Screen 1 – Hospital Silence
The hospital room smells like disinfectant and quiet.
Machines hum softly. Curtains barely move.
Ben sits on the edge of a bed, bandages wrapped around his shoulder and side.
He's hurt — bruised, cracked, exhausted — but alive.
A nurse finishes checking his vitals and hesitates.
"…Your friend is in the next wing," she says gently.
Ben looks up.
"Deku?"
She nods.
"He survived. But…"
The pause says everything.
"He lost the use of both hands. And… One For All is gone."
The words land heavier than any punch Ben took in the war.
For a moment, Ben doesn't speak.
The Omnitrix on his wrist is quiet. No glow. No warning.
"…So he paid the full price," Ben says softly.
He exhales, slow and controlled — the kind you take when you don't want to break.
Ben stands despite the pain and walks down the hall.
Inside the next room, Midoriya lies still, arms heavily wrapped, eyes open but distant.
No sparks.
No pressure.
No power.
Just Deku.
Ben stops at the doorway.
"…Hey," he says quietly.
Midoriya turns his head, trying to smile.
"Guess I'm benched for a while."
Ben lets out a short breath — almost a laugh, almost not.
"You idiot," he says, voice tight.
"You actually did it."
He steps closer, careful.
"You saved everyone."
Midoriya looks down at his bandaged arms.
"I don't know who I am without it."
Ben shakes his head immediately.
"That's where you're wrong."
He taps his own chest.
"You were a hero before power.
You were a hero when it hurt.
You were a hero when you let it go."
Ben sits beside him, lowering his voice.
"I still have my watch. I still have options."
"But you?"
He looks straight at Midoriya.
"You chose to end the cycle. No backup. No reset."
Silence stretches.
Midoriya's eyes fill — not with despair, but release.
"…I was scared," he admits.
Ben nods.
"Yeah. Me too."
He rests his forearm on the bed.
"But listen to me. Power didn't make you special."
A small, genuine smile appears.
"You made power better."
Outside the window, the city is quiet for the first time in months.
The war is over.
And even without hands, without power —
Deku is still a hero.
Screen 2 – Seven Days Later
Seven days pass.
The city begins to breathe again.
At U.A. High, Class 1-A gathers in the courtyard.
Bandages are lighter. Smiles are tired — but real.
Someone sets a camera on a stand.
Everyone squeezes together.
"Ready?"
Click.
One picture.
Then another.
Laughter breaks through the silence they've been carrying for weeks.
Ben looks at the photo on the screen.
"…Yeah," he says quietly. "I'm gonna miss this."
The air behind him bends.
Time folds in on itself.
Professor Paradox steps out first, hands in his coat pockets, smiling like this was always scheduled.
"Ah. Right on time. Or slightly late. Depends which version of today you're standing in."
Beside him, a small green figure appears in a calm glow.
Azmuth.
"Benjamin Tennyson," Azmuth says flatly.
"Your parents are worried. You have exceeded every acceptable danger threshold."
Ben exhales.
"…Yeah. Figures."
Paradox tilts his head toward the portal forming behind them.
"Time to go home, hero. Don't worry — you'll remember this version."
Ben looks back at Class 1-A.
Midoriya stands with bandaged arms, smiling softly.
"You're always welcome here."
Uraraka waves, trying not to cry.
"Don't forget us!"
Kirishima grins.
"Manliest exchange student ever."
Bakugo clicks his tongue.
"Tch. Don't get soft. Come back stronger."
Ben smiles — real and unguarded.
"I will."
He raises his hand in a casual salute.
"Take care of the world for me."
The portal hums louder.
Ben turns once more, steps forward —
then pauses.
"Hey," he says.
"Thanks for trusting me."
Class 1-A answers together.
"Always."
Ben steps into the light.
Azmuth follows.
Paradox tips his hat as time closes behind them.
The courtyard is quiet again.
But on the screen —
in a single photo —
Ben Tennyson is smiling beside them.
Be continued