Do Not Call a Doctor! [Kirk][Semper Fi]

Being pestered by military personnel was one thing, but being pestered to go and see a doctor was another. The instructors around probably felt the responsibility if a minor was injured in the facilities, but Naoru really saw no need to be as worried as these two seemed to be. He especially wanted them to stop crowding him, because going to the medic camp will be the last of his worries if he hyperventilates from physical contact instead.

He was just a tad bit relieved when the officials drew back, but another voice and presence joined the fray and he was patted on the shoulder, which he tried to automatically avoid but failed. He flinched, but the person who showed up was actually familiar, what more, he was a classmate. “Bluster-kun.” Naoru gaped, wondering how small the world was to meet with a classmate and a seat neighbor on top of it. He was pretty much swept away by Kirk’s insistent reassurance that everything will be alright, walking away from the soldiers.

In a safe distance, Naoru turned toward his classmate, holding his right elbow with his left hand. Just what was Kirk doing here? No, that was probably a silly question. Everyone was here to train and try their luck with the military methods, that much was obvious. So it is more of a question of why was the boy helping him? “They were just worried.” Naoru said when the other was complaining about how the instructors were whining. He looked down, wondering if they were actually mad at him for missing such an easy obstacle and injuring himself in the process. His Aura flared just a tad bit from worry, but it settled back down as if nothing happened, gaining the appearance of white cloth around his torso once more.

Upon receiving the strong pats on the back, Naoru winced visibly from pain. U-oh. His right shoulder was throbbing painfully, indicating that maybe the gash on his lower arm wasn’t the only injury he received. It is okay, maybe he can still bullshit his way out of seeing a doctor with this. He almost missed the praise that was coming from this classmate, and he frowned, instead of giving a smile, as a response. “No, I... That was just practice. It was not anything, least of all cool.” He crashed in the end as well, so Kirk must have a rather weird meaning for the word “cool”. Or he was just trying to be nice, which was really incredibly kind of him. “Cheating? I mean, I did use my body, so it was not really cheating... Or was it?” He looked up, a bit worried. Since the Aura was a part of him, a part of his mutation, he figured it was natural he would use it. He couldn’t not use it. “They did ask me to use my quirk, but maybe I should not have...” His question wasn’t really a question even though he worded it as such.

“What’s up with your arm?”

Came the inquiry, and Naoru visibly flinched, turning his body so his right, injured side would be hidden from Kirk’s sight. His lower arm was already covered by blood that was steadily flowing from the gash, but it wasn’t really serious. It was just bleeding a bit much, that’s all. Nothing serious. Really. However, the movement also caused his shoulder to twist, which earned another painful wince from him. His Aura would try and cover his arm as much as possible to hide it from plain sight.

“The wall just scratched it a little bit, please do not worry about it.” He smiled at Kirk, angling his body further away from the taller boy. “Are you here to train, Bluster-kun? I do hope you broke military records somewhere and put them all to shame.” He changed the topic quickly. “I think I will sit the next round out and maybe continue the course later.” Smoothly, the excluded himself from the next few rounds in hopes that his arm would get better, and maybe his own healing would ease some of the pain in the meantime. Kirk was obviously working out not long before he attempted to save Naoru from the soldiers, and he had to wonder what exactly the boy was doing. He knew of his quirk, and he knew it wasn’t fit for combat. However, Kirk was a sportsman, fit and healthy, so he wouldn’t be surprised if he could stand on equal grounds with military personnel. “I will definitely watch and root for you if you decide to compete somewhere.”

Naoru had to admit he had no idea what Kirk meant when he went about how cool Naoru indeed was during the run. There was nothing cool about the collision or the way he stumbled and tried to use his Aura, and the increasing frown was a telltale sign of how disappointed he was with his performance. And on top of it all, Kirk’s praise had the exact opposite effect on him. He wasn’t feeling at all better from it, only worse. His classmate kept praising him for his abilities, and Naoru would keep refusing it all the time.

Oh. Now that he thought about it, Naoru must have appeared rather rude... Kirk’s quirk was actually one very unfitting for combat, and decidedly one quite misfit for hero course in general, and yet Naoru was the one having low self-esteem. From Kirk’s point of view that must be either a rather egotistic, or just a plain asshole-y attitude. His mood deep-dived. He really, really hoped he wasn’t disrespectful when Kirk showed so much care. He swallowed, and decided to try and be as polite as he possibly could.

He thought about how it wouldn’t count as a workout if he wasn’t using his own body and his own muscles during exercise. He frowned again, almost cutting in Kirk’s sentence to correct him, but decided to close his mouth instead. Was it really cheating? The Aura was a part of his body, but he supposed others wouldn’t really understand that. About ninety percent of his acquaintances didn’t even know he was actually a mutation type, so that was probably a part of it. He just looked down, slightly ashamed as if Kirk was telling him off for using his quirk during a run that was supposed to be purely physical. The Aura around his shoulders shuddered a little bit, waving like the ocean during the wind of an incoming storm. He was getting confused if Kirk was okay with Naoru using his quirk or not, as the next thing he said it was all fine, as they were all different when it came to physical exercise. Naoru blinked. That was not at all confusing. Sarcasm implying it was. So he just hummed, and left it at that.

He angled his body away from his classmate, and he could literally see that question mark forming above the boy’s head. An emergency saving was in order, and Naoru did everything in his knowledge to divert the conversation to a safer route, preferably far away from his own problems. Luckily for him, it seemed like his classmate either had a short attention span, or was just really excitable, as he immediately took the bait and continued the conversation where Naoru steered it.

“Whoa, really? Nice, congratulations!” Naoru smiled when Kirk mentioned beating his personal record. “It is always best to go at our own pace, you are right about that. Maybe it is for the better that we do not know what the military records are.” He laughed at Kirk’s enthusiastic cheer. The boy certainly was energetic and full of happiness. As he sat down on one of the benches and placed his hands next to himself on the wood, he watched Kirk curiously. He was idly wondering what was going on in the head of his classmate while training in the military camp, when he heard the most illogical sounding conclusion ever.

“G-growth pain?” The sputtered, nearly falling off the bench out of surprise. That... that sounded so incredibly silly that Naoru hid his face in his hand and groaned. No, he mustn’t retort in a rude way, he would have to correct the boy as nicely as possible, but he couldn’t do that without revealing that his injury was a bit more serious than he tried to play it off. Is this what people call a Devil’s trap? There was no good way out of this one.

“Ah, no, I think I will be alright just resting a little bit.” He held up his uninjured left hand in protest when Kirk insisted he could go on and train his legs if his arms are too tired or weak to continue right now. Naoru wasn’t exactly fit for prolonged physical activity, or more like, he didn’t like to train in the same way other people or quirkless human liked. He was more of a think first, act later kind of person, and liked to develop versatility instead of working out a sweat. Even he could admit that training the body was important, but everything had its limit! Especially him!

His head shot up in alarm at the suggestion of a rub, and he leaned as far away from Kirk while sitting as possible. “No, nonono, that is not necessary, I am fine!” He ignored the little nervous crack in his voice, and as Kirk crept closer, he stood up and backed away from the boy, holding his right shoulder protectively. “I really do appreciate your concern, but there is no need to worry about me. WAH!” Just as he was backing away, he also ungracefully tripped and fell on his back with a loud THUMP and an “Ow!”. But still, as soon as he recovered from the fall, he sat back up and backed a little away again. “Bluster-kun, I am really bad with other people touching me, so please, do not concern yourself with a massage.” That was as honest as he could get about his problem. But from his fall, now even his Aura on the lower part of his arm was tainted by blood as it tried to cover his wound. That would be the last of his worried though, if Kirk decided to casually touch him.

It seemed like praising Kirk was the prefect topic to derail the conversation with, and all it needed was for Naoru to be honest. He really admired Kirk for his bravery and enthusiasm, and really, this boy needed as much praise as he could get.

“Junko? Do you mean our teacher?” Naoru wondered out loud and tilted his head to the side just a little bit. Did they know each other before? “You certainly seem capable enough to train yourself. And I think you might be among the ones who are completely aware of what his body needs. Many of us are still trying to figure that part out, it feels like.” But then again, Kirk probably needed to figure out a few things about himself as well. Naoru, for example, was already thinking about how the boy could expand the usage of that pouch on his back that was his quirk. Certainly he could do more than just to carry things in it, but it was still a mystery.

There was another thing he needed to admit, namely that Kirk’s logic was a little hard to follow for him. Turning a nerd into a jock and a jock into a hero...? He looked down, somewhat confused. “Can a nerd not turn into a hero without first being a jock...?” It was more of a rhetorical question rather than something that was awaiting an answer, but that probably wouldn’t stop Kirk from giving his opinion anyway. But his current predicament was getting more and more complicated by the moment as Kirk was getting closer and he was backing away.

Does no one know the sanctity of personal space among his acquaintances???

But with his fall to the ground and his wince, it seemed like Kirk was also kicked back into a more considerate mood. Now, Naoru was feeling bad for making his classmate worry so much about him. He waved his arm to show him he was alright and there was no need worry aside from the problem with touching. Kirk seemed to be the kind to consider other people’s position more if he was told of the problem, so Naoru had to remember to be honest with him. He will need to be more open. Yeah, he could do it. Probably. He can’t fault anyone for not be aware of something when Naoru holds back information, right? Right. He closed his eyes. Maybe he can learn and be more honest about his problems in the presence of Kirk, unless he wants to have his personal space invaded.

His classmate surprised him by jumping to his side, but Naoru worried for nothing as the other seemed to be mindful of keeping distance this time. He was momentarily relieved, but quickly tried to reassure the boy. “It was not your fault at all. I kind of injured myself when I fell before, during the run, that is all. Please do not worry about that.” He tried to dismiss it again despite feeling the pain catch up to him. In response to the feeling, the Aura on his right side, especially on his arm and shoulder was swaying, almost as if showing where exactly it was hurting. The Aura was made of his nerves, after all. Of course it visibly responded to pain.

He felt... really bad for making Kirk worry now, especially since the boy seemed to be troubled for being unable to help him. Naoru’s face softened, after the shock of the fall and the ministration of the overly enthusiastic classmate settled. He smiled. “Thank you. But I am alright. I heal faster than others, my quirk is making sure of that.” How quick that was, he didn’t tell, but he figured it was better to tell Kirk the details so not to make him even more worried. “Um, there is a gash on my arm, but the bleeding will stop soon. My shoulder seems to be damaged too but... as I have said, it will heal, please do not worry.” But Kirk’s worry seemed to be hard to calm down. After hearing the offer to carry him to the nurse, Naoru’s calm and composed façade crumbled again, and his arm shot forward in protest to stop the other.

“No!” He almost yelled, eyes wide in panic. “I-I mean...” Just how long will this go, falling from composure to panic in mere moments? Kirk was a different kind of trouble that Naoru had to get used to. Dealing with nice people seemed to be so much harder than dealing with assholes.

But... he had to think about Kirk’s worry as well. It seemed like the boy won’t feel better unless Naoru is treated in some way or another. He quickly tried to regain his footing, calming down, looking to the side, and picking the butting on his shirt in a nervous tick. “Um... To be honest... I do not like doctors and hospitals... Do you think the medical camp is like a hospital?” What he meant to ask, will he panic just from walking into a medic tent? He looked up at Kirk, looking for some reassurance and comfort in the matter. He wasn’t sure if anyone knew of his problems with medical environments, so saying it out loud was hard now. “...That... sounds so silly. I apologize. Do you think you can escort me, then? I would honestly appreciate it. No carrying is needed, of course.” He looked down when asking, unsure and a little bit troubled to ask for help in this matter. Maybe if someone he knew was there, he could actually walk in and get treated.

Maybe.

Kirk was endearingly worried about him so much that Naoru felt worse by the moment. Even the pain in his shoulder didn’t compare to the shame he felt for putting his classmate in this position. So all he could do to make him feel a little bit better, a little bit more at ease, was to go along with most of his wishes. So long as it didn’t include physical touches or laying on a bed in a lab.

Speaking of which.

“Oh, god no.” He breathed out as the beds in the medical camp were mentioned. Kirk’s words were actually reassuring, if only a little bit too detailed for his empathic mind. It was too easy to visualize himself strapped to a bed and being examined by scary-faced scientists. He shuddered, comically, face blank, soul nearly leaving him on the spot. He had to shake his head to get out of the mentally low state, and actually brace himself for the inevitable. Kirk agreed to come with him, so it will probably be alright. ...Right?

Standing, he followed Kirk toward their destination, trying to keep up with the other. He tried jogging after him, but it seemed to be a bad idea, just as Kirk thought. His shoulder was pained from the shaking, but Naoru didn’t show that it was bothering him at all, aside from the flare of his Aura, of course. But even with the marching, he settled beside Kirk for the duration of the short trip. “Y-yes, the quicker, the better...” He agreed, although unsure. If they get there faster, that doesn’t guarantee that he will get through whatever procedure they decide to get him through faster. He just needs a bandage on the cut, and maybe a brace on the shoulder until his natural healing does the trick, that is all. He can take that much with a friend nearby. “The pace is alright.” He added with a nod, trying to match his steps to the rhythmic ‘hop hop hop’ of his classmate.

“Thank you, Bluster-kun.” He said while they kept walking. “I can not express enough how thankful I am for your worry and kindness.” His voice rang honest, although he was not at all looking forward to what was coming at him.

His mood visibly deep-dived as soon as they arrived to the medical camp. Seeing the first person in a white lab coat exiting from and then entering one of the set-up vans, Naoru paled even to his standards. Some civilians were around, but his sight zoned in on the nurses with clipboards, standing around near an open sided tent, checking patients to see if further examination would be necessary to determine their condition.

His right hand was sweaty, and the left, the Aura one, shivered. He stopped, staring dead ahead, eyes wide, sight jumping from one person to another, but only between the medical staff. The others didn’t bother him, he barely even took notice of those that weren’t here on duty. What were they doing here anyway? Some of them were healthier than the average person! No one needed to be near a doctor if they were healthy! Who would willingly submit themselves to scientists if they didn’t have a problem? Who in their right mind would---?

“Okay, no, this is a bad idea after all.” And then he turned around and away from the medical area.

‘Bro-code’, Naoru echoed in his mind. That was a strange concept, basically guys looking out for each other and being generally good friends, at least that was what he thought. Maybe it was more, but really, it equaled with being a decent human being. People should look out for each other even without being bros. “Thank you again.” But still, Naoru nodded, because he understood what Kirk meant, more or less. Not like he could add a comment about this... bro-code anyway.

In front of the camp, Naoru was watching the people nervously. He only partially paid attention to what Kirk was saying. “Do you know one of the nurses?” He asked quietly. From his words, he wasn’t sure if the person was Kirk’s acquaintance, or just someone that patched him up once not long ago. “Would that not make her take more time instead?” Either way, the possible relation didn’t calm him down a bit. It wasn’t a guarantee that he will be patched up faster. In his experience, it would be the opposite, if anything. Doctors would pay more attention to their friends and family, examining them more thoroughly to make sure they were alright. So if there was anyone among the nurses Kirk knew, Naoru would be even more worried for being held captive on a bed until they made sure he was completely healthy.

A shiver ran down his spine, but he tried to mask it as an extra movement while straightening his back. He can’t do this! No way! Even Kirk’s encouraging thumbs-up was not giving him enough courage to go through with this. He turned away, fully intent on just going and let his own quirk do the healing, no matter how long that would take. He was stopped by Kirk’s full body, stepping in his way with his arms held out to the side. “Yes, it is.” Naoru looked up at him, clearly searching for a way out, and even trying to side-step his classmate a few times before he gave up. Kirk was much more stubborn than him when it was needed, and it seemed he was fully intending on holding onto that bro-code he mentioned before. He backed away automatically from Kirk’s shooing hands, and glanced back nervously toward the camp a few times before actually deciding to turn around and walk toward a nurse. Really slowly though. Every step was as if he walked toward his execution, and he was mentally preparing his will too. He can bequeath all of his belongings to his little brother and sister. They will hopefully remember only good things of him.

“The reflexes-check is not among my worries.” Everything else is!, he added mentally. But with Kirk at his back, he couldn’t make a mad dash for the exit anymore. This bro-code was a demanding thing, and he didn’t like it one bit.

“Reception. R-right.” He murmured, voice breaking from the sheer will that made him force his body closer to the nurse that was standing at the reception desk, evaluating a patient’s problem before she would lead them to the proper person to continue the examination. The commoner nurse was in her mid thirties, and was actually shorter than both Kirk and Naoru as she stood with the clipboard in hand. Naoru stepped close, but he was unable to force a word out from his constricting lungs. With his eyes wide, face getting paler, he must have seemed like he was nearing a panic attack. His left was even clutching his right, injured arm, nervously holding it closer to his body. He didn’t want these people to examine him at all, no matter how nice they seemed.

“Hello, can I help you with anything?” The nurse asked, all smiles and politeness, and Naoru couldn’t reciprocate either for his life. Although he opened his mouth to talk, there was nothing coming out except the most unsure “Um”, and that didn’t help him forward at all.

He actually took a step back from the willing nurse, as if he was facing off with the scariest of nightmares.

“Are you feeling unwell? Please do come closer so a doctor can examine you.”

Bad choice of words. Naoru took a much more steadier step back. “No, I...” It didn’t seem like he would be able to talk and functionally breathe at the same time while he was near medical staff. And while he was facing forward, he couldn’t see Kirk standing behind him, supportive as he was.

Even though Kirk brought up Darren as an example who was handled and nursed back into health by these people, Naoru was not reassured. He knew Darren, and knew how much of a troublemaker he was, so it should have made a point for him, really. He also assumed Darren was too prideful to allow himself to be treated by doctors, and he still sat through an examination and got out of it better than before. He should have known and understood this, but he just couldn’t. “I hope Daimon-kun is doing fine.” He muttered, wishing the best for Darren, but still worried if the meeting with the doctors didn’t do him more harm than good in the end.

Steeling himself, he walked to the reception, but he found it to be useless still. No words came to him as he stood there, being watched by the middle-aged nurse. With his last step back, he did bump into Kirk, and froze in the spot immediately, leaning forward and away from his classmate as the boy started talking. He felt like he ended up between two forces, between two sources of flames and there was no way out for him. He was glad that Kirk took the conversation into his own hand, because Naoru wouldn’t be able to do or say anything. He was really glad. Really. Except it still meant he would need to sit on a bed and be examined, and that was something as far from his desires as possible.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, he heard Kirk telling all of his symptoms to the nurse to the smallest of details. He had a good memory, and he was really good at saying everything a nurse would need as quickly as possible for a quick treatment. Kirk must have brought friends to medics before, Naoru assumed. He must be a really compassionate and caring friend. Naoru distracted himself with these thoughts, and before he noticed, he was ushered toward one of the beds where another nurse was waiting.

By this point, he was on complete autopilot. Face nearly unresponsive, he was pale, and slow in movements. Through the loud ringing in his ear, when he was asked a question, he either shook his head or nodded when such answers were expected. When he was told to remove his Aura’s cover from his injured arm, he just stared for a few moments, before slowly, gradually, complying. When he was asked to remove his shirt so the nurse could take a better look at his shoulder, he shook his head no in refusal. When he was asked to lay down into the bed, he refused as well.

The nurse must have been taking into consideration everything Kirk asked, and while being watched by the jock’s eyes, she wouldn’t even dare to take a wrong step in the situation. She was an experienced nurse, and she could see an incoming panic attack and fear of the environment when she saw it. She decided it was better to bandage the boy and let him be on his way as soon as possible. Even though a negative response was given when the question about pain was asked, she didn’t believe it for a second. But aggravating the boy with injecting an anesthetic would have been a bad choice. The gash was quickly cleaned and bandaged, and an icepack was given for the bruised shoulder before the nurse gave the two boys the go. There was the usual question asked, if they would like to stay and have their quirks be examined by professional staff, but it was promptly ignored.

Naoru was out of the tent in a heartbeat. The icepack was held in place by his own Aura, as even with his closed-off mind, he could register the cold easing some of his pain. He remember mumbling something like “Thank you for your care” before taking off, and he didn’t stop until he was some hundred meters away from any kind of nurse or doctor in sight.

Reality was slowly coming back to him as he was sitting with his back to the fence that rang around the medical camp. His knees were pulled up to his chest, his forehead hanging on top of his Aura arm that rested on his legs. His right arm was kept beside his body, fingers nervously digging at the dirt beneath. Breathing slowly, he regained his calm in a few minutes, his ears were able to hear the singing of the birds nearby again. But for the life of him, he wouldn’t be able to recall half of the things that happened while he was inside that tent...

Small cracks akin to spider-webs were going through his left arm, as if it was ready to break into pieces in any moment. His Aura that covered his other arm and upper body was only hugging his shoulder by now, connected to his left. He looked up and around to see if Kirk was still nearby, or if he lost his classmate somewhere in the meantime.