Rumi stared up at the imposing gates of UA, and tried not to swallow nervously. She failed.

"Well, this can't possibly go badly," she muttered. "Why did I let you talk me into this again?

Beside her, Izuku simply chuckled. He was wearing the same casual clothing he usually did when not on call-a polo shirt and jeans that made Rumi's lips go oddly dry just looking at him. It was a good look on him; it highlighted his surprisingly well-muscled arms-or arm, at least. "I would've thought you'd be a better sport about this," he said.

Rumi just snorted. "Pretty sure I used up all my reasonableness already," she replied. She was in civilian clothing too-not that she'd be wearing anything else, since she was still a long way from active duty. Izuku had, eventually, managed to convince her to ditch the baseball cap, though.

He squinted suspiciously at her. "That isn't a word," he said accusingly.

She raised an eyebrow. "The fuck you gonna do about it?" she shot back. She put her hands-one plastic and one flesh-on her hips, and grinned at Izuku as he shook his head in resignation.

"What did they teach you at this school, anyway?" he asked, jerking a thumb at the glass monolith beyond the fence. "Because it sure wasn't proper speaking."

Rumi's expression sharpened even further. "They taught me ass-kicking instead," she informed him. "Would you like a demonstration?"

Izuku looked unimpressed. "Forgive me if I'm not intimidated," he snorted. "I know your weakness, remember?"

Rumi's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?" she demanded.

Izuku rose from his position leaning against the gatepost. "I'm just saying, it would be unfortunate if I had to confiscate my patient's carrot supply," he said. "Again."

Rumi's ears flattened themselves against her head. "I don't-" she began, only to give up even trying to deny it. "You wouldn't."

Izuku just grinned. Before he could respond, though, the gates buzzed, and swung open to reveal none other than Principal Nezu himself.

"Why, hello!" he chirped. "How lovely of you to be here today. I'm glad you could make it, Miss Usagiyama!"

Rumi fought down the instinctive flare of terror at the sight of the little rat bastard, and instead nodded respectfully. "Principal Nezu," she said. "I'm glad to be here."

Nezu hummed. His gaze turned to Izuku, and Rumi swore she saw Izuku's eyes flash darkly as he locked gazes with the three-foot-tall man-bear-rat. If Nezu noticed it, he didn't say anything. Instead, he simply said, "If you don't mind following me, Mr. Midoriya, I'll show you to the support facilities. Miss Usagiyama, I know it's been a while, but might you be able to find your way to the northwest office on the third floor on your own? Someone is there to meet with you. I think you'll find what he has to say…illuminating."

Rumi glanced awkwardly at Izuku, but he simply shrugged, and she decided that whatever impulse made her want to stay by his side was best ignored. She turned back to Nezu, and said, "Alright. See ya later, Doc."

With that, she turned and headed for the gleaming glass facade of UA as Izuku followed Nezu.

It was…odd, being back here after so many years. She would've thought UA would have changed more…but it really hadn't. Even with the whole country hanging by a thread, even in the aftermath of Jaku…the grass was green, the sky was blue, and students were passing by with eager grins and the energy of youth. It reminded Rumi of the first time she'd stepped outside the hospital after months inside, or walking out of her apartment with Izuku at her side. It was an odd sort of vertigo, realizing that the world was still the same even when your life had come apart at the seams.

She crossed the open park between the gate and the main administrative building, still using the same easy gait that she'd developed with her new prosthetic. It was almost good enough to make her forget that it was a false leg, a glorified piece of plastic where she'd once had flesh and blood. It was far better than the old ones, better at sensing her movement and more responsive by far…but it was still nowhere near as good as her real leg had been. It probably would never be.

"Hey, is that Miruko?"

Rumi jerked her head up, her thoughts completely vanishing as her ears pricked up in alarm. She really should've worn her baseball cap, damnit. She did not want to deal with being recognized right now.

At least she sorta recognized the girl sprinting at her with an excited look on her face from the Sports Festival. She was kinda hard to forget, what with the pink skin and horns. What was her name again?

"Ohmygod, it is you!" the girl cheered as she reached Rumi; a couple of other girls, her friends, probably, were hot on her heels, though they looked less excited and more apologetic as they approached.

Rumi chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, yeah?" she said, uneasy.

The girl finally managed to calm down. Her friends exchanged worried looks as she said, "I'm really sorry to bother you, but I just can't believe you're actually here, nobody's seen you in weeks-"
"Mina, calm down, kero," one of her friends-the one with a wide, froggy face-said. "Nobody understands what you're saying."
Mina finally took a breath. "Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly. "It's just…good to see you, y'know? Everyone's been really worried after we learned about how bad your injuries were!"

Rumi blinked. She was…not the best with kids. There was a reason she styled herself as the sort of hero you didn't invite to school assemblies, damnit. But despite it, she kinda found herself enjoying the bounciness of this girl-it was like a breath of fresh air after all the cynical bullshit she'd been dealing with lately.

Although…these UA students weren't really kids anymore, were they? Beneath the hyperactive energy and the long-suffering sighs of her friends, Mina and the other girls had the same sort of uneasiness to them that Rumi recognized from shell-shocked heroes. They seemed like they were going through the motions-like they'd been badly shaken recently, and were trying to force themselves into familiar patterns to distract their minds. It wasn't like she could blame them, either-she knew that the UA students had been on the front lines at Jaku and the Mountain Villa raid. As far as she was concerned, the fact that they'd made it out of those shitshows alive made them tough as balls.

Tough, yes, but still fragile-Rumi knew that better than anybody. And besides…something about Mina's manic energy was kinda fun. Surely whoever she was supposed to meet wouldn't mind if she was a few minutes late, right?

"It's alright, kid," she said, chuckling. "I really don't mind. It's just good to be moving around, y'know?"

Then, of course, Mina spoke again. "Oh, yeah!" she said, mouth moving a mile a minute. "I almost forgot what I wanted to ask-Miruko, what's the deal with your Hot Doctor, anyway?"

Rumi blinked as her mind came to a screeching halt. Nope. Did not compute. Error, Rumi not found.

"Wha?" she said, confused as fuck. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The other girls glanced at each other. "You…don't know about Miruko's Hot Doctor?" one of them-the one with purple hair and long, agile earlobes-asked, and this time Rumi could hear the capital letters. "It's been all over the Internet for weeks!"

She shook her head, even as part of her started to put the pieces together and realize what was about to happen. "Uh, no?" she said weakly. "I…haven't really been online much, recently?"

Then Mina interrupted yet again. Fumbling frantically with her phone, she said, "Here, look at this!"

She practically shoved the phone into Rumi's face. It took her a second for her eyes to process what she was seeing-but when she finally did, her brain broke all over again.

It was a picture of Izuku escorting her out of the hospital and into a waiting car from when she'd been discharged, what felt like a lifetime ago. It had probably come from one of the paparazzi cameras-in fact, the post itself was from some trashy tabloid site. But that wasn't what caught Rumi's attention. That would be the comments under the post.

Oh dear lord, the comments.

Aside from the usual "Stain was right!" and other troll bullshit, the post's comments were a veritable ocean of thirst. It seemed like everyone was attracted to Izuku Midoriya-except, of course, they didn't even know his name. That wasn't about to stop them, of course.

"Holy shit, that doctor next to Miruko is hot AF," one commenter declared.

Another agreed, adding, "I want him to give me a checkup right now, if you know what I mean."

And so on, and on, and on. There were hundreds of them. Thousands. With the same sort of morbid fascination that one might have at watching a clown car crash, Rumi swiped the phone from Mina's hand and started scrolling. "Holy shit," she hissed. She thought she might start hyperventilating.

There were so many. Thirstposts, jokes, memes, edits, fucking fanart. Somebody had made a montage of cropped, grainy paparazzi photos set to a crooning pop ballad that made Rumi want to vomit. The students weren't kidding; Izuku had, apparently, become an Internet sensation overnight, and neither of them had even known about it.

"Oh my god," she said aloud. "I…what the fuck?"

She looked up at the students, who seemed like they weren't sure whether to be horrified or burst out laughing at the sight of a Top Ten hero absolutely losing their shit. Which, to be fair, she was.

"You…really didn't know?" Mina asked awkwardly. She seemed mildly horrified-and frankly she should be.

Rumi shook her head. Fighting back some awful mix of side-splitting laughter and an overpowering urge to vomit, she gasped, "I don't pay attention to this shit normally! How was I supposed to know about… this?"

Mina nodded slowly. "I guess that's fair," she conceded. "But seriously, he is hot, isn't he? What's his name, anyway? Nobody's been able to find it!"

Rumi barely heard her. She was too busy having an existential crisis. "God," she realized. "He doesn't know either, does he? Izuku's gonna lose his shit-"

Earlobe girl's eyes narrowed at that. "Wait, Izuku?" she repeated. "Well, there's your answer, Mina."

Rumi tried to clap her prosthetic over her mouth, but it was far too late. Mina clearly had the instincts of a master gossip hound, and there was no way she was going to let this go. She was like a shark smelling blood in the water.

"Izuku, eh?" she asked, eyes gleaming. "You call him by his first name? Are you two, like… actually together?"

Rumi was pretty sure her eyes were bulging comically at this point. "Fuck no," she blurted out, far too quickly. "We…I…"

The words wouldn't come, not least because she had no idea how to even start sorting through the tangled knot of emotions that filled her chest at Mina's question. Over them all, though, was overpowering horror, horror at the realization Rumi had just had.

She agreed with the Internet thirstposters. She thought Izuku Midoriya, the asshole doctor who'd hauled her out of her own self-pity and despair, was hot.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

She was in so much fucking trouble.

Rumi was not emotionally, physically, or mentally equipped to handle this shit. She wouldn't have been even if she still had all her limbs and a head not full of doubts and mental pitfalls. She had absolutely zero chance of coming to terms with finding Izuku fucking Midoriya hot.

She had to get the fuck out of here. And now. And she still had that meeting to get to!

Well, she could kill two birds with one stone, at least. Not even bothering to say goodbye, Rumi blurted out, "Gotta go!" and booked it for the stairs. For once, her prosthetic leg gave her no trouble at all.

As she disappeared from view, Mina Ashido glanced at her friends, tapped a finger to her lips, and declared, "Well. I think that answers that question."

Rumi practically bounded up the last flight of stairs and towards the office Nezu had told her to go to as if her tail was on fire.

She wasn't quite breathing hard as she skidded to a stop in front of the door, but the adrenaline was doing more for her in that regard than she really wanted to admit. She needed to get back in the gym more seriously if she actually wanted to make a comeback.

Deciding to worry about that-and also the terrifying realization that had made her run in the first place- later, Rumi knocked on the door with her flesh-and-blood hand. "Hello?" she said, wondering who, exactly, Nezu thought could possibly help her.

The voice that came from the other side stopped her in her tracks. "Ah, Miss Usagiyama," the man said, in a voice that was reedy and weak, but still deep in a way that suggested power. "Please, come in."

She did so, easing her way inside much more carefully than she usually entered rooms. Then again, she was a little starstruck at the moment.

Sitting on a long couch, a pot of steaming tea on the table in front of him, was the skinny, yellow-maned form of All Might himself…or what was left of him, at least. Rumi instantly felt rooted to the floor.

"All Might?" she asked, confused. "Wait, why are you here? Did Nezu really rope you into giving me advice?"

All Might raised an eyebrow. "Hardly," he said dryly. "The Principal didn't have to rope me into anything. I requested the opportunity to talk to you, actually."

Rumi blinked. "Why?" she asked quietly.

All Might gestured to the chair in front of him, on the opposite side of the coffee table. "Suffice it to say that I have some… experience with medical leave," he said, his voice so layered Rumi couldn't even begin to pick apart all the emotions it contained. "And I've found myself with a rather…sentimental view, lately, and a desire to impart some hard-earned lessons, as it were. Would you like some tea?"

Rumi shrugged to herself. Once, she would have scoffed at this, would have dismissed this whole thing as a meaningless waste of her time…but that had been before Izuku, before the hospital, before all of it. She stepped forwards, and said, "Sure. Why not?"

The door closed, she took the seat All Might had offered her, accepted the cup of tea he poured her…and then Rumi found herself alone in a room with All Might for the first

time in…well, forever.

She found the sense of smallness she felt in front of him bizarre. They'd met before, at events and in the field; but that had been the old All Might, the one who was seven feet tall yet still larger-than-life, the Symbol of Peace, the man Rumi had respected, but always been indifferent towards. She'd never cared for pursuing him or trying to surpass him; she'd been a hero for the fights, for the thrill of adrenaline and the exhilaration of victory.

That…that had changed at Kamino. Rumi had watched- all of Japan had watched-as All Might's secret was laid bare, as he deflated like a popped balloon, his injuries revealed for all to see.

And then he'd won anyway. He'd burned himself like fuel, had summoned up one last impossible miracle, had gone out like a fucking legend. Rumi didn't care what anyone said, now; as far as she was concerned, All Might was kickass.

But now, he was a walking skeleton, all sharp lines and sallow skin, with glowing blue eyes. And still…those eyes seemed to sear into Rumi's soul, sending shivers down her spine. It was enough to confirm that, even with the weakness of his body, All Might's spirit was as strong as ever.

She could only dream of appearing so vibrant even when she was injured. Next to All Might, Rumi felt even more pathetic than usual.

After a moment's silence, All Might nodded towards her. "Miruko," he said gravely. "I suppose I should start by saying that I'm glad to see you alive and well."

Rumi chuckled, and even to her own ears it sounded bitter and dull. "Alive, yes," she admitted. "Well…I'm not so sure."

She shrugged, raising her false hand as she did so. Like always, there was a slight delay, and she could hear the motorized joints clicking slightly as they spun and twisted. It was a physical reminder of what she'd lost, and the things she'd never get back. Even with the color of the limb perfectly matching her flesh, she knew All Might could tell that it was a prosthetic.

All Might's response was to smile, a smile that took Rumi's breath away because of how familiar it was. All Might's smile was a bitter, rueful thing, like hers, like Izuku's. It was the smile of a man who had lost everything he had ever been, and found himself still alive nonetheless.

"You are alive, Miruko," he said firmly, with the same fire Rumi recognized from his hero days. "That is a blessing-one so many people did not receive."

Rumi winced, thinking of Crust, and all the other heroes who had died trying to stop Shigaraki.

Seeing her discomfort, All Might paused for a moment; when she shifted again, he continued, "I have no doubt that it doesn't feel that way. Like a blessing, I mean. No doubt, there are times where you wonder if it wouldn't have been better to die in that basement, fighting the High Ends."

Rumi flinched. She hadn't told anyone, even Izuku, about those dark thoughts-the darkest ones she'd had, though they were fleeting. She'd wondered exactly that, if surviving had just been a curse, if she wouldn't have preferred a quick, clean death to this…limbo.

"How did you-" she began, only for All Might to raise an eyebrow, and nod meaningfully at his own side. Her ears fell. "Oh."

All Might smiled wryly. "Oh," indeed, Miruko," he said, not unkindly. "I speak from experience. After I was injured-even now, after I was forced to retire-I have moments where I wish it had just ended at Kamino. Surely, it would be better than this, I think. But that's the thing-that thought is wrong."

All Might's voice rang with such deep conviction, it left Rumi reeling. She could only hold her breath as he continued, "Do not waste your time pitying yourself, Miruko. You lived. Yes, it was not a victory. Yes, it cost you dearly. But you are still here. Never forget that."

Rumi found herself gripping the arm of her chair, her voice trembling and weak. Softly, she asked, "How did you do it? Come back, after you were injured the first time?"

She didn't say why she wanted to know; she didn't need to. All Might smiled in that grandfatherly way of his, hard-earned wisdom lighting up his eyes.

"There were people waiting for me," he said simply. "It's the curse, and the joy, of this life, Miruko. Us heroes…we mean something to people. We are their hope, in so many ways. It is a terrible burden-it pushes us to do wild, dangerous, stupid things. There was someone…close to me…who told me to retire when I was injured, six years ago. He was probably right to do so. It would have been the smart thing to do; I would have saved myself a great deal of pain and suffering. But…I couldn't do it. I couldn't live with myself if I did."

Rumi felt her heart twist at the pain in All Might's voice. It was a familiar pain; she knew it herself, all too well.

"Do you regret it?" she asked, fearful of the answer. "Coming back, even though it just ended up like this?"

"Will I regret coming back?" went unspoken between them, but they heard it pass all the same.

All Might smiled, and leaned back in his seat.

"Do you regret it?" he asked in response. "Losing your arm and leg in that fight?"

Rumi's ear twitched in confusion. "Excuse me?" she asked, confused.

All Might's eyes bored into her. "You heard me," he said. "Do you regret fighting the High Ends? You bought the advance team a few precious minutes-let them get people out of that hospital, let them get closer to Shigaraki, even though it failed in the end. Were those few minutes worth the months of recovery, the pain, the losses you will never regain? Do you wish you never went into that basement?"

Rumi hesitated. She'd thought dark things along those lines many times during the months in the hospital. In her angriest, bitterest moments, she'd cursed her decisions, and those who had been her allies, everyone. She'd hated herself for being so gung-ho, for rushing into such a lopsided fight.

And yet…All Might was right. She had achieved something. She had made it count. Rumi stared down at her two hands-one flesh, one metal and plastic-and found that she knew the answer.

"No," she decided, looking back up at All Might. "No, I don't regret it."

All Might smiled, wide and bright like he always had. "Neither do I, Miruko," he said softly. "Neither do I."

Rumi smiled, then, as warmth lit up the room and she felt a weight lift from her soul. "Thank you, All Might," she said, beginning to rise, intending to find Izuku and finally get out of here.

She made it as far as the door before All Might said, "One other thing, Miruko."

She paused, turning back to face him from her position in the doorway.

All Might's eyes were distant and pained, full of hard-earned wisdom. "If there is one other thing I can say, Miruko," he told her, "it's that as comfortable as we are with sacrifices, it's important to have people around us who care enough to try and protect us. People who are willing to tell us when we are crossing the line from heroic to self-destructive. If you find such a person, I can only suggest to keep them close."

Rumi hesitated, thinking of Izuku. Was that what he was to her? Among many other things…she thought he was. But just how close did she want to keep him?

"Thanks, All Might," she said, filing her thoughts away for later. "I will."

With that, she turned and left. She had some decisions to make-and a Hot Doctor to find.