An old AN from my AO3:
A lot of you were saddened by the system that took Midoriya in, which kind of appeased my sadistic heart - I made it a bit worse by not replying to your comments lol (Sorry!), BUT the messed up system is part of the story and Iida would express how conflicted he is about it too. As suggested, yes, I DO PLAN TO HAVE A COUPLE OF CHAPTERS FROM MIDORIYA'S POV. Those chapters will explain his reasons and motives; as well as how he got to know Bakugou and Todoroki, also how the government found him.
Again, I did imply in past chapters that this story will have something that sounds a bit like prostitution and thus a bit dark. However, I suppose it is pretty realistic and it would be kept that way. The government, even in real life, has their own interest; always.
I am pretty satisfied with your response in how you all managed to catch the type of world I'm trying to make in this story. If some of you have read my previous stories, I mostly write humor with a serious setting. This will be a consistent theme throughout this fic. Again, I have a soft spot for fluff and humor despite the creeping mystery and darkness in my stories. So do expect that too lol!
Week 8 Part 2
Iida is the proud bodyguard of Japan's national treasure; and said national treasure was currently snoring under his All Might duvet – with what seemed to be a woman latching to his side.
Iida, being the straight laced guy he was, stood conflicted by the door frame. His body sagged pitifully as he weighed over the situation. Here was Midoriya – the all around good nerd. What had the world done to make him commit such a sin!
It was then that Midoriya sneezed pitifully, causing the girl – no – woman, to shift. Iida caught the sight of her tan arms and long light colored hair. Her face was covered by Midoriya's hair as she stuck close to him. Iida swallowed but braved himself to step further into the dark room.
He touched Midoriya's shoulder and whispered in the normalest tone he could muster, "Midoriya-kun, Midoriya-kun. Wake up. You said you wanted to jog with me".
Thankfully it didnt take long for Midoriya to open his eyes. He lifted his head slightly to have a good look at Iida before rubbing his whole face. He gave a groggy questioning mumble, but nods as though telling Iida he's waking up, In the green haired teen's haste, he tried to brush off the woman's arm that had been hugging him from behind.
Iida squirmed in discomfort as Midoriya seemed to fail in his effort to unclasp the woman's clutch on his All Might shirt. However, Iida was not the dedicated bodyguard he was if he didnt come to Midoriya's beck and call. So he said, "Let me!" while helping Midoriya with trembling fingers. And boy does the woman have a strong grip on Midoriya that even Iida struggled. All the while Midoriya gave a pitiful yawn before saying, "No, no, Iida-kun. Here, let me show you".
The smaller teen pat the woman's arm twice; and just like that, the hand let go of Midoriya's midsection. Iida's jaw dropped, "I-I- , H-how?"
Midoriya was in the middle of scratching his tummy when he fully processed the question. He instantly turned flustered, "Rumi-san is like that sometimes". The boy then left his bed for the bathroom. Meanwhile, Iida blinked dumbly at the silhouette of the woman in Midoriya's bedroom. The lack of light made it hard to see her visage; but Rumi? Didnt Midoriya just said Rumi?
"Rumi?" Iida repeated when Midoriya returned from his toilet break, "Usagiyama Rumi?"
Midoriya stopped to turn to Iida. "Umm, yeah," he mumbled, "Is that a problem?"
"The No. 6 Rumi?"
"Yea".
"The pro-hero Miruko?"
"She has a habit of slipping into someone's bed to cuddle... sometimes," Midoriya answered timidly, but then hurried to change to an oversized hoodie. "Umm, shall we, Iida-kun?"
Iida, however, was still in shock of the discovery that the no. 6 top hero in Japan was currently in Midoriya's bedroom. "Oh my Gosh," he gasped as he stared at the bed. He carefully pulled the bed cover up to discover Usagiyama Rumi, before leaping out of the room. Midoriya was much busier complaining about how sleepy he was as they went to the exit.
Thus were the typical morning of someone with Midoriya's caliber.
"Stay on a straight line. Keep your head high. Control your breath. Midoriya-kun!" Iida's quickly made a grab of the back of Midoriya's hoodie to keep the teen from swaying too far to the right as they jogged at the jogging track. Iida had always known the boy's stamina was pretty low; but he regretted the fact that his absence actually diminished any progress he had made with Midoriya's exercise.
Even now the teen's breath was already ragged. "Midoriya-kun, lets slow down to a stroll instead," Iida suggested with urgency. The boy was wasted. It was best to cool down with a walk. Midoriya gave a long exhale as if he was grateful for the change of pace. Iida pat the teen's shoulder. "That wasn't bad," Iida tried to cheer him up.
"Really? I was struggling".
Iida squared his shoulders and moved his fist in full spirit, "You did, but it was better than not exercising at all, right?"
Midoriya grinned at the compliment.
They both walked around the park and talked on various topics; from school, to the latest news in the hero community, and All Might. Afterwards, Iida offered to take him to the breakfast bar he went to the last time; which Midoriya agreed to.
As they stood there and waited in line, Iida couldnt help but think they were regular teenagers in the middle of hanging out. Midoriya surprisingly can keep up with most hero-related topics; and he was pretty enthusiastic about it too. "They're totally planning to make less independent hero agency nowadays. Japan's hero agency system is getting more and more Americanized, I think," Midoriya commented before he turned to the guy standing behind the counter.
For a moment there, he was a normal teen. Yet it only took a second for that illusion to shatter. Because when Midoriya mouthed his order and mentioned all of the required ingredients for his smoothie, that was when Iida was reminded how sophisticated this teen's diet was. He was basically feeding a number of pro heroes using his blood after all.
"Oh, and another one too," Midoriya continued after finishing his first order, and he named another series of ingredients. When Iida stared at him questioningly, the green haired teen grimaced, "Um - uhh... For Rumi-san," he explained with a small voice.
Iida also made his order right when Midoriya was taking his platinum card from his wallet. "I got this, Iida-kun. You've bought me ice cream before, remember?" The teen said, "So it's my treat".
The other teen took care of their order. Iida forgot that this teen could take care of himself sometimes. "here," he offered Iida his smoothie cup.
Iida took it and eyed the cup, "Thanks". As they walked outside the breakfast bar, Iida remembered to text Chisaki so he wouldnt prepare them any breakfast.
"This smoothie wouldnt be enough for me," Midoriya noted.
"I'm only making sure he doesnt prepare us another smoothie. Does muffins sound good?"
Midoriya simply nodded as he sipped his concoction.
They both walked side by side to Midoriya's apartment while discussing the legalisation of teen pro hero in India. Iida unlocked the door for the two of them, but Midoriya walked inside first. "Is umm," Iida hesitated as he didnt know hot to address the woman in the vicinity, "Is Miruko already awake at this hour?"
"Oh, her?" Midoriya took his sneakers off, "She usually gets up at 9. So an hour from now. Iida-kun, do you know much about Hero flying regulations? I was given the assignment to finish this book –" and so Midoriya rambled about his independent study for that day. The headquarters were still arranging his education as Midoriya was not happy with the education he received in The School for The Quirkless. Three days a week he had a private tutor, who was very good at what she does, coming. For the rest of the week he had independent study session.
This reminded Iida the other teen had an appointment with Hawks this morning and the man probably could help. Later in the afternoon, he had another appointment with Best Jeanist and they were going to go out. Iida was given the permission to tag along to observe because Best Jeanist was scheduled for his weekly injection with Midoriya that day.
"I've had classes on it before but I cant say I know a lot," Iida said on the topic of the independent study, "But I'll see what I can do to help".
"I'll shower first then we can discuss the book later," Midoriya landed Miruko's smoothie and his own on the dining table and left for his room. Iida had finished his smoothie and went to shower too.
The dining table was already vacant of their empty cups by the time they returned. Midoriya was sitting on one of the chairs with one leg over another, one book in hand, and a towel on his head all the while whining about his assignment. Iida, of course, would be the responsible bodyguard by drying Midoriya's hair like his life depended on it. Chisaki appeared from the kitchen then with a huge serving of freshly baked breakfast muffins. The masked man landed them in front of Midoriya, in which the latter responded with a soft thank you.
When Iida finally took a seat to the teen's right, he noted the book in Midoriya's hands, "I've read parts of that book for an assignment before," Iida said, "But my quirk is not fit to be utilized to elevate myself, so I wasn't required to finish the book". A number of students were told to finish them though. Iida remembered Uraraka did, and Bakugou and Todoroki too for they had managed to use their quirks to fly.
Iida didnt mention the last part.
"Wow, that's amazing Iida-kun! So UA hands their students with such amazing readings! Ah, I suppose it makes sense because they are a hero school. And they also modify their assignments in accordance to their students individual needs then. That is admirable. This is so different to Quirkless schools. I'm lucky to be able to touch on this subject with my current tutor, Iida-kun, and I -," and so Midoriya ranted with excitement. To be honest, Iida didnt mind as he too was very passionate of hero related topics. Still, for a quirkless kid, Midoriya was lucky to ever get this much information on pro heroes.
Just a minute later though, Midoriya was all absorbed into his book. Iida noted that the teen was naturally very studious. He lifted his feet off of the floor and crossed them on top of the dining chair. With a single green colored highlighter, he made notes and highlighted parts in the book. Sometimes he took a bite on his breakfast muffins, and he didnt even realize it when Chisaki arrived with his vitamins and water. Interestingly, his phone kept on buzzing on top of the table, to which he simply glanced at before completely ignoring them. Iida rose an eyebrow.
"Are you not going to take them?" Iida mentioned.
Midoriya lifted his gaze from the book. "Oh, that. That's just Todoroki-san," Midoriya answered casually. That, somehow, got Iida choking on his own spit.
Of course its not the younger Todoroki; for Iida knew Midoriya addressed the teen with his first name. This one is him. That man.
Midoriya was probably be the only person who is able to ignore the man and get away with it.
Iida wouldnt dare comment on the astonishing news, so he looked down on his phone.
He had a message, from shinsou.
Shinsou-kun: Class Rep, is Miruko there?
Shinsou-kun: The breakfast bar has informed us that Miruko's order has been made under Midoriya's name
Iida frowned. That message contained to many question marks for Iida's liking. He took a glimpse at Midoriya, who didnt seem a single bit bothered as he munchedtn his muffin, then Iida returned his gaze to his device. He was about to type in; Yes, she is here. What is the pro -; when the door to Midoriya's room opened.
There stood a dark skinned woman with light long hair. Even clad in only a pair of red bra and silk night pants, there was something powerful about her figure and it was enough to warn you not to mess with her. Yet she was also so attractive that you wouldnt be able to look away even when you wanted to. Probably it was the lean muscles, or maybe it was her overall frame. Even the way she stretched and yawned was hypnotizing.
For the life of Iida, he had never seen someone so intimidating yet beautiful at the same time. This was Japan's number 6; Usagiyama Rumi – known by Japanese as Miruko.
At one glimpse, it was a mystery how a woman of her level is in the apartment of one measly teen. Then again said teen was no average Japanese.
The woman stepped closer – each step of hers was calculated – not stopping until she landed right behind the freckled teen who is far too busy to notice her.
Iida gaped.
"Good morning~~," She looped her arms around the shorter teen. And there Midoriya was, not minding it, and flipping the page of his book with such lax. Iida's thumb was too frozen to type, whereas Midoriya finally turned to the woman.
"I have your usual smoothie. I think Chisaki-san put them in the fridge," Midoriya said. There was something private in their exchange that made Iida want to look away.
"D'aww, thanks," she said, right before landing a kiss on Midoriya's left cheek and making her way to the kitchen. She actually winked at Iida on her way there. Iida's eyes grew even bigger.
You: Miruko just winked at me
Shinsou's reply came shortly after.
Shinsou-kun: So she is there!
Shinsou-kun: Class Rep, this is an issue!
Iida didnt catch what the problem was. He was about to ask his classmate, but was disrupted by Miruko coming to join them at the dining table with her smoothie in hand; shirtless. Iida flushed.
"Do you want muffins, Rumi-san?" Midoriya offered.
"Oh, no, Sweetie. They're all yours," she replied. Her eyes were latched to Iida; thus making Iida even more nervous. They talked in the headquarters before but the atmosphere was far too formal back then. "So how's life as Midoriya-kun's bodyguard, Iida-kun?" She asked suddenly; her voice smooth and silky.
Iida was caught off-guard. "O-oh. It was – It was nice," before he quickly revised, "It was okay, I mean".
The strange answer got Miruko burst out laughing – and quite loudly too. This caused Iida to flush even further. Midoriya didnt look away from his book, but he did say with a warning tone, "Rumi-san, dont bully Iida-kun".
Iida noticed his phone keep vibrating then. He opened it and realized that Shinsou had sent more replies.
Shinso-kun: Oh man, Hawks-Senpai is already on his way
Shinso-kun: You know this will cause a problem right, Class Rep?
Shinso-kun: I'll be there soon
Iida's eyes strayed to Miruko again. She was having a casual conversation with Midoriya. For the life of him, Iida couldnt figure out what's wrong with having her there.
They heard the front door being unlocked so Iida quickly got to his feet. "I'll check who that is," Though he basically knew it had to be Shinso. When he got to the living room, the brainwasher was already there, looking panicked.
"Where is she? Is she still here?" He huffed. Iida guessed he had run there.
"Um, yes?"
"She's not supposed to be here," Shinso muttered under his breath, "This is a problem, we should get her to leave".
"Shinso-kun, that's rude," Iida commented.
"Well yeah, but what can I do?" Shinso replied like it was obvious, but nott for Iida. Shinso walked ahead like he was about to go to Miruko himself before he stopped midway, head turned to the huge window Todoroki used as his exit door before. Shinso's brows met for a second, before they rose. "Oh no," he whispered.
"What? What's wrong?" Iida followed his gaze. He saw nothing outside. Yet as he paid attention longer, the more he saw a black dot from afar coming their way. As the dot got closer, the clearer it was what that is.
It was Hawks.
He made a dramatic land on Midoriya's window before he slid it open, allowing the wind to blew its way inside, further billowing the pro hero's wings and hair in a scene befitting of a prodigious hero like himself. The winged hero lifted his glasses, and with a smirk he said, "Yo!"
"Senpai, welcome!" Iida nodded dutifully. Shinso, however, had never looked so nervous. Iida had to elbow him on the side for the teen to greet their ex upperclassman.
"Hello, you two," The man stepped into the room and looked around. He was wearing his casual getup that day so Iida figured it was his day off. "I'm a bit late – has Chisaki-san left? I havent had breakfast".
This time Shinso was the one to elbow Iida so that the latter would answer. "Oh, yeah. He's still here. I can ask him to prepare something for you," Iida answered.
"That'll be great. Is Izuku still whining about that flying regulation stuff? As a man with a thing for flying, I suppose I'll throw him a pop quiz later on," The man said as he started to walk to the general direction of the dining room. Iida was about to follow, though he caught Shinso cursing silently under his breath. Iida wanted to say, "Excuse you," to the teen, but he was disrupted when Hawks stopped so suddenly.
"Senpai?" Iida called behind the man. They werent even in the line of vision of the dining room.
"Hmmm, why do I smell," Hawks muttered slowly, with such a playful yet eerie tone, "A wild animal in this place?"
Iida noted how Shinso was shifting slightly. "Umm –"
"I think I know this smell too well," Hawks turned around to face them. His hands went to his folded wings and he pulled a couple of feathers. "It has to be," and he threw his hardened feathers behind him, stance ready to fight, which in return surprise Iida. "A WILD RABBIT," Hawks lashed at the sight of Miruko, who had appeared in front of them and bounced from wall to wall to avoid the prior's attack. However, she didnt stop there; because she was looking for a way to get back at the younger pro hero to deliver her counterattack.
Iida was caught in the middle of the war; jaw technically dropping to the floor and all that. One of the couches flew, however possible that is, and Iida cried in horror. If it wasnt for Shinso grabbing the back of his collar and dragging him out of there, Iida didnt know how he would survive the fight between two of the country's best pro heroes.
The fight lasted for about ten minutes before you heard the lazy drawl of a studying Midoriya from the dining room. And out of all the thing he could've said, the freckled teen simply said, "Guuuuys, dont fiight," without the required exclamation point.
The magic spell had been casted; the ruckus stopped.
"Is this normal? Please tell me this is not normal," Iida was terrified. A number of people were picking up broken object from the floor. Two men were moving the broken couch out of the room – and wait, was the couch broken into two?
"Class Rep, get ahold of yourself!" Shinso shook Iida's shoulders when Iida's soul basically left his body from his mouth. And while the people from the headquarters clean up after the fight, the two main perpetrator of such havoc were currently in the balcony with Midoriya, sipping on lemonade and conversing like whatever happened half an hour ago never took place.
Unfortunately for Iida, this is normal. For Midoriya, at least.
"Midoriya loved that cup," Iida pointed at the pieces of broken All Might cup that one of the men were picking up from the floor.
"Yes, and Hawks-Senpai has promised to replace it with a brand new cup," Shinso nodded in understanding. "She shouldnt have been here – it's not her schedule! And they know this will happen. These top heroes, we've established a fixed schedule for them and they still dont follow through".
"So this is a common occurence," Iida mumbled.
"Yes," Shinso answered bluntly, "One time All Might even crashed into Midoriya's hang out with Endeavor".
Iida was stunned to silence. He swore Shinso looked like he enjoyed gossipping on the top two.
"Yes, that was... a disaster," Shinso continued, "Point is, some of them would sometime come unannounced while Midoriya is scheduled to meet with someone else. The common aftermath is this," Shinso glanced at their surroundings. Well, this was far better than how it was half an hour ago, at least. "So it is your job to manage, Iida-kun".
Too tramatized to help, Iida made his way to the balcony to check on his client. Chisaki was not far from the door to the balcony. He stood there, with one hand on the wall; possibly channeling his quirk to rearrange the messy apartment unit. When Iida was about to pass by him, the man grabbed onto Iida's arm and glared.
"Dont you know that wretched woman called me a bird?" He snarled.
Iida blinked and stared at Chisaki's beak shaped mask. "She did?"
"Could you believe the nerve of her? What makes her think I'm an animal?"
Iida kept his gaze on the beak, but then nodded, "Yeah, I dont get it either Chisaki-san". And after five seconds of a staring match, Iida continued making his way to the balcony.
There were four of them sitting on an L shaped white balcony sofa, surrounding a wooden table that carried a jar of lemonade and four long glasses. Hawks crossed one leg over his other leg as he held Midoriya's book, while Miruko was on her back and had her sunglasses on. One of Hawks assistant was also there to discuss his next hero work with the winged hero. Midoriya sat in the middle of the two top heroes and he seemed to be deep in thought.
Iida coughed, "Midoriy –"
"Ssssh!" Midoriya cut Iida off, "Sorry, Iida-kun". He then turned to Hawks and said, "Is it... 3 metres?"
"You're right! The maximum height for a child under ten years old to fly is 3 metres!" Hawks cheered, "Great job, Izuku-kun. With this, you definitely know better about the topic than this UA student over here," Hawks pointed his thumb at Iida, to which Iida flinched.
"I – I!" Iida tried to defend himself, but Miruko chimed in.
"Could you believe the hero council actually asked me to get a flying license? And I never fly, I jump!" The woman complained.
"Oh yeah, about that, I wonder how you usually slip into Midoriya's room, Usagiyama-san. I dont take you as the flyer type either," Hawks put down Midoriya's book on the table casually like he hadn't tried to murder the woman just half an hour before.
"Um she... I think she climbs the tower," Midoriya answered.
"Nuh-uh. You brats have a long way to go. Someone of my caliber dont climb. I actually raced," was Miruko's simple answer, "On the tower walls".
"Are you kidding? You actually ran vertically?" Hawks jumped on his seat in disbelief.
"Woaaaah, that is incredible Rumi-san!" Midoriya gushed in excitement, "To be expected of The No. 6 hero!"
As iida stood there to watch what was unfolded in front him, Iida couldnt help but realize how normal and casual this scene really was; from the way his ex upperclassman landed a brotherly arm on Midoriya's shoulder as he laughed and the way Miruko playfully kicked Midoriya's knee from her laid position on the sofa. In fact, how Hawks' manager didnt even flinch at their interactions told Iida that Midoriya had been around for quite some time. If only Midoriya knew that Hawks, then known as Takami-Senpai among Iida's classmates, was famous for being the harshest mentor to his underclassmen, then the green haired teen wouldnt act so casual with the compliment. Such compliments from the winged hero was known to be rare.
However, Midoriya Izuku was no stranger to these two top heroes; and it was about time Iida get used to it.
"So Iida-kun, what's up?" Midoriya called out. Iida returned from the depth of his thought.
"Nothing, I was just checking on you".
Midoriya then took his book from Hawks and leaned forward as if to show something to Iida. "Iida-kun, come join us! You wouldnt believe what I just saw!" He fiddled with the book as if to look for a particular page, "Here it is! I think this feature would be wonderful on Bullet!"
Iida smiled and was about to take a seat on one of the bleachers on the opposite to the L shaped couch. But then he noted Hawks' raised eyebrows and Miruko meaningful glance from behind her sunglasses. Even Hawks' manager looked warily between Iida and Midoriya as if hiding a thought about the two of them.
"Hey, come on! Come sit down!" Midoriya urged obliviously. Iida did follow his request and take a look at the book. There was a drawn design of Astro Boy; a child robot who was a retro icon to Japanese pro hero community. Iida just now discovered that the book contained such a detailed information on how Astro Boy flying feature was made.
"Wow, this is brilliant, Midoriya-kun," Iida said as he took the book and looked closer
"Right? Right?" Midoriya sounded even more excited, "I think we should add –," and so Midoriya started rambling. Iida was listening with equal interest, until he saw that Miruko had rose from her seat and had hand on the table propping her head as she watched Iida and Midoriya. As for Hawks, he leaned back to the couch with a meaningful grin on his face.
"Best Jeanist will arrive at the lobby in about 15 minutes, dont forget to address him with his real name while he's spending his time outside on his day off. You will be going out to a clothing store in the center of the city, then he's also planning to shop for shoes, and then you will have an early dinner at Buona Sera".
"Italian?"
"Yes, Italian – Midoriya-kun's choice, actually," Shinso briefed and tilted his head at the direction of the green haired teen who was in the middle of saying goodbye to Hawks by the window. Miruko, however, had long departed for her next mission – she was merely there for a short nap anyway, or so she said. "Afterwards, you will proceed to Best Jeanist's quarters and, as per usual, Midoriya hangs around for quite some time in his study. Dr. Shield will be there to watch over the injection process, you should also observe and learn as much as you can".
"Any questions?" Shinso finalized. Iida hesitated.
"No, none so far," he answered. He didnt know what to take from the fact that he will be hanging out with Best Jeanist and Midoriya; or so it seemed like from the way Shinso described it.
"Best Jeanist might be hot headed at times," Shinso started in memory of how Bakugou would often describe the man. Even the explosive teen was afraid of the denim-clad man. "But he and Midoriya are pretty close".
"You didnt see much from how he scolded Midoriya that night," Iida addressed the night Best Jeanist visited them with Hawks and put Midoriya to tears.
"Yeah; but you've never seen how they are normally," Shinso made a swishing movements using a finger, "Trust me, the man's different around Midoriya". Once Hawks had left, they all went to the lobby with Shinso still briefing Iida along the way.
"Today Dr. Shield is going to look after Midoriya drawinv his own blood," Shinso explained while they are in the elevator. Midoriya stood slightly ahead of them with a couple of people from the headquarters talking to him. "Right after that, please remind Midoriya–kun to have something sweet. Usually we prepare him some protein shake".
Iida nodded again. Leaving the elevator, they walked further into the center of the main lobby. Right about then, the automatic door of the main entrance opened to reveal Best Jeanist himself in his casual clothes. He was wearing a simple pair of white turtleneck and jeans, yet you couldnt help but notice how fashionable the man is. It was probably the dark shades he was wearing, or the shoes.
The man was followed by three assistants; two women and a man.; yet he paid them no mind as he made a beeline to the direction of Midoriya. Midoriya tilted his head back to seek Iida's figure. "Iida-kun, lets go!" He said as he pulled the straps of his backpack as though signaling Iida to get going.
"Yes," Iida hurried his steps so that he could walk alongside Midoriya. They left their previous party and went ahead to Best jeanist, who had held his hands open to Midoriya. He gave the green haired teen a pat on the shoulder and a pat on his head. "Still a bed head, I see," Best Jeanist commented.
"I already told you I dont like it pulled back!" Midoriya practically whined.
"Okay, okay, lets not get too brash now. Shall we?" The man looped an arm around Midoriya's shoulder and shepered the teen toward the door he just entered.
"Ah, w-wait! We should wait for Iida-kun!" Midoriya turned his head back toward Iida, which Iida was grateful for because he felt almost forgotten there.
"Iida-kun?" Best Jeanist stopped, but turned at Iida curiously.
"He's going with us remember?" Midoriya reminded.
"He...," Best Jeanist paused after looking at Iida for a couple of second.
"Yes, Sir. We were informed the bodyguard will be coming with us," one of the assistants noted.
"Actually, that is true. How come I forgot," Best Jeanist muttered with a hand to the bridge of his nose, "Okay then, he'll be with the assistants, we can go on my car".
"No, he's not going with the assistants. He's coming with me, in your car," Midorya could sound so stern while still maintaining an apologetic face Best Jeanist blinked in disbelief.
"Why?"
"He's my body guard! He has to be with me all the time. He wouldnt be able to do his job if he's not with me, Hakamata-san!"
"You have me. No. 3 in the country, what else can you ask for?"
"Yeah, but I'm not paying you to be my body guard, arent I? Whats the point of having iida-kun if he's in the same car as I am?"
"What the -? Of course you are not paying me! I'm the one paying yo – you know what," Best Jeanist sighed in exasperation, "Fine, we'll go with what you say. He's coming with us".
"Yess! Let's go, Iida-kun! You'll be amazed by Hakamata-san's new hero car!" Midoriya cheered and walked ahead with Best jeanist, who didnt forget to roll his eyes before exiting the building. Iida swallowed, but intended to walk behind the two
It was then that the three assistants greeted him. "You must be the new bodyguard!" One of the two women said, "Hi, I'm Mari. And this is Yumi and Yuuta," she pointed at the other two.
"Ah, hello," Iida nodded before hurriedly bowing, "I'm Iida Tenya. I'll be in your care".
"Gosh! Dont be so formal with us!" Mari giggled, "We'll be in your care too. This must be your first time dealing with Midoriya-kun and Hakamata-san, right? Hakamata-san can be a bit harsh sometimes, but dont take his words to heart okay? He actually cares for the people around him".
"Yes, I've heard from his disciples before," Iida responded.
"You have? Oh, yeah, you're in UA if I'm not mistaken. We have a lot of trainee coming from your school!" Mari added, "So which trainee of ours do you know?"
"In my class, there's Bakugou -"
"Bakugou!? THAT Bakugou?" Yumi was the one to chime in now with a surprised look on her face. "You know that brat?"
"Dont be like that, Yumi-chan. That kid has grown to be quite a hero," Yuuta chirped.
Mari laughed though, "Him! I still remember when he arrived in Hakamata-san's office!"
They had a laught at it on their way to exit the building. Outside, two cars had been waiting for them and Midoriya was sitting inside the one in the front. "Anyhow, Iida-kun, welcome on board! We'll be seeing each other more often from now on," Mari smiled, "They're quite a handful, Hakamata-san and Midoriya-kun that is – but Midoriya-kun, at least, is nice, so that's a bonus". She then leaned closer to him and lower her voice, "But we apologize beforehand for whatever disdain might be directed toward you today. You're afterall, the rumoured bodyguard. So everyone is a bit wary".
When she leaned away, that was when Iida frowned. "I'm sorry Mari-san, what do you mean by wary?"
"Hm? Oh, because Midoriya-kun might fancy you and stuff – which is none of my business of course, but you know..."
"F-F-FANCY?" Iida sputtered, but Mari was already going to the car on the back. Midoriya opened the frontseat window of Best Jeanist's car and called out to IIda.
"Iida-kun, come on, what are you waiting for?"
"Y-yes!" Iida quickly followed and went to the back seat. Once he settled down inside the car and closed the door, that was when Midoriya turned to him from the front seat and smiled.
"Cool car, right?"
Being a hero car enthusiast, he would normally comment. Yet he was caught by the dead gaze Best Jeanist was sending him through the rear-view mirror. "Y-yes," Iida swallowed, "C-cool car".
No wonder they asked Iida a lot about Yaoyorozu back in the headquarters. Iida believed he had convinced them that he had an interest on one girl and one girl only; but the issue was, that had never been the original problem.
The original concern was, they were worried Midoriya was the one who was interested; which would be problematic if that was the case. No wonder everyone were sending glances at him and Midoriya at times. Iida thought back at the first day he met Midoriya at his new apartment; wasnt that time Shinso also sending looks?
Iida facepalmed himself in the midst of his thoughts. Somewhere ahead of him, Midoriya was trying on some suits that Best Jeanist himself had picked for him. Iida stood slightly behind with Yumi meanwhile the shop assistants roamed around to cater to their top client's needs.
"Hakamata-san frequents this shop," Yumi whispered to Iida, "So they pay extra attention to him and his guests".
Iida nodded. He witnessed Midoriya trying on some formal wear and pointing at some of the dress shoes. "What're they buying a suit for?" Iida whispered back.
"Endeavor's wedding".
"Oh," Iida almost forgot. It was this month too.
"Iida-kun," Yumi called suddenly. Iida looked ahead to see Midoriya walking to his way.
"Iida-kun! Oh, sorry, Yumi-san, can I borrow him for a moment?" Midoriya told the older woman.
Yumi answered with, "He's all yours!" but Midoriya was already dragging Iida to a safe distance. "Hey, sorry, is it boring? Hakamata-san insists we look for a suit together – he said he didnt trust my fashion sense," Midoriya explained with a whisper. Iida thought of the many fashion disaster Midoriya had shown him. That shirt that reads pants for example.
"Anyhow, we'll be having dinner soon so you wont be stuck here for so long Iida-kun. Oh, yeah, could you please help me?" Midoriya took out his phone from his pocket, "Okay, here it is. So could you please put your finger here?"
Iida followed dumbly. Midoriya even took his picture.
"Great, now you have a full access to my phone. Its a wonder why I havent tried this sooner," Midoriya tapped a couple of things into his hero mobile. The hero mobile had a fingerprint and facial recognition feature.
"Umm, what is this about?" Iida questioned.
"Iida-kun, I want you to hold my phone for me while I'm with Hakamata-san, is that okay?" Midoriya held his phone in Iida's hands. Iida's jaw slackened. Midoriya pressed on, "Please?"
Iida looked down at the phone and felt it vibrate in his palm. "Okay".
"Good. S-sorry I have to inconvenient you Iida-kun. Todoroki-san had a tendency to be deamatic when I forgot to reply - ah, so let me show you the texting features," Midoriya opened his messages and Iida wondered why holding Midoriya's phone would also entail texting.
The phone is a hero mobile, so Iida was no stranger to its features. What surprised him, actually, was what was inside Midoriya's inbox. There were a couple active conversations. One of them was with Endeavor and another was with Rumi. Two conversations were pinned at the top. One of them was with two other people; and somehow Iida had a guess who they were. Another was labeled 00.
"Who's 00?"
"Oh, that? That's the Prime Minister".
Iida's hands trembled.
"Todoroki-san is wondering about what kind of souvenirs I want from his trip. You can choose whatever, I just dont want him to know I'm looking for a suit for his wedding," Midoriya explained and opened his conversation thread with Endeavor. How surprised Iida was to find a picture of Endeavor showing a thumb up next to a funny shaped mug and a cheesy smile on his face as the last post.
"M-midoriya-kun, I dont know if I can do this. This is beyond my capabilities...," Iida shivered.
"Oh, it's fine! If you dont know what to say, you can just type in LMAO".
"I-I dont think Endeavor would be the type who would happily accept any LMAO, Midoriya-kun".
Midoriya frowned, "It's fine! He's a pretty chill guy!"
An irony.
Todoroki-san:
Todoroki-san: So which one do you want?
Iida stared at the picture Endeavor just sent Midoriya. There, the man showed two pens; one of them had a popular singer's head on one end, and the other pen had All Might's head instead.
Knowing Midoriya, the answer should be easy. However, Iida put into account Endeavor's competition with All Might too. Will the man actually be happy with having Midoriya prefering something with a reference to All Might on it? Probably not.
So Iida answered wisely.
You: The one on the left.
Iida chose the pen with the singer's head as accessory. He thought Endeavor would be pleased. But how wrong he was.
Todoroki-san: Whats wrong?
Todoroki-san:This ia a bit new
Iida blinked and lifted his sight sight from the phone as if seeking for help with his next response. Unfortunately, Midoriya was far too busy conversing with Best Jeanist over dessert. Even though Best Jeanist's assistants were sitting alongside them at the same table, it seemed like only those two were active interacting while the rest of them chimed in once in a while.
Okay, so Iida was alone in this. What did Midoriya say he should type in again?
You: LMAO
Iida swallowed and quickly added;
You: I meant I want the one on the right
He then waited.
Todoroki-san: Okay
Todoroki-san: I'll get that for you
Iida exhaled dramatically and sagged on his seat. He didnt even know he was holding his breath thus far. It was hard to believe that Endeavor actually accepted that response. Maybe that LMAO really did have its virtue.
"What are you up to?" Mari asked across the table as she spooned her date toffee pudding. Iida was currently helping Endeavor decide what to give his son.
"Doing my given assigment by Midoriya," Iida answered readily to which Mari simply rose her eyebrows.
They left the restaurant not long after and went directly to Best Jeanist's condo. Iida was almost finished with choosing which souvenir to get Bakugou when they stepped into Best Jeanist's quarter.
Dr. Shield and a younger man were already there; waiting; with their tools and equipments ready with them. Somehow they all ended in the living area; Midoriya sat on the couch with Best Jeanist sitting not far away from the same couch. Dr. Shield could be seen crouching in front of Midoriya and handing the teen the required equipments, but not doing much else as the younger man that went with Dr. Shield, his assistant, stood behind the couch to observe.
"Do you need anything?" Yuuta asked as he, alongside Best Jeanist's two other assistants, stood to watch.
"No, we have everything," Dr. Shield assured. Iida was there with them, standing right next to Mari. From where he was, he could see Midoriya seriously preparing the syringe on his own. The syringe itself was not very small, though its not unreasonably huge either. Once the syringe was ready, Midoriya fastened the tourniquet around his upper arm and swabbed the inside of his arms with an alcohol pad.
This move triggered a chain of reactions out of everyone. Best Jeanist observed even more attentively and Yumi hid behind Mari as she whispered a worried, "Oh, Midoriya-kun!" Meanwhile Dr. Shield asked time and time again whether Midoriya needed any help.
Midoriya didnt even flinch as he positioned the injection to his veins inside his left arm. "Okay, pay close attention to the veins. Its difficult to do an independent blood draw but it is not impossible," Dr. Shield narrated. Midoriya stopped.
"Um, you know what? I think I do need a little help," the teen admitted. Everyone turned to each other in confusion. "Hakamata-san needs to be in this," Midoriya stated.
Best Jeanist looked taken aback, but he scooted closer to the teen. The man still maintained his laid back pose, yet the one hand that he landed on the cushion right next to Midoriya signaled that he was ready to help the teen whenever he needs it. "What can I do?" asked the pro hero.
"Well, Dr. Shield may not always be on our side when we're in a dire situation that requires a blood injection. But you'll be there, because you'll need my blood," Midoriya turned to the man.
"That is true," Best Jeanist hummed, one leg is crossed over the other as he nodded.
"That's why we need to do this. Hakamata-san, would you mind checking if the strap is fastened enough?"
Best Jeanist checked the tourniquet, "Its good enough".
"Okay, now when I say unclasp it, would you mind unclasping the strap for me?"
"Of course".
"And do prepare me a clean pad".
"Sure".
Everyone went silent right after whereas Midoriya started to position the syringe on the inside of his elbow. Iida was frozen still as he watched the needle prickling Midoriya's skin. The deep red liquid began to fill the tube slowly.
"Okay. Unclasp the band around my arm, Hakamata-san," Midoriya stated while the tube was still filling up. Best Jeanist did what he was told to do. It didn't take long for the injection to be completely filled up with blood. It was then that Midoriya pulled out the syringe and Best Jeanist covered the puncture wound with a pad.
"Great job, Midoriya-kun!"
"Yes, that was great!"
"You were so calm too!" The three assistants chipped in.
"I have to admit he did very well," Dr. Shield smiled. Even Best Jeanist looked glad. It seemed like everyone expected it to go bad.
Midoriya was taking the needle off the syringe when he suggested to Dr. Shield, "I can inject this to Hakamata-san too, if you'd like".
"What? No. You're not prepared for that," Dr. Shield shook his head. You could hear Mari saying, "How bold!" In the background at Midoriya.
"But I can do it! If I can draw my own blood, surely I can inject this to someone else!" Midoriya stated.
"Yes, Midoriya-kun, but this is someone else -!"
"Its fine," Best Jeanist disrupted, "I believe he can do it". The man had already rolled his sleeve and offered his arm coolly.
Midoriya glanced at Dr. Shield as if to ask for the man's permission. The doctor sighed but nodded, "Okay. But if something goes wrong, I will step in instantly".
Midoriya was already choosing the right needle for Best Jeanist like a pro. Iida was convinced the teen had gone through many similar procedure that he might have memorized every detail by heart. It could be seen from his movements and in his confidence.
Iida wondered what else had the quirkless teen seen.
Midoriya to the couch next to where Best Jeanist was sitting so that he could face the arm on the armrest better. He did everything with such ease; from sterilizing his hands, to asking Best Jeanist to fist his hand, to actually finding the veins. Dr. Shield towered behind him with such worry in his pose and the rest followed suit. Iida didn't know what to expect; because what was he if not a mere teen worrying about what to say to another pro hero about what to give to his son's boyfriend?
The needle had been injected into Best Jeanist arm. Among everyone, the man himself was probably the calmest. Either he believed in Midoriya or maybe he had practically give himself in.
Iida only heard a short, "It's done" before he saw Midoriya finally standing up. Dr. Shield's shoulders visibly sagged in relief. Best Jeanist's assistants clapped to celebrate and a number of compliments were flown to Midoriya's way.
"Was it painful?"Midoriya asked Best Jeanist warily instead.
"It wasn't that bad," Best Jeanist replied as he fixed the adhesive bandage on top of his puncture wound, "But overall you did well".
Midoriya beamed from the praise. You could see from how happy he was that he had been trying.
"Really? Will you allow me to do this alone again later?" Midoriya pressed.
Best Jeanist inhaled and put a thought into it. "Maybe".
"Now, now. Lets not get hasty, you still need to improve your technique," Dr. Shield meddled. Despite their banter, everyone maintained some sort of professionalism. Dr. Shield was checking Midoriya's status and he proceeded to arrange his medical instruments into his bag. His assistant helped him. Meanwhile Midoriya acted accordingly by assisting in throwing away the syringe and cleaning up after himself.
Iida noted then that this was normal for Midoriya. And everybody related him with this kind of normalcy too.
Yuuta brought them a delivered order of milkshakes. Iida got one too.
"Midoriya needs something sweet after his injections," explained the assistant. Iida looked at his milkshake. It was chocolate.
It was then that Midoriya's phone buzzed.
It was Kacchan.
Kacchan: Pick up
Kacchan: Pick up nerd
Kacchan: why wont u pick up?
Kacchan: I know ur there!
The text was classic Bakugou. Iida couldn't bring himself to answer. Theres a huge possibility the guy could see through Iida.
"It's fine, you don't need to take me home, jeez!" Midoriya complained to Best Jeanist at the exit from the underground parking lot of Best Jeanist's quarter.
Iida was still looking at Midoriya's phone. He knew he shouldn't read much if he wasn't about to reply. However his curiosity got to him and he checked the latest text.
Kacchan: R u mad?
"Inform me once you've arrived," Best Jeanist reminded for the tenth time that evening. Midoriya looked defeated and sighed, "Alright, Hakamata-san".
The teen ran to Iida just in time to see Iida's conflicted expression. "Iida-kun what's wrong?"
Iida was still too stunned to reply. Because there in his hand was one message he couldn't believe he would see from Bakugou.
Kacchan: I miss u
"Let's go Iida-kun!" Midoriya led Iida to a waiting car. The chauffeur opened the back seat door to them and Midoriya hopped in first followed closely by Iida.
The freckled teen exhaled heavily and slouched onto the seat. Iida copied him; though with more grace. As the chauffeur started the engine, Iida addressed Midoriya.
"Here's your phone".
"Oh, thank you! How did it go?" Midoriya took his phone and checked it.
"It went well. You received a couple other mails and calls, but I only responded to Endeavor and Miruko," Iida didn't want to get too much into it. There were just too many landmines when it comes to the topic of Bakugou.
"Okay".
"We've got an All Might multipurpose pen, limited edition, by the way. We've also got Todoroki-kun a pair of custom made chopsticks. Amd we've got something for Bakugou too".
Midoriya was looking at him, as if waiting.
"An apron".
Midoriya held his gaze before he nodded and say, "Okay. He loves to cook".
Somehow Iida felt Midoriya had read through his insecurities.
The freckled teen returned to fiddling with his phone. It was not too long after that the phone buzzed. From his seat, Iida caught the picture of the caller easily. It was Bakugou.
"Umm, where's my headphones again?" Midoriya pondered to himself as he picked his bag right next to Iida.
"Let me. I put it over here," Iida was the one holding Midoriya's backpack most of the day. He located the device easily and handed it to Midoriya.
"Thank you, Iida-kun. Do you mind if I talk on the phone a little bit? I promise I wont be loud," Midoriya asked. Iida nodded, but obviously the teen shouldn't have asked.
Midoriya put on his wireless headphones and picked up his phone. As he landed his head to the backrest of the car seat, he looked outside the window and Iida heard him mumble a soft, "Hello?"
Iida tried to look at the view but he couldn't deny he was trying to hear for a reply; which he couldn't. Instead he heard Midoriya saying again not long after.
"Sorry. I was a bit… distracted".
".. "
"Sorry…"
"…"
"Don't say that Kacchan, that wasn't very nice".
"…"
"It went pretty smoothly. I think they'll allow me to do it more often in the future".
Iida didn't know what the other party was saying, but he heard Midoriya's voice softened and yet he stated in a sulking manner, "Why don't you visit then?"
Iida shifted in his seat. Something told him this was intimate; private.
Little did Iida know; that would be a typical night for him from then on.
"Oh this is good!" Kirishima moaned after he finished the last of his soba. Todoroki, who had just arrived, was still slurping his soba rather diligently next to his boyfriend. Bakugou, however, was busy looking at his phone. And he looked pissed.
"Bro," Kirishima called. Bakugou was the one to suggest meeting up at this famous soba place because they happened to share the same mission. It was a good opportunity for a small reunion. It was a bit weird of the guy himself to be drilled into his phone instead.
The explosive teen looked up and Kirishima tilted his chin from across the table, "Whassup?"
"Ha?"
"You've been looking at your phone, man".
Bakugou simply scratched the back of his head grouchily. Obviously he was not in the best mood. Todoroki was sending him a look that Kirishima couldn't quite decipher; yet the teen resumed eating his cold soba.
"Yknow what, lemme have some fresh air for a moment," Bakugou stood up and left – with his phone. Kirishima eyed the empty seat with the empty bowl, and Todoroki uncaring posture. Were they fighting?
"Lemme check on him!" Kirishima said hurriedly before he tailed after Bakugou.
The explosive hero had gone outside of the restaurant. Kirishima walked briskly behind him, yet still careful enough to keep his head low under his hat just in case someone in the middle of this packed restaurant recognized them. Kirishima waited for an old lady to pass by before he went to the exit, only stopping in his track when he heard Bakugou speaking.
"THAT'S WHY I TOLD YOU TO TEXT BACK, IDIOT!"
Kirishima peeked behind the Japanese sliding door to check if there was someone else. Another classmate perhaps?
But no. Bakugou was alone. He was on his phone.
"So how was it, Nerd? Did you fail like the fucking loser you are?"
Kirishima didn't want to intrude so he thought he should leave. The only reason he didnt was because he heard Bakugou lowering his voice and in the softest voice he ever heard Bakugou make, the teen said; "I missed you".
Kirishima froze.
"If I could I would fly to you and hold you now, dumbass," Bakugou stated again to whoever it was on the other end of the phone call.
Kirishima's eyes widened. He couldn't believe this.
He dashed to their table; this time not caring if he almost hit someone. He returned to his seat looking he had just seen a ghost. And when his eyes met Todoroki's, Kirishima instantly looked away.
Todoroki, who now had finished his cold soba and was now on his phone, lifted an eyebrow, "Anything's wrong?"
"N-no! Nothing! It's nothing, man!" Kirishima sputtered. Of course he had heard allegations of the infamous teen hero couple having cheated against one another; but Kirishima had never once believed it. Even if it could've happened, Bakugou would be the last person Kirishima ever thought would be able to do such a traitorous act.
Kirishima couldn't even look at Todoroki in the eye. A man would never lie; yet at the same time a true would also never betray their brother. Conflicted, Kirishima looked down to his empty bowl of soba.
Hence, a new misunderstanding was born.
TBC
So this chapter was brought to you to give you a glimpse of how Midoriya's daily life is. Is it boring though? I feel like I havent shared much.
This was originally two different chapters. But I've been absent for too so I thought I should combine them. Ha.
Tell me what you think readers! Still sad? Sorry! I will reply to you so that I can put a bandage over your broken heart.