Heartstopper Inktober 2K24

24 - Expedition (StarWars!AU)

It had been years since he's seen him. Literal years.

They were blurred and slightly hellish and Nick's sure he wouldn't even remember one septic thing if he tried, but he knows one thing at least.

Despite his best, he never forgot him. Them. His family, the people he loved. The people he walked out on.

He's grey at the temples now, salt and pepper glittering though his curls like he's been in snow, but his eyes, framed by crow's feet, are still the same. Inquisitive, steady, forgiving. His robes are immaculate and always that, reflective of his status.

He can't imagine what he must look like in comparison.

All he's got is a brown leather jacket and a solid shock of sandy and strawberry blonde mess, the red having faded out long ago during an expedition or more over the years apart, some parts bordering on white. The freckles in his face have also been replaced with more wrinkles than he's wanted as well.

Gods, if only he was still smuggling. Or racing. Or something, just to distract him and stop this whole train of thoughts he's having seeing his ex husband. He also seems to still know him well and hates that his heart still skips a beat when Charlie finally comes over and touches his arm, barely anything in between them as colonists prepare supplies. "Hi."

He wants to vomit. He wants to run. "Hi."

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Charlie's eyes are looking at him and he can't look away. He can see everything and feel it even worse. He can also see their son looking back at him as well, before he fell into the arms of evil and became someone Nick didn't recognise anymore.

It just makes him feel even more guilty for leaving them both in the siduations they'd ended up in. He could have stopped it. He /should/ have stopped it, when they were young, when they had a chance.

"It has, yeah." He finally agrees, voice rough from both emotions and age. "It has..."

He doesn't know what else to say truly, but like magic, Charlie seems to know what he means as they stand there in the little silence they have between them as people weave around them. Nick almost thinks it's awkward, but from the way his heart feels, it feels more right than anything he's tried so far to cope with the pain of losing both Charlie and Henry.

It justifies his next actions accordingly.

Nick doesn't know exactly why, but he suddenly pulls Charlie in without a second thought, letting his cheekbone rest against his chest and his chin rest again the latter's head, gripping both the back of his head and his shoulders. It really has been so long.

There's a small freeze in Charlie's demeanour, one where Nick considers hastily letting lest he be reprimanded for hugging the prince he's spent nearly his whole life after meeting him, before the latter's arms suddenly clutch his wrapped waist. He hides his face in his shirt for a good moment, before he moves his head again and Nick's looking back at him. "We'll find him, won't we?"

Nick doesn't really know if they will find Henry, given it will be his ship they're raiding so the rumours say, but he hopes, just like he sees Charlie hoping right now. "The intel looks promising. Convincing him to come back is another issue all together. There is no telling how much the Dark side's taken from him. We may not get our Henry back at this rate."

"We still have to try." Charlie pleads, Nick finally having to move away, only to leave his hands on Nick's chest, feather light and begging. "Bring him home, bring our son home."

"I'll try." Nick picked up one of the other man's hands and kissed the plan, holding it to his cheek. "I promise."

He watched as Charlie's eyes filled with unshed tears, before he finally murmured "I love you."

"I know."