Tenya Iida rolls over a wet surface on his bed and upon closer inspections, finds a still damp bath towel on his mattress. He lets out a defeated sigh and chuckles at finding something like this once again. Life with Nejire Hadou makes such odd messes an almost routine occurrence.
Nejire was an absolutely scatterbrained person at times. Iida frequently opens the fridge to find condiment jars open, she forgets that old dirty clothes aren't supposed to be strewn on the floor but put in the hamper. He found clumps of her extremely long hair everywhere- sticking to the walls of the shower, littering both of their pillowcases, on the hinge of his glasses
Iida turns over to look at the bedside alarm clock and sees that the woman pressed against him turned the alarm off right before she fell asleep. Iida wondered how he got into this. Being in a relationship with Nejire was akin to having dessert for breakfast.
The woman curled up against him began to stir awake. Nejire started stretching her limbs, a morning ritual that nearly always resulted in Iida having to deftly avoid a stray fist in the face. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled upon seeing him still in bed next to her.
"I take it you had a late night?"
Nejire shrugged under the confines of the blanket "I found you sleeping by the time I stepped out of the shower, so I figured that I'd just slide on in without waking you up!"
Iida rolled his eyes "I suppose that you were the one that disabled the alarm?"
"You had it set to six in the morning and I knew that couldn't be right because we both don't work today but I didn't know what time you would wanted to wake-"
"So, you just turned it off?"
Nejire beamed "Yeah!"
"You do realize that I have some obligations to fulfill today?"
"You mean hang around some party?"
"It's not just a party, it's a charity auction. Rumi asked me to partake in the event because she thinks, and I quote "need to get out and find a girlfriend". That's one of the perils of being the one sidekick she wanted to take in- she cares about me way too much, to the point where she often competes with Tensei for the title of "best older sibling" a title that she only cares about.
Nejire giggled "That's what you get for being so private about us!"
"Well, you're in no rush to reveal our relationship either"
"Yeah but I keep us a secret because it makes me feel like a super spy guarding something important while you keep it a secret because you're worried about "professionalism" or whatever."
The both of them proceeded to get up from bed. Iida got up almost immediately to brush his teeth while Nejire sat on the bed and took the opportunity to stretch some more. Iida managed to catch a glimpse of her and stopped mid stride.
He soon realized that the damp bath towel that he felt earlier was the only thing Nejire was wearing in bed; something he hadn't realized since both of them were covered up by a blanket. It turns out that as soon as she got out of the shower, Nejire decided to go to sleep. He spent while simply staring at her while the damned towel refused to give way.
After a minute of stretching, Nejire caught up to the fact that her boyfriend was gawking at her and shot him a cocky grin.
Iida turned beet red when he realized what he was doing and he walked into the bathroom without saying a word while Nejire started chuckling heartily.
The two began discussing tonight's events over breakfast. After a trip overseas, Nejire became borderline obsessed with pancakes and so Iida learned how to cook them from scratch. They weren't that hard to construct at all- just some flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk and butter. He could make them in under half an hour.
Nejire seemed to adore them as well as she frequently ate stacks of them. The fact that he was so adept at making them also came with the added benefit of Nejire not wanting to try making them herself so he wouldn't overwork himself. Nejire was a great hero who was simply wonderful at all aspects of the job. She could defeat tough enemies, rescue hapless civilians, and she was super charismatic and uplifting. All those traits made up for the fact that she was lethal in the kitchen. Iida didn't mean that she was a bad cook or anything, he meant Nejire being anywhere near an oven could result in grievous injuries.
With her mouth stuffed with food, Nejire attempted to ask a question "wu are yof gwunna do?"
Iida gave her a blank stare "Please swallow your food before talking."
After taking a large gulp she asked again "What are you gonna do?"
"Well I've been asked to be one of the bachelors that could be bid for a date tonight."
Nejire raised an eyebrow in anticipation "Oh?"
"Yes, it appears that Kirishima, Todoroki, Bakugou, Midoriya, and I are quite popular considering are relatively recent burst into the hero scene. The organizers of the event told us all that we have a large female demographic in our fanbase."
Nejire giggled "I wonder how many more women will be in to you once they find out that you can cook?"
"We were all surprised that many people found us so appealing. Well, aside from Bakugou who didn't really care. I believe you know what it's like to have a section of fans that adore you because of your beauty."
"Oh yeah! Some of my fans are pretty crazy! You should see some of the fanart I see when I search up my name!"
"I'd rather not…"
"So, any of your friends going to get auctioned off with you?"
"Yes, Kirishima and Todoroki are going to participate in this with me. Midoriya is visiting his mother so he opted out and Bakugou simply refused to take part in it."
"Cool. I remember the Hero commission asked me to go there to add some "star power". I'm just gonna be there to get some eyes on the event though."
Iida nodded "Ah yes, your appearance would draw some people to the event. You're the ninth ranked hero at the age of twenty. It's rare for a hero to be so high up the ranking while still so relatively young."
Nejire shrugged "I guess. It's weird that people are gonna want to come to this auction thing just to see me in the crowd. I'm not gonna be doing anything!"
"Society's admiration for celebrities causes people to do bizarre things, I suppose"
"On the brightside I get to see how many women would pay to date my boyfriend!"
"Well, let's hope that I'm good enough to earn some money for charity…"
"Yo, Iida!"
"Kirishima, it's always good to see you. How's is everything?"
"It's all going good man! I'm just waiting for my turn on the chopping block. Todoroki just got sold for a cool ¥5,000,000. It's kinda scary being here, you know? You think about how much people are willing to pay to date you and then you start comparing yourself to other heroes…"
"Looks aren't everything, Kirishima. I'm sure even the heroes that received the lowest bid will become among the top ranked in the future. Besides, someone like you shouldn't worry about the lack of attention. Your hero outfit leaves very little to the imagination." Iida joked
Kirishima scratched the back of his neck nervously "Hey, come on man! You know that my quirk wouldn't work with regular clothes!"
Iida chuckled "I'm just teasing you, Kirishima! You look quite good in a suit, though."
"Thanks man. I never really felt comfortable wearing them. They're not the type of clothes that could withstand the stuff that I do."
"Well, be glad that the most physically demanding thing you are going to be doing today is dancing."
"Hah, you're right! You look good in the tux by the way. It's like a second skin on you, custom tailored?"
Iida nodded "indeed, regular trousers wouldn't fit my oddly shaped calves."
"Yeah, makes sense. Hey! You slicked your hair back! I haven't seen you look like that since we rescued Bakugou back when we started high school! You're missing the goofy mustache, though…"
Iida rolled his eyes "Very funny, Kirishima"
A worker with a clipboard suddenly walked over to them and signaled to Iida.
"I guess it's my turn on the center stage, wish me luck Kirishima!"
As Iida walked away, Kirishima yelled at him "You better get good money, dude!"
As Iida stepped onto the stage, he saw the multiple tables filled with woman and a quite a few men. All of them were wealthy and all of them wanted to spend time with a young hero. He felt their predatory eyes gazing at him as he scanned the room. In the back, he saw an expected but pleasant sight- it was Nejire wearing a simple black cocktail dress that emphasized her already amazing figure.
He was about to wave to her when the loudspeakers began booming
"Ladies and gentlemen, our next bachelor comes from a long line of heroes, known for being fast on his feet but slow in the sheets, an intellectual with chiseled muscles, and he's over six feet tall and we all know what that means!"
"TENYA IIDA!"
Iida was flattered and a bit embarrassed by the praise he had just received. He knew that the people who ran this even did that to everyone make them look more enticing but it was still a little overbearing. He also wondered just what kind of bid he would receive. Even though he told Kirishima that he shouldn't worry about any low bids, Iida still would like something decent.
The speedster still did have a rivalry with Todoroki and Midoriya and he wanted to at least match Todoroki's bid of ¥5,000,000. Sure, it was immature, but the more money he got, the more money went to charity.
"Alright, we're start our bid at ¥50,000! Going once, goi-"
"100,000!"
"100,000 ladies and gent! Going once, going twice-"
"150,000"
"200,000"
"300,000"
"We got ¥300,000 folks! Any more takers"
"400,000!"
"800,000!"
"1,000,000!"
Iida was flabbergasted that he was apparently worth that much money. He shook his head, he still only reached one-fifth of Todoroki's bid but judging by how excited by the crowd was, he knew that he would receive more bids.
He was a little flummoxed that all of these older women were interested in him. Sure, he looked like an adult even when he just started high school but he hadn't expected this much attention from the older crowd!
The bids continued to escalate until he had reached Todoroki's bid and to Iida's delight, they had continued climbing upwards! He was up to nine million yen and he couldn't be happier!"
While Iida was happy with all the attention he was receiving, Nejire was seething at this point. She thought it would a good idea to watch her boyfriend be so admired by his fans but she hadn't expected him to get over ¥9,000,00 offered up just for one date with him.
She never felt jealous at anything before but seeing all these women swarm over her boyfriend made her want to blast all of them to the sky.
"10,000,000!" all eyes were on the woman who bid that much. It was Namie Sonohara, the wealthy young heiress to a fashion empire. She was known for dating a different model every month and right now she set her sights on a certain young hero.
"It seems that Ingenium had won the attention of the illustrious Ms. Sonohara! I didn't even know that someone of her standing graced us with her presence. ¥10,000,000 going-"
Namie cut the auctioneer off "Don't even bother asking for other bids. I want Ingenium and so I'm going to get Ingenium"
Nejire had heard enough. She snatched a microphone from the trouble and screeched "11,000,000!" she was not going to let that pampered, spoiled, royal brat lay her hands on Tenya
There was a gasp from within the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like the "Shockwave Hero- Wavelength" wants to place a bet! Ingenium probably feels like the luckiest guy in the world!" The auctioneer walked up to Iida
"How does it feel having one of the most popular heroes in all of Japan and the Namie Sonohara, the princess of the Sonohara fashion dynasty to be fighting over you?"
Iida merely bowed in gratitude "I am honoured that these two exemplary women decided that I was good enough to give so much money to charity just for one date with me." Iida played the savvy card. He knew that looking so humble will make him look more attractive to potential bidders. The truth was that he did feel honored that Nejire would date him. He was also happy that she made a bid just so that Sonohara woman would escalate hers. She was so considerate!
Sonohara looked at Nejire and sneered and Nejire responded with a smug smile.
The heiress escalated her bid "11,000,000"
Nejire escalated her bet "12,000,000"
"13,000,000!"
"14,000,000!"
Iida let out an uneasy chuckle "okay Nejire, I think you made your point now" he thought.
"15,000,000!"
"20,000,000!" Nejire practically screamed
"Folks, we have had our highest bid of the night with ¥20,000,000 for Ingenium! Going once!
"Going Twice!"
"Going three times and he's sold!"
Namie Sonohara walked up to Nejire "You're lucky that my daddy limited my wallet after I bought those pandas for my private zoo"
Nejire petulantly stuck her tongue in response and laughed when Sonohara huffed before walking away. Then the realization that she spent ¥20,000,000 for one date with her boyfriend sunk in.
Iida was flabbergasted as he returned behind the curtain. Kirishima and Todoroki were waiting for him on the other side and congratulated the speedster.
"Holy shit dude! Twenty-fucking-million yen!? And the winning bid was made by Hadou?" Kirishima gave him a rough pat on the back "I don't want to jump to conclusions but I think she wants you; like for real!"
You don't know the half of it Iida thought
"Congratulations on your bid, Iida. Though I am a bit disappointed that you got four times the amount of money I got…"
"There's always next time my friend…"
Todoroki smiled "I'll make sure to beat you the next time we auction ourselves off."
Iida and Nejire were soon directed to a lavish table soon afterwards. The both of them sat there, pretending that they don't know each other that much as they knew the media would hound them. Nejire was twirling a lock of stray hair around her finger, which she tended to do whenever she was feeling anxious. Iida decided to talk as if they weren't dating each other for months
"I have a lot to live up, to Ms. Hadou."
Nejire shot him her trademark smile that the media ate up, snapping countless pictures "I'm sure a hero like yourself will manage just fine, Iida. Trust me, I'm a hero myself! You can just call me Nejire by the way."
"As you wish, Nejire"
"I have a question for you too- what do you think of dating me?"
Iida paused as soon as the words left her lips. This wasn't just one of Nejire's offhand questions that she asked to pass the time. No, she needed an answer to.
"I am beyond overjoyed that someone as venerated focused your attentions on someone like myself. Anyone who wouldn't be is simply a fool and should be treated as such…"
Nejire seemed to like the answer he gave and began beaming, her smile somehow being brighter than all the lights of the cameras surrounding them. The media liked his answer as well since he could hear them furiously writing down what he had just said. The fact that they weren't aware of their ongoing relationship made this entire debacle a bit humorous.
Soon, all the bachelors that were chosen were called to go on the dance floor with their dates (A.K.A their buyers) thankfully the media backed off when Iida and Nejire got up from their table. Iida knew they did that not out of the goodness of their hearts but because they got all the juicy info they needed. Plus, the pictures of the two dancing together will no doubt make for good front page pictures.
As Iida lead Nejire in their waltz he popped the golden question (the other one)
"Why did you spend twenty million yen to go on a date a man you're in a relationship with?"
Nejire furrowed her eyebrows in embarrassment "Charity?"
"I'm fairly sure fifteen million yen from that fashion girl would've have sufficed…"
Nejire puffed up her cheeks in frustration at the mention of Sonohara "I didn't like that girl"
"Neither did I, but I would sacrifice one evening for all that money going to charity."
Nejire buried her face his chest and mumbled something.
"I'm sorry, what?"
She lifted her head up again "I said I didn't like how all those women wanted you…"
Iida scrunched his face in confusion "But earlier today you sounded quite excited at the prospect of seeing how much yen people will pay to date me?"
"That was before I saw people spending millions of yen on you!"
Iida's eyes widened "Wait a minute, are you...jealous?"
Nejire responded rather petulantly "No, I'm not!"
Iida smirked "People who aren't jealous don't spend millions of yen to make sure they get their significant others in a charity auction."
"Okay I may have been a little jealous"
Iida rolled his eyes "again, ¥20,000,00"
Nejire slapped his chest lightly and laughed "shut up! You know I'm good for it! Besides, at least everyone knows we're a couple now!"
"We could have revealed that for free"
"The good thing is that we got it over with!"
Rather unexpectedly, Iida pulled her close; much to the surprise (and elation) of the media watching them like vultures. To them, Iida was being extremely bold on their "first date".
He whispered in her ear "I'm disappointed, we've been together long enough for you to know that I only have eyes for you." It was fun being the one doing the teasing for once.
Nejire felt her cheeks heat up as she realized the implications of Iida's words. In hindsight, it was stupid to spend that much money on her boyfriend whom she knew adored her.
Another question popped in her head and in true Nejire fashion she asked without thinking "what should we do for our next date? This is pretty exciting!"
"Allow me take the liberties to plan our next romantic evening. Though I won't be able to spend so much money in one night…"
Nejire giggled at his joke before sighing contently "This is a pretty romantic "first date" don't you think? It's like something straight out of a cheesy movie!"
Iida nodded "Yes, much more cinematic than our actual first meeting."
Nejire cocked her head "when was that again?"
"It was back when we were still in high school. You came up to me and asked me if I could use my engines to toast some marshmallows you had."
Nejire grinned "Oh yeah! Okay, scratch what I said about this being super romantic. The first time I met you was way cooler!"
"And why is that?"
"I could have a romantic dance straight out of Disney movie with anyone. But you're the only guy who could use his leg engines to toast marshmallows to perfection!"
Iida smiled. It was quite an odd sentence but he knew Nejire was completely genuine in her praise.
What she said also gave Iida a perfect idea for their next date. He mentally made a note to buy a pack of supermarket marshmallows (the best kind, according to Nejire) for the date he had planned next week
Along with the ring he had bought weeks prior.
