A Collection of Heartstopper Oneshots

A Bi Disaster and His Husband Walk into a Bar - imnewintown

Summary:

Nick is tired and a little pathetic
Tao is dumb
Charlie is protective
Darcy wears a hat
Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:
Nick needed a drink. Badly.

Normally he didn't believe in using alcohol as an unhealthy coping mechanism, knowing that the short term relief did nothing to help his long term problems. But today, he'd knocked over an entire carton of glitter while trying to assemble his Word of the Week board and felt guilty leaving it for the cleaners, so he spent an inordinate amount of time trying to remove it from the carpet. Then, the parents he had graciously agreed to meet after the usual hours (on a Friday, no less) were 30 minutes late to their appointment and utterly refused to listen to Nick's concerns about their daughter. Apparently Eliza couldn't have ADHD because that was "a boy thing" and she got good grades. Nick tried to explain that she did well in classes because of natural intellect, but she needed to start learning different strategies now to help her in the future. At the very least, she would benefit from seeing a doctor for an official screening, but that was somehow misconstrued as Nick saying he thought there was something "wrong" with Eliza. When they slammed the door on their way out, half the content on the Word of the Week board fell over from the force of it, and Nick couldn't in good conscience leave it like that.

Now he was going to be 30 minutes late to the pub for Darcy's birthday dinner, despite the fact that he normally was the first of their group to get off work, and he'd have to go in what Charlie called his "teacher clothes" because he didn't have time to run home and change. So yes, he needed that drink. He'd texted Charlie that he was running late so that they could get started without him, then gave him a rough ETA when he'd pouted in response. Nick didn't really know how someone pouted over text, but Charlie managed it.

Nick steeled himself before getting out of his car. He loved his friends, he really did. Would he prefer to go nonverbal and have Charlie pet his hair as they cuddled in bed after the day he'd had? Yes, but he could do this. And there was the incentive of the drink and possibly some greasy pub food. He clambered out his car and headed toward the door, almost smacking into it when he saw the striking figure standing beside it.

"What, no kiss for your husband?" Charlie teased, his eyes twinkling with mirth in the starlight.

Nick knew he was gaping like an idiot, but the sight of Charlie Spring was always breathtaking, especially when one wasn't expecting it. The collar of his peacoat was pulled up in a way that highlighted his sharp cheekbones as his hair ruffled in the chilly breeze. "What are you doing out here?" Nick asked at last, one hand finding Charlie's in his pocket and the other grasping his waist.

"I wanted a moment alone with you and thought you might appreciate a moment of quiet before getting thrown to the pack of wolves that is our friend group," Charlie explained with a brief kiss.

"Oh," Nick said, finding his words lost in the blue of Charlie's eyes.

"Oh," Charlie repeated with a chuckle, before pulling Nick's head down to his shoulder, kissing the side of his head and encouraging him to burrow into his neck. Nick sighed in pleasure and snaked both his arms around his husband's waist, pulling him in even tighter. Charlie scratched the short hairs on his neck and Nick pressed a kiss to his skin in thanks.

"How do you always know what I need?" Nick mumbled into the crook of his neck.

"Husband magic," Charlie said with a shrug that dislodged Nick's head. "And I might have had an ulterior motive."

He looked up shyly through his lashes, biting his lip in a flirtatious way that still made Nick's stomach swoop. He had to play it cool though. "Oh really? So this was all just an excuse to kiss me without hearing that lot's teasing?"