It wasn't that he didn't enjoy his time with the girl.
It wasn't that he had better things to do.
It assuredly wasn't because he was afraid to be around her.
But something about spending time with Hatsume Mei was the cause of this recent distance he put between himself and the inventor. It had been a year since he first met the manic mechanic, the pink-headed menace, the woman who seemed to rule his mind as of late. It had been a weekly ritual in the past few months that they'd meet up for so that he could test the latest of her "babies" as she so affectionately dubbed them. What more, he had come to her quite often in concern to her work ethic and how it may be harming her personal health. They were close, not only that, they were comfortable with each other. So what could possibly be plaguing him now of all times?
It wasn't uncommon for him to not be able to miss a meet up, sometimes multiple weeks in a row. With the coming of his internship opportunities and schoolwork getting hectic, it would be understandable that they didn't meet all the time. But now it was different, he was intentionally canceling and dodging the girl, not that it was hard. She was the type to get lost in her work, she was also the type to shut off from everything for days at a time grinding out whatever she was doing. Sometimes she'd even comment that she'd completely forgotten what day it was to begin with. But now he felt differently about it all.
Suddenly he wasn't so confident that he liked that he could just pop in and out of her workshop without regard. He liked to help, but for once he felt like he wanted something reciprocated in this. He wanted to be wanted. To be needed, to be an irreplaceable part in the process. And though she'd never say it, it definitely felt like he was an expendable in her line of work. To be such an insignificant player in the grand scheme frustrated him… and maybe it was that realization that made him walk away.
Tenya Iida woke in a stir, his eyes felt heavy, his back strained, his hair a mess. It was late noon, the sun was setting and he had fallen asleep at his desk, a pile of paperwork long since spilled across the classroom floor. He felt a certain pounding in his head and a dryness in his throat as he shuffled about in search of his glasses.
"Ugh… I must have fallen asleep." He let out a low raspy breath as his hands glided along the surface, feeling about pointlessly.
"How long was I out?"
'Sunset...' even without the ability to see, he knew the time of day as the orange hue of the world around him cast heavy shadows. He lurched forward, pushing back his seat and stretching out. His attention was caught by the soft clang of metal hitting a solid surface. Leaning over the desk he noticed something that seemed to gleam in the sunlight.
"Aha! There they are." He smiled to himself rounding the desk to kneel down.
Donning his ever present spectacles he finally to notice of the mess he had made.
'The papers are everywhere! Had I even finished them?' his face soured as he collected each paper, surveying that his work had been done. Being the class representative had been involved work. Upon his responsibilities as a hero and a student he also took pride in his work as the representative. "The time!" Iida shouted in shock, rustling through his pocket for his cell.
"5:30… Mr. Aizawa may have already left by now." he set the papers back onto the desk. He groaned, usually he was much better with his time than this. Was he losing his edge.
"Dammit." Tenya growled out, glaring at the paperwork.
"Ohon~ Tenya Iida, My friend. Are you feeling well?" A playful and flamboyant voice rung out. Tenya jumped to attention spinning to see the source. A flash of blonde, a recognizable smirk, a willowy teen stood in dynamic fashion. Posing as if he were in front of a camera.
"Aoyama. My apologies, you startled me." Tenya bowed at a perfect angle, arms at his sides as if he were in the presence of a superior.
"There are no apologies to be had, my bespectacled companion. However my question still stands."
"I feel alright. I suppose just a little tired. Do I look wrong?" Iida straightened his uniform patting down the jacket and adjusting his tie.
"Outwardly? I suppose not." The sparkling teen varied his poses mid sentence. "However, on the inside I sense a turmoil." With a flick of his wrist, Aoyama pointed at Iida. "A chaotic force seems to be weighing you down. One not much unlike your hair." he rose his pointer to bring attention to it. "Such disarray. Iida! Surely you are frazzled."
His hair was the least of his problems at the moment, but he knew well to humor the boy.
"I suppose, have been spreading my attentions thin as of late." He sighed patting down his hair.
"No!" With a snap change, Aoyama retorted with high theatrics. "I believe it lies deeper beyond simple work."
'Here he goes...'
"No. In fact, I believe this is a matter of the heart!"
"Heart!?"
"Yes my motorized friend. The Heart!"
"How so?" Tenya played the cynic. Crossing his arms, yet willing to listen.
"I see within the undercurrents of your being, a need to be needed."
'What!?' Iida was startled by his friend's clairvoyance
"A feeling a dread of being cast aside."
"How…? How would you know that?" His arms unfurled, watching in intense interest.
"For once you feel something of an outside force overbearing, upon you." Aoyama spun around as if dancing along to the rhythm of his own words.
"You my friend are feeling selfish for once."
"Selfish?" Iida felt almost insulted by the sparkling boy's suggestion.
"Yes. You Iida Tenya are living in a moment in which you wish not to compromise." His words came like a slap as Yuuga's gaze bore into Iida's very head space. "Unlike your usual self, you refuse to have less than it all at this moment."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Tenya felt the need to deny it.
"And to have such a profound effect on you, I have to imagine none other than the strong emotion of Love could be the cause." His eyes seemed to light up even more than usual. "You must tell me!" a sharp smile donned his face.
"I am surely not in love, Aoyama. I am just stressed out. Now you must excuse me, I need to see if Mr. Aizawa hasn't left." Iida deflected grabbing the papers, attempting to escape the boy.
"Not so fast! I will not be dodged." Aoyama snatched a bit of paperwork, marching out of the class. "Now let us make haste. To the teacher's office!" He laughed marching along.
He never let go of the subject chipping away at Iida's defenses with a bombardment of questions. As such the trek to the teacher's office was a stressful one for the speedster. The halls had long since emptied out. Their footsteps echoed and reverberated through the hall, the side in which light barely reached, between the segmented fixtures of orange light, the hall was dark and covered in shadows.
"Will you be seeing her?" Aoyama asked with a more serious tone.
"Will I be seeing who?" Iida answered with his own question.
"The girl, the one who has taken your heart and filled your mind."
"How are you so sure I'm in love?"
"As with all my greatest abilities, that is a secret." Yuuga stepped ahead of him to make one more pose, the papers covered his mouth as he winked. "We have arrived." he directed his hand to the doorway with a bow.
In the office sat many teachers finishing some paperwork and off to the side wrapped like a pill bug sat the sleeping form of Mr. Aizawa face down in his own paperwork.
"Alright. Good. Thank You, Aoyama." Iida set his papers down on the cluttered desk. Careful not to wake the man. "It was a pleasure, though I would request a reward for this."
"Dinner?"
"Oh no. Something else."
"Tutoring."
"Yes, at some point, tutoring would be much appreciated. But not right now."
"Then what do you want?" Iida's patience was being tested as he tapped his foot in a huff.
"Honesty. I want you to stop lying and speak to me honestly."
"Hmm…" Iida pondered for a moment if he was telling the truth to begin with.
"Come now, we should leave Mr. Aizawa to his own devices." Aoyama beckoned him nearly out the door already.
The walk back was much of the same as Aoyama whittled down Tenya's mind.
"There's someone consistently on your mind, isn't there Iida?"
"I suppose so. I do think about this person quite a lot."
"You worry about your meaning to this person."
"I do."
"You question if you could see some sort of future work with the."
"Definitely."
"You're insecure and scared that you are."
"I won't comment."
"You obviously care about this person and want to know if they care about you." Aoyama pressed, giving Iida a slap on the shoulder.
"You can't be seriously figuring this out all on your own."
"On the contrary, you are giving me all the information I need."
"How?"
"Your eyes tell that story. Your mouth just won't let it out."
"And suppose you are right. What's to say I'm not just coming around to being needed?"
"Because you assume that with everyone else. You always have the best intentions for our class and you always enact it before even being asked." Yuuga twirled around in a grand display. "You are confident in your conviction to help whether or not appreciated." he faced Tenya with an earnest he barely ever showed others. "You crave their approval and their attention. To be so needy despite yourself, it would have to be love."
"Maybe… Possibly? You could be right."
"I am right."
"Fine, but what do I do about it?"
"Go to her! Scream out to the world how she's plagued you, how you can't resist that feeling, take her into your arms and… and!"
"Stop right there. I will not go that far."
"Let your emotions drive you."
"I'll consider it."
"That is all I ask."
With that they arrive back to their classroom.
"And here's where I take my leave." Aoyama bowed like an actor at curtain call before leaving with a socialite's laugh.
'Go to her, huh?' Iida watched his friend's departure from the doorway. 'Unannounced?' he grabbed his bag and walked back down the hall.
'Would she mind my arrival?' he mulled over his own thoughts as he let his legs carry him where they would.
'What if she's already with someone there?' He crossed over to the other school building. 'What if she's already replaced me?' his pace quickened to his destination.
"Should I even bother seeing her?" Iida pondered aloud stopping in his tracks.
"See who?" a familiar feminine voice spoke up. Tenya jumped, snapped from the confines of his psyche. With a start he fell back, landing on his tailbone.
"Whoa there big guy." The girl laughed heartily. That laugh, he both enjoyed and dreaded hearing it. It was a nice laugh, but knowing who it came from, it usually preceded embarrassment on his behalf. "Here." she offered her gloved hand. He stared at it, then back to the girl. He drifted upwards noticing all of her from the end of her hand to her face. He was speechless, for some reason, he was immensely glad to see her.
"Thank you… Miss Hatsume." Iida spoke up finally grasping her hand. Unbeknowst to either party, her gloved hand had just enough oil residue to be slick. With it he immediately slipped from her grasp falling once again on the same spot.
She roared with laughter as she doubled over. Embarrassment. Again. Iida felt the blood rush to his cheeks as he heated up. He frowned ready with a retort.
"Here." This time unlike the last, she removed her glove before offering it to him.
"Thanks."
He looked at her willingly noticing how nice the sunset seemed to frame her face.
"You alright, Tenya?"
"Just fine..." He trailed off in a daze.
"It's been a while."
"Yes. It has been."
"I missed you." She continued looking at him right in the eyes.
His face ablaze as he began to cover it with his free hand.
"R-really…?"
"Of course!" She bounced slightly pumping a fist in the air. "Can't well work without my crash test dummy." she giggled, fists balled at her sides.
"Oh… Yes. Your tester is available." He followed her comment dejectedly.
"Come in, come in." In the midst of his thoughts of course he made his way to the workshop. "Tenya dear, you and I have a lot to catch up on."
The support division's mechanics workshop had become a familiar sight. Usually deserted, the room was filled with clutter, inventions and works in progress strewn about with no rhyme or reason. Most of which belonged to the pink haired girl. Files, papers and blueprints also littered the room. When entering it was imperative that one would watch their step. Tools haphazardly dropped all over the place was a hazard in itself. How was she able to work in such clutter? No… The way she is, this was probably optimal for the manic mechanic.
"Of course, Miss Hatsume." he continued his somber tone, he slumped over as he followed her in.
"Is everything alright?" Mei looked at him in concern.
"Oh, don't mind me. I just. I just need to get my thoughts in order." He answered forcing a semblance of a smile.
"You know if you aren't feeling alright, you could just say so. We can just do this some other time." She spoke softly trying to lean into his field of view.
"How I'm feeling is of no matter. I can work just fine. Use me as you will." He turned away, refusing to look at her, but even from the corner of his eye he could see. She was zooming in to see any difference. Any ridge, any wrinkle, any flaw that would give him away.
And with a sudden act, she slapped his arm bringing him to attention. She was pouting. She was mad. For once she was showing something other than her wild grin.
"Iida. If you're going to be this way, then just leave." she was having none of it as her glare was evident. For some reason, it just set him off, all his worries all his insecurities just wanted to explode.
"I'm fine! I'm ready to work! If I leave now it'll be a waste of time!" He shouted at her. For the first time in a while he let go. "Just let me help you!" His frown turned harsher as he grit his teeth and shot back his own glare.
"With the way you are now!? You'd be too rough with my babies, not only that you would just get in the way!" She argued right back, undaunted by their height disparity. "So just go! Cool off! I don't even know why you'd act like this!" She stomped closer getting in as close as she could.
"I can handle your 'babies' just fine! Just let me help, I'm just your tool aren't I!? Just a damned crash test dummy, huh!?" Iida not to be deterred bent over getting right in her face. Their shouting match clashed around the room as the sound of their screams bounced all around.
"That was a joke! You really think I think that little of you!?" She hollered defiantly as she pushed herself into his body doing anything to really get in his face.
"It's hard not to, you don't exactly foster a kinder sentiment!" Iida roared out closing in, not even caring about how they looked.
"Well what the hell do you want to hear!?" She spread her arms out angrily backing off.
"Whether or not I'm valued here! Am I even important here? Do you even care about me!?" Iida listed in a fury. He slammed his hand onto a nearby counter to accentuate a point.
"Of course you are! Of course I do! Why else would I talk about catching up!? And since when were you so needy Tenya Iida!?" She was fuming, stomping about.
"When I figured out I love you!" He screamed out. Not caring if the entire campus could hear his announcement. That shut her up real quick. Mei just looked at him her face transitioning from rage to bashfulness to some failing attempt at haughtiness.
"W-well it took you long enough." She averted her gaze as she played with one of her dreads.
"Miss Hatsume, I love you. It took me some time to realize it. Longer to accept it." Iida gasped for air, the last outburst brought it out of him. "But I know it now. I love you. And I need to know that there's somewhere for me in all of this." he waved his arms out, walking closer to her. "Tell me… I need to know." though he closed in she backed away not ready to be near him. "Miss Hatsume..." His voice was low, he had pinned her between himself and a counter. "Could you find a place for me?" He leaned closer, desperate for some kind of reciprocation.
"Tenya." She was at a lost. She was sure her face was a deep crimson and she couldn't stop looking him in the eyes. All she could see was her own reflection. Scared for once in her life she swallowed deeply and finally spoke up.
"Of course I can. Nowadays it seems like I can't do this without you..." She looked down, ashamed by her own words. "I need your help… Partner." with her final words she felt acceptance in herself. She gingerly snaked her arms around his neck, for all her posturing, she wasn't experienced in matters such as this.
"And I'll be there." he replied pressing his forehead against hers.
It was a moment that felt like a revelation. A soft and loving exchange. Mei tilted her chin upwards reaching his lips, the warmth of the contact sent something through her. Her eyes close as she lets herself be in the moment. Tenya returns the kiss, his hands moving themselves towards her, one placed itself between her shoulder blades, the other drifted to the small of her back. He pulled her closer, determined to keep her in this embrace. He sucked lightly, begging to deepen the kiss, she obliged. They continued as he lifted her over the counter to sit. Now he was the one to tilt his chin as his hands relaxed to her sides, hers on his shoulders.
The pair break away breathless, as Iida refuses to break eye contact. She reciprocates a smile gracing her lips. Returning to their senses, both could still feel the heat in their entire face.
"Well then… Ahem. Shall we get to work?"
"Yes. My gadgets. Of course." she hopped off the counter before returning to her station.
"Gadgets? Since when do you call them 'Gadgets' Miss Hatsume?"
"Well..." Mei lingered awkwardly. "Calling them 'babies' right now, might be a bit much." She finished as she bashfully swayed.
"Right… Then let's get to work, Miss Hatsume." He walked up to her workstation placing a hand on her shoulder as he looked at the latest of her projects.
"Oh and Tenya?" She turns to him her smile returning.
"Yes?" in the middle of his response, she lightly slapped his face.
"You have to start calling me Mei."
"Happily, Mei."