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there was a cat in his dorm room. and iida tenya didn’t know what to do.
it wasn’t like he didn’t know how to take care of it, of course. as soon as he’d seen the ginger tabby curled up on his pillowcase, he immediately researched what, exactly, cats needed. he’d never had a pet as a child, but in a few minutes he’d learned a fair amount on how to properly feed and care for a cat. it was simple, really. canned wet food was sold at most grocery stores, and, according to a few different articles, was better for most cats than both dry kibble and wet cat food. they also needed a steady supply of fresh water, and a place to… do their business. seeing as the cat had found a way in, it most likely could find a way out, and not leave any unwanted presents in his sock drawer.
no, the issue wasn’t that he didn’t know how to take care of the cat. the issue was he didn’t know what to do with the cat.
technically, pets weren’t allowed in the dorms. the rule was regarded as a mere suggestion by the majority of his classmates, as proven by koda’s pet rabbit, tokoyami’s pet snake, ashido’s pet gecko, aoyama’s pet fish, and hagakure’s pet tarantula. and most of the teachers didn’t seem to mind, proven by present mic’s plea to play with ashido’s gecko, while aizawa stood and watched, stoic as ever. but tenya still felt guilty about going against the rules. he was the class president, and he had to set an example for the rest of the class. that was his job , the one he’d agreed to do, no matter how frustrating or difficult it was. he’d taken on that task, and he needed to see it through.
but the cat had other plans. these plans mostly involved snoozing on his sweaters. so, he let it.
he showed up for class, early as always, chatted with izuku, chided uraraka for her almost-tardiness, all the usual. he helped tsuyu with her english homework (a nasty assignment on verb conjugation that left tenya’s head spinning as well), bought soba for todoroki (who studied through lunch and forgot to eat if he wasn’t reminded), debated tea varieties with yaoyorozu (who preferred black tea to green and clearly was wrong), and forced his way through his own assignments, tedious as ever. and it wasn’t until he finally slowed down, took a moment to breathe and rest, that he noticed a small orange lump in his lap. the cat, it seemed, was uninterested in geometry, but greatly enjoyed his uniform pants. and he couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy it.
the cat, who he’d decided to name cinnamon, was currently asleep in his lap, his two white paws tucked under his chin. the weight of the cat was unexpectedly nice, not too light or too heavy. his fur was the softest thing tenya had ever felt, and he ran his hand along its back, a calming feeling rising in his chest. the gentle purrs were nice as well, a consistent pattern that didn’t bother him like some other noises did. it was predictable and quiet, and he hummed in tandem with the cat. iida tenya, a boy who sprinted through life, who spread himself too thin to keep everyone else safe, who was always moving, always doing, always on , felt surprisingly at peace. it was nice. he thought he could get used to this.
but if iida knew anything, it was that comfort never lasted.
as soon as he woke up, he knew it was going to be a bad day. he couldn’t pinpoint it, exactly. it was just a general feeling of dread that simmered in the bottom of his stomach and kept growing, growing, growing , until it rose to reach his throat and it choked him, cutting off his air and sending him into a blind panic that couldn’t be reasoned with or rationalized. it was just there , and it was bad , and there was nothing he could do about it. he just had to try and make it through the day without anything happening. which clearly was not about to happen.
but he tried to manage it anyway. he put on his uniform, and thankfully the feeling of it didn’t make him want to scream. he loosened his tie as much as he could, without breaking the dress code. he forwent a belt, knowing his limits and knowing that the tight band would drive him faster into a spiral. he followed every part of his morning routine to the letter, and the repetition somewhat soothed the nervous energy that blanketed his skin. he grabbed a quick breakfast, something that wouldn’t ache and burn on its way down.
he made his way to class, where midoriya greeted him and began rambling about something, and he couldn’t even focus because god , when did the lights get so bright? he was trying his hardest to stay present, but it was all so much to handle. the clanging of the bells, the slapping of shoes against linoleum tile, the rustling of students pushing through the hallways, the miscellaneous chatter spilling out of every classroom. it was all so loud . it felt like someone had scooped out his brain and dumped it in a blender. his skin itched and his muscles hurt and he just wanted to sleep. but he had a full day of classes.
izuku must’ve noticed something was up, because in a gentler tone, he asked, “am i talking too fast? too loud? if it’s too much, just let me know. i get excited and tend to forget how i’m talking, oops.”
tenya managed a smile. “oh, thank you, midoriya. i’m all right.”
his friend just nodded, and pulled something out of his pockets. it was a circle, made of multi-colored curved pieces of plastic, and he handed it to iida. “just in case, take this. it’s called a tangle, and you can twist it around however you want. it helps me, sometimes, when it’s hard to focus or i’m just feeling really overwhelmed. keep it,” he added, sensing tenya’s response, “i have plenty. i won’t miss it.”
the object was light in his fingers, and fidgeting with the “tangle”, as midoriya called it, was quite useful. it softly pulled him back to the present, helped drown out the buzzing fluorescent lights and thrum of the heating system. “i… really appreciate it,” he said. “thank you.”
izuku grinned. “now, where was i?” he murmured, then immediately dove back into the subject at hand. but this time, it was just enough quieter and slower that iida could follow along without a headache.
but the rest of the day was not as easy.
midoriya’s gift was certainly a godsend, and having something to do with his hands was a wanted distraction from the… chaos that was his school day. but it couldn’t solve everything. his morning classes were bearable, even if present mic’s voice felt like a stab wound in his ear canal. but lunch was awful. the roaring crowd of the cafeteria made him feel sick, head spinning and his skin crawling, and he barely touched his gyudon. uraraka and midoriya kept the conversation going, as usual, but tenya knew he wasn’t behaving as he usually did. the dark knot of guilt mingled with the growing exhaustion in his stomach, and he knew the last class of the day were going to be a struggle.
it was math, with ectoplasm, which was one of the more bearable classes for him. the pro-hero had a calm, quiet tone to his voice, and his slow way of speaking was good at putting iida at ease (and putting his classmates to sleep). the subject itself was also a favorite of his. something about it, the strong focus on rules and order, the clear answers to any problem, it all made perfect sense to him. the memorization of theorems and postulates was simple, and applying those formulas to solving equations was almost soothing to him. everything had a proper answer, a specific way to do things. it was clean and orderly, and it made sense .
what wasn't making sense, however, was ochako’s incessant pen-tapping.
he wasn't trying to be rude, quite the opposite, in fact. uraraka was one of his closest friends, and he adored her with every part of his heart and soul. he knew she was stimming (a term she'd taught him, which he'd done extensive research on immediately after) as a way to focus in class, and that the repetitive movement helped her concentrate. but for iida, when every sound seemed to crawl across his neck and drag its sticky fingers along his spine, and every touch would raise hives on tingling skin, it was miserable. he couldn't think, couldn't pay attention, couldn't do anything but hear the off-rhythm tapping of her pen. it rose, louder and louder in his ears, until he thought he'd burst. his skin was on fire, his eyes were searing, he could almost feel blood dripping from burst eardrums onto his school uniform. his face burned.
he didn't even hear the bell ring, or ectoplasm dismissing them. he could vaguely sense uraraka and midoriya behind him, their murmurs blurring and fogging behind him into something intangible. if he stopped to speak to them, it would just get worse, and he wouldn't be able to control himself, and he'd lose it in front of the entire class. he couldn't let that happen. so he shoved his things into his bag, wincing at the flutter of notebook paper against his wrist, slung the bag over his shoulder, and walked to his room as quickly as he could without sprinting. he could vaguely make out people in front of and behind him, and maybe someone called his name, but he couldn't pause, couldn't talk to them. he needed to get out of here, where everything was too bright and too loud and too much . he needed to get out. he couldn't stop.
when he made it to his room, it was blessedly quiet.
he sat down for a moment, turned off the lights, and closed his eyes. his mind was racing, panic clawing at his chest like it was begging to be let out. he couldn't breathe, couldn't think. all he could do was try to calm down, to let the dark silence of his room envelope him. if he didn't move, he couldn't think about the awful fabric rubbing against his throat, or the chatter of students in the hallways that threatened to drown him in noise. everything was so overwhelming, and he just couldn't relax. he felt like screaming, like yelling loud enough to overpower everything else, or curling up tight enough so that nothing could reach him. he felt so unsteady, so fragile, and his throat was closing up, and—
there was something sitting on him.
cinnamon had jumped into his lap, green eyes wide and gentle. he blinked, realizing that the weight of the cat on top of him was… quite nice, actually. it wasn't a light, fleeting touch that made him shiver and his skin burn. it was a steady pressure, not too much to be overwhelming, but enough to bring him back. the purring was soothing as well. the rhythmic sound gave him something to focus on, and the scattered noise of the dorms slowly faded to the back of his mind. his fur was breathtakingly soft, and tenya let himself think about nothing but the cat on his lap, the slow movements and the feel under his fingertips beginning to help him calm down.
he didn't know how long he sat like that, stroking the cat and trying to come back to himself. but after a while, he felt okay again. he still felt unsteady, a part of his being still splintered and aching, but it was better, now. it was manageable. he could breathe.
his phone buzzed softly against his bed, and he picked it up, the darkened screen glowing gently with a text message. it was from uraraka.
“hope everything’s okay!!!!!!! if u need deku or me to come over, just lmk!!!!! love u!!!!!” iida could hear the message in uraraka’s voice, both bright and concerned, and he smiled ever so slightly. tapping out a quick response, telling them he was alright and that he'd meet them in midoriya’s dorm (where they met every day after classes to study), he shifted his focus to the furry lump on his lap. with an apologetic glance, he said, “you must get up. i need to be going, cinnamon.”
the cat didn't budge.
he gently placed a hand on cinnamon’s flank and pushed. still, nothing. he tried again, a bit firmer, and finally the cat lept off his lap, meowing a small “mrrp?” as he was evicted from his perch. giving the cat a quick rub behind the ears, iida grabbed his school books and headed for izuku’s room.
he knocked, as always, and he heard uraraka jump to her feet to answer the door. she almost threw her arms him, before stopping and asking, “sorry! can i hug you?”
he wanted to say yes, he really did. but he didn't to set himself off again. pausing for a moment, he frowned. “would you… do you mind making sure it's tight? more pressure is better than less, especially on days where i'm more prone to sensory… sensitivity?”
she grinned. “of course! it's the same for me, i hate light touches,” uraraka complained, before wrapping him in a tight hug. he hugged her back, having to stoop slightly to reach her. she didn't mention it.
“let him breathe, uraraka,” izuku teased, but his tone was warm. “i'm glad you're doing okay, iida.”
uraraka finally released him, cheeks slightly pink. “sorry, i just got excited! i missed you.”
“it's been a very short time since classes ended,” iida pointed out, “you've seen me all day.”
“yeah, but you were having a shitty day and you were really quiet. it wasn't the same, even if you were physically there. you know?”
he did. “i apologize greatly for my demeanor today,” he said, “i know i was behaving strangely and it must've been upsetting and frustrating for you both, and—”
uraraka cut him off. “hey, what? no, of course not. you were just having a bad sensory day. happens to all of us, dude. no need to apologize. we're just glad you're okay!”
what?
“this— this happens to everyone?” he stammered.
izuku cut in. “not most people! but if you have adhd, like uraraka and i, or autism, like you, or any other sort of sensory processing disorder…”
he continued talking, but iida didn't hear a word he said.
autistic? that wasn't something that he— he wasn't— he would've known if he was, right? that wasn't something he wouldn't have known by age fifteen. he would've known .
but he had to admit, it made some sense. he'd done some research, when uraraka and izuku had mentioned that they both had adhd, and that had led him to resources on autism. and even if it felt painfully accurate, too much about him to be shared on a public site, it probably didn't mean anything. but… maybe it did.
he tried to vocalize this, but what came out was:
“me— what— autistic? i— no— but— what ?”
she nodded, eyes wide. “yeah, tenya. we thought you knew, honestly. it's not like you're ‘obvious’ or anything, don't worry, but when you're neurodivergent, you get to know the signs. like gaydar, but better. neurodiverdar…?”
“i hate that,” izuku said, deadpan, “please never speak to me again.”
uraraka socked him in the arm. “hey! i thought that was a good one.”
“can we maybe get back to the subject at hand?” izuku interjected, looking back at him. “poor iida looks like he just got hit by a car.”
he cleared his throat. “i mean… i never wanted to admit it, to think i was anything less than ‘normal’. but i read up on it, and it makes a lot of sense. but, thank you, ochako and midoriya, for helping me figure this out!”
izuku smiled. “of course, tenya! neur hoe divergents stick together.”
“did you seriously just—”
“yes, i did. i thought it was funny.”
uraraka groaned. “tenya, please save me from this.”
he grinned. “i have to side with uraraka. that was pretty horrendous.”
“hey!”
he still had to deal with a cat in his dorm room, and he should probably speak to aizawa and his parents about pursuing an official diagnosis. but right now, he was content to spend time with two of his best friends and relish in the fact that they understood, that they understood him , even when he didn't. that he had people to support him, on days like today, when things just got too much. they were there for him, and that's what mattered. he was going to be okay.