mood of possibility

Went on my first proper vacation in like 3.5 years. Already regret coming home. We definitely needed that break. But anyway, decided I've got enough of a cushion in the WIP that I've been poking at for months to start posting. Will I regret this choice? Possibly! But I am a highly deadline-oriented writer, and I really, REALLY want to finish this fic by the end of the year. Fingers crossed.

Also, suspect this one will fly under the Heartstopper fandom radar, since it starts off way more focused on Nick & Elle's friendship than the inevitable Nick/Charlie romance, and friendship fics are never as popular in any fandom. But it's been a lot of fun to write, so whatever, I'm my own primary audience anyway.

The Subjunctive Mood (6219 words) by kaydeefalls
Chapters: 1/?
Fandom: Heartstopper (TV), Heartstopper (Webcomic)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson/Charles "Charlie" Spring, Elle Argent & Nicholas "Nick" Nelson
Characters: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Elle Argent, Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), Tao Xu (Heartstopper), Isaac Henderson (Heartstopper)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Teen Romance, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fluff and Angst, Fake/Pretend Relationship, the fake dating is Nick and Elle and it definitely stays fake, Bullying, Coming Out, queer found family is so important, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending
Summary:

"The subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, right? What might have been. Or might be someday. It's…hopeful. You don't know for sure, but maybe." Nick gives Elle a crooked smile. "It's the mood of possibility."

Canon divergence AU: Nick befriends Elle first. Charlie and the others come along as a package deal. And it turns out that accidentally fake dating your bestie gets even more complicated when you catch feelings for someone else…