not, he is!”
“Rude squared!” Charlie laughed along with them. “I wouldn’t know how small, or not, he is!”
“You haven’t seen him naked yet?”
“No!” Charlie uttered, attempting to sound outraged. “As I already told your boyfriend, we’ve been on two dates, give us a minute.”
“Yeh yeh, patience is a virtue,” Elle said, with a smirk.
“It’s also overrated,” Tao added. “What more do you need to know about him, Charlie?”
Charlie was about to say something flippant, to laugh it off, but he closed his mouth and let himself slow down and consider the question. He took in the expectant expressions on his friends’ faces and then said, honestly, “I don’t know.”
Both the faces in front of him broke out in grins and they too seemed to reconsider their more knee-jerk responses. They sat and talked for a while longer before Elle announced that a timer had gone off in the kitchen and excused herself, leaving Tao and Charlie to wrap up the conversation and say their goodbyes.
After they hung up, Charlie put his phone down on his desk and contemplated, shook his head and picked it up again before sending a message to Nick, asking if he wanted to go for a hike on his next day off. The response came quickly and in the affirmative and plans came together.
🐑🐑🐑
The day of the hike Charlie took Piper out for a quick walk ahead of time, just to get her initial burst of morning energy under control. He and Nick had discussed several different walks, before settling on the eight mile round trip up to the top of Beamsley Beacon, which they could do from Charlie’s cottage and not need to take cars.
“We’ll be out for a few hours, Pips,” he promised when Nick’s car pulled into the driveway. “You’ll get plenty of time with your new bestie, I promise. Anyway, you’re coming too, did you think you were staying home?”
Piper looked at him through her eyelashes, as if to indicate how put out she was at his insinuation that Nick was only her new bestie.
“Yes, yes, okay, I kinda like him too!” Charlie acknowledged as he ruffled her ears and got a treat out of her jar. “No need to say it out loud!”
Piper huffed out a breath through her mouth at him as she accepted the treat and took it off to her bed in the corner of the living room.
Charlie laughed and went to answer the door. Piper didn’t emerge from the living room, and Charlie told Nick she was sulking.
“She knows she’s coming, right?” Nick asked as he reached over and pulled Charlie into a hug before bending his head to kiss Charlie softly on the lips.
Charlie melted and brain cells ceased to fire in sequence as he leant into Nick’s embrace and the feeling of their lips touching and exploring. It was so easy, kissing Nick. There was something simple and inevitable and exhilarating about not having any questions that they were going to kiss, that they wanted to kiss. Reluctantly, he pulled away and they gathered their things.
“I told her, but she apparently didn’t believe me. ‘You ready?” Charlie asked as he finished lacing up his boots.
“As I’ll ever be,” Nick acknowledged, sounding a little intimidated. “This is a bit more of a trek than we’ve gone for before.”
“It is, but you’re a big strong rugby player, you’ve got this,” Charlie mocked, letting his hands graze up over Nick’s impressively muscled arms.
“Yeh, that’s all sprints, though,” Nick said, adorably missing Charlie’s mockery. “It’s not so much of the sustained effort. We’ll see what my stamina is like.”
“Oh come on,” Charlie implored in a whiney tone. “You can’t say things like that right before we go out!”
“Things like what?” Nick asked, his eyebrow raised in mock innocence.
“Initiating discussions about your stamina, you bastard,” Charlie said, giving Nick’s arm a faux punch, before calling Piper out of her sulk, affixing her lead and shoving Nick out the door.
They were both laughing as they hoisted their backpacks and set off along the road, Piper leading the way. They caught up on their week as they walked, allowing the scenery to pass by in its quintessentially bucolic fashion. As they came across the old stone bridge they paused to listen to the river rush over the weir and Nick looked over at Charlie with a grin.
“It’s so peaceful,” he said.
“My favourite place,” Charlie agreed.
The walk up to the base of the hill on which Beamsley Beacon sat took them along roads, up past the monastery and up through fields and the conversation simply didn’t stop. Charlie marveled at the natural ebbs and flows, the way that even periodic pauses felt easy and comfortable, how Nick would sometimes reach for his hand and sometimes they’d walk separately and neither felt awkward.
It was all going swimmingly, until they were traversing one of the last fields before the base of the final hill. Piper had come back to Charlie’s side from where she’d been forging ahead through the grass, nose to the ground as she explored the new path. Nick’s foot found the bog first, a single step taking him down into mud that almost, though not quite, went up over the top of his boot. He let out a squeal of surprise as he stumbled, flailing his arms and trying to catch himself. Charlie reached out for him too, momentum and Nick’s larger frame resulted, however, in them both ending up in a flailing pile of limbs in the mud, laughing uproariously.
Piper decided she couldn’t not be in on the action and stamped her front feet into the soft earth, letting a spray of muddy water add speckled decorations to Nick and Charlie’s already muddy clothes.
“Well, I see how it is!” Charlie laughed as they both scrambled to their feet as they took in their newly adorned clothes. Piper snorted as she cleared mud from her nose and gave herself a shake to clear the muddy water from her fur. Nick and Charlie both cracked up laughing, too muddy at that point to care that she’d just made it significantly worse.
“See how what is?” Nick asked.
“When I was growing up my parents had very distinct roles when we were out for a walk in the country. My dad was capable of finding the absolute longest short cuts imaginable, almost universally longer than the original planned route. My mum had an uncanny knack for finding the bog. You’re the bog-finder!”
“Well, in which case, if this is some kind of right of passage, and a bog is a necessary find to keep you in a nostalgic place, you’re absolutely welcome!” Nick laughed.
“What do you want to do? We’re almost at the base of the hill the Beacon sits on, but we’re now also covered in mud, do you want to keep going or turn back?”
“Oh come on, we’re too close to do that, surely. We can’t get muddier, we might as well just keep going.”
“Fair enough!”
They set off again, squelching a little and letting the sun dry the mud on their clothes and exposed knees under their shorts. The hike up towards the beacon itself was steep enough to have brought conversation to a halt, and the views from the top made them both simply stop, turning in slow circles to take it all in.
The rolling dales spread out all around them. The valley was covered in heather and ferns as far as the eye could see. Boulders lay, strewn about, left in the wake of the glacier that had carved out the valley in the first place. A handful of fluffy white clouds skudded across the otherwise clear baby blue sky.
Beamsely Beacon itself, Charlie told Nick as they sat down to share the snacks that they’d brought with them, was originally the marker for a Bronze Aged chieftain from 4,500 or so years ago, and was then used as a point in a signaling system, using fires, to warn of impending attacks around 1667. Nick listened, intrigued, as Charlie recounted the history, and they ate the delicious homemade granola bars that Nick had made. The flapjacky texture was enhanced with the crunchy addition of pumpkin seeds and orange zest and Charlie had to bite back a moan as the flavours burst on his tongue.
Nick smiled as he watched the appreciation on Charlie’s face and Charlie laughed. “Yeh, alright, the man can bake, as if those Millionaire’s shortbread you left for me didn’t already prove that!”
“You’re welcome,” Nick smirked, accepting the compliment.
“So modest!” Charlie mocked, gently, nudging his shoulder against Nick’s as he smiled too.
“Modesty would be disingenuous.”
“Oh well, and we can’t have that, can we?” Charlie grinned.
“Absolutely not, that would be tragic!”
They gathered up their wrappers and packed up their backpacks, sharing one more swig from the water bottle before encouraging Piper to do the same and then hopping up to head back down. They went overland, working their way around another couple of boggy sections where cattails blew around in the breeze, showing them the edges. The walk back felt shorter, but Charlie also found himself settling into his thoughts in the lulls in conversation.
What do I do when we get back to my place? He’s absolutely covered in mud, he can’t just get in his car. I don’t really want this to be over, and he’s not got work tomorrow. Not that I am inviting him to stay. Could I invite him to stay? Is that a bit fast? Why don’t you just start by letting him come in to get cleaned up? See what happens after that.
His inner monologue had apparently taken him far enough away that Nick noticed as he emerged to Nick saying his name.
“Sorry, I was miles away.”
“Penny for your thoughts,” Nick said, softly and without pushing.
Charlie hesitated before deciding there was no point in trying to play this off, and that actually he wasn’t inclined to either. “Do you have to get off right away when we get back?”
Nick’s smirk made Charlie cackle as he realised what he’d said.
“I meant do you have to leave right away, you wanker. Get your mind out of the gutter!”
“My mind?” Nick exclaimed, indignantly. “As if you didn’t think about it, too.”
“Rude!”
“Oh come on, nice try. Anyway, to answer your question, no, I don’t have to get off right away, we can work up to it if you’re so inclined.”
“Tosser!”
“That’s an option,” Nick smirked.
Charlie shoved him. The gesture would have held more impact if Nick hadn’t seen it coming, grounded himself and stayed solidly on his feet, causing Charlie to almost overbalance himself as Piper danced around their feet. They both cackled with laughter that began in their toes and Charlie marvelled at how light he felt. There was innuendo and teasing and a cheeky undertone to the entire exchange and it all felt so easy.
Falling for this guy is proving to be way too fucking easy!
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
that's called a home by bishyreadytocry
Post Sex Clarity by emmyarcher
Changing by Anonymous
Chapter 31: Clean Up Can Get Dirty
Summary:
Last Time: After a call with Tao and Elle Charlie got ready for what turned out to be a very muddy hike with Nick and Piper.
This Time: The aftermath of getting all muddy is the need to clean up, and Nick and Charlie take turns in the shower while their clothes get washed...
Notes:
Thank you so much, all of you. Knowing that anyone has been holding space on their Mondays for these updates, that this is a safe space for you. I am so thoroughly enjoying writing it, so I appreciate you!
Thank you so much Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85, you both have been so fun to brainstorm with on this fic!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
They made it back to Charlie’s cottage and stood on the steps for a minute figuring out the game plan. They were all absolutely covered in mud, and needed to clean up, so a sequence of events needed to be established.
“I’m going to take Piper round into the back garden and get the mud out of her coat with the hose, Nick. She’s not fit to get into the house as she is. So, if you want to take the first shower, you can go for it. We’ll leave our boots out here and deal with them in a bit. The bathroom is on the landing at the top of the stairs. There are towels on the shelves, and you can use whatever you want. There is a dressing gown on the back of the door you can put on, not sure that I’ve got any clothes that will fit you while we wait for the washer and dryer to get your clothes clean enough for you to go home in.”
“Sounds good,” Nick said, gingerly undoing the muddy laces of his boots and stepping into the house in his bare feet, having divested himself of the muddy socks too.
Charlie let himself and Piper into the garden and did a thorough job of getting the mud out of her coat, even reaching for a bottle of dog shampoo that he kept near the tap for just such occasions. She stood still and let him fuss over her, taking off after he finished and shaking herself out in the middle of the lawn.
“Right, baby girl, you stay out here in the sun for a little while, hey? I think you need to dry off before you come inside. Let me get you some water, though, you’ve done a really good job today, that was a long walk.”
Piper let herself plop down into the grass, her tongue out and her sides rising and falling in contentment. As he was turning back towards the house Charlie let his mind flash back towards the bathroom upstairs where Nick was probably done with his shower. The shower.
Oh fuck-a-doodle-do! Did I put it away? I know I had it out recently. I put it away, though, I have to have done. The alternative is too mortifying! No. Screw it, it’s not mortifying. I live alone and wasn’t exactly expecting him to be in my shower today. Unnghhhh, he’s in my shower today. Water is cascading down that broad chest, I wonder what other tattoos he has on there. I know there are more. He’s going to get out smelling like my products. He’s getting dry with my towels and putting my dressing gown on. Charlie, you’re making this really hard for yourself. Argh, now who’s mind is in the gutter? Fuck it, mine.
Charlie made his way, a little gingerly, into the house. Leaving his boots on the doorstep and divesting himself of his socks. He found the pile of Nick’s muddy clothes that he’d left outside the bathroom door, went into his room, stripped off his own muddy clothes, found a pair of shorts to protect his modesty and took the entire lot down to the washing machine in the kitchen. He set the wash going and got himself a glass of water, not wanting to be hovering outside the bathroom door when Nick came out.
Nick made his way into the kitchen a few minutes later, looking tousled and adorable in Charlie’s robe, his bare feet and damp hair adding to the look. Charlie shivered, letting his imagination wander to the fact that Nick was not wearing anything under the robe.
“Ca-” he coughed. “Can I get you anything?” Charlie stammered, before pulling himself together. Get your mind out of that robe, Charlie, be cool!
Nick smirked. “I can get myself some water. Your turn in the shower. You, um, keep that really well stocked.”
Fuck. I guess I really didn’t put it away. That was a pointed comment. He squared his shoulders, aware of his slender frame as his bare chest swelled and his muddy legs itched. Head high, Charlie, it can be fun.
To Nick, he said, “great, thanks, if that thing beeps at you, can you flip it over to the dryer setting. I should be down well before it does, but just in case.”
“You’re seriously not going to acknowledge what I just found in your shower?” Nick asked, the amusement shining in his eyes.
“I would, but my brain is not allowing me to use those words right now,” Charlie acknowledged, smiling back because while he saw mirth on Nick’s face, he saw no judgement.
“It’s an imposing implement, Charlie, I am impressed,” Nick went on, apparently determined to have the conversation even as Charlie felt his face heat up.
“Wanker,” Charlie said.
“I think that’s you, actually, apparently,” Nick’s smirk was taking up his whole face at this point and he’d stepped closer to Charlie, whose body was responding far too easily to Nick’s teasing.
“Why thank you,” Charlie said, giving in and wrapping his arms around Nick’s neck to bring him all the way in. “He and I have been together a long time.”
“I can respect that. You and he have history.”
Charlie leaned up on his tiptoes and kissed Nick deeply on the lips, moaning as their breaths lingered. When he pulled away he said, “I’m going to go upstairs and get cleaned up, I feel like I need to also be clean in order to have a conversation this dirty and personal.”
“Oh, absolutely. Hurry back, I’m not convinced we’re done with this one!” Nick laughed as Charlie scurried from the room.
Who the fuck is in my kitchen? How is it possible that this man exists? Charlie mused to himself as he dashed up to the bathroom. He showered quickly, revelling in the removal of the itchy mud from his legs and arms, noting the spots that had managed to get on his face and in his hair. He didn’t linger, and kept his back to where his dildo sat, still attached to the wall of the shower by the suction cup at its base, just as he’d left it.
As he was getting out of the shower he did look back at it. “You just got me into trouble, you bastard.” The dildo didn’t respond, and Charlie couldn’t even really believe it. He had a feeling that the sight might have acted as a catalyst and he was far too intrigued to find out for sure as he hastily threw on a pair of shorts and found a t-shirt before padding back downstairs to find Nick.
He found Nick on the living room floor, Piper lying on her bed, with Nick fussing her head and rubbing her tummy, all four of her legs up in the air. The dressing gown Nick was draped in had ridden up his leg, and was gaping a little at his chest, exposing his chest hair and the hint of another tattoo, and Charlie’s brain lost all circulation the potentially innocent sight of the beautiful man playing with his best girl got utterly debauched by his need to open the tie of the dressing gown and explore Nick’s ink. Yes, that’s what I want to explore, his tattoos, it’s not just that I want to see all of that glorious chest, or how far down that hair goes.
Nick sensed him and turned his head to look over his shoulder before propping his head on his arm and striking a pose, as if he were a live model in an art class. The move caused the dressing gown to open precariously, for Nick’s modesty, and Charlie’s breath caught in his throat.
“That is fucking unfair, Nick,” Charlie managed, his voice thick.
“Oh yeh?” Nick followed, without making any move to cover up. “See something you like, Char?”
“Fuck you, you know I do. If you don’t want me to do anything about that you’d better close your legs.”
“Where would the fun be in that?” Nick smirked, his own voice lower now and anticipation causing the air between them to crackle.
Charlie moved further into the room, watching in amusement as Piper took herself off to her bed in the study. When they were alone, Nick rolled onto his back, beckoning Charlie over to him and Charlie moved gladly into his arms, straddling Nick’s wonderful hips and bending down for a kiss that started softly and deepened fast.
His hands were on Nick’s shoulders, while Nick’s rested on his hips, his fingers caught underneath the hem of his t-shirt. Their lips danced over each other, tongues getting involved as they eagerly tasted each other. Charlie knew that Nick would be able to feel his response to the position and the heat of the kiss, and was immensely gratified to feel a responding hardness beneath him.
The kiss went on and on, neither of them racing to move it along to anything more, reveling in the feel of each other, tasting, licking, touching. Charlie’s head swam and he let his fingers move from Nick’s shoulders into his hair, the still damp strands soft and golden in the late afternoon light pouring in through the curved picture window, its leaded frame creating a grid pattern on the carpet underneath them. Nick moaned, his hips moving just a little and Charlie lifted his head, reluctantly and not far.
“Is this okay?” he gasped out as they both tried to catch their breath.
Nick’s pupils were wide and his hair was messy and the robe had fallen open, exposing his chest as it rose and fell with each breath.
“So much more than okay,” Nick panted. “I wanted you before I saw the size of the toys you play with in the shower.”
“You fucker, you really aren’t going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Um, no!” Nick smirked, reaching up to kiss Charlie fast on the lips to soften his words. “I mean, did I wish I was the toy who got to make you feel good? Sure. Did it make me want to try and make you feel better than that? Of course. I’m competitive by nature, Char.”
“Competitive, huh?” Charlie smiled. “That could work for me. Also, I will say, it’s always been purely physical there, you know. He doesn’t do well with the pillow-talk afterwards.”
“That’s the missing piece, huh? You like a bit of vocalising?”
“I - “ Charlie caught himself, “I like you, Nick.”
It was Nick’s turn for words to fail him and Charlie watched expressions flash across his flushed face. Their groins were still touching, and Charlie could feel Nick’s response as the bulge between his legs twitched. He wanted to indicate there was too much fabric between them, but didn’t want to rush anything.
“What do you want, Nick?” Charlie asked, needing to get a proper consent conversation started before he got carried away.
“I want you to get those clothes off, help me out of this dressing gown and get back down here,” Nick said, without hesitation.
“Before we go any further, I think there’s an unsexy conversation we need to have. I’ll go first. I get tested regularly, my last batch was all clear, and I’m on PrEP. Your turn?”
“Same answers, and thank you. I want you to feel safe! To be safe!”
As Charlie reached for the hem of his t-shirt and lifted it off his chest, he looked down at Nick. “Now that we’ve established that, what are you going to do with me once I’ve done all those things you said, Nick?”
“I think you’ll find you’re the one on top for this one, Charlie,” Nick mused as he shrugged his arms out of the dressing gown, leaving it beneath him like a blanket.
“For this one?” Charlie quirked an eyebrow in question.
“Oh fuck, tell me you top!” Nick gasped as Charlie rolled his hips down into their leaking erections.
Charlie grinned, rolling his hips again, delighting in Nick’s eager response. “Fuck, yeh, I top.” The relief and eagerness on Nick’s face filled Charlie with anticipation and he bent down to capture Nick’s lips with his own and they kissed deeply.
Charlie’s legs were keeping the fabric from falling all the way open and he moved around above Nick to get himself out of his shorts. When he settled himself back over Nick the dressing gown was wide open and they both hissed in anticipation as their skin met for the first time. Nick’s hands were quickly back on Charlie’s hips, a moan escaping his lips as he gripped and moved his own. Charlie locked eyes with Nick and felt a connection deeper than anything he’d ever felt as their gazes met and he bent down to kiss him. Their chests touched and the tickle of Nick’s chest hair against his own, was enough to distract Charlie from the way their groins were touching.
Only briefly though.
He didn’t even give himself time to check out Nick’s artwork.
As the kiss deepened, Charlie ground his hips down into Nick, tasting the groan in Nick’s mouth as he kissed him and ran his tongue along Nick’s plump lips. Nick’s hands had moved around and were now holding him by the arse, pulling him tighter against him and their erections moved together, pre-come smearing on their stomachs in response.
Charlie couldn’t believe that they were really here, finally naked, bucking against each other and exploring the pleasure they could create by simply being naked.
It was asynchronous and messy, as they frotted and moved together. Their noses bumped and their teeth clashed and they both laughed as they worked to slow down, to find each other’s pace.
“Fuck, you feel good,” Nick gasped in between kisses. “Want more. Sit up.”
Charlie whined at the request to break their kiss, but did as he was told, only to moan and roll his head back on his shoulders in response to Nick wrapping his hands around both their dicks. Charlie added his own hand and together they moved pre-come around to slick the movement.
“Fuck, Charlie! You feel amazing. Been ages. Wanted you for so long.”
“Nick, you are incredible. Just like that, oh fuck, yes. So long!”
It took a few strokes for them to coordinate their motions and then he felt Nick’s balls draw up and heard the way his breathing caught. He wasn’t quite there, himself, so he tightened his grip, encouraging Nick over the edge where he spilled, gasping, all over his own chest. The sight of Nick’s blissed-out face and come-covered torso pulled Charlie along and it took only a few more tugs to bring his own orgasm crashing down around him, and he added his mess to Nick’s, collapsing onto the floor beside him, their hands clasped together.
Chapter 32: Exploring in the Aftermath
Summary:
Last Time: The aftermath of getting all muddy on their hike was the need to clean up, and Nick and Charlie took turns in the shower while their clothes got washed. One thing lead to another.
This Time starts exactly where the last chapter left off, with Nick and Charlie in a mess of exhausted bodies on the living room floor.
Notes:
You all have been so fabulous, being so patient with these boys as they’ve gotten to know each other and cemented their connection. You have showered me with some of the most lovely comments, letting me know the comfort that you take in this story and I cannot tell you how much that means to me.
Thank you Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 for all the support you give me, brainstorming and encouraging the ideas to keep flowing.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
They lay together, gasping and panting, covered in come and grinning as they came down from their high.
“Well, fuck,” Charlie said succinctly, smacking Nick half-heartedly in the chest when he tried to smirk in response to Charlie’s less than eloquent exclamation.
“Couldn’t have put it better myself,” Nick all but slurred beside him. “When can we do it again?”
“That’s really a ‘you’ question, old man,” Charlie teased. “Your clothes are still in my washing machine, and unless you’re planning on heading home in my dressing gown, you’re stuck here for a bit longer.”
“Rude!” Nick exclaimed. “I’m hardly old! Also, give me a minute.”
“Just a minute? Impressive!”
“Alright, smart arse, maybe a bit more than a minute.”
“Fine. In the meantime, hold on there while I find something to clean us up.”
Charlie, reluctantly peeled himself off Nick’s side, looking back at the absolutely debauched sight of a gorgeous hunk of a human man lying on his living room floor, covered in come and a grin so wide his eyes shone.
That really happened, he acknowledged to himself as he stepped into the little toilet across the hall, took a flannel and some warm water to clean off his chest, before rinsing it and taking it back through to where Nick still lay on the floor. His eyes were closed and Charlie almost thought he might be asleep.
“Nick?” he asked, softly, not wanting to startle him by just approaching with a wet flannel, even if it was warm.
Nick’s eyelids fluttered open, the soft sated expression on his face making Charlie want to melt into him, and also fuck him hard and slow to keep that expression there a while longer. They made eye contact and Charlie proffered the flannel. Nick nodded and closed his eyes again. Charlie smiled, an open invitation to explore Nick’s torso was not going to be something he turned down, ever.
He knelt down beside Nick’s hip and proceeded to do just that, allowing the cloth to do the work, while tracing his fingertips after it, ghosting feather light touches over every inch of skin he cleaned up. He paid attention to Nick’s cock, which, even soft, was impressive and beautiful and made Charlie want to taste it.
“Tell me about some of these?” he asked, his voice still soft, not wanting to interrupt the sated stillness in the room.
Nick’s eyes opened again and he leaned up on his elbows. This position caused him to crunch up on his abdomen and Charlie pulled a breath in over his teeth in a hiss as the strength of Nick’s tummy under its softness was highlighted in the soft afternoon light in the room.
“I had already told you about the paw-print, right?” he asked, clearly knowing the answer and that he’d held back.
“Yes, and omitted several other pieces.”
“I did. I never know how many of these to mention when I’m getting to know someone new. It isn’t as though everyone’s best friend is a tattoo artist and insists on giving them new ink for their birthday every year.”
“Seriously? I kinda love that. My friend Elle has a tendency to do the same, except her art is on canvas. You can see her artwork all over this house.”
“That is great, you’ll have to show me around. You know. When my legs work again.”
“Stop procrastinating, tell me.”
Nick smiled, “this one here,” he indicated the croissant on his ankle, “they did for me to piss off my dad. He doesn’t approve of all these tattoos at all, but especially something so quintessentially French.”
“Your dad is French?” Charlie asked, wondering how they’d not talked about that when they’d discussed Nick’s absent father.
“Mai oui, mon cher,” Nick answered. “I learned when I was young, he only speaks to us in French, so …” Nick’s voice trailed off.
“¡Qué maravilla, mi amor!” Charlie responded, watching Nick’s eyes darken and delighting in the chance to surprise him in return. “My dad is Spanish. We didn’t use it that much, and I’m rusty since moving away, but yeh, you’re not the only one with language skills.”
Nick reached over for Charlie, they kissed deeply, tasting each other and the kisses were soft and languid and unhurried in a way that made Charlie’s toes curl and his insides turn to mush. Eventually, the floor was simply not comfortable, and Charlie reached over, tugging Nick’s arms as he pulled them both to their feet. They didn’t go far, just laid Charlie’s dressing gown down over the sofa, before lying down together and covering themselves in one of the blankets Charlie kept over the back.
Charlie traced the line of another tattoo, a couple of lines of text along the inside of his forearm. “Tell me about this one.”
The tattoo read “Nurse: someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data from those with questionable knowledge” and Nick smiled as he watched Charlie run his fingertip over the inked words.
“That was right after I got out of nursing school, I wanted to have something to remember that training, but also something that would make the kids smile.”
“It works, I take it?” Charlie asked.
Nick laughed, and the sound, under Charlie’s ear, was lyrical and warm and made him feel safe. As did the way Nick’s arms tightened around him.
“It does. How about you? When did you get your sleeve done?”
“That’s maybe a larger story, but for all that it is probably fundamentally simple. I had a hard time in my teens, dealt with some bullying when I got outed at school. My art teacher was brilliant, intervened, and then helped me figure out how I was going to commemorate figuring out how to process it all. The flowers were a bit of a symbol, and my friend Elle designed it for me.”
“Your artist friend?”
“Yes. You haven’t met her and Tao yet, they’re two of my oldest friends and they were busy when Isaac, Rae and Olly were all here. I was sort of okay with that, though I will never tell Tao that.”
“Oh yeh, how come?”
“That weekend was already a lot. Tao has a little bit of a tendency towards the, how do I put this delicately - overprotective. He means well, but it can come across a bit strident if he’s not careful, and with Olly already here and Rae being all about the interrogations, it could have been a lot if Tao had been here too.”
“You worried they’re going to scare me off?”
Charlie paused, then raised his head to look at Nick, shaking his head a little. “No,” he said, matter of factly. “No, I don’t think you’re the scare-ing kind, and for whatever reason, even though this is sort of new, it’s also really not. I don’t know how to describe it, or if that sounds silly.”
“While I’m lying here with you, naked on your sofa after having met your shower friend and then your actual, and might I say, much more beautiful penis for the first time, no I don’t think that sounds silly.” Nick laughed and Charlie swatted at him ineffectually on the pecs.
“Fucker!” Charlie laughed too.
“I think you’ll find that term now officially relates to both of us, Char,” Nick said, a smirk lighting up his face as the corners of his rosy lips quirked up.
“That is fair, absolutely true. How are we feeling about that?”
“About what, the fact that we’ve had sex?” Nick asks, feigning innocence. “Deflowered in the best possible way. Also, and you cannot hit me for this because I’m entirely confident you feel this too, about fucking time!”
“Nick!” Charlie tried for outrage, but Nick wasn’t wrong. They’d been working their way up to this kind of intimacy for a long time and those imaginary viewers that he’d asked Nick about on their first real date, would absolutely have been yelling at them now for several chapters or scenes to just get on with it. Charlie loved the pace they’d found, the way that he felt he knew Nick. “I think my only consideration at this point is that I got rather caught up in the moment there and I did not take the time that I know I’m going to need to explore all of your tattoos.”
“Now that is a tragedy, isn’t it?” Nick acknowledged, seriously, while tugging at the blanket that was draped over them and lying it back over the sofa. “Do you want to rectify that?”
“I really do.”
Charlie squirmed around to kneel up over Nick, looking down at his beautiful face, relaxed even under the scrutiny and their nakedness. Charlie let his fingers trace over Nick’s collarbones, down over his chest, along the inked words on his forearm. He asked Nick about some, made up stories that made Nick laugh when he got to others, and the sound was so free. This kind of freedom, to lazily explore, to laugh and feel, and feel seen, it was heady and Charlie revelled in the warmth that spread from his toes to his fingertips and back down his spine.
He apparently let himself get caught up enough in his exploration of Nick’s body that he didn’t notice Nick’s hands snaking their way up his thighs. Charlie squealed as Nick suddenly tickled him around his waist.
Nick laughed and Charlie swatted him on the chest again. “Oi, wanker!” Piper yipped at them as the quiet moment they’d been sharing turned ridiculous as they launched a tickle battle, squirming around each other to try to evade roaming hands while also ensuring they stayed close enough to maintain their own attacks.
Charlie found himself lying on his back, Nick straddling his hips and holding his hands above his head. They were both gasping for breath and laughing and looking deeply into each other’s eyes. Then Nick bent down and kissed him and the laughter melted away into the way that their lips touched and Nick’s tongue ran along his lower lip and his hand just didn’t let go of Charlie’s above his head.
Charlie gasped for air and then dove back in, reaching up to kiss Nick, letting their tongues touch and taste and sinking deeper into the sofa and the weight of Nick over his hips. They kissed for ages, deep exploratory kisses, light affirming kisses, and Charlie could have kept kissing all night. The fact that they were both deliciously naked, though, became harder (ha) and less enticing to ignore as their skin heated and their even recently sated dicks flickered to full hardness.
Nick released Charlie’s hands and he brought them down along his back until he was holding Nick’s full arse cheeks and tugging him incrementally closer. Nick groaned.
“Charlie!”
“Yes, Nick,” Charlie answered, his hot breath mingling with Nick’s as they gasped against each other's lips. “What do you want?”
“I want to taste you,” Nick answered, and Charlie shivered in satisfaction as he nodded and Nick slid off his hips, moving down between his legs, which Charlie opened wider to give him access.
Nick was kissing down his chest, his fingers following in the wake of the places Nick was tasting, nipping and gently sucking along his torso and down to the dip at his hip flexors.
“Fuck, Char,” Nick moaned against Charlie’s skin. “You are so fucking beautiful.”
“Why thank you,” Charlie heard himself say. It was as though the words had come from somewhere else, and it was a unique sensation to actually feel himself believe them. Nick was just so sincere, so caught up in the way that he was touching and tasting Charlie that there just simply wasn’t room not to believe him.
Then thought ceased as Nick’s tongue came out and lapped along the tip of Charlie’s aching cock. He was all sensation after that, reduced to the way that he felt as Nick’s tongue rolled around the end of his dick, licked down to the base and then sucked the entire length into his mouth. Charlie used a concerted amount of effort not to lift his hips and thrust up into the perfect heat and sublime wet suction, allowing his hands to play in Nick’s hair without exerting pressure and relishing in the throaty groan Nick let out, that drove vibrations along his entire length.
Nick took his time, clearly enjoying himself, and Charlie writhed beneath him as he felt the familiar sensations begin to boil deep inside him. Then he cried out as Nick added his hand just underneath Charlie’s balls, weighing them in his fingers before reaching further back and running just the tips of his fingers along his perineum. The sensitive skin was tight and the tingle it sent up his spine was delicious and Charlie cried out, as he felt himself come apart.
“Fuck. Coming. Oh, fuck. Nick!”
These weren’t his most articulate words, but they got the message across and where he hadn’t known how Nick was going to respond, he was delighted to feel Nick hold him still. He came, hard, surprising himself, given this was the second time this evening. Nick valiantly swallowed him down and took his time licking the sensitive skin clean.
“So worth the wait,” Nick moaned as he finally lifted his head, giving Charlie’s dick one final kiss before he moved back up and into Charlie’s waiting arms. Charlie kissed him, tasting himself on Nick’s lips and it was sexy and dirty in all the best ways, and set his head swimming.
Before Nick could get too comfortable, Charlie flipped him into a more seated position, dropping himself onto a cushion on the floor between Nick’s legs. Nick made a weak attempt to protest, insisting Charlie didn’t need to reciprocate.
“I know I don’t, Nick, and if you don’t want me to we can just cuddle.” He meant it, and looked up at Nick to check whether he was just being polite or really would rather Charlie didn’t. The look on Nick’s face, the anticipation he could already see, made him smile.
Charlie gave Nick’s dick a thorough visual inspection before running his fingers up its length. He couldn’t resist for long, though, and took Nick into his mouth. He looked up at Nick as he threw his head back against the sofa and closed his eyes. Charlie felt powerful and connected and honoured in the deepest way, to be in control of Nick’s pleasure like that.
He moaned at the tang and salt on his tongue, the firm slick skin moving through his lips and the whimpering groans from above him as Nick’s fingers threaded gently through his wrecked curls. He let one hand rest on Nick’s thigh, while the other held the base of Nick’s cock, moving in time with his mouth and bringing Nick closer and closer to the edge. Then he was there and Charlie tasted Nick’s release and felt the shudders as Nick’s body came undone.
It was everything, and Charlie licked Nick clean and came back up into his lap as Nick lay back down on the sofa and they snuggled back up into each other’s arms, kissing softly. There were no words, not at that moment, nothing needed to be said as they both just lay together, fingers drawing lazy circles over arms and chests. Charlie kissed Nick’s shoulder as he settled back into him and felt Nick’s arms draw him closer against his side. He sighed.
If he’d been concerned that Nick was just going to bolt after they had sex, a second round hadn’t factored into the situation and Nick seemed in absolutely no hurry to leave. Then the washing machine let out its singsong tone. Their clothes were dry.
“That’s your clothes, ready for you to put back on,” Charlie said, his face turned into Nick’s chest so the words were muffled.
“I was rather enjoying the freedom of not having to worry about them, to be honest,” Nick’s response came calmly as he kissed the top of Charlie’s head and held on tight.
“Stay for dinner?”
“I’d love to!”
They stayed in their post-sex cuddle for a few more minutes before they did, rather reluctantly, get up and make their way into the kitchen. Since Nick was getting back into the same, now clean, clothes, Charlie did the same, and then they pottered about Charlie’s little kitchen. They chopped veggies, and made a salad, and Charlie showed Nick some of the quirks of working with an aga and not being able to actively control the temperatures of anything.
Charlie put some music on, and they talked easily as they cooked. It was comfortable and simple and felt so good that Charlie pinched himself a couple of times to make sure he was awake. He was, and it was wonderful.
They ate in the living room, the TV tuned into a film neither of them was really watching, and then they cuddled back up until it really was time for Nick to head home.
“Well, that was a very successful hike, I think,” Nick said, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth as he winked at Charlie from the doorway.
“Very,” Charlie agreed, smirking too. “We’ll definitely need to do a bit more exploring.”
“Oh, most definitely. There are still so many places I haven’t explored, sorry, I mean, things I want to do with you!”
Charlie laughed. “I think you’re supposed to have that sentence the other way around.”
“Nah, I have no interest in pretending I don't genuinely mean that I have way more exploring to do, and I definitely mean you and not the moors. Pretty as they are, you’re prettier!”
Charlie reached up on his tiptoes to kiss Nick, who wrapped his arms around Charlie’s waist, dragging their bodies together more thoroughly. They both whined when they pulled apart and Charlie almost felt like he was missing a limb when Nick let go, stepping back to head towards his car.
They’d made their plans for their next date, and Charlie closed the door as Nick’s car pulled out onto the main road with a final departing honk of the horn. He went back into the living room and cuddled up with Piper.
“Well, Pips,” he said to his faithful companion, “I really like him!”
Piper nudged his hand, nodding a little, and the impression he got from her was “well, of course you do, you eejit.”
“Yes, yes, alright, I know!” he acknowledged, kissing her head.
Chapter 33: Anticipation
Summary:
Last Time: Started exactly where the last chapter had left off, with Nick and Charlie in a mess of exhausted bodies on the living room floor.
This Time: Nick and Charlie head out for a jaunt in Skipton, with a slight detour at Nick’s cottage.
Notes:
You are all fabulous, for finding peace and solace and calm in this story. I so appreciate all the comments and appreciation for this. It’s been so wonderful. It's occurred to me that I've left this story with an uncertain chapter limit for a long time, and I know there are some who find that disconcerting. In an effort to allay that discomfort, I have added a chapter limit now, based on what I currently have outlined. There is a caveat, however, since this story has already blown its original outline up and the boys have had me re-work it multiple times. The caveat is that there may be extensions of the chapter count as and when the boys decide they're not done.
Thank you to my twin stars Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 for just always being there in the margins, and for late night brainstorming sessions when I just need to work through an idea.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The time between dates with Nick had started to feel different to Charlie. His solitude still felt needed, he still lost himself in his work, he still went out running with Piper and sitting at the bottom of the garden with a glass of wine listening to the sheep bleat into the setting sun as it shone down the valley. Through the peaceful moments, there was now an underpinning of something wanting, an urge that hadn’t been there in so long. To maybe not be alone.
It turned out, Charlie discovered, that the thing that people say about a dormant sex life, when one is interested in having such a thing, is a defense mechanism, a way for the brain to hold back the yearning. When really good sex is available, and one is interested in partaking, it can become a need. Charlie needed. That side of him hadn’t been entirely asleep, he’d still found pleasure in his own ways, but since he and Nick had come back from that muddy walk, the sensations of climax brought on by another man’s hands was a rather distractingly constant thought. It helped that the other man was beautiful, and also kind, sensitive, interesting and curious.
Charlie put his phone down on the sofa beside him. His workday was finished, and now that plans were made he could relax a little. It had definitely reached the point where it simply felt strange not to know when he’d see Nick next. Knowing there was a plan seemed to keep the time from feeling too stretchy.
His phone dinged again. Thinking Nick had thought of something else he picked it up. It was his brother.
Charlie smiled, setting himself a note to make sure he logged in and looked at those tickets. It always made him feel like these trips were more intentional when he had booked a seat, plus it was easier to stash Piper under a table.
🐑🐑🐑
Thursday rolled around and Charlie made sure to get a few hours of editing in since he knew the afternoon would be a write off. He had no meetings scheduled, entirely by design, and had blocked his calendar so no one would inadvertently schedule anything.
“You ready to go, Pips?” he asked, amusement lacing his voice as he saw her come through to the hallway carrying her lead in her mouth as he laced his boots. “Come on then, let’s go.”
They headed out to the car and she dutifully took her seat, he attached the seat belt and made sure she was secure and safe before moving around to get in. They drove along the main road through to Addingham, and pulled up before too long at Nick’s front door.
Charlie knocked on the front door, unsurprised when it opened quickly to reveal Nick’s smiling face. He pulled Charlie inside, gave a treat he’d apparently already had in his hand to Piper, and tugged Charlie’s shirt to pull him into a hug that led very quickly into a deep and utterly passionate kiss.
Piper retreated further into the house, exploring and leaving them to it. Nick took advantage and pushed Charlie gently up against the wall. Charlie gasped as he felt Nick’s hands come around to hold under his arse and lift him bodily off the floor. Instinctively he felt his legs wrap around Nick’s waist as his hands tangled in Nick’s hair and his lips fastened onto Nick’s lips. Home. Fuck this felt so good. Nick felt so good.
Charlie tried to pull back, made difficult by his close proximity to the wall, but Nick sensed his intent and made the smallest of spaces between them, looking deeply into Charlie’s eyes for any sense that he wanted this to stop. Charlie smiled, reassuring him.
“Oh, love, please don’t worry, I am not wanting this to stop. I just needed to breathe, and say that if you keep this up we’re not making it to Skipton any time soon.”
Nick smiled, and then winked. “What if I’m okay with that?”
“Why Nick, what are you going to do with me?” Charlie held on tighter, unconcerned that Nick wouldn’t be able to hold him up. Nick’s arms were steady around him, his hands in a delightfully intimate position around his arse.
Nick’s answer was to lean back in and kiss him, and Charlie melted into Nick’s kisses. Their lips played softly against each other, exploring, tasting and touching. Nick’s tongue slipped between Charlie’s eagerly parted lips and Charlie sighed into the intrusion. The kiss was heated and slow and yet it was eager and urgent and Charlie let his mind go entirely clear, sinking into the touch and the way that Nick’s body felt against his own, the way Nick was holding him up as though he could keep doing it for hours.
“Is this okay?” Nick’s voice was all breath and a lower timbre than usual as he tried to catch his breath.
“Fuck,” Charlie answered. “Yes.”
“Charlie,” Nick groaned. “What are you doing to me?”
“Whatever it is, I think it’s acutely related to what you’re doing to me, Nick.” Charlie gasped as they kissed again and then pulled his head back one more time. “Seriously, should we slow down?”
Nick too, was gasping for breath, looking down at Charlie as if to assess how serious he was about this. Almost simultaneously, they both pulled away, reaching and straightening their clothes. Charlie reached up on his toes and gave Nick a searing kiss.
“Just so you know, we’re picking this up where we left off after lunch.”
“You cannot say things to me like that if you expect us to leave this house and actually go to lunch, Charlie,” Nick whined. “Come on, we’re leaving right now before I actually prove how much of a gentleman I am not and throw you down on that sofa. You have no idea how close I was!”
“Oh, I think I do.” Charlie smiled over his shoulder as he whistled for Piper and hooked up her lead.
They made it out to the car, both of them requiring a little subtle rearrangement, and spent the drive to Skipton listening to music and sharing about their week. The sun shone on the heather and Charlie let the wind rushing through his curls through the open windows of the car clear the horny fog from his brain. Being around Nick was intoxicating, in the best possible way.
They arrived in Skipton and spent an hour touristing around the town center. After a walk, they headed for the Cock and Bottle. The patio was spacious and covered with clean wide picnic tables with lofty umbrellas. There were tin bowls around so Charlie could get Piper a drink of water and she soon settled herself under their table. Over lunch Charlie debated Nick on his favourite films, teased him for his Marvel-ous choices, they both laughed at the pun. The conversation was easy and frivolous and somehow held the undercurrent of their interrupted snogathon back at Nick’s cottage.
Charlie reflected, in a lull while Nick went to the bar for refills, over what had made him think to pump the breaks. Had he just wanted to get out to lunch before they genuinely didn’t, or was there a need for delayed gratification? Going back to Nick’s and finishing what they started felt so inevitable, there was no question that this date wasn’t ending with him simply dropping Nick off and going home. So why wait until after lunch? He shook his head. What did it matter? All would be resolved and right with the world once they went back.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Nick smiled as he put Charlie’s half pint down in front of him.
“Oh you know, the usual,” Charlie smirked in response. “Just sitting here wondering what exactly I held you back from doing when you wanted to lay me down on your sofa.”
“Charlie!” Nick moaned under his breath. “You did not just say that!”
“Oh, I definitely did. See, I was wondering if you planned on sucking me off or sitting on my face. Either would have been fine, by the way.”
“Oh come on, Char, you’re not being fair.”
“Afraid of a little verbal foreplay, Nicholas?” Charlie winked at Nick and laughed as Nick pretended to faint, clutching an imaginary string of pearls at his throat.
“A little verbal foreplay? Is that what we’re calling this? Well, two can play at that game, love.” Nick’s eyes went dark as he leant in close to Charlie and kissed his neck. Charlie moaned. “I was planning on picking you up and walking over to the sofa, laying you down and kissing you until you were breathless. Then I was going to work your clothes off, and take that beautiful cock of yours into my mouth.”
Nick kissed a pattern along Charlie’s jaw and Charlie whined again.
“What then, Nick?”
“I was going to bring you to orgasm using my tongue and listen to you shouting my name.”
“Pretty confident in your abilities there.”
“I got you there with just my skin last time, Char, I am not too worried.”
Charlie had to concede that point, shivering as the memory of their first time mixed deliciously with the promise of their next.
“You’re still being wildly unfair bringing all that up here, while we’re miles from your place and out for an idyllic walk in the country,” Charlie commented.
“Oh yes, because wildly fair was getting us all revved up and then suggesting we hold off and take this idyllic walk in the country,” Nick smirked. All’s fair in love and verbal foreplay, Char.” They both looked up at the phrase, suddenly acutely aware of the use of the word love as something other than a term of endearment. “I mean -” Nick stammered.
Charlie swallowed his explanation with a kiss that distracted both of them, not needing, or wanting, Nick to take back the words. No, they weren’t ready for that yet, but neither was it so outrageous or outlandish as to want to shrink it away.
“I know what you mean, Nick,” he reassured. “You’re right. The verbal foreplay is hot, but how about we take this back to your place?”
Nick nodded, and Charlie smiled at the way that his shoulders relaxed.
They made it back to Charlie’s car, pausing to get Piper a drink of water and get her settled, in her seatbelt on the backseat. They didn’t talk much on the drive, let the music wash over them and each taking small glances at each other, grinning and smirking when they caught themselves.
So, this is what anticipation feels like, Charlie mused as he drove. Anticipation when there’s a flutter of emotions in my stomach and a stirring in my dick and glances that suggest that he’s caught up in the same whirlwind. It’s sort of delicious, in an acutely tantalising way. Fuck. The way he’s looking at me, like he simply wants to eat me alive. Has anyone ever actually looked at me like that?
The car made its way back to Addingham largely unaided by Charlie, and he pulled up in front of Nick’s cottage. The second the handbrake was on Nick leant over the gear stick and tugged Charlie into a kiss.
“Come on, inside.”
Once inside, Piper walked off to explore Nick’s house and Charlie didn’t have a chance to tell her to be good as Nick’s lips closed back over his and all of the anticipation and teasing and verbal foreplay caught up with them both.
Charlie found himself back in Nick’s arms, his legs wrapped around Nick’s waist as Nick lifted him effortlessly and pushed him, gently, up against the wall. Burying his fingers in Nick’s soft hair, Charlie let himself be held, relishing the way that the support of Nick’s hands and the hard muscles of Nick’s back made him feel.
“Fuck,” Nick moaned under his breath against Charlie’s lips.
“Are you going to do all the things you promised, Nick?” Charlie asked, through ragged breaths. He rolled his hips down into Nick’s groin as he did and loved the broken little gasp that Nick released as their hard anticipation rubbed together through their jeans.
“Want to make any adjustments to the plan?” Nick asked, and Charlie glowed at the sense of power this gave him. Nick had been so specific in his fantasy, laying out what he intended to do to Charlie, yet even after all that and having him exactly where he needed him, he was still wanting to see if Charlie had any ideas or wanted something else.
“None,” Charlie smiled. “Take me.”
Charlie felt Nick moving them over towards the sofa, which was deep and soft. Charlie was laid gently down on his back as Nick covered him, holding his weight up on his elbows. They broke their kiss and Nick looked down into Charlie’s eyes.
Their position made it impossible for them not to sense just how deeply aroused they both were, their groins grinding together as Nick let his hips come down above Charlie’s in a deeply sexy circular motion. They both groaned, the sounds resonating through their joined chests.
Nick looked up into Charlie’s eyes again as he pushed up on the sofa, moving down Charlie’s body until he was kneeling between Charlie’s legs. The way that he was kneeling there, his chest rising and falling, his eyes wide and warm, and so full of want that Charlie had no time to feel self-conscious under the scrutiny. They both still had all their clothes on and it was as though Nick could see all of him.
“I trust you, Nick,” Charlie found himself saying, gratified that the words had ended up being so easy and straightforward to say.
“This feels familiar, it’s like we got here before,” Charlie smirked.
“Fucker, who’s fault was it that we had to go out and do the walking and the eating and the scenery-looking stuff first?”
“You love it, it’s all the sweeter now, admit it.”
“I will not! Now, stop talking and let me take your clothes off?”
Charlie knew when it was time to hold off on more games, and had no interest in slowing Nick down again. He watched as Nick reached for his belt and the button on his jeans, pausing and waiting for Charlie to nod before he encouraged Charlie to lift his hips up and helped him squirm as Nick got them off his legs and dropped them to the floor. Nick sighed in satisfaction as Charlie dropped back down to the sofa, his boxers the only barrier between them. Then Charlie’s eyes flew open and his mouth dropped open as Nick dropped down, mouthing along Charlie’s rock hard length through the thin fabric.
Charlie let his hands catch over Nick’s shoulders, digging his fingertips into the taught muscles of Nick’s back.
“Nick,” Charlie gasped. “There has been so much foreplay. I’m not going to last.”
“Come undone for me, Charlie,” Nick smiled, peeling Charlie’s underwear down his legs and his leaking, aching length into his mouth in one motion.
“Hhhnngghhh,” Charlie moaned. Then there was nothing but sensation.
Nick’s tongue was everywhere and there was an absolutely perfect amount of suction, and Nick’s hand was around his balls, weighing them and squeezing just slightly. Charlie fought every instinct, keeping his hips still and resisting the urge to thrust up into the tight heat of Nick’s mouth. Looking down along his body he caught sight of Nick’s eyes, looking up at him through his astonishing lashes, pupils wide with lust and a self-satisfied expression across his forehead. Charlie stroked his hands through Nick’s hair in encouragement and Nick’s head bobbed in response.
Nick’s mouth lifted away from Charlie’s dick and he moaned. Before he could complain, though, Nick reached up and placed his middle finger in Charlie’s mouth. Charlie sucked on it, whining softly when Nick took it away a few seconds later.
“Can I touch you?” Nick asked.
“Fuck, Nick, anywhere, please.”
Then Nick’s mouth was back on his dick and simultaneously his finger was running around Charlie’s rim. The combined sensation was everything, and not enough. Charlie screamed, his hips lifted.
“More, Nick,” he encouraged and Nick pressed forward, his finger moving inside Charlie to his first knuckle as he gently continued his to play his tantalising tongue over Charlie’s slit.
Charlie was overrun with sensation, his nerves-endings tingling and his brain so clear. “Nick.” He gasped as he felt his balls tighten and his orgasm barrel through him. Despite tapping on Nick’s shoulder Nick didn’t pull away and Charlie came prolifically down Nick’s throat.
He floated back down to his body from where he’d landed, somewhere near the ceiling. Nick sucked him, gently through to completion and swallowed everything. The aftershocks rippled through Charlie’s body, which was loose and relaxed, fizzing softly as a daft smile spread across his face.
“Nicholas ‘New Tricks’ Nelson. What the actual fuck?!”
“Any feedback, Charles ‘Tight Bod’ Spring?”
“Absolutely none, no notes.”
Nick settled over him and Charlie sighed as their hot skin touched. The new position allowed Charlie to come back to his body and the realisation that Nick was still very hard and pressed against his hip. He took a second to just feel Nick’s body against his own and then squirmed out from underneath him. Nick let out a surprised sound as Charlie flipped him onto his back.
“You’re so strong,” Nick marvelled. Charlie noted that it wasn’t surprise in Nick’s voice, just admiration and lust.
Charlie made quick work of the last of Nick’s clothes, which hadn’t come off yet in their hurry, and made a show of taking in Nick’s naked form before licking a stripe up his cock and smiling as Nick cried out.
“Sensisitve, babe?”
“Nngh, Charlie!”
Charlie didn’t hold back, knowing that Nick was close and not having the heart to draw it out any longer, he took Nick in and sucked deep and long. He used his hand around the base, tugging gently on Nick’s balls and bringing him to a toe curling climax within moments. Charlie swallowed Nick’s release eagerly.
There’d been no real finesse, he’d not been making Nick wait, but Nick was so responsive and had already been edged by taking care of Charlie first, and all their verbal sparring during the day. He looked up at Nick's body, his chest heaving, covered in a sheen with sweat, his hair mussed and sticking up, his eyes closed and a soft smile on his beautiful face. It was the overall picture of a blissed out human and Charlie had brought that on.
Nick opened his eyes, and his arms, encouraging Charlie to come and lie down next to him. He went eagerly into his arms.
“You taste good,” Nick whispered against Charlie’s hair, “figured you would.”
“You did, huh?” Charlie mused, a little drowsily.
“I did.”
“You’re so pretty, Nick. Seriously, you should see yourself right now, all loose and sated.” Charlie leant up on his elbow to look up at Nick, his chin resting on Nick’s pec. Nick let his hand graze down so it was lightly resting on Charlie’s arse cheek and the gesture made them both smile.
“Stay for dinner? Maybe we can have round two for pudding?”
“Fuck yes!”
Chapter 34: Olly's Invitation
Summary:
Last Time: Nick and Charlie headed out for a jaunt in Skipton, with a slight detour at Nick’s cottage.
This Time: Charlie and Piper take a trip to Manchester to visit Olly
Notes:
I so appreciate all of you for reading and interacting with this story. I love that you all have found a safe space here and hope this one continues to be that. Olly became insistent to get Charlie over to meet his loves, and this was definitely a brother’s only visit, so Nick stayed home. Thank you, all of you!
Thank you, especially, to Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 for being my inspirations, talking me down from the crazy ideas but talking me into others that are going to be such fun to write. I’ve a few chapters coming up that I can’t wait for you all to read.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Charlie had let Nick know that he was going to visit Olly for the weekend. Somehow, the idea that Nick would drive past and not know he wasn’t there to wave to had felt strange. The fact that, so far, they had managed to resist Nick stopping by on his way home from the hospital actually felt like they were exercising rather extraordinary restraint and Charlie had a feeling that that wouldn’t last much longer.
He sat back in the train seat, a haul of M&S snacks on the table in front of him, and popped a can of G&T. Piper curled up under the table, put her head on her paws, and fell asleep. Taking a sip he let his music settle over him like a blanket. Olly’s visit, when Isaac and Rae had come up, had reminded Charlie just how close his brother lived and he’d made a decision to make more time to visit.
“Charlie! Piper!” Olly called out as he made his way along the platform at Manchester Picadilly.
“Olly!” Charlie yelled back. He walked over and gave Olly a squeeze as he watched in amusement as Olly took Piper’s lead from him. They made their way out of the front door and headed down the ramp and along the road towards Picadilly Gardens. The city was so familiar, full of all the same sounds and bustle as other cities, but paced differently somehow. They found the bus that would head down Oxford Road towards Rusholme, where Olly lived in a middle terraced home.
The house was basically a two-up, two-down, with a bathroom and kitchen, built for factory workers in the industrial era of the city's inception. Olly loved it and had lived there now, for years, making it his own.
“I’ve got you set up in the spare room,” Olly said as they walked into the front door. Charlie looked around at the home, he hadn’t been in a while and it had developed since his last trip. Piper went off to explore and Charlie heard her lapping from water that Olly had clearly set out for her in the kitchen.
There were colourful rugs on all the painstakingly planed-back wooden floors. Rustic wine crates made for make-shift coffee and lamp tables, while a converted palette made the center coffee table in the living room. The sofa had a lovely vibrant throw over the back of it and there were soft bulbs in the lamps around the room. The hallway was lined with photographs, Tori and Charlie featuring in several, along with a family picture that was taken at their grandparents' place in Spain when they were kids.
“The place looks great, Olls!” Charlie noted, setting his bag down in the corner by the stairs to take up later on. “What’s the plan, and can tea happen first?”
“It absolutely can, and the plan is we’re meeting Mika and Simon for dinner in Rusholme. That okay?”
“That’s great, Olly,” Charlie nodded. “How are you feeling about the introductions?”
Charlie watched as Olly considered his answer. “Introducing you to them, absolutely fine. Introducing them to you, hmm.”
“Surely I’ve got more dirt on you than them, no?” Charlie asked, thinking mostly of things he could share about Olly from their childhood. He saw the look on Olly’s face and started again. “Oh, wow, well, I’m hoping they aren’t planning on sharing those gory details of your slag era with me, baby brother. Is this why I’m here, so they get all this out of the way before you introduce them to Tori?”
“Maybe,” Olly laughed. “Of course they’re not going to share those details, they’re not monsters. I just know them, and if you think I’m unfiltered -.” His voice trailed off and Charlie nodded his understanding.
“Got it, I’ll brace for sharing.”
Olly had been making tea while they talked and passed a steaming mug to Charlie, who took it gratefully and went and curled up on the squashy sofa.
Olly followed and they caught up on some of Olly’s most recent cases, and Charlie’s manuscripts. After a while they got up, Charlie took his bag up to the spare room and grabbed out a quick change of shirt. Dinner at any of the fabulous Indian restaurants in Rusholme wasn’t going to require dressing up, but Charlie wanted to make an effort when he met these two. He tucked the shirt into his jeans and left on his high tops, not wanting to try too hard. He checked his curls in the bathroom mirror and headed downstairs. Olly looked relaxed and effortless and Charlie was happy for him. He didn’t want this to make him nervous.
“Pips, you hang out here, okay, be a good girl.”
Piper hopped up onto the sofa, laid her head on the arm of it and let out a contented sigh.
“I think she’ll be fine,” Charlie smiled as Olly nodded in satisfaction.
They walked; down along the road and onto the main drag of Oxford Road. The smells of sweet onions, cumin and garlic pervaded the air and Charlie paused for a second to take it in. It was comforting, it felt like coming home. His uni days might have been many years ago but they’d been some of his happiest. The first brush with freedom to live the way that he wanted, all of the perils that that created for itself but all the relief too.
“Right,” he said decisively. “Where to?”
“This way, you nostalgic whatsit!”
“I’ll take it. You’d be nostalgic for this place too, if you hadn’t decided to make this home after uni and never left long enough to miss it!”
“Hi, love!” A man standing in front of the restaurant they were aiming for greeted Olly with a hug and a quick kiss to the lips. “You must be Charlie,” the man went on.
“Mika, it’s lovely to meet you,” Charlie smiled and paused to check how the man might greet him. He was gratified when he reached out, indicating the offer of a hug and leaned over to reciprocate.
“Shall we wait inside, go get a table? Simon’s just texted and she’s going to be a couple of minutes.”
“Lovely, we can get the beers in, sounds like she’s had a day.”
They made their way inside, settled at a table for four and ordered a round of Tiger beers. By the time the beers were hitting the table a woman who must be Simon was striding into the restaurant and making straight for their table. Charlie held back, letting her greet her partners with hugs and sweet kisses. She took a swig of the beer set at the empty place at the table and then turned to Charlie.
“Charlie, it’s lovely to meet you, I’m Simon.”
“Oh, well, I hoped as much, otherwise I’m fairly sure Simon’s about to have thoughts about this random chick who just came up and snogged her boyfriends.”
They all laughed as Charlie hugged Simon and she finally took her seat, taking another long pull on her beer.
“Long day, babe?” Mika asked Simon. “Want to talk about it, or want to talk about anything else?” Charlie loved the respect inherent in this question, the way that it offered support but inquired as to how it was needed.
“Oh, anything else. My day is not what we need to talk about when we’re meeting Olly’s big brother for the first time.”
“Oh don’t hold back on my account, especially if you need to vent,” Charlie encouraged Simon.
After a little encouragement she did share, making it efficient and reaching for Olly and Mika’s hands as she did. It turned out, Charlie learned, she was a doctor in A&E. Her shifts were hectic and periodically full of terrible cases. Today hadn’t been the worst kind of shift, but it had been long and grueling and was definitely going to require a bit of comfort to come down from. Mika, worked at the university, in a research lab working on better understanding altruism as a survival technique, utilising a species of slime mould as a subject. Charlie was fascinated, if a little out of his depth. After a while, the four of them ordered far too much food and settled in with poppadoms and glorious chutneys while they waited.
“So,” Mika started, turning to Charlie. “Tell us all about baby Olly?”
Olly groaned and put his face in his hands. “That escalated quickly,” he said.
“Oh come on, your brother is here, what did you think we were going to ask him?” Simon teased.
“Let’s just say, Olly got away with absolutely everything. Being the youngest gives one all sorts of privileges and the age gap only exacerbated that.”
“Okay, I’ll admit, I definitely milked that,” Olly acknowledged, a little chagrin on his face.
“You absolutely did, and you also absolutely got way too good at Mario Kart way too quickly.”
“You and Tori were always playing, I watched. Plus, I started young, what can I say?”
Charlie looked over at his brother affectionately. “You sure did!”
“Alright, alright,” Olly cautioned.
“Tell me more about you three,” Charlie asked, helping to deflect the conversation onto a less spotlit topic.
“What’s Olly told you so far?” Mika asked. Charlie smiled as he noticed Mika reaching for Olly’s hand as he did.
“You can tell him anything, guys,” Olly said, with maybe the tiniest waiver in his voice.
“I mean, are you sure?” Simon smirked.
“Alright, alright, not anything,” Charlie laughed. “You can censor it for me, brothers only need to know so much!”
“Spoil sport!” Mika laughed. “No, but seriously, we’re good. Did it take us a little while to figure out what Olly’s particular brand of shackles decorated to look like jewelry was and help him convert it into a pearl necklace, sure.”
Charlie smiled at the analogy. It showed a level of understanding of his brother that he had only truly been let in on during that last visit, that Olly himself had only recently worked out.
“Is it common?” Charlie asked. “I’m genuinely asking.”
“Internalised polyphobia or whatever we want to call it? Sure. About as common as internalised homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, name-your-phobia. We find out that we have or are a thing that we’re not sure society, family, friends, whoever is going to accept or endorse - and then we squash it like a bug. Olly may have been out, and he was open to multiple partners, but a repeat performance meant taking that step towards relationships and dynamics and communication and boundaries and he wasn’t ready.”
“Were you two together when he met you?” Charlie asked.
“Nope, we all three met in the bar. It doesn't often happen that organically, all too often there’s confusion or some other complexity. Still, it all meant that when we swapped numbers and then actually called to set up an actual date after a couple of hook ups, our Olly here was rather hesitant.”
“Rather hesitant,” Olly nodded, “you’re being kind. I ran for the hills and ghosted you both for a week.”
Simon smiled softly at Olly and took his other hand across the table. “Okay, yes, you did. Mika and I may have had a couple of side chats to figure out why we were both trying so hard to get you to come around.”
“Seriously?” Olly looked a little startled, putting his fork down on his plate. He looked at both of their faces. “I don’t know that I knew that. Fuck. I’m so glad you’re persistant fuckers who didn’t give up on me.”
Mika reached over and pulled Olly’s face to his for a soft kiss. “Best decision ever, bb.”
“Olly told us that you experienced some shits at your school when you got outed, Charlie,” Simon acknowledged.
Charlie took another bite of his curry and nodded. It had taken a lot of therapy for that nod to be everything he did in response to that sort of question, to not let his lizard brain win and be triggered. “I did, it was no fun.”
“Right, and that wasn’t a choice, you didn’t have control over that narrative or the timing. Coming out as bi is one layer for Olly, acknowledging the poly side too, trying to figure out which people were going to judge first and which most harshly,” Simon said.
“Honestly, I don’t know if I’d let myself think about actually being poly until fairly recently,” Olly acknowledged. “I knew I didn’t have any qualms about multiple partners in bed, but there is such a wild difference between an orgy and a relationship. I wasn’t really letting myself think I’d earned the right to have relationships.”
“There’s also nothing wrong with orgy’s, or simply having an active sex life outside relationships,” Mika reminded him. “Not that I am encouraging you to start all that again now, given the ‘us’ of it all.”
“Not to worry,” Olly said, squeezing Mika’s hand. “You two keep me plenty interested.”
Charlie took a swig of his beer and hoped that the waiter would swing by to check on them for refills. Sensing this, Simon, bless her, changed the subject.
“How about you and Nick, hey?” she asked. “Olly has told us the story of how you met, that is too fucking cute for words.”
Charlie smiled at the thought of Nick. “It really is, something out of a book, because these sorts of things don’t actually happen to regular humans.”
“Clearly they do, actually,” Mika smiled.
“It’s going really well, he’s great.”
“Have you seen all his tattoos yet?” Olly asked, feigning innocence but really letting the question do double duty, sharing that Nick had tattoos with Simon and Mika, while also unsubtly asking Charlie if he’d seen Nick naked yet.
“I have indeed, Olls,” Charlie nodded. “And that's all I'm telling you!”
Olly squealed, surprising Simon who covered her mouth with a napkin as she coughed slightly over the mouthful of rice she’d just taken.
“Oh my goodness, you sly thing, you didn’t say!”
“Olly, it isn’t a priority to let you know.”
“Rude, why not?”
“Darling brother, you do not need to be privy to things like that.”
“When it involves your HOT-AF nurse, rugby player boyfriend who’s apparently covered in tattoos I think I do, actually.”
“We’ll agree to disagree on that,” Charlie laughed. “Also, cool it with the boyfriend label, we haven’t had that talk yet.”
“Oh well, yes, of course, gotta take him out for a spin first, I get that. More to the point, then, how - no, I mean where - are they?”
“Also something you don’t need to know, you minx. Suffice it to say, it’s all beautiful.”
“Get yours, Charlie!” Olly called out, Charlie instantly tried to shush him. Olly’s outburst did have the desired effect and the waiter did come over, allowing Charlie to order another round of beers for the table.
They continued to eat and chat and Charlie had a thoroughly lovely evening. By the end of the mean there was still so much food leftover and they had portions boxed up for each of them to take home.
Charlie took himself off to the loos after the bill got paid, by Simon, for which Charlie thanked her. He wanted to give his brother a few minutes with his partners since they were going back to their own places that night.
They all said goodnight outside the restaurant and Charlie and Olly walked home. Charlie took Piper for a quick walk around the block to ensure she would be comfortable overnight and then he and Olly said goodnight and headed to their rooms.
Charlie got ready for bed and tucked himself under the covers, Piper hopping up to tuck up under his legs as usual. He took out his phone for the first time in several hours and saw a text from Nick.
Pen-Pals Chat
Charlie put his phone on the charger attached to the base of the lamp and rolled over. He fell asleep with images of Nick’s strong arms around him and smiled as he drifted off.
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
HS a03 countdown 2026
In the Nick of Christmastime by Coach1305
Felix Love Festival
Chapter 35: Overnight
Summary:
Last Time: Charlie and Piper took a trip to Manchester to visit Olly and meet his partners
This Time: Nick is over at Charlie’s cottage, and this time - he’s staying the night
Notes:
Particular thanks in this chapter to Tee_85 for brainstorming a walk by the rugby players. Some delightful ideas for this fic get born in the beta chat and this was one.
As always, here’s to Moss_and_Rocksss, and Tee_85 for simply being fabulous!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
One evening after a quiet day, Charlie had talked Nick into coming over. Nick wasn’t working the next day, so he’d brought over a bag and was actually staying over. There was something to be said for the first sleepover. Charlie was excited, if a little nervous. They’d seen each other naked, showered in the same house - Nick finding his dildo was still a source of much teasing - they’d even fallen asleep after sex for much required post-orgasm naps on occasions.
Overnight sleepovers, though, were a new step and Charlie was excited that they were taking it. To make sure that things were as calm as possible they’d decided to bring Piper out for a walk. Without thinking, and since he’d not been thinking too much about imaginary rugby players now that he was playing with one of his own, Charlie had not made the connection that that day was the day the Ilkley rugby squad would be out.
As they walked past the field, Nick looked over and took in the play. Charlie wasn’t sure exactly what Nick was looking at, figuring he was taking in the technique or trying to figure out the drills. He looked over, though and Nick was blushing.
“Nick,” he asked, smiling a question over at him. “You okay?”
“Are these the rugby lads you ogle when you’re out for your runs?”
“Used to ogle,” Charlie corrected him gently, “but yes.”
Nick swallowed. “I can see why!”
Charlie paused on that for a second, and then cracked up laughing. Piper came back from where she’d been sniffing to check on him. Charlie patted her head, and Nick looked on, letting himself laugh now that he could see Charlie wasn’t concerned.
“Right?” Charlie exclaimed. “Thank you!”
They continued their walk, both of them taking a few more glances over at where the group were practicing a throw-in and a lifter had his hands all the way under the shorts of the jumper as he propelled him into the air.
Nick mused out loud, “this is rather refreshing.”
“What is, Nick?”
“Oh, you know, the opportunity to mutually appreciate the hot rugby players without that being an instant sign of wandering eyes or a foreshadowing of diminishing satisfaction.”
“You couldn’t have done that with other people?” Charlie asked, genuinely curious.
“Fuck no, they’d have been jealous, would have wanted to know which of them I’d slept with or planned to sleep with or some such fuckery.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Charlie cracked back. “One has nothing to do with the other.”
“So, you’re saying that I can talk to you about those tiny shorts, all covered in mud, stretched over big thighs -”
“Please do, what else did you see, Nick?”
“Well, their tighthead prop needed to watch his feet, but their hooker was right where he needed to be. The cheeks on him!”
“Cheeks, huh?” Charlie teased. “The ones on his face or -?”
“Oh definitely not the ones on his face. Couldn’t tell you what that looked like if I’m honest!”
“Nicholas Nelson, are you seriously saying you didn’t see their faces?”
“Oh not all of them, I mean the openside flanker had that lovely blonde hair … but yeh, I may not have been paying all that much attention to the faces.” Nick paused and looked at the fake shock on Charlie’s face before going on. “Why would I need to look at their faces when I’m going home with your beautiful face, huh?”
“Nice save, Nick,” Charlie smirked, wrapping his arm through Nick’s to make sure that he knew that he was joking.
“Okay, can I just redeem myself maybe a little bit and just to twist this around but keep to the rugby theme, what I was actually imagining was being the lifter and getting to hang on to your tiny shorts as I hoisted you into the air above my head so you could catch the ball.”
Charlie looked over at Nick, at the flush on his freckled cheeks that seemed to now be running down his neck and under his shirt. This wasn’t embarrassment now, or concern that things would be taken the wrong way. This was lust, this was a dirty fantasy that Nick had just had, about them, inspired by them watching hot rugby lads on a field.
“That is so fucking hot, Nick. It has been an absolute eon since I held a rugby ball, but I’d let you hook your hands into my shorts any day!”
“Fuck, Char, that’s an unfair thing to say to a guy when we’re still a mile from home!” Nick whined. “I’m walking back with my shorts way tighter than is good for me at this rate.”
“You started this, frankly. I thought that you were admiring their technique when you first stopped, you’re the one who was apparently admiring their back dimples, hip flexors and arse cheeks.”
“Fine, I’ll cop to the ogling. Just as long as you acknowledge that you were right there with me, and had been ogling the same guys since before you met me.”
Charlie reluctantly conceded the point and they walked onwards towards Charlie’s cottage, gently teasing each other, Charlie’s arm still linked in Nick’s and Nick’s hand resting gently over Charlie’s own.
Charlie found the whole thing refreshing. There was something novel, just as Nick had expressed, about being able to talk about fantasies, and gently objectify the objectively hot rugby lads from a distance. Nick finding other men attractive was no threat to what they had. His own fantasies had become very Nick-centric since they’d started dating, but it didn’t stop the rugby lads being fit.
Once they got back to the house Charlie pottered around getting Piper settled in. He refreshed her water and made sure that she had everything she needed.
“Is butternut squash risotto okay for dinner? I’ve simply got to do something with this sage before it wilts and crisping it up in a pan over the top of a risotto is the best.”
“That sounds delicious, Char. What can I do to help?”
“You can chunk up the butternut squash, we’ll shove it into the oven for a bit to roast and get a bit caramelised, we can go down to the table in the garden with a glass of wine while that’s happening, then I’ll sort the risotto out. Does that sound okay? I’ve got beers in too if you’d rather have a beer than wine?”
“A glass of wine sounds great. Hand me a board and a knife.”
Charlie put on his kitchen playlist and readied a baking tray with a little oil and an entire head of garlic while Nick got to work clunking up the squash into chunks. With the tray in the oven Charlie handed Nick a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, with a few frozen grapes bobbing in it to keep it cold, and they headed down to the bottom of the garden. The sun was setting and the light was golden and clear. Sheep bleated in the valley and the crows called to each other from the top of the massive blue cedar in the garden.
The scene was so peaceful that their conversation slowed naturally to a crawl as they took it all in and it was a while before Charlie looked up and realised that Nick wasn’t looking at the scenery but at him.
He smiled, a little self-conscious, despite himself. “What?”
“Nothing. You’re just so at home here.”
Charlie thought for a split second, caught off guard because society had conditioned him to expect that finding someone staring at him meant that the comment was going to revolve around his appearance.
This is fascinating, and a little disconcerting in the best possible way. Every time I think I’ve got him figured out, that he’s some base rugby player who isn’t even looking at the faces because the thighs took up too much of his attention - then here he is seeing me in a way that no one has, or at least no one has said out loud.
To Nick he said, “thank you. I don’t mean that in the flippant way that people sometimes mean it when they’re receiving a compliment. I mean, thank you. It’s true. I really am. I had no idea that this kind of country living was my destiny, not when I was running away from Rochester up to Manchester to find myself at uni and living it up in the big city for the first time. Nor when the big city swallowed me up and I had to really figure out who ‘me’ was so that I could lean into that. Then I came out here with a bunch of folks to hike and I knew I’d live here one day.”
Nick was watching his face intently and Charlie felt a little vulnerable, in a way that wasn’t disconcerting the way that it always had been. Nick was seeing, not judging, and it made him feel so special.
Their wine glasses slowly emptied and their thoughts turned back to the dinner they still had to finish making so they made their way into the kitchen. Nick checked on the squash, turning it to give it a last few minutes on another side to get golden while Charlie chopped an onion and garlic and started the painstaking process of softening them ready to start the risotto.
Making risotto had become a meditative dish for him, the gentle stirring and the slow way that one had to monitor it, care for it. Then there was the way the pan sizzled satisfactorily when the white wine hit the heated pan, stopping the frying. His thoughts could slow down and he could focus in on the one task at hand, stirring the fat rice grains as they absorbed their flavour base and each ladle full of stock as it was added.
Nick, apparently content to listen to music and sit at the kitchen table, did just that and Charlie appreciated him seeming to just sense that Charlie just wanted this time to himself.
He didn’t leave. Charlie had experienced friends understanding that he needed a minute, lovers who gave him space, but they always left him alone to do it, perceiving the need for quiet by absenting themselves from his periphery altogether. Nick didn’t do that. He didn’t push Charlie to talk or interact with him, but he sat at the table, not watching him or making him feel like he was on display, just being there.
Charlie let himself sink into the comfort of Nick’s presence in the room and the slow stirring of the spatula in the rice and by the time the rice was cooked Charlie was almost dizzy with the sense of calm that was washing over him. He blended up most of the butternut squash with the gooey caramelised garlic, leaving some chunks whole for texture and interest and fried the sage crisp for garnishing the top of their dishes.
When he was finally done the sense of contentment and peace ran through his nerve endings.
He turned to Nick, the gentle giant who’d sat quietly with him, handing him a bowl. “Little grating of extra parmesan over?” he offered, holding out the microplane and what was left of the triangle of parmesan after he’d grated a huge chunk into the risotto at the last minute.
Nick looked up to receive the bowl and nodded eagerly. “Absolutely, is there any other way?”
“Oh, I agree,” Charlie smiled. He paused, waiting for Nick to be done with the cheese so he could drizzle his own bowl too. “Thank you, Nick,” he said, sincerely. “How is it that you just know what I need?”
“I don’t know,” Nick said, without trying to make something up. “You just seemed to resonate with an I’ve got this and I’d like to do it myself vibe. It’s sexy as fuck, by the way, that competence and self-assured way that you hold yourself.”
“I appreciate that, and thank you for thinking it’s sexy. I think I’ve definitely come across much more fuck off and leave me to it before, or at least that’s what people have done.”
“Did you want me to go in the other room? I just wanted to spend time with you.”
“I love that you stayed, honestly. I love that you just - sat down.”
“Phew!” Nick smiled, making Charlie grin as he wiped imaginary sweat off his brow. “I’m relieved.”
Charlie put down the cheese and the grater and gestured around the house with his bowl. “Where do you want to eat? In the garden, in the conservatory, on the sofa with the TV on?”
“Oh, the garden. It’s a beautiful evening.”
Charlie nodded his agreement and they walked down to the table, refilled wine glasses and steaming bowls of risotto in hand.
Their conversation over dinner ran the gamut of topics, from rugby and school, to hobbies and music. Charlie basked in the flow of it, the sense of peace he’d worked himself into while cooking, staying firmly in place as there seemed to be no additional effort needed to hold onto the flow of their chatter.
When they were finished they took their bowls and empty glasses inside where Charlie saw Nick launch into clean up mode, loading the tiny dishwasher quickly and putting the leftover risotto into the tupperware Charlie found him before washing up the pan, knives and chopping board.
They took cups of tea into the living room with a couple of the light-as-air macrons that Nick had apparently made and brought over for the occasion.
“I was about to say something, and then realised that I don’t need to,” Charlie said as he settled his back against Nick’s chest on the sofa.
“What were you going to say?”
“That I’m not ready for the evening to be over. Then I remembered, I don’t have to be because you’re not going home.”
“I am not, unless you’ve changed your mind and you’re kicking me out,” Nick smirked.
“I most definitely am not.” Charlie sighed in contentment as they put on the TV and found a film.
Eventually it was time to go upstairs.
“Head on up, I’ll be right behind you. Just going to let Piper out for a last patrol before bed.” Charlie nodded towards the stairs and Nick nodded, kissing Charlie gently as he did so.
Charlie stepped outside into the finally cooling night air and watched Piper sniff her way around the garden wall.
She came back to him when she was all done and stuck her head under his hand so that he could stroke her soft ears.
“Right, Pips, ground rules for when we have a man sleeping over. You are not to jump up on the bed unless expressly invited by said man, you got it? I’m sort of hoping to have him all to myself for a bit before you crowd in, k?”
Piper gave a snort and took herself inside where she plopped herself down on her bed in the living room.
“Alright, drama queen, I didn’t mean to suggest you couldn’t come upstairs.”
Piper looked up at him through her eyelashes and sighed without lifting her head off her front paws.
“Yeh, you’re probably right. Love you, good girl!”
Charlie offered her a dental chew and one last stroke of her feathery ears before turning off the lights and following Nick upstairs to his room.
Notes:
Fics I recommend:
Cannot recommend highly enough that you all go and check out this collection, the countdown to 2026 is on and there are some fabulous stories helping us get there. Everyone writing for the collection got their prompt from the person ahead of them and it’s showing such wonderful inspiration:
HS a03 countdown 2026
Pages Navigation
Moss_and_Rocksss on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 08:18PM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 10:01PM UTC
Comment Actions
phlimsical on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 08:21PM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 10:02PM UTC
Comment Actions
BluestJM on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 09:09PM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 10:03PM UTC
Comment Actions
warpaintandpixiedust on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 09:58PM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 10:03PM UTC
Comment Actions
cachicamoo on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 10:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 12:23AM UTC
Comment Actions
cachicamoo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 03:07AM UTC
Last Edited Mon 07 Apr 2025 03:07AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 12:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
Gittelgirl on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Apr 2025 11:01PM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 12:24AM UTC
Comment Actions
Tolgrim on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 12:08AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 12:24AM UTC
Comment Actions
hereforhsfanfic on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 01:13AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 12:29PM UTC
Last Edited Mon 07 Apr 2025 12:30PM UTC
Comment Actions
Tee_85 on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 01:23AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 12:30PM UTC
Comment Actions
Yee_333 on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 06:52AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 12:31PM UTC
Comment Actions
Pocketfamily on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 09:04AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 09:19PM UTC
Comment Actions
erinthelibrarian on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 09:27AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 09:20PM UTC
Comment Actions
Chris_telle on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 11:02AM UTC
Last Edited Mon 07 Apr 2025 03:26PM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 09:21PM UTC
Comment Actions
hsfan79 on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 07:07PM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Apr 2025 09:21PM UTC
Comment Actions
properrugbynerd on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Apr 2025 12:31AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Apr 2025 11:15PM UTC
Comment Actions
cynic on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Apr 2025 08:27AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Apr 2025 11:17PM UTC
Comment Actions
Abdel kaoolomocro (AbdelKaoolomocro) on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Apr 2025 09:34AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Apr 2025 11:18PM UTC
Comment Actions
Poppyseed95 on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Apr 2025 02:09PM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Tue 08 Apr 2025 11:18PM UTC
Comment Actions
Doozy4Ever on Chapter 1 Wed 09 Apr 2025 05:44AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Wed 09 Apr 2025 11:34PM UTC
Comment Actions
Julees24 on Chapter 1 Wed 09 Apr 2025 11:46AM UTC
Comment Actions
CadburyOreo on Chapter 1 Wed 09 Apr 2025 11:29PM UTC
Comment Actions
Pages Navigation