Music sounds better with you

Night Night

All of Nick's flatmates are in the kitchen area, either cooking their dinner or sprawled on the sofas already eating. Nick clears his throat to let them know they've arrived.

"Hi guys," he says loudly, and everyone stops what they're doing immediately. He feels Charlie's grip on his hand tighten. "This is Charlie."
"Charlie," Holly yells, abandoning her pasta in favour of charging over and pulling him into a hug.

Charlie drops Nick's hand and goes—he doesn't have much of a choice—but Nick stiffens, painfully aware that he doesn't love to be touched by strangers. "It's so nice to finally fucking meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Charlie stammers out. "Um, hi."
"Give him back," Nick harrumphs, sliding an arm around his waist.

"This is Holly, Char. Then we've got Ben, Harry, Manrika, then over there is Claire."

The irony of Nick's two male housemates being called Ben and Harry isn't lost on either of them and they share a secret smile. Luckily for Nick, both lads are incredibly different from the ones they know back home and they've become two of his closest friends since his move to Leeds.

"Hi," Charlie says again, offering them all a small wave. "Nice to meet you."
"Oh, I can promise you, mate, the pleasure is all ours," Ben says merrily. "We've all been desperate to meet you because Nick honestly never shuts the fuck up about you."

Charlie giggles and turns to Nick, who just shrugs, unembarrassed. "Why does everyone act like it's so weird for me to be obsessed with my my boyfriend?"

"Because you're not just obsessed with him,"
Holly joins in. "Someone could say something like 'I like orange squash' and you'll then launch into a ten minute story time about how much Charlie loves orange squash and one time he drank it and he looked so cute..."
"Okay, shut up now," Nick huffs, but he's laughing. "I guess I talk about him a lot but you get to meet him now. You can see for yourselves how brilliant he is."

"Nick," Charlie hisses, elbowing him in the tummy. "Stop overselling me."
"In the nicest way possible, Charlie boy, Nick has basically sold you to us like you single-handedly hung the stars in the sky," Ben says. "The moon, too."

"Oh," Charlie says, his smile embarrassed but very real. Nick just shrugs again and pecks him on the cheek. "I mean, thanks Nick?"
"Anyway," Nick says, cuddling him closer, moving his arms up to wrap around his shoulders, and he tucks his chin over Charlie's shoulder. "I love Charlie very much and here he is. No, he doesn't have any baby photos of me on his phone but he will tell you about how awkward I was in high school and when we first started dating, okay?"

Everyone groans and, from somewhere to his side, a piece of popcorn hits Nick's temple.
"What the fuck was that for?"
"It's worse than we thought," Ben says to the room at large. "Nick Nelson is a hopeless romantic."
"They're taking the piss," Nick murmurs in Charlie's ear. "Maybe I do talk you up, but I mean every word."
"I know you do," Charlie whispers back, pressing a quick kiss to Nick's jaw. "I appreciate it."

"How was your train journey?" Manrika asks, coming over and opening her arms for a hug that Charlie politely returns. "It's a long old journey up from Kent, isn't it?"
"It was fine," Charlie says with a little shrug. "Pretty boring but I've got studying to do to fill the time."

"Ah, the joy of A-levels," Manrika drawls, then claps him on the shoulder. "And you're coming here next year then?"

Charlie glances at Nick, who can't help but grin like an idiot just at the thought. "Um, yeah. That's the plan, anyway. I just need to get the grades first."
"Which he will," Nick says proudly. "Charlie's much smarter than me."
Everyone groans again. "Of course he is," Holly says knowingly. "What are you hoping to study, Charlie?"
"Music with a minor in Maths."
"That's cool," Ben says, wandering over and slinging an arm over Manrika's shoulders. "I do a minor in Music, you know. If we get any of the same professors, I'll give you my notes."
"Wow, okay, yeah." Charlie beams and nods. "Thank you."