Kaleidoscope (a Heartstopper fanfiction)

Cupcakes

On the way out of school, Nick opened the chocolate bar. He broke off a section and handed it to Charlie.

"Oh, thanks, but ... I'm not hungry."

"It's just chocolate." When was anyone not hungry for chocolate?

"That's your present."

"Yes, but for our anniversary. How can we be sickeningly romantic if we don't share our anniversary chocolate bar? One square."

Charlie took the piece of chocolate. "All right. One square."

"There." Nick happily ate the rest.

"You know, I think I have an idea."

"Is this the one you texted me about?"

"No, that was the rugby. This is about Imogen. What if I had a sleepover this weekend, all our friends, and then we invited Imogen?"

Nick frowned. It sounded nice, but ... "Does Imogen know the girls? Do they ... do they like her?" He wasn't so oblivious that he hadn't noticed that Imogen didn't have a lot of girl friends.

"I think they do. Either way, you like her, and she's someone you want to be friends with, so we should at least give her a chance to be part of the group."

"Yeah. Yeah, we should. You know, you have good ideas, Charlie Spring."

"I know. It was my idea to start dating you, Nick Nelson."

Oh, he loved it when Charlie was cheeky. "I think that was my idea."

"It was not!"

"Oh, yeah? Who got soaked in the rain?"

"Who made you admit who you had a crush on?"

They were standing very close to each other, and Nick really wanted to kiss him, but they were also on the sidewalk in front of school. "This isn't over."

"No, it isn't, because you haven't admitted I was right."

Nick laughed and turned toward where his mum usually parked. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Imogen, when he texted her, was thrilled to be asked to a boy-girl sleepover, and seemed fine with the people he listed who would be there. He gave her directions to Charlie's.

"What are you taking to Charlie's?" his mum asked him the night before.

"What do you mean, what am I taking?"

"Well, Charlie shouldn't be the only one providing food. I know—you can make cupcakes."

"I don't know how to make cupcakes."

She laughed. "They're not that hard. I'll get the ingredients and come home a little early tomorrow, and we'll make them together."

"Okay. Thanks, Mum."

"Oh, and darling, just to let you know—David's coming home soon."

He groaned. "Already? For how long this time?"

"Well, that's the thing ... the whole summer."

"Why isn't he going to Dad's?"

His mum shrugged.

Nick sighed. "He's going to be obnoxious, isn't he?"

"Now, Nicky, he's not all bad."

Since he knew she hated it when they were at each other's throats, he let it go, but a lot of the brightness had dimmed from the prospect of summer knowing David would be here making their quiet house loud and chaotic all the time.

The next day, he came home to find the cupcake ingredients ready, and he and his mum had a good laugh making them together. The cupcakes came out looking really good, much to Nick's surprise. He had a steady hand with the frosting bag, it appeared.

He was the first one to arrive at Charlie's, which had been planned. They were both happy to be hanging out with friends, but regretted that they had to give up time alone together to do it. So Nick helped finish setting up, and they took the chance to kiss, and were interrupted by the doorbell, and the arrival of Tao and Isaac. Both of whom had also brought food, so Nick was grateful to his mum for the reminder.

Elle and Tara and Darcy came together, and then it was just the group of them, separated into pairs—Isaac with his book—and chatting.

Sitting next to Charlie like this, Nick itched to hug him. He moved his knee so it was touching Charlie, feeling the electric buzz where they touched. Charlie smiled and blushed, and when it was clear no one else was paying the slightest attention to them, Nick shifted over so their shoulders were touching. Everything was so much better when he was in physical contact with Charlie. Colours were brighter, his mood was lighter. He put his hand on his knee, clenching his fist to avoid reaching for Charlie's hand. Charlie glanced at him, smiling, and put his hand on his knee. Slowly, they shifted so their fingers were intertwined. Nick's heart was pounding and it was so hard to breathe. If they were alone—

But they weren't, he reminded himself, slowly beginning to notice that everyone else was in mid-conversation. Wanting to move into Tao's house and eat his mum's cooking, if Nick followed correctly. Tao seemed strangely weirded out by this, and claimed his mum wouldn't let him, as if he thought they might be serious.

"Darcy's mum's the same," Tara said. "She hates having people over."

The doorbell rang, and both Nick and Charlie jumped and stared at the door. He hoped Imogen would get along with everyone, and that she would have a good time, and that he would somehow find a way to say what needed to be said.

Everyone seemed happy to see Imogen standing there, to Nick's relief. Charlie led her into the room with the snacks and showed her where the bags were, while everyone else crowded round Nick in the hall.

Tara looked up at him. "Does she, uh, know about you guys?"

"Not yet. I'm ... going to tell her today."

"It'll be fine," Darcy assured him. "She's an ally."

He had no idea why that made the girls dissolve into giggles.

Nick left them all there and joined Charlie and Imogen in the kitchen, where he was making her a cup of tea.

"Your friend group is so nice," she said. "How did you get to know everyone?"

This was it. The perfect time. If only his heart wasn't pounding so loud he could barely hear anything else. "Uh ..." He met Charlie's encouraging smile over her head, and wished he was better at this. "Well, um ... I guess it was Charlie first. Um ..." It was on the tip of his tongue. He would say it now. "'Cause me and Charlie, we're, like ... You know, we're in the same form, and ... um ..." And he was a complete and total coward. "Yeah."

"Cute!" Imogen said when it was clear he had no more to communicate.

The awkward moment was saved by Tara calling them. "Guys! We're ordering pizza!"

"Oh, my God, I am so ready for pizza!" Imogen hurried off, leaving Nick alone with Charlie.

"It's okay," Charlie told him.

"I don't know why it's so hard to just ... say it."

Charlie smiled at him forgivingly, and they went to order their pizzas.