The Clumsy Square and the Lady Fair
Chapter 1: Take The A-Train
Our story, simply put, is a love story between two high schoolers who meet, become friends, go through the tumultuous confusion of puberty, and eventually fall in-love. Like most stories worth telling, the events that lead to the lovely outcome isn't as smooth and easy as it sounds.
This comes much to the chagrin of our main character, who wears square glasses and runs in straight, measured lines, and as such spent his childhood running into walls and breaking his glasses because he doesn't know how to change directions. But as he is about to learn, the best things in life occur off the beaten path.
Our hero's name is Iida Tenya, 15 years old. He is an impressive first year high school student at the prestigious UA Boys' Academy. It is a well renowned school with various opportunities for sports and science engineering scholarships. (Were it a different universe, we're sure that heroes would choose this school to fast-track their careers into the world of pros!)
Impressively, our main character got into this prestigious school with no problems. In fact, he is the number one student in his class and the class president, and is the track team's ace, carrying the fastest record for the hundred meter dash.
For a boy with his credentials, you'd think he'd have the unique problem of getting love letters in his school locker everyday, or receiving a table full of chocolates from many cute girls every Valentine's day. Unfortunately, as mentioned before… this is an all-boys' school. And even though Iida Tenya-kun is classified as one of the ikemen group in 1A because of his looks, he is surprisingly, severely…
…unpopular.
His fellow students like him enough as Class President, but are quick to point out that he's too stiff and stern or that he talks like an old man or he's got a weird way of being fired up and why do his arms do that thing?
(You know, the thing when he chops his hand down like a director's clapperboard? Or the thing that goes down in the parking lot right before you pay your parking fee? That one.)
Bakugou Katsuki-kun, the top 2 student in their class, as well the top 1 in distemper and volatility, eloquently regarded him as such: a Square. A Square in shape, a Square in personality, and a Square in everything he does. Being Bakugou, he says it with more unreasonable expletives than warranted. Iida-kun doesn't like it very much, but he has to admit, the square shoe fits too well.
It's distinctive enough that Iida Tenya-kun isn't regarded by his many classmates as a romantic prospect or a future rival, which is fine by him, because romance with a boy or a girl is the farthest thing from his mind. But he also isn't taken seriously a lot of the time, which he minded a lot. He likes his classmates well enough, but nary a day passes that he isn't laughed at for his different way of doing things.
At the end of the day, despite all the challenges that accompany a square existence, Iida Tenya-kun is happy the way he is. After all, he has acquaintances and those he even dared to call close friends. Namely, Midoriya Izuku-kun, the top 3 student of their class, and Todoroki Shouto-kun, the top 4 student of his class, who both like him well enough to tolerate his karate chops and spontaneous declamations about cleanliness and timeliness. Like regular kids his age, they walk to school together, eat lunch together, go to Akihabara together on those occasions where Midoriya-kun wants to buy some figurine or another, eat at the familiar soba shops that Todoroki-kun likes to frequent, and walk back to the dorms together before curfew every single weekday.
It's a routine that's nice. Comfortable. Predictable. On odd days that he feels the pang of loneliness, he reminds himself that he has too many responsibilities like class rep work and academics and the track team and living up to his brother's name to really worry about being 15 years old and single for the same number of years.
He's… happy the way he is. Perfectly happy as a Square, fitting in the square-shaped future he plotted out for him on a clean, precise sheet of graphing paper. There's no reason for him to change his shape.
That is, until the world decides to change his shape for him. (Cue suspenseful music. Iida-kun suggests the first few notes of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor.)
On the day that our story begins, he is in a rush trying to reach the dorms before curfew at 2100 hours. He's had a long day of working on class representative matters, training with the Track Team, and cleaning out the 1A classroom for a second time (which he tends to do when Kaminari-kun and Monoma-kun are assigned that day's cleaning duties). After that, he's had to rush to the Kiyashi Ward Mall, where they are selling the limited edition Ingenium Recipro Boost running shoes.
(It is extremely necessary because it is the only running shoes appropriate for track. When it comes to running shoes, you shouldn't settle for anything but the best!)
Before he realizes it, it is already 2032 hours and his dormmate Midoriya-kun is already asking where he is. He makes a run for the train and barely makes the 2045 train headed for the UA Campus.
At this time of the evening, there aren't many fellow students on the train, and the carriages aren't that full. All the seats are taken, mainly by tired salarymen, housewives who did their shopping, and a few elderlies who are seated with their eyes on the floor.
And then, out of nowhere, as if he's fated all along to do so… his eyes fall quite naturally on someone special. (It is this moment that his life probably changes).
The girl is a fellow student, just like him. The first thing he notices about her is her aura, an elegance he cannot quite explain by her appearance alone. Her eyes are dark like ebony, but bright with intelligence as they scan through an English copy of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. Her hair is similarly dark and shiny, neatly tied behind her head in a ponytail that fell in a curious, spiky spiral that only makes her look more distinctive. Her posture is impeccable -he's sure that her upbringing was similarly refined, just by looking at the way she sat. She is wearing a blazer and a dark skirt that Iida-kun identifies as the Shiketsu Girls' High School uniform.
And… she looks up at him briefly, a curious look in her eyes.
Oh dear. He might have been staring a tad too long. He instantly averts his eyes and focuses on the floor and tries hard not to blush. Inevitably, he feels his ears getting warmer and his palms getting sweaty and any minute now his glasses might fog. How embarrassing.
For the first time in his life, Iida-kun thinks of this sentence, in reference not to a Italian Renaissance fresco (such as the likes of Raphael's The School of Athens ), but to an actual human person:
How… breathtaking!
And almost immediately he fights the urge to karate-chop his own face in shame. Iida-kun, do not pick up Kaminari-kun's unseemly habit of ogling at females! he berates himself, as he trains his eyes outside the train, instead.
His stop is five stations away. This breathtaking girl is likely going to get off at a different station, and he'll probably never get to see her again. It's a little sad, he admits, but it's not like he has the means or the will to introduce himself to her under these circumstances… he just has to get a hold of himself and stop staring.
But the universe isn't done with Iida-kun just yet. Looking back, this must be the second moment when his life inevitably changes.
"Heya, heya, hey-yaaaa! Three Sturm Und Drang Brothers comin' yer wayyy-ya!"
Three shady-looking individuals clad in tight, dark outfits and identical black beanies enter the carriage, swaggering left and right. A strong stench, which is probably a mixture of alcohol and cigarette smoke, wafts from their general direction.
Including Iida-kun, everybody else on the carriage clamps their nostrils shut with their hands and give in to the impulse to face the floor and avoid all eye contact.
"Where the pretty ladies at, yo-? Come out, come out, and have a good time with us!"
Despicable ruffians! How shameful! Iida-kun rants silently. He hears his pulse throbbing angrily in his head, and feels his teeth clench. Somebody needs to do something about this!
But for all the angry thoughts in Iida-kun's head, he keeps his head down.
"Whaa? Bro, looks like we got the wrong carriage, huuuh?" Iida-kun hears one obnoxious voice say, followed by an ominous chuckle. "What is this, the elderly car? There're only haggard housewives and grannies and ugly old salarymen here, wuuut?"
He peeks a little to observe their rampage. He sees them appraise all the women in the car one by one, leering at them in the face with a sickening grin. The salarymen, all able-bodied men who are seated near the perverts, are obviously aware of what's happening, and do nothing else but keep their eyes down.
What are these adults doing? Isn't anybody going to do anything about this?! He feels his fist tighten a little more, but again, he keeps his head down. Iida Tenya! Maybe you should do something about this! If nobody will do the right thing, doesn't the duty befall on YOU?
"Man, and I thought we'd have another panty run tonight. This blows! Looks like we're at the boring part of town…"
What would your older brother, Sergeant Iida Tensei of the National Police Agency, do in this situation?! Don't let him down! Be brave! Be Brave!
"Oh ho ho! Bros! I found a beaut right here!"
He suddenly hears a high-pitched squeak, followed by the sound of somebody being pulled up to their feet. Iida-kun's head snaps upward, all apprehensions magnifying to worrisome degrees.
"Oh lordy! We hit the jackpot here!"
To his horror, the perverts now had the Shiketsu High girl in their grubby grasps. The tallest of the trio holds her by the arm, causing her to drop Professor Hawking's book to the floor. The other two leer at her, pushing their faces very, very close to her personal bubble.
"Hey, cutie? What's your name? Come on, don't be a snob. Smile for me, won't ya?"
Someone… someone has to help… somebody? Anybody? A quiet rage, one that our main character has not felt before ever in his fifteen long years of life, begins to build up in his chest.
"Help me, please!" The girl manages to cry, to which the pervert trio around her only whoops in false offense.
Suddenly, he loses all impulse to keep his head down any further. "You FIENDS! You perverts! Sexual harassers! Let her go this instant!"
Before he even realizes that it is his voice booming out all over the carriage, and it is his loud footsteps thundering towards the scene, he is already there, facing off against the surprised perpetrators and the terrified girl.
"Oh~ is that so, aniki? " The tallest one isn't even fazed, even when Iida-kun attempts to puff out his chest and appear as the most intimidating square as he could be. He turns to the girl, who whimpers as his unpleasant mug is again near her face. "Oh, I know what you want! You want onee-chan here for yourself, huh? Too bad, we got dibs on her!"
Within the next instant, the other two perverts rush to both sides. Caught by surprise, the usually sturdy Iida is suddenly falling to the ground. He flinches and groans as two of the Sturm Und Drang brothers make quick work of him, stomping him and kicking him until his body started screaming in pain. He hears the muffled gasps and cries of all the other passengers, but not a single one of them stands up, or even dares to look.
He shields his face with his arms when the perverts attack his 'nerd-glasses' next. Even then, he sees the despairing look in the Shiketsu girl's face, as the pervert's tongue goes nearer and nearer her skin…
"Freeze!"
In the next instant, Iida realizes that the stomping and kicking has stopped, and instead three frenzied yells from above him ring out. Within the next ten seconds, he hears a series of precise fists hitting gasping flesh, clicking noises, and the huff of a job well done.
Stunned, he sees an arm reach out to him. He takes it and sees a handsome face smiling down on him. "It's all right now, buddy," he says, as he pulls him up to a standing position.
The Shiketsu girl is still shaking, but she is now standing behind the man and at a safe distance from the perverts, who are now handcuffed together on the floor. They seem to have the breaths knocked out of them and didn't have the energy to look at the mysterious helpful stranger with consternation.
The passengers seem to awaken from their stupor and have exploded in thunderous applause, all thanks of course to the stranger. Not knowing what else to do, the beat-up high school boy bows his head to him. "Thank you," Iida supplies weakly.
"No, thank you, " the stranger says, reaching out to shake his hand. "If you didn't yell at the harassers back then, I wouldn't have known there was trouble from the other car."
He then looks at the girl, who is still stunned and shaking in silence. He puts a comforting hand on her shoulder and nods. "How about you, miss? Are you all right?"
The glazed look in her eyes dissipates briefly. "O-Oh! Y-yes, I am n-now." As if just snapping back to her senses, she bows low in front of the stranger and says, "Thank you very much for saving me from them! You're my hero!"
Somehow, the way she says hero rings in Iida's head and lingers there. An unexplained emotion creeps into his heart.
The stranger laughs it off and shakes his head. "Oh, no, it's my job. See, I'm a police officer. Well, an off-duty one, but a police officer just the same." He reaches into his pocket and shows them his ID and badge. "I'm Inspector Tsukauchi Naomasa."
Iida's jaw drops. A police officer! Just like his beloved older brother, Sergeant Iida Tensei of the National Police Agency! No wait, he's even more specialized than that, he's an Inspector! A higher ranking! His glasses shine in respect. Police officers are just too cool!
Not like him, who was definitely uncool just a while ago. He feels his glasses fog in shame.
"And I'll have to ask you two to hop off with me on the next station," he continues as he walks closer to the apprehended perverts. When he regards the look of horror on the high school students' faces, he laughs. "No, I'm not going to arrest you two. But I do need your statements, and I need to make sure you two are safe. All right?"
The two high school students nod in relief.
Later on, they follow Inspector Tsukauchi to the nearest police station. After he makes sure that the Three Sturm Und Drang brothers are spending the night behind bars, he listens to the two students as they share their sides of the story.
Thus, Iida-kun learns some things about the girl. Probably the most important one is her name: Yaoyorozu Momo.
(Yaoyorozu Momo . He repeats it in his head, imagines himself drawing the characters of her name using the finest brush, loaded with the finest ink, on the finest sheet of paper. It is a name that evokes images of sweet summer fruits and falling cherry blossoms.
Ah, but he digresses.)
Like him, she is a first year high school student. She left school late because she had class rep duties, had to tutor a few other girls from her class, and had extra work to do with the Classical Music club. While usually she would have someone from home pick her up from school, today she decided to commute by herself.
"So it's your first time commuting by train. I'm sorry that it had to be so traumatic for you," says Inspector Tsukauchi emphatically.
She nods pensively. "I thought it would be a good experience for me to be independent. I was so excited to purchase and use my very own PASMO card, too… I suppose I should have been more careful, or more firm with them not to touch me… in the end, I even got a fellow high school student involved… this is my fault, isn't it?"
Inspector Tsukauchi smiles comfortingly. "Don't blame yourself. You and Iida-kun here are both unfortunate victims of these deviants. They're rather notorious in the Naruhata district for panty theft."
"How despicable!" Iida says for the fifth time that evening. "How vile! How unforgivable! Yaoyorozu-kun, you have nothing to apologize for! These scoundrels deserved to be beaten up by Inspector Tsukauchi, and more!"
"Indeed," agrees the Inspector, nodding solemnly. He closes a folder full of precise notes. "Well, that's about all that I need from you two. Thank you very much for your assistance. For safety's sake, I'll escort the two of you home."
"No, I can't possibly-my family will-"
"We have imposed enough, Inspector-"
"Now now," says the Inspector as he stands up and slips on a long, tan coat. Iida thinks it makes him look like a proper detective. All he needs is a deerstalker hat and a pipe and he's practically Sherlock Holmes. "It's late, and I don't want to take any risks. Besides, Iida-kun," he nods at dark haired boy with a knowing smile in his eyes, "Sergeant Iida would probably tell me off if I didn't see to it that you're safe. He's a friendly guy, but he isn't afraid to be straightforward against his superiors, you know."
Iida feels his mouth open into a perfect rectangle. Of course this impressive Inspector Tsukauchi Naomasa would know his impressive older brother, Sergeant Iida Tensei of the National Police Agency too! "Ah, o-of course nii-san wouldn't be so disrespectful as to do that without any good reason-"
"Exactly." Inspector Tsukauchi puts on a proper fedora and gestures the two of them to follow him out.
They get on Inspector Tsukauchi's car, a no-nonsense black Camry, with Iida in the passenger seat and the Shiketsu High girl sitting elegantly at the back. He wonders briefly what the Inspector was doing on the train in the first place, if he had a car after all… but perhaps, it's none of his business.
Through the rear-view mirror, he watches Yaoyorozu put on her seat belt as she ought to (how respectable! Of course a proper girl like her has proper safety habits!). He sees her sigh quietly in exhaustion, or perhaps in a sense of relief. Her onyx eyes flutter closed as the engine starts.
"Iida-kun?" Tsukauchi calls from the other side, forcibly removing his eye contact against the mirror. "Seat belt, please."
Ah. AH! Iida, how shameful! How irresponsible! Do not be so entranced by this girl that you forget basic road etiquette and safety! He fumbles with the seat belt momentarily and tries to keep the redness on his cheeks to behave.
Luckily, Yaoyorozu only smiles benignly at his buffoonery. Inspector Tsukauchi also smiles a little teasingly and pulls them out to the driveway. "So, I suppose I'll drive Yaoyorozu-san home first?"
Yaoyorozu answers, "Oh, I live a little far away… perhaps Iida-kun lives closer?"
"He lives on the UA campus dorms," answers Tsukauchi, surprising Iida, who didn't tell him where he lived yet. He wonders briefly how he knew, then concluded that it was perhaps Tensei who told the Inspector. He worries briefly how close the two officers are, and if he would be in trouble with his brother if he hears of the trouble that occurred that evening.
"Oh. That is far away." The girl then obliges to tell the Inspector her address. A strange look of enlightenment crosses over Yaoyorozu's bright face, and a small smile grazes her graceful mouth. Oh, what a refreshing sight after a long day!
They spend a quiet fifteen minute drive, with only the sound of soft rock and the 10 PM traffic as accompaniment. Iida finds his eyes darting automatically to the rear view mirror and sees Yaoyorozu's profile softened by the reflection of the passing city lights through the window.
He starts to feel a foreign feeling on his insides, something rather difficult to describe. If he were forced to, he might say words such as 'soft,' 'fluffy,' 'warm'. Like perfectly square, bright red, fuzzy dice that one typically hangs over rearview mirrors. (Oh Iida-kun, can't you imagine anything else outside the shape of a square?) Ah, but there's something akin to tumult as well, enmeshed messily with the warm feelings. If he were to be very honest, Iida was concerned that he might be catching an odd illness.
But I've always had an acute constitution not prone to illness, he thinks in worry. As if feeling the weight of his gaze, Yaoyorozu turns and glances back at him briefly through the mirror.
He forces his eyes away from the mirror again before he is able to read her expression.
"Inspector, if you would make a right turn there," he hears her say, as they approach a street lined with fancy street lamps and manicured shrubberies. "My home is along this street right here."
"All right. Which one?"
"It's the only one in this area," says Yaoyorozu nonchalantly, causing the other two in the car to do a simultaneous double take.
True enough, they see that the entire block is just one property. A French Rococo-style gate and fence set up surrounds a sprawling garden and a mansion that reminded Iida of the Chateau de Versailles. The gates swing open automatically, and Yaoyorozu has to urge the stunned Inspector to drive the car inside the property.
Is… is she a princess? The sister of the Emperor? A relative of the Prime Minister? The daughter of the queen of a small independent island in the Pacific who just happens to be boarding here? He tries not to be too bewildered at the flagrant displays of wealth scattered here and there, such as fountains, marble statues of nymphs and faeries, and fountains with marble statues of nymphs and faeries.
This is the sort of place where they hold cotillions and charity galas and all the like! Considering her upbringing, it's amazing that Yaoyorozu-kun's humility is such! An image of the girl-a proper lady of the court-in a breathtaking Cinderella-style ball gown rises in his mind.
Yaoyorozu gently makes her way out of the car, looking a little embarrassed at the looks of surprise on the two men's faces. "Thank you very much, Inspector Tsukauchi and Iida-kun," she says, bowing politely. "I am thankful to you both that I reached home safely tonight."
But all I did was yell in the train and be beaten up by a group of hooligans, Iida thinks, more embarrassed than ever before. How unfortunate that Yaoyorozu-kun had to trouble herself with a square-shaped buffoon such as he! All he is able to manage is a weak nod.
"It's nothing," says Inspector Tsukauchi with impressive dignity. "Please show my business card to your parents and let them call me if they have any other concerns."
"I will!"
They leave the ostentatious mansion after that, with Iida staring at the delicate wave of her hand behind all the marble statues. She eventually disappears quietly behind a closed door, where a proper butler in a suit is patiently waiting for her.
"Amazing, ne, Tenya-kun?"
"Yes. Yaoyorozu-kun is definitely amazing."
Tsukauchi laughs heartily at this. "I was talking about the mansion, but sure. Yaoyorozu-san seems like a good student."
By this time, Iida's jaw pops open at the words that he unwittingly uttered to the amused Inspector. "O-o-of course th-that's what I m-meant, Inspector!" His hands come up in front of him beyond his control, chopping this way and that defensively. "A good student! Eloquent and graceful and modest and very undeserving of tonight's events! It is unfortunate that she had to go through such a harrowing experience and I wish her safety and further success in her studies!"
Inspector Tsukauchi laughs again. "Tenya-kun, don't take this the wrong way, but… you aren't used to girls, are you?"
Iida does not have a reason to deny this, and wonders why he would take such a straightforward fact the wrong way. "You are indeed correct, Inspector! I had always been enrolled in exclusive private schools since elementary school, as per the preference of my parents! The only female in my immediate family is my mother! Furthermore, outside of school, which is again strictly for males, I tend to spend my time with my brother, Sergeant Iida Tensei of the National Police Agency, who is also your colleague!"
"... I figured," Tsukauchi says. Iida wonders why he gives a sigh after his statement. "Well, that's fine. You know, your brother ought to be proud of your actions tonight. It was a very gallant thing you did for a total stranger on the train."
Gallant. Iida truly likes the sound of the word and the image of a knight in silver armor that it invokes, but disagrees that such a term applies to him. "… I… didn't do anything, Inspector. I couldn't do anything. I was worthless. If you weren't there, I'm afraid that they really would have taken Yaoyorozu-kun to a seedy brothel of some sort…"
The policeman ignores his tirade and shakes his head. "You stood up for her. And risked your neck for her, even though you didn't know who she was. She and I and the others on the train appreciate what you've done. The world could use more heroes like you."
Heroes. Again, Iida likes the sound of the word. He looks out the window and mulls over the word. I wonder... is it possible for a square like me to become a hero?
Before he realizes it, they are already entering the UA campus. Tsukauchi seems to know his way around the grounds very well and drives them to the Heights Alliance dormitories without asking Iida for directions.
To his surprise, he sees two contrasting figures waiting outside the 1A dorm: the tall, lanky Yagi-sensei, dressed in his trademark loose yellow pinstripe suit, and the shorter, grumpy Aizawa-sensei, who is in his usual all black garb. When Iida steps out of the passenger side, both of them brisk-walk their way to him.
Before Iida can say anything, Aizawa-sensei is closely inspecting his face, his arms, and his back. "… you're hurt," he says gruffly, putting two callused hands against either side of his head and peering at him as if Iida is a jar to be checked for cracks. "… but you're not dead. Or dying."
"I concur, sensei!" the flustered Iida replies, as lively as he is able to. The morose sensei lets go of his head.
"Young Iida! I heard all that had happened from Inspector Tsukauchi!" Yagi-sensei takes his turn fussing over Iida, who by this time has frozen with his forearms at a ninety-degree angle in front of him. "We were so worried about you ! I heard about the brave thing you did, but please, do not worry us like this again!"
Yagi-sensei seems to be close to tears, while Aizawa-sensei has the same, stern look, a little softened by relief. All the attention is a little too surreal for Iida.
"Tenya-kun only did the right thing. Don't tell him off too much." Inspector Tsukauchi has also alighted from the car. He puts a hand on Iida's shoulder, as if in defense.
"My favorite police officer!" Yagi-sensei moves toward the Inspector, as if to hug him, but seemingly stops himself. Instead he puts his hand out for a more formal handshake. "I appreciate all your help, Naomasa-kun. Although, I was waiting for you at the station…"
'Naomasa-kun'? So the good inspector is a close friend of Yagi-sensei? Iida notices Aizawa raise both eyebrows at this interaction as well.
"I am an alumnus of UA as well," explains the Inspector, as if to answer the silent questions of both dark-haired individuals. "Toshi-kun was a good senpai of mine, here and in the Police Academy. I was actually on the way to visit him when I ran into Iida-kun-"
"The Police Academy!" booms Iida before he can stop himself. Yagi-sensei, an aspiring police officer? Why, he never would have imagined! But isn't he the legendary All Might, a popular professional wrestler from the late 90's who even made it as a guest in the WWE? And who subsequently retired after a major illness, and then decided to live out his days as a humble school teacher? How is he a police officer at the same time?
While the Inspector nods, the suddenly reluctant Yagi-sensei looks bashful and stops the discussion by waving two giant hands in front of him. "Let's not dwell in the past for too long, Naomasa-kun. Instead, let me thank you on behalf of the UA faculty and staff for taking care of one of our precious students." The lanky blonde teacher bows politely.
Aizawa-sensei also bows curtly. "The other student is safe?"
Inspector Tsukauchi gestures in the affirmative. "I've updated both Yamada-sensei and Kayama-sensei of Shiketsu High. They shouldn't bother you too much about it anymore." He says the second sentence a little teasingly.
"Somehow I doubt that," Aizawa-sensei grumbles under his breath. "Well, that's that. Thank you again for your service, Inspector." The dark-haired teacher motions for Iida to follow, and they walk to the inside of the dormitories, leaving Yagi-sensei and the Inspector to catch up by themselves.
While it is already past 11 PM, hence way past lights out, Iida is surprised that the lights in the common room are on. Simultaneously, heads of varying colors (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green, 1 red and white, and 1 black complete the spectrum, like an incomplete rainbow made of hair) turn to their direction and make their own individual motions of surprise.
"Prez! You're alive!" His more boisterous classmates, Kirishima Eijirou-kun and Kaminari Denki-kun jump on him while making odd groveling sounds and crumpling his already quite-crumpled UA uniform set.
"A-as you can see, I am very much alive! Kindly refrain from excessive fondling!" Iida tries to declare in the most dignified manner he is able to in the midst of their gropes of relief.
"And you're still yourself! Ah, Prez, we thought we lost you!" Kaminari-kun cries dramatically. He shakes Iida until his glasses are askew. "If you're gone, no-one's gonna stop the rest of them from bullying me in the group chat!"
"Nothing's gonna stop that, dude," Sero Hanta-kun deadpans with a toothy grin. He puts a large hand on his shoulder, relief also plain on his face. "I'm glad you're safe though, Prez. You didn't look too okay on the video…"
"The video?" Iida gives them a look of surprise, which in turn is mirrored by the rest of his classmates.
He hears Aizawa-sensei sigh next to him in exasperation, and wordlessly points to where his closest acquaintances Midoriya Izuku-kun and Todoroki Shouto-kun are seated on the couch. A laptop is set up in front of them ominously. As Iida-kun approaches them, Midoriya-kun has an apologetic look on his face. "… this was all over our Facebook feeds a couple of hours ago," explains the green-haired boy as he turns the screen to his direction.
Iida-kun doesn't know how to feel as he watches the video, reposted on the Overheard in UA Facebook community by an anonymous user. The video is aptly titled [Scumbags! Notorious Three Sturm Und Drang Perverts Beat Up Glasses Boy!]. It is 47 seconds long, and features all the characters in the title, including the faces of a few horrified housewives in the background.
The video begins when Iida falls on the ground; it seems that his balance was thrown off when one of the smaller Three Sturm Und Drang hit the backs of his knees. Watching how he was kicked repeatedly all over reminds him briefly of the actual bruises on his body, but they do not sting as much as the utter humiliation of having his agony posted online.
But wait! "Midoriya-kun! Kindly replay the video once more!"
Likely a little surprised of his sudden sharp command, the green-haired boy stammers a little and clicks replay.
The video is shaky, obviously taken from the smart phone of a terrified passenger. The faces of the perverts are there, clear as day. Iida's square, bruised face is also very clear-there is no mistaking that it is him, a UA student, and pretending not to be the person in this video would be worthless. At the end of it, one is able to see the back of Inspector Naomasa in his casual clothes, approaching the fattest of the perverts. The video is cut as he pulls them off-screen.
But save for a brief flash of her shoes and legs clad in thick, dark stockings, the other important character of the life-changing event is missing from the video. He scrolls down and quickly scans the comments. While there are people publicly shaming the perverts and taking pity or LOL-ing at our Square-shaped friend, no-one mentioned her or her involvement in the entire fiasco.
Thank heavens! Thank all the deities that she is spared from the circus of the comments section! Lord knows that Yaoyorozu-kun does not deserve any further harassment or ill publicity! He sighs and lets himself fall on the floor.
"You look relieved," he hears Todoroki-kun's curious voice cut through his thoughts. His other classmates regard him curiously. "Did you see anything new in the video?"
Iida closes his mouth. He does not want Yaoyorozu Momo-kun's involvement to be known. At least not at this time. Perhaps reading his mind perfectly as he is always able to do, Aizawa-sensei comes to his rescue.
"Doesn't matter. We've already asked that website and all the others to take that video down. Since Iida's face isn't censored, it's technically illegal and shouldn't have been uploaded in the first place," the older man says, commanding all the attention to him and away from the laptop. He gives them his standard steely glare and makes everyone shiver. "All right, you lot. It's way past lights out. Don't bother Iida any more about this. We're gonna have a hard enough time helping him keep a low profile as it is."
"Yes sir, Aizawa-sensei!"
The other boys shuffle back upstairs. Midoriya-kun gives another concerned look at Iida, fully intending to speak with him again, before Iida feels Aizawa's hand on his shoulder.
He turns to look at the teacher. As respectable as their strong homeroom teacher is, he always appears tired, but tonight he is tired beyond comprehension. "Iida."
The tone is stern. Iida's heard it being used before against his more boisterous classmates. "Sir. I apologize for my unseemly behavior on that train! It is clearly not befitting of a dignified student of UA, and I am ready for whatever disciplinary actions-"
"Quiet." Immediately, Iida clamps his mouth shut, allowing Aizawa-sensei to sigh tiredly. "The events of tonight aren't ideal, true, but your actions were not… unseemly."
This makes Iida pause for more than a few seconds. Did Aizawa-sensei just… commend him? Such hints of positivity were rarely heard in their logical, objective, and oftentimes harsh teacher's usual speech patterns. This is enough to make Iida feel uncomfortable.
"However, I expect you to have some difficulty because of the publicity this caused," continues the teacher. Perhaps the look of surprise on Iida's face did not escape him, as he returns to his usual authoritative tone. "As such, I advise you to keep as low a profile as possible. I would even advise against talking about the incident to any of your classmates. If such difficulties arise, I expect you to rely on either me or any of the faculty staff here. I prefer you speak to me before anybody else, since I'm your homeroom teacher."
"Yes sir," Iida replies without any fuss.
Aizawa nods, satisfied that he is understood immediately. "We're really lucky that the Yaoyorozu girl wasn't on the video," he mumbles under his breath.
"Sir?"
Iida is a little surprised that the teacher seemed to know about the girl, but then again didn't he know those teachers from Shiketsu High as well? And yet, noting the curious look that must have been on the boy's face, Aizawa-sensei raises an eyebrow at him, a little incredulous. "You mean to tell me you don't know who the girl is?"
He blinks in astonishment. What an utterly odd question to ask someone who's shared such a harrowing experience with the person-in-question! "I know that her name is Yaoyorozu-kun, and that she is a freshman at Shiketsu High."
Now it's Aizawa-sensei's turn to blink. "Well. I suppose it's better this way," is all he says, after a long thoughtful silence. He pats Iida on the shoulder almost fondly-again, another mannerism that appears odd on the stern teacher-and gestures for him to go upstairs. "Let me know if there's trouble. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Y-yes, sensei!"
Moments later, the gruff teacher is gone, and Iida is left by himself to march up the stairs to his room. It has been a long day, and he feels it as he peels off his disheveled uniform, puts on his favourite blue striped pajama set (complete with a stocking cap, for extra comfort), and removes his glasses.
As he lifts off his eye wear from his face, he notices scratches and unseemly smudges-evidences of the day's struggles, proof of many bothersome things that should not have happened to the version of him who knew to stay in his lane. Look, the frame is a little bent, and the lenses are dirtier than he ever imagined. It is odd that he was able to see through them at all!
He instinctively reaches for his glass cleaning cloth from his bedside table, but stops himself. Quietly, as he stares at the bend of light reflecting off the stained lenses, he remembers Yaoyorozu-kun's gentle profile, as her ebony eyes shimmer with the city lights outside the car window.
He sighs, and places the glasses inside his drawer. He has many spare glasses in his room, anyway. Let this pair mark the day that the frames of his square-shaped life finally bent into something… unexpected.
AN: So this has been collecting cobwebs in my WIP folder for a long long time. I figure it's about time I published it :O