A Heartstopper Fanfic

Chapter 30: Charlie's Bet

Author's note: Enjoy this very short yet fluffy filler chapter 🫶

(Flashback to their uni days, Nick's POV)

"Woah, your hair has definitely grown." Standing in the doorway of Char's dorm, I'm hyper-aware of how rapidly my breathing has slowed to a short inhale, and then a simple puff of air. A sea of jet-black, loose curls sit on Charlie's head. Thanks to the length of his hair they're no longer tight curls. Nevertheless, he looks especially handsome at the moment. Charlie stares me in the face, flabbergasted. I go from standing in the doorway to making my way into his dorm, a bag slung over my shoulder. His dorm is certainly split. His roommate must adore the color yellow, after all, their part of the room is very bright and sunny. Meanwhile, Char's side is a mix of colors, but it's not a colorful mess, it simply highlights his love for music.

Still standing at the door, my boyfriend is still in shock. "We were on FaceTime last night and last night you were in your dorm- how?" The clear mix of confusion, happiness, and surprise on his face makes suffering through traffic, and spending loads of money on gas, worth it. His eyes are all wide, and his lips are slightly parted. "Well, because it's winter break I decided that I just had to see you. I couldn't wait until we were both home to see you, that would take too long. I was 'Charlie Spring starved'." I reason with him, setting my bag down and onto his bed. He blinks, "so after you ended the call you drove here?" As I nod, confirming his theory, Charlie walks towards me. Now I'm looking around, admiring his decor. On his wall, just like my own dorm in uni, there are polaroids of us hanging from string lights. They essentially take center stage.

"These are yours." Suddenly a pile of jumpers, my jumpers, gets thrust into my unprepared arms, causing me to nearly drop them. Good thing I didn't, because they're nicely folded. "They no longer smell like you, so you can have them back." My boyfriend crosses his arms, his eyes suddenly diverting their attention to my bag, "I'll need replacements." I playfully scoff and then set down the bundle of tops, counting ten as I do. Honestly, this probably isn't even his whole collection. I'm pretty sure that back at the Spring household there's more in his closet.

"No, you aren't getting those!" I exclaim, not wanting to be shirtless until we get home. That's probably Charlie's plan, to give me no other choice than to be topless, that way he can see just how toned my rugby arms are at the moment. "In all seriousness, I really missed you, Nick." The mischievous look on Char's face fades, only to be immediately replaced by a look of extreme fondness. "I love you." He wraps his arms around me, to which I practically melt, my body going limp against his as I wrap my arms around Charlie's body.

Char's homely embrace is taking me back to the night I had nearly held his hand as he slept peacefully beside me. Although I couldn't bring myself to do it because of inner turmoil, I really wanted to. And now that I freely can do that, and more, without feeling like I'm being pulled in all different directions, it's even more beautiful. I'd never trade this for anything in the world.

"I love you too." I breathe against his shoulder, my voice cracking because I'm slightly tearing up. Charlie lifts his head, "oh my god, did I just make a rugby lad cry?" Okay, maybe I'm allergic to the dust in this room because his roommate needs to dust their shelves. I roll my eyes, "okay, this moment is over." Char immediately pulls away from me to prove a point.

"Five minutes." He says matter of factly into his phone.

Did he just set a timer? "What?"

"I'm giving you eight minutes," he sets his phone on his bed, facing up so that I can see the amount of time left gradually go down, "But that's because I'm generous."

I sassily roll my eyes. If he's so generous then how come he hoards half of my closet? "Eight minutes for what?"

"We both know that we have a shared love language, touch, so in eight minutes you'll come crawling to me."

"No, if I can survive in college, then I can now, here with you."

Charlie's eyes narrow, a smug smile now present on his face, "okay. Well, if I'm right then I get to pick out a few jumpers. Deal?"

Foolishly, I agree, "deal." I'm strong on the rugby field, but not when it comes to Charlie. Naturally, I crumbled in nearly seven minutes. In my defense, he looks very cuddly in an oversized sweater. And his hair is even more of a pillow since it's long! Can you blame me?

Note to self, never give into Char's games, he always wins, and I always lose twice. Not only do I lose the game in general, but I also lose some clothing because of it. Honestly, I should test him one day and see how long it takes before he falls asleep on me. He always falls asleep on me. I love it.