A Collection of Heartstopper Oneshots

practically married (already us) - shadowquill17

AN: this is a long one. Originally it's three parts but I just decided to combine them all into one for easier reading.
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Chapter 1 Summary:
Nick is in his first year of uni and out for a night with the lads, when one of them mentions that he and Charlie are practically married.
Nick is not even surprised at how much he likes the idea.
Chapter 2 Summary:
A lot of Nick's friends have been hard at work organizing the uni Valentine's Day Ball, and Nick needs tickets for Charlie and him.
Chapter 3 Summary:
Nick has a conversation with his students about what being married really means, if babies really are as cute as people say they are, and about the musical tastes of dogs.

Chapter 1: rugby lads and their opinions on love
It's Friday night and Dippy's, one of the local pubs not far from campus, has done their best to lure students in with a special offer of a pitcher of beer for the price of a pint between 8 and 9pm.

Needless to say, most of the rugby team is here tonight, and about a third of them is already quite happily tipsy. Nick called Charlie earlier, right before he left with the guys, and feels like that ten-minute call was an auspicious start to the night. Charlie told him to have fun and teasingly promised to text Nick later to remind him his room key is in his bag, because he loves to remind Nick of that one time he thought he'd lost it and almost started crying right there in the hallway.

Zack said he wanted to stay outside for a bit, since the night is so warm even though it's October, so they've settled around a couple of high tables on the terrasse, the kind you can stand around and add people however you want because they are no chairs. They've been here for almost an hour, and Nick's already had a good amount of beer and a serving of fries, and he also took part in a couple rounds of shots, so he feels warm and just on the right side of tipsy.

Gregory has gone inside to ask if they've got craft beers, and Nick is standing between Milo and Jamal as he animatedly talks with Zack across the table about which version of Pride and Prejudice was the best adaptation, while Cormac nods along, looking confused but interested.

Charlie is the only reason Nick even has an opinion about this, because he forced Nick to watch almost all versions, including some modern Youtube adaptation. Well, he forced him to start, anyway, because Nick was afraid he just wouldn't get it since he doesn't love books as much as Charlie does, but after two episodes of the 1995 version Nick was completely hooked and ready to go along with anything Charlie wanted to show him. So far Zack looks pretty impressed with what Nick has to say, which makes Nick weirdly proud since Zack is a self-proclaimed literature and movie snob, and in the middle of an English degree, and he knows he'll brag about that later to Charlie.

They're arguing about the merits of the Bollywood version when two girls sidle up to the table. Immediately, all the boys perk up, and even Zack lets his argument dissolve in the middle of it, distracted. Nick gently rolls his eyes, amused.

"Good evening ladies! Can we do something to help you? Maybe grab you a couple of drinks, if you're planning on hanging around?" Milo says, as the smoothest and most easily confident of them all.

The irony being that he can only ever use all that flirting expertise as a wingman, since he's the only one of the guys with a girlfriend.

But not the only one with a partner, though, Nick thinks, and is immediately filled with the most joyous wave of contentment as he remembers how lucky he is to be with Charlie.

The girls introduce themselves – the blond one is named Charlotte and the other one says her name is Kate – and after a few minutes of only-slightly awkward conversation, it becomes obvious that Charlotte has come around their table because she is specifically interested in Cormac. She starts talking to him right away, pushing her purple-streaked blond hair behind her ears as they talk, and Cormac seems entranced. Meanwhile her friend Kate seems to be looking around the table with less specificity, gaze settling on each one of the boy with a careful sort of look.