There's more to you than you know: a Cherik high school au

The events that shape us

Raven's pov

Kurt and Shannon left that morning.
Charles told me everything, from the beginning. Everytime I thought he was just clumsy, turned out to be Cain.

From the very first week of Cain moving in, how Kurt beat Cain. How Kurt loved Charles more than his own son, and how Charles tried to help Cain but Cain would beat him in response. Every time Cain got beat, he would beat my brother. And he would do it when he was bored, when he was angry, sad and everything.

"Charles, have you told mother?"

He shook his head, he was fighting tears.
"No, it would make it worst. I told a teacher once. But Cain lied and told them that it was another student from a different school. And that I just got it wrong, he was older and they listened to him. He- he beat me afterwards, and every time I went to help. He won't let me, I've tried" he was shaking.

"Shhh, shhhh. It'll be okay, we can get you both out of this. Okay?"

Charles said nothing, he just stared blankly at the wall.

"Charles, you can't keep living like this. Neither can he."

"I know, I just don't know how to end this,"

"Carefully, very very carefully. When mother and stepfather return home from their trip that's when we will tell her."

He nodded. Still looked blanked.

"I can feel when it happens to him. I experience it with him, and all I want to do it stop it. But I can't, I can't figure out how to stop Kurt. How to help Cain. And then Cain comes after me, and I don't know how to stop him either."

I hugged him, and he held onto me.

"Two weeks, we can keep you safe for two weeks."

He nodded again, weirdly silent.

"So Erik huh? You like him!"
He blushed, "no I don't!" He protested, but his blush did anyway.

~~

Erik's POV
A week later.

Charles and I strolled the gardens of his estate. Talking easily, Hank and Raven were having a private date night inside the house, eating dinner and watching a film. So Charles invited me to sleep over.

"I like it out here, the inside of your house seems so lonely. No offense." I say, panicking because I just insulted his house.

"No offense taken, I agree. I prefer to be anywhere else, but raven and Hank wanted to hang out and I have to "make sure they don't do anything"." He rolled his eyes.

"Your parents are that strict?"

"Nope. That's all his mom thing. She doesn't trust two teenagers alone in a big house."

"So your answer is to walk around outside with a buddy, leaving them to their own devices."

He put his fingers to his temple.
"Just mentally checked in with raven. All good."

"Bet she hates that," we both burst out laughing.

"Actually it was her idea."

"So your favorite band is Disturbed?"

I nodded enthusiastically! "I love them! Have you heard them?"

"I have, they are rather good."

We discussed music and books and our class work.

We heard a noise, and suddenly everything changed.

You know in movies when everything slows down? In the horrible parts where things go to hell? That is what happened in that moment.

I looked over at Charles, and he was slowly falling on the ground, holding his back. I ran, but it felt like I went so slowly, over to him. Holding him in my arms.

I felt a piece of metal was stuck in his spine. A bullet.

"CHARLES!" I managed to yell, and held him closer. His breathing was heavy.  Without thinking I used my mutation to get it out.

"Erik. I believe I've been shot."

"No shit Charles, just breathe. I got it out. "

We weren't too far from the house, because Raven and Hank came running out.

"What the fuck happened?"

"I don't know, one minute we are talking about the new grishaverse book coming out, next thing I know a noise happened and Charles is on the ground. I pulled this out."

The bullet was covered in blood.
Their faces paled, Charles was already pale.

"Okay we have to get you to a hospital," we tried to lift him but he cried out in pain.
"Stop, stop. Don't move Charles" Hank cautioned us.

"I won't. Actually I can't feel my legs."

"what?"

"I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my legs." He started to panic but raven murdered some calming things. And then called an ambulance.

I knew three things in that moment.

1) someone had it out for Charles.

2) I was so focused on him that I didn't feel the metal.

3) things were never going to be the same again