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One
Nick was beyond plastered, it had been Tara and Darcy’s hen do, and he’d been invited as “one of the girls” cause he’d always been one, Nick’s love for his favourite lesbians was undeniable and every person that came into Tara or Darcy’s life came to know why the man was so important to them.
They’d had an amazing night out, laughing, drinking and dancing until the wee hours of the morning, when they’d all been but thrown out of the last bar they’d been at.
By the time Nick had made sure everyone had a ride home, he’d found himself alone, barely standing and completely amazed at his ability to stay conscious given the amount of alcohol in his system.
“right” he muttered to himself, doing his best to stand straight and head home, stopping once or twice around alleyways or abandoned bins to throw up the rancid contents of his stomach, offering little comfort to his abused liver.
It took him almost half an hour to get to his building, still completely pissed, world spinning and tilting around him as if he were walking on a boat. That thought amused him, he’d always had a thing for pirates, what with them being his bi-awakening and everything, now he knew exactly how Elizabeth Swan felt walking up and down The Pearl, he just needed his Will Turner to get the whole experience.
He took a minute to breathe deeply before getting in the lift, the contents of his stomach still slushing around, threatening to spill out again.
“come on now, up you go” said a voice to his left, taking his arm and guiding him inside the claustrophobia inducing contraption.
“Imogen?! Hi! How are you? I thought you’d gone home!” he said, hugging the friend he’d said goodbye to not even an hour ago, as if they hadn’t met in ages.
“I’ve been with you this whole time Nicholas; how do you think you made it here?” the blonde asked in exasperation, she’d been walking with the man the whole time, worried about his silence when in truth, he hadn’t even noticed she was there.
“oh! I thought I sent you home with the rest of the girls” he said, looking at his friend in wonder, very confused at this sudden turn up of events.
“no darling, I had to make sure you’d make it home, you are a total lightweight, I’ve been drinking you under the table for ages now” Imogen replied, sighing at her friend’s dumb questions, he’d barely had 2 beers and three shots through the night, a record for him of course, but still, nothing compared to what the others had been drinking.
“that’s so funny Im, cause I remember you spewing your guts at a house party in year 12” Nick said, snickering at the memory.
“yes love, that was over eight years ago and I still had at least three times what you had today” she sighed, rolling her eyes and finally managing to keep Nick straight against the back of the lift, so she could press the button to his floor.
As the door started closing, a curly haired man in a dark denim jacket pushed his hand in between, squeezing himself past the doors and standing on the other side of the small space.
Nick nearly got whiplash with the double take he gave the man, completely oblivious as to how unsubtle he was being.
“Imogen” he whispered, or thought so really, he was too drunk to moderate the volume of his voice “did you see that gorgeous guy?” he asked, putting his arm around Imogen’s waist, aiming for conspiratory but getting grab-me-or-I’ll-fall instead.
“yeah love, he’s very pretty” Imogen replied, throwing an apologetic look in the man’s direction.
“no Im, you’re pretty, he’s gorgeous, ethereal, other worldly” he said again, apparently forgetting now that he was supposed to be whispering.
“wow, thank you Nick, don’t forget to keep me humble” Imogen said, a slight tone of irritation directed at her friend, not to his words but to his total lack of balance, he had been leaning on her for far too long now and with Nick being at least two heads taller and more than twice her weight in pure muscle, keeping him up was no easy task.
“oh you know what I mean Immy, you’re like my sister, I can’t look at you with yummy eyes” he said, poking Imogen’s cheek in the most childish of ways.
“and I could look at him with yummy eyes, but he’ll think I’m a freak cause he doesn’t know who I am, so I won’t” he said, looking in the direction of the man still awkwardly standing opposite them.
“I’m sorry” Imogen said, words directed at the stranger, having to strain pass her giant of a friend to get to look at him “he’s had a bit to drink” and by bit, I mean a very little bit, bloody lightweight.
The guy next to them smiled (that’s what Nick would’ve said, it was more of a grimace really) at them and moved his hand in a “don’t worry” kind of gesture, taking a deep breath yet uttering no words at all.
“oh you know him Immy? Introduce us please? He’s soooo beautiful” Nick said, puppy eyes in place, Imogen just rolled her eyes and willed the lift to go faster, stupid old buildings.
At Imogen’s lack of action, Nick turned, careful of keeping his distance yet still adamant in making eye contact with the man in the lift.
“Hi Nick, I’m gorgeous” he whispered, smiling soppily at the curly headed wonder in front of him.
This time, the man did smile, stifling a laugh at Nick’s awful attempt at introduction and pick up line, managing to butcher both of them at the same time.
“You’re a bloody nuisance, did you know?” Imogen complained, only two floors to go, they could make it.
“you are the beautifulest person I’ve ever seen” Nick continued, staring at the stranger’s amazingly deep blue eyes, finding galaxies in them.
“That’s not a word love” Imogen said, pushing him off now that the lift had finally gotten to Nick’s floor.
“It so is Im, he’s the beautifulest” he repeated, arguing with the girl all the way to his flat, completely forgetting to say goodbye to the man in the lift.
“yeah, yeah” Imogen said, searching the man’s jacket pockets for the keys to his flat.
The following morning, Nick had a splitting headache, a pool of vomit at the bottom of the small bin he kept in the room and no recollection of the night before, except probably for the vague image of deep blue eyes floating around his memory.
Two
Charlie spent a week lurking around the lift to his flat, trying to catch the cute drunk guy from the other night, but to no avail, either the man had been a guest to the blonde girl’s home, or he kept completely different hours to his. Whatever it was, he had to admit he was a bit disappointed, he generally felt queasy at the idea of a complete stranger talking to him, let alone flirting with him in the state the guy, Nick, had been, but he’d kept his distance and had been rather respectful and seemed so very sweet, and also so amazingly fit.
Charlie had spent a long time as a single man and his right hand was kind of getting tired of him, so yeah, he’d found the drunk man incredibly hot, sue him.
By the time Friday came he’d lost hope, he had an early morning train to Kent, Oliver begging him to visit since mum had been a lot more of a pain than usual, so the chances of seeing the man over the weekend were non-existent.
With a heavy heart and a plan to buy a brace for his wrist to support the heavy usage it’d get for the foreseeable future, he packed an overnight bag and stayed the night in, dreaming of finding the man again soon.
…
“Charlie, I think you’ve had enough already” Tao begged, trying to get the newest shot glass out of his friend’s hands.
Charlie normally never drank so much, but being in close proximity to his mum had him on edge. They’d taken Ollie out for the night, only for the little shit to find someone to snog and bugger off to some secluded corner of the club with said person, leaving Charlie, Tao and Elle at their table, playing games to pass the time while they waited for the horny teenager to come back, oh to be eighteen again.
“Tao, I have to go back to mine after this, I need either the courage to face my mother or the bliss of total intoxication to survive that” he replied, downing his eighth shot and standing up.
“We’re dancing now” he said, taking Tao and Elle’s hands and leading them to the dance floor.
While Tao was acting as the ever-anxious mother hen, Elle went with Charlie’s vibe, dancing to her heart’s content and enjoying a night out with her boyfriend and best friend, god knew how hard those were to come by now that they were adults.
Emboldened with the amount of alcohol in his veins, Charlie let go of his inhibitions and danced like there was no tomorrow, movements getting bolder by the minute, a shimmy here, a sinuous roll of hips there and as many eyes on him as possible had him dominating the dance floor in no time, Tao always dancing as close to him as possible to keep any grabby hands away from his drunk friend.
They’d been dancing for what felt like hours, Charlie only stopping to get more drinks, when he spotted him, the fittest guy he’d ever seen, drunk guy, Nick, his mind supplied, trying to get his conscious brain to remember, but by now Charlie was closer to autopilot than to complete consciousness, so he only registered biceps, shoulders, chest and thighs, chanting the words in his head as his new mantra.
The guy was tall, almost as tall as Elle, with reddish blonde hair, flopping to the side and constantly covering his eyebrows, he had warm brown eyes and had been looking at Charlie for some time now, his gaze getting hungrier by the minute.
In a normal night out, with Charlie in London, away from his mum and so many shots, he would never ever have approached the man, he was a lot more confident than his teenage self-had ever hoped to be, but this man was more than wank material, he was otherworldly, sober Charlie would have stuttered his way into humiliation trying to talk to the man.
Now, as far away from sober as he was, he felt unstoppable, irresistible, invincible. He downed one last shot and locked eyes with the man, rolling his hips in time with the music, hands stroking down his body, marking the path he wished the man would follow should he take the offer.
The man in question slouched over his chair, knees spread apart and hands in his thighs, as if enjoying a private show, he was clearly quite tipsy, the rosiness of his cheeks and glassiness of his eyes giving up his state, but god he was enjoying the show the curly haired man in the dancefloor was putting up for him, or that’s what it looked like, Charlie thought.
When SZA’S Big Boy came up, Charlie was drunk enough to throw caution to the wind and approach the gorgeous man sitting close to the dance floor, never breaking eye contact, he crossed whatever space separated them and sat prettily in the man’s lap, throwing one arm around the man’s neck and getting his face as close to the other as possible.
“hi” he whispered, grinning wide at the visible gulp the man had to take once Charlie’s gaze moved from his eyes to his lips.
“h-hi” the man stuttered, vibrating with tension, hands grabbing the seat of the chair he was sitting on.
“I-“Charlie started, hell bent on getting past the introduction phase and marching straight(ha-ha)forward into the “let’s get out of here I’m sooo into you” stage as fast as possible. And he would have made it, really, had it not been for Tao whisking him off before he could utter another word.
“For god’s sake Charlie” the man said, taking his friend off of the big stranger’s lap and pushing him towards the exit, Elle and Ollie trailing behind “I thought we’d agreed not to throw ourselves onto random straight men” he continued, sending a dirty look in the gorgeous man’s direction and taking him out of the club, cool night air calming his overheated skin.
“Tao” Charlie complained, trying to get his friend to stop pushing him “he was into me! Didn’t you see the way he looked at me?” he said, stumbling his way down the street as fast as their feet allowed them.
“All I saw was the bunch or burly men sitting with him, in rugby jerseys no less” the man explained, Elle and Ollie drunkenly giggling behind them.
“at a gay club Tao, he was sitting with a bunch of men at a gay club” Charlie whined, now too tired to make the effort to try and go back, the cold air making him feel a lot more drunk than he’d felt inside the stuffy establishment.
“and I’m straight too Charlie, and I was there! Look, he was the biggest of the bunch, total silver back gorilla thing” Tao explained with a disgusted face, shrugging at the memory of the muscular person sitting at the club, lapful of horny twink. The man had been grabbing his chair with such strength it was a miracle it didn’t bend under the pressure, but what Charlie interpreted as poorly contained desire, Tao saw as pent-up aggression, the man could have been preparing to punch his friend out of his lap for all he knew, and he was not going to let that happen.
Charlie sighed, regardless of the result, he’d had a thrill running down his spine, the feeling of power that had surged through him fuelling his thoughts.
“whatever, I choose to believe” Charlie said “now pass me my brother, I want a cuddle and you’re being mean” he said, pushing Tao out of the way and latching onto Ollie’s arm.
Tao whined for less than a second, getting an armful of Elle as they kept walking home, calming him instantly.
“I can’t believe my little brother managed to pull and I didn’t” Charlie muttered, burying his face into his brother’s neck, Ollie had gotten so tall over the last few years it was unfair, long gone was the cute miniature version of the eldest spring son, he was now just as gorgeous as his older brother and at the very least a head taller.
“and I managed to get their number” the boy replied, showing Charlie the glowing screen of his phone, where a phone number and the name Ash written on top, shone brightly. Charlie smiled; Ollie had obviously gotten the heartbreaker genes neither he nor Tori had.
“Little shit” he murmured, pinching at his sides and snuggling close, he hoped he would remember things tomorrow, so he could look for the sexy man when his hangover allowed him to do so.
Three
Nick had searched for the beautiful man in the club all day the following Sunday, desperate to find the walking fantasy he’d almost met the night before, when he’d been mistaken for a straight man yet again.
Christian, Sai and Ottis had gone with him to the club, having spent too long without seeing each other and knowing full well it was too risky to visit any other establishment when Harry Greene and his gang could be around. They’d jeered at him good naturedly, mocking his complete and utter shock at suddenly having a lapful of beautiful man, rendering him speechless for the roughly 20 seconds the interaction had lasted.
“you’re hopeless man!” Sai had laughed, patting his back and handing him a beer the moment the twink had left with his mates. Nick, too stunned to do anything really, had lost his chance at following the guy and asking for a name and number.
“Honestly man” Otis had added “people think being bi gets you double chances of getting laid, but I’ve always seen the opposite with you” Nick hung his head, the “bi disaster” monicker fitting him to a T.
Christian had been the only optimistic one, promising his company the next day, to help look for the man around town.
Two weeks had passed, with Christian surveying the area twice a week given he still lived over there, but nothing. Nick suddenly hated living in London a lot more now that he knew the kind of people that roamed his hometown.
By the third week without any new information, he scoffed at the world and its cruelty, punched Tara’s number and went out to drink his sorrows away, a healthy dose of Darcy would suffice, but Tara was needed too, otherwise her partner’s craziness and Nick’s people pleasing tendencies became dangerous, like the time in uni when they had woken up in the middle of a field, grass to their waist, ten kilometres out of the closest town that wasn’t even the one they’d been living in and no recollection of how they’d gotten there, Nick’s old Fiat nicely parked outside their shared flat.
“is blue eyed beauty still haunting you love?” Tara asked when Nick downed his third shot of the night. By Nick Nelson’s standards, he was holding up pretty well, three beers and three shots and he was still coherent, new record.
“yeaaahhh” he whined, closing his eyes and picturing the lithe beauty that had bewitched him that night back in Kent.
“I told you; you need to go out with us, we’re better wingmen than those three lads” Darcy said, downing two shots for each one Nick took, it wasn’t a competition, and nothing had been wrong during the week to merit such amount of alcohol, this was just Darcy, drinking as per usual when around friends.
It was good that adult life kept them so busy they could barely meet more than once or twice a month, otherwise Tara would be terribly worried over Darcy’s liver function.
“would you have managed to catch him?” Nick asked, puppy eyes directed at his friend, maybe if he went back to Kent with them, he’d have more chances to find the walking wet dream of a man.
“oh course Nickleby, I would have lassoed him if necessary” Darcy said, handing him another shot and smiling solemnly.
“God Darcy, I love you so much, you’re the best” Nick said, hugging his friend over the table, nearly toppling over everything in it, Tara narrowly escaping a flap of one of his big arms.
“careful love, you’re practically suffocating my Darce against your chest and I don’t fancy being a widow this early in our marriage” Tara warned, patting at Nick’s arm so he’d let her partner go.
“you’re just jealous” Nick said, alcohol clearly taking away the last of his coordination, as he moved to hug her now and tumbling his chair in the process.
The burly man got to his friend’s side, squishing her in a bear hug and planting kisses all over her hair and face, it seemed like cuddly drunk Nick had taken the lead tonight.
…
After Charlie’s night of shameless flirtation, his life had been one boring day after the other. Oliver had filled in some gaps from the night before and had told him, amusedly, about his bold attempt at getting into some jock’s pants the previous night. Charlie knew it must have been the memory of the drunk guy in the lift fuelling his daring escapades and had promised himself he’d look for the guy once more, the moment he got back home.
But first, he needed to get rid of the splitting headache he had, and escape the judgemental looks his mum sent his way every few seconds, having taken his little brother (already an adult by legal standards) to a club and gotten himself and the boy drunk no less, was the worst of sins in Jane Spring’s ever watchful eyes, and he was completely sure he’d get at least a dozen passive aggressive text the following days, reminding him of his misdeeds.
…
A week turned into two and then three, no signs of the gorgeous man, no more vivid recollections of his flirtatious rendezvous, no nothing. Charlie was getting depressed, he had been single for a while now, but this was getting ridiculous, how was it that no man could hold his attention and be decent at the same time!
He’d given in and matched with a guy on Tinder halfway through week three, agreeing to go on a date that Saturday night, he’d been expectant, the guy was quite handsome and had sent pics of the various trekking spots he’d visited over the last few months, it was a respite from the myriad of unsolicited dick pics he got whenever he logged on the app, so he had been feeling rather optimistic.
The night started well, the man, Thomas, was a laugh, making conversation and complimenting his looks, his eyes and his choice in clothing. They’d gone for a drink at a bar in between both their flats, so it wouldn’t take hours to go back should the date fail (or get hot, if they were lucky), but thirty minutes in, a guy in a pink mohawk had walked by, and his date with Thomas had gone downhill.
Apparently, hot pink was Thomas’ ex boyfriend’s favourite colour, and Thomas himself had sported a mohawk while dating the man, they had dated for five years before splitting up a little over a year ago (fourteen months and eight days, Tom had said) breaking the poor man’s heart and taking their dog in the process. The guy was clearly not over his ex and by the time the date had reached the sixty-minute mark, Tom had been talking nonstop about him and Charlie had resorted to drinking the whole bottle of wine and ordering another for good measure.
“oh god Charlie, I’m so sorry, I honestly thought I was ready” Thomas said when he came to from his ex-induced stupor, by then, Charlie was well on his way to finish the second bottle of wine, assorted crisps and olives still untouched on his plate.
“s ok” Charlie said, attempting a smile in Tom’s direction. Wine was never his drink of choice cause it took him by surprise, leading him on with its deceiving sweetness and then hitting him like a barrel when he least suspected it, he was far beyond tipsy yet still a few glasses away from plastered, still, he was in no condition to continue the date, not that it had much future to be honest.
Thomas had paid for the nibbles and drinks they’d gotten, apologizing profusely the whole time and offering to call an uber for him.
“oh no, no, don’t worry, I can do that myself, I’m not that far gone” Charlie replied, world turning slowly around him, eyes going glassier by the minute.
Tom hugged him goodbye and left, Charlie chose to finish the bottle before heading back home.
Nick got in the lift, leaning against the wall and hiccupping loudly, making himself laugh and then hiccup some more, behind him, a gorgeous man with curly hair and blue eyes went in, red wine bottle in hand and leaning similarly against the opposing wall.
“oh, hi there” Nick said, taking in the man’s lithe form and pretty clothes.
Charlie looked up, he hadn’t realized he wasn’t alone in the lift, in front of him, the hottest man he’d ever seen was ogling him unashamedly, leaning against the wall, lazy smile splitting his pretty face.
“hi” Charlie whispered, attempting a coy smile yet feeling much too plastered to know if he’d succeeded, the other man didn’t seem to mind though, still looking at him with a hint of hunger behind his red rimmed eyes.
“m Nick, whass your name” Nick asked, deciding he was too drunk to try and offer his hand in greeting, straightening up as much as he could instead, trying to show off his height and build, see if he could spike the man’s interest.
Charlie gulped, Nick was huge and oh god how he loved big, burly men “Charlie” he answered, before his brain could forget the question adonis had asked.
“that’s a pretty name” Nick said, closing his eyes for a bit, enjoying the swaying motion of the world around him “you’re rocking my world Char” he muttered, hiccupping before he could finish the man’s name.
“I like that” Charlie replied, swaying softly from side to side, rocking Nick’s world was good, his world felt rocked too.
“what you doing out so late luv?” Nick asked, liking his lips invitingly, doing things to Charlie’s lower belly, his knees felt wobbly, and he wasn’t sure if the wine or Nick were to blame.
“I was on a date” Nick’s eyes widened at that, suddenly, the flirty man was gone, replaced by sad puppy eyes and a jutting, pouty lower lip.
“so you’re taken then” he murmured, looking down now and slumping his shoulders, suddenly making himself smaller “makes sense, you’re gorgeous” Nick whispered, fighting back tears, he was destined to be alone.
“oh, no!” Charlie hurried to remedy “the date was awful, that’s why I’m back home so early”
Nick’s face lit up at Charlie’s words.
“so I still have a chance?” Nick asked, attempting to reach the man in front of him but feeling too heavy to risk pushing away from the wall “god I love you” he settled for saying, sending a disarming smile Charlie’s way.
“really?” Charlie asked, moved to tears by Nick’s declaration “I love you too” he replied, placing a hand on his chest, heart beating fast and steady.
They looked at each other for what felt like ages, breathing and swaying slowly in their intoxicated infatuation. After a few seconds (or was it minutes?) the doors of the lift opened widely, Mrs. Davis, Charlie’s next door neighbour walking in, severe look on her face.
“Good evening gentlemen” she said sternly, not at all amused by the state her neighbour was in, she was usually a love and would always try to get Charlie to date the cute boys she’d see around the building, but the man in the lift was much too big and much too drunk to want anything good with her favourite neighbour.
“good evening” they replied, suddenly lowering their eyes, feeling chastised by the woman’s severe demeanour.
“where to, young man?” Mrs Davis asked, directing her eyes at Nick who let out a whimper at her tone.
“s-seventh ma’am” he said he said, voice small, completely at odds with his burly exterior.
Maybe I am mistaken Mrs Davis thought, maybe the man didn’t have any ill intentions towards her cute neighbour.
“Char?” Nick asked, stage whispering at the third occupant of the lift “she’s scary” he said, childishly laughing at himself, looking at Mrs, Davis from under his lashes and keeping his frame as small as possible.
Charlie laughed too, the woman was scary now, though she was usually lovely whenever they interacted.
“yes” he said, snickering too, covering his face with his hands and throwing innocent looks in the woman’s direction.
The elevator dinged on the seventh floor and Nick got out still laughing to himself, he sent one last mirthful look in Charlie’s direction and left, Charlie’s heart beating a mile a minute, smiling as wide as his face allowed.
By the time they made it to their floor, Mrs Davis was helping Charlie to get to his flat, opening his door and closing it behind him, muttering about cute yet useless youth nowadays under her breath.
Four
“I’m telling you Tao, it can’t have been a dream, he was too perfect for my mind to have made him up!”
Charlie, Tao, Isaac and Elle were back in Kent for the weekend, Isaac had finally made it back to England after a six-month apprenticeship in Edinburgh and just in time for his birthday week too! They’d been catching up all night over a few drinks at the local pub, Charlie’s past few flirty weekends being the central topic at the moment.
“Charlie you’ve always had a rather healthy imagination love, it wouldn’t be weird” Isaac intervened, sipping his Devil’s Margarita and snapping his lips at the sweetness of the drink.
“besides” Elle intervened, pineapple mojito nearly gone “a big man with strong arms, a broad chest and childish humour? That’s one of your fantasies Charlie; he can’t be real”
All of his friends had been trying to convince him of his apparently very vivid hallucination, Charlie had been rather tanked, having woken up at 4 A.M. holding the toilet bowl for dear life and unable to open his eyes for more than a few second until well past midday, but he was absolutely sure, or well… mildly convinced, that the man in the lift had been real and a hundred times hotter than the first drunk man in the lift he’d seen that one time a couple months ago.
“I’m telling you, I’m… mostly positive the man exists, and I won’t rest until I find him” he said, slamming his hand on the table, solemn look on his face amusing his friends.
“Darling, you haven’t chased a man since secondary school, let it go” Isaac muttered, patting the back of Charlie’s hand and smiling at him adoringly, no one wanted his friend to live a romance more than him, but they had to stay close to the ground or he’d idealize this dream man too much to ever meet a real one.
“you’re right” Charlie said “and anyway, my love life is not the main focus here” he complained, lifting his cider and motioning his friends to follow “To Isaac’s birthday, may your beautiful face accompany us for many more years to come” he toasted, blowing a kiss in Isaac’s direction.
“To Isaac” his friends replied, sharing a big smile and taking turns to wish him well.
It was Nick’s birthday weekend, and he’d decided he wanted to go to Kent, his favourite group of lesbians in tow for company, they’d all crashed at Sarah’s house, enjoying the woman’s delectable personality, doting on Nellie and Henry and overall having a quiet and very pleasant day.
Nick’s past few weekends had been taking a toll on him, not much of a drinker at the best of times, he was not used to the amount of alcohol he had been taking, and his body had been protesting at the mistreatment. He wanted a quiet birthday with his loved ones, and maybe a pint over at the local pub later in the day, to hang out with the girls and not feel like such a grandpa when he was barely turning twenty-six.
Sarah had heard every single juicy detail of the last weekend Nick had been drunk, having barely made it home and hallucinating a guy in the lift with him.
“the most perfect guy in the world mum, if you could’ve seen him, I bet you’d love him just as much as I did” Nick had said, faraway look on his face, a groggy smile lifting the corners of his lips.
“well start forgetting about him and bring me a real person soon, I’m hoping for grandkids” she said, pinching her son’s cheeks and smiling warmly at the cute faces he was pulling.
“but he could meet a man instead of a woman” Imogen intervened, eyes worried at the prospect of grandkids from Nick’s mum.
“and there’s always adoption dear” she said smiling in her direction “I’m only kidding though, he can do whatever he wants, I’ll probably get grand puppies anyway and I’d love that too”
After the sweet afternoon they spent with Sarah Nelson, the group made it to a local pub nearby, aiming for a quiet night out, no excessive alcohol consumption nor digestive pyrotechnics involved.
“To Nick! Our beautiful golden retriever friend and the best man ever imagined!” Darcy toasted, racing glasses for the birthday boy.
Nick felt full of love, having spent the day with some of the most important people in his life and knowing full well how important he was for them made his heart grow, yet still there was something lurking in the shadows, a small, barely there hint of fear coating his insides, what ifs and whens and hows circling slowly in hushed tones, generally wondering about the exact same thing, love.
“what’s your birthday wish for this year babes?” Tara asked, picking up the weird glow on Nick’s eyes in spite of his smiley exterior.
“I don’t know if I should tell you, might ruin my chances” he answered, he loved how Tara knew him so well she could pick up on whatever was bothering him, sometimes even before he himself realized he was being bothered, but right now, he didn’t feel like thinking about his problems.
Charlie was pleasantly buzzed, his body feeling warm with the sloshing of beer deep in his stomach, they’d had a nice evening out, celebrating one of the important people in their small circle, and now, birthday boy gone in favour of putting a dent on his ever-growing TBR list, Tao, Elle and he were chilling at the pub, enjoying the soft breeze late summer was bringing.
“remember when we used to think we’d party hard every weekend at this age cause we’d have more money than on our uni days?” he asked, laughing at their naivete and endless optimism.
He’d chuckled for a long while when he realized no one had joined him in his comments, usually Tao was first to join in, eager to add some long-forgotten memory from their youth fuelled stupidity, now though, no such comment followed Charlie’s memory. Charlie looked up then, finally taking his eyes off of the tableful of youngsters he’d been looking at, only to find his friends canoodling quietly in their booth, completely oblivious to the world around them.
“right” he muttered, realizing he was less than welcome now when his friends turned on their “we’ve been together since school days” kind of passion.
He stood and made his way to the bar, unwilling to go back home yet, he was doing some mental math on his bank account balance, trying to decide if ordering a cocktail was a good idea, when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.
“Hi” a tall man with reddish floppy hair said, looking at him as if hypnotized “I don’t think you remember me but I – “
“You’re the drunk man on the lift!” Charlie exclaimed excitedly; this was the man he’d seen all those weeks ago with the pretty blonde girl! The one he’d been trying to find for so long.
“what?” pretty man said, looking rather confused at the association.
“oh! We met on the lift to my flat in London back in June, you were with a pretty blonde girl with blue eyes” Charlie said, completely ok with not being remembered, the man had been pretty plastered that night, it would have been a miracle if he remembered how he even got to the building in the first place.
“oh wow, I don’t remember that at all” the man said “but I do remember you from a night out in mid-July, y-you were dancing with your mates in that club back on main street” the man was suddenly blushing at whatever memory he had of Charlie, and once the curly haired man remembered too, his own cheeks became a rather bright shade of pink.
“I-I was completely gone that night, I’m sorry if I bothered you” drunk man in the lift was also man-in-the-club-I-almost-gave-a-lap-dance-to, how unbearably small could the world be.
“oh no, no I… it was ok, it was a good night” the man said, biting his lip and smiling sheepishly at whatever memory he had of Charlie. “I’m Nick by the way, nice to officially meet you” he said, offering a hand as they made their way slowly to the bar.
“Charlie” he answered, taking the man’s hand, enjoying the sudden surge of electricity he felt going up from their joined point of contact.
“I can’t believe I found you” Nick whispered, looking at Charlie as in wonder, he was finally seeing his walking wet dream and none of them was drunk enough to forget now.
“you were looking for me?” Charlie asked, finding in himself enough liquid courage to try and flirt with the gorgeous man next to him at the bar.
“I spent all Sunday looking for you”
“was I that good?” Charlie asked, smiling cheekily at the man as he asked for another pint.
Nick blushed profusely, the man was so much more than he’d dared to dream, his pretty eyes glowed in the light of the bar, specks of grey dancing in his deep blue eyes, like galaxies floating in the universe, he could barely admit it to himself, but he’d looked at everything but his eyes that first time in the club.
“y-yeah” he whispered, gulping down and getting another pint for himself, enjoying the musical laugh Charlie let out at his response, losing himself in the pretty dimples that adorned his perfect cheeks. Dear God, I’m a goner.
“Listen” he ventured, hoping that the signals the man was sending his way weren’t part of his hopeful imagination “my friends just met a group of old school mates and are hitting it off quite nicely on their own, would you mind if I sat here with you for a while? If you’re alone that is” Nick asked, chest fluttering with longing.
“yeah, we could do that” Charlie answered, settling on one of the empty stools around the bar, Nick following close behind.
They sat in silent for a minute or two, each freaking out in their heads at finally finding the man they’d been looking for all summer, maybe this was the moment both of them had been hoping for.
“what are you doing here?” “do you live here?
They asked at the same time, a little too loudly for a normal conversation, neither of the two able to mask their growing enthusiasm.
“This is my hometown” Charlie answered first, smiling in Nick’s direction “I came for the weekend to celebrate one of my friends”
“oh! I came for the weekend too, I grew up here as well” Nick added, marvelling at the coincidence that had gotten them here at the same time.
As the night continued, they both kept talking and drinking, chatting about the places they used to frequent as teens.
“My friends and I used to love the arcade” Charlie said.
“really? My friends and I hung out around the park mostly, a little too much energy to bring to the arcade” Nick replied, smiling fondly at his memories.
“really? One would think a lot of energy is good for a place like that” Charlie argued, confused at Nick’s words.
“oh, not the Darcy kind of energy, trust me, it would be like setting a cat lose in chicken coop and closing the door behind them” Nick shuddered at the idea, Darcy’s energy was unmatched, his friend would’ve definitely run over some kids trying to get from one machine to the next.
They laughed and reminisced some more, talking about past memories around the town, wondering how they managed not to meet before.
They’d been talking for ages when the owner burst their bubble, shouting for last call before closing in.
“oh wow, I didn’t realize how long we’d been talking” Charlie said, checking around for his friends and looking down at his phone when he didn’t find them.
Elle 23:52: Tao got drunk, had to bring him home.
Elle 23:52: saw you with a cute guy, didn’t want to interrupt 😉
Tao 23:54: UsE Prtectn
Charlie blushed at that last one, turning his phone face down on the table and trying not to get inappropriate images in his head, there was nothing more he’d like than to go home with the man, but they weren’t exactly sober, and consent was important.
“My friends went home a while ago” he said, while Nick still looked around for his mates.
“I guess mine too, I can’t see any of them and my phone died so I don’t know if the messaged” Nick replied, turning to look at Charlie once again now that his search was over.
“w-would you like to walk for a bit?” Charlie asked, not wanting the night to end just yet
“I could walk you home” Nick replied, he could never bring Charlie back to his when his mum was home, and they were both rather too tipsy to be able to consent, but at least he could escort the beauty safely back to his, maybe get a number in the process.
“sure” Charlie replied, draining the last of his beer and walking out the pub, Nick following behind.
The walk back home was filled with awkward laughter, both telling the other about anecdotes lived in their uni days. Charlie found out Nick was a lightweight, passing out during freshers week after three and a half pints and a round of shots, Nick in turn was amazed at how nerdy Charlie was, having studied English lit and having a special interest in the classics.
“you’re a proper little nerd!” he said, amazed at how clever the man was
“oh shut up!” Charlie exclaimed, noticing the air of reverence Nick held in his words, not mocking him at all for his geeky interests. “I bet you’re some sort of gym rat, your build certainly says so” jabbed Charlie, trying hard not to look at Nicks strong arms swinging freely so close to his own.
Nick took the opportunity and subtly flexed his arms, enjoying the deep blush that covered Charlie’s cheeks.
“I did semi-pro rugby until early this year” he answered, biting back a smile at Charlie’s wide eyed stare “coach said Blackheath expressed an interest at some point, but my heart isn’t in it anymore, so I quit” he said, doing his best not to sound big headed with his comment, he had been genuinely surprised at the national team even expressing a passing interest in him, he never thought of himself as that good of a player.
“I… don’t know what that means, sorry” Charlie grimaced, he reckoned it meant the man was very good, but his knowledge on rugby teams and sports in general was scarce at best, so he wasn’t sure how to react.
Nick snorted, amused at Charlie’s honest response.
“It’s ok, doesn’t matter” he said, biting his lip and openly staring at the blue-eyed beauty next to him, he’d never met someone quite like Charlie and he was terribly glad he’d found the courage to talk to him.
They walked in silence the last two blocks to Charlie’s house, each silently mustering up the courage to ask for a phone number, a date, a kiss…
“this is me” Charlie said, badly hiding his disappointment.
“oh, right” Nick replied, heart fluttering in his chest, not brave enough yet to ask for what he wanted yet desperately wishing for Charlie to give him a few more minutes, he would get there, he was sure.
“well, I-it was really nice meeting you” Charlie cursed himself and his cowardice, he couldn’t let the man leave just like that! He’d been looking for him for so long, the fact that they’d found each other here was clearly fated.
“wait” Nick grabbed Charlie’s hand in a swift motion, trying to get him to stay close for a little longer “I was wondering if I could…”
“yes…” Charlie whispered
“Yes?” Nick asked, confused.
“I mean no!” Charlie rectified hastily, making Nick laugh “what were you going to ask?” he finished, reigning his nerves in and allowing the gorgeous human to continue.
“I was wondering if I could…”
“Charles Spring” a severe voice interrupted from Charlie’s front door “I hope you’re not planning on bringing a man to your family house” Jane said sternly, looking at Nick as if he were something brown stuck to the bottom of her shoe “what kind of example are you expecting to give to your teenage brother” she continued, opening the door widely and motioning for Charlie to come in.
“I’m an adult” Charlie replied, humiliation burning hotly in his face, bottomless pit opening up where his stomach should be.
“D-don’t worry ma’am” Nick intervened, sending a reassuring look toward Charlie’s face “I was just making sure he’d made it safely back home” he finished, gulping down the anxiety he felt rising at the impervious stare of the woman at the door.
“I’m heading back home early tomorrow morning Charlie, but I hope to see you again soon” he said, mustering enough courage to squeeze the man’s hand and send a hopeful stare his way.
Charlie smiled softly in response, too embarrassed still to reply with words.
Nick turned slowly around and left.
They didn’t see each other again for almost two months.
Five
“come on Nick, the theme is make it gay, you need to wear this” Tara whined, she and Darcy had spent hours trying to convince the man to wear the Halloween costume they’d come up with, her spouse already donned in the Haruka Tenou/Sailor Uranus get up they’d made to complement Tara’s Sailor Neptune costume.
Imogen was going as a cheerleader, orange uniform and lesbian flag-coloured pompoms ready, but they needed a jock, and Nick was the perfect guy for it.
“Tara, I can’t wear something like that” Nick replied, face red at the mere thought of the rather tight ruby shorts and cropped jersey his friend had handed him.
“yes you can! Come on, its probably going to be the last Halloween night you’ll get to do this without fearing some parent will bump into you in the future, this is our last chance!” Imogen added from behind the girls, posing for yet another selfie.
“besides” Darcy added nonchalantly “this is one of the biggest queer Halloween parties in London, maybe you’ll bump into someone”
Nick had to admit Darcy had a point, Charlie had said he lived in London and fate had been kind enough the reunite them back in Kent, why not try again over here since they hadn’t seen each other in so long.
“fine, but one of you is bringing my joggers in your purse, I won’t be coming back home like this” he reluctantly agreed, if there was even the smallest chance of seeing Charlie again, he’d do so while looking as edible as possible, maybe that way he’d manage to get the man for sure.
“yaaay! I’ll get the highlighter!” Imogen celebrated, looking forward to beautifying her friend for tonight’s party.
“Tell me again why we chose this theme?” Tao complained, staying still for Elle to finish his makeup.
“because comic characters but make it gay won” Isaac replied, adjusting his tie. He was John Constantine tonight, a fairly easy costume, and quite comfortable too, right up his alley.
“why aren’t we in a couples costume then?” Tao asked again, still unmoving so Elle wouldn’t pinch him again, as she’d done when she first started the makeup process.
“because you vetoed Marvel comics” Charlie replied from the bathroom, struggling with his costume.
“And” Elle added “you wanted to be The Crow so shut it and let me work, your mouth is going to be all crooked otherwise”
“how is Tao’s costume gay?” Isaac wondered, he’d stuck an aro/ace flag to the flap on his coat’s pocket, Elle had chosen a trans flag patterned umbrella for her Allison Hargreeves costume and Charlie was wearing his gay pride bracelet and rainbow striped shoelaces on his combat boots for the Klaus Hargreeves get up Elle had gotten for him.
“I’m the token straight” Tao replied, regretting his stubborn costume choice
“And I got him rainbow boxers, but those are only for me to see” Elle replied, sending a smile in Isaac’s direction.
“eeeewwwww too much information” Charlie shouted, finally coming out from the bathroom black mesh shirt and tight leather pants finally on
“Took you long enough Spring” Tao mocked, all three looking at their friend, Charlie was flushed red with embarrassment, he could’ve gone with a more subdued Klaus costume, but he hoped Nick would be somewhere around the party and he was going to impress him this time.
“if I meet Nick again I want him to think about me, not my mum”
Charlie had left in a hurry that same night after Nick had taken him home, shouting match with his mum waking the whole Spring household and some neighbours as well, surely. He’d taken his things back to Tao’s, knowing full well his friend was at Elle’s that night, he hadn’t been back to Kent since.
“well, that costume will certainly do the trick love” Elle replied, Tao’s makeup finally ready “let me put some eyeliner on you and then we can pregame before the party” she said, motioning Isaac to bring the vodka she’d left chilling in her fridge.
The party was in full motion when Nick and the group arrived, hundreds of people in a variety of costumes filled the tables, bar and dancefloor, with a lot of them wearing next to nothing.
“I see the mean girls Halloween rule still applies” Nick shouted when a man in a jockstrap and angel wings passed by him, followed by two girls in lingerie, animal ears on their heads.
“and you were complaining about yours!” Darcy shouted, slapping Nick’s exposed thighs in the process.
“shut up and get me a drink, I’m not comfortable enough to wear this while sober” he shouted, shepherding the group to the bar so they wouldn’t lose each other.
Charlie and his friends were already on the dance floor, an hour in and three shots down the energy was up and running, some song with a quick rhythm moving their bodies.
“I think you’ll be interested in the person at the table far back” Elle shouted, pointing somewhere behind Charlie, the blue-eyed man turned around and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of Nick, laughing with his friends in the far corner of the club. The man was stunning, crop top exposing his midriff, toned abs flexing with the man’s laughter, tight rugby shorts enhancing his strong thighs and rather impressive bum.
“That’s Nick?!” Tao asked incredulous, that was the straight man from the club.
“yes! And he’s anything but straight” Charlie said, warning Tao with his eyes, he would not be cockblocked a second time.
“oh but he’s a rugby laaad!” the man complained, Elle slapping his arm in disapproval.
“And Charlie doesn’t care, so shut it and dance with us” Elle replied, turning her boyfriend around, raising her eyebrows for Charlie to take his leave.
He needed a bit more liquid courage to approach the man, so he walked to the bar as fast as possible so as not to risk losing Nick in the crowd, he downed two shots in a row, shaking his head and grimacing at the burn down his throat before hyping himself up and crossing the club to get his man.
“Nick?” Tara asked while her and the group where drinking at a far table inside the club “didn’t you say Charlie is curly haired and stunning?” she asked, eyes lost somewhere in the dancefloor behind Nick’s back.
“yes” Nick replied, smitten smile taking over his face at the mere mention of the man.
“well, it’s either him or someone very similar walking towards us” she said, pointing at Nick to turn.
Nick choked on his drink, there Charlie was, intense gaze locked on him, sinuous hips moving with the heavy bass of the song currently playing, he had a playful smile on his face and Nick immediately felt himself flush over the beauty of his walking wet dream.
“go get him” Darcy pushed, slapping his thighs again for good measure.
Nick downed a shot and got up; he was getting his man.
They didn’t waste much time with conversation, dancing instead to the rhythm of whatever song the DJ decided to play, their bodies touching with the swaying of their hips, hands roaming the other’s waist and eyes never breaking from the other’s intense stare.
Nick had never been much of an enthusiastic dancer, but with Tara Jones and Imogen Heaney as best friend, he’d been forced to learn some dance moves. He was using none of them with Charlie though, what they were doing was something completely different from any of the times Nick had danced with someone else, their bodies undulated in unison, when Nick pulled back Charlie followed and the same applied to the other man, you couldn’t fit a pin in between their hips and chests, breaths mingling with the strain of their movements, but nothing could keep them apart for long.
The DJ changed into some kind of Latin-American rhythm, something heavy and sultry, all hips and waist, Charlie turned in the circle of Nick’s arms, taking the man’s hands and roaming them all over his body before settling them on either side of his hips, circling them against Nicks groin to the rhythm of the song. It was the boldest thing Charlie had ever done, but after months of dreaming with the man, fantasising of his hands finally touching him, he simply couldn’t hold back. Nick buried his face in Charlie’s neck, inhaling the mix of sweat and cologne emanating from his body, Charlie’s leather pants felt soft against his hands and the mesh top the man was wearing had him salivating, his already tight shorts felt a lot tighter now, Charlie having felt the man’s erection a while ago, but neither of them cared to hide their reactions, they already knew of tonight’s potential, all they had to do was take their chance.
“Nick?” Charlie asked, turning once again in the circle of the man’s arms, rubbing his crotch with Nick’s, letting him feel the similar state he was in. Nick held back a moan, gulping down with desire, pupils blown wide and fixed on Charlie’s every reaction.
“yeah?”
“Kiss me” Charlie whispered, closing the distance between the two, stopping just close to Nick’s lips, allowing him to cross the rest of the way.
Nick smirked, pushing his hands in Charlie’s curls and holding him tight, he’d been waiting for this moment for ages now.
“NICK!” the shrill voice of Tara shouting from a distance broke the spell Nick and Charlie were in, she sounded panicked, and Nick couldn’t ignore that, they turned in the direction of the girl, just in time to see a group of angry looking men entering the club, pushing and punching anyone who stood on their way.
Some of the guys were openly harassing the girls in the club, Imogen trapped between the bar and the dance floor, dangerously close to the intruders.
“god” Nick said, holding Charlie close, looking for a way to protect the man and get to his friends at the same time.
“Go!” a tall woman said to his back, he recognized her as one of Charlie’s friends from the gay club in Kent “he’ll be ok with us” she said, tall lanky man and a blonde guy circling around Charlie.
“take care of them, we’ll meet again soon” Charlie said, eyes slowly fading from desire to panic.
Fucking homophobes.
Nick planted a quick kiss on Charlie’s cheek, sharing an apologetic look with the group and darting off to get Imogen, Tara and Darcy already anxiously waiting close to the door.
And One
At six AM and with the sun barely rising, Nick made his way back from Tara and Darcy’s to his flat, the night had ended in disaster, him and the gang narrowly escaping the vicious fight that broke the moment they left, he’d seen Charlie and his friends make an exit a little earlier than him, so he wasn’t worried about the man’s wellbeing, but he couldn’t help the anxiety he felt in his chest for the people that had stayed behind.
He was grateful for the joggers he’d taken with him, the morning a bit nippy to be wearing rugby shorts, his crop top slightly hidden underneath his favourite jacket, abs still exposed to the cold of the early morning.
The first rays of sun hit his face when he finally made it to the building, and he cracked his neck while he waited for the lift to arrive.
Just as he took a deep breath before going in, a pair of arms circled his waist from behind.
“oh my god you’re safe” he heard, Charlie’s unmistakeable voice filled with worry as the man buried his face on Nick’s back.
“Charlie?” Nick walked them both inside the car, turning in Charlies arms so he could hug the man back.
“I was so scared Nick, I lost you in the crown when we left and I couldn’t see if you’d made it out” Charlie was trembling in Nick’s arms, adrenaline finally leaving his system and leaving him a quivering mess in the bigger man’s embrace.
“I’m so happy to see you again so soon” Nick whispered, burying his face in Charlie’s neck, it was hard to believe he’d been doing something similar not five hours ago in a completely different context.
“what are you doing here?” the ginger asked, finally feeling strong enough to put some distance and look at Charlie’s face.
“I live here” Charlie replied, red rimmed eyes glowing with unshed tears, smile slowly forming on his face “this is where we first met, you don’t remember because you were absolutely sloshed over your poor friend’s shoulder” Charlie mocked, finally feeling light enough to poke some fun at the man.
“wait, you live here?” Nick asked, still processing the proximity they’d been in, and still managed to never meet.
“yeah, you too?” Charlie asked, suddenly catching onto Nick’s incredulity, he’d hanged around the lift for an embarrassing amount of time way back when they first met, he’d never managed to catch sight of the man.
“yeah… I tend to use the stairs though, the lift makes me a feel bit uneasy to be honest, I only take it when I’m knackered” he explained, Charlie finally understanding everything.
“and when you’re drunk I guess” Charlie said, poking fun at the man once again, taking the man’s hands in his, revelling in the feeling of finally having the man to himself after such a long time dreaming about him.
Nick took a moment to look at Charlie’s face now, in the white light of the lift, away from the pulsating flashes of the club, he had eyeliner on, slightly mushed from the sweat and possible tears he’d shed since they’d parted ways a few hours ago.
“you’re so pretty” he whispered, eyes roaming the man’s face with something akin to reverence.
“Excuse me? Drunk Nick called me otherworldly” Charlie complained, cheeky smile taking over his beautiful face.
“that too” Nick said, holding Charlie’s face with one of his hands, grasping his waist with the other and closing the distance, finally taking the kiss he’d been asked for back in the club.
Their lips met softly at first, breaths mingling as their noses rubbed slowly with the movement their mouths made, Nick was kissing Charlie delicately, as if scared the man would vanish if he held him too tight, still terrified over the possibility of this being a dream.
Charlie buried one of his hand’s on Nick’s hair, holding him closer and slanting his mouth so they fit better, deepening the kiss in the process, he’d wanted this moment too long to be kissed so softly. Nick let out a moan at the feeling of Charlie’s nails scratching at his scalp, the other man taking the opportunity to lick inside his mouth as he made the sound.
Things were heating up rapidly and none of them had bothered to press any button on the lift, trapping themselves in the ground floor as they kissed with abandon, hands roaming the other’s bodies now that their passions had a let out.
“good morning gentlemen” a voice interrupted, Mrs Davis, looking at them with amusement, stern face long gone at the obvious passion between the two young men.
“Shit” Nick muttered, putting some distance between Charlie and himself, blushing deeply, knowing full well his joggers hid nothing from view, and he was in a rather pressing state.
“g-good morning, ma’am” he said, sending a sheepish smile in her direction.
Charlie was unashamed though, he and Mrs. Davis were close, she was completely aware of his preferences and he of hers, there was a reason why she was coming back to her apartment at the same time as they were.
“Hi Gerty, how are you?” he asked, closing the distance between him and Nick once again, hugging his waist and stroking the skin of his exposed back under his jacket, Nick blushed at Charlie’s ministrations but didn’t want them to stop, he just moved a bit further behind the woman so as not to be in her line of vision, stroking Charlie’s waist over his mesh shirt in the process.
“seventh floor right?” the woman asked Nick, turning to push the button none of them had bothered to push.
“oh no Gerty” Charlie said, sending a coy smile in Nick’s direction “he’s getting off with me today” he said, winking at the woman while stroking Nick’s abs under his jacket.
Nick let out a squeak, blood going south rapidly, almost making him faint with how quickly it’d left his brain.
“oh” the woman chuckled good naturedly, pushing the button to their floor and patiently waiting for the lift to take them up “don’t worry darling” she said to Nick’s ever reddening face “I sleep with my hearing aid off” she winked, sending them a smile and facing the doors to the lift, giving them a simile of privacy.
Nick’s eyes widened at the woman’s words, looking at Charlie next to him, the man was snickering softly under his hand, looking at Nick’s expressions with eyes full of mirth.
“you’re a menace” Nick whispered just as the lift stopped in Charlie’s floor, Mrs Davis exiting ahead, moving much faster than a woman her age usually would.
“oh you’ve no idea” Charlie replied, taking the man’s hand in his and pulling him towards his door, he was about to find out how much of a menace he could be.
Fin.