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Nick woke up smiling. That had been a great dream, their whole friend group together. He'd have to make it happen, soon. If he could convince Tao that his intentions were honourable, at least. At the moment, he wasn't sure he was Charlie's best friend's favourite person.

Charlie.

He lay there for a moment, just remembering what an amazing day yesterday had been. Then he grabbed his phone and texted him. "Hi". With a heart, naturally.

While he waited for Charlie, always a later riser than he was, to get up, he dressed and brushed his teeth and bounded downstairs to let Nellie out and get her breakfast.

"hi", Charlie texted back. "does being boyfriends mean we do good morning texts now"

"Does that technically qualify as a 'good morning text'" "Because technically all I said as 'hi'"

"it was first thing in the morning. i think it qualifies"

Nick laughed.

"Lovely to hear that sound first thing in the morning, darling."

Remembering how awesome she'd been yesterday, the long and open talk they'd had over dinner, he hugged her spontaneously. "You have a good day, Mum."

She looked rather surprised, and he made a note to ask about her life more often. "Thank you, Nick. You, too."

"Oh, I will." He slung his bag over his shoulder, opening up his texts to see that Charlie had sent "good morning boyfriend" with a heart.

His boyfriend. He'd never imagined anything like this.

"So sending good morning texts is a boyfriend job, is it?"

"yeah"

"And what else might be in the small print of this job description?"

"hmmm" "kissing me many times per day"

Nick grinned. That he could do. In fact, he couldn't wait to see Charlie just so he could find a hidden place and kiss him before school started properly.

He walked right past the front table. None of his former mates were there this morning, anyway, and he wouldn't have cared if they were, he told himself. The hurt from the way they had acted in the cinema was still fresh.

And it didn't matter anyway, because he had Charlie. Still carrying on their delightfully flirty text conversation, he waited a little way down the corridor until Charlie came in, then snuck up behind him and put his hands over his eyes.

Charlie laughed. "Nick."

He turned, and they smiled at each other. "Hi."

"Hi."

Then Nick grabbed Charlie's hand and pulled him into the supplies room, the nearest place where they could be private. He closed the door behind them. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I came out to my mum last night."

"Oh, my God! How did it go?"

Nick couldn't help smiling. "Really well. She was completely fine with it."

Charlie hugged him, hard, and Nick laughed and hugged him back, lifting him off the floor and turning them both around.

"Want a 'well done' kiss?"

He didn't even have to think about it. "Yeah."

And then they were kissing. It was like they hadn't seen each other in days, rather than having just spent the whole afternoon together yesterday. Charlie's hands in Nick's hair, Nick grasping the back of Charlie's jacket, lost in the moment.

"Kissing at school is a terrible idea," Nick managed to say between kisses. Terrible, and really amazing. And they kept doing it until the bell rang, giggling as they straightened their hair and hurried off to classes.

They went to Charlie's house together after school, riding the bus together, their shoulders pressed together, sharing secret smiles. In his corridor, they dropped their bags and took off their shoes and hurried upstairs. Almost before the door was closed, Charlie was in Nick's arms and they were kissing up against the door.

"I think we were meant to be studying," Nick said at last, reluctantly.

"Who needs to study?" Charlie asked, leaning in to kiss him again.

"I think I might," Nick murmured, but he returned the kiss anyway. Next time they stopped for breath, he checked his phone, seeing a text from his mum. "My mum wants you to come for dinner. You okay with that?"

"Yeah. You, um, you want to go now?"

"Sounds good."

They got to Nick's house, both of them bending down to pet Nellie, and then found his mum in the kitchen. Nick could tell both she and Charlie were a little nervous, but his mum rallied immediately, smiling at Charlie, like her son brought his boyfriend round every day. Which, actually, he kind of did, now that he thought about it. "Charlie! Good to see you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Nelson."

She looked at him, serious but kind, and said, "Now, I think I've told you it's okay for you to call me Sarah. And if you're going to be around a lot, and for a long time, which I hope you are, I wish you would."

His mum was really just the best, Nick thought, smiling at them both.

"Oh. Um, okay," Charlie said tentatively, glancing at Nick, who nodded to make sure he knew it really was okay. "Thanks … Sarah."

"There now. That's better. Now you boys go finish your homework while I put dinner together."

"How do you know it's not already done?" Nick asked her.

She grinned at him. "It isn't, is it?"

"Well, maybe not. Do you need any help?"

"I'll let you know when I need the table set."

They went upstairs to Nick's room, but Charlie hadn't brought his backpack, so they played MarioKart instead. And as usual, Nick lost. And as usual, he pleaded with Charlie "Just let me win!"

Not that he was getting anywhere with that. Charlie was MarioKart champion for life.

Nick dropped the controller and put his face in his hands. "I can't do this anymore!"

Charlie laughed at him and mussed his hair. "I'm sorry."

Looking at him, hair completely messed up, Nick said, "That was uncalled for."

"Will this make it better?" And Charlie leaned in and kissed him, soft and sweet.

"Maybe," Nick breathed against Charlie's lips, pushing him back on the bed, kissing him some more.

It seemed like no time at all before Nick's mum was calling them downstairs. She had her back to them when they came into the kitchen, looking at each other guiltily but happily. They started setting the table, Charlie now fairly familiar with where things were kept in the Nelson kitchen.

The meal was lovely. Nick always found it easy to talk to his mum, and the same with Charlie, so having them there at the same table was pretty much perfect.

After dinner, his mum sent Nick to take Nellie for a walk. He wasn't sure about it, leaving Charlie alone there, but he seemed okay with it, so Nick put the lead on his dog and set out, making sure to give her a nice walk, not to rush it in his curiosity about what his mum was saying. He trusted her, and he knew she wanted to set Charlie at ease, but still … he wanted to know.

When he came back into the kitchen, he looked between the two of them, tensing immediately. "Everything okay?"

Charlie nodded.

His mum said, "I was just telling Charlie, or just about to tell him, that I want you both to know that you can talk to me. I may not always know what to say, but … I am here."

Nick smiled, the tension easing. "Thanks, Mum."

"Thank you, Sarah," Charlie said in a whisper. He cleared his throat. "I should go. I do actually still have homework to finish."

"Charlie the brilliant still needs to do homework?" Nick teased. "I'll walk you to the door."

"And I'll finish the dishes," Sarah said, turning back to the sink and scraping extra loudly at a plate so they wouldn't think she was paying any attention to them as they said good-bye.

Nick reached for his hand. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You'll see me tomorrow."

"One more kiss so I'll believe it."

Charlie smiled. "No. You have to wait." But then Nick pouted, and Charlie kissed him anyway. "Fine, have it your way."

Nick grinned. "Good-night."

"Good-night."