Heartstopper oneshots/ requests

You actually care, don't you?

Lemonsunshine01 - I remember you saying you want more Nick angst.. this is somethinggg

Nick knew it was going to be a bad day. He hadn't slept well at all, waking up every hour with these intrusive thoughts that he just couldn't seem to control.

As he got dressed for school he was trying to work out what happened for this sudden shift. He was coping fine before, but now it felt like he was back to where he was a couple of years ago.

"You look tired" His mum commented sadly when he came downstairs
"I am"
"Didn't sleep well?"
"I kept waking up"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing"
"Doesn't sound like nothing"

Nick sighed, "I'm fine"

His mum didn't say anything after that and just gave him his tea and toast.

"Thanks"

Nick hated being like this. He knew he was being cagey and he honestly felt a million miles from his body. He didn't mean to be so reserved but he felt helpless when he was in this mood.

"Hi" Charlie said, smiling at him as he sat down in form
"Hi"

Again, Nick knew that he sounded duller than usual and before the tutor even started the register, he was bouncing his leg.

"What's up?" Charlie whispered in the middle of the register
"Nothing"
"Nick" Charlie put his hand over Nicks, stopping him from digging his middle finger into the edges of his thumbnail. Something he hadn't even realised he was doing.
"I'm fine, just didn't sleep well" He said dismissively, pulling his hand away.

Truthfully, he knew there was more to it than that but somehow it felt easier to just blame his behaviour on a bad night's sleep because he couldn't explain it himself.

After form, the first couple of lessons were okay but by the third Nick was finding it really difficult to focus. If it wasn't the seemingly thousands of conversations happening around him, it was his own thoughts getting too loud.

All the while, all he really wanted to understand was why this was happening. Why had he gone from being okay to suddenly struggling with all of this like he was two years ago?

At lunchtime, Charlie noticed that Nick wasn't playing around with his usual group of friends. Normally, he would let it go but seeing how Nick was this morning, Charlie went looking for him.

"I don't know why you even care about him" Tao said, rolling his eyes as Charlie excused himself from their lunch table.

Once he was on his own, Charlie didn't really know where to start. Suddenly he realised that he didn't actually know Nick that well at all. Was he just overthinking this? Something was telling him he wasn't.

After trying the usual spots - toilets, quiet spaces in the courtyard, he realised where Nick most probably was. If he really did want to be alone he would go where he knew no one would be... the changing rooms.

At the door of the changing room, Charlie suddenly felt really nervous. If Nick really was behind this door, what was he going to say to him?

"Nick?" Charlie's voice was small as he pushed the door open to the changing rooms.

To Charlie's disbelief, Nick really was there sitting with his back against the bench and his knees drawn up to his chest.

Nick looked up and quickly met Charlie's eyes.

"What's going on?"
"I don't know" Nick said, his voice was hoarse and Charlie could tell he was genuinely confused and hurting.
"Can I come in?" Charlie asked, looking down slightly, gesturing he was still standing in the doorframe.

"Yeah, course" Nick shifted slightly as if to make room for Charlie to sit beside him, "Why are you here?"
Charlie half smiled and came into the room, making sure the door closed behind him, "I noticed you weren't at lunch"

Charlie sat crossed legged next to Nick and he tried not to notice how Nick watched him carefully with a small smile.

"And you were weird in form so-"
"I was not weird" Nick restored, half laughing
"You were!" Charlie shot back, "I was-" Charlie hesitated slightly, "Worried about you"
Nick scoffed slightly at that because truthfully he wasn't used to people being worried about him or at least explicitly saying they were.

Not friends anyway. Family maybe, but none of his friends would ever worry about him like Charlie did. None of them had turned up in the empty changing rooms, but Charlie did.

"Thank you" Nick said sincerely, looking at Charlie and they locked eyes, "You actually care, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do"

Short, but sweet I think. Also, what Hogwarts house are you all in??