The mornings never used to be his favourite.
He hated waking up to basically nothing. Clouds, toys, books, mess, the figurative and literal overcastness that normally surrounded his life? Yeah, bugger that.
Things change, however, and lately, mornings have become his somehow ungodly peaceful hour as he props himself up on one arm, sheets around his pale waist as he stares.
Nick's beautiful in the early light. Sure, he was already in both waking and sleeping hours, but the bit of the day where Charlie's half-awake and watching his chest move through lidded eyes has it's own special take in his mind.
Nick's lips are parted as he breathes, his now settling down freckles smooshed into the white of his pillow, their constellations almost imprinting themselves on it. His hair is askew, but Charlie knows that he'll pat it down into some order when he sees it in the mirror later.
He's got one arm around his chest and the blankets, while the other is stretched out with its fingers curled, a large reminder that despite jostling in the night, they were holding hands at one point and Nick's memory is of such. It's almost emotional, in a way.
Charlie never figured he'd find something or someone like this, like the man splayed out in front of him unknowingly being observed. Not in his lifetime at least. Fourteen year old Charlie was already accepting that he would become the equivalent of a cat lady, just with fewer animals and more taste than spite.
Older Charlie wishes that he could see this right now.
He knows that Nick's waking up with the city's waking up. Nick always managed to somehow time the point where the traffic sounds and bird sounds collided in the space continuum and just as Charlie predicts, as soon as he's gone to the bathroom after staring at Nick's face for a solid half an hour, Nick's there at the door, lucid and drowsy as one can only be.
Humming, Charlie kisses him good morning and laughs as he grumbles about his back wearing thin, before going into the kitchen to make breakfast, having somehow become apt at making food despite not being able to eat it when he was younger.
The picture of Nick surrounded by a halo of light in a towel only adds to the feeling.
Yeah, today's going to be a normal, good day.