#BUT if this here reverse au meant tenma would be the young tired laywer and johan the deranged ex doctor i could go on about that as well

[ballisticbunni]

I'd honestly kill to have a reverse au.

Maybe a tired young lawyer is hunting down a disillusioned ex doctor and bringing him tp justice while he has to work with his own fked up childhood and his constant pragmatic ways of solving issues, wanting to conform to ideals that don't really help him. While also dealing with his estranged sister om the loose running after him.

Make it worse, by having the ex doctor be the reason our hero had so much hope in goodness amd fairness. Now seeing his idol stray from his path, he doesn't know what to do with his own morality.

Maybe i just want johan to have actual human expressions

This actually sounds. So amazing. In fact, I already have so many angsty, heartbreaking, and grotesque ideas forming for this reverse au you wrote here. I can see it now.

I can imagine Dr. Tenma's downfall rooting from Eva calling off their engagement, and Udo Heinemann demoting him after rebelling his orders to not perform surgery on young Johan (instead of him running from his career in order to take down the Monster he supposedly brought back to life). It might not sound like a plausible vengeful origin story. But let's face it. In this case, when trying to grow as a person, and creating the perfect life, only to be thrown back down out of nowhere with absolutely no one to lean on—can destroy a person. Because whether we'd like to admit it or not, if it weren't for Johan granting Tenma his wish, and those doctors mysteriously dying, Tenma's life wouldn't have improved like it did (example: being promoted to Chief of Surgery.) Though, even then, his reputation was still at stake when Lunge got involved, and assumed Dr. Tenma was the culprit after witnessing how much the doctor benefited from his peers being murdered.

Moving on to Johan, now. Like he said, himself—he saw Dr. Tenma as a father figure the moment he was saved from a terrible fate that would have taken him at a young age. Which he's never had anyone go as far as to RISK themselves for him. All of the adults in both Johan's, and Anna's life have been cruel, and proved over again that no one could be trustworthy. Until Tenma refuted that idea. It left Johan wanting nothing more but to better himself, and learn from his trauma instead of using it to deceive, or harm anyone around him. As he becomes a young adult, his mind and body actually allow him to experience, and show true emotions. He no longer lets the past consume him. "Tomorrow will be a better day." He becomes a law student, is actually able to build genuine relationships and bonds, and also has the goal to reunite with both his beloved sister he was separated from after the Liebert's incident, and the doctor that he considered to be the father he never had.

Though, he's torn coming to find out that the doctor is not who he used to be. Tenma is working underground, as a black market doctor. But not like the one we saw in the manga/anime, or hear about in the sequel, Another Monster. He's one who'd conduct evil, and inhumane experiments. Because "not everyone is born equal," as Eva had once told him, and he uses that to his advantage. His healing hands are used to make everyone who will ever doubt, or walk all over him—regret. It's a power rush he gets after being wrongfully used at the Eisler Memorial Hospital.

Johan struggles. Battling his morality while now hunting down the doctor he once looked up to, and attempting to reconcile with his sister who will possibly never forget what he put her through, or ever forgive him for it, too. What will he do?