Work Text:
Stitches
Well, this day was going badly.
Chevreuse had begun the morning with her usual cup of tea, which she always drank with a light novel on the couch. Her apartment had large windows, and she rarely used the lights unless it was dark outside, so she sat bathed in natural light and read. It was the perfect way to begin every day.
It was reasonable to expect that something begun well would continue to go well, as long as Chevreuse kept the same mood throughout. If she picked up a bit of the sunrise’s brightness, she could carry it until she fell asleep. Shouldn’t she be able to do that? She usually could.
Unfortunately, it was hard to keep up a bright mood when clutching her side in an attempt to slow the blood loss.
Chevreuse fell against the wall behind her, the cold stones jutting into her back. Even while growing increasingly dizzy she knew what to do – it was muscle memory. Working quickly, she tore a strip from her uniform and wrapped it tightly around her middle. The uniform was already ruined from the stab wound anyway.
Chevreuse hadn’t let down her guard – she never did, not even in those peaceful mornings when she was all alone. But while she confronted one enemy, another had ambushed her from the shadows with a knife. Now she slumped against a building, out of sight. This is what you get for going on a mission alone, Chevreuse, scolded a voice in her head. It sounded an awful lot like Chiori.
Chevreuse heard the sound of a footfall and jumped to attention, her side sharply protesting. She was unable to use her rifle without letting go of her wound so she raised her hand gun instead. If need be she could release the pressure for a moment to reach for her knife, but for now the small gun would have to do.
One of the men from before leapt at her, weapon in hand just as before. The same trick wouldn’t work twice. Chevreuse had been tasked with detaining a group of criminals who had violated their parole and escaped the Guarde’s watch. Now that they were charged not only with armed robbery but also attempted murder of an officer, Chevreuse had no qualms against shooting him in the chest.
Chevreuse dodged his body as it fell, breathing hard. She had already shot the other one, so hopefully there weren’t any more. She was in bad shape, and she didn’t know how much more she could handle. Even now black spots were filling her vision.
Chevreuse pulled her makeshift bandage tighter, grunting at the pain. This was bad. The bleeding didn’t seem like it was anywhere near stopping, and Chevreuse was nearly blacking out from the blood loss already.
As Chevreuse’s vision darkened she saw movement and tried to raise her hand gun once more, but it was too heavy and she was so, so tired.
~~~
The smell of Chevreuse’s favorite tea filled the dark room she woke in. The light of sunset filtered in through the familiar windows of her apartment. She could see the light novel she’d been reading sitting nearby, a ribbon marking the place she’d left off that morning.
Chevreuse blinked and suddenly the lamp on the coffee table was lit, blinding her with its warm glow. Behind it was a figure, and as she drew closer Chevreuse could see it was Chiori.
“I heard you’ve taken seven missions this week,” Chiori said in a flat voice, as if remarking on the weather. Chevreuse winced, knowing exactly what lecture was coming. Chiori’s fierce marcotte-hued eyes fixed on her, and though she exuded an aura of intimidation, Chevreuse was always unaffected. She didn’t know if it was because she’d seen Chiori’s delighted smile just as often, or just because of the trust she placed in the other woman.
“Chevreuse. It is the second day of the week. Seven missions in two days is too much, even for you.” Chiori settled on the floor next to the couch where Chevreuse lay. “And I know you’ve been running on caffeine rather than sleep. I won’t allow it any longer.”
Chevreuse rolled her eyes. “Bold of you to assume you can ‘allow’ me to do anything.” She was surprised at the raspiness of her own voice. She sounded incredibly pathetic.
Chiori quirked a dark, perfectly shaped eyebrow. It was truly unfair that even her eyebrows were pretty. How was that even possible? Chevreuse wondered if she was delirious due to the blood loss.
Oh! The wound! She glanced down, seeing a blanket and, underneath it, a clean gray shirt of soft fabric. It was one Chiori had gifted to her, made of Inazuman silk. Chevreuse started to move her arms but Chiori grabbed them. “Oi, be gentle with the injured person!” Chevreuse complained.
Chiori’s gaze intensified, though no other part of her severe expression shifted. “Exactly. You were injured.”
“Hazards to being a Special Patrol officer,” Chevreuse said, knowing it was definitely the wrong thing to say and saying it anyway. She was most certainly delirious.
Chiori stood up suddenly. She didn’t respond, just walked back to the coffee table and grabbed something. She returned with, ominously, a sewing kit.
“Are you seriously mad I messed up my uniform? I have multiple of that same outfit, what-” Chevreuse’s eyes went very wide as Chiori pushed up the gray silk enough to expose the bandage she’d apparently put around Chevreuse’s wound. “You do know there’s a difference between medical stitching and clothing stitching, right?”
Chiori met Chevreuse’s gaze, looking coldly uninterested in the topic of basic first aid. She unzipped the sewing kit. Chevreuse reached for it, trying to bat it out of her hand at the very least. “Don’t move,” Chiori said menacingly.
Chiori slowly removed from the bag… a roll of medical thread. Chevreuse breathed a sigh of relief. “You truly believed I would stitch you up like a torn dress?” Chiori asked as she threaded a medical specific needle, thank all the Archons. Chevreuse closed her eyes as Chiori slowly began unwrapping the bandage. “I’ve seen you torture people. I wouldn’t put anything past you when you’re really mad.”
“If I’m angry about you neglecting yourself, why would I hurt you further?” Chiori pointed out. Chevreuse didn’t know how to answer so she didn’t try.
“Open your eyes and eat something,” Chiori commanded.
“I don’t want to open my eyes,” Chevreuse said. “Why don’t you feed me yourself?”
Chiori sighed, but to Chevreuse’s surprise she did tear a piece of bread from the slice she held. “Don’t get used to this,” she reminded Chevreuse as she held another piece to her patient’s lips.
“I’ll try not to,” Chevreuse said. When Chiori held up a pain-numbing pill to her lips instead of more bread, she remembered what was happening. She swallowed it and braced herself.
“I couldn’t do this while you were asleep, but I was able to stop the bleeding for a while,” Chiori said as she began her work. Even with the painkiller it hurt like Elynas’s teeth. Chevreuse realized Chiori was trying to distract her from the sensation of the needle going in and out of her skin.
Chiori gave a few attempts at conversation, but Chevreuse couldn’t figure out how to reply. “Tell me about your light novel,” Chiori said finally.
Chevreuse was at last able to think about something other than the pain (other than Chiori’s hands, at least, which were not doing quite as good a job of being distracting as usual). She explained the plot and the characters, knowing Chiori probably wouldn’t read it herself anyway. Though she herself was from Inazuma, she wasn’t a huge fan of her nation’s novels.
By the time she finished talking about her predictions for what would happen next, the steady rhythm of the needle’s pain had stopped. Chevreuse slowly opened her eyes. Chiori was tucking the medical supplies carefully back into their bag. When she noticed Chevreuse’s gaze she offered one of those soft smiles she hardly ever showed anyone else.
When Chevreuse glanced down at the newly stitched wound her eyes widened. “You’re better at that than the Gardes' medics!”
Chiori shrugged. “It is only a slight bit different from my official job. And I don’t mind, if it’s for you.” Chevreuse smiled back.
Maybe this day hadn’t gone so badly after all.