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Darcy knows they can be quite overdramatic, or so they’ve been told, but they’ve never felt quite like this before. Like their heart is beating time times quicker than normal, so fast that it feels like it’ll jump straight out of their chest. Not to mention that they’re struggling to breathe as well, as if they’ve forgotten how to do so altogether.
It’s no help that they’re sitting within a school that they’re pretty unfamiliar with. Darcy isn’t exactly the biggest fan of Higgs, but whenever they spend time at Truham in order to rehearse for a concert, they’re vividly reminded of how much nicer the Girls’ school is.
Because they’re in the lowest floor of the school (the basement), it’s horribly clear that these classrooms aren’t cleaned often, if ever. There’s spiderwebs hanging in each and every corner, and Darcy’s pretty sure they heard a rat scurrying around when they first rushed inside. It’s not like they can be sure, though, considering the amount of distress they’d been in—are in—when they arrived.
Right. The reason they’re hiding out in a dingy, abandoned classroom.
To be honest, Darcy’s not entirely sure why they’re here either. All they know is that they’d been multitasking by fiddling with their trumpet while texting Tara (who was absent because of a dentist appointment) at the same time. Just texting their girlfriend wasn’t as fun as affectionately bothering her during breaks, but it worked for the time being.
They remember telling a very lame knock-knock joke about a dentist, the kind of joke that always makes Tara call them a nerd, when the voices of their classmates were suddenly all they could hear.
Darcy is by no means new to being gossipped about, being they’re openly gay at an all girl’s school. But the chatter this time around was quite different to what they’re used to.
“Are we even sure that Darcy’s actually a girl? I mean, you’ve seen how much she complains about wearing skirts. She probably thinks she’s a boy on the inside, or whatever those people say.”
As upsetting as it is, Darcy’s dealt with plenty of transphobes ever since they befriended Elle, and they’re always very quick to stand up and defend their beloved friend. But they’ve never had stuff of that type said about them, at least not this way. And usually, they would just brush it off or subtly flip the girls off behind their orchestra teacher’s back, but this particular comment made them freeze, unable to defend themself.
The thing is, Darcy’s found themself wondering the same before. The truth is, they really don’t enjoy wearing skirts or dresses—hell, they tend to avoid traditionally ‘feminine’ things in general. But those weren’t even the biggest points of conflict. At that moment, Darcy realized that they really don’t feel like a girl.. at all. They never had.
Next thing they knew, they were running as far away as they could, not processing any of the thoughts in their head until they were curled up in the corner of a dirty classroom in the basement.
Okay, to be fair, they still don’t really understand any of their thoughts. Maybe they would be able to, if their hands were to stop trembling so harshly, not to mention the unreasonable dizziness that’s come out of nowhere.
Darcy tries to take a few deep breaths, but it’s no use and they give up almost immediately. Briefly, they consider calling Tara to help calm them down, but there’s no way their shaky hands would be able to tap the right buttons.
That’s it, then, they found themself thinking, already prepared for the worst. This is the end of Darcy Olsson. Goodbye, cruel world—!
The door handle jiggles, and Darcy’s eyes go wide. They’d been so distracted while running in here that now they can’t remember whether or not they had locked the door. Darcy knows that it’s unlikely that they did, therefore causing them to accept their inevitable fate of detention for skipping class. It’s not like it’d be the first time.
When the door opens, Darcy is pleasantly surprised to see Nick Nelson of all people standing behind it.
“Hey, Darc,” He immediately closes the door behind himself, rushing to sit next to Darcy. “What’s going on?” There’s a certain kindness in his voice as he asks, and it makes Darcy want to laugh because he’s just so nice. The hyperventilating ruins this, though, and they end up coughing in an attempt to chuckle.
“Darcy, can you try to take some deep breaths? In for four seconds, hold for four seconds, and then out for four more seconds. You wanna try?” When Darcy looks up and sees the most tender look in Nick’s eyes, they can’t help but agree.
They try to take in a shaky breath, lasting no longer than 2 seconds when they start panicking again. “I can’t,” They rush out, breaking eye contact with Nick and looking back down. “My hands,” Is all they’re able to get out with their throat feeling like it’s closing.
Nick’s voice slices through their own thoughts once more. “Darcy, is it okay if I hold your hands? So they’ll stop shaking?” Darcy considers the idea, their own eyes briefly glancing over to Nick’s hands. They look.. relatively soft, and probably not bad to hold.
(Darcy’s always had an issue with that sort of thing. They weren’t exactly lying when they told Elle they were ‘admiring Tara’s hands’ all those months ago. That was partially for their own lesbian benefit too, though.)
They manage to nod, not trusting their voice to work properly, and Nick wastes no time in reaching out and grabbing their hands. He holds them very gently, rubbing his thumb across their knuckles in an attempt to soothe their nerves. It appears to be working as the fog in Darcy’s brain begins to clear up.
“You want to try taking some deep breaths again?” Darcy nods again, and this time they’re much more sure of themself. Just holding onto something has made their hands stop shaking for the most part, which is reassuring.
Moments later, Darcy is practicing taking deep breaths very easily, guided by Nick’s calming voice counting them along. Although it’s somewhat better, their brain still feels relatively jumbled. On the bright side, though, they’re not nearly as dizzy anymore and they feel much more grounded.
Darcy doesn’t realize that Nick has stopped holding one of their hands until his now free hand settles on their back, startling them. “Sorry! I should have asked first..” Nick promptly apologizes, drawing his hand away. Darcy musters up all of their courage in order to shake their head and reply, “No, I was just surprised. You can keep going,”
The look in Nick’s eyes seems like he’s asking if they’re sure, and Darcy conveys their agreement without having to verbally confirm. When Nick’s hand starts to slowly rub their back, Darcy begins to relax.
They don’t speak for a bit, only sitting in silence as Darcy continues to regulate their breathing. One of their hands is still being held by Nick, even though they stopped shaking a bit ago, but they can’t bring themself to complain.
It’s not until nearly two minutes later that Nick finally starts an actual conversation. “Are you okay?” He asks, then immediately regrets it upon seeing Darcy’s subconscious reaction. The look on their face reads, ‘What do you think?’
“That was a dumb question, I just meant—how are you feeling?”
Darcy ends up sighing without realizing. “I guess I’m fine? I don’t know,” Noticing how unsure they sound, they rush to say more. “Not in a bad way! Really, I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me,”
Suddenly, their hand is being lightly squeezed, and Darcy’s reminded that Nick is still holding their hand in his.
“I’m your friend, and I care about you a lot, Darc.” Nick murmurs softly, a small smile playing on his lips. Darcy recognizes it as the kind of smile that he usually wears when he’s comforting Charlie after something bad happens and—oh. Oh. That would make sense. “I won’t force you to talk about it, but I am here if you want to get anything off your chest, okay?”
The warmth that blooms in Darcy’s chest over the statement is enough for them to respond with a small, “Okay.”
As they try to explain, Darcy discovers that none of their thoughts about the current dilemma make any sense in their head. Furthermore, trying to explain them to someone else is unbelievably difficult. “I don’t—” They start before immediately cutting themself off. Trying again, Darcy blurts out, “Are you a boy?” with the question leaving their lips before they can take it back.
The way Nick’s face reddens is nothing short of comical. His blushing spreads to Darcy as well, forcing them to acknowledge how odd their question sounded. “Wait, that’s not what I meant!”
Nick laughs at that and lays a comforting hand on their shoulder. “Take your time, Darc,” He speaks sweetly, rubbing their shoulder in a manner that matches the tone of his own words.
Darcy nods, taking in a deep breath while closing their eyes. They decipher their thoughts until they’re at least semi-coherent before opening their eyes, ready to try this talking thing again.
“Um.. You’re a boy, right? I mean, yes, obviously, but—do you ever, like.. not feel like a boy?”
Darcy can pretty much hear the gears in Nick’s head turning. “I’m not sure I know what you mean, but… I don’t think so?” Given the uncertainty in his reply, Darcy can tell that they probably need to explain some more.
“It’s just,” They start, “You know I don’t like ‘girly’ things. I never have. I think skirts and dresses are pretty on other people, but I would rather die than wear one myself. Same thing for makeup, like, I love watching Tara and Elle do their makeup and seeing how pretty they look, but every time they offer to do mine I just panic.” Their volume gets increasingly quieter the more they say, but Nick listens just as intently.
“I don’t really… feel like a girl, Nick. At all.” Darcy whispers, voice rather small—like they don’t want to accept what they’re saying. They avoid eye contact as Nick frowns, patting their shoulder once more. “Just because you don’t like feminine things doesn’t mean you’re not a girl, Darcy.”
“No, I know!” Darcy exclaims, more passionately than originally intended. “But I don’t think I've ever really felt like a girl before. I remember when I was a kid, I’d look at boys and kind of wish that I was them, but I assumed that was because I’m a lesbian.” Nick laughs aloud at that.
“I think it was really just because I didn’t want to be a girl. Like, when I really think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen myself as anything, if that makes any sense?” They look at Nick after saying that, and to be quite honest, he does look kind of lost. Darcy fails to suppress their giggles over the puzzled expression on Nick’s face.
When Nick realizes they’re laughing at him, his cheeks burn once again. “Sorry! Oh my god, I didn’t mean—that wasn’t—!” Darcy laughs some more, before pulling their hand away from Nick’s and setting it on his shoulder, mirroring his earlier action. “Hey, don’t worry! I probably sound crazy right now anyway,”
Darcy expects Nick to laugh at their words, but the look on his face is far from amusement. “You don’t sound crazy, Darc. Just because I don’t get it doesn’t… that doesn’t mean it’s all crazy talk, you know,” He speaks softly, reaching for their hand again and grasping it lightly. “You can talk about it more, if you want.”
In this moment, it suddenly clicks for them why Charlie’s so head over heels for Nick Nelson. Sure, they’re friends with him too, but only now are they observing firsthand how unbelievably considerate Nick is towards the people he cares about. He’s not just offering to be polite, he genuinely wants to learn more about how Darcy’s feeling and that’s… very new for them.
To be fair, Darcy has never really thought about their gender identity in depth before, even on their own. But now, they can’t help but feel like Nick might be the most perfect person to open up about it to.
“I feel like the world—and society in general—is so caught up in presentation nowadays. If someone looks masculine, they’re seen as a boy, and vice versa if they look feminine. Obviously, I wish it wasn’t that way, but it is and it sucks. And then there’s me, and I can’t help but feel like I don’t fit in either category. Like, when people look at me, I can’t imagine that they see me as a girl or as a boy — and I kind of… like that? I think?”
Darcy pauses mid-ramble to look at Nick’s face, and this time he looks so endeared . There’s this look on his face that shows how he doesn’t fully understand, but he’s still so interested and wants to hear more about how Darcy feels.
This produces a very new feeling for Darcy—and a weird one, at that. Their own family cares so little about them as a person, so being able to literally see how much someone else cares about them is just…
“Darc, are you crying?”
They jump, startled by the question. “What?” Darcy panics, reaching one hand up to feel around their eyes and—oh, what the hell? “Oh my god! That’s so embarrassing, oh wow,” They mutter, desperately trying to wipe their eyes with their sleeves. Even though they were just thinking about how much Nick cares for them, they can’t help feeling a little self-conscious about crying.
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like Darcy is the only one freaking out. “No, no!” Nick gasps, “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, I’m sorry, I just blurted that out and then— I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about crying…”
Unsure of what else to say, the two uncomfortably stare at one another. The uneasy silence goes on for so long that one moment they’re sitting and wondering what to do now, and the next moment they’ve erupted into giggles. Despite being friends for a few months, it’s still funny to see how weird they are with each other. But it’s a comfortable awkwardness now, which is good.
When they finally calm down and the room is still once more, Darcy is the one who speaks up. “Do you think I’m weird?” They ask quietly, fiddling with their thumbs. It seems to be an attempt to avoid knowing Nick’s real answer. “You can be honest, by the way. I won’t be upset,” They lie, looking at the ground.
Even though they can’t see it, Nick frowns at the words. “Do you mean with the gender thing or in general? Because…” He drifts off, trying to lighten the mood. It works, seemingly, when Darcy playfully gasps and smacks him on the shoulder. “How rude of you, Nicholas!”
The atmosphere is more lively now compared to when this conversation first started. It makes Nick feel more comfortable as he gives a real response, and he can only hope that Darcy feels a similar way as they wait for his feedback.
“I don’t think you’re weird for feeling like this, Darc, and you’re not. There’s nothing wrong with you discovering who you are, no matter how uncommon it may be.”
Darcy sighs at that. “I’m not.. I know I’m not weird. I mean, no, I am, but—” a subconscious smile makes its way onto Nick’s face, but he lets them keep going. “I just. You know how society is, they don’t like new things. Like when Tara came out. All of our peers giving opinions on us and on her as if anyone asked them, you know? Like, at least with me, it wasn’t any surprise when I came out as a lesbian. I fit every man-hating stereotype there was.” They breathe out all at once before backtracking over their last words. “No offense, Nick.”
Still smiling, Nick shakes his head back and forth. “None taken, Darc.” He murmurs. Hesitant, Nick squeezes their hand again as a show of support. “Continue?” He asks while leaning forward, and Darcy can tell the request is fueled by pure curiosity.
God, Nick Nelson is an angel.
“I can’t help but worry about how they’ll see me. My classmates, or teachers, or, hell, even my siblings. How am I supposed to explain to them that I’m not a girl or a boy or even anything in between…” They pause, staring off into space. Their brain has already started coming up with ‘coming out’ scenarios ending with horrified reactions. “They’ll think I’m a joke, Nick. At least with coming out as a lesbian, they could tell I was serious. But now? I sound like an idiot.”
Nick isn’t thinking when he lets his next words slip out. “Do you think you’re an idiot?”
Darcy is clearly dumbfounded by this, as is Nick, seeing as though he didn’t mean to say that so bluntly. His point stands, however, so he makes no effort to take it back.
“…What are you asking me?” Darcy mumbles, avoiding the question by staring at the ground.
“I know I’ve only known you for a few months now, Darcy, but you’ve never been one to care about how other people see you.” Nick shares truthfully. He spots a tear rolling over their cheek, but keeps talking since he knows this discussion is going somewhere important. “I want to know what you think about all of this, Darc. How does it make you feel?”
There’s no pause before their response this time. “I don’t know, Nick! I don’t know how I feel. That’s why I’m so confused, I don’t—I can’t think, I don’t feel like I’m doing the right thing and—”
“There it is!” Nick cuts them off, but this time it’s intentional. Head tilted to the side, Darcy appears to be confused about what Nick’s doing. “You’re thinking about this in terms of other people. You can only wonder how they’ll feel, how they’ll see you if you tell them about this—but that’s the thing, Darcy. It doesn’t matter what they think. You’re you, and nobody can change that.”
Darcy doesn’t think they’ve ever teared up so many times within a short time period before.
Nick begins again, “Tell me, Darc. How does it feel to think of yourself as something other than a girl or a boy? And don’t think about your family, or your class, or even Tara—” Darcy visibly tenses up at that one, “How does it make you feel?”
Silence. It’s not comfortable, nor is it overly tense or awkward. It’s just still. And then:
“Honestly? I feel free, Nick. I feel like if I accept that I’m not anything in particular, I can be who I want to be. It makes me feel like I can wear a suit instead of a dress without feeling like a fake. Like I can admire how makeup looks without feeling the need to put it on myself in order to be ‘normal.’ I feel like I can go out and be perceived and it won’t matter how they see me, because at the end of the day, I know who I am. It’s not about them, it’s about me,” Darcy pauses. They’ve looked up now, and there’s a certain look in their eyes now—they know . “It’s always been only about me, hasn’t it?
With the corners of his lips turned up into that signature side grin, Nick nods. “It always will be, Darc.”
The next few things happen quite quickly. One second, the two are staring at one another with similar smiles of realization, and the next they’re hugging one another tightly as Darcy keeps saying, “thank you,” like they can’t stop themself.
Like most Nick Nelson hugs, this one lasts longer than other people’s usually would, but neither of them seem to care. They don’t break apart until Darcy murmurs something incomprehensible under their breath. “Huh?” Nick asks as they separate.
Suddenly shy, Darcy shakes their head and avoids eye contact. “No, no, it was stupid. Don’t worry about it,” Knowing Nick, they should have known there was no chance he’d let this go now. “You mean we just had that entire talk and we’re still keeping secrets? Wow, Darcy…” It’s obvious that he’s teasing, but there’s an underlying truth to the words.
“Sorry for being weak,” They reveal, finally. “That’s what I said before.”
Nick is quiet for just a moment. “You think you’re weak?” Is all he asks in response. For some reason, the inquiry makes Darcy flush bright red. “I mean, am I not? I just cried, like, three different times. That’s kind of lame,” It’s clear that they’re joking to avoid an awkward mood, but the words are strikingly genuine.
Nick looks very serious suddenly when he replies. “It’s not. Lame, I mean—it’s not. You’re not. Lame, weak, stupid, or anything else like that. That’s not you, Darc, and I really hope you know that.” He’s being very honest right now, and Darcy can’t help but feel the tiniest bit of discomfort from his tone. “I was just kidding, Nick, really—”
“You know that you inspire me, right?”
Darcy’s eyes go wide. “I what?”
The expression on his face changes slightly, and Nick looks.. embarrassed, almost? “Oh my god, I thought you knew.” He says like it’s nothing, like that statement made any sense whatsoever. “Darcy. You are literally one of my role models.”
For a moment, Darcy considers that maybe they’ve passed away, because there is no way in Hell that Nick Nelson, the definition of all things good and kind, just said they’re his role model. Like… what? “You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
Darcy feels like their head is spinning again. “Nick, that’s really not funny.”
“I told you, Darc, I’m not joking.” They want to believe it’s a lie. Hell, every thought in their brain insists that it must be some kind of cruel joke that they’re not in on. That Nick actually came here in the first place to make fun of them and now he’s finally doing that. But they know him better than that, they know he would never. So that must mean..
He really is telling the truth.
“How? And why?”
With raised eyebrows, Nick looks at them like they have two heads. “What do you mean, why? Darcy, have you met yourself?” Before they can answer with a nonsensical quip about how they would probably not think much differently if they were to meet themself within another universe, Nick keeps talking. “You’re just.. so inspiring, Darcy. I’ve never met someone like you.”
Darcy’s eyebrows crease. “Like what, exactly?”
“Someone who doesn’t care about how other people think. Someone who gets mocked, or made fun of, or just downright insulted, but they’re just able to brush it off and go on with their day. Someone who’s not afraid to be themself. I know the gossip still hurts you and it’s deeper than that, but the fact that you’re even able to dismiss it is so impressive to me. If someone says something mean to me about who I am, it takes me a week to recover,”
Darcy snorts at that. He’s exaggerating to a degree, but they get what he means. “I wasn’t always like that, though, Nick. I used to get so upset over those little things, just like you.”
With a nod, Nick continues. “That’s my point, Darc. You’ve gotten yourself to a point where you’re able to not take those things to heart, or at least not for the most part, and I think that’s so cool.” It takes every bit of Darcy’s self control to keep from chuckling about Nick calling them, of all people, cool.
“I’m not that good at it, though. You saw how upset I got today about how people might see me. Hell, I ran in here because of what other people thought of me. I’m really not that special, Nick.” They speak, internally cringing at how bad they are at accepting compliments. But no amount of deflection could have prepared them for what Nick was about to say next.
“You’re special to me, though.”
This whole time, there have been moments where Darcy managed to shed a tear or two, or their eyes have started to water, but that’s it. Now, though? Now, though, they’ve started sobbing, and they’re not so sure when—or if—they’re going to stop.
Immediately, Nick grabs ahold of them and pulls Darcy into his arms. He doesn’t try to shush their weeping or continue the conversation, instead just holding them and letting them cry as much as they want. Nick knows more than anyone that they need this, especially now.
Darcy does stop sobbing at one point, only letting out small sniffles here and there, but it doesn’t seem like they want to move. They’d never admit it out loud, but Nick’s hugs are some of the best they’ve ever gotten, and they kind of want to stay here forever.
It’s not until there’s sounds of shuffling in the corridors around them that Darcy remembers they’re still in this Hell of a school, and that they’ll have to depart at one point or another.
“Sorry,” They mumble as they sit back and pull away from Nick’s embrace, albeit reluctantly. As they wipe their eyes with the sleeve of their jacket, Nick takes it upon himself to reassure them once more. “You have nothing to apologize for, Darc.”
With a natural instinct to deflect such care sent their way, Darcy almost replies with a witty joke, but decides against it. They figure that it’s better for them to stay quiet, knowing that whatever they’d say next would absolutely throw the current sincere ambience right out the window.
Nick, however, opts for an entirely different tactic. “I hope you know I’m always here for you, Darc. We’re friends.” This time, Darcy can’t hold back their own stupid joke. “Oh, are we? I couldn’t tell.” They make sure to over-exaggerate with the sarcasm so Nick understands they’re not being literal.
“I’m serious!” Is Nick’s response as he pushes Darcy back lightly, making them laugh. When they stop giggling, Darcy notices how Nick keeps opening and closing his mouth, like he can’t decide whether to say something or not. He kind of looks like a fish, They think, snickering at the thought.
Nick glances at them again, now with furrowed eyebrows. “What’s so funny, Darc?” He teases, well aware that whatever they’re laughing at has something to do with him. And if Darcy had any sense of critical thinking, they would have just changed the subject, but alas:
“You look like a fish when you’re thinking.”
As soon as the words leave their mouth, Darcy gasps. “Oh my. I didn’t mean to actually say that, Nick, oh my god—!” They smack their hand against their forehead, internally facepalming over their lack of a filter.
Amidst their panicking, they miss the way Nick’s expression morphs into one that isn’t upset, but is rather full of amusement. Before they can see it for themself, though, Nick starts to shake with laughter, and he doesn’t seem close to stopping. Soon enough, Darcy can’t resist joining in.
At some point during their little gigglefest, they share yet another hug, but this time, Darcy’s pretty sure they were the one to initiate it, which says quite a lot. (Listen! The guy gives good hugs, that is not their fault!)
Even after they’ve stopped laughing (which takes a very long time, unsurprisingly), Darcy keeps holding onto Nick, even while a school bell rings and there’s more noise out in the corridor. If someone besides Nick wants them to let go, they’re going to have to pry Darcy away from him.
“Thank you,” Darcy finally mumbles after a while, the sound muffled from their hug. They still make no effort to move, though, and instead pray that Nick can make out what they’ve just said. They don’t get a verbal reply, but the hand that strokes their hair is enough of a response to them.
There’s no more talking for a few more minutes after that, not until Nick starts to shuffle around and Darcy hears him curse under his breath. “Shit. Darc, that last bell was the final school bell… we need to leave now if we don’t want to get locked in,”
Darcy jumps back, clearly taken aback. They knew it was late afternoon when they ran in here, but how could it be the end of the day already? There’s no time to ask this, though, as they immediately start rushing to get their things and—wait. Fuck.
“Nick.” They say quietly, bowing their head in embarrassment. Now halfway across the room, Nick looks up from where he was about to open the door. “My bag. It’s… I left it in the orchestra room,” Darcy stammers, messing with their fingers once again. It doesn’t last long, though, since Nick has an answer prepared. “So? Let’s go get it, then,”
Darcy looks up, their eyes wide. Nick stands at the door with an outstretched hand, looking very ready to leave. “Right, we have to go now. I forgot,” Darcy mumbles to themself as they stand, rushing forward and quickly taking his hand.
A few minutes later, after they’ve retrieved Darcy’s belongings and they’re walking down the main corridor, Darcy speaks up. “I think I want to tell Tara.” It’s murmured in such a soft manner that Nick can just feel how nervous they are to do such a thing.
“Do you… want to come to mine? If that would make it easier?” Nick offers warily, not sure if he’s overstepping. Shyly, Darcy asks, “Would that be okay? With you, I mean? And Charlie too, I presume,”
Nick looks away at the mention of his boyfriend, clearly shy, making Darcy smile.
“I don’t think he’d mind! And I know I wouldn’t,” He insists, and somehow his hand has found its way into Darcy’s own yet again. “When I said I’m here for you, I meant it, Darcy.”
Trying not to think about that statement in order to keep from tearing up all over again, Darcy considers the offer. They’re already anxious about telling Tara, and given their family’s current questionable views about Darcy’s existence, it’d probably be better to avoid having them overhear. Not to mention, Nick’s proven to be quite the emotional support person, so..
“Okay,” Darcy answers softly. “As long as it’s still okay with you?” They’re barely able to get out the subtle question before Nick’s eagerly reassuring them. “I told you, it’s more than okay with me!” He cheers, that signature side smile back once more as they finally arrive outside of the school.
As they walk towards where Charlie is waiting, Darcy detects the confusion on his face from a mile away. At first, they don’t really get why, until Charlie looks directly at theirs and Nick’s hands and raises a curious eyebrow. “Charlie!” Nick squeals at the same time that Darcy howls, “Gross!”
When Nick turns to them in shock, Darcy holds up their other hand, feigning innocence. He clicks his tongue in response before turning back to Charlie and rolling his eyes. Charlie gasps dramatically before crying out, “I didn’t even say anything!” To which Nick quickly answers with, “You didn’t have to!”
They’re nerds, both of them, Darcy can’t help thinking, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
Charlie doesn’t ask any questions when Nick says Darcy will be hanging out with them, thankfully, and instead the three teens make small talk while waiting for Nick’s mum to arrive. Just as she does, Charlie immediately jumps into the front seat (“He and my mum love to discuss the news together, for some reason,” Nick had begrudgingly explained), and Nick and Darcy sit in the back together.
There’s a brief introduction of Darcy which ends with them making it clear that they have no romantic intentions with Nick—or any man, to be fair—, therefore making the latter all flustered while his boyfriend giggles about it in the front seat. Within just two minutes, Darcy already feels so much more welcome here than they do back at home.
When Charlie and Mrs. Nelson get into a relatively intriguing debate about… something? (Darcy heard the word politics and immediately zoned out), Nick leans over and nudges Darcy’s shoulder with his own. They look up from where they’d been scrolling on their phone to see Nick staring at the floor, looking like he’s on edge about something.
“To answer your question from earlier… yeah.” He says, but Darcy’s reaction indicates that they don’t know what he’s on about. “Sometimes I don’t feel like a boy, either,” Despite having whispered this very quietly, Darcy’s shriek of surprise is enough to gain the attention of everyone in the car.
Luckily, Darcy Olsson is a scarily good liar.
“Sorry!” They chirp, “Nick was showing me some photos of Nellie and she’s just really cute, so I got a little too excited. My apologies!” Mrs. Nelson happily waves it off before talking to Charlie once more, so Darcy goes back to pestering Nick.
“What do you mean by.. that?”
“I don’t know,”
“What do you mean, ‘you don’t know?’”
“I mean I don’t know! Didn’t you just say the same thing as me?
“… Touché, Nick Nelson. I’ll get you one day.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“You’ll see!”