Quiet. In the dark of the night, Charlie stares at his bedroom ceiling and longs for the feeling of Thandi curled up against him. Her leg hitched over his side, her head on his shoulder, her arm over his chest. He longs to feel her against him because without her it feels so fucking empty. Rev snoozes on his other side, yes, but it isn’t enough to sate his needs.

It’s been a week of nothing. They had slept together so reliably for years and he put his foot down. She doesn’t need him. So he needs to pull back and let her live her life.

And so he’s been nearly sleepless for nights on end because he feels the ghost of her snug against him and aches to really feel it.

So he stares at the ceiling and longs.

Thandi is stressed and a bit miffed. It’s been a week s8nce Charlie had his little revelation and she is being driven mad. He made such a decision on his own as if he knew what was best for them both!

She doesn’t want to sleep alone. 

She wants to sleep with her boy!

It isn’t fair that his ego is next to nothing and so he has to try to play a martyr for their relationship.

She has been so!  Tired!

That’s it.

She pulls out the key to his room and slips it into the lock. 

The door doesn’t open.

She tugs and the door tugs back. She removes her key and the door flies open, Charlie on the other side. He stares at her and then throws his arms around her.

“I can’t stay away. I miss you. I need you so that I can sleep.”

Thandi can feel her anger melting away as her noy buries his face into her neck as he always does. She feels his tears on her skin and she wraps her arms around him. “I didn’t want you to.”

“But I do nee—”

“I didn’t want you to leave.” 

He pulls back, looking ruddy and surprised. “But… you have your own life to live.”

“During the day. But… imagine! Never seeing your family! Does a husband and wife sleep apart?”

Goodness, she adores that blush that shows in force now. “Husband and wife…?”

Thandi reaches to grab his left hand, pressing it to hers. Their matching rings. His eyes flick over her hand with his.

“Ah… I. I suppose they don’t…”

“I do want to do things separately sometimes but I don’t want to sleep without you. Come to bed.”

He nods and follows after her,  slipping into bed beside her. She assumes her spot at his side, curled up and hitching her leg over him while using his shoulder as a pillow. His arm bolds her steady.

Finally. They’re both at peace.

Thandi pats Charlie’s hand as he hisses from behind her, frightened by a new person. Upperclassmen are not his favorite people… then again, no one is his favorite but her.

“Sorry there!” The young man with the pitchy voice and dark hair gives Charlie an enormous smile. “I didn’t mean to frighten you!”

“I’m really sorry about him,” Thandi says. 

“No need! Arif tells me that my sunny demeanor could be blinding at times!” They laugh boisterously, their own quiet companion studying Charlie and Thandi thoroughly. The young man gestures to them. “This charming sort is my best friend and partner-in-crime, Arif.”

Arif bows their head slightly and then blink ever so slowly… Thandi hears the growling slow to a stop behind her and looks over her shoulder. Charlie stares, mollified, but wary. Arif looks to Thandi. “Nice to meet you, Thandi.”

“Likewise! This is Charlie, by the way. He’s, um. Also my partner-in-crime? But we don’t do any crime! Haha!” She feels her cheeks heat. She must look really silly!

Darshan chuckles. “Birds of a feather flock together, as they say! Our newest students are quite the interesting batch this year. I was terribly sorry to hear about the incident in the dorms. I hope you both were safe?”

“As safe as we could’ve been,” Charlie mumbles.

“That’s good to hear!”

“It isn’t at all! It ate my slime!”

“Aaah… I see. I’m very sorry to hear about that.” Thandi catches a glance between Darshan and Arif. What is it they’re saying with their eyes? Darshan leans down a touch, rousing Charlie’s defensive growl. “I hope you don’t mind us asking, but how did it even get into the dorms?”

“My stupid fucking father—” Charlie is practically spitting his tiny vitriol, and Thandi turns to gather him up in her arms to soothe him preemptively. He wraps his arms around her, growling into her chest while she strokes his head to calm him.

“It was a magic box. The faculty have it now,” Thandi says. “I never got to see it.”

“Ah, shame, shame.”

“Darshan,” Arif says quietly. “It seems we are agitating Charlie quite a lot. Shall we give them their space back?”

“Ah? Yes! Of course, let’s! Apologies, little miss, but hopefully we see you about?”

“I’m sure you will,” Thandi says as she waves goodbye to them both.

Thandi feels Charlie lay a charm on her ear as he curls against her, an arm under her head and the other over her side. She smiles to herself as she takes a deep breath. 

Every night now they sleep against one another. Ever since the incident in their first year, she’s laid with him and comforted him and made sure that he was relaxed. Safe.

A whisper tickles her ear. “Thandi.”

“Mm?” She reaches up to pat his arm gently, feeling him tense slightly. Her touch makes him relax again, taking a deep breath.

“This is okay, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Or… what do you mean?:

“You don’t not want to do it?”

“Don’t… not want. Hm.” That’s a spicy double negative. “I do want it. I always do.”

“You don’t want to do this with anyone else?”

“Why would I want to?”

“Because of me.”

Ah… she knows all too well the melancholy tendencies of her boy. Always doubting. And she has given him reason to doubt before. Pushing back against how he clings to her. Pushing to be alone sometimes. Pushing, once… pushing him. His denials. Six years of their back and forth has made him fearful. Even with how he’s changed through the years.

“Charlie,” she says slowly. “I won’t be leaving you. I live with you, you silly goose.”

“Yes, but… I know… you want…” He swallows, pressing his face into her neck to steady his nerves. “Independence. To be the best. You. You want a lot. I. I don’t. I just. I just… herbology… potions…”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a healer, Charlie.”

“But planar magic is going to take you places. Literally… and you won’t want me around for that.”

“Who says that I won’t?”

Charlie squeezes her. “You never know.”

“I do know. I know I’ll never be alone again. Never again.” 

His breath hitches at that and… he sniffles. Squeezes her tighter. Tears. They nearly never talk about what happened, but… this. This warm intensity. She needs it as much as he does. “Never.”