âIâm sorry,â Arthur said. He didnât push for further detailsâCharles was here in front of him, and not dead in some potterâs grave after having been hung by the neck or lined up against a wall and shot. It was clear, from where Arthur stood, what had happened.
Charles nodded, going quiet. Then he hunched in on himself, bracing as the dam broke. âI thought,â he started, then choked, voice small and so, so painfully young. âI thought maybe there was somethinâ wrong, in me. That made folks treat me the way they do. That was why he, my own father, couldââ
Arthurâs heart broke when Charles looked up, turning those reddened eyes towards him. Tear tracks stained the boyâs cheeks.
âBut youâve been so kind to me,â Charles keened, sobs wracking his shoulders. âEven when I went and did something so stupid, you came back for me. Risked your life, for me. So why? If it wasnât me, if it wasnât my faultâhow could he do that to me? I loved him. He was all I had, and I killed him, and I loved him.âÂ
Arthurâs resolve snapped. The tin plate clattered to the forest floor as he lunged forward, wrapping the sobbing teen in the biggest bear hug he could muster.Â
âIâm so sorry, Charles,â he whispered fiercely, tucking the young manâs head under his chin protectively. âHe failed you, kid. It werenât your fault. It wasnât ever your fault.âÂ
Illustration by @veckati of tiny!Charles (17) and canon!Arthur from Chapter 5 of The Cowboyâs Interchronometric Guide to Pining, @kaphzzzâs and my on-going Charthur Time Travel AU. Charlesâ early backstory in the fic is based off of headcanons from @noshirdalal.
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