NotACactusCow
Fandoms
- Heartstopper (Webcomic) (15)
- Heartstopper (TV) (15)
Recent works
-
The Noise in the Garden by NotACactusCow for Lessthanthreehs
Fandoms: Heartstopper (TV), Heartstopper (Webcomic)
14 May 2026
Tags
Summary
In the Garden, purity is everything.
Desire is called Noise. Doubt is infection. Obedience is survival.
Nicholas has spent his life trying to be good — to silence every stray thought, to follow every rule, to trust that if he empties himself enough, he will be made worthy. But when his growing closeness with Charles begins to stir feelings he cannot name, the Garden takes notice.
What begins as whispers turns into discipline. What feels like repentance becomes punishment, disguised as love.
As loyalties fracture and faith grows thin, Nicholas must decide whether purity is worth the cost — and how much of himself he is willing to sacrifice to protect someone the Garden has already condemned.
TLDR
In a rigid religious commune obsessed with purity, a young man’s forbidden feelings lead to trouble— and the unraveling of everything he thought was holy.
-
Ghosted... Again. by NotACactusCow for HappySappyHippo
Fandoms: Heartstopper (TV), Heartstopper (Webcomic)
27 Apr 2026
Tags
Summary
Thirty two-year-old Charlie Spring has just lost his mother. Their relationship was messy, but the grief still hits him and his siblings hard. Their father takes it worst of all and moves to Spain to be near family, leaving the house to Charlie.
Fresh out of a toxic relationship, Charlie refuses to move back into the childhood home that shaped so many of his issues. Instead, he decides to rent it out.
Nick Nelson, newly divorced and raising his five-year-old son Julian alone, returns to his hometown for support and takes a teaching job at his old primary school. He rents a house for himself and Julian—only to discover his new landlord is Charlie, the boy he once secretly crushed on.
Now Charlie has to decide if he can forgive Nick for ghosting him years ago, and Nick must finally explain what really happened.
And meanwhile…who is Julian talking to in his room when no one else is there?
TL;DR:
Charlie rents out his late mother’s house, only to lease it to Nick, the childhood crush who once ghosted him. As they navigate their unresolved past, Nick’s young son begins talking to someone unseen. -
82 Days: Tear You Apart by NotACactusCow
Fandoms: Heartstopper (TV), Heartstopper (Webcomic)
26 Apr 2026
Tags
Summary
Nick knew he had developed a bit of an unexpected little crush on his new friend Charlie, but after a moment on the dance floor leaves him feeling completely unsteady, he can’t pretend there's anything casual or innocent about it anymore.
Series
-
Tags
Summary
Nick Nelson is a single father to a sweet, sensitive 8 year boy named Noah. During their Summer holiday, Nick decides that Noah needs a change of scenery after a rough school year and books them a vacation home near the beach.
Charlie Spring is also a single father to a feisty little 9 year old girl named Ruby. Charlie and Ruby have been planning their Summer getaway to the beach for months and they're excited for a month of beaches and bonding.
It certainly would be unfortunate if some crazy mix up happened with the rental reservations...
-
Tags
Summary
Charlie is a talented journalist struggling to be taken seriously in a workplace that consistently takes him for granted, while Nick, charming and guarded, carries the quiet weight of responsibilities he never asked for. When a high-profile assignment arises, resentment sparks and tempers flare, forcing them into close proximity neither is prepared for.
Outside of work, Charlie finds himself drawn into late-night gaming sessions with a soft hearted stranger who offers easy laughter and unexpected comfort, while Nick begins discovering new sides himself thanks to his sharp-witted, kind gaming companion. As professional frustrations mount and personal lives press in from all sides, unspoken tensions and blurred boundaries begin to surface. Set between office politics, digital escapes, and moments of vulnerability, this is a slow-burn story about misjudgment, longing, and the complicated ways people learn to see one another.
Recent series
-
85 Moments of Forever: A Heartstopper Countdown by BeezusRed, BluestJM, Chaotic_Mesh, chocolatefreckle, Coach1305, Coach1305 (orphan_account), Coach_Drabbles (Coach1305), Doozy4Ever, DustyZenobia, erinthelibrarian, HatcherK2, HS_Obsessed, j8tt, JayHSNCjakob, L56895, Lockerberry, megelator, Mikki999, NotACactusCow, PhoenixSpring, PupDearCanu, roo_writes_admin (roo_writes), Sheeeeeeeep, shybluemoth, Skasi6, SpringBloom94, Tee_85, thankyoualiceo, VasterEmpires, VroDo, warpaintandpixiedust, X_rayLady, Yojfull
Fandom Heartstopper (TV), Heartstopper (Webcomic)
14 May 2026
- Words:
- 98,975
- Works:
- 22
- Bookmarks:
- 15
-
HS a03 countdown 2026 by AegoBi, CadburyOreo, Chescr, Chiralspiral, Coach1305, csheartstopper, Doozy4Ever, erinthelibrarian, haarrisdroover, Horny_sparklez (rainbowheartmug), kaalee, KateGraves, L56895, Lockerberry, NotACactusCow, OlderSisterMagic, phlimsical, PhoenixSpring, rileys_words, roo_writes, roo_writes_HS (roo_writes), Rugbi, Skasi6, TheIrishGirl, thoughtthedormouse, TK2nd, TwoBeatHearts, VasterEmpires, VroDo, warpaintandpixiedust, Yojfull, zillygoose
Fandom Heartstopper (TV), Heartstopper (Webcomic)
01 Jan 2026
- Words:
- 126,829
- Works:
- 32
- Bookmarks:
- 12
Recent bookmarks
-
Tags
Summary
"And when you move, I'm moved
You are a call to motion
There, all of you a verb in perfect view
Like Jonah on the ocean
When you move, I'm moved"
___This is the former child star turned singer Nick Nelson x podcast host and queer influencer Charlie Spring story that nobody asked for but everybody is getting!
___
charliespring (he/they) 🏳️🌈
284 posts 519k followers 174 following
that one gay on the internet
host of @queerearpodcastnicknelson (he/him)
313 posts 611k followers 310 following
lonely out january 20thSummaries and I don't get along...take my word for it??
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 173,054
- Chapters:
- 13/16
- Comments:
- 346
- Kudos:
- 697
- Bookmarks:
- 197
- Hits:
- 29,236
Bookmarked by NotACactusCow
01 Apr 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
Left at 13. Haven't read 13 yet. Come back if it updates.
-
- Words:
- 59,210
- Works:
- 17
- Bookmarks:
- 28
Bookmarked by NotACactusCow
30 Nov 2025
-
Tags
Summary
'Darcy opened Nick's laptop, and their eyebrows promptly shot up under their fringe. “Nicholas Nelson,” they chastised, peering down at him over the screen. “Who’s the hottie?"
The humiliation only got worse as Tara read out, “‘ Benjamin ‘Ben’ Hope (left) and Charles ‘Charlie’ Spring (right), claiming the bronze medal at their first British Figure Skating Championships .’”
Oh, God. He'd left his Google search open. “He’s just a guy at the rink, okay?! I just got curious about him!”
“Bi-curious, maybe,” Imogen drawled. The three of them snickered.'
***
OR: Charlie Spring is a competitive figure skater, Nick Nelson is Captain of the ice hockey team.
Slow burn shenanigans may include: Charlie Spring being a menace, figure-skating attempts by Nick Nelson, extremely gay meddling from Darcy Olssen, as well as pining, yearning, and an unhealthy amount of blushing.
-
What We Are & What We May Be by Indigo_Skye
Fandoms: Heartstopper (TV), Heartstopper (Webcomic)
28 Mar 2026
Tags
Summary
Charlie Spring is thrilled to be part of Nathan Ajayi’s production of "Hamlet", but Elle and Tao are worried about him. He swears he’s fine... but they can’t help feeling like Charlie is hiding something.
Tara is ecstatic when her childhood best friend is cast in "Hamlet." After a rough start, it becomes clear to everyone that Nick is talented. However, the newcomer to London is cagey about his past- and his present, for that matter.
Nick and Charlie are each determined to keep their secrets to themselves.
The universe, and their meddling friends, have other plans.
A Theatre AU full of queer joy, meddling, secrets, spice, drag, dancing, drama, friendship, found family, fencing, flirting, angst, a few third act plot twists, far too many baked goods, and whole lot of iambic pentameter.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 307,118
- Chapters:
- 72/?
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 2,329
- Kudos:
- 996
- Bookmarks:
- 145
- Hits:
- 55,750
Bookmarked by NotACactusCow
16 Nov 2025
Bookmarker's Notes
Read to chapter 49. Come back when complete!
-
Tags
Summary
The lilting melody of 'Under the Milky Way Tonight' by The Church wafts through a vent over the pub’s back door.
Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find
The sound weaves around Charlie and Nick like a trail of smoke, buffering them from the outside world.
"I’ve seen you looking at me at school," Nick says.
"I- " Charlie starts to protest.
Nick interrupts him, "I like the way you look at me."
------------------Nick and Charlie meet at high school in Melbourne, Australia, in 1988
Series
- Part 1 of We stole the keys to the skies