Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I think it’s finally time to take Nick to meet my family,” Charlie let out as soon as he joined his friends at their usual table at their favourite Café.

“Already? Wow, don’t you think it’s too soon?” Tao snorted, sarcasm dripping from his voice and Charlie sent him a glare.

“Oh yeah, they’ve been dating for a year, that’s definitely super soon,” Elle nodded sarcastically.

“You guys are the worst,” Charlie groaned. “You know how I stress about this type of thing.”

“We’re very aware, yes,” Isaac grinned, and Charlie flipped him off, making them all laugh.

“But seriously, are you sure about it this time?” Elle asked, hand crossing the table to hold his own.

He’d been thinking about that for quite some time, actually, and having met all of Nick’s family only made it even more glaring obvious that Charlie was avoiding it with all he could. Not that Nick ever made him feel bad for that, because his boyfriend, his vampire boyfriend, was the most understanding person he’d ever met.

“Yeah, I really am,” he said, smiling softly at his friends. “And honestly, I think the timing is good. The annual Halloween party is just around the corner so everyone will be in the same place at the same time so we’d only need to do it once.”

“Charlie…” Tao looked at him with disbelief. “Why would you think that taking your vampire boyfriend to your witch family's Halloween celebration unannounced, would be a good idea?”

“I don’t exactly think it is the best idea but there isn’t much to do about that, is that?” Charlie shrugged, resigned. “Nick’s always gonna be a vampire, my family is always gonna be witchy and my nan is always gonna hate it more than everything else.”

“I mean, true,” Elle agreed. “But it doesn’t mean you have to throw him straight to the wolves like that.”

“Well, Nick had already agreed and we’ve already RSVPed. Besides, Tori and Olly are also gonna be there so, it might not be as bad.”

And frankly, Charlie couldn’t even begrudge his friends’ disbelieving looks because truth be told, he was also feeling slightly hesitant.

But well, what’s the worst that could happen? 

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

Turned out that a lot of shit could actually happen when one was taking their vampire boyfriend to a witch party.

For one, since the Spring’s state was a whole four hours away and they were spending five days there, they had to pack a cooler bag full of blood bags for Nick to consume during that time. Especially since he’d be in a house full of witches and the scent could potentially be too much for him.

As much as Nick was used to Charlie’s blood by now, the same couldn’t be said for other witches’ blood. Not to mention that Nick couldn’t feed only on Charlie and– well, Charlie didn’t really hide the fact that he didn’t like Nick drinking from other living people anymore.

So taking Nick’s own blood stash with them it was.

Charlie also had to take his own stash of trinkets. Since it was Halloween time and the only time his whole family, his whole coven actually got together, he had to make the most of it all.

With their magic being replenished just by them all being at the same place at the same time, it was the perfect moment to craft stronger ropes of moonshine, stardust powder and magical herbs from his family state. It was, arguably, Charlie’s favourite time of the year because as much he loved practical magic and spells, there was something so… satisfying about magical crafting that he couldn’t help enjoying it fully.

And he had to admit he was excited to share that with Nick.

He was taken out of his musings by the boot of the car snapping shut and then the door on his right opened, allowing Nick to take his seat behind the wheel.

The vampire fastened his seat belt, then turned to Charlie with a soft smile on his lips. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Charlie smiled back, placing his hand on the centre console and lacing their fingers together once Nick had put his own on top of Charlie’s. “How come you don’t look nearly as nervous as I feel?”

Nick pulled on their joined fingers, dropping a small kiss on Charlie’s hand before resting them on his thigh and starting to drive. “It’s not that I’m not nervous, I just– I know we’ll be fine nonetheless.”

“We will.”

“And that’s good enough for me, you know?”

And Charlie did know.

Because as much as he loved and valued his family’s opinions, he knew he wouldn’t let them temper with his relationship with Nick.

Not when he felt in his magic that Nick was it for him. Not when he knew his family would be able to feel the same thing.

It was a funny thing, finding your magical soulmate in someone from a different magical species than yours. Not unheard of, obviously, but definitely not what a Spring would’ve ever expected, with them being a legacy family of long standing witches.

But at least not even them could go against the magical soulmate bond, no matter how much his grandmother would probably like to.

And if everything went okay, Charlie would be asking Nick to move in with him soon enough.

It was more of a formality than anything else; ever since they started dating, Nick had taken to spending more nights in Charlie’s flat than his own, to the point that Nellie, Nick’s spectral dog, had her own little dog bed in Charlie’s living room and her preferred dog food had a permanent place on his weekly shopping list. But of course that didn’t stop Charlie from worrying Nick wouldn’t be ready to officially mesh their lives together like that, even if he knew it was irrational.

However that was something for future Charlie to deal with, because currently they had to get through his family Halloween week first.

“At least we’re getting there before anyone else,” Charlie commented with a small sigh as he opened the music app on his phone, scrolling through his playlists. “My parents and siblings are probably the easiest of the whole bunch.”

“You’ve said that many times already, and I’ll have you know that saying that again is not as reassuring as you think it might be.”

Charlie giggled. “Baby, I assure you, at this point I’m trying more to reassure myself than you.”

Nick hummed. “Is it working?”

“… Not really.”

With a laugh, Nick shook his head. “Why do I feel this is gonna be a hot mess?”

Almost as if in agreement, Nellie barked on the backseat and Charlie snorted. “Oh it’s absolutely gonna be a mess, but we have each other right?”

“We do.”

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

The trip to Kent was smooth and fast, even if Charlie felt the cold grips of anxiety curling against his stomach the closer they got.

It was late morning when they reached the outskirts of Rochester and just a few minutes later, Nick was stopping by a giant warded gate. There was an intercom system, but as Nick started rolling down his window, Charlie stopped him.

Charlie could already feel his magic buzzing beneath his skin, and with just a flick of his fingers, the gate recognised it, opening with a faint crackling noise.

With a quick look toward Charlie, Nick steered the car forward, driving up the small path uphill. When the old Victorian house came into view, his vampire boyfriend whistled. “Holy shit, Char. This house is massive.”

“Yeah, well. It’s been in the family for generations.”

“I can see that,” Nick parked his car near Charlie’s dad’s old yellow one and leaned back on his seat, still staring at the house. “Now I understand how everyone can fit in the same house.”

Nellie, understanding they had arrived at their destination, raised from where she had been sleeping on her car seat and stretched her legs with a wide yawn. Then she gingerly scratched the car door closest to her.

Nick snorted, finally unbuckling his seat belt and opening his door. “Alright, you spoiled girl, I’ll take you out.”

“Don’t call our baby spoiled, Nicholas!” Charlie called after him, a laugh breaking through his lips as Nellie reached forward to lick his cheek.

As they unloaded their stuff and Nellie roamed around them sniffing the area, the front door opened and there stood his older sister. As usual, Tori was dressed in all black, her short hair held back with a silver headband and her bangs longer than usual and falling over her blue eyes.

Eyes that were fixated on Nick, assessing him with a blank look.

“When you said your boyfriend wasn’t a witch, I honestly wasn’t expecting a vampire.”

“I didn’t think anyone would, to be honest.”

Hauling both of their bags, the cooler and Nellie’s travel bag – oh, to have a boyfriend with super strength – Nick followed Charlie to the door and gave Tori his best smile. “Hi, Victoria. I’m Nick.”

“I know,” she deadpanned, eyes never leaving the vampire. She sipped from the drink in her hand, turning her back on them to allow them room to enter the house. “Call me Tori,” she threw over her shoulder before disappearing on the way to the kitchen.

Charlie snorted. “That went well.”

“It… did?”

“Yeah, she wouldn’t have asked you to call her Tori if she was wary of you,” Charlie helped Nick lay down their stuff, lacing their fingers together. “That’s why I left out the fact that you’re, you know, a vampire out of our conversations. I wanted her and my family to know you were good to me without any preconceived notions.”

“I’m good to you, huh?” Nick teased, a pleased smile curling on his lips and Charlie couldn’t help giving him a kiss.

“You already know you are, babe,” Charlie whispered against his mouth.

“Hm, always good to be reminded though.”

Giggling, Charlie started to pull Nick in the direction Tori had gone to. “Come on, let’s get this over with. And then I’ll give you a tour later.”

“Nellie–”

“Leave the door open and she can come in whenever she’s done,” noticing Nick’s worried look toward the door, he further explained. “The whole yard is warded so she won’t stray too far.”

“Alright, then. Let’s go.”

In the kitchen, they found Tori and Julio, Charlie’s dad, giving the finishing touches to the family’s lunch and as soon as they stepped foot in the room, Julio froze.

“Oh boy,” Julio turned to them, eyes flicking between the two newcomers and Charlie gave his dad a sheepish smile. Julio sighed. “Well, if someone in this family was to date a vampire, of course it would be you, Charlie.”

“He was always the most rebellious, for sure,” Tori offered with a nonchalant hum.

Charlie rolled his eyes, pulling Nick closer to him and holding his arm with his other hand. “Dad, this is Nick as you know, and he’s a vampire, as you now also know. Nick, this is my dad, Julio.”

Nick smiles. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Spring.”

“Call me Julio, Nick,” Julio offered his hand for Nick to shake and Charlie smiled, squeezing Nick’s arm affectionately. “Welcome to the coven.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Charlie!” He heard his mum’s voice coming closer to the kitchen, followed by Nellie’s nails on the floorboard. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing a dog! And a spectral one at that, how lovely. Did you finally find a familiar?”

But then Jane Spring crossed the threshold and stopped dead in her tracks.

“Hi, mum. Nellie is actually Nick’s dog,” Charlie motioned to Nick, whom he was still attached to. “You know, my boyfriend, Nick.”

Jane was silent for a moment. “Your boyfriend is a vampire.”

Charlie nodded once. “He is.”

“Hello, Mrs. Spring,” Nick waved awkwardly with his free hand, and Charlie watched, rather amusedly, as a vein popped in Jane’s forehead.

“Julio, where’s the wine? I need wine.”

“I’ll pop one open for us all, just a second,” Julio jumped into action, ready to placate his wife with whatever she needed.

Sharing a look with his sister, Charlie finally let go of Nick so they could help her set the table, while Jane leaned against the counter, gently massaging her temples.

Charlie bit back a laugh. Sometimes he really forgot how dramatic his mum could be.

“How did he even get past my wards, anyway?” Jane asked as Julio came back with the wine bottle, setting it on the counter near his wife to open it.

“Oh, yeah. I opened the path for him,” Charlie explained, not looking at his mum but still being able to feel the glare she sent his way. “Besides, he’s wearing my runes.”

That made Nick pause. “I am?”

“Yeah, that bracelet I gave you last year?” Charlie nodded toward the black braided bracelet Nick had been wearing since Charlie had placed on his wrist. “There are some runes weaved on the inside. Mostly for protection but also for you to be able to walk around my magic.”

“Oh that was rather smart,” Tori nodded in approval.

“Smart,” Jane mumbled, drinking her whole serving of wine in one go before asking Julio to refill her glass. Charlie ignored her tone, knowing full well it was rather smart and in any other circumstance she would be praising his witchcraft.

“Where’s Olly, by the way?” he changed the subject, not wanting to get into an argument with his mum this early. He looked at the wall clock; they had only been in the house for twenty minutes. That would’ve most definitely been a new record. 

“Did someone call me?” The last Spring finally joined them, dropping to his knees the second he saw Nellie. “Oh my God, look at this precious little baby! Who are you– Nellie, is it? Oh but you’re so lovely, aren’t you?”

While Nellie thoroughly enjoyed the head rubs, Olly looked up, taking in the whole atmosphere of the kitchen. Jane, sulking still near the counter; Nick, Charlie and Tori still setting up the table and Julio on the stove, finishing the food.

Olly smirked. “A vampire, huh? Nan is gonna love this.”

That made Jane pause with her glass midway to her mouth. Even from his peripheral vision, Charlie could see the calculating look on her face, the way her eyes narrowed as she considered what her youngest son had just said. It felt like Olly had uttered magical words and they had an instant effect.

“Hm, she will, won’t she?” Jane finished her wine, turning to the vampire. “So tell me Nick– It is Nick, right? Great, what do you do for a living?” 

A bit stunned with her sudden change of heart, Nick shared a look with Charlie, but then the two of them averted their eyes quickly.

It wouldn’t do any good if they were to burst out laughing right on Jane’s face, after all.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

Once lunch was done and he had given Nick a proper tour of the house, Charlie led Nick to his childhood bedroom.

Or better yet, his childhood attic bedroom.

Charlie’s bedroom didn’t look like it did when he last called it his. After he left for university and was certain he would only be coming back home for holidays and Halloween, Charlie had allowed his parents to completely reformulate the room.

So instead of the moody, dark and witchy room he used to have during his teenage years, with band posters on the walls, his drum kit on a corner, and a bookshelf full of classic and witchcraft books, Charlie’s room now looked more like a guest room.

It was very bright, for starters. Bared walls in cream colour, a double bed with white and blue sheets right in the middle of the room, two sets of armchairs underneath the only window with a small round table between them and a white dresser on the other side of the bed. It was a simple bedroom, but it was cosy and Charlie knew most of the stuff he had left in his parents’ house could be found either on the chest underneath the bed or in the basement.

Besides, the glass wall that gave way to a small balcony allowed enough direct moonshine inside his room, making it even easier for him to do his crafting.

And it was exactly what he was currently doing.

Charlie was sitting on the balcony with Nick, empty vials scattered all around them along with a small mortar and pestle.

It was much later, closer to midnight and the moon was shining bright and looking bigger than what was probably normal. And it wasn’t even a full moon.

“Have you ever seen someone harvesting moonshine?” He asked Nick, grabbing one of the vials, the biggest one he had.

Nick shook his head. “Not really. Darcy is the only other witch I know and they’ve always been very private about their rituals and whatnot.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Charlie opened his vial and passed it along for Nick to hold. “Ready?”

With Nick’s nod, Charlie drew in a breath, slowly exhaling the air from his lungs. He cleared his mind, allowing the cold light of the moon to wash over him. Then he whispered an incantation and waited a few bated breaths.

For a second or two, it looked like nothing had happened. But then Charlie felt the shift in the air, in the magic, in the way he started to tangibly feel the moonshine around him.

He lifted his hand and, right in front of Nick’s wide eyes, plucked the silvery light from thin air and wrapped it around his fingers.

“Holy shit.”

Almost in a daze, Nick held the vial close to Charlie’s hand, and the witch allowed the bright rope to fall inside until it was full and shining as if it was filled with fairy lights.

“This is– This is so cool,” Nick said breathlessly, almost reverentially and Charlie smiled, pleased. “How come I’ve never seen you do this back home?”

Ignoring the fluttering in his stomach, Charlie closed the lid on the vial.

“Well, for starters, I don’t do this very often because it usually works better when I’m here, in my ancestor's house with my coven present because that’s when my magic is the most powerful. But mostly, it’s because my affinity leans more toward spells and hexes,” he explained. “Tori, on the other hand, is like the green thumb of the family. Her magic is more attuned with nature so her affinity is potions and teas and creams. Anything that uses ingredients taken from the world around her, basically. So while my stash of moonshine and stardust and herbs can last months and months, hers might only last a week or so.”

“What about your brother?”

“Honestly, Olly is a bit of a wild card. He’s good with a lot of stuff, ranging from potions and spells and wards but he’s quite into healing magic.”

Nick let out a breath. “This is fascinating, did you know?”

“Do you wanna see something truly fascinating?” Charlie smirked, taking another empty vial.

“More than watching you physically pluck moonlight out of thin air as if it was tangible?”

With a mischievous giggle, Charlie held one of his palms up. For a moment, he just watched as the night light reflected on the teeny tiny particles of dust and the cool autumn breeze moved them lazily around the two of them.

Then, with another deep breath, he murmured the incantation.

Just like with the moonshine, it took a second for things to change and the telltale that it had worked was once again the magic buzzing in his veins.

The particles of dust, once lazily floating in the air, started to spin faster and faster in the contained expanse of his hand, until it suddenly stopped. And there, on the palm of his hand, the flocks of dust had multiplied, glowing in warm gold light.

“And this,” Charlie whispered, not wanting to disrupt the magic around him, “is stardust.”

Nick let out an astonished laugh, hand coming up to gently run his fingers through the golden flocks. “I love magic.”

With a smile, Charlie carefully filled the vial with the stardust and closed it securely. “Yeah, me too.”

After that, there was no more fascinating stuff to show Nick, but that also meant Nick could actually participate in his crafting. They grinded dried leaves, bathing them in moonshine to amplify their properties. He showed Nick how to mix different herbs for different purposes, explaining how sometimes just one more pinch of something could change the whole purpose of the mix.

And it was good– amazing, actually, sharing that part of him with Nick. He had tried doing that with previous partners, but even when dating another witch, Charlie had always found hard to open up to them, to let them see how his magic worked in its rawest way.

He did get Darcy saying it was personal. It really was.

But with Nick it all felt so natural. Sitting there, bathed in moonshine, surrounded by vials and laughter and their quiet murmurs as the cold breeze swirled around them.

And if anyone asked Charlie, he’d say it was the perfect start to his Halloween celebrations.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

The next few days were actually better than Charlie had expected.

His dad’s brother arrived with his wife and three daughters, and as much as Charlie always ended up a bit exasperated with his cousins’ slightly invasive questions, he also enjoyed their company. And well, he only ever saw them once or twice a year, so he tried not to care that much.

After them came abuelo and abuela Spring, with their lovely and warm hugs and quiet attitudes. In contrast with any other member of the family, they were the only ones Charlie trusted to not make Nick uncomfortable.

Apart from his own siblings, of course. Well– apart from Olly, at least.

But then the Driscolls arrived.

Roger and Nancy Driscoll, Jane’s parents, were the epitome of entitlement. They had always acted as if in allowing Jane to marry beneath her status, since Julio wasn’t from one of the rich witch families they considered to be in their level, they were now entitled to control their lives.

 And it started the moment they entered the house.

Charlie was in the living room with his siblings and cousins while Nick finished his shower when the door opened with a gust of air, effectively shutting them all up as they waited for the newcomers to show up.

And show up they did.

“Ugh, the weather is absolutely dreadful,” Nancy Driscoll stormed into the room, her husband a step or two behind her. For someone as old as she was, she still didn’t look a day past fifty.

“Well, good evening, nan, grandpa,” Olly greeted cheerfully.

Grandpa nodded, heading straight to the corner where Julio kept the whiskey to serve himself a dose, but Nan dismissed her grandson with both her hands, making Charlie exchange looks with Tori. “Yeah, yeah, good morning. Why is this house feeling so… off?” She twisted her lips, displeased.

Clara snorted, sending a teasing smile to Esther. “Oh, that’s probably because of Charlie’s boyfriend.”

“What does that have to do with–”

“Char, do you think there’s time–”

Nick, who had just entered the living room, stopped short upon noticing the two new additions. For a second, Charlie got distracted watching his boyfriend, in his usual jeans and a dark red henley, making his way toward the witch. However, ogling the vampire would have to wait for a more appropriate time.

“A vampire!” Nan screeched, and it was obvious none of them expected such a ridiculous reaction because Nick sent Charlie an amused look as he stood near his boyfriend. “There’s a vampire in our daughter’s house, Roger!”

Grandpa didn’t move from where he stood sipping his whiskey. “I can see that.”

“And why, for Mother's sake, is there a vampire in this house?”

Charlie cleared his throat, trying to stop himself from cackling the way he could see his cousins doing behind his nan. “Because he’s my boyfriend, nan. This is Nick.”

She was silent for a few seconds. “Your boyfriend is a vampire.”

“I am well aware, yes.”

Charlie felt Nick draping an arm around his shoulders while sticking out his right hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Driscoll.”

“Dating a vampire!” The older witch watched the hand as if it would burn her if she took it. “I can’t believe you're tainting the family bloodline with a bloodsucker, Charlie.”

“Oh nan, I’m really, really gay,” Charlie sent her his sweetest smile. “You don’t need to worry, there will be no tainted bloodlines coming from me.”

“Jane!” Huffing a breath, Nan sent Nick and Charlie a final glare before spinning on her heels and walking away, in search of her daughter.

The whole Spring lot started laughing at once, not even caring that their laughter could be carried over to wherever the Driscoll matriarch had scurried off to. Or that Roger was still in the room.

“Well, I shall see to this,” he said, dawning the rest of his drink before refilling his glass and starting to follow his wife. He nodded to Nick and just by his look, Charlie knew that no, he didn’t like it but no, he wasn’t about to make his opinion known. At least not after his wife’s outburst.

“I know you were nervous and anxious to bring me around, but I’m not going to lie,” Nick commented with a kiss on Charlie’s curls. “I’m having more fun than I think I should’ve.”

“To be honest, now that we’re here, I have to admit I’m also enjoying the shit show,” he rested his head on Nick’s shoulder with a sigh. “Let’s just hope it stays like this.”

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

Later that night, the whole family was gathered in the backyard, a huge bonfire waiting to be lit in the middle of a circle of benches.

As tradition, Nancy, being the eldest witch of a coven, was responsible for lighting up the fire and deeming the celebrations for the Samhain officially started. They also sang incantations and drank their weights in ciders and wine to celebrate the new cycle and honestly, Charlie was grateful for the potions that would allow him to be a funcional witch the next day for the party.

Way past midnight, when Charlie had just finished helping his sister with some spellcasting, he threw himself on the bench where Nick was talking to Olly and rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“I think I’ve drunk more cider than I probably should,” he said with a hiccup. Nick giggled, changing his position so he could wrap an arm around Charlie’s waist.

“You absolutely did, love.”

Near them, his cousins had used a bluetooth to play some music and they entertained themselves with dances and Charlie had to admit it was the first time in a very long while that he felt completely at ease at his family’s Samhain celebrations.

He yawned, though, remembering he had been staying up later than usual and the why made him instantly blush.

Charlie’s bedroom might not be exactly the same as it was when he was a teenager, but not even him could deny the appeal of shagging his extremely fit boyfriend in the room he used to daydream about his school crushes.

And then, obviously, Charlie had to learn the hard way that blood stains were actually a fucking bitch to clean from white sheets even with magic.

But it was fine. They had managed it, in the end.

“You tired?” Nick asked with a kiss on his temple, snuggling Charlie as close as he could. “Wanna head upstairs?”

“My, my, Nicholas. Trying to take me to bed right in front of my parents,” Charlie’s teasing made Nick chuckle.

“As if I haven’t been doing that since the day we arrived.”

Charlie tried to fake gasp, but ended up giggling. Another yawn broke free so he got up, pulling Nick by the arm that had been around him. “C’mon, now I am fully interested on getting into bed… and not only to sleep.”

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

It didn’t matter how many times Nick had bit him in the year they’ve been together, Charlie had an inkling he’d never get fully used to how it felt.

Not because it was bad or anything.

Quite the contrary, actually.

The feeling of Nick’s fangs piercing through his skin, his lips closing around the tiny wounds and sucking was still as good, if not better, than the first time he’d done it as a favour to Charlie.

Especially when, as he was currently doing, he did it right as Charlie was on the brink of his orgasm.

He was still breathing hard from the high when Nick licked the inner side of his thigh, effectively closing the two newest marks. It was kind of a bummer, really, that Nick’s saliva had the properties of closing his bite marks and not allowing them to scar, because if he was being truthful, Charlie would very much like to display his marks around for everyone to see. 

Yeah, yeah, he had a marking kink, sue him. He also had a vampire boyfriend, so that hardly came as a surprise.

After they had cleaned up, and Charlie had made sure not a single drop of blood had stained the sheets again, Nick slipped under the covers with Charlie, cuddling next to him with a contented sigh. The only light in the room came from the moonshine filtering through the large windows and Charlie snuggled close to his love’s warm body.

He was almost falling asleep when Nick’s sleepy voice got his attention.

“Wanna hear something interesting?”

Charlie opened his eyes, moving his head to look sleepily at Nick. “Sure.”

“Remember when I told you a witch’s blood smells absolutely amazing to vampires?” He waited until Charlie hummed in agreement. “Ever since we’ve arrived I have noticed it’s… not exactly true anymore?”

That made Charlie pull back enough to rest his head in another pillow and take a better look at Nick, any semblance of sleep disappearing from his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t truly understand it myself, to be honest, but…” Nick frowned, as if trying to find the right words. “Well, your blood still sings to me. The smell, the taste– still absolutely delicious but, your family? Like, they obviously still smell like witches and the sweet tang to it is also still there but it feels kinda… muted?” He shook his head, chuckling self-deprecatingly. “It probably doesn’t even make any sense.”

“No, no, it does. I can’t pretend to fully understand what you mean because I don’t have heightened senses like you, but it does make sense,” Charlie wrapped a hand around Nick’s biceps, drawing soothing circles on the exposed skin. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I don’t know, I thought it was due to your mum’s runes or something. Darcy smells the same to me, but even their blood has never smelt as good as yours,” then he giggled with a little more humour and mischief behind it. “I actually only realised something could be going on when your nan arrived. Her blood smells so fucking unnapealing it was almost as smelling something rotten.”

Charlie snorted out a laugh in surprise. “Oh my God, this is priceless,” they ended up caught in a fit of giggles, not really worried about disrupting the rest of the house since they were in the attic. “I bet she would find a way to feel offended by this even if she doesn’t like vampires.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t doubt that for a second,” another fit of giggles and then Nick snickered. “I can’t believe she actually called me bloodsucker.”

“I mean, would you want her to call you cocksucker?”

“Charlie.”

“Both are true, honestly, as displayed in the last hour.”

Nick poked Charlie’s waist, taking a laugh out of him. “You are such a little shit.”

“And yet, you love me just the same.”

“I do. I really, really do.”

They shared a soft smile before Nick pulled Charlie closer, joining their mouths. As they kissed lazily, Charlie sighed. Sometimes it felt truly unbelievable that he had lucked out this much on finding someone to love as much as he was loved.

And that took him back to magical soulmates.

“Nick?” He whispered in the quiet of the room. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

“Oh? Go on.”

“How much do you know about, uh… magical bonds?”

That made Nick frown. “Not much, I don’t think. Why?”

“Because– Well, according to my abuela, who was the one to first teach us about this, there are two common magical bonds for witches; the one with their coven and the one with their other loved ones. They are different because the coven is supposed to maximise your magical power while friends are like your support system. They don’t even need to be magical for you to form a bond with them.”

Nick hummed in understanding, a frown still maring his features as he tried to see where Charlie was going with it. “Okay, that makes sense.”

“There’s another bond that is objectively the most powerful out of them,” the silence between them stretched for a few moments as Charlie gathered his courage to tell Nick the next part. “A magical soulmate.”

“Magical… soulmate?”

“Witches can sometimes find soulmates. It’s not like, something predestined or whatever bullshit we read in books. It’s more of a… magical compatibility? It’s like finding someone who makes your magic sing in a different way than your coven. This type of bond makes the witch stronger, magically speaking, and…”

“And?”

“Well, it usually happens between witches, but it’s not unheard of witches bonding with other folks,” Charlie took a deep breath and looked up to meet Nick’s eyes. “Do you see where I’m going with this?”

Something flashed in Nick’s eyes, but it was gone before Charlie could take notice. “Wait. You’re saying we–?”

“Are magical soulmates, yes.”

Nick placed his free arm behind his head as he changed his focus to the ceiling. “Oh.”

And Charlie almost felt like throwing up.

“Is that a good ‘oh’ or a bad ‘oh’?” He tried to laugh but it sounded weird even to his own ears.

“Oh. No, no, it’s definitely a good ‘oh’.”

“You, uh, don’t sound so sure, though.”

“No, I am. I’m just… thinking,” before Charlie could ask more questions, Nick pressed on. “It makes a lot of sense, actually.”

“It does?”

“Yeah,” Nick finally turned to smile softly at Charlie, and the witch felt his stomach unclench. “My mum always told me that finding a soulmate could alter some things for vampires. It’s like you said, it’s not predestined but for us, it’s that person whose blood– well, sing to us. I guess I just never realised it because you’re also a witch.”

Charlie’s lips twitched. “God, we’re really never moving past the Twilight references, are we?”

“Guess it’s our thing, at this point,” Nick chuckled.

“Do you think that’s why…?”

“The smell of other witches changed for me?” When Charlie nodded, he hummed. “Yeah, it does look like that’s why.”

Charlie smiled, hiding his face in Nick’s neck. He placed a small kiss on the warm skin. “I really love you, you know? I’m glad we got to be each other’s soulmates.”

Nick wrapped his arms around Charlie, snuggling them together with a sigh. “Me too, love. Me too.”

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

Charlie sipped his drink, watching as the party unfolded in front of him.

The Spring’s Annual Halloween Party was a hot event in their small community and the house was packed, filled with magical and non-magical folks alike. It was easy to spot the non-magical, though; they were usually the ones that had the most fun dressing up and not leaning into their own preternatural beings to stand out.

It didn’t mean they were always the epitome of creativity, however.

Just from where he was standing, he had already seen two Edward Cullens and three Ghostfaces. Not to mention that one of said Edward Cullens had been found thoroughly making out with one of the Ghostfaces. He hoped that the vampire didn’t have a Bella.

Charlie was taken out of his observation by Captain America siding up with him. “So Spidey, unsurprisingly, your abuela’s rice pudding is already gone so I got you the next best thing which was… your aunt’s panna cotta.”

“Well, Cap, thank you for not coming back empty handed,” Charlie teased his boyfriend, accepting the offered cup with the dessert, and taking a bite. “Where’s your shield?”

“Gallivanting around here somewhere, I think. She’s now best friends with Michael’s familiar so I’m not sure how the hell am I gonna separate the two of them tomorrow,” Nick snorted, still looking as fondly exasperated as he had first been when Nellie had met Tori’s boyfriend’s dog earlier that day and the two of them attached themselves to one another.

“Well, lucky for you and for her, Tori and Michael are moving closer to us next year. Tori finally decided to open a physical shop for her online potions business and figured being in the city would be easier.”

“Oh, really? That’s good, we could go on double dates with them.”

“You’re just saying that because you think Michael is hot and now you have this weird platonic crush on him.”

Nick choked on his drink trying not to laugh. “I mean, can you blame me? Your sister has good taste.”

“You’ve no shame, Nelson,” Charlie hid a giggle by eating another bite of dessert.

“I have no shame? You’re the one with a massive crush on that scholar who’s friends with your parents,” Nick poked Charlie’s dimple and he shoved his boyfriend’s hand away with a laugh. “Got all flustered when he came to say hello to you.”

“Listen, Jack Maddox is an exception, okay?” He tried to be magnanimous but the effect was lost as the two of them giggled. “Besides! You’re one to talk, mister stuttering mess.”

Nick shrugged, wrapping his arms around Charlie’s waist and looking unfazed. “Well, excuse me if he kinda looks like an older version of you.”

“You are such a simp.”

“And yet, you’re the one dressed as Spider-Man even though you say you hate Marvel, just because I asked,” Nick tsked, leaning down to brush their lips together. “Wonder what that says about you.”

Charlie didn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t affected. He placed what was still left of the panna cotta in whatever surface that was near him along with his empty glass and pulled Nick closer for a proper kiss.

It didn’t even matter that there was a whole party around them, or that they weren’t that hidden from view.

Charlie was so in love he could feel his magic buzzing in his veins.

And that was all he cared about.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

✨ coven of misfits ✨

nick ❤️‍🔥
I think you’ve lost him to me for good, Tao

[picture of Nick and Charlie sitting in one of the outdoor benches in the backyard. Charlie, dressed like Spider-Man is sitting on Nick’s lap, who is dressed like Captain America, and Nellie is on the floor near their feet, a mockup Captain America shield tied around her legs and resting on her back]

tao xu
i hate everything about this
(you too do look amazing but nellie is the real star)

i’ll let you know i only agreed to this because nick knows how to be very very persuasive

tao xu
ugh too much information charlie

isaac henderson
No no, tell us more

nick ❤️‍🔥
No x

what he said
but also happy halloween babes <3
gonna go snog my boyfriend where my nan can see, bye!