Bright light and antiseptic greeted my eyes and nose as I woke up, my body feeling like I'd been run over by an eighteen wheeler.
"What the hell? Where am i?" I tried to ask, my lips barely moving as the words came out as a throaty grumble.
Moving was a no-go, with cast and bandages all over my body, my left leg held up in the air in a sling. What happened to me? Why was I so busted up?
Thinking about it made me afraid, no memory of why I was here, and as I pondered further, I realized I had no idea who or where I was either.
Wiggling in the bed as much as I could, I made as much noise as possible, trying to get someone to come and help me, tell me what was going on.
"Woah there, son, calm down. You're okay." I heard from the left, and as I tried to look over, I learned my neck was being held in place by something.
"I'll be back, okay? I'll get the nurse."
As he left, I could see a glimpse of blonde hair and a white t-shirt, a nurse coming in to check up on me, looking worried as she checked my vitals and began to explain what had happened.
"Hello, Mister Midoriya, you've been asleep for a while. My name is Nurse Junko. We were afraid you might not wake up." She told me, taking a wet rag and putting it to my forehead as I took in her words. Was I in an accident? What sent me into a coma? Was Midoriya my name?
I tried to talk again, asking so many things that came out in a string of grunts that couldn't be understood, even when I knew what I wanted to say.
"Save your voice, okay? Your vocal cords were damaged. It's unlikely you'll be able to speak for a few days or longer."
I couldn't speak, couldn't move most of my body, everything hurt so badly. What the hell happened to me?
A knock from the door, the nurse smiling at me as she moved back a bit and let the doctor who walked in do her job.
"Hello, Mister Midoriya. My name is Doctor Kaito. You've been asleep for the last two weeks and four days. That is a long time, unfortunately not long enough for your wounds to heal fully. Can you wink with your left eye to show me you understand?"
I winked for him, and he nodded, taking notes.
"Do you remember why you're here?"
I winked my right eye, and he took another line of notes.
"I see. Well, you were involved in a villain accident, and your body took a beating. Multiple ribs have been broken, your legs and arms are broken, and you had internal bleeding from your ribs, piercing your muscle and kidney. Do you understand?"
Left eye wink, more notes taken, and wondered what was going on.
"Can you remember your full name or date of birth?"
Right eye, and he looked concerned, taking notes before looking at the nurse.
"Would you explain to his visitors that he can not answer their questions or handle any jostling? If he thinks he's up for it, they can come in briefly."
He turned to me, looking at me concern.
"Do you feel up for visitors?"
My left eye closed, and when he turned to his nurse, I closed my right eye. It felt like a relief to take a moment and focus. I was Midoriya, I'd been injured because of a villain, and people wanted to see me. If I could see people, maybe one of them could spark my memories.
Opening my eyes and waiting a few minutes, a guy with blonde hair walked in alone, moving around to the right side of the bed.
"You're such a dumbass Deku. I could have fought off those extra assholes. Don't expect me to thank you for putting your life in danger for me or anyone else." He told me, shoving his hands in his pockets and slinking away with a scowl that didn't look like he meant it. I wondered who he was.
Once he left, a tall man with jet black hair and a younger guy who didn't look much, if any, older than I was walked in and shut the door, the younger of the two on the left, and the older man on the right.
"Don't worry, Izu, we've been in contact with Ivy, and she knows how to speed up your recovery." The teen told me, putting his hand on my cheek, the feeling familiar as I relaxed into his touch. Was he a friend? More than a friend?
"We saw the footage. You're really grown over the last few days, both emotionally and physically. Good work." The man spoke, the three of them sitting there with me, talking to me about people I didn't know, a place called Gotham I didn't remember, things I couldn't recall, finally looking at the time.
"Until you recover both mind and body, we'll be in the country. I'm going to get some coffee. Tim, you wanna do the thing?"
Tim, who turned out to apparently be my boyfriend, pulled a syringe of green stuff out of his bag, injecting it in between my toes. If I could cuss him out, I would have, but the feeling spreading through my body was amazing, relief from the pain making my eyelids heavy.
When I woke up again, I didn't hurt so much, Tim sleeping in the chair while Bruce sat there, nodding to me once he noticed I was awake.
"I know what you must be thinking, but the serum Tim gave you helped speed up your healing factor. It's the next best thing to putting you in a pot of soil and setting you in the sun." He told me, much more calmly than he should have been explaining why they injected mystery stuff in me.
Upon noticing that my neck wasn't so stiff, looking around slowly as I got used to the feeling.
"What happened?" I asked, my voice scratchy and painful, but I had to know. I had to know what why I was beat up to the point I could hardly move, why speaking was a herculean task.
Bruce nodded like he'd been expecting it. He gave off weird vibes, always one step ahead of what I was thinking.
"Short story? You stood up to a supervillain and helped another hero defeat him. Long story? You were rescuing a kidnapped classmate when the previously mentioned villain decided to show up with a league of villains and your classmate. Other classmates who were there with you managed to rescue your kidnapped peer while you and Japan's top hero, All Might, fought the supervillain in charge of the other villains. You fought like a true hero and helped restrain the villain while All Might delivered the final blow."
Damn, that was a lot to take in, but it did explain why I didn't remember shit. If I'd taken half the ass beating it felt like I did, it made sense why I was so messed up.
I closed my eyes, thinking about the truth and how it felt. What was so remarkable about me that I was able to fight supervillains?
"Once you got to the hospital, you were sent to emergency surgery. There were several moments the doctors thought you might not pull through, but Tim never stopped believing in you." He continued, and I just wanted to black out, let time pass unconsciously.
Sleep wouldn't come, sitting in silence for a while until a knock came from the door and Doctor Kaito walked in.
"Mr. Wayne, there's visitors wanting to see Midoriya here. As his guardian, I have to have your permission and inform you that only two people can be in here at atime."
Bruce smiled, looking at me, and I didn't really understand what he wanted.
"Would you like to have visitors?"
Oh, that made sense. I guess I was up to it, I just hoped they didn't expect me to speak.
Nodding slowly to Bruce, he stood and followed the doctor outside, moments passing before a blue haired boy only a few inches shorter than Bruce came in, looking at me with an awkward expression on his face.
I didn't really understand what he was saying. Making out an apology for something or the other, spreaking so fast i didn't know exactly what he was saying, but he bowed over and over again as he spoke until his phone went off.
"My turn is over. I hope you have a speedy recovery."
A girl with pink cheeks, a boy with spiky red hair, a girl with frog-like features, a pretty girl with a long ponytail, a boy with funky elbows. They all spoke like they knew me, and it made me wish I knew them. They all seemed so nice, like we were old friends.
Watching the clock, I learned they spent five minutes each, and then another came in, until a man with a scruffy facial hair and long black hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in weeks.
"You're awake, I see. Well, I've heard about your condition, and I won't take too much of your time. Your actions, while technically not illegal since you don't have a quirk, have left the country rethinking our outdated quirk laws. You're a political image now. When you get out, your life will be difficult, but according to the principal, your spot at U.A. is still secured if you choose to continue your education with us."
He put a gift, a small potted plant, on the bedside table next to me, a flower blooming as it got closer to me. I wondered what kind of flower it was.
"Get well soon problem child. Class is boring without you."
Upon his departure, a skinny man who looked like a flesh covered skeleton with bright blue eyes that were sunken deep in his sockets came in, and I recognized him as the man who had been here when i woke up.
"Young Midoriya, it's good to see you awake again." Pausing and looking somber, he fell to his knees, his head pressed to the floor, buffing up into a weird muscle form, his voice deepening.
"Forgive me, you fought bravely, and I could not protect you. I failed as a hero and a teacher." He spoke, and while I couldn't comfort him, I could smile, giving a thumbs up. No hard feelings. Heroes couldn't save everyone, especially when I acted so recklessly.
When he finally looked up and saw me, he seemed relieved, coughing blood as he returned to his skinny form.
"It is my mission now to train you and make you shine brighter than I ever did."
What a weird thing to say. But he was a weird guy, so it made sense.
Bruce popped his head in, looking at All Might and the blood on the floor before quickly moving to help him up.
"Come on, Toshi, you should be resting still yourself. What did you do with your sling?" He told him, helping him out the door.
The days passed slowly, but each day, I could do a little more. By day four, I was able to stand and walk. By day eight, I could speak softly to the beautiful boy who seemed to love me and the older man who cared for me, asking every question I could until I had no more.
On day fifteen, I was released, a little old woman finishing healing the worst of my wounds. Where would I go now? Bruce and Tim were from America, and apparently so was I, but I was also enrolled in a prestigious high school here in Japan. It weighed on my mind, but not heavily enough to stop me from making a decision. If Gotham was my home, then maybe my memories could come back if I went home.
The trip was peaceful. Flying on a private plane was pretty cool, even if it did get kind of boring halfway there.
Tim sat next to me, the both of us kind of awkward, but who wouldn't be when we were supposedly dating, and I couldn't remember him?
A soft sigh left me, and I finally looked at him. God, if he wasn't already mine, I'd be tripping over myself, I just knew it.
"I'm really sorry. I know that not remembering you probably makes you feel weird or bad, but I like you, I really do. And if I can't remember you, I like the idea I could fall for you again. Just give me a little time, okay loverboy?"
I leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek and enjoying his presence while he talked to me, losing myself in his words as he talked about Gotham.
I just wish he'd told me how freaking weird this city was.