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