Chapter Text
Charlie woke on Friday morning feeling nervous. He was nervous about meeting Nick's friends, wondering if they would like him, whether they would think he wasn't good enough for Nick. After all, they all knew Imogen, and Charlie was nothing like her.
He carefully climbed out of bed, moving into the livingroom to find Milo to cuddle, he knew he was being silly, and if Nick’s friends where anything like him, they would be lovely, but meeting new people anyway was hard, and he didn't like feeling like he had to make a good impression.
It must have been an hour later when he heard Nick calling him from the bedroom.
“Char, are you up cuddling Milo again”
It had become a regular occurrence, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He would normally sleep until midday if allowed. Milo had gotten him waking up early to cuddle almost daily.
Charlie placed Milo on the floor and got up and walked towards the bedroom where he was greeted by Nick, moving to stand up, messy hair from sleep, and completely naked, his morning erection still showing.
‘Where are you going?’ Charlie asked, a cheeky smile on his face
“Well, I was coming to find my boyfriend and bring him back to bed so i can show him how much I love him”
Charlie moved towards Nick, putting his arms around his neck and leaning in kiss him gently
“I know how much you love me Nick, you show me every day” Charlie said, playing with the hairs on the back on Nick’s neck
“But can I still show you now?” Nick smiled up at Charlie, his hands wrapped around his waist
That is how Charlie found himself laying on their bed, moaning Nick’s name as he sucked him off.
“Fuck Nick, you're so good at that” he has one hand holding on the bed sheet beside him, the other holding onto Nick's hair gently.
Nick popped off his dick, smiling up at his boyfriend. “I know what you like baby, and I love making you feel good”
He swiped his tongue over Charlie's slit, causing him to buck his hips and moan loudly again, grabbing a little tighter on to Nick’s hair.
“Fuck, Nick, I'm going to come”
Nick moved his hand in tandem with his mouth, sucking Charlie through his climax until he was pushing him off, over sensitive.
It was an hour later, after two blowjobs and an extra handjob, they were standing in the shower together. Charlie was quieter than normal, Nick knew when he was overthinking, and he knew it was about meeting his friends that evening.
“Char, baby, if you’re nervous about tonight, you know we don't have to go” Nick moved his hand to Charlie's lower back, moving his thumb in circle motions
“Can you read my mind?” Charlie laughed
“I can just tell you're nervous, and I don't want you to be nervous. We can rearrange, or we can cancel all together. The guys won't mind”
“Yes, I'm nervous, but I want to go. It’ll be good to meet your friends, and I'll have you there so I’ll be ok” he leant up, kissing Nick softly on the lips and giving him a sweet smile.
The nerves didn’t let up throughout the day while Nick was at work, and he was at home working from his laptop, and they got even worse by the time Nick came home from work. They had all planned to meet at seven PM, only two hours, and Charlie really needed to start getting himself ready if he wanted to make a good impression.
He had gotten his clothes out earlier in the day, laying them out on the bed. After putting together multiple outfits, he had given up and chosen his favourite black ripped skinny jeans, a pink soft cashmere jumper, and his pink converse, and while Nick was in the kitchen making them a quick dinner, he jumped into the shower and got himself ready for the night ahead.
“Wow, Char, you look hot” Nick said as Charlie walked into the living room
“Well, I want to make a good impression” Charlie gave a small laugh
Nick moved towards Charlie, moving his hands to his shoulders “Char, you don't need to worry, you always look great”
“You have to say that, I'm your boyfriend”
“Seriously Char, if you're not comfortable going we don't have too” Nick’s eyebrows pinched in concern
“No, I want to go, but if I need to leave, we can leave right?”
“Yes, of course, even if we are only there ten minutes, we can leave whenever you want” Nick leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips ‘Now i better go get ready’
It wasn't long before Nick came back into the living room. Charlie had been sitting on the sofa, scrolling through social media on his phone . Nick was wearing a crisp white shirt with the arms folded up to his elbows, and a pair of beige coloured trousers.
“Wow, you look, wow” Charlie couldn't get the words out. He couldn't believe Nick was his boyfriend, that Nick had chosen him.
“See something you like, Char?” Nick winked
“I can’t believe you are my boyfriend” Charlie has still not taken his eyes off Nick, and if he didn’t soon, they wouldn't be going anywhere, and that wouldn't just be because of his nerves.
“I love you Charlie Spring, and i am all yours” Nick smiled, moving towards Charlie to pull him into a cuddle
Charlie snuggled his head into Nick’s chest. The place he felt most safe in the world ‘Love you too’ he whispered.
Charlie knew they were going to a club, Otis had said it was a small club not far from Nick’s house, but Charlie wasn't used to going to clubs, he had been a few time while in uni, but he would much rather a night at home, and seeing the queue of people outside was making him feel a little sick.
“Hey, Nick, Charlie” a voice shouted from the queue of people
Nick looked towards the shouting and grabbed Charlie's hand, leading him towards his friends. He was quickly pulled away from Charlie, all his friends hugging him and patting him on the back. Charlie felt even more awkward standing, watching them all greet each other.
“So, this is Charlie, my boyfriend” Nick said, turning and gesturing for him to move towards the group.
He was just about to say hi, when someone swept him up in a tight hug that made it hard for him to breathe, and when he pulled away, he knew it must have been Christian, from Nick's description.
“Uh, hi” Charlie laughed as Christian stepped away
“Hi Charlie, it's good to meet you, I'm Sai, this is Otis” he said pointing to his right “and this is Christian”
The queue eventually went down when it was their turn to enter the club, the loud base of the music, and the smell of stale beer made him feeling even more anxious than he thought possible, and he held onto Nick’s hand tight so they didn’t get separate
After everyone had drinks and were sitting around a table chatting, Charlie’s anxiety had somewhat calmed down. He spent a good hour chatting with Sai, doing shots with the whole group, and eventually dancing on the dancefloor. He was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol he had consumed and he was surprisingly feeling happy.
A little while later, Charlie found himself standing by the bar speaking with Otis while Nick, Christian and Sai were still dancing. Nick had almost begged Charlie not to leave him on the dance floor, but he needed a break and a pee, so after standing by the bar watching with Otis for a little while, he made his way to the toilet.
He had just finished using the toilet, and was washing his hands when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He thought nothing of it at first, thinking it was probably Nick or one of the other guys, but when he turned around, he didn't recognise the man standing in front of him. All he did know was that he felt scared.
“Hi.. do i know you?” he asked, sounding more confident than he felt
“I saw you dancing out there” is all he said in reply
This guy must have been 6ft tall, and was big and muscular, with a balding head and a beard. Charlie was much smaller than him, and he was now trapped against a wall with this giant man in front of him.
“Oh.. yeah..” was all he managed to reply. He could feel panic rising in himself, and he just wanted to get out of this bathroom.
“You look so hot” the man breathed, his breath smelling like stale alcohol and cigarettes getting closer to his face
“Th..thanks, but I need to go” Charlie moved his head to the side, away from the man who seemed to be getting closer by the minute
Charlie’s phone started to ring in his pocket. He knew it would be Nick, worried about where he had gone. How long had he been here? Was Nick looking for him? And if so, why hadn't he checked the bathroom?
To Charlie’s surprise, the man slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone. Charlie moved his hand to grab it from him but he stepped away, holding his hand on Charlie's shoulder to hold him back as he answered the call.
Charlie, huh?
Well, Charlie’s a bit busy right now, sorry
“Wh..who was that?” Charlie asked.
“Oh just Nick, said he's going home and he will call you tomorrow, no need to worry”
Charlie knew Nick wouldn't just go home, not knowing where he was, but a part of him. The panic within him right now wondered if this man was telling the truth, and while he was deep in his own thoughts. The man leaned forward, kissing Charlie so hard his head hit the wall with a bang.
“Please stop” Charlie whispered, while the man was moving his large hands over his chest and stomach
“Come on, Charlie, why don't you come home with me?”
“I.. um.. No, no I can’t”
“I think you can. Your friends have gone home. They know you're safe with me”
“Nick, Nick’s my.. My boyfriend, not my friend”
The man stepped back for a minute, and Charlie thought for a minute he was going to stop, and leave, but then he moved forward again, moving his hands just above Charlie’s trousers, his hands moving slowly to undo the button.
“Please, I don’t want to do this, please.. Just let me go” tears sprung to his eyes, and all the man did was laugh at him, while moving his hand to slip into his trousers.
“What the fuck is going on? Charlie heard the loud voice, and felt the larger man move away from him, but he was yet to open his eyes. He wanted this to be over, he wanted to be at home, cuddled up in bed with Nick.
“Charlie, are you ok?”
He felt a hand on his shoulder and flinched while a sob left his throat, and tears ran down his face. He slowly opened his eyes to see a very worried Christian looking at him, and the other guy still standing near the door.
“We were just leaving mate” the guy said to Christian, moving towards Charlie with his hand out.
Charlie moved closer to Christian, holding onto his lower arm tightly.
“I don't think you were mate, I think you need to fuck off”
Christian put his arm around Charlie’s shoulder and walked him towards the door and back out into the club. He was sure the music was louder than before, and there were so many people he needed to get out, and fast, but he also didn’t want to leave Christian’s side, not until he was with Nick, at least.
It felt like forever before they were outside in the beer garden, and Christian had led him to a chair to sit on. He knelt in front of him, while pulling his phone out of his pocket and calling Nick.
“No answer, they are all looking for you, probably can’t hear the phone” Christian said, putting his phone back to his ear.
Otis, yeah, I'm with Charlie, were in the beer garden, alright, see you in a minute
It was only a couple of minutes before Nick came running outside, followed by Otis and Sai he looked worried, and Charlie hated that he was the reason Nick looked like that.
“Charlie, baby, where have you been? I was so worried” Nick knelt next to where Christian was, taking Charlie’s hands in his.
Charlie couldn't say anything, he just started to cry while looking between Nick and Christian.
“I found him in the bathroom, with some guy” Christian started, “i mean, not with some guy like that, like that guy was cornering him”
Nick’s face went from worry to anger
“He cornered him? Who was he? Where is he now?”
“I don't know, mate. I just got Charlie out of there”
Charlie noticed Otis and Sai leaving to go back inside the club, and wondered if they felt uncomfortable hearing about this, wondering if He has made them uncomfortable.
It felt like he had been sitting outside ages when Otis and Sai returned; it was cold, and he noticed Nick had put his jacket around his shoulders and was sitting beside him, holding his hands tightly, kissing him on the side of the head every few minutes.
Otis walked towards them, holding out his hand with Charlie’s phone, it's then he remembered that the guy in the bathroom had his phone, and Otis and Sai must have gone to find him.
Charlie didn’t take the phone, he just sat looking at Otis’s hand, not saying a word, until Nick took it, putting it in his own pocket.
Charlie was being led back into the club, and then out of the main doors onto the street, he was glad to be going home, but then he was going to have to explain to Nick what happened, and he didn’t think he could, would Nick hate him? He couldn't live with himself if Nick blamed him.
They arrived home a short while later, Nick leading Charlie to the sofa while he made tea for the both of them, before joining him on the sofa.
“Are you ok baby?” he asked softly
“I’m, um, I’m.. I think I'm ok?”
“Do you want to speak about what happened?”
Charlie swallowed hard and blinked the tears in his eyes away
“I don't want you to hate me” he said quietly
“Char, I could never hate you, baby, I love you more than anything”
Charlie sat quietly for a minute, before explaining everything to Nick, from leaving the toilet, the man cornering him and kissing him,unbuttoning his trousers, to Christian walking in.
Charlie turned to look at Nick, worried about him looking angry, thinking Charlie had cheated. But he could see Nick looking straight ahead at the wall in front, tears running down his face.
“Nick.. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” he said, his voice cracking on the last word.
“What? Why are you sorry?”
“Well.. I.. He kissed me?”
“Did you want to kiss him?”
“What.. no, of course I didn’t want to kiss him Nick”
“Well then, it sounded like Christian got there at the just the right time, and he got what he deserved”
“He got what he deserved?what do you mean?” Charlie asked, turning slightly to face Nick, but putting his hand on his knee.
“When Otis and Sai went to the bathroom, he was still in there, talking to another guy. He still had your phone in his hand, and Otis knew it was yours from earlier, so Sai took the phone from him, and Otis hit him”
“Otis.. he what.. Is Otis ok? He didn’t get hurt?”
Nick laughed, moving his hand to take Charlie’s in his own
“No baby, Otis is fine. Now, what do you want to do? We can call the police? Or we can do that tomorrow?”
“Nick, I don't want to go to the police, please? I don't want that”
“ ok baby, it's ok, whatever you want” Nick leaned forward and kissing his forehead
“Can we go to bed? I just want you to hold me” Charlie whispered, moving his head to Nick’s shoulder.
That's how they found themselves for the rest of the night, Nick laying on his back in bed, with Charlie almost on top of him, his face in the crook of his neck, there was nothing sexual happening, he just needed to be close to Nick, he needed to feel his love.
The next morning, Charlie woke first, moving from the bed quietly to use the bathroom and get his phone that was left in the kitchen the night before making his way back to bed to wait for Nick to wake up.
He unlocked his phone and noticed he had three text messages, one from Tao, and two from an unknown number. He opened Tao’s first.
Hey, Charlie, did you want to do a movie night one day this week?
He closed the message, he would reply later, and opened the unknown sender messages and dropped the phone and gasped when he read them.
Thanks for last night Charlie xx
This is Eric from last night btw, so you can save my number, we should meet up sometime xx
Nick woke up, sitting up quickly
“What's wrong Char? Are you ok?”
Charlie said nothing, just handing the phone over to him to read the messages. He watched as near read them, his eyebrows pinched together.
“Can I reply?” he asked, still looking down at the messages on the screen.
“Yeah, uh, if you want?” Charlie said quietly, laying back down on his pillow and pulling the duvet up to his neck
This is Nick, Charlie’s boyfriend. I know exactly what you did to him last night, and if you ever contact him again, you will wish it was never Charlie you messed with!
Nick put the phone on the bedside table and laying next to Charlie, putting his arm around him and pulling him close.
“I’m sorry this happened baby” he whispered, kissing his hair
“it's not your fault Nick”
“But if I had come to the bathroom with you, he wouldn't have..”
“No.. Nick, don’t blame yourself, it’s nobody's fault but his”
“But I should protect you. I’m your boyfriend, and this happened while we were out with my friend”
“ It’s ok Nick, Christian came at the right time before anything more happened, I'm ok, were ok, i promise, I love you”
“I love you too” Nick whispered, leaning his head on to Charlie's shoulder
They decided to spend the day in bed, Nick ordering a Mcdonald’s breakfast, and then Chinese for dinner. They watched movies, cuddled, and spoke for hours.
Charlie loved spending days like this with Nick, just them, in their space, together. After they ate dinner, they showered together, and then moving the sofa to watch some more tv for a while longer.
Charlie had drifted off to sleep at some point and woke a couple of hours later, laying on Nick’s lap as he scrolled through his phone.
“You could have woken me, we could have gone to bed” he yawned
“You looked so peaceful, I didn’t mind sitting here watching you sleep” Nick said, smiling sweetly
“What are you doing? Watching dog tiktok videos again?” Charlie laughed.
“I was just scrolling Instagram. Hey look, Imogen has a new boyfriend”
Charlie frowned slightly at hearing Imogen’s name. He had no worries about Nick still being in love with her, but still felt a deep jealousy when he heard her name.
Nick moved the phone to face Charlie, showing a picture of Imogen, a massive smile on her face, her head leaning down on a guy's shoulder, his arm around her waist, smiling at the camera.
Charlie looked down at the picture. His eyes widened when he noticed who it was. He looked at Nick and back at the picture.
“What is it, Char?” Nick asked, looking concerned
That guy, he’s.. He’s the guy from last night.
“
‘