Chapter Text
"P'Babe—" Charlie called out, trying to stop the older man but Babe yanked his hand away.
Babe turned to face Charlie, his expression twisted with anger. His voice was sharp as he pressed a finger on Charlie's chest, "How many times do I have to tell you, Charlie? I hate seeing you with him!"
Charlie flinched at Babe’s raised voice. The corners of his eyes turned red, something Babe had never seen before—but his anger clouded any sense of reason. To him, this was betrayal. He had explicitly told Charlie to stay away from that omega at all costs. Knowing that he had feelings for him had been bothering Babe so much. Especially when the omega obviously knew Charlie was taken. Yet Charlie had broken that promise by meeting the person privately. It made Babe question whether Charlie ever took his insecurities seriously—or worse, if Charlie had already been swayed.
When Charlie’s tears finally spilled over, Babe froze. It was the first time he had ever seen Charlie who was always so composed and mature between them, break down like this.
But instead of softening, his guilt morphed into deeper frustration. Between the two of them, Charlie had no right to cry—not when he was the one who broke the promise.
Without another word, Babe walked to the couch and grabbed a bag of Charlie’s things which he had packed before Charlie even got home. He tossed it at him and Charlie barely caught it in time.
Charlie's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the bag, terror creeping into his expression. "Phi..."
His boyfriend didn’t let him finish. He stepped forward instead and shoved Charlie toward the door. "Get out of my house!"
Panic took over Charlie’s face. He scrambled to hold onto Babe, his grip desperate, his face pale as if he had just seen a ghost. "P'Babe, please! Don't kick me out!"
"Go away," Babe said firmly, his voice cold. Then, with one last push, he sent Charlie stumbling outside. Before Charlie could regain his footing and reach for him again, the door slammed shut in his face.
Charlie's breath hitched as he pressed against the door, trying to push it open, but it wouldn’t budge. His chest heaved, and his panic grew worse. The rejection, the helplessness—it all overwhelmed him.
His legs gave out and he sank to the ground, hands gripping his hair as sobs wracked his body. Old memories surfaced, clouding his mind and making everything worse as the familiar fuzziness began clouding his head. He gripped his hair harder to get a hold on himself. He had to stay big, he couldn't slip now when he had to fix this issue at hand somehow—but it was so hard. It was too much. He felt himself slipping as the seconds went by and he couldn’t let Babe see him.
With trembling hands, he pulled out his phone and dialed the only person he could turn to.
"Jeff..." His voice was barely a whisper when the call connected.
"Phi? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" The omega worried voice came through the line.
Charlie couldn’t answer. His sobs only grew heavier.
Jeff seemed to understand immediately. "Are you tired? Does Charlie want to rest at Jeff's house?"
Silence. More muffled cries. That was all Jeff needed to hear.
"Stay right there, okay? Jeff will call a cab to pick you up."
Charlie nodded, even though Jeff couldn’t see him.
Jeff rushed downstairs the moment Charlie texted that the cab had dropped him off in the lobby. He had no idea what had happened, but if Charlie was distressed enough to regress, it meant he had reached his limit. Jeff was relieved that he knew about this side of Charlie—because, knowing his brother, he was too stubborn to ask for help.
When he reached the lobby, he spotted Charlie standing alone, looking lost. He quickly approached him. “Charlie?”
Jeff moved carefully, not wanting to startle him. When Charlie realized it was Jeff, a wave of relief washed over his face, and his body finally gave in. His mind finally become blank from all thoughts but he was still very much in pain due to the stress as his legs giving out beneath him.
Jeff caught him just in time, steadying the alpha so he wouldn’t collapse. Charlie always struggled to keep his balance when he was overwhelmed like this.
"’Eff..." Charlie sobbed, his voice broken.
"There, there. Let’s go inside first, okay?" Jeff soothed, quickly guiding him toward the elevator when he noticed the curious stares from the people around them.
By the time they reached Jeff’s apartment, Charlie was crying so hard it was almost wailing. No matter how much Jeff tried to comfort him, nothing worked. In the end, exhaustion won and Charlie fell asleep on the bed. But it didn't stop there; Charlie had nightmares and was even crying in his sleep. Jeff stayed by his side the whole time, wishing he could take away his brother’s pain.
Later that evening, while preparing dinner, Jeff heard soft cries coming from the bedroom. He immediately set everything aside and rushed to check on Charlie.
He found his brother curled up on the bed, hugging his knees tightly, as if trying to make himself as small as possible.
"Charlie," Jeff called gently, sitting beside him.
Charlie lifted his head at the sound of Jeff’s voice, his teary eyes widening in relief. "’Eff!"
Without hesitation, he crawled toward Jeff, who immediately pulled him into a comforting embrace. "It’s okay, Charlie. I’m here," Jeff murmured, patting his head and pressing a light kiss to his forehead.
Then, Jeff took a familiar tiger toy, faking a gasp to get the little's attention. "Charlie, look who's here!" He shook the toy lightly, and it made a soft rattling sound.
Charlie sniffled, pulling away slightly from Jeff's chest. When he saw the toy, his face lit up. "’Amie!" He reached for it eagerly and Jeff handed it over.
A happy noise escaped Charlie as he hugged the toy tightly against his chest. Jeff smiled, relieved to see him calming down. "Jamie told me he missed Charlie so much," he whispered playfully.
Charlie giggled. "Miss ’Amie too!" he babbled, snuggling the toy closer.
Jeff ruffled his hair, watching the little one getting engrossed with the toy. "Charlie, can you stay with Jamie for a while? I need to finish cooking."
As Jeff started to get up, Charlie’s eyes instantly filled with tears again. "Nu! ’Eff stay!" He reached out desperately, refusing to let Jeff go.
The omega frowned; Charlie hated being left alone when he was deep in his regression. Even a short trip to the bathroom would send him into a panic, wailing and banging on the door until Jeff came back to hold him. He wasn’t sure what caused this intense fear—Charlie had never talked about it—but he knew it was one of his biggest triggers.
With another sigh, Jeff picked up some of Charlie’s toys before scooping him into his arms. The moment Charlie clung to him, his cries quieted. Jeff chuckled at his brother’s antics.
Carrying Charlie, Jeff returned to the kitchen, pulling out a chair at the dining table and gently setting him down. But as soon as Jeff tried to step away, Charlie reached for him again, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.
"It’s okay, Charlie. I’m not going anywhere," Jeff reassured him.
Charlie hiccupped. "’Eff stay..." His voice trembled as he stuck his fingers into his mouth, sucking on them slightly for comfort.
Jeff gently pulled his hand away. "No sucking on your fingers, Charlie," he said, retrieving a pacifier from the table. He popped off the cap and carefully placed it in Charlie’s mouth. "Better?"
Charlie didn’t respond, but the way he settled into quiet contentment told Jeff everything he needed to know.
Handing him the toys, Jeff returned to cooking. "I’m right here, Charlie," he reassured him once more as Charlie began to get fussy again for being apart. From his seat, Charlie could still see him in the kitchen just a few feet away, which seemed to be enough to keep the alpha calm.