Chapter Text
Nick’s POV
With the term finally over, Charlie was moving in and Nick was a bundle of nervous excitement. He knew moving in with someone at twenty who you’ve been dating for a mere seven months wasn’t exactly the norm, but their relationship had never been typical. Maybe Nick was just a hopeless romantic, but something about him and Charlie felt bigger than them, destined even. Nick had often wondered, and hoped, that soulmates were real, and now more than ever he was sure of it.
As he helped Charlie bring in the last box, Nick found himself thinking about where he was a year ago. Tired of rejection, Nick had sworn off dating, deleting every dating app from his phone. Now, seeing his boyfriend unpacking in their room, Nick was overwhelmed with gratitude. Nick watched as Charlie reached into a box and pulled out the picture frame Nick had given him for Christmas and set it on their bedside table. As Charlie adjusted the frame, Nick couldn’t help but move closer to hug Charlie from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on Charlie’s shoulder.
“Hi.”
“Hi, roomie.”
“How dare you!” Nick tried to sound indignant, but he was giggling too much. “I hope this isn’t how you treat all your roommates, otherwise I may need to have words with Isaac.”
Charlie whipped around, mouth hanging open. “Ew, Nick! Mental image be gone.”
“And now you’re picturing it! How do you think that makes me feel?” As Charlie’s face turned a deeper shade of red, he made a show of moving to the other side of the room, and Nick held in his laughter. “Gosh Char, at least make it difficult to get a rise out of you.”
“It is difficult, you’re just particularly annoying.” Charlie shot back, arms crossed. Despite his best efforts to look angry, Nick saw the corner of Charlie’s mouth twitching, threatening to break into a smile.
Closing the space between them once more, Nick stood mere centimetres in front of Charlie, but resisted touching him. “You didn’t seem to think I was very annoying this morning.” Seeing Charlie’s eyes soften, Nick knew he was close to breaking him, and moved his face closer to Charlie’s ear and dropped his voice low. “Remember, how good I made you feel, how you begged for me and then moaned as I thrust my-”
“Nicholas!” The voice came from behind Nick, and he whipped around to find Darcy standing in the doorway.
Clearing his throat, Nick tried to play it cool, unsure if Darcy had overheard them. “Oh, hey Darcy. What’s up?”
“Just checking in on how Charlie is settling in. Thought we might order a pizza for dinner - you two want in?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
“Good, I’ll tell Tara.” As she turned to walk away, Darcy called back to them over her shoulder, “I’ll have her order an extra. I am sure you boys are starving after all that thrusting.” After Darcy shut the door, Nick turned back to face a mortified Charlie and burst into laughter.
“I am so embarrassed!” Burying his face in his hands, Charlie continued. “Someday, we are going to have our own place and we will never have to deal with this sort of thing again.”
“Well, at least until we have kids, then it will be like roommates but without the common sense to knock first.” When Nick turned back to Charlie, he was staring, eyes wide. “What?”
“You just said ‘until we have kids.’ Like implying we will definitely have kids.”
“Oh, do you not want kids?”
“No, I do, at least one anyway. I just… you talk about our future so casually. Are you really that confident we will always be together?”
“Yes.” Nick didn’t hesitate. “Look, I know it’s probably ridiculous, and I genuinely won’t be hurt if you're not as sure about us yet. But I’m not going to lie to you either, Char. When I see my future, it’s you and me. The details are fuzzy, but us together is always clear.”
Charlie sat there quietly for what felt like an eternity. “I don’t think I can honestly say I am certain we will be together forever,” Nick took a deep breath at Charlie’s words, but before he could panic Charlie’s hands were on his biceps, grounding him. “But I am certain that I want you to be right. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want to be with you.”
Letting out a breath he hadn’t even realised he’d been holding, Nick cracked a cheeky grin. “Well lucky for you, I’m always right.”
Charlie’s POV
After a few weeks of living together, Charlie and Nick decided they were long overdue for a visit to Kent to see Sarah. As they drove down, Charlie was mulling over an idea he’d had but had been avoiding discussing with Nick. Knowing he couldn’t wait much longer, he turned the music down and decided it was time.
“Nick?”
“Yeah, babe?”
Swallowing, Charlie tried to ignore the pit in his stomach. “I was thinking, I might be ready to talk to my parents.”
Nodding slowly, Nick’s eyes stayed glued to the road. “Ok, what would that look like?”
“Well, since we’re going to be in Kent, I thought maybe I would be willing to meet them somewhere neutral. And I’d like for you to consider going with me, if you’re up for it.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, you’ll consider it?”
“Yes, I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t have to decide right now, I know it’s a big ask, you can think about it.”
Shaking his head, Nick peered over at Charlie. “I don’t have to think about it. If you had wanted to go alone, I would have respected your decision, but I want to be there. I know I would be a wreck waiting for you, worrying if you’re safe.”
Charlie reached his hand and rested it on Nick’s knee. “Ok, we’ll go together. I’ll call them later and set it up.”
After arriving at the Nelson home and catching up with Sarah, Charlie and Nick went up to his room and unpacked a few things. His stomach fully in knots, Charlie knew he needed to get the call over sooner rather than later and asked Nick to stay. Taking several deep breaths, Charlie squeezed Nick’s hand tightly and called his dad with the other. After a few rings, Charlie heard the click of the phone.
“Hello?” His dad sounded surprised, Charlie thought he heard some faint voices in the background.
“Hi, dad. It’s me.” Charlie willed his voice not to sound so shaky. “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”
“Yeah, just one second.” After a moment, Charlie heard a light thud of a door closing and the voices faded. “Ok, I can talk now.”
“Good.” While he had rehearsed what to say for the last hour of the car ride, Charlie found himself forgetting everything he had planned and cut straight to the chase. “So, I think I am ready to see you, and mom.”
“You are?” Hearing the hope in his dad’s voice, Charlie felt the knots in his stomach relax slightly.
“Yes, I think if we can agree on a neutral place, I would be open to sitting down with you two, and having a calm and open conversation.” Giving him a thumbs up, Nick was smiling in encouragement.
“Ok, that sounds good.” Charlie’s dad sounded relieved.
“Great, I'll find a time place, and Nick and I will meet you there.” It was silent, and Charlie peaked down at his phone to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. “Dad, are you still there?”
“I’m here.” After a few more seconds of silence, Charlie heard his dad sigh. “Charlie, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What's not a good idea?”
“Bringing Nick."
"Of course I'm bringing my boyfriend."
"I don’t think your mom wants to see your boyfriend.” The knots were making a vicious come back now, the way his dad repeated boyfriend made Charlie feel like he was going to puke.
“Well, I doubt Nick really wants to see her either, but I need him there for support.” Charlie’s tone was razor-sharp, his face overheating in anger.
“Charlie… Look, I really want to see you, but I know your mom will refuse if Nick’s there. I’ll get her to agree to the neutral location if you can agree to come alone. Come on, Charlie.” His dad’s voice was low, pleading. “Say you’ll meet me halfway?”
Looking up at Nick, Charlie wasn’t prepared for the look of deep hurt on his face. His eyebrows were drawn low, eyes tight, nose scrunched slightly. It was the same face Nick made when he took a particularly rough tackle during a rugby match. Charlie’s heart broke seeing him in pain, but his sadness quickly dissipated, giving way to a protective rage.
“No, dad, I’m not going to agree to that. You and mom can pretend all you want that I’m not really gay or that Nick doesn’t exist, but it doesn’t change the facts. I am gay and I love Nick. If you two aren’t willing to see him, then you’re not going to see me.” Charlie watched as Nick’s eyes filled with tears, hanging his head low, and Charlie squeezed his hand tighter.
“Charlie, you can’t just cut off your family like this.”
“Actually, I can.” Nick snapped his head up, eyes wide, and Charlie held his gaze as his own eyes welled up. “Besides, you’re not my family anymore.” Tears were streaming down both their faces now, but Charlie pushed through, voice ringing clear. “My family is Nick. And Sarah, Tori, Elle and Tao. And Tara, Darcy, Imogen, and Sai.” Something about listing their names helped Charlie feel safe and grounded at that moment. “They’re going to love me more than you ever could.”
As Charlie hung up the phone, he and Nick sat quietly, staring into each other’s eyes. “Char…” Nick’s voice cracked and he leaned forward, pulling Charlie into a crushing embrace. They stayed close for a while as they cried, holding each other tight.
---
Charlie didn’t know at the time how true his words about his chosen family were, but time would prove just how well they would love him.
Elle and Tao were there within a few hours of that very conversation, holding Charlie and Nick and helping them drown their sorrows in a very large bottle of tequila.
Tara and Darcy were there to help them move into their first apartment for just the two of them, the week before Charlie started his final year at university.
Sarah was there at Charlie’s university graduation, sitting beside Nick and loudly cheering him on. She insisted they take a picture together in his cap and gown, and when Charlie visited next he found it framed, hanging in the entryway.
Imogen and Sai were there, crouching between two beach huts, Imogen snapping candid photos as Nick got down on one knee along the ocean shore and asked Charlie to marry him.
Tori was there when their daughter was born, smiling as Charlie gently placed her in Tori’s arms. “What’s her name?”
“Annabel Nelson-Spring.”
Tori looked up at Charlie, her eyes wide. “My middle name? You-you named her after me?”
“Of course, it was the least we could do.” Nodding, Charlie held back tears. “You gave us what we always wanted - our baby, with a little piece of Nick and me. Besides, I think giving birth to her more than earns you a namesake.”
As their daughter grew up, Charlie got to watch as his chosen family showed up and loved her too. They all came to her first birthday party, filling their home with laughter as Annabel shoved cake all over her face. Even after spreading out across the country, their college friends still called and Facetimed with Annabel regularly, loving them well in spite of the distance.
Elle and Tao took their duties as aunt and uncle seriously, showing Annabel how to draw and paint, watching movies, and pretending to be superheroes. Destined to be a grandma, Sarah spoiled Annabel rotten, showering her with gifts and showing her how to bake just like she did with Nick. Eventually, when she remarried, Sarah made Annabel’s year by asking her to be the flower girl. Annabel’s bond with Tori was special, and Charlie often found himself staring when the two of them were together, his awe of Tori’s selfless act never fading.
The older Annabel got, the more Charlie could see the pieces of himself and Nick in her. Annabel was all limbs and would prove to be fast like Charlie, and Nick would regularly marvel at how she inherited Charlie’s dark curls. Much to Charlie’s delight, Annabel’s face was all Nick - warm, dark brown eyes and a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. They would eventually discover she took after Charlie when it came to musical talent - a fact they were both thankful for - and seemed to take on Nick’s inexplicable ability to radiate warmth, sunshine in human form.
---
When Annabel was four, Charlie and Nick were home visiting Sarah and her husband. Standing outside of the restaurant where they had dinner, Charlie and Nick were each holding one of Annabel’s hands, swinging her back and forth, entertaining her while they waited for Sarah to bring the car around. Charlie spotted a couple standing near a parked car, staring at them from several metres away. It took Charlie a moment to realise it was his parents.
Charlie’s dad had reached out a couple of times since that call, asking him to reconsider. After Charlie made it clear that unless he and his mom would embrace Nick he had no interest in a relationship with them, his dad eventually stopped calling.
From across the parking lot, Charlie studied them carefully, making no attempts to move closer. His mom’s face was blank, revealing no hint of emotion. As he met his dad’s gaze, however, Charlie thought he saw the faint glint of tears in his eyes. He had a pained expression on his face, and Charlie wondered if it was regret. Charlie followed his Dad's gaze to Annabel, who was giggling and shouting "Again!" After swinging her back and forth once more. When Charlie looked back up, his parents had disappeared.
That night, Charlie watched in the doorway as Nick read Annabel a bedtime story. Charlie admired the sight, the two of them snuggled up together as Annabel struggled to keep her eyes open. When she finally fell asleep, Nick carefully got up and took Charlie’s hand, leading him into the hallway and silently shutting the door behind them.
Nick brought his hand to Charlie’s face, gently brushing a tear Charlie hadn’t realised was rolling down his cheek. “You alright?” Nick whispered tenderly, eyes full of concern.
Nodding, Charlie pulled his mouth into a small smile. “I just love watching you with her.” It wasn’t much of an explanation, but Nick just smiled and wrapped his arms around him. Charlie clung tightly to his husband, silently thanking the universe that he had found unconditional love and that his daughter would never know a life without it.