I opened the door to my room, Katsuki immediately advanced on me. He was fuming. My heart jumped into the throat. I let go of the door and backed up until the back of my knees made contact with my bed, forcing me to sit down. "Why the hell did I just have to hear from Deku that you coughed up blood the other day?" He towered above me, arms crossed over his chest.

"Midoriya knew?" My eyes widened. Bubble Girl or Sir must have told him when he came in for his first day today. Midoriya had gotten Mirio to bring him by to inquire about joining his agency for a work-study. From the state of Sir's office after, they got into a bit of a fight. Katsuki's shoulders loosened as he rubbed his face. He stopped, cringing. "But what happened to you?" This time, he had bruises and scrapes on his face.

"We're not talking about me. Why didn't you tell me?" Katsuki knelt before me, resting his hands on my bare knees. Warmth radiated out from where he touched.

I hung my head to avoid his gaze, curls falling in my face. "I didn't want to worry anyone."

Katsuki remained quiet for a moment. "When did it start?"

"When I came back from class late after seeing Recovery Girl. I was hit in the stomach during class and coughed up blood. This was only the second time." I swallowed hard.

"What happened this time?" Katsuki began to rub his right thumb along my skin, sending shocks up my leg.

I bit my lip before speaking. "We were working on my defence. He had me strapped to this contraption, and I had to get out of it. I couldn't get out with how I usually break myself down – so I tried another way that hadn't worked before. It worked this time, and then I started coughing up blood." I finally looked up at Katsuki's face. He was frowning with a softer glare.

"What contraption?" His eye twitched.

I swallowed, wrapping my arms around myself to protect my sides. They were still sore. "A tickling machine." Katsuki smirked, gripping my knees tightly as his fingers tickled the underside. I gasped, gripping his wrists and failed to push his hands away. He rose onto his feet as he continued to tickle me. I was forced back onto my bed, pulling and pushing my legs out of his reach, but he kept finding them again and again. "K-K-Katsuki!"

"Are you going to tell me the next time something happens?" Katsuki moved his hands to tickle my sides.

I laughed harder, squirming on my bed. "Fine!" I grabbed the pillow above my head and pulled it on top of my face. He stopped tickling me; his knees and hands rested on either side of my body while he hovered above me. I slowly pulled the pillow away from my face. My breath faltered when I opened my eyes. He was so close. I turned my head to the left, hoping that my embarrassment was not displayed on my face. The pillow fell off the side of the bed.

"C-can I kiss you?" I looked up at Katsuki from the corner of my eye before returning my face to centre. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and the slightest blush was present on the tops of his cheeks. My heart hammered in my ears. Was he also nervous? I gave a meek nod. Katsuki leaned his head to my left as he lowered himself down slightly. His lips hovered above mine, just barely brushing each other. I lifted my head upwards slightly. Katsuki closed the last little gap between us. His lips were hot against mine. I was on fire. He began to move his lips against mine. My hands reached to Katsuki's chest, snaking their way up his neck to his face. He paused for a moment, letting out a pained hiss. Oh no! I must have accidentally touched a bruise or a scrape. I stopped moving my lips, tilting my head away. Katsuki followed – keeping our lips connected. I felt him put more pressure on his left side. His right hand took my left off his cheek, locking his fingers with mine, and forced my hand back onto the bed. A knock sounded at my door. Katsuki lifted away just enough to speak, "ignore them." He locked his lips with mine again. They knocked again, louder and more fervent.

I placed my free hand on Katsuki's chest and pushed against him. He rose back up, frowning. "What if it's important?" He huffed, rolled his eyes, and got off me. I opened the door, standing in the opening.

"Ah, you are back! Sorry for bothering you; I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I never got to see you at Sir Nighteye's to see if you were okay. Bubble Girl told me that you had coughed up blood while you were training, so I got worried. I know you and Ka-chan are close so I told him since I thought he would see you before I did. I hope I wasn't overstepping too much." Midoriya rambled as he looked down at me. His eyes flashed up, "Oh! Ka-chan's already here. Sorry to interrupt your studying. Is everything okay, though?"

"Y-yeah," I nodded. "I just bit my cheek hard enough to draw blood when I fell. I'm just fine."

Midoriya smiled, nodding his head. "I'm glad you're okay. It's so cool we're at the same agency – I hope we get to work together next time."

"Y-yeah."

"I'll let you two get back to studying. See you later!" I said goodnight to Midoriya and closed my door, leaning against the back of it as I stared at the floor. I slid down the door, wrapping my arms around my knees. I could feel the heat on my cheeks – I was probably tomato red with embarrassment. Midoriya has seen Katsuki in my room and on my bed.

"W-wait," I looked at Katsuki briefly before diverting my gaze to the wood floor. "You didn't tell Midoriya?" He only thought we were studying. Did Katsuki not tell him that we were dating? Did he tell anyone?

"No, why-" his devilish smile disappeared, "should I have?"

My stomach dropped. "I – I don't know." I let my forehead drop against my knees. I heard Katsuki rise from my bed and move across the room, sitting down in front of me. His legs touched mine.

We sat like that in silence until he spoke. "We don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to."

I frowned, letting my head flop to the side so I could see him. Katsuki was sitting cross-legged with his elbows on his knees – his hands covering the lower half of his face. "I don't know. This is all new to me."

He gave me a small smile as he lowered his hands. "It's all new to me too."

I sat up sharply, my legs falling open to match Katsuki's pose. "You've had a girlfriend before."

"No, I haven't!" His hands balled into fists.

I stared at him, confused. "You must have kissed someone before me, then."

Katsuki glared at me – his cheeks burning red. "Why the hell do you think that?!" I felt my face flush again. He was a great kisser – or at least to me, he was. "Huh?"

"Never mind."

"No – tell me."

"It's too embarrassing."

"Tell me."

I sighed, "It just doesn't seem like I'd be your first."

"And why the hell not?" Katsuki snapped. "I want to have all my firsts with you."

I looked back up at Katsuki as the words hit both of us. I felt my heart hammer against my ribcage. Did he mean that? Why me, of all people?

"Forget I said any of that! Dinner's gotta be done by now."

[B&M]

I solidified myself inside the agency. Mirio and Midoriya were seated in the lounge, hanging their heads. They looked dejected. It was Midoriya's first official day as a work-study student here, a week after his acceptance – what could have happened? I continued past them, knocking on Sir's door. "Come in."

I entered, closing the door behind myself. "You wanted to see me?"

He nodded, leaning back in his chair, hands clasped together. "Deku and Lemillion ran into Chisaki earlier. He was with a small child that they believe had been abused by him. Have you seen anything that was left behind that's indicative of a child?" That must be why they were so sad. They were so close to him – and from how they were beating themselves up, they could not do anything.

I went to shake my head but paused. "Actually. I found a network of tunnels that had been filled in under their old hideout on the east side of town. There was a room with colouring books and markers." The few drawings that remained were of a sad girl, but I could not remember what she looked like.

"I'm going to send your classmate and Mirio back to UA for now – they need the time to process what occurred today. Your information-gathering skills are too crucial now, even though you still are a student." He looked through the top of his glasses at me. "Can you return to that room and photograph everything? Explore the tunnels farther in if you can – I'll send you the location of the alley they were seen in as well."

I nodded, exiting his office. I entered the lounge and stood in front of Mirio and Midoriya. "What did the girl look like?"

Midoriya kept his gaze on the ground, balling his hands into fists. Mirio was the one to speak. "She had long white hair with a small horn on her forehead. Her arms and legs were covered in bandages."

I smiled at the two. "Thanks. I'm going to see if I can find out anything –"

"I want to come with you," Midoriya spoke, lifting his gaze. "I won't leave her alone with him again."

I shook my head. "Next time. I'll see you back at school."

Midoriya stood up, but Mirio forced him back into his seat, shaking his head. "Stay safe, Polaris." I turned and dissipated my body. I searched the alley that they had seen the girl and Chisaki in – none of the buildings, roadways, or sewer system led to anything new or held any clues. I returned to the room of broken crayons and spilt markers. The small twin bed had been smashed, blood on the sheets. I took my phone out of my suit and snapped photos of the room and drawings for Sir, sending them quickly before putting my phone away. The girl in the drawings had long hair and one horn on her forehead. This was the correct hall. I broke down again, slinking past the debris into pitch-black tunnels. No one had been using this route for a while.

Sir was waiting for me when I returned to his agency. "We'll have our last training session before you return to UA."

"Last?" I tilted my head, following him down to the training space.

"I am also sending you back to UA for the time being. More information has come to light, and I need to organize that before I put any of you at risk." Sir turned the light on in the training room, pulling a bucket of heavy balls from beside the small weight rack.

"What are those for?" I pointed to the bucket as Sir took one out. He threw it at my abdomen. I broke down my upper body quickly, letting the ball smack against the ground before reforming.

"Wrong." Sir picked up another ball. "That's not what you did to escape my machine last week."

I gawked at him as he tossed the ball in his hand upward a few times. "That was my first time successfully vibrating my atoms like that. I haven't done it since." Sir shot me a bored look before tossing the ball at my leg. I focused on vibrating the atoms in my leg – but the heavy ball made an impact. I cringed, grasping onto where the ball had hit me. These balls were heavy - I would bruise.

"Again," Sir commanded. I bite the inside of my lip, standing upright again. I focused on vibrating all the atoms in my body as Sir grabbed another ball. I felt my atoms shift before a pain shot through my chest. I fell to my knees – coughing. I pulled my arm away from my mouth once my fit subsided. There was no blood. "Again." I pushed myself up, focusing on vibrating my atoms again. Sir lobbed ball after ball at me – each hit me hard without passing through.

I pulled myself up from the ground, resting my hands on my thighs as I huffed. I felt a wave of intense nausea hit me. I rushed past Sir and up the stairs to the washroom – letting my stomach empty into the toilet. The acidic bile burned my throat as I retched. I wiped my mouth and flushed the toilet. I washed my hands and rinsed my mouth before pulling my hair into a high ponytail. I needed to get this. Sir had said I was supposed to be at his agency for some reason – was this the reason? I returned to the training room – Sir was already picking up the balls that had hit me.

"I'm good to continue." I stood in the same spot again, "I haven't hit my ceiling yet." Sir nodded and returned to his spot beside the bin. He lobbed a ball at my abdomen. I took in a breath and focused on vibrating my atoms. I doubled over when the ball hit me. I retched again on reflex. Thankfully, nothing came up. I pushed myself up again, and Sir grabbed another ball. I stood straight and closed my eyes. Again and again, the ball made contact with me. Sir pulled his arm back to lob another ball at me. I took in a breath and felt a stabbing pain in my chest. I fell forward, just barely catching myself from faceplanting into the floor. I could not catch my breath. Each time I tried to inhale, it burned.

"Now you've hit your limit." Sir frowned, picking up the weighted balls from around the room. I tried to push myself up enough to look at him but was too weak. I coughed, blood exploding out of my mouth. Then everything went black.

[B&M]

I awoke in bed at Sir's agency the next day – no blood left on me or the training room. No one was around when I awoke, but Sir had left me a note saying to head back to UA and wait for his call. I slowly packed up the room, stopping when I moved too fast. My head and chest were throbbing. I took out my water bottle and administered two tablets. I left the agency, sluggishly walking to the train. I had not woken up after passing out without a blood transfusion in a long time. I did not like this feeling. I felt like a walking zombie. My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I left it unchecked until I had made my way onto the train. I could barely recall how I had gotten myself from Sir's agency to the train. Did I even swipe my pass?

K: Deku came back yesterday – where are you?

M: Im headng bck now.

K: Makoto, are you okay?

M: Y

K: Are. You. Okay?

M: Drwbk

I let my head lull to the side, my phone falling inside my duffle's pocket. I kept fading in and out as the train travelled along. I would not be able to focus or even stay awake in class. Maybe I should have stayed at Sir's longer. After an hour of fighting to remain conscious, I got off at my stop and walked up the hill to UA. I entered the school grounds and made my way back to my class dormitory. I got into the elevator on the left, hitting my floor. I walked down the hall to my door and grabbed the doorknob. It didn't move.

[B&M]

I groaned, pulling the blanket closer. I was so sore. I had made it to my bed? I don't remember making it to my bed. I let my heavy eyes open just enough to take in my surroundings. I was not in my bed – that was for sure. A bag of blood and nutrients hung on a rung above my head – the blood was almost done, and the nutrients had barely started. I opened my eyes further as they adjusted to the light.

"Welcome back," Recovery Girl lifted her cane and added another bag of blood onto the rung, attaching the long tube where the other connected to my arm. "You're lucky Bakugo went back to the dorms at lunch. He found you passed out white as a ghost in front of your room. Scared both of us pretty bad, too."

"Ka-Katsuki's here?" I groggily tried to prop myself on my elbows to look around. My head hurt with any movement.

"I sent him back to class. The poor boy carried you all the way here. Get some rest – you're not going anywhere for a while. I'll mark our tests as urgent see if we can get you in sooner." I nodded, letting myself fall back into the pillow. I had hit my ceiling – and gone as far past it as possible. Now, I had to deal with the blowback from pushing myself that far. I hooked the blanket, pulled it over my head, and rolled onto my side.

[B&M]

"You can see her when she's awake – let her rest for now!" I opened my eyes – the blanket I had pulled over me was still in place. Recovery Girl was scolding someone. Was someone else in one of the other beds?

"What if we promise to be really, really, really quiet?" That was Mina.

"I'm awake," my voice was hoarse. I rolled onto my back, pulled the blanket down, and looked at my classmates. Mina, Hagakure, Momo, Jiro, Kaminari, Sero, Midoriya, Iida and Katsuki were here. I saw Katsuki's shoulders relax.

Mina screeched. "How do you feel?" She leapt over the open bed to get past Recovery Girl.

I pulled myself upright. The line in my arm was gone. "My head hurts, and I'm really sore." Recovery Girl sighed and let the others pass to cross the room. Mina sat down on the edge of my bed, one leg dangling off. "Am I cleared to go back to the dorms?"

"You just woke up – give it a bit before you try to get up, but yes, you can after." Recovery Girl sat at her desk, returning to her work.

"Did something happen after we left?" Midoriya swallowed, looking at the sheets as he approached.

I shook my head but stopped with a wince. "Nothing, unfortunately. Sir and I just trained a bit too hard last night." Midoriya met my gaze. He was visibly relieved.

"Mmm," Iida crossed his arms, "you didn't get enough rest last night and passed out from fatigue. I'm amazed you made it back to school in that condition." Katsuki kept his distance as everyone else crowded the bed – asking about our work-study or catching me up on what I had missed.

I slipped my legs out from under the blanket and let them dangle over the edge before slowly applying pressure. Once I had, my legs collapsed under me. "Whoops – guess I'm still a bit too tired." Momo and Jiro helped me back to my feet.

"It's okay, I'll carry you." Midoriya got down on a knee before me so I could climb onto his back. My arms hung around his shoulders, hands grasped at his chest.

"O-okay, thanks." I bit my lip as I got onto Midoriya's back, his hands hooking under my thighs to keep me in place. I looked up – locking eyes with Katsuki. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes narrowed. Should I have declined Midoriya's help?

"Don't forget to rest up for the rest of the night." Recovery Girl called after us as we left the infirmary.

Mina walked backwards down the hall, "do you have a favourite meal to eat when you're not at your best?"

I shrugged as we exited the school. "I guess rice soup."

She pumped a fist into the air, "then that's what we're making for dinner tonight."

"You don't have to. That's too much." I tried to decline.

"We will because we want to. You're our friend Makoto," Hagakure skipped in front of us.

"Satoshi needs to sleep; once she's eaten, we should let her get as much rest as she needs," Iida interjected. Midoriya stopped for a moment and adjusted his hold on my thighs. His hands went farther up.

"Watch where you put your hands," Katsuki shouted at him. "If you're getting tired, switch with someone."

"Oh – sorry, Satoshi. I'm not tired yet." Midoriya began trudging along at a faster pace. Katsuki continued behind us with Kaminari and Iida while the others walked ahead of us to the dorm. Once we arrived at the dorm, Midoriya and Hagakure went up the elevator with me while the others stayed in the common space. My costume case and my duffle bag were in the centre of the hall in front of my door. Hagakure gathered the two and opened my bedroom door for Midoriya. Hagakure skipped in after us, setting the bags down on my desk, and pulled back the covers of my bed to let Midoriya set me down.

"Thank you for the help," I gave them a weak smile. "I'm going to try to sleep some more; I'm still really out of it."

Hagakure pulled on Midoriya's arm as she left the room, waving with her free hand, "we're glad you're okay! We'll bring dinner up when it's done so you don't need to move a muscle." I stared at my bag – slowly standing up. My legs were extremely weak, but they managed to hold me up. I walked uneasily to my bag, retrieved my phone, and then let myself fall back into bed. I pulled my legs up and under the covers. I went over the conversation I did not remember having with Katsuki this morning. No wonder he was worried – my messages did not make sense.

M: Sorry for worrying you – and thank you.