checkmate rewrite

chapter six

Izuku groaned and rolled onto his right side to bury his face in one of the god-awful throw pillows. He scrunched his nose and squeezed his eyes shut tight as he felt the tip of the needle begin to slip back into his skin. It wasn't the actual stitch that was making him want to throw himself at a wall, it was the tugging at the wound and the constant back and forth. 

"Oh my God please stop," Izuku mumbled into the pillow.

"You told me no doctors," Shouji said matter of factly. He didn't sound all that sorry for Izuku. He'd found Izuku passed out face down on the couch after going to his apartment and then calling Tsuyu to see if she knew where he was. Apparently, Izuku had mumbled something over the phone about needing to meet up with him and to not tell anyone before he dropped his phone on the ground.

Luckily, Izuku was feeling sorry for himself enough for both of them. He did his best not to flinch as he felt Shouji finishing the stitch. "How is it an entire building dedicated to heroes and police does not have lidocaine?"

"Well this might come as a shock to you but most people go to the hospital when they get injured," Shouji said as he started the next stitch. His hand was steady and sure. They had all undergone basic medical training at U.A. and Shouji was by far the best. He didn't hesitate the way Tsuyu did or be too rough the way Izuku did.

"They're all idiots," Izuku said with a huff. He physically retracted as he felt the stitch begin to pull and aggravate the wound. He already felt like the universe was punishing him, he didn't need Shouji to get in on it too. When Shouji had found him, he'd insisted on taking off Izuku's mask and cutting off Izuku's shirt to get to the wound- a shirt Izuku had made himself.

One of Shouji's arms pressed against Izuku's side with unwavering pressure, keeping him from getting far. "Stop moving," Shouji warned.

Izuku wasn't proud of the whimper that followed. He felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. He felt hot, and bloody, and dehydrated, and gross. He was beginning to question if he would be able to handle the following stitches and was about to ask for a break when Shouji spoke again.

"Midoriya," he said, his voice more gentle now. "Talk to me. What happened out there?"

"I collected my two hundred dollars and passed go."

"Izuku."

That got Izuku's attention. He turned his head to the side in order to see Shouji. "What?" he asked, more out of surprise than anything.

"What did you do?"

Izuku hesitated. He desperately wanted to tell someone what he'd seen. This was his first big mission, the first time he'd gotten to do something important. Something that wasn't chasing down purse thieves and helping lost three-year-olds find their way home. Izuku had fought a member of the League and walked away with nothing but a mere scratch. The pull of another stitch made Izuku scratch that last train of thought. He groaned and vowed to be more careful from that point on. Who knew getting hurt could hurt that badly?

"That was the last one," Shouji promised apologetically. He patted Izuku's head in a way that would usually be awkward but was comforting at the moment.