Work Text:
I’ve had the worst day haha
Charlie frowned at the text. He immediately opened his text chain with Nick. what’s wrong?
The dots appeared indicating Nick was typing. Charlie watched them dance for a while, then disappear, then reappear. Finally, Nick sent a text:
Can I come over?
Charlie bit his lip. He glanced over at his mum. “Can Nick come over?”
Jane eyed her son, lips pursed. Eventually, she sighed. “Fine. But remember, Charlie, door open.”
“Thank you!” He said excitedly, typing a quick yes to Nick. His boyfriend responded with a thumbs up. Charlie immediately rushed up to his room to change out of his pajamas. He’d had a bit of a lie in, given that it was summer, after all. There was no reason to change out of his pajamas earlier.
He put on a pair of jean shorts and a jumper (one of Nick’s), then tidied his room. There wasn’t much to do, except make his bed. He shoved Kitty underneath his pillow, cheeks flushing at the thought of Nick finding her again. Last time had been humiliating.
Charlie had just finished fussing with his hair when the doorbell rang. He rushed downstairs, taking a quick look in the mirror in the foyer before he opened the door to reveal a stressed-looking Nick. He looked at Charlie with his big brown eyes, lined with pain and relief. Then, he strode into the house and swamped Charlie in a tight hug. Charlie easily returned it, holding tight to his boyfriend. Nick buried his face in his neck. Charlie held onto him, feeling the tension slowly eke out of his frame. Nick took a deep breath, shoulders sagging as he let it out, then leaned back. Charlie smiled up at him, which Nick returned. Then, he looked over Charlie’s shoulder and offered a nod, saying, “Hi, Mrs. Spring.”
Charlie turned around in time to watch his mum smile in return. “Hi, Nick.”
Charlie took Nick’s hand. “We’re gonna go upstairs. And we know: door open.”
Jane nodded. “Alright.”
With that, the boys went upstairs. Charlie let Nick sit on his bed, groaning as he fell back. “Today sucked.”
Charlie made a sound of sympathy. “What happened?”
Nick shrugged. “Just… David.”
Charlie struggled not to roll his eyes. David was a biphobic asshole on a good day. Clearly, today was not a good day.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Nick said, curling up on the bed. “David was playing music all night, and today he’s just been such a dick.”
Charlie sighed. “How about you get some rest, and I’ll go make us some tea?”
Nick nodded, getting comfy under the covers. “Okay.”
Charlie bent over to give him a kiss on the head, then left to the kitchen. His mum was sitting at the table, so while he was making tea, he told her, “Thanks for letting Nick come. He was having a bad day.”
Jane gave him a slight smile. “Oh, that’s alright. Just remember, no sleepovers.”
“I know,” Charlie said with an eye roll and a sigh. He made quick work of the tea in silence, then took the mugs back upstairs. When he got back to his room, though, his worst nightmare had come true. There was Nick, in his bed, holding Kitty.
Charlie almost dropped the teas. He just managed to get them on his bedside table before he snatched the stuffed animal away from his boyfriend. “Give me that!”
Nick sat up, looking almost panicked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Charlie huffed a sigh and frantically scanned his room for somewhere to put her before stuffing her in the closet. “It’s fine, it doesn’t matter.”
“No, I…” Nick watched him, eyes sad. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched it. It just… it looks like you love it a lot. Seemed like something nice to hold while you were gone.”
Charlie bit down on the inside of his cheek, a bit too close to tears for comfort. “Oh. That’s… Yeah, she is.”
Nick got a bit more comfortable, pooling the covers in his lap. “Her? What’s her name?”
Charlie glared at his boyfriend. “You don’t have to tease me—”
“I wasn’t!” Nick rushed. “I swear.”
Charlie assessed his boyfriend. Eventually, he sighed. “Her name’s Kitty.”
Nick nodded encouragingly. “She seems like a good friend.”
Charlie bit his lip. “Yeah. She is.”
Nick stood slowly, then crossed to the closet. He opened the door and grabbed the toy from where Charlie had thrown her in his fit. He brought her back to the bed, holding her in his lap. “Will you tell me about her?”
Charlie scoffed. “Why? It’s just a dumb toy.” Even as he said it, he felt wrong. It felt like just saying the words were a betrayal to his oldest and most beloved friend.
Nick furrowed his brows, almost looking offended on Kitty’s behalf. “No she’s not. Not to you. And not to me.”
Charlie swallowed thickly. Nick was right. Charlie tentatively sat down with Nick on the bed. “My aunt got it for me when I was born.”
Nick’s eyes widened almost comically. “Wow. You’ve had her since you were born?”
Charlie nodded. “Well, I was, I think, about two weeks old? So, yeah, I’ve had her since then.”
“Wow,” Nick said again. “I wish I had something from when I was that little.”
“She’s great,” Charlie said, a smile reluctantly coming to his face. “She’s been there through everything. I mean, obviously I outgrew her, but sometimes I need her. And I know she’s still there.”
Nick smiled, eyes soft as he looked at Kitty. He leaned down so his mouth was near her triangle ear. With a little smile, and his eyes on Charlie’s face, he whispered to her, “Thank you for being so good to him. I hope I can be as good to him, too.”
Charlie smiled at him. Nick sat back up. Both of their smiles stuck as Charlie kissed him, warm and sweet.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” Charlie muttered.
“I think you might have mentioned it,” Nick answered, sounding a bit smug. Charlie rolled his eyes and kissed him again to shut him up.
Eventually, they parted. Nick rested their foreheads together. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I am still exhausted.”
Charlie nodded and gave him another chaste kiss. “Okay. Let’s get some sleep.”
“And we can cuddle with Kitty?” Nick asked seriously.
Charlie couldn’t help his giggle, but nodded all the same. “We can cuddle with Kitty.”
Nick rewarded him with another kiss, then bullied him under the covers as Charlie laughed. Nick held him tightly, adjusting them slightly so that Kitty could fit comfortably between them.
“I was so nervous about you ever finding out about her,” Charlie said suddenly.
Nick made a sad sound. “Why?”
Charlie shrugged a shoulder, fiddling, as he so often did, with Kitty’s worn triangle ear. “It’s just weird for a sixteen-year-old to still have a stuffed animal, isn’t it?”
Nick didn’t answer for a long while. Finally, he said, “You love her. She brings you comfort and joy. When days are bad, she makes it better. That’s why I was happy to see her. That’s, ah… That’s why I looked for her. I remembered her and it felt like she’d make me feel a bit better. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you having a stuffed animal. Like I said, Char, I wish I had something to treasure like that.”
Charlie leaned his head back to look at Nick. “Maybe we can share her now.”
Nick smiled. “I’d like that.”
Nick reached up and rested a hand over the one Charlie had holding Kitty. He curled himself up slightly so that his forehead was touching Charlie’s. Then, he closed his eyes.
Charlie stayed up for a while longer, just listening to Nick snore, watching him sleep, and counting his blessings.