Heartstopper Inktober 2K24

22 - Camp (Camp!AU)

"He's fucking back." That's all Tao has to say before Charlie is sighing and rolling his eyes. Of course he is.

Every year it's the same.

Ever since Nick Nelson had joined the Queer Campfire program as a newly minted bisexual when he was a teenager, he and Tao had a rivalry that could create a war by the end of the summer and cause major fallout with the councillors. Most thought it would fizzle out when they grew up. Unfortunately, this had been going on for almost 5 years, this making number 6 and somehow, still as bitter and honestly hate filled as ever.

Charlie didn't even know what in the hell it was about.

All he can remember is Tao leaving their cabin to go to Ben and Nick's cabin that year and returning with a black eye and a look that could kill. Charlie figured that Tao had gone after Ben because of what he did to him that year and all that, but it seemed it affected more than himself since that night as there were now and had been 2 separate tables for counsellors.

So much for showing unity around the kids.

"Do you want me to handle counselor check in?" Charlie asked as Tao glared at the clipboard in his hands like it had personally offended him. "I'm meant to be on menus anyway as Nathan wanted to help me with the whole eating disorder thing, but I really don't want to be there."

"Knock yourself out, or Nelson, if you see him." Tao practically sneered the last part out, before handing it over and shoving Charlie's under his arm. The latter groaned, hoping he wouldn't be in a bad mood all day, before he was turning around. "Counsellors! Camp counsellors over here, please."

"Charlie Spring, nice to see you."

Speak of the devil. Charlie tried to not smile (and failed miserably) as he turned and was met with the chest and arms and face of a beaming Nick Nelson. "Nick Nelson. You just missed Tao. He was so pleased to know you're back for another season with us."

"Tao, god. Don't remind me this early." Nick grit his teeth with a click, a hiss of air escaping as he did so. "Seriously, what is his problem with me? It's so stupid, I do, like, one thing and he acts like I stabbed him."

Despite being one of those people that never liked to get in the middle of anything, Charlie couldn't help but blurt out quite curiously "What do you mean you don't know what his problem is?"

Nick turns to him. "I seriously don't. He, like, came into me and Ben's cabin all those years ago and started beating him up for no reason. Like throwing punches kind of stuff. Me and Sal had to literally break them up."

Charlie's entire body goes cold in that moment, Nick not noticing how quiet he is while he continues. "Then, as me and Sal carry him outside, he starts screaming at us and saying that if we come near anyone on the admin and arts side of the camp, that he'll have us blacklisted and make sure that we all suffer. I tried to ask Ben what happened afterwards, but he just packed up his stuff and got the first bus out in the morning. Is he back this year?"

He doesn't know that Ben is not and will never be back to this camp or any camp again and he's the reason why.

Only Tao really knows the whole story, but some of the other counsellors know pieces of it through telephone and Charlie always clams up when it comes up as he's already answered a lot of questions. He's also been through a lot of therapy to get to a point where he doesn't wake up in the night screaming and crying, so there is also that to consider.

"Nick-" Charlie starts, but finds his throat clammed up, having to swallow to loosen it slightly. "Ben is...he's blacklisted. Has been for almost 3 years now. He also lost his WWC qualifications."

Nick's eyes grow giant. "What!? How!?"

Here it comes. Charlie can hear his therapist right now, in his ear, like he's right there with him at that moment.

'Talking about it is like a wave, Charlie.' Geoff's voice echoes in his brain. 'There's a build up, then a crash and then everything is flat again.'

He hates the build up.

He hates the crash even more.

"Ben was found to have sexually assaulted one of the camp councillors and that violated the rules and the law. Tao also got reprimanded for starting a physical fight with him, but we let off after everything was explained. It took them two years to find him guilty due to lack of evidence and other factors."

That's the shitty explaination he got anyways from the legal team that his mother hired and that represented him at the court case that was kept under wraps. That part was thanks to Ben's parents paying big money to try and have the charge dropped or lessened and while it backfired in court and Ben was now sitting quite deservedly in jail for the next 18 months or so, it certainly wasn't public record.

Nick just stands there in front of him, gaping like a fish that has washed up on shore. Charlie almost wants to take a picture, but refrains, turning away dismissively as he rechecks his clipboard to make sure everyone is here and unable to meet his eyes. It's only a matter of seconds before he's hugged within an inch of his life and Nick's in his ear replacing Geoff this time, his voice so small. "I'm so sorry."

Charlie's silent for a moment before he murmurs. "Yeah, me too. Guess he fooled us both."

Nick makes a strangled noise at that, but manages somehow to keep it together and let go of his currently working colleague and nod. "I'm going to...go, um, unpack or something. Do you want me to um...check on everyone? See if they found their beds?"

"That would be great, yeah." Charlie nodded, sensing the awkwardness between them. "Usually I'd get Tara and Darcy to do it, but they're not here just yet."

"Cool, cool." Nick nods fast before he grabs his weekender off the ground where he's left it and starts to walk off. "I'll see you around, yeah?"

"You sure will." Charlie mutters, anxiety running off him in drops like a really bad sweat as he does his job and preys that the camp doesn't explode this year.

(Spoiler alert: it doesn't. Even when Nick and Tao end up having it out in the mess hall which causes a spectacular food fight and leads to his and Nick's first kiss.

Tao of course, then finds a new enemy in Charlie.)