Gay Panic - Heartstopper AU

14. Fall

Nick would miss the views of the trail, especially from the ridgetop. He could look to the River Medway and its winding journey to meet the sea, to the grid of downtown and the suburbs, or straight ahead to his boyfriend's backside.

It wasn't the only reason he was happy to have Charlie lead their entire expedition, but it was certainly a major one. Charlie also knew how to read a map, what the trail markers meant, and which plants not to brush against.

While those were all valid reasons, nothing was more helpful to Nick's motivation than the plump carrot on a stick Charlie was dangling in front of him. He was tempted to reach out and squeeze it, but he'd already done that so many times this weekend that Charlie was probably annoyed with it by now. He was tempted to do a lot of things to Charlie.

Now that he knew how Charlie's naked body felt against his, it was safe to say the wholesome Nick Nelson of the past was gone and wouldn't be making a return. The images in present-day Nick's head would make Nick from a month ago blush.

"Good news!" Charlie announced, pointing at his map. "We can use this unmaintained trail as a shortcut to the park."

Nick licked away the drool on his bottom lip, slid his hands down Charlie's sides, and looked over his shoulder at the map. The faintest gray line snaked down the contours of the mountain to the edge of Rochester, completely sidestepping a mile segment of the trail.

"How unmaintained?"

"Dunno, but that's the fun part."

If they weren't trying to outrun the storm clouds, Nick would've been more apprehensive, but he trusted Charlie more than anyone in the world. Plus, they hadn't gotten lost once this weekend, which couldn't have been said if Nick were charged with directions.

Nick kissed his cheek. "All right, adventure boy. I'll follow you anywhere."

Charlie tried to turn and face him, but Nick stopped him and gave him a nudge forward. He played it off as a joking move, but in reality, it was to hide the tent in his shorts.

Charlie found the shortcut entrance a hundred paces ahead. Unmarked, uneven, and covered in leaves, the footpath looked like it didn't even want to be found. Charlie marched through without a second thought.

As the path sloped down into the city, the forest grew around them. The boys found themselves leaping over fallen tree trunks, pushing back brambles with sticks, and kicking away leaf piles just to find the track again.

Nick's eyes had to stay fixed on the ground in front of him to avoid tripping, except for the occasional glance at Charlie's calves or arse. But he could tell the sky was growing dimmer by the minute despite dusk not being for another two hours.

A single raindrop on Nick's forearm confirmed his suspicions: the clouds were already above them.

Charlie realized soon after and scowled up at the sky. "It wasn't meant to rain this weekend."

"Your pack is waterproof, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe this is a good thing, then. It'll be our first shower in days."

"And to think I was going to invite you back to mine so we could take a shower together. To save water, of course."

Shower! Together!

"Now hold on..."

A monstrous crack from above interrupted Nick.

It was his turn to scowl up at the sky. In response, it sent a thick raindrop straight to his forehead. Then another, and another. It drove the point home with a flash that lit up the shadowy woods around them.