Work Text:
It was cliche. It was like the climax of an intense thriller drama movie with Uraraka standing between the love of her life and the villain that made his life hell.
So much pain. The man that has caused Iida so much pain was right behind her.
...And she was protecting that very same man, Todoroki and Deku by her side, holding the villain down.
"I-I said to move, Uraraka!" Iida's voice quivered over the pouring rain. It came down in waves, blasting them again and again.
A gust of wind curled it through the small alleyway.
They just had to wait for Endeavor to arrive. The other heroes shouldn't be too far behind.
"Iida..." Uraraka had her arms stretched out, trying to prevent him from doing something he would regret. "Please..."
Iida shook his head furiously, his helmet long forgotten somewhere in the streets outside of the alley. Tears intermixed with the rain cascading over them.
He rarely let himself cry. Seeing him in this state killed her inside. She had only seen it a handful of times already, but this one was different.
It was different than when he first got the news his brother was in critical condition at the hospital after being attacked by the Hero Killer: Stain. Those tears were filled with worry and fear.
It was different than when she held his hand in a vice grip as he fell to his knees at his brother's grave on the day of his funeral. Those tears were filled with sorrow and longing.
These tears were filled with revenge and rage.
And despite how much Uraraka knew Iida wanted it, she couldn't let him have it. Not this way.
So she shook her head with Stain cackling behind her, being held back by Todoroki's ice.
"I can't let you do this..." Her bottom lip started to wobble, but she stopped it. She needed him to see the severity of this. "If-If you do this, there's no going back, there's no--"
"It doesn't matter now anyway!" Iida put himself in his fighting stance. He was ready to blast himself forward and take down the man who took away his brother. "Tensei is gone!" Iida growled, the motors in his calves revving up. "He deserves justice!"
"He wouldn't want you doing this!" Uraraka brought her arms in front of her. She was ready to activate her quirk if need be. Iida was standing on a sheet of metal she made sure to touch before he arrived. If he made another move, she would lift it to make him unstable and lose balance.
And that's just what he did.
Iida roared out a battle cry as Uraraka lifted him high into the air.
"How far away is Endeavor?!" Uraraka shouted behind her as she floated herself up towards Iida.
"He should be here any minute!" Deku replied.
"Mmm," Uraraka acknowledged as she floated as fast as she could up to Iida. She yanked him up and used her quirk on his clothes, floating them up higher and higher until they were on the roof of a tall building.
They landed in a crash, Uraraka still in the process of mastering how to let things down softly.
She scraped her cheeks against the rubble on the roof, groaning as she got her bearings. With a quick glance at Iida, she could tell he was down. He wasn't going to fight anymore.
He tumbled off the side, hitting his back up against a wall. His head hung low, sniffles and soft cries escaping him.
Uraraka got to her feet and walked over to him before crouching down. He curled his legs into himself and ducked his head into his lap.
"I...I'm so sorry..." His voice was muffled and weak. "I shouldn't...I shouldn't have--"
"Hey," Uraraka placed a hand on his shoulder while the other combed its fingers through his damp blue tinted hair. "I'm here..."
Her words only made him sob harder. A scream tore through his throat as lightning lit up the sky, a booming crackle following soon after.
"I miss him so much!" Iida's cry got lost in his uniform. "He-He's gone and-and I couldn't do anything about it!" He shot his head up, tearful eyes meeting hers.
Uraraka gave him a consoling look, plopping herself down next to him and curling an arm around him, pulling him into her side. "Shhhh..." she tried to calm him. "I'm here...I'm here...You can let it all out...I'm not going anywhere..."
Something in her words seemed to give him permission to break down completely. She had never seen him cry so hard. His whole body shivered as the rain continued to pour. They were soaked to the bone, and the wind didn't help with the cold.
So she clung onto him. She let him bury his face into the crook of her tiny neck. She let him lean into her and hold her and claw at her uniform as he sobbed sorrys and regrets and how he wished he could have done more to save his brother, even though they both knew there was nothing he could have done.
They sat there on that rooftop long after Endeavor arrived to take Stain away. Todoroki and Deku raced to the roof of the building to check on them. The moment their friends saw Iida's condition, they nodded slowly and walked back down the fire escape.
Uraraka was sure they were waiting for them down below. Which they were as the rain started to lighten up.
The icy sheets turned to a gentle drizzle. Iida's throat-wrenching sobs turned into soft whimpers until eventually he cried himself to an exhausted state. Uraraka could only imagine how tired he was.
She slowly helped him up to his feet and gathered the strength to float them down from the roof. It was difficult, but she managed.
"Can you guys catch him for me?" She grunted, trying her best to focus on making a better landing this time.
"We've got him," Todoroki reached out with Deku. They caught him as she let him down.
"I...I'm so sorry..." Iida apologized, throat sore from all of his crying.
"You're safe, Stain is gone. That's all that matters now, Iida." Todoroki spoke up first.
"Yeah, let's get back to UA. Then your parents can head back home." Deku patted Iida on the back with a comforting smile.
Iida nodded while Uraraka followed close to his side.
Deku and Todoroki lingered behind once they got to the entrance of UA.
"You guys really don't have to wait..." Iida let out a tired yawn.
"Nonsense," Uraraka sat down on the stairs and patted the seat next to her. "Come sit by me."
Iida didn't put up a fight.
Todoroki and Deku hummed in agreement and came to sit next to their friend as well.
They all just sat there in silence. Uraraka kept herself pressed tightly against Iida so he could feel some sort of grounding.
His breathing had slowed down, nice and steady. He craned his neck to the side so he could lean his cheek against her damp hair.
They stayed in that position until a fancy car rolled up to pick him up.
Uraraka helped Iida back to his feet and walked over with him, holding his hand until he reached the door.
"You know you can call me anytime." Uraraka stood on her tiptoes to give Iida a kiss on the cheek. "I'll leave my phone on tonight."
Iida gave her a sad smile but nodded nonetheless. "I don't deserve you." He bent down and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for saving me from myself..."
"Ha," Uraraka smiled. "Don't thank me for something that doesn't need thanks, silly." She gave his hand one more squeeze before letting him go. "Now, go get some rest, okay?"
Iida gave another nod with a sigh. "Alright..." He started to dip himself into the car when he popped back up. "Do you mean it?"
"Hm?" Uraraka arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
A blush emerged on his cheeks. "...That I can call you...later..."
Uraraka kept that smile on her face as she held up her phone. "Day or night," she leaned in one more time to give him a kiss on the nose. "I'll wait for your call, okay?"
Iida let out a shaky breath before nodding and going into the car to take him home.
Todoroki and Deku said their good-byes before heading back to the school.
Uraraka kept her promise. Iida called her later that evening, sobbing quietly into the phone as he processed his actions. She didn’t have to say anything. All he wanted was someone to listen, for someone he trusted to listen.
So she did. She put in her earbuds and let Iida talk about his feelings while occasionally giving him soft validations and affirmations that he will still become an amazing hero.
Time passed quickly, and eventually the students had to move into dorms on campus. Uraraka would make frequent visits to Iida’s room when allowed, or go workout with him and jog around the grounds. They talked and leaned on each other more and more.
Then one night they were sitting under a tree in the front lawn. Iida sipped on some orange juice while Uraraka thumbed through their Hero’s History textbook. “We have to pick a villain to do research on for our project, right?”
Iida nodded in confirmation. “Yes, and I believe I have one in mind…”
“Yeah?” Uraraka looked up to see Iida wearing a cautious expression. “Who is it?”
“It’s someone…that’s gained attention recently…but is now, well, subdued.”
“Okay,” Uraraka put the book down. “Wanna give me a hint?” She smiled.
“No, I’ll just say his name.” Iida took a deep breath and then looked away. “I…want to do our research on Stain.”
“Oh, Iida,” Uraraka’s brow crinkled. “I thought you didn’t—”
“I believe this would help me understand him better…why he did what he did…and perhaps that will help me move on.”
“Mmm,” Uraraka pondered. “You’re still getting those nightmares?”
“Almost every night…” Iida sighed, slowly bringing his gaze back to hers. “I can’t do it alone…and since we are partners for this project…we could…um…do it together.”
Uraraka let a moment pass before sitting up on her knees and cupping Iida’s face in her tiny palms. “If that’s what you want to do, I’ll be with you every step of the way.” She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. “I’ll email Sensei so he knows we have made our official decision, okay?”
“Yes…Thank you, Uraraka…I…I…” Iida stumbled over his words.
“It’ll be alright.” She swiped the pad of her thumb over his strong cheekbone before falling back into her previous sitting position. She pulled out her laptop and sent the email off to Aizawa. “Okay, with that finished, I think we earned ourselves a break.” Uraraka hopped to her feet and held out her hand. “How about we treat ourselves to a walk in the park just off campus?
“Hmm,” Iida took her hand and pulled himself up. “I think that’s a lovely idea, my dear.”
The two made their way to the park, walking hand in hand, Uraraka more than happy to be Iida’s anchor for as long as he needed her.