A Collection of Heartstopper Oneshots

Please (Let Me Help) - 7ate9

⚠️⚠️TRIGGER WARNING⚠️⚠️:
rape/non-con, sexual assault

Summary:

Nick noticed Charlie was acting strangely. One second, he was fine, the next, he was gone. And, look, maybe he shouldn't have followed him, but he was worried.

That worry was worth it, apparently, when he found Ben and Charlie in the locked practise room.

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Nick felt like a terrible person. He should have just left. Clearly, Charlie didn't want to leave together today. Nick wasn't dependent on Charlie, just like Charlie wasn't dependent on Nick. And that was how Nick wanted it. They were their own people.

Still, Nick couldn't deny the worry taking hold. Charlie had seemed like he was riding high by the end of practise, talking and giggling with Nick and actively engaging and interacting with the rest of the team. Nick felt so proud of him. He'd already come so far from the timid boy who kept his eyes on the ground, never speaking to anyone else.

It was a far cry from the way he'd shut down the second he'd looked at his phone. They'd been in conversation with Sai and Otis. Nick had already forgotten what they were talking about, but he remembered the way Charlie had been laughing until he'd checked his phone. Nick watched his face shutter, like a house shutting up for a blizzard. Even Otis, notable for being more than a little oblivious, had exchanged a worried look with Nick and Sai.

They'd watched Charlie type back and forth for a short conversation, just two short messages, before he simply gathered his things and left, whole body tense. The three watched him go, even Christian catching on. Even Harry Greene spoke up, asking, "What's up with him?"

Nick didn't listen to whatever Sai was saying. Instead, he quickly shoved his feet into his shoes and rushed to follow Charlie.

He paused, though, when he saw that Charlie was not going to the bus stop, but instead was going further into the school, towards the maths block.

Okay, he reasoned, maybe he's forgotten something.

The music block was right there, too. Probably, he figured, Charlie was just going to get something from his locker. This being the only exit to this side of campus, where Charlie needed to go, Nick resolved to wait until he was done.

When a few minutes passed, however, and more boys left for the day, Nick was growing a bit restless. He knew Charlie could take care of himself, but this whole situation was kicking in Nick's fight-or-flight response. He felt like there was certainly a threat in there and it was coming after Charlie.

Nick shook away the thought. Maybe Charlie was just getting some extra practise in on the school drums. Which... didn't make a lot of sense, considering the boy had a set at home and often complained that one of the drums in the practise set had a tear, but it could explain it. Maybe one of Charlie's parents told him to wait at school so they could pick him up. Or maybe the buses were being held up and Charlie had alerts for the public transit.

Or maybe Nick could just text him and see if he was coming.

Nick sighed and pulled his phone from his pocket, quickly navigating to their messages. They'd only texted once, when Charlie needed the practise schedule. Nick pulled up the short text chain and messaged him, hey are you leaving soon? Was waiting for you.

Okay. Innocuous enough. It didn't feel too telling, like he was worried about him, and Charlie could easily tell him to go on.

But when more minutes passed and Charlie didn't respond, Nick's anxiety got the best of him, and he followed the younger boy's path into the building.