Nursemaid

Aizawa/Els

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Aizawa Shota was more tired than usual.

That seemed to sum up the extent of his wounds; if he was barely able to drag himself back home he knew he was badly injured. His patrol had begun quiet, and he had thought maybe he would have an easy run this evening. He had, of course, been wrong. His jumpsuit was torn beyond repair, slashed and ripped, with bloody stains seeped into the dark cloth. He had chosen black well, and in the cover of the night they seemed harmless, like water spots. He wished they were. 

He knew he was bruised in many places but his immediate concern was the trickling warmth down his left side. If left untreated, he would risk infection, and he was simply so tired he didn't have the strength. It took everything he had, but he made it back to his apartment. Aizawa sighed wearily, rubbing at his eyes to try and bring the world back to focus. He thrust his hand in his belt pocket to search for his key, but his girlfriend had heard him fumbling about and opened it for him. 

"Shota!" Elly choked as he stumbled against the doorframe. "Oh, shit. Okay, here. Lean on me." 

He never knew exactly how he got into the bathroom, but he was propped up on the wall when he came to. Somehow he had remained standing, possibly through sheer force of will. His goggles and belt were laid on one side of the sink to be cleaned later. He watched his woman bustle about, her striped tail swishing as she prepped the bath. She ran the water in the tub, tested the temperature and nodded to herself. 

"Stay still," she chided when he would have tried to help undress. "I'm just gonna cut this off you."

"Eh." He let her snip carefully at the cloth, exposing his battered body. 

"There. When you move, it should slide off now. And you're going in the tub, mister." She braced herself and lifted him, pushing with her legs to manage the tremendous feat. He was a solid mass of muscle, and heavy. But he was also still awake, and he utilized the last bit of power he had to step into the steamy bathtub. The water stung at first, but he relaxed when he saw it didn't immediately run bright red.

"Not as bad as I thought," he commented dryly. "Just bad enough." 

"Yeah. They're mostly superficial. I don't think I saw any that needed stitches..." She rummaged around in the cabinet under the sink and came out with a bucket filled with supplies. He laid back and closed his eyes as she began cleaning his face with a soft cloth. "I wanted to wash your hair first and pull it back, but the dried blood here looked uncomfortable." He grunted affirmatively; it had been itchy. 

"Mmn? Oh." He bent at the gentle kiss on his forehead. She had mentioned his hair. Elly used another cloth to wipe it down, checking his scalp for bruises. When she saw nothing she smiled.

"No head injuries, babe." She tied the damp hair back with a strap and he settled back again. 

"Thas' good." His voice was slurred with sleep. "Mmn, Ches, if - if you..." He shook his head. It wasn't anything important, but he had wanted to tell her she was good to him. He frowned. No, that was important.

"You're tired, Sho," she reminded him quietly. "Lay back, don't try to think. Just let me clean you up."

At some point his eyes slipped shut. Her loving hands were on him, soothing his aching body and the water was warm. He drifted off to sleep.

The soft caress of her hands on his face woke him. He blinked slowly, a rare, sweet smile touching his lips. 

"Ches."

"Hey, handsome." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "You're cleaned up. I need to disinfect and bandage you next."

"How long..?"

"Oh," she waved her hand dismissively. "Fifteen minutes or so. A power nap, that's all."

"I already feel better." He stood carefully, watching the pinkish water swirl down the drain. 

"I drained it once." She stepped back as he got out, then sat on the bathing stool she had put out. "No, let me. I want to really get these cleaned." He moved when she told him, lifting arms and legs so she could dab peroxide and wrap his wounds with sterile gauze. As she finished up and was studying a superficial cut on his forehead, he sighed and grasped her wrists lightly. 

"I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, you know." Elly shrugged, but he saw how drained she looked and held tighter. 

"No. I worry you too much, don't I?"

"Sho..."

"I asked for less patrols." He pulled her close and drew her arms around him. "I'll be here on the weekends now."

"Oh, Shota... really? You didn't have to..."

Aizawa shook his head. "I did. I've got you now, and you deserve more time spent with me." He paused, then added sourly, "That is, more time being my lover, less time being my nursemaid." He flexed one arm experimentally, then grinned in approval. "Although you do a good job as nurse."

"You better follow that up, Eraserhead."

He chuckled under his breath. "You know I prefer you in the other role, Ches."

"Thank goodness."