There should be a Lost au where Charlie also gets off the island but he is still really shaken about what happened down at the Looking Glass and Desmond takes care of him because he loves him and he was somehow such a huge support while he was being away from penny and he just owes that man so much even though it is so hard to talk about. (Read more cause i kinda got lost in this scenario im trash)
And Penny welcomes the other man into their little family with open arms of course, but she does not quite understand and Desmond does not seem willing to talk about it, but she can see the bond they share and how much they care about each other. And she wants to understand but none of them wants to help her and she just watches from the sidelines, frustrated.
Charlie has such a hard time adapting to life off the island and he feels so tremendously guilty for leaving Claire behind and sometimes when it is too much he buries his face in Desmonds lap and just sobs and they are both reminded of the closeness they shared back on the island but it is still so hard to talk about so instead he just cries and desmond comforts him and they still dont talk.
Until Penny gets pregnant and Charlie is fussing about her so much, making sure she has everything she needs and it makes him realise how much he has come to care for her as well and how thankful he is for how patient she has been with him. And so Desmond has to make a trip somewhere, be away for a couple of days and during this time something happens and charlie and penny gets a lot closer and the moment is just right and charlie tells her about everything. literary everything. And she finally understands.
This moment somehow sets everything else in motion and slowly the three of them come out of their shells and they open up and they realise the feelings for each other they all three now share and they talk about that too and they come to settle down in this new and fragile, but still wonderful, thing all three of them. And it’s not perfect and sometimes the world still seems a horrible place but sometimes the future also looks so bright and beautiful and they are sure that together they will be able to face anything.
