/This is quite short, I know I originally wrote it for tumblr (see my bio) but I liked it so much I thought I might share it here. This is a late80s/early 90s au featuring Charlie/Bill, Bill/Munro (both past) and Charlie/Lawson. Enjoy!
The whole area is...Run down, is what Lucien thinks, as he follows Bill Hobart in the direction a small store covered in neon signs declaring that the place was open all night. It was a large convenience store, it seemed. Before entering, Bill pulled into a stop and smoothed out his hair briefly, and attempt to wipe away the blood from his nose. He only succeeded in searing it more, not that Lucien would tell him.
Upon entering the shop, he noticed that the only other person in sight was a thirty-ish man behind the counter who was wearing an unfortunately coloured logo emblazoned green and yellow shirt. He thought it may be the intent of the creator to display Australian pride, since he looked as though he'd just stepped out of a mid-January Crazy Clarks catalog. Unfortunately for the man behind the counter, yellow was not an overly flattering colour, and it gave him a sort of sallow look. The cashier was flipping through a magazine intended for middle aged women and blowing a bubble with pink gum. He looks as unimpressed as Lucien feels.
He turns his attention back to Bill, who is going though a large glass fridge for two diet cokes (as promised) and taking them to the counter.
"Charlie!" He announced, as the bored cashier rolled his eyes and pulled his gum back into his mouth.
"Bill." He replied, scanning the items over the pulsing red light and setting them on the counter. "You look like shit."
"Come on Charlie, give us a kiss." Bill unfortunate accent plus his split lip turned his 'give' into a 'giz' Charlie eyes him, and then shakes his head, putting the bottles into bags. Bill pretended to look hurt.
"We're not dating anymore."Charlie reminded him.
"Just thought you might like to kiss someone who doesn't smell like off brand old spice." Bill smells like blood and sweat, but Lucien chooses not to make a comment.
"Oh fuck you, Bill." Charlie said, with perhaps the most eloquent fuck you Lucien has ever heard. "Matthew is a nice guy. And he treats me better then you ever did." Charlie said, as if they've had this argument before. He indicates to Blake.
"This your new squeeze? Finally dump that asshole William did you?"
"William was not an asshole."
"Pardon me. Cheating asshole."
"No. This is Doctor Lucien Blake." When Charlie gives him a smile, it looks more then a little forced. Charlie is missing one of his teeth in his top jaw, Blake notices, a canine. But the rest of his teeth are straight so he assumes he'd had money for braces at some point to give him that otherwise almost perfect grin. "He just opened a practice a couple of streets over. Fixed me up pretty good. Said I'd buy him a drink." Charlie nodded, amused apparently.
"Right." He said, before blowing another disinterested bubble with his gum. "Why?" He asked, looking at Blake now. "Savior complex? Gentrification?" He questioned, leaning on his elbow. Bill looks embarrassed.
"Charlie..."
"No, no, it's fine." Lucien assured Bill, "I just want to help people." He told Charlie, trying to give what he hoped was a believable smile. Charlie eyed him, before looking back at Bill.
"Are you going to pay or just stand there blocking the other customers?" Blake frowned slightly. There are no other customers. But he can understand Charlie not exactly wanting to chat with his ex.
"Can we use your employee discount?"
"No." Bill handed over two crumpled bills. Charlie gave him back a handful of silver coins, Blake notices that it would have been easier to give him gold and silver coins but Bill hasn't noticed, and is already passing him a bottle, as promised.
Once they're back outside, Bill gives him a slightly apologetic smile.
"He's nicer when you get to know him." Bill said, but Lucien isn't convinced.
"Right..." He said, as they headed back for the surgery. He files Charlie Davis away in his mind under 'possible patients'.