Chapter Text
Day two of the experiment dawned, and Tenya woke up to the sound of his alarm beeping, refreshed for the first time in a while. He had not stayed up until curfew to ensure the others went to sleep, so he was able to get an extra hour of sleep. He walked to his closet, grabbed his uniform and shoes, then proceeded to the restroom to shower, then brush his teeth. Once finished with morning hygiene, he walked down to the kitchen, and got out his usual breakfast of eggs, oats, and Greek yoghurt. While eating, he saw Kaminari and Bakugou stumble into the kitchen, clearly lacking sleep. This was evidenced by Bakugou attempting to eat cereal with orange juice, not wanting to admit that he had grabbed the wrong container, and Kaminari being uncharacteristically quiet.
Iida finished chewing, and inquired “Did you two have a busy night?”
Bakugou scoffed, saying “Why do you care four eyes?”
Kaminari muttered “Late night gaming, don’t worry about it dude.”
Iida acknowledged this with a simple “Well then, I hope that you will be alright to attend class”
Iida, knowing that Kaminari had trouble paying attention in class to start with, and that Bakugou may be even less merciful with less sleep, started to feel that already familiar guilt. He should have prevented this, shouldn’t have been selfish and stopped reminding them. Still, it’s just a lack of sleep, nothing dangerous. He can still continue, adding this to the mental list of results of the experiment. Walking off to class, he hoped that today would be better than the day previous.
Iida laid in bed, exhausted from the day. Class had been fine overall, with most of the focus on preparing for a test the next day. However, training had been intense, with Kaminari short circuiting and Bakugou nearly exploding Hagakure. There was the thumping baseline of some American rap song playing downstairs, and the voices of his classmates rose and fell with it. Another gathering that he was unwanted at, that no one had cared if he’d attended. He was sure there was a reason they’d come up with if he asked, something about not wanting to hurt his sleep schedule or not thinking he’d want to come. It had happened enough in the past that he knew all of their lines. He was pretty sure they just didn’t want him there, didn’t want any of the reminders about underaged drinking being illegal and the jeapordization of their potential hero careers. Sometimes, he would go down anyway, just to shut down any dangerous behavior, and the party would fizzle out soon after. This week, he’d just sit up in his room and listen, wishing to be apart of the group.
A knock at the door startled him out of his contemplation, causing him to jump up and start for the door. Opening it, he saw Midoriya standing there, with a textbook and his backpack.
His friend shifted on his feet, and speaking a little quickly, said “Hey Iida, I was wondering if you wanted to study for tomorrow’s test? You always know exactly what to look at, and I’m lost.”
Iida was a bit surprised by this request. His friend was almost always on top of schoolwork, a consequence of Izuku’s analytical mind. For him to be “lost” on any topic was unheard of, at least to Iida. Of course, he was always there when anyone needed to study, so this would be no different. Plus, it would be nice to be distracted from the experiment and his other classmates. He couldn’t really explain why he could suddenly feel fluttering in his stomach, but he brushed it off.
Speaking a bit too loudly for the quiet hall, he said “Of course! I was about to go over the material myself, so I’m happy to have someone to accompany me!”
Iida ushered the green haired boy into his room and onto his bed, while he sat at his desk and pulled out his own textbook and notebook. He started reading the questions out loud, dutifully writing in the answers and checking them with the other after each finished. After an hour, they had gone through all the applicable problems and were steadily getting each answer correct. The blue haired boy was still a bit confused on why his friend had needed him to study, considering he got very few problems incorrect and did not seem to need much help. Maybe he had also needed a respite from the party going on downstairs, closer to Izuku’s room than his own, the party he’d been able to forget about thanks to him. He didn’t want Izuku to go, even though he did not have a logical reason for it.
“Midoriya, would you be interested in staying later? I would like to increase my knowledge on All Might, specifically how he affected the heroing world, and you seem to be the best person to consult!”
“I, uh, sure! There’s a new All Might documentary that was released a few days ago, it examines him through interviews with heroes who were active at the time and people he saved! It’s supposed to be an excellent watch”
Glancing at the clock, there was only an hour left until he was accustomed to going to bed. He reasoned that he could still function within an acceptable range with a bit less for a night, and turned back to the other.
“That would be excellent!” Iida answered.
As they watched, Izuku rattling on about an aspect of a rescue, Iida felt a genuine smile bubble up. Suddenly aware of himself, he realized he was leaning towards the other, hanging onto every word. He felt… happy, like he was cared for. He wanted to be around Izuku more, be closer to him, touch him, to do things that were distinctly not for friends. The realization hit him that he may want more than just friendship, and the butterflies he’d felt were not simply nerves or an upset stomach. For the rest of the movie, he was on edge, and when it ended he ushered Izuku out.
He said, a bit more quietly than normal “Thank you so much for helping me with that! Your insight was much appreciated. Now, you should go to sleep, curfew is soon”
Izuku muttered “You’re welcome Iida, I’m glad we got to hang out. I hope you sleep well as well!”, and scurried off towards the stairs.
Iida collapsed into bed, still hearing a bit of music escaping the party, but still a bit high from seeing Izuku. He was also nervous, trying to decide what the best course of action was, when life as a hero student was complicated enough. He fell into a deep sleep without trying, with his glasses and uniform still on.