kaydeefalls | and we're not in the subjunctive, either. it's going to happen.

I finally finished a thing! Somehow, this is the longest single fic I've ever written, and I have no idea why. But here we are. Yay, team.

This fic secretly owes a debt to History Boys - that's where the recurring theme of the subjunctive originated. I find it fitting that my original queer British schoolboy fandom has bled out into my current one.

The Subjunctive Mood (113512 words) by kaydeefalls
Chapters: 15/15
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), Otis Smith | Omar, Sai Verma, Christian McBride (Heartstopper), Imogen Heaney, Tara Jones, Darcy Olsson
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, Benjamin "Ben" Hope is His Own Warning, as per canon, Angst with a 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...