A Collection of Heartstopper Oneshots

On the Pitch - 7ate9

Summary:

When Nick sees Charlie get hurt during their rugby match, he has a choice to make. He knows he'd just asked Charlie if they could keep their relationship a secret, and he was bloody terrified at the prospect of everyone knowing before he even knew what his sexuality was. They hadn't even labelled their week-old relationship, for Christ's sake!

But Nick was staring at Charlie, curled up on the ground, hurt, shaking, soaked to the bone, and he knew that there was no choice to make. He knew he would never forgive himself for letting Charlie lay there and be hurt.

AKA if Nick had gone to Charlie when he'd gotten hurt during the rugby match against St. John's instead of standing there watching him and having an internal crisis because that was what I needed
Notes:

For Mer.
I just got into this show and I'm obsessed!! I have watched season 1 and I'm waiting to watch season 2 so no one pls spoil it. I also am rewatching season 1 instead of watching season 2 and I've already started a rather lengthy list of potential coda fics I might write so keep your fingers crossed I decide to write them. If y'all have read my other fics for other fandoms you know I'm obsessed with angst so be prepared for that
(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:
Time immediately stopped the second Nick watched Charlie go down.

A part of him regretted asking Charlie to join the rugby team. It was a dangerous sport, one of the most dangerous sports out there, and he hated that he'd put Charlie in harm's way. He liked Charlie, and it didn't even occur to him until this match that he may be too preoccupied watching him, making sure he was okay. But now, almost halfway through the game, he knew that he was performing poorly. He was playing the worst he'd played in a while, and that was because Charlie was out here on the pitch.

Clearly, Nick hadn't done a good job watching out for him, because he watched as Charlie went in to tackle a player from the opposing team (really, in hindsight he should have dissuaded Charlie from trying to tackle; it would've saved himself a lot of grief), and the player shoved his elbow out to block him, catching Charlie right in the face and sending him to the grass.

Nick swore his heart stopped for a full two seconds as he watched his--friend? boyfriend?--Charlie lay still on the ground. He thought he might have called out Charlie's name, but he wasn't sure. He was frozen, staring at the movement of his shoulder with the boy's heaving breaths. He could blame the rain and his own blinding panic for not being able to tell if he was okay. Still, he thought he'd collapse himself if he didn't see Charlie show some sign of consciousness soon.

Then, he noticed his shaking hand, bloodied from holding his nose. He noticed that his eyes weren't closed, but were blinking rapidly against the rain pelting down and the pain no doubt radiating from the injury to his face. Charlie was injured, but he'd be okay. He had to be okay.

Nick wanted to go to his side, help him to his feet, but the whole team was standing there, as was everyone in attendance. They were all standing, watching as Charlie lay curled up on his side, still getting soaked by mud and rain and his own blood. He was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, and Nick felt a deep-seated desire–no, need to rush to the boy's side and hold him close, to blanket his body with his own, wipe away his blood and check the damage even as everyone stared.

No one moved. Nick kept watching. Charlie kept shivering.

They hadn't even labelled what they are yet. He wasn't sure if Charlie was okay with them being boyfriends or if they were something less or something more.

It had to have been less than ten seconds since Charlie went down, but no one was tending to him. They all stared, watching, not helping.

Nick looked up at the gathered audience, small as it may have been. Charlie's own friends looked so concerned whilst the others were laughing at him. They were laughing at someone in pain. Nick never understood, and he definitely did not understand it now.