Chapter Text
The night was cold, dark and infinitely lonely for them. Yes, them, the one unfortunately known by everyone as the lonely newcomer of class 2-A. The one who is dealing with far too much on their already filled minuscule-sized plate, between handling a language that isn’t entirely their own and catching up with a class whose bonds have already been strengthened through shared hardships. The one wringing their hands in worry at any situation where they have to interact with more than 2 people, the one whose gaze is wistful towards their classmates’s laughs and pats on the back, the one who hid their inner battles to channel them into a powerful spirit.
It seems that they have a tendency to stay a few feet behind everyone, carefully watching their peers interact and seemingly taking notes on their behaviour. Always skittish around the edges, they still accept the warmth of the most sociable student. But it is always done with stretched arms, keeping a metaphorical distance between, say, Mina and them. Some people could see it as condescending (especially if they had ill-intent) but everyone was somehow understanding of the strange situation the newcomer was in, and the hardships that must come with it.
Nonetheless, time passed since the beginning of the new year and weeks went on. The outsider started really smiling at people, joining study groups, voicing some thoughts. But there always was that gulf between them and the others, cultural differences creating confusion that prompted the outsider to immediately raise barriers, or remarks that would make them close like a clam.
So yeah, they knew that they clearly weren’t the most appreciated person in the class. However, some courageous souls went out of their way to still include them. They were the closest to what the student could call friends. Hakagure and her boyfriend Ojiro, Kouda, Shouji and even Tokoyami, all great people who warmly welcomed them in their own different way without ever pressuring them into anything. This made them somehow even more uncomfortable because the feeling of being a bad friend started appearing on top of the feeling of being an outcast.
Anyhow,
Cold and dark night,
Alone in the common room.
Life was hard when trying to get adjusted in a whole other country. They missed their family, they missed their friends and above all, they were homesick. There was a consistent ache in their very soul (or so it seemed) where a few things said, or a simple object would awaken this intense need to go home. A raw feeling of need for comfort, for familiarity. Except, they couldn’t go home anymore, not unless they flew by airplane for a few hours anyway. And they fret that home wouldn’t really be home anymore after all this time, so different from what they commonly lived through and what they remembered.
Therefore, tonight they went down to the common room, not expecting and not seeing anyone (to their greatest relief). They simply sat on one of the couches, looking at the inky darkness outside and the lights from the streetlamps, having an one on one conversation with themselves in hushed whispers in their mother tongue. This surely seemed strange from the outside but thankfully, no one was here. They were reminiscing and comforting themselves by saying what came through their head.
There just was a familiarity in those ushered words, a belonging. They didn’t expect anyone Japanese to understand.
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Iida Tenya was the representative of class 2-A. As such, he ensured the wellbeing of his classmates and always thrived to help them solve their problems. To be quite frank, he always tried his best to solve his peer’s issues, may it be with advice or directing them towards the right figure who should be able to help. However, he soon learned that he couldn't solve everything by himself (through a rather bloody lesson). That didn’t make his failures any easier to swallow, one of the most blatant and recurrent for him being the lonely newcomer.
He had approached them multiple times, suggesting group activities and making sure to include them in class outings and in the conjoined chores. Always extending a friendly hand. Nonetheless, it never quite worked. They stayed several feet away from everyone else, granting only a few people some of their presence and personality. It was so scarce that Iida feared they would never let their guard down. He logically knew that he couldn’t force anyone to open themselves, but he also never was the most social person either. He found it especially hard to advise someone on something he didn’t fully understand himself.
He sighed, there was no point in turning in his bed over and over again. He got up and went down to the common room. His go-to activity when he couldn’t sleep was usually to study more but he had done absolutely everything he could have; every homework that had been assigned to them for the few following days, every note had been carefully rewritten, every revision sheet had been made. He also couldn’t exercise as it would awaken him more and uselessly tire his body for the next day. So, he was stuck with either drowning in his own thoughts, hoping for sleep to come, or go down and drink something warm.
Heading to the kitchen, he heard a muted familiar voice talking about something he wasn’t quite able to catch. Surprised, he stopped in his steps and froze like a deer in headlights. After all, the kitchen and the living room were one large room, making him extremely visible if the unknown individual lifted their head. However, it seemed like the person on the other side of the room hadn’t heard him, nor felt his presence, as they kept on blabbering. He resumed his walking and risked a glance towards the noise.
He stopped once again in his steps as he realized that the figure lighted by the streetlamps outside the window was none other than the very student who he was worrying about a few minutes earlier. A violent debate happened in Iida’s head : should he approach them considering it is quite late and they are muttering alone to themselves OR should he go back to his room (without his drink) and possibly regret not properly carrying out his class representative’s duties ? Well there goes the inner debate, he thinks, “I know very well what I have to do”.
Taking a deep breath, he walked towards them and softly called their name.
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You wiped around, broken out of your thoughts by the voice of one of your classmates. And you immediately recognized him by the formal way he addressed you, and by his silhouette being illuminated by the rare light of the streetlamp. You… honestly weren’t expecting this. Yes, someone might come by the common room but you could have heard them and, Iida-kun ? He isn’t the most stealthy guy, nor the one you would have thought to be awake at such a ghastly hour.
“Iida-kun !” you gasp in a surprised tone. You don’t add anything, too baffled, and he gradually looks more and more uncomfortable at the silence that is hanging between you two. Trying to salvage a semblance of normalcy, you awkwardly try to explain what you were doing. “You, uh, I wasn’t expecting … really anyone to come. I was … just looking for some quiet”. You aren’t very convinced by what you just said, and even though you made a somewhat coherent sentence, Iida looks perplexed.
“Wouldn’t your room be more adapted for the quiet ? This is a common space”, he very logically responds, “Anyone could arrive at any moment, quite like I did. I do apologize for that”. He looks apologetic for a moment and you are out of words. Because he is right, your room is indeed quieter. That is exactly the problem. It is too quiet. Here, at least, you are alone but surrounded by the shadows and ghosts of people, conversations past and memories deeply ingrained in the fabric of this “common” room. You shift in your seat, unsure of what you can respond, and cast your gaze downwards. You don’t know how long this moment stretches again, but the sound of movement catches your attention. You observe as Iida takes a seat on one of the recliners facing towards you, but further on the left. He is not directly facing you, giving you much needed space as he doesn’t look at you. The light of the streetlamp is catching on the ridge of his glasses, which you suddenly notice are in his hair, not on his nose. A beat passes. He shifts. “I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable (Y/N)-san. I’m quite sorry for interrupting”. His voice is low and matches the unmoving atmosphere of the space. “But I find myself rather struggling for sleep, and as you seem to be in a similar situation, perhaps we’d benefit from sharing the common room ?”
He hasn’t looked at you once while saying this, not an ounce of nervousness in his tone, but you see that he is incredibly tense. His shoulders are wrung up high and he is sitting very stiffly. You realize that he just admitted to not being able to sleep and you are surprised. He seems like he has everything under control as the class’s representative. Yet, in the cold and dark room, he looks just as lost in the world as you. His young face is barren to your gaze with the absence of its usual protection. And he is reaching out to you, like he did many times during the day. But this is different, the night brings out a certain type of honesty. Maybe this is what inspired Iida-kun to join you.
You shift to angle your body towards him and ask “What is bothering you ?”. He blinks, freezes for he didn’t think his actions through, and turns to look at you. Catching your eye, he immediately looks elsewhere and gulps “Ah… well. Nothing, I’m afraid”. His voice rings true and you frown. “Why are you up so late then, I thought you were-” you cut yourself before saying that you thought he had his life together and carefully reformulate “ I thought you would be the type to do full nights of sleep, especially after yesterday’s training”
(Nice save)
He doesn't answer, looking slightly uncomfortable and you feel like an asshole. Of course, he doesn't want to tell you, you guys don’t even know each other. You are not even sure he knows your first name. A bit panicked, you speak again to diffuse the tension. “That’s okay, you don’t need to tell me ! I’m … “. This moment is when you realize that you truly don’t think before talking. Feeling a little frazzled, you sigh and push your face in your hands for a second. A few beats pass once more, but, before Iida can say anything, you find your voice again.
“I like the quiet of the common room at night. That's why I was here, to answer your previous question. It’s … fuller than the one in my room, like the air retained some of the people’s presence. Like it knows that it will be filled again”. You raise your head from your hands and look blankly at the ground, not noticing that he is looking at you. “It feels like I can leave something too”. You grimace, unsure if any of what you said makes sense, and readjust yourself on the seat.
“How so ?” He gently asks. “What would you leave ? Is it for someone in particular”. You blink at his questions. He’s been listening. He’s interested. “No one I guess, anyone if they ever chose to hear what I left. I mainly leave words here.” You pause. “Words from far away” you add with a wry smile and his mouth involuntarily quirks up. He seems to think about his response before opening his mouth.
“I’m sorry I interrupted this process”. You go to reassure him but he raises a hand, effectively stopping you. “I … have an idea.” He is quite hesitant. “Perhaps, you’d like to share those words with a conversation partner ?” You are stunned by the proposal. “I assume you were talking in your native language” he adds, a hand coming to rest under his chin, “but you could explain how that articulates to me ?”. You feel frozen, strangely grateful for the proposal but you don’t know how to react. He is looking at you and you feel the moment where he starts to close himself from your silence, probably beating himself over his proposal. So you break into a hopeful smile and ask a small and breathless “really ?”
His head snaps up and he carefully nods. You feel yourself smile more and you start to talk. You describe to him how you missed using your throat and tongue to form certain sounds, and how, in contrast, it can be difficult for you to properly form all the vowels used in the Japanese language. You let him listen to simple words from your language and he softly asks what they mean (and horribly butchers their pronunciation afterwards but you find his attempts sweet). The topic eventually derives towards your home and he takes a great interest in learning your family member’s name. When you ask about his family, you see his small smile dim and you start to regret saying it, before he tells you about his brother.
It’s such a strange moment for you both, because you are sharing things quite personal as strangers (or barely there acquaintances). He insists on learning to say your name correctly. It makes you feel seen. You ask him to describe his childhood home. He obliges with a fond smile on his face. The night and tiredness makes you both truthful, and your eagerness to connect with anyone loosens your tongue. You don’t know how long you two spent there talking, but the effects of your insomnia (a quite strong yawn on your part) puts a stop to the conversation. Iida, who was explaining his family’s process to making onigiri (the conversation derailed at some point), interrupts himself and asks “Are you tired ?”
Caught, you bashfully turn your head to the side. You don’t really want to leave, but it is the middle of the school week. “I want to hear the end of this story, Iida-kun. I promise to go up to my room then” you bargain and he frowns. “Sleep is extremely important and you shouldn’t ignore your bodily needs. You need a sufficient amount of energy to study”. He says with a small chop of his arm. You shoot him a blank look before saying “Who’s the one ignoring their needs by talking with me right now ?”
He sputters and bright color comes to his cheek, which makes you softly laugh. You decide that, perhaps, it truly was time to sleep. So you raise yourself from your seat and look down at Iida. He is still looking somewhat embarrassed. You smile and say : “I’ll head to sleep then. But I expect to hear the end of this story one of these days. And you have to go to sleep too !”, you add with a bit of an accusing tone. Iida nods and looks like he wants to add something, but his silence prolongs and you bid him goodbye.
As you are walking to your room, you realize how much time you’ve just spent talking to a boy who you couldn’t even bear to see in the light of day before. It wasn’t his fault, you just struggled so much with fitting in that his attempt felt forced and unnatural to you. You feel like you’ve discovered so much about him in so little time. It feels like you finally have connected deeply with someone here.
What a weird experience this was.
Cracking a yawn, you snuggle under your blanket as sleep weighs upon your eyelids, only to realize that you never got to learn why he couldn’t sleep. It’s the last thought that accompanies you before sleep takes over.
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The dynamic between the newcomer and the class representative wasn’t impacted in the slightest by their encounter, or so it seems to the unknowing eye. There were a few instances where something budding between the two could have been noticed, if anyone paid attention.
Because the new student smiled in greeting at Iida-kun the next morning, a secret smile like they shared something forbidden, and a smile so small no one else but him noticed it. He didn’t smile back that day, but made a point to greet them every day from this point forward. Nobody batted an eye, Iida-kun is a polite fellow and will greet anyone that enters a room (but they didn’t notice the warmth in the foreigner’s answer and how Iida made sure to pronounce their name right).
Because Iida-kun shared his notes with them on a random school day when he noticed that they struggled to follow Present Mic-sensei’s earlier rapid flow of words. They would have never accepted his help before, but they had quietly thanked him and eclipsed themselves to their room to recopy his notes. Nobody questioned it as their class representative was known for helping his classmates (but they didn’t know that when he got his notebook back, there was a little flower saying “thanks !” doodled on the bottom of his lesson).
Because they encountered each other again in the empty common room just two weeks later. And they were both so surprised at the other’s presence that the newcomer started to laugh, and Iida didn’t know why but he joined. Maybe they talked more that night, about assignments and training and how they beat Kaminari in their last fighting session (“your footwork has greatly improved” “Thank you Iida-kun, I’ve noticed that you’ve been using your speed differently depending on-”). But most of all, the newcomer pushed Iida towards his room when they noticed he was making tea. “It’s just going to keep you awake ! Don’t you know what theine is ?” they had indignantly asked and Iida had to bashfully put everything away. He wanted to tell them that he wouldn’t sleep anyway, but they made a point of accompanying him directly to his room and he said nothing. Arriving at his door, there was a strange moment where the two didn’t know what to say.
Afraid of the newcomer leaving so soon, Iida found himself asking if they could teach him more words from their language. And they had looked taken aback at first, before their face formed to that of someone being oddly touched. They smiled and promised they would at another time, “when we somehow meet again in the common room, deal ?”. They had proposed this with a mischievous smile and Iida couldn’t help but agree. He wanted to know more. When they left, they bid him goodbye in their language. “So you can still learn something new tonight” they had thrown over their shoulder as they left him to think this strange interaction over.
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It becomes a bit of an unhealthy habit for you two, to meet in the common room over your shared insomnia and talk quietly in the dead of the night. It seems that when you struck that deal with Iida, he definitely wanted to fulfill his part of meeting you in the common room. You are pretty sure that he was waiting for you the next time you too met (and it worried you that he was robbing himself of much needed sleep). You came to learn about his deep-rooted insomnia, dating back to his early childhood, and you quietly admitted that you never had problems sleeping back home.
“It must be something in the air” you had jokingly said, but his face suddenly became quite sad. You remember looking at this expression he was sporting, and thinking that it didn’t suit him at all. There was something under his inquisitive gaze and serious nature that intrigued you, for he never seemed much expressive during the day. However, during your nightly encounters, it’s like his face becomes overtaken by every feeling he harbors and he seems enraptured every time you speak. It’s strange to have this focused attention on you, but the quiet night makes it unreal for you. Like everything that happens here, stays here somehow.
It’s why you don’t approach him at the light of day. Yes, he has his friends and you have yours, they don't particularly mix. But the worst of all is his gaze. When the full force of it is directed towards you at day, it suddenly becomes all too real. The fact that this wonderful boy is your friend, that he willingly is talking to you and seeking your presence, and even that he has you on his mind. The first time he said “This thing made me think of you”, you froze as he barreled on his explanation of the little thing that he had noticed. It was a drawing of a beaver in a book, and his reasoning was that you would seem like a person who would build a barrage around yourself to protect their findings, while somehow ending up helping the entire flow of the river (you had been struck speechless by that to be honest, and Iida’s face may have bloomed into quite a vivid color when you said “So I eat wood ?”)
(You held this comparison to your chest because it meant that he thought you were useful. But also fuck that train of thought, where does creating a barrier around yourself sounds like something you’d do ?)
You think that you are not exaggerating when you say that you two are friends. After all, this strange dynamic has been going on for 5 months now (July to December approximately), and while you see each other perhaps once or twice a week, it is still a significant amount of time to learn about someone. You softly ask him that, the night just before the winter holiday when you’ll be going back home. “Are we friends ? Because I think you’re mine” you gulp a little nervously. “It’d be really sad if you weren’t of the same opinion though” you tried to joke but it fell flat as Iida looked you right in the eye.
“You are. Please do not doubt my feelings of friendship for you”. He looked extremely determined to let you know how much he is your friend. He puts his right fist to his chest and declares “I am glad to be able to be called your friend”. Not ready for such a passionate display, you feel your mouth drop open and and your eyes getting a little misty. You catch yourself and smile disbelievingly at him, before giggling at him for being so serious even about this. He repeats how much this is important for you to know but you are laughing too hard to be stopped now. He scoffs a little and frowns at your joy, but you catch him smiling softly at you afterwards.
“I’m glad to be your friend too. I’m happy that we met”. You utter those very simple words and smile at him, knowing that you will not see each other for a little time. You don’t notice how Iida’s mouth has slowly dropped at your confession and how color is tainting his cheeks, because you are suddenly talking about how you couldn’t wait to eat your mother’s favorite dish for Christmas. Catching himself, Iida asks you about it and cleverly hides his fluster by moving his face in the shadow. You barrel on your explanation, excited to go back home and feeling giddy of the moment that just happened, as Iida listens intently.
When the time comes for you two to separate, Iida lingers and you notice. You ask why he obviously isn’t heading for his room and your answer is him abruptly shoving his phone in your face. “So we can keep in contact while you're in your country”, he rushes this explanation out. But before you can answer, he adds with a confident readjustment of his glasses : “If you need any help with your homework, you see !”
You catch the true meaning of his words (I want to keep talking to you) and smile while taking his phone. You add both your japanese and your country’s number under your contact so he can always receive and send your messages. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you then, mister class representative. Don’t disappoint me !”. Iida smiles and you both say goodbye to each other.
“I’ll be waiting for that onigiri’s recipe Iida. Happy holidays to you and your family”. You smile and leave. Iida stands still as his heart beats strangely. You walk to your room feeling warm.
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Starting to get a little breathless from all the dancing you’ve been doing for the past 30 minutes, you are about to get out of the dancefloor when a certain song immediately catches your attention. You hear Mina scream in delight and both of you lock eyes as she literally barrels from her place on the couch to dance with you.
You don’t really know how or why, but class 2-A managed to have an authorization to organize a party in the dorm to celebrate the new year (even though it's past the date). Your friend group was charged mainly with decoration while the entire event was catered by the class representatives. Speaking of the devil, you and Iida have been talking non-stop since the moment you left the dorm to go to the airport. He may have wanted to “help with the homework” at first, but it ended up being you two sharing pictures of mundane things and you especially sending him concerned selfies of your face when he was answering you at 3 in the morning, Japan time (after all, it was barely the evening for you). He was introduced to your pet and would actually pronounce its name really well, showing you his family’s aquarium in exchange (“You didn’t give them any name ?” “I can’t even differentiate them Y/N”). He sometimes would point out random objects he knows the name of in your language after seeing them in a photo or video. One time, he just said “Wardrobe.” in response to a 2 minute long video of you describing a knitting project you’d pick up. Your response of “???????” was only answered with a thumbs-up on the video (he’s a bit weird like that sometimes).
The song is one you’d have never expected to be at this Japanese party. Clearly, Mina had participated in the playlist because she immediately recognized it and joined you. You had found a strange companionship with the pink girl when it came to dancing. The time was getting closer to midnight, but you had danced to quite a few songs by her side since the beginning of the party at 7pm. Apparently, her much needed break from being on her feet had been broken by the coming of this song in particular.
Both of you sing the lyrics loudly as you move in tandem, she actually has a past in dancing while you just do whatever, but it seems to work. Some others join or are already on the dancefloor, and they are laughing at both of your joy. They leave space for you two, as you excitedly circle each other. When the instrumental break comes, Mina jumps on a table and drags you with her. You laugh and cling on to her so as to not fall. Once you’re stable, you let go of her and you turn to dance. It’s such a good moment for you. Only vibes, good music and a nice person to dance with. Bonus point for being on a table. As you mouth the lyrics, you inadvertently catch Iida’s eye. He seems to be looking only at the two of you and you can’t help but feel yourself caught in his intense gaze. You turn your head, flustered, and continue by focusing only on Mina. But then the final chorus comes with its very defined lyrics.
“ Oh I wish I could synthesize. A picture perfect guy, oh I, oh I. Six feet tall and super strong. We’d always get along, alright, alright ”. You catch his eyes again, right when they mention the height and strength. And, well, how to say it. You deliberately look at him while mouthing this and his mouth subtly drops.
“ Oh he’d pick me up at eight, and not a minute late ‘ cause I don’t like to wait no ”. You turn your gaze again to his face, which is getting a little bit of color. You purposefully slap your wrist to indicate a clock towards him. You are just so lost in the dance and the mood that you don’t think about the implications behind, it’s just a fun way to tease your friend. You had tried to make him dance all night but he always declined.
“Kind and ain't afraid to cry, or treat his momma right. That's right, that's what I like”. You realize how this can be interpreted once the music ends. Turning your gaze towards Iida again, your attention gets broken by Mina who excitedly shakes your shoulders while laughing (you didn’t see, but he was decidedly hiding his face behind his hand). She drags you to her friends who are sitting not far and loudly exclaims how cool you are. You get roped into a conversation without really wanting to, and you forget that you sorta mortifyingly flirted with the class representative, while being on a table and on the other side of the room.
The room bustles when midnight approaches as everyone gathers and gets ready to wish a happy new year on a day that isn’t at all January 1rst. Nonetheless, the ambiance is really fun and conversations are happening left and right. While you’re roped into excited chatter from Hakagure, you feel someone softly tap your shoulder. You turn around and see Iida who is smiling softly. “Would you be so kind as to help me with something in the kitchen ?”. He points towards it vaguely, but Hakagure shatters whatever response you were about to say with a shrill “30 seconds !!!!!!!!”. You get lost in your friend’s excitement and you see Iida head towards his own friends for the moment. You frown at him but the beginning of the countdown distracts you once more. The zero is a burst of screams from everyone and you get hugged, and you hug, and everyone seems happy.
Once it’s done, you all have to clean because Aizawa-sensei has very conveniently arrived to remind all of you about the curfew, and the common room needing to be spotless for tomorrow morning. The mood immediately gets dampened and some of your peers whine. After everyone gets assigned a task, you discreetly head towards Jirou (who had been handling the aux) with a mischievous smile. She simply raises an eyebrow, before sighing and giving you access to put music. You debate with her on what to put, a debate which catches Sero’s and Kaminari’s attention, a debate which ends with everyone abandoning their task to choose the correct cleaning playlist. Feeling a bit out of your depth with everyone talking, you turn towards Iida who raises his voice to settle everyone’s talking. You shoot him a grateful smile.
Eventually, you all settle on some bossa nova (chill but you know, can still move the hips on it). People slowly trickle out as their tasks are done, and you find yourself lingering. Because you see Iida talking softly in the kitchen with Uraraka and you don’t want to interrupt them, but you remember him asking to see you. Jirou leaves you in charge of the music as she bids you goodbye, and you go to sit in the corner of the room. Humming softly in your own little world, you can’t help but steal glances towards the two speaking. You’re just a little curious about what they may be talking about, huddled so close like this. Looking over, you unintentionally catch Uraraka’s gaze who smiles at you and nudges Iida to turn in your direction. Feeling caught, you hurry to look outside, missing the soft look on your friend’s face (it doesn’t get lost on Uraraka though)
You wait patiently for him to come and he joins you a few minutes later, looking a little red in the face after his friend left with a giggle. He sits next to you and sighs, sinking a little into the recliner. Soft bossa nova is filling the now empty common room and you ask a bit mockingly “Are you tired, mister class representative ?”. He answers with an annoyed stare, you simply smile in response, and he softens in an instant. “Did you have a great time ?” he asks, taking his glasses off and rubbing his face. “I did, I’m really happy that people were in the mood to dance. I love to do this”.
“I saw. You seem quite comfortable on the dancefloor” he says with a bit of humor in his tone. However, it just reminds you of what happened and you feel yourself blushing. Before you can say anything, you hear someone clearing their throat. Both you and Iida turn at the sound to see your homeroom teacher looking at the both of you, and you shoot to your feet. Iida immediately bows and apologizes as you shut up to let him try to frantically explain. Seeing Aizawa’s no nonsense face and him digging his own grave, you catch his arm and apologetically smile. “We’ll head right to bed sensei, we were simply discussing the chore program for next week. Thank you for reminding us !”. At the end, you were literally pushing Iida toward the stairs, and he managed to squeeze a stressed “Good night sensei” before you both crossed the door.
(You both missed your teacher’s snicker at seeing you scramble)
On the other side of the door, you let out a breath and you can’t help but start to laugh. “Is it really the time for this ?” asks Iida, looking frazzled, but he joins you after a few seconds. Both of you clutching your stomach, you let yourself lean on him and he holds you by the shoulder. Calming yourselves, you look at him and smile. “We should head to sleep Iida, it’s been a long night”. He searches your face for something, and you cock your head to the side. He turns to the side and sighs a “yes we should''. It makes you frown but he starts accompanying you to your room.
“You shouldn’t stay here too long Iida, there are too many gossipers on my floor”. He smiles and bids you goodbye then. But before he leaves, you catch his arm and you hug him. “Happy New Year Iida” you whisper in his shoulder, and he unfreezes to hold you in return. You both stay a little too long in each other's arms. Letting go, you smile at him again and you flee in your own room. “Something has definitely been crossed tonight” you think, as you stick yourself against your door after closing it. Unbeknownst to you, Iida hasn’t moved yet and he is completely frozen, with a very red face.
You both sigh and hide your face in your hands, before finding the courage to both move from your frozen place.