Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As we exist the film I turn to Nick, laughing. “I can’t believe what a wimp you are!”

“Uh, you jumped at all the scares too!”

“No, I jumped when you screamed, that’s all.” Nick gives me a look of feigned offense as he tries to suppress an embarrassed smile. I smile back, barely able to see the slight blush on his cheeks in the dim lighting. The image of Nick’s face is interrupted by Harry, who’s suddenly come up from behind and now has an arm slung around my shoulder.

“So, Charlie Spring, quick question. What’s it like being gay?” He’s laughing as he asks me, and my stomach turns; he’s being an ass just because he can, and I was naïve in thinking that the night would end without an altercation.

“It’s fine.” I try to sound as neutral as possible, even though I know he can tell I’m uncomfortable.

“You don’t seem that gay, to be honest. I mean, you do sound sort of gay, but that’s it. Do you like musicals?”

“Harry, can you just piss off, please?” I can hear Nick talking from behind me. I assume Nick is pulling Harry back because Harry’s arm falls off my shoulder. There’s a moment of silence as we all continue towards the exit before Harry continues.

“What sort of guys do you like then?”

“I don’t know.” Tori was right, I shouldn’t have come.

“What about Harry Styles? He’s pretty sexy.” Harry’s going to keep asking me questions until he gets a reaction out of me, and I’m determined to deny him that pleasure.

“I guess.”

Nick must be able to hear how irritated I am because he interjects again. “Just leave it.” His efforts are worthless though because Harry just uses Nick’s protectiveness against me.

“What about Nick? Do you think he’s hot?” At this I stop walking and turn around. It’s one thing to pick on me, but Nick doesn’t deserve this.

“What’s your problem with me Harry?” I speak slowly and firmly; I might be talking back, but I’ll be damned if I allow myself to show him how angry I am.

“Nothing mate, I just want to get to know you.” There’s a challenge behind Harry’s words. He’s doing this on purpose.

“You know, I really don’t think you do. I think what you want to do is make me uncomfortable. You’re just like the people who bullied me last year when I got outed; you treat me like I’m disgusting just because I like boys instead of girls. You act like you’re going to catch my ‘gayness’ if you’re around me, like being gay is some type of nasty disease that turns you into a gross monster. People like you are the reason I hate myself, the reason I’m convinced I ruin everyone’s life just because I exist. And then you justify your actions by saying that ‘everyone else does it’ and that ‘I should be used to it by now.’ Do you know how fucking sick that is?

I’m shouting now and the other people in the cinema around us have stopped and are staring at us. Harry’s eyes are wide and his face is pale; he didn’t expect me to snap back. I take a deep breath and continue at a normal volume, staring at Harry with the same challenging expression he wore earlier.

“And you know what? I’m the only reason the rugby team can even play. Without a reserve the team can’t compete. If you find it so intolerable to have a ‘weak little gay boy’ on your team, then I’ll quit. Believe me, I have better things to do in my free time than get harassed by homophobic dickheads while running in the rain and getting slammed into the mud. It took Nick weeks to find a reserve before the season started, so I doubt that he’ll be able to find my replacement before the next game. So, you better change your fucking attitude or it’ll be all your fault that Truham’s rugby season ends early.”

I turn around and begin to walk away, not even bothering to wait for a response. Before I open the exit door to enter the carpark where my dad is waiting for me, I turn around to face Harry again, this time with a slight smirk.

“And honestly, Harry, I can only think of one reason as to why you insist on finding out what type of guys I find attractive and sexy.” I pause and watch Harry’s eyes grow wider and his face turn a deep red, indicating that he understands my implications. I continue in a gentle voice, the kind you use when you’re telling someone bad news. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this Harry, but you’re not my type and I don’t want to go out with you. Honestly, it’s kind of sad that you couldn’t just admit your feelings normally and had to resort to getting my attention by being bullying me. We aren’t little kids anymore, being mean to me isn’t going to get me to like you back. I know rejections can be tough, though, so try not to get too upset. I would hate to know that I’m the reason you can’t concentrate on your lessons tomorrow because you stayed up all night thinking about me.”

Some of the strangers who have gathered to watch us are snickering and some are looking just as surprised as Harry. The other rugby lads are looking at each other in disbelief. When I turn my head to look at Nick, I see him smiling. It’s a proud smile; I smile back and extend my hand toward him. “Come on Nick, let’s go, my dad can take you home.” Nick slowly takes my hand, sneaking a glance at Harry, who still hasn’t moved.

“Okay. I’ll text my mom and let her know.” As soon as Nick and I get in my dad’s car, my dad not even questioning why Nick is with me, the two of us burst out laughing. “That was incredible Charlie,” Nick says between gasps of air, wiping at his eyes to clear tears.

“Thanks.” I’m shaking my head, the realization of my outburst finally sinking in. “I can’t believe that just happened, I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”

“How does it feel?”

“So fucking good! God, did you see his face? His eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head!”

“I’ve never seen him look so surprised before. You rendered the Harry Greene completely speechless for probably the first time in his life. You deserve an award or something.”

“I can’t wait to tell Tao. He’s going to be so upset you didn’t record it.” I turn to my dad, acknowledging him for the first time since Nick and I got in the car. “Is it okay if we take Nick home?”

“Of course. Nick, does your mom know she doesn’t need to pick you up?”

“Yes, I texted her. Thank you, Mr. Spring.”

“No problem. Alright, buckle up boys.”

I lean my head against Nick’s shoulder as my dad pulls out onto the road. I can feel him move to pull me closer, resting his head against mine. I smile and lean into Nick more, wrapping my arms around his waist and nuzzling into the crook of his neck; I could get used to this.

Chapter Text

As we exit the film, Charlie shoves me playfully and says between giggles, “I can’t believe what a wimp you are!”

“Uh, you jumped at all the scares too!”

“No, I jumped when you screamed, that’s all.” I gape at him like I’m offended by his words, knowing full well that, no matter how much I don’t want to admit it, Charlie’s right. I start to slightly blush and hope that Charlie can’t see it in the dim cinema lights. As Charlie smiles at me with a cocked eyebrow, daring me to say something back, Harry comes up behind me and wraps an arm around Charlie’s shoulder.

“So, Charlie Spring, quick question. What’s it like being gay?” Harry says this with a taunting laugh, clearly doing this to make Charlie uncomfortable. Guilt pools in the pit of my stomach; I knew Charlie and I should’ve left as soon as we realized Harry and Ben were here.

“It’s fine.” Charlie’s jaw is clenched and he’s looking at the floor. His smile is completely gone and has been replaced by something that looks like forced nonchalance, not wanting Harry to know how annoyed he is.

Harry, obviously, doesn’t accept Charlie’s vague response and continues without pausing. “You don’t seem that gay, to be honest. I mean, you do sound sort of gay, but that’s it. Do you like musicals?”

I’ve had enough of Harry’s antics and pull him off of Charlie. “Harry, can you just piss off, please?” Harry looks back at me with a slight scowl. There’s a moment of hesitation before Harry, despite my efforts, continues.

“What sort of guys do you like then?”

Not guys like you… I think to myself as I quickly trail behind Harry and Charlie.

“I don’t know.” Charlie sounds deflated. Charlie’s shoulders drop even more, like he’s trying to collapse in on himself and become as small as possible.

“What about Harry Styles? He’s pretty sexy.” The taunting tone in Harry’s voice has turned to one of malice; he’s testing Charlie’s control and won’t stop until he gets a reaction.

“I guess.” Charlie doesn’t deserve this…

I decide to interject again, this time trying to sound firmer and more serious. “Just leave it.” Of course, this backfires.

“What about Nick? Do you think he’s hot?” Harry, who’s still talking to Charlie, glances back at me with his mouth turned up in a slight smile, knowing that not only will this comment affect Charlie but it’ll also affect me.

I can see panic flash behind Charlie’s eyes as he meets mine and I instantly know Charlie is more worried for me than he is for himself. He’s always more worried for me about these types of things than he is for himself. He takes so much shit from Harry and the other rugby players just to protect me from losing my friends or from getting harassed for hanging out with the “weird gay nerd” or from our secret relationship becoming known.

I clench my jaw and step between Harry and Charlie before I lose my nerve. “Jesus Christ Harry just fucking stop already!” My voice is louder than I intended and some of the other people in the cinema have stopped to watch our interaction. I take a deep breath before continuing, shaking out my hands that I hadn’t realized had become fists. “What the hell is your problem with Charlie?”

Harry, taken aback by my reaction, tries to go back to looking intimidating. “He doesn’t really fit in with us, does he?”

“Oh, so this is about him being gay?”

“Nick, I’m not being homophobic or anything.” Harry says this like he’s surprised I would even think such a thing, like it’s offensive to even entertain the idea of Harry Greene being a homophobic piece of shit.

“Actually, Harry, you are. You might not be calling Charlie slurs, but you’re treating him like shit just because he happens to like boys instead of girls. If he were straight you wouldn’t be treating him like this, would you? You wouldn’t be pushing him into harmful stereotypes or asking him uncomfortably personal questions. And you sure as hell wouldn’t be questioning Charlie’s motives for being friends with me.”

“What, are you gay for him now? Is that why you’re being so protective?” Harry’s grasping for straws, saying anything he can think of that might push me over the edge.

“I can stand up for Charlie without being gay, Harry. I can treat Charlie like an actual human being, one who’s not only a great friend but an even better person, without being gay. And why would it be so bad if I were gay? Being gay isn’t a bad thing, Harry. What is a bad thing is bullying people for fun, which you do constantly.” I look around the cinema to see that more people are watching us. Behind Harry I can see the other rugby lads looking at the ground.

“And all of you,” I say, pointing a finger at the rest of the rugby team, “all of you just let this shit happen, sit back and watch as Harry harasses Charlie without intervening. You might not agree with what Harry says and does, but doing nothing to stop him is just as bad.” I pause to take in the faces of the rest of the team. Most of them are still looking at the ground but a few are now looking at Charlie with regret, probably feeling guilty about not sticking up to Harry. Good.

I continue. “Charlie is a part of our team, and none of you make him feel valuable or liked, and it’s disgusting. Our team wouldn’t even be able to play without Charlie.” I go back to looking at Harry, who by this point has lost all of his confidence and is shifting nervously on his feet. “So YOU,” I emphasize the word as I point at Harry, my eyes slits and jaw tight, “better get your shit together or Charlie’s gonna quit and we won’t be able to play and it’ll be ALL. YOUR. FAULT.” I take a step closer with each of the last three words, punctuating each one with a stomp, until I’m inches away from Harry’s face. His eyes are wide and his mouth is slightly open; it’s almost comical how Harry’s confidence is all show.

I turn my head to look at Charlie, who’s smiling. I can see his dimples and his slight blush and I can’t help but smile back at him. Quickly closing the gap between us I take Charlie’s hand and guild him towards the exit. “Come on Char, let’s go.”

I turn around to get one last look at the group of boys before the door closes. The crowd of strangers is slowly starting to dissipate and the group of “friends” we were with, including Harry, have started to blink back into reality and are looking around trying to figure out what to do next. When the cinema doors close behind us, Charlie and I look at each other in shock. My heart, which had been racing with adrenaline, is now starting to race with surprise as what I just did finally begins to sink in. Charlie’s giggling and I can’t help but join in, and soon the two of us are gasping for air between bursts of laughter.

“What the hell just happened?” Charlie manages to get out as his breaths start to even.

“I honestly don’t know…” There’s silence for a couple of seconds before I smirk at Charlie. “So, what kind of guys do you find sexy?”

“Why do you want to know Nicholas?” Charlie matches my smirk and raises an eyebrow at me, once again daring me to reply.

“Just wondering is all.” I wink as I grab his hand again and pull him towards my mum’s car, which I can see pulling into the carpark. “My mum can take you home if you want.”

Charlie smiles up at me. “Okay. I’ll let my dad know.”

Chapter Text

“Christian!” I smack Christian’s arms in an effort to wake him up, but his coat is so thick it looks like he didn’t even feel it.

“Christian!” Otis has a different strategy and slaps Christian on the face. Not hard enough to hurt him but hard enough to leave a slight pink mark.

“What the fuck man?!” Christian is definitely awake now, though very disoriented. He’s blinking furiously to get used to the light and is waving his hands in front of his face to try and hit Otis back.

“How the hell did you fall asleep?? You were the one who suggested this movie!” I grunt as I help pull Christian to his feet, steadying him by his shoulders when he drowsily stumbles his way between the chairs and into the isle.

“I didn’t know it was going to be boring.” Christian grumbles, rubbing his eyes to get the last of the sleep out before the three of us exit into the cinema halls.

I roll my eyes and get ready to scold Christian on his taste in movies – this movie, though not the best, definitely was not boring; if anything, it was too action-y and needs some serious editing – when I hear Harry’s voice a few paces ahead of us.

“What sort of guys do you like then?”

I freeze. Otis and Christian are a few steps behind me arguing about the movie, and Otis runs into me mid-sentence. “What the hell…?”

I don’t respond and instead point towards Harry, flicking my eyes between Harry, Nick, and Charlie. Charlie’s head is down like he’s trying to shrink in on himself, Harry is following Charlie with a snide grin on his face, and Nick is following Harry looking completely helpless and more than slightly angry.

“What about Nick? Do you think he’s hot?”

Harry’s voice is annoying on good days, but right now it’s borderline infuriating. I move between the guys in the group separating myself from Harry, shouting as I push some of the guys out of my way, “Harry just shut the fuck up already!” Harry turns around and looks at the group with wide eyes, trying to find out who interrupted his charade.

“Back off Sai,” Harry scoffs before turning around and opening his mouth to continue talking.

“No.” I’m finally standing in front of Harry now, separating him from where Charlie is cowering behind Nick’s protective form. “I won’t ‘back off.’ YOU need to back off.” When I turn around to look at Nick and Charlie, both of their mouths are open in shock. A wave of guilt washes over me; I should’ve stood up for Charlie a long time ago. Charlie’s surprise probably means he thought I was a homophobic “rugby lad” just like Harry, and that’s unacceptable. Nick’s surprise hits me harder though. We’ve been friends for years, and to know that I’ve lost his trust is crushing.

“What, so you’re defending Charlie now too?” Harry spits, his words laced with disgust. His face is screwed up like he’s smelled something rotten and his hands are on his hips, trying to make himself look more intimidating. It really just makes him look like a toddler having a tantrum or a grumpy customer complaining to a manager.

“Yeah, Harry, I am. You’re being a dick and you need to just shut up and leave Charlie alone.”

“Why are you so upset about this? He’s just a pathetic little –”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Otis growls from behind Harry. I look up to see Otis and Christian walking towards me, the three of us creating a sort of barricade to protect Charlie further, though I doubt Harry can even see Charlie now anyways.

Harry looks at Otis in bewilderment, his expression becoming even more shocked when Christian appears beside us.

“That’s a horrible word, Harry. Why should it matter if Charlie’s gay or straight? It’s homophobic of you to harass him like this, and it’s pathetic that you’re degrading his friendship with Nick. Two guys, of any sexuality, can be friends without dating.” Christian is leaning forward into Harry’s face as he speaks, his hands forming fists by his sides.

Before Christian does anything stupid, I pull him back and hold onto his shoulder tightly. “Charlie doesn’t deserve the way you’re treating him, Harry. No one does.” I try to make my voice sound commanding but curse myself at the slight quiver peeking through.

Everyone from our group, and what seems to be most of the random people around us now invested, wait for Harry’s response. Harry’s face is flushed red and his eyes are wide, darting around the cinema, flicking between me, Christian, and Otis, Nick and Charlie, and around the corridor at some of the strangers. The audience has seemed to take away Harry’s bravado.

“Are you going to say something or just stand there like the coward you really are?” The quiver in my voice is gone and has instead been replaced by the confidence Harry lost.

After another couple of seconds of silence, Otis goes, “Well?” the annoyance is his voice very clear.

Christian scoffs and rolls his eyes “Let’s just go. Come on.” He grabs my and Otis’s arms at the same time and tugs us over to where Charlie and Nick are still standing. “You guys coming?” he calls over his shoulder at Nick and Charlie as he pulls us past, looking back at the two of them with expectant eyes.

“Uh…yeah, sure, okay.” Nick stammers out, mimicking Christian and grabbing Charlie’s arm, following us out of the cinema. When the five of us make it out the exit and into the parking lot we all stop and stare at each other. Suddenly everything becomes awkward and I don’t know where to look, so I settle on the concrete in front of Charlie’s shoes.

“So…what do we do now?” Christian’s eyes flicker between all of us; he’s pursed his lips and is rocking back and forth on his heels while he waits for one of us to answer.

“You’re the one who dragged us all out here, you didn’t have a plan??” Otis and I say this at the same time, both our heads snapping to Christian as he sheepishly raises his shoulders in response.

“I don’t know, I just wanted to make a dramatic exit. I didn’t really think about the after.”

“You never do,” Nick says with a chuckle. I turn to see him smiling at the three of us, and when I look next to him, I see Charlie smiling too. It’ll take awhile to gain Nick’s trust back and probably even longer to gain Charlie’s, but at least now we can start somewhere.