Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He could hear the wind whistling through the closed window and knew the storm must be picking up. Turning his head, Charlie looked at the snow piling up on the other side of the glass. He was very much not looking forward to travelling in that, but he also didn’t want to sleep here tonight.

The office wasn’t a great place to be after five o’clock. Cold and dark, the brick walls would be poor company after the sun went down. Even in good weather Charlie always found this building too cold. In fact, he kept a number of sweaters here year-round. Charlie sighed as he turned back to his computer. Maybe the storm would let up in time for him to get home unscathed. Not likely, but a man could hope.

Charlie stared at his computer. Work. He was supposed to be working. Charlie blinked. What was he working on again? Pushing away from his desk, Charlie covered his face with his hands and decided he needed another cup of tea before returning to whatever was on his screen.

It felt good to stretch his legs. Unsure how long he’d been glued to his screen this time, Charlie checked the time on his phone. It was a quarter after three. Just under two hours until he had to brave that awful weather. If this kept up, Charlie was seriously considering taking his work home with him and not coming back into the office until the sun graced him with its presence.

Returning to his desk with a warm mug of tea, Charlie managed to get back into work mode and finish the bank reconciliation he was working on. He looked at the time and realized it was now twenty minutes till five on December 23rd. No point working on anything else today.

Charlie closed all the windows on his computer and pulled out his phone. He replied to his best friend’s message. Tao always checked up on Charlie near the holidays. They’d been doing the long distance friend thing for about five years now, ever since Tao had moved to Paris to be with his girlfriend Elle. Charlie missed both of them tons.

The person Charlie missed most at Christmas, however, was his big sister. This year she and her boyfriend Michael were taking a Christmas vacation together so his usual plan to crash with them for the holidays was out. He knew if he’d told Tori how much he wanted to spend the holiday with her she’d have changed her plans, but he wasn’t going to do that.

The idea of going home to see his parents didn’t appeal to him. Charlie would call them like he always did and just have a quiet Christmas. It wasn’t the end of the world.

Deciding it was time to pack up for the holidays, Charlie collected his laptop and necessary papers, putting everything he needed into his briefcase before wishing his coworkers a merry Christmas and heading out the door into the blizzard.

At once his face was hit with the force of the wind. Pulling his hood up, Charlie tried to make his way to his car. By the time he reached it, Charlie felt cold down to his bones, like he’d never be warm again. Fumbling with his keys, he once again regretted not buying the car that auto unlocked when the keys were nearby. What a wonderful invention for snow storms!

Finally inside the car, Charlie closed the door and turned on the engine. It was at times like these he also regretted not buying the car with remote start. He supposed he could just go buy a new car, but that felt like admitting he’d made a mistake with his car, which Charlie wasn’t likely to do.

After the car heated up for a few minutes, Charlie was willing to uncross his arms and take hold of the steering wheel. One thing Charlie hadn’t cheaped out on was his winter tires. When you had an hour-long commute and no emergency contact within a day drive, you learned very quickly the importance of all-wheel drive and studded tires.

Once he was safely on the road, Charlie turned on the radio. In December, literally everything on the radio was about Christmas, which was usually fine, but this year Charlie didn’t care for it. The radio channel was playing ‘Deck the Halls.’ With a sigh, Charlie switched to his CDs. This wasn’t new music but at least it wasn’t Christmas music.

Turning a corner, Charlie saw something out of the corner of his eye and felt sure he’d seen wrong. Slowing down to get a better look, Charlie saw it again. That couldn’t be right. Who in their right mind would be out walking on the side of the road in this weather? Charlie hadn’t even seen another car since he’d gotten off the main roads.

The figure noticed his car then and held out his thumb like a hitchhiker would if they wanted a lift.

Charlie didn’t really think about it. He just pulled his car over to park it in the path of the struggling figure. He had no idea who this person was or what they wanted. For all he knew, they could be a serial killer. Charlie reminded himself no serial killer was stupid enough to walk through three feet of snow in a blizzard. It would be fine. He’d just offer the person a ride and they’d go their separate ways.

The person in question was now at Charlie’s passenger window. He rapped on the glass. Charlie leaned forward and rolled down the window.

“You are a lifesaver!” To say the voice was overjoyed was an understatement.

Charlie opened the door and leaned back into his own seat. The guy got in, bringing quite a bit of snow with him.

“Wind up your window,” Charlie told the stranger who seemed to do a double take before realising Charlie's car had manual window controls.

“Yeah, of course,” the guy said after he’d recovered from his surprise. For a moment the only sound was that of the window slowly winding back up. A sudden reduction in the noise came with the closed window. The blizzard was louder than Charlie had realized.

The hitchhiker Charlie had just rescued was wearing a very thick winter jacket with a hood that obscured most of his face. Charlie could make out only his mouth and chin. The only indication that he was indeed a man was his voice.

“I’m so unbelievably glad to see you,” the stranger said. “I thought for sure I wasn’t gonna see a single car this far from the main road.”

“It’s not a commonly travelled road,” Charlie commented. “I doubt there will be another car on it tonight.”

“I owe you big time!” the stranger said. The relief in his voice was still very evident.

“It’s fine, really,” Charlie said. “I was driving in that direction anyway.”

“Even so,” the stranger continued. “Not everyone would have pulled over. I still say I owe you.”

Charlie just shrugged and took the car out of park and into drive before moving the vehicle back onto the road.

“My name’s Nick,” the stranger said. “What’s yours?”

“Charlie,” he answered.

Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie saw Nick shake the snow off his hood before removing it. Charlie paid this little attention, keeping his eyes fixed on the road, but then he had to turn to shoulder check and found himself transfixed.

The man was freaking gorgeous! Like unfairly handsome! Like most definitely straight and married – because Charlie wasn’t that lucky – drop dead stunning. His eyes were a warm caramel colour and his hair was dirty blonde, short, and straight. Charlie could only guess at what Nick looked good under that thick winter jacket, but it was his face that had Charlie transfixed. Such warm kind eyes and that smile!

“I think we’ve been stopped long enough,” Nick said slowly after a moment.

“Huh? What?” Charlie mumbled. Then he remembered he was supposed to be turning here, hence the shoulder check. “Right, sorry.” He turned and very purposely fixed his eyes forward.

“You okay?” Nick asked.

“Yep,” Charlie replied forcefully. “Totally fine. Just spaced out for a moment there.”

“You sure?” Nick asked. “‘Cause, it seemed like you were looking right at me.”

Charlie decided the safest reply was just a noncommittal sound. He needed to change the topic fast and decided to choose the most obvious one for this time of year.

“So, got any plans for Christmas?” Charlie asked, trying to make conversation and distract himself from Nick’s hotness.

Nick seemed a bit taken aback but went along with the topic all the same.

“Just the usual,” Nick answered. “Family and food at mom’s house.”

“That sounds nice,” Charlie replied.

“What about you?” Nick asked. “Any Christmas plans?”

“Not really,” Charlie mumbled. He knew he could have come up with something better or even lied to avoid the issue, but between trying not to think about how hot Nick was and focusing on the road, Charlie was running out of brain power.

“Wait, like no plans at all?” Nick asked, clearly upset about this turn of events.

“I mean, I usually visit my sister but she’s busy this year,” Charlie explained.

“What about your parents?”

“I’m not really close with my parents,” Charlie said.

“Friends then?” Nick asked.

“Haven’t really managed to make any since I moved here,” Charlie admitted. “I have some long distance friends I’ve known since high school, but we just call each other on holidays.”

“Girlfriend then?”

“I’m gay, so definitely not,” Charlie laughed.

“Boyfriend?”

“Also single,” Charlie added.

Why was he talking like this? Charlie only had to lie a little bit and this whole conversation could have been so much more pleasant. Stupid, stupid brain needed to just come up with an answer that wasn’t so depressing! His life wasn’t that bad, so why was he making it sound so lonely?

“Well, this just won’t do!” Nick exclaimed. “My saviour alone on Christmas is not gonna happen.”

“Saviour,” Charlie scoffed. “Hardly. All I did was pull my car over.”

“And saved me from having to walk hours in three feet of snow while more of it fell on top of me,” Nick added. “I might have ended up buried under that white crap!”

Charlie laughed nervously. He didn’t know what to say. It didn’t feel like a big deal but Nick seemed intent on making it one.

“Really, it’s fine,” Charlie said, trying to repair the damage he’d done. “I’m used to it.”

“That’s even worse!” Nick continued with great animation. “That's it. You are coming to my Christmas. End of story!”

“I really couldn’t impose,” Charlie said helplessly.

“My mom won’t mind,” Nick chuckled. “She will be thrilled once I explain that you saved me from hypothermia.”

Charlie hadn’t any idea how to get out of this. Then another thought occurred to him. Did he really want to get out of it? What Charlie wanted was to be alone in a room with Nick, even if he knew it probably wouldn't lead to anything. Wasn’t accepting his offer the best chance he’d get?

“What do you say?” Nick asked. “Wanna come party with my crazy family?”

He didn’t turn his eyes away from the road to check, but Charlie had the strangest feeling like Nick might be staring at him. Had he maybe been wrong in his first assumption on this guy? Or was that just wishful thinking on his part?

“Are you sure they won’t be upset when you invite a literal stranger over?”

“You aren’t a stranger,” Nick disagreed. “You are my rescuer.”

Charlie was smiling without meaning to. He rather liked being Nick’s rescuer.

“Well alright then,” Charlie agreed.

Just then Charlie noticed he was coming up on the last turn until they got to his house and realized he hadn’t even asked Nick where he needed to be dropped off.

“I’m so sorry,” Charlie said. “I’ve been automatically driving home this whole time. Where were you headed?”

“We’re almost there,” Nick replied. “Just turn right up ahead.”

Charlie almost stopped the car in surprise, but he managed to keep driving and turned where Nick indicated.

“You live up here?” Charlie asked.

“My mom does,” Nick explained. “My stupid city car and its all-season tires totally lost their battle with the snow on my way home. It was almost the same distance back to the city than it was to just keep going so I tightened my hood and started walking.”

“Why didn’t you call for them to pick you up?” Charlie asked. Now that he thought about it that seemed the simple solution.

“My battery died,” Nick said miserably. “I know, I know. It’s such a cliche. Oh, look! The main character’s in an emergency, let's have his phone battery die for like no reason. But I swear it does happen sometimes. Also, phone batteries really hate the cold.”

“Fair enough,” Charlie chuckled. Had he really laughed multiple times since Nick got into the car? He couldn’t remember when he’d last done that.

They drove along for just a little while more before Nick gestured. “This is it,” he said. “Second house on the left.”

Charlie lived in the fourth house on the right. This meant that Charlie had driven past Nick’s mom’s house twice a day every day since he’d moved here.

He parked at the end of the driveway. “There you go,” he said. “One Nick delivered safely."

“Thanks so much!” Nick said. “And you are totally invited here tomorrow night for Christmas Eve, okay? Around six o’clock.”

“Okay,” Charlie smiled. “Thanks, I think I will actually take you up on that.”

“See you then,” Nick added as he got out of the car.

Charlie backed his car up and drove back onto the road, reaching his own house in seconds. Charlie pulled into his driveway and pushed the little garage door button he kept in the cup holder. He parked the car, got out, and then turned to look across the street to see if Nick was still visible. No luck. Charlie closed the garage with the button on the wall and headed into his house.

He was at once greeted by his two cats, Oreo and Milky. Oreo was mostly black with white blotches and getting up there in years but still very energetic. Milky was almost entirely white with grey wisps and still barely more than a kitten.

Oreo meowed sweetly and then rubbed up against Charlie’s leg, always looking for affection. Charlie would admit to only himself how much he talked to his cats. When one lived alone there really wasn’t anyone else to talk to.

Charlie’s house was grander than necessary for a bachelor and his cats were rather spoiled as a result.
Real estate was much cheaper out here than in the city and he’d always wanted to own his own house so Charlie had decided the commute was worth it.

He made himself dinner and then sat at his desk to get some work done before curling up on the couch to watch a movie. Both cats came to sit with him, purring in his lap.

The next day Charlie went about his routine, eating breakfast at the table before tidying up the kitchen and putting in a load of laundry. He listened to some music while he had lunch and then got out his work laptop in the afternoon.

Turning to look at the papers to his left, Charlie double checked the numbers again before entering them into the computer. Picking up his mug, he took a large gulp of tea. He took a moment to check the time and realized he’d lost track of it.

Jumping from his desk, Charlie abandoned his laptop and bolted up the stairs to dress. He was due at Nick’s house for Christmas Eve dinner in less than ten minutes. It was lucky Nick’s mom lived down the street because Charlie didn’t have his number to text and say he’d be late.

Charlie was almost glad he didn’t have time to worry about what he was wearing, otherwise he felt like he might have ended up going through a dozen outfits before finding something. As it was, he just had time to switch from his pajamas to jeans and an old Christmas sweater.

So far Charlie had done a good job of not being nervous about this dinner. He’d basically just worked so much that he didn't have time to think about it, but now that the moment was upon him he could feel the anxiety and excitement start to bubble up. He tried to ignore the nervous energy but it was impossible.

“One step at a time,” Charlie told himself. “First you have to show up.”

Milky seemed to be trying to encourage him, choosing that exact moment to stretch up against Charlie’s leg and meow at him.

Charlie bent down to give Milky some affection before heading to the door.

He decided it really wasn’t worth starting his car for the fifteen-second drive so he put on his good winter boots and coat before heading out into the snow.

The walk helped calm his nerves. The ground was thick with fresh white snow, and even more was coming down as he went. It took effort to walk through but that was good. Charlie could use the exercise.

When Charlie reached the front door he noticed the wreath and the lit up reindeer near the door. It made him smile. He let out a nervous breath before ringing the bell.

He heard some voices inside and then the door opened and there stood Nick. He was wearing light wash jeans and a Christmas themed sweater. It was the first time Charlie noticed that Nick was taller than him. Not much taller, just under two inches. The sweater hinted at more of what was underneath than his huge winter coat had. Charlie could tell Nick had strong arms and a muscular build, but it was still his face that Charlie stared at.

Nick's warm brown eyes sparkled as a huge smile broke out across his face. Charlie couldn’t help but feel a bit starstruck.

He stared at Nick, unable to pull his eyes away. To his surprise, it felt like Nick was looking back at him the exact same way. His eyes even seemed to move over Charlie’s body as if he was checking him out, just like Charlie had with Nick. Charlie could hardly believe it.

Even if Nick wasn’t straight, there was no way he was both single and actually interested in Charlie.

Charlie decided to ignore the little things unless Nick gave him a very obvious sign. Charlie was just here to enjoy the festive season with someone other than his cats.

Chapter Text

Nick got out of Charlie’s car and walked up into his mom’s house, feeling oddly excited for Charlie to come back tomorrow night. He knew it was silly, but he was glad he could pay Charlie back in this way.

“Nick! You are covered in snow,” his mother began fretting the moment Nick walked in the door. “Did you walk here?!”

“Almost,” Nick laughed as he took off his coat and shook it out on the doormat before hanging it up. “My car is kinda stuck in the snow on 3rd Ave.”

“That is way too far to walk in this weather!” Sarah exclaimed. “In any weather. Why didn’t you call?”

“Phone died,” Nick said. “But it’s okay ‘cause someone saved me. I kinda invited him here for Christmas Eve dinner as a thank you for the rescue.”

“That’s lovely dear,” Sarah said. “But I’ll have to find another chair.”

“I’ll bring one down from the attic,” Nick replied. “Don’t worry.”

“In that case I look forward to meeting-”

“Charlie,” Nick added.

“Though I do worry we would be intruding on his own Christmas plans,” Sarah said.

“That’s why I invited him,” Nick said. “He said his sister is traveling this year so he didn’t have any holiday plans.”

“In that case, you definitely did the right thing, darling,” Sarah smiled.

“Is my room still my room?” Nick asked. “Or have you turned it into a gym yet?”

Sarah chuckled. “Why on earth would I want a gym in my house?”

“No idea,” Nick laughed back.

“You know, you probably shouldn’t just leave your car in the snow until the new year.”

“Urg, I know, but I don’t wanna dig it out,” Nick whined. “I’ll go have a look at it in the morning I suppose. It’s getting dark now.”

“I’ll come with you if you like,” Sarah added. “Oh, and David should be here tomorrow as well.”

“Great,” Nick added with as much sarcasm as he could muster. David was his older brother and they had never really got on.

“It’s Christmas,” Sarah said. “Surely my two sons can put up with each other for one day a year, just for me?”

Nick smiled at her. “For you, mom, one day, but that’s it.”

“I’ll take it,” Sarah laughed.

They had a simple dinner and then watched a movie together. Nick loved watching movies with his mum. She’d even put up with his High School Musical phase back in high school.

After dinner they had tea and chatted. It was so nice to be home. Nick hadn’t been home in a while, even if he did make a point to call her every Sunday.

Too tired to stay up any longer, Nick headed to his childhood bedroom. Mum even had a toothbrush for him. Nick never had to pack a bag when he came home. It was nice.

Just before Nick fell asleep, he found his mind wandering back to Charlie’s face. The man had rather striking blue eyes. Surely, anyone would have noticed them.

Breakfast the next morning was a casual Eggos in the toaster type affair. Once he’d finished his tea, Nick couldn’t put off checking on his car anymore. Putting on his coat and boots, Nick trudged into the horrible weather with his mother tagging along.

“I can’t believe you tried to walk in this,” Sarah said as she took in the aftermath of the blizzard last night.

“Yes, well, I never said all my ideas were good ones,” Nick replied.

They put two shovels in the truck of Sarah’s SUV and then drove to where Nick’s car was stuck.

When they reached Nick’s car, Sarah parked basically in the road since everywhere else was just huge piles of snow. Then they got to work digging out Nick’s car. Once the driver side door was visible, Nick got in and started the engine. He was just glad he had a full tank of gas while he ran all the heaters at full blast.

Slowly, between the heat from the engine and the digging, his car was starting to come free.

“We might not have to call a tow truck after all,” Nick said happily.

“That’s a good thing because I doubt you’d get hold of one on a holiday. Your car would have been stuck here until the new year.”

Once they’d dug all around it, Sarah got into the driver’s seat while Nick pushed, and soon they had the car back on the very snowy road.

“I really wish they’d plow these roads faster,” Nick complained as Sarah was getting out of his car, key still in the ignition.

“I agree, but alas, the least traveled roads are always the last ones cleared.”

Sarah got into her car and Nick in his. They each drove back over the bumpy not plowed road towards her house. Once they had both vehicles parked under Sarah’s car port, Nick breathed a sigh of relief.

“And now all we have to do is cook Christmas dinner,” Sarah laughed.

“Oh, is that all?” Nick shot back, laughing. “And here I thought the hard part of the day was over.”

Nick was laughing as he walked back into the house. They both were so covered in snow it was quite an ordeal to get all their gear off. By the time they made it into the kitchen, Nick was too hungry to start cooking without lunch. He made himself a sandwich before helping his mother with dinner prep.

David arrived about two hours later, and to everyone’s surprise, he’d brought a girl with him.

“That’s two extras for dinner then,” Sarah sighed. “It’s a good thing I brought a big turkey this year.”

“Two?” David asked.

“Yes, Nick invited someone too,” Sarah said. Then she turned to Nick and added, “Speaking of, would you mind getting those chairs from the attic for me now?”

“Sure thing, mum,” Nick agreed before turning to head upstairs. He wasn’t surprised that his brother followed him.

“Does this mean you finally brought a girl home then?” David asked.

“I don’t really see how it’s any of your business but no I didn’t,” Nick said. “Charlie is um… a friend.”

Nick was a little unsure what to call Charlie. They’d just met. Could they even be considered friends? There just wasn’t another word for it.

“It’s been a while since you had a girlfriend,” David continued.

“So what?” Nick shot back. Why did his brother have to be such an immature prick all the time?

“You know, I’ve always wondered about you,” David smirked at him.

Nick decided to ignore his brother. He turned away and went to get those chairs for his mother.

The truth was that Nick had always wondered the same thing, not that he was ever going to tell David that. He’d definitely liked girls before and even had a pretty steady girlfriend in college, but there had been moments in his life when he wondered if that was all he was.

Moments like summer camp when he’d been a bit too obsessed with the instructor, or when he and his college girlfriend had watched the men’s swimming olympics together and Nick had felt like he’d understood exactly what she’d been looking at. There was something inherently attractive about men that he had never said out loud before because Nick did also find women attractive.

Nick wasn’t entirely sure he was straight, but he was sure he didn’t want to talk to David about it.

By the time he came downstairs with the extra chairs, everyone else had arrived. His favourite aunt Diane, her husband Richard, and their two adorable kids were in the entryway. Though Nick suspected neither Leo nor Tillie wanted to be called adorable anymore. Nick could hardly believe they were already half way through high school.

His extended family had just finished getting their coats off and were filing into the living room when the doorbell rang again. It was almost exactly six o’clock.

“I’ll get it!” Nick said, jumping up and half running to the door.

When Nick opened the door he almost expected no one to be there, but instead Charlie’s bright ice blue eyes stared back at him. Charlie was wearing a winter jacket, high winter boots, and a scarf, all of which were absolutely covered in snow.

“How much snow is coming down right now?” Nick laughed. “Did you park all the way down the street?”

“I, um, live down the street,” Charlie admitted. “So I walked over.”

Nick hadn’t really thought about why Charlie had been driving down that particular road and then driven so close to Sarah’s house without asking where Nick was headed. He really should have paid more attention.

“Well I guess that makes sense,” Nick laughed. “And lucky for me you do or I might still be trying to walk in through a blizzard.”

Nick took a step back, inviting Charlie to cross the threshold into the house. Charlie walked in, taking off his coat and shaking off the snow on the mat. Nick held out his hand to take Charlie’s coat and scarf. Charlie handed it over and Nick hung it up. Charlie bent down to take off his boots and Nick caught himself staring. Under the jacket Charlie was wearing a tight fitting pair of dark blue jeans with holes in the knees and a cuddly looking Christmas sweater.

“Um, hi,” Charlie said when he stood up and saw Nick staring.

“Hi!” Nick said, smiling despite himself.

Charlie’s cheeks were flushed from the cold, but his kind blue eyes sparkled just a bit when he smiled back.

“Let me introduce you to everyone,” Nick said. Charlie followed Nick into the living room and gestured to his family. “That’s my mom Sarah and her sister Diane. Diane’s husband Richard and their kids Tillie and Leo. Then that’s David, my older brother, and his girlfriend Jess. Everyone, this is Charlie.”

“Um, hi,” Charlie said with an awkward wave.

“Hello Charlie,” Sarah said kindly.

“I hear you rescued my nephew from a blizzard,” Diane said, smiling at Charlie.

“I think anyone who saw him would have pulled over,” Charlie replied.

“I think you overestimate the kindness of humanity,” Diane chuckled.

“Do you want something to drink, Charlie?” Sarah asked. “We have eggnog or tea. I think someone brought some alcohol as well.”

“Tea is fine for me, thanks,” Charlie replied. She asked how he liked it and Charlie added, “Just some milk would be great.”

Sarah smiled and walked off in the direction of the kitchen to put the kettle on.

“You don’t have to look so nervous,” Nick said. “Everyone is generally nice– well, except David, but we can avoid him.”

“Alright,” Charlie said, smiling again. There was something rather beautiful about Charlie when he smiled. It wasn’t the first time he’d noticed a man the way he was noticing Charlie, but even so there was something more about Charlie that Nick couldn’t quite put into words.

“It’s just been a while since I um- met new people,” Charlie admitted.

“Totally fair,” Nick replied. “Stick with me and you’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Charlie said. It almost felt like Charlie was trying to say more with that one word than the word meant.

Nick wasn’t sure why he felt so warm just now or he supposed he did actually know why, he just didn’t want to think about it.

“So Charlie,” Diane began. “When you aren’t rescuing people on the side of the road what do you do?”

“I’m an accountant,” Charlie answered.

“Like taxes and stuff?”

But Charlie was shaking his head. “No, business and real estate mostly. I work for a non profit that houses people with special needs.”

“Ah, well that explains the faith in humanity then,” Diane replied with a smile. “I’m a psychiatrist.”

“In that case your job is, like, way more important than mine,” Charlie replied with an easy smile.

Diane seemed touched by Charlie’s reply but she didn’t get a chance to speak because her kids came up to interrupt her at that exact moment.

Nick used the opportunity to move away from everyone else and to his delight Charlie followed him. Though he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Charlie didn’t know anyone else here. Heck, Charlie barely knew Nick!

“Did you manage to get your car out of the snow?” Charlie asked Nick when the two of them were off on their own.

“Yeah, mum and I dug it out this morning,” Nick confirmed.

“That must have been a lot of work,” Charlie replied.

“Oh, it was,” Nick smiled.

Everyone else was in the living room. Nick could hear them around the corner where he and Charlie stood in the hallway. Nick wanted to take Charlie upstairs to his room, to be alone with him. Nick could feel the steps just behind him, as if inviting him onward.

“What do you do for work?” Charlie asked.

“I, um, teach kindergarten," Nick replied.

“I bet you are really good at that,” Charlie said looking right into Nick’s eyes. Nick could feel himself grow flustered under Charlie’s gaze. He was staring at Charlie’s lips without deciding to do it. He gave in and let his eyes roam over all of Charlie.

It was like the rest of the room disappeared. Nick was looking at Charlie and Charlie was looking at Nick. He couldn’t help but notice things. The way Charlie smiled with one side of his mouth more than the other. How his dark curly hair was so inviting. Nick wondered what it would feel like to run his hands through it and then there was Charlie’s lips. Nick’s gaze froze on those lips. He couldn’t even think what he wanted to do to them, but he could feel it in his body’s reaction. Nick’s heart was beating a little too fast and his muscles were oddly tense.

They were alone in the hallway, but they could be so much more alone if Nick just got up the courage to invite Charlie upstairs.

“Oh, there you are, Charlie!” Sarah’s voice broke Nick’s singular focus. Nick turned to see his mother walking down the hall holding a cup of tea. “This is for you.”

“Thanks so much,” Charlie beamed at her.

“Dinner is in about a half hour,” Sarah added.

“Thanks mum,” Nick replied. With a smile Sarah turned and walked back down the hall, towards the other guests.

Almost alone once again, Nick turned back to Charlie and saw that he was now looking down at his tea.

“Your mum is so sweet,” Charlie said, before taking a sip. “Oh, and this is really good.”

“Yeah, um…” Nick began. Charlie looked at him patiently, waiting to hear what Nick had to say. Nick took another shaky breath and said it. “Do you want to come upstairs… with me?”

“Yeah,” Charlie agreed with a soft smile.

Nick couldn’t stop himself from smiling back. Whatever was going on here was so much stronger than he’d ever felt before. Nick was nervous and his heart was beating like a drum, but he liked this feeling. He wanted to explore it.

Turning around, Nick headed up the stairs and Charlie followed him. He kept going until he reached his bedroom door, walking in after Charlie and closing it behind him.

Alone with Charlie at last.

Chapter Text

Nick was staring at Charlie. He knew he was staring but he didn’t care. His eyes moved over Charlie in his entirety, taking in every inch of the man he’d just invited into his childhood bedroom.

“Look at all these trophies!” Charlie said, turning to the opposite wall.

“Mum never really put anything away,” Nick admitted.

“That’s amazing,” Charlie said. “My mother turned my room into her office like my second year at uni.”

Gazing at Charlie, Nick noticed things he knew a straight person wouldn’t notice. Like the way Charlie’s body moved. Nick could tell Charlie clothes were at least one size too big. The man was lean, and fit. His dark curly hair suited his face and Nick was not over those soft blue eyes.

“You played a lot of rugby huh?” Charlie observed as he looked around the room.

“Yeah,” Nick said. “I even taught kids rugby. That was how I realized I liked teaching.”

“Accounting seemed like an safe option. I was always good at math even if I’d rather read a good book. Working in literature isn’t an easy field to break into.”

Nick was entirely too busy staring at Charlie to reply. Charlie’s lips in particular held his focus. When Charlie talked his lips moved in interesting ways. When he smiled those lips pulled up at one corner before the other. His dark curls looked so bouncy. Nick couldn’t help wondering again what Charlie’s hair felt like. Nick was so aware of the space between them, aware that he wanted there to be less of it.

Bisexual. It was a word he’d thought before, but not one he’d ever said aloud.

Charlie stopped looking around the room, and focused on Nick again. He took two steps closer until they were standing a comfortable space apart without being that close.

“Why did you invite me up here?” Charlie asked gently.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Nick admitted.

Charlie set his tea mug down on Nick’s bedside table before turning back to face Nick. “I try not to assume who people are by what they look like so I’m going to ask,” Charlie said kindly. “Would you go out with someone who wasn’t a girl?”

His first reaction was no, but Nick didn’t say it. He was looking at Charlie again and he realized the answer wasn’t no, because Charlie wasn’t a girl.

“I don’t know,” Nick said, breathlessly. “Maybe.”

Charlie didn’t say anything at first. He just looked at Nick, his eyes moving as if he was noticing things about Nick, the way Nick had noticed things about Charlie. Then Charlie’s eyes were back up on Nick’s face again, staring unabashed at his lips.

“Would you kiss someone who wasn’t a girl?” Charlie asked next.

“I don’t know,” Nick repeated, but his body seemed to know the answer. His breathing was erratic and his heart raced in his chest.

“Would you kiss me?” Charlie asked and just like that his mind went there. Nick imagined closing the short distance between them and kissing Charlie. Just the thought made him feel things he hadn’t felt before. Nick knew the answer to Charlie’s question came from a deep hidden part of himself he’d never shared with anyone before. Suddenly, Nick understood with perfect clarity that he’d wanted to kiss Charlie, from the moment he’d laid eyes on him.

“Yeah,” Nick said in a breathless voice. It was the only reply he could muster, but it was enough.

Charlie took a step closer, his eyes fixed on Nick’s face as if looking for signs of discomfort. Nick felt nothing but excitement as Charlie got closer.

Nick closed his eyes and his lips parted just slightly before he moved a little closer. Charlie met him halfway and then they were kissing. When he felt Charlie’s soft lips against his own, Nick’s whole body reacted to the kiss. His insides fluttered madly and his skin tingled and then Charlie pulled away.

Their eyes met again and Nick reached out to hold Charlie’s hand. Next thing he knew Charlie’s other hand gently held the side of his face and they were kissing again. It was more intense this time, their lips moving more forcefully. Nick’s body seemed to be doing things without his telling it to. Nick’s arms pulled Charlie closer by the waist. His greedy hands moved up to get tangled in Charlie’s hair. It felt so much better than he’d imagined it would. Silky and sexy, Nick wrapped his fingers around Charlie’s head pulling his own body in closer.

It felt like he could hardly get air into his lungs as they broke apart. Charlie’s hand still rested against Nick’s face, warm and pleasant.

“You okay?” Charlie asked. Nick nodded and Charlie pulled his hand back. Nick missed the point of contact.

God, he was bisexual. There was just no other explanation for how he felt right now. For what he wanted to do again. His whole body seemed to be vibrating and all they’d done was kiss.

“I, um,” Nick said. “I’m not exactly- I mean I’ve never kissed a guy before so-”

“Could have fooled me,” Charlie said with a light chuckle. Taking a moment to observe, Nick noticed that Charlie's face was also flushed. His pupils were dilated and his breathing sounded about as chaotic as Nick’s felt.

“You sure you’re okay?” Charlie asked again.

“I um-” Nick said. He was more than okay. He didn’t even know how to describe it. Nick looked at Charlie and he knew he wanted to kiss this man again.

There was something there in Charlie’s expression that made Nick think maybe he could do it again. Taking a step closer, Nick put one of his hands on either side of Charlie’s face. He gazed into Charlie’s eyes for a moment, wanting to make sure this was okay before pulling them together for another kiss.

Nick felt Charlie’s hand against his side, even through his shirt, the contact made Nick shiver. It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed kissing anyone this much, if ever. There was something different about Charlie. Something alluring and comforting at the same time. Something entirely impossible to resist.

The kiss ended, and Nick rested his forehead against Charlie’s, just breathing and feeling. They stayed like that for a moment. Gradually, Nick felt his racing pulse slow down.

“We should probably go back downstairs,” Charlie whispered. “It’s likely time for dinner by now.”

“Yeah,” Nick whispered, but he didn’t move.

It felt like they should talk about what just happened. Nick knew they should, but he didn’t want to think about what came next. He just wanted time to stand still so he could be here in this room with Charlie without the rest of the world getting involved.

“Won’t your mother be upset if we are late?”

Nick knew Sarah wouldn’t mind but he also knew David was probably already thinking of some horrible thing to say because Nick and Charlie had disappeared together. Though Nick supposed at least part of it would be true for a change.

He pulled away just enough to look into Charlie’s beautiful blue eyes. Was this really happening? It felt so surreal.

He’d met Charlie only yesterday and yet Nick could already tell that Charlie was more than just wildly attractive. He was thoughtful and caring. He’d rescued Nick on the side of the road. He’d asked if they could kiss so gently and checked on Nick afterwards. Just then, Nick realized he hadn’t done the same.

“How are you feeling?” Nick asked, silently scolding himself for not asking earlier.

“Pleasantly surprised,” Charlie replied with a beaming grin.

“Oh good,” Nick sighed.

“Why do you sound so relieved?” Charlie laughed. “I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you.”

“I knew you were staring at me in the car!” Nick exclaimed.

“Guilty,” Charlie laughed.

Nick was suddenly feeling much calmer. “Ready to eat Christmas dinner with my entire family?” Nick asked.

“Isn’t that why I’m here?”

“Most definitely not,” Nick stated, firmly.

“Oh?” Charlie raised one eye brow. “Why am I here then?”

Nick laughed. “I thought that was obvious.”

“Say it anyway.”

“You are here because I wanted to kiss you.” It felt so good to say it out loud. There was something very right about this feeling. The smile that slowly spread across Charlie’s face at Nick’s words was so heart warming, Nick almost decided to skip food and just snog his beautiful man some more.

But they really should go down for dinner.

Nick pulled away from Charlie completely and then opened his bedroom door.

As they walked down the stairs together, Nick thought about reaching out. He wanted to hold Charlie’s hand but he wasn’t quite ready to out himself to his entire family, especially during the holidays. His hands somehow ended up in his pockets.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and walked down the hall. Nick noticed when Charlie put distance between them. They were walking at least a foot apart, by the time they turned the corner and saw Nick’s family.

“There you are,” Sarah said. “Would you mind setting the table, Nicky?”

“Of course,” Nick replied, walking automatically towards the cupboard. He’d been setting this exact table with these exact dishes since he was a kid and didn’t need to give it any thought. Instead his mind was entirely occupied reliving that kiss. Nick wanted to remember it perfectly. The way his body had reacted, the way Charlie had felt, it all went through his head again. The more he thought about it the more he wanted to think about it.

Before long, people were coming to sit at the table. Nick wanted to sit beside Charlie but to his surprise Charlie sat down next to his aunt Diane. Nick wasn’t sure why this bothered him so much. Nick ended up sitting with a few people between him and Charlie and yet all his focus was on Charlie’s conversation with his aunt. It seems they were discussing different aspects of their jobs.

“These potatoes are even better than last year, Sarah,” one of his cousins said.

“Nick did those actually,” Sarah shifted the praise to him.

“In that case, Nick, what did you do differently?”

“I- um,” Nick said, failing to remember what he’d done just a few hours agp. “Added lemon I think. I’d have to check the recipe.”

“Well, whatever you did, they are wonderful.”

“Thanks.”

Nick couldn’t believe how distracted his thoughts were. He focused on eating for a while so he wasn’t thinking about whether or not Charlie had heard that he’d helped make dinner.

“Such a shame Nick didn’t bring a girl tonight.” David’s voice instantly put Nick on edge.

“Any man who can cook this well isn’t single long, in my experience,” Jess, David’s girlfriend said.

“With the exception of my brother it seems,” David said with a smirk.

Nick didn’t mind Jess. She at least seemed merely clueless, but David knew more about what he was saying. He’d been trying to get to Nick with his bullying since they were kids. Nick hated that he cared. He didn’t want to care what his brother thought of him. They weren’t kids anymore and Nick knew his brother was a prick. He’d let go of expecting anything but silence from his father so why couldn’t he ignore his brother’s comments too? Nick wished so badly that he didn’t care what David said.

He also wished he knew why Charlie was sitting so far away.

“I don’t remember you offering to help me cook, David,” Sarah said cooly.

His mother’s remark killed the conversation topic at once. Nick’s life wasn’t perfect, but by god his mother might be. Nick was grateful to her beyond words.

As everyone finished eating, Nick got up and helped clear the table if only to have an excuse to move around. He had more nervous energy than he knew what to do with at the moment.

Sarah put the kettle on and Nick got the dessert out of the fridge.

“Are you alright?” Sarah asked him. They were alone in the kitchen but everyone else was still very likely within earshot behind them.

“Yeah,” Nick said because he wasn’t quite ready to tell her anything yet. She patted his shoulder reassuringly before serving dessert. Nick set out mugs and put the milk and sugar on the table.

When everyone was once again sitting around the table having dessert and tea, Nick looked at Charlie again. He was still talking to Diane. Nick just wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Once everyone was done eating, people started taking their tea into the living room. David and Jess ended up hogging the couch and being all couply about it. Nick averted his eyes. His cousins and uncle were watching this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, but Charlie and Diane were still sitting at the table.

With David out of sight, Nick was feeling more comfortable. Once he’d finished helping his mum fill the dishwasher, Nick went to sit in the empty chair on Charlie’s other side.

Charlie stopped talking with Diane at the first opportunity and turned to look at Nick.

“Hey,” Charlie said.

“Hey,” Nick echoed back. “Um, did you enjoy dinner?”

“Yeah it was great,” Charlie answered. “Especially the potatoes.”

“Thanks,” Nick grinned back. He liked that. He liked that more than made sense to him, but he didn’t care.

“It’s been lovely chatting,” Diane said as she stood up. “But I really should check on my family.”

“Of course,” Charlie agreed with her, smiling, but it wasn’t the same type of smile he’d given Nick earlier. Just polite. Nick liked that too.

Diane wandered off into the living room to sit next to her husband and ask him what she’d missed on the show.

Nick wanted to rest his head on Charlie’s shoulder. He still had too much nervous energy and he had this sense that it would all fade away if he could just touch Charlie again.

The problem was he had no idea how to find a way to be alone with Charlie. Should he suggest they go upstairs for a second time? Dinner was technically over now but no one would be leaving anytime soon. Mum usually served evening drinks at nine and Diane and Richard hadn’t left early since their kids had gotten old enough to stay up late on holidays. Nick didn’t want to wait that long. What should he say? Nick felt frozen. He still didn’t know why Charlie had ignored him since they’d come downstairs. Charlie had spent the entire evening talking to Nick’s aunt of all people! What was Nick supposed to think about that?

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Charlie asked.

“Okay,” Nick said, knowing he would have agreed to basically anything Charlie suggested.

They got up from the table at the same time. Nick told his mother they were going out for a walk. It wasn’t until they were putting on their jackets and boots that Nick thought it was odd his mother hadn’t asked any questions. Nick wasn’t sure when he’d last just gone for a walk for no particular reason which is what this must have looked like to her. He put the thought from his mind and instead focused on getting his hood up and walking out his front door with Charlie.

Chapter Text

Charlie was doing everything he could to try and make this easier for Nick, but he wasn’t sure if he was succeeding. There had been a nervous edge to Nick’s movements all evening. When everyone had finished eating and Nick sat beside Charlie at the table, he’d just stared at Charlie with a desperate sort of anxiety in his eyes.

He knew what they really needed was to talk alone, so Charlie suggested they go for a walk as it was the only thing he could think to accomplish this. Nick had agreed to the plan easily and now Charlie was wrapping his scarf around his neck over his jacket.

When the front door opened, it felt strangely similar to when Nick had opened his bedroom door a few hours earlier. It was like exiting a bubble.

The wind was crisp, and the sun was already starting to set, but the moment they were outside with the door shut behind them, Charlie noticed Nick relax a little. Even in this weather, outside had been the right call

Charlie smiled at Nick and led the way. He’d always intended to walk back to his house with Nick. It wasn’t like the weather was good enough for a real walk. They trudged through the two feet of snow covering the sidewalks. Charlie almost fell once and reflexively grabbed Nick’s arm before he slipped.

“Thanks,” Charlie said as he got his balance back and let go of Nick’s arm. “I wasn’t expecting there to be ice under snow that thick.”

“Yeah,” Nick said, but it was the look on his face that made Charlie stop.

“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked

“Um,” Nick began. Then he got a determined look on his face and continued. “Why did you ignore me all evening?”

Charlie almost laughed, but he managed to take the question as seriously as Nick had meant it.

“I thought that was obvious,” Charlie replied, but Nick was shaking his head so Charlie elaborated. “I assumed you aren’t out to your family so I was trying to be respectful of that.”

“Oh,” Nick said slowly. “Right, that does make sense.”

Charlie couldn’t hold back his grin. This man was so genuine and adorable; it was almost too much.

“What did you think?” Charlie smiled. “I just saw the stairs and suddenly thought ghosting you was a good idea?”

“I don’t know!” Nick said, but he was laughing. The nervous energy that had been haunting him all evening was gone now.

Looking at Nick’s smiling face, Charlie just wanted to kiss him again.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“I thought that was pretty obvious too,” Charlie chuckled. “I live right there.” And he pointed to his house, clearly visible from where they stood on the other side of the empty street.

“Right, I knew that,” Nick said with a shake of his head. “Sorry.”

Charlie grinned at Nick, letting his thoughts wander more than he had since they’d exited Nick’s bedroom. “Don’t be sorry. I am quite enjoying the sight of you all flustered.”

Nick blushed even more and turned his face away. Charlie decided to back off. He faced forward and started walking again. Nick followed a step behind and soon they made it to the crosswalk.

“You realize there is almost never a car on this road, right?” Nick said. “We could have crossed anywhere?”

“Yes, but we are supposed to cross here,” Charlie countered.

“You were a teacher’s pet in high school, weren’t you?” Nick laughed.

Charlie laughed. “More like the gay nerd.” He turned to look at Nick and gave it some thought before adding. “You played rugby in high school so I’m going to guess you were the popular jock type.”

Nick shrugged. “I just liked rugby. Never thought about it like that.”

They were approaching Charlie’s front door now. When they reached it, Charlie stopped to pull out his key and unlock the door.

Turning to Nick, Charlie added, “I’m glad we didn’t meet in high school then. You probably wouldn’t have even talked to the ‘teenaged social outcast’ version of me.”

Nick took this entirely too seriously, making a very displeased noise before objecting to Charlie’s statement. “I’m going to have to profoundly disagree with you on that.”

Charlie couldn’t help but smile as he gazed into Nick’s warm brown eyes. “I guess we’ll never know,” Charlie whispered.

“Oh, I know,” Nick stated firmly as they walked through Charlie’s front door.

Charlie took off his coat and hung it up. Nick did the same. When they were more comfortable, Charlie turned to Nick and replied.

“What is it exactly that you think you know?” Charlie winked, unable to resist flirting with Nick.

“I am completely certain that I would have taken one look at you and-”

Nick’s words cut off as their eyes met. Charlie’s gaze moved to stare at Nick’s lips. He wanted to kiss Nick again, and badly. He just didn’t want to push.

“And what?” Charlie whispered. He watched Nick’s face as it displayed a wide range of emotions. Confusion, interest, awkwardness, and Charlie was pretty sure whatever Nick was thinking was embarrassing him as well.

“Known you were important,” Nick said in a small voice.

“If you don’t stop being so amazing, I am going to have to kiss you again,” Charlie said in his best flirty voice.

Nick turned to look at the now closed front door and then back to look at Charlie. “O-kay,” he said in a shaky voice.

“You don’t have to,” Charlie replied at once. He hadn’t meant to make Nick feel pressured.

“I want to.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” Nick’s voice was breathless, but the way he was looking at Charlie now left little doubt of his certainty.

Charlie took a step forward and gently placed his hand on the side of Nick’s face before kissing him. The instant their lips touched, Charlie felt the shock of it down to his toes. When he pulled away, Charlie watched Nick closely. Nick was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling quickly, and his eyes were still closed.

When Nick opened his eyes, his gaze was fixed on Charlie’s lips. Oh god, Charlie wanted to kiss him again. Charlie wanted to push Nick up against the wall and do more than just kiss him. He’d never met anyone who had such an effect on him so quickly before in his life. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

“Are you alright?” Charlie asked softly.

“Um,” Nick said, his gaze reluctantly moving up to look into Charlie’s eyes. Nick bit his lower lip and Charlie almost broke.

“What are you thinking?” Charlie asked instead of snogging Nick senseless.

Nick didn’t speak. Charlie wondered if maybe he didn’t know how to put his thoughts into words. Nick repositioned his feet, moving closer by an inch. The look in Nick’s eyes was making Charlie’s heart pound. He surrendered to his impulses.

Charlie reached out and grabbed hold of Nick’s shirt, but before he could initiate another kiss, Nick beat him to it.

Charlie’s back bumped into the wall– or maybe it was his front door. It hardly mattered. Nick had wedged one of his legs between Charlie’s and pressed his entire body against Charlie. The kiss was hot and deep. Charlie couldn’t hold back a moan, his whole body sinking into the other man’s touch. Nick’s hands were in his hair. Charlie’s arms wrapped around Nick’s torso. Charlie hardly knew where he ended and Nick began.

Then Nick pulled away. Charlie worked hard to remain standing. He could easily have leaned back against the wall and sunk to the floor. Instead he opened eyes and saw Nick standing there staring at him. Nick whispered ‘oh god’ under his breath and then ran his hands through his hair nervously. Charlie used the solid surface behind him to try and get his balance.

“Sorry,” Nick mumbled.

“You are absolutely not allowed to say sorry for that,” Charlie replied quickly. Every kiss with Nick had been amazing, but that may very well have been the best kiss of his life. He wasn’t sure if Nick was okay and he sensed that Nick wasn’t ready to talk about it.

Slowly, Charlie moved closer, watching Nick’s reaction. Before Charlie could offer more than a gesture towards a hug, Nick had buried his face in Charlie’s shoulder. Nick held him so tightly, Charlie couldn’t help but feel like Nick had needed the hug. Charlie held Nick, standing as they were in the entry way to his house. Nick was slightly taller than Charlie, but he’d leaned down to press his face against Charlie’s shoulder. Charlie was therefore able to wrap his arms around Nick over his shoulders. His face rested against the side of Nick’s head. Charlie could feel that Nick was still breathing hard so he just held Nick until Nick was ready to let go. The hug lasted quite a while.

“Do you want a cup of tea?” Charlie offered, when Nick pulled away.

Nick let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah.”

Charlie didn’t want to give up every point of contact with his man, but he felt like space might be what Nick needed right now. Charlie didn’t reach out to take Nick’s hand, but instead walked in the direction of his kitchen to let Nick follow at his own pace.

Nick followed closer behind him than Charlie expected. He assumed Nick would sit at the table, but instead he stood close by as Charlie boiled the kettle and got down mugs. Charlie wasn’t sure what to make of it. Did Nick not want space like he’d assumed? Nick had become unsure when Charlie had tried to keep his distance during dinner. Was it possible that this absolutely brilliant person was insecure about how amazing he was?

The mugs now sitting on the counter, Charlie turned to look at Nick. He was standing so close. Closer than Charlie had realized when he’d been facing the other way.

“Hi,” Charlie said, half out of reflex because Nick was just inches from him.

“Hi.” Nick was smiling at Charlie with his whole face. There were little crinkles beside his eyes when he smiled. His whole face seemed to just radiate with that smile.

Slowly, Charlie reached out to take hold of Nick’s hand. He’d intended it as a bit of a test, but was surprised at how Nick reacted. It was like Nick had been waiting for Charlie to touch him. Nick intertwined their fingers and let out a shaky breath through his nose. Then he leaned closer and rested his head on Charlie’s shoulder again.

Charlie had learned over the years to hold back from being clingy. No one he’d ever dated had wanted a clingy boyfriend, but already Nick was different. Charlie felt like he didn’t have to work so hard to not be clingy.

Reaching out, Charlie wrapped his arms around Nick in another hug.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Charlie whispered into their hug.

“Yes and no,” Nick replied.

Just then the kettle clicked. “Did you still want tea?” Charlie asked with a smile.

Nick let go of him so Charlie could make tea, but he didn’t seem happy about it which Charlie loved. He asked Nick how he liked his tea and poured the water. While it was steeping he turned to look at Nick again.

“Do you want to sit at the table?” Charlie asked.

“Do you have a couch?” Nick countered.

Charlie just laughed. “Of course I have a couch. Who doesn’t have a couch? Though if we sit there the cats will probably join us.”

“You have cats?”

“Yep, two of them,” Charlie explained.

“I’m more of a dog person,” Nick admitted. “But cats are good too.”

“The sofa it is then,” Charlie smiled at him.

They carried their tea into Charlie’s living room and set them down on the table. Once again trying to give Nick the choice, Charlie sat on the couch first.

To his surprise Nick sat very close beside him, tilting his head slightly to rest it on Charlie’s shoulder. Charlie draped his arm around Nick, and they sat in silence for a moment. Charlie drank some of his tea and waited to see if Nick wanted to talk.

Minutes passed and half of Charlie’s tea was gone by the time his cats made their appearance. Milky jumped up on the back of the couch to cautiously sniff Nick. Oreo walked up to Charlie and gave him a look as if to ask why Charlie had brought this stranger into their house.

Charlie reached out to pet Oreo, reassuring him that Nick was okay. Meanwhile, Milky had already won over Nick. When Charlie turned he saw the tiny cat, almost still a kitten, curled up in Nick’s hands looking quite content.

“He likes you,” Charlie said with a smile.

“Your cats are so adorable!” Nick gushed.

Though this was most definitely true, at the moment Charlie’s attention was fixed on the newest adorable addition to this house.

He could not believe how much cuter Nick was with a kitten in his hand.

Charlie knew that Nick had been right before. Meeting Nick was important. Charlie had this notion that Nick was probably going to completely change his life. In exactly what way he wasn’t sure, but there was just something about him that had Charlie’s heart singing.

He knew rationally that they’d met yesterday, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Chapter Text

Charlie’s cats were very distracting. Nick had been steeling himself to talk to Charlie when suddenly the most adorable kitten was purring in his hand.

Charlie’s house was distracting too. Did Charlie really live here alone? It was so big. Nick’s eyes were taking in the decor with enthusiasm. It was very cozy. Charlie had a drum set in the living room and a neon sign hung on the wall that said music. The one thing Charlie didn’t have was Christmas decorations.

“You don’t decorate for Christmas?” Nick asked.

Charlie just shrugged. “It’s just me here so I figured there was no point.”

Why did that make Nick so sad? He knew he should try and put into words a few things, but he wasn’t sure he was ready.

“Do you want to decorate… with me?” Nick asked.

“We could do that,” Charlie replied kindly. “I would have to get some boxes out of the attic, but I thought you might want to, um, talk. It’s okay if you don’t!”

Nick sighed. “I want to talk. I just– well, I hardly know where to start.”

“I promise I won’t judge.”

Of course he wouldn’t. Why would Charlie even say that? Charlie was like the nicest person Nick had ever met.

Nick simply couldn’t be within arms reach of Charlie and not want to touch him. It was unreal how easily Charlie’s presence could calm Nick’s nerves. If he could open up to anyone, it was definitely this man he’d met yesterday. Nick almost laughed at the absurdity of that. Yesterday.

“I’m bisexual,” Nick finally said it out loud. How many years had he been holding onto that one? He wasn’t even sure. Far longer than he’d been able to give it a name.

Charlie didn’t say anything but he was listening very attentively.

“I’ve known longer than I was willing to admit it, but I don’t actually remember when I became aware of it,” Nick continued. It felt like a miracle that he could say any of this, but he just felt so safe with Charlie.

“I’ve thought about telling mum a few times, but I always chicken out,” Nick sighed. “It just never felt worth the risk– and then there is my brother.”

“Yes, I met him.”

Nick chuckled a little at Charlie’s tone. “Yes, so you understand why he doesn’t know then.” Nick paused for a moment as he realized that was wrong. “Well actually I think David suspects. He teases me about it a lot, actually.”

“That’s not very nice of him.”

“Pretty much sums my brother up actually,” Nick sighed.

“The rest of your family seems great,” Charlie smiled at him.

“They are,” Nick agreed.

Nick turned his eyes away from the adorable cat in his arms and looked at the stunning man sitting on his left. Why did he want to say hi again? He smiled at the silly notion.

Gently placing Milky on the floor, Nick turned to Charlie. He knew there were a few more things he should say.

“I really like you,” Nick whispered. He’d wanted to say it, but he hadn’t really thought Charlie would be surprised. The way Nick had kissed the man earlier really should have clued him in already.

“You like me?” Charlie did look surprised. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open a little. He was just so unbelievably cute and Nick was staring at his mouth again.

“Wasn’t that obvious?” Nick asked. From literally the moment Nick had laid eyes on him, he’d been anything less than subtle about wanting to see him again. Hadn’t it been Nick who had invited Charlie upstairs basically the moment he’d arrived?

Charlie was wonderful, but for all Nick knew Charlie was just wonderful to everyone.

“Do you like me?” Nick asked.

“Yes! Obviously,” Charlie said, with an awkward laugh.

And just like that Nick felt better. He scooched closer to Charlie on the couch and leaned in.

“I’m gonna kiss you again,” Nick whispered. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Yeah,” Charlie answered breathlessly.

Leaning forward, Nick kissed Charlie, as if pouncing on a prize, his heart soaring and butterflies taking up residence in his stomach. Nick rather lost himself in the sensation of it all. He pushed Charlie backwards against the sofa and then he was laying on top of Charlie, holding up his weight with his arms.

Nick wasn’t some inexperienced teenanger anymore. He knew it didn’t usually feel like this. He knew Charlie was different somehow. He knew he’d been attracted to his girlfriend back in college, but kissing her had been nothing like this. There was something about Charlie that made Nick feel like he was finally home, finally whole. Like he’d known Charlie all his life despite meeting him just yesterday. There was an emotional depth to this kissing that he’d never felt before.

He shifted his weight to free one of his hands so he could tangle his fingers in Charlie’s soft curls. He already knew he had a thing for Charlie’s hair. He felt Charlie’s hands on his upper arms and suddenly resented his Christmas sweater for being between his skin and Charlie’s hand.

In fact, his Christmas theme sweater was causing another issue now too because Nick was overheating. He wanted to sit up and pull the darn thing off, but that might give Charlie the impression that he wanted them to get naked together. Nick didn’t want to accidentally upset him.

Nick leaned back and sat on the couch, breathing hard. He could feel his heart racing about a mile a minute. Facing away from Charlie, Nick pulled his sweater off. Underneath it he was wearing a plain white t-shirt.

When he turned to look at Charlie again, the man’s eyes were very wide and fixed on Nick’s chest.

Back in his rugby days, Nick had been quite fit. Years of teaching kindergarten allowed for less time at the gym. He knew this and had decided it was worth the trade off, but the way Charlie was looking at him now made Nick feel like a buff teenager again.

“I was overheating in the sweater,” Nick explained.

Charlie bit his lip. “I bet you were,” he sniggered.

“Aren’t you hot in your sweater?” Nick asked and then realized what he’d said. “Oh my god, I didn’t mean- nevermind.”

“I don’t really overheat,” Charlie answered the intended question and didn’t comment on the innuendo. “I run cold.”

“I run hot,” Nick replied.

“Oh I know,” Charlie grinned. “And I rather enjoy it.”

Nick felt himself blush. The way Charlie was looking at him would have been enough to make Nick turn pink even without the comment.

“See, now I want to kiss you again,” Nick whined.

Charlie was still grinning. “I have a better idea,” he said.

Charlie stood up and walked right up to where Nick sat. He placed a leg on either side of Nick and then sat in his lap before leaning his head down and planting a kiss on Nick’s lips.

Nick pulled Charlie in with his hands on the other man’s back. Charlie’s arms wrapped around Nick’s neck.

The kiss was deep and Nick’s insides were jelly. He fell backwards slightly and let his head rest against the back of the sofa. He wanted so many things. He wanted Charlie. He wanted everything when it came to Charlie.

But if he wanted to be more to Charlie than some guy he kissed on the downlow, Nick had to tell his family who he really was. The idea was a little daunting, but holding Charlie in his arms made Nick feel brave.

Gently Nick pulled out of the kiss and rested his forehead against Charlie’s so he could talk.

“I want more than just this with you,” Nick whispered.

“You don’t have to say that,” Charlie whispered back.

If this was Charlie’s reaction, then Nick absolutely had to say it. There was something in the way Charlie spoke and held his body that made Nick feel like Charlie was always worried about being a bother to other people. Like his mere existence was an issue. Nick hated that idea.

Nick didn’t know how to explain what he was thinking. He wrapped his arms around Charlie and buried his face in Charlie’s chest. It was so different hugging a man this intimately compared to a woman. Charlie was lean and his chest was flat. He could remember hugging his ex-girlfriend like this, feeling her breasts against the side of his face.

It felt wrong somehow that he really did find both scenarios attractive. He couldn’t pick a side. Men and women were both equally hot, but Charlie was kind, caring, and thoughtful.

Nick had never believed in soulmates. As a kid he’d watched his father’s cheating ruin his parent’s marriage. He had no idea what real love looked like and he’d always assumed that meant the meet cute rom com hype was just movie magic. It didn’t translate to real life, because you didn’t actually just meet your other half in a cafe on a Sunday morning like in the movies.

Now, it seemed to Nick like in real life you meet him on the side of the road in a blizzard instead of a cafe.

But saying that out loud right now was more unnerving than the idea of coming out to his family on Christmas Eve. Still, he had to tell Charlie something.

Nick leaned in for a soft quick kiss before pulling away so he could look Charlie in the eyes.

“I’m not just saying that,” Nick said. “I want to explore this with you. I want to be with you.”

Charlie giggled. “You are with me right now.”

Nick was going to have to be more direct. Why was that so nerve wracking? Why was he so scared that Charlie didn’t feel the same way about him?

“What do you want us to be?” Nick asked.

“I want to make sure you don’t feel… rushed,” Charlie replied. “I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable doing.”

“I’m comfortable with you,” Nick replied easily. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever been so comfortable around anyone before.

Was Charlie just deliberately avoiding the question at this point? Could anyone be this dense? If Nick had shown half this much interest in a woman she’d probably have been picking out wedding china at this point.

Since meeting Charlie, Nick had so far invited him to an intimate family holiday dinner, into his childhood bedroom, and snogged him senseless against a door. Not to mention the pressing Charlie into the sofa thing a moment ago while they’d been making out.

Nick wasn’t exactly being subtle about the ‘I want to be in a serious relationship with you’ thing.

Then he remembered how surprised Charlie had looked when Nick had said he liked him and the way Charlie acted that made Nick worried he thought he was a bother to other people.

He could be brave. Nick could do that for Charlie.

“Are you free tomorrow?” Nick asked.

“Tomorrow is Christmas Day,” Charlie reminded him.

“I asked if you are free,” Nick reminded him.

“As of right now I have no plans.”

“So does that mean you’d let me take you on a proper date?”

“You want to go on a date… with me… on Christmas day?”

“Most definitely,” Nick grinned at him.

“What about your family?” Charlie asked. “They are all waiting for you across the street.”

“I see them all the time,” Nick answered. “Do you not want to go out with me then?”

“Oh, I very much do,” Charlie replied with enough eagerness in his voice to put some of Nick’s worries to rest. “I guess I’m just having a hard time believing you do.”

Nick laughed at the ridiculous idea before putting a hand on either side of Charlie’s face and pouncing on his lips. This time Nick was the one who fell backwards onto the couch. When Charlie collapsed on top of him, Nick got his hands in Charlie’s hair again and pulled him in for another kiss. He liked the feeling of Charlie on top of him. The man wasn’t that heavy and his weight felt good.

When they finally came up for air, they both just sat on the couch breathing hard. Nick pulled out his phone to check the time and realized it was getting quite late. He should probably head back, but he wasn’t leaving until Charlie said yes to a date.

“Can I come get you tomorrow for our date?” Nick asked.

“Yeah,” Charlie agreed, blushing slightly. Nick beamed at him. Charlie blushing was his new favourite thing.

“Okay,” Nick beamed. He couldn’t remember when he’d last smiled this much, if ever. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“See you tomorrow,” Charlie echoed.

Slowly, reluctantly, Nick walked to the door. He put on his boots, coat, and hat, then opened the door. Standing in the open doorway, Nick turned back to give Charlie one more kiss before walking through the door.

The cold hit his face immediately. Nick trudged through the snow, not bothering to walk all the way to the right to use the sidewalk like Charlie. He made it to his mother’s front door and walked inside quickly, shaking snow from his hair and tapping it off his boots.

He was just finishing removing his winter clothes when he heard his brother’s voice.

“That was a long walk,” David said, in his snarky voice.

Nick ignored him. Not even his brother could ruin his mood right now.

David walked right up to him and whispered so no one else could hear. “It was nice to meet the guy who turned my little brother gay.”

A part of Nick wanted to stand his ground and just snap back ‘I’m bi, actually’ but he wasn’t quite ready to do that.

He decided to ignore his brother instead. Nick walked right past David like he wasn’t there and headed into the kitchen. Mom was serving evening drinks and Nick got to work helping her.

“Everything alright, Nicky?” his mother asked.

Nick smiled back at her. “Yeah,” he said. “Everything is great.”

“Charlie seems nice,” Sarah smiled at him, tentatively.

This wasn’t the first time that Nick suspected that his mom had her suspicions about him. At least she was choosing silent kindness, unlike Nick’s brother.

Maybe if he told them about Charlie they wouldn’t be as surprised as he thought they would. Nick had never been any good at lying, even when he was just trying not to share how he was feeling it somehow always seemed to leak out of his face anyway.

“Charlie is wonderful,” Nick told his mother. She gave him a reassuring smile and didn’t bring up the topic again all evening.

Chapter Text

Charlie woke up on Christmas morning and was entirely sure the last two days had been some type of lovely dream. He kept his eyes shut and buried his face in his pillow, thinking about the dream in every detail he could. Charlie didn’t want to forget this dream. Those warm brown eyes needed to be forever burned into his memory.

Then Charlie started to feel more awake and realized that yesterday had in fact actually happened. Not only that, but Nick was going to come to his house today to take him on a real date.

And now he was blushing.

Charlie got out of bed and took a shower. He didn’t know exactly when Nick was coming around. They hadn’t settled on an exact time so he wanted to be ready just in case. Charlie felt sure it was still too early for Nick to knock on his door.

Then he heard the doorbell ring.

Charlie wasn’t finished getting dressed yet! He couldn’t answer the door without a shirt. Scrambling, Charlie pulled something over his head and ran to the door.

There was no way it was Nick. It wasn’t even eight in the morning on Christmas Day. He had a morning with his family to enjoy before coming here. Charlie had maybe expected Nick before noon, not now!

Then again who else could it possibly be? Not even door to door sales people worked on Christmas Day.

Charlie put his hand on the doorknob and pulled it open. There stood Nick. He was wearing his winter jacket and a toque but Charlie could still see a bit of light brown hair sticking out of the front of the hat. The sun was shining behind him and Charlie couldn’t help thinking that Nick might be some kind of angel.

Nick’s eyes started on Charlie’s face, but then they moved, roaming over the rest of him. Charlie felt himself blush. His hair was still wet from the shower and he only now realized that he’d put on a short sleeved shirt in his panic to answer the door.

With the weather how it was, Nick hadn’t seen his arms before. Charlie’s Christmas sweaters were all long sleeved.

“Weren’t quite really for me yet, I see,” Nick said, biting his lip.

Charlie felt both oddly exposed and incredibly sexy, as Nick looked at him.

“I never expected you this early,” Charlie admitted.

“Well you know if you gave me your phone number I could have sent you a text when I was headed over,” Nick smirked at him.

“Sutble,” Charlie giggled.

Nick just shrugged. “I have a feeling that subtlety doesn’t work on you.”

“And what does that mean?” Charlie asked accusingly.

Nick took the step over the threshold into Charlie’s house and planted a kiss on his lips. Nick’s mouth pressed against his with just enough pressure to make Charlie’s inside all gooey. Nick’s lips were cold from outside and he tasted like toothpaste.

His eyes still shut, Charlie felt a bit floaty as he chased Nick’s retreating lips. Opening his eyes Charlie saw Nick’s teasing grin and took matters into his own hands. Reaching out Charlie grabbed the collar of Nick’s winter coat and pulled him in to finish that kiss. Nick’s lips were warm now, warm and soft. Charlie felt like he was already addicted to this man. It was embarrassing.

“Right,” Nick said, pulling out of the kiss sharply. “I believe you promised me a date.”

The look on Nick’s face told Charlie he knew exactly what he was doing.

“Tease!” Charlie accused.

Nick just wiggled his eyes brows. Charlie had no idea how anyone got away with being this damn sexy in a winter jacket.

“Get your jacket,” Nick said. “I have plans.”

“How is that possible? There won’t be a single place open on Christmas day,” Charlie reminded him.

“Who said I had those types of plans?”

“What other types of plans are there?” Charlie laughed.

“You’ll see,” Nick grinned. “Wear something warm.”

Beyond curious Charlie went about getting ready. He toweled off his hair and finished with his hair drier just because the weather was so cold right now. He switched into a long sleeved shirt, and then returned to the entry way where Nick was standing patiently by the door. Nick looked up from his phone and smiled at Charlie as he walked back into the room. Charlie blushed and turned to put on his winter coat and his scarf and toque.

“Warm enough?” Charlie asked when he was finished bundling up.

“Do you have gloves? Or maybe mittens?” Nick asked.

“You aren’t wearing any!”

“Right now we are inside,” Nick reminded him. “I have some in my pocket.”

With a sigh, Charlie collected a set of his winter gloves and stuffed them into his pockets.

“Excellent!” Nick said grinning. “Shall we go then?”

“Where exactly are we going?” Charlie asked as they exited his house.

“It’s a surprise.”

“I know it’s romantic and all, the whole date on Christmas day thing and I can appreciate the gesture but literally nowhere is open today. It will be a ghost town out there.”

Nick grinned widely and said, “So you think my idea is romantic then?”

“You know what I meant,” Charlie whined.

“And I told you I have plans,” Nick replied. “Romantic plans.”

“Oh my god,” Charlie said, blushing so much that even in this chilly air his face still felt hot.

Nick held the passenger side door open for Charlie who got in, still feeling about as red as a tomato. Nick walked around the car and then got in the drivers side.

Charlie was focused on where Nick was going, like what turns he was making. Nick was definitely headed into the city which made no sense. The city was closed because it was freaking December 25th! Charlie might have a crush on an idiot, but he was a damn cute idiot.

They reached an intersection and Charlie knew the downtown shops were right, but Nick went left. There wasn’t anything that way except…

“Are you taking me to a park?” Charlie asked.

“I said it was a surprise,” Nick objected to Charlie’s guessing.

But sure enough a few minutes later Nick parked his car and on their left was a large park covered in snow.

“Well I guess you proved me wrong,” Charlie said with a laugh. “Parks don’t technically close, do they?”

“They do not,” Nick said with a light chuckle. They both got out of the car and Nick held out his hand. Charlie took it. He couldn’t believe the guy who had just kissed a man for the first time yesterday was already taking him out in public.

Charlie had dated men in the closet before and this was not what men in the closet did. Heck this was barely what out men did.

Though Charlie supposed it could be because the entire park was empty. It was after all Christmas morning and most everyone with kids was home and most everyone else was probably recovering from last night’s party.

By their joined hand, Nick pulled Charlie along until they were well and truly in the park. There wasn’t a path in sight and absolutely everything was covered in snow. Charlie was just glad his boots were so high or he’d have snow in them.

Nick let go of his hand and Charlie turned away from the field of white to see why. Nick was bent over scooping up snow into his hands and then before Charlie knew what he was doing, Nick was throwing a snow ball at him.

“Oh you didn’t!”

“I did,” Nick grinned.

Charlie couldn’t let this stand. He bent down and collected some snow himself and lobbed it at Nick’s head. Nick dodged but just barely, laughing the entire time.

In seconds snow was flying and Charlie was very glad his jacket was waterproof. They were both laughing so hard and Charlie could hardly believe how much fun it was to play with Nick in the snow. He’d never been on a date like this before.

Then Nick upped the stakes. Instead of throwing his next snowball, Nick stuck it down the back of Charlie’s neck.

Charlie jumped, laughing and trying to shake off the snow. He collected another snow ball and made an attempt to get some of his down the back of Nick’s neck in return.

Eventually they collapsed into the snow, laying on their backs trying to catch their breath from all the laughing. Charlie turned his head to look at Nick, and heard the snow crunk under him.

Nick’s face was beautifully flushed and he was beaming back at Charlie like… well like a kid on Christmas day.

Charlie didn’t know people like Nick existed. He didn’t know anyone could look this happy spending time with him.

They just gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment and then Nick turned more than just his head, lifting his body so he was gazing down at Charlie.

Charlie just blinked at Nick, unsure what he wanted to do next. Then his stomach flipped over as he realized that Nick was going to kiss him right here in the middle of a public park laying in the snow.

Nick’s lips should have felt cold, but Charlie’s mouth was cold as well so the contrast wasn’t as noticeable as earlier. Nick’s body was half leaning on Charlie, his right hand moving to hold the side of Charlie’s face before getting tangled in his hair.

Charlie reached up and grabbed Nick’s jacket to pull him in just a little more. Nick made a soft contented noise in his throat as he deepened the kiss, pressing Charlie gently into the soft snowy ground.

The kiss was many types of amazing for so many reasons but it stayed sweet and slow, without getting more intense. Charlie’s heart beat was going a little faster, but otherwise it was a very relaxing type of kissing.

“You hungry?” Nick asked when they finally came up for air.

Charlie hadn’t had breakfast yet, but he hadn’t really thought much of it until Nick said something.

“I suppose,” Charlie replied.

Nick brought their lips together one more time then pulled back and stood up. “Come on then,” he said, holding out his hand to help Charlie up.

Charlie took the helping hand and then followed Nick to the car. Nick got something out of the back seat then suggested they sit inside. He walked around the car and got in the passenger side then turned to Nick who was holding what looked like a large lunch box.

“I packed us something,” Nick said. “It’s mostly leftovers from dinner last night but it should be okay cold.”

“Sounds great,” Charlie smiled.

They talked a bit while they ate, not about anything in particular. Mostly about their snow ball fight actually. Charlie couldn’t believe this was the ‘plans’ Nick had been talking about. It was just so sweet and romantic, Charlie hardly knew what to make of it. Nick was so freaking perfect, Charlie could hardly believe the man was both single and interested in Charlie. It seemed so strange. He laughed realizing this was exactly what he’d thought impossible when they’d first met.

“What’s so funny?” Nick asked.

“Oh I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Well if you must know I was thinking about when we first met,” Charlie admitted, seeing no point in lying about it.

“Do tell. What were you thinking when we first met?”

Charlie blushed but decided to share. “Just that you were probably straight and married.”

Nick laughed. “Definietly no to both those things.”

“Well I know that now,” Charlie giggled.

Nick was staring at him again, his big beautiful brown eyes gazing at Charlie with an affection he was still finding it hard to believe in.

Leaning over the gear shift, Nick got closer enough to kiss Charlie again. It was a short kiss, but a sweet one. Nick tasted like the lunch they’d just shared.

“You know I’ve never even gotten close to getting married,” Nick said as he turned back to face forward. His voice had a thoughtful tone to it. “I’ve only got one ex and we kinda just broke up when college ended cause we got jobs on different sides of the country.”

“That must have been rough,” Charlie empathized.

Nick just shrugged. “We’ve been together a while, but it wasn’t a rough break up. Kinda mutual. Sometimes I think we maybe just grew in different directions without realizing it.”

“That can happen,” Charlie tried to be supportive.

Nick’s tone shifted as he changed the topic. “I bet you have more exes than I do, not that that’s a bad thing, I just mean you are way too pretty to not get asked out.”

Charlie couldn’t help letting out a little self deprecating laugh. “Says the guy who’s only ever seen me in a winter jacket.”

“Not true, you answered the door in a short sleeved shirt this morning,” Nick argued.

Charlie rolled his eyes. He knew his scars weren’t visible through a short sleeved shirt.

“So what are your plans this evening?” Charlie asked assuming there was another dinner tonight or some family thing Nick had to be at.

“Just another dinner with the family,” Nick said. “My aunt and her family do Christmas Day at home so tonight it will just be me, mom and David… oh and Jess.”

“Sounds nice,” Charlie smiled at him.

“It usually is but um…” Nick paused and then bit his lip nervously. “It would be nicer if you were there.”

“Are you sure?” Charlie asked. The last time Nick had invited him to a family thing it had just been as a friend. They hadn’t kissed yet. But now things felt different.

Nick laughed nervously. “You are going to give me a complex, answering like that all the time.”

“What? How?”

“I can never tell when you do that if you actually want to say yes or not,” Nick explained.

Charlie almost laughed. The notion that Nick was insecure about how much Charlie liked him was beyond madness.

“Of course, I want to spend the evening with you,” Charlie said as if this were obvious because it was. “I just don’t want- I mean I would never expect you to out yourself to your family for me.”

“Why not?” Nick asked.

Charlie just blinked at him. “What do you mean, why not?”

“I mean isn’t it a reasonable thing to want?”

Charlie hardly knew what to say.

“Also you never answered my questions before,” Nick added.

“Your question?”

“Okay so maybe I didn’t ask it directly,” Nick admitted. “But I told you about my romantic history.”

“Oh that’s what you meant,” Charlie said with a smile. “Well I’m afraid mine isn’t all that interesting either. I had one horrible boyfriend in high school who technically wasn’t even my boyfriend because he wouldn't speak to me if another living soul might hear us. Then at uni I tried to date, but… well let’s just say not all frogs turn into princes when you kiss them.”

“And after uni?” Nick asked.

Charlie just shrugged. “About the same really. First dates, sometimes second dates, but eventually they get bored and I end up third wheeling it with my sister and Michael on holidays.”

“You mentioned your sister before,” Nick said.

“Yeah she’s the member of my family I’m closest to though I do try and call my parents sometimes,” Charlie answered.

When he turned to look at Nick’s face, the other man was already gazing back at him. Charlie couldn’t quite believe what he saw there. Was Nick a dream? Could this really be happening?

When Nick leaned in Charlie had expected maybe a kiss, but instead Nick wrapped both his arms around Charlie in a fierce hug.

“You are coming to my moms place for dinner tonight,” Nick told him firmly, his face still buried in Charlie’s shoulder.

“Okay,” Charlie agreed, helplessly.

Because he felt helpless, but in a new and wonderful way. Even if he wanted to, which he didn’t, Charlie was unable to resist whatever this was with Nick.

In just three days Nick had somehow healed a loneliness deep in Charlie’s soul that he had hardly even been able to admit to himself.

Chapter Text

“I don’t know about you but I’m cold,” Nick laughed. “Do you wanna get a Starbucks or something?”

Charlie laughed. “Everything is closed.”

“Actually one Starbuck is open,” Nick countered. “I checked. They pool staff from all across town and open just one store every December 25th.”

“Oh god can you imagine the lines up!” Charlie groaned.

Nick just beamed at him. “Not a fan of crowds?”

“Definietly not,” Charlie replied. He looked like he wanted to say something, so Nick just waited. “Um, do you want to come back to my place for a cup of tea?”

Nick smiled. “Sure.”

“Cause you don’t have to,” Charlie started babbling. “This was amazing, but I don’t expect you to spend the whole day with me or anything.”

Nick didn’t say anything as he put his seat beat on and started the car. He was starting to understand why Charlie back tracked the way he did. Charlie was nervous that he was being a bother or getting in the way somehow. It didn’t actually mean he didn’t want to say yes. Nick was gonna try and remember this and be less insecure the way Charlie replied.

“I’d love to spend the day with you,” Nick stated as he got the car moving. Charlie fell silent. Nick stole a glance over at him and saw that he was blushing. Nick was surprised how much he liked that.

They drove in silence for a while. Nick couldn’t keep a smile off his face. By the time they were parked in Charlie’s driveway, they were talking easily about nothing in particular. Despite how new this was, Nick never felt awkward around Charlie.

Nick left the empty lunch box full of dirty containers in the car and got out. Together he and Charlie walked up to Charlie’s front door. They were instantly greeted by Charlie’s adorable cats.

“Yes hello,” Charlie said sweetly to the black and white kitty rubbing up against his legs.

They took off their winter coats and boots before moving farther into the house. Nick followed Charlie to the kitchen and watched Charlie fill and boil the kettle.

When Charlie turned around to look at Nick again, he must have had a ridiculously smitten expression on his face.

“What?” Charlie said laughing nervously.

“You’re cute when you make tea,” Nick told him. “Actually you’re always cute.”

“Shut up,” Charlie said playfully, blushing again.

Nick moved closer and wrapped his arms around Charlie, burying his face in Charlie’s shoulder.

They’d only met three days ago and yet Nick had this notion that Charlie was probably going to completely change his life. Nick could even imagine exactly what that change would look like. He could imagine being out, bringing Charlie to family dinners as his boyfriend and coming home to him at night. Nick could also imagine how much more his brother would pick on him, but it would all be worth it. Because there was just something about Charlie that had Nick’s heart singing.

He wasn’t sure exactly when he started kissing Charlie’s neck. Within seconds Charlie was tilting his head to the side, offering more access to his skin. Nick pressed Charlie gently against the kitchen counter as he moved his lips up to Charlie’s jawline, pepping kisses on his skin as he went.

“This still counts as a date by the way,” Nick murmured against Charlie skin. “Just because you didn’t want to stay out any longer doesn’t mean it ended.”

“Okay,” Charlie gasped. He seemed altogether lost in Nick’s touch which made Nick unbelievably giddy. Nick adored the fact that he could do this to Charlie.

Nick’s hands found their way into Charlie’s hair. He was a sucker for Charlie’s hair and he wasn’t interested in hiding it. The soft dark curls were so beautiful and felt amazing against his fingers.

The slight sound of the eclectic kettle switching off, brought Nick back down to earth.

“Tea?” he said, pulling away.

Charlie’s eyes were still closed. He looked beautifully disheveled in the best way.

“What, um, yeah, tea, right, yes,” Charlie said each word with a break in the middle like he had to think hard to speak. Charlie was so adorable when he was flustered.

Their eyes met and Nick knew he was beaming like an idiot. Watching Charlie overcome was so hot but also incredibly sweet.

“Do you want me to make the tea?” Nick asked. “You seem a bit… distracted.”

“I’m fine!” Charlie said stubbornly. He turned around and got busy making tea.

At this angle, Charlie was extra cute, but he did also want a cup of tea. Nick decided to be good and sit at the table.

Charlie set a mug of tea down in front of him and then sat in the chair to his right with the corner of the table between them.

“So,” Charlie said.

“Yeah?”

“Um… what did you want to do now?”

Nick just grinned. “I can think of a few things.”

Charlie blushed and took a sip of his tea.

“We should probably head over for dinner around five,” Nick began. He checked the clock on his phone. “So that gives us about, oh, five hours to…”

“To what?”

Rather than say anything, Nick just leaned in and kissed Charlie on the mouth.

“Plus other stuff,” Nick shrugged. “What do you like to do on dates?”

“Um,” Charlie said, looking rather flustered.

“It has been a while since I went on a date, but I don’t think much has changed,” Nick continued. “We could watch a movie.”

“The theater is closed today,” Charlie reminded him.

“Ah but you have a TV,” Nick shot back.

“Right yeah I do.”

“I’m not trying to hide you,” Nick said softly. What he’d learned about Charlie so far, made him feel like he had to say this. “And I don’t want you to ignore me tonight at dinner, okay?”

“You sure?” Charlie asked. “Cause I really don’t mind-”

“I’m sure,” Nick interrupted. “I need you to understand that I mean what I say. I’m not trying to confuse you or mislead you. I’m not expecting you to read between the lines or figure it out.”

There was a long moment in which Charlie drank some more tea and let out a long breath through his nose. “Okay,” he said. “I’m, well, I’m gonna try and remember that.”

“Good,” Nick said. He was gazing at Charlie again, studying the other man’s lips as if they were works of art. Very kissable works of art.

“Um in that case,” Charlie said slowly. “I mean if you actually want to know what I want to do-”

Nick waited but Charlie didn’t seem like he was going to finish that sentence without encouragement. “Yes?”

“We could sit on the couch together and… I don’t know, cuddle up under a blanket or something.” Just saying what he wanted so directly was making Charlie blush. He was looking down at his tea though so Nick didn’t get a good view.

Nick reached out to gently place the side of his finger against Charlie’s chin, encouraging him to look up. “Sounds perfect to me,” Nick replied when he could see Charlie’s eyes again. Nick stroked Charlie’s cheek with the back of his hand and watched as Charlie closed his eyes momentarily at the contact.

Nick decided to stop resisting and leaned over to give Charlie a proper kiss. The gentle sound of tea mugs being placed on the table were followed but the feeling of Charlie’s hands on his back. Nick tangled his hands into Charlie’s hair again.

When they broke apart Nick decided the movie would be an excellent excuse to make out with Charlie all afternoon.

The sound of chairs scrambling along the floor echoed through the room for only a moment and then they were both walking down the hall.

Placing his tea on a side table, Nick got comfortable on the couch and then opened his arms to invite Charlie over. To his delight Charlie fell into his open arms eagerly and laid his head on Nick’s chest. Nick shuffled down a bit so the angle worked better and lowered his arm over Charlie. He kissed the top of Charlie’s head and then asked what movie he wanted to watch.

“Anything but marvel,” Charlie replied.

Nick laughed. “I’m afraid you will dislike my taste in movies.”

“I’ll fall asleep if we watch marvel,” Charlie explained.

Bringing his hand up, Nick gently stroked Charlie’s hair. “Fine by me.”

Charlie didn’t reply. He just reached for the remote and opened up a streaming service.

They took a while disagreeing about what movie to watch until Nick admitted he didn’t actually plan on watching it. The back of Charlie’s ears turned pink and then he was turning around, the remote fell to the floor and Charlie threw himself on top of Nick.

Nick wrapped his arms around Charlie and kissed him back with as much enthusiasm as he could. Somehow Charlie fit perfectly in his arms. Nick even liked the way Charlie smelled. He couldn’t quite describe it; Charlie just smelled like happiness or something. His hands were tangled in Charlie’s hair again before he even decided to put them there. Nick liked the weight of Charlie on top of him, but still decided to change things up after a while.

He placed a hand on each side of Charlie’s hips and sat up until Charlie was straddling him. They made out like that for a while until Nick turned and laid Charlie down on the couch instead. He held up his weight so he wouldn’t crush Charlie and then started peppering kissing along Charlie’s jawline and down his elegant neck.

Charlie was making more sounds now that his lips were free. The little giggles and moans did things to Nick’s body. Charlie made him want to carry on like this until they were both naked and spent, but Nick was also a gentleman and this was a first date.

Nick pulled away and sat on the end of the couch while he waited for his heart to stop pounding so hard. Charlie was trying to sit up too but he was so thoroughly kissed that it seemed to take him a minute to collect himself. Nick grinned, feeling very accomplished.

“That was not cuddling,” Charlie stated, with a huge smile.

“True,” Nick agreed.

“Not that I’m complaining!” Charlie added suddenly.

“It didn’t seem like you were,” Nick agreed. He opened his arms and Charlie moved to the opposite side of the couch to lay his head on Nick’s shoulder.

They did actually watch a movie after that, but what movie it was Nick couldn’t be sure. He was too busy playing with Charlie’s hair.

“If you keep doing that I’m gonna fall asleep,” Charlie complained.

“I thought you only fell asleep to marvel movies?” Nick replied.

“Mhhmm… feels so good,” Charlie mumbled, his eyes shut.

“If you wanna nap, nap,” Nick said. “Just know I will change the movie if you fall asleep.”

“Fair,” Charlie mumbled. A few moments later Nick felt the slight shift in Charlie against him and knew he’d fallen asleep. The remote was in Charlie’s lap. Nick used his free hand to get it and browse Charlie’s streaming service.

The feeling of Charlie asleep on him was so peaceful Nick could hardly believe he stayed awake. Somehow Charlie could make his heart race and calm him down at the same time. Nick could hardly believe how effortlessly he’d become infatuated with this man. It really was like they’d known each other all their lives somehow.

He wanted so much more time with Charlie. Nick hadn’t wanted anything so badly in his life and he’d meant what he said about not hiding him. To that end he worked on a few plans while Charlie slept.

Nick watched two episodes of a comedy that surprisingly didn’t suck and was just about to start the third episode when Charlie woke up.

“What are you watching?” Charlie mumbled.

“Found a comedy show,” Nick replied as he paused it. “How was your nap?”

“Very cozy,” Charlie answered.

“I’m glad,” Nick smiled. He set the remote down and gently ran his hands through Charlie’s hair again.

Charlie laughed. “It’s just hair.”

“It’s really great hair,” Nick replied, kissing the top of Charlie’s head.

Charlie sat up and slowly spun round planting himself on Nick’s lap, straddling his thighs. Nick’s hands were at Charlie’s back at once, holding him automatically even before Charlie leaned down to kiss him.

“It’s almost four,” Nick said when they broke apart. “I was wondering if you wanted to go over to mom’s early. I thought, well, I thought maybe I could introduce you to her.”

“She already met me,” Charlie reminded him.

“Yeah, but I was thinking I could introduce you as…” Nick took a shaky breath, worried Charlie wasn’t feeling the same way he was.

“As what?” Charlie asked, turning to lock eyes with Nick.

“My boyfriend,” Nick said, his voice shaking slightly.

“You don’t have t-,” Charlie began but Nick cut him off.

“I want to,” Nick replied firmly.

He could see the confusion on Charlie’s face for a moment, the disbelief. Then his expression changed, to something like acceptance. Nick hoped this meant Charlie understood exactly how gone for him, Nick was.

Slowly, Charlie leaned down and pressed his lips to Nick in the sweetest softest kiss Nick had ever received. Nick buried his face in Charlie’s chest and breathed in the scent of him.

“Let’s go to your mom’s early,” Charlie whispered.

Nick’s heart soared at his boyfriend’s words. This was hands down the best Christmas of his entire life.