Unpack your heart
Nick doesn't remember the moment it dawned on him. That this radiant, beautiful boy was someone he liked. Someone he wanted to touch, to hold, to get to know. He doesn't remember that but he remembers seeing him run for the first time, catching him behind the drums during a rehearsal he walked by. Christ, of course Nick noticed Charlie Spring back then and of course he remembers him now. Charlie Spring is the reason he found a part of himself he didn't know existed.
or,
Vertical form never happened, Nick and Charlie never met at Truham and now they're both students at the University of Leeds. Aka, another university fic but with my little spin to it. Rated M for mentions of Charlie's past, violence and possible lemons.