A/N: Hello again! So, this chapter takes place in Izuku's point of view, which I'm learning over time I find it much more enjoyable to write in Katsuki's, so I'll probably have more chapters in his POV than not. I've also learned that I really love Iida and Ochaco together. I think they're freaking adorable so while they'll remain a minor couple, there will still be more of them interspersed throughout.

XXX

Izuku's point of view- Monday

Birds chirp loudly from the tree branch jutting out a few feet above my head. It's a little distracting given I'm trying to do my homework but the song they sing back and forth to each other is pretty and I find myself wondering if it's some kind of love song, or I guess for them a mating call. Looking up from my work, I smile softly as I watch the orange and grey feathered creatures serenade each other as they flit and hop around in the tree. They're still singing when I finally return to my math homework, finding that solving equations isn't so bad when I have something nice to listen to as I work.

It's cloudy outside, the sun's rays intermittently peeking from behind the wall of fluffy, white clouds just long enough to warm my skin before disappearing again. The weather is nice enough, maybe a little chilly when the breeze blows through but I'm wearing my grey hoodie, so it doesn't bother me. I can faintly hear the traffic of cars and buses passing just beyond the school walls, a little reminder that there is life outside of this bubble the school built for us.

"Seems like there's a lot of traffic out there today" Ochaco comments, not lifting her eyes from her textbook.

"It's about time for the commute to start, everyone's probably heading home after a long day at work. Ribbit." Tsu is sitting next to Ochaco, both studying from the same book since Ochaco left hers in her room.

"Oh hey! Speaking of home, Deku, how was your weekend? How is your mom doing?" Ochaco's chestnut eyes stare at me intently, her lips curving into a patient smile as she waits for me to answer.

Is it too much to ask for people to not be interested in my weekend plans? I hate lying to my friends, it's the opposite of what a good hero would do. More than anything, I just want to be upfront with them, but I can't stand the thought of them looking at me the way everyone else does, looking at me with pity. I already had to suffer through years of that because I was born quirkless. Well, some people pitied me, others tormented me relentlessly, but my point remains. I want to focus on what's good about life and what I can do to be a hero in the here and now, not on how I regularly break the spirits of everyone around me. There is still good in my life and that is the only thing I want to surround myself with while I'm here at school. I can't escape my reality when I leave over the weekends, but so long as I'm on campus, I can push it all under the rug.

"It was just another weekend. My mom's okay, I think she misses me a lot when I'm not home though." Half-truths are dishonest, but they make me feel less like crap. Don't judge me. "What about you?"

If there's one thing I can count on, it's that Ochaco loves talking about her family. She's a good daughter. She loves her parents more than anything and it shows. Hopefully this will be enough to redirect the conversation for a while. She absolutely lights up with the mention of her parents and home.

"Everything is great at home! My parents just signed a yearlong contract with a company that wants to restore a bunch of historical sites. I had no idea, but I guess it's been in the works for a few months now and, gosh if you could have been there, they were crying, and I was crying, and it was just such good news!" She looked like she was about ready to cry all over again and I felt my own tears well up in happiness for her.

"That's amazing! I'm so happy for you guys, if anyone deserves a big break like that it's them." My cheeks are wet, tears pooling down as I lean over to give her a hug. This is a huge deal for them, I know they've been hurting financially, so I hope this helps them stay on their feet.

"That's so cool. What kind of historical sites are they going to work on?" Tsu asked, wrapping her arms around the both of us for a group hug.

With a sniffle, Ochaco shrugs her shoulders before wiping her tears dry with her arm. "I don't know all the details yet. I'm excited though!"

"It sounds like you have us beat for the best weekend. Keep us updated on what's going on with that. Maybe when everything is restored, we could all go on a road trip to check out how great the sites look." I wiped my own eyes as I pulled away from our hug, grabbing my notebook off the grass so I could finish the homework. I hope I'll be able to go on that trip. History fascinates me and I'd really enjoy appreciating the unique beauty of historical architecture with my friends.

"That would be so much fun! We'll have to invite everyone, I bet we could get the trip approved as an educational tour or something and turn it into a class thing. And that wasn't the only thing that happened this weekend by the way."

"Oh? What else happened?" I asked, closing my notebook. I can finish my homework some other time because how often do I get to just spend time outside talking with my best friends?

"Well, Mina randomly texted me in the middle of the day yesterday to see if I wanted to hang out with her for a girl's night. That on its own isn't that unusual, but the way she's been acting… Everything was fine until around 9:00 at night she randomly tells me she's hungry and asks me if I'd go make her some ramen." She pauses dramatically, looking between Tsu and me before continuing. "So, I'm thinking, why can't she get it herself? But I figured there was a reason she asked me, so I just agreed to it. So, I go down to make her ramen and you won't believe who I bumped into while I was in the common area!"

"Oh! Who, who?

"Who was it, ribbit?"

"Iida of all people!" She had the funniest expression when she said that, like she still was in shock or something. "I mean, we all know he goes to bed early so I just couldn't believe it. And you know how weird and awkward I get around him and we were alone! At night! So anyway, he sees me making ramen and he's like all 'that is not a healthy snack to eat before bed. Perhaps you should try some warm milk.'" Her voice dropped as she tried to replicate Iida's voice and I wonder if she realizes how big she's smiling now that she's talking about him.

"Warm milk is gross if you ask me."

"I agree with you, Tsu. Anyway, so he's down there making hot chocolate, the hypocrite, but I definitely couldn't call him out on it, I was nervous enough being down there alone with him as it was. But he saw me staring at the mug and he looked embarrassed and told me Sero asked him to make it for him because it helps him sleep. Apparently Sero asked him for help with schoolwork so that's why they were hanging out in the first place and it was just so random." She sounds almost scandalized as she finishes her story, and I'm sure her being alone with Iida at night was scandalizing for her. I'm pretty sure she has a crush on him, I just don't think she's realized it yet.

Thinking the story was over, I grabbed my notebook, hoping to get one more equation in while commenting, "That is weird that Mina happened to ask you to make her ramen at the same time her boyfriend asked Iida to make him hot chocolate." Tsu hums next to me in agreement.

"Right, well it doesn't end there."

Okay, guess I won't be getting this last equation in. I close my notebook again, giving her my full attention. "Go on…"

"Well, when I go back to Mina's room with her ramen, she has this mischievous look on her face, like she thinks she's getting away with something." Truth be told we see that look on her face a lot, but I keep that comment to myself. Sero sure has his hands full with her. "So, I hand her the bowl and she took a bite while staring me down and then she said, 'I noticed you aren't dating anyone right now. Is there anyone, maybe in our class, that has caught your interest?' And I'm just lost for words; I don't know what to say to that cause like heck am I admitting that- well… I just didn't know what to say. It was so embarrassing!"

It's interesting that Mina asked her about her dating life because I overheard her asking Iida the exact same thing this morning before class. His whole face turned red and he stiffly moved his arms around robotically while saying something about not having time for those kinds of relationships. I'm pretty sure Mina's up to something but I don't think I'll say anything about it to either of them. I'm curious to see where this will go.

XXX

Cool air brushes past my face as I hungrily scour the fridge for something to eat. It's dinner time and I'm starving! I know by the end of the week my appetite will be completely out the window, so I need to take advantage of this while I can. There's plenty of leftovers, but they all have names written on them and I'd feel weird asking someone else if I could scarf down his food. I move the covered dishes around, checking everything until I finally spot what I've been looking for. A large casserole dish covered with foil and a note that says "Help Yourself" on it. Don't mind if I do.

It's heavy as I pull the green ceramic dish the rest of the way out of the fridge. As I pull the foil back, cool droplets of condensation collect and run down the shiny material until they eventually drip into what looks like some kind of red curry dish. I wrinkle my nose, realizing it will probably be too spicy for me, but I set it on the counter and start dishing some into a bowl anyway. While it heats in the microwave, I pour myself a large glass of ice-cold milk in preparation for what will likely be an intense eating experience.

Everyone else from our class is lounging across sofas or sprawled out on the floor, blankets of every color out, making the living area look like some kind of lumpy, mismatched quilt. Since the end of first year, this is how we spend every Monday night, convened together to watch movies, play games, and hang out. We each take turns choosing the movie and since it's Momo's turn to pick, I'm guessing we'll be enjoying a romantic drama based off one of her favorite books. They're not exactly my cup of tea, personally I prefer a good bio documentary on All Might or a combination work with multiple heroes, but time with friends is time with friends.

I settle in at one of the tables facing the large flat screen TV. The spicy aroma steaming up from my bowl is zesty enough to tickle my nose and I can already tell I'm about to go through something. I pick up some rice and curry with my chopsticks and ease it into my mouth. My muscles are tense as I wait for that kick to assault me and it takes a second before the spice blooms in my mouth, unfurling its fiery tendrils, leaving no area untouched. My nose leaks, my eyes water, and I'm gulping down my glass of milk before I even fully swallow the little food I tried to eat.

"You never could handle the spice of my cooking, useless Deku." That familiar voice seemed to penetrate through the hellfire that had somehow made its way up to my brain, my eyes searching for the source until I spot him watching me off to the side. It all makes sense, now. Only Kacchan would make something this hot. Still, I'm not about to back down from a challenge like that.

"It's not too spicy for me. I can eat it." Sorry taste buds. Sorry mouth. RIP.

He smirks at me, single eyebrow cocked in disbelief. "Go ahead then. Don't let me stop you, nerd." He crosses his arms, smirk still firmly in place as he watches me.

"Shhhhhh, we're trying to watch something here! Go taunt each other somewhere else!" Momo scolds from the living room. "You two will not ruin my movie choice for tonight!"

"Whatever ponytail."

"Sorry Momo!"

I turn back to the bowl of food in front of me, eyeing it with determination. I lock eyes with Kacchan as I bring another bite to my mouth, barely chewing before swallowing and chasing it with another bite before the heat gets to me. I eat every last morsel of rice and chicken in this way, one bit after another, never looking away from Kacchan's smug gaze. When I'm finally finished, I show him my empty bowl, hoping he doesn't notice the sheen of sweat that is now coating my face and arms, or the snot starting to drip from my nose. I'm pretty sure my mouth is officially traumatized, and I vow never to eat spicy food again.

He looks at the empty bowl and then back to me, still smiling smugly like he's the one who won… whatever this was. "So what, you want a pat on the fucking back for eating a bowl of food? Congratu-fucking-lations Deku, you ate something."

"Wha- but you know I hate spicy food, Kacchan. You did this on purpose!" I shouldn't be surprised at this point, I really shouldn't. I grab my napkin to blow my nose because it's still running like a leaky faucet and I've now resigned myself to the fact that I can't feel my mouth anymore. When I look up, I'm surprised to see Kacchan holding out another glass of milk for me, his expression softening. Huh, that's weirdly nice of him.

"Thanks" I say as I take the cold glass and gulp it down quickly. It helps sooth the burn, but only a little. As soon as I swallow, the spice comes back full force. He's now looking at me, his features mirroring what looks like concern, and I can't say he's ever really looked at me like that before. "So, um… What did you do over the weekend, Kacchan? Anything interesting?" Its dumb small talk, but the way he's looking at me has me flustered.

"Just visited Pops and the old Hag." He pauses, and it feels like he's debating over something because when he continues, he's full on scowling at me. "Did you do anything over the weekend?" The question sounds forced, and I get the feeling he wants to throttle me.

I can feel my anxiety over that question rise with my blood pressure. I squeak out, "nothing too special Kacchan, nope just another weekend" before bolting for the living area.

I collapse on the couch next to Ochaco, bowing in apology to Momo because she's glaring daggers at me again. I look over my shoulder to Kacchan and I find him looking at me with this intensity. He looks suspicious and angry and I'm pretty sure his eyebrow is twitching. I think Mina coined a term for that look, although I can't seem to recall what it was.