Chapter 26

Katsuki pushed the person shaking him off, for the fourth time, "Kacchan, listen." He moved sitting up, glaring at the green-haired mop, the least he could do was brush his hair before bothering him out of bed. Cold cloth lingered underneath his hand, "Did Uraraka tell you where she was going?" Katsuki tightened his grip on the long cold spot underneath his hand, the only heat in the bed, his own.

"Huh? Did you try to call-"

Deku glared at him, then glanced towards half of Uraraka's phone laying on the counter.

"She's an adult, probably got hungry and went to get breakfast."

Deku shook his head, "It's not that." The look in his eyes was distant and concerned. When they were younger that kind of look would've had him out of the dorm already deep in the search for their missing classmate before informing anyone. Deku had a long track record of doing things on his own without informing anyone. Until it was too late.

"Then, what is it?" Katsuki sighed, he was already up, it wasn't like he had anything better to do than search for her.

Deku fidgeted, his hand on his neck, hesitation brilliant in his eyes, however fooled the villians Katsuki would never know, "She stole my car."

"Where'd she go?"

"She told my car Kacchan, do you think I bothered to ask while she was doing that?"

Katsuki frowned, sure, after the night she had he would want to disappear too, but stealing Deku's car? That wasn't like her. Sure, she was just as chaotic as the rest of class 1-A, but she wouldn't do something that would make them worry, she knew Deku's chaotic track record, "Have you called Todoroki?"

Deku shook his head.

Katsuki sighed, adjusting himself to reach his cellphone on the other side of the table, punching in the Todorokis' number. The phone rang. Repeatedly. He threw the covers off, pushing his shoes on, and grabbing a jacket, "Stay with Raiz."

Deku grabbed his arm, "Maybe you should stay with the two of them. It's important that you're around them."

"I'm going after Uraraka."

Deku grabbed his arm, "Listen."

He flung Deku's arm off, "No, you listen, she had Todoroki in a chokehold yesterday and judging by the fact she stole your car I wouldn't say she disappeared to find a place to think." He ripped his arm out of Deku's hand, his stomps echoing down the barren hallway. He glanced out of the corner of his eye Deku hadn't moved from the doorway. Good. This was his problem.

Katsuki felt his fist tighten, Deku was still searching for his car about an hour later and where Uraraka could have gone, if she needed space, she could've just told them. He wasn't sure if he felt hot or inexplicably cold, but he kept flashing in-between and if it weren't for his intuition, he would have diagnosed himself with influenza early this morning. He turned down the hall a familiar brunette with her arms crossed, nodding, and a pained grimace on her face.

"Please keep this from Katsuki, no, keep it from everyone. They'll only worry and do something stupid." Uraraka sighed, purple lined under her eyes as she looked at Doctor Gloria. He slid himself several steps back, an old habit of his. It had kept him alive. He swallowed, HIPPA laws prevented him from sharing information and he should know better, but something fought an army in his gut.

"Uraraka, honey, you're going to need to talk to someone about this."

"And give them a heart attack? I think not."

Doctor Gloria nodded, "But remember it's not something you're going to be able to hide."

"I know. I'm hoping to fix it before anyone finds out."

Katsuki felt his Adam's apple begin to choke himself, he pressed his hand against the wall as though it were the only thing that would keep his balance in the world. He glanced towards the sizzling wall, wiping his sweat away before rapidly heading back to the room.

Deku stood outside, panic and trust for Uraraka painting his face, "Did you-"

"Yeah, don't give her shit about the car." He kicked the door open glancing at Kaminari asleep on one end of the room, Kirishima next to Raiz. Raiz rolled over asleep, closer to him. His eyes darted back towards the monitor watching its steady beats. Counting. His beats were still steady, alive. By textbook definition at the very least. He knew he was waiting for that continuous beep, the miracle to keep going. And prepping to save him when it stopped. And what was he going to do about Uraraka? What had gone so terribly wrong that she couldn't tell them? How did she-

Katsuki ran a hand over his eyes moving to the chair near Raiz's bed. He had a long day and was immediately woken up with a panic, he must've been hearing things or delusional. It was common in sleep-deprived patients. It was probably what was happening to him right now. He knew, he stood up, he would talk to Dr. Gloria and get rid of his suspicions. He sat back down. HIPPA laws. Besides, he needed to trust and respect Uraraka's decision. His eyes slid towards Deku still guarding the door. Katsuki scoffed, like he needed Deku to protect him. He knew growing up that his job would be to protect Deku, from the day he set his eyes on him. But it was almost laughable Deku protecting him now. After all they had been through. Growing up he knew it was going to be his job to protect Deku, he would have never guessed what his current situation would look like back before high school. Uraraka was strong. She didn't need him but wanted him around. It wasn't his business to know what was going on. But it had probably happened to her while she was helping him. It was his problem to fix. He needed to know what it was to fix it. His eyes slid towards Doctor Gloria who entered the room, glancing over Raiz's vitals before her eyes slide a glance towards him. He wouldn't ask. He didn't need to ask. Uraraka hid things, but-no he needed to know. But he also needed to trust her. Katsuki threw his head back into his hands, running his fingers through his hair and forcibly yanking the knots out.

"You need a break, don't come here for a week." Doctor Gloria sat next to him. "Also, get a shower before you come to tonight's formal. Your date probably would be embarrassed to be seen there with you after taking a whiff of you from a crossed the room."

"You need a guard at a hospital formal?"

Doctor Gloria shook her head, crossing her arms, "I'm not hiring you as a bodyguard, I'm telling you, you need a night off. Besides in less than a matter of months you've become one of our hospitals most renounced staff members, no one is going to have a problem with you at that party tonight."

He nodded, glancing towards Raiz and Kirishima. "I can't."

"You can and you will. I was planning on releasing him today, but just so you take a night off, I'll keep him an extra night, but that kid's heart is going to keep going just fine on its own, and I made the rest of those organs do you think I'd put them in someone if they weren't ready?"

"You've had those organs ready for months."

"They were ready, I wasn't."

He raised an eyebrow, "And you put them in Raiz."

"When you know, you know." Doctor Gloria stood up, tossing him a pair of keys, "Get a shower and something nice to wear."

Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Don't expect-"

"Don't tell me you're not bringing a date, you know better than to lie to me. Don't worry I'll handle her dress." Doctor Gloria winked at him before shutting the door.

He ran a hand through his hair, he didn't have time for that nonsense. He glanced towards the redhead staring at him through dazed and exhausted eyes. What had felt like a week had only been several days. He needed to get working on saving Kirishima from this lifestyle and helping him get back on his feet.

"It's not nonsense you know."

He glanced towards Kirishima.

"Finding time outside of work to be alive, take someone and swing them around the dance floor with no regard to anything else in your life, it's part of it. Everyone's fantasized about someone to swinging them around the dancefloor at least once in their life. And if you have the chance to do it, you've got to take it, man." Kirishima nodded.

Katsuki glanced towards Raiz, still asleep, his heart taking steady beats, then towards Kaminari bags so dark under his eyes people would be interviewing him soon about bagged-milk, then Kirishima who couldn't go anywhere fun or be the one to swing around that dancefloor he was passionately talking about. "I-"

"Dude, listen, I'm not some charity case you have to babysit. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. I know I just got out of jail, I got my sidekick back, alive and out. That's more than most could ever ask for, and recovering from jail is going to take some time. If Uraraka's lawyer can help you out, I fully trust him. Raiz is nearly being able to be released and I know you know this, go have some fun." Kirishima nodded as though he had just given him a brilliant speech.

Katsuki glanced towards the window, "Yeah, sure whatever."

Several hours, a shower, and a fresh change of clothes later he was at the party courtesy of Deku's determined personality and Denki's inability to shut his mouth. Katsuki straightened his jacket, "See you at eleven!" Deku called over his shoulder as though he was some form of Cinderella. Even she had at least until midnight. Katsuki let out a breath. Doctor Gloria had probably prescribed a party for him because she was afraid that the stress level of both jobs was finally going to off him. Figures the only thing that he should worry about offing him is himself. He moved towards the table with the food, if he were going to have to be at this party flattering people he barely knew because of both of his jobs than he was going to at least have some form of reward. And currently, that reward entailed food. Katsuki managed to stuff his mouth before another intrusion tapped on his arm.

"Sir, if you wouldn't mind a dance?"

"I don't dance."

"I guess you don't know how. I'll just have to find a different suitor."

He glanced towards Uraraka, already turning away, confidence brimming in her eyes as half the hall was filled with possible suitors already examining her. Katsuki snatched her gloved hand, pulling her back, spinning them onto the dance floor with grace the only Uraraka would ever see, "I never said I didn't know how." He whispered in her ear.

Uraraka pulled closer, leaning towards his own ears, the heat of her breath encompassing them, he averted her gaze so she wouldn't be able to see the desire burning stronger than the fire on the sun in his eyes, "You're going to have to prove that one."

Several minutes later he had switched from the waltz to literally swinging around the dancefloor disregarding everything else in the world. He tightened his grip on Uraraka as he swung her around the dancefloor, her laughter bouncing off the walls as she tightened her grip on him in return. It had been a while since he felt so alive. It wasn't the alive, the exhilaration, that ran through his veins in the middle of a battle. It was a different kind, he wasn't the type, but if it kept up he knew his laughter would likely echo Uraraka's any moment now. The music picked up a pace matching his heart rate that decided that it was going to keep climbing as though it would be determined to get to the tip of the tallest mountain in the world through sheer willpower alone. And did he have willpower to spare. He swung Uraraka around the dance floor, her dress following suit and engulfing her as she pulled closer to him, laughter painting her cheeks in rose and a smile that would cause laugh lines down the road. Uraraka's eyes widened as the dancers behind them shoved against them causing them to stumble backward, he fumbled attempting to catch her but instead slipping on the dress of the woman behind him, in moments they were tangled on the literal dancefloor. It only took seconds for his blood to run cold. Uraraka pushed herself off of him, her face becoming covered in a thin blush, "Sorry, I-Katsuki what's wrong?" She paused scanning his face over as he grabbed her wrist, pulling off her glove and checking for himself. It was the opposite of his sky-rocketing one the more he let himself go to the proper conclusion in the midst of his own denial.

Uraraka had no heartbeat.