Falling (a Heartstopper fanfiction)

Date

Charlie couldn't have said what happened in school all day Friday. Other than trading secret, excited smiles with Nick every time he saw him and imagining how their first date would be while he tried to look like he was listening to the lecture, that is.

He and Nick had agreed to meet at the milkshake café, just a few minutes before the girls were due to get there. Charlie was just putting his coat on when there was a knock at the door. He opened it to find Nick on his doorstep, looking relieved.

"Oh, good, you haven't left yet."

Immediately, Charlie froze. Nick had reconsidered. He wasn't coming to the concert, he was cancelling the date. Charlie couldn't move.

Nick ducked his head, blushing. "I just thought, um, since this is a date, maybe I should pick you up instead of meeting you there." He looked at Charlie from under the curtain of red hair that was always falling over his left eye. "That's probably silly."

It might have been silly, but Charlie loved that Nick had thought of it. "No! No, not at all," Charlie hastened to assure him. Flushed with relief, he picked up his bag and met Nick on the doorstep, closing the door behind him while he reached for Nick's hand. "I like it."

"Oh. Good." They smiled foolishly at one another.

They walked down the steps together. Charlie looked Nick over. He was wearing jeans and a jumper and his Carhartt jacket. "That's what you're wearing?"

Nick immediately panicked. "Why? What's wrong with it? Oh, should I have ... dressed up?"

Charlie laughed, squeezing his hand.

"Oi." Nick frowned at him. "You're terrible."

"You look great," Charlie assured him. "You always do."

Nick blushed. "So do you."

Charlie was wearing his school uniform, required for the concert, so he hardly looked any different from usual, but he wasn't going to argue.

Tara and Darcy were waiting for them. Darcy immediately came up and linked her arm with Charlie's. "How are you, my guy? See, I told you you looked coupley before."

He couldn't help blushing and looking at Nick for his reaction, but Nick was smiling. He seemed so at ease and relaxed around these two, different than he was with his own friends or with Charlie's. Maybe these were their friends, then, Charlie decided, the first ones they had made together. He squeezed Darcy's arm. "And you were right, apparently."

"She always is," Tara said. "It's very annoying."

Darcy giggled triumphantly.

"Oh, there's Elle," Tara said, waving.

And it was the five of them for a while. Elle was clearly happy with her new friends, and Nick seemed at ease with Elle there, even if that meant they couldn't openly be a couple. Tao had texted Elle his milkshake order, telling her he was going to be a few minutes late, so they all ordered together.

When Tao arrived, Elle went to meet him, and the rest of them put their heads together. "So how do we do this?" Nick asked.

Charlie was surprised—he wouldn't have thought of Nick as the matchmaking type.

"Just play it cool," Tara said. "Elle's afraid of messing up their friendship."

"So is Tao," Charlie agreed.

Darcy was suspiciously silent.

When Tao arrived, he immediately started asking questions about the music they were playing at the concert. "Do you ever play film music?"

"Yeah, sometimes," Tara told him.

"Well, then, it's not boring, then."

"Why'd you agree to come if you thought it'd be boring?" Charlie demanded.

"Because I'm a very nice and supportive friend, obviously."

"No. He came for the milkshakes and the milkshakes only," Elle corrected.

"I said that to you in confidence!"

"So how did you two become friends?" Darcy asked them.

"I was friends with Charlie first," Elle said, "and then Tao came along as a package deal."

As Tao glared at her open-mouthed in mock outrage and said "Rude!" Charlie remembered how that had happened. Elle in the art room during lunch, working on her painting, Charlie hiding in the corner, pretending to eat. Both of them slowly opening up to each other. And then Tao and Isaac being let in on what was happening to them, and Tao's protectiveness of both of them.

"You're lucky to have me," Tao said loftily.

"You make a cute little pair," Darcy said. She jumped immediately as Tara glared at her, and probably kicked her under the table.

Elle and Tao ignored the remark, devoting themselves to their milkshakes. "So ..." Tao said, finishing his, "we're ordering a second round, right?"

That got universal approval. Nick got to his feet. "Yeah. We can go and get them, if you want." Everyone said what they wanted and Nick and Charlie went to order.

"I hope you don't mind," Nick said as they waited for the milkshakes to get made. "It was the only way I could get you alone."

"Oh. Are you not having a good time?"

"No, I am, it's just ... this is our first date. I wanted to spend some of it together." He smiled, warming Charlie all through.

"Good idea," he said shyly.

"I thought so." Nick bumped Charlie's arm lightly with his, looking pleased with himself, and so cute Charlie couldn't help smiling, too.

Nick's milkshake was the first one done, some kind of blue concoction. "What is that?" Charlie asked.

"Try it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Charlie took a sip. It was cloyingly sweet. He made a face. "Oh, my God, no, that is a crime!"

"I cannot believe you're disrespecting bubblegum flavour in front of me." Charlie's milkshake—a proper respectable chocolate—was set down next to him and Nick picked it up. "Let me try yours." He took a sip, and his eyes widened. "Wow."

"See?" Charlie said, leaning toward him cheekily. "I make good choices."

"We should swap."

"No, you made your choice."

"Okay, well, we can share." Nick reached for extra straws and stuck them in both milkshakes. "We are on a date."

"Is that the official rule of dating? Sharing drinks?"

Nick thought about that for a moment. "Yeah." He gave Charlie one of those lopsided smiles that always made his breath catch.

He couldn't help thinking about what it would be like to be out with Nick, just them, able to be open about being together. "We should go on a date, just us." Nick ducked his head, still smiling, but didn't answer immediately, and Charlie hastily backpedaled. "I mean, if you want to. It's all right if you don't want to." Except that sounded too much like saying 'sorry', so he changed again. "Actually, no, sorry, that was stupid."

"We should," Nick said, cutting into Charlie's increasing confusion. "I'd like that."

Charlie laughed a little, looking up into Nick's eyes. He really couldn't believe this was happening to him—and if it was a dream, he never wanted to wake up.