Tag: TBO-era

  • Useless

    Useless

    tbo offshoot, depressed Charlie

    Ever since Midshear, Charlie has been in a gloom. He hasn’t really spoken much out of turn, though his tolerance for the party seems to have risen. He doesn’t try to push back the teasing anymore, and the look on his face actually puts an end to it.

    It’s plain to see him accepting the teasing as fact. He is useless. He is a coward. He isn’t good for anything, let alone protecting Thandi. He can barely even heal anyone. He’s only good for being used up. Why bother? Why bother…

    Thandi sees him slipping. His vest is loose, unbuttoned. His hair is a mess, drifting into his face. His sleeves are rolled down, and Thandi suspects that he’s covering bandages. He flinches even from her touch now, and he won’t say anything. Even to her.

    Thandi is aching just watching him. He’s sluggish, wincing in pain at every little thing. And… he won’t let her help. He turns away from her every time she tries. It’s like he’s drifting away. Even her bracelet hangs loosely off of her, clinging by habit and not by decision.

    Charlie cries sometimes.

    Thandi is trying so hard to get him comfortable again, but he really is just… useless to her. There’s nothing he could give her. Nothing he could offer. Even if she should deign to marry him, he’s got nothing to give but his body, which carries the risk of… children. With him. The useless him would produce only useless children. And who could love a useless child?

  • Self Treatment

    Self Treatment

    tbo canon

    Charlie sits in the inn room, snarling at everyone who tries to help him. “I can take care of myself. Get your filthy hands away from me.”

    “You’re injured, sir, and your hands, your arm, well—”

    “I’m ambidextrous. Get the hell out!”

    The two doctors exchange looks. He wouldn’t even allow them to cut his shirt away from his wounds, and he’s clutching hard to a tattered mess of black fabric and a glittering gem. His shirt is rust from the blood seeping out.

    One last try. “Sir…”

    “Fuck! Off!”

    The two exit, going to tend to the next most injured person—Merre is still more than a little worn from their misadventure. Charlie locks the door and removes his shirt with a hiss, tossing it on the floor. There’s no point in even trying to save it. It’s better as blood rags. He might ask Thandi to help him clean it later.

    The tie and vest are spread out on the bed gently and he examines the damage. There’s no point in saving the tie, but the vest—if he’s not wearing the vest, then what makes his gift to Thandi special at all? It would be a random button from a vest lost. The fabric is already thin from his attempt to mend it after being splashed with acid. Droplets of blood drip down his arm as he sighs and passes his hand over the rips. They come back together, but it’s so thin now. He can almost see his hand through the fabric.

    Charlie straightens now, chest and arms throbbing from the pain. He can still feel the ghost of the acid that splashed over him, a subtle burning under his skin, like some of it still lingered despite the potion’s influence. He takes a breath and decides not to waste his magic here. He could use the practice, after all.

    The kits are laid out for him. He’s moving slowly.

    First, milk of the poppy. He’s going to need it to feel any kind of good later. A draught of that and it’ll kick in by the time he’s got his wounds cleaned out. The two doctors left him rags and hot water, at least, and he takes the time to clean thoroughly. With a stench like that, they’re probably ripe with bacteria. It makes him ill to think of the possibility of infection from those things and he grinds into the wounds with the rags, teeth grit.

    The pain is a relief, somehow. He can take care of it. He can handle this.

    There’s a quiet knock at his door, and Thandi’s voice. “Charlie…?”

    “Not now.”

    “Charlie, I want… I want to help—”

    “Go away.”

    He’s got to do this himself. The needle is threaded and he takes some rags to bite down on as he slowly, slowly stitches his wounds closed. The poppy is starting to kick in, and he’s feeling a little light headed, but this is all down to muscle memory now. The stitching speed picks up. It’s hard to do most of these one-handed, and harder to use the mirror to help, but he manages. It overlaps over the still-angry scar from Londlan, which is frustrating. And look at his face! The acid burn may have healed, for the most part, but his fucking facial hair. Gods.

    After he’s done stitching himself up, he gives himself a wash overall. That smell. That smell. Twice, twice now he’s been attacked by these things. It’s infuriating. His hair spills out around his face and he realizes that the sprout in his hair must have fallen out while he was unconscious. Whatever.

    Feeling clean is part of feeling well. He trims his sideburns, getting them to be even. He had liked the sort of wild look he had before, but he couldn’t go around with uneven muttonchops. Disgusting.

    Speaking of disgusting, his arm. That’s going to fester more than his shoulder. Again, Charlie paces, trying to rouse himself from the poppy enough to put together a poultice. He should have let Thandi in.

    But.

    If she sees him like this, she would… she would probably cry. She would probably beg him to use his magic to heal himself, and truly, that would be a waste. How could he count on himself to heal others if he can’t even manage his own wounds? It’s a crutch. He can’t count on magic being always there.

    Herbs are ground up, moistened, applied generously. It stings, but the sting is barely registering now. He’s in a daze as he cuts bandages from the bolt of cloth he bought, wrapping them around his neck, his chest, his arm. Tight, but not too tight. His head is getting cloudier. Perhaps he took too much. The tools are tidied up and put away. He puts on a fresh shirt, smoothing it. He looks at his trousers. Ech. The doctors brough clothes in, right? As a gift from the town?

    Charlie kicks off his shoes, his socks, and throws the pants into a pile with the ragged shirt from earlier. It’s hard to keep steady as he pulls on these new pants. They’re not quite so… comfortable. Or nice. Whatever. He’ll clean those up.

    The vest. The vest, where is it?

    He grabs it up off the bed, tosses the gem from his tie into his bag, and collapses into the bed. The vest. The vest, it’s. It’s wearable. It’ll be fine.

    He’s so tired.

    He closes his eyes, hair fanned out, shirt barely buttoned, and buttoned crookedly, at that, and he starts to drift. He should let Thandi know he’s fine. He should… blood, the smell of blood… he needs to… needs to…

    sleep.

  • Not Quite Right

    Not Quite Right

    attempted sexual assault, doppelganger, tbo offshoot

    Thandi sees Charlie approach, a small smile on his face. He comes up behind her as she organizes her files, kissing her neck, loving on her.

    “Oh! Charlie!”

    “Hey, honey…” He presses against her from behind and Thandi quirks a brow.

    “Are you all right, darling?”

    “More than.” She feels his fingers trace to her front and she reddens, feeling that excitement starting. They’re in her research lab, potions brewing and… well, he should know better.

    “Charlie, this isn’t really…”

    His teeth on her neck make her squeak.

    “Charlie, no, really. Maybe tonight?” Thandi’s face is so hot. He’s grinding against her and she’s excited by the shape of him.

    “It’ll be okay, dearest. It’s fine.”

    No. This isn’t like him. No matter how much he wanted her, he would never push her into it. She wriggles out of his grip, moving towards the door. “What is wrong with you, Charlie?!”

    He smiles, puts his hands on his hips. That smile is off. It’s. Wrong, somehow. It’s. It’s not crooked. It’s not shy. He doesn’t even have the hint of that familiar blush, and he seems… predatory. “Thandi. Honey. It’s fine. I’ll be careful.”

    “I said no!” Has he gotten into something strange? She approaches him, putting her hands on his face, looking into his eyes. He chuckles, and it’s familiar enough that it makes her uneasy. There’s nothing wrong with his eyes. His hands on her wrists—his hands are as they always are. It’s just that…

    He stares into her face, eyes half-lidded, and she sees him lick his lips. A chill runs through her and he presses her into a kiss, grabbing onto her hard, slamming her against the wall. This isn’t him.

    Thandi bites down on his tongue, tries to shove him backwards. He pulls back, blood spurting into her mouth as he does so. His features are twisted in anger and he goes to to bite down on her neck—

    She slams a knee into his groin—

    His hold weakens—

    She pulls her wand—

    “Incendio!”

    Her lab goes up in flames, and so does he. For a moment, her heart is gripped in fear. A blackened corpse with her husband’s face lays amid the crackling fire eating her potion ingredients. And then, it’s not him. It’s so obviously not him. An illusion.

    Thandi is still shaking as tears trickle down her face. She sways through the door, only to bump into Charlie. The fear on her face is obvious, and Charlie panics.

    “Thandi?! What—what happened?! I heard you shouting, heard—oh, gods—your lab—is that a body?!”

    The relief is so much that Thandi laughs as she cries, clinging onto him. He holds her, confused, but he’s there. She wonders: how could she ever had mistaken anyone else for him?

    And why… did someone try to trick her like this…?

  • How Could I Want Any More?

    How Could I Want Any More?

    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.

  • Princess Coal and Moss: Union

    Princess Coal and Moss: Union

    princess project au, teenagers, shiki takes charlie

    The faculty is actually very pleased with the recent development. The two have a unique synergy between their magic: Where green gives energy, stimulates growth and life and healing, black siphons it and pours it into containment, restricting the movement of magic around it. They could feasibly use their power together to bring true life to new creatures, to force a permanent bond between creatures, to store magic in case of emergency.

    Not only this, but Princesses dating makes for good press. Look at our esteemed students! Look how free they are to love and manage to balance it with their studies! Imagine what they could create together!

    Thandi watches this unfold with an uneasy feeling in her chest. Her one companion had finally fallen away, tugged from her by Coal. Alone…is what she prefers. White magic has too many applications for her to stop her studies just for one boy. Even if it was him keeping her topped up with focus and power and tea. She finds her performance beginning to slack, sleep trailing after her, catching up to her at last.

    When she falls asleep for the third time, the professor taps her awake at the end.

    “Princess Alabaster. Are you all right? You haven’t been doing okay lately. Are you… sick?”

    “Oh. Professor, no. I’m just a little worn out. I’m fine, don’t worry! Rather, I’m so sorry to have fallen asleep in the middle of the lecture.”

    The professor sighs and cocks their hips, resting their hand on their chin. “I’m sorry your companion got taken. He was helping you study, wasn’t he?”

    “Oh, no! That was just a coincidence. I’m under the impression that he was gathering data?”

    “Well, Princess… if that is what you say. I do recommend you revise your schedule, though, if you’re not relying on him anymore.”

    “I’ll take it into consideration!”

    For once, her notes and books remain closed with lunch. She watches everyone around her, and though she wouldn’t normally notice, it sticks out today. Everyone looks exhausted, most of all, the Princess Moss.

    His head is on the table, Coal rubbing his back with a smile. She can see Moss blushing and accepting food from Coal. It’s. Insufferably doting. Thandi wonders if perhaps he had gotten  sick himself.

    She narrows her eyes. There’s something off here. What color does she need to see both of their auras? Blue. Redirection, absorption. She plucks it out from the tangle of her magic and turns her gaze to the pair.

    Moss’ aura clings close to his body, and there is a small trail bridging between himself and Coal. It’s as if Coal is spooling it, gathering it all up, storing it. Why? Not only that, but his isn’t the only bridge. It’s like Coal is a tangle of knots. Everyone is being leeched.

    Everyone but her. It seems her exhaustion… is just hers. Should… should she step in? Thandi holds her head. She needs to know more. It’s not just her Princess Moss—

    It’s not just the Princess Moss.

    The Princess Moss, who used to keep her company and quietly admired her with a sweet smile and gentle eyes and made not a single demand of her. Who did… somehow make her life easier.

    He’s arm in arm with the Princess Coal. They kiss when they think no one is looking.

    Somehow… that hurts.

  • Princess Alabaster

    Princess Alabaster

    princess project AU, teenagers, charlie gets stolen by shiki

    Charlie stares at Thandi as she studies. The focus on her face, the expressions she makes as something clicks, the slight nod to herself as she jots down a note.

    He knows her, but she doesn’t know him. Not well, anyway. He takes pains to remain… distanced. Just so he could watch as she did this. They sit next to each other in their Magical Theory class. It’s a level five course, and she specializes in white magic. So, properly, her title is the Princess Alabaster. She’s one of the few white magic users in the country, and she’s so… Charlie sighs. Gorgeous.

    And definitely not needing a distraction from him. Princess Moss was his title, and he scarcely needed the distraction himself. It couldn’t really be helped anymore, though.

    Is it even possible to distract her?

    She’s been influenced by his magic, and if she’s noticed, she hasn’t said anything. Granted, he was projecting around him, working on his own projects, trying to deduce the effects of green magic on exhaustion and healing and familiar intelligence. It’s a multi-pronged project and it keeps him busy.

    But not so busy where he can’t spare a moment to silently give her tea in class from his thermos, or where he can’t spare a moment to watch her perk up just from being near him. They give nods to each other.

    He’s… content. He thinks.

    There he goes again. This awkward boy next to her, staring at her while writing notes. He’s so openly admiring her that she had been worried at first that he would disrupt her routine. Just because he’s a fellow Princess doesn’t mean anything.

    He didn’t try to bother her. He pours her some tea during the classes they shared. She can feel the tendrils of his magic mesh with hers, the nature of his aura giving her a boost as good as a few hours rest.

    Princess Moss, she’s certain, is some sort of fan of hers. She’s had many by this time, but when they see that she doesn’t have the time to spare for idleness, they disappear to admire from afar. Or. Ridicule.

    But Moss not only balances his studies and his watching of her, he stays. They have never exchanged words. He seems content in his fascination.

    The both of them sit side by side every day. They study, they work, they eat together. There’s a companionable silence that they’ve grown used to. At least, until the new Princess Coal arrives, dropping next to Moss.

    Thandi tries not to notice as Coal scoots close. Breaks the silence. And gives her a sly, catlike grin as they lay the compliments thickly on Moss.

    Every.

    Single.

    Day.

    Until he’s not sitting with her anymore. He’s smiling and laughing with Coal. But, Thandi’s been paying more attention than she thought. She sees Moss flinch when Coal touches him. The moments where Coal says something and the happiness ebbs from his face, despite the mask of a smile.

    The day where she overhears them speaking.

    “Oh, Char. I love you so much.”

    “I…” She sees Coal’s grip on his arm. “…love you, too.”

  • Just Like This

    Just Like This

    fluff but naked, sleep

    They’re feeling lazy tonight. And. It’s just one of those nights where they consider sex, but when they strip down, one yawns and suddenly both of them are yawning and wiping tired tears from their eyes.

    “Let’s just… sleep. And in the morning, maybe?” Charlie looks exhausted, though he still admires her.

    “Well, I don’t…” Yaaaawn. “You know, maybe that’s an excellent idea, darling. Let’s grab our pajamas…”

    “Wait, hold on.”

    “Hold on?”

    She sees his face redden a little more than it had been—he’s always been easy to get a blush out of—and he rubs his neck and laughs to himself. “What if we just slept like this.”

    “Uum…” She feels her own cheeks pink. “Well…”

    Charlie turns off his lamp and slides under the covers before opening his arms for her. She can’t say no to those puppy dog eyes! With a laugh, she turns her lamp off and cuddles in close. It’s warm, and there’s something nice about just being close like this. He kisses her gently and smiles before his eyes slide shut.

    His skin… his firm body… such a safe place to be. They tangle their legs like always, one of his sliding between her thighs to support the leg she hoists over his side.

    Sleepiness catches up with Thandi. His heartbeat calms her. His arms reassure her. His even breathing sets the pace for her.

    She falls asleep with a smile.

  • Home at Last

    Home at Last

    modern, sleep, fluff

    The door rattles open, Charlie letting out a relieved sigh. He slouches in, followed by a beaming Thandi.

    “We made it! Charlie, home at last!”

    “I’m never doing that in a straight shot ever again,” he mumbles, dropping onto the couch, kicking off his shoes. “Are you feeling any better, dearest?”

    “Leagues! Thanks for letting me sleep on the way!” Thandi moves to stand behind him, massaging his aching shoulders. “Oh, darling, you aren’t falling asleep on me, are you?”

    “’M gonna be if… ykeep… massaging…” He yawns and lays his head backwards, staring up at her. Thandi giggles and gives him a peck.

    “Well, give me one second, and we’ll get you to bed properly!”

    “Mmm. Mmhm.” Charlie’s eyes flutter closed as Thandi hums to herself, brewing some chamomile tea in the kitchen. She hears him mumbling and sighs, taking the kettle off the heat.

    Her husband is passed out where he sits, occasionally snoring lightly. It’s usually her who falls asleep first, so she straightens his hair and smiles down at him. It’s nice to see him relaxed, calm… peaceful. Vulnerable. He’s going to be impossible to move and twice as difficult to wake.

    Thandi goes to the bedroom to change, grabs a blanket and a pillow. The smell of their home is so comforting and she’s glad that they decided to wash their sheets before they left. So fresh!

    Carefully, Thandi readies everything for their morning.

    A smile creeps across her face. Usually he takes care of all these little things, with the advantage of being able to lift her for bed. Unfortunately, he’s a bit… big. And she doesn’t quite have that much confidence in her strength. Certainly she’s strong, but not lift-her-husband-and-drop-him-in-bed strong. Maybe halfway there. At most. She laughs at the thought.

    Thandi takes care to line up his pills for the morning and prep their mugs for a hot drink. She empties his pockets, unbuttons his shirt, considers trying to change him and shakes her head. If she tries, he’s going to grab her and then she’s going to be stuck.

    There’s dozens of little things for her to do to occupy herself, but around eleven, she decides to call it. She flicks off all the lights but for one for her to read by and settles against him, pulling his arm around her shoulders. As predicted, he mumbles and pulls her close.

    She gives his cheek a kiss and opens her book to lull herself to sleep.

  • Pet Panther

    Pet Panther

    fluff, thandi crying, tbo offshoot, confession

    Thandi is stretched out, having had a good cry on the shoulder of her… pet. The panther presses his nose to her face, and she laughs and scratches under his chin. He purrs for her, tail twitching as he licks her face.

    “Darling…”

    His tongue laps at her mouth to stop her from talking, making her blush. She drapes herself over him now, rubbing his sides, getting him to purr even louder as he wiggles and huffs.

    Charlie can’t tickle her back like this! Instead, he rolls onto his back, exposing his stomach. Thandi squeals as he peers at her, rubbing him enthusiastically. He’s so cute like this! And since it’s just the two of them, he’s not so shy as to keep his clothes on as a beast, so she gets all this velvety fur to herself. She buries her face into his chest, and even though she’s having fun, she feels another sob wrack her body.

    Those big paws come down and grab her, and she’s pressed to the well-muscled body of the panther as she cries. He grooms her as she weeps, keeping steady.

    “Charlie… I… would you hold me as a man? I. I know you’re nervous, but…”

    Before she even finishes speaking, she feels his proper arms around her, pulling her close, and he plants kiss after kiss on her face. He strokes her hair and she enjoys feeling the steadiness of him. The actual him.

    “Thandi. I’ll follow wherever you go. No matter what. I love… I love you. I won’t let you be alone again.”

  • Hug

    Hug

    fluff, tbo offshoot

    The bracelet seems to pulse on Thandi’s wrist, in time with the opening and closing of his hands. He doesn’t think she’s looking, but she is.

    It makes her want to laugh.

    “Charlie…”

    “Er. Yes, d… Thandi?”

    “What’s wrong?” Thandi’s hand rests on his arm and she can see his face beginning to color. This man has delivered babies and replaced organs without a second thought, but when it comes to her, he seems nervous.

    “Oh. Um. Nothing. Ha. Congratulations to us for making it through another fight, haha.”

    She smiles at him and it pleases her to see him relax a little, that soft look that he gives her taking over his features. Wouldn’t it be funny if…

    Charlie blinks at her and an embarrassed look tugs his smile sideways. She massages his arm casually, staring into his eyes.

    “T-T-Thandi. Um. H…can I, ah. Um. Hug. You? As a friend.”

    “Of course, darling.”

    She’s swept up into a tight hug, her feet leaving the ground as he spins with her. She hears laughter and realizes it’s him. He’s ecstatic, and then he sets her down, squeezing her close for another moment. Even the bracelet squeezes her wrist gently.

    Eventually, both relax their grip and Charlie laughs awkwardly. “Good job. On staying in one piece.”