Cooties
It’s third year. Charlie isn’t sure of the exact moment this happens, but he’s grown content with Thandi. They share everything they could possibly share.
She wears his scarf. He wears hers.
A little gold pin glints in his hair. From her.
She’s perpetually wrapped in his clothes, whether enveloped in his robe or curling up in a sweater he gave her a while ago and “didn’t want it back because of her gross girl germs”.
Which he never seemed to mind at any other time.
He functions as her seat, her warmer, her caretaker, and she keeps him reigned in, tutored, and sociable.
But, as third years and thirteen-year-olds, some things come to light: people date. Regularly. And kissing is something only people who are dating do. And, as Merre helpfully points out when it happens to them, so is sharing things one’s mouth has been on. Putting your mouth where someone else’s mouth has been is just kissing if they aren’t your family.
This horrifies Charlie. No one told him this, and Merre hadn’t even told him on purpose, he heard them freaking out during one of many long sit-and-study sessions in one of the common rooms.
Cups? Kissing.
Cutlery? Kissing.
Plates? Why even take chances?!
And–he’s got to stop kissing her, too! This makes his chest hurt for some reason, and he’s kind of sure that it’s because of the crush nonsense that definitely doesn’t haunt him every single night, forever.
It happens so suddenly that Thandi wonders if she’s done something wrong. One day, she’s sitting in his lap, being fed spoonfuls of pudding as she reviews her study notes, and the next, she’s planted on the seat with her own plate and cutlery. It’s okay, though. Maybe Charlie is just extra hungry?
Two separate cups, too. Extra thirsty?
He still sits really close. Maybe he’s also really tired.
Oh, no, is he getting sick?
It doesn’t seem to be the case. But it keeps on, and Thandi begins to wonder if he really does hate her. One day she reaches for his glass and he yanks it away with a firm, “No! That’s mine! We can’t share!”
Her lip trembles. They always share. But she puts on her best smile and nods passively. He really doesn’t like her anymore…
It happens again and again. Maybe he’s getting shy again? What if…oh! Maybe he wants her to do what he did for her, but for him? Thandi spears a few mushrooms on her fork at dinner, offering it to him with a smile. Charlie loves mushrooms.
He stares at the offering and his eyes go wide. “No! I don’t want any of your nasty shit!”
Her face falls and now she sobs, putting down her fork. “Why are you being so mean!?”
Charlie gapes, panic overtaking his features. She’s crying! She doesn’t cry a lot, but now she is really crying? What’s the easiest way to make her happy?
He doesn’t really have a choice, does he? He misses it anyway.
“I’m not!!” Charlie wipes her face with his robe sleeves before squeezing and hugging her tightly. “I’m not!!” What would cheer him up?
Of course!! He pulls her face into his chest and strokes her hair as she cries into him, grasping his robe tightly. “What did I do??” Charlie can barely understand her through her muffled sobs.
“Um. You’re you is all!”
“That’s not fair!! Charlie!!”
“You have!! Germs?” Honestly, he couldn’t care less about germs. She cries harder. He crumbles. “Okay!! Fine, I’m gonna put a charm on you, okay! It’ll make sure that you are, um, okay! And germ-free!”
“I thought it was for–”
Charlie squeezes her harder and kisses the top of her head before letting her sit up straight. He kisses her forehead and her cheeks and wipes her nose with his sleeve again. “I guess maybe you were upset ‘cuz people kept talking to you, also, so I’m gonna give you enough of the charm to make up for it!! Are you ready?”
Thandi tries to hide an embarrassed smile before she nods. A bounty of kisses is bestowed on her and the pain in both of them eases a bit at last. She clings to his arms as he plants kisses on her cheeks, her forehead, her nose, even her eyes and her ears! It gets a giggle out of her, for certain.
“You’re so wretched,” he mumbles. “A real piece of work. A real crybaby, you! I guess you really do need me to take care of you.”
“Mm-hm!”