Adapted from creator and writer Alice Oseman’s webcomics turned graphic novels, Heartstopper is a teen coming-of-age romance primarily about two schoolboys, Charlie and Nick. The former is openly gay having been accidentally outed, and we meet him after a year of bullying for his sexuality is beginning to subside. Nick, on the other hand, is a popular rugby player from the year above, but when he’s seated next to Charlie in his form room, he begins to realize that he isn’t quite as confident in his sexuality as he first thought. The question of whether Charlie and Nick get together is really the central one in the first season of Heartstopper. So, here’s a brief summary of their relationship.
Heartstopper Season 1 – Do Charlie and Nick get together?
At the start of the season, Charlie is carrying on a secret relationship with an awful boy named Ben, who is closeted but refuses to even speak to Charlie in public. Nick, meanwhile, is single and mainly focused on sport, though he does seem to have chemistry with a popular girl named Imogen, and later rumors start swirling about him and Tara, who kissed once when they were 13 and have somehow been romantically linked ever since — at least as far as Nick’s immature friends are concerned.
Charlie and Nick’s relationship begins as a matter of proximity. Nick’s a really nice guy and is very friendly towards Charlie, which Charlie immediately and excitedly takes as affection. His friends Tao, Isaac, and Elle do warm him about crushing on a straight guy, but Charlie has an inkling that Nick might not be straight, which is obvious to the audience as we get to see him alone in his room, agonizing about what to send Charlie in DMs and Googling questions about sexuality.
Nick intervening in Ben trying to force himself on Charlie is the first significant event in their relationship, and as they spend more flirty time together it becomes obvious to both that there is an attraction there. However, Charlie’s friends are still skeptical. It isn’t until a big birthday party for Nick’s friend Harry that something physical happens between Charlie and Nick — they privately kiss, and while Nick gets a bit flustered by it, he visits Charlie the next day to essentially continue the relationship. They agree to keep it a secret, though, since Nick isn’t ready to fully come out yet, especially given his social circle, and Charlie, having been there himself, is happy to support him until he’s ready.
From here things go pretty well for the two boys until a bit of social drama begins to catch up to them. Charlie’s friend Tao becomes suspicious and jealous of Nick, making it hard for Charlie to tell him about their relationship. He also affects how he responds to Harry’s bullying, not realizing that him standing up for himself and Charlie is putting Nick in a more awkward position. Eventually, Harry’s verbal attacks on Charlie and Tao send Nick over the edge, and he gets into a fight with Harry. Harry, in an attempt to recoup some pride, starts a fight with Tao which only causes further issues within Charlie’s social circle.
When we reach sports day in the season finale, Charlie is contemplating breaking up with Nick in order to spare everyone the drama. However, after repairing his relationship with Tao, getting one over on Ben, and Nick making a grand gesture in the middle of the climactic rugby game, Charlie realizes that the juice is worth the squeeze. Charlie and Nick do end up together, and what’s more, Nick makes the decision to come out to those closest to him, starting with his mother.
