A Collection of Heartstopper Oneshots

A Mothers Love - Lockerberry

Summary:

Charlie has a chat with his son about love.
Notes:

Celebrating Mothering Sunday here in the Uk.
So I wrote this little story that is all about love.

Thank you to Becca for the beta read. I always appreciate it. 🫶
(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:
"Daddy?"
"Yes little Bean?" Charlie says with a smile as his son tugs on the back of his shirt.

"Why don't I have a mummy?"

Charlie twists his body away from the washing up to face his son.
"You do. Auntie Darcy is your birth Mummy." He says kindly.
"I know that," his son says with a sigh, "but she doesn't live with us, she doesn't do mummy things."
"Ok, so what are 'mummy' things?" Charlie asks drying his hands and crouching to be face level with his five year old.

"Well, Aidan said his mummy cooks his dinners, and Caleb says his mummy cleans and hoovers his room."

"Ok, so who cooks your dinners little bean?" Charlie says now sitting cross-legged on the floor resting his back against the kitchen cupboard.
Noah moves and sits in his lap.
"You do, and papa does. But I prefer your dinners daddy. Shh, don't tell papa." Noah whispers the second part with his finger on his lips.

"Ok, I won't tell papa, but he does make good muffins and cake right?" Charlie says with a fond smile.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Noah says as he realises.

"Clara says her Mummy loves her because she takes her to dance lessons and watches her dance shows."
"Right, and what does Auntie Tara do?"
"Tease Auntie Darcy?"
"Well yes, but what else does she do?"
"Love Auntie Darcy?"
"Yes. What else?" Charlie says bouncing Noah on his knee.
"She dances with me."
"She does. She dances with you. And she helps you learn all the moves to your favourite songs."
"Oooh yeah! Auntie Tara is really good at dancing. Auntie Darcy always falls about dizzy when she tries, it makes me laugh then I fall over too."
This makes Charlie chuckle, "that sounds just like them. So you see, they give out a little mummy love whenever they babysit."
"And they let me run around with Juno when we take her for a walk."
"Yes they do. It's fun to play with Juno, their puppy right?"
"I love her" Noah confirms.
"So Tara and Darcy show a lot of trust in you to look after Juno."
"Yeah, I'd never hurt Juno." Noah says frantically, shaking his head.

"So what else do mummies do?"
"They..." he taps his bottom lip thinking.
"Susie says her mummy plaits her hair because her daddy can't do it."
"Do you want your hair plaited?"
"Nohohoho. Silly daddy, my hair's too short."
"Well then." Charlie laughed as he runs his fingers through Noah' hair. "You know who can plait hair really well?"
"No, who?"
"Auntie Elle. And your very own daddy" Charlie says pointing his thumb towards himself looking smug. "Auntie Elle taught me years ago when Uncle Tao had long hair."

"Uncle Tao had long hair?" Noah sounds shocked and amused.
"Oh yes, it was down to his chin, it used to flick out at the bottom. Don't tell him I said this, but it looked really silly."
Noah starts giggling, making Charlie smile again.

"Abigail said her mummy comes to cuddle her in the night when she has a nightmare"
"And who comes to comfort you when you have bad dreams?"
"Papa!" Noah says, sounding confident.
"Papa does, because you get grumpy if you don't sleep well" he adds as he pokes Charlie in the chest. Charlie grabs his little hand with his finger still out-stretched and pretends to nibble the end. "Ummm num num num" "Daddy no! I need my finger." Noah squeals through his laughter.
"But I didn't sleep well and I'm grrrrumpy." Charlie says in a deep gruff voice.
"Daddy!! Stop it!" Noah squeals again while squirming in Charlie's lap with glee.

Once Noah manages to catch his breath he shuffles in Charlie's lap to the other knee which Charlie is thankful for, one leg having now officially gone numb.
"Susie also says her mummy loves her because she stays home all day to let her daddy go to work."

"And what do papa and I do?"
Noah looks quizzically at Charlie, "umm, papa goes to work because he works at my school and you..." he trails off unsure of what to say.
"I work from home. So I'm here and available if you need me, and papa works nearby, and you are both at the same school."
"Oh yeah." Noah says slowly understanding.
"So you both work?"
"Yeah, we both work, so we can buy you lots of nice things and take you to lots of nice places."
"Aidan said his mummy buys him treats at the weekend, but you do that for me too."
"We do." Charlie agrees.
"And I get treats from Auntie Elle, and Auntie Darcy, Auntie Tara and even Uncle Tao lets me watch dvd's."
"That's right. Because they all love you."

"So I don't need a mummy?"
Charlie takes a deep breath.
"Noah you are an incredibly lucky little boy, you have two daddies who love you more than anything else in the world, and you have a large found family."
"What's a found family?"
"It's when you're not related by blood like me and Auntie Tori and Uncle Olly but you are family because you all love and respect each other. If anything it makes the bond stronger because you choose to be in each others lives. So no, I guess you don't need a mummy because you have a little mummy love from everyone in your life."

"I love you daddy. I love papa too." Charlie smiles down at his son as Noah continues, "And I love Auntie Elle, I love Uncle Tao, I love Auntie Tara, I love Auntie Darcy, I love Auntie Tori, I love Uncle Olly," he nods with each name and Charlie's heart explodes with love at each admission. Noah continues. "I love Nanny Nelson, I love Nanny Spring, I love Grandad Spring. I even love Uncle David, but only at Christmas and birthdays when he brings presents." Which makes Charlie laugh out loud.

"So you see, a mummy doesn't really do anything different." Charlie summarises.
"And I'm not missing out?"
"No, my little Bean, I actually think you're a super lucky little boy, you are surrounded by people who love you. And do you know who loves you the most?"
"Who daddy?" He says, shaking his head.
"Your daddy and your papa. I happen to know papa loves you very very much, and would do absolutely anything for you."

"Your daddy is pretty special too, little Bean."
"Papa!!" Noah exclaims as he jumps off Charlie's lap and into Nick's waiting arms.

"Now, what are we talking about?" Nick asks
"Love, we're talking about love Papa."
"Ah, I see. Lots of that in this house, little Bean. Lots of that forever." He says squeezing the boy in his arms a little tighter and giving a soft smile to Charlie who's still sitting on the floor.
Charlie looked at his son hugging his husband and not for the first time felt proud and thankful for everything they had achieved and created together.

His heart melted further still as Nick looked at him with the softest eyes, and mouthed one single word to him.

"Forever."

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed it.
Happy Mother's Day to those who celebrate.