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Nick woke up much earlier on Boxing Day than he had done any other year. He had spent months orchestrating this surprise for Charlie, and he wasn’t going to let anything ruin it.
When Nick asked Tori if she could take photos for the surprise, she was unsure because of the time, but she acquiesced. As he was getting ready, he messaged her to check that she was ready.
(06:00) Nick : are you ready?
(06:00) Tori : it’s a fucking good job i love the two of you
(06:01) Nick : i really appreciate it tor, i promise i’ll repay you and michael because i assume you’re dragging him along
(06:02) Tori : obviously i’m not going to exist in the cold at like 7am on my own. who do you think i am.
(06:03) Nick : love you tor, i’m gonna try and wake your brother up this could be fun
(06:03) Tori : good luck soldier
(06:04) Nick : thanks tor
Nick put his phone in his pocket and finished styling his hair into its usual style, the same one he’d had since he was 16. When he had done that, he moved into their bedroom where Charlie was still fast asleep. Nick quickly got dressed into black chinos and a white shirt and his black vans and then he started on waking Charlie up. It took him several attempts, but then Charlie’s frown from being woken changed into a smile because it was Nick waking him up.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” Nick said as he ran his hands through Charlie’s curls.
“Mornin’,” Charlie replied, his voice still thick with sleep.
“I need you to get up and ready, my love.” Nick explained.
“It’s still dark out,” Charlie complained as he looked into Nick’s eyes; it might be dark outside, but the way Nick’s eyes were sparkling, Charlie was convinced every star had been placed in them.
“I know, love, and I hope it’ll be worth it, you need to trust me,” Nick explained as he stood up, gently trying to pull Charlie up with him.
Charlie eventually gave in to Nick and got ready, scowling at Nick whenever he had the chance to; he did not like being woken up before the sun.
When Charlie was ready, he sat in the kitchen, drinking coffee and watching Nick suspiciously.
“Nicholas Nelson, love of my life, why the fuck am I awake and why are you acting like a constipated duck?” Charlie asked.
“How am I acting like a constipated duck?” Nick questioned. He wasn’t always sure about his boyfriend’s word choices.
“I don’t know, vibes, yanno?” Charlie responded, and somehow it made perfect sense.
“I thought we could go and watch the sunrise in the park - it’s supposed to look super pretty over the snow,” Nick responded with a smile, filling the flask with coffee.
After they had put on their coats, Nick took his boyfriend's hand and led Charlie out of the house to their car.
As he got in the car, he messaged Tori and then started driving to the park. The drive was quiet but comfortable, the early morning air making everything serene. Nick was trying to keep his anxiety tampered down so Charlie didn’t catch on, but he was Charlie, who could read Nick like a book. Of course he caught on.
“What’s up, love?” Charlie asked, his brain racing with possibilities.
“Nothing, sweetheart. I'm okay. I’m so happy,” Nick responded, a genuine smile covering his face.
Nick sat thinking about his plan as he was driving; he always knew Charlie wanted to get engaged around a big day but not on a big day, so Nick thought boxing day would be perfect. He knew if he could time it right, they could get engaged with the trees and the sunrise as the perfect backdrop to the pictures.
They arrived at the park and it was empty, exactly as Nick had hoped. The snow that fell the previous night was untouched. Nobody had been here yet, and all the stars had aligned to make it perfect.
Nick led Charlie to a bench with the coffee in hand and the ring burning a hole in his pocket. They sat and they drank their coffee. Nick messaged Tori once again to make sure she was there and, when the sun was just starting to rise, Nick stood and led Charlie to a pretty backdrop. He sent Tori a thumbs up emoji and hoped she knew what it was for. He did his best to briefly stall Charlie and make sure that Tori was in place, and then he started his speech.
“Charles Francis Spring, love of my life, my soulmate and my other half, I love you with my entire being. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” Nick said as he dropped to one knee, bringing the ring box out of his pocket.
Charlie stood there, tears filling his eyes. He nodded as he cried.
“Of course I will, you fucking goof,” Charlie responded.
Nick took Charlie’s left hand and placed the silver ring on his finger. Charlie pulled Nick to his feet and into a kiss. Nick pulled apart from the kiss slightly as he laughed.
“I have a really damp knee. Snow is wet, who knew?” Nick laughed.
Charlie started laughing, and they both stood there for several minutes just chuckling with each other. Nick then took Charlie’s hand and they walked back to their car.
“Let’s go home, love. It’s freezing,” Nick said.
Nick saw Michael’s car in the car park with Michael inside. He couldn’t see Tori, and hoped everything went to plan.
When he got in the car, he grabbed his phone from his pocket and saw a text off Tori.
(07:30) Tori : are you aware how disgustingly cute you two are? i’ll edit the photos and get them back to you.
(07:31) Nick : i’ve been told, thanks tori i owe you, dinner on me later?
(07:32) Tori : i would not be upset with that, see you later.
(07:34) Nick : see you later
Nick and Charlie drove home and spent the day relaxing and warming up from their journey in the snow. As promised, later that evening, Michael, Tori, Charlie and Nick went out for dinner. Nick paid, and when Charlie gushed over his gorgeous proposal that morning, Tori did a very good job at acting surprised. Nick wanted the photos to be a surprise, he was shocked that Charlie didn’t notice Michael or his car that morning but he was grateful, the truth would soon be revealed that they were there when Tori sends the photos over to them.