Chapter Text
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petrichor
/ˈpɛtrʌɪkɔː/ noun
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a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.
"other than the petrichor emanating from the rapidly drying grass, there was not a trace of evidence that it had rained at all"
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toji is by no means a secure man. living off of paycheck to paycheck wasn't easy, and it didn't help his case that he had a little gambling habit to the side. no matter how much money he'd lose, he always believed that he'd get lucky the next time. most gamblers quit before they hit big, after all.
blood dripped from his nose, and he fought the urge to sniffle. the liquid was warm, slowly tickling down his face, painting his lips and chin crimson. his side ached, cuts littered his muscular body and his clothes were ripped, yet despite that he was still unphased. he wiped the blood away with the back of his hand before turning away from his pervious target, the thought of his next meal consumed his thoughts. the tears of the heavens rained down on him, helping wash away some of the blood that stuck to his dirty skin.
he raised his head up high and gazed at the dark clouds that concealed the tiny stars, preventing them from litting up the dark sky which increased the somber emotion in his mind even further.
toji trudged through the dark and wet streets, making sure to avoid the eyes of the public by sticking to dark alleyways, but soon he didn't need to worry about that as the area he was entering was one which only criminals inhabited. with a clear destination in mind, his previously sluggish movements turned more confident and quick. he had to reach the clinic to get treated as soon as possible in order to not miss on his sleep. he'd already wasted half of the night trying to track down the sorcerer, and a quarter of the rest getting sliced by said person's annoying cursed ability. it wasn't a difficult fight of course, he'd just been tired from missing meals all day.
speaking of meals, his stomach began growling loudly, making him groan just as loud in annoyance and push his wet hair that infiltrated his vision backwards. he knew that the reason the doctor chose a remote part of the area for his clinic was valid, but he still couldn't help getting annoyed by how much he'd have to walk to reach it.
it still is for the better though. other clinics which are more easily accessible are often filled with gangs and criminals- while the doctor's clinic has 2 patients at most. it's one of the motives which lead him to go there for medical attention, the other being money.
toji and the doctor go way back which means that he allows him to get treated for free, more often than not. he admits he's pretty thankful for the doctor though he's a pretty cruel and mentally ill guy. but a win is a win.
he slammed the door to the small medical centre open, and forced himself inside, ducking his head under as to not hit his forehead against the transom. a common mistake he's done in the past when he wasn't yet used to the small door. he recommended the doctor fix it, but he quickly shut down all suggestions. it annoyed toji to an extent, but it's not something worth getting worked up over so he quickly dropped it too.
"sup, doc." toji greeted, watching as the doctor spun around in his chair with an exasperated expression on his face. his beard was uncared for and he had heavy eyebags sat under his eyes, indicating his endless nights of sleep which he likely spent on experiments. the doctor stood up from his seat, adjusting his white lab coat in the process.
"how many times have i told you to not come in here drenched in blood?" he stated, his voice deep. toji only grinned lazily, not caring for what he had to say. after all, the doctor never did anything about his incompetence other than speak a few short complaints.
"yeah yeah, whatever. treat me already so i can head home. i'm starvin'." toji rolled his eyes before moving to sit on top one of the hospital beds.
the doctor walked up to toji and stood over him, analyzing his injuries. the rain helped wash off some of the blood, which made it easier to see his wounds. his eyes stuck on toji's side, where he looks to have been pierced by something sharp.
"can you explain your injuries to me? anything else you have that i can't see?" he asked, moving to bring out his medical equipments from the cabinet. toji stared at the doctor, who was rather slow with his movements. it's unusual for him to be so laid back, as he usually wants to treat people as efficently and quick as possible in order to return to his lunatic interests immediately. has he finally lost his mind?
"nah, just a few scratches other than the stab wound to my side. can you fix it up quick?"
"i won't."
"huh-?"
"hold on a moment,"
"after you said you're not treating me? are you gonna elaborate, damn doctor? i'm bleeding out over here."
silence came from the doctor, who then went inside another room, leaving toji on the hospital bed and the equipment he previously pulled out on the table. the widowed man sat up, hissing in pain from his injury. the adrenaline had passed, and all there was left were aching muscles and pain.
the doctor has surely reached the epitone of insanity sooner than toji thought.
he groaned, pressing a hand against the wound on his side. if only he hadn't spent all his money gambling today, he would've had enough to eat for at least 3 days. maybe he should be more responsible with his money, but he knew that no matter what he'd go crawling back to his hobby at the end of the day.
toji glared at the door, feeling annoyance and irritation overtake his previous regretful and confused state. if it weren't for his enhanced senses, he wouldn't have been able to hear the hushed voices of two people, one being the doctor and the other an unfamiliar girl, and he decided to wait. he didn't have anywhere else to go after all and the doctor had no reason not to treat him or to stay hidden in his room.
unless he was more insane than he thought and he would wait in there until toji bled out...
the thought was quickly discarded when the doctor exit the room and dragged what seems to be the same girl he was speaking with earlier after him. he couldn't see her clearly, as she was walking behind the man.
the doctor pushed her in front of toji and pointed at him, "he is harmless. you must overcome your fears if you want to stay here."
the short girl, or woman? he couldn't tell, and he was too tired to decipher anything in his brain, the puddle of blood that was forming in the mattress proof that he would pass out soon. she had (color) hair that was put in a messy braid and pushed over her shoulder, small strands of her hair framed her face nicely. her (color) eyes were wide, and she gulped before nodding and approaching toji.
"p-please... lie back down," she stuttered, feeling fear and anxiety overtake her. the girls heart felt like it would beat out of her chest at any given moment, and toji's glaring eyes didn't help her case.
the doctor went back to his seat and watched the girl from the corner of his eyes, analyzing her.
"eh? who's this twig you brought over? is she meant to know how to treat wounds?" toji spat, not trusting her one bit which made her flinch in surprise.
"she's my apprentice. i appointed her yesterday so she's new to this."
"and you expect me to trust some new girl to treat me? i was stabbed; if you couldn't tell."
"don't be so difficult. she's not a normal girl."
he glanced back at her, and furrowed his eyebrows, feeling a familiar feeling overtake him. had he met her before?
"y/n. don't listen to him and just treat him." the doctor said, taking a cigarette out of his pocket before litting it.
the said girl, y/n, nodded in hesitation before placing her cold hands on top of toji's muscular chest. "please, lie back down and don't strain yourself by speaking any further..." she stated with an evident lack of confidence in her voice.
toji was too tired to resist any further, and immediately fell back on the bed, another groan left his parted his lips at the ache from the sudden movement. y/n gulped once more, before peeling his dark shirt up and over his stomach to reveal the wound.
it wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. it still bled a lot, meaning that it was most likely a deep wound. it was difficult to see with how much blood poured from it. she felt herself grow nervous from the eyes watching her, being toji and the doctor who both didn't care to hide their staring.
her gentle hands hovered over the wound, and she slowly began healing him. toji's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of his wound stitching itself back together, before he glanced back up at y/n's focused face.
after a minute the wound was healed, and he felt his other scratches also being healed. a cold, but soothing hand was pressed against his toned stomach, and his shirt was pulled back down.
she jumped back and watched as toji stood up, looking down at his previously injured body before touching his side. no injury and although the previous blood was still there, it didn't hurt. a smirk formed in his face as he glanced at the doctor who began approaching the two.
"so you finally caught yourself a reverse curse user, huh? where did you steal her from?"
"i didn't steal her. i found her alone."
"haha. you speak as if she's an animal you picked up off the street," toji commented and moved his eyes back to the girl. her head was lowered and she was gripping her skirt tightly until her knuckles turned white. it was obvious how scared she was of him, and the doctors sudden hold on her shoulder seemed to frighten her even further, though she calmed down when she realized who it was.
"she's part of the kojima clan."
"ahhh... that explains it."
"she's good, yes? do you think i should keep her?" the doctor asked, his grip on the girl's shoulder tightening. toji shrugged, stretching his tense muscles. "do what you want. i won't visit the clinic if it fills up after news spread of her ability, though."
"are you stating that as if i should be regretful? i'll be overjoyed if the man who dirties my clinic all the time stops his weekly visits." the doctor rolled his eyes, inhaling the smoke from his cigarette.
the girl couldn't look up from her dirty shoes, feeling intimidated by the man standing in front of her who was casually conversing with the doctor. his presence was huge and terrifying, reminding her of the intimidation and fear she once underwent. she felt her hands shake, and tried to conceal it by holding her skirt for dear life. the tight hold on her shoulder from the doctor was weirdly reassuring, as painful as it was. he had no regard for his strength and how he treated her, while his words often contrasted with it.
it confused her a little, but she decided that his words mattered more and he might just be a strong person with no care for how he handled it. in spite of everything, he still had a strange way to word his sentences.
the doctor put his free and bigger hand on her cheeks, lifting her head up to face toji who was staring her down with an unreadable expression. she fought the urge to gulp and tried to hold the eyecontact.
"his name is toji. he's a frequent visitor of mine, so be sure to remember him. i want you to handle treating him from now on." the doctor spoke, voice not as clear as a moment ago because of the cigarette between his lips. the girl tried not to cough at the smoke and nodded her head against his hold.
the doctor moved back to his chair, and toji turned around to leave, not seeing the point in entertaining the doctor's apprentice any further. he exit the clinic, feeling y/n's eyes on his back until the door shut after him.
after hearing of the last name, kojima, toji finally realized why she was familiar to him at first.
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