Notes:
Hello! It seems that I've abandoned this fic for far too long, especially on ffnet. I most update on AO3 nowadays, so if you're interested on getting faster update, you can check out my AO3 account! However, I am also working on updating this fic and hopefully can keep up my update schedule on both platforms. A series of update is about to follow! Please enjoy!
WEEK 5-7
If you think the day went smoother for Iida on the next morning, you were wrong.
He remembered seeing Midoriya's sleeping face (they slept in the same bed again – somehow Iida had gotten used to it) as the other teen's arm was slung over Iida's chest while he mumbled All Might's name. Then the next thing he knew, he found himself sitting with his hands on his lap, shackled; his neck sore from the awkward position it was put in for a while and his whole head still covered by some sort of a bag. Five, if not more, people were talking over him and about him. One of them were explaining Iida's full background, another was even pointing out his underwear size.
That was some incredible information gathering, Iida had to say.
In his sleep hazed mind, Iida could only make out tidbits of the conversation. Sometimes he was there to hear the important parts; most of the time he wasn't.
"He has a collection of Ingenium's action figures".
"Hmm, narcissism?"
"Not really. More of a brother complex".
Iida's consciousness was well on its way back to dream land when one of the voices said, "Creatii?" and a face formed in the middle of Iida's line of vision. Pretty, with slightly slanted eyes and smooth black hair. "Full name's Yaoyorozu Momo," said another voice and this time she appeared in her full form, in UA's school uniform, at the front of what looked like a classroom; Iida's classroom.
Ah, her.
No one else was there beside her and Iida, who was sitting on one of the seats; staring, gaping. She slipped straying strands of hair behind an ear as she shifted shyly in a manner she would only show in rare times.
She's so beautiful, was what Iida wanted to say. Unfortunately someone disrupted that line of thought by saying, "So how long have they been dating?"
The voice sounded like they came from the walls and even Yaoyorozu started looking around at the classroom walls around her as the voices continue.
"They started dating about a year ago?"
"Oh she's intelligent. They look like the perfect match".
Something fluttered inside Iida's chest as he laid his eyes on Yaoyorozu yet again. She too was looking at him.
"This is ridiculous. They are not dating," said a voice familiar to any UA student. Iida was surprised to find Aizawa-Sensei popping out of nowhere next to Yaoyorozu, right behind the teacher's desk. He was gazing dead at Iida's eyes; expressionless as usual.
"The two of them hasnt been together for a long time," said the UA teacher, "You're looking at the wrong direction".
And then strangely, Yaoyorozu also turned to Iida and she opened her mouth, but the voice that came out was not hers. "And how can we be sure?" She said.
"Because I'm their homeroom teacher. I know whats going on in my class," the answer came smoothly from Aizawa-sensei's mouth if not with a hint of boredom in his tone.
Iida glanced between the man and his ex lover. What is going on?
"And how about Midoriya?" Yaoyorozu questioned, with the voice of a man, "Is she involved with Midoriya-kun?"
Iida felt his jaw trembling, yet he couldn't form a single word. Then she opened her mouth again, "Iida-kun?"
Iida jolted in his seat and suddenly he was back to that situation where his hands were shackled and his head were covered by a bag. It made sense. That place with Yaoyorozu was all a dream because he was slightly out of it.
Iida planned to ask questions, but instead he said, "No," to the man whose voice came out fron dram Yaoyorozu's mouth.
"See? You are fussing over unnecessary details". Despite his lack of awareness, Iida swore that voice sounded like Aizawa-Sensei. Afterwards Iida slipped in and out of consciousness, in which he reckoned questions were thrown at him and he answered without even fully processing it. He kept on saying yes or no so easily it almost felt like someone wove the answer right out of him.
In his dreams he saw himself with Yaoyorozu and she would randomly turn to him with a smile but speak with a grown male's voice. "What is you relationship with Midoriya-kun? Are you involved with his kidnappings?"
Iida remembered staring at her for a long time, not being able to discern why she managed to use such a voice on him and ask such a question, before Aizawa-sensei's voice answered yet again from somewhere beyond this forest scenery where Iida and dream Yaoyorozu had been strolling in.
"Ugh, how many times should I tell you he's not very informed about all of this?" Aizawa-sensei explained flatly, "His recruitment was all arranged by UA".
Iida somehow opened his mouth and without knowing what he was going to say, his mouth moved on its own, "I don't know of any kidnappings".
Then there was another question which Iida couldn't e fully understand, but, again, he was able to answer smoothly. "I was contacted by All Might right when I was in the middle of job searching. I don't know how he was able to find my contacts or why he chose me".
There were some arguments in which Yaoyorozu was talking back and forth to herself.
"I was to blame for that," Aizawa-sensei's voice added, "I suggested Iida-kun to All Might right before All Might had to leave the country for his mission".
"And how much further is UA's involvement in helping All Might hiding Midoriya-kun?" Asked someone.
"Not much beside providing him ways to get Midoriya to a proper school, and the right hired help. We don't see Midoriya face to face if that was what you're wondering," Aizawa-sensei sounded nonchalant, "Nor were we the ones in charge of picking up Midoriya-kun from your facility. All we did was provide information and tips".
"Well, that is just unbelievable –" and then Iida's mind went somewhere else, where he and Yaoyorozu were in the sky, flying; his left hand held by her right. They were flying so fast that the wind was hitting their faces hard. Iida barely cared though. As long as he could hold her hand, it was fine.
Iida turned to her, and he realized she was talking to him though he couldn't hear her very well in the midst of this strong gust of wind. How surprised he was to discover he was talking back too, though he didn't know what he was saying. It was on the last question did Iida finally heard what exactly Yaoyorozu was saying.
"Have you and Midoriya-kun ever kissed?"
Iida's eyebrows furrowed. "No," he answered.
Then Yaoyorozu's face slowly morphed to someone Iida know so well.
It was Uraraka's.
Like Yaoyorozu, she was moving her mouth, but the voice was so unlike hers. "Are you sure?" she said, "Our source said Midoriya-kun kissed someone".
It was you, Iida thought, he kissed you, Occhan. He almost said it, in fact his mouth was already opened wide. But he held himself back and just like that he woke up and returned to the place where his hands were shackled. Iida took a deep breath, almost hungrily.
"Well?" Pressed the interviewer.
Iida braced himself, "I-I mean, yes. We did," he swallowed, "I was hurt and then he suddenly kissed me".
"That was the tenth time this happened," someone else commented before being shushed. Iida believed he managed to fool them. Obviously this was not a dream. These people were interrogating him and Aizawa-Sensei was somehow there. Iida could not put Uraraka into this. They would look for her too if they knew how involved she was in all of this.
"This is a nightmare," one of the interrogators gushed, seemingly in disbelief that Midoriya had kissed someone. Iida prepared himself to answer better but he found his consciousness being pushed back again and he returned to the sky, with a smiling Yayorozu next to him. Iida frowned at her as if knowing something was wrong. Sure enough the sun was there right in front of them and they were coming closer and closer. Iida wanted to warn her to stop, but before he managed to do that.
A punch was sent to his left cheek.
"Oof!" Iida slumped to the wall, hand holding said cheek. When he looked around, he noted that he was now in a public toilet stall with Aizawa-sensei standing tall facing him with a fist stretched forward. Iida gaped at the man, confused.
"Are you fully awake now?" The older asked. Iida dumbly nodded. "Good. Now follow me," The UA teacher added before turning around and walked ahead.
Iida went compliant and shadowed the man. Once out from the public toilet, Iida reckoned the place to be the pizza place close to the station going to UA. "Umm," Iida tried to start a conversation, but the older man ignored him and kept on going.
Iida didn't expect for to stop at a table with a familiar face.
"That was faster than I expected," Shinsou blurted after Iida and Aizawa-sensei stopped at his table. The teen was on his phone, and on the seat next to him was a duffel bag. "Please sit down," Shinsou said.
Iida looked pointedly at the table and reckon the half finished drink in front of Shinsou and there were two other drinks right where Iida and Aizawa were. "I've ordered your drinks for you, is that okay?"
Aizawa-sensei nodded as he sit down. Iida needed a moment to process everything, but he followed suit. He drummed his fingers to feign his cool, then he opened his mouth ready to enquire about what was going on. However, not even a word was out and he was halted by Aizawa-sensei.
"What do you remember?"
Iida turned his head slightly to the older and said, "Pardon?"
"What do you remember?" He repeated. When returned his stare dumbly, the man added, "From the interview".
"I don't think he understands what just happened," Shinso mentioned, "That's part of the aftereffect".
Iida's mouth opened and closed like a fish before he settled at looking between his two companions. "Um, I remember looking sleeping next to Midoriya-kun –"
This time Shinso choked on his and coughed grotesquely. "W-what was that?" Shinso managed between coughs, "Sleeping next to -? How is that even possible?"
Aizawa-sensei tiredly rubbed his face, "He even said that in the interview. In front of everyone".
Shinso gaped at the bespectacled teen. Iida shook his head, hands moving robotically, "It wasn't like that. Not at all! He was just lonely and I needed a place to sleep in that wasn't Todoroki-kun's or Bakugou-kun's so I figured sleeping together is fine! We did a couple of times. But I never see him more than just a brother or a f-friend! We share the bed and that's all!"
Shinso looked like his class rep just said the most ridiculous thing ever and Aizawa-sensei sipped his drink, a glass of iced coffee. "Oh no," Shinsou murmured finally.
"Exactly. And this is why we're here today with you in front of us," Aizawa-Sensei muttered flatly.
"W-what do you mean?" Iida asked. He could sense the tension.
"That back then… that's them. You know. The Foundation," Shinso half whispered while looking nervous, "They wanted to meet you".
"Oh," Iida's memories; of sitting with his hands shackled, of flying with Yaoyorozu; started filling in. He nervously looked for the guidance of the other two, "Did I do well?"
"No. Not exactly. Not when you boasted about sleeping with their golden boy," Aizawa-Sensei bluntly responded. Iida swallowed loudly. Shinso looked apologetic.
"I said that?" Iida uselessly questioned, "But if they took straight from the bed, they should have known".
"Classrep, they did not take you from your room," Shinso replied.
Aizawa-Sensei gladly filled it in, "You were taken from the kitchen".
"It's the drugs," Shinso added, "Its what they gave you to just say everything in your mind. It messes with your memory and awareness too".
Makes sense, Iida thought as more memories of him saying stuff as they are without any filter from his brain came into him. "How's Midoriya-kun" Iida blurted out next. Shinso's eyes darted sideways almost defensively.
"He's safe," was all he said.
"Anyhow," Aizawa-Sensei disrupted, "You are incredibly stupid," the man said to the chosen representative of the class he was in charge of. Iida blinked his eyes a couple of times in bewilderment.
"I-I'm sorry, Sensei?"
"What you said back then," the UA teacher rubbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, "Why did you have to give all the incriminating answers? What in your simple mind thought it was a great idea to say you've slept with Midoriya?" The man blurted.
Iida guiltily looked down to his lap while Shinso prrssed on, "Did he say anything else?"
Aizawa-sensei looked like he wanted to smoke, "That they've kissed".
Iida's eyes bulged. He did. He definitely remembered now that he did. Shinso nodded, "Which we expected. That went according to plan," his eyes met Iida's, "We cant take Uraraka into this".
Iida nodded. It seemed that Shinso had informed Aizawa-Sensei about Uraraka's kiss with Midoriya and they were all in agreement that they should keep Uraraka out of this.
"That's true, but the answers that leads to that was very," Aizawa-Sensei grimaced, "Incriminating. With the sleeping together part, especially. You are lucky you're only sleep talking. I was there to bear all of the questioning and judging stares".
Iida was ready to be on his knees and bow to apologize, but Aizawa-sensei turned all serious. "And that's why we have Shinso with us here today," the teacher added.
Shinso shifted as if the statement made him uncomfortable. Iida looked between the two of them, "What do you mean?"
"They only send him when they want someone out," Aizawa-Sensei said, "And this time, they want you out of the picture".
Iida's eyes rounded at Shinso.
"But he wont be doing any of that," Aizawa-sensei continued, "Wont you, Shinso?"
Shinso eyed the teacher for a long minute before a smile grew in his lips. "Right," he turned to Iida, "Because classmates first and foremost". Iida felt his own shoulders sagging in relief. He didn't know what might happen otherwise, but he'd rather not be faced with Shinso's quirk.
"I've been working with them for quite some time. In fact, I got the job through Aizawa-sensei. But he made me promise to know where my loyalty lies wherever I go," Shinso explained himself, "And its always toward UA first".
Iida was surprised to find Shinso and Aizawa-sensei's involvement with The Foundation ran quite deep. They had been informed about this for a while.
"Although, I was suspicious you forgot about your loyalty when I noticed you were snooping around ny office," Aizawa-sensei retorted, "On their orders I suppose".
Shinso flinched guiltily, "Not exactly. The Foundation knew UA was involved with Midoriya's disappearance. They didn't ask me to incriminate UA. They ordered me to look for Midoriya's whereabouts. And I figured UA and you, especially, were the place to look for".
They were still somewhat tense. "How about now?" Aizawa-sensei probed. Shinso's eyes turned to Iida.
"I will not brainwash Iida-kun, if that's what you're asking, Sensei," Shinso stated. Iida let out the breath he's been holding.
"So… so now what will happen?" Iida asked.
"Truth is, right now there are tens of them watching us. Don't wry, none of them can hear us. All of them are expecting you to forget everything that has happened in the last month after you leave this table, assuming I brainwashed you into forgetting. As I've made clear, I wont," Shinso explained slowly, "But you have to make this easy for me. Your actions will be put under a tight scrutiny for a while after this. Class rep, you have to act like you forgot," Shinso paused, "Do not try to contact him, do not look for him, do not even mention his name. I want you to forget Midoriya-kun or at least act like it".
Iida was silent and the other teen added,
"Don't reach out to anyone to talk about him. Don't even try to think much about him. Move on; otherwise… Otherwise I don't even know what would happen".
Iida opened his mouth, "But All might –"
"Is not the only one responsible for Midoriya-kun's well-being. A lot of others are involved," Shinso finished for him, rigidly. Aizawa-Sensei sighed next to Iida.
"After eating and acting like we were having a jolly conversation, we would leave the table and go our separate ways. Shinso already has you bag over here and your car parked outside. Everything you carried to Midoriya's place is already inside that bag. Afterwards, you don't look back," Aizawa-sensei stated calmly, "I have a one month job prepared for you outside of Musutafu. Take your time over there and don't contact anyone. We'll take care of everything else here. The pay you've received from All Might is fully yours, so use it wisely".
This didn't sit well with Iida, but he took it in and accepted the fact that he couldn't go against this Foundation, whoever they are. This group of people could gather about tens of people to watch over this table right now and Iida swore he could feel their eyes on his back though by sight alone everything looked normal.
"Am I in danger?" Iida voiced out.
"No. No you're not as long as you keep your behaviors in check," Aizawa-sensei answered.
"Is Midori - ," Iida halted because Shinso gave him a look as if asking his class rep to stop mentioning the name.
"He's fine," was Shinso's short reply, "He has the best protectors in Japan".
Excluding me, Iida glumly thought. Believe it or not, he appreciated his time with Midoriya and it was surreal to have all of that taken from him in mere minutes. The wall clock in the crowded Pizza place told Iida it was only 12.10 pm. Usually he woke up at about 7 am so it was only some hours ago since this all started.
A server brought them a serving of large pizza. Shinso thanked her and took a slice. "I'll me sure everything will return to normal once you're back in Musutafu," he said.
"How about Uraraka?" Iida asked.
"I'll talk to her," Aizawa-sensei answered. Iida felt like he was left behind somehow.
"Anyhow, Class Rep. I'll do my best to watch your back, and I hope you'll be watching mine too. So, pizza?" He reached out with the hand he's holding the pizza slice with. Iida was silent for a moment, before he took a slice and reached out as though they were toasting.
"Pizza," Iida responded.
They had other conversations afterwards, from the latest news among the pro hero industry to what goes on in UA. After finishing their meal, Shinso left first while mentioning he had paid for their table. Aizawa-sensei followed him.
"So Classrep, that was a nice chat," Shinso said as he stood by his seat, "I'll see you later, maybe around?"
Iida hesitated, but nodded.
He was left on his own devices then. So Iida took the duffel bag Shinso had left on the seat across from Iida and he walked outside. He made no eye contacts and only nodded slightly to the servers who bid him thanks. His car was parked not far away. And true enough, once inside, a mail from a pro hero named Thorne went into Iida's inbox. The mail consisted of a coordinate Iida could follow outside of the city to a place where he'll be taking his next job.
Iida took a deep breath. It will be difficult to start something new when he wasn't ever ready to leave his present.
But Iida kicked the gas, all the while keeping his mind from wondering what Midoriya was doing on the other side of Musutafu at the same time.
It was two weeks into Iida's new work and so far he had been enjoying it though he sometimes slipped into contemplation. He tried not to, of course. Instead he engaged himself in more work.
Overall the new job had been great though. Iida was surprised to find many other intern different schools. Thorne was a sensible pro hero put in charge of safe and secure mission for natural disasters. The area right on the borders of Musutafu had became more and more prone to disasters in the last decade and efforts were pulled to avoid higher number of fatalities in the future.
At first there were questions as to why a UA student was there (Iida was the only one interning in the site), but that was quickly put to rest with a made up explanation. The rest of the interns were nice. Unfortunately Iida mostly did paper works what with his finalized hero costume still in Musutafu and he didn't think it was a good idea to even approach the town around this time. Although he didn't join any field work, he was glad to say he learned a lot from Thorne.
Iida didn't know how much the older man understood Iida's situation. So far he hadnt asked questions. It was easy to forget Midoriya when everyone acted like he didn't exist.
Or so Iida hoped.
"What? You're telling me you've met Tony Stark? The Tony Stark?" Inasa exclaimed over the shared dining table.
"Yes," Iida nodded, "My family's business is one of Stark Industries' providers".
"Oh, we've met Spiderman in JYHO. Have you met'em?"
"No, unfortunately. Never met'em".
"Really? You never met the Intern?" Inasa eyebrows met, "Peter Parker?"
"Peter? Yeah, we like each other pics over the socials and dm each other sometimes," Iida answered coolly. When Inasa's brows furrowed further, Iida stopped eating.
"Don't tell me… You don't know who Peter Parker is," Inasa sounded exasperated.
"Yeah, I know him. Mr. Stark's intern. Pretty smart guy" Iida replied. The. He came to realization, "Are you saying he knows who Spiderman is? He seems to know a lot about Spiderman".
When Inasa facepalmed, Iida dumbly said, "Am I right? I'm right arent I?"
Before the discussion continued, someone called Iida to Thorne's office so Iida quickly finished dinner and cleaned after himself. "Someone wants to see you," said one of Thorne's staff in the main camp where most interns stayed. The man led Iida to a hallway leading to Thorne's office.
"What about?" Iida asked. He was convinced it had nothing to do with UA for Aizawa-sensei and Shinso would make sure no one contacted Iida while away from UA.
"We have no idea. But they requested to speak privately with you," the man stopped next to Thorne's office door, "It's a high profile guest".
Iida stopped in his track. The last time he heard that word, high profile, he got someone in the form of green hair and freckles. Iida couldn't help but wonder.
"I'll be leaving you here," the man said before opening the door. Iida went inside.
He didn't expect not to see Thorne at all. In his usual stead, right behind his desk, was a woman instead. She wore a dress shirt and a tie, complete with a short black skirt. Her skin was blue with a matching short hair. "Iida Tenya, I've been expecting for your arrival. Please, take a seat," she offered the chair across from Thorne's desk like she owned the place. Iida hesitated, but approached the seat. The woman offered her hand before Iida sat down. "I'm Awata Kaoruko, pleasure to meet you Iida-san".
"Ah, yes," Iida shook her hand, "Its my pleasure".
They both took a seat. Now that Iida was closer, he could finally see how young she was. Yet, the way she carried herself was of someone with experience. She had to be a pro hero or at least someone with the knowledge of the industry.
"You must be wondering why you are here," she said. Even casual, there was a hint of seriousness to her tone. "Have they told you why you're summoned here?"
"No, actually not. They simply told me I'm seeing an important guest," Iida admitted. Her lips formed an airy smile.
"I suppose you can say so," she responded, "Actually, we've met before".
Iida tilted his head in confusion, "Ah, sorry, I must have forg –".
"But you didn't see me".
Iida halted his words mid sentence. Something about what she said made Iida nervous all of a sudden.
"No need to act like you forgot. We've talked to Shinso," she explained rather nonchalantly, "which, if the situation was a bit different, would be a problem. But I suppose some thank you is due considering the circumstances".
Iida was frozen still. This woman was a part of them; The Foundation. Iida's jaw trembled.
"As for why I'm here, its to arrange a meeting; day and time," she pushed a tablet toward Iida with an electronic document to be signed on the screen. Iida turned rigid. He wasn't se what to do.
So he coughed, "If I may ask, what is this meeting about?" He feigned calmness.
"Its all stated in the document," she clarified. So Iida carefully leaned closer to the tablet so he could read the paper.
"It says here you are offering me a job," Iida dumbly stated.
"Actually, the document is for your agreement to attend a meeting to discuss our job offer. The actual job offer will be discussed after you agree to talk with us by signing this paper".
"This is such a measure just to arrange a meeting".
Awata smiled, "It is".
"The paper doesn't say much about the job," Iida said again.
"We'll tell you everything about once you agree to meet with us in our headquarters. Once you sign the paper, we'll send you a ride tomorrow to take you into our headquarters".
"And my internship here?"
"If an agreement has been reached in the meeting, we'll handle whatever unfinished business you have here," she claimed.
Iida nodded robotically then looked down at the tablet again. The paper stated the possible salary for the job. It was rather high. Higher than what All Might had even offered about two months ago. "If I agree," Iida started slowly, "Will I be safe with you?"
The woman chuckled. "Of course you will!" She exclaimed, "But if you're worried, you'll have a UA teacher accompanying you as your representative".
At least Iida would have someone he knew there. "Do I have the freedom to not accept the job?"
She didn't answer instantly, but she tilted her head and answered, "Sure," a smile, "Extra measures will be taken afterwards, of course".
Iida swallowed. But he held the stylus pen and let his hand hover on top of the spot to sign.
"We're open to discussions, if you're wondering. And we do not give offers without proper considerations. We do, however, expect commitments," she stressed. The fingers holding the stylus shifted before it took a better grip on the pen and signed the document with such confidence.
"Glad you've made the right decision," she said. Iida put the stylus down and felt like he just made the biggest decision in his life.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Iida-san," another airy smile as the door behind Iida opened.
Iida hardly slept that night.
The papers he signed dictate him to dress formally, take some clothes and not tell anyone about where he's going. Therefore Iida had thought of many excuses as to why he had leave the work site. But no one questioned where Iida was going the next morning; not that they would miss a lot, considering Iida mostly would do administrative jobs instead work with the rest outdoors. Even Thorne's staff didn't ask much, yet they somehow had arranged a leave for Iida. In short, Iida's departure from the site was rather smooth.
The ride sent by Awata-san was a limo. A limo. Complete with a neatly dressed driver that doesn't speak much, not that they were able to. The driver's seat and the passenger's seat was separated by a partition. So Iida was left to his own thoughts. And it was a mess over there currently as sights of trees and mountains passed by his line of sight in the car.
After about twenty minute, the limo entered a tunnel that seemed to never end. They were going underground, Iida thought, and the road was rather deserted. A secret entrance, Iida noted, possibly one like UA's. Iida wouldn't surprised if Japan has more than ten of these scattered around the nation. Most of them were related to the pro hero's line of work. Considering the danger of being a hero, secrecy and safety were among the priorities of most governmental bodies related to the area.
Deeper into the tunnel, they had passed a number of gates with laser security check. The cars must have been chipped to pass by these gates, like the ones they had in one of UA's secret passages. And further into the tunnel, the walls got brighter and brighter, in white. In fact, at one point, Iida forgot that they were on the road and not inside a building because of how pristine it was.
The whole journey probably took about slightly more than an hour until the scenery changed. They entered a vast space underground, complete with gardens, some man made lake and a wide parking lot. The whole space was mostly made of white in what you'd call an ultra modern architecture.
The driver opened the door for Iida once they were parked. "Iida-san, you have arrived at your destination," the driver bowed as he allowed Iida to leave the car.
"Thank you," Iida replied, tense. "Umm, if you don't mind, where you should I go?"
The driver pointed at what seemed like a round shaped platform with a slim, waist height, sleek operating table. "You are expected in the lobby, Sir. You can access it through the elevator," the man then reached into his side pocket, "Here is your ID card. You are expected to carry it with you at anytime while inside the headquarters".
"Thank you," Iida stared at the blue nametag and noted how it was nameless. He latched it onto his breast pocket, then carried his bag to the platform and stepped onto it. The circle design on its flooring and the operating table lit up and showed a touch pad with a single round LED light button labeled with the letter L. "Welcome to the Headquarters, Iida Tenya," a womanlike computer voice greeted. It was notable how she didn't mention what headquarters this was.
Iida tapped on the L button to go to the lobby. The driver bowed toward Iida as the elevator went down, further into the underground.
Right below the parking lot was even a larger space with a very high ceiling. As the platform elevated down slowly, Iida watched with fascinations over the room. People, dressed in black suits, loitered around and minding their own business. Shrubs and tall trees decorated parts of the area, and other parts had huge fountains with modern sculptures. Iida noted other elevators containing people also came down along with his in various parts of the room, further adding to this image of a very busy place.
Once the elevator landed, the LED light shut down and a woman voice stated that Iida had arrived on the lobby. Iida gladly stepped out of the platform and looked around. Some men in black glanced at him, but they quickly return to their own business and didn't pay him any mind. There was a front desk not far from him, so Iida took a beeline to the woman behind it.
"Excuse me," Iida started. The woman, also dressed in black, smiled sweetly. "I have an appointment," Iida added.
"Iida Tenya, is it?" She stated before he managed to say more.
Dumbfounded, Iida answered, "Yes".
She nodded, "Awata-san will be here for you soon. You can wait over there," she politely pointed at a rather empty seating area across from them. Iida thanked her and walked ahead. As he sat down, he looked around and stopped at the sight of a gigantic fountain at the center of the room.
"Iida-san," Awata-san greeted as she walked to Iida's way with her hand already outreached. Iida hurriedly stood from his seat and took her hand. "Glad you've arrived safely. How was your journey?" She started conversationally as she led Iida ahead without any word. Iida followed her without question and watched her nod at the front desk lady.
"It was uneventful, but impressive nonetheless," Iida admitted. She smirked at that answer and stepped onto the open elevator again. Iida, again, followed right after her. The elevator lit up and this time greeted the two of them. Iida noted how the operating table showed more buttons now that Awata-san was with him. The elevator might have recognized the id cards and knew which floors to give access to. He missed which button Awata-san chose, but the elevator went down with a faster speed this time that Iida couldn't catch a single scenery on their way down.
It wasn't until they were closing into their destination did the elevator slowed down. They stopped at a room that led to a number of corridors. There was a front desk before those corridors, with a man and a lady at the register, greeting them with a welcoming smile. Awata-san stepped down the elevator and she had Iida's bag taken by the front desk. "They'll take that for you. For now you should meet up with Sir Nighteye," she claimed before leading Iida to the hallway in the center. Iida tailed without any words, that was until they stopped by the door at the end of the hallway.
"Here you go. Sir has been waiting for you behind this door," the blue lady told Iida.
"I… I thought you said I'll be accompanied by a UA representative?"
The woman blinked. "Yes. But you don't need them to talk to Sir, obviously. Sir Nighteye only wants to have a couple of words with you. No need for UA to mediate". She opened the door for Iida, "So go on, he's been waiting".
Iida hesitated, but stepped inside anyway. He dreaded the moment he heard the door close behind him. And when it did, he looked ahead of him.
The room was beautiful. The walls on Iida's right side was made out of glass, facing a huge aquarium. No, in fact, that was an actual sight of the sea, some distance under the sea. A school of colorful fishes passed by and looked at the glass wall with interest.
In front of it was a seating area in white while to Iida's left was a tall white walls where framed pictures of All Might were hung. But what held Iida's attention the most was at the farthest corner of the room. There, a huge L-shaped desk laid very still. Behind it was a very intimidating figure of a man; dressed in black, hair sleek and parted from the side.
It wasn't that he was huge and scary. No, the man was rather slender and with such appearance, he should be able to pass as a regular salaryman. But the glare behind that triangular glasses spoke volume and it chased whatever bravery Iida had left out of the room.
Iida knew his presence was expected, but he couldn't help but bow in guilt. "Excuse my intrusion, I-I –"
"Come closer".
Iida halted and stood upright in an instant. He shivered in fear, but took a couple of steps closer. The man was silent for a while, but then growled, "What are you doing? I said, come closer".
Iida hurriedly approached the man until he was right by his desk. Iida opened his mouth to explain himself, but as if knowing Iida was going to speak, the man cut him to the chase. "Sit down".
Iida hurriedly took one of the seats in front of the desk, minus any elegance. The older man had his hands joined in front of his mouth as his eyes went straight to Iida's form. There was disdain in that stare and Iida had never felt smaller in his life until he was faced by this man. The light from the waters outside this room add to the intimidation around this man. Iida started to sweat even though this underwater room was supposed to be chilly.
Iida was about to say something, but the disrupted him for the third time that day. "I can never figure out," the man, Sir Nighteye his name was, started after a long moment of silence, "What All Might had seen in you".
It was then Iida noticed. He knew this voice. It was the same voice that came out of Yaoyorozu's mouth in his drug induced dream before he was asked to leave Midoriya. This was the same voice that had interrogated him using the face of his loved one. And this guaranteed Iida's faith for the day. He was in the clutch of The Foundation.
"Midoriya-kun fancies you to an unusual extent," the man added. The mention of that name got Iida holding back his breath because it had become such a taboo in the last couple of weeks.
"Even though," Sir Nighteye rose from his seat. He stood tall and crossed his arms, "you pale in comparison to our Mirio".
"Mirio…," Iida blurted in recognition, "T-togata…Senpai?"
Sir Nighteye didn't reply, but which other Mirio would he meant if not that Mirio. The Togata Mirio who was among the top three in Iida's school. Of course no one, and definitely not Iida, could compare to that guy.
"All Might himself has taken in to Mirio's talents. Mirio has proven his worth yet and yet again," Sir Nighteye's glare was cold, colder than the waters beyond this room, "All Might has even chosen him to be his successor. The next All Might, you can say".
Iida was far too focused on one part of that speech. "To-Togata-Senpai is going to be the next… All Might?"
Sir Nighteye scoffed. "How vain. Among everything you could question, you opted for the least useful for you," He walked ahead to the glass wall, "For you, someone who has yet to explore what goes on behind the scenes, All Might is forever. But to us, the ones who work in the shadows, we've long accepted his glory is coming to an end".
"I know All Might is very ill," Iida defended himself, "I'm a UA student. And I know he's retiring soon –"
"And your words prove how little you know. This is not a man coming to an end of his prime because of an injury. This is a man with a running hourglass since the start of his career because that quirk of his was created to be passed on from generation to generation".
Iida was frozen still. He didn't like where this is going.
"One for all is not his. It was his to pass on to someone else," Sir Nighteye finalized, "Granted, he is the best among those who had inherited it. But at the end of the day, All Might will be All Might no more, in all senses. He will lose his quirk".
"W-what," Iida was gaping openly at the man, "What are you saying?"
"Mirio has long been chosen to be One for All's inheritor for his qualities. Myself and All Might had prepared him to inherit One for All for quite some time. Midoriya-kun sees his idol in Mirio. Naturally, he should've been chosen as Midoriya-kun's bodyguard because, by default, Midoriya-kun will be passed on to be his responsibility too, but…," Sir Night Eye turned to Iida, "Here you are".
Iida stared at the man in disbelief. There was too much to process in such a short amount of time. For a moment there, they were having a battle of gaze until Iida finally said, "What do you mean by pass on?"
Sir Night Eye sighed, "One for All –"
"No, I mean Midoriya-kun," Iida murmured in confusion, "What do you mean he's passed on as Togata-Senpai's responsibility?"
A smirk, though just a little, colored the older's rather flat expression for a milisecond. "Finally, you've arrived at the right question," he approached Iida and stood intimidatingly close while looking down on Iida condescendingly, "Now, Mr. Chosen Bodyguard, have you ever heard of Donors?"
What Iida heard from Sir Nighteye was probably one of the few experiences he considered to be life changing. Of course he should have seen it. Midoriya was donating a crazy amount of blood before they caught news of All Might. Then there was the kiss with Uraraka.
In his office, Sir Nighteye explained everything to Iida.
"In the past, words of cure for aging could be heard from various parts of the world. Looking back to history, you could see this being told in the forms of myths, urban legend, fairytales. In some cultures, it was said that mermaids could make you immortal. In other parts, it was by drinking the blood of another mythical creature. In some ways or another you could find these tales easily".
"The most relevant text today on this topic was from a man who claimed to had lived for more than 8 centuries after performing an act of cannibalism toward another man. While you might think this sounds just like another old lady's tale, this text has actually been one of the most extensively researched text on the topic of donors. Most countries in the west has kept an interest on the topic and many state-funded research institutions are ran underground to study the gift to heal and give longer life to another human being for decades."
"A plethora of findings had been made. In short, all of them pointed to the fact that a small number of human are born with the gift of having every cells of their body the ability to heal and to revitalize another human being."
"Why is it not considered a quirk?" Iida remembered asking. "Because a quirk implicates the ability to control and manipulate," Sir Nighteye answered, "This gift, however, cannot be numbed or intensified. A person with this gift simply contains, they do not wield it.".
"Only half a century ago, various world leaders met in secret to discuss the possibility of finding these gifts as quirks became more normal and the hero industry started to grow. But it wasn't until France started a system which enable these gifts to be donated to chosen pro heroes was there a collective effort to make a mutually beneficial system for both people who are blessed with these gifts, the state, and the elite. This system allowed the state to find these gifted people and offer them protection and monetary reward for their willingness to donate their blood; these blood will then be donated to chosen elites, mostly pro heroes who would later return the favor by giving back to the state in the form of monetary compensation, helping the people, and by offering protection to the gifted people who had became their donors".
"Other countries followed suit and this was the point where the people with this gift were referred as donors".
"The industry was proven to be effective as a lot of parties gain benefit from the system. For its nature, governments around the world keep the industry as a secret for it would lead to a national security issues if the news ever reached those with bad intents".
Iida remembered Sir Nighteye's eerie stare, "Now, Iida-kun, I suppose you've figured out where Midoriya-kun plays a part in this?"
"We've found Midoriya-kun when he was shy of being 14 years old. He was in the middle of playing a game of spin the bottle and a kiss to this one quirkless girl with a broken wrist healed her instantly. It caused quite a stir in his quirkless middle school back then, but we pinpoint his location pretty quickly and we cleaned up after the mess".
"Turned out he had met All Might when he was ten – on the fight with All for One, remember? Midoriya-kun had always been a bit of a stalker to All Might and the kid managed to find All Might in the middle of a very gravely injury. Do you know what happened?"
"Midoriya cried so hard at the sight of a dying hero, his tears healed All Might and brought the man to victory".
Afterwards, Iida remembered Sir Nighteye telling him more about how the system was run in Japan and how it was the highest funded industry in Japan as of that day. Despite the clear distaste in Sir Nighteye's words when he touched on the subject of Midoriya's favor on Iida instead of Sir's own choice in Togata-Senpai, Iida couldn't help but be intrigued. Because this, this was more than just being a pro hero. Whatever this Foundation was, it was something huge.
So when the papers for the job to be Midoriya-kun's bodyguard, again, this time officially, were presented to him, Iida skimmed through and signed rather instantly right before someone knocked on the door and reminded Nighteye of lunch. An invitation to lunch was also extended to Iida though it was in a different room to Nighteye's.
Sir Nighteye left hurriedly and he looked satisfied with the fact that Iida signed the contract. But he didn't dart before he dropped a couple of messages to Iida.
"Have I told you that people are ranked from type 0-5 according to the strength of their ability to heal? Type 0 is for those with zero traits of the gift therefore showing no healing abilities. Type 1 is those with the weakest gift as they only have 1 characteristic of a gift. Type 5 shows all characters of healing abilities and their cells has the highest healing abilities".
A pause, "Currently, there are only seven living type 5 in the world".
"Among those ten, Midoriya was the youngest in the world and the only type 5 to ever been discovered in Japan's history".
A dark last stare was sent to Iida before he left, "I hope you understand what you are signing yourself for".
And after sitting down and gobbling down some meal, Iida could finally realize the weight of the responsibility he's ting upon himself. Midoriya was practically a chased after national treasure, and between Iida and Togata-Senpai, Iida felt like he had no right to actually call himself Midoriya's bodyguard.
"But Midoriya-kun actually wants you to be his bodyguard!" Awata-san exclaimed across the round shaped table as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, "So glad that you agreed to sign the contract. Otherwise we don't know what else to do with Midoriya-kun, you see?"
Iida noted that the woman started to warm up to Iida once she caught news Iida had signed the contract for the job to be Midoriya's bodyguard again. She had even showed more expression than mere politeness.
"He's raising his voice, giving us the silent treatment," Awata named a few, "He called Chisaki-san's cookings grandma food".
"He bans Sir Nighteye from ever visiting him again," a new man with the head of a centipede said. His name is Moashi.
"Yeah. That too," Awata nodded. "To think that such a gentle kid could pull such stunts! Sir was so shell-shocked. I think the whole headquarters needed a minute after they caught on to his outburst".
"Midoriya-kun has grown up, isnt he?" Moashi-san was almost sobbing and it seemed so uncharacteristic for a man with such stature.
"He has, Moashi-san. He has," Awata-san agreed.
Meanwhile Iida checked the pile of documents next to his finished lunch. He took one of the top and opened the map to reveal Midoriya's information. At the last pages of that document, there was a list of Midoriya's past bodyguards and Togata-senpai's information was right before Iida's. all stats in Togata-senpai's page were positive yet the results of his time with Midoriya were signed as undetermined. In iida's case, most of the stats were listed as unknown.
Iida sighed. "I think Sir Nighteye hates me".
"Oh, him? He does that to everyone," Awata-san bit into a garlic bread, "He's one of those people – y'know, those people who would act mean when they like you. What do we call them again?"
"Tsundere," Moashi-san filled in.
"Yes. That".
Kayama-sensei cackled next to Iida. She arrived right when they were about to have lunch and had joined them afterwards. "I'm still thinking of matching him up with one of the staff," Kayama-sensei giggled uncontrollably. Iida shuddered at the thought of Sir in a mixer party.
Two other people joined their table just then. One was a physician, David Shield, and another is an expert in donor laws, Tsukauchi Makoto. After the two sat with them, everyone started explaining things; from the donation system in general, to Midoriya's contracts, to the nature of Iida's jobs, and what Midoriya's patrons would want from Iida.
Basically, a contract is the relationship between a donor and their client. Those clients are called patrons. Midoriya, being the highest ranked donor in Japan currently, was assigned by the state to donate to the Top 10 pro heroes.
"This has been our method from back in the days. Highest rank will be offered to the Top 10. But this is a first for us to house a Type 5. We're very careful with handling Midoriya's contracts for he is underaged. Fortunately All Might took him in and when All Might has your back, you're safe," Tsukauchi explained, "If you notice on the papers, it says over there that All Might's contract to Midoriya is quite exclusive compared to the rest of Top 5. As No. 1, of course All Might is different to the rest of Midoriya's patrons. But All Might has been our longest and top tier client. Not only that the concerns for his health is top priority not only for us but for Japan too. Midoriya actually offered to give All Might at least 4 bags of blood regularly every month, that's beside the needs to donate in case of injuries or dangerous mission. And we serve as mediators". Iida nodded.
Midoriya's contract with All Might is lifelong, therefore he will still be All Might's donor even after the latter retires.
Different with All Might, Midoriya's contracts to the rest of Top 10 are less demanding though still pretty strict. "Blood contract," Iida read the label in the contract papers. Midoriya donates blood in injections to the rest of the Top 10 though Top 5 deserves blood injections regularly and thus they are allowed regular visitations with Midoriya. Number 6 and above would get injections and or donations in larger doses in case of injuries and emergencies only.
Iida hummed in thought. "Why do they need regular injections even though they're not hurt or injured?" he enquired.
Mr. Shield was tidying up stacks of papera on top of their table, "Well, its more than just for healing purposes. Donations revitalizes the body. They energizes you and keep you fit. That's why the government assign donors to pro heroes because they need to be on their best conditions at all times," the man looked like he was in thought before continuing, "Then again there is also this notion that donations feel good for the receivers. Some findings show that those who accepts from donors regularly report an increase in their well-being, not only physically but also mentally. Of course this requires more data, but its general knowledge that patrons tend to stick to their donors because they consider their donors to be a source of comfort".
Iida hummed again. He was reminded of how Best Jeanist and Hawks acted around Midoriya.
"Then again, most heroes don't settle down. They have partners but they cant find themselves a stable personal life. My hypothesis is that donors don't only serve as a health guarantors, they also serve as a source of stability in their patrons' life. Most patrons I know consider their donors as family," Mr. Shield added as he crossed his legs, "I wouldn't be surprised if it is reported one day that receiving donations from donors affect your mental health positively and trigger a nice feeling for the body. A lot of patrons consider injections or other forms of donations as a very pleasant experience. This would explain why a lot of patrons seek out regular meetings and donations from donors".
"Pleasant experience," Iida murmured. He was reminded of how Uraraka grabbed a hold of Midoriya and went for a second kiss like she wanted more. Iida flushed.
"A kiss from donors are said to feel good," Kayama-sensei teased at Iida. Iida didn't get it at first, but when everybody turned to him, he blanched.
"N-no no! Midoriya and I never kissed!" He defended. Now that he had been exposed to the secrets behind Midoriya, Iida felt he needs to come clean too. "We didn't! He actually kissed someone else!"
"The Uravity girl," Awata-san said, "Yeah, we know". Iida was surprised they had it all figured out, but Awata-san then clarified, "We've confirmed everything with Shinso. If you're wondering, we gave him some penalty but he's still with us. Nothing serious happened. Besides, we're grateful he didn't brainwash you, otherwise Midoriya-kun would have no bodyguard now".
The Foundation was informed of All Might's retirement in the near future so they had extended the privilege of the Top 5 heroes to number 6. "Number 6 has been involved in numerous Top 5 meetings actually. All official institutions are preparing for the day All Might retires," Moashi-san explained.
They then announced to Iida that the Top 6 and their representatives had been informed of Iida's agreement to be Midoriya's bodyguard. They wanted to see Iida that evening to talk about his contracts.
"Will they have a say in whether or not I got the job?" Iida asked anxiously.
"No, we wont offer you the job if they hadnt given us their blessings. You are here because they want you to be Midoriya's guard," Tsukauchi said.
"So whats the meeting for? Is this why I need to be represented by UA?" They said the Top 5 will be present with their lawyers and representatives.
"They'll be discussing your contracts in greater details. Each of them will offer you their own contracts," Kayama-sensei added, "Because you'll be the guy in charge of watching over their visitations with Midoriya-kun they'll want to build rapport and request special arrangements with you".
The teacher, dressed much more politely that day than she usually does when she's on her hero shift, then continued, "UA's role is to assure your rights are not trampled by their demands. These meetings could get pretty overwhelming".
Sir Nighteye joined them when it's almost noon. The six of them lectured Iida on what to say and what not to say to the Top 6. Later on they caught news that government officials will also be present. Iida realized this was something big. Very big.
They departed before dinner in which Iida had to memorize some words and protocols while having his evening at one of the restaurants on higher floors with Kayama-Sensei and Kan-sensei. Though just arrived, Kan-sensei spoke about the impending meeting like he knows everything about it.
"UA represents all underaged UA students who got involved here. I've represented some students myself in this place. Your classmate, Shinsou, was represented by me too," the man elaborated.
They were later reminded by one of the servers that the meeting is taking place soon and Sir Nighteye is waiting for their presence. The three of them left and were joined by Awata and Moashi on the eay to the meeting room.
"Ready?" Awata asked before she led them to the automatic door. She didn't need to hear Iida's answer before the door opened to reveal a round shaped room where there were two main rows of seats. The first one was formed in half circle and was faced toward the second row of seats. In this first row were the Top 6 pros, with their lawyers saddling them left and right. Some of them brought two representatives, Endeavor brought 3. They were all dout of their hero costumes but was dressed rather neatly. Name plates were out on their tables, each labeled with their real name. All Might was not at the table labeled with his own name, but three lawyers, all famous law practitioners, sat there in his place.
Most of them were hunched over their own papers as they spoke to their lawyers with hushed voices. Iida caught the eyes of Takeuchi-Senpai, who, unlike the rest of the Top 6, didn't pay his lawyers any mind. The older male smirked cheekily to Iida, in which Iida nodded politely.
The whole scene actually made Iida more nervous.
The second row of seats were divided into three parts. The first was on the far left where four people in suits sat. Their table was labeled as "Representatives of The Ministry of Security". The one at the center was the place where Nighteyes alongside two other people sat. Awata and Moashi joined them. Their table was labeled as "Representatives of Donor".
Kan-sensei led Iida and Kayama-sensei to the seats on the far right, labeled "Representatives of Iida Tenya".
Once Iida was seated, Sir Nighteye rose from his seat and called for everyone's attention. It was then Iida felt eyes on him.
"Calm down," Kan-sensei put a hand on Iida's shoulder, "We got your back".
And so, the meeting began.
"So the school agrees he can come on Wednesdays and Thursdays, but for the rest of the schooldays he will be homeschooled instead," Sir Nighteye notified, "and make sure to watch over the schedule updates. Visitations schedule is discussed biweekly, but patrons may ask for changes of plans".
Iida nodded as he too tapped into his tablet. He and Sir Nighteye were inside a limousine on their way to Midoriya's new apartment. It had been two days since Iida signed the contract and here he was, about to meet Midoriya again.
"And make sure that he exercise – are we here? We are. Lets go," Sir Nighteye opened the door and walked outside as their driver parked their limo away. Iida followed with his duffle bag.
"He's been very difficult this week, but you will have backups. A lot of people in this tower are my eyes and ears," added Nighteye as they went into the lobby and walked straight to the elevator.
The elevator door opened before they even arrived to it, and inside it stood Shinso in another highschool uniform. He's in undercover. Iida wasn't really surprised. He had been hinted numerous times that the teen would be around.
"Iida-kun," Shinso greeted flatly as usual. Iida nodded as he also mentioned the other boy's name.
Sir Nighteye stopped before they reached the elevator and turned to Iida, "So this is my cue to leave".
"You're not going with me?"
Shinso was the one to answer, "He's still banned to visit," when Iida turned to the teen curiously, Shinso continued, "By Midoriya".
Sir Nighteye simply fixed his glasses and, with a fixed stare, waved at Iida before the elevator door closed and the latter departed with Shinso to the 56th floor. "How's life?" Shinso started the conversation.
"Like the usual," Iida answered at first, "Actually; it was rather overwhelming".
Shinso smirked, "Top 6?"
"Yeah".
The Top 6 had been ruthless with their constant questionings and demands. Their meetings went until the day after. The first day mostly talked about Iida and Iida's relationship with Midoriya. The pro heroes were the ones who mostly spoke in that session. They even had to have a coffee break before continuing late into the night. The next day Iida only saw the lawyers in which they mostly spoke about more contracts and demands. There were many negotiations made. Each hero asked for specific requirements for their visitations with Midoriya. Iida hadnt even studied all of those papers thoroughly.
"Welcome aboard to the team, Class rep. Though I have to admit it has gotten a bit hectic over here since you were told to leave. Midoriya isnt being very accepting of the whole situation," Shinso said. The elevator stopped with a dull ding sound and the elevator door opened. "To appease him we move to this apartment complex for he needs more space to himself. We want him to feel comfortable. The headquarters felt a bit too constraining for him," Shinso walked ahead into the hallway.
"How about the previous house?"
"Which previous house?"
"Yknow, the one where Midoriya-kun previously stayed in".
Shinso frowned, "That's not Midoriya's house". He looked away, "Its kind of complicated". There was something more to it, but Iida decided it was for another time.
The apartment tower was actually part of the nicer part of Musutafu, but Iida wouldn't say it was as elite as Midoriya's previous place.
"Most people on this floor are part of the third force," Shinso said as they crossed the hallway. Third force was the term used to refer to agents on the field whose goal is to prevent any unwanted events. Most of them are spies and they work from the shadows.
Iida was part of first force, who'd stay close to the target and the most combative of all force. If anything was to happen Iida was first to take chase and confront the attacker.
"Even that grandma is a third force," Shinso pointed at one old lady who just went into her apartment. She looked very old and weak. "She's a retired pro".
As they walked further, Shinso added more explanations on how thing were run. "We mostly don't make contact with Midoriya, but he knows we're around. We also have third forces on the surrounding buildings," he stated.
They stopped in front of unit 5610. Shinso turned to Iida. "Your fingerprint has been programmed into this door handle. Try it," Shinso stepped aside. Iida put his thumb on top of the small screen at the head of the door handle. It beeped in affirmation and the door unlocked.
"Okay," Shinso led Iida inside, "Lets all hope he doesn't lash out like the last time".
As the door opened, a nice smell wafted from inside the unit. It smelled like your typical room freshener, but it was a strong reminder of Midoriya somehow. The front hallway was decorated with vintage pictures of All Might Each was framed and shed by orange light. A pair of sport shoes was put neatly on the floor before the flooring was raised. Iida smiked at the size and color; its Midoriya's.
"Where is he?" Shinso pondered as he took off his shoes and went inside the unit. Iida followed slightly behind. The next room was a living area. It had chuncky couches and a huge smar TV unit. There was a series of tall double paned windows facing the balcony with the sight of the city. Below those door was a low cabinet filled with comics and books. In front of it was the couches and the TV. Iida stopped by one couch and touched the All Might comforter. An All Might mug was on the coffee table right next to an opened hero magazine. On the wall opposite to the window was a very huge pop art of Japanese top pro heroes assembled together. Iida decided he really liked the artwork. It was very Midoriya.
"Is he in the bath?" Shinso murmured as he walked further. The dining room was just ahead. It consisted of large round shaped wooden table surrounded by six wooden chairs. Iida just realized that each of those chairs had a cushion of Top six pro heroes caricature (though tge art piece in the middle of the dining table was All Might's).
"I don't think Chisaki-san has checked in today. This place needs some tidying up," Shinso commented.
"Chisaki-san?"
"Yes. We rehired him. Just to make Midoriya-kun happier".
One part of the wall was filled with framed pictures of various sizes. Back then Midoriya tried to hide these pictures. This time, his pictures were displayed with pride. While back then when Iida first met him he discovered most pictures were mostly of Midoriya and Todoroki or Bakugou; this time it was with many other people. There were pictures of him with All might; with other heroes; he even had a picture with Endeavor and Todoroki's mom. Some pictures were of Midoriya with Todoroki and Bakugou, of course; and Iida reckoned how this was the first time he was reminded of those two's presence in Midoriya's life. How come it hadnt came up in the discussions?
"Iida-kun?"
Iida halted and turned around. There, he right by another hallway, he saw Midoriya. The boy had a towel on his head and he looked like he just left the shower.
"Yes. Midoriya-kun, this is -," Shinso started, but was stopped when Midoriya ran pass him and tackled Iida's side. Iida was taken aback at first, but he quickly returned the hug.
Of course, Iida missed him too.
"I thought you were gone forever," Midoriya choked. The teen was tearing up already.
"I'm here now," Iida assured as he pat the boy in the back. It was then he noted how dripping wet Midoriya's hair was. "Have you properly dry your hair? I told you to dry it before going anywhere". Iida proceeded to grab the towel himself and dutifully dried Midoriya's hair.
Once dried, Iida smiled in satisfaction like the true responsible lad he was and it was then his eyes caught Shinso. The latter seemed perplexed.
"Um…," Shinso started as he tried avoiding eye contact. Iida shifted. Midoriya was practically trying to wipe his tears and snot on Iida's shirt. "So… I shall take my leave… I think," Shinsou said finally. His eyes darted between Iida and Midoriya and back.
Midoriya acted like no one else was there, "Cool, now that you're here you should settle down. You can take the empty bedroom next to the dining room – oh but its kind of empty, you can take sleep in my room! We can share the bed".
This was when Shinsou's eyes rounded at Iida as if he didn't expect the words out of Midoriya's mouth. Iida wondered if he did something wrong. So he opened his mouth and carefully said, "Um… yeah, of course Midoriya-kun".
Shinso looked conflicted. Iida didn't understand what he had done now.
TBC
Or so you think.
"You can sign over here," said the deliveryman. Iida signed on the tablet and took his package. When the deliveryman was about to leave, he said, "Chisaki-san is in a meeting in the headquarters, but he'll present tomorrow".
Iida blinked as the man walked away. So even the deliveryman was a third force too.
Iida closed the door behind him and went to the living room to open the box. Inside was his finished wardrobe. "Finally," he murmured as he took all of them out. It might be a good idea to wear it and surprise Midoriya with it. The teen did help Iida with the design after all.
So Iida slipped into the empty bedroom and wore his hero suit.
What he didn't know was a teen with red and white hair slipping into Midoriya's apartment through the huge window in the living room. The teen stepped inside and noticed the opened delivery package.
When Iida went out of the bedroom into the dining room, he was in full gear of his Bullet persona. "Midoriya-kun! Check this out!"
Not even a second later, a layer of ice covered the floor and stuck his feet onto the ground. Caught of guard, Iida almost fell on his behind yet he was further distracted by ice darts thrown his way. Thankfully the armor was strong enough to protect him.
Iida used his one hand to balance himself as he looked around. There was only one person he knew with this fighting style; and true enough, he dashed at Iida with a flighty
fashioned capoeira inspired attack. Iida tried to shield himself. His legs were his main weapons and with it being immobilized by the ice, its difficult. He could activate one of his engines to melt the ice but the power would be too strong for a room this size.
"You there?"
Iida and the newcomer froze. Right after, Iida attacker dashed somewhere to hide. Iida noted how much faster he had become. And just like that the ice on the floor turned to air; probably thanks to his flame quirk.
So when Midoriya arrived, he didn't understand why Iida was sprawled on the floor with his suit. "Wha -," was the first thing Midoriya sputtered but was quickly put to stop by Iida's assailant as he appeared behind Midoriya and put his two arms tightly around the latter.
"I thought tonight was only for the two of us," was what the newcomer muttered with his lips stuck to Midoriya's nape. Midoriya looked nervous, if not confused; but overall he didn't seem afraid.
Iida was thinking of a way to explain himself. It was then the front door could be heard opening and Shinso's panicked voice could be heard coming through.
"Class rep, you need to leave! Tonight, Todoroki-kun will…. Oh".
Todoroki was already half turned toward Shinso and even though Iida couldn't see his face from where he was positioned, he could imagine them. The red and white haired teen then turned to Iida; eyes wide and his hold on Midoriya slackened.
"Iida-kun?"
TBC.
So, now that the huge expose has arrived; what do you guys think? Original? Cliche? Have you expected that? lol, after this post the story will take a lighter turn to humor and slight romance I think. But who knows, my muse has a mind of its own. Send me some words in the comments!