Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Midoriya squinted at the phone beside his bed. It screamed and danced on the small lamp-stand. "...Th' ... emergency alarm?" After processing what that meant, he rolled out of bed and had his clothes on within the minute.

His slippers were drenched the moment he stepped outside the apartment. Sheets upon sheets of rain hurried to soak his every fiber of being. It was cold. Colder than the thin jacket could handle.

The young man's feet splashed through puddles until he entered the car. He fumbled around in his pockets for the keys and started the vehicle. He was out of the gated community and onto the streets within seconds. Even with the windshield wipers at full speed, darkness and wet obscured his vision. He nearly ran over a racing rabbit, but dodged it the last second. A true miracle. The animal thanked him with its silent stare.

His phone rung again. When Midoriya was no longer swerving, he answered the call and put it on speaker. "What's the situation?"

""There are two, actually."" The night shift lead informed. ""Dr. Dani is running late, so you need to choose which patient you're taking.""

"Okay?? And who are they?"

""One is the eldest son of Enji Todoroki; Endeavor. He specifically requested you, since the boy burnt himself and an entire forest down to a crisp. His vitals are faint and quickly fading. We're not sure if there's even a way to save him.""

Midoriya took the time to look both ways before continuing past the stop sign. "And the other?"

""Is All Might."" The doctor flinched and almost slammed on his breaks. His face went pale. ""Or, at least.. we think it is. He wasn't on duty, when suddenly, witnesses say he rushed to stop a common thief. Things quickly spiraled out of control, however. Four city blocks were decimated. No one has been able to reach All Might since. A body matching his size and build was found among the wreckage, but it is in too poor condition to confirm their identity. Blood has already been sent in for testing, but the results won't return for another four hours.""

As Midoriya's car slid into the closest parking spot to the entrance, he couldn't remove his hands from the wheel. "...What's the damage..?"

""He.. is also in critical condition. His skull has been crushed. All of his organs have been shifted, many punctured, and he has some serious internal bleeding. On top of that, his body is littered with gashes. It's a miracle his heart hasn't stopped beating already."" That sure sounds like the All Might he knows and loves.

Midoriya's joints were stiff. Though he was trying to be calm under such great pressure, the strain of it all was getting to him. "Okay, so, which one of the two has a better chance of surviving??"

""...It's hard to say.""

The young man breathed in and out slowly, finally prying his hands from the steering wheel. He didn't say anything. He didn't even hang up. He left his phone in the car, taking only the keys with him.

Inside, one of the nurses gave him a towel and more details on the two patients' vitals. Midoriya listened intently, his eyes set on the path ahead as he got into the zone.

He thought he was prepared to make a decision...until he entered the room. Before him were the two patients in question. The brutality of their wounds buried in blankets and attached to life supporters. One little boy burnt so badly it was a wonder he was still alive. Another man so terribly crushed and bloodied it was also a wonder he'd survived this long. After examining the two patients' most severe injuries closely, Midoriya held the little boy's hand in both of his own.

'Come onn.. What would All Might want?' Midoriya thought as he held the kid's hand a little tighter. The heartbeat was faint..but distinct. Like his blood was dancing inside. A very slow, graceful dance. 'Without a doubt, he'd want me to save the boy...but...' The doctor's teary eyes landed on the bloody mess on the other table.

This boy's life was precious, but... he wasn't All Might.

Dr. Midoriya gently set the burnt hand down and turned to the larger patient. "Get All Might to Emergency Room #1. I need a staff of at least six and four bots."

"Yes sir!"

-----

It was a long, gratuitous struggle for the patient's life. After two hours of painstakingly attaching him to machines just to keep him alive, Midoriya received a report that the other doctor had failed to perform the miracle. Endeavor's eldest had died.

His eyes never left the patient for a moment. He bit his lip and continued on this fight against death. There was no going back now.

Four hours into the surgery, the doctor received a tap on the shoulder. "The DNA results are in..." Someone mumbled into his ear. "This isn't All Might."

Midoriya's hands never faltered, but his legs did shake. He held his breath for an uncomfortably long time. He saw the signs throughout the surgery that this wasn't the All Might he always looked up to and admired growing up. The skin was of a different tone and texture, the musculature of a different shape, and this guy had strange divots in his palms. But, for the past hours, he kept lying to himself, saying this must be him. It simply must.... But, he was wrong.

Finally breathing, "I don't care who this is," he uttered under his breath, "I'm saving his life."

Nine more hours, he spent in that room. Nurses and assisting doctors were swapped out or took breaks, but never him. No one could pull him away. He stayed through it all to ensure this life was stable.

Because he knew if this man died, he would regret his decision for the rest of his life.

. . .

For thirteen hours straight, Dr. Midoriya fought for this stranger's life.

. . .

"Aaaaand, his vitals are stable!" One of the nurses announced.

Midoriya double checked just to be sure, then looked up from the patient at last. His feet, legs, hips, spine, neck, elbows, and wrists were all in hellish agony. He hazily turned from the operation table, a mix of overwhelming relief and grief hitting him at once. The anxiety and stress, as well as mild humiliation for worrying his staff so much. "That's.. great." He started to walk away, but ended up tripping over his own foot and falling on the floor instead.

"D-- Dr. Midoriya!!" The young man had fainted. But, he was okay.

.

.

.

| One Year Later |

.

.

.

"Aaalright, that's all for the examination!" Smiling, the young doctor leaned his back against the wall and started scribbling away in his clipboard. "I'd say you're more than ready to get back into hero work again! Some tests came out better than before your injury, actually!"

Uravity slid off of the little table and turned around to straighten the sheet of paper. Though scars wrapped her left shoulder, the woman was stronger than ever, which is really saying something. The doctor could tell she put a lot of effort into her recovery. "...Well, actually.. I'm not really sure I want to continue being a hero..." Her eyes were on the ground. The forced smile couldn't hide the gloomy, depressed state of her soul.

"Huh???" Midoriya hopped. "Wh-why not?! You placed twelfth on the hero charts before your accident! I'm sure you can surpass even that now if you keep going!"

Uravity rubbed the back of her neck, still staring down. "I...really only became a hero for the money..." She sighed. "..I just don't think it's worth it to continue." Her mind seemed pretty made-up, so the young man forced himself not to argue.

"...I understand. You've been through a lot with the injury and all. Keep resting as long as you like. But don't give up!" Midoriya made a big, All Might-like smile to flash at the girl. Uravity glanced up at the perfect time to see it. She spat out a laugh. His face returning to normal, "On a different note, why did you request me for your checkup over your usual doctor?" Inside, he was panicking. 'Did a girl actually take interest in me??? Is that even possible???'

"Oh, yeah!" Smiling now, the young woman scratched through her hair, grinning nervously. "I wanted to ask you something, actually."

His cheeks were turning pink. 'Gosh her smile's so cute! Wait, what should I say if she asks me out?? Oh no! My schedule is so packed I couldn't even fit in a little coffee date this whole year!! Wait no she would never ask me of all people out!.. BUT WHAT IF SHE DOES!?'

"Soooo, I was wondering why-"

"Orrysay, utbay iyay on'tday avehay anyyay eefray imetay!"

"What?"

"Aaaa!" Midoriya hid his face behind the clipboard. "...ignore me please..."

"Umm... Okay? So, when I woke up from surgery last year, I saw a notebook left beside my bed and later found out it was yours... I've been worried this whole time my quirk played a large part in my injury, since you had so many detailed notes written down about it in there. But, no other doctor would tell me how my quirk could play into a physical injury like that."

"Wait, you read that?!" Now Midoriya was red for a whole nother reason.

"Was I not supposed to?"

"N-n-n-n-no, I- I mean technically it's fine! I must have been so tired I forgot I left it there though. It's kind of personal."

"So it doesn't have anything to do with my injury?"

"No! Not at all!" The doctor laughed. "I-it's just a hobby of mine! Don't have a quirk of my own, so I am easily fascinated by the quirks of others!"

"Ah.. okay, cool." A little skeptical but understanding at the same time, the young woman opened the door and stepped through to leave. She waved casually. "Thank you."

"M-my pleasure!"

Click.

Once she was gone, Midoriya fell against the wall with a sigh and fanned his face with the clipboard. It really wasn't hard to embarrass himself, was it? Especially in front of women.

-----

After giving himself a moment to calm down, Dr. Midoriya rejoined the world. He made his rounds around the hospital, visiting patients both young and old to check-up on how they were feeling and do little tasks for anyone who needed a little help. He basically lived here. This was his home. Most the staff and patients knew him like family.

In his wandering, Midoriya came upon the front desk. There, the one receptionist was far busier than himself. She was busy with both stations, since the other receptionist was having a break. Apparently, even a slow day could be quite busy for some people. A phone rang near the doctor. Since the receptionist was on a phone call already, simultaneously doing paperwork, Midoriya put on a smile and picked up the phone, using his customer service voice right away. "This is the H.E.H. How may we help you?"

""Yes, hello?"" The caller sounded young. He couldn't take himself seriously, clearly, since he stopped to giggle with a few of his friends in the background. ""This is for the, uh, diversity and inclusion program. Yeah! We need to speak to your closest female client.""

Midoriya's brow lifted. "You do, huh?"

""Yeah-h!"" It was obvious there were at least three middle-school aged boys giggling on the other end. ""Please.""

"Oh well alright then." The doctor set the phone on the counter for a moment and tapped at his neck. He picked the phone up and continued the call, this time with a shockingly convincing female voice. "This is Nurse Trudy~" Now he was having a hard time not laughing at this.

The boys on the other end fumbled around with their giggling and attempt at words, making it painfully obvious this was just a prank call. The main one made his voice as deep as it could go, which wasn't by much. ""Hey baby~ my friend over here's.."" pause for a another wheeze, ""fallen I'll with love-sick fever~ Mind coming on over here and giving him some.. special medicine~""

Midoriya sighed, his voice dropping to normal again. "Alright, that's it, you boys are sick in the head." Panicked shrieks and laughter erupted from the phone before they hung up. The doctor rubbed his face, chuckling one final time.

----------

Since there was nothing left to be done, the doctor returned to his office. Not his old one. No, that had become more and more of a storage room until he had to leave. His new office was far less professional than that.

Beep...beep...beep...

He'd grown numb to that noise a long time ago.

Despite the pushing from his peers to move the patient to another hospital, Dr. Midoriya wasn't willing to take such a risk. The faceless man had been in a coma since his surgery. Despite Midoriya's best efforts to stabilize him, he still needed help from machines to keep living. It was getting to the point that the staff was beginning to question whether they should pull the plug or not; let him pass on peacefully. There was no way to tell if the man was even conscious or not, so many argued he was a sitting meat bag wasting so much of their money and resources. Again, the young man fought diligently for this stranger's life, keeping his patient alive for as long as possible.

"Hope you've been fairing well." Midoriya sighed while entering. He slid off his coat and hung it over the corner of the hospital bed. "Seems the nurses adjusted you since I was last in here. That's good. Wouldn't want you getting bed sores and rotting away on me." The chuckle that followed was a hollow one. It was a depressing sight; a man with no eyes nor nose -- even his ears were hardly nothing; nobody knew for sure whether they worked or not -- all the devices keeping him alive cluttering a little less than half the room. His own desk, computer, and filing cabinets cluttered what was left of the space.

Midoriya sat down at his desk and tipped his chair back until it leaned on the bed's footboard. He wove his fingers together, hands bracing behind his neck, and stared up at the ceiling for a little while.

That smile he'd been wearing all day was gone. He was so tired. Tired of everything.

"Giving up on heroism just because of some stupid accident." The young man mumbled, a hint of attitude. "What do you mean, 'it's not worth the money?' Being a hero was never about the money!" Both his hands slapped and held his face. With them, he concealed his anger best he could. Anger which quickly turned to sadness, as it became harder for him to breathe. "She's so lucky to have a quirk. She's so lucky to be a hero! I would kill for the chance to be a hero, and yet there are people like her out there who see it as nothing more than a job!" He rubbed away the tears. Every heartbeat ached in his chest.

Beep...beep...beep...

The one consistent sound in the room, the heart monitor, eventually calmed him down. He sniffed, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "That's right... I'm a hero in my own way." He loved knowing he had the chance to save people every day, but.. guess it just wasn't the same rush he was looking for as a kid.

The doctor sat up and turned his PC on and checked his emails. Eventually, somehow, he ended up scrolling through news articles about heroes. There were a dozen or so different sites and forums he'd drift to in his downtime. He ended up clicking on a recent video interview with one of his past patients, Tsukuyomi. Surprisingly, it was about him!

""How does it feel knowing your life is in the hands of such a young doctor, who's quirkless no less?""

""I never really gave it much thought."" The super cool shadow hero answered, his arms and legs crossed.

""How involved is he really in medical procedures? Are the rumors true that he is just the face of the hospital to boost its reputation as an inclusive work environment?""

""He has a good reputation for a reason."" Tsukuyomi, though never the most expressive, was clearly p*ssed by the question. ""He may not be the fastest, since he lacks a healing quirk, but I've never known a doctor who's more skilled and determined than he is. While I was recovering there, I talked with some of the others, and we all agree: the man never gives up on his patients, even in the bleakest of moments. He reminds us every day that our lives are worth fighting for too. I owe that man my life and I'd wish for those rumors about him to cease."" To say his heart was touched by that was an understatement. The doctor clutched his shirt, tears rolling down his cheeks once more.

There was a lot of negative stuff rolling around on the internet, especially about Endeavor's lost son, so it was nice to occasionally see the small flakes of gold.

"I never did finish Tsukuyomi's section, did I?" Wiping his tears aside, Midoriya opened a filing drawer beside him and grabbed one of the many journals hiding beneath the files. He set to researching more about this Jet-black hero and writing down as many details down about his quirk's function and how the hero uses it to his advantages, at the end adding a decently sized section on how to most easily take advantage of the hero and his weaknesses.

Guess this hobby of his was a little creepy, now that he thought about it. He never meant it that way, and he never shared this information with anyone else. He just...liked heroes. Something about writing this stuff down made him feel closer to them.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Midoriya turned at once to the door. He slammed his journal shut just in time; the door was opened by a staff member. Another stood behind him, both panicking. "Someone was just hit by a car outside our hospital!"

"What!?" The doctor jutted to his feet. "Where are they?!"

A few moments later, Midoriya ran out the front doors of the building in time to see someone being carried out of the back of a car and onto a stretcher. The driver of the vehicle recognized and stumbled toward the doctor, grabbing fist fulls of his lab coat. "I'm sorry to bring him here, but this was the closest hospital and I don't know how much time this man has left!"

Grabbing the driver's hands, Midoriya calmly pried them off his garb. "It's okay. I'll take good care of him."

With tears in his eyes, the driver thanked him.

----------

The patient in question's bright blond hair was soaked in blood. His skull'd been fractured in several places, and his hip bone was likewise shattered. The surgery to fix all these problems was a fairly simple one, though -- at least compared to some previous cases of his -- but it did take the doctor and his team a good four hours before the operation could be deemed a success.

Tired and a little bit jittery from stress and lack of food, Dr. Midoriya exited the operating room while his staff gave the good report. He walked slowly until coming upon a vending machine near the waiting room. There, he used his card to buy a couple snacks and a bottle of water.

A gravely, irritated voice barked down the hall. "Are you the doctor who just operated on scar-face?!... Deku!?"

Midoriya jumped, shocked to see none other than the explosion hero, Dynamight, stomping his way. "K-kachan??"

"It's Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight to you!"

"Sorry-sorry!" The doctor bowed. "Y-yes! I believe my patient had a scar on his forehead." He would have many more around his head when the wounds healed.

"Let me see him."

"Wh-what!?"

"That man's a villain!" The hero grabbed a fist full of the doctor's garb, yanking him closer. "Let me interrogate him!!"

"He's not even awake yet!"

"Then I'll wake him up!" Pushing past the doctor, mr spiky blond was shocked when the shorter one actually pushed back.

"That's not how it works!" Midoriya shoved him back. After taking a moment to breathe and calm down, the doctor glared up at the hero through his hair. "You may be the Number Two hero right now, but this is a hospital. You don't have authority here like you do everywhere else. Now, please, let my patient rest. He wouldn't be of any use to you with how sedated he is right now."

The hero glared. A very iconic grimace the young doctor was unfortunately all too familiar with. Though he wasn't being physically pushy anymore, it didn't look like the blond had any plans to back-down either. He growled, "That man is, according to several key witnesses, the same thief All Might was chasing before he went missing... You're suspicious enough saving some creepy-a** old man over Endeavor's son.. Don't tell me you're going to defend that trash too..."

"Kachan-"

"IT'S-!"

"I KNOW!" The hero stumbled half a step back. He wasn't used to this brat talking back to him, ever. Even more suspicious. "You can come back in four days. The patient should be conscious by then. But don't be rough with him. He suffered from a severe concussion and will need time to think." Offering a faint smile, he stretched out his hand. "Deal?"

Dynamight slapped the hand away and spun around. "I'll do what I want! It's too late for this anyway. I'm coming back in two days and your patient better be ready!"

Once the hero was gone, Midoriya sighed. Good thing he said four days instead of two. He knew Kachan would half whatever timeframe he was given.

----------

Midoriya ended up sleeping at his desk again and woke with a terrible back ache. After a quick stretch, the young man tiptoed all the way to his most recent patient. It was an early morning, at the crack of dawn, the sun still newly rising. There were hardly anyone else moving around at his hour.

He sat down in a chair beside the man's bed and started to scribble things down on his clipboard and lined paper.

"He looks.. about.. late twenties to.. early thirties..." Mumbling as he spoke. "Has a filling in one tooth, which means there are either legal records of him somewhere now, or the underworld has a dentist now... Deep scar.. splitting his forehead in half vertically... Looks like.. some kind of.. deliberate.. torture method."

"Are you done?" The object of Midoriya's study side-eyed him tiredly, not caring to turn his head.

"Oh! I'm sorry. Didn't know you were awake."

"Haven't been able to go to sleep ever since I woke up about three hours ago... Been watching the sun rise." His eyes shifted back to staring out the window at all the light pink clouds. "...I'm thirty-one years old, I go by Twice in most circles, but you can call me Jin, and yeah the filling's from an underground dentist; I have a nasty habit of eating sweets when stressed. And I'm an avid smoker."

Midoriya scrambled to write all that down before he forgot. "Woah! Why are you telling me all of this??"

"I'd rather tell you... Don't want any d***ed heroes around, especially the explosion b****** chasing me..mmm was that yesterday?"

"Yes, it was."

"D***." The man chuckled, lifting a hand to pick at the bandages around his head. "I'm surprised my mind's this clear."

"A couple of my go-to nurses have healing quirks. It's quite handy in ensuring our patients heal as fast as possible."

"But you're the one who saved me.. right?" The patient side-eyed him again.

"...Yeah. I guess I did." The young man grinned.

"..Ask whatever and I'll try to answer it to the best of my ability... I'm feeling generous today." He returned to staring out the window.

Midoriya debated for a moment what he should ask first.

Leaning forward, the doctor wove his fingers together and placed his elbows on his knees. "Were you there when All Might went missing?"

. . .

"Nevermind. I decided I don't want to answer any questions." Jin attempted to turn over in bed. "Agh!" Greatly regretting it.

Jutting to his feet at once. "Le-let me help you! I just need to get some blankets and-and--" He stopped and focused on the patient who had started to cry. Through the pain and the agony, and the tears streaming down his face, the patient was smiling.

"I'm really...real. Aren't I..?"

"Huh?"

Though his throat was tight, he tried to explain. "M-my quirk... I can make.. copies of myself and others... But, I stopped making copies of myself after we all.. killed each other... N' I was...so lost. I never knew...if I was really me... or just another clone."

Midoriya inched closer, placing one hand on Jin's shoulder and the other on his arm. "Hey.. hey... Take it easy.. Don't strain yourself."

The man's smile was shaking as he fought for breath. "...I'm real..." He repeated, followed by more tears.

"Yes. Yes you are."

"Thank you, Doctor..." Jin's other hand landed on and squeezed Midoriya's, now smiling up at him. "I think I can.. die happy now."

Midoriya's eyes widened. "Wait, what??" The man closed his eyes and slid into a restful sleep. "Jin!" Just to be sure, he checked his pulse, then sighed. "Whew... He's only sleeping. ... Holy WOW!" The young man swiftly spun, standing with his clipboard and pen in hand. "A cloning quirk?! Those are rarer than rare! I'll have to ask him more about it after he wakes up!"

"Oh wow. You're here early, Doctor." The nurse in training poked her head through the door, curiously observing the doctor and his sleeping patient.

Midoriya fumbled with the clipboard in his hands, laughing nervously. "Ahahah! Funny, right?!. Almost like I never left... Are you here for the morning checkup?"

"Yess!" The girl pulled out her box of gadgets from behind the door. "Would you mind helping me move him? Shift lead had to go to the bathroom."

"Oh, of course! I was about to do that, actually! We need to be extra careful of his right hip."

"Yessir!"

----------

"My folks died when I was a teenager..." Midoriya was walking his newest patient around in a wheelchair, the two of them somberly enjoying the small park and gardens outside. "I dropped out of school and started working immediately after that."

"How come?"

"I needed to pay to survive, obviously."

"Right.. sorry."

"...Accidentally ran my motor-bike over a guy one day, thus starting my criminal record... Normal jobs stopped hiring me... I was forced to pick up dirtier and dirtier jobs to make ends meet...until I ended up an official villain." The doctor found a nice shady spot under a tree to stop. He sat in the grass beside Jin. The two placidly watched a few of the children kicking around a ball in the open field between the hospital and the line of trees. The sky was blue, the sun was out, it was a beautiful day.

"Ahhh... I'm real sorry about how your life turned out. I was lucky enough to have a mom who always took care of me."

Jin grumbled, obviously tired, "And your dirt-bag of a father?"

The doctor chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know much about him. He'd send money every now and then, but the older I got, the more I knew he was never coming back... My guess is he had another family overseas and saw my mother and I as just more mouths to feed.."

"Gh, I've always hated parents like that. People like that in general. Why can't they just commit to and be happy with what they have??... Glad to see you didn't inherit any of that." Ah..ahahahah...hah...

"Hey-hey, it's best not to cast blame on anyone or anything you barely understand!" Speaking up for his dad. "It's just my theory, after all. I don't really know what happened on his end, or where he is right now."

"Tsch. I'm beginning to question whether your kind-heartedness is a blessing or a curse... There is an infinite amount of people who will take advantage of that, you know."

Chuckling, "Oh yeah.. I know. . . . I think it's more good than bad. The last thing I want to do is continue the cycle of hate and resentment... I see it all the time; it being passed from one generation to the next like a disease. I hope that I, at the very least, can remove some of that evil from the world by simply choosing not to take my feelings out on someone else and smile instead." Jin covered his mouth, trying and failing to stifle his laughter. "What??"

"You're younger than me, but I feel like I'm talking to an old man!" The patient leaned his head back in laughter.

Midoriya scoffed at the elder. "I don't sound that old, do I!?" After watching and listening to Jin's little giggles and squeaks, he started to laugh as well. "..Guess most of my peers are twice my age and older. That might explain it."

"Yeah, but you're also so wise." Calming down from his laughter, Jin smiled down at the doctor. "You're so young, and yet you've done so much with your life. Meanwhile, I'm..."

The doctor placed his hand on the other's arm. "You have plenty of life ahead of you... It doesn't matter when you start the race, I believe you can achieve whatever you dream of.. especially with such a cool and useful quirk!.. You can live-out your sentence, then start over when you're out." He liked that smile in the other's eyes. Jin was actually giving it some thought. "Because I believe anyone can improve if they really wanted to."

"..."

"Sir?"

Jin was staring out over the field. "..."

"I'll let you think about it."

"Thank you..." Tears rolled down the patient's cheeks again. "for believing in me."

"...No problem." ^-^

----------

"WHERE IS ALL MIGHT!?" Dynamight shook the hospital bed. "WE EVEN FOUND SECURITY FOOTAGE OF YOU VISITING KONEKO NO KUNI, JUST ONE BLOCK AWAY FROM IKATTEIRU-DŌRI, THE NIGHT HE WENT MISSING!! SO SPILL YOUR GUTS OR I'LL SPILL THEM FOR YOU!!" Jin was struggling to answer. Not because he was being stubborn necessarily, but moreso because he was too terrified of the hero leaning over him to open his mouth.

"Kachan..." Midoriya, who hung back by the opposite wall, warily gestured his hands in an effort to calm the spiky blond down. "There's a nice lady trying to nap in the other room. Please-"

"-DON'T YOU 'KACHAN' ME, YOU FAILED HERO WANNABE!!" Dynamight rocketed across the room, grabbing the doctor's coat to pin him against the wall. "YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THAT VILLAIN CAME RUNNING TO THIS HOSPITAL WHEN I STARTED CHASING HIM!!? ALMOST LIKE HE WAS DESPERATELY HEADING TOWARD SOME KIND OF ALLY OR BOSS TO SAVE HIM!"

The doctor threw his hands up between he and the hero, sweating profusely and cackling nervously. "I- I- I- I ha-ha-have no-o idea!!" He was certainly not expecting to be interrogated today.

"OH REALLY???" Dynamight grabbed Midoriya's jaw and glared so intensely into the other's eyes he was literally pressing his forehead against his. "You sound mighty suspicious to me!"

"D'guh-kmhbfmh." The smaller was failing to form words.

"Well you're no help!" Dynamight grabbed Midoriya in a headlock and turned to the patient. "ANSWER MY D***ED QUESTION OR I'LL GIVE HIM A SCAR TO MATCH YOURS!"

"WH-WHAT!? Th-that's illegal!" The doctor started to flail and wiggle in an attempt to escape, not doubting for a second his old school bully would go to such lengths if it meant finding All Might. The patient, still shaken from his recent injury and other traumas, started to spill tears.

"F-fine, I'll tell you! Just let him go!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Dynamight smirked, shoving the doctor away from him. He sauntered over to the bed and grabbed a firm hold of the metal railings, leaning over the patient with a terrifying grin. "Now tell me everything or you're dead."

Jin stuttered and struggled to form words. Every second his tongue failed him, the hero leaned in a little closer with that creepy smile of his. "Gjekbdsjnd- I was hired last second to steer All Might's attention away from some other criminal he was tracking down! I- I- I don't know anymore than that, I swear!! I booked it outta there as soon as I brought All Might to the parking lot I was told to!"

"WHICH VILLAIN WERE YOU COVERING!? WHO HIRED YOU?!"

"I- I DON'T KNOW!!"

"YOU DIRTY LIAR! I KNOW YOU KNOW MORE THAN THAT! WHERE. IS. ALL MIGHT!?"

"I PROMISE, I DON'T KNOW!"

"RRHHAAAH!" Dynamight reeled his fist back. Midoriya jumped in, wrapped his arms around the man's elbow, and pulled back with all his weight.

"I TOLD YOU, DON'T HURT HIM!"

WHAP!

Next thing Midoriya knew, he was on the floor. His body landed like a ragdoll, a painful collision with the ground. "YOU PRICK!" Jin sat up, but a simple glare had him laying back against the pillows again. Midoriya lifted his head. Why did..his jaw hurt so much?... And.. blood.. was... trickling down his chin. The young man pushed his torso up and caught some dripping blood in his hand. It was coming from his nose, hence the sudden difficulty breathing. Peering up, the young man startled to note the hero was standing over him.

The doctor wiped the blood under his nose, creating even more of a mess, and growled. He couldn't bring himself to look up, as he knew that would invoke more of a beating. "...This is a hospital... Not an interrogation room. And I am a doctor... Not a villain. You will face consequences for blatantly breaking the law."

Hands in his pockets, the hero used the top of his shoe to lift the doctor's chin. He grinned down at the green, messy haired one, Midoriya forced to stare back. The hero tilted his head. So egotistical it was insane. "You're going to do what, exactly? Go cry to big daddy government that I was doing my job? Listen, I do things my own way. And guess what?" Dynamight's shoe returned to the ground, allowing the doctor's chin to drop. "I get results, unlike all the pushovers of the world like you. I actually get the d***ed job done. That's how I reached the #3 spot within a year. Now, if you're going to dare get in my way, don't go crying to whatever pathetic saps care about you when I beat your pathetic little a**."

Midoriya was done fighting him. He stared at the ground, breathing steadily as he held his nose. Patiently, he waited for the hero to leave.

Dynamight tugged his hands out of his pockets and propped them on his hips instead. "What was I doing again?.. Heh. Oh yeah." He turned to Jin, then stopped. All his attention remained on the fallen one's breathing. Even as he tried to get back into an interrogating mood, he found all that energy had left him. Grumbling, the hero swiveled around. "I'll be back next week. So you better be ready to answer my questions by then." He left shortly after. A long pause gripped the room. Then, Jin built up the courage to grab the phone on the wall beside him and call the lobby.

"Um, hello? I need-"

"-Don't!" Dr. Midoriya barked an order at him. Standing up, he swayed a little before reclaiming his balance, then headed toward the bathroom. "Nothing's broken. I'll be fine." Leaving a trail of blood.

"But-!"

"-There's nothing we can do to a hero like him." Glaring at the door, the green haired man growled. "That man's bully. But a powerful one. I know Ka-- Katsuki... He's exceptionally confident because he knows we can't win. Just.. let it go."

"If you...insist." Jin sheepishly set the phone aside as Midoriya stumbled into the bathroom. The doctor hunched over the sink and began tending to his bleeding nose. It subsided after a couple minutes, thankfully. By then, the young man had made it appear as though he hadn't at all just been beaten up!

He waved and smiled softly at the patient. "Have a good day, Jinchan."

The older man smiled mournfully at the vacant door. "...He really is the best doctor ever..." That man really was willing to lay down his life for his patients, wasn't he? With tears in his eyes, Jin thought...

Then maybe he should become a man worthy of such kind heroism.

----------

| Two Days Later |

""We just received news that Dynamight fought and captured the Hero Killer, Stain.""

""Stain was quite the feared entity. In his rampage after All Might's disappearance, he managed to kill fifty-five heroes.""
""Woah, that's insane!""
""It is, Terissa!"

""Stain. A villain who self identified as a doer of justice. He targeted what he claimed to be 'corrupt heroes,' or heroes he deemed 'unworthy' of the label, hero. The man's final words before capture have gone viral across the internet. Some believe he is inspiring while others believe he is terrifying.""

""Dynamight!""
""Dynamight!""
""Dynamight!""
""Ehh!? What are all these godd*** cameras for??""
""Dynamight, we heard it was you who captured Stain! Can you tell us more about him? Do you have any idea why he was targeting you?""
""Oh, that's what this is about... The fight was a piece of cake. Once I knew how his quirk worked, it was all over for him.""
""But what about his speech?! Do you think it was partially directed at you?""
""Do you think Stain's high standards for what a hero should be are realistic?""
""Again, why do you think he was targeting you?""
""What do you think this Stain-guy is? A f***ing personality test?! Get out of my way!""

""THESE STREETS WILL FLOW WITH THE BLOOD OF HYPOCRITES!""

Even though he hadn't eaten all day, he couldn't stomach the food in front of him. Midoriya sat at his desk, scrolling.. and scrolling.. and scrolling and scrolling. He wanted to know more. More about Stain. More about his quirk. More about how Dynamight put an end to such a foe. But, at the same time, he wanted to forget all of it.

Embarrassing it was, the doctor believed he was sick; that he'd contracted a rare strand of Covid within the past day or two and only now realized it. (Covid by this point is basically just the common flu.) He'd been in denial for so long, though, he feared it may be too late to quarantine himself within his apartment. It may have already spread to some of his other patients. A true failure on his part, truly.

"Oh no... You're a little warmer than usual." Feeling his comatose patient's forehead, the man whined bitterly. "I'll have to add some more medication to your usual pain meds to fight that off... Sorry about that." He truly was. Who would have thought being so dedicated to your work as a doctor would backfire this bad? Being sick around his patients? He may as well be handing out poison. "Hmm. You're not as warm as I am, though... That's surprising." Midoriya had a good look at the little thermometer he'd just pulled from the patient's mouth. "I guess it makes sense, though." He chuckled. "You've got to be the most resilient patient I've ever had. I, however..." A wave of shivers made the man waver. He held onto the bed frame, looking around for something warm to put over him. "Yh-you must be cold too. I'll go get some blankets. And medicine. And proper testing equipment." It was a good idea to know exactly what he was dealing with here.

The young man cursed under his breath as he dragged his feet along down the hallway, a mask over his nose and mouth. He was certain he didn't feel so sick this morning. He was a little more tired than usual, yeah, but he was usually really good about not showing up to work sick! And now he had to traverse the hospital with the stabbing paranoia that HE would get his other patients sick!

Midoriya was swift about grabbing the medicine and equipment he needed. Other than warning a few staff that they might need to test everyone for Covid now, he didn't speak to anyone.

On the way back, a conversation between male nurses caught his attention. "Did you hear what Stain said, though?!"

"Creepy, right?"

"Well yeah, but I mean the part about the-"

"-Are you guys talking about Stain the hero killer?" All symptoms of illness seemed to vanish as the young masked man slid into the conversation. "I was doing some research on him just earlier! Did you know that his quirk allows him to momentarily paralyse whoever's blood he ingests?? Imagine what a matchup between him and Vlad King would look like! No doubt an easy victory for the heroes."

"What are you going on about?" All three of them were thinking it, but one of them actually dared to roll his eyes and speak up. "Who cares about his quirk? We're talking about his speech."

"...Oh.." The light faded some from the young doctor's eyes. "Yeah, I watched that too. It was a little intense, I guess."

"A little?!" Another of the three nurses laughed. "The entire country's been shivering since hearing it!" Perfect timing, Midoriya's body suffered another violent wave of shivers. He hugged the box of supplies even closer and only relaxed after he was sure that feeling was gone.

"Mh. Yeah. I guess that makes sense. It's rare for villains to have such ambitious ideals."

"What do you think about it then, eh?"

"Yeahhh, what does the great quirkless doctor of the hero hospital think about all this hero stuff?" Midoriya's shook as all three looked to him with a strangely mocking sort of anticipation. By giving him the spotlight, they knew they'd scare the skittish doctor off.

"I- I- um... I sort of agree with Stain." Staring down, the young man fidgeted by kicking at the ground. "I- I mean, I agree heroes should be the virtuous type and strive to be like All Might... I kind of hate it actually; finding out so many of my patients are only in it for the money or the fame." He looked up after finishing his mumbling, finding all the eyes on him had widened slightly. "D- doesn't mean I want them dead or hurt or anything!" He laughed nervously, hating this awkward attention. "They're still saving lives, after all! Killing them is far from the solution!"

The three shut their mouths and nodded in unison. "Oh yeah, we agree with you." Chuckling. "Just weren't expecting it from the hero worshiper of all people."

"Please don't tell me that's one of my nicknames..."

"I'm sorry."
"It is."

"Darn..."

After entering his room again, Midoriya turned on the lights and tested the both of them for what illness they may have. After confirming the specific strand, he grabbed the best medicine to deal with it. The doctor ensured he gave his patient the medicine first before himself. The pills now swallowed, Midoriya realized they would only work right if he had something to eat. Oh...

Sitting at his desk, "My food's cold already..." It wasn't the most appealing thing either. Some cheap ramen leftover from yesterday. It was bland in color and in flavor. Though he wasn't in the mood, he forced himself to eat at least a little bit. Finally, the guy pulled out his phone. "I should probably just go home... . Um, yes, this is Dr. Midoriya... You recognized my voice?.. Aw, that's sweet... Yeah, I actually called because I'm afraid to speak to anyone in person right now. I'm kind of sick. Can you call Dr. Dani to cover the remainder of my shift?... He's out of town..? Well, I can't work as I am, so you'll have to find someone else... No ma'am, I'm fine... Yes, I've taken medication already... Okay! Thanks! I'll be out of your hair real soon... Okay, bye, thanks again." He hung up and- another wave of shivers nearly brought him to the ground. He grabbed ahold of the hospital bedframe at the last second, looking up at the large figure who lay on it. "Oh yeah... I forgot to get you those blankets. I'm sorry." He left again to go do that.

When the man returned, the blankets were wrapped around him. His mind was hazy and it was difficult to breathe. He was feeling rather disorientated. Felt like he was both being crushed under the frigid ocean but also on fire. Maybe, if this got any worse, he should check himself in here as a patient. Heh. No, wait, he'd have to drive to another local hospital meant for normal folk.

"Do you mind if I..?"

Thump...

The doctor fell beside the hospital bed, curling up inside the cocoon of blankets, where his teeth clattered and his whole body shivered until he eventually fell asleep.

----------

Were his eyes glued shut, or..? No, that was his own crust. Midoriya put all of his very little energy into rubbing his eyes clean. Opening his eyes was a whole nother feat. He was laying half on his stomach, half on his side, comfortably in his bed... Huh? His blurry vision settled on the familiar clutter; the desk beside his bed and all the mess around that. His desk at home was moreso just used for filing reports, sorting files, paying bills, and doing taxes. Again, most of his time was spent at the hospital, so not much was reserved for home but the boring stuff.

A blurry shape entered the room. "Oh, you're finally awake." It was Dr. Tsubasa.

"Ghhhghhh." He didn't...feel awake. Midoriya could barely lift his finger. His whole body felt kinda fuzzy. "Mghh.. Ts..Ts'b'ssa?"

The elder cleared some papers aside and set a tray of food and steaming hot drink on the small clearing. "Mh? Yes?"

"How.. t' d' ..g't me here?"

"I had help from a one of my associates. Can you sit up?"

"Mmmh.."

"Thought so." The elder sighed, rolled up his sleeves, and dragged the young man's torso upright, laying him against some pillows which weren't there before. Now that he thought about it, he didn't remember ever having this really warm, heavenly, fluffy brown weighted blanket either. It must be new. Or he was dreaming. Everything felt so abstract that this may as well be a dream to him. "Now try to hold this." Midoriya immediately failed, spilling hot tea on his hand. Dr. Tsubasa caught the cup and scoffed. "I don't have the patience for this." He clapped his hands together and at once a dark shadowy figure appeared. Ah... So this is a dream, then. Or maybe he was the main character of a Ghibli movie this whole time... "Kurogiri, please make sure this young man has eaten and drinken all there is on the tray. I have other matters to attend to."

"Yes sir." The figure bowed politely, taking the doctor's place. The older man walked out the door and vanished for a good long while.

"Kr'..giri?"

"Yes?"

The temptation to lay back down and go back to sleep was strong, but the young doctor was already starting to get a headache from having so little water today. And he was famished! "You're...butler?" The figure wore a suit vest, shirt, and pants. Whatever skin or otherwise he had was covered in a thick black fog.

Kurogiri's wispy purple eyes blinked down at the guy a couple times. "...Yes." He finally responded, then helped Midoriya drink the tea and eat his fill. The stranger by far was much stronger and more patient than his old mentor, and he took his command very seriously to ensure every scrape of food and drink had been consumed. Good thing the bowl didn't have all that much food on it to begin with... It was a lot for a sick stomach.

Satisfied with his care, the doctor turned over and tucked himself under the warm, fluffy blankets again, humming happily this time as he fell back to sleep. He was so sure he was dreaming that he didn't even care to mention the weird two legged hairless dog or something waddling around outside his room. He decided he must be delirious, if not asleep. For that creature's brains were literally sticking out of its bug-eyed skull.

Though Midoriya hated all the attention, he kind of liked knowing there was someone around to keep an eye on and take care of him. Someone who actually cared to help.

----------

| Four Days Later |

Dr. Midoriya and Jin both dreaded tomorrow, for that would be the day of Dynamight's return.

They spent nearly half an hour that afternoon reminiscing about the last interrogation. Jin reiterated that he had no more information left to give.. and Midoriya believed him. But, they were stuck. Both of them were. And if they didn't come up with something soon, they trembled at the thought of what that hero might do to them.

"Maybe... Tell me everything about that day. Every minor detail. Even the boring stuff! Maybe, with me looking at it from a different angle, I can notice something that might be useful to Dynamight."

"There really isn't much..." Jin was sitting up in his own. Thanks to the occasional use of healing quirks on him, the man had made a fast recovery. He could technically unwrap his head if he wanted, but the man didn't particularly like being bald; without some sort of head protection. The elder sighed, solemnly staring down at his crossed legs. "...I woke up late that morning, had a smoke, and scrolled through my contacts for any interesting updates. It was noticably boring that day. Not even any interesting stories on the news... By the time I left my apartment, it was already somewhere around four PM."

The doctor sat in a chair leaning forward beside the bed. "I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific. Ka-- Dynamight won't let even the littlest things slip."

"I've been meaning to ask you... How do you know that b****** anyway?"

Chuckling softly, "He was my bully back in grade school."

Also chuckling, "That explains it!"

"Crazy, isn't it?" ^-^

"Yikes!... Anyway.. I was especially bored that day, so I went to visit a cat cafe to kill time and finally grab a bite. That's when..." The man tensed all of a sudden. "I..." He clenched his fists and bit his lip til they turned white. "I received a text from one of my past clients. That job was funny, actually. He just asked me to take out the trash for him every now and then. No bodies or anything... But he's the kind of person who knows everyone somehow. He's the one who introduced me to so many of my would-be clients and partners in crime. I can't remember his full name, but since we got pretty close at one point, almost friends even, I learned his family name was Aoyama. He only answers to Twinkle or Shimmer, though. Maybe Sparkle if you say it right."

Writing everything down on his clipboard, "Hey, this is a lot, actually!"

"Tsch, not really. The heroes should know this already if they have my phone. ... So, anyway. The guy asked me for a quick favor since I was in the right area -- he keeps tabs on all of us, btw --" Midoriya gave him a thumbs-up. "Said he would pay me handsomely, so of course I couldn't say no! Heheh... And then.. I realized I would be duping none other than All Might. . I created some clones that looked like me but not quite to trick the hero up and tire him out a little, then brought him to that parking lot on Ikatteiru-dōri street. Then...I left."

"Did you see anything?? Was anyone waiting for him there??"

The elder laughed. "I was outta there in a blink!... But.. guess I did hear someone?"

"Some..ONE?"

"Yeah! Well, there coulda been more, but my back was turned on 'em already!"

"Hmm..." Midoriya rubbed the tip of his pen on his chin. "And the voice?"

"Creeeepy!"

"How so?"

"It was-- ...gosh, I don't even know how to describe it..." He rubbed his healing head. "Intimidatingly gentle?? Does that even make any sense?? And he was humming this strange tune I didn't recognize. Couldn't tell if he was taunting All Might or if he was just genuinely having a good time!. Gave me the chills, though!"

"That sounds.." sitting up "yeah, a little creepy." To think a villain could even act so nonchalantly while facing against All Might. Brrr. Chills.

"And that's it." He looked back down defeatedly. "I ran even faster as soon as loud explosions started shaking the ground. Headed right back to my apartment and stayed up all night watching the news, hoping All Might'd turn out alright..." That's when he turned his head to stare out the window, smiling sadly. "...I know you tried your best. I feel bad about your whole switch-a-roo thing and ending up with two dead patients from that night."

"He's--" Midoriya squinted. "The man I saved that night's not dead. He's comatose, but still alive."

"Wait, really?? Last I heard on the news, it said he was dead."

The doctor facepalmed. "Listen, some of the hospital board members are jerks. No, wait. All of them are... They like to lie about him already being dead to cut funding to his life support and force me to pull the plug. It's not a pretty situation and I'm embarrassed to say this isn't even the first time I've had to spend so much of my own money just to keep one of my patients alive. When the hospital's reputation is in jeopardy, it becomes painfully obvious what the higher-ups really prioritize."

"D***! Ever considered starting your own hospital?"

Clearly having thought of it before, the young man immediately started to laugh. "As if! For starters, I don't have nearly the support and funding I need! Not to mention so many hospitals see each other as rivals. I'd be crushed from the start, especially since.. I... don't have a quirk." Sighing defeatedly, the doctor clenched his fists. It was annoying that even in this line of work, being quirkless was still such a terrible thing. "...Hospitals function more and more like Hero agencies now... They have a head doctor: the face of the hospital, who most of the time is used for advertisement purposes. Because of that, you can imagine how important it would be to make your head doctor stand out in a crowd, kind of like a hero. I was chosen as this hospital's head mainly because I'm young, bright eyed, and...quirkless. Hehheh. It's stupid political stuff, I know. But as long as I didn't have to pose for pictures, I was okay with accepting that title, even for such surface-level reasons. . Problem is, though, if I started my own hospital, it'd just be me and some nurses at first. And, well, people don't trust a quirkless doctor as much as they say they do." Rubbing the back of his neck, "More often than not, they'd prefer go to a hospital with doctors who have useful quirks that can assist them while operating. I, meanwhile, only have skill. Which, is great, but it isn't as reassuring as a quirk... A real shame, isn't it?" Through this explaining, somehow, the doctor managed to smile. He grinned at Jin, obviously hurt by his circumstances, but glad to be where he was regardless. The show of such genuine emotion brought the elder to tears.

"Come closer."

"Eh? Like this?" As Midoriya leaned closer, Jin met him halfway, wrapping his arms around the young man. He held onto him tightly, hiding his face on the other's shoulder.

"Quirk or no quirk, you're the best doctor I've ever met in my whole life... Not even doctor. You're the best person I've ever met. Better than the rest of us shabby souls."

The doctor's face paled a little bit. "Eheh, wow, you really don't get around much, do you?" Awkwardly patting the other's back.

"Trust me, I do."

. . .

Midoriya's awkward tapping settled down, his hand now just resting on the elder's back. "You decided yet on whether you'll give life another chance..?"

"I-- I'm still thinking..."

"It's alright."

"I'll tell you tomorrow. Promise."

. . .

"..Hmhm. Sounds good to me." Why did he fear something would go terribly.. terribly wrong?

.

.

.

| That Night |

.

.

.

Sheets upon sheets of rain pelted the window, creating a calm, static-like white noise. The occasional crash of thunder startled Jin, keeping him awake.

He wasn't that tired. After all, he'd been napping nearly all day, every day since being hospitalized.

"...I should tell Dr. Midoriya right now. He's probably awake too, since I'm pretty sure said he hated stormy nights." After staring at the ceiling to ponder a while longer, the man grabbed his crutches and left his room. He technically wasn't allowed to so late at night, but he was restless. And he really wanted to hear or see the doctor's reaction to what he had to say.

The halls were empty, occasionally lit by the strikes of lightning. Other than that, it was dark. Darker than most nights. Yes, the man had gone on a few midnight strolls before.

He reached the front receptionist desk and shuffled through some of the cluttered paper. Ah. Written on a sticky-note, in Midoriya's handwriting, was his name, phone number, and a little smiley face. The man grinned as he picked up the note, grabbed a phone, and dialed the number. It took only a few seconds before the sound of a machine responded to his call. ""I'm sorry, but this device could not be reached. Please try again some other time."" Jin's smile dropped. He tried again. Same thing. Then he tried calling some of the other numbers on the desk. Same thing. Maybe try calling some old pals of his? Same thing. Like the issue was on this end. Curious, he tried the other phone. Same thing. And another phone. And another phone.

Same thing.

"Ghh. Lightning musta messed with the internet. D***it.." The man dragged a hand down his face. Another crack of thunder was followed by the singular remaining lamp fizzling out. Jin sighed. Now it was truly dark. Nothing but the occasional strikes of lighting to guide his way. "Mmh, I'll just have to leave a note in his room. Need to get it off my chest before I can sleep." He grumbled, setting off toward where he heard the doctor's makeshift office was. He'd passed it before but never entered. Didn't want to interru-upt--!

The man slipped and collapsed on the floor and landed on top of his crutches. His everything hurt, head and hips reminding him of why he was still in the hospital. "S***!" What did he even slip on?! Standing, he paid closer attention to the floor.

The rapid-fire lightning strikes outside illuminated a trail of wet footprints. Whoever made them was either wearing clown shoes or had really big feet. It was about now that Jin realized how easy it was to traverse these halls tonight. Usually, he'd be ducking behind corners and dodging the glow of flashlights. But tonight was different.

As long as he avoided walking down the middle of the hall, he was fine. Jin eventually found Midoriya's office. It was unlocked, so he opened it slowly.

...

It was silent.

Jin entered slowly, leaning his crutches against the door. Though it hurt to stand on his own, the room was too cluttered to risk bringing them in. Papers scattered across the floor. He had to be extra careful not to trip. It was so dark in here. Only light from the hallway windows weren't any help. So the guy leaned over a pile of random supplies, papers, and machines to hastily pry open the curtain. Rain sprayed the window. Lightning lit the room. Satisfied with what little light he had, Jin sat down at the doctor's desk, pulled out a paper and pen, and set to writing.

" 'Dear, Dr. Midoriya. I want to start this letter by thanking you for being my friend. I have decided . . .' " Crap. His pen ran out of ink. "S***...." This really wasn't his night, was it? Biting his lip, Jin searched the desk for another one. Instead, he found something quite troubling. Still attached to that clipboard the doctor almost always carried around were the notes he'd taken from their conversation earlier today. Only...it wasn't. At least, not anymore. The paper was all splotched out with ink, entire chunks of information crossed out. On top of that, the clipboard was wet. Soaking wet. Whatever words remained were hardly legible. Jin flipped through the pages just to be sure... Yep. It was ruined. Either he'd have to tell his story all over again, or trust the doctor had a remarkable memory... Dang and here he was hoping Midoriya could simply hand all that information over to Dynamight tomorrow so the two could avoid another interrogation altogether.

As the man worried about what he was going to do tomorrow, his eyes wandered around the wall in front of him. So many papers were tacked or taped to the wall, the original paint color simply could not be found. The man chuckled at all this mess while leaning his butt against the footboard. "Heh, this kid's a mess... Wonder if this is what it's like in his head too. Wouldn't surprise me." He smirked, until his eyes landed on a checklist written in bold and highlighted.

PATIENT X TO-DO:
- replace water
- replace food
- pay related bills (if due)
- make sure he's adjusted at least 6 times a day
- make sure robot cleans him and bed once a day
- maintenance check life support machines
- . . .
- . . .
- . . .

On and on the list went. It was no surprise now why the hospital board might want to remove such a patient. Simply managing all of this sounded like a full-time job. Wait. Where was that patient anyway?

Jin held his breath. The machines cluttering the room, including the one he literally climbed over the reach the window. The heart monitor. The bed he was currently leaning against!.. Well, all those were off now. The machines were dead.

Jin swallowed to ease the lump in his throat... Did that mean there was a corpse laying behind him? Did that mean all the doctor's toil was for nothing?? That he'd failed to save this patient in the end?? Finally pushing his fears aside, Jin jumped back from the hospital bed and spun around.

It was empty. What was clearly illuminated by the lightning was, at least. To be sure, he shoved the mess aside and yanked the curtains all the way open. It revealed but an empty hospital bed, the sheets recently turned.

Jin was sent into a panic. By the looks of it, the patient had just...walked off!!

He stumbled back, falling against the doctor's desk. He panted wildly, wide eyes unmoving from that empty bed. This-this was a joke, right?! Or m-maybe he read something wrong and-and-and these were all just backup supplies and equipment! If so, then where was the real thing?! The patient would probably be dead by now no matter where he was in the hospital! But then why--?!

A deep, timber tone hummed a gentle tune just down the hall. The man recognized it at once.

----------

Ring-ring! Ring-ring!

Ugghhh, who was calling him at this hour?! Midoriya rolled over in bed and slapped his phone. It wasn't from the emergency line, so he considered hitting decline. But, since the phone rang so desperately and the thunder outside cackled in his ears, he answered it instead. "Hhhhello?"

Pouring water was the first sound from the other end. ""DOCTOR DOCTOR DOCTOR DOCTOR DOCTOR!"" It was... Jin?

Midoriya dragged his phone a little closer. "Jinchan? A-are you outside?"

""YOUR PATIENT IS ALIVE!! KKSKNMHG! I- I MEAN HE'S NOT IN A COMA ANYMORE!""

The young man blinked several times in shock. He couldn't believe it. Nor could he know why Jin was screaming this to him like he was about to die any second. "..Wait, really?! This isn't a joke?!"

""DO I SOUND LIKE I AM JOKING!?!""

"N-no!. That's great! I'm heading there now! You go back inside!"

""I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE NEAR THAT D***ED HOSPITAL! YOUR PATIENT IS THE MAN WHO MADE ALL MIGHT DISAPPEAR! HE'S THE ONE WHO MURDERED ALL THOSE PEOPLE ON THAT CITY BLOCK! HE'S NOT JUST A VILLAIN, HE'S THE VILLAIN, AND HE'S T-T'H-TRYING TO K-ILL ME!!"" The man was standing alone in a phone booth, completely soaked head to toe. Midoriya was speechless.

"...You're pranking me."

""WHY WOULD I DO THAT!!? I'M GOING TO DIEEEE!""

"No you aren't!" Standing up at once. "Head down Usagi Road! I'll find you!" No matter what the problem was, whether it be a villain attack or a mental breakdown, the doctor knew to take this situation seriously. Better safe than sorry. Jin hung up immediately after, and Midoriya hurried again to change into some decent clothes.

Again, he was soaked head to toe by the rain. Again, he drove in a hurry out of the parking lot and down Usagi Road. Again, he could hardly see anything but water. Lightning shook the sky, giving light to the ground on occasion.

Dr. Midoriya pulled over the moment he saw someone running around in light blue garments. He left the car on and everything, launching out the vehicle. But for whatever reason, the figure was gone. "JINCHAN!!" He cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting over the rain. The streetlights were no help either. This midnight road was completely barren. "JINCHAN!" He stumbled across the street anyway, closer to where he last saw the figure. "JIIIIIN!" He came up to the concrete skeleton of a building. "JIIIIIIIIN!"

"DOCTOR, STAY AWAY! IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME! SAVE YOURSELF!! HE'LL KILL YOU IF YOU SEE HIM!" Sounded like it was coming from the construction site. Midoriya ran up the stairs.

"I'M COMING!!"

"NO! I SAID STAY AWAY! DON'T LET ME BE THE REASON YOU DIE!!" It was coming from the third story.

"I SAID I'M HERE TO SA--!" As Midoriya climbed up the final flight of stairs, he froze. The young man gagged on his breath.

Jin had fallen on his hands and knees, half turned to peer back at Midoriya. Behind that man was a tall and bulky figure, also draped in hospital garb. Though dark, the doctor knew at once this was his patient x. The shadowy figure had no eyes, no nose, no hair, and barley any ears. And yet he stood. Behind him to the side a little hovered the one machine he needed be connected to the most. So was hovering things his quirk?? Even in these unrealistic circumstances, all the months of being proclaimed dead or nearly dead, somehow, he stood.

Midoriya fell onto the few remaining steps ahead of him, scraping his knee. His eyes didn't leave the standing miracle for a second. His jaw clattered, lungs tight. "A.. ah..g..." He couldn't even speak.

The other man was on the floor trembling. Soaking wet and shivering. Crying his eyes out and reaching. Reaching out for his only ray of hope. "NO! PLEASE! LOOK AWAY! FORGET YOU WERE EVER HERE! THIS MAN'S A DEMON! HE'S KILLED SEVERAL OF YOUR PATIENTS AND STAFF ALREADY, M-MAYBE EVEN ALL OF THEM! DON'T DIE LIKE THEM TOO! PLEASE! PLEA-EASE!! I NEED YOU TO LIVE,"
"You're annoying."
"PLEA--!!"

...thump.

Jin's head rolled off his body. Midoriya didn't even get to see what caused it.

"aa-a--ah-h..." The young doctor squeaked. Jin's body dropped to join the head, both leaking blood everywhere. Looking up, his shock turned to rage. "YOU MONSTER! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU JUST DID!? YOU KILLED A MAN!!"

The blind patient held his hands together behind his back and sighed. "You don't need to scold me like a child. I know what I did."

"Wh-.. wh-wh... WHAT THE F***!?"

Midoriya crawled closer. He knew there was no way to help the poor man now, but his instincts screamed at him to at least check his vitals and look for a shred of hope. His eyes were so full of tears by the time he had reached Jin's body that he couldn't even see. As expected, there was no sign of life to be found in there. "YOU KILLED HIM!!"

"Hmh.. Still on that?" Maybe 2% annoyed, the villain rubbed what was once the bridge of his nose. "I would think you'd be more concerned about your own fate by this point."

"I DON'T CARE! KILL ME IF YOU WANT! BUT DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY PATIENTS!!"

Even the cold hearted villain flinched. Then the man's one remaining facial feature, his mouth, curled up into a devious grin. "My, what the predicament you have trapped yourself in~" He stepped forward, slippers entering the puddle of blood to join the doctor. "You spent over a year fixing me up and saving my life. Why, you were even generous enough to sacrifice your own money, time, and emotional fortitude to keep me alive and well." The patient crouched low, tilting his head teasingly though he really could see. "I truly am a lucky man for stumbling into a lap such as yours~ What generosity. My demon heart could melt." The villain had such an eccentric way with words. Everything he said felt like both a compliment and an insult. They stabbed Midoriya in all the right places, making his soul bleed. The villain smiled even more to see the change in his face. "I do wish you had turned off that beeping machine, though. Why, I almost went more mad than I already am!" He chuckled, standing again.

"You were...?" Midoriya's gaze shot up.

The villain was pleasantly smiling down on him. "Yes... I was only unconscious for about a month. After that, I was all ears~ And I took a strange liking to your hero obsessed ways. The way you suffered day and night for them, receiving nothing but heartbreak and abuse in return. 'Surely,' I thought to myself, 'this young man would live a much better life by my side than theirs.'"

Midoriya's eyes widened as he realized the position he was so suddenly thrust into.

The thunder, the rain, it all dyed down in the background until, by now, it was actually possible for the doctor to hear his own thoughts.

"W...wait.. You want me... to become a VILLAIN??!"

Patient X grinned. "Now you're catching on~ Why do you think I put up with remaining in that hospital bed for so long? Why do you think I jumped through so many hoops to ensure you'll inevitably be mine~? You have a brilliant mind and you're wasting it on such foolish heroes. Those buffoons don't even realize what a gem they have; so they abuse and mistreat it like it were any other rock. Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore. I have taken care of the issue for you. After all, if one cannot be loved, then to be feared is the next best thing."

"Huh? What did you do!?"

But the man just grinned.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"What? Concerned I killed someone else~? Spoiler alert: I did. Quite a few, actually. I never understood why people cared so much about me killing mere strangers to them. They are but bags of meat with no real purpose."

"That's SERIOUSLY what you think about human life!!?" Midoriya couldn't even wrap his head around how someone could think like that.

The villain reached down and ruffled the young one's soggy, thick hair. "Cute... Really. . Fear not, dear ignorant one, I aim to snuff-out that limiting worldview of yours until you can see clearly the true Hell-hole that you are in."

He ducked away from the hand, growling a little. "Is that a threat?!"

"It is if you make it one."

"Well know then that I WON'T fall for it! I- I'm going to call on every hero I know to arrest your a** and keep you from ever killing again!" In his rage, he could hear himself talking like Dynamight.

"A likely story... Name three heroes who would even pick up the phone."

"I know at least fifteen!!"

"Unfortunately for you, my plans might just get in the way of that."

"Oh yeah?!" Midoriya jutted up but failed to stand firmly on his feet and instead fell in the puddle of blood.

"Yes. For every week that you refuse my offer," he held up his pointer finger, "I will kill one of your previous patients.. until I am the only one who remains." The doctor's eyes broadened, his whole body trembling. He couldn't even respond to that! The villain grinned. "Your whole life, you've dreamed of becoming what you simply were not created to become." The giant of a man extended his hand for the other to grab if he so wanted. "Why cry about not being a hero when you already ARE one? You're MY hero. Isn't that enough~?"

. . .

Midoriya fell over himself. He scooted further back until he was clear of the blood puddle, traumatized and mortified by the creature that towered over him. "N-N-N- NO! I REFUSE! YOU-YOU'LL NEVER WIN! YOU'LL NE-EVER WIN! YOU'LL FAIL! YOU'LL DIE!" Eyes gushing tears now, he's reached his limit with how much he could take, now breaking down. "YOU'LL DIE! ALL MIGHT WILL BE BACK! YOU WON'T WIN!" He repeated as the villain ambled closer. He was shrieking for fear of his own life as the villain crouched down again, this time reaching out to tap the young man's forehead with the back of his hand.

"Shhhh... Rest now... Hmhm, I sure did break something in you there, didn't I?" Smirking, "Time waits for no man... So,
make up
your
mind
soon..
dear
emerald
in
the
rough."

For some reason, Midoriya's body listened right away, shutting down at once for a good long sleep. Was this.. another... quirk...?

...How?

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