Charlie begging for comfort before bed.

We’re using the SCM variation of Chandi for this one.

Since I’m not posting the entirety of the Coffeehouse AU for public consumption, I figured I would like to post up the work I did in 2023 for it!

The comic above shows just how old this story is. I ended up using this art when I did the typesetting for this scene as well. This was originally something I posted up for a DoDL as well.

I would post the fake website images as well but I’m afraid I don’t remember where I sourced the photos I used (seeing as the actual fic is for Writer Eyes Only), so this will have to do.

“Shot in the dark, here, but are ya seein anyone?”

The dark-skinned beauty gasps in response, a little squeak that makes Charlie’s whole being melt. Thandi has been the object of his affection for years, and so now… he sent Dean in. To collect more information. Of course she would gasp. How utterly cute. She’ll say no, and Dean will mention he has a friend, and why don’t they meet up…

Thandi laughs awkwardly. “Sorry, Dean. I have someone I’m interested in.”

What? Charlie can’t even hear the rest of their conversation. The world falls out from under him. The woman he loves… has someone. Someone. Someone.

His heart, gods! Who ever knew such pain could exist?!

Charlie quickly nips away, clutching at his chest. He can feel himself one step away from a panic attack. The small impulse to find Thandi like always makes it worse and he stumbles into his office and locks the door before crumpling onto the floor.

He can’t breathe.

He’s gasping for air.

He’s crying.

Oh, fuck him sideways, he’s fucking crying!

Pathetic!!

The only option now is to move on. He can do that. He can. It isn’t as if he’s spent five years pining after the same woman. That they’ve been close for those five years. 

But if she has someone she likes, knowing her… she can’t be persuaded to deviate. And he hadn’t deviated, not once, never… but…

He’s hyperventilating on the floor, knowing that now, maybe his love is a problem.

“So that’s why you want us to help you?”

Charlie nods, sitting up in his chair, legs crossed with his hands folded neatly atop his knee. “Out of everyone I know, I think you and Dean would have the most experience in, ah. This realm.”

“Charlie, I don’t think this is one a’ yer good ideas. I think maybe ya just need to ride out the blow…”

“Ride it out? How could I? I’ve loved her for five years and I could love her for another five. I don’t fancy being a crumpled heap on the fucking floor.”

Ayanda sighs, glancing at Dean. “Maybe we just give him a confidence boost. Take him out. I mean, at the very least, we get a DD, right?”

Dean sighs, hand rising to press his hat atop his head, as if it’s liable to fall off at any moment. “Fine. We’ll work wit’it, but. I also don’t wanna see m’best friend cry like that again.”

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.

Sefu observes his three and a half companions on the road, silently gaining an understanding of each.

Savon is the half, small in stature and making up for it by their boisterous personality. They move quickly, always quickly, and weave their way seamlessly through both conversation and life. A pickpocket and a thief, Sefu has an eye for their talents. They’re someone who would have been both an asset and a liability on the seas. They’ve always got a quip or a jab and seem to have a hobby for getting under people’s skin. This seems to work best on the only one worse than them: Charlie.

Charlie is an East Istrian noble, and that usually says enough about a man, but this one is more than smooth insults and underhanded means. This one is petty and angry and contentious, eager to separate from them and make his way back into what was likely the lap of luxury. He does pay mind to the woman who brought them together, though, as her persistent nature has managed to drill through his thick skull.

Her name is Thandi and she is poisonously cheerful. This is the sort of person he and Fadir would never allow on a ship— her personality and optimism extends into the ridiculous. Her strangeness also makes it infinitely more difficult to understand her motives. Sefu accepted his role, yes, in the interest of the power it could afford him. He let himself get whisked away after telling Fadir to take care of the ship.

He sighs as he pulls out his pipe. A small fire sparks to life, hovering over the finger of a young teen Outsider girl. Hinata. Sefu leans forward to accept the light, puffing a touch as his pipe tobacco begins to glow red. “Mister Sefu sir,” she says, “Are you hungry?”

“Hmmm.” He takes a long draw on his pipe, a gift from Fadir. He does miss the man at times, and this would be one. “I could eat.”

Hinata smiles at him and bobs slightly, politely, before moving to Thandi’s side to get a bowl of soup for him. She is a good girl from the frozen part of Hokuto, off edgewise of the Disc. Her family taught her well, though she’s prone to being a teenager at times, she has a good head on her shoulders. She returns to give him a bowl and he nods his thanks. 

Hinata bows once more before returning for her share. Sefu takes another long pull. Savon is eating heartily. Charlie is refusing to touch the dish. And Thandi seems to have forgotten to count herself among those needing food. He watches Savon laugh and Hinata offers to split hers, until Charlie butts in to simply give her his bowl.

Hmm. It will take more time to understand.

The soup, at least, is good.