Touch (Shigaraki x OC)

Doc's Old Stories

"I'm glad you are healing up nicely." Doc said with a smile. "You weren't looking too good when they brought you home."

Doc had done a basic physical exam along with a few scans. When he'd called I was just woken up. I guess he'd grown a bit impatient with waiting to see what condition I was in.

"Yeah." I replied in a hollow voice.

Doc looked at me, his mustache ruffling. "You seem to be a bit in the dumps today." He pointed to my bandaged neck. "And that is new."

My hand went to my neck and my gaze fell to the floor. "They aren't connected, but the bad mood is because I've been having flashbacks to when I was kidnapped." I let a defeated sigh fall from my lips. "I feel weak and flawed."

He laughed at me with a smile. "Kid, I'd be more worried if there wasn't some kind of damage to your brain!" He shook his head, walking back to me. "You know, out of that crew you associate yourself with you might be the most sane of them all. After being kidnapped and tortured most people would be in a constant state of fear." He place a hand on my shoulder. "Let me check out what you've got hidden here." His hand motioned to my bandage.

Out of pure instinct, my body jerked away. My brow furrowed as I hung my head. "Sorry, I-" I stopped myself. "Tomura did this." I started unwrapping my neck.

Doc let out a frustrated sigh before he went back to one of his cabinets. "Why would someone as smart and useful as you stay with low-life trash like him." Needless to say, he was upset.

"Because I see the potential in him." I answered simply.

"At least somebody can." Doc replied as he returned to me. He cleaned the wound on my neck gently as I sat on the table. "Do you know what happened to the brat's family?"

"No." I responded. "I know that Tomura killed his family, but from my understanding he doesn't remember his life before All For One." 

"I can tell you the story as long as you let him remember on his own." Doc offered generously.

Furrowing my brow, I looked to him from the corner of my eye. "Why?"

"Well," he sighed, "Nobody has been as close with him as you and I think it would be good for you to know exactly what you're dealing with."

"Ok." I replied.

"Tomura's life before All For One was pretty bad." Doc started. "His grandmother was a hero. After her death, his father grew to hate heroes. As a young boy, Tomura wanted to be a hero just like any other child his age. This upset his father to the point that he started abusing Tomura. He'd make the kid sit outside, miss meals, and chastise him harshly." He continued as he wrapped my neck. "One night Tomura had gotten in trouble and his father hit him. That night Tomura was left out in the heat with no food. He'd tried to find comfort in Mon, the family's dog, but his quirk had started to manifest. When his sister, Hana, came out to apologize for getting him in trouble Tomura was already in hysterics. He ended up killing his family one by one without ever meaning to cause them harm." Doc paused as he finished wrapping my neck. "Well, I'm not so sure his father was an accident. After he'd taken the life of his dog, sister, mother, grandparents, and his father he fled the place he'd called home. For days he wandered the streets looking for food and a safe place to sleep. People passed him by, staring at him like he was some kind of monster. Not a single person offered to help him. Then, All For One took him in." Tears rolled down my cheeks as I listened. "All For One's intentions may not have been the best, but Tomura had found a home." I sniffled and wiped away my tears. "Don't cry." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry." I tried to stop crying. "I'd never really given any thought to his past, but it's so much worse than I'd ever thought."

Doc handed me a tissue with a smile. "My work here has been all for All For One, but with his execution being tomorrow I've had a lot to think on kid." He sat on the exam table beside me. "What kind of world do you want to make once this society meets its end?"

As I gathered my bearings I looked to Doc. "One where children will never be treated like Tomura had been. One where everyone is acknowledged and trained to control their quirks. I don't want any of this top hero bullshit, or for people like us to have to hide."

Doc tilted his head before he looked up at me. "Well, kid, I want to help you guys bring that world up." He patted my back softly. "I figure you plan to stay by Tomura until your heart stops beating. Seeing as that is much longer than I'll be around, I want to pass on my knowledge to you. Honestly, given enough studying and practice I'm sure you could create a better Nomu than I could ever hope to put together."

Still sniffling and crying, I smiled. "So, I'll be a student?" I asked in a soft voice.

Doc nodded with a smile. "You could say that."

"When will I start?" I asked, starting to feel a hint of excitement. 

He laughed heartily. "Excited already?" He stood from the table. "I wouldn't be so excited, considering the amount of reading you have to do." He picked up a backpack and brought it to me along with Johnny. 

As I took the backpack I gave him a smile. "I don't mind reading." As I pet Johnny's back I looked to Doc. "Oh, when can I start doing stuff, ya know, like getting up and working. This whole sitting around thing is getting old."

Doc looked me over while he considered my question. "I don't see any reason you couldn't be up and about now. Just don't push yourself, kid."

"Thanks, Doc."