(Charlie's POV)
I'm led through a wide hall into an ancient looking library, this is the Windsor Castle library, academics try for years to get permission to know what exactly is in here, let alone try to read it, there's a table in the middle of the room and a man looks to be preparing something on it, Luke gestures for me to walk toward the man and I do so. "Excuse me?" The man who I'm guessing is in his mid 50s turns around and gives me a wide smile "Ah, Mr Spring I'm guessing?" and he extends his hand, I take it and before I speak I notice what he was attending to "Ye- holy crap is that real? Sorry, yes I'm Charlie Spring, sorry my manners" the man laughed it off "Oh no worries Mr Spring, this is indeed a real Enigma machine, Prince Nicholas likes to see it sometimes when he's reflecting on his grandfather's years in the Second World War" I'm evidently looking quite shocked. "Hey! You could have waited for me!" Nick enters with Luke following, I turn to him "You brought me here to see a real Enigma machine?!" I get the sense he isn't sure whether I'm pleased or not, he blushes mildly and pushes his hair to the side "Well, that and the other thing" I raise an eyebrow, "David" Nick gestures to the man at the table who gently unwraps an A5 notebook on the front I see stitched into the page 'A.T' it takes me a moment to realise and I immediately look at Nick "Impossible, his research was destroyed!" Nick laughs as he picks up the book "As it turns out, Churchill watched Bletchley Park more closely than people realised, when Turing was outed and arrested years later, he ordered that his work be seized and buried under 'National Security' the only people allowed to view his work are the royals and the intelligence services of course" Nick took a step closer to me and handed me the notebook "Thank you David, a moment of privacy please?" David and Luke stepped out Nick stepped closer to me and leaned down to whisper in my ear "Well, the royals, intelligence services and the wonderful Charlie Spring of course" the temptation to just fall into him was unbearable, when he stood to his full height and gave me that agonising smile again I truly had no clue what to do.
(Nick's POV)
Okay I had to tell him I've been flirting with him so hard since the others left and he's just seemingly trying his best to ignore it "Charlie I haven't been completely honest with you" and he frowns, "I need to tell you, the night we met, we-" "THE QUEEN" we hear as the massive doors to the atrium open, entering the library is indeed my mother, her private secretary Martin (who hates me and who I also hate) her lady in waiting Margret (who I affectionately call Aunty) and the standard three guards. I grab Charlie's arm and speedily drag him along to the middle of the room. When we make it to an appropriate distance I stop walking, they likewise stop, I hate this, the ritual and ceremony of it all mum hates it too, but if I behaved how I wanted to then Martin would likely have me dragged off to the Tower, so I act like a good Prince of Wales does I bow my head and say "Good Afternoon your Majesty, may I present Charles Spring, a friend also studying at the University of Oxford"
(Charlie's POV)
HOLY SHIT, I'm literally 1 metre away from the actual QUEEN of England, I cannot believe this. I'm guessing Nick can't either because everything from his voice to his body language has changed since we heard that shout, Nick was tense, uncomfortable and his voice was like how he sounded in interviews. I knew a thing or two about royal protocol, Nick had introduced me and I'd bowed as he did, but I needed to let the Queen speak first, and after what felt like an eternity she did "Welcome home Nicholas, Mr Spring, are you enjoying the Royal Library?" Was that a dig? Was I not supposed to be here? I don't know, I looked her directly in the eye "Very much so Your Majesty, the entire architectural layout of Windsor Castle is quite spectacular from what I have seen" she nods her head but gives nothing away "I see, are you studying architecture then Mr Spring?" I hold her gaze "No m'am, I study mathematics, codes and cyphers mainly" her smile appears, and I feel as though I've passed some sort of test. She looked again at Nick, "I just wanted to tell you myself that your father is coming home early, his event in Wales tomorrow has been cancelled, he'll be here for the evening meal" I saw Nick's fist clench at the mention of his father, there'd been rumours that the Prince of Wales and his father the Duke of Belfast didn't get along, and it certainly looked that way from what I was seeing. "Thank you m'am" he said, in a very controlled voice the Queen "Good day gentlemen" she said before turning and processing out.
(Nick's POV)
NONONO! The only reason I came home was to see mom without dad, bringing Charlie was a nice bonus but me and mom needed to have 'The talk' and fuck was I going to do that with dad even remotely near, the doors slam shut and we're alone again, I'm panicking again, I was fidgeting now, chewing my nails "Hey?" I hear Charlie say "Not now, sorry, I- need to" and before I know what's happening I'm stumbling backwards and I feel arms on me, leading me slowly to a chair "Luke?" I ask, "Not exactly, hey woah, calm down Nick it's alright" I put my arms on the armrests of the chair but feel Charlie's soft hands take hold of mine. Charlie says in a quiet voice "Squeeze my hands, it's alright I can take it" and I do, he deliberately takes loud deep breaths in and out and after what feels like an eternity just sat there with him I eventually open my eyes and see him, on his knees, holding my hands and smiling at me "There you are" he whispers, I smile at him and inexplicably pull him toward me and into a hug I sense his hesitation and immediately feel the regret of taking it a step too far but as I loosen my grip on him he cements his grip on me 'thank god' I say to myself.
