Falling (a Heartstopper fanfiction)

Intimate

After dinner, they all went back to their rooms. Vague plans had been discussed during the day about spending time with other rooms, but everyone was so tired after the long day of walking and the big emotional dinner that they mostly all just wanted to collapse.

Charlie finished brushing his teeth, then picked up his phone and reflexively checked his Instagram, to see a picture pop up that instant on Nick's account, of the two of them. He opened the door, grinning at his boyfriend. "Did you just post another photo of me on Instagram?"

"I might have."

He couldn't help but notice that they were alone in the room. And Nick was so beautiful, and he made Charlie so happy. He reached out and brushed back the fall of red hair from Nick's forehead.

Nick put his hands on Charlie's waist, smiling up at him.

"What?"

Then Nick wrapped his arms around Charlie and pressed his head into Charlie's stomach. It was a lovely moment—until he fell backward, dragging Charlie down onto the bed with him. He rolled them over so they were facing each other, so close. Charlie wanted to kiss him so bad.

"Hi," Nick said.

"Hi."

Nick rolled on top of him, giggling.

"Oh, my God, Nick, you giant rugby idiot!"

"Now you are fully trapped." He dragged the comforter over both of them and snuggled him close. "Now you have to sleep in my bed."

Charlie wished he could, but that was hardly low-key, even if only Tao and Isaac would know. "It's probably a bad idea."

"You seemed kind of down today," Nick said softly.

"I just wanted to be alone with you." He couldn't help himself any longer. He leaned forward and kissed Nick, lightly at first, but then with more eagerness, rolling them over again.

Nick rolled them back, pulling away to smile at him. "You taste like toothpaste. Like the first time we kissed at your house."

"Well, I literally just have brushed my teeth, so ..." He lost the thread of the thought completely, because Nick was suddenly kissing his neck, and it felt ... amazing. "So, um ..."

Nick raised his head. "Is that okay?"

Charlie nodded vigorously. "Yeah." So okay.

So Nick did it again.

And Charlie lay there and wondered what he would have said a year ago if someone had told him tonight he would be lying in a hotel room in Paris, wrapped in the arms of rugby king Nick Nelson, happier than he'd ever been before in his life.

He'd have told whoever it was that they were crazy, he thought. He would never have believed this was possible. Sometimes, secretly, deep down, he wasn't sure he really believed it now.

Looking at the door, it occurred to him that Isaac and Tao could come back at any moment. And as much as he was loving this moment, he didn't want to be walked in on like this. Kissing was one thing. This was ... too intimate to be caught at or have to share.

"Nick. We—we should stop." God, he didn't want to. But ... "We're going to get caught."

Lifting his head, Nick looked at the door and then at Charlie, his eyes hazy, as though he had forgotten were they were. "I— Yeah. Yeah." He pulled away and they both sat up, feeling weird and awkward.

At least, Charlie did. To lighten the mood, he bumped Nick's shoulder. "I think you lost the challenge."

"Ugh!" They both laughed.

But it still felt strange, and in some way Charlie was glad when his friends came back.

They got in bed, talking a little, but before long both Tao and Isaac were fast asleep. Charlie rolled over and reached out for Nick's hand, and they fell asleep that way again.

Charlie was the first one awake in the morning, and he got out of bed as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake the others. In the bathroom, while he was brushing his teeth, he looked in the mirror and stopped short, seeing something that had never been there before. A bruise. On his neck. Right where Nick Nelson's lips had been the night before.

Oh, God. He had a hickey. Part of him was utterly mortified, and part of him was absolutely delighted, and another part of him wanted to waltz into breakfast with the hickey prominently displayed and tell everyone exactly who had put it there. His boyfriend.

But of course, he couldn't do that. And, in fact, everyone would see and no one would know who put it there, and he'd get all sorts of completely unwanted attention.

He swore softly at his reflection and picked up his phone to text Nick, hoping he was awake.

Thankfully, he was. He pushed the door open, whispering "What's up?"

Charlie had his hand over his neck, and as Nick came fully into the bathroom he removed it, watching Nick's eyes widen with shock. "Oh, my God. Wh— It ... Is that—? Did I do that?"

"Do you think anyone will notice?"

"Yeah, I ... I think everyone will notice."

Charlie looked away, already feeling self-conscious and a little bit sick. "Yeah. But no one will know it was you," he assured Nick.

"I'm so sorry. I— I didn't mean to. I don't even know how to do that, to be honest. I—"

"Nick, it's fine." Charlie smiled at him. It helped to see Nick so adorably flustered. And he had quite enjoyed the activity that had caused the blemish, so there was that to think of. In case Nick was at all in doubt on that point, he added, "I really enjoyed it. A lot."

Nick smiled.

Before he could say anything, Tao knocked on the door. "What are you two doing in there?" He opened it before they could answer, hair tousled, looking half asleep. "How did you get that bruise on your neck?"

Charlie and Nick both looked away, neither of them wanting to explain.

And Tao didn't need them to. His fuzzy morning brain woke right up as it processed what it was seeing. "Oh, my God." He glared at Nick. "You! I cannot believe it. The actual—"

Whatever he had been going to say was cut off by a knock on the door.

Tao glared at Nick again. "We will be having words."

Then he closed the bathroom door again and went to answer the door. Charlie and Nick came out of the bathroom in time to see Elle standing there, grinning at Tao as he desperately tried to cover his bare chest, telling him the girls were going for breakfast.

Tao stammered something and shut the door in her face, turning around and collapsing against it, eyes wide with panic. "Help me."

They would. Right after the three of them stopped laughing.