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Stelle’s worn-down sneakers dragging against the cobblestone of one of many alleyways in Boulder Town is normally a pitiful sound. It can usually be heard when Stelle has gotten her ass handed to her, and she has to drag her sorry self to Natasha's clinic with her tail between her legs.
But not this time. This time she's basically just visiting the beautiful doctor. She did pick a bunch of fights with bad guys until eventually she had a few wounds, but it's nothing serious. It hardly even hurts, it's just barely bad enough that Natasha will have to treat the wounds.
This is the best plan I've ever had. The grey-haired girl had planned this out, of course. She liked it when Natasha took care of her, but she didn't really like suffering really painful injuries. So she thought she'll just fight until she's only a little bit injured, and then she'll come crawling to Natasha with her new wounds and an apologetic smile. No one can resist the girl's puppy-dog-eyes—they just make her look so sad.
"Hello—oh, it's you," Natasha smiles, waving Stelle further into her clinic once the grey-haired girl was through the door. "I'm glad you've come, I've been meaning to ask you to—"
"I-uhm-I… I'm actually injured," The girl interrupts nervously, holding her bad shoulder with a pout. "I'm sorry." She is not sorry.
"Hm? Oh, no! Don't apologise, dear. I really shouldn't be asking you to solve all my problems the moment you walk through the door…." The doctor sighs, walking over to one of the free chairs in the small clinic. Most of her furniture had beendonated or brought back by Sampo from the overworld's dumpsters. All the chairs were cleaned, bleached and sanitised, of course, but they still looked like donated chairs. None of them really matched, and most of the cushion parts were stained. They were free though, so Natasha can't really complain. "I forget that you're not indestructible, my little racoon. Occasionally you need me more than I need you," Natasha laughs, patting the empty chair, "come sit down then, let me patch you up."
"I always need you." The sentence completely bypasses any speech regulation Stelle's ever put on herself, but she can't help it. Whenever Nat calls her 'my little raccoon' her brain and heart just melt. The Trailblazer quickly sits down as instructed before she can embarrass herself further.
"...ah, okay?" Natasha laughs, caught between amusement and shock. Stelle clearly didn't think much before she said that, but Stelle usually doesn't think much before she does anything. Her red face is adorable, but Natasha is very sure her face is just as red.
"Sorry, I-I didn't… well, I did mean it but—"
"Don't apologise, it's alright. How about we focus on your injuries, hm? Where does it hurt?" Natasha shakes her head, giving a gentle smile. It's certainly not the most outlandish thing Stelle has said or done.
"My shoulder really hurts… but I don't know what's wrong. I've also got a lot of scratches and burns everywhere," the trailblazer pouts, holding her shoulder once again.
"Hm.. it just hurts? I am not trying to belittle you, not at all… it's just, normally you won't get help unless your arm is almost blown off," the doctor says, furrowing her brows. "Have you finally got some sense knocked into you?" She giggles.
"No… it just really hurts," Stelle pouts even harder.
"Hm…" the doctor's face grows grim, and she gently grabs the taller girl's hand, "how badly does it hurt? Do you know what could have caused it?"
"Yeah, it hurts really bad," Stelle pouts, turning her hand over and grasping Natasha's tightly. "And I don't know… I think you've got to examine me." No pain is evident in Stelle's eyes or facial expression, and she doesn't wince in pain when Natasha pulls her arm towards her.
She's not even good at playing injured… Why is she faking—well, exaggerating it? The trailblazer is obviously a bit injured, but it's nothing some ointment and bandages couldn't fix. Certainly nothing worth going to the doctor for, but she's here now so Natasha feels like she's obligated to tend to her wounds. It's not all bad; there's more shield in the doctors pockets now, and it gives her an excuse to stare at Stelle in all her glory. She reminds Natasha of the wet dog she dragged out from behind the dumpster a few years ago.
"Hm.. I think you just pulled a muscle. Likely from swinging that bat around with one arm. Practice using the other arm in the meantime and you should be just fine," the doctor explains, carefully moving Stelle’s arm around. Full range of motion, no pausing or pulling her arm back… yes, she's fine. Natasha is relieved, though she's confused with this new behaviour. I suppose it's not the first time she's done whatever she can to get my attention.
"A-are you sure?" Stelle frowns, blinking slowly at the darker-haired woman. She doesn't want her to stop paying attention to her so soon.
"Yes, I'm positive," Natasha nods, patting her patient's arm. "Do you get pain in this shoulder often?"
"Hm..? Oh! Yes, it's always a little achy… that's probably why just a pulled muscle hurt so bad… heheh," she chuckles, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry." She probably shouldn't have done this, but she was kind of bored and she really wanted Natasha to dote on her like she did when she first arrived in the underworld. It's crazy to think she hasn't gotten much attention from the doctor since then, and now the underworlders are free to go to the overworld. A Lot of time has passed, but a serious lack of kisses and attention made it pass by quite slowly.
"It's alright. Let me treat your burns and scrapes and I'll send you on your way, alright?" Natasha smiles, patting the girl's arm.
"Didn't you have a task you needed me to do for you?" Stelle asks quickly, staring at the doctor with big, shimmering eyes. She really hopes she needs something done around the clinic, so that she can spend even more time with her. Perhaps Natasha will even invite her for a warm drink.
"Yes… I'll tell you about it later, alright?"
"Okay." Stelle sits back in the chair.
__________
This is the second time she's using this plan, but the trailblazer can't come up with a better plan. A desperate grab for Natasha's gentle attention is better than no attention at all, right? Stelle didn't mean to sprain her ankle in that last fight—just a few scrapes and bruises, like last time—but it's okay because now the kind underworld doctor will fix her ankle and she will give her the attention she's craving. The limp she's gained certainly makes everything more believable as well. It's a win-win situation, though her ankle is starting to make her tear up. No no… Stelle… you're tougher than that. You want her to take care of you but you can't just cry in front of her like a wimp!
"Oh, dear, what happened?" The grey-haired girl didn't even realise she had opened the door to the clinic until Natasha has scooped her up into her arms. E-eh? What do I do now? She's been swept off her feet by the doctor countless times before, but it's never been literal. Her face is red and this wasn't part of her plan. Of course, Stelle had planned to be taken care of by Natasha, but she hadn’t realizedNatasha would take her limp so seriously. Stelle also did not think the doctor was strong enough to pick her up—especially not as effortlessly as she has now—but she's been proven very wrong. .
"Uhm-uh-Ah! Got into fight!" Stelle explains hurriedly, wrapping her arms around the doctor's neck.
"I know that," Natasha scoffs, walking over to the chair from a few days ago. "You're never not getting into a fight, my little racoon. I'm asking what happened in that fight. Why are you limping? Where does it hurt?" She explains, gently setting the trailblazer down.
"O-oh… I twisted my ankle." Stelle is too embarrassed to explain how it happened; how she got too excited and fled the scene, and she simply just started running on the wrong foot at the wrong angle. It was still technically an injury she got from a fight—it was just from the aftermath of said fight. In which she was victorious.
"You did? Alright then, let's take a look," Natasha sighs, grabbing Stelle’s shoe and trying to yank it off. Stelle winces, so she lets go. She's not exaggerating this time.. She gently pulls the shoe off the rest of the way. "How did this happen?" The doctor asks, poking at the girl's slightly red ankle.
"O-oh… uhm, I just landed on it wrong," Stelle answers quietly, playing with her hair.
"Is that so?" Natasha knows there's more to the story, but she won't pry it out of the girl. The image of Stelle falling flat on her face is amusing and enough to satisfy her curiosity. "Well, on the bright side, I really don't think it's sprained; it's not very swollen and my gentle touch doesn't seem to hurt… unless it does? You've always been quite tough."
"You can never hurt me…" Stelle whispers, staring up at the doctor. Her eyes are glassy with adoration, and Natasha has to look away. why is she only ever romantic at the worst times? I'm trying to see if your ankle is broken or not, idiot! Natasha would never say any of this out loud—she doesn't want to see Stelle cry; her pouty face is bad enough—but Aeons, sometimes she really wants to.
"Okay," The doctor finally giggles, poking the girl's ankle more firmly. "Does that hurt?"
"Not really."
"Alright, does this hurt?" The grey-haired woman asks, grabbing Stelle's foot and turning it slightly.
"Yeah!" The girl jumps, pulling her leg away. She looks to her ankle, then she looks up at the doctor with watery eyes and a pout. "That hurt."
"I-It's a bad twist then—oh, don't look at me like that, dear. You make me feel bad," Natasha sighs, pinching her nose. "I'm just trying to do my job… you're worse than Hook and her tears."
"...is it because you love me a lot?" Stelle questions. Natasha could swear her eyes got bigger as she asked this, and she has to look away again.
"You know I love Hook just as much as I love you—ah, in a different way, of course. It's because you manage to make yourself look even more helpless than a small child." 'Pathetic' is more appropriate here, but she doesn't want to be that mean to the trailblazer. She's a tough girl—she's survived potential death twice, and she's never shown any type of crack in her stone walls she has no doubt put up around herself—but she's incredibly fragile when she wants to be. Natasha can never tell which is more of an act, and which is more the true Stelle.
"Awe… you didn't have to say it like that," Stelle huffs, slumping down into the chair.
The doctor lets out an exasperated sigh, grabbing the girls chin, "if I told you it was cute, would it cheer you up?"
"...can I get a kiss, too?" The trailblazer makes sure her eyes are extra glassy.
"Yes, but just this once," Natasha sighs, pulling her face to the side and planting a kiss on her cheek. "Now be good and sit still. I'll get you some ice, you can sit here while I finish some work." The doctor has gone into the other room by the time Stelle has caught up with reality.
_______
The plan went off without a hitch this time. She hasn't twisted an ankle, she hasn't pulled a muscle and she's not in any real pain! She's bruised, scratched and brain-damaged just barely enough for Natasha to care for her. well… The brain damage isn't really new, and Natasha can't really do anything about it—but that's besides the point!
"Hey, Nat!" Stelle greets, walking into the clinic's propped open doors. There's not many patients today—which is good—so Stelle finds a chair to sit in quickly.
"Er.. Hi?" Natasha tilts her head, putting the medical kit she just picked up back on the table. "What are you doing?"
"Coming to you because I got injured again…" Stelle answers simply, giving a small smile.
Natasha picks the medical kit up once more, sighing, "...what happened?"
"Oh… well… after a long, hard day of fighting I noticed I got scratched up…" Stelle makes sure to emphasize how hard she worked, batting her eyelashes. "It stings," She pouts.
"Just… scrapes?" Normally Natasha would never say anything like that; she will never question a patient, no matter how small their injuries are. It could be something big for them, or they could have a really low pain tolerance, or they could just be nervous about infection or something, or it could be something else. Either way, Natasha will never be anything but understanding with patients, no matter how severe their ailments are. She doesn't want to discourage people from seeking medical help, and she doesn't want to make patients feel unsafe.
But she's had a hard few days, she hasn't gotten proper sleep in over a week and she knows the Trailblazer is much tougher than this. She does not have the patience for her antics today.
"Yeah… but they really sting," Stelle sniffles, looking up with big, watery eyes. It seems like Stelle had a different personality everyday—it was honestly very confusing for the doctor—and today she's decided on 'pathetic'. Tomorrow it might be 'aloof', or perhaps it will be 'hothead' or 'pessimist' or maybe even 'silly'. Natasha doesn't know, she can't guess, but she doesn't care.
Well, she does care. She cares about the trailblazer a lot, she can never sleep whenever something happens to her—which is annoying, because things happen to her often—and she always trusts Stelle more than anyone else to get the job done. She does care, but she just doesn't have the time nor energy to care about what personality Stelle may have tomorrow. Even if the girl is much more cute than she is annoying tomorrow.
"You're aware this is the third time you've come to the clinic moments before closing with a non-emergency, correct?" The doctor asks, eerily calm. The tone in the normally soothing woman's voice sends a chill straight through Stelle.
Suddenly she can't move, as though she's been pinned down the now piercing red gaze of the doctor. That gaze that is normally so soft and tender, the soft look that can cure any ache or pain. What happened to it?
I've really pissed her off now… If Stelle was a dog she would have quickly rolled onto her back so perhaps the doctor would take pity on her, but she's not a dog and she doubts the sleep deprived woman is in the mood to take pity on her.
"Y-yeah…" the trailblazer nods, shrinking in on herself. I fucked up.
"Mhm? And you… just want me to take care of minor scrapes and bruises?"
"S-some burns, too…"
Natasha sighs, opening the medical kit, "I'm starting to think this is all just some new scheme to make me pay attention to you."
"I-if it is…?" Stelle dares to ask, clenching her hands together.
"Then I'd have to teach you a lesson," the doctor states calmly, putting a hand on Stelle’s shoulder and leaning forward. "A hard lesson."
Stelle perks up, a blush rising to her cheeks. A hard lesson…? I didn't know Nat was trans… guess I've gotta go buy some condoms now…
The trailblazer grins, "E-eheh… a lesson about what?"
"A lesson about wasting a busy doctor's time."
"Is that what you think I'm doing?" Stelle gives an exaggerated pout.
"I… no," Natasha sighs, face softening. "I don't… I didn't mean it quite like that," she frowns. Stelle thinks the expression is so beautiful. She wants to kiss the kind doctor's smile away, but she also wants to revel in the beautiful expression. The way her usually very tired eyes water just a bit, the way her red, plump lips turn down ever so slightly, the way her slight wrinkles become more visible. It is so beautiful.
"You know I love you, Stelle… but you can't keep doing this for attention. There's other, less obnoxious ways to ask." Nastasha mistakes the enamoured look for Stelle actually listening and paying attention.
"I was just teasing you, Nat-nat. Don't worry!" Stelle smiles cheerily, hopping out of the chair. She's noticed her scrapes don't sting so much, and she's got new bandages on her elbows and knees. so caring… It makes the grey-haired girl giddy.
"Right," the doctor sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. There's a pause, just long enough for the mood to grow awkward, before she speaks again, "now get out of here. Sleep well and stay out of trouble," she says sternly, making a shooing motion with her hands.
"See you tomorrow!" Stelle says cheerily, planting a quick kiss on the woman's cheek before skipping out the door.
"That girl," Natasha mumbles to herself, wiping chapstick off her cheek.
_______
So Stelle returns the very next day.
It's the same song and dance as yesterday; she's gotten into enough fights for her skin to just barely sting but she's going to the doctors anyway. This time she's got a box of condoms in her pocket as well. I wonder if Nat will praise me for being safe.. I hope she does.
"What is it?" Natasha's normally smooth, quiet and kind voice has turned razor sharp. A voice that could easily lull Stelle asleep, a voice that normally felt like an all-encompassing warm hug now felt like a blade being held up to her neck. A blade coated in venom. She's not ashamed to say it's incredibly hot.
"I came for my… lesson," the trailblazer winks, skipping over to her regular seat.
"Right," the doctor states, a terrifying smile gracing her features. "Let's get started then."
Stelle was sure she was going to get laid tonight.
Stelle does not get laid, instead she is treated by the doctor. The normally patient doctor has apparently lost all of her patience. Natasha harshly rubs and rubs against the scrapes until the alcohol wipe is bright red—and there is no sign of dirt anywhere. The doctor expertly ignores Stelle's crying until she's wailing and pulling her arm away, and the doctor's claws are no longer enough to keep the trailblazer in place.
Natasha was only able to actually handle her own cruelty for one scrape, but Stelle's tears made it feel like it was 3. The doctor can't tell if they feel guilty or not. She hated seeing the trailblazer cry—something that hasn't actually happened until now—but she's happy to know the girl will probably never do this again.
"I'm sorry, my little racoon. But I had to do it," The doctor sighs, reaching up and gently taking the girl’s chin.
"Wh-why? What did I do to deserve that?" Stelle pouts.
"Don't---don't look at me like that?!" The girl’s tears could almost make Natasha blush.. She expected her to be tougher than this. She didn't even shed a tear when Svarog punched her in the stomach hard enough to make her cough blood. what's… different now? The trailblazer keeps staring up at her with watery eyes.
"I .. that was your lesson? I even warned you about it… I even gave you four strikes. I love you, Stelle, I really do, but I can't have you essentially faking injury to get my attention," Natasha sighs, kissing the grey-haired girl's tears away.
"Wait, that was my lesson?" Stelle pouts. The doctor nods. "Bummer! I thought it was sex. I wouldn't have come if I knew you were going to be so angry with me!"
"You thought it was what?" the grey-haired woman deadpans, giving the girl a death glare.
"I thought it was going to be sex! Honest. I even brought condoms."
"Condoms?"
"W-well… you said hard!" Stelle throws her hands up, as if she's the logical one in this situation.
"Oh my Aeons," the grey-haired woman groans, throwing herself into a chair. "Stelle, I am a cisgender woman."
"A-are you offended?"
"No, I don't care if you think I'm trans. I'm just… flabbergasted that you took the word hard that way," the doctor sighs. I suppose I should have seen it coming.. she thinks everything I say is flirty… or she hopes, at least.
"It's not my fault! You're really pretty."
"You're so stupid sometimes, Stelle," Natasha groans, standing up once again. She grabs the trailblazers arm, pulling her out of the chair.
"Isn't it part of my charm?" Stelle asks, smirking.
"Yes, it is. Unfortunately," the doctor sighs, pulling Stelle out the clinic doors.
"Where are we going?"
"My apartment."
"So… I am getting laid?"
Natasha doesn't answer, she just walks faster. Stelle is equal parts excited and terrified.