Kaleidoscope (a Heartstopper fanfiction)

Obvious

While they were waiting for the pizza delivery, the girls put on music and started dancing. Darcy and Tara both loved dancing, Nick remembered that from Harry's party, and in his view, were pretty good at it. Elle came in and they dragged her into the dance, too. At first reluctant, soon she got into it. Then Tara tried to pull Isaac away from his book—literally—and had no luck at all. Imogen was an easier sell. It was clear to Nick, at least, that she'd been just waiting to be asked.

Then Imogen tried to pull him onto the floor, while the other three, behind her, pointed at her and mouthed "Tell her!" a lot. Nick declined to do either, pleading to Imogen that he couldn't dance and silently apologising to everyone else that he was a coward.

He was saved by the arrival of the pizza, but not for long. Elle's looks and gestures were getting more intense, and Charlie's puppy dog eyes as he leaned his head against Nick's shoulder were their own form of torture.

It occurred to Nick that the only person missing was Tao. He went out into the garden to look for him. "Hey. Pizza's here."

"Mm." Tao didn't get up, and Nick couldn't help but wonder what had happened with Elle earlier.

"So, um ... you and Elle have been doing work, like, all afternoon."

"Elle's trying to get into this prestigious art college. She'll definitely get in, but she's still worried about it."

"Do you think it's going to be weird for you? If you're apart next year?"

"What do you mean?"

Nick wasn't completely sure what he meant, since he wasn't completely sure what the relationship between Tao and Elle was. They liked each other, that was plain to see, but whether they both saw it was another question.

"We're not dating," Tao said sharply.

"Oh, no, I—"

"She's my friend. She's my best friend, and there's ... We're—" He frowned, getting to his feet. "It's none of your business." He marched back into the house, leaving Nick feeling wrong-footed completely. Couldn't talk to Imogen, couldn't talk to Tao, couldn't make Charlie happy the way he deserved ...

He sighed and returned to the house, where they all crowded round the TV and watched something Nick couldn't focus on at all while they ate pizza he could barely summon an appetite for.

Halfway through the show, Imogen asked where the bathroom was. Nick volunteered to show her. Now, he told himself. He was going to tell her now. No more waiting. On his way out of the room, he glanced back. Tara and Darcy encouraged him enthusiastically, backed up by Elle and Isaac. Tao's skeptical glance was like a challenge. But it was Charlie's quiet hopeful smile Nick focused on. No one in the world was more important to him than Charlie, and this was such a small thing to do for him.

He led Imogen up the stairs, pointing the way to the bathroom, then stood in her way before she could go in. "Imogen, um ... I—I kind of have something that I—I want to tell you." She was very serious, listening, and he still couldn't seem to find the words. "Well, it's ... It's kind of hard to—"

"Is it about you and Charlie?" They stared at each other, and she put her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. "Oh, my God. I should've let you say it. It's just ... it is kind of obvious. And, like, it totally makes sense. Like, the whole date thing and the sports-day thing. You didn't like me because you're gay."

"Uh ..." He was a little stunned at how easily she had figured all that out. Was it really that obvious? He kind of liked that ... and it kind of freaked him out a little bit, too. "Well, I ... I'm bisexual, actually."

"Oh."

Too late, he realised maybe that was hurtful ... but he couldn't come out with a lie, either. He was who he was. "Yeah."

Imogen stared at him for another few seconds, and then she reached up and hugged him. Nick froze, not sure what to do with that. He wasn't really a hugger, except with Charlie. But ... maybe he could be. With his good friends. Gingerly he put his arms round her.

"I'm sorry," she said, holding on. "I don't actually know how to react."

"This is ... This is good," he told her. And it was. It really was. He let her go, smiling down at her. "Okay, well, now you know about Charlie, you have to tell me about your crush."

She gasped and smiled.

"Oh, come on. It's only fair."

"Oh, fine, okay. It's Ben."

Of all the people she might have named, Ben would have been last on Nick's list of possibilities. He didn't know what to do. Did he tell her? No. That was Charlie's secret, and Ben's, and it wasn't fair to out someone, no matter how despicable they were. "Oh. Really?"

"Yeah. You think I have a chance?"

"Maybe?"

Imogen smiled and clapped her hands, and then squeezed past him to the bathroom.

Nick took a moment in the hallway to compose himself before going downstairs.

"Well?" Tara asked.

He smiled across the room at Charlie. "I told her. Or ... well, I guess she kind of already knew."

Darcy grinned. "Who wouldn't?"

"It's not that hard to guess," Isaac agreed, smiling behind his book.

Charlie reached his arms out, and Nick gratefully made his way across the room to be held, pretending he didn't know the other thing.

The party wound down, Nick and Charlie helping set up the various mattresses and sleeping bags. Isaac and Imogen agreed to share the couch, and Elle and Darcy and Tara the mattress, leaving Tao in the corner on the air mattress, and Nick and Charlie in sleeping bags, lying head to head.

Since everyone else appeared to have fallen asleep, they texted rather than whispering. "I told her"

"omg!!!!" with hearts. He knew, of course, but they hadn't had a moment alone to talk about it since it had happened.

Nick shifted so he could smile at his boyfriend. "Coming out is a lot harder than I thought"

Charlie laid his hand out and Nick took it. They both put their phones away and lay there holding hands until they fell asleep.