Chapter Text
That Friday, a month and a half into Charlie coming to teacher drinks, Imogen appeared at their table. Or, more accurately, she was already there when Charlie showed up, hand on Nick’s arm as she giggled at something he said. She was in the seat Charlie usually sat in, and something about that made his chest feel tight.
Darcy caught his eye as he stood awkwardly in the doorway, immediately smiling and waving him over. Nick stopped mid-sentence to look his way, face breaking into a delighted grin as he spotted Charlie.
Once Charlie made it to the table, he stood by it, unsure where to go. He didn’t want to take Tara’s seat. But more strongly, he wanted to sit next to Nick. He looked forward to their knees knocking and hands brushing as they huddled just a bit too close on their side of the booth. But a girl was in his seat, and he didn’t know what to do.
“Charlie!” Darcy stood to give him a hug, a strange addition to her normal greeting. This change became clear quickly when she whispered in Charlie’s ear, “I promise it’s not what you’re thinking. All Nick has been doing is talking about you and anxiously casting glances at the door.”
Charlie only hummed in response as Darcy pulled back.
“I need another. Anyone care to join?” Nick looked hopefully at Charlie, but before he could volunteer, their new table mate spoke up.
“I’ll come, Nicholas!”
“Oh, erm, okay. I— okay. Charlie, what’ll it be today?” Nick’s eyes were almost pleading as he bored them into Charlie’s.
“Just, uh. Just a vodka soda, I guess.”
Nick nodded as he and the girl made their way out of the booth. When Nick passed Charlie, he brushed his hand against Charlie’s and leaned in to whisper, “Take my seat. I’ll get her to move. I’m so happy to see you, you have no idea.”
They walked off, and Charlie collapsed into Nick’s seat, head falling to the tabletop with a groan.
“I tried to send you a warning text, but you apparently didn’t check your phone.” Darcy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Phone’s dead,” Charlie mumbled. “I’m so stupid.”
“What? You’re one of the smartest people I know. What are you on about?”
Charlie placed his arms on the table and rested his chin on them to look up at Darcy. “Who is she?”
“Her name’s Imogen. She’s a long-term sub filling in for a Year 4 teacher on maternity leave. She set her sights on Nick as soon as she saw him in our Monday morning check-in meeting.”
Charlie squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that would temper any tears. “She’s pretty.”
“I guess.”
“Nick should be with someone pretty.”
“Nick thinks you’re gorgeous.”
Charlie opened his eyes and snorted. “Did he say that or are you just trying to make me feel better?”
“Charlie—“
“I knew I was on borrowed time. Nick is the most incredible person I can imagine so of course other people will pursue him. I’m not delusional, I know he can do a lot better.” Charlie really wished he had some alcohol.
Darcy reached across the table to whack him on the head.
“Ow!”
“You’re an idiot, and I needed you to shut up! He’s not into her, like at all. All he’s done all week is lament to me that he’s not officially in a relationship so he can’t just tell her he’s taken, but he also certainly isn’t available to be shamelessly flirted with. Stop doubting yourself, we’re all Team Charlie, especially Nick. He’s just worried about scaring you off by moving faster than you’re ready for.”
“Darc—“
“No, I won’t let you spiral over this, not when all I’ve been hearing from Nick all week is how much he only wants to be with you. He was practically floating all day Thursday after your date.”
Before Charlie could respond, Nick and Imogen returned, Nick sliding in next to Charlie and placing his drink in front of him. Imogen sat next to Darcy, a pinched smile on her face.
“Sorry that took so long, Lenny’s training someone new and offered us up as guinea pigs.” Nick settled a hand on Charlie’s knee, a seemingly casual move, but he was given away by the blush that spread across his face. “I missed you.”
Charlie smiled despite himself. “You saw me two days ago.”
“Which means I didn’t see you yesterday. Therefore, I missed you.”
“You’re lame,” Darcy scoffed from the other side of the table.
“Shut up,” Nick grumbled at her before turning his attention back to Charlie. “I ordered us some chips too. They should be here soon.”
“Oh, I’m not really that hungry. Late lunch.” Charlie winced, so sure his lie was flimsy.
Nick’s face softened, and his mouth downturned. “Char, just a few, okay. No pressure.”
Charlie nodded, unable to meet Nick’s eyes.
“Um, hi. I’m Imogen.” Charlie looked across the table at Imogen, her bright blue eyes wide as she took in Nick and Charlie’s interaction. Good, she should feel some type of way about it.
He waved awkwardly at her, wanting to at least be welcoming. “I’m Charlie. I’m not a teacher, just some random this lot lets hang out with them.”
“What he means to say is that he’s Nick’s favorite person so he gets to join our exclusive Friday gatherings.” Darcy took a long sip of her drink to hide her smirk.
Nick laughed, and Charlie threw him an embarrassed look. He shrugged. “She’s not wrong.”
“How do you know Nick?” The question sounded more like are you dating Nick? Charlie swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in his throat.
“My niece is in his class. I was her show and tell item a bit ago. So we met that way.” It sounded lame. It sounded like the story of two completely platonic friends meeting, not whatever cosmic meet-cute had actually occurred.
Imogen seemed satisfied with the platonic nature of that answer. “Oh, how cute! I love that Nicholas can get to know his students’ families.”
“Yup.” Charlie popped the ‘p’ and stirred his drink with the straw, focusing hard on the bubbles fizzing and dying down.
Suddenly, after a moment of truly awkward silence, Nick blurted out, “We’re dating! Charlie’s my boyfriend!”
“What?” All three people at the table exclaimed with varying tones of emotion. Charlie felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“Me and Charlie. We’re dating. We go on dates. Because we’re dating. Because he’s my boyfriend.” Nick grabbed Charlie’s hand under the table and pulled him out of the booth, ignoring Darcy’s gleeful smile and Imogen’s distressed grimace. “C’mon.”
Nick led them to the far side of the bar, a bit more secluded, or as much seclusion as could be found in a pub on a Friday evening.
“We’re dating? I’m your… boyfriend?” Charlie wanted to sound incredulous but all he could hear in his voice was hope.
Nick looked sheepish, but he reached out to grab Charlie’s other hand. “I… look, I know we never confirmed anything, but Charlie, we’ve been dating. I certainly think of you as my boyfriend. We’re not just two mates hanging out who kiss sometimes. At least, that’s not how I feel about you. And I think you feel the same. I’m sorry for blurting that out, but I couldn’t take just sitting there and watching her size you up like it was some kind of competition. There’s no competition, it’s only you.”
“We’re dating. I’m your boyfriend.” Charlie breathed it out, low and reverent.
“We’re dating. We’re boyfriends.” Nick confirmed. “I wanted to ask you out that day after show and tell. I wimped out because you’re so gorgeous that I got intimidated. But the more time we spent getting to know each other — the more I learned about you — the more clear it became that we’re meant for each other.”
“Nick—“
“I know that’s all a lot, I’m sorry.”
Charlie gently grabbed Nick’s face. “Nick. Please just shut up and kiss me.”
Almost immediately, Nick’s arms encircled Charlie’s middle. Charlie pulled his face down until their lips met in the single most incredible kiss Charlie had ever experienced. He wanted to cry with how perfect it felt to have Nick like this, sharing this with him, no doubts or reservations holding him back. They were boyfriends, and nothing in Charlie’s life had ever felt so right.
🍂
Not much ended up changing for Nick and Charlie. They got to officially call each other boyfriends and no longer spend hours agonizing over whether the other liked them back. But otherwise, they still talked all the time, still hung out almost every day, still kissed like two people meant to kiss each other.
Charlie now had a framed photo of the two on his desk, Nick pressing a kiss to Charlie’s cheek as he blushed and scrunched up his face. They’d gone on a picnic with Tara and Darcy just two days after making it official, and Nick insisted on snapping an obnoxious number of couple selfies. Even though Charlie protested, he loved every second of the impromptu photoshoot.
Nick became a permanent addition to movie night, his spot always next to Charlie. He even had an official vote for movie selection, although Tao insisted he was still in the trial stage, meaning his vote carried less weight. But it did help them get out of watching Donnie Darko a second time in one month; Tao tried to argue they needed a second viewing to really let it sink in.
A month after Nick and Charlie had told the group they were official, Tao and Elle had shown up to movie night hand in hand with matching sheepish grins. Isaac had no qualms about being a fifth wheel, just happy to be surrounded by so much romance.
They slotted into each other’s lives perfectly, as though they’d been living compatible lives this whole time, just waiting for the other. They’d even combined their social circles, Tara and Darcy insisting Charlie’s friends join them for drinks one night, which led to drinks another night and weekend outings and expanded movie nights. Now they all had standing plans for game nights at Tara and Darcy’s every Wednesday.
🍂
Charlie began dropping hints about his lease being up in a few months, right around the time Nick’s would also be up. After the fifth time Charlie had sighed and lamented having to find a new place, Nick had chuckled and texted him three listings for rental homes in the area.
“I picked up on your motives immediately — you are many things, Char, but subtle is not one of them.” Nick shifted his arm so he was hugging Charlie’s waist tighter, pulling him in until he rested his head on Nick’s chest. “These three seemed like the best options in our price range. And they’re animal-friendly.”
“You’re perfect.” Charlie burrowed his face into Nick’s chest. “I really want to live with you.”
“We basically do live together already,” Nick laughed out, dropping a kiss to Charlie’s hair.
“I’m excited to live with you without us having to pay two rents.”
“I love you.”
Charlie lifted his head from Nick’s chest to meet his eyes, sparkling and soft, almost honey-colored up close.
They’d said “I love you” to each other countless times by now, but the butterflies in Charlie’s stomach never seemed to get the memo about it becoming less exhilarating over time. Every instance still felt special.
“I love you too.”
🍂
Seven months after calling Charlie his boyfriend for the first time, and just two weeks after they moved in together, Nick placed a framed picture of Charlie on his desk, a candid he had taken when both Calliope and Nellie had sat on top of him one lazy afternoon. Charlie was mid-laugh, Calliope high on his chest and Nellie sprawled across his lap. Something about it made Nick feel warm, like he was looking at his family, as ragtag and unconventional as it may be.
It only took forty-five minutes for one of his students to notice the new photo on his desk. “Is that Millie’s Uncle Charlie?”
By now, Nick shared Charlie’s perpetual invitation to Tuesday dinners, so Millie had at least some idea that her uncle and teacher were close. She also knew Charlie had moved recently, but she hadn’t been over to visit so she probably didn’t know Charlie now lived with her teacher. It was still unclear how much she knew about the full nature of their relationship, but she certainly knew they spent a lot of time together.
“Rupert, please use your inside voice,” Nick lightly scolded, focusing mainly on the art project about rainforests he was helping some students complete.
In a stage whisper, Rupert asked again, pointing at the framed photo, “Is that Millie’s Uncle Charlie?”
“Yes, that’s Millie’s Uncle Charlie,” Nick answered calmly, aware that the less attention he gave to the revelation, the more likely his students would be to drop it.
“Why do you have a picture of Millie’s Uncle Charlie?” Jenny asked, lisping slightly through her gap-toothed smile.
“Mr. Nelson and my Uncle Charlie are in love. Like my mum and dad are in love or Anna and Kristoff.” Millie didn’t even look up from her drawing of a toucan. “My mummy told me because Mr. Nelson comes to Tuesday dinners now and will probably be at big family holidays too. Or Uncle Charlie won’t be at big family holidays because he’ll be with Mr. Nelson’s family.”
“Do you have to call him Mr. Uncle Nelson now?”
Millie contemplated the question for a moment, Nick too stunned to jump in. “No, not yet, I don’t think. Unless you want me to call you that?” She looked up at Nick with wide eyes.
“Uh, no, just Mr. Nelson should be fine.” He didn’t need to explain to his class of five year olds that he was hoping to become Uncle Nick sooner rather than later. None of them would be in his class by then anyway.
“So you think my show and tell was best right? Even better than Malcolm’s potato clock?” Malcolm gave an affronted gasp at Millie’s question.
“I don’t have favorites, Millie, you know that.”
Later, Charlie, who had taken a half day at work, came to pick up both Nick and Millie, promising his niece a secret trip to the milkshake cafe.
“You just can’t tell your mum, okay? If she asks, Mr. Nelson and I only took you on a walk with Nellie.”
Millie nodded vigorously, a stone-cold serious expression on her face.
Being included in this dynamic — being a unit with Charlie, and a part of his life in such a casual way — struck Nick with emotions he hadn’t expected. For so long, family to him had been just him and his mom, his father and brother more antagonists in his life story than anything else. But now, Nick had a wider definition of family. He had friends who felt closer than any sibling bond he’d had with his brother, people he could go to in good and bad times. He had Tori and Michael and Millie, who invited him in with open arms and made him experience the concept of belonging in a new way.
And he had Charlie. He had someone who made every day better, who found the gaps in Nick’s existence and perfectly filled them. Charlie slotted himself into Nick’s life as though he were always meant to be there, side by side, taking on life together. He’d never known home to be anything other than where he lay his head until Charlie showed him that home can be a person. Charlie was his home.
Nick turned to Millie in the car. “Can you keep a secret?”
She practically bounced in her seat with excitement. “Yes!”
Nick squeezed Charlie’s hand, clasped in his over the center console. “Your show and tell was my favorite.”