A Collection of Heartstopper Oneshots

Hindsight is 20/20 - ratmom819

Summary:

In which Tao is the first to find out about Nick and Charlie
Notes:

Set in a sort of combined comic/TV show universe, partly because I love both versions of the scene, and mostly because I love both Isaac and Aled and decided they should both exist.

Thanks in advance for reading, please let me know what you think :)
Work Text:
In hindsight, they should have been more careful. They were in a public arcade, and while not too crowded for a Saturday afternoon, they knew anyone could walk around the corner at any moment.

But Nick had just handed Charlie the most adorable present, and Charlie felt like he was glowing from the inside, and the way Nick was illuminated by the pulsing lights of the game consoles made him look magical, and Charlie didn't even ask but just said that he wanted to kiss Nick and Nick didn't have to do anything. And Nick, Nick was slightly embarrassed at his homemade gift, and then overwhelmingly pleased when Charlie said he loved it, and then completely thrown off when Charlie said he wanted to kiss him and oh my god he wanted to kiss Charlie too, so badly, not to mention he still felt a little guilty after overhearing Tao and Charlie's tense bathroom conversation.

So instead of suggesting they wait until they got back to Charlie's house, Nick looked around and, seeing no one, said okay. They both wanted to so bad, the sparks flying between them like millions of little magnets pulling every inch of their bodies closer. Elle and Tao were occupied by a racing game that was getting increasingly competitive, and Isaac and Aled were trading off on a penny fall machine, and it would just be a quick kiss.

In hindsight, they should have known better. First, they should have known that Tao and Elle would not be occupied by that game forever, that matches end pretty quickly. Second, although less relevant, they should have considered that Isaac and Aled were trading off, and while Isaac spent his time away from the machine focusing on his book, Aled was a bit more observant and had already been making eyes at them during the bowling matches. Third, and probably most importantly, they should have known that once they started kissing they would not want to stop. But Nick and Charlie were not good at stopping and thinking when it came to the opportunity to make out. Which would have been fine, except Nick was still in the closet and still feeling very much not ready to come out. But they made out anyways, because they were teenage boys madly in love, and it was not quick.

In fact, it was two minutes, which doesn't sound very long, but is when you're standing out in the open in an arcade and you are supposed to be keeping your relationship a secret. And even though it was no where near as long as they wanted to make out, it was definitely more than just a "quick kiss." In fact, unbeknownst to them, it was long enough for a match between Tao and Elle to end, for Tao to want to find Charlie because he hadn't seem him in a while, for Tao to turn a corner and find him making out with the "straight guy" that he had been crush on.

At first Tao just stood there, shocked, witnessing Nick Fucking Nelson, Rugby King, one of the straightest boys he had ever seen (or so he thought), making out with Charlie Spring. But he must have, in his shock, said something (in fact, it was an incredulous "what?!"), because Nick and Charlie jumped back from each other like magnets reversed.

Now they all stood there. Tao with his mouth agape, Charlie flushed and breathing hard and eyes only for Nick, and Nick. Poor Nick. He was also breathing hard, but much, much harder than Charlie. His entire chest was heaving. In contrast to Charlie's bright flush, the color had drained from Nick's face. His eyes were large, and kept looking between Charlie and Tao, and Charlie recognized the look in his face. It was the same look from the ballroom, and Charlie had another moment of doubt, another moment of guilt, before remembering and realizing that Nick wasn't using him.