CW: Mentions of bullying; violence; blood
Highschool AU
Charluca Angst???
Luca gets hurt after a fight and Charli worries outside of the nurses office.
Charli sat in the hallway outside of the nurses office. She'd done this a lot recently but it didn't get any less nerve wracking. Of course, this time was different than all of the others. This time was worse.
Calvin and his goons had been picking on her and Luca for a while now, but a couple of months ago, they decided the jeering and name calling wasn't enough for them. In hindsight, Charli should have suspected something when the teasing turned into shoving, but as usual she remained oblivious until it was too late.
One day, Calvin had locked Luca in a locker. That was the first time Charli had ever punched someone. Just remembering Luca's terrorized expression filled her with anger. She never wanted to see him like that again. After that incident, the pair had sworn to stick together as much as they could, and for a while, that had been enough to keep the bullies away.
Calvin had recently gotten bolder with his violence. He began shoving Charli when they were together. She knew Luca was angry, just as she would have been if the roles were reversed, but she always discouraged him from attacking Calvin. She was fine, and she knew he just wanted a rise out of both of them anyway. After a week, she couldn't stop him anymore.
That was the first day she'd found herself sitting outside of the nurses office. Luca was fine, just a little bruised, but they'd gotten in big trouble. Fighting wasn't tolerated at Eastview High, and since Luca had started it, they'd be in even more trouble.
Of course, a week of detention didn't stop Luca, he was as stubborn as he was loyal. He didn't start fights anymore but he'd try to finish them. This always came with injury and it always led to Charli sitting in exactly the same spot as she was now. It had gotten so frequent that the nurse knew them by name and would always greet them when they came in.
The worst part about all of this was that it didn't solve anything. If anything, Calvin and his friends, ramped up the bullying since they'd started fighting back. They enjoyed being able to provoke Luca into fighting, and they enjoyed the distress the aftermath caused her. It frustrated Charli. Her best friend was getting hurt for nothing!
She was angry. Angry that Calvin only did this to provoke them. Angry that Luca was falling for it hook, line and sinker. Angry that Luca would inevitably get in trouble for defending himself. Angry that despite the constant bullying, nothing would change. She was just angry, but not at Luca, or even Calvin. She wasn't angry at anyone really, she was just angry.
Earlier today, Calvin had done it again. He'd pushed Charli to the ground. It hurt a little, but she was fine. As usual, Luca had "politely" asked them to back off. As usual, it didn't work. Calvin put on his usual show of threatening and shoving, and Luca punched him in the face. After all he had been given a good reason to do so, and technically, he hadn't started the fight. Charli always admired their ability to bend the rules, she'd never admit this to them though, it would only encourage them further.
All of this was expected. It was normal, not good, but it was normal. What wasn't expected, was for Calvin to pull a pocket knife out of his pocket. Charli had sat there, watching from the ground. She knew it was bad, she knew things could, and probably would, get ugly, but her shock rendered her completely helpless. By the time someone broke up the fight, the damage had already been done.
Luca had gotten a few licks in, Calvin now sported a bloody nose and a black eye, but Calvin had done more than his fair share of damage. Charli had immediately spotted the shallow cut on their cheek when she rushed over to them, but there was something else. She noticed they were covering their arm. She had insisted to see it but he adamantly refused. She didn't need to see it to know it was bad though, she could already see the blood seeping through his fingers.
"Are you okay?" She remembered asking.
As usual the first thing out of his mouth was, "I'm fine," as usual the next thing he said was, "Don't tell Levi."
Usually, Charli would believe them because usually they'd only have scrapes and bruises. Not today though, today, she could see the blood beginning to spill onto the floor. They weren't fine, and as for Levi, he'd find out sooner rather than later.
As usual, Charli accompanied him to the nurses office. At the sight of the two of them, the nurse forwent her usual greeting and took Luca with her to the back. Charli sat in her usual spot in the hallway and waited.
And here she was, still waiting. It felt like ages, though Charli knew it was only a few minutes. She knew she could, and probably should, get to class, but she had to make sure Luca was okay. The nurse would give her a pass anyway. Charli hadn't seen the cut, but she'd seen the blood she knew it was bad. She also knew it could have been worse. Luca had gotten lucky.
Thats when the realization sets in, Luca could have been killed. They'd gotten lucky, Calvin wasn't really aiming, but it was still too close for comfort. She tried to comfort herself, surely not even Calvin would stoop that low, especially in the middle of the hallway, but then again she wasn't quite sure.
Just then, she spotted Calvin and his goons walking down the hallway. They were probably cutting class again. Calvin called out to her.
"Hey! Spider girl!"
She hated that nickname, Calvin had given it to her after hiding a spider in her locker.
"Don't you have somewhere to be Calvin?" She asked, trying her hardest to keep her temper under control.
"Aww, is someone angy because I hurt her doggy?" he teased. His friends began barking.
A dog? Luca wasn't a dog! He was Charli's best friend. The best friend she could ever ask for. Of course, these heartless jerks would never understand all he was to her.
"He's not a dog!" she yelled, standing up, "and of course I'm angry, what if you killed him?"
"Every good dog knows how to play dead," Calvin shrugged, "It's his fault for picking a fight."
Charli's blood boiled. How dare he even suggest any of this was their fault? It wasn't their fault Calvin took sadistic pleasure in tormenting the two of them. It wasn't their fault Calvin attacked first. And it certainly wasn't their fault Calvin brought a pocket knife to school.
She took a step closer to him, "I suggest you leave us alone from now on, because if you ever lay a hand on him again, you'll have me to answer too, and you know he'd do the same for me."
Calvin sneered, "What are you gonna do that you haven't tried already?"
Charli stared after him angrily before sitting back in her spot by the door. Calvin and his goons may not have thought so, but the threat she'd made wasn't empty. She cared about Luca in a way those bullies would never understand. Sometimes, not even she could understand it. It was in his smile, his laugh, the way he was reduced to a blushing stuttering mess whenever anyone flirted with him, the way his voice rose in pitch anytime he got excited. Even his sneezes were downright adorable. It was his loyalty, his stubbornness and... she was in love with him wasn't she?
She buried her head inside her hands, face red with embarrassment. Had she really fallen in love with her best friend. How long had this been going on for? She thought she loved Light, but if she was being honest, her feelings for him had dwindled over time. But her pseudo romance with Light was simple, she'd ask him out, he'd say no, quite harshly in fact, and she'd keep trying. This was harder, if she told Luca, it would alter their friendship forever, and Charli wasn't quite sure she was ready for that. On top of that, if they said no, Charli couldn't just keep trying. If she was being honest with herself, she shouldn't have done that with Light either. So she just couldn't tell him.
As if they'd been summoned, Luca walked out of the nurses office with a bandage on his cheek, and a wrapped bandage around his arm.
Charli sprang up to hug them before quickly asking questions, "Are you okay? Does it hurt? Do you need stitches?"
Luca answered her each of her questions almost as quickly as she asked them, "I'm fine, it doesn't hurt, and probably."
"What do you mean probably?" Charli asked worriedly.
"The nurse called my mom so she could take me to the doctor to get my arm checked out. She said it looked pretty deep," Luca said, "I don't think it's too bad, it didn't even hurt when she cleaned it."
Charli knew he was lying. dried tears stained his cheeks, he'd been crying, probably from the sting of the disinfectant. Even so, she didn't call him on it, he could keep his dignity.
"I'm coming with you!" Charli insisted.
Luca nodded, "Lets go to the office then, I'm sure my mom will let you come with."
"What are you gonna tell her?"
"I'll just say it was an accident."
"Why not just tell her the truth?" Charli asked.
"She's got enough on her plate, I don't want her worrying about me too," they nudged her in the side, "that's what I've got you and Levi for."
She giggled, "I promise I won't tell Levi. I doubt it matters anyway, he'll notice that for sure."
"Yeah, but I get out of school early and he doesn't! I can't wait to rub it in his face!"
"Do you think it'll scar?" Charli asked.
Luca grinned, "I sure hope it does! Then I'll get to tell people I won a knife fight with just my fists!"
Charli giggled to herself. They didn't win, nobody did, but if that was what made them happy she'd play along.
"Just promise me you won't do this again."
"But what if-"
"Please Luca? I don't like seeing you get hurt like this."
They looked to the floor guiltily, "I promise."
Charli smiled satisfied, "Maybe if were lucky your mom will get us ice-cream."
"I'd like to think I'm pretty lucky!"
He wasn't wrong, he was pretty lucky, and she was lucky to have him.
Fun Fact (Let me know if you want me to put these in my other stories): This one shot is loosely based on a scene in an unwritten AU I need to start outlining
This is Angst Lite if anything... I promise I'm working on heavier Charluca angst. Anyways Charli is a protective bestie and I love that for her.