#mikel and hector are both wizards

[everydayclutter]

keep bleeding, keep bleeding love

Summary: Bukayo just wants to heal Gabi.

Pairing: Bukayo Saka/Gabriel Martinelli, Fabio Vieira/Gabriel Martinelli

Set sometime at the start of this season.

As usual, set within my supernatural/superpower au.

I'm blaming @sophpisticated for giving me the idea about what Fabio should be in this au XD jk you know I love you bestie.

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There's a reason why healing magic is one of the most complicated branches of magic, as Mikel and Hector always say. You don't just wave your hand and recite a spell and poof, your wounds gone. You need to have at least basic knowledge of the human body, know the extent of the injuries, and understand exactly what you're doing there, lest you'd botch it and the person you're supposed to fix ends up with a reversed knee or something. But despite all the warnings, there's also another reason why Bukayo insists on mastering it anyway.

And the reason happens to be a Brazilian, three months older and two centimeters taller than him, who plays on the opposite wing of him and goes by the name of Gabriel Martinelli.

Gabi is a nice kid, a talented footballer, and a great friend. But he was born with a rather sinister superpower – the ability to control and manipulate blood. Only his own, though, not others'. And to utilize it, he has to get the blood out of his system – in other words, he has to cut himself.

Thankfully, Gabi's power allows him to force his blood to clot, so he wouldn't bleed to death while using it, but it doesn't alleviate the pain, and more often than not, leaves him with ugly scars. Usually Mikel or Gary O'Driscoll, their club doctor, helps to heal the wounds, but Bukayo wants to be able to do that too. He wishes to be the one Gabi can rely on to heal him whenever and wherever, the one Gabi can trust to keep himself safe, the one who can protect Gabi when things get ugly.

So Bukayo does his best, asking Dr. Gary for private lessons, squeezing every knowledge out of any spellbooks he could find, even rooting for some old papyrus that Mo secretly keeps in his possession, and he thinks he's starting to make good progress at it. (The fact that he has angel blood in him might help, though).

But then the 2021/22 season ends and summer break rolls along, and with it comes Fabio.

Fabio is small and slender, with slightly droopy dark eyes and goatee, and an unfortunate destiny of sharing the same last name with a certain Arsenal legend. He's a bit shy, but also kind and funny, and after spending some time with him Bukayo decides he likes him. And he also happens to be a centaur.

Now, Bukayo has nothing against centaurs. He's never met one before, but he knows they're amazing creatures, powerful and noble, and Arsenal are lucky to have one in the team. Centaurs also happen to be very talented in divination and healing, and Bukayo's already excited imagining all the healing tricks he'd be able to learn from the new guy.

He doesn't realize that Fabio could just easily take over all the healing job himself.

Now Bukayo looks on as Fabio kneels beside Gabi after one particularly horrifying battle, muttering ancient spells while Gabi's exposed wounds stitch themselves close under his command. And he sees the expression on Gabi's face – gentle, adoring, infatuated.

And it strikes Bukayo like an arrow stabbed right into his heart.

Gabi is in love.

He's in love with Fabio.

And judging from the small, lovesick smile on Fabio's lips, he feels the same.

Well, come to think of it, why shouldn't they? They've been almost literally attached on the hips since the day Fabio came, they speak in more or less the same language, Fabio can give Gabi the one thing he needs the most… Bukayo can see why Gabi's falling hard for the Portuguese.

Taking a deep breath, Bukayo turns around and starts to walk away.

He resolves not to disturb the happy couple, no matter what. He might be in love with Gabi, but he definitely can't help whom Gabi's fancies lie on, and he'll do anything for the Brazilian's happiness. Even if that means killing his own feelings. Even if that means seeing Gabi smiling together with Fabio for the rest of his life.

Bukayo's so deep in his thoughts that he doesn't hear the sound of footsteps behind him, nor does a familiar voice yelling his name. He's only snapped out of his reverie when someone tugs on his arm, followed by Gabi's soft voice, speaking to him.

"Bukayo, can we talk?"

fin