Music sounds better with you

Lets go and graduate

When his alarm goes off the following morning, Nick wakes up feeling tired but not unbearably so. He blinks himself awake, then goes to roll over to silence the alarm, but a heavy weight on his chest stops him, and he cracks open one eye to see Charlie's naked body sprawled over him in his sleep.

One of his hands is tucked under the small of Nick's back, his other arm thrown over Nick's chest, this hand curled loosely around the base of his neck. He groans as Nick shifts beneath him and his grip on Nick clutches tighter.

"Too early," he mumbles, then he moans again as Nick's hand stretches out to grab his phone and switch the alarm off. "Nick."
"Sorry, babe," Nick grunts. He drops his phone back onto the bedside table with a clatter and moves his arm back so it wraps around Charlie's littler body, before he presses three short kisses into his hair. "Good morning, love."
"Shut up and let me sleep," Charlie grumbles, but Nick can feel his lips curl up into a smile against his skin. "Oh, wait. I can't. My boyfriend is hauling me out of bed at the arse crack of dawn so he can put on a fancy gown and parade around as the centre of attention all day."
"Thank you for always being my biggest supporter," Nick says dryly. He lets out a huff as he shifts up the bed a bit, wrinkling his nose as his arse starts to throb. "Ow, fuck."
Charlie cracks an eye open. "What?"
"My arse hurts," Nick complains. He turns his head and when he meets Charlie's gaze, they both smirk. "If I've got a waddle today, I won't be best pleased."
"Shouldn't have been such a little nelly bottom last night then, should you?" Charlie tells him, reaching up and patting his cheek.

Nick grabs his wrist and licks his palm, and Charlie shrieks and wipes it across Nick's cheek, and suddenly they're both wide awake and giggly. Nick makes the move to roll them over so they're at a better angle to kiss, and even though neither of them have brushed their teeth just yet, he doesn't let that stop him from ducking down and giving Charlie a tender kiss.

Charlie makes a vague noise of complaint for all of two seconds before he reaches up to cup Nick's cheek and deepens the kiss. It's almost comical, really, because Nick can already tell he's going to be extra clingy with Charlie today, and he knows Charlie knows it too. They're an unbelievable pair of sappy dickheads, but he's so incredibly grateful to be sharing every significant life experience with his best friend, and today feels bigger than most.

"Hey," he murmurs softly as the kiss breaks.

Their eyes meet, and suddenly the urge to pull Charlie as close as physically possible takes over and he does just that. He buries his face in Charlie's shoulder and takes a deep breath, and while he half-expects Charlie to chuckle and call him a sappy dickhead, he doesn't. He cradles Nick to him in that way he really likes to be held, with familiar calloused hands sprawled over the plains of his back.

"Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for, silly boy." Charlie snuggles him closer. "It's finally here. How are you feeling?"
"I love you," Nick says instead of answering. "I love you so much."
Charlie kisses his jaw. "I love you too, babe. Have I mentioned how proud I am of you?"
"Not today," Nick tells him, voice already wobbly. "I'll hear it again though."

There's a featherlight touch against his cheek and Nick lets himself sink into it. He flicks his eyes upwards and smiles as Charlie tilts his head so their noses can brush together in a move that makes Nick feel like he's in a romcom.

"Hey," Charlie says quietly, just before he kisses the corner of Nick's mouth. "I'm super proud of you." His hand comes to rest on Nick's chest, right below his beating heart. "I know everyone is going to tell you that today, but I'm the proudest."
There's a lump in Nick's throat. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Charlie hums. "I dunno, there's something quite special to me about having seen you start your A-levels at a time when so much was uncertain and disjointed, and now you're here and you're so brilliant for graduating. You've put up with so much, Nick, and it's been one of the biggest honours of my life to know you and love you as you've gone from being a teenager to a man." He shakes his head, curls flying everywhere. "I don't know if it's stupid to say it like that, but it's true."
"No," Nick says, voice coming out strangled. "No, it's... thank you." His bottom lip starts to wobble. "Fuck, you've started me off already."
Charlie coos at him. "Baby, I mean this with all the love and respect in the world. You can't keep crying all day."
"No, I know," Nick mumbles petulantly, which turns into a giggle.