Chapter Text
There was a faint breeze moving the branches of the palm tree above Tao's head. He sighed contentedly, laying on his back on the grass in Hyde Park.
The school year was finally over. It had been hectic, in some respects better and in some much worse than the previous one, so Tao was looking forward to a period of relaxation before year 12 started.
Since there wasn't another Truham-Higgs trip planned, their squad had decided to go to London for a weekend, just to wander around and be tourists for a while before they properly started the holidays with their families. Today it was the girls' turn to wait in line for their food, and Tao was going to make the most of that opportunity, watching the clouds and letting the sounds of the city wash over him for a while.
He had been sitting alone for ten minutes when Charlie flopped by Tao's side, waving at Nick. The other boy enthusiastically waved back, walking backwards, and nearly got mowed by two runners coming in the other direction. Tao got up on his elbows and snickered at his misfortune, watching as Nick turned to apologize profusely to the angry couple.
"Don't laugh at him," Charlie said, though he also looked amused at his boyfriend's antics.
"How can I not, every time I think he can't possibly be any more of a dork he does stuff like that!"
"Stop it," Charlie said, but finally burst out laughing with him as Nick finished his apologies, waved at Charlie again and then left towards the food stall, this time pausing to look at both sides of the avenue.
When the moment passed, Tao sat and shook his head. "You know, maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on him when you met."
"It's okay," Charlie said easily. "You were just looking out for me."
Charlie leaned into his side, and Tao automatically threw his arm over his shoulders, scuttling closer until there wasn't any space between them.
"I really do love him," Charlie confessed softly. "In a forever kind of way, I think. Is that weird?"
"Normal is overrated," Tao said. When he continued, his voice wavered, "Who cares what anyone thinks, you can be Nick-and-Charlie until you're old and wrinkly."
Charlie twisted to face him, careful not to dislodge Tao's arm. "That doesn't mean I'll leave you behind," he added, well aware of Tao's fears. "You are one of my best friends. I want to keep beating you at Monopoly when we are old and wrinkly."
"Such slander!" Tao said, hiding a relieved smile. "I won the last time we played."
Charlie giggled, and for a moment it seemed like he was going to retort. Instead, the smile fell into something a little more heavy.
"It's more than that though," Charlie said, fiddling with his sleeve. "Two years ago, I never thought I'd be this happy. In fact, I didn't think I'd ever be happy again. And meeting Nick made things better but… Tao, you are the one who got me through the worst of it, before. You, Elle and Isaac. I'm not sure I ever told you—"
"Please, don't thank me," Tao said, feeling his mouth go dry. "You know it was me who…"
Charlie's gaze softened. "Tao, it's fine. It was an accident, I know you didn't do it on purpose. And things are better now, aren't they?"
Tao sniffed and threw his other arm around Charlie, pulling him close and trying to convey everything with the gesture. Charlie relaxed into the hug, lacing his fingers behind Tao's back.
Tao was very aware of how lucky he had been to have made a friend as loyal as Charlie. In moments like this, however, he had a hard time believing that he deserved him.
—☆—
May 23 - Jul 24
Morgana LeFay's exposition: learn all about the misunderstood figure of Arthurian legend!
Hosted at Marigold Foundation on
Tue-Sat 10:00 - 13:00 // 16:00 - 19:00
Mondays and Sundays closed.
50% off for students and groups!
—☆—
The museum they had picked for the afternoon was… pretty boring, all things considered. It was small, and though it was well-maintained, it was also obvious that they didn't have the funds for an impressive collection, which was probably why the staff had tried the somewhat overdone medieval theme.
Tao was starting to get the urge to count the minutes until they left as he wandered among the displays on his own. It was inevitable, with a group as varied as theirs was, for any of them to wander off eventually, though it was never for long. In fact, by this point, he would bet an arm that he would be able to find any of the others if he needed it.
Isaac would already be in the gift shop, looking through the specialized books, and Sahar would be there too looking at trinkets to buy for her many cousins. Darcy would have dragged Tara to an out-of-the-way corner to snog. Charlie and Nick would either be in another corner or being corny and making doe-eyes at each other in front of a display. Usually, Elle would be exploring with him, but she had met an old friend of her dad's and Tao had made an excuse rather than standing there awkwardly.
Tao avoided the populated parts of the museum and he was wondering whether he should actually try to locate anyone else, when a door caught his attention. For some reason, it seemed like everyone else was ignoring it, moving from the suit of armor on its right to the staircase on its left.
He debated whether to go in or not, but curiosity won out. Might as well get his money's worth out of the visit, after all.
As soon as he stepped into the darkened room, it lit up in an eerie, soft glow. Tao's eyebrows lifted, reluctantly impressed; he hadn't expected this museum to have any interactive rooms. This one didn't seem to have anything interesting either, just an old mannequin dressed in a ratty old dress.
Maybe the staff was still experimenting with a new style, and the door was closed because this wasn't open to the public yet. Tao sighed and turned around, ready to leave.
Something shifted out of the corner of his eye. Tao whirled back, but there was nothing different; except for the mannequin's eyes. Had they been that acidic shade of green all the time?
"Y o u u u u u…"
Tao sucked in a breath. He hoped that a member of the staff was going to burst in and scold him for messing with expensive equipment, but this phenomenon was quickly surpassing any rational explanation he could make, and he didn't like it.
The mannequin's dress started billowing, even though there was no wind, and its arms slowly lifted. Tao noted hysterically that it was missing a finger in its right hand when it pointed straight at him.
"W h a t i s y o u r w i s h ?"
"I'm not interested," Tao said, looking around for a blunt weapon and coming up empty. He shuddered. If movies had taught him anything, it was to never trust creepy magical anthropomorphic objects in a darkened room.
"W h a t i s y o u r g r e a t e s t r e g r e t ?"
"Letting Isaac steal the last pretzel. I'm still hungry," Tao said, slowly backing away.
The mannequin's head spun around. Its eyes glowed in an otherworldly green when it made a full turn, and Tao whimpered.
"S i l l y b o y. W h a t w o u l d y o u c h a n g e ?"
"I—" he started, but the words died in his tongue, because he suddenly couldn't bring himself to lie and the truth wasn't something he wanted to face, not so soon after the heartfelt conversation he'd had in the morning.
"Haven't you heard about Charlie Spring?"
"That year 9, over there."
"I heard he's gay."
"It's so gross."
"Why do you hang out with that freak?"
"Say that again! Say it to my face!"
"Stop it!" Tao shouted over the cacophony of voices filling the room. He gripped the edge of his beanie, pulling it over his ears. "Yes! It was my fault! I was the idiot who babbled! I was the one who outed Charlie! Leave me alone!"
He backed away until he hit the wall, fighting his rising panic. It was useless. The fear mixed with the heavy guilt that had never left him, even after Charlie had forgiven him, and the strong emotions threatened to choke him. His legs felt like jelly and he thought he might be sick.
"S o w h a t w i l l y o u d o?"
For a moment the pressure let up. Tao rushed to the door, frantically jiggling the doorknob, but it refused the budge; and now he was starting to get angry.
"Whatever, it's not as if I can change the past! Let me go!"
"A n d i f y o u c o u l d?"
Tao's ears popped as the world suddenly fell silent.
"What?"
Reality exploded in a kaleidoscope of colour. The doorknob dissolved under his fingers. For a second he was floating, or maybe falling. He lost all sense of direction, not even sure of where was up and where was down.
"Wait—!!"
As quickly as it had come, the feeling was gone and Tao's vision cleared.
Except, instead of the darkened room, he was in the familiar halls of Truham boys school, and the one in front of him wasn't a creepy doll, but Isaac, who was missing at least two inches in height since the last time Tao had seen him.
Tao looked around in confusion. There was no mistaking it, this was his high school.
"Tao? Are you okay?" Isaac asked, looking concerned.
"I…" he said, and fell silent. What was going on?
He pinched himself in the arm and it hurt. Everything felt real. In fact, the more he tried to pinpoint it, the more the other timeline felt like the dream and this like reality.
"You were about to tell me something? What's on your mind?" Isaac continued, studying him carefully.
The world split in two. Tao remembered confiding in Isaac the first time years ago, saying how proud he was that Charlie trusted them enough to tell them he was gay and not even stopping to think that they were in a crowded school corridor.
Somehow, deep inside, he realized that he understood the choice he was being given. If he repeated the words he had once said, he would return to his present, and nothing would change. If he made a different decision… well, who knew where he would be then?
Things weren't bad in Tao's present, not all of them. To try to change what had happened would be beyond reckless. He knew they could get through everything the world would throw at them, but…
He saw that familiar future stretching ahead. The rumours. The insults. Charlie learning to look at the floor to avoid the worst jeers and disappearing at lunchtime to hide alone. Throughout it all Tao had been powerless to help, even after exposing his secret like an idiot.
"Nah, it's nothing," he said instead. The trodden path shattered, and the future was rewritten anew. "Everything is fine."
A weight he had been carrying for years lifted from his chest.
—☆—
DM: Charlie
Tao: i love u fam
Charlie: ??
Charlie: love you too 😄