Falling (a Heartstopper fanfiction)

Real

Once the first four milkshakes were up, Charlie called Tao over to help carry. Nick was still trying to sell Charlie on bubblegum being an acceptable flavour, claiming that chocolate was boring and expected, everyone ordered it, and bubblegum was more interesting.

Charlie turned to tease him about his terrible taste just as Tao joined them. He stopped short, looking from one of them to the other. "Not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Um, what?" Charlie could feel himself blushing, although they weren't really saying anything that could give them away. "No, we were just ... chatting."

Tao still seemed to feel like the third wheel, and Charlie wished he could say something, but even if Nick was ready for that, Charlie didn't think Tao was. He was so opposed to Nick, thinking he was just like the other rugby boys, and Charlie would rather not have to constantly defend Nick to his best friend.

"You take those back, I'll wait for the last two," Tao said at last, after they'd all stood there in silence a moment.

So they did, but Charlie felt bad about how awkward that had been. And then, when they put the milkshakes down at the table, that was awkward, too. "Is this some sort of 'no boys allowed' conversation?"

"Did you know this, too?" Elle asked. Her voice was flat and she was clearly upset. "The me and Tao thing."

"Um ... yeah."

"So this whole thing was just a setup?"

Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say. Until Nick, to Charlie's surprise, spoke up. "We thought it would be fun to go on a triple date."

Both Elle and Charlie took a moment to realise exactly what he had just said. "A triple date?" Elle asked slowly.

"Yeah," Nick said. "You and Tao, Tara and Darcy, and ..."

"You and Charlie," she finished.

"Yeah."

"You two are together?"

"Yeah," Charlie confirmed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Nick had just come out, to Elle, in front of Charlie so he could see her reaction. He wanted to throw himself across the table, milkshakes and all, and hug him, and never let go. He settled for smiling as widely as it was possible for him to smile.

She gasped in delight, reaching her hands across the table. "Charlie! I'm so happy for you."

And Nick was smiling, too. Nick wasn't feeling conflicted about telling her, and he hadn't just been humouring Charlie. He looked as happy as Charlie felt.

Elle turned to Nick. "I mean, I'm happy for you, too, but you didn't have to witness all the months of intense pining—"

"Elle!"

"Oh, really? I'll have to hear more about that later." Nick gave Charlie one of those lopsided smiles across the table, and Charlie blushed up to his ears.

"She's lying."

"Not at all," Elle said emphatically. "Do Tao and Isaac know?"

"I think Isaac guessed, like, almost immediately after we got together." He still wasn't sure how. He'd have to ask him someday.

"And what about Tao?"

Charlie shook his head. "Not yet. I'm going to tell him. I just need to find the right time."

"But he's the only one who doesn't know."

And Charlie felt bad about that. But until two minutes ago, he'd had no idea that Nick would be comfortable being out to his friends. He hadn't had time to get used to that, or to prepare himself to manage how unhappy Tao would be about the relationship.

Tao returned to the table with the last two milkshakes, hurriedly putting them down. "Um ... just so you know, the concert's starting in fifteen minutes."

Everyone devoted themselves to their milkshakes, hurrying to finish them quickly before heading over to the school. They broke naturally into couples: Tara and Darcy, Charlie and Nick, and Tao and Elle behind them. Charlie didn't think they'd made any progress there at all. Possibly made things worse. But it was hard to focus on that when everything else was so amazing.

Nick followed Charlie to the drum kit when they arrived at the concert. "What are you playing?"

"Here, I'll show you." He pulled up an extra chair for Nick, showed him where to put his foot for the pedal, handed him the drumsticks, and put his hands over Nick's. The last time they'd done this, he'd wanted so much to be with Nick, and now he was, and people knew about it. This was probably a mistake, Charlie thought, sitting so close and holding Nick's hands, in public, while he was feeling so ... energized by the milkshakes and by Nick coming out to Elle. But he guided Nick in a short rhythm anyway, before letting go. Leaning over, he said, "I'm glad you came."

"It seemed like you didn't want me to."

"No, I did. I just ... I thought you were trying not to be rude."

Nick shook his head. "No. I just ... I like being with you."

Charlie smiled, looking away so he didn't reach for Nick in the middle of the gym. Then he looked up and saw one of the other boys glance in their direction. His gaze didn't settle—he'd been looking over their heads—but it reminded Charlie of why else he had worried about Nick coming to the concert. "Also, we've been hanging out a lot and—if people guessed we were together, if they started saying stuff about you, then ... Well, I really don't want you to have to deal with that."

"I, um ... I've been researching about being bisexual," Nick said slowly. "Uh ... I think that might be me. But I ... I'm not sure."

They smiled at each other. Charlie was so proud of Nick for working through something so difficult, for being able to talk to Charlie about it, for not pushing himself when he still wasn't sure. He wished so much that they were alone right now.

But before he could say any of that, the teacher loudly asked if anyone had seen Tara and Darcy, who had apparently left the gym without being seen.

Nick and Charlie got up to look for them, signaling to Tao and Elle to come with them.

They found the girls, who had gotten locked in the music room, and ran back to the gym just in time. Nick stopped to help Tara with her instrument, then took a seat in the audience. Across the room, their eyes met. Nick was smiling, so much affection in his eyes that Charlie couldn't question it anymore. This was real. They were real.