Mismatched (bxb)

FORTUNATELY FOR HIM

FORTUNATELY FOR HIM, Levi's condition was not as bad as it seemed. The nurse had told him not to worry, because according to her, the only thing at risk was his famous reputation. 

Clearly, a scar on the forehead couldn't mean anything bad. If anything, it should bring Levi more popularity. Or so Savvy had demanded, trying to soothe Carl and the now-conscious Levi with her theories related to the fantasy franchise. 

They stayed in the medical room until school was over. Savvy volunteered to stay with them in case help was needed, although Carl was sure she was just looking for an excuse to ditch her classes.

'What?' she asked, noticing the unimpressed expression coming from her friend. 

'You're not returning to class?' he asked, unamused. 

'I'm not the only one,' Savvy shrugged. 'You are not, as well.' She then feigned surprise. 'Oh, right. It's really bad of me to forget that you two are really together.' Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, she added, 'and not for the public eye at all.' 

Levi had shot upright in an useless attempt to understand the two friends' non-verbal communication that conveyed nothing for him.

'Lay back down, Mr Cooper,' said Savvy concernedly. 'You don't want the nurse back in, do you?'

'Now that he's awake,' said Carl as he stood up abruptly, walking towards the first aid box. 'We need to cover up his bruise.'

'There's a bruise on my face?' said Levi in a state of shock, trying to feel the crescent-shaped mark on his face. 

'At least it's not bruises,' answered Savvy, 'as in the plural form of the word.' 

'Yes, on your cheek,' said Carl, ignoring his friend as he moved closer to Levi with the necessary disinfectants in his hands. 'A little to the left.' 

'Here?' Levi touched his left cheek, and then winced.

Carl took Levi's hand and gently buried it amongst the white sheets covering the injured boy. He then took out a paste he was familiar with, and began applying it on the wound. There was zero noise as he dabbed at the wound with a medical swab. After finishing, he searched for a small plaster to cover the bruise, but had no such luck as to actually find one. 

He looked up at Savvy in despair. That's when he noticed how excited she looked from her spot on the far end of the bed. She was observing carefully, her interest adamant on her usually impassive face. She was practically breathing down his neck as she starred at his face closely. She pulled back with a start as she found that she was caught starring way too hard. 

'You guys are so cute,' she gave two thumbs-ups before hopping out to walk out the door. 'I'll be back with a plaster, OK?'

Carl returned back to where he left off, and began to dab off at the wound to find something to do. After a moment, Levi had had enough of the delaying and took hold of his wrist. Carl dropped his hand slowly, and their hands lay entangled on the bed between their bodies. 

'I'm sorry,' confessed Carl, looking away from the deep ocean-blue eyes that he always got lost in. There were wells of great depth inside them that he didn't want to get too immersed in for fear of getting trapped inside. He looked out the window, and wanted to draw the blinds so badly because the sunlight was breaking into the room, blinding the other boy's vision. But Levi held him in place as always, not letting him escape that easily. 

'I know you are,' said Levi immediately. 'I hope you know that it's not your fault. I asked you not to tell about it to anyone, although some of our friends figured it out. If there's anyone responsible for this, it's me... because I started everything.' 

'But you couldn't have started it without my agreement,' said Carl, looking contrite. 'We should have been clear about it from the beginning. I... I never had the courage to ask you out for real, even after you confessed to me.'

'Me neither,' said Levi, raising his unoccupied hand to cup the other boy's cheek. 'So... Are you asking me out for real, now?' He smiled, radiating a kind of sunshine Carl had never felt before. 'I'm already sick of waiting for something to happen. Y'know, I was hoping all week that something would change between us, but I guess we're the captains of our own ship.' 

Carl understood the concept more than anything. He wanted to be able to take care of Levi better, and to be able to do that, he needed to take matters into his own hands. He didn't want their relationship to stay platonic and fake anymore. Because it had been real from the get-go; there had never been an instance where it felt wrong or unfitting. 

'Are you sure?' said Carl.

'Heck, yeah,' said Levi, and he smiled so wide that Carl could see how much it hurt him to stretch his facial muscles. 'Everyone already knows we're dating.'

'Yeah, they had no reason to doubt it,' laughed Carl. 'All we have to do is deal with Leon's misunderstanding. Don't worry, I'll talk it out with him and resolve his misgivings.' 

The sliding glass door swished open and Savvy stepped in, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets as she witnessed the scene playing in front of her. At that moment, Carl was sure that Savvy was the captain of their ship more than anyone. 

'I brought you the plaster,' she whispered, her cheeky smile wide and tainted pink. 'More than one, actually.' 

'How come you were so fast?' questioned Carl. 'Didn't you have to go to the chemist outside school?'

'I did,' replied Savvy. 'I just visited a few hours earlier.' 

'You did?' asked Carl questioningly. 'Why? Blew someone's head off?'

'Don't be mad at me,' she fidgeted with her hands, trying to peel the skin of her fingers in the process. 'But I had to give him a taste of his own medicine. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.'

'I guess that's settled then,' answered Carl.

'Yeah...' mumbled Savvy, handing him the box of plasters in her hand. 'Consider it dealt with.' 

'What-?' Levi looked utterly confused. 'What do you mean? You said you hurt Leon?' 

'That's probably what she meant to do,' answered Carl, looking at Savvy as if he wanted her to finish the rest. 

'In the middle of trashing him, I found that Ryan had a hand in aggravating him,' Savvy treaded carefully, scared to rock the boat. 'They both deserved it. Stop being so selfless.' 

'Leon probably thought his friend was getting mistreated,' Levi spoke up for the two bad guys. 

'Even so, they have no right to hurt you,' said Savvy, hands crossed over her chest. 'I'm going to make sure you don't lose your perfect face to any thugs anymore. Plus, you've already got a place in his heart...' She hesitated, looking as if she was considering whether to speak the truth or not. 'You've become his 'boyfriend'.'

Levi swallowed, and Carl wondered if they both felt the same unending happiness and a fast-beating heart. He didn't have time to ponder how exactly Savvy knew all this. 

'Did he say that?' asked Levi at once. 

'He can't say it?' Savvy reprimanded him, as if Carl wasn't even in the room. 

'Not that,' Levi shook his head. 'He's the only one who ever got to say it.' 

'You mean,' Savvy whistled slowly, 'you've never been anyone's boyfriend before. That's all right... we're not looking for any experienced partners.' 

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Stay with me till the end of the story... You're halfway there. 

😊😊😊😊😊😊

So, uh... We still have some unresolved issues connected to their childhood, right? 

Honestly, I'm very excited. 

06-04-2024