Chapter Text
"Who's hoodie is this, kero?" Asui mumbled, pointing at a navy blue hoodie that was folded neatly on the arm of the couch.
Ochaco looked up from where she was sat on the floor by the coffee table, homework strewn in front of her, and examined the article of clothing Asui was gesturing to, "Uh, I think it's Iida's."
"Will he mind if I borrow it? I didn't realise how cold it would be down here and I'm too tired to go back upstairs so..." Asui trailed off as a shiver wracked her body. Even from here, Ochaco could see that the girl's eyes were drooping shut as she fights off her induced hibernation.
"No I don't think he'll mind at all." Ochaco confirms and it's all the affirmation Asui needs before she tugs the hoodie over her head, the fabric absolutely swamping her smaller frame, and crawling over to wrap herself around Ochaco to soak in her body heat. It's with no small amount of endearment that Ochaco notices that the sleeves of the hoodie are so long that they cover Asui's arms completely and leave a good two to three inches of fabric to hang over her hands like paws. She cuddles the girl closer, firing off a text to Shouto to ask if he could lend his quirk to fend off the cold, and focuses back on her homework.
It's not until later that evening that Asui's obviously stolen hoodie is mentioned. Throughout the day people had noticed her struggle against the cold of winter and blankets had been placed around her, fluffy socks fetched for her bare feet and hot cups of tea pressed into her palms to warm her internally. Shouto had periodically come over to brush a heated palm over Asui's forehead or reheat a drink that had accidentally gone cold. But no one had taken notice of the ginormous hoodie that drowned Asui's frame that was clearly not from the girl's own wardrobe.
At least not until Iida had come down for dinner after a day of diligently studying in his dorm room. He'd stumbled down the stairs, his usually well-groomed hair a knotted mess (probably due to a particularly hard maths equation Ectoplasm had set for homework) and dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, the casual look a far cry from his typical perfectly neat school uniform.
That was something Ochaco loved about living in the dorms. The domesticity of living together and observing little habits that, in any other circumstance, would have gone undiscovered. For example, how Mina had to take alkalising supplements to counteract the acidity of her quirk but never remembered to take them because her brain function first thing in the morning was as low as Denki's when he short-circuited. Or how Toru adored cute and frilly decorations and enjoyed dressing up in doll-like outfits just to wear around the dorm rooms for the day. Even the outrage that Bakugou had a strict bedtime of 8:30 held just as much affection in Ochaco as it did mirth.
Iida's casual outfits were definitely one of her favourite hidden gems of her classmates. The boy looked good in grey sweats and ruffled hair. As he approached the sofas where she sat, she tried hard not to blush to obviously.
"Good evening, Ochaco. Is Asui alright?" he asked, motioning to the girl who was curled around Ochaco, sleeping soundly and mumbling soft keros.
"She got cold so I'm warming her up." Ochaco explained.
"I noticed that the building seemed unusually cold today. Perhaps the central heating isn't working properly. We should notify a teacher or a grounds keeper on this issue..." he trails off into silence, brows furrowing in confusion as he noticed something, "Is that my...hoodie?"
Ochaco blinked, bemused by the sudden change in topic and followed Iida's line of sight to the garment that swaddled Asui.
"Oh yes, it is, isn't it. It was on the sofa, and she was too tired to go back upstairs so I said you wouldn't mind if she wore it." Ochaco says, "Do you mind?"
Her question snaps Iida out of his daze, "Oh. Uh. No, no I don't mind at all. If she was cold then of course," he pauses, "Although, it perhaps would have been better if she had a clean one of mine. I left that one down here yesterday evening after wearing it all day."
"'S fine Iida," Asui mumbles as she stirs. Ochaco hadn't noticed her waking up, "'S more comfortable," and, Christ, the girl must be on the verge of full hibernation because she follows with, "It smells like you." and then proceeds to bury her face in the collar of the hoodie and breathe in what Ochaco knows is the scent of Iida's ridiculously expensive cologne and laundry detergent.
Smoke nearly comes out of Iida's ears from how brilliantly red he goes.
"I-uh, I see Tsuy- uhm I mean, Asui. Well if that, uh, brings you- you, uhm, comfort then, I suppose that- um." Ochaco can't help but giggle as her friend stumbles gracefully over his words.
And because she is a wonderful, kind, loving friend, she only adds to the fire, "You do have a nice scent, Iida. What is it, Emporio Armani? Eau d'Ingenium? I could sit there and sniff your closet all day."
Iida has to take several deep breaths before he's able to look Ochaco in the eye and string together a sentence, "I wasn't aware that you were so, uh, fond, of my fragrance. I mean, um, if that’s the case then I uh, don't mind if you wish to wear some articles of clothing from my wardrobe, if you, uhm, so wish to."
Bless his heart, Ochaco thinks but the proposition is tempting. He is much larger than her so his hoodies and sweatshirts would end up functioning more as a blanket. The idea of curling up in one of Iida's jumpers, cocooned in warm, luxurious fabric and his clean scent was rather enticing.
"You know, I might take you up on that offer Iida." she had said with the full intention of making the boy eat is words later on.
Little did Iida know that his offer, born out of the kindness of his heart, had lit a splint for a roaring fire as winter crept in and the dorms got colder and colder.