A Collection of Heartstopper Oneshots

He Left a Note - 7ate9

Summary:

It's the night before Nick and Charlie's wedding. Tao has been going insane with best man duties, but he is a good friend, and he will follow through on every single one. But he's not quite sure what to do when one of the grooms disappears, leaving just a note behind. What is Tao supposed to tell Charlie?
Notes:

Based on this anon prompt on Tumblr: Nick and Charlie are being kept apart from each other the night before their wedding, and they are each staying with different friends. The friends that are taking care of Nick goes into his room and finds a note that says "I'm sorry I can't do this" and think that he's running out on Charlie and the whole gang goes out looking for him. Eventually they decide that they have to tell Charlie, but when they go to talk to him they find him and Nick cuddling or something because they misunderstood the note.

I had a lot of fun writing this one!! if you have any prompts pls send them to me on Tumblr my user is @7-ate-9
(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:
Tao felt as though his whole life had been a bit of a whirlwind. Ever since he'd met Charlie, really, so much had changed. He made a friend, his best friend, his platonic soulmate. They were eleven years old. And now, at age 24, they were still just as close as they'd ever been.

Their friendship hadn't been an easy one, but then again, Tao wouldn't exactly describe Charlie's life as 'easy.' Charlie had been through so much, too much for someone as good as he was. But between Tao's undealt with abandonment issues and Charlie's bullying, and later his decline in his mental health, their relationship had definitely been put through its fair share of trials and tribulations. But, regardless, they were here now, and they were still best friends.

Maybe Tao was a bit more sentimental than usual, but he figured events like this would do that to anyone. Tomorrow, his best friend was getting married. Charlie was marrying the love of his life, the boy he'd been with since he was fourteen years old. Ten years, and they were still as disgustingly in love as they'd been at Truham Grammar.

As Charlie's best man, the week had been quite busy for Tao. They'd had an absolute wreck with getting the venue ready, the groom's suit ripped (Tao had told Nick to stop working out so much or it wouldn't fit, but no, lifting weights relaxed him, the oaf), and don't get Tao started on the caterers. But, as best man, Tao had done his best to ensure everything was fixed. Tao had commandeered the bridal party to put together the decorations that the employees should have done, Elle retook Nick's measurements and added more room for his ridiculous shoulders, and Tori terrified the caterers into complying with their demands. Everything was working out. Except for the grooms.

If Tao had been told that the hardest part of his duties as best man would have been shepherding the grooms and keeping Nick away from Charlie... well, he wouldn't have been all that surprised. As it was, he was just about ready to tear his own hair out if it meant Nick would stop acting like an overeager puppy and just go wait a few days before he smothered his soon-to-be husband with kisses and cuddles. But after ten years of reluctant friendship, Tao knew this was simply how he was, and if there was one unstoppable force that could bypass any immovable object, it was Nick's constant desire to be touching Charlie. Tao was honestly half-convinced they'd both swallowed magnets stronger than the two poles.

This wouldn't typically be an issue. In fact, after a while, Tao started to appreciate it. Ever since the beginnings of their friendship, Tao could tell that Charlie ached for something, for someone to love him, want him, need him , unconditionally. Tao had tried to be that person, and for a while, it had worked. But then...

The bullying shifted something in Charlie. No matter what his friends did, it planted something within him, something deep and dark. The roots grew, gnarled and ugly. No matter how hard they tried, they could never quite weed it out. Tao hadn't known at the time, but Charlie needed someone else to do it, someone who could show him that this version of him, this Charlie who had been through so much, he was still lovable and good.