A/N: Here we are, the first chapter of section two. This section will focus on their relationship as well as some other things that I won't get into just yet. Sorry it took a little longer to update, I needed to go over my draft and fix a few things first.

Last thing- Italics are past tense

Happy Reading!

Izuku's Point of View- Thursday

It's only been four days since Kacchan unexpectedly walked into my hospital room, dressed suspiciously in a doctor's lab coat- which is absolutely something I'm going to get around to asking him about one day. It's been four days since my mother blew up at him, showing anger unlike anything I've ever experienced from her. Four days since my childhood best friend uncovered a truth I've tried to keep buried for the entirety of our "friendship." Four short days since the life changing event that will alter our rocky relationship in ways, I'm not sure either of us are prepared to handle it. And it's been four days since Kacchan has said a word to me since we left the hospital Sunday night.

I'm trying not to let it get to me as I sit through classes and avoid eye contact with him during lunch and at the dorms. I try to pretend I don't notice the occasional glances he spares my way when he thinks I'm not looking. Deep down, I know he's just processing. It's not like this was easy for either of us though. I was completely blindsided when he showed up, I didn't even realize he was onto me. Ochaco is always telling me how blissfully unaware I can be, I just never realized it was this bad!

Speaking of which, the saga of Ochaco and Iida continued in an unexpected way over the weekend. We had an interesting conversation on Monday, leading me to believe I'm not the only one who can be oblivious. She may be my best friend, but she can be kind of thick sometimes.

"Deku, you wouldn't believe how embarrassed I was!" Ochaco was pacing my room as I followed her back and forth movements with my eyes.

"It doesn't sound that bad to me. You like food, he likes food, you both had notes for studying. So, what if Mina cancelled on you ten minutes after the meeting time?"

"So what? SO WHAT!?" I'll tell you what. It was just the two of us… at a restaurant together! It may as well have been a da- ugh. Never mind." She shook her head, her pace quickening.

"I think you're overreacting. He's a great study partner and he can be fun to be around sometimes. Especially when he's in an informal setting and not trying to act as class rep."

"Deku, he told me to finish my vegetables because heroes must lead by example." I snorted at that which might not have been the thing to do because Ochaco looked like she wanted to tackle me.

"So, you stayed for the whole meal? Did it go okay?"

"I guess so. After the weirdness died down to a bearable level, we were able to have a conversation that went past the state of my veggies and we did study some too. Actually, he really helped me a lot. He's so smart." And there it was, the fleeting look of admiration and momentary darkening of the pink in her cheeks. She's into him and no one can tell me otherwise. Mina is probably high on her pedestal right now as she pulls on the red strings of everyone else's love lives.

Suddenly, my phone alarm goes off, filling my room with soft chimes, reminding me it's time to take my twice a day meds. I grab my clear, plastic pill organizer and open the evening pocket. There are only a few pills I need to take in the evening which is a nice change from my morning doses. The handful of multicolored meds I have to toss back in the morning makes me feel like I'm some kind of drug fiend, and some of the pills are so big I choke on them midswallow. I do have a collection of optional medications I can take along with the sea of pills that are mandatory. They're for various ailments that result from some of my other meds as well as my sickness in general. I avoid them at all costs, even when I'm in a situation where I know I should be taking them. With my head tossed back, I drop them into my mouth, imagining the colorful spheres to be nothing more than a handful of skittles, and chase them down with a few long gulps of water.

Several brisk knocks on my door captures my attention as I finish off my drink. I set the glass down on my nightstand and quietly pad over to the door to open it. I can't say I was expecting to find an irritable blond standing on the other side, and I also can't say I was expecting the surge of happiness that swept through me upon seeing his face. I guess the avoidance period has ended.

"What the fuck, Deku?" He says this as if he expects me to know what he's getting at as he pushes past the door. For the record, I really have no clue.

"Eh, I'm not exactly sure what the problem is?" My confusion is kindle to his rage, he slams the door closed behind him and gets in my face to the point I can feel his hot breath fanning over my cheeks. His eyes are smoldering like hot coal in the center of a raging fire. We've done this before, and I know better than to look away.

"You haven't eaten anything today. Not a single damn bite of food!"

What the heck? Did my mother put him up to this? "I did too, Kacchan. I had some crackers between classes."

"Crackers aren't real food, Deku!" He grunted as he swiftly turned and stomped toward my door, leaving me feeling confused and a little pissed. "Get your ass down to the kitchen. I'll cook for you."

"No thanks. I'm not really hungry." This is confusing. Why is he trying to feed me?

"I'm fucking sorry, but what part of that statement sounded like a question to you? Let's go." There's no way my mother didn't influence this. She probably told him about how I'm struggling to eat by the end of the week, hoping he'd terrorize me into eating or something. Why does everyone just assume I'm not eating because I don't want to, like it's a choice or something?

Regardless of my current feelings, he's leaving no room for argument, so I grumble quietly to myself as I shuffle behind him the whole way to the dining hall. Once the hard wood floors transition into shiny kitchen tile with varying hues of brown, Kacchan swiftly turns and slams his palms on the grey granite of the kitchen island. I'm on the other side of the island, and silently thanking any God who might be out there and listening that there is a sizeable, wooden mass between us.

"What sounds like something you could eat right now?" He questions, his gravelly voice laced with frustration.

"I didn't realize I had a say in this." My hands are on my hips and I click my tongue to make sure he knows I'm not happy with this turn of events. Was it the smartest response in this situation? Probably not, but here we are.

"Tch. You don't, but I'm not about to waste my fucking time making you shit you're just going to puke up later. So, let's try this again. What. Do. You. Want?" I'm fuming at this point, not used to people trying to push food on me to this degree but at the same time there's a traitorous part of me that feels almost grateful he seems to care, or at least I hope that's what this is. Knowing him it could also just be summed up to a strong desire to torture me.

Biting back my anger, I breath out slowly through my nose and try to relax. Fighting Kacchan now will get everyone else's attention and given it's like 10 pm, it'll probably wake them up. I'm not ready for them to know, and that's assuming I'll ever be ready. Instead, I consider his question, trying to think of something I could eat that won't have me running to the bathroom.

"Anything?" I ask as I settle into one of the stools at the island. I think I know what I want, but I kind of doubt he'll go for it.

"Spit it out, Deku."

"Okay, I think I could eat something sweet. Something like a cupcake." Is it good for my diet? Nope. Do I care? At this point, nope.

His brows furrow, his grip on the counter tightening to the point his knuckles begin to turn white. "A fucking cupcake? What are you, five?"

I can't help but pout at that because honestly, now that I'm thinking about it, a cupcake sounds like it would really hit the spot. He notices because next thing I know he's visibly relaxing with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

"Fucking fine, Deku. But only if you eat something healthy first." He thinks for a minute, adding "If you agree to eat a small piece of grilled chicken and a full serving of mixed vegetables, I'll bake your stupid cupcakes."

That sounds reasonable to me, though I'm not sure I'd be able to eat all of that. "What would you put on the chicken?" I ask.

"What do you want on the chicken?" He seems a lot calmer now that he knows I'm starting to give into him.

"Citrus sounds okay." Citrus fruits are light and don't weigh the food down. I think I could handle that.

"First of all, if I made citrus chicken it wouldn't just be okay it would be the best citrus chicken you ever had in your life. Second, I don't have time to properly marinate the chicken, so it won't be as good that way. Pick something else." His attitude and knowledge of cooking bewilders me and sometimes I have to physically hold myself back from laughing at the amount of passion he displays whenever talking about it.

"Are you saying you can't make good citrus chicken without marinating it first?" I smile coyly and tilt my head.

"Hah? Of course I fucking can." He's a blur as he riffles through the fridge, grabs all the supplies he needs and gets to work. I settle my elbows on the counter, resting my chin in the palms of my hands as I watch him. It doesn't take long before the room is filled with the tangy scent of limes, lemons, and oranges and for the first time all day, I can feel my mouth actually water.

It feels weird, the two of us down here together like this. Before he found out about everything, we never hung out, just the two of us. The closest we ever came was when All Might was involved but I've been pushing those sessions off for a few weeks now, so it's been a minute. I'd be lying if I said I didn't like this though. It reminds me of when we were kids and those are times I cherish more than anything. At the same time, it's also very different from then. Kacchan went from being a fiery, bossy kid with big dreams to an explosive, prideful teenager whose aspirations are all within his reach. It makes me wonder why he's doing any of this, then? He must realize caring about me will only get in the way of his success.

"Deku? Deku, you're fucking mumbling. Cut that shit out."

"Oops! Sorry, Kacchan." I offer him an awkward smile, hoping nothing I said was loud enough for him to actually hear.

"Whatever, nerd. I take it you want your cupcakes to have that confetti shit?" He's smirking as he says this, undoubtably poking fun at my love for the colorful treat.

"Mmm!" I shake my head enthusiastically though a little surprised he remembers what kind of cupcakes I like, but I know better than to voice that out loud.

He hums in response, collecting all the ingredients he needs for the cupcakes while grumbling something about how I may as well still be in diapers. Funny, because I seem to recall him enjoying those cupcakes at my earlier birthday parties. Once he has the colorful batter portioned out for 12 cupcakes, he slides the metal pan into the oven. Next, he's grabbing the container full of chicken that's resting in a yummy combination of citrus, oil, and spices, giving it a little shake before returning it to the countertop.

"Asparagus and cherry tomatoes will go well with your fruity chicken" He states, pausing just long enough to give me room for protest. I think I could eat that, so I only smile in response.

The next hour is spent in relative silence, save for the sound of the oven's timer going off, sizzling chicken and vegetables, a few random curses here and there, and the whirring sound of the Kitchenaid whipping up the vanilla buttercream while Kacchan plates our food. He pushes my serving across the counter to me before walking around with his own plate, taking the stool next to mine.

The navy blue, ceramic plate contains a piece of perfectly grilled chicken, the outside an appetizing bronze color flecked with fresh oregano and as I cut into it the white meat is moist and tender. The tomatoes and asparagus add fresh flavors to the dish, and everything together almost makes me want to eat it. I glance over to the cupcakes cooling on a rack along the far counter as a reminder of what I'll get if I eat this admittedly delicious looking meal.

With a deep breath in and a slow exhale out, I pick up my fork and knife and eat. Kacchan grunts in approval next to me, reminding me he's there, probably watching to make sure I eat it all. It's light and surprisingly doesn't sit unpleasantly in my stomach. I think I can handle this.

Kacchan's shoulder brushes against mine as he turns in his seat slightly. The sensation sends tingling waves over my skin, and I jerk back slightly because what the heck was that about?

"What do you think, Deku?" He asks while I sit there chewing slowly, overthinking everything.

"It's really good! And um… thank you for making me eat it." I only half mean that last part.

"Course it's fucking good." He ignores the other part of what I said, finishes his food and moves around the counter to start frosting the now cooled cupcakes.

I watch him work, noticing the way his muscles stretch tantalizingly over his frame when he reaches to grab a pipping bag from the top shelf, and just how thick his biceps are as he meticulously pipes the silky frosting over each cupcake. The moment I start daydreaming about licking the sugary cream off his body is the moment I slam the breaks down on my wayward thoughts. I can't be thinking like that. Not only is there no way he'd ever be interested in me in that way, there's also no way I could ever allow myself to be selfish enough to get feelings involved in a relationship that is destined to be cut short. It would be wrong to drag Kacchan down with me and I could never do that to him.