Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first time Midorikawa met Hiroto, it was at his place. The greenette was turning and tossing, unable to sleep, all because of his noisy neighbors that absolutely refused — and still do, to this day — to acknowledge that the walls were not soundproof. He was ready to fling himself out of bed and into their faces for being so obnoxious (maybe it was just the cranky virgin inside him acting up), when the shrill ring of the doorbell echoed throughout his penthouse.

"What now..." Midorikawa mumbled defeatedly. He'd just gone through a tumultuous 12-hour shift, and heaven forbid that he was going to lay hands on any help requests from now until at least midday tomorrow. Fumbling for his phone somewhere underneath his pillow, he clicked on the app that was connected to his visual intercom doorbell, expecting to see the ever-irritating grin of Nagumo, next to something rude probably. But he was not prepared at all when he saw a pair of dilated green eyes staring right back at him.

"For god's sake, open up, Rei!" The voice of the stranger was rough. He -- Midorikawa decided that it was a man -- was weirdly close to the camera, and as he shifted, the doctor could glimpse glistening red on his pallid skin. "I know you can hear me. I'm sorry I slipped up, okay? It won't happen again, but for now... I'm not gonna start begging, if that's what you're expecting!"

Midorikawa was stunned. What does a bleeding stranger want with him at 4 in the morning? The green-eyed man continued, his breath labored:

"Reina, open up. It won't be pretty if the janitor finds me bleeding out here at 6 in the morning. You know how frail that woman is. Come on...!"

His body seemed to have given out, because the man's face disappeared from view with a loud thump. Before he knew what was happening, Midorikawa already found himself up and running towards his front door, swinging it open. On the ground before him was a red-haired man, bleeding and dripping wet with what seemed like rainwater. Teal green eyes looked up at him again as he muttered:

"You're not Reina..."

For the next five minutes, Midorikawa constantly asked himself if he'd eaten anything strange, gotten an infection from any patient, or been affected by anything he saw during his shift today. He'd dragged a stranger into his house, placed him inside the guest shower and put on surgical gloves all ready-to-go, all the while ignoring the man's weak protests. You might have voluntarily exposed yourself to robbery and murder, his conscience said. But he is bleeding and soaked and if I don't do something I'm never going to forgive myself! Midorikawa's inner doctor shouted back. His annoying conscience mumbled something about sexual advances before leaving him be.

"You... you..." The redhead in front of him muttered again, but the rest of his sentence was replaced by a painful grunt as Midorikawa grabbed his right hand, which was streaked with blood. "Why are you...?"

"Where is the injury?" The greenette ignored the question as he saw that the man's hand was intact, save for a few painful scrapes on the knuckles. Then his eyes spotted a huge rip on the side of the redhead's suit jacket, and without a word Midorikawa began ridding him of his damp clothes. They would only make him sick anyway, his inner doctor reasoned. Soon the suit jacket was off, and Midorikawa carefully used a pair of scissors to cut away the dress shirt underneath. A nasty gash revealed itself on the left side of the stranger's abdomen, and his green eyes squeezed shut painfully as Midorikawa let his fingers graze the wound:

"Ah!"

"What happened to you?" The doctor asked as he reached for the shower head. "I'm gonna have to clean this and maybe give it some stitches. It's gonna sting, but you'll live."

"I'd better." The man's forehead glistened with sweat. "What are you waiting for? Get on with it, won't you... Agh!"

His hand has found its way to Midorikawa's shoulder, and the fingers dug into his flesh as Midorikawa ran warm water over the gash. Glancing up at the man, the doctor found his face heating up as he took in the stranger's flushed skin, his closed eyes, the hard bite on his lip... Then teal green eyes opened again, and Midorikawa quickly looked back to the wound.

"Bad?" The redhead croaked as Midorikawa stopped the water and reached for a towel, very gently patting the wound dry. "Just so you know, I honestly have no idea why either of us are here right now, but you're doing great."

"Yeah, at the expense of my shoulder." The greenette retorted, but the stranger only smiled weakly, making no other adjustments to where his hands were.

"It hurts."

"My condolences."

"That's not how the word's meant to be used."

"You're one to talk. You're as healthy as a corpse right now." Midorikawa spoke, half in the hopes of distracting his impromptu patient from the pain. "Really, this looks like it's from a gang fight or something..."

"You're not far off..." The redhead grunted, but Midorikawa could feel him starting to relax as he gradually got used to the prick of the surgical needle. "So why'd you bring me in?"

"I couldn't just leave you there could I?" The doctor glanced up briefly from his work. "My doctor morals are very against it."

"Oh?" The redhead exhaled sharply, half sounding like he was laughing. "Doctor, you said?"

"What?" Midorikawa raised an eyebrow. The other man closed his eyes, humming:

"Nothing. Just processing this information... Ow! What the hell?"

"It needed tightening." The greenette explained plainly as he secured the loose end of the thread and put the needle down. "Now I will apply some antibiotics. Are you comfortable with me touching you?"

"Are you? 'Cos if you are then I have no objections." The redhead smiled rather deviously. "After all, you've been touching me all this while..."

"You talk too much for someone who's dying." Midorikawa concluded, trying to sound as calm as possible. Wait... why was he nervous in the first place? This is dumb. All of this is so dumb. He squeezed some ointment from a tube onto his index finger, then began to spread it along the gash. His patient was quiet throughout the process, only glancing up and down occasionally. After he was done, Midorikawa took a piece of white gauze and pressed it against the wound, securing it with strips of medical tape.

"Done." Midorikawa announced, receiving a silent nod in return. Judging from the redhead's flushed face, he was still in pain, and probably all dizzy and nauseous because of blood loss as well. The greenette asked while cleaning up the supplies and equipment:

"Ready for the questions now?"

"Where am I?" The man asked right away. "And who are you?"

"I meant my questions..." The greenette mumbled. "Whatever. It's already as weird as it could be. Name's Midorikawa Ryuuji. I work at a hospital nearby. You're at my place."

"Oh, Inazuma General right... Wait what?" The redhead frowned. "But... isn't this penthouse number 10, Genesis building?"

"Well... you got the house number right, but this building is Gemini Storm." Midorikawa smiled despite himself. "There are no Reina's here."

"Ah, my bad..." The man sighed. "Couldn't see very well with all that rain in my eyes."

It dawned on Midorikawa that the flushed face might not be entirely from pain, and his worries were confirmed as he felt the stranger's forehead.

"What're you touching me for now?" The man squirmed away from his fingers, but Midorikawa cut him off -- and the protests from his conscience as well:

"You have a fever and there's a huge cut on your side. You can leave as soon as the rain stops, but for the time being, you're staying here."

"Wha...? I can't!" The redhead straightened, but the fire in his eyes immediately died as his hand flew to his wound, clutching it tightly. Midorikawa softly moved the arm out of the way:

"Don't push yourself. I'm just trying to keep you from dying."

"But..."

"You can't even sit straight, much less walk." Midorikawa pointed out. "If safety's what you're worried about, I can ensure you that my house is secure."

"You don't know that..." The redhead mumbled, but his condition has forced him to accept the offer. "Fine. But I'm leaving as soon as the rain stops."

"As soon as the rain stops."

Finally, after much struggle, Midorikawa managed to get his patient onto the couch. The man claimed over and over to have been fine, but the moment his back hit the soft surface, he was out cold. Taking one last look at the snoring redhead, Midorikawa unknowingly smiled before heading back to his own bedroom. If that man was still here tomorrow, he would transfer him into the hospital. If not, he was certain he would brush it all off as a bad dream.

Surely enough, the next morning, the stranger was gone. But on Midorikawa's fridge, stuck under a magnet, was a piece of paper that read:

--------------------

the rain stopped.

your efforts are appreciated.

i think you should be more concerned about safety.

H x

--------------------

"What a punk..." Midorikawa muttered to himself, a small smile on his lips. Little did he know, this would only be the first of their many encounters...

Chapter Text

The second time Midorikawa met Hiroto, it was at a coffee shop. He was late for work, which he knew was not going to make Fuyuka happy, so he thought he would buy the nurse something as an apology as he was grabbing his own coffee. The thing was, Midorikawa prefers the largest, blackest cup of coffee ever, since it was the only thing that could help him stay awake throughout the day, but he has seen Fuyuka with coffee and they just don't get along at all.

"Sir, would you like anything else?" The impatient voice of the barista brought him back to reality. Stuttering, the greenette scanned the menu again, considering asking for their best-seller -- but he'd already done that no less than 3 times now. Hot chocolate? Some kind of smoothie? Or just a simple cup of tea?

"Yes. One chai latte and one mint tea please, both medium sized. Thanks." A shockingly familiar voice rose right beside Midorikawa, and he turned to see teal green eyes smiling back. The barista took the money, raising her eyebrows:

"You're paying for him too?"

"Yes, we're together." The redhead nodded, and before Midorikawa could protest, snaked an arm around the greenette's and pulled him out of his place in the queue towards a table.

"Hey... hey! What are you doing?" Midorikawa finally found his voice. The other man -- whom he realized had never told him his name -- sat down leisurely:

"Consider it payment for saving my life the other day."

"It's... what?" The doctor pulled a chair as well, expecting the redhead to laugh, but his teal eyes remained serious. "Jeez, you didn't have to do this. I would have helped you regardless. It was... it was no big deal."

"Yeah... well, it's a favor for the people you were holding up, then." Now the other man laughed. "Besides, you would have gotten something drastic for Fuyuka-san, I'm sure."

"You... know her?"

The redhead shrugged:

"Well, who knows? I might do. But I'm not here to talk about her."

"Then what are you here for?" Midorikawa questioned. He could see those teal green eyes darting around, before their owner stood:

"Go get the drinks. I'll be outside."

Midorikawa froze a little at the sudden command, but he did as the other said. He exited the shop, and surely enough the redhead was stood there waiting, squinting in the sunlight.

"Here's yours." The doctor handed the mint tea over, and the other man accepted it with a smile. "You know, I thought you'd disappear again."

"And what, waste my money? No thanks." They began to stroll down the street towards Inazuma General Hospital, and strangely enough Midorikawa didn't feel like rushing to be there on time right now. "I'm not as ungrateful as you might think."

"You sure are a mysterious one..." Midorikawa mumbled. "What do you want with me anyway? Did your wound reopen or something?"

"Heh, you make it sound like you're my personal doctor. An idea that I wouldn't object to." The redhead smirked as he said the latter part, unintentionally causing the greenette to blush. "But you are, again, not far off. Anyhow, have you heard of any cases of overdose recently? At your hospital?"

"Overdose?" Midorikawa repeated. "I can't really think of any off the top of my head, but if you really want to know, you could ask..."

"The receptionists won't tell me. It seems they're not fond of mysterious people either. Also, I figured asking someone who's more hands-on would be more beneficial." The redhead mused, before turning to face Midorikawa, his green eyes solemn. "Is there any way you could find out?"

"Well, yes..." The doctor hesitated, but already he was cut off:

"Fantastic! It's settled then. Do make this one of the top things in your to-do list, Mido-kun. It's very important. My number's in your coat pocket. Bye for now!"

With that, the redhead strode away. Midorikawa had considered calling out after said man, but the sudden nickname sure surprised him, and the doctor found himself relatively speechless as he entered the hospital gates. Trying to balance both the drinks and his bag in one hand, he shoved the other into his coat pocket. Surely enough, his fingers closed around a piece of paper, and the greenette pulled it out, heart irrationally thumping away in his chest.

--------------------

you're so easily distracted, doctor. might get you killed.

just saying.

090-XXX-XXXX

business inquiries only

H x

--------------------

For the rest of his 12-hour shift, Fuyuka pestered a red-faced Midorikawa with countless questions about whether he was sick or was having an allergy. The doctor didn't give her an answer, of course, as he could barely understand the reaction himself -- a mystery it was, the mind of that redhead. Then again, this was far from the end...

Chapter Text

The third time Midorikawa met Hiroto, it was at his workplace.

"Eh? Midorikawa-san? What are you still doing here?" The questioning voice of Fuyuka made Midorikawa snap up from his laptop. Tiredly rubbing his eyes, he glanced at his phone screen. 1:18 AM. No new notifications.

"I'm just looking over some files." The green-haired doctor gestured to his table, where countless folders and papers were strewn. Yes, just files from five years back with very specific requirements.

"Okay... but your shift ended 2 hours ago. Are you sure you need to do this now? There's always the tech department which could help you look up anything in a flash..." Fuyuka suggested, but Midorikawa smiled and shook his head:

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I'm almost finished anyway. I'll be leaving in a few minutes."

"Alright... just remember to not overwork yourself! It will all be for naught if you turn up in a hospital bed tomorrow, you know that right?" The purple-haired nurse sighed before exiting, leaving Midorikawa to his heart's desire. The greenette casted another glance at his laptop, before slamming it shut and sinking into his chair, huffing. He said he'd be here at 1. Where is he?

As if on cue, the door to the doctor's office swung open, and a certain redhead sauntered in. Midorikawa frowned:

"Punctuality?"

"Apologies." The other man pulled a chair and flopped down next to the doctor. "You got them?"

"Yeah." Midorikawa held out a stack of files, which was hastily snatched up by the other. "All cases of substance overdose, starting from five years ago to now."

"Sweet. You're a life saver Mido-kun." The redhead flashed him a smile before opening the first file right away, instantly absorbed. Midorikawa patiently waited for a proper greeting, or a thank you, or even a glance his way; but all there was for the next three minutes was silence.

"That's it? You're just gonna take them?" The words spilled out of his mouth before he could think twice. The other man looked up, green eyes quizzical:

"Huh?"

"Nevermind." Midorikawa stood, tore his jacket off of the back of his chair, and snatched his laptop from the table so forcefully, a dozen papers flew off of the wooden surface. What did I tell you?! His conscience was screaming. Don't bring him in, Ryuuji! Stop talking to him, Ryuuji! Go home, Ryuuji! But nooo, you just had to disregard me hadn't you? Look what that'd caused! His inner doctor didn't retort, so neither did Midorikawa. "Goodnight."

He stormed out of the room and into the starkly-lit hallway. Whatever. None of this matter anyway. He's just another stranger asking for a favor, and strangers ask you for favors all the time! Just let it go. Yet as these words went through Midorikawa's head, he felt an irrational rage bubbling up as well, rage that he had no reason to have felt. It was as the elderly patient in the elevator gasped that he realized he'd punched the 'down' button with his fist.

"Excuse me." Mumbling an apology, Midorikawa swiveled to the right and headed towards the emergency exit staircase. His eyes caught the blurry reflection of a certain panting redhead, skidding to a stop just a few meters behind him. The files were still clutched tightly in his hands, and so without any further hesitation, the greenette pushed the door open and vanished down the stairs.

"Hey... oof!" A surprised grunt echoed throughout the void. "You could've at least hold the door for me!"

"People only do that when they're trying to be nice." Midorikawa replied without missing a beat. He could hear footsteps hurrying to catch up to him:

"What's this all of a sudden? What did I do?"

"How would I know? You think I've got enough time on my hands to note down your every movement?" A mad Midorikawa is a very snarky Midorikawa. The red-haired man sighed like a fed-up parent, which only pissed him off more:

"Is this because I was late? Or... I didn't say thank you, did I?"

Midorikawa's lips pressed tightly against each other as he glided down the stairs, hoping to shake his tail. But the other was sure persistent:

"Hey, you can't just walk away like that! Talk to me!"

"What am I now, your slave?" The greenette angrily spat. "Quit following me!"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." A firm hand caught onto Midorikawa's elbow just as he reached the last flight of stairs, and before he could react, the doctor found himself standing with his back against the wall, in front of him the flaming redhead. "What is it?"

Huffing, Midorikawa tried to step past the other man, to push him off, but he would have none of it. The greenette could feel teal eyes drilling into his face, seemingly seeing right through his facade. Wait, he had a facade?

"Midorikawa."

"You wanna know what's wrong?" Said man snapped. "Your eight-hour shift of blood and tears and rage is finally over, but you know you've been tasked with something important and so you stay back an extra 2 hours to finish the job when you could've gone home and slept instead, and then the bloody bastard who owes you one shows up late and just snatches the results out of your hand as if they're telling you you can fuck off already, because the files are all they need and when you're done your efforts don't mean crap! That's what's wrong,...!"

"Hiroto." The redhead's input was gentle.

"That's what's wrong, Hiroto!" Midorikawa crossed his arms firmly. "Well, no need to tell me your name now. We're done."

"I'm sorry."

"We're done!"

"Midorikawa, I'm sorry." The redhead -- Hiroto -- repeated. "I thought it'd be easier, getting this information. That was a mistake on my part. But weren't you supposed to have a morning shift today?"

"Huh?" Now it was the greenette's turn to be surprised. "I... yes, that was how it was last week, but they had a schedule change and one of our doctors got sick and... anyway, that's not relevant. Why'd you ask?"

"I tried to make it work for you, but I guess that backfired." The look in Hiroto's green eyes was sheepish. "I thought you had a night shift yesterday which would stretch into around noon today, so at 1 AM you'd be at home all well and rested, so I went to your house looking for you, but you weren't there, and then there was the cursed parking lot of Gemini Storm, and after that I got here but the elevator was filled with people so I had to take the stairs, and when I got to your room... by that point I was just frustrated I guess. I'm sorry it turned out this way."

"What?" If Midorikawa could slap his conscience, he would have. This stranger cared that much about his wellbeing, and here he was, about to cut off all ties (what kind of nonexistent ties are you on about, his conscience commented lamely) just because the other was trying to focus on reading some important paperwork, as he should have been? "No... I'm the one who has to apologize here. I didn't... I was..."

"I guess we both had a long day then." Hiroto, upon seeing his embarrassment, cut Midorikawa off. "So tell me, have you had breakfast?"

Chapter Text

Midorikawa was no less surprised than he was 10 minutes ago, as the redhead, now finally known as Hiroto, led him to a royal blue car and drove them both to a bake shop. He'd been absolutely serious about breakfast, even as it was just 1 in the morning, and by the time they got to the car Midorikawa was simply too hungry to protest. The dinner he had at the hospital was lukewarm, and he didn't have time to make it good either. But as they pulled up in front of a bake shop, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Why a bake shop?" Midorikawa muttered as the redhead pushed the door open before leading the way to a fairly secluded booth. "I mean, no offense, but..."

"Because it was the closest place to your apartment that was good and open." Hiroto replied, smiling. "Also, I was craving something sweet."

"Hmph, and I thought you were just doing it for me..." Midorikawa rolled his eyes, faking annoyance. He bent down to sit in the booth, but to his surprise, a hand grabbed hold of his wrist:

"Wait. Sorry, I didn't ask you in advance. If you don't like this place, I could totally drive us somewhere else."

"Huh... what?" The genuinely apologetic look in Hiroto's teal green eyes made the doctor crack up. "Hiroto, I was joking! You don't think I'm still mad, do you?"

"I... er..."

"Heh, you're not as smart as you look." Midorikawa chuckled before pulling a stuttering redhead down next to him. "Come on, are you just gonna stand there and gape at me all night? Sit!"

"A... ah, sure..." Hiroto's eyes were still tinted with worry, but he'd started to smile. "We should order."

"Do you think it's too late... no, too early for ice-cream? This banana split looks damn good." Midorikawa was already flipping through the various pages of the small menu. His red-haired companion shrugged:

"Well, you're the doctor here. But if I may express myself, it's never too early for ice-cream."

"Good answer." The greenette nodded before placing his order. Hiroto got a simple chocolate frosted doughnut and a milkshake. "I'll pay."

"Huh? No, we'll split." The redhead tried to reach for his own wallet, but the waiter already took Midorikawa's credit card and walked away. "That's not fair!"

"You paid for the drinks the other day so I think I'm entitled today." The greenette replied cheekily. "Also, you did drive."

"That's hardly an excuse... You got me the files!" Hiroto mumbled before perking up. Midorikawa laughed:

"That was a piece of cake! Hiroto, I'm not dirt poor. Relax."

Are you sure it was a piece of cake, Midorikawa, his conscience chimed in, but the doctor quickly brushed it aside. The desserts arrived then, and for the next few minutes the booth was silent. Midorikawa thoroughly enjoyed his banana split, and although he did realize he had positioned himself rather close to the redhead (who, regardless, was still a stranger), he felt comfortable. It was nice to have someone who was willing to spend time with him, especially since he didn't have a lot of friends to begin with, and his neighbors are only interested in themselves and each other.

"So, Hiroto," Midorikawa spoke up. "Why did you need the files?"

"It's for work." The redhead replied with a faint smile, which only made the greenette more curious:

"Well, yeah, but... they were strangely specific."

"It's always better to be specific."

"What do you do anyway?" Midorikawa laughed. "You waltz in one night covered in blood, and then you keep showing up from nowhere... And 'overdose'? I mean, it's probably not true, but I feel like you're one of those mysterious vigilantes that work behind the scenes to protect your city or something."

"Sounds fascinating, doctor." Hiroto turned to look at Midorikawa. The greenette looked over as well, and as their eyes met, he was taken aback by the sudden glint of soberness in the usually joyful green orbs. "But if you want a superhero, you should look somewhere else."

"Hiroto...?" The name slipped out as Midorikawa watched the redhead stand, finishing off his milkshake. Was it something I'd said, or...?

"I must be off. Thank you for paying though. I'll be sure to return the favor." With a brief curve of his lips, Hiroto was gone, leaving the doctor with his spoon still in hand. As he sat in the silence again, Midorikawa couldn't help but feel like something's sinking inside him. What exactly just happened?

Chapter Text

It has only been a week since their breakfast adventure, and the workload at the hospital is more than enough to keep Midorikawa busy, but the greenette would've been lying if he said he didn't miss the redhead. Of course, he had no reason to, and he was better off just focusing on his job anyway, but he'd caught himself thinking about Hiroto every spare second he had. Honestly, if I'd had hands, I would've slapped you, his conscience grumbled. You repress him too much, his inner doctor tutted, it's better if you'd just leave him and his emotions be.

Midorikawa shut them both up as he unlocked the door of his apartment. The ER wasn't particularly busy today, which was great since this makes it one of the rare 12-hour shift that didn't suck out all of the greenette's life force. Swinging the door open, he decided that he was going to microwave some leftovers -- pretty sure he still had some mac n cheese somewhere -- before crashing on the couch or something. But the moment he stepped into his apartment, he knew something was off.

Across the living room, countless things lay askew: the rug was pushed out underneath the couch, the balcony door was ajar, and most to all of the kitchen drawers were opened and showed signs of having been searched through. Midorikawa slowly walked into the penthouse, already entering the number of the police into his phone. He could spot dirty shoe prints all over the floor, leading into his bedroom. Looking around, Midorikawa settled for a broom before placing his hand onto the bedroom's door handle, sucking in a large breath. If worst comes to worst, he'll just give the thief everything he has and run.

The bedroom door opened with a small squeak. The curtains were drawn, but the noon sunlight was just bright enough for him to see. The room was relatively undisturbed, save for the light grey rug which was rudely trodden all over by a pair of black dress shoes. On the countertop next to the bed, a near-empty bottle of whisky that he didn't even know he owned stood, next to it a dress jacket that was slipping to the ground, and a bowtie. On the bed, underneath the blanket was a lump, and the broom in Midorikawa's hand dropped to the ground when his eyes spotted the vibrant red locks that were strewn on his pillow.

"What in the...?" The greenette mumbled as he strode over, confirming his suspicion. "Hiroto? What the hell?! Get up!"

The redhead's eyes were closed peacefully, and he had pulled the blanket up to his chin, tucking himself in comfortably. The only response Midorikawa got was a sleepy snorting noise.

"I can't believe this... HIROTO!" Out of annoyance, the doctor grabbed hold of the blanket and yanked it away... only to immediately regret his action. The redhead was lying almost spread-eagle on his bed, and worse, he was only wearing... Midorikawa immediately replaced the covers, but it seemed that his yelling has finally awoken the intruder. With a groan, Hiroto stirred on the bed and cracked his eyes open, only to immediately squeeze them shut again:

"Hnnggg..."

"What are you doing here?" Midorikawa scowled as he watched the redhead sit up with much difficulty. As he ran a hand through his tousled hair, Midorikawa saw something falling off -- something that glittered in the faint light, like tiny flakes of glass. "Did you... hit your head?"

Hiroto did not reply. He just sat on the bed, hunched over, head in his hands. Irritated, Midorikawa grabbed his wrist and yanked so that the red-haired man would look at him, causing a hiss of pain to escape said man's lips.

"Oh come on, I didn't even grab you that hard..." The doctor scoffed, but quickly trailed off as his eyes caught a glimpse of the blue-black bruise just poking out underneath Hiroto's unbuttoned cuff. "What's this?"

He looked to the redhead, expecting a reply, but said man just went ahead and slumped against him, placing his forehead onto Midorikawa's shoulder. Caught off-guard by the contact, the greenette froze in his seated position on the bed. Hiroto smelled strongly of alcohol, and something else too, that Midorikawa couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Am I dying?" The redhead's voice was not much more than a hoarse whisper. He didn't sound like he wanted to continue, so Midorikawa stuttered:

"D-dying? But-"

"Or am I just hungover?" The remainder of the question almost made the greenette let out a sigh of relief. Pushing Hiroto off, he grumbled:

"Don't scare me like that... Why are you here? And have you been...?"

"Drinking? Yes, I've been drinking, damnit. And I told you," The other man paused to frown at Midorikawa disapprovingly, "you should be more concerned about your fuc..."

"Hey! Watch your language..." Midorikawa snapped half in surprise. Hiroto just didn't strike him as a person who would cuss so casually. But his warning was muffled as the redhead raised a hand and brushed it across his face, possibly wanting to cover his mouth, but failing:

"I'm still talking. And about your damn safety too, Mids. You should listen. The way you lock your balcony door is almost like you want people in your house. And it's not even bulletproof glass. You should really... hey, what're you doing?"

Why are you UNBUTTONING HIS SH- his conscience was basically screeching, but Midorikawa shut it up surprisingly effectively. His fingers worked to remove the redhead's shirt, and the doctor let out a light gasp as he took in the damage:

"What happened to you?"

On the redhead's pallid skin, scattered all over his torso, were countless more bruises, scratches and scrapes, looking like they were inflicted not very long ago. Midorikawa raised a hand to brush across a particularly bad one, and he couldn't help but feel his heart clench at Hiroto's painful grunt. Perhaps noticing the worried expression on the doctor's face, the redhead forced a smile and removed his hand:

"Hey, I'm fine."

"You're clearly not. Stay." Midorikawa ordered as he attempted to stand to go get his first-aid kit, but Hiroto shook his head and tugged on his hand:

"It's nothing. I'm okay, really."

"But--"

"Midorikawa."

It was as if the name was given some sort of magical property whenever it came out of Hiroto's mouth, for the greenette found himself frozen in place, his hand still in the redhead's grip. Hiroto motioned for him to sit down, before he spoke:

"Sorry for breaking in. And drinking. I just needed to crash somewhere, and your place was the closest one I could think of."

If it was someone else, Midorikawa would have snapped and called them out on that bullshit excuse. He wasn't sure why this red-haired man was an exception. "It's fine. I get it. But what happened to you?"

"I can't say." Hiroto offered an apologetic smile. "But I got here at around four in the morning and have been sleeping since, I swear."

"Well then I'm glad you got some rest, but what's that?" The greenette raised his eyebrow at the bottle of whisky. The redhead shrugged sheepishly:

"It helps me fall asleep faster."

"You could've just asked for a sleeping pill or something! You have my number, don't you?" Midorikawa sighed. "You could've just called. Honestly, in this condition... I don't understand how you could find the strength to break in through the balcony and rampage through my house, but not shoot me a text or something to ask first!"

"I didn't want to be a bother, I know you were working, I didn't want to sound like a needy little child!" The redhead retorted, before seemingly catching himself. "It's the alcohol. I'm sorry. Uh, I think I should leave."

Midorikawa watched in silence as Hiroto buttoned his shirt, then put on the rest of his clothes. He hated how the redhead could look that proper still, being sleepy and hungover and beat-up. He didn't miss the stiffness in the man's movements, or the grimace he tried to hide whenever he had to twist around to tuck his shirt in, or to put on his belt; but Midorikawa remained impassive. Or so he thought he could.

"Can you help me with this? I can't get it to stay. I'm sorry." Hiroto sighed exasperatedly as he continued to fumble with the bowtie around his neck. But to his surprise, Midorikawa just took it off altogether:

"You're in no shape to go anywhere. If you managed to get here, at least stay for lunch."

Chapter Text

"I'd thought since you live alone, you'd be a good cook." Hiroto commented quietly as his narrowed green eyes scanned their surroundings. It was around one in the afternoon, and Midorikawa had taken both of them to a market nearby his house. They were currently sitting outside a Korean food booth, sheltered from the sun by a bright red-and-yellow umbrella. Looking over to the redhead, Midorikawa shrugged:

"I can cook. Good or not, I'm unsure. But either way, I wanted to take you here since this market has really good food, it'd be a shame for you to miss."

"So you think I don't live nearby?" Hiroto's lips curved upwards. Midorikawa frowned:

"Umm, no. I mean... I don't think you live with that Reina person. It would be kind of impossible to mix up your own house with another that's like 3 buildings away. Well, except for if she's... uh, you know, your... your..."

"She's not." The redhead cut him off plainly, hidden amusement in his eyes as they locked onto the greenette's face. Said greenette stuttered:

"Oh, okay. I, um, sorry if I offended you or something. I really wasn't trying to... I just thought, you know, since you were looking for her..."

"We're just friends." Hiroto confirmed with a smile. "And also... I don't really swing that way, if you know what I mean."

"Swing what way?" Midorikawa asked, a split second before he understood. "Oh! Oh. Sorry."

"Nah, you're fine." The redhead's smile bloomed into a grin. Underneath their striped umbrella, the faint blush of the greenette could be easily concealed. And the cause of that blush didn't have time to detect it either, since his phone suddenly buzzed. "Ah, excuse me."

Midorikawa nodded as the redhead stood and stepped away from the table for a moment, phone pressed to his ear. Taking another sip from his glass of water, he distantly wondered if he would know who the caller was. It is a small world, after all; Hiroto's constant appearance in his life proved that much.

Maybe he's just using you, the greenette's conscience snarled, because you're a doctor, and he always seems to be stupidly injured.

Don't be so mean! His inner doctor protested. It's Ryuuji's own free will! Besides, what's so bad about helping people in need?

Yeah, go on and say that. Before you know it, he'll take over your life, and then suddenly leave you in the dust! His conscience screeched as it frantically gestured to Hiroto standing a few meters away, in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, both Midorikawa's. Don't come crawling back to me when it happens. Also, why did you have to insist on him borrowing your clothes?

His inner doctor was ready for a fist fight, BECAUSE HE'S IN—

"Sir, your Bibimbap." The greenette jumped just a little at the voice. Looking up, he saw the smile of a male waiter, with white hair falling over his eyes. On his hand was a tray carrying two empty bowls, some utensils, and the most mouth-watering Bibimbap bowl Midorikawa had ever seen.

"Yes, just put it right here." He gestured to the middle of the table, and the waiter followed suit before leaving him be. Just a few seconds later, Hiroto returned; the doctor couldn't help but notice the crease between his brows.

"What was that? You seem worried." Midorikawa asked as he began to mix the components of the bowl together, then divided them into the two separate bowls. Accepting his with a slight smile, Hiroto replied:

"I do? Heh, I'm fine. Anyhow, this looks so delicious, and I'm starving! I can't wait to dig in."

The greenette nodded before beginning to eat. The sizzling hot rice, the beef, the vegetables... all of that together was simply perfection. Plus, good food, in the shade, on a nice day with a friend? Midorikawa couldn't have asked for anything better. But as he ate, he couldn't help but notice the worried aura that Hiroto was giving off, from the stiffness in his shoulders, to the turmoil in his green eyes, to the way he distractedly poked the rice around in his bowl, not really eating it. Feeling like he ought to say something, Midorikawa cleared his throat:

"Um... you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." The redhead jolted a little in surprise, before offering a small smile. "Sorry, did I seem really spaced-out?"

"Sort of." The doctor shrugged. "Something on your mind?"

"... Yeah, actually." Hiroto looked down to his bowl. "It's nothing... too important, though. Sorry if I ruined the mood."

"No, it's totally alright!" Midorikawa reassured. Smiling again, this time more distant, the redhead turned to look at the food booth. Following his gaze, the greenette spotted their waiter, the white-haired man. Turning to Hiroto to ask if he'd wanted to order anything else, Midorikawa was taken aback by the sudden grimness in the man's teal green eyes:

"We have to go."

"'Go'?" The doctor repeated as he watched Hiroto slam some money down on the table — probably too much — and quickly stood, grabbing his arm in the process. "Hey, wait...!"

"There's no time. Just follow me. And don't look back." The redhead whispered sharply, literally pulling Midorikawa along by the wrist. Annoyed, the green-haired man tried to yank his arm out of the redhead's grip, but he seemed to be absolutely serious, and a lot stronger than he seemed, too. They went around a bend, and from the corner of his eye Midorikawa could see someone that looked suspiciously like that white-haired waiter.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" He hissed in frustration, but Hiroto paid no mind as he texted away on his cellphone, occasionally glancing up to see where they were going. "Hiroto!"

"Shush, I'm trying to get backup."

"Backup? What backup? For what?"

But there was no time for questions as they rounded one corner after another, zigzagging between tables and tents, determined to escape god-knows-what. Midorikawa, being tugged along at the wrist like an insolent child by his enraged mother, soon found himself in need of a proper answer, whatever it might be. Hiroto simply didn't have the right to do something like this and expect him to just play along! With that thought in mind, the doctor took the lead and pulled his companion into a small dead-end right ahead. He probably used too much force, since Hiroto was soon pushed all the way against the back wall, looking at him with an incredulous scowl; but Midorikawa thought it was his turn to take charge for once, and asked:

"What on earth do you think you're doing?"

Hiroto's green eyes darted between him and the entrance to the alleyway. Then he gritted his teeth:

"You're ruining everything."

"Me?"

"Yes!" The redhead hissed in agony, facepalming in the process. "Okay. Long story short. There are people out there, after me. And probably you too."

"After you and me?" Midorikawa repeated, feeling more and more lost by the second. "But why?"

"It's too complicated, and you just destroyed my plan A." Hiroto growled into his hands, before looking up and locking eyes with the greenette. "Luckily, I do have a plan B."

"Okay—" Said greenette didn't have time to finish his reply, as the possibly-insane redhead in front of him swiftly reached out and pulled him against himself, a hand firmly wrapped around his waist. His other hand worked to untie Midorikawa's loose bun, and in seconds long, soft locks of green hair were framing both of their faces. With his lips barely grazing the doctor's own, Hiroto ordered:

"Kiss me."

Chapter Text

"Kiss me."

Those were the words that Hiroto had said to him, moments before he decided to take control of Midorikawa's body. The greenette shivered even at the memory: the redhead's fingers entwined in his hair, his feverish breath clearly felt on the doctor's skin, and those lips... Midorikawa couldn't shake it off, couldn't find the strength to force himself to think of it as just an escape plan... Because there was more to it than just that.

'More to it'? His conscience snarled, sounding crossed. He used you! That was all. Why else would he suddenly insist on... on kissing? You must realize how absurd that is.

Let's take it slow, guys. His inner doctor stepped in, though seeming evidently rattled as well. We don't have all the pieces of the puzzle yet...

What puzzle? Why are you even defending him right now? His conscience yelled, red-faced. He's a scam, a con man, whatever! He doesn't deserve your sympathy!

"Ughh, just stop already..." Midorikawa grumbled for the fifth time in an hour. Great, Ryuuji, now you're going nuts. Better prepare for physical symptoms too; who knows what that bastard did to you when he kissed—

Midorikawa sighed loudly and sat bolt up on the sofa. Pushing his long green hair back, he pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them, his eyes trained aimlessly onto the throw pillow in front of him. He just didn't know what to make of the situation. Yes, he was dragged off and had his first kiss outrageously stolen. (It's a first kiss, okay, because he's just inexperienced like that!) Yes, the redhead did not offer any explanation as he ran off and left an extremely shaken Midorikawa to walk home by himself. And yes, quite frankly, the greenette was angry. But then again...

"Aghhh!" Covering his face with his hands, Midorikawa laid down on his sofa again – not bed, no, because it still smelled like Hiroto and he wasn't sure if he was ready to face anything Hiroto-related just yet. He just wanted to forget, to stop thinking on and on and on about what just happened. Little did he know, on the other side of the city, a certain someone was experiencing the exact same problem...

***

"So... you said you had a plan B? And you kissed him?!"

"I did."

"Oh god... but why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'? He had long hair which could have easily covered our faces, public displays of affection tend to make people uncomfortable—"

"Yeah, I know. I'm not that dumb. What I mean is, kissing him was the stupidest thing you could've done!"

"Stupid...? Oh, give me a break already!" The redhead raised his hands exasperatedly. A pair of teal blue eyes glanced at him, obviously judging. "Okay, I... I get it, but—"

"But it was the only option left?" The man in the driver's seat rolled his eyes. "When you're a good agent, there's no such thing as 'the only option left'! And... Gran, let me ask you a question. You say you get it, but do you really get it?"

The redhead in the passenger seat frowned, a little tired of his friend's nonstop questions:

"Get what?"

"Haizz..." The driver sighed, mumbling to himself. "He doesn't get it."

"Get what?" The redhead repeated, his voice a little louder now, more frustrated. But the driver shushed him as he slowed down and began to descend into a parking lot. The subject of the interrogation suppressed a sigh as he sank into the chair, the recent events replaying itself in his head...

"Kiss me." Hiroto whispered against the greenette's lips, his breath mixing with Midorikawa's own. He could see and feel how shocked the doctor was. An intense blush was present on his face; his breathing was rapid as if he'd just ran a marathon; and his fingers were digging into Hiroto's shoulders, seemingly wanting to push away. The redhead began to question his judgement, which is not something he does a lot at all. Was he wrong to decide on this peculiar plan B? Was this really the only way out, or was he just trying to take advantage of this oh-so-clueless doctor in front of him right now? For a moment, the redhead was lost in thought.

Then he heard them again. Rushed footsteps, barked commands, quickly approaching where they were... and Hiroto knew there was no going back. So, hoping with all of his heart that Midorikawa would forgive him, he leant in and closed the gap.

Hiroto didn't mean to get so carried away. He wasn't planning on closing his eyes, or using tongue, or even enjoying the kiss for that matter. But the feeling of the greenette's lips on his own was enough to knock all the sense out of his brain. Hiroto had kissed many people before. Men, women, he'd done it all. And sure, some felt good, some felt bad, some come and go with no feelings. But this one... it was special. And he had the feeling he knew why.

Hiroto didn't realize he was so out of it until Midorikawa gave him a breathless, muffled groan. Suddenly acutely aware of just what he was doing, the redhead pulled away, sucking in his first breath in what seemed like several minutes. In front of him, the greenette was struggling to breathe as well, his face fire-red, his trembling body held close against Hiroto's own. Huge, dark eyes looked up at him, and the redhead was expecting a chuckle, a smile, a tiny 'wow'... all the things he usually got. But he should have known that Midorikawa was not that kind of person.

SLAP!

Hiroto stumbled to one side, the left side of his face stinging hotly. When he looked at the doctor again, the sheer shock and anger on his face was almost enough to make Hiroto regret his decision. Almost.

His forgotten phone buzzed, making the redhead jump. Pulling it out, he cursed himself for getting so carried away. On the screen was about a dozen texts from his 'dearest '  friend   Gazel, with increasing degrees of rage. Praying again that Midorikawa would forgive him, Hiroto straightened himself, flashed a semi-apologetic smile, and dashed out of the alleyway.

"Okay, so... what do you think I don't get?" The redhead turned to his teal-eyed friend, asking once again. Said friend raised an eyebrow:

"The fact that you're so hung up on it already made it so clear."

"Screw you, Suzuno." Hiroto crossed his arms and sighed exasperatedly. "Just 'cause you already got a boyfriend doesn't mean—"

The brakes were attacked in such a fashion that caused Hiroto to lurch forward in his chair and almost slam his nose against the dash. The teal-eyed man next to him exhaled slowly, clearly trying hard to control himself. At long last, he grumbled:

"Fine. Since you're so dumb you probably will never figure it out yourself anyway, I should just tell you. Why'd you think he slapped you?"

The redhead frowned; it's true that he has been thinking about that reaction, but...

"I don't know... I mean, I can't be that bad of a kisser, can I?"

"How am I supposed to know? It's not like I've ever been forced to kiss you before." His teal-eyed friend answered blandly. "Listen. If you can't figure out why you were slapped, you're probably not fit to ever see that guy again, much less make another move. So don't."

"I wasn't planning on—"

"Yes you were. It's a warning this time. I'm not gonna let you go so easy next time." Suzuno finally pulled into the lone parking space. "He is my neighbor, after all. Can't let you harm a part of my cover."

Hiroto sighed yet again as they finally got into the lone parking spot and climbed out of the convertible. Getting into the elevator, he tried to empty his mind. Before he could come back to his doctor, there were some things he needed to take care of...

Chapter Text

"Mission report?"

The words echoed through the seemingly endless chamber, before succumbing to the uncomfortable silence. In one of the seats near the head of the table, a young woman awaited the response. She sat in an upright position, hands interlaced on top of the table; although her face was partly obscured by the shoulder-length blue-and-white locks, the stern look in her eyes were just as intimidating.

"He failed. I thought it was rather obvious." On the other end of the table, a few seats away from Hiroto, a teal-eyed man commented idly. Shooting him a death glare, the redhead cleared his throat:

"The location we found was correct. It's one of their bases, disguised as a nightclub. We found two of the secret storage rooms, before they caught us. However, we did manage to retrieve some samples of their collection, which are currently being analyzed."

The blue-haired woman noted the information down, before tapping the pen against her chin thoughtfully. Her sharp gaze gave Hiroto an unsettling feeling in his stomach, though he thought he should have gotten very used to it by now. After all, they've been coworkers for many years, and childhood friends for even longer than that.

"Desarm was brought back almost immediately, which was reasonable, given his critical condition." Yagami Reina stated. "What about you?"

"I tried to distract and lure the enemy away, before intending to cut them off in the next city." Despite the inner turmoil, the redhead replied smoothly, his expression and tone of voice never betraying him. "It worked."

"Still, the time it took... It's unlike you, Gran."

"The skill level of the people I faced was just as unlikely." Hiroto countered, leaning forward in his seat. "They're no longer cheap guards or inexperienced ruffians. The ones chosen to manage that nightclub now are more experienced, more powerful, more intelligent. It feels like there's a difference in rank between them, an increase."

"What's the increase in rank that you're talking about?"

"Back at the nightclub, when we first entered and before we were caught, I saw one of their core members. One that ranks higher than most in their organization." Hiroto recalled. "They must have sensed a change. They know we're onto them. It will only get harder from here on."

"But I think it's a change we can benefit from." The teal-eyed man, who'd been silent for most of the meeting, suddenly spoke up. "They're cautioning against us. Which means they now see us as a danger. A force to be reckoned with."

"Yes, Gazel's right." Reina nodded, setting her pen down. "This time, it may be our loss. But they now know that we won't let them win so easily next time. Good work, Gran. I'll alert you when the next meeting comes."

Gathering her paperwork, Reina gave both of them a curt nod before promptly leaving the room. Hiroto sighed and sunk into his chair, letting his head fall back. The other man — Gazel, or Suzuno — fished out his phone and began tapping onto the screen, commenting half-distractedly:

"Reina's scary."

"Took you long enough to notice." The red-haired man retorted, his left hand reaching for the knot of his bowtie. Except there was none. Looking at his friend's startled expression, Suzuno chuckled:

"Did you forget your stuff at his house? What's in there? A few important SD cards? A switchblade? Maybe some condoms?"

"You're rather talkative today, Suzuno." The redhead glowered, standing up with enough force to make his chair skid backwards loudly. His colleague frowned, the grin disappearing almost instantly from his face:

"I'm just concerned for you. Hiroto, you know the number one rule of this business."

The redhead rolled his eyes:

"The one you've already broken?"

"We are not having another conversation about me and Nagumo." The teal-eyed man crossed his arms, finally taking his eyes off of his phone. "Look, whatever that guy means to you, he's an innocent. Dragging him into this is just not an option. You can't let your personal feelings put him in harm's way."

"Feelings? What are you on about?" Hiroto blurted out a laugh, already turning away. But Suzuno caught him by the elbow, sharply whipping him around:

"You can't fool me, Hiroto. Sure, he's cute, he loaned you some clothes, he let you kiss him. So what? It doesn't mean anything, compared to literally everything else that's at stake should you ever make the choice! Listen to me, Hiroto. I don't give a crap about what you feel. Cut it out before it's too late."

"Alright, jeez!" The redhead twisted out of his friend's grasp, a small pout present on his face. "Calm down, Suz. I've done this a thousand times. It's all for the job. I know what I'm doing."

Suzuno stared at Hiroto, his teal eyes cold and level. At long last, he turned away, clicking his tongue:

"Tch, I sure hope you do..."

"Don't worry so much, your hair's already gray as it is!" The redhead said jokingly as he exited the meeting room. Phone clutched tightly in hand, he trudged along the hallway, the effects of the most recent mission finally kicking in. Wrapping his arms around his sore body, Hiroto subconsciously smiled as he touched the soft fabric of a certain greenette's shirt, feeling how perfectly it had fit him, and smelling the pleasant scent of detergent still lingering. For a split second, the lovesick idiot inside him wished he would never have to give this shirt back.

His phone buzzed twice, as two consecutive texts popped up:

[Tulip-kun]
get urself and fuuz back to our apartment asap
ur crush's in danger

And just like that, Hiroto knew he'd dived into the deep end.

Chapter Text

Diiing dooong!

Midorikawa jerked awake, almost falling off of his couch altogether. Tiredly rubbing his eyes, he felt around for his phone, back aching from having fallen asleep in such a cramped space. Pressing the home button, he squinted wearily at the much-too-bright 9:05 PM on the screen. He didn't oversleep or anything, did he... No, Midorikawa was certain his next shift was at 2 AM. Then who would have any business with him at this hour? The doorbell rang again, more urgent this time.

"Coming!" The greenette shouted groggily, slightly irked that his precious rest was disturbed, and also at the thoughts that'd just popped into his head. It'd better not be that annoying redhead at the door right now... maybe Midorikawa could just slap him again to make him go away. No no, that's so mean... Hold up, when did you care? His conscience checked him right away. Clicking his tongue, the doctor shoved his thoughts aside and trudged to the door. He was just about to unlock it when his phone vibrated. Looking down at it, Midorikawa raised an eyebrow as he saw the caller ID.

"Midorikawa?!" Hiroto's voice was loud enough even without speaker mode; and somehow, hearing the redhead say his name so casually pissed the doctor off, so he stayed silent.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Hiroto's voice rang through his livingroom again, and for a moment Midorikawa felt extremely awkward just standing there and staring at his phone, so he opened his mouth to reply; but remembering the events of the afternoon, he immediately shut his lips. A slight rustle could be heard from the other side, before an oddly familiar voice rose:

"What's happening?"

"He picked up... But he's not answering." The redhead sounded worried for real. "Shit, this is all my fault..."

"What is?" Midorikawa cut the other man off, secretly enjoying the shock in Hiroto's immediate reply:

"Midorikawa?! Thank goodness...! Where are you now?"

"My apartment. Why?" The doctor answered curtly. "Hurry up, I have guests."

"G-guests?" Now this was really strange. As far as Midorikawa knows, Hiroto never stutters. So why...?

Diiing dooong! His doorbell sounded again, and Midorikawa opened his mouth to tell the redhead that he had to go, but Hiroto yelled before he could say anything:

"Don't answer that door!"

Yet another meaningless command! Gritting his teeth, the doctor set his phone down firmly onto his kitchen counter and strode towards his door.

BANG!

Suzuno almost jolted at the noise. Glancing over to Hiroto, he was taken aback by the look on his friend's face: a mixture of incredulity and fear, which was only made more evident as the redhead turned to him:

"Speed up."

"We're at the speed limit. Besides, with city traffic, there's no way—"

"Speed. Up." The redhead's tone of voice sent a cold shiver down his back, and all at once Suzuno understood. Smirking irately, the gray-haired man shook his head slightly before slamming his foot onto the gas pedal, sending them zooming down the street towards the doctor's address. Through his earpiece, Nagumo's exasperated-but-amused voice sounded:

"You know the feeling too, don'tcha...? Well, tell loverboy I'll keep his crush alive til you guys are here!"

"Roger that..." The grayhead lazily replied as he sped past a busy intersection, leaving angry car honks and curse words in the dust. "Hey, where do you want me to stop?"

"End of this street." Hiroto replied without looking up. Patting his body once over to check that all the weapons were in place, the redhead unfastened his seatbelt, causing irritating warning beeps to go off inside the car. His green eyes were blazing so intensely that it made Suzuno gulp:

"Don't do anything crazy. Are you sure we don't need backup?"

The car skidded to a stop and instantly Hiroto was out of it, dashing towards the building Gemini Storm. Slamming the door shut, the grayhead ran to keep up, looking to his friend for a reply.

"Of course not. The three of us are enough. Though..." Hiroto pressed onto his earpiece, allowing Nagumo to hear his request as well. "If it comes to it, I would appreciate it if you two could leave the killing to me..."

"Mmfff... MMRFFF!" Midorikawa's grunt was muffled by the piece of duct tape currently stretched over his mouth. Breathing heavily, his dark, scowling eyes followed the back of the man who'd just roughly secured his wrists against the back of one of the kitchen chairs. There were two of them, both wearing blue-and-black suits, white gloves, and white combat boots with black tips. The taller one, now walking around in his livingroom and inspecting everything, has a big orange afro which covered his eyes, giving him a mysterious, menacing feel. The shorter one, standing right next to Midorikawa with a gun pointed straight at the doctor, has the exact same white hair and shadowed eyes as that waiter from the Korean food booth. Was this why Hiroto suddenly snapped back then? But who were these men? What could they want with Midorikawa, an innocent doctor who had never even earned a speeding ticket? The more he thought about it, the more narrowed down the answer choices became. Nothing like this had ever happened before... no, not until a certain damned redhead showed up.

"He was here." A low voice made the doctor jolt. Turning his head around as much as he was allowed to, he saw the taller man exiting his bedroom. He walked into the light and threw a torn-up black suit jacket down to the floor. Hiroto's.

Perhaps noticing Midorikawa's widened eyes, the white-haired man bent down in front of him, before ripping the piece of tape off of his mouth. The gun now hung by his side, but somehow Midorikawa felt less safe because of that. The man's expression didn't change as he asked:

"Is this yours?"

"No." The doctor answered without hesitation. He was surprisingly calm despite the current situation, all thanks to the amount of time he's spent in the ER. Huh, never knew being a doctor would come in handy at a time like this.

The white-haired man continued:

"Then whose is it?"

"I don't know." He didn't even register the first punch until his head had snapped sideways, his jaws aching acutely. The glove's texture was rough against his face as his interrogator forced him to look straight again, repeating:

"Whose is it?"

"I don't know." Another punch. Well, at least now his face felt even. Midorikawa thought his vision seemed kind of wonky as the man yanked his head back by the hair, a cold scowl twisting his face:

"For the last time, whose jacket is this?"

"That would be mine, good sir." The threateningly cheerful voice made the white-haired man jolt. At once he spun around with his gun raised, but it was still too late. Hiroto's gun barrel was aimed right at his face, along with his steely green eyes. Behind him, Midorikawa could spot someone startlingly similar to his neighbor Suzuno Fuusuke, also pointing a gun at the orange-haired attackers. Either it was him, or everyone here has got doppelgängers which are evil and good with guns. Oww, my brain hurts, his inner doctor groaned.

"Gran." The white-haired man hissed. "I thought as much."

"Good for you." Hiroto said as he began approaching the enemy, each step slow and measured. "After all, you were the one who'd done the most damage to that jacket, weren't you, Shadow? Shame. It was my favorite one."

"Stop milking it, Gran." Suzuno interjected, sounding slightly bored as usual. "You've got a closet full of the exact replica of that jacket. Get to the damn point."

"Okay, jeez! You party pooper. What a party pooper, amirite?" Hiroto shook his head in a comically disapproving manner to Shadow, while Suzuno just clicked his tongue. But as those green eyes flicked over to Midorikawa, just the icy seriousness in them was enough to make him shudder.

The redhead's steps ceased as his gun poked against the white-haired man's chest, just like how Shadow's gun was pointing against his own. A slip of the finger, and either one could be dead. Hiroto's face became still, and the whole room was silent when he spoke:

"I should probably get to the point, though. See that doctor? It seems that you were the one who'd done the most damage to him. Shame, 'cos he's my favorite one."

Before his opponent could react, Hiroto pushed hard against his raised elbow, bending Shadow's arm and causing him to drop his gun. His accomplice immediately redirected his own weapon at the redhead, but buckled with a loud grunt when a bullet from Suzuno's gun lodged itself in his thigh. Having lost his weapon, Shadow instantly lunged for Hiroto's, reaching for it while gripping the redhead by the neck. They crashed to the ground and the gun slid out of reach, but the white-haired man didn't care as he tightened his fingers around Hiroto's throat; he only let go after the redhead's fist collided with his jaw with a wet crack. Shadow veered sideways from the impact, but recovered swiftly and reached for his leg. The knife he pulled from his combat boot only missed Hiroto's face by a centimeter as the redhead rolled to one side; but he could not avoid it a second time as the blade plunged down again, this time sinking deep into his left shoulder. Midorikawa's breath hitched at the redhead's pained gasp, silenced by a hard bite on his lower lip. His grip tight on the handle, Shadow pinned his opponent down, his cold, hungry gaze barely visible underneath his long white hair.

"Let him go now, or your partner gets it." Suzuno's soft but stern voice caught the attention of all three of them. Whipping his head towards the direction of his "neighbor", Midorikawa suppressed a smile when he saw the restrained attacker with a gun pointed to his head. Looking back to Hiroto, the greenette eyes widened as he caught the redhead's wink.

"Don't you worry, Gazel." Suzuno raised an eyebrow at Shadow's calm reply. Just as slow as his words, the white-haired man began to twist the knife, causing Hiroto to cry out in pain. "This kind of wound won't kill your friend. It'll only sting a l—"

PWSST! They all heard the strange sound just a fraction of a second before Shadow yelled and collapsed right beside Hiroto, silent and unmoving. With a sharp intake of breath, the redhead yanked the knife out of his shoulder and sat up, his voice only the slightest bit shaky when he greeted:

"Took you long enough, Burn."

"Sorry I couldn't take a shot when you were literally being his human shield." Midorikawa could swear this third man looked exactly like his other neighbor, Nagumo Haruya — even his half sarcastic, half condescending smirk was the same. "Is he dead?"

Hiroto stood and nudged Shadow with his foot. No reaction. "I don't know. Would you restrain him, please?"

"Tch, classic Gran, making us do all the dirty work while he goes and have fun." Nagumo complained to his gray-haired partner as he approached and knelt down beside Shadow, patting the pockets on his utility belt for something; but Midorikawa was no longer concerned with what it was when another redhead came into his view. Hiroto sliced through the tape binding his wrists together, before kneeling down in front of him and grabbing him by the shoulders. Only then did the greenette realized he was shaking.

"Are you okay?" The redhead's voice was strangely gentle. For a moment, something deep inside Midorikawa stirred as his dark eyes stared into those green ones, so attentive and full of concern. Then his conscience reminded him of what happened the last time they were staring intently at each other, and the doctor quickly looked away, a frown already forming on his face.

"Am I "okay"?" He pushed Hiroto away, but kept his voice low to avoid involving his annoying neighbors. "People with guns just broke into my house and tied me up, and somehow they found your bloody jacket in my bedroom, and then you showed up and suddenly it became a fight-to-the-death match or some crap like that, and then that man freaking stabbed you in the shoulder all while I sat here and watched, and you ask me if I'm okay? Yeah, Hiroto, I'm totally fine! Or should I call you Gran?"

"I can ex—" Hiroto began, but then sighed heavily and stopped himself. "Okay, Midorikawa, please look at me. I know I sound like a complete douchebag right now, but there's a reason behind all of this. If you'd just listen—"

"Ack!" Nagumo's grunt startled both of them. Whipping around, Hiroto's explanation died on his lips when he saw Shadow's finger curl around the trigger of his friend's gun, aimed straight at Midorikawa. As he jumped in front of the greenette, only one thought remained in his head.

Because he's my favorite one.

Chapter Text

"Hiroto?"

Midorikawa couldn't breathe. The floor was cold against his back, but the arms wrapped around him were protective and warm.

"Hiroto?"

Red hair tickled the side of his face as he tried to move. Looking up, he could see the ongoing fight between the four other men, but it felt as if they were a million miles away. Everything was quiet, too quiet... was it them, or was it him?

"Hiroto?"

Ah... was that his voice? He couldn't tell. Somehow he got free, but his eyes could see nothing but red. It was everywhere: on his hands, on his shirt, on Hiroto's hair...

Hiroto!

Everything came crashing back at once, and immediately Midorikawa felt sick. What had this idiot done? He immediately sat up beside Hiroto's limp body and removed his suit jacket, but there was so much blood he couldn't see anything. Did the bullet even go through? He tried turning Hiroto's body over, but still couldn't get a good view. Noticing the knife nearby, the doctor hurriedly grabbed it and sliced the redhead's blood-soaked shirt open, fearing the worst.

"Owww..." A low groan startled Midorikawa so bad, he almost dropped the knife. Hiroto's mass of red hair shifted before he lifted his head from the floor, using his elbows as support. Pulling the remnants of his shirt off of himself, the redhead turned to a wide-eyed Midorikawa, showing him his still-intact bulletproof vest:

"Don't worry, I'm okay."

WHAT! NO! His conscience screamed as it thrashed around in the greenette's brain, trying to chase down the inner doctor, THIS IS NOT COOL! NOT COOL! DON'T YOU DARE THINK IT'S OKAY, DON'T YOU FREAKING DARE—

The voices in his head vanished as Midorikawa lunged forward and threw his arms around the redhead, burying his face in Hiroto's shoulder. All the anger, confusion and worry from before was gone, replaced by the overwhelming feeling of relief as his brain registered that yes, Hiroto was okay. He could faintly feel the redhead stiffen up; but very soon he relaxed into the embrace, putting a reassuring arm around the doctor's body. Midorikawa held his breath and listened: there was his heartbeat, loud and clear; his breath, steady; and the rumble of his chest as he whispered over and over again that the bullet did not go in, that he was alright. Thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness.

"Uh, are the lovebirds finished?" Nagumo's slightly crossed voice snapped him back to reality, and instantly Midorikawa reddened and let go. He looked over to the fight, only to discover that it had ended, and that the two attackers were nowhere to be seen. Nagumo was still frowning:

"Shadow and... that other guy got away. They just bolted. Probably received orders or something; they looked like they really wanted you dead, Gran. But you don't really care, right, 'cos wow it must feel so good to finally get out of the single zone—"

Suzuno smacked him loudly on the shoulder. As Nagumo scowled and turned away, the grayhead asked Hiroto:

"Should we go after them?"

"No, it's okay." With some difficulty, the red-haired man reached for his discarded suit jacket. He pulled out his phone and tossed it to Suzuno, who caught it effortlessly. "I put a tracker onto Shadow when he was busy being a sadist. He'll probably notice sooner than later, but we're good for now."

The grayhead glanced at the phone before passing it to Nagumo, who was still grumbling about something. Then, adjusting his clothes and collecting his weapons, he raised an eyebrow at Hiroto's shoulder:

"Think you're gonna be in shape for the meeting?"

"Oh, I'm swell." Hiroto smiled and picked himself up from the floor with a grimace. "I'm sure he'll be able to handle a little blood."

* * *

The four men made their way down from Midorikawa's now-bashed-up apartment, and towards a shiny black car parked on the side of the road. Since Suzuno was driving and Nagumo (of course) called shotgun, Hiroto and Midorikawa were pushed to the back. Noticing the redhead's slight wobble as he got into the car, the doctor asked:

"How are you feeling?"

"Are you asking as a normal person, or as a doctor?" Hiroto managed a weak smile. "If you wanna patch me up, there is a pretty good first aid kit somewhere in here."

"Why would I ask as a normal person if I can ask as a doctor?" Midorikawa shot him a soft glare. Grinning, Hiroto sighed before leaning his head back, shutting his teal green eyes:

"I'm feeling really light-headed, and I'm pretty sure my vision went black for an unhealthy amount of seconds just now. Plus my shoulder feels like someone'd just stuck a red-hot iron stick in there and stirred it around. It sucks. But, y'know, I'll live."

"Hmph, you'd better." Midorikawa wasn't sure why he felt the need to mumble that last part, but he did. Reaching up, Hiroto pressed a button on the ceiling, and instantly a black curtain began to rise from the car floor. The idea of being alone with the redhead again caused a funny feeling to arise inside the doctor's stomach, but he firmly decided that he would complete his doctor duties before addressing that weird sensation. "Where's that first aid kit?"

"Somewhere in the back. You can probably reach it if you stand up and lean over a little... yeah, that's it." Hiroto nodded at the white box Midorikawa'd just pulled from the back of the car, before removing his suit jacket and bulletproof vest. "How does it look?"

Like some serious eye-cand— Midorikawa cut his inner doctor off before it could finish. Yeah, sure, he has a nice body... so what? It's not like I want it anyway. Or anything like that. Not at all. Confirming that with himself, the doctor turned on the car lights and began to inspect the stab wound.

"I wish he hadn't twisted that damn knife..." The wound seemed to be a little too complicated for a first aid kit to safely and completely fix. At least it wasn't bleeding too much anymore. Midorikawa leant back and concluded, "you might need to go to the hospital to get this checked out. I can clean it up and bandage it though. Is that okay?"

"Do you ask your patients beforehand if it's okay to save them?" Hiroto replied with a smirk, causing the greenette to roll his eyes. "Go ahead, I don't mind."

Still, when Midorikawa poured disinfectant onto a towelette and held it against the wound, the redhead's face still paled. Lifting the cloth up and folding it once before beginning to wipe away the dried blood, the greenette mumbled:

"It'll hurt, but it's better than an infection."

"Hmm, yeah, I trust you. Totally didn't do that to get revenge or anything, did you?" Midorikawa glared at him for real. "Just kidding, just kidding! But hey, if that was your intention... I want to let you know that you are totally justified."

The doctor looked up in surprise. Staring back at him now were the bright green eyes of the redhead; and as they passed underneath a street light, Midorikawa could see that his expression was completely solemn:

"What I did was stupid. I shouldn't have done it. I... well, I won't say I didn't know what I was doing, because I did. It was just that... I was being a dumbass and whatever anger or hatred you have directed at me now is valid, and I'll accept it."

"What the heck are you on about?" The greenette said slowly. "I mean, yeah that was dumb and you could've just pushed me out of the way, but jeez, thank you for freaking taking a shot for me!"

"... What?"

He meant the kiss, stupid. His out-of-breath conscience flopped down to the ground and gave Midorikawa a look of utter disappointment.

"Oh, god! No! That's not...! I... agh, I was just..." The funny feeling in his stomach returned, this time coupled with a hot flush on his face. Faced with the doctor's embarrassment, Hiroto just chuckled brightly. "Don't laugh at me like that! Or... or I won't forgive you!"

"Okay, sorry, sorry!" The redhead laughed out loud, before suddenly stopping and wrinkling his nose. "Ow, my shoulder still hurts. Guess I'd better be good to you until you finish dressing it, hmm?"

"Ah, yeah." Realizing he'd been distracted, the greenette quickly returned to the task at hand. He took out a fresh gauze and pressed it against the wound; then, after confirming that it wouldn't be bled through, he secured it in place by wrapping a roll of bandage around Hiroto's shoulder and chest. The redhead was completely silent throughout the procedure, only leaning forward and back as instructed, and occasionally looking up to Midorikawa's face from his hands. The silence seemed uncomfortable, but it provided the doctor with a quiet and focused working space; plus, he thought the redhead seemed more tired than usual.

"Thanks." Hiroto spoke when Midorikawa tied off the bandage and sat back to look at his handiwork. "I suppose a nap right about now would feel great, but I think I owe you an explanation."

"What?" It was true that the greenette was in desperate need of one, and it was the first time Hiroto'd acknowledged that even with the brains of a doctor, he could not comprehend everything that had been going on. But in this kind of condition... "You do, but let's save it for later—"

"No." Hiroto's fingers were cold as he grabbed onto the doctor's raised hand, stopping him mid-track. Even in the semi-darkness of the car, the green in his eyes was burning. "You need... you deserve to know the truth, Midorikawa. The truth about who I am."

Chapter Text

The air was still. As he sat in the confines of the back of the car, Midorikawa felt like he was the water in a full, full cup. As he looked up, he could almost see the weight of Hiroto's confession, like a single drop of red dye falling straight for the surface. The drop was shrinking and small and seemingly insignificant, but he knew that once it hit, the cup would no doubt overflow.

"I'm an agent."

For a second, Midorikawa felt as if the only thing anchoring himself to reality was Hiroto's hand around his own. He echoed, his voice completely flat:

"An agent?"

"Yes." The redhead replied patiently. "Do you know what that means?"

"I- I think so. Sorry, I'm just..." Midorikawa shook his head and raised both hands to his face, rubbing it a few times. Hiroto respectfully withdrew his hand. "I'm just a little... shocked, I guess."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, you're being much more understanding that a lot of people." The redhead's small smile allowed Midorikawa to breathe just a little easier, though he wasn't sure why. "If it's hard to wrap your head around this, just think pop culture. Y'know... James Bond, Jason Bourne, John Wick... well, actually, maybe not John Wick... but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah, I think I get it." The greenette swallowed drily. This was hard to believe, but for the very first time, everything about Hiroto actually made sense. His sudden appearance in front of Midorikawa's door that first night? His strange request for the hospital's files? And just now... the rescue mission he was on with Suzuno and Nagumo? Using the words "rescue mission" was strange, but the greenette didn't think anything else could quite fit with the situation. Looking over to Hiroto, he could see that any trace of the smile was gone. The redhead continued, his voice clear and very even:

"I am only telling you this because I have complete trust in you, Midorikawa. I need you to understand — really understand — that this is not a joking matter, or a lie, or anything of that sort. I'm not your average man on the streets. I've hunted. I've tortured. I've killed. I'm a modern-day reaper, Mids. And I am not the only one. If this trust is violated, you, me, and quite possibly everyone we know will be in danger. Right now, I can take a bullet for you. But depending on what happens next, I may have to be the one behind the trigger. Do you understand?"

Up until now, Midorikawa could be certain he's telling the truth when he says he has been faced with danger before. The danger of having the control over who lives and dies. The danger of having the power to decide people's fates. The danger of making a difficult decision when a patient is lying wide open (quite literally) on the operating table in critical condition. But he understood that the kind of danger Hiroto was talking about is a different kind of danger. One that he wasn't entirely sure he was ready to face.

"If you turn back now, I completely understand. This isn't a road anyone could walk." Hiroto said quietly. "I just want to warn you that if you go back now, it would have to take quite some time before all of your possible relations to my world can be erased. Which means... those guys might come for you again. And other things. But they can be dealt with. I will respect your decision, whatever it is."

The redhead's words faded into the overwhelming silence encapsulating them. Midorikawa wasn't sure what he should say. Everything sounded like the wrong choice. At a loss, he spoke:

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"When those guys broke into my apartment, I was terrified. They tied me up and asked me about your jacket. They wanted to know whose it was." Something about this story bothered him, Midorikawa knew. Maybe it was something Hiroto could help him with. "I knew it was yours. But when they asked me, I said I did not know whose it was. It hurt when he punched me, but I... for some reason, I decided I had to lie to them. I lied again the second time, and I think I would have lied a third, and a fourth time, even if it meant my jaw was going to snap off. For some reason, I decided that I had to lie for you. And I don't get it."

Hiroto's eyes stared deep into Midorikawa's very soul, and he was silent for such a long time, it felt like he was frozen. But at long last, the redhead exhaled a laugh and looked away, the corners of his mouth tugging up:

"I do. And I think you'll be just fine."

The greenette wanted to ask what he meant, but strangely enough he thought he could already understand what his words meant. Leaning back into his seat, Midorikawa let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Next to him, Hiroto began:

"As you now know, I am an agent. So are your neighbors, Suzuno Fuusuke and Nagumo Haruya — Gazel and Burn respectively. And my codename is Gran. The person I was yelling for when I showed up at your door is Yagami Reina, or Ulvida. We all work for an organization called Aliea.

"Aliea's history is rather tumultuous. Long story short, we used to maintain our position as the strongest organization with the help of a... drug, I suppose you could call it that, that we named 'A.M.'. What it does is it can enhance the physical abilities of a person, basically creating superhumans. However, it can also seriously twist their mentality and character; and if there is an overdose, it could certainly kill them. After our war with another organization called Raimon, our leader, Kira Seijirou, and most of us realized that A.M. causes more bad than good, so we got rid of it."

"Alright... so this is where the overdoses come in? Are you still trying to help people recover from this drug?" Midorikawa asked. The red-haired man bit his lip before replying:

"Yes... but it's not that simple. The leader's assistant, a greedy man called Kenzaki Ryuuichi, stole some of this drug before it was destroyed, and went on to use it to fuel his desires. The amount he took was not enough for him to build his own organization, but he did select 11 people from Raimon and tempted them into using A.M., forming a small group called the Dark Emperors. The two men that attacked you tonight both belong to that group.

"Both Aliea and Raimon have encountered the Dark Emperors a few times — Kenzaki's goal is to eradicate us both and gain full control of the "underground world", after all. Right now, what we're trying to do as we join forces is to fend off the Emperors' attack, while we try to find an efficient cure for A.M., and evidence to expose Kenzaki's wrongdoings."

"Did you not have a cure from before, when Aliea was still using the drug?" Midorikawa asked, but Hiroto sighed:

"We did, but after he took the remaining supply of A.M., Kenzaki also found a way to destroy the cure. We have no choice but to make it again from scratch. That's why I'm collecting overdose cases. Aliea started using A.M. 5 years ago and it was not an easy start, so we're assuming that Kenzaki may also be having some trouble using it. Either way, if people begin to become negatively affected, they would probably be taken to a hospital like Inazuma General, so I was hoping to find something that could help the research department."

"Did you ever find anything?" Midorikawa asked hopefully, but Hiroto shook his head:

"No. We're certain Kenzaki is struggling, because so far we haven't seen any of the Emperors with the kind of strength Aliea members used to have with A.M.. But I think he knows we're waiting for him to slip up, so he's being really goddamn cautious. It's annoying, really, when you know something's out for you but you can do nothing but defend against its attacks..."

The rest of his sentence trailing off with a sigh, Hiroto leant his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. Looking at the redhead's worn-out form, Midorikawa suddenly got the urge to lean over and give him a tight hug. Instead, he just patted Hiroto's arm:

"Hey, based on what I'm hearing, you guys are doing the right thing. If you keep at it, I'm sure you'll find a way...."

"You don't sound so sure, but thank you." Hiroto turned to the doctor and smiled, and for a moment Midorikawa was lost in the depths of those teal green eyes. Then the car came to a stop and the black curtain came down, causing him to instantly sit back, almost slamming himself against the car seat. The small thump made Nagumo turn around suspiciously.

"Is he here?" Fortunately, Hiroto's question saved him. Suzuno nodded:

"Of course he is. We're late. Is the doctor coming?"

"Yep."

"Okay." Hiroto flashed him an encouraging smile as they climbed out of the car. They seemed to be parked in an underground parking lot, surrounded by only a few other vehicles. The redhead still walked awfully quick even with his wound, and Midorikawa had to jog to keep up. Waiting until his two neighbors seemed out of earshot, the greenette whispered:

"How did they just agree to let me come with? Am I even qualified to be in this meeting? Where are we anyway? Who is the man we're seeing?"

"Hey, you're way too nervous. Relax." Hiroto grinned as he slowed down to match Midorikawa's pace. "We are now in the parking lot of Kira Company. You don't need to stress about who we're meeting, or about Suzuno and Nagumo. Just be yourself, and you'll be just fine." Then, as if sensing the greenette's hesitation, he added, "I'm sure of it."

Well, I hope pretty boy knows what he's talking about.... His conscience commented as the four men got into an elevator. Suzuno swiped a card across a screen on the control panel, before selecting floor 29. The elevator swiftly moved up, and after only a few seconds, it opened with a soft ting. Not wasting a moment, the three agents strode out into the dark hallway, which automatically lit up as if the lights could detect movement. They led Midorikawa to a pair of doors at the end of the hallway, with a digital lock attached to the door handle. Suzuno held his thumb against the glowing green box on the screen, and seconds later a light whirr could be heard as the door was opened.

"Ah, finally!" A cheerful voice immediately rose as they entered the room, which was a simple boardroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and an oval table in the middle. "I was beginning to worry, but I suppose you three can beat anything. Hiroto, what's with the shoulder?"

The man seems to be in his late twenties. He had on a casual outfit: jeans, a jacket outside a plain t-shirt, and sneakers. Most of his brown hair was held back by a wide orange headband, giving him a rather childish vibe; but everything from his posture to his bright brown eyes told Midorikawa that he would be better off not taking this man lightly.

Hiroto shook his hands with a pleasant smile:

"Just a scratch. Anyhow, there's someone I want you to meet. Endou, Midorikawa Ryuuji. Midorikawa, Endou Mamoru."

Chapter Text

"So you're a doctor? That's so cool!" Endou beamed just as Midorikawa finished introducing himself. "Man, I can't even imagine having to be in school for... what, seven years? And then there's the practical training too, right?"

"Um, yeah." The greenette felt slightly out of place, but Endou's grin was contagious, and he caught himself smiling as well. "B-but, isn't your profession quite... cool, too?"

"Huh?" At that, Endou burst out laughing. "Hiroto, did you use your special move on him as well!?"

"What are you talking about? I don't have a special—" The redhead started, but Endou waved him off:

"This guy came at you all cool and collected and mysterious, didn't he? I can tell. But once you get to know him, he's actually a real sweetheart! Oh, I need to tell you about that time when—"

"Oi, we're still waiting." Nagumo's irritated voice pulled the three men back to reality, and Midorikawa and Hiroto casted worried glances at the icyhot duo, but Endou just laughed:

"Sorry, sorry! It's just that I haven't seen you guys in so long! Let's get to that report, then, shall we?"

With that one casual request, the whole mood of the room seemed to change. A sense of solemnity settled over the four other men so quickly that Midorikawa was suddenly the only one left with a smile on his face; he quickly pressed his lips together to kill it. Turning to the oval table in the middle, he contemplated sitting down in the chair next to Hiroto, but for some reason it felt too awkward still, so the doctor opted for the seat one space to the right of the redhead. Seeing that he has settled down, Nagumo nodded to Suzuno, who moved to set his phone down onto the table. He clicked on something on the screen, and immediately the lights dimmed. From the grayhead's phone, a glowing blue dot shot out onto the surface of the table and traveled to the middle, a bright blue tail trailing behind it. Then, from that dot, a holographic file popped up, floating in midair. His eyes widening, Midorikawa looked around to see if anyone else had a reaction similar to his, but all of the other men were unfazed. Woah... normal people really don't know anything about the "underground" world, huh... His inner doctor's mouth hung open. A light tap on his wrist made the greenette look over, and he saw that Hiroto had acquired a bracelet from under the table. Reaching underneath, his fingers grazed a hatch; pressing on it, Midorikawa was surprised to feel something fall into his palm. It was a slim metal bracelet.

"Put it on, it'll allow you to interact with the projections." The redhead whispered, and the greenette did as he was told. The metal was cold against his skin, but the bracelet fit just fine. Hiroto had already returned to the main conversation:

"You've read the report for the first mission, Endou? Right, then I'll go straight to the second. After running from the nightclub, I drove to this city and thought I'd successfully cut them off... but two sniffed me out. I managed to distract them and escape, but they targeted Midorikawa instead, to force me out of hiding." At this, the redhead turned to look at the doctor, who gave a small nod of confirmation. "They got into his apartment after I'd left, and was interrogating him when Suzuno and I arrived. Here they are; perhaps you will recognize them?"

He gestured to the file, and as if by magic, it opened, revealing a stream of pictures. Midorikawa could spot some depicting the interior of his penthouse, then other ones which showed the ground floor of the Gemini Storm apartment building, and even some of the market he and Hiroto went to just this afternoon. When were these even taken? Hiroto quickly scrolled through the photos, before stopping and zooming in on one of the two attackers.

"Yamino Kageto and Shishido Sakichi." Endou mumbled, his interlaced fingers tightening just a little. "Makes sense. A normal person would never see Yamino coming until it's too late, so he's perfect for jobs like these. As for Shishido, when it comes down to it, he can really make a person talk. I'm glad you guys were okay."

"Well, Midorikawa almost died, but we got there in time. After breaking only about a hundred road rules, that is." Suzuno pointed out, and from the evenness of his voice, the doctor couldn't really tell whether he was joking or not. But his attention returned to Endou when the brunette frowned — an expression oddly unfit for his face:

"They'd kill?"

"We aren't sure." Nagumo replied. "But I was there, and your friends seemed pretty damn ready to rip the doctor's jaw off. I'd say though, because it was an innocent, they were still going pretty easy on him."

That was "easy"!? His inner doctor screamed, clutching its jaw like it was its most prized possession. What the hell? I thought we were going to die just then! His conscience raised an eyebrow lazily, those were the same guys who stabbed through Hiroto's shoulder, remember? I'd agree with Tulip-hair that he was going easy on us. Midorikawa pushed both of them aside as he tried to concentrate on the discussion. Endou had continued:

"What do you think they were trying to do?"

"Oh, they were definitely coming after me." A little sarcasm has seeped into Hitoro's reply. "Desperate enough to take it out on a civilian, too. To be fair, Saginuma and I did tear that nightclub apart before any of them could make a move, but... That conduct is not the norm for Raimon's members, is it?"

"No, it's not... Do you think they have experimented with A.M. already?" Endou immediately asked, and to Midorikawa's relief, Hiroto shook his head:

"I don't think so. Our team is currently analyzing some of the lab samples we got from that nightclub, and so far it doesn't look like Kenzaki's gotten anywhere with it. Plus, if it's any consolation, the two Emperors didn't seem to have been on it — at least to me, anyway."

The redhead looked to his partners, who both nodded in agreement. Seeing the reply, Endou let out a relieved sigh, and Midorikawa noticed some of the tension leaving his shoulders. But then the brunette looked up again, his eyes tinted with worry:

"Wait, but in the first mission's report... Isn't Saginuma badly injured right now? Who's your scientist then? I don't mean to be rude, but are your newest lab results reliable? If you need, I could send our scientists over..."

"Thanks for your concern, but we're fine." Hiroto politely declined with a shake of the head. "You and Raimon have already spread yourselves thin enough as it is. Saginuma's team is good enough to hold out until he comes back. Besides... I'm working out some of the kinks, but I'm pretty sure we've already found a replacement."

At this ominous reply, Midorikawa caught Nagumo turning to Suzuno and raising a questioning eyebrow, to which the grayhead answered with a shrug. Turning to Endou, he saw curiosity light up the brunette's face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile:

"Alright, you're the boss. But if you ever need help, just hit me up, okay?"

"I got it, I got it!" Hiroto held up his hands and chuckled. "Well, that's all I have for you today, I'm afraid. Do you want any of the photos? There are some from the nightclub too."

"It'd be great if you could send a copy to me." Endou nodded before standing up, and the other men followed suit. Suzuno lifted his phone from the table, and immediately the hologram vanished and the room brightened. Making eye contact with Hiroto, he dipped his head slightly before taking leave with Nagumo — it was almost as if the redhead was their superior somehow, Midorikawa had noticed. Glancing at Hiroto, who was now shaking hands with Endou, the doctor gulped as he realized just how dangerous of an acquaintance he had made for himself. We'll support you no matter what, Ryuuji! His inner doctor cheered him on, while his conscience rolled its eyes in the background. Midorikawa silently thanked them both anyway.

"Oh yeah, and... one more thing." Endou's hushed voice suddenly captured his attention, but Midorikawa guessed from his tone of voice that he didn't really want to be heard, so he subtly turned the other way. "Any signs of Kazemaru?"

There was something in the way Endou had said the name that particularly struck Midorikawa, but he couldn't decipher what it was before Hiroto's soft reply cut off his train of thought:

"Sorry, but we haven't seen him anywhere in a while."

"... Ah." Endou's voice was barely louder than a whisper, but he sobered up quickly. "Well... thank you for being on the lookout anyway."

"Don't mention it." Hiroto raised his right hand to pat Endou on his back, a reassuring smile on his face. "You stay safe, okay? Be careful out there."

"Right back at you." The brunette looked pointedly at the redhead's bandaged shoulder, which evoked a guilty laugh from said redhead. Then Endou vanished behind the closing doors of the boardroom, and once again Hiroto and Midorikawa were left alone.

"So, how did that feel?" The redhead turned to him at once, and while his lips were curved into a smile, Midorikawa could tell he was concerned from the attentiveness of his green eyes. "I knew Endou wasn't the intimidating type, but first meetings can be really nerve-wracking. So I just wanted to make sure that you were okay..."

"I think Endou was right about your coolness being only a facade." Midorikawa commented slyly, before cracking up himself. "I'm alright, thanks for asking. It was certainly new territory for me, but I think I can handle it, boss."

"What are you trying to say now..." Hiroto laughed out loud at that, and for a moment they both sunk into comfortable silence, a smile on each of their faces. "Well... you know, I'm glad you've made that joke, because coincidentally... You did study all of the basic sciences, right?"

"Yeah — I had to if I was to become a doctor. Why?" The greenette asked, but he figured the answer out just as Hiroto's smile bloomed into a grin. "Wait... don't tell me... the scientist you were referring to...?"

Chapter Text

"Yes, that was you!" Hiroto's reply was coupled with a guilty smile, which he thought might piss Midorikawa off, but might also be the only way to reassure the greenette. "I apologize for not having told you earlier, but I have taken the liberty of looking into your background a little. While you are not a specialist like Saginuma, our head scientist, you have studied things like biochemistry, endocrinology, and so on. The reason why all of that is important is because A.M. is essentially a performance-enhancing drug, so at the end of the day it all comes down to basic medical science. Although you might not be able to do everything Saginuma can, I'm sure you'd still be a lot of help in the lab. Of course, that's only if you want. Involvement in this kind of business can be extremely risky — as you already know, I'm sure. And—"

"If you already know I know that, why do you keep on worrying for me?" The greenette's sudden reply made him shut up in surprise. "If I'd wanted to avoid this, I would have bolted the second you untied me from that chair. But I'm still here, aren't I? I'll take the offer, thank you very much."

"Really...?" The agent's mouth hung open for several seconds as he processed Midorikawa's answer. Truth be told, he had not expected it to be that easy. Hiroto's head began to spin a little as he continued on:

"That's... that's great! Okay, you are officially a member of Aliea now! Uh, of course, there are a few things we must sort out before you can start working full time with us, but... Oh shoot, I haven't even told you about what the job's going to be like—"

"Hey, you're way too stressed out about this." The greenette raised a hand to stop his rambling. "We can talk about the specifics later, alright? It's almost midnight now, and I think we can both use some rest. How's your shoulder?"

The injury had completely slipped from Hiroto's mind during the meeting, but the doctor's reminder just now helped bring his attention back to his own body. He wasn't sure if he was running on adrenaline or just sheer willpower, but now that he had finally stopped thinking about work, Hiroto suddenly realized he was exhausted. His shoulder — and whole body, actually — still ached; his head felt light; and he was somehow cold but drenched in sweat at the same time. Hitomiko has always warned him against overworking, but the advice would only return to him after he'd tired everything out completely save for his head. Swallowing drily, Hiroto nodded:

"Yeah, I think you're right... Only, you do realize that you can't go back to your apartment anymore, right?"

"Ah, yeah... And I probably shouldn't book a hotel room or anything either, if I don't want a repeat of tonight's events, should I?" Midorikawa scratched his head, while Hiroto silently thanked the gods that the doctor could catch on quickly, so the next part wouldn't be so awkward:

"For now, I think it's best if you come to my place."

The drive back home was a blur. After entering his location into the GPS and entrusting Midorikawa with the car keys, Hiroto was out like a light. Apparently the doctor had had to shake him awake, as well as helped him get from the garage into the house. The redhead isn't very fond of the idea of bothering people, since he knows he should be responsible for his own state of being, but amidst the dizziness and confusion his brain had no choice but to accept Midorikawa's help. The ground seemed to sway underneath his feet as they entered the spacious living room, and he only felt somewhat better when the greenette laid him down on top of the sofa. The fog surrounding his consciousness got thicker and thicker, and the last thing Hiroto remembered before giving in completely was the gentle, pensive look in the doctor's eyes as he moved to unravel a woolen blanket.

* * *

"You don't have parents? Abandoned, huh?"

"Where did the leader even find you anyway?"

"I bet the only reason why he's trying this hard is so he could get all that money when he grows older! What else could a poor orphan want?"

"He wants it all to himself. He might even turn on the leader some day. How disgusting..."

"He doesn't deserve that last name."

Father... why do they say that? Why do they hate me?

Who am I?

"You are my son, of course. You are..."

Hiroto's eyes fluttered open, and instinctively his hands sprung up to throw whatever was draping over him off. But the sudden movement sent a jolt of pain through the redhead's body, and as he winced and froze, his chest heaving with each breath, Hiroto allowed his memories to flood back. Ah, right. Through the temporary blur in his vision, he could make out the familiar heather gray of the sofa, the comforting orange glow of the fireplace, and the soft yellow tint of the garden lights right outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. With more care this time, he lowered himself back down to the sofa, letting out slow, albeit shaky breaths. He distantly wondered how he'd managed to stay conscious long enough to get himself into a decent position on the sofa with a pillow and a blanket, when he suddenly remembered Midorikawa.

Struggling to sit up, Hiroto blinked a few times to get rid of the black spots in his vision. He felt around for his phone and found it wedged in between the paddings of the sofa; on the lock screen were a few messages from Suzuno and Reina, which he opted to ignore. It was still dark outside, and the time displayed on his phone was 5:11 AM. How long was he asleep for?

A sudden rustle caught his attention, and Hiroto's lips involuntarily curved into a small smile when he spotted Midorikawa's slender figure spread across the length of the other sofa, an arm slipping off from on top of his stomach. Deciding that he probably couldn't fall back asleep, the redhead got up and walked over, draping his blanket onto the sleeping doctor. A low grumble came from Midorikawa's throat as his body felt the weight, before he turned sideways and curled into himself, eyes still shut tight. With the dim light from the garden, Hiroto could see the faint purple bruises forming on his cheek, no doubt from Shadow's unsparing punches. His eyes narrowing, the agent turned away and walked out of the living room.

Hiroto's beautiful, suburban three-story house with a garage, a garden and a pool is really nothing less than a modern masterpiece, but he barely ever spends time in it due to the nature of his job. Quickly ascending the wooden stairs, he entered his bedroom, frowning at the rumpled bedsheets which he did not bother to straighten out the last time he'd left in a hurry. He wasn't exactly messy, but he was certainly not neat either, seeing as he often finds himself in situations which required him to drop everything and rush off. Flipping the switch for the bathroom lights, Hiroto undressed and got into the shower. Looking at the layers of bandage around his chest and shoulder, he decided to remove it all except the piece of gauze taped directly onto the wound, and tried his best to avoid getting water on the area as he showered.

"When you're a good agent, there's no such thing as 'the only option left'."

"He failed. I thought it was rather obvious."

"It's unlike you, Gran."

"Cut it out before it's too late."

The water was turned off with a shk. Cooling droplets slid along saturated red locks, collecting at the curled ends, before falling to the black marble floor. For a few seconds, Hiroto stood still in the misted shower, and the only noise that could be heard was the drip-dripping of water.

"You are my son, of course. You are..."

A blast of cold air hit him as the redhead swung the shower door open, before reaching for a large towel and drying himself off. It was just a dream. There's really no need to think so much about it. He started to brush his teeth with one hand, while the other reached for his phone to read the text messages from Suzuno and Reina. The former just wanted to know if he had any plans for Midorikawa now that the doctor has joined them, and the latter wanted a quick summary of their meeting with Raimon. Hiroto sent a few short replies, before finishing off at the sink and walking towards the closet. Looking proper might seem like an agent trademark, but in truth, the redhead doesn't much enjoy having to wear the suit and tie combo all day long. Scanning his "comfort clothes" section for a moment, he picked out a long-sleeved cotton shirt and a pair of fuzzy pajama pants and pulled them on, savoring the softness of the fabric against his tender skin. Despite what he tries to get his mind to believe, being home was still the best.

Walking back downstairs, Hiroto thought of cooking up some breakfast in the time that Midorikawa was sleeping, and decided on rice with furikake*. But he had only started the rice cooker when the redhead heard shuffles coming from the living room area; turning around, he greeted as he saw a groggy Midorikawa approach:

"Slept well?"

"It was alright..." The greenette replied before yawning widely, raising a hand to rub at his sleepy eyes. "What about you? When did you wake up?"

"About thirty minutes ago." Hiroto shrugged, feeling his injured shoulder tense up a little. "Fancy some breakfast?"

"That would be great. Although, is there a bathroom I can use?" Midorikawa asked, and the redhead directed him to the guest bathroom at the bottom of the stairs, with instructions on where to find toiletries and fresh clothes. While waiting for the greenette, Hiroto suddenly thought it would be nice to have some miso soup as well. Setting a pot onto the stove, he allowed his body to enter automatic mode as his mind wandered. When was the last time he'd had a homemade meal? Maybe the last time they had a reunion at Father's place... But when was that? A feeling of loneliness crashed down on him, and a crease appeared in between his thin brows. No... this isn't the right time to think about this at all. Why are you so hung up on it anyway? This isn't new. You're used to being lonely already. Aren't you?

"Woah, that smells really good." Hiroto whipped his head around at the sound, only to be met with a wet-haired Midorikawa. The doctor's hands stopped midair as he raised an eyebrow:

"Something wrong?"

"Ah... no..." The redhead mumbled, and half to his relief the greenette turned away, hands continuing to put his hair into a braid. The water had soaked into the white-and-blue shirt he was wearing, making the fabric cling slightly to his back. "I didn't know you braided your hair too."

"Oh, I only do that when it's wet." The doctor explained with a small smile as he tied the braid off, before coming over to the kitchen area. A light yet sweet scent tickled Hiroto's nose as Midorikawa passed behind his back, looking at the supplies he'd laid out on the countertop. "Miso, hm? Do you need help with anything?"

"I'm alright." The redhead replied, his hand reaching for a pinch of salt; but he dropped it immediately with a grimace as he felt a sharp sting on his finger. Putting the salt into the miso with his other hand, Hiroto put the injured finger into his mouth, hoping to soothe the pain. How ironic. Are you going to suck on bullet holes and stab wounds too?

"That's so unhygienic!" The doctor chided jokingly, then softened his voice. "Is it a cut? Oh, I almost forgot — how's your shoulder and everything else, too?"

"They're okay... just a little stiff, I guess. I haven't replaced the bandage but I feel fine." Removing his now-wet finger, Hiroto ran it under cold water for a few seconds. "Thanks for asking."

"You're so funny sometimes, you know that?" Midorikawa's sudden comment made him look up. "I'm a doctor. Caring for my patients is what I do. And you're no exception, Hiroto."

Somehow, hearing his name coming out from the greenette's mouth so casually made the corners of Hiroto's mouth quirk up. Grabbing a ladle to stir the miso, he asked:

"Well then, would you rather me not thank you next time?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Alright, alright..." The redhead laughed lightly; you're the funny one, doctor. Seeing the miso boil, he turned off the stove and set the ladle down, before walking over to the cupboard to get some bowls and utensils. "What about you? How are you feeling?"

"... Honestly? Still kind of overwhelmed by the whole thing." Midorikawa raised a hand to flick away a dripping strand of wet hair. "Not because I'm doing anything against my will... Just, it all happened so fast and it's kind of hard to wrap my head around everything, if you get what I mean?"

His dark, wavering eyes moved to meet Hiroto's for a moment, before the doctor turned away with an awkward smile. But he looked back again with a hint of surprise on his face when Hiroto reached over and patted his shoulder, a reassuring look in his green eyes:

"Hey, don't look so worried. The food's ready; want to talk about it over breakfast?"

Chapter Text

Hiroto set the tray down onto the dining table and laid out the different bowls of rice, soup and seasoning; next to him, the greenette arranged the utensils. The delicious scent of freshly-cooked rice and miso was enough to make the redhead's mouth water, and unexpectedly his stomach growled. Hearing that, Midorikawa chuckled and sat down:

"You haven't eaten anything since the last time we went out for lunch, right? Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu." Hiroto repeated the expression, before picking up his spoon and getting himself a mouthful of miso. Warm, savory soup flowed smoothly down his throat, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of contentment. "Woah, I underestimated how hungry I was."

Midorikawa exhaled a laugh, but did not say anything since his mouth was full with rice. Noticing his own untouched bowl, Hiroto sprinkled some furikake over the steaming grains, before picking it up. He began as he dug his chopsticks into the rice:

"So, what do you want to know? Give me all the questions you have; I'd be happy to answer."

As if he had been waiting for that exact request for a long time, Midorikawa quickly swallowed and said:

"First of all, what were the "two most recent missions"?"

"So basically," the redhead began, "the first one was led by me and Saginuma, codename Desarm. As you know, we are trying to get samples of A.M. from Dark Emperors' labs for analysis, to check their progress. After continuous tracking, we found a base at this nightclub right in the middle of the city; since that district typically has high crime rates and such anyway, we didn't suspect the nightclub for a long time. They really picked a smart location. Anyway, after locating and infiltrating their lab and storage rooms, Desarm and I managed to secure some of the samples. They caught us pretty quickly though, and I think they have connections with the club members or whoever as well, because a lot of people ganged up on us and we barely got away in one piece. When you found me sleeping at your house, that was after all that ruckus."

The greenette nodded, sipping on his miso thoughtfully. Hiroto took it as a sign to continue:

"About the second mission: after I left you in that alley, I met up with Suzuno to go back to Aliea headquaters. But I was worried, so I asked Nagumo—who was in his apartment next to yours at the time—to keep an eye on you. That's why he was able to alert me when the two Emperors came to your house; he also snuck into your bedroom and observed while those guys were interrogating you, to ensure your safety."

"My safety? Then why didn't he interfere when Shadow was trying to punch my jaw off?" The doctor raised an eyebrow, his tone faintly accusing. The agent sighed:

"What he did wasn't wrong. That experience probably frightened you, but if I was in your spot I would have thanked the gods a million times over because Shadow wasn't doing anything else. Even if he was, Nagumo wouldn't have interfered until he felt that the Emperors were a serious threat to your life."

"So in other words... as long as I could live through it, it didn't matter?"

"That's... a harsh way to put it, but yes. As strange and contradictory as it may seem, Nagumo is our ace when it comes to espionage. Personally, I have complete trust in his abilities and decisions. If you want to blame this on anyone, blame it on me. Nagumo and Suzuno were only following my orders; and in the end, even though we successfully retrieved you, we lost the two Emperors. That was my fault." Hiroto said factually, because it was true. If he'd been smarter, or more cautious, he could've done both at the same time. Right now, the tracker he'd planted onto Shadow was still transmitting, but who knows for how much longer? If Reina wasn't currently busy, Hiroto was sure she would've crashed their meeting earlier and given him an earful.

"I'm not about to blame anyone. I've just... really got to start getting used to this, I guess." Midorikawa looked paler than usual, but his reply was coupled with a laugh. "Oh yeah, how did you take those pictures you showed at the meeting anyway?"

"We often have hidden cameras on us... Or just a phone and some sleight of hand." Hiroto laughed out loud as well, and was relieved to feel some of the tension leaving the air. They ate in silence for a moment, before Midorikawa continued:

"Second of all... when will I start working for Aliea, and what will that look like?"

"Ah, that." The redhead set his empty miso bowl down and nodded. "To be honest, that's my question too. I'm still awaiting approval from Fa— uh, Kira-sama (you know, Aliea's leader) and Hitomiko-san, his assistant. We should know soon enough. Ideally, I'd like you to start working Monday next week, because we really don't have any time to waste. About what it'll be like... it depends on what the research team wants you to do, but right now I think they need more people to help with analyzing A.M..

"Also... I probably should tell you this now: it won't eat up all of your time, but it will certainly be demanding work, and accepting this job will mean dropping your current one at Inazuma General. You will also have to... well, to put it simply, do all the typical agent stuff: no revealing any secrets, no blowing your cover, that kind of thing. But other than that, you don't have to worry about any minor details. During the time that you are with us, we will take care of everything: housing, payment, et cetera; and afterwards, you are free to return to your hospital and your old life. Now that you know all of that, will you reconsider your decision?"

Picking up his near-empty rice bowl, Hiroto carefully observed Midorikawa's reaction. He could see how the greenette's lips pressed together, how his dark eyes narrowed as he processed all the information. The redhead felt as if he ought to say something to calm him, or to give him some confidence and clarity; but he also understood that what the doctor needed most right now was self-reflection. This was a big decision, and it was his decision to make. No matter how critical Aliea's situation might be, the agent would not force Midorikawa to do anything he might later regret. And so he almost let out a sigh of relief when he heard the doctor's firm reply:

"No. I'll accept the job."

"Fantastic." The redhead could barely suppress his grin. Feeling a little silly, he extended a hand across the table, locking eyes with a smiling greenette. "Then, welcome to Aliea."

"Thank you very much." Midorikawa played along and shook his hand, restrained laughter in his voice. "Please take good care of me."

Both of them burst into laughter, still hand in hand; and for a moment, a warm, fuzzy sensation flooded Hiroto's chest. He was quickly distracted from it though, when Midorikawa suddenly exclaimed:

"Oh! I've been dying to ask you this: since you and Suzuno and Nagumo all have codenames, does that mean I'll get one too?"

"Sure, knock yourself out." Hiroto leaned back in his seat, chuckling at the pure delight on the doctor's face. Never thought I'd get to see this side of him. Midorikawa's brows furrowed for a moment, before he let loose a dramatic gasp:

"I've got it!"