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"This is weird as fuck." Charlie mumbled to himself as he ruffled his blonde hair, trying to make himself seem a little more attractive than what he did currently. He was stood wearing tight jeans, a tight shirt - of which would barely button up due to the fact he seemed to be a little more filled out muscle-wise than Alec - and a pair of white trainers that seemed to be with him throughout all situations.
Still, it did not exclude the fact that Charles Fray was wearing someone elses clothes. A man's clothes. A man he didn't really know. Charlie shook his head and took in a deep breath, grabbing his stele before leaving the room. He couldn't contemplate on how wrong it felt to wear someone elses clothes just yet. He had information he needed to grab.
When Charlie made it to the centre of the church, he was thoroughly surprised to see another familiar yet slightly unwanted face.
"Clare." He called out, glancing at Simon with a small wince, however, he put his attention back onto his little sister. "A word?"
"Right." She nodded, giving Simon a small smile before walking towards her brother with a slight frown. "What's up?"
"He shouldn't be here. This isn't....it's not right." Even Charlie, someone that had only just been introduced to the Shadow world, knew that Simon should not have been here. He wasn't one of them, he was too...ordinary.
"Are you wearing my clothes?" A voice from behind Charlie asked, spooking the tall boy. He slowly turned around, coming face to face with a certain Alec Lightwood. "What is going on?" Alec's eyes connected with Simon's and even more questions arised. "Why is there a mundane in the insitute?"
"Funny, i was just telling my sister Simon didn't belong in here." Charlie hummed, sending a cocky grin to Alec. The boy opened and closed his mouth for a moment or two, actually shocked at how this random man had agreed with him without realising it. Most people were actually against most of his ideas. When i say most people, i mean Izzy and Jace.
"A Circle member followed him to get to Clary. And Charlie." Jace sighed, slowly glancing towards Alec.
"Cute." The blonde mumbled, a frown etching onto his face as his blue eyes gravitated towards the big screens. There were LAPD officers outside the "abandoned" church, searching for them but they won't be found.
"A circle rune, just like the guys that took my mother." That was a kick to the bollocks. Charlie actually felt him take a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. Clary was always inconsiderate of others but he doesn't remember a time she had said "her" mother and not "our". It sent chills up his spine and suddenly, it seemed, a crack in a wall inside of his mind broke through. A memory broke through.
~
"He's not normal, Magnus!" An auburn haired woman screeched, a four year old boy beside her. He clutched her hand tightly, tears streaming down his face as his eyes twitched. A man with slanted eyes, slightly tanned skin and an exotic and rather unique fashion sense looked to the blonde haired boy.
He then gingerly grabbed the boy's hand, kneeling down to inspect it closely.
"There's puncture wounds in the hand." He said, his face contorting to one of disgust as he slightly realised what had happened.
"Valentine must've-"
"This child isn't Valentines."
"He-" Magnus Bane glanced towards the auburn haired woman, a frown on his face.
"He's not even yours, is he?"
~
Charlie blinked, tears slightly springing to his eyes as he glanced towards his hand, the hand he saw that had the puncture wounds. Low and behold, they were there.
"What-" he breathed out softly, noticing that Clary and Jace had gone and he was left breathing heavily. There was something going on with him. Something he couldn't quite figure out. All he knew, was that this Magnus Bane from his "memory" was the same man that he and Clary had bumped into the other night.
"Charlie?" Isabelle laid a hand on the boy's bicep gently, noticing his dazed look. When his teary blue eyes connected with hers, he shrugged her off and stormed for the exit, throwing the door open with no regard.
He allowed the fresh air to hit his skin forceably, and he welcomed it. He took in a deep breath, still walking with haste.
"Hey! Hey-you can't leave!" Charlie paid no attention to the voice that was calling out to him. He ignored it whilst his head began to throb, as though more cracks in this metaphorical wall was happening.
"Leave me alone, brooding man." Charlie snapped a little, shaking his head whilst his hand shook uncontrollably as his legs came to a stop. He panted a little as he fell to his knees, wishing for the life of him that whatever he had remembered was fake and he was dying.
"Look, i don't know who you are-"
"Right now, neither do i." Charlie turned his head, glaring a little at Alec before he sighed and shook his head, scoffing to himself. He sat there for a moment, the two boys were enveloped in silence and it was almost comforting. Almost.
"Who do you think you are?" Alec asked, slowly lowering himself to the ground. He sat around two feet away from Charlie, trying to respect his personal space whilst also trying to not seem too weird. Right now, he was also trying to calm a freaked out Shadowhunter.
"My name is-"
"He's not even your's is he?" Those six words resonated throughout his head and he sighed, shaking his head once again. It was constant, echoing. It wouldn't fade like most things. No. His brain was repeating the words to him, forcing him to swallow the pill that seemed to be reality.
"Charles." He finally whispered, sucking in a deep breath. "Most call me Charlie." He shrugged, not making eye contact with Alec.
"What...mundane things do you like, Charlie?" Alec decided it might be better to get Charlie to talk about the little things in life. The things like chocolate sprinkles on ice cream when you decide to treat yourself, or listening to a certain song on loop because you really like it in the moment. It's things like sipping on a cup of tea, or a hot chocolate or a coffee or whatever beverage you enjoy whilst watching an episode of your favourite TV show.
"I don't..." Charlie suddenly realised he hadn't enjoyed much of his life. "I don't have anything." He mumbled, ducking his head in shame. He had been treated like a soldier, growing up. He trained for himself and he trained for his mission of protecting Clary. The mission that was bestowed upon him by Jocelyn Fray.
"We should find something for you to like, then." Alec suggested, a small smile on his face. In this moment, as the moon shined down on their faces, he wished he had someone offering to do this for him. He wished, although he didn't really like the mundanes, he could venture out and experience at least a couple things he wouldn't normally. Roller coaster rides, brain freezes, watching movies whilst eating theatre popcorn and cheap soda.
Simple things that make like just a little more memorable.
"Why?" Charlie asked, however, making Alec frown at him.
"Why?" The raven haired boy repeated, almost spluttering for a response afterwards. He'd expected the blonde boy to accept immediately considering he used to live a mundane life.
"I- nevermind." Charlie stood swiftly, brushing himself off before he turned and wordlessly walked back towards the Insitute. He was being a dick, he knew, but there was something off about this behaviour. He had said that Alec was someone that seemed to more or less hate everyone to Izzy and yet, there the guy was...being sweet and charming and nice and- "Shut up, Charlie." He mumbled to himself, shaking his head to try and brush off the interaction.
He'd apologize once he's sorted himself out on his own.
"Charlie-" but Alec knew something was wrong. He followed after the rather fast-paced Fray with desperation. Why was he trying so hard? Because Alec saw a little bit of himself inside of Charlie.
"Alec, man, just-"
"Listen to me, Charlie." Alec stood in front of Charlie, his hand on the blonde's chest. "Don't keep things inside. It won't do you any good."
"How do you-"
"Look." Alec gingerly grabbed Charlie's hand, the one that had the puncture wounds. He let his thumb run along the scarred wounds, glancing down at the hand every so often before he looked at Charlie. "You want to know what happened to you." He said softly, sighing afterwards. "I get that, but whatever...thing you must've remembered to trigger that reaction? You don't have to go through it alone."
"You think me and my sister are Mundanes." Charlie said, glowering at Alec slightly. He was becoming untrusting towards the Lightwood boy. His mind was ruining his chance at perhaps a decent friendship. "Why would you help me now?" Charlie slowly tore his hand from Alec's grip, hugging it to his chest tightly. "Why would-you're meant to hate everyone."
"I don't hate everyone." Alec scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I just don't trust people that don't know what they're doing."
"Like me and Clary."
"You can fight, Charlie. You know how to do something." The Fray boy sucked in a breath, his face flashing with hurt for one reason only. Alec made it sound like he could do nothing but fight.
"You're right." Charlie's tone was cold. "I'm a useless boy with a useless fucking sense of humour but hey, it's okay. I can fight." He chuckled humourlessly, taking a few steps back from Alec.
"You know i didn't mean it like that." Alec sighed, knowing he made a grave mistake.
"Did i? I don't know jack shit." He huffed and turned, leaving Alec alone whilst he walked away, to get to anywhere but there. He turned into a corridor where there were doors lined up on either side and he decided to slide down one of the walls, his head tilting upwards before it collided with the wall.
"Charlie?" The boy's eyes clenched shut tightly, not wanting to deal with the Lewis boy. However, he didn't turn him away when he sat beside him. Tonight was simply a massive fuck up of emotions, something that seemed to have overwhelmed him in the end. "What happened, buddy?"
"Do not speak to me in a condescending tone."
"Wha-"
"Don't speak to me like i'm a child!" He further snapped, dumbing down what he had said so that Simon could understand easier.
"Alright-alright, i-i'm sorry." He spluttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced away from Charlie. He released a rather deep, audible breath before he inhaled sharply. "Dude...there was like...some sort of tension between you and that dude."
"Tension?" Charlie scoffed, laughing slightly. It was a funny thought. To have some form of tension or a connection spiritually to someone you a) barely know and b) had a small argument with. "There was no tension. Just...me being vulnerable for a split second."
"It was longer than a second!" Simon blurted with disbelief. "Me and Isabelle were discussing on how you guys had some sort of look in your eyes when you-"
"Look in our eyes?" Charlie rolled his eyes. "Yes, it's called eye contact. Generally something you do when you speak to someone. Unless you're you, of course. Then you're a spluttering, nervous wreck."
"Wow, man." Simon breathed out in disbelief. "You really are off the chain."
"Fuck you." Charlie chuckled a little, pushing Simon gently. Although he wasn't too big of a fan of the younger boy, he sure did know how to cheer him up a little. Most of the time, it was saying something obsurd like he did. Even if it had a small hint of truth. "We better go see where Clary went."
"Yeah." The two stood up, Charlie helping Simon stand slightly. "Yo, dude-" Simon slapped Charlie's bicep whilst the pair of them began to head towards the main area of the Insitute. "Did you see how hot the guy that's hanging around Clary is? I mean- you are gay right?"
"I'm-" Charlie glanced towards the Lightwood siblings, where blue met hazel and a storm of unsettling feelings arised. "-more into the darker haired blokes." Charlie sent a grin to Simon before he hesitantly made his way back towards the siblings.
Question is, does he apologise now? Or will something occur that stops him?
~
A/N
heyyy how was it? sorry if Charlie's a complete ass in this chapter. I was trying to get the affects of sudden overthinking to show because i know what it's like, unsure on if i did it right though, lol. Please comment and vote xx