Tag: Thandi Kahsu

  • Nightmares

    Nightmares

    tbo offshoot

    Her hand hesitates when she reaches out for him. To feel that touch… he leans forward, but she shies further. Charlie’s heart aches.

    “Please. Dearest… it’s me.”

    The words come out twisted, a snarl that can’t seem to wrap around the common tongue. Thandi flinches and Charlie’s wings droop. He’s not familiar with the creature he’s become, but it’s so big that Thandi is dwarfed by him. There’s these enormous wings, feathered between long stretches of skin. He sees both fur and scales on his body, talons that would be more at home on the feet of a raptor than his… could he call them hands?

    All five digits. Hands it is.

    Again, he touches his nose to Thandi. I miss you. I love you. It’s me.

    “Darling… you’ve become…”

    An answer is what he needs.

    “…a dragon. One I’ve never seen before. And…”

    Please. Love me anyway. I need to hear it.

    “…I can’t bear to love a monster.”

    The world crashes and falls through his fingers.

    Fingers, not talons. He stares at his hands, his skin, the familiar calluses, his hardy palms. A relief.

    A bad dream… he’s been having  only bad dreams lately. Not nightmares, but depressing. Like his spirit is being crushed. Every night, something different. A bear. An eel. a goblin. Dozens of creatures he could not name, and less that he would even recognize.

    Charlie pushes himself up, stepping over Merre as he goes to sit by the fire. The ghost white of her dress brings out a worried sigh. Charlie sits beside Thandi and puts a hand on her back. She startles for a moment and he sees the tears in her eyes. Quietly, he opens his arms. “Come home,” he mumbles and she laughs.

    Then she’s warm in his arms and he squeezes her gently. “Thandi. I’ll help you. No matter what. No matter what.”.

    “Even if I’m… sp…”

    “I will hold you together myself.”

  • Sleepless

    Sleepless

    sick charlie, tbo offshoot

    It’s been well over two days and Charlie *still* can’t sleep. He doesn’t get it. Chamomile. Lavender. Cannabis seeds. Valerian root. Catnip. Nothing he makes brings sleep. It just makes him exhausted on top of the insomnia.

    He’s already useless as a doctor, but a doctor without sleep is worse. Things poke him, prod him, and he’s so weak-willed right now. Eventually, his constant weeping gets a gruff sigh and a shove into Thandi.

    “You’ve got potion for that, right, Thandi?”

    “I should… Charlie? Come along now, darling.”

    He stumbles after her, his wrist grasped tight. She sits him down in her bedroll, opening her bag and pulling out her signature silver flask. “This always helps me, Charlie. Vitani brews it herself!”

    “I… that’s your medicine, Thandi…” She looks at him, dark rims under his eyes giving him a ghoulish appearance. He’s looking horrible. In fact… worse than he should be.

    “Manifestus veneficium.”

    “What are you looking at, Thandi?”

    She shushes him, looking him over, and she sees it. A glittering thread, highlighted with her altered vision, mended into his vest. A curse given form. “There it is! You’ll be just fine, Charlie. Just like so…”

    He watches her hand come toward him and he flinches. There’s a moment where it’s like she’s unraveling him, and then it’s gone. Thandi winds the thread between her fingers and holds it out to him. Charlie furrows his brows.

    “Come now, you have to break the curse. Just sweep your hand through, darling.”

    The thread is invisible to him, but he slices his hand through the air all the same. As soon as it’s broken, it’s like everything hits him all at once. Thandi catches him and eases him back to sleep on her bedroll. She straightens his hair with a small smile and lets him catch up.

  • Bedtime

    Bedtime

    arranged extra, sleep, fluff

    Thandi pulls her husband into the bed, despite his arguing. “I don’t—I don’t use the bed, it’s…!”

    “It’s what, Charlie?”

    “I. It’s… I don’t like it.”

    “And the couch is so much better?”

    “No, but…”

    “Sleep in bed.”

    “I don’t…” When did he start getting so weak for her demands? He doesn’t have a lot of resistance in him anymore, not when it came to her. She so desperately seemed to… care. “It’s… I’m…”

    It’s too big. It’s too vulnerable. He’s spent so many nights terrified of what he’d find waiting for him. Or who. He can avoid it all by simply refusing to dress down and sleeping on the couch. Room only for one, and he can bolt in a heartbeat.

    Sometimes Thandi doesn’t seem to think until he shows his fear. This is the case today as she unbuttons his vest, chastising him. “Mr. Vanderbee, how are you supposed to overcome anything without rest?”

    He’ll poke back today. “Well, Mrs. Vanderbee seems intent on picking up the slack.”

    Ahha. She freezes, cheeks reddening dramatically. If he didn’t know any better, he would say that he’s embarrassed her. He does, though, and she must be incredibly angry. She puts a hand to his chest and pushes him backwards into the bed.

    His heart seems to stutter at the excitement—

    Excitement?

    No, no.

    …perhaps?

    His eyes slide down her body, almost like seeing her for the first time. The dip in her dress, her chest hanging over him, exquisite hips, her deep, glittering eyes. He didn’t so much mind her touch anymore.

    And they had already raised a child together.

    Would it be so bad to…

    “Charlie! Did you hear what I said?”

    “I… sorry, no.”

    “Why are you so frightened of comfort?”

    “I’m… just…” Say it. “Lonely.”

    She’s going to get the wrong idea.

    “You poor thing. Let’s get Camellia inside, and—”

    “No… just… I… not that I would be against her coming in, but—sleeping is… vulnerable.”

    “You haven’t had a problem sleeping around me.”

    “…yes.”

    “There you go! It’s just fine, darling.”

    He pinks. He pinks a lot. He could be her darling once in a while. “I mean… it’s not. Safe.”

    “Then I will watch over you!”

    “Wh—”

    “I’ll be right here! And then you’ll see that’s it’s all okay.”

    Charlie nods reluctantly, and she tucks him in tightly. He closes his eyes, feels her hand stroking his cheek. This is… nice.

  • Arranged

    Arranged

    hook, regency, fake dating

    Charlie bristles as he looks across the long table to his newly wedded wife. He radiates dislike, and as good a face he put on for their wedding, he was far from happy.

    He knows her name and nothing else. Thandi Kahsu. Her family had heard of the Vanderbee empire and practically dropped her into his lap to enjoy his family’s wealth.

    She’s just another idiot lusting after money. An idiot with the good fortune to surprise him with a wedding instead of courting him.

    Charlie clears his throat.

    “I want to make things clear. I hate you. I want nothing to do with you. There will be no marriage bed and no touching. I don’t care for conversation or meals together. We are married on paper, but we certainly aren’t in reality.”

    Meanwhile, Thandi is fuming. She sets her silverware down delicately. How dare he. After she was forced to leave her studies, her magic, her everything behind. She’s a bauble in his family’s home.

    “Well,” she says quietly, voice heavy with gravitas. “That makes both of us. You disgust me. It will be of mutual benefit to draw a line between us and if I never see your disgusting face again, it will be too soon.” She gives him that award winning smile, and Charlie is infuriated.

    He throws down his silverware. “Thus the only agreement that will hold weight in this sham of a union!” At this, he rises and leaves the dining room with a slam of the door.

  • Separation Anxiety

    Separation Anxiety

    depressed charlie, thandi returns to faerun, tbo offshoot

    Charlie could feel the gentle caress of Thandi’s love reaching for him. She was so gentle when it came to him. She would take his face in her hands and tell him that he mattered. That he made a difference.

    He treasured her above all else. He kept quiet about the extent of his affection for her. His love. His intense attachment. And quietly, very quietly, he thought of her as his.

    The journey took months. Years. And he couldn’t help doting on her. His feelings were secure in her hands, knowing that she distanced herself from most others just enough that they didn’t make advances. He was the only one who she cried into, the only one she vented her troubles to, the only one who could hold her.

    It took him time to realize that she started putting that distance between the two of them. Less nights sitting with her at the fire. Less time trading quiet confessions. Less time… period.

    He’d been such an idiot. He had believed the smiles and the laughs. She didn’t tell him she was leaving. He found out from everyone else. The day of.

    She hugged Pike as he wished her luck. She gripped Merre’s hands and they exchanged encouragement. Senet gave her food to leave with and a promise to cook if she ever returned. Tirel simply asked her to write.

    Charlie was baffled.

    “What’s going on? Where are you going?”

    Everyone’s faces. The pity as they realized that Thandi hadn’t told him, so he didn’t try to hold on. He wasn’t even supposed to be here.

    “Darling,” Thandi said quietly. “I have to go home.”

    “But I’m your home!”

    Her smile is sad. Her hand is on the handle of the door to the inn. Charlie’s face pales and he opens his mouth to protest.

    “Goodbye, Charlie.”

    The door opens and shuts. He runs to the door, knowing what he’ll find, throwing it open anyway. She’s gone. He drops to his knees, in shock. It’s like his entire body is curling in on itself.

    Charlie shatters. No one knows what to do, unused to him expressing something so… real. And him. He knows the only thing that can possibly help him comes in the form of two warm hands on his cheeks and her voice reminding him that everything is okay. He’s such a fool.

  • Cookie

    Cookie

    fluff, drabble

    Thandi sits and studies, idly eating cookies. When she focuses, the cookie hangs from her lips, as if completely forgotten.

    Charlie finds it absolutely adorable.

    When he approaches, he teases. “Might I have a cookie, dearest?”

    “Mmhmm.” Thandi’s focus is absolute. Charlie smiles to himself and leans down, takes the cookie hanging from her lips between his teeth. She stares, gaping, blush forming on her cheeks. The crooked smile as Charlie turns away, hips swaying ever so slightly, oh… something about it lights her up.

    She watches him go. The view isn’t bad.

  • Pneumonia

    Pneumonia

    sick charlie, fluff, tbo offshoot

    Charlie coughs, bleary-eyed and sweating from fever. He flips through a grimoire, cross referencing it with older druidic scripts. Vitani had loaned him books on his particular brand of magic, and so long as he kept them in Thandi’s room, he could use them as he pleased.

    The combination of studying and Thandi pretty much made him a permanent guest in the little pocket dimension. Sometimes she just left him there as he studied, for once barely noticing when she came or went. It was nice to see him focus.

    Well, usually. Winter was taking a toll on him, and he was supposed to rest in her room while the party continued their trek to the next town. The man can’t stand to be idle for long, with exception to summertime naps.

    So, when Thandi walks from the inn, she gasps in outrage. “Charlie Vanderbee! What are you doing?”

    “Ah,” he wheezes. “Just. Studying.”

    “You’re supposed to be resting!”

    “I am!”

    “Charlie. Come now. If you were your own patient…”

    He grumbles his reluctant agreement. “…fine. I couldn’t sleep. The… the ceiling freaks me out. Still. I can’t get used to it.”

    “Oh, darling. Me neither. Come along, now—”

    “It just feels like something is going to come out of the… void.” She sees him stare upwards, unsettled, and reaches out to take his hand. Gods! He’s still burning up!

    “I’ve used this room for a long time, Charlie. It’s safe, I promise.”

    “Hmmm. I still think that you should stay with me…”

    Thandi laughs it off. He’s a little off from his fever. She lays him down in her bed and pulls the blanket up for him. Quickly, she wipes his face and neck, leaves the rag there to cool him, and he stares at her.

    “Thandi. I really would like to…”

    “Why don’t I read to you, darling?”

    His heart jumps as high as his eyebrows do. There’s a grin sneaking onto his face, pulling his mouth to one side. That’s a yes if Thandi ever seen one!

    She pulls a book out of her nightstand, and as she passes him to regain her seat, she feels a tug on her dress. Charlie’s eyes are wide. “Thandi dearest,” he breathes. “Please? Come closer? So I can…”

    Thandi gives him a small, sad smile. Hopefully Vitani approves. She moves her seat closer, within Charlie’s reach, and opens her book. His hand grasps a small amount of fabric at her knee, and his eyes are already drifting shut.

    She reads. She reads splendidly. Every character has a voice, and her delivery is theatrical. Award-winning, even. At least, she’s sure that Charlie would say so, judging by the smile on his face. She leans forward and brushes his hair back.

    “My darling…” She can’t seem to help the feelings that bubble out of her now. If only she could kiss him like this, pneumonia and all.

    “Thandi…”

    The smile on her face has no equal.

  • Collared

    Collared

    werewolf!charlie, modern (lab)

    Thandi tugs the collar onto Milo, smiling  to herself. The wolfdog wags his tail up at her before standing on his hind legs to lick her face.

    “Milo!! Milo, you silly boy, get down, darling!” She rubs his cheeks affectionately, kissing his forehead as he happily presses into her. Milo is excitable, half wild, but incredibly loyal to her. She got him last year, when she moved out to the edge of town. He wandered into her yard, injured, limping, whining. And she had taken care of him.

    Ever since then, he came back every day, slept in her bed, kept her company. It was time that she put a collar on him! He belonged to the forest, but without a collar, people might mistake him for a dangerous animal. Which he isn’t! He’s a gentle giant!

    She gives him a big hug and laughs when he wiggles into her. A gentle, loving, happy wolfdog.

    “So, guess what Dr. Vanderbee did today? He yelled at one of the interns and they started to cry. And then!! And then, he fell asleep during lunch when he promised he would eat with me. I swear, I think he’s losing weight.”

    Milo whines at her. She pets him fondly and kisses into his fluffy cheeks, prompting him to growl in that funny way he does. She had been frightened by the growl at first, but there was a certain note to it that she started to hear when they got more acquainted. A squeaky whine, a pant, a wiggling of his furry self into her arms. A love growl, she called it.

    Charlie scents her in the lab, and he’s excited. There’s a nearly unrestrainable urge to bound up to her and bury his face into her stomach and lick her face all over. He shoves it down. Deep, deep down. The familiar sound of her steps in the hallway has him absolutely beside himself, but he hides it, and he hides it well. Or. He hopes he does.

    There she is, curly hair bobbing, jewelry glittering, wearing that personable but business-like expression. He remembers her going gooey over rubbing his stomach and oooh, it’s her, it’s her, she’s here, she’s here stop.

    “Early again, Dr. Kahsu.”

    “I’ll beat you someday, Charlie!” Aaah, he loves that. Say it again. No! His face remains stoic and he nods, acknowledging her.

    “Unlikely. I rent a room here nowadays.”

    “You can do that?!” Thandi covers her mouth in amazement. She’s so cute. Look at how she tilts her head. Look at that little smile. “Well, I suppose if anyone would manage it, it would be you! You live to work. Speaking of! Lunch, mister!”

    He bows his head. “I know. We’ll eat together today. Did you get—”

    “I did! You know, you don’t need to pay me to feed you. I’m doing it out of concern for you!”

    “I feel indebted to you. It’s nothing to me.” Charlie shrugs and she laughs, that cute, tinkly laugh. It makes him feel warm. He wishes that he got to stay in bed with her longer last night. But now he has a collar that he could take with him. It makes him feel like he really belongs with her. He doesn’t take it off until the very last minute anymore. “Enough talking. Let’s get to work.”

    “Let’s!”

    Weeks pass. She gets into work early and finds her colleague tugging on his coat, messing with his tie. “Dr. Vanderbee?”

    He turns, panic in his eyes. He’s not messing with his tie at all. He’s wearing a collar. Thandi’s eyes widen. Is that… some sort of fetish…? She didn’t need to know this about him! He unbuckles it quickly, face red, stowing it in his locker. The locker clatters shut and it’s silent for a moment. “Don’t. Say. A word.”

  • Hand Holding

    Hand Holding

    tbo offshoot, fluff

    Thandi holds her hand out to Charlie, smiling at him gently. He blinks down at her hand, then up at her. Does she…

    “Come on, Charlie! It’s all right.”

    He shakes her hand and Thandi bursts out laughing. “What? What is it? I did it correctly.”

    “Nooo! No, darling. Hold my hand!”

    “H-h-hold your hand?” Charlie reddens and looks at his palm and up to her. He could stand a handshake with her—he likes her touch, and it’s brief. Not overwhelming. Thandi sees him thinking it over and her laughter dies down. She leans forward and links pinkies with him, prompting him to gasp.

    “There. Is that… easier?”

    Charlie nods, angling his head away to hide a smile. There’s a feeling in him he can’t really name, and… he likes it. He loves it. Loves it? He swallows as they walk back to the camp, hands swinging between them. He loves…

  • Petting

    Petting

    tbo offshoot, fluff

    Thandi’s hands trace along the lines of scars on Charlie’s chest, pouting. He tilts his head in question as she looks up at him.

    “Why did you never heal these?”

    “Practice, most of them.”

    “Practice? Darling, no!”

    Charlie blinks at her. His brow furrows as he tries to justify it. “You know. A doctor is only as good as his experience. And it’s good to see natural healing firsthand.”

    She pouts at him and he pinks.

    “It also gives you an excuse. To. Um. Touch… me.” His face reddens with every word, and Thandi’s hand drifts to the center of his chest, tracing the dip down and up. Charlie’s breath stutters, and he lets out a shaky breath. He loves when she sweeps her hands over him, petting him. “Mmmm…”

    “I’d touch you anyway, Charlie.”

    “You… you would?”

    Thandi’s gentle smile grows sly. “Does my kitty like being pet?”

    “Y-y-yes!!”

    She kisses his jaw, his neck, his collarbone, enjoying the noises he makes. He’s breathing hard. And then he panics and Thandi is squealing in the paws of a panther, purring as he licks her. “Charlie!” She laughs and he huffs as he purrs, a form of laughter she knows well. She buries her face into the velvety fur of his chest, squealing as he squeezes her with his forepaws.

    His purr is soothing. He’s strong and warm and she curls against him, yawning. His cold nose presses to her face for a moment before he gets comfortable. They fall asleep happy.