painless.

CHAPTER 006.

""making me confused, izuku. con-what-ital what to pain?" katsuki says, with his eyebrows arched.

"congenital insensitivity to pain. it means i can't feel pain. i've never felt hurt." izuku explains, and katsuki just kind of takes a moment to think.

"so that's why you didn't react when you stubbed your toes? oh god, everything is adding up. how did i not put the pieces together myself?" katsuki asks himself, but izuku hears.

"maybe you could've, if you'd know of the disorder in the first place." izuku says, shrugging.

"but, if you don't get hurt, why do you have to go to the doctor?"

"i do get hurt, i just don't feel it. it's not like i'm goddamn invincible, katsuki." izuku laughs, despite the seriousness of the conversation.

"oh." katsuki says, before he bends over in front of izuku, before izuku can even ask what the hell is he doing, katsuki answers. "piggy-back ride to the clinic."

izuku looks at katsuki with haste, thinking katsuki's crazy for wanting to do that.

"it's either this, or i carry you, bridal style." katsuki smiles when izuku hops onto his back. the streets are nearly deserted, besides for one man mowing his lawn. then, izuku remembers, it's monday, and katsuki should be in school.

"why aren't you in school?" izuku asks what's on his mind.

"i skipped." katsuki answers, nonchalant.

izuku doesn't want to sound like katsuki's mother, so he doesn't say anything; he hopes his silence will get his message of disappointment across. izuku is still happy that katsuki's spending time with him, but he doesn't like that katsuki is missing school. it never occurred to him that katsuki was the skipping type, and suddenly izuku wonders how katsuki is doing in school. he doesn't ask, though.

within a few minutes, katsuki has carried izuku to the clinic. he lets izuku off his back before speaking.

"i'm just gonna wait out here, my mom doesn't know i skipped-i don't want her to." katsuki mumbles the last part, his hand scratching the back of his neck. izuku just nods and enters, walking numbly towards the front desk. walking numbly, that's all he ever really does, isn't it?

"izuku, your appointment isn't until three! what are you doing here?" a receptionist slash nurse that izuku only knows the name of it's nemuri-asks.

"i fell. can i see dr. bakugou?"

"she's with someone right now, but i'll come get you when she's not busy." nemuri says, walking away so that izuku can see her feet. ( which are clad in crocs. crocs! for god's sake, someone give this woman some fashion advice, pronto! )

izuku ends up waiting for thirty minutes until dr. bakugou is ready. izuku can't help but think about what katsuki's thinking. katsuki doesn't know izuku had to wait so long to get checked; he probably thinks izuku is seriously hurt, because he's been in the clinic for so long.

"what happened?" dr. bakugou breaks izuku out of thoughts about her son. izuku is quite surprised by how strikingly katsuki resembles his mother.

"i, uh, fell."

"what were you doing before you fell?"

oh, you know, just flirting with your son who just so happens to be skipping school and waiting for me outside at this very moment, izuku wants to say. "just going for a walk." he really says.

"okay, well, let's have a look." she says, and izuku takes off his shoes. whenever izuku does this takes off his shoes-he's scared that the doctor will pass out from the horrid stench, but no doctor he's ever had had ever said anything about it. either they are tough people and put up with it, they've smelled much worse and it doesn't bother them, or izuku's feet really don't stink. izuku likes to believe it's the last one, but he's almost positive it's the first.

"it looks like you've just stubbed a toe." mitsuki says. "from your records-i was required to read them, don't look at me like i'm a stalker." mitsuki laughs when she sees the skeptical look on izuku's face, before continuing. "from your records, i can tell you have an issue with foot and ankle injuries." she walks across the room and rummages through a drawer. "which, is not unusual with your case. be a bit more careful, though. your feet contain the second largest amount of bones in your body-right behind your hands." mitsuki comes back over to izuku with a tube she puts a little of the cream on her finger before rubbing it on izuku's cheek, where he's been cut. izuku finds this a little strange, if it had been dr. archambault, he'd have just given the cream to izuku to apply himself.

"am i done, then?"

"what's got you so anxious?" mitsuki asks, but doesn't expect an answer. "but, yes, you can go." izuku says a quick thank you before heading out the door of the clinic. he's not going to lie, he's a bit disappointed when katsuki isn't there, waiting for him. but, did he really expect this boy he had known for a week to wait outside for him, doing nothing? it may seem pathetic, but, yes, he did.

izuku starts his walk home, but after a minute, he hears footsteps coming up from behind him. he turns around and katsuki is running toward him.

"the minute i go to the bathroom, you get done?" katsuki shakes his head, a smile on his face. "but, i've been thinking. i think i bet i can make you feel pain."

"oh, really? i'd like to see you try." izuku snorts, katsuki definitely doesn't understand the disorder. pain is not detected by izuku's brain... so it's impossible. an easy win. "how much are we betting?"

"hmm, $12.64? a blow job?"

"umm, how about the first one?" izuku suggests, feeling his face get hot.

"okay. i was leaning towards the second, but whatever." katsuki pauses, laughing at izuku's blushing face. "so, we have a deal. if i can make you feel pain, i win; if i can't, you win."

"correct, but why do you want to hurt me?" izuku asks.

"don't you want to feel something?" katsuki responds. he feels as if he's doing izuku a favor. see, since katsuki met izuku, he realized that izuku was a little.. off. dull, maybe. he needs to get out in the world and experience things without his mother breathing down his neck. katsuki thinks that making izuku feel a little would be a nice push.

"yeah, i guess."

"okay, let's shake on it."

and so, they do.