Work Text:
Sarah was staying with Nick and Charlie for a few weeks while her house was being renovated.
She had watched the pair over the past 25 years, falling in love, building a life together. She knew there was a deep connection between them.
But nothing prepared her for what she experienced living with them and her beloved granddaughter Lucy, now 10 years old.
It started at dinner on the first night. They had been talking about Sarah’s bookclub. At the next silence Charlie looked at Nick.
“Did you-“
“Next Tuesday at 10.30”.
“Brilliant thanks, I can take the morning off and bring her”.
They smiled at each other.
“What just happened?”, Sarah felt like she had just witnessed a magic trick.
“Nick said he would book Lucy in for her annual dental check”, Charlie was surprised at her amazement.
Sarah turned to her son.
“But all Charlie said was did you? How on earth did you know what he was talking about?!”
Nick chuckled.
“You had said the word book several times. I knew Charlie had done a word association for booking things”, Nick smiled lovingly at his husband who blushed.
So in sync, Sarah marvelled.
———
It happened again the next day.
They were lounging in the living room watching some drama Sarah had been keeping up with.
Nick and Charlie were on the couch. Charlie was nestled into Nick’s side. Sarah was so used to their PDAs at this point she didn’t even notice.
During a break, Nick sat up. Charlie grumbled.
“Will I-?”, Nick asked as he rubbed Charlie’s cheek in apology for moving.
“Ooooh, yes definitely!”, Charlie cheered up immediately, sitting up excitedly.
Nick left the room.
“I have no idea what’s going on!”, there was a laugh in Sarah’s voice.
“Nick is gone to warm up some churros”, Charlie was practically bouncing at the thought.
“How do you know?”, Sarah’s mind was going a mile a minute trying to see how Nick had made a connection between the programme and churros.
Charlie giggled.
“That character who came into that last scene was called Josh”.
“I’m afraid you’ve lost me darling!”
“Josh O’Connor. Challengers. Churros scene”.
“Josh O’Connor. I know that name. Oh that’s that actor Nick likes isn’t it?”
Charlie nodded his head vigorously, one eyebrow raised.
Sarah’s chest tightened at how well known, understood and accepted her son was by his husband.
——
In the second week, Sarah offered to look after Lucy for a night. Nick and Charlie immediately made plans for dinner and booked a hotel.
They were now frantically packing.
Lucy and Sarah stood together in the hall watching the chaos.
“Nick, where’s the-“.
“Chest of drawers”.
“Got it. Did you-“.
“Yeah he said that’s no problem. Will you-“.
“Already done”.
“Are you able to keep up with this?”, Sarah addressed Lucy.
“Sometimes”, Lucy rolled her eyes but there was a smile on her face. She loved when her dads got like this. She never witnessed it from her friend’s parents.
“Do they ever finish a sentence?”
“Rarely”, Lucy squealed as her dads kissed her on the cheek before running out the door.