Dacarl: I had to! lol.
Lolobugga1: -_- Out of all the quirks I gave him, I seriously didn't even give him the OPTION to have a rubber quirk, even if he didn't use it?! I didn't even think of that! And yeah, the story is already finished, but now I feel stupid for not using it lol. Though some of his future injuries wouldn't be possible with a rubber quirk.
And the suffering begins! I made up a bunch of quirk medical stuff and lore. Poor Luffy. Enjoy~
He was laying in bed, his room a complete disaster, the walls scorched, the bed burnt, skin secreting acid that burned him only to heal over in an endless loop as the acid dripped down his arm. Luffy's left arm was invisible, the right side of his body was on fire, random objects were stuck in his shirt, having come out of his body. There was a residue of lightning in the room along the formerly nice and neat walls.
The window hadn't broken, but it was making a ruckus inside when Hawks got home, slamming the door open and not even knocking as he heard sounds that shouldn't be there. He looked at Luffy's mess of a body in horror as he shook him awake. Luffy's eyes were rolled back in his head.
Then another pair of red wings came out of his lower back, multiple quirks responding all at once. Hawks shook his awake roughly, slapping him hard across the cheek. That stirred him and he jerked awake. His body hurt. Things steadily got less and less blurry before he realized what was happening to him.
He curled up, trying to force the quirks away. They were his classmates' quirks, ones that he never intended on using. He felt like the most recent drawer in his filing cabinet had been thrown around and he couldn't control or get them back into the places.
Luffy had never seen Hawks looking so afraid and worried. Slowly, the powers stopped and all that was left was his wings. He was breathing deeply, eyes scrunched closed. Hawks rubbed his back, massaging where his wings were spasming. The pro-hero was silent for a minute before he asked, "Are you alright?"
The teen nodded, saying it didn't hurt anymore. He tried to get up but Hawks made him stay on the bed. He held up Luffy's arm, which had sweat the acid, leaving red marks though there was no visible injury anymore. Luffy felt horrible. Look at the mess of his room. "I'm sorry, everything got ruined." Hawks frowned and said he didn't care about the bedroom walls.
He put his head in his hands, sitting hunched over. "I don't know what happened. I just took a nap and woke up to you shaking me awake." Hawks asked if it had hurt, and Luffy shook his head. If he hadn't been woken up and didn't see the mess of his room, he might not have even noticed it happen.
Luffy had felt completely normal until he woke up and then everything hurt and was scary. He was glad his wings were still there. He looked at his hands, not looking like they were burning or covered in electricity at all.
So many people would want his quirk, the power to access all that he'd seen. Yet this was what was happening and he didn't know what the trigger was. Hawks got him a glass of water and sat on the bed next to him. "I don't know what happened," Luffy repeated quietly. Hawks was laid back and generally positive, but he wasn't an idiot or overly optimistic. So he didn't tell Luffy everything would be fine. Luffy would be mad if he did.
"We should keep you here and not go to school tomorrow," Hawks said slowly. "Not only could you hurt others but they'd also know your real quirk," he reasoned. Luffy knew that was the right thing to do, but missing any school at UA seemed like it'd doom you. Based on how Aizawa taught them. Always negative. He was sure being "sick" wouldn't give him any help other than not to miss anymore.
"I know that's the right thing to do, but Aizawa isn't going to just let me skip for being sick. He'll say to work through it and heroes don't have time to be sick," Luffy replied in a groan. He felt stable, if not sore in many places, and burning in his feet.
Hawks said, "We can tell them it's a quirk related illness, in which case there is no way you could go to school." That would work, there were quirk related illnesses. It was to be seen if this was one or just his body finally being unable to store too many quirks. He'd lost complete control, but it could have been much, much worse. This needed to be brought under control as soon as possible.
Luffy nodded and said they would do that. "Let me email him," Luffy said, but his hands were shaking a little bit and he couldn't type anything on his phone. Hawks took it from him gently and started to type out the email. He read it aloud so Luffy could confirm or want to change it.
"Dear Aizawa-sensei, I've come down with an unfamiliar quirk related illness and it is unsafe for me to come to school. Please email me any and all work I can complete at home," Hawks read and asked if that was okay. Luffy nodded and the hero pressed send. He looked around the room and then laughed.
The TV was completely fine while the rest of the walls were a mess. "Looks like even your quirks know you like to watch TV."
"That was a terrible joke," Luffy muttered, but not in a mean way. Hawks just chuckled, agreeing that it wasn't the best. "Is it safe for me to sleep?" he asked, feeling like he hadn't gotten any rest at all even though he'd napped for hours based on the sun's position. It was so lucky the window hadn't been broken.
Hawks didn't know, and said that he should sleep in the living room so Hawks could keep him under his watch, wake him if he started to go out of control again. Luffy said, "I don't think that will be the only and last time. Nobody is ever that lucky." He was angry, angry at his quirk for not obeying him, going out of control. Being too powerful.
How he wished he had only one. One quirk that was the only one he had, he could focus and be proud of that. Luffy was sure there was no way to delete the quirks he'd seen and accumulated. They were part of his memory. And even if he wanted to, you couldn't wipe out specific memories that you want to lose.
Was it even safe for him to fly? To leave the apartment? Would he cause a scene and get Hawks in trouble? "We'll hope for the best. The last resort would be a quirk rehab. Hopefully that doesn't happen," the pro-hero said honestly. Luffy grimaced at imagining going to one of those places.
If someone's quirk became uncontrollable, there were multiple practices to help fix that, including surgery, medication or rehabilitation. But that meant others would know what Luffy's quirk actually was. Not some prehistoric bird lie. He nodded, knowing that was the last resort. He had to get this under control, he didn't want to do that.
He didn't think it would be some horrible place, but he still didn't want to have to do rehab there. Luffy had no idea what kind of quirks would be there. And he didn't want to see any uncontrollable ones that might become uncontrollable with him. Like an incredibly contagious disease. He'd always hated his quirk.
"C'mon, I'm gonna make dinner. No, you don't cook. I'm doing it tonight. Come to the living room," Hawks said, helping him up. Luffy said he was really sore everywhere, and it burned to put weight on his leg. But he walked to the couch on his own, declining help from Hawks. It wasn't far and he could walk that short distance.
Sitting on the couch, he stewed in a negative pot of anger, frustration and just disappointment. He finally got to high school, so excited about it, only to be absent at the beginning of the first semester. And it wasn't like he could be tutored on hero training, that had to be in person. But the school would be unable to not accommodate a quirk related illness.
It didn't happen again that night besides his fingers disappearing for a moment. Hawks was the one to notice, and he started keeping a log on a piece of paper on what he was showing. They both slept in the living room that night. Luffy felt guilty for being a burden. He was unsafe for himself and possibly other people, he couldn't go anywhere.
In the morning, Hawks woke Luffy and told him he was going down but would come check on him every hour. Luffy nodded and thanked him, eating cereal for breakfast. Hawks did check on him every hour, just to open the front door as if he was alright. Luffy replied he was fine and Hawks would go back to work.
It wasn't too much of a hassle, luckily. Hawk's ability of flight was convenient for something like this. Luffy eventually left the window open so he could just check on him by flying up and not needing to go inside and use the elevator each time.
Before dinner, Luffy's quirk misbehaved again. His arm started to turn green and grow claws, the fingers receding. It was painful, bleeding badly before his regenerative power came, only making it worse as it deformed further. Luffy took the nearest pillow and bit down on it not to scream.
It was so painful, but eventually it went back to normal, Luffy having tears of pain in his eyes. The blood had gotten on the carpet. He stood and walked to the sink to wash off the blood and then try steam cleaning the carpet. Though the one they had was crappy and old. The blood stayed there and Luffy desperately tried to wipe it up, but it didn't.
Hawks landed in the window and saw Luffy trying to clean. "What happened?" he asked in a stern voice. Luffy told him honestly, and apologized for staining the carpet with blood. "Luffy, you were literally bleeding out, I don't give a damn about the carpet. Stop prioritizing things that can be fixed compared to your body and health."
Luffy looked down, but nodded. He still felt he wasn't worth anything sometimes, though those feelings were usually chased away quickly, mostly when Hawks scolds him for it. Scolds lightly would be a better way to say it. He never raised his voice in anger, which was nice. Hawks stayed for an hour, making sure Luffy was alright before heading back down.
He was on his beanbag chair when his phone buzzed. He opened the email and saw it was from Aizawa.
I'm sorry to hear you have a quirk related illness. I will send you the rest of the classwork for this week. The school recommends suspending all quirk related training or school work until you are back to normal. Hope to see you back soon. - Aizawa
Luffy laid down on the couch, holding his phone up with a heavy sigh. He hadn't missed school in years, always winning the perfect attendance award. Oh well, there was nothing he could do to change this. He rolled onto his stomach and muted the TV, falling asleep. He was tried a lot right now, maybe that was part of the illness or defect or whatever was going on with him.
Nothing happened and Hawks came to check on him an hour later, making sure everything was okay and seeing Luffy was sleeping. He moved his phone and put it on the coffee table since it was squishing against his cheek. He gave Luffy one last worried look before flying back to work.
When he woke up, it was to the smell of pizza. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking to see Hawks had a box of pizza at the bar counter. "I figured you deserved a cheat meal," Hawks said simply, and brought the box and two plates over. He felt Luffy's forehead and frowned. "How do you feel?"
"Really tired. Do I have a fever?" Luffy asked, not having gotten a fever in years. He was usually very healthy, even with the aches and pains that he had in various places sometimes. Hawks told him it was normal for a human to ache after flying long distances. He made sure Luffy knew he was still a human and not invincible, even if Luffy hadn't thought like that in a long time.
"I don't know, we'll see before you eat anything," he said, already changed out of his hero outfit. He came back with the thermometer, Luffy pulling out to see he had a very light temperature. "99.2," he said. "Not too bad, but a temperature regardless. We'll keep an eye on it." Then they both started eating. It was good, but Luffy started to feel wrong again, how he had with the lizard arm.
God, he hoped it wouldn't be anything painful or damaging. It wasn't, and he just started floating. Hawks was shocked at first before he scoffed. "Well, this isn't the worst one you could have," he said, trying to lighten the situation. Luffy tried flapping wings to get back down and grabbed onto the couch to pull himself down, only the couch started floating. Hawks took him down and sat him on the not floating couch.
It ended and he was no longer weightless. That was Uraraka's power. He felt dirty for using it. He took the bottle of water and tried uncapping it, but it didn't. He froze and so did Hawks. "The super strength is gone," Luffy said flatly, though both of them knew that the moment the lid didn't unscrew on the first try.
He grabbed at his wings, so afraid he'd lose them. Hawks asked if there was anything off feeling about his wings. Luffy didn't want to jinx it, but he shook his head. They felt fine, if not a bit droopy. Though they always felt a bit heavier when he was tired or sick, so it wasn't something new or very alarming.
Hawks opened the water bottle and Luffy took a long swig before eating the pizza at a quicker pace so he wouldn't be interrupted again. "Aizawa replied. He's gonna email me all of the classwork for the rest of the week and told me the school doesn't want me doing any work involving my quirk for safety purposes." Hawks said that was the best idea. Luffy sadly complained that he wanted to fly.
"I know, but it's not safe for now. I honestly don't know what to do to fix this," he said. Luffy was sad but grateful he was truthful. It didn't make Luffy feel any better about the situation, but he would be more upset if Hawks gave him false hope.
Luffy said, "I'll probably need to go to a quirk hospital, huh?" in a flat voice, eyes droopy and shoulders slumped. His pizza was gone, no longer hungry. Hawks sighed and said it was likely. "Will they be able to help me?"
Hawks answered, "Hopefully. I would say it's probable. They do surgeries to inhibit certain aspects of quirks, not the whole thing. Or medication to dull the effects." Luffy didn't want surgery. He did fantasize about not having to deal with all of them crowding his mind. He asked what the surgeries were like, how they worked.
"From what I know, they put an inhibitor in the back of your neck to interfere with some nerves that carry the brain's message to the nerves that control the quirk. It varies in complexity from case to case," he explained. "It was a 98% success rate. There are very rarely deaths."
Luffy sighed, glad he wouldn't die or anything. He asked if it could ever damage the quirk itself. "Only if someone ripped it out or attempted to remove it themselves. It can be removed by surgery again." The teen was glad it wasn't something completely dangerous. But what would it be like? To have a more normal quirk? It sounded nice, but he didn't want to have to go to a rehab facility for this.
He said he wanted to go to bed, and that he'd leave the door open in case something went wrong. Hawks looked uneasy with this, but didn't make him sleep on the couch again. Luffy didn't know that some time during the night, Hawks had brought the beanbag chair to Luffy's door and slept propped up right outside the door.
The pro-hero woke up to Luffy screaming, spikes coming from his back from one of the mutant quirks he hadn't seen in many years and actually forgot he had. Normally, the skin would accommodate for the change, but he was out of whack, so it was agony and he was bleeding heavily. Hawks ran to him but then grabbed the phone and called 911.
"This is 911, state your emergency."
"I need an ambulance. My friend is having his quirk rebel against him. He can't control it," Hawks said hurriedly. The woman on the other line no doubt heard the screaming. "We're at Hawks' agency, we'll meet you outside." She said help would be there soon. Hawks put the phone in his pocket before touching Luffy on the shoulder gently.
The spikes were still there, but no longer growing. They hadn't hurt his wings, luckily, were just between them. "Luffy, we're going to the quirk hospital. I already called 911," Hawks said. Luffy didn't want to, but he needed to. He wanted any medication to stop this, it hurt and was scary.
Luffy nodded and carefully got out of bed, his back coated in blood even though it wasn't bleeding anymore. He winced with every step. Hawks decided to just carry him. "I'm going to fly us down, okay?" he asked, Luffy nodding.
He held Luffy with his chest to Hawks so that the spikes didn't stab the hero on accident. When they got down, landing easily with little impact, the ambulance was there. But it wasn't to the regular hospital, but the place you were taken if it was a quirk related injury, having quirk scientists and doctors specialized for this kind of thing.
Luffy was put into the ambulance, Hawks sitting inside with him. "It might go out of control again," Hawks warned the EMT at the scene. He nodded and injected Luffy with a small quirk suppressant. There was nothing that could completely erase quirks, but dull the effects for medical purposes, like having a surgery of some sort and the quirk would interfere.
The teen was still awake, just out of it from the drug. Hawks was in normal people clothes, no sunglasses and just wearing a tank top, pants and boots. Of course he'd still be recognizable due to his wings that were taking up a lot of the packed ambulance, Luffy's also taking up quite a lot of space. Though the behind was spacious inside. Some people had quirks that enlarged their bodies.
When they got to the quirk hospital, Luffy was wheeled inside and to a room. The place was nice, much nicer than a regular hospital. The walls were not white, but a warm feeling blue with wooden floors. Well, it was a rehab place and people would want comfort.
The spikes had slowly receded, very slowly due to the suppressant and now Luffy was in a room on a bed. His back was being wiped of the blood and Hawks was washing out the blood from the feathers.
"Hawks?" Luffy asked, finally awake enough to speak.
"Hey, Luffy. We're in the quirk hospital. Do you remember what happened?" the pro-hero asked, sitting by the bed and trying to hide his worried expression. He was usually good at concealing his emotions but he was very worried right now.
Luffy nodded, remembering spikes coming from his back. He started to apologize but he got a stern look and settled with a thank you. The doctor came in, smiling and asked how Luffy was feeling. "Still tired, but not in pain anymore." He was asked for details about his quirk, since he had wings but also had spikes in his back.
"It will be kept confidential and will not leave this hospital. But we need honesty so we can help you in the proper ways," she said, sitting down next to the bed on the other side that Hawks was. So Luffy sighed and explained his quirk. She was writing down notes, looking surprised but not too much. He explained that he was able to hold the wings out all the time, and the other two never went away. She then asked him to lay back down on his stomach. She pressed on his back at the top of his spine and asked if that hurt. He winced and nodded.
"Your quirk nerves are inflamed and swollen. Pressing against one another is causing them to sort of malfunction. That explains why your quirks are out of control. I'm going to do an x-ray and then come right back," she said, named Dr. Ito. He nodded and was taken to get x rayed on his stomach and rolled back.
He tried to sit up but she asked him to continue laying on his stomach. He was not comfortable in this position since his wings were furled and not in the space where they could rest out widely, like both his and Hawks' beds were. But he did what the doctor said. She knew everything, now he just wanted help with it.
She came back with the scans, and actually looked puzzled and a bit worried. "This is where your quirk nerves usually are, a small and thin cluster. But your quirk is much different, and you seem to be growing more than usual. Based on the fact that your quirk is not a copy, but one where you keep the potential to use them, more and more nerves are being formed. You have over 100 extra ones."
Luffy and Hawks were horrified, and Luffy tried to feel the area, while was indeed swollen and tender. "The best thing to do would be to remove some of them to lessen just how many there are."
Hawks asked how that would work, and what if they kept forming even after removing them. "Removing them would be time consuming. We'd need to do research on each nerve and connect it to each quirk. But there is one that is thicker and much stronger than the others. The one connected to your wings."
Luffy sighed, glad it seemed his wings were more protected. "After a nerve is removed, it will take a period of time to recover and recuperate. With how many quirk nerves you have, and how many you don't use, it would take at least three months to have you completely healed.
His eyes fell and he bit his bottom lip. Well, he would be a year late in high school. There was no way he could complete the year with three months of absences. Hawks frowned deeply as well. "I'll stay. School… can be delayed a year." He said nothing of the cost of the operation since he knew Hawks would pay however much is necessary.
The pro-hero sighed and put his hand on Luffy's hair. "It's the right choice," he said quietly. Luffy nodded, keeping in the tears. Luckily, he hadn't gotten attached to any of the other students or teachers. It wasn't so painful to end that year since he didn't get close to any of his classmates.
Luffy asked, "Will I be confined here?" Dr. Ito nodded, though she told him he could go on walks, just not to other places where someone could be harmed by any of his quirks going out of control. "Do you know how many will need to be removed?"
She shook her head, saying they needed more assessments by others as well. Luffy deflated completely. Three months or more of being in a hospital, constantly healing from surgeries. Well, he'd lived through worse conditions than this. He shouldn't be a baby and getting so upset. He'd still get food and shelter. He'd miss Hawks, though.
He wasn't going to stay with him there, but Luffy was sure he'd visit. The doctor was blunt and honest, though her voice was calm. "You will most likely be sleeping for much of the time here. During surgeries you will be sedated and then resting to heal up. We will give you daily quirk suppressors to keep any from acting up. They are safe for use and have no side effects. It's kind of a miracle drug, but most don't use it for any other reasons besides ones similar to yours."
Luffy would be sleeping for three months? Or longer? Well, at least time would go by more quickly that way. Hawks looked so depressed. After all, he hadn't lived alone in five years. Luffy tried to lighten the mood and said, "Well, you'll have to learn to cook for yourself again." It was weak, but he was trying to make Hawks not feel upset. At least it wasn't something Luffy was in control of.
Hawks pressed his lips together and nodded. Dr. Ito said that he'd be staying in a nice room for the long term patients. He and Hawks followed her out, Luffy feeling heavy as the drugs were still in effect. They went to a new hallway, and Luffy hadn't really been aware when they came in. They entered an empty room that had a nice big bed and overall looked nothing like a hospital room. But it wasn't his room. Couldn't compare. He sat on the bed, glad it was big enough for his wings to be stretched out.
"You can bring things from home to make it easier to be in here. And clothes as well. I'll leave you two alone," Dr. Ito said kindly and shut the door.
Hawks sighed and said, "This is gonna suck. I'm sorry you have to do this." Luffy said that it might be nice in the long run, to not have so many quirks. But that he might have to keep coming if more and more grow. Neither of them had any idea this was even possible, but it seemed really dangerous to leave unchecked. "Still… I'm sorry your first year is gonna be messed up, Luffy."
He nodded, but said the bright side was that he hadn't gotten too attached to anyone. "I'll not be in the same year as Todoroki, but it's not like I can ask him to skip a year." Hawks nodded, and then said he didn't need to be strong all the time. Luffy brought his knees up to his chest and said he didn't want to cry or be upset. "There's no point in being devastated about it, it's for my own health. I can't complain about it," he said quietly, both of them pretending he wasn't crying.
Luffy was going to feel so alone. It will be hard to adjust to this after being in a good home for over half a decade. After a while, Hawks left to get both of them some food. While he was gone, Luffy had more check ups and an incomprehensive interview. They were fine for him to do on his own.
He had asked when he'd be able to fly again. "I'm not sure. If the nerve connected to your wings is still fine after a coupe of the surgeries, then I don't see why you can't fly around the lot. If you fall, you'd be right here, so no flying long distances." Dr. Ito put her hand on Luffy's shoulder. "It will be hard to adjust to, but we'll do everything we can to make you comfortable and remove the nerves in a quick and safe manner. There will be no rushing, okay?"
Luffy nodded, thinking she actually cared for her patients. He walked back to his room, taking another pill for suppressing his quirks. They told him it was fine, but he wanted to make sure and looked up the medication to see if it was safe to take so frequently. And the side effects.
The only side effect was that it made your mind foggy and tired. It was fine to have in heavy and frequent doses. It does no damage to the body or quirk in the long run. It made him feel better about it, feel safe. He really shouldn't have, but he looked up the type of surgery he'd be undergoing. It was a more safe procedure than other quirk related surgeries.
Removing them would be easier than reconnecting them. But he'd never known that he was growing new nerves, or would have thought it possible. During anatomy in junior high, nobody was told that nerves could just form. But nobody had Luffy's quirk. Nobody would want it if they knew of the long term side effects.
Hawks came back in, face shield on as he'd flown there and with take out from Luffy's favorite restaurant. They ate on the bed, quiet until Luffy told him that he looked everything up and that the medications and surgery weren't known to cause bad side effects.
"That's good. I brought you all of your unread books that were piling up in your room and your computer. I wish I could take the kitchen and just transport it here for you to cook, since it's a stress reliever." Luffy told him when he got back home he'd blow off hundreds of dollars on cooking, so to be prepared.
The pro-hero chuckled and said that was fine, and he looked forward to it. "You're not in jail, I will come visit you. Todoroki could probably visit." Luffy nodded, saying he knew he wasn't in jail. It would make him feel isolated, but it is better than other situations.
"Thank you for not hesitating to call 911 and get me help," Luffy said, the tears dried fairly quickly. Hawks said that of course he would, even if he wasn't bleeding all over the place.
"And do not apologize for blood stains," he said quickly. Luffy shook his head, even after seven years, Hawks still read him too well. Well, maybe even better than before since they'd lived together so long. It was 2:15 am and Luffy insisted Hawks go get sleep to work tomorrow.
"I'll just be more worried here if you don't sleep and then go do hero duties," Luffy pushed. Hawks nodded, and said he'd talk to him tomorrow. Luffy said he wanted to be the one to let the school know he had to drop out. He didn't want to just look away like it wasn't his job to be responsible over his education. Hawks gave him a smile and left, flying back home. Luffy went back to bed, glad it was a comfortable mattress. His back was sore from the spikes, so he slept on his side.
The next morning, it was Friday. He hadn't even finished his first week of school. He called the school, and told them he had to drop out for that year. Aizawa apparently was in the teacher's lounge when he called. "Luffy, why are you dropping out?" he asked in bafflement, not sounding bored or tired.
"I'm going to be having ongoing surgeries for at least three months, there's no way I can catch up after that long of being gone. And it would be dangerous for me to even try doing hero activities," Luffy replied honestly, voice calm but with a twine of sadness. "It's just lucky it's early and I didn't get attached to anyone."
"These are quirk surgeries?"
"Yeah, I can't talk about it. But yeah, it's for my quirk. It'll take a long time to get better, so I'm dropping out for this year. I'll come back next year," he said in defeat.
Aizawa knew this was the only way, he couldn't miss school that long. He'd said since the beginning that life at UA would be hell. Luffy would be unable to do anything he called difficult. He gripped the phone tightly, not breaking it. His quirks were repressed, so his super strength wasn't there.
"I'm sorry this happened. Hopefully we'll see you next year," Aizawa said in a regretful voice, sounding like he was actually sad this would happen. "I wish you luck with your health." Luffy thanked him and the call was over. He didn't cry, he just sighed and put his phone down. This would be a long three months. Too long. Well, she had said at least three months. Could be longer.
The effects of his dropping out showed by the end of the day, where he was flooded with messages from classmates, asking what happened or telling him they were sorry he had to drop out. It was a huge group chat so Luffy didn't need to message each one individually. They had no idea what kind of surgery would be done for three months. Luffy didn't know what to say, so settled with that there was nerve damage with his quirk and it needed to be fixed through surgery and medication. That was the truth. Just not all of it.
Todoroki had called him a bit later. He sounded surprised, something he rarely did. He wanted confirmation. He was probably upset that they wouldn't be in the grade anymore after being since 3rd grade. "You need surgery for your quirk? What's wrong with it?"
Luffy said, "I'm at the quirk rehab facility. It's actually pretty nice inside. The nerve is swollen and it's made my quirk out of control, so I'm not safe being around anyone else. I've just gotta deal with it. At least Hawks can get here easily," he sighed. Then he looked up. "I'm sorry that I won't be in the same class or grade with you anymore. I guess you'll just have to make some friends without me."
Todoroki was quiet for a minute. "I don't give a damn about you not being in the same grade. You shouldn't have to deal with this, you were so excited to start here."
The technical "high school dropout" sighed, and said he was upset about it, but UA wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. "I'll be pretty bored, though. And I can't go flying, can only go on walks or some flight tests later. I don't want to go into detail about it, really."
Todoroki surprised Luffy by saying, "I know you've been lying about your quirk from the beginning. I'm just sorry it has ended up like this. I'm not mad, and you don't need to tell me about it." Luffy paused. Todoroki knew already and hadn't told anyone. Could he tell him about it?
He asked slowly, "If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone else?"
"Absolutely."
So, he told Todoroki the truth about his quirk, and where it led him. He listened and didn't interrupt until the end. Luffy didn't know what to expect his response to be. But he said he was sorry. That Luffy had to have such a complicated one that didn't lead him in the right direction. "Maybe we can have all of them removed besides the three I actually use," he mused, trying to think of any bright side of this. "It's just good the doctors know what they're doing and talking about."
Todoroki agreed, and the door of his room was knocked on. "I gotta go. Don't tell anyone else. I'll keep you updated." The call ended and Luffy told whoever it was to come in. The nurse came in and introduced herself before starting to lead him around and show him where everything was and where he could and couldn't go.
The ward he was in was for more "normal" malfunctions. They had to have space between them for precaution, so the patients couldn't mingle too closely. There was one ward that was for the very, very dangerous ones. Like, those emitting pathogens from their bodies. You had to wear a hazmat suit to go there.
Luffy asked to not see anybody. He didn't want to have unstable quirks in his library. "Of course. We'll stagger you and the other patents' visit time. There aren't many here at the moment. There's not usually a lot, but in all, we have twelve patients and three are in the off limits ward." He nodded, thanking her for the walk around.
He went back into his room and flopped onto the bed. This wasn't going to be fun.
-x-
It was only four days later that he had his first surgery. They'd decided to not touch the two quirk nerves that were the most dominant. The one of his wings and what they assumed was the super strength, since those ones were the ones he used the most and would make sense that those nerves were thicker and stronger from always being used.
It was a snip of the quirk that was most swollen. They were targeting the more damaged nerves first to at least try and bring the swelling down. It didn't take long, and he was given oxygen until he woke up and they did some tests to make sure he was okay. For one hour, they had him not on any suppressants since his body automatically used the regeneration quirk to heal over the wound that they then observed. The nerve was not repaired, which would have made the whole surgery useless. Only the exit wound and any side effects he would normally come with that surgery. Maybe it wouldn't take three months. Then he slept the rest of the day.
He had surgery every two to three days based on the rest of his health. Luffy didn't want them to rush, but he also wanted to not be here for so long. Hawks visited at the wrong times, usually coming when he was asleep, like he was for most of the time. On the suppressants, he had no outbreaks of any uncontrollable quirks. His wings did not change in any way, thankfully. They didn't go away and never hurt like they were trying to force themselves back inside.
A week after he was admitted, some of his class wanted to see him. No one was allowed into the hospital besides family, so only Hawks. So it was over the computer. "Hey, guys," Luffy said tiredly.
There were five others. Uraraka, Iida, Midoriya, Todoroki and Kirishima. "Hey! We miss you, man! Nobody's powers are as awesome as yours are," Kirishima said. Luffy didn't like it, but knew they were trying to be kind and show support. Luffy wished it had been like ripping a bandaid off, forgetting about them. He felt he didn't know them well enough for them to want to zoom.
He could see Midoriya and Uraraka, since he rescued them during their entrance exam. It felt like decades ago. He wished this didn't happen. "Yeah, it sucks. But it's to make me get better, so I have to do it," he replied.
"Are you okay?" Iida asked suddenly. Luffy questioned what he meant. "You look exhausted." Luffy told him he was drugged almost 24/7.
"It's quirk suppressants. I can't use it here until the nerve is back to where it should be," Luffy said honestly. "It doesn't hurt or anything, just makes me sleepy." They all looked shocked, and Luffy would have rather than not try and talk to him, to just leave him alone. But, nice people did this. He just didn't expect them to after a few days of school. He expected them to forget all about him.
"Do the surgeries hurt?" Uraraka asked. Luffy replied he was asleep during them and they didn't last a long time. That he just sleeps it off afterwards. He said he did a lot of sleeping here and then he asked how school was going. He was resigned to the fact he wouldn't go back, maybe this was like a preview for his time at UA next year.
"Aizawa was sad when he told us. So was All Might. Nobody knows what happened, really. Other than that you had to drop out due to health problems. Class is really… interesting. We're trained hard, but that's to be expected. It feels really slow," Midoriya explained. It wasn't very helpful but Luffy nodded.
He joked, "Is Bakugo glad I'm gone, now?" The others said it was the opposite. He was mad Luffy dropped out before he could give him payback for their match, where Luffy destroyed his gauntlets. "Hopefully he'll get over it." They talked about trivial things before Luffy had to prepare for another surgery the next day and eat dinner early. Hawks had visited earlier and brought him some food he actually cooked himself.
"I have to go eat and then sleep. I have to have 12 hours between eating and the surgery," Luffy said. He was glad nobody sent him a pitying look. Todoroki had literally said nothing the whole time, the others probably forgot he was there. But since they weren't all in the same place, Luffy saw the sign he was holding up that the others couldn't see.
I promise I'll visit when I can. He could have sent that in a text message, but this way seemed more personal. He was telling him sort of in person.
-x-
"We've successfully cut 20, and you're showing no negative after effects of either the surgery or the medication. The swelling has gone down considerably and there is less pressure," Dr. Ito said. Hawks and Luffy were sitting on the couch in the common area for the patients.
"Only 20? You said I'd be here at least three months to cut 100. It's already been two months," Luffy said. He had bags under his eyes even though he slept all the time. He'd stopped eating as much. She nodded, and said that their time estimate had been widely off. "So I'll be here even longer?"
"No, for your health, we think we need to release you," she said kindly. Luffy didn't understand. He was having no side effects and his quirks weren't reacting badly. Luffy pointed out they are a fifth of the way done.
Hawks said, "Luffy, have you looked in the mirror in a while?" He said it softly, so Ace got up and went to the mirror on the wall.
Luffy said, "I'm just a little tired. It's the drugs." He knew he didn't look the best, but still. He wanted to get it done all at once. He wanted to be purged of the useless quirks, never wanting to risk going out of control again. It was scary, and he'd upset Hawks and messed up the apartment. He hated that. He was unstable and dangerous and he didn't want to do it anymore.
"You've also lost weight and color," Hawks said, though not in a rude or reprimanding way. He asked the doctor what her ideal plan would be.
"Since you heal quickly from the nerve removals due to the regenerative quirk, you could leave but have small surgeries to slowly siphon them off." Luffy wasn't happy, and insisted that if they did that, he'd just collect more than they destroyed. He wanted it finished as soon as possible, even if it took them more time.
He didn't have school or a job to make him hesitate. But the doctor said she couldn't keep him there like that. He glared at the wood floor. If they could do it gradually, what was the point of him dropping out? It was way too late to enrol again for that year. "I don't want that to ever happen to me again. And you got rid of 20. I walk past a lot more people every day than that. I'll get more and it will have all been for nothing!"
Hawks looked like he agreed and glanced at the doctor. "What about the quirk inhibitor? Hawks told me about that but nothing ever came of it," Luffy pointed out. Dr. Ito told him that it was for simple quirks. His was by far not simple, the most complex they'd ever seen. Luffy sat down and put his head in his hands.
"I don't want that to happen again. Ever again," Luffy lamented. Hawks walked over and put his hand on Luffy's head. He was asked when the last time he'd flown was. "A couple weeks."
"Why don't we go on a flight and then come back," he offered. Luffy knew what he meant, he wasn't being calm. He didn't need to be calm, he was allowed to be upset, but it also wouldn't get anywhere if he just yelled and threw a fit. He hadn't had a new dose that day, so he would be able to fly.
God, two months and twenty removals. How many quirks were in the world? Would Luffy take every single one he sees and doom himself? Why couldn't he just not want them? There were plenty he had that he didn't want. Like the one where spikes came from his back. And he couldn't just remove nerves when they pop up. He needed surgery by trained doctors.
He couldn't remove them at any moment if he reached capacity. He gripped the back of his neck. It wasn't sore anymore. He didn't know what to do, but was brought back to the situation with a worried mutter of his name. "Is there some way to make me not see quirks? A way to not process them, or whatever?"
Hawks' eyes widened and he looked down, a thoughtful look on his face. "Possibly."
"How?" Luffy asked, grasping at straws. He wanted to live as a hero without hurting others or himself. He couldn't be a hero if seeing other quirks doomed him. That basically meant he couldn't be around anybody.
"There is equipment used by the military to search for quirkless people, ignoring people with quirks. With tinkering, perhaps we could get you glasses or goggles that doesn't let you see the quirks. Of course this is hypothetical. It might be nonsense, since so many quirks are outwardly visible, like your wings," Hawks said, voice getting faster the more he spoke.
Luffy felt hope bloom in his chest. "Can you get it?" Hawks nodded with a grin. He was a top pro-hero, he had reach in many places. "Can I stay here until a prototype is made?"
Dr. Ito said that wasn't going to happen. "You can go home and I will give you enough doses of suppressants if you go outside. Staying inside will keep you from gaining more quirks. Just don't watch TV or play games," she said. Luffy gave a watery smile.
"I c-can still be a hero, then?" he asked, trying to hide the tears. For the first time in a long time, Hawks hugged Luffy.
"I'll find something out. You'll be a hero, don't worry," he said in a very firm voice. "Now let's get you home." Luffy nodded, and he gathered the small amount of personal belongings and went back home, this time in the car as they didn't know how Luffy would do with flying after having gone over a week without doing so. There had never been a break more than three days or his wings would get stiff and even painful if he flew too fast.
That was how it was with most mutants types, if there was something heavy on the body. It was how it was, there was no changing it. When they got home, Luffy went to his room and flopped onto the bed. Hawks had gotten everything fixed while he was gone. It was nice, not to see the scorch marks or bloody carpet.
"Welcome home. I'll make sure you can be a hero," Hawks swore.