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Doc was only in the toy store because he needed to find a present for his niece’s birthday-he had to buy and send it early enough that it would arrive in time for her party. His sister had called to remind him over a week ago, but he’d only just found the time to devote to it. He’d already found the perfect gift, something his niece had begged for but her parents couldn’t find-it was prominently displayed on a shelf just outside the loo. He was heading to the checkout when he saw it.
He never would’ve noticed it a year ago, maybe not even six months ago. But now that he’d seen it he just knew he had to buy it. It was perfect. “It” was a small stuffed rat toy, with a plush elongated body and a soft vinyl nose. It had whiskers made of thin pieces of clear plastic and a long tail, filled with sand so it had a weight to it. But the most perfect part were its eyes, made of small green marbles, so dark Doc almost couldn’t tell their color. He plucked it off the shelf after barely a moment of thought and carried it with him to the registers.
There was a stationary store near Doc’s apartment that he stopped at to grab boxes and wrapping paper; a card for his niece. The owner of the store ran the front on weekends, so he chatted with her for a bit before heading home. He made quick work of his niece’s present-spent perhaps more time on the card than strictly necessary. Then he stared down the plush rat, wondering how best to deliver it to Charlie.
Charlie had started coming over for “science lessons,” as he called them. Though science lessons turned to reading lessons, and occasionally Charlie couldn’t focus and got frustrated, so reading lessons turned to game night; game night turned to dinner and movies on Doc’s overstuffed couch. He was one of the most curious students Doc had ever seen, no matter how difficult it was for him to grasp a concept, but more than that he was very good company. Doc liked the way he told stories-very animated, with lots of gestures; he was especially fond of the silly voices Charlie sometimes put on.
Doc knew Charlie wouldn’t mind if he simply gave the toy to him the next time he visited. But Doc wanted it to be special-he often wanted things with Charlie to be special. Charlie reacted with such wonder to so many things, and Doc loved making him smile; loved seeing that particular sparkle in Charlie’s green eyes. He pulled out a smaller box, one he already had.
It had once carried pipettes, and it still had its labels and markings-the words were relatively simple, mostly phonetic. He knew how much Charlie liked being able to read words unfamiliar to him. Doc placed the rat in the box, curling its tail along the length of its body, and taped it shut. Then he set about choosing a ribbon-he figured wrapping paper would be a bit too much.
He kept a box of old ribbons in his closet, tucked under other paraphernalia he didn’t often need, and he remembered one in particular that would be just perfect. His nephew had stuck it to the packaging of the copy of his thesis he had requested from his sister. It was very busy-with curly multi-colored ribbons, a fuzzy ball in the center, and several sets of googly eyes and teeth. His nephew had called it a “monster party bow” and Doc thought it would amuse Charlie as much as it had amused him and his nephew.
With the bow secured to the package, and his niece’s present wrapped with card attached, Doc made himself dinner and went to bed. He would take his niece’s present to the post office in the morning on his way to work. Charlie was set to come over at the start of the weekend-he liked to have sleepovers, because his friends wouldn’t have them with him anymore. Doc liked when Charlie came over; he liked Charlie. He hoped Charlie would like his gift.
Doc was relaxing on his couch, dinner in the oven, reading a novel one of his students recommended, when there was a knock at his door. He smiled to himself as he rose, dog-earing his page and setting the book on the coffee table. His smile only grew when he opened his door and saw Charlie grinning ear to ear, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket.
“Doc!” Charlie greeted, bouncing in place a little before wrapping Doc in a hug. Doc laughed a little breathlessly.
“Hello Charlie,” he said, reaching up to smooth down some of Charlie’s hair. “How was your day, dear boy?”
“Oh man, it was crazy. The gang tried to do this scheme, and they said they needed me to run all over the place getting them stuff but they really just wanted me out of the bar so I wouldn’t mess it up.” Doc hummed with displeasure and Charlie grinned. “Nah, it was a dumb scheme anyway. And I met this cool guy who sells uh,” Charlie hesitated, obviously trying to remember a difficult word. Doc smiled softly, gently leading Charlie into his apartment with a hand on his elbow. “Who sells… taxidermy?”
“Dead animals which have been stuffed?”
“Yeah,” Charlie said, his whole face lighting up. Doc smiled with him. “I got the word right! He sells taxidermy roadkill.” Doc kept his expression from changing-Charlie’s interests differed from his in many areas, but it was very important to him not to make Charlie feel bad about it.
“That’s very interesting Charlie,” he said, leading them into the kitchen.
“I thought it was cool. They were really good, they didn’t feel too starchy when I pet them. Don’t worry,” Charlie said quickly, “I washed my hands after.” Doc chuckled quietly.
“Yes, you have been very good at keeping up on your washing.” Charlie smiled, his cheeks puffing up and making his eyes crinkle. Doc ducked his head; grabbed his pot holders and levered open the oven door.
“What did you make for dinner?” Charlie asked, his nose twitching a little as he smelled the air. “Smells like cheese.”
“There is quite a lot of cheese in it. I tried a new lasagna recipe for tonight, something with three cheeses and spiced sausage,” Doc said casually, as though he wasn’t extremely eager to learn Charlie’s opinion on it. He hadn’t mentioned it, and he wasn’t sure if Charlie noticed, but he had been trying many new recipes since Charlie started eating with him-mainly ones involving cheese. He’d been borrowing a lot of cookbooks from the university library.
Charlie grabbed plates and silver, and set the table without being asked. Doc served them both generous portions, then turned to wash his hands.
“Doc, I am so excited to eat this,” Charlie said, and Doc smiled warmly. He knew Charlie was waiting until he sat to start eating.
“I’m very glad to hear that Charlie. I am as well.” Doc slid into the chair across from Charlie and picked up his fork. “Go ahead then,” he said, nodding toward Charlie’s plate. Charlie grinned, immediately digging in with his usual gusto. He made a pleased sound between one bite and the next, and then Doc started eating with a smile. Their meals together usually passed in relative silence-largely because Charlie enjoyed eating, and Doc enjoyed watching Charlie enjoy eating. Today Charlie bumped their ankles together under the table; Doc ducked his head and Charlie grinned.
Charlie raved about the lasagna while he washed the dishes and Doc set up their lesson. It was making Doc’s cheeks warm again; his heart was doing something funny in his chest. They usually did their lessons at the dining room table, unless they were reading-reading was done on the couch. Charlie had requested a science lesson over dinner, and Doc had the perfect topic in mind.
“Are those flashcards?” Charlie asked, poorly hiding his obvious glee. Doc smiled warmly.
“They are. I thought we’d talk about the stars again today. These,” he indicated the cards, “are the planets in our solar system.” Charlie sat back down at the table, listening intently. “On the backs of the cards you’ll find basic information about the planets, which we’ll discuss. Our goal for today is to see if you can guess a planet’s chemical makeup just by looking at it.”
The lesson lasted quite a bit longer than Doc anticipated-he was grateful Charlie was spending the night, so he wouldn’t have to walk home so late. They retired to the couch after everything was cleaned up; curled up with hot cocoa while a movie played with the volume low. Charlie was talking animatedly about an encounter he’d had with a rather large raccoon. Doc let one leg fall from the couch and his slacks brushed against the package.
“Oh Charlie,” he said. “I hate to interrupt, but I have something for you.”
“Like homework or something?” Charlie asked, tilting his head to one side, his nose twitching again. Doc laughed, pulling the box out from under the coffee table.
“No, dear boy. It’s a gift.” Doc turned pink; ducked his head as he held out the box. Charlie made a delighted sound as he poked at the ribbon-he pulled on the curled strings and then let them go so they would bounce; he stroked the puffball with two fingers as though it were a small animal. Doc covered his mouth lightly.
“I love this little thing,” Charlie said, grinning as he indicated the bow. “There’s more?”
“There is,” Doc said, nodding toward the box. Charlie squinted at it, still grinning; mouthed the words on the labels to himself as he pulled at the tape. When he yanked the top open the grin fell off his face; he slowly tilted his head to one side, staring wordlessly into the box. Doc shifted nervously as Charlie took the rat into his hands and let the box fall off his lap onto the floor.
“Charlie?” Charlie was turning it in his hands, studying it closely as though it were one of the models Doc sometimes used in their lessons.
“Doc,” Charlie said quietly, still staring intensely at the toy. “You bought this for me?” he asked, like no one had ever bought something for him before. He looked at Doc with round eyes; sitting eerily still.
“Do you like it?” Doc asked, shifting nervously. Charlie’s face broke into a huge grin, and he started bouncing in place on the couch.
“I love it,” he insisted, “This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me in my life.” Doc laughed, slumping in relief.
“Oh I’m so glad, Charlie,” Doc said. “It…” he hesitated, trailing off. He looked away, turning pink.
“It what?” Charlie asked, still grinning, tilting his head to the side again. He tucked the toy into the crook of his arm; started playing with its tail.
“It made me think of you.” Doc’s flush darkened. “I thought you would like it.”
“Of course I like it Doc, it’s a soft little rat guy. And it’s got bristly whiskers. It’s kinda like me, but it smells nicer.” Another laugh bubbled out of Doc’s throat and Charlie’s smile widened. “I’m gonna try to take really good care of it.” Doc’s heart fluttered; his chest grew warm. Charlie was beaming now, holding the toy against his chest as if it were something precious. He stroked its back gently, with just his fingertips.
“Would you like to name it?” Doc asked, watching Charlie, who was watching his own hands move over the soft fabric. Charlie looked up, blinking.
“Huh?”
“Would you like to choose a name for it? Call him something?” Charlie hummed.
“I didn’t think about that,” he admitted. “I guess he does need a name doesn’t he.” He considered the toy carefully, turning it over in his hands; cradling it in the crook of his elbow. “I gotta think about it,” he said finally with a little nod of his head.
“A name is a very important thing,” Doc said, smiling a little. “You take all the time you need Charlie. He’s yours now.” Charlie beamed again.
“Thanks Doc,” he said warmly, bumping their shoulders together. Doc’s ears were still warm.
“You’re very welcome, dear boy.”
The toy rat stayed tucked between them for the rest of the movie. Charlie only stopped smiling when he had to yawn as he started to nod off against Doc’s shoulder toward the end. When the credits rolled, Doc suggested in a quiet voice that they turn in. Charlie simply nodded sleepily, and allowed himself to be lead to the bedroom with a gentle hand on his back.
One drawer of Doc’s dresser had slowly started filling with Charlie’s clothes (and Doc’s clothes that Charlie had a fondness for). Doc dug through the drawer to find some soft pajamas for Charlie to change into while Charlie slumped on the foot of the bed. He held the rat against his chest, letting its back legs and tail hang down loosely; watched Doc with half-lidded eyes. He changed into his pajamas while Doc disappeared into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Doc slipped back into the bedroom in his own pajamas-an old t-shirt and some comfortable sweatpants, the same as Charlie-and drew back the covers. He patted the pillows at the head of the bed on one side, hard enough to make noise.
“There you are, Charlie. Lie down.”
“You’re the best,” Charlie mumbled as he wriggled his way under the covers. Doc chuckled quietly. He watched Charlie lay the toy rat’s head down on the pillow next to him and smiled softly. Then he made his way over to his side of the bed and slipped under the covers himself.
Charlie was a cuddler; Doc had learned that very early in their time together. He was also a “big spoon,” a fact that Doc appreciated greatly. He loved to wake with Charlie’s warm weight against his back, Charlie’s strong arm around his waist; even if it made his cheeks a bit warm. This morning he woke in just such a position-he allowed his eyes to stay closed, chasing the possibility of just a bit more sleep. Charlie’s beard was tickling the back of his neck.
“Charlie, darling,” Doc said quietly, his voice still thick with sleep.
“Yeah Doc?” Charlie responded, sounding much too awake. He tended to wake before Doc, but he liked to stay in bed until Doc woke up. He held Doc a little tighter, turning his head to pillow his cheek on Doc’s shoulder.
“Hm. Good morning,” Doc groaned, stretching out his legs.
“Good morning,” Charlie said. Doc could hear the grin in his voice. “You want me to make breakfast?” Doc rolled his shoulders, then fell onto his back. Charlie’s arm stayed slung across his belly; he smiled down at Doc, looking sleep-tousled and warm. “I can make pancakes.”
“That sounds lovely,” Doc said, a smile pulling at his lips. He reached up and patted Charlie’s cheek once, twice, then let his hand fall to rest on Charlie’s arm. His eyes fell closed again. “Charming man,” he mumbled, half-asleep. He felt Charlie duck his head, then shift away from him and climb off the bed.
Doc felt something poke his face. He jerked away from the sensation, whining quietly. He opened his eyes slowly, and saw Charlie grinning down at him sheepishly, holding a spatula.
“Food’s ready,” he said quietly.
“Oh.” Doc reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes. “Thank you Charlie. I’ll be out in a moment.”
“Sure.” Charlie slunk out of the bedroom slowly, not-so-subtly watching Doc to make sure he actually got out of bed. Doc pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes again. He noticed belatedly that Charlie had changed clothes-he had the plush rat tucked through the pocket of his grey sweatshirt. Then Charlie disappeared into the living area and Doc sighed.
When Doc stumbled his way out of the bedroom-face washed, teeth brushed, wearing his “weekend clothes,” as Charlie liked to call them-he was greeted with the wonderful smell of breakfast. Charlie was a much better cook than he let on; Doc always enjoyed his meals. The table was set, plates stacked high with fluffy pancakes, a little bowl of sliced fruit in the middle. Doc smiled warmly. Charlie turned from the sink, where he’d been washing the dishes he’d made.
“Good morning,” he said again, grinning brightly. Doc chuckled quietly.
“Good morning, Charlie,” he said in return, sitting at the table. Charlie slipped into the seat across from him; handed him a napkin.
“I put chocolate chips in them this time,” he said conversationally. “They’re buttered already.” He started cutting his pancakes methodically; Doc watched his hands move, almost in a daze. He thought maybe he was still a bit more tired than he thought.
“The chocolate will go well with the strawberries,” Doc said belatedly. Charlie grinned. They ate quietly; Doc felt himself waking up more with every bite. Charlie kept bumping their feet together under the table.
“Flower,” Charlie mumbled suddenly around a bite of pancake.
“What was that Charlie?” Doc asked, blinking owlishly. Charlie swallowed; put his fork down.
“I wanna call him Flower.” Charlie patted the toy rat gently-Doc hadn’t noticed it lying next to Charlie’s arm. Charlie immediately started rambling, not waiting for Doc to reply. “I thought it would be funny, yknow, because people usually think of rats in sewers, but flowers smell good, sweet or whatever, and I thought about that little skunk guy from the sad deer movie-” Doc covered Charlie’s hand with his own, smiling gently.
“I think that’s a lovely name for him Charlie.” Charlie practically collapsed into his chair with relief.
“Oh good,” he said, laughing at himself a little, “I thought you would think it was lame.”
“Now why would I think a thing like that?” Doc asked. He squeezed Charlie’s hand slightly, smile turning warm and bringing out the crinkles near his eyes. “You put a lot of thought into it. It’s a perfect name.” Charlie’s cheeks pinkened; he reached up to tug at his earlobe.
“What did you wanna do today?” he asked, very obviously trying to change the subject. He pulled his hand out from under Doc’s so he could clear the table, fumbling slightly with the dishes as he stood. Doc hummed, watching Charlie work.
“I hadn’t thought about it,” Doc answered truthfully. He glanced at the toy rat- Flower . He smiled. “Perhaps you can set the itinerary for this weekend Charlie.”
Charlie was thrilled that he got to choose the activities-almost as thrilled as he was when Doc told him he correctly assumed the definition of ‘itinerary.’ He always chose interesting things to do (Doc hadn’t expected to like Nightcrawlers as much as he did).
Today he wanted to do puzzles-Doc had amassed quite a collection, and Charlie was very fond of the ones that unscrambled to reveal pictures of space. He picked out three and lined them up on the coffee table while Doc unfolded the card table he kept propped up in the back corner of the living room. They each grabbed a chair from the kitchen, discussing what movie to put in while they worked (Doc’s movie collection had expanded quite a lot since meeting Charlie as well).
They worked on puzzles, Flower resting on Charlie’s lap, through two and a half Fast and Furious movies and a quick lunch before Charlie got bored. Doc decided to leave the mostly finished puzzle laid out on the table, just in case Charlie wanted to finish it later. Next Charlie wanted to keep reading the book Doc had recommended to him-he was very invested in the story of the little mouse who lost his tail-so they snuggled into the couch together and Doc listened to Charlie read. He always gently corrected Charlie when he made mistakes, or helped him with the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word, but it was more and more infrequently that he needed to-a fact which made Doc swell with pride. Flower stayed tucked between them, his little head pillowed on Charlie’s thigh.
They turned in after a large dinner they prepared together, talking and laughing over the chicken and cheese and vegetables. Sunday went much the same. Spending time with Charlie relaxed Doc, and spending time with Doc relaxed Charlie-parting was always difficult; disappointing. Charlie always dragged his feet when their weekends came to an end; he stayed as long as he could, until Doc really did have to go to bed, Charlie, I’m very sorry dear boy.
Charlie slumped in the doorway, hugging Flower to his chest. He sighed heavily.
“I guess I’ll see you next weekend?” he said hesitantly (he always said it hesitantly, like he expected Doc to suddenly change his mind). Doc smiled gently.
“I look forward to it darling boy. Please have a safe trip home.”
“I will,” Charlie said, playfully rolling his eyes. He shifted on the mat. “Bye Doc,” he said quietly.
“Goodbye Charlie,” Doc said. He let his voice lilt up and get syrupy as he said, “Goodbye Flower.” Charlie flushed, holding Flower a little closer to his chest, grinning goofily. Doc smiled after him as he wandered down the hall. He clicked the door shut after Charlie disappeared around the corner; and sighed quietly, resting his head against the wood for a moment before he set out to clean up.
There was a frantic knock on Doc’s door that Thursday evening. His brow furrowed, and he scrambled up to squint through the peephole. He immediately recognized the mop of scruffy hair and green army jacket on his doorstep and quickly opened the door.
“Oh Charlie, I wasn’t expecting-”
“Flower got a stain!” Charlie cried, bustling past Doc into the apartment. He whipped around, holding Flower out at arms length before snatching him back to his chest.
“Oh I’m terribly sorry, dear boy,” Doc said genuinely, his brows coming together again with concern. He held out his hands, palms up. “May I see?” Charlie looked at him with wide, sad eyes-he looked so distraught; Doc’s heart broke. He handed Flower to Doc so gently, like he might break if he was handled too roughly. Doc smoothed his fingers over Flower’s body, turning him slowly until he could see the stain. It was smaller than he expected, but stood out starkly on Flower’s grey back. “That doesn’t look too bad. What made this stain?”
“I don’t know.” Charlie wrinkled his nose irritably. “It could’ve been anything, Frank tore apart the apartment while I was out today,” he huffed. “I found Flower under the radiator.” Doc frowned; studied the stain carefully, trying to discern what it could be. He looked up at Charlie again, at his scrunched features and his tense shoulders.
“I’m so sorry Charlie. But don’t fret, I’m sure we can get him all cleaned up.”
“You’re sure?” Charlie asked, eyes narrowing. Doc chuckled quietly; started heading toward the kitchen, Charlie following close behind.
“I am quite adept at removing stains dear boy. Lab work can get incredibly messy.” Charlie hummed consideringly.
“I guess that makes sense.” Doc very gingerly set Flower on the counter so he could stoop and dig through the cabinet under the sink. When he had everything he thought he might need and stood again, Charlie was standing next to Flower, worrying his heavy tail between his fingers.
“I’m going to try some white vinegar first Charlie,” Doc explained, grabbing a rag. He was aware that Charlie knew quite a bit about cleaning-Doc considered Charlie a very good janitor-but he didn’t often launder, and was wary of using harsher chemicals on cloth since what he called “The Bleach Incident.” Charlie watched him carefully as he wet the rag with the vinegar and pulled the patch of Flower’s body flat. Charlie made a distressed noise. “I’m merely pulling the fabric taut darling. So I don’t miss any of the stain.”
“Okay.” Charlie crouched so he could see Doc work. “You’re just gonna rub at it?” he asked, squinting up at Doc almost suspiciously. Doc nodded.
“Yes. I’ll dab at it first, and then scrub at it in little circles to see if that lifts any of the stain.” Doc started doing just that as he spoke, working methodically as he’d done many times before. “See there?” Doc gestured at the top of the stain, where the color was changing.
“It does look like it’s working,” Charlie allowed. He was looking significantly less distressed already. Doc finished working at the stain and threw the rag in the sink. He turned on the tap to wash his hands.
“I’d like to throw him in the washing machine, if you’ll let me Charlie. It should lift the rest of the stain and change his color back to normal.” Charlie shot up from the ground, squawking.
“He can’t go in the washer!” he cried. His hands twitched at his sides, and Doc knew he wanted to snatch Flower off the counter and tuck him into his jacket. Doc quickly dried his hands so he could place them on Charlie’s shoulders.
“Dear boy,” he said gently. “It will be alright. We’ll put him in a pillowcase and send him through the delicate cycle.”
“In a pillowcase?” Charlie asked, still tense.
“It will protect Flower while he’s in the machines and he’ll come out good as new. That’s what my mother did with mine, and it always worked wonderfully.” Doc let his hands slide from Charlie’s shoulders and squeezed his arms lightly. “Come now, we can wait for him together.” Doc led Charlie to the linen cabinet and let him choose a pillowcase. Then they went back into the kitchen and Doc scooped Flower off the counter.
“You’re sure he’ll be okay?” Charlie asked, squinting. He reached up to tug at his earlobe.
“I wouldn’t lie to you Charlie,” Doc said. He pursed his lips, then nodded a little to himself. “There is another thing my mother used to do before she laundered my toys.” Charlie perked up a little.
“Yeah?” Doc held Flower out so that his face was inches from Charlie’s.
“Give his nose a little kiss.” Doc turned pink as he said it. Charlie crossed his eyes a little to look at Flower’s nose.
“Will that help?” he asked, blinking up at Doc. Doc smiled, cheeks getting pinker.
“It’s the same concept as kissing a bandage to make the cut stop hurting. As I said, my stuffed toys were always okay.” Charlie hummed, nodding to himself.
“Okay,” he said simply, before leaning forward and delicately kissing Flower’s little vinyl nose.
“There we go,” Doc murmured. “Now he can have a wash.” He let Charlie place Flower in the pillowcase and then tied it off. He ushered Charlie into the living room before he put Flower in his stacked washer unit; grabbed the kitchen timer before following. Charlie was sitting on the couch, bouncing his leg anxiously, as he sometimes did.
“How long is it gonna take Doc?” he asked as soon as Doc walked into the room.
“We’ll set the timer Charlie, it’s alright.” Doc turned the knob on the little timer and set it on the coffee table. “When it goes off we’ll move him to the dryer, and then we’ll set the timer again.”
“That’s gonna take forever,” Charlie said; almost whined. He glared down at his lap, where he had his hands fisted in his jacket. “I said I would take care of him,” he grumbled, mostly to himself.
“Charles,” Doc said sternly, hands on his hips. Charlie deflated, looked up at him pathetically. Doc got the feeling that Charlie had intended to make his heart clench. “How about we finish that puzzle, hm?” he offered gently. “To get your mind off it.”
“You left it up?” Charlie asked, looking back to the corner where the card table was still up. “Huh. I didn’t notice that.”
“Yes, I think you were rather preoccupied when you arrived,” Doc said, smirking slightly. Charlie ducked his head, pushing himself up from the couch.
“Maybe a little.” He wandered into the kitchen, grabbed a chair, and walked it out to the living room.
“Anyhow, I couldn’t bring myself to put it away. We worked so hard on it,” Doc said when Charlie returned. It was a rather large puzzle, with a lot of very tiny pieces in very odd shapes. They’d worked on it for nearly three hours and it was barely a third of the way done. Charlie smiled, setting the chair down at the table.
“We’re just gonna mix it up again once we’re done though,” he said.
“Still,” Doc murmured, turning a little pink. Charlie laughed, going back into the kitchen for a second chair. Once they started, it seemed like it took no time at all for the timer to go off. While Doc went to put the pillowcase in the dryer, Charlie went into the kitchen to rummage through the cabinets.
“Do we still have any of those little cloud cookie things?” Charlie called. “The pink ones?”
“The wafer biscuits? I believe so,” Doc said as he entered the kitchen, set timer in hand. Charlie made a little triumphant noise as he dragged the box out of the far left cabinet. Doc led the way back into the living room as Charlie started munching on the biscuits. They sat down to keep working on the puzzle together. Doc noticed that Charlie was anxiously bouncing his leg again and kept a watchful eye on him.
Charlie shot up out of his chair when the timer went off, practically running to the dryer. He waited for Doc to pull the pillowcase out of the machine and untie it, then shoved his hand into it to grab Flower. He inspected him closely to make sure he was alright, turning him in his hands and squinting down at him; squeezing his tail and rubbing his nose and flicking his whiskers. Doc watched in amusement, biting his lip.
“Is he to your liking Charlie?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. Charlie looked up at him, beaming.
“He’s perfect,” he said. “Exactly like he was before.” He surged forward and wrapped Doc in a big bear hug-Flower sandwiched between them. “Doc, thank you so much. Seriously,” Charlie said, his voice muffled by Doc’s neck.
“You’re quite welcome Charlie,” Doc said, voice pitchy, face flushed. Charlie pulled back after a moment, shifting to hold Flower in his hands, his little head tilted back to see Charlie’s face.
“I gotta thank you or something man,” Charlie said; mumbled. He looked down at Flower, his brow wrinkling.
“Charlie you don’t have to thank me. I’m glad I could help you.” Charlie pursed his lips, and then his face changed-Doc had the feeling he’d gotten an idea. Before Doc could blink, Charlie had pressed a kiss to Flower’s nose, then quickly pressed it to Doc’s mouth. He flushed, snatching Flower back and cradling him against his chest. Doc blinked; took a moment to process what happened. Then a soft, sappy smile took over his face, making his eyes crinkle and his lips wobble. He leaned forward-slowly, so he wouldn’t startle Charlie-and very gently kissed the tip of Charlie’s nose. He delighted at the way Charlie turned red; starting at his cheeks and spreading quickly down his neck and up into his hairline.
“Is it okay if I kiss you for real now?” Charlie mumbled, rocking onto the balls of his feet.
“I’d very much like you to,” Doc said, his own face turning red. Charlie leaned forward; squeezed his eyes shut and very gently pressed his lips to Doc’s. Doc felt as though he’d shake apart, if not for the hand Charlie placed on his hip. When he pulled away, Charlie cleared his throat.
“Uh, thank you,” he said awkwardly. “For the, for Flower. And for cleaning him. And also, for, you know-” Doc cut him off with another chaste kiss.
“Anytime darling,” he said quietly, barely pulling away. “Were you planning on heading home?”
“I mean, I never wanna leave,” Charlie laughed, reaching up to tug on his earlobe. Doc smiled.
“You know you’re always welcome here Charlie,” he said, shifting. “And you’ve had a very eventful day, I’m sure it would be nice not to have to take that long walk home.” Charlie nodded.
“Oh definitely.” They both grinned, still flushed and glowing. “You think it’s too early to ‘turn in?’” Charlie asked, still grinning, looking at the floor.
“Not if you’re knackered dear boy. I was just thinking the same thing, as it happens.”
“Cool cool,” Charlie said, nodding some more. He let Doc lead the way to the bedroom, then helped him pick out their pajamas. They changed quickly, slipping under the covers; both a special sort of giddy. Doc rolled to face Charlie after switching off his lamp, smiling softly. He watched Charlie lay Flower’s head on the pillow between them and his chest grew warm.
“Good night Charlie,” he said quietly.
“Night Doc,” Charlie said, leaning forward to kiss Doc’s nose. “You’re the best.”