#murder boyfriends au | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

iimplicitt · 2 months ago

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HELLGIRL PT.1 | CL16

pairing: prof. charles leclerc x sainz’s younger sister/student

summary: when a body is found in the snow on campus there’s a ripple of unease that floats over the university of london. dr leclerc always considered himself a rational man. however, that all came crumbling down when someone he believed to be dead showed up in his office doorway.

warnings/topics: slight age gap but both are of age, secret relationship, eventual smut, mentions of death, depictions of violence, stalking, obsession, potentially paranormal, religious allusions, controversial prof!xstudent! relationship, mentions of certain mental conditions such as borderline personality disorder, narcissism, antisocial, etc.

songs for this series

a/n: first, anything from charles’ pov is based in the present. anything in sister! sainz’s pov is in the past. second, this in no way shape or form is based off reality or charles’ personality. this is an au with darker themes and it’s all for the plot. i already had a similar idea going but i recently had to write a paper on the association between stalking and a diagnosis of BDP and/or narcissistic traits or disorders (this does not mean they’re correlated), so i was feeling motivated. this is also not meant to romanticize anything, i purely find it interesting and challenging to write. i also feel it goes without saying that this sibling of carlos is completely fictional

enjoy <3

Charles

When they found her body in the early hours of that morning, a heavy sense of trepidation fell over the campus. Making the snow and wind seem just a bit more bitter than usual, nipping at any exposed skin as if microscopic needles were shooting through the air. It was still so early, the police tape freshly put up, taught against the winter weather and the snow was multicoloured as it soaked up the Christmas lights strung up around the university. The crowd was small at the moment, those who got to campus far too early were the only ones standing by the perimeter set by the police.

“What’ve they found?” Dr. Adlterton asked as her boots came to a stop next to his as they crunched through the fresh snow, steam billowing out from the lid of her to-go coffee cup as she raised it to her lips.

Charles looked down at her briefly, brows furrowing a bit before forcing his eyes forward again as the police began setting up a tent over a spot in the snow. “A body, I believe.”

His colleague’s hand froze just as she was about to take a sip, blinking rapidly before trying to crane her neck higher to get a better look, but the police were making quick work on privatising the crime scene. He bit the inside of his cheek as he observed her, finding her curiosity a bit macabre but he understood. Everyone standing out in the snow at that moment was curious. Clearly a tragedy had happened, but the mystery around who exactly tended to cloud any sympathy for the poor thing lying in the snow.

“Do they have any idea who it is? What might’ve happened? Who found the body?” The questions tumbled out of Dr. Alderton’s mouth, her coffee returning to her lips as she finally took a sip and he watched as her red lipstick stained the lid.

Charles sighed, running a gloved hand through his now damp hair as snow began to soak into it. “I don’t know, but you don’t seem very concerned. What if it was a student or a faculty member?” She rolled her eyes at him and he bit the inside of his cheek again as he looked down at her. He wasn’t overly fond of the woman. If she wasn’t able to dissect something she didn’t tend to be a fan of it. Much less spend any time in its company.

“Dr. Leclerc, of course I’m concerned. But what do you expect from me? I run the crime science department. This is an excellent learning opportunity–”

“Someone’s demise is a learning opportunity?”

She waved him off. “All of you in the arts are so touchy. It’s part of my job to compartamentalise.” She raised up on her toes one more time in an effort to get a look but it was no use. The tent was up and closed, police filtering in and out as more arrived along with investigators and the forensics division. She sighed and took another drink of her coffee. “I’m sure there will be an email about this. See you around.” She patted him on the shoulder before walking off.

Charles frowned at the spot she had touched him, feeling even colder than before despite the sun finally rearing its head and peeking out through the dense clouds. He shivered, the cold feeling different all of the sudden, almost as if someone was hovering over him and casting him in a shadow of frost.

He shook his head but his bones felt stiff regardless. Giving the area one last look himself, he turned on his heel and left as more people arrived, mostly students at that point.

His polished leather shoes clicked along the pavement as he walked with expertise on avoiding ice, nodding and smiling at those who greeted him. Most of the student body he was sure had no idea what was taking place in front of the Royal Holloway building. He was sure it would be leaking into the press any minute, however.

Charles tried to go on with his day as normal, death was a common event that happened every minute around the world. However, the fact it was simply so close was off putting. Bodies weren’t found on university campuses, at least not often. Especially not here.

He had gotten done with his third lecture for the day and was walking back to his office when he noticed people were beginning to look at him a bit different. Faces looking forlorn and unsure how to approach him. The complete opposite of how people typically acted towards him. Usually he was a magnet for socialisation. People lit up when they saw him because Charles was someone who always knew how to make good conversation. He knew how to make people feel important. He knew exactly what to do to make someone feel needed, and that was one of the most important things in the world. People needed purpose, and he was perfect at giving them one.

When the fifth person looked at him in that off putting way, courage must have gripped them because they came to a stop and whispered, “I am so sorry.”

“Pardon?” He blinked at the boy who was in one of his French Literature classes. Surprised to see him given they didn't have their next class for two more days. Only a few of his students actually liked to linger or catch up with him on course work. Although he was well liked, he wasn’t exactly easy on the workload he handed out.

The boy rubbed at his neck, not meeting Charles' eyes. “You don’t know?”

Charles lifted one shoulder in a partial shrug but his brows creased as he took in how nervous his student seemed to be. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s her.” He finally blurted. “The body they found, it was that Sainz girl.” The boy’s voice shook as he finally got the words out and Charles froze. Something cold and sickly crawled up his spine and was weaving through his vertebrae, making his nerves itch and he rolled his shoulders. Trying to make his skeleton feel right inside of his body but everything was wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

“What?” Was all he managed to get out, his voice cracking and his tongue feeling too heavy for his mouth.

He stood still as the boy stepped forward and gave him a hug. In any other scenario it would’ve been awkward, but Charles felt reality disconnect for a moment. Not sure what else was said to him as he continued to stand in the hallway long after he was left alone.

Regret was an odd, painfully human thing. Sure, animals may have the sense of knowing better. Learned aversion after facing certain consequences. But the rotten feeling in his chest as he felt his lungs start to move again was purely human and simply awful. He pinched the bridge of his nose and he tightly shut his eyes, willing the pit in his stomach to go away.

God, what was he supposed to say to Carlos? He was sure he would be getting a call at some point. Or should he call first? Perhaps the former was better, letting his best friend come to him when he was ready.

Mourning had no timeline, he knew that. And everyone handled it in different ways, he just hoped whatever creature comfort he could muster up would be sufficient enough to abate any storms of curiosity. He didn’t have to feign any heartache, though.

She was everything to him.

That’s funny.

Charles’ head whipped around as chills ravished his skin, the reaction so sudden it nearly hurt as his flesh prickled up at the sound of the voice. Her voice. He blinked rapidly down the hallway but it was empty and well lit, nothing was lurking in the shadows. Not that there would be. That would be ridiculous.

Trying to shake some sense into him, he turned around but stopped short at the figure leaning against the doorway of his office. All too familiar, yet foreign. His breath was ripped out of him along with his ability to speak as he stared at her in horror. His eyes couldn’t adjust as she wavered. Steady but not quite right all that once.

She smiled slightly, those lips of hers pulled back in the coy smile he had adored so much. Her eyes though, they were off. Empty almost, yet equally heavy with a weight of something more. His own eyes flicked down, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Taking in her torn tights and her askew sweater hanging lazily over one shoulder. The pretty red one he had bought her for Christmas last year. Charles’ gaze danced over her necklace and landed on her slender neck that was coloured a faint, translucent vision of blues and purples.

He couldn’t quite remember if he had put them there in lust or in violence.

Is there really a difference?

Her voice swirled around in his head as they left her mouth and echoed, his ears began to ring as he stumbled away from her and slid to the floor. “How-” he finally managed to choke out, staring up at her and frightened he was having some sort of psychotic break.

She sighed, though no air was disturbed and she leaned down to meet his eyes, her dark hair falling over her shoulders and just barely brushing against his skin. Not quite touching but he could feel it. Feel her. She was so cold. Her eyes danced between his, her lips tugged downward and brows furrowed. Even now he was completely taken by her, looking as if she was personally crafted by God just for him to admire.

What have you done? She finally asked him, her voice soft yet chilling as her words sunk through his skin, making his bones shiver in a damp chill again like they had earlier this morning. Had that been her?

Before he could even fathom some sort of response a door opened down the hallway and she looked up towards the direction of the sound. Not a moment later she was gone. As if a screen glitched and she fizzled out. Charles could still sense something, though. As if something was now tethered to him. Feeling heavy on his lungs and he was freezing.

Ghosts weren’t real.

They couldn’t be.

tag list: @theonottsbxtch @fortunapre @ashbone @c8lap1nto @taasgirl @stopeatread @dying-inside-but-its-classy (if you’d like to be tagged please let me know!)

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