❛ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞. 𝗌𝗄𝗓 𝖺𝖽𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖾𝗋

❛ :: 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝖺𝗌𝖼𝗈

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
i'll have the sabrina lunch chapter
out soon, im just a bit stuck with how
to continue it. a huge portion of it is done,
i just don't know how to progress with it since i'm worried it's a bit boring.
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

CHARLIE BAE WAS PROUD of his independence, evident even from a young age in the little things he did. Living as the only boy in a trio of sisters may have reinforced this tendency, as he preferred to play by himself rather than with his siblings - though looking up to Irene no doubt played its part. He found his own company more than enough to keep him occupied, and choosing independence over inclusion was something that came easily for him.

From a young age, Charlie enjoyed simple tasks such as packing his own lunch and getting himself dressed. He was eager to prove that he could do things on his own and rarely had to be asked twice. His room was always spotless before his parents took notice, and as he grew older, observing his parents in the kitchen piqued an interest in cooking which grew into a passion of his own. Before long, Charlie had become one of the primary chefs in the family, a role he cherished

He firmly believed in his own capabilities and was determined not to ask for help, no matter what the circumstances. Declining any proffered assistance, he preferred to rely solely on himself; it was something that had been ingrained in him from an early age and it gave him a sense of contentment.

But if there's one thing Charlie absolutely detests, it's having to peel a tangerine.

He used to avoid eating tangerines, despite them being a favourite fruit of his. The smell of the orange peel on his hands or the tedious task of peeling it bothered him, and he could never understand why. Charlie was no stranger to difficult tasks, but for some reason tangerine peels were his threshold.

"Why are you staring at the snack table like that?" Han leaned over to Charlie, yelling slightly over the bass of the music which thundered through the arena where the music show was taking place.

"I'm not staring at it like anything," Charlie denied, fixing his gaze ahead rather than the orange pile of goodness sitting on the plate not too far away from him.

Han frowned. "Do you want me to go grab you a snack?"

Charlie shook his head, tapping his leg in an awkward but thankful way. "No you're good but thanks."

Han stayed quiet, leaning back in his chair with a look of apprehension. His mind was racing, overwhelmed by all the questions that flooded his head. He would glance over at Charlie periodically, worry growing each time he caught the eldest boy gazing wistfully at the snack table.

Why wouldn't he just get up and get something to eat? It didn't make sense to Han, and it was worrying him greatly. However, it seemed as though he was the only one noticing, and he didn't want to read into it too much so he did his best to ease his worries.

Only, he wasn't the only one who noticed.

After their performance, Stray Kids returned to their dressing room to relax. Moments later, there was a knock on the door. Seungmin answered it, bowing politely as he stepped aside to let the visitors in. In awe, the entire group quickly rose from their seats and dipped into deep bows when they spotted two members of Red Velvet entering.

"We're here on a strict mission from our leader!" Kim Yeri announced, Seulgi following closely behind her with a paper plate in her hands. "Mr Cheolmin we have been instructed to hand over some tangerines peeled by the nimble hands of your sister."

Seulgi handed him the paper plate, the tangerine slices laid neatly on the plate making Charlie grin. Of course, Irene was responsible for this.

Irene had always been so attentive when it came to Charlie, peeling tangerines for him without him even having to ask, so he wasn't too surprised that she had noticed him eyeing down the snack table and taken matters into her own hands—she could read him like an open book.

Yeri  produced a paper fork from behind her back, presenting it to him with a smile whilst Seulgi tidied his hair. As the younger brother of their leader, Charlie was well-acquainted with the members of Red Velvet. He gained four sisters who joined Irene in caring for him. Over the years, Irene had taken charge without ever complaints and always provided for them; so watching out for her brother was the least they could do—Charlie meant the world to her, and they knew that.

Yeri reached down to wipe some juice from his lips whilst Seulgi fussed over his hair, causing him to try and bat them both away playfully. Meanwhile, his members stood back and observed partially endeared and moderately surprised.

"Wait why are you eating a tangerine with a fork? Am I the only one concerned about this?" Felix asked as he looked around.

"He doesn't like the smell of tangerine peels on his hands, and he doesn't like the feel of the slices against his fingers so Irene usually peels them for him, she had to rush to hair and makeup so she sent us—she saw you creeping on the tangerines by the way, you should be more subtle with your desires," Seulgi explained, still fixing his hair.

Yeri nodded. "Yeah, it looked like you were about to mount the table."

Charlie poked his tongue out at her, a gesture she returned childishly.

"Anyways, we better get going," Seulgi interrupted, knowing if she didn't, the two would end up wresting again.

Yeri was champion the last time they wrestled but Charlie insisted he always lets her win.

"You suck, Yerim!" Charlie yelled, making sure his mouth was clear of tangerines.

"Get better insults, Cheolmin!" The girl called out whilst being dragged down the hallway.

Once the two were out of sight, the rest of Stray Kids turned to Charlie, who was quietly enjoying his tangerines, silently thanking his lucky stars that he was gifted with an older sister with an eagle eye.

"I thought you hated tangerines? You gave me the stink eye the last time I offered you one," Hyunjin was the first to break the silence, frowning.

"I love tangerines, I just hate peeling and touching them," Charlie explained, spearing a slice with his fork and popping it into his mouth with a satisfied hum.

"And that's why you were staring at the snack table so intensely?" Han asked, looking extremely relived when Charlie nodded. "Thank God. I was having a silent meltdown worrying over you."

Charlie, in a good mood from his tangerines, felt no shame in ruffling Han's hair. "Don't be so cute."

A non tangerined Charlie would have blanched at the idea of saying that to Jisung, the members couldn't help but eye the plate suspiciously—had the tangerines been tampered with? Because this was not the Charlie they were familiar with.

"Why didn't you ever ask any of us to peel them for you?" Felix inquired, disappointment
palpable in his voice.

"It's not a big deal, I just didn't want to inconvenience anyone," Charlie answered, pushing away his empty plate and leaning back with a contented sigh. "But if you wanna peel me another one, I wouldn't say no."

Felix and Hyunjin locked eyes for a brief moment before they rushed out of the room. Hyunjin nearly sent Felix flying with how urgently he pushed to get to the snack table first. Charlie could only stare after them, impressed by their enthusiasm to peel his tangerine for him. He turned to the other boys with an amused grin, unable to hold back his chuckle as his ego inflated.

"They wanna impress me so bad."

.｡. .｡. .｡. .｡.

this is kind of just a filler chapter until i can get the sabrina carpenter lunch chapter out so i hope it wasn't too bad—it was initially going to be a 'stray kids proving they love charlie' where it's just a collection of moments of the boys doing things that shows their love for him. i started writing that and one of the moments was going to be lee know peeling his tangerines for him but i ended up with this instead 💀 i hope it's not too bad.

thank you so much for reading, this wasn't proofread but i hope you enjoyed anyways.

you're greatly appreciated 🖤

— blue x