A Collection of Heartstopper Oneshots

I Don't Know You - 7ate9

A/N: this one is a bit different but I thought it was kinda cute.

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Summary:

Stephane was not expecting the evening to go this way when he decided to visit his sons in Truham. But there was tension at the dinner table that he didn't quite understand, not to mention an additional four people he'd not been expecting, three of whom he'd never even met.

When his son, Nick, disappeared upstairs with his friend to calm down, Stephane took the time to leave, too. He was not expecting what he witnessed. He very quickly was realizing he may not know his son at all.
Notes:

idk why I'm obsessed w someone stumbling upon a moment between the boys but I really really love it
Work Text:
Stephane just hoped he was hiding his confusion well. He wasn't really expecting his ex-wife to have invited him to her house; he'd more thought he'd meet his sons at a restaurant and then say their goodbyes. Instead, not only was he at Sarah's home, but he was also at dinner with another family with people he'd never met or even heard of and a boy he'd met once for maybe five minutes. But, conversation wore on, stilted as it was.

David was riling Nick up, anyone could see that. Stephane was sitting across from Nick, so he could see the way his other son was getting to him, and he could feel the way the dog–Nellie–was sitting underneath the table. She was facing Nick, her tail occasionally swishing against Stephane's legs. Sometimes he saw Nick's arm moving like he was giving her little scratches.

They were sitting through another awkward lull in conversation. Stephane wasn't sure what was really going on. He'd wanted to briefly catch up with his sons while he was in England, and now there were more people, people he didn't know, and something else... Stephane felt like there was something everyone knew except him; shifty eyes, strange pauses, and everyone constantly interrupting David when he started to say something a little too pointed or someone saying something to diffuse the strange tension. It was getting exhausting.

"So, Dad, did Nick tell you that prom is tomorrow?" David spoke up.

Stephane swallowed his bite of food and glanced up at Nick, who was unsurprisingly glaring at David. "Is it?"

"Um, yeah." Nick forced a smile at Stephane, then aimed his gaze back at his plate. "It is."

"And Nick's got a date," David said with faux-enthusiasm.

Stephane perked up. This was something he could talk about. "You do?"

Nick's breathing seemed off. "Uh—"

"Who was it that you're taking, Nick?" David asked pointedly.

"David," Sarah said in a warning tone. Nick looked like he was on the verge of passing out. Stephane sent a furtive look around the table, trying to gain any information he could that might clarify the situation, but he saw nothing.

"What," David groaned, "I'm just asking—"

"You're being rude, David, leave your brother be."

"Oh, come on, just because he's dating—"

"David!" Sarah chided, tone sharp. "Don't you dare."

David scoffed. "It's not that big of a deal—"

David was interrupted by the creak of Nick's chair against the floorboards as he threw his napkin down next to his plate. Nick shot up and out of the dining room, disappearing into the house with Nellie on his heels, nails against the floor clicking after him as they retreated up the stairs. Charlie clenched his jaw and glanced around the table, then followed Nick out, though with much less of a scene.