Heartstopper Inktober 2K24

23 - Rust (Wicked!AU)

Everyone he loved was gone. Gods, how could this have happened? He just wanted to make his mother proud, to finally not have her hate him and his existence so much.

Now all he had left was this castle, the monkeys and the memories of a former life.

It wasn't a great life, not when you have green skin and no cure for it. Not when your older sister is paralysed and you caused your father's death by hanging. Not when you were used and abused beyond your means and then some. Charlie supposed it wasn't much of a life after all.

It was supposed to change, when he went to Shiz with Victoria. He knew he was just there to accommodate her for her schooling and to be her roommates at Higgs house commons and not for himself as Mother told him so, but he had wanted to be part of it. So very much.

Despite their first misgivings, Charlie had thought he'd found a friend in Tao. The pink wearing upclass twit had rubbed him the wrong way at first, but then as they were forced to room together and face the Wizard together, they were the best of friends. Emphasis on the "were".

Now, even he was gone, somewhere with Issac and Elle most likely helping plan Tori's funeral in his absence. She was also gone, crushed by a house after a whirlwind of events. More destruction Charlie caused. First his father, then his mother died of shame, then Tori died.

He supposed that Micheal, Tori's former partner, was also helping to fix everything - but Charlie had turned him to tin thanks to Tori's meddling with the spell book that the Wizard gave him so long ago, so he wasn't sure how that was all going. Would he be alright without his heart? Would he rust? He wishes Nick was here right now.

Gods, Nick. He was perfection in living form - he really was. He had come to Shiz in a rush of activity, a charming heathen surrounded by people, money and things. Charlie thought he was stuck up.

Nick had proved him wrong. Now he was gone and all he heard from Oz was chanting. Kill the witch, kill the witch.

...Maybe he really was a wicked one after all.