princess project au, shiki takes charlie, slowly becoming abusive
Princess Coal is everything Charlie could ever want.
They lavish him with attention and affection, begging for his touch. Declaring their love, always wanting him to be there for them. They’re smart, too. Delicate with his feelings. Doting.
And… he’s free to express it as much as he pleases. Or more than he pleases.
It started when he was with Princess Alabaster. He always ate lunch with her, cleaned up after her, fed her a small fraction of his magic, all in exchange for a glance and a nod of thanks. This, to him, is fair; white magic has so many applications, so much power, and she needs to study all specializations in order to even start to grasp her magic. He was happy to help, and it added to his data pool to be there for her. They never spoke, but they had been close, right?
Or… he thought that they were, before Princess Coal took him aside.
“Moss, why are you waiting on Alabaster hand and foot? She’s taking advantage of your kindness.”
“I… well, it’s just what I do. And she could really use the help—”
“She doesn’t need your help, and she doesn’t need you, Moss.”
It hits him dead center. His chest aches and he feels his eyes burning. Charlie brushes a tear away. Coal isn’t wrong, not at all. Alabaster’s acknowledgement is what he lives for, but realistically, he was just there as a sort of hanger on. Someone who just wanted to be around her, another one of her fans.
“Moss… no. Charlie. Char. I like you. Why not… be with me?”
This startles him. He and Coal had been hanging around each other since they joined the school. They spoke to him. Smiled at him. He seemed to make them happy.
“Why would I want to be with you?” The answer is one of habit. Curt. Short. Bitter.
“You don’t have to be. I love you all the same.”
Love. They love him? No way.
But it builds up. Coal hangs around him, smiling and helping him and… Alabaster barely spares him a glance, while Coal thanks him. Smiles so brilliantly. Then, one day, they brush hair out of his eyes and Charlie feels his heart flutter. It’s possible to enjoy the touch of someone else?
It’s a slippery slope from there. He notices all of the particulars of Coal, starts looking forward to seeing them, even if he’s bristling.
They hang on his arm, being sweet.
“Oh, Char. Don’t you forget our lunch!”
“Char! You look wonderful today.”
“I love you, Char. You’re so cute, how you work so hard.”
It brings him joy, having someone notice and appreciate what he’s been doing. And… he’s been having trouble, lately, but Coal stays by his side. They rub his back, preen him, kiss his fingers… it’s so… romantic.
And one day, he says it back. “Shiki… I love you, too.”
From there, they’re glued together. Side by side. Charlie is beaming. He’s happy.
Shiki kisses him, touches him, preens him. “If you’re uncomfortable, all you need to do is to push past it. I’ll help you, Char.”
They have such high expectations of him. “Char, you sweet little boy. You know that you need to manage our time better!”
“Char, you’re a mess. You’re going to make us look like regular students. You’re better than this.”
“Char, you simpleton! Can’t you even handle this much?”
He’s so tired. Keeping up with Shiki’s affection is difficult. He starts finding it difficult to keep up with his own schedule, let alone theirs. He’s letting them down. They need to hear how much he cares. He’ll do anything to show that he cares.
The fear of being so public with his affections, with the touching, starts catching up with him. He’s in tears when he gets home some days. Shiki pulls him in when they’re out, kissing him passionately, dipping their tongue in his mouth, their hands running all over him, grabbing and squeezing, and when he protests, the look of disappointment on their face… “Char, what’s wrong? Do you not love me?”
He doesn’t want his words to be broadcast to everyone, either. But they tug on his elbow whenever they want and beg him to say how much he loves them. “Do you not love me?”
“Do you not love me?”
He does. He swears. He just can’t keep up. He needs… he needs… what does he need, anymore?
And he crumbles, exhausted, and resistance dies. He caves to everything that Shiki wants.
Everything.