Just a quick note: there is a weird POV change from Charlie to Neil in a section of the piece, sorry about that. I suppose I could've rewritten it but I really like it the way it is. Hope you enjoy!
+[1994]
"My mom is getting married again," said Charlie. He was sitting on the front stoop with Neil, who was watching ants crawl over the pebbles.
"To Derek?" Neil asked.
Charlie nodded in confirmation. Neil looked like he was thinking deeply about this, chewing his bottom lip.
"What's a wedding like? I've never been to one," Neil finally spoke. He poked at a row of ants with a stick.
Charlie shrugged. "The first part is boring. We just sit in a church and people talk a long time."
"Oh." Neil looked disappointed.
"Then the next part is okay, but the food is too fancy and there's more talking and dancing and stuff."
"That doesn't sound much fun."
Charlie agreed. "I'm going to have a fun wedding when I grow up. Boring speeches aren't allowed."
"Cool," Neil said, seemingly enthralled, having long abandoned his stick.
"Baloney sandwiches and chocolate crepes for supper. With lots of whipped cream."
"And no yucky ties and shirts can't be tucked in to pants," exclaimed Neil.
Charlie jumped on the idea immediately. "Yeah, I hate when Mom tells me to do that!"
"This sounds awesome!"
Charlie and Neil exchanged high fives.
"You to marry me and then we can have the best wedding!" offered Charlie generously.
"Okay," Neil agreed easily. "I can't wait!"
+[2006]
Charlie wanted to kill but also maybe thank Richard Cameron for having such a comfortable armchair, just big enough for Neil and Charlie to sit on together, but not quite big enough for them to sit there without overlapping legs and pressing their shoulders together. Alright, so maybe Neil's arm didn't necessarily have to be around Charlie's waist, and maybe Charlie didn't have to be on Neil's lap, but neither of them were complaining. Neither of them were uncomfortable, quite the opposite really (Neil had hit his growth spurt and was now significantly taller than Charlie, and had plenty of room on his lap). Besides, Neil had always been tactile, and Charlie was feeling masochistic and decided that cuddling with his unrequited love was worth the possible adverse effect on his mental health.
Besides, everyone was in the living room and it was only logical that they take advantage of all the chair and couch space before forcing people to sit on the floor. This thought encouraged Charlie to shift a little deeper into Neil's arms.
"Oh my god, why don't you two get married already?" Jonas joked.
Charlie jumped in surprise and grinned awkwardly, trying to hide just how fond of that idea he was. "I don't know. Why haven't we gotten married?" he asked Neil, impressed by his own ability to keep his voice casual.
Neil shrugged. "You haven't asked."
Neil and Charlie made eye contact and their gazes lingered for a millisecond longer than appropriate before Charlie responded: "All I have to do is ask?"
"I'll say yes, you know that," said Neil. The first part of the sentence was light-hearted, but his voice dipped down to a more sincere tone at the end.
Charlie steadied his breath and concentrated on sounding normal. "Well, then. Will you do me the honour? Will you marry me?"
"Absolutely," Neil said, and he nuzzled his face into Charlie's neck. Jonas rolled his eyes and Charlie tried valiantly not to get aroused from his best friend's eyelashes simply brushing along his nape.
He failed miserably.
+[2010]
Charlie hated being sick. He would jump off a cliff with only a plastic bag as a parachute before he chose to be sick. He hated every moment of it.
"Hey, Charles," Neil said.
But the worst part was not being able to kiss Neil. "Hey," Charlie croaked.
Neil smiled sympathetically as he approached Charlie on the couch. "I took out the garbage, called in to work for you, turned the TV so you can see it better from this couch, brought you a softer blanket, your glasses, more Kleenex, the TV remote, and apple slices."
Neil moved around him efficiently, pointing at each item as he talked about it.
Charlie let out a soft chuckle. "You probably would've been an awesome doctor if you had wanted to."
Neil rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'll check back on you after rehearsal."
"You are totally the best boyfriend ever," said Charlie. "Please marry me."
"Already taken care of that, too," Neil said, pressing the glass of water to Charlie's palm. "Now, drink a little bit before you go back to sleep. I'll be here around suppertime."
Charlie nodded meekly, allowing Neil to take the glass of water back and tuck him into the blankets.
"Love you," he mumbled as his eyes slid shut.
"I love you, too."
+[2011]
"So he's alright?" Neil nearly collapsed in relief.
"Yeah. He's kind of loopy right now, though," Chris grinned wryly.
Neil frowned, looking over Chris's shoulder at where Charlie was pulling his shoes back on. "Pain meds?"
"Oh, no, the concussion itself. He's just emotionally all over the place. The doctor said that's completely normal. She's coming back to give you more explicit instructions in…" Chris checked her phone for the time. "Five minutes. Are you sure you'll be alright?" She directed the question at both Charlie and Neil, and Neil nodded for the both of them.
"Go tuck your kid into bed," he said. "Thanks so much for taking care of him."
Chris smiled and gave Neil a quick kiss. "No problem. Hope you feel better, Charles," she said, then left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Charlie tugged on Neil's hand. "Why don't we have any?" he asked.
"Um… any what?" Neil asked cautiously, concerned by the tears in Charlie's eyes.
"Kids, Neil!" said Charlie like it was obvious. "I want us to have kids."
Neil was taken slightly aback by the earnest and urgent tone of Charlie's voice. Concussion, he reminded himself, and replied gently: "Jeez, you've never brought up kids before. I didn't even know you wanted them."
Charlie laughed and adjusted his grip on Neil's hand. "I do. I want kids and I want buy a house with you and I want us to get married. We should get married." Charlie's eyes light up and he tugs Neil down to sit down next to him. "Please, Neil?"
Neil hesitated. He didn't want to upset an already concussed Charlie who seemed to be on a hair trigger emotionally, but he also didn't want to make any affirmative comment. "We're twenty-two years old," he said finally. "We're still in school."
Charlie pouted. "Are you saying no?" he asked, and sounded so heartbroken that Neil had to hug him tight.
"You will thank me when you're not under the influence of a head injury," said Neil.
"No, I won't," Charlie said sadly. With nothing else to say, Neil just rubbed Charlie's back gently until the doctor arrived.
+[2014]
The lights were pulsing and the bass line was rumbling through Charlie's chest as he pushed his way through the crowd, determined to get to Neil before Valentine caught up. Finally, he found him and gripped Neil's forearm with gentle urgency - nothing that could construed as threatening, but enough to get Neil's attention immediately.
"Hi, Char-"
"Marry me?" Charlie asked quickly.
"Um?" Neil's flabbergasted expression would've been hilarious if Valentine wasn't approaching at an alarming speed.
"Great," Charlie grinned, stealing a quick kiss, wrapping his arm around Neil's waist as Valentine joined them. "Neil, this is Valentine, I've told you about her?" he introduced.
"Here's the man who stole my man's heart!" Valentine said. "I was so happy to hear you popped the question!"
Neil eyebrows furrowed the slightest bit, but his acting training kicked in and he adapted smoothly, to Charlie's relief. "Thank you! I hope I will see you at the wedding."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world! I'll be waiting for an invite!" Valentine grinned.
Neil's gaze flickered to Charlie's momentarily. "We aren't going to start planning immediately, so you might have to wait a little longer."
"Alright, then! It was great to meet you, Neil. I just wanted to say congratulations!"
"Thank you!" Neil watched Valentine melt back into the crowd before turning back to Charlie, exasperated. "Why on Earth did she think we were married?"
Charlie sighed. "It's a long story. Remember how I told you that my second cousin twice removed is got married to some diplomat in France next year?"
+[2015]
"Come in to bed…" Charlie whined. "Your teeth are fine."
"There's a thin line between healthy gums and gingivitis, and that line is a strand of floss," Neil said, fondness painting his voice as they went through the familiar conversation, line for line as if it had been rehearsed.
Charlie rolled his eyes but settled for leaning back in their bed and watching Neil's profile lit up by the yellow bathroom light. Neil flossed, splashed water on his face, and patted himself off with a towel. The light disappeared, leaving the bedroom lit only by the moon and Neil slid into bed and slung his arm over Charlie's hip, Charlie responded by cupping Neil's chin with the hand that wasn't trapped under the pillow. The moon backlit Neil's hair, making it glow and leaving his face deep with shadows, emphasizing the curve of his nose and the hollows of his cheekbones. Neil's lips quirked up and his kissed Charlie's temple. Charlie leaned into the touch, overcome with an urge to keep that moment forever and spend the rest of his life having dumb conversations about the importance of floss.
"I love you. Will you marry me?" Charlie burst out, then immediately shook his head, wondering how the hell he managed to let that get past his mental filter after months of trying to think of the perfect way to propose. Properly, not in bed where he could barely make out Neil's eyes in the dark.
The bed squeaked ever so slightly as Neil laughed silently, saying "yes" and kissing Charlie happily on the lips.
Charlie was shocked at the immediate and easy reply and pulled away from Neil's kiss hesitantly. "Wait, are you sure?" he asked.
Neil snorted. "Am I sure? Of course, I'm sure, you idiot."
Instead of jumping out of bed and skipping around the apartment like he wanted to, Charlie finished the kiss he had broken. "I love you," he murmured.
"You've said that already," said Neil teasingly.
"Well, it bears repeating," Charlie replied.
Neil smiled. "I love you, too."
And then Charlie and Neil fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms and finally engaged.
This time, it was for real.
yep that's the cheesiest ending ever written.
Thanks for reading! If you liked it, I would really appreciate favourites/reviews etc! xx