ImmediatelyWriting's One Shots

#71. Heartstopper - Nick/Charlie) Cold Hands

Summary:
For as long as Nick can remember Charlie's hands have been freezing cold when he holds them. Nevertheless, they always get warmer as soon as Nick wraps his around them. Never did he think they would be literally as cold as the ice of a lake that's frozen over at night. Never did he think that he'd have to fear might never feel warm again.

Or: Nick and Charlie go on an ice-skate-date... and then there's a crack.

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As the first flurries start falling down from the overcastted skies, Nick can't help but bring up the idea. "What about an ice-skate-date?" he asks Charlie when they're talking about this weekend's plans.

"An ice-skate-date?" Charlie replies, his voice sounding anything but enthusiastic.

"Yeah, I thought it'd be something different." By now, they have gone on so many dates, but most of them were about the same; they'd hang out at each other's houses, sometimes they would go for a walk with Nellie, but most times they'd just play some games. And that's fun and all, but sometimes Nick wants something different. Something more special. He wants to make memories together.

And he knows from experience that, on a nearby lake that must be frozen over after four days of temperatures far below zero, there's a great opportunity to make special memories together.

He's already got a lot of memories of that place; ice-skating with his family when he was still very young, and later on, he sometimes took Nellie there for walks and he would skate with her.

Now, he wants to add another memory to that list; skating with Charlie.

But when he looks up and sees the way Charlie's eyes are fixed on the floor, he knows he might be asking a bit too much of Charlie.

"It's okay if you don't want to go," Nick promises him.

"I'm sorry," Charlie whispers, when he's got nothing to apologize for.

"Sorry for what?"

"For not sharing your enthusiasm." His fiddles with the handle of his backpack. "It's just that I've never gone ice-skating before so-"

Nick frowns lightly. "But that's nothing to be sorry about." A smile forms on his face. "Ice-skating isn't that hard to learn, I can teach you it right then and there if you want to." Nick hand wraps around Charlie's and squeezes it gently. "So, what do you say?"

"I'm not sure if I'll be brave enough to-" Charlie's shoulders tense up, and for a moment Nick's sure that he's about to say "no" anyway. "-but, okay then. An ice-skate-date it is."

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"Are you ready?" Nick asks, his voice barely a whisper in Charlie's ear.

The moonlight lights up a lake that has frozen over in the past few days. It looks magical, shimmering in the darkness. But to Charlie, it must look daunting.

Nick has never heard of a guy his age that hasn't gone ice-skating before. Especially if that guy has a younger sibling that would definitely enjoyed ice-skating. But even then, Charlie also seems like the kind of guy who would remain on the sidelines, drinking some hot tea and watching instead.

That's why Nick's arms are wrapped around Charlie from behind as they near the icy lake.

"Are you sure I won't slip?"

"You won't," Nick promises. "Just trust me."

Charlie snorts out a quick breath, and Nick's certain that he just rolled his eyes.

"What?" he replies, his tone faux-offended. "Do you not trust me?"

Charlie's chest rises slowly as Charlie inhales, and with a sigh, his chest falls again. "Of course, I do."