Music sounds better with you

"Were both needy"

Nick wakes up to Charlie staring at him.
It takes a few seconds for him to realise that he's in his university bed with Charlie in his arms, but when he does, he breaks out into a huge grin and snuggles closer, hooking his chin over Charlie's shoulder, tugging him closer.

"Why are you watching me?" he hums, arms linking across Charlie's back. "Did you miss me that much?"

"Maybe," Charlie giggles, snuggling closer. He kisses Nick's neck. "I know we hate single beds, but it is funny that I sleep better with you in one than without you."
"Same." Nick presses three kisses in quick succession to Charlie's cheek. "This bed sucks but it's better with you in it."

"What a line," Charlie says with a groan. "I wonder if you'll be able to get a double bed when you move out in second year."
"I think I do," Nick murmurs, leaning back on the pillows and winding one of Charlie's curls around his finger.

"I haven't chosen my room yet but I think I've got a good argument for a double."
"What, me?" Charlie blinks at him. "But I'll have my own place. Well, hopefully."
"You will," Nick says. "But if we're in the same city, I have the feeling we'll be together a lot. I mean, I don't want to distract you from your studies or anything but we're going to be in the same city, you know?"

"That was a really good sentence," Charlie says, smiling cheekily. "I think I do know that when we're in the same city, we'll be in the same city."
"Shut up," Nick whines. "I just woke up."
"I'm teasing," Charlie hums. "But yeah, I think we will. If you're not too embarrassed to be seen with a fresher, of course."

"Char, we've been dating for a million years," Nick laughs. "I don't think you being a fresher in my university— your university next year—will make a single shred of difference."
"Sounds weird to say we've been dating," Charlie says.

He hooks his leg through both of Nick's so they're pretty much entirely tangled together. "But yeah, I suppose. I still can't believe I might live here soon."
"I'll take you on a city tour at some point," Nick says. "Just, like, have a stroll around the city and I'll show you all the places to go and the places I think you'd like. I have a few I want to show you."
Charlie raises his eyebrows. "Like what?"
"Like the board game café," Nick says. "Or there's this place that's like a hub for computer games. And then there's an open drum night at one of the student bars so you can just go in and play the drums, kind of like karaoke."

Charlie's face lights up. "You found all these places for me?"
"Of course," Nick says, shaking his head.

It makes him chuckle how disbelieving his boyfriend is sometimes, but he can't deny that he still gets an unrivalled zing of joy whenever Charlie smiles at him like that. "You're not just coming to this uni to be with me, you know? You're going to be living here too."
"In the same city as you, yes," Charlie grins, taking Nick's face in his hands and pecking him lightly on the lips. "I love you, you know."
"I love you too."

No matter how many times they say it, Nick still can't believe how much he means it. Charlie really is his favourite person in the whole entire world and he'll do anything to keep him smiling like this, soft and happy in a too-small bed. There's nowhere else in the world he'd rather be. "I can't wait until you're here all the time."
"We'll never sleep apart, will we?" Charlie says. "I don't want to sleep apart if we can help it."
"Depends," Nick murmurs.

He traces patterns into Charlie's arm with his fingers. "During freshers week, you'll probably want to stay with your flatmates and course mates and stuff. That's the best way to get to know these people. But after that, I'm not so sure we will, no."
"Yeah, like, I don't want to be too codependent," Charlie says, sounding more earnest than Nick thinks he really is. "But if there's the option for us to stay in the same bed and we're not too far away from each other, I just think we'd be foolish not to."