Heartstopper Inktober 2K24

27 - Road (Marvel!AU)

"Down, down, down the road, down the witches road..."

That was all Billy could mutter under his breath as he made his way from his parent's home to his boyfriend's house. Or, he supposed, Charlie's boyfriend's house.

He was still getting used to it all. Magically gifted ten year old boys that were created in a non-existent town via a witch mourning her hopes and dreams weren't exactly commonplace. Neither were those ten year old boys suddenly 16 and been transferred to another body over oceans with a whole new identity to maintain.

He wished he knew where Tommy was. It would be so much easier to talk to him. He didn't know where his brother was, however. He could feel him, sense him somewhere out there between the light and the darkness that Agatha brought with her. If only he could just-

"Charlie? Are you alright?"

Billy looked up to see Nick Nelson standing in front of him, looking quite frankly concerned. Looking around, he realised he must have gotten to Nick's house some time ago and had possibly been standing there like an idiot as his inner thoughts got the best of him.

He wondered if this was what he would have turned out like in the future regardless.

"Charlie?" Oh, right. Distracting Nick.

"Sorry, but spaced out." Billy put on his most sheepish shy smile, rubbing the back of his neck and tiling his head, a sure fire move to Nick not seeing through him as it seemed Charlie used to do that a lot. "Hi."

"Hi." Nick spoke softly, smiling like he was expecting this and embracing him warmly. It made Billy feel awful inside, knowing that he was practically wearing Charlie Spring as a skin and no one knew that he wasn't the boy that killed himself at the same time an anomaly collapsed and got possessed otherwise. Hopefully, if he was still within him somehow, Charlie would forgive him.

Billy just held onto the other like he might fall away.

Eventually, he pulled back, rubbing his thumb against Billy's jaw, eyes gentle. "Want to talk about it?"

"No." It was almost too immediate, so he had to backpedal a little. "It's nothing. Just got lost in my own thoughts. You know how it goes, yeah?"

That was another thing he'd had to get used to, not speaking in an American accent. It had taken weeks for him to learn how to sound like everyone around him and not like a US citizen, despite his inner voice still thankfully being aggressively western. Learning the slang to blend it had been just as bad, but if it saved him from being found by Agatha or others, so be it.

"Yeah, I get it." Nick finally responded with a sigh, pressing his nose against Billy's. "You're lucky I love you, so bloody much. My Char."

God, did he have to rub it in? The guilt? Billy hated him, hated this place, hated everyone - yet, he found himself smiling, eyes on Nick like Charlie would probably be doing if he was here as his stomach tied itself in a million knots.

"Love you too."

He hates that the lie tastes bitter on his tongue.