Chapter Text
Present Mic agrees to chaperone the moment they tell him they have the requisite number of people. Tsuyu’s theory that he agrees to facilitate any and all dates to ensure the students enjoy their high school lives to the fullest is seeming more and more plausible.
Aizawa, however, is a surprise. He volunteers after hearing which shopping district they’ve chosen as their date location. Present Mic seems both unsurprised and unimpressed.
They have a designated meeting place on the school grounds, and Tenya arrives forty-five minutes early. He’s chosen his finest collared shirt and carefully ironed it, which does, admittedly, make him look like he’s going to a job interview. At least Uraraka talked him out of a tie during the course of the week.
She’s also the next one to arrive, wearing a pink dress with just a hint of lace. She smiles and waves when she catches sight of Tenya, doing a little half-jog to reach him.
“I knew you’d be early!”
“It is infinitely preferable to be early than to be late!” Tenya insists, chopping the air for emphasis. Uraraka laughs warmly and shakes her head.
“You never change, do you?” She sounds fond, and she bounces on her heels a little before she continues speaking. “So, are you nervous?”
“Yes! I am as prepared as I possibly could be, but it has not done much for my nerves.”
“Ugh, I totally get you. I had the worst time falling asleep last night.”
Tenya perks up a bit, glad to have a possible solution to offer.
“My mother has a particular tea blend for sleepless nights, would you like some for the future?”
“Oh! That’d be great! Thanks, Iida! What about you? Did you sleep alright?”
“Yes, although I did need to exercise to wear myself out enough to ensure it.”
“Wait, was that you going up and down the stairs?”
“Ah, yes. I hope I did not disturb you.”
“No, you’re fine, but, um. You might want to tell Kaminari that there isn’t a hallway ghost. He’s very concerned.”
“Why was his first assumption spirits? The dorms are very recently constructed buildings and we live with a large number of physically active teenagers.”
“I think Tokoyami accidentally put the idea in his head.”
“Perhaps I should address the class as a whole before the rumor spreads… It is not a good sign if you have already heard about it!”
“Oh, no, Mina was just complaining about it at breakfast, that’s all! I don’t think it’ll become a superstition or--”
Uraraka abruptly stops talking in the middle of her sentence. For a brief second, Tenya is going to ask her for elaboration, but even he can tell something is going on. She turns bright red right before his eyes, and her mouth drops open. Tenya turns to follow her line of sight.
Tsuyu is walking towards them. She’s wearing a green blouse that is, for lack of a better word, poofy. She’s also done something different with her hair, creating the feeling that great care has been put into this outfit.
Tenya raises a hand to wave, and Tsuyu returns the gesture as she approaches.
“Oh no, she’s so cute. I can’t do this,” Uraraka mumbles, covering her mouth with her hands. Tenya turns his attention immediately back to her.
“Of course you can!”
“Iida, look at her, she’s way too cute for me,” Uraraka frantically whispers.
“Entirely untrue! You look lovely, and even discounting that, you’re a wonderful friend and hero! You deserve the affections of whoever you desire!”
Uraraka makes a squeaking noise, then takes a series of deep breaths.
“Okay, okay. I’ve got this. I’ve got this!”
“You have got this!” Tenya echoes, because it seems like the right response. Uraraka takes another deep breath, gives Tenya a thumbs up, and then steps forward to intercept Tsuyu.
“Hi, Tsuyu-chan! You look so pretty today!”
Tsuyu beams. Tenya is so excited that there’s a vague temptation to literally cheer them on, but that would be inappropriate.
He doesn’t have long to bask in Uraraka’s success, though. The next person to arrive is Midoriya and all of his emotional energy is immediately redirected.
Tenya rarely sees Midoriya in civilian clothes. It’s usually a pretty even rotation of school uniform, hero costume, and workout clothes. There isn’t anything special about the outfit itself, but it signifies something soft and totally unrelated to school. This is Midoriya dressed specifically to spend a day with him.
His thought process stops entirely on that point, and a familiar feeling that doesn’t quite qualify as tension lights up under his skin. He has to chop the air for a bit to get his brain back online. This gives Midoriya enough time to catch up with the rest of them. His face is as red as Tenya’s feels, and he looks openly distressed.
“Sorry! I didn’t realize I was late, I was--”
“You are not late! We are all early!” Tenya assures him, hands still in full motion. He feels a bit like stopping would melt him into an embarrassed, excited puddle.
“Yeah, Deku, you’re good!” Uraraka chimes in, smiling encouragingly. Midoriya still doesn’t meet anyone’s eye, fidgeting nervously.
“Oh, um. Okay! You-- You look really nice today, Iida! Oh! Not that you don’t look nice every day, you’re incredibly handsome-- oh my god did I just say that out loud.”
Midoriya promptly buries his head in his hands. He looks like he’s earnestly trying to hide. Tenya, meanwhile, is having a minor heart attack.
“THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLI--”
Uraraka puts a hand on Tenya’s shoulder, dodging an air-chop to do so.
“Iida, you’re shouting,” she points out, not unkindly.
“Right! My apologies! I generally have a better handle on volume control!”
Uraraka glances over at Tsuyu briefly and then looks back up at Tenya.
“I completely understand.”
Midoriya still has not removed his face from his hands by the end of this exchange, so Tenya finds himself needing to take initiative.
“There is no need to be embarrassed! I find you physically appealing as well!”
Midoriya takes his face out of his hands, but only to stare at Tenya in utter bewilderment. It occurs to Tenya in this moment that his words could be interpreted in a more adult manner than he meant them.
“I am sorry, that wording was abysmal, my attraction to you is not limited to the physical and I did not mean to imply any unclean intentions on my part or on yours, only that you are handsome as well and you did no harm by--”
“You have absolutely no reason to be yelling this much.”
Aizawa interrupts the flustered rambling by walking right through the little circle of students. Tenya hadn’t even noticed him approach; he’d been too caught up in shouting awkward compliments at his date.
“I hope you’re all ready to go. Mic’s just behind me and we’re not waiting around while you change your shirts for the fourth time.”
Tenya exchanges a quick, startled glance with Uraraka before Present Mic catches up with the group.
“Don’t feel bad, kids, he’s basing that comment on his own first date.”
“I am not.”
“Right, I forgot you only owned one shirt in high school.”
“You had all the others.”
“I would never raid your closet! You only wore black! And not the fun kind of black!”
“I meant all the others ever made.”
“I keep forgetting you two went to high school together, ribbit,” Tsuyu interjects, before the teachers can really get into their banter.
“I have too much blackmail on him for you to get anything out of him,” Aizawa says drily, already getting on the bus.
“At least half of your blackmail implicates both of us,” Mic complains, but follows Aizawa onto the bus nonetheless.
The disruption to the awkward flailing seems to have broken Midoriya out of his embarrassed shock, at least. When Tenya turns to look at him, they even manage to exchange a shy smile.
Yeah. They can do this.
Probably.