#b.n.h.a

[ladydread2022]

[the-wyld-archive]

*whispers* TodoDeku for #36 for the meme

26.Tending an injury

Shouto’s hands are instruments of precision, methodical and reflexive after years of his father’s training. It was always meant to make him quicker, faster, better than everyone else. Yet another advantage he’d have over his peers.

In the end, rather than enhancing his fighting ability any, his hands have always been best at repair work. Applying ointments and fastening bandages without aid, tying tourniquets and sometimes sewing uniform stitches through his own skin. Never once have his hands failed him, not since he was very, very young.

They shake, now. A faint tremor from his elbow to his wrist he tries to stop before it reaches his palms, but by the time he notices it it’s already at his fingers. They shiver, fumbling through the task he sets them like he’s never done this before.

The sight of blood stopped bothering him years ago, the smell of gore wasn’t far behind. Shouto curses himself, because by all accounts this shouldn’t be affecting him--

After his third try at tying the bandage around Izuku’s bloodied leg, he gives up. Hangs his head and draws in a breath that rattles his ribs, exhales something shaky and dangerously close to broken.

Izuku’s hand falls over his, palm warm even through his gloves.

“Todoroki,” he says gently. “Shouto.”

Shouto raises his eyes, lets them scope over Izuku’s face. Beaten, bruised, busted lip and a quickly growing black eye that’s beginning to swell. He’s had worse, he’s seen him with worse, but it doesn’t make the iron fist around his heart loosen any.

“I’m okay.”

But those two words do it. They drain the tension from his shoulders, the furrow from his brow smoothing into something softer. His hands stop shaking, and this time he ties the bandage correctly.