Charlie and Nick Fanfic - PG13 Version

Holly Jolly : Part One

Nick usually enjoyed the holiday season. He loved the snow, hot chocolate, and the general uplifting vibe that the season carried with it. This year, he wasn't quite so keen on all of it. After the past couple of weeks, Nick was worn down and tired. Negative emotions can really wear you out.

As upset as he still was over their near-threesome, Nick had no plans to leave to Charlie. In fact, the ordeal had solidified his desire to wed. The notion of losing Charlie to someone else was too painful to face. Because of that fear and pain, Nick had lashed out.

Things between them weren't quite back to normal yet, but Nick was confident they would be fine in the long run. Like the Beatles said, "all you need is love," right?

On Christmas morning, the couple visited the Spring house. Oliver, Tori, and Michael had all come around as well, all eager to catch up and bombard Nick and Charlie with questions about their upcoming wedding. They hadn't planned anything yet, so Nick smiled politely and threw out some generic wedding points that could apply to any wedding. Charlie tried to smile as well, but his anxiety was over-shining him today. The worry on his face was noticeable to say the least.

Charlie's dad had appointed himself the day's photographer, constantly snapping away, capturing random moments that held no real significance. Over and over, Nick would hear Julio or Jane Spring nag Charlie to smile for the camera.

Nick stood alone by the Christmas tree, watching Julio position both Oliver and Charlie to his standards for a nice picture. The forced joy on Charlie's face made Nick's chest ache.

Siiip.

Nick gasped in surprise when Tori appeared at his side opposite the tree. "Ha. You got me."

Siiip.

"How are you?" Nick wondered anxiously.

"Are you breaking up with Charlie?" Tori asked bluntly.

"No," Nick replied then forced a laugh. "Why would you think that?"

She sipped her cold drink through a straw, her eyes drilling through Nick's soul. "You're being weird. Both of you. Are you in a fight?"

Nick wanted to lie or to play down the situation, but he worried Tori would be able to tell. "Just a speed bump. We'll be fine."

"What did he do?"

He raised a curious brow.

"He reeks if guilt," she observed before another long siiip and left Nick alone with his thoughts.

Around 2 p.m., Nick and Charlie decided to walk to Sarah Nelson's house.

"That was nice," Charlie said about their visit with his family. His eyes were glued to the ground, watching carefully as each step crunched into the snow.

"It was," Nick agreed, though he knew Charlie hadn't enjoyed it so much. They made small talk during the walk, joking around about memories on this street or that. As they neared Nick's mother's house, he slowed his pace. Placing a firm, yet gentle hand on Charlie's shoulder, he turned his fiancé toward him. "You doing alright?"

Charlie forced a smile. "Trying."

Slowly, Nick pulled him in for a hug, rubbing his back before he kissed his lips. "I love you," he reminded Charlie. "Don't let David get to you in there, okay? If he steps out of line even once, we can walk out."

Charlie nodded in agreement as Nick took his hand and they continued on to the Nelson house.

On Nick's old doorstep, they knocked the snow from their shoes against the brick of the outside door frame. After taking in a deep breath, he turned to Charlie and asked, "are you ready?"

With a warm smile, Charlie nodded his head once more, prompting Nick to ring the doorbell to the house he grew up in. They could hear someone fumbling at the door and Nick smiled widely for his mother.

Who opened the door was not Sarah Nelson, but a stranger. It was a man in his late fifties or early sixties, squinting at them through outdated glasses. The old man eyed the taller of the two with scrutiny before his face lit up and he proceeded to hug Nick.

"Nicholas!" he proclaimed in a deep Eastern European accent. "Finally, we meet."

Frozen in place, Nick looked to Charlie in a secret plea for help. "Um, sir?"

"Ugh!" he scoffed, letting Nick go. "How rude of me. I know all about you and you know nothing of me."

Glowing with joy, Sarah Nelson turned a corner into the foyer and ran over to hug her son, showering him in sloppy mom kisses until his cheeks were red in humiliation. Then she turned her attention on Charlie, enveloping him in her arms like she would a fragile child. When she pulled away, she rested one hand on the stranger's shoulder. "I see you've already met."

"Not quite," said the stranger as he extended a hand to Nick to shake. "It is wonderful to meet you, Nicholas. My name is Murray."

Nick's eyes shifted from Murray's happy face, to his mom's happy face, to the hand she let rest on Murray's shoulder.

Mum's got a boyfriend?