On The Hill Oneshots

Nobody (Brewhack) 🥇

i'm alive and well, still can't write Charles tho. luv yall <3

Charles didn't have a dramatic opening- he doesn't get one. He never will, well at least until gains some recognition at this god forsaken academy. Not that he deserved anything, but at the very least he could complain. 

Hell, everyone had something going for them. Like a place.. something they could be known for. Which, even though it was expected for an academy, he still felt empty; meaningless. He wasn't always like this, obviously.. It was a mistake- well not necessarily a mistake but it certainly didn't go as planned. Within a day he was a nobody, with no purpose and no place in the community. 

Spill, Wisp, Niche, Grill, Chill- they are all known for their profession, either that or a prominent personality trait. If they weren't known just for themselves, it was their friend group. Even that old guy that often wandered the town had something to be known for.

That old guy had caught Charles's attention. Not because Charles was homeless and this old guy had previously taken two young men after their house burned down, but he was just overall pretty interesting.  He said that this man often wandered the town, but he actually rarely left the safety of being indoors, whether it be in his house, a store, or the academy. The time he spent outside was only to get from place to place.

He seemed sleep-deprived. His eye bags were a dark as the coffee he always carried with him, and his beige suit was winkled. Charles had heard he was a scientist or a researcher or something along those lines.. a job that could be connected to his appearance. 

Everything about him tied together so perfectly. He had barley any contradicting personality traits.. opposed to Charles, who was a nobody. 

Charles was certain that this mans opinion of him would be black or white. He would either love his presence, or completely despise him. It was a gamble that Charles was more than willing to make, what did he have to lose anyways? The worst that could happen is that he would have one more person despising him.. not like it would be much of a change.. hell-

"Would you stop wallowing in your own self-pity and move?" A feminine voice asked in annoyance. Charles realized he was blocking a sidewalk, and since it was a rainy day, there wasn't anywhere else to travel. The voice, he recognized, was Spill. She was accompanied by two other people, Wisp and the man that previously owned his thoughts. 

Spill and Wisp were holding hands, and since there wasn't any more room on the sidewalk, the man had migrated to the back. "Oh, u-um.. sorry?" Charles spoke, moving out of the way and into the rain. Spill and Wisp granted him a glare as they passed, but the man only brought forth confusion. 

Charles knew that he had been present during the incident. The oblivious look he offered was either badly disguised sympathy or some other undetectable emotion. Or maybe he didn't remember. It didn't matter though, because they swiftly departed, and the man turned from Charles, though he offered a glance behind his shoulder as he walked away. His blank eyes offered no insight on how he was feeling. It was frustrating how Charles couldn't read him, but found it was strangely enticing.

Once the distance between them grew enough, Charles moved out of the rain and back onto the dry sidewalk, making sure to stay as far out of the way as possible. He didn't feel like having any more negative interactions that day, even if he'd come to terms with his dirt reputation. It just didn't feel good. Once he'd positioned himself in a way he deemed acceptable, he allowed himself to become lost in his thoughts as he picked at the concrete he sat on. This went on for what seemed like hours before he was so dreadfully interrupted by a voice sounding from behind him.

"Excuse me?" it said. Charles prepared himself to have to deal with nagging yet again, but when he turned his head he was met with an unexpected sight. The man from earlier was back, though the girls were absent. He stood still, as if he were a statue, waiting for a response.

"uh, hi?" Charles voice broke, he didn't expect that blank stare to be so intense. "Could I- uh, help you?"

The man reached his hand towards him, seemingly in order to help him stand up. "You're Charles, yes?" he asked. Charles was hesitant, but grasped his hand and stood up. He dusted himself off as he responded.

"That's me." The man smiled ever so slightly at his response.

"Brew. Nice to officially meet you." Charles groaned internally, fuck, he remembers. However, this was the nicest he was spoken to in months, and he enjoyed it. There was not a hint of malice laced within the words this man, Brew, spoke. Charles felt incredibly comforted, perhaps more so than he should have.

"er," Brew struggled to continue the conversation. "I'm sorry, for uh, them. You know, not ones to forgive." Charles narrowed his eyes at the mention of what happened, but quickly softened at the apology. "Are you okay?"

Taken aback by the question, Charles stumbled. "Yeah im- im fine?" he fidgeted with his fingers, glancing around. Brew made him nervous, he was so mysterious and intense. His intentions were impossible to figure out, it was almost attractive.

Brew got closer, allowing more emotion to seep into his voice. "I'm serious, Charles. I've seen you around, please let me help you. Even if its just somebody to talk to, no matter what you did this- this is no way to live." Charles only stared blankly for a moment, but his lips tugged into a grin.

"I guess that'd be nice, I've got a serious case of the morbs.." He responded, still avoiding eye contact with Brew.

"What? Do you need a doctor?" Brew asked genuinely, and he was almost panicky. Charles shook his head at the question. Brew still seemed confused, but he asked no more questions regarding Charles' vocabulary. Instead he began walking, gesturing for Charles to follow. He complied, and though he was incredibly warm and happy because of Brews kindness, he still felt weary.

"Do you want to go back to my place?" Brew asked, staring ahead. "Get you cleaned up, after that we can talk over coffee or tea, whatever you prefer. Are you okay with that, Charles?" Charles looked down, hesitating before his response.

"Yea, that's fine." Brew noticed the hesitation, immediately adding onto his offer.

"oh, Chill and Grill won't be there, I promise. I'm sorry, I forget." He held his hands up in an apologetic manner. Charles lightened up.

"Yea, i'd like that. Thanks."

word count: 1,137

May 30, 2022

part 2/?? probably idk lol I cant write Lifehack /33 but anyways I'm alive!!!! I have so many unfinished chapters so expect more soon!!?

also im so sorry this is barely 1,000 words.