~~~Izu's POV~~~

I started thinking after I gave Kacchan a bite of my frozen yogurt. I let my mind wander. What made him kiss me? What made me tease him? Why did I tease him? What gave me any of the confidence I clearly don't have? Fuck, Aato's going to have a field day with this. If you tell him. Shouldn't he know? Eh, does it matter? Is it hurting your mental health? ... What I thought. Just don't tell him. W-what if he makes me? Don't hint that something happened. I guess. After that stupid argument I want to distract myself so I focus on the tingling on my lips, I didn't expect us to kiss, at all, but I'm glad we did. He tasted like caramel, but with something added. I can't place my finger on it. His lips were soft and tender, and he was gentle with the kiss, something I didn't expect. He also didn't push too much. I actually miss the feeling if I'm being hon- I feel a tap, taking me out of my thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?" Pulling a blush out of me as Kacchan asked a simple question.

"U-um, nothing important," I lean over to whisper, "I'll tell you later?"

"Fine." I look over to the adults and they have questioning expressions.

"Are you guys together?" Mr. Bakugou asked, but he did earn a glare from mom, Mrs. Bakugou, and Kacchan.

"No dad, we are not together." That was a rather tired way to say it.

"Dear, if they were and wanted us to know they would tell us right boys?" Through gritted teeth and a glare Mrs. Bakugou asked.

"Whatever." How is he so fucking calm while my heart is beating hard and fast behind my rib cage?

"Y-yes ma'am, we would tell you guys." It's only polite to confirm. But saying it made me blush and earn a glare from Kacchan.

"Deku, it's none of their business. If we tell them IF we get together then that's up to us."

"Kacchan, it's only respectful-."

"Shut up damn nerd."

"Katsuki, no way to talk to your boyfriend like that!" Fuck, they still think that.

"I-I'm not- We aren't dating."

"Then why has he been kissing your cheek and head? Also cuddling?"

"It helps him when he's thinking too much, in a bad mindset, or having nightmares. So leave it alone before I get pissed. Come on Izu." He pulls me up as he 's saying that. Is he mad that I didn't ask him out? Or is he mad because we made it seem like we were dating? Who would be mad because you didn't ask them out? Huh useless. It's because he thinks you're a nuisance. Don't you see that? N-no that's not true, it can't be. To get the thoughts out of my head I take a fist and hit the side of my forehead just enough to have me feel a pressure build and the voice slowly disappear.

"Hey, don't do that." He gently kisses where I hit. He doesn't care. I shake my head away, closing my eyes tight.

"What's going on Izu? Is it the arguments?" I can only nod my head.

"What are they arguing on?"

"A-asking why you got mad... only two three things came up... and t-then more."

"Let's go somewhere less crowded then talk to me. Okay?"

"O-okay." He's going to hate me. He already does idiot. We walk for a few minutes until we get somewhere no one is, mostly because there are no stores around here.

"What was going on?"

"O-one side asked if you got mad b-because-" He doesn't truly care.

"Izu, keep talking. Everythings alright." He starts rubbing my back and playing with my hair.

"Because I didn't ask y-you out, or if it w-was because we made it seem l-like we were dating."

"What was the third reason?"

"I-it was the other one, t-the bad one."

"Deku, what was the other one." All you do is upset him. I shake my head again, only harder. Kacchan starts rubbing my back more and trying to keep me off my thoughts.

"I-it was because y-you think I'm a," I sigh, this will only make him mad, "Nuisance..." He lets it hang in the air for a minute, only to pull me into him.

"Why can't you stop thinking that? It's the last fucking think you are." Look now you made him sad, why don't you just off yourself, it would solve things. I move from his grasp to hit my head again. Only, he sees this and takes my hands.

"Stop hurting yourself for a minute, tell me what's going on. From when we started walking here."

"The voice won't leave." I feel my voice crack and tears threaten to spill. You are such a fucking crybaby, no wonder no one likes you. Not mom, not dad, not 'Kacchan'.

"Izu, focus on me, not the thoughts. Tell me what it's saying, please."

"I-it keeps telling me you don't care," I feel wetness on my cheek and I don't bother trying to stop it, "t-telling me how I only upset y-you," Kacchan reaches over and starts wiping the tears. I focus on his body and movements, "t-telling m-me how I m-make you s-sad a-and how I should o-off myself. H-how it w-would solve e-everything." I stop to take a breath, my stuttering is worse and all because I can't stop crying.

"What else?"

"H-how, I-I'm such a c-crybaby and h-how no one l-likes me. N-not mom, definitely n-not dad. A-and-" I stop myself, it'll only make him mad.

"Go on." I shake my head.

"Izu, I won't get mad. But I need you to say it. Things won't get better if you're hiding things and keeping them in. That's what got us here." Us, I'm affecting him too. Not just me. Yeah you affect him by being alive. I try to hit my head, only to have my arms restrained.

"Stop." He starts rubbing my head, I take a deep breath in. Taking in his scent, he's always smelt like burnt sugar. As I start to relax he starts pushing again.

"Izu, tell me the rest."

"It told me how you don't care, then just then how I'm affecting you by being alive." I move out of his arms, putting distance between us and I look down and wrap my arms around my stomach, this is a position I like to call 'oh look, I've ashamed myself once again.'

"Izu, don't shut me out now. We're going through this together-"

"We're only going through this together because you couldn't drop my drawing." I don't mean that. Yes you do. N-no. I'm pulled out of my thoughts to feel myself being picked up and set on Kacchan's lap.

"W-why can't you stop caring for me?" I start to cry again, lightly trying to push myself off him. They aren't very strong pushes because I know he won't let me go.

"Because I love you Deku, and when you love someone you don't give up or drop anything they do." His voice was thick with emotion, and as I deflate into his chest once more I hear his heartbeat wild, like my words made him think I was planning to go through with the one thought that's haunted me for a while. We sit like that for a while, Kacchan holding on to me like I would slip away and never come back, while I'm pressed into his chest. It's our own confort, we both needed this. I can tell, he's been so worried that he just needed something to ground him, while I've been letting my thoughts get to me and think that it'd be better to go. We sat like this for what felt like hours, and maybe it was, because we didn't move until mom came for us. She knew this was my favorite part of the mall, and the best to have conversations. When she saw us she had a knowing look in her eye.

"Do you boys want to go?"

"Not yet auntie."

"Why don't we just hang out at our house? You guys can go to Izu's room and relax while your parents and I catch up?"

"How does that sound Izu?"

"I just want to be with you." I'm tired and I didn't even realize what I said.

"Yeah, let's do that, can you walk?" I protest but get up. Ready to grab his hand when he gets up.

"Alright, meet us up at the entrance we came in from." With that she left.

"Are you tired?"

"N-no, I'm fine."

"Don't lie, just tell me, I understand."

"Y-yeah, I'm a bit tired. Everything is hitting hard, the people and my thoughts."

"Do you want a piggyback ride?"

"N-no, you don't need to Kacchan, I'm fine." I don't want to make him nor get tired of him.

"If you're worried about being too heavy, you don't have to, for one I'm pretty strong, and two," his smile falters, not coming back, "you know you aren't that heavy Izu, I can support your weight for a while. So if you want just get on my back." My smile falls also, I hate what I've done and still do to my body, but I can't seem to stop the self-hate I feel everytime I do it or look at my body itself.

"Come on Deku." He crouches and lightly pulls my calf to him.

"Fine." I get on his back and he stands up. I hook my ankles around each other and lightly have my arms around his shoulders. His hands went behind my thighs to make sure I didn't fall off or slide down. We walk to the entrance like that, earning a few odd stares but they can fuck off. When we got to where our parents were Kacchan decided to let go of my legs, but I didn't move, since I had my ankles hooked around him.

"If you wanted me down you could have said so." I release my arms, but when I go to release my legs his hands go and hold my legs there.

"No." There wasn't anything I could question, no place open so I just wrapped my arms back around his shoulders and let him carry me. He seemed quite possessive. But I like it so win win I guess.

"Hey boys." Of course the mothers would greet us before anything else.

"Hey can we go, I want to relax with Izu." They held questioning looks when they saw Kacchan holding me.

"Don't question." He always snaps when people question him. It's kind of cute but I know that he just hates being doubted.

"It's alright Kacchan, we know our reasoning that's all that matters." I reach one hand to mess with his hair and I feel his breathing relax. And we are off again, we walk for some time, the walk back is what sucks, it always feels longer than what it is.

"You do know I can walk, right?"

"I know."

"Can I walk?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I, um, like your heat and I want to cuddle more even though we're going to do that." Aww he's blushing.

"Okay." With that I didn't question him again, and we walked the rest of the way. When we did get to my house, he still didn't put me down. He didn't put me down after somehow working me around so our chests were pushed together, holding me up.

"W-what are you waiting for?"

"I know you're going to fall asleep, so go ahead and take your shirt off." I do, and then finally, we lay down just the way we were. He started playing with my hair, and I layed there, listening to his heartbeat. Until something else caught my attention. He was humming, every so often singing, the lyrics to Perfect by Ed Sheeran. I happily listen to his humming until I am dozing off to a peaceful slumber. But right before I fell asleep completely I knew he said something, but I didn't catch it, instead something pulled me into a memory. One of the times dad was home. I start to shake violently. I feel Kacchan's arms tighten but it isn't doing anything. He lightly shakes me, again nothing. So in a panic he tries to shake me again, harder. That started to wake me up.

"De-"

"Iz-"

"Ba-"

"IZUKU!" That got me out, yelling somehow canceled the dream.

"Dammit."

"What happened?"

"I-it was my dad."

"Shit."

"Can I go back to sleep?"

"Yeah, lay back down, sleep well, love yo-" He slaps a hand over his mouth.

"Thank you, love you too." I lay down, having the same routine done and finally I drift off into a nice slumber.