"izuku, be careful."
these are the words that izuku has been hearing all his life. mostly, from his mom.
izuku figures it's logical, for his mother to say this, but it's tedious; annoying, if you will.
of course he'll be careful. he doesn't want to die. which, in his case, is a very easy thing to do. blood loss, internal bleeding, and starvation are just a few ways he could go.
izuku wouldn't feel the cut, the broken bone, or the pang of his stomach calling out for food like anyone else would. actually, he wouldn't feel it at all.
maybe someone might think of this - not feeling pain - as a blessing, but izuku swears it's a curse. he can't play football, he can't do anything somewhat risky, for the fear of not getting to the doctor in time.
oh, izuku is also insensitive to temperature. if it's really hot, he'll still feel the same as if it's below freezing. this is just another problem to add to izuku's long list. surprise, you have hypothermia!
anyway, izuku is currently on his daily trip to the clinic, just to make sure while he was sitting at home all day he didn't pop a blood vessel or something random like that.
as he enters the clinic, a nurse immediately recognizes him and ushers him to his usual room, where dr. archambault is waiting.
"how are you feeling today, izuku?" he inquires, as if he's interested.
he asks this every day. you'd think, after meeting with izuku all the time, you'd stop asking him how he's feeling. not painful, obviously. not much of anything, really.
"fine," izuku answers. it's usually how he answers, as it's really the only way he can think of how to.
"okay, well, let's get you under the x-ray, then i need to tell you something important," dr. archambault trails.
various thoughts run through izuku's head, along the lines of thinking that something is wrong with him; something is bad and will not be able to get better. basically, the doctor made izuku very, very anxious and scared for his well being.
after his x-ray - nothing is wrong with him, thank goodness - dr. archambault sits opposite of izuku and clasps his hands together.
"so, izuku, i'm going back to france," he states and izuku's heart falls to the pit of his stomach.
"oh," izuku replies, deadbeat. he's relieved that he doesn't have some chronic problem - more than what he already has - but he's also distraught that his doctor he's had for years is leaving. "that's... nice."
"izuku," the doctor insists sternly, "this is for my family. i'd love to stay here! but, i must go home."
his slight french accent is really prominent when izuku focuses on it. he's grown used to it, so he doesn't even really realize it's there.
"okay." izuku's response sounds deflated.
"you are getting a new doctor, dr. bakugou. she's a nice woman, i met her."
"okay."
really, izuku is still comprehending his newly gained knowledge. he doesn't really like change too much, and this is a big one. he's become accustomed to the routine of going to the clinic and seeing dr. archambault for his daily check-up.
"i'm leaving in a week. she will take my place immediately."
"does she know of my condition?" izuku asks, slowly.
"no, but i will be sure to inform her," the doctor promises, and izuku stands.
he can leave now.
as izuku walks the two mile route home - he prefers walking to driving - he notices a moving van in front of a house, about halfway through his walk. maybe it's his new doctor, moving into her new house. while he's looking at the house curiously, he doesn't see the crack in the sidewalk ahead of him. just to his luck, he trips over it and falls on the ground in front of him.
"well, shit," he mumbles, checking himself for cuts. his pants protected his knees, but there are little rocks burying themselves in the cuts in izuku's hands from the blow. he digs them out, not even wincing. it doesn't hurt, after all.
when izuku continues walking, he checks to make sure there aren't any abnormalities in his walk, like a broken ankle, for example. there are not. if there is anything wrong, after that trip, dr. archambault can take care of it tomorrow.
continuing the rest of his walk, izuku pulls out his phone, just to check it. it's not like he's expecting there to be anything new, as izuku doesn't have many friends. but, to his surprise, his friend shoto texted him. izuku stops walking to tap out a response, because he's not a very good multitasker and he wouldn't want to fall again.
eventually, izuku is walking up his own street, and into his house.
"izuku! how'd it go?" izuku's mom, inko, asks as soon as he walks in the door.
she scans him from top to bottom to make sure he's not hurt - it's a habit.
"normally," izuku replies immediately, but then he reconsiders. "actually, dr. archambault is moving away, er, back to france, and i am getting a new doctor next week." inko's face contorts to a disapproving look.
"i trust dr. archambault with you and your.. condition." she doesn't like calling it a disorder. "it's a shame he's moving. did he tell you your new doctor's name?"
"dr. bakugou."
"really? i met her today at work." inko works at the bank. dr. bakugou must have been depositing her money, izuku deduces. "she seems nice."
"that's what the doctor said," izuku states, not quite fond of this new doctor yet.
"well, i guess she's nice, then." inko shrugs, and walks into the kitchen. she's bound to be making dinner.
izuku makes his way to his room, which is in the far corner of his one story home. it needs not to be bigger, however, as it is just izuku and his mom living there. izuku has always been an only child. well, he has been except for his half-sisters on his dad's side, but he doesn't speak with his dad. so, he doesn't speak with these half-sisters, either.
his dad left after he found out about izuku's condition. he couldn't handle it, izuku guesses. but, did he ever consider how izuku felt? no, of course not.
izuku shakes his mind clear of his father, grabs his laptop and sits criss-cross-applesauce on his bed, setting it in front of him. the laptop usually takes awhile to start up.
while izuku waits, he converses with shoto over text, and somehow their conversation strayed to which superhero was the best: batman or superman?
izuku was for superman, and shoto for batman. izuku eventually wins, and whether it's because of his sassy debating skills or the fact that shoto probably got tired of the argument, izuku doesn't know.
as soon as the laptop starts up, inko is calling izuku into the kitchen.
he walks there, and is delighted at the smell of pizza that lingers in the air. he spots the pizza sitting on the counter, and he rushes over to it.
"izuku, it's hot. just wait," inko tells just as izuku reaches for a piece.
of course, if he had grabbed it and started eating it, he would not have felt the burn on his fingertips or tongue.
"i was thinking," inko starts after a tick of silence, "that we should go meet your new doctor tomorrow."
"do i have to?" izuku responds immediately, "it's just, i'll be spending enough time with her, as is," he explains.
"yes, you have to."
izuku doesn't respond.
after waiting five minutes, his mother grants him access to the pizza that had been torturing him by just sitting there, looking delicious.
so, yeah, izuku is glad he has a cautious mom the way he does. he would definitely be dead by now if he didn't.
YOU ARE READING
painless.
Fanfiction"i bet i can make you feel pain." "i'd like to see you try." a bakudeku fanfic.
