A/N: A/N: Hello! Just as a warning, the characters might not be entirely in-character? Also I slapped together some biology and hospital lingo so there's a chance (a high one) that there're things that are very incorrect. If there's something grossly wrong, please tell me and I'll try to fix it as best as I can!

Thank you so much for reading this fic, and I hope you enjoy! See you next chapter~

"Good morning, Todoroki-san..." Todoroki watched as the sleeping patient was led away into the operating room until the doors finally closed behind the tufts of green hair.

As he walked through the hospital hallway, already mentally going through his scrub list for the day, a hand lightly patted his shoulder.

"Todoroki-san."

He turned around, blinking almost owlishly. "Oh, Head Nurse." He inclined his head.

"Ah no please, I keep telling you, Yaoyorozu is fine." The tall woman waved away the formality before peering at Todoroki. Concern shimmered in her eyes. "Rather, are you… uhm… It's… That surgery, it's what, the third, fourth, time, wasn't it… ?" She uncomfortably shifted in place, chewing her lips.

Oh. Todoroki nodded and turned around. "Don't worry about me, I'm just tired; night shift yesterday after all." Yaoyorozu opened her mouth but the nurse was already striding away.

"Wai-! Todoroki-san, the surgery, it was a success!" she yelled with a cupped hand.

Yaoyorozu thought he might have paused, if only for the briefest moment, before melting once more as another teal uniform.

Todoroki briskly weaved through the frantic whirl of patients, nurses, doctors, researchers, interns, lawyers, and anyone in between. After working nearly two and a half years at Yuuei Hospital, he could pinpoint with laser accuracy the ebb and flow of all the people, both confused and purposeful. He slipped past a rushing hospital bed and swerved around a family of three to grab an IV, prepare the blood pressure meter for an incoming patient, and check in on another patient (had mild back discomfort but it was all fixed with extra padding). He just had time to wipe the sweat beginning to form on his brow before his beeper buzzed again and he was striding to another incoming patient for more vitals, another blood sample test, another meal to be carried over…

By the time Todoroki could snatch a glance at his watch, the hands had already spun around thrice. Todoroki felt his heart beat unsteadily even as he calmly uttered to the patient before him the same old "Don't worry, it'll just be a pinch-" and smoothly injected the syringe. Three hours, it's been three hours. Usually it takes maybe four hours for them to move patients back to their rooms right? So of course, the room will be empty. Yeah. For sure.

"Thank you very much… " Todoroki quickly removed the needle and swabbed the small drop of blood forming. He securely fixed the bandaid before gently patting the thin arm. "You did very well," he added as the little girl looked up, her eyes wide. She gave a shy smile and waved as he ducked back out.

"Alright now I can send this blood sample to the laboratory and then I can change the sheets for room 4102 and then launder the towels and check in on Torino-san who just came in with aching bones again, uh, and… " Todoroki continued musing aloud even as his heart dropped lower and lower, steeping in guilt like a tea bag left in already lukewarm water. No, I have a lot to do today, there's always something I can do, I'm not avoiding- I'm just doing my job, my duty as a nurse, he reprimanded himself, shaking his head violently. Anyway, first the blood test-

Todoroki mindlessly stepped into an elevator, pressed a floor, and then walked off. He rounded the corner before it hit him like a truck just which ward his feet were taking him. Shit- His feet rooted to the floor but it was too late.

Fifth floor East. The newest wing, Transplant Recovery Unit. In over the past ten years, medical technology had so advanced as to practically render drugs useless, and to instead replace whole organs with cells from the patients. A biomedical marvel that arrived at an astonishing speed, so much so that hospitals everywhere were rushing to set up a new ward specially for it. Todoroki would know, as a specialist in the field during his time in school.

It was a quiet hall, at least in terms of human voices. But endless waves of slightly off-tone beeps, glitch sounds, shuffling, creaking, and squeaking inundated the air. The clean and brightly lit blue-white hallway had only a single elderly man gripping his IV as he carefully placed one foot forward at a time. Todoroki's eyes swept past him to the third door on the left. His heart froze before it began to pound painfully against his chest, ribcage, and throat. He barely noted the empty hospital bed beside the door as his feet already gravitated towards it.

No, this is a bad idea, this is bad… His chest felt tiny and pinched, and Todoroki didn't need the stethoscope around his neck to know how shallow his breaths had become. Todoroki almost felt faint by the time his hand touched the door knob. God, can I do this, can I do this again-. His fist managed to rap sharply against the door. "On-call nurse," he called out loudly.

A creak. Todoroki jumped as the knob turned and the door opened. He snatched his hand back as though it was burned.

"Oh… h-hi there."

Todoroki swallowed.

Shaggy, a maelstrom of forest green curls. Sprinkles of freckles across the nose and cheeks. But what never failed to take Todoroki's breath away-

"Um, uh, come in?" He stared at Todoroki hesitantly, his brilliant lush-green eyes blinking slowly at him, before hastily stepping aside. Todoroki started before numbly entering. The patient moved to close the door.

"Here, you just finished surgery didn't you? I'll close the door-" Todoroki reached over to the knob quickly, his hand brushing the other's. They both stiffened before the patient grabbed his hand back. "O-oh wow, uh, thanks, uh, the door that was re-really nice," the patient stammered incoherently, his cheeks growing rosy as he began to rub his hand. Todoroki felt the ache in his heart burn painfully like a rash of grassburn.

"Also, I forgot to introduce myself: I'm Midoriya Izuku," the patient supplied. He scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish grin. Todoroki hid a sharp breath with a polite cough. "I mean, I guess you would already, probably know-" Midoriya's words snapped off as his knees suddenly buckled. Todoroki leaped forward as the green-haired patient crumpled in his arms.

"S… sorry… sudden… so… tired… " Midoriya blinked with heavy-lidded eyes, as though struggling to keep them open. His words grew more slurred. "Don… t… tirerrr… " His eyes finally fluttered shut. Todoroki gripped his shoulders and with a grunt, staggered to his feet. He carefully laid Midoriya down on the snow-white hospital bed, still clean and uncreased. After deftly measuring blood pressure and carefully sliding in the IV tubing, Todoroki let out a breath. He crossed his arms.

"The surgeon only let you out a couple hours ago." Todoroki paused, rocking on his heels before gingerly sitting on the very edge of the bed. He watched Midoriya's chest steadily rise and fall. The windows, whose curtains were wide open, let in a shroud of cool afternoon light that washed his face. Todoroki shot a glance at the door before slowly reaching over. I mean, it's fine, this is platonic; I'm his nurse. I'm just going to brush the curl across his face. It probably bothers him. He ignored the tiny voice that said, It bothers you more. His hand unfurled from its clenched fist when the door swung open.

Todoroki yanked his hand back, heart racing wildly. He stood to his feet as the doctor stepped in. "Dr. Uraraka," he nodded.

"Oh Todoroki-san, you know there's no need to be so formal! We've known each other since medical school." She laughed, crossing her arms over her sweeping white coat. She walked forward with her usual beaming smile. "I still think it was a waste to not have continued through though; you were one of the best students! Although there's nothing wrong with being a nurse of course," she added hastily, her face becoming slightly pink.

"It's alright. Being a nurse is better for me." Todoroki stepped aside as Uraraka walked to the bed, her simple black flats clicking on the floor. "Although my father wasn't happy…" Todoroki's words trailed off as Uraraka leaned down and gently kissed Midoriya's cheek. She straightened before giving an awkward laugh.

"Oh, sorry I just… Whenever I stop by, I can't help kissing his cheek. That's what we did whenever we'd see each other in school, you know? We were pretty serious since med school after all… Well, before all this had to happen." Uraraka sat down on the bed, where Todoroki had just been sitting a moment ago. She gently brushed away the unruly curls on Midoriya's sleeping face and Todoroki couldn't help feeling a flush of envy at how easily, how naturally, she did. Stop it, what are you, ten? he scolded himself internally. Uraraka continued, undeterred. "When I heard about his… condition, I just had to help. This person, who's so important to me- I couldn't just let it go. I'm a doctor, what's the point in having the power to save someone if you can't save the person you love?"

"You understand right?" Uraraka turned to face Todoroki, and he blinked at how desperately bright her eyes were, so different from the calm only a moment before. "You do, you have to! You were such close friends with Deku as first years before you left, surely-" But she caught herself, and clamped her mouth shut. She turned away to stroke Midoriya's cheek again, her expression hidden in a curtain of mousy brown hair.

Todoroki resisted the urge to walk out. 'Compassion, that's the first rule in medicine.' He stilled his twitching hands. "It's not… that… I don't. But there are many capable doctors here," he began slowly. "This is one of the best hospitals in the country-"

But Uraraka shook her head. "But no one's ever seen anything like what Deku has," she said softly. Her voice trembled. "An autoimmune disorder that incapitates all the organs? What is that. That's almost impossible! I still can't wrap my head around how all those reactive oxygen species, cytokines and everything, they just… " She gripped a clawful of sheets before slowly relaxing.

"Anyway," she said in a controlled voice. "I'm grateful technology has proceeded enough to quickly create transplants. I really am. Without them, Deku would be dead right now. But at the same time… It's not fair. To Deku. To me. To Deku's mother, to everyone. Even Bakugou's feeling uneasy, although he just takes it out on the poor interns." Uraraka gave a tired laugh and Todoroki rolled his eyes. "Regardless… we're gonna save him. We're going to keep him alive." She stood onto her feet once again and Todoroki watched as she stepped towards the door, her feet slow as though they were weighed with bricks.

"So… I'm counting on you, Todoroki-kun. Even though it must be hardest for you, we gotta do what we gotta do, you know? Even if this secret hurts, we have to do it for Deku." The doctor didn't turn around as she stepped out of the room, moving just a bit faster and jerkier than before. Listening to her footsteps grow farther with each step, Todoroki let out a long sigh and then turned back to the patient. He silently reached over and pulled the blanket up to Midoriya's chin before stepping back.

"I can't… be like Uraraka, but at least I can do small things," he whispered. He stared at the curly hair, falling back again across Midoriya's closed eyes, but Todoroki took three more steps back. He closed the door firmly behind him.

"'It must be hardest for you', what do you know," Todoroki muttered as he quickly walked through the hallway, fixing a couple IVs before racing down the stairs to the second floor. He swiftly leaped into the mayhem, handing over the blood sample to the laboratory and then another beep on his beeper indicated that Koshihiro-san needed fresh bandaids, Kureno-san needed her every three hour insulin drip, the freshest antibiotics had just arrived and needed to be sent to the pharmacy… Todoroki lightly pressed a hand to his temple, a throbbing headache starting as his scrub list expanded exponentially. He pushed down the twinge of relief as the rest of his mind turned to autopilot, kicking the emotions back in the dust.

Three o'clock, four o'clock, five o'clock… By the time the last few stragglers from the daytime rush had been assigned their hospital beds, Todoroki felt his limbs aching into the familiar burn of fatigue. Oh, it must be showing on my face, the nurse noted as a couple interns almost reached out to him, mistaking him for a patient before seeing the stethoscope.

He flinched as another beep sounded on his body. Who is it now- Todoroki stopped as he pulled out his silent beeper. But the high pitched beeping continued, and it took another moment before Todoroki realized that it was his phone. He yanked it out from his back pocket.

"7PM: Don't forget to eat dinner by 7! :D" Todoroki stared at the alarm on his phone, his eyes glued to the note directly beneath the time. His body didn't feel like his own as the red-white haired nurse raised a finger to touch the words when the phone faded back to black. Todoroki held the phone, his mind a blissful blank before memories began to crash down.

"Todoroki-kun, did you even eat today?"

Todoroki sat at the foot of the bed, watching Midoriya dive into the hamburger steak. He couldn't help a shadow of a smile at the puffed up cheeks. "You look like a chipmunk. I'm surprised you like hospital food this much."

Midoriya gulped down the meat, shaking his fork. "Hey, don't avoid my question!" he managed to complain as he tore into the breadroll next. "Also I'm starving!"

"'Starving'...? You could've called any nurse and they would've brought food-" Todoroki felt his words dissipate as he stared at Midoriya. Midoriya broke into a familiar sheepish grin.

"I, um, kinda wanted to eat dinner, with you? I-I sorta… get… lonely… " He ducked his head down, chewing abnormally fast.

"Wait what?! No, don't do that!" Midoriya jumped in alarm as Todoroki raised his voice, and Todoroki immediately regretted it. He lowered his voice back again, hunching his shoulders a bit. "I'm sorry. It's just… You're a patient, after all. You need the energy, and you have to take care of yourself and your health."

"You do too," Midoriya said stubbornly. Their eyes met, and Midoriya jutted his chin defiantly, his eyes flashing. Todoroki held the look, glaring back furiously letting out a winding sigh. He turnedaway to smooth out the creases on the sheets. Midoriya broke into a triumphant grin from his periphery. "I really can't win against you, can I?" Todoroki side-eyed the green-haired patient with an arched eyebrow.

"Nope," he replied cheerfully, digging further into the hamburger steak. "So, from now on, dinner? Seven? Room… uh… four…"

"Five zero six two," Todoroki corrected, and Midoriya laughed, bashfully scratching the back of his head. Todoroki tilted his head, a helpless smile pulling at his cheeks.

"Oh! And make sure to put the reminder in your phone!"

"Isn't that a bit excessive?" Todoroki asked as he unlocked and handed over his phone. "I could just use the beeper-"

"This isn't work, you always get pale when that thing rings!" Todoroki blinked as Midoriya tapped away at the phone. He continued without looking up. "I know you're not as… openly emotional as me, maybe, but it's pretty obvious you get stressed when it buzzes."

"... No one's… ever… is it really that obvious? I didn't even know I did that."

"Well then." Midoriya finished typing and handed over the phone with a flourish. Todoroki felt his pulse skip as their fingers brushed, and Midoriya's touch lingered for a moment longer than necessary before darting back. "I guess I know Todoroki-kun better than a lot of people," he said softly, looking down at his hand. Todoroki swallowed.

"Isn't it weird, even though we've only known each other for three days?"

Beep, beep.

Todoroki gave a sharp gasp as a different beep hit him. He pulled out the buzzer and sure enough, it was Hasegawa-san who needed his daily medication, along with three other to-dos flickering on the device. But before Todoroki could process his actions, he was calling Yaoyorozu.

"Hello? Todoroki-san? What's going on?" The faraway voice sounded pinched.

"Hello Yaoyorozu-san, I was wondering if someone could take over my duties for the next hour? Something came up." Todoroki gripped his cellphone so tight the corners dug into his palm.

"Oh! Of course, of course; I thought this was an emergency. I'm sure you haven't even eaten and you've done so much today, yes, of course we can manage for an hour," she said warmly. Todoroki let out a breath of relief. He paused, controlling a gallon of emotions before he replied huskily, "Thank you, I appreciate it."

"Good luck, Todoroki-san."

Todoroki nearly dropped the phone before the call ended. Damn am I really that obvious? The nurse quickly veered back towards the stairs, going up two steps at a time before reaching the fifth floor.

'I-I… sorta… get lonely… '

"God, I'm so stupid," he growled to himself as he broke into a run in the empty hallway. "Even though he's always looking out for me, I'm the one who forgets… "

Without knocking, Todoroki slammed open the door to room 5062.

Midoriya jumped, nearly tripping on his tangle of IVs as he spun around by the window, his eyes wide.

"What's going on?!"

Todoroki froze, sweat trickling down his face. "U-uhm, your, uh, at seven o'clock, um, that's, uh, dinner," he stammered, his face growing hotter and hotter under Midoriya's disbelieving stare.

"S… sorry? Who are you again? Are you... Oh. Were you that nurse assigned to me?"

Todoroki swallowed, realizing his mistake too late. Can't back out now. "... Yes. I'm Todoroki Shouto, the nurse assigned… to you," he replied woodenly.

"Um, okay." Midoriya shot an uneasy glance at him, an obvious sign that he should go. The nurse felt every fiber of his being wilt in embarrassment. Todoroki slowly stepped back under the patient's wary eyes. At the door, he managed to turn around and ask weakly, "Are- do, did you already have dinner-"

"I'm fine, thank you," Midoriya said firmly. He gave a curt nod before fully turning his back to him. A fresh stab of pain dragged through Todoroki's chest as he nodded feebly and closed the door. He closed his eyes, a wave of self-disgust, despair, and humiliation rolling over him nauseatingly.

Way to go, it's never this bad on the first day but you really did it this time.

He slumped against the wall. "And now he thinks you're an irresponsible nurse who might get him hurt. Great, great, you're doing great. What am I doing… "

"Todoroki-san?"

Todoroki wearily opened his eyes to see Ochako standing in front of him, her eyes round with concern. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Todoroki didn't answer, only glancing briefly at room 5102 before staring down again. Ochako's face fell. "Oh… today's the first day since the surgery so… "

"He doesn't remember me," Todoroki whispered. He held a hand up against his face. "He really doesn't know who I am. I still can't believe it, even though this is the fourth time. Ochako, I saw him this morning. Just this morning I, to him-" Todoroki choked on his words, his throat raw like a streak of sandpaper.

"Oh Todoroki-san." Ochako gave him a sad look. She folded her arms, letting out a small sigh as she stared down the hallway. "It can't be helped, the ROS causes excitotoxicity in the brain, and even with the best technology right now, the most recent brain transplants we can make have memories only up to six years ago. And it's gotta be replaced every three days-"

"I know!" Todoroki snapped before he pulled back at Ochako's shocked face. "I, I'm sorry… " He shook his head furiously. God what's wrong with you today, you know she's doing nothing wrong and she's trying to help you, what are you doing, get a hold of yourself- "I know you've suffered a lot too," he added hesitantly.

Ochako smiled half-heartedly. "We were going to be married," she stated matter-of-factly. Todoroki nodded numbly, not even surprise registering in his mind anymore. "I've always loved him since we were little, but it was only in med school that he reciprocated. But that's all gone now too, I guess. One-sided love's a jerk, if you know." She laughed bitterly.

Todoroki couldn't help smiling wryly, although more from the irony. What's one-sided love, I've never heard of it. He started as Ochako sighed again and then placed a hand on the door. She turned to him, a steely look sharpening her expression, and he felt his back straighten. "But you know, maybe this pain is worth it. It pushes me. Maybe we'll find a cure and we'll get all of his memories back."

Todoroki nodded as she slipped inside. His heart felt like it was shearing into pieces as he heard Midoriya greet her warmly by her name, and they began to banter lightly about some shenanigan from middle school. The relief and happiness in his voice was glaringly obvious.

How much longer can I go without going insane? Todoroki thought in despair. He shoved down the welling glob of lightlessness deeper into his chest before Ochako popped her head back out again. Todoroki looked up, startled.

"Oh, Todoroki-san? Deku- I mean, Midoriya-san wants to talk with you."