A/N: okay, this will start sad, but I promise it'll have a hopeful ending

Nick lay in bed, feeling lonely. He had just ended a FaceTime call with Charlie and couldn't stop thinking about him. He knew it was for the best, as the long distance was taking a toll on their relationship, but he still missed him deeply. He didn't know what he'd do without him.

Meanwhile, Charlie was staring at his phone with teary eyes, trying to comprehend what had just happened and that Nick had just ended their relationship because of the long distance. He felt like his heart shattered into a million pieces, and his mind was racing a million miles per hour. He knew that long distance wasn't working out, but he still had hope for their relationship.

After that FaceTime call, he guessed that Nick didn't, which hurt him the most. Nick felt a pang in his heart as he recalled the expression on Charlie's face during the call. He knew Charlie was crying but couldn't bear to see it. He wanted nothing more than to hug and tell him everything would be alright. But he also knew that what he did was for the best. They needed some space to sort things out.

Charlie threw his phone to the ground, changing into gym shorts and a shirt. He grabbed his headphones and began to make his way downstairs. He didn't care that it was 9 p.m.; he needed to run to clear his mind. The young teenager was about to walk out the door to start his run but sighed in frustration as his mom stopped him since it was late at night.

Jane stopped Charlie at the door, looking at him with concern. She had noticed that Charlie had been upset and distant lately and wondered if it had something to do with Nick.

Charlie frowned as his mom prevented him from going on a run. He knew she was looking out for him, but he couldn't stand being cooped up in the house. He needed to get some fresh air. He tried to convince his mom, but she remained firm. Jane could see the frustration on Charlie's face, but she was worried about him going out so late at night. She didn't want anything wrong to happen, especially since he was so upset. She knew he liked to run when feeling down but also that running in the dark wasn't safe.

"Mom, running is the only thing that'll help me clear my head right now," Charlie said desperately.

After a moment of hesitation, she replied with a sigh. "Just..."

"Promise me you'll be careful and won't stay up too late, okay?"

Charlie sighed in relief, "Thanks...I'm only going to go for 30 minutes."

Jane nodded, still looking a bit worried. "Alright, just take your phone with you if you need anything, okay?"

Charlie just nodded and walked outside, starting slowly and then beginning to jog. A few moments in, he yelped as he suddenly got tangled with a dog lease and stumbled to the ground. He let out an 'oof' sound and looked up as Nellie began to tackle him with hugs and kisses, causing him to chuckle weakly even at his emotional state.

Nellie's tail was wagging uncontrollably as she bombarded Charlie with love. She had recognized him from a mile away and was excited to see him after so long. She licked his face as if trying to comfort him.

"Oh, Nell's where you came from!?" Charlie cooed and bent down to pet Nellie properly.

Nellie barked happily and nuzzled her head against Charlie's chest. Clearly, she had missed Charlie just as much as he missed her.

Charlie hugged Nellie close and hid in her fur. Nellie let out a soft whine as if she could sense that he was upset. She licked his face and cuddled closer to him, her fluffy fur providing a warm, comforting presence.

"Did you get out of the yard, you crazy dog?" Charlie hummed as he petted her softly. Nellie barked as if in response and wagged her tail. Evidently, she had escaped from Nick's house and went on a mission to find Charlie. She was like a little guardian angel.

Charlie chuckled softly in amusement and gently took Nellie's lease. "You big goof, let's get you back home." He silently hoped that Nick wasn't home as he began to walk towards Nick's house with Nellie trotting beside him. As they got closer to the Nelson household, his anxiety continued to grow. He wasn't ready to face Nick after the breakup earlier that evening, but he had to get Nellie back home.

Charlie gently led Nellie to the front door and deeply breathed before ringing the doorbell.

After a few moments, the door opened, revealing Nick. He looked slightly startled to see Charlie standing with his dog, holding Nellie's lease. There was an awkward moment of silence as they stared at each other.

"Uhm," Charlie stammered out, "Sorry to just show up..." he didn't even know that Nick was home from college, so he was trying to wrap his mind around that. "But, Nellie got out from the yard and ran up to me as I was jogging, so I thought I'd...Bring her back..."

Nick was taken aback, expecting to see anyone else at his doorstep late at night except Charlie. He studied Charlie's face, noticing the slight puffiness in his eyes. "Right....I see...." He replied, his voice faltering slightly. He looked down at Nellie, still standing by Charlie, her tail wagging happily.

"Uhm...Here..." Charlie handed Nick Nellie's lease awkwardly. He had to stop himself from reaching out and holding Nick's hand as they would do before. Nick took the lease, his fingers brushing against Charlie's momentarily. He nodded slightly, not quite looking Charlie in the eye.

"Thanks uh...For bringing her back."

Charlie felt his heart ache as Nick didn't even look him in the eye. He chewed his lip, "N-Not a problem."

Nick couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as he heard the subtle hurt in Charlie's voice. He didn't want Charlie to be upset, but he had no idea what to say or do. The tension between them was palpable.

"Yeah...uh..." Nick trailed off, keeping his eyes on Nellie, now sniffing Charlie's shoes curiously. Charlie had to stop himself from going up and hugging Nick like his body ached to do as he stood there looking at him. So he just stood there awkwardly.

Nick could feel the tension in the air, and it was getting more uncomfortable. He needed to say anything, but the words just didn't come out. He looked at Charlie out of the corner of his eye, noticing his fidgety movements, and he felt an aching feeling growing in his chest.

"I thought I should just...return Nellie uhm...I'll get going now..." Charlie said quietly.

Nick didn't want Charlie to leave, but he knew he had to, "Okay, uh...Goodnight."

"Night," Charlie whispered and walked out of the house, trying to keep himself together. The fact that Nick avoided eye contact with him as he said goodnight killed him inside. He felt tears whelm in his eyes as he made his way home.

Nick watched as Charlie walked away, his heart feeling heavier with every step. He wanted so badly to call out to him, to tell him to stay, but he couldn't. He knew that would only make things worse. He leaned against the wall, feeling defeated and lonely again, and was without Charlie.

Nellie wagged as she made her way over to Nick. She went out to find Charlie earlier, wanting them to be together again. She doesn't like to see her owner so sad. Nick watched as Nellie trotted over, wagging her tail. He chuckled weakly and looked down at her. She could sense his pain, just like she sensed Charlie's.

"What are you doing, girl?" He asked, rubbing her head lovingly. Nellie whined at him as if telling him to go back out after Charlie. "I can't, girl." He said, his voice hoarse. "It's for the best..."

Nellie growled and tugged at his sleeve to get him to go after Charlie. Nick felt Nellie tugging, and he couldn't help but smile slightly at her persistence. Even she didn't seem to agree with them breaking up. "Come on, Nells, it's late. You should go to sleep..."

Nellie just kept trying. Nick rolled his eyes in amusement and shook his head.

He knew that he wasn't going to win this battle with his stubborn ass dog.

"You want me to go after him, don't you?" Nick sighed. Nellie looked up at Nick; her ears perked at his question, and she wagged her tail as if saying yes. Nick couldn't help but laugh at Nellie's eagerness. She was like a little matchmaker, determined to get them back together.

"Okay, okay..." Nick sighed, feigning annoyance. "You win, but I'm not making any promises, alright?" Nick stood up, grabbed his phone and keys, and took a deep breath. He was nervous but also feeling a bit hopeful. He looked down at Nellie, who was looking up at him expectantly.

"Let's go girl." He said with a small smile. Nellie instantly got the zoomies and excitedly rushed around the house, barking. She wanted to be back with Charlie. Nick couldn't help but chuckle at Nellie's enthusiasm. She practically bounced around the room, her barks growing louder each second.

"Calm down; we haven't even left yet." Nick managed to leash Nellie up. He took one last deep breath before opening the door and entering the cool night air.

Charlie was on his way back home, walking since he didn't feel like running anymore. He let tears fall as he replayed in his mind how Nick avoided eye contact with him.

As Nick followed Nellie down the street, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Charlie. His heart raced as he thought about what he would say to him. He didn't even know how Charlie would react to seeing him again.

Soon, Nick's heart lurched as he saw a figure up ahead on the street. Even from the distance, he knew it was Charlie. He could recognize his stride anywhere. He quickened up his pace, trying to catch up to him.

Nellie seemed to know immediately what was happening and began to pull harder on her leash, desperate to get to Charlie.

Charlie was listening to music through his headphones, so he didn't hear them approaching. As Nick got closer, his heart sank when he noticed the tears streaming down Charlie's face. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort him.

Meanwhile, Nellie was tugging with all her might, causing Nick to struggle to keep her from breaking away.

Finally, Nick was close enough to call out to Charlie. A bit shaky, he yelled, "Hey, Char!..."

Charlie jumped in surprise and almost fell over. He took off his headphones with big eyes. Nick rushed towards him, trying to prevent him from falling over. "Hey, hey, easy! " he said, grabbing his arms to steady him gently. "N-Nick?" Charlie managed out in surprise and confusion.

Nick had a million things he wanted to say, but seeing Charlie's tear-stained face stuck the words in his throat. "Y-yeah....it's me..." he rasped, his heart thrumming loudly.

Nellie had managed to pull her way out of her collar and made her way to Charlie. Her tail wagging frantically, clearly eager to see him again. Charlie giggled weakly and bent down to Nellie's level to pet her. "She missed you," Nick said quietly, his gaze still fixed on Charlie. He was torn between standing there, watching him, and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Yeah...I missed her too.." Charlie whispered, his heart aching as Nick didn't seem to have missed him as much as Nellie did.

"I..." Nick started, his voice cracking a bit. He missed Charlie but didn't know how to express it.

Charlie stopped petting Nellie and looked up at Nick with big, soft eyes.

Nick's breath caught in his throat as he looked into Charlie's eyes. The sight of his soft gaze made his heartthrob in his chest. He took a small step closer, his body aching to be near him. "Char..."

"Yeah?.." Charlie wondered.

"Can I...uhm..." Nick hesitated.

Charlie instantly got up and tackled Nick in a hug, as if he had the same desire to do so. He wrapped his arms around Nick's waist, clinging onto him as he hid in Nick's neck.

The sudden hug took Nick back, but he quickly melted into it. He encircled his arms around Charlie, pulling him close and burying his face into his hair.

A mix of relief and happiness washed over him as he felt like he could finally breathe again with Charlie in his arms. "God, I've missed you.."

Charlie just clung tighter to Nick.

Nick held onto Charlie tightly, his fingers tracing soft circles on his back. He closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of having him in his arms again. It was like everything in the world faded away, just the two of them.

"I'm so sorry..." he mumbled.

"It's okay..." Charlie whispered. He could never stay mad at Nick or hold a grudge against him.

"No...It's not." Nick confessed, pulling away slightly so he could look him in the eyes. His gaze was filled with regret and remorse, and he cupped Charlie's face gently. His thumb stroked his cheek.

"I should have never ended things...I was stupid, and I messed up. I want to be with you again. If you want to be. I get if you don't want to be....I missed you so much, Charlie, you have no idea.."

Charlie leaned into Nick's touch, "Of course, I still want to be with you."