"I think I like just-Charlie."
Charlie grinned and ducked his head. Simon kissed his hair.
"What time is it?" he asked then, vaguely conscious of the approaching dawn.
Charlie lifted his head. "Almost five, I think." He sighed. "We should probably get dressed before Brent or Viktor decide to barge in."
"Probably," Simon agreed, though he made no move to disentangle himself.
Charlie smiled against his skin, then reluctantly pulled away. He slipped from the bed and picked up the clothes that had landed on the floor. Simon watched him, memorizing the lines of his body, the way his hair stood up at odd angles.
Never had he thought he could fall for someone so soft, and yet…
He'd meant it when he said he wasn't letting this one go again.
"You're staring," Charlie said without looking back.
"I am." Simon finally moved, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Problem?"
Charlie tossed Simon's pants at him. "Only if Viktor walks in while you're still naked."
Simon caught the pants one-handed and stood. His body felt different, stronger, as he dressed. The silver wound had finally healed, leaving only the faintest pink mark on his side.
A sharp knock interrupted them just as Simon pulled on his shirt.
"Decent?" Viktor's voice came through the door.
"Give us a minute!" Charlie called back, his fingers clumsy as he tried to button his shirt. Simon strode over to him and buttoned it for him.
"Thanks." Charlie gave him an awkward smile and ran a hand through his messy hair, attempting to tame it.
Simon wanted to pull him straight back into bed.
Sadly, there was no time for that. The door opened, and Viktor entered, followed by Brent who carried two paper bags.
"I got you a present," Brent announced, holding out one of the bags to Charlie. "Figured you might need it."
Charlie took the bag and peered inside. His eyes widened. "A phone?" He pulled out a cheap smartphone, still in its packaging.
"You lost yours, didn't you?"
"I didn't lose it, I turned it in at the retreat, which…" Charlie trailed off. "Thank you," he said to his friend after a second as he powered on the phone, the screen lighting up with the default wallpaper. He paused with his eyes on the screen as thoughhe couldn't grasped the normalcy of it. "Mr. Denton's probably wondering where I am."
"Your boss?" Simon asked.
"Yeah." Charlie scrolled through the preloaded apps. "I should probably call the store. Let them know I'm not coming in anymore."
A strange silence fell over the room. Simon and Viktor exchanged glances.
"What?" Charlie looked between them.
"Nothing," Simon said. "Just... the idea of calling in to quit your convenience store job while we're hiding from a secret organization is…"
"Peak Charlie," Brent finished, grinning.
Charlie blushed. Simon still didn't know how he managed to do that as a vampire, but he didn't care either. He laid a hand on Charlie's waist and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"Never change," he whispered into his ear.
