Holding you like this

Before he cheats

Nick awoke in the middle of the night and panicked, looking around the hospital room he was in, looking around to see Charlie lying his head on the bed. Nick played with the brunette's hair "Mmm?" He looked up and smiled, grabbing Nick's hand, intertwining their fingers "It's like two in the morning." "I panicked." "Oh sweetheart, it's okay." Charlie removed his shoes "Move up a little bit." "You don't need to, I'll fall asleep soon." "Just move, I'll help you." Nick shuffled a bit as Charlie climbed into bed with him and opened his arms. Nick lied his head on his chest and cuddled up close and their fingers were still intertwined. Soon the blonde went back off to sleep in less than a minute to listen to Charlie's heartbeat to help him calm down.

It was a few hours later, a nurse came in just as Nick started waking and smiled at the two boys cuddling "You can go back to sleep, how are you feeling?" "Still a bit sore." "It's okay." Charlie wrapped his arms around Nick more, stroking his hair slowly "I may have to check your chest, is that okay?" "Yeah." The blonde sat up between Charlie's legs. The nurse who was helping got a male nurse in and took of the bandage "It's healing up lovely, soon you'll be able to go home." "Am I allowed to wear different clothes?" "Of course, Charlie right?" "Yeah." "Would you mind heading home and getting a change of clothes for Nick?" "Of course." The brunette slid from under his boyfriend "I'll be back soon, okay?" "Okay. I love you." "And I love you more."

The doctor smiled "Are you both together?" "Yeah," "Cute, my husband and I exactly like you both." "What age did you get married?" "16." "We're thinking of getting married soon, but I just wanted to make sure, it was okay." "It's okay, your 17, right?" "Yeah." "You can married from 16, so your both okay." "Thank you." "It's okay, how's downstairs feeling?" "I don't know." The blonde soon stared into space and looked around the room.

Soon, Charlie came back and snapped his fingers to get Nick out of his mindset "Huh?" "You zoned out baby, are you okay?" He nodded. He drew away, his breath quickening. "Darling?" Charlie sighed, then shifted in bed for a moment. Then he opened his eyes. When he did, when Nick was able to look into his eyes– so purely dark brown without the coating with the tears in his eyes– relief came crashing down on him. A laugh escaped him, though it caught on a sob. He pulled the boy into another kiss, still careful but with far more joy. He felt Nick smile as he kissed him, and when they broke apart his eyebrows were raised. "Stop panicking, I feel you shaking from where I'm sitting. I won't let anything happen to either of you or to me. You're my family and I'm also your family." "Why?" "Because I love you." "No you don't." "I really do, I'm not saying it for some stupid reason, am I?" Nick can't look him in the eye, doesn't want to lie, but he nods anyway. "Exactly, I'm not saying it because I'm not in love with you, your my sunflower, okay?" "Okay." Nick relaxed afterwards.

The blonde got changed into better clothes than a hospital gown which he was now dressed in black leggings and a white jumper as Charlie came in once he called him "Better?" "Yeah, thank you." "It's alright, no need to thank me." "I wanted to. I know it's not going to be easy, and you're not going to learn to love yourself overnight," Charlie admits. "But if you give me some time and some effort and some patience, I promise you I'll give you everything I have." He leans in closer so that their foreheads are touching, their lips barely brushing against each other's, so that Nick could count the brunette's eyelashes if he tried.

Nick blinks, and blinks, and blinks again until the burning behind his eyes subsided to a dull throb. "You don't have to do that," Nick mumbles, then, more honestly, "I don't deserve that." "You deserve the world." Nick shakes his head, biting his lip. "Let me show you," Charlie says with a gentle but calm tone to his voice. "Let me show you how perfect you are, how good you are. Let me show you that you deserve to be loved." Nick hesitates. Charlie seems to understand. After a few moments, the blonde's hands stopped shaking, and his breathing started to match Charlie's again. "I only want to make you feel better," Charlie said, calmly. "I don't like seeing you so scared. If you ever feel scared or anxious again you can come to me," Charlie said softly. "I won't laugh at you, or tease you. I'll just hold you, like this. I want to. I don't like seeing you this way." "I suppose." Charlie smiled.