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It’s theraputic, having the little creature around the house. They’re different, the ball of fur and the mansion: one is full of life, the other often empty and silent. For years, Tuna the cat had been Iida’s only companion. The cat had been there since the raven haired boy was only a baby. They had grown up together as Iida and Tuna, the oddly compatible duo. Even now, the cat still pushed on, always waiting on Iida’s bed to greet him when he came home from school.
In the evenings, Iida would read on his bed while stroking Tuna’s fur. Sometimes, he would tell her about his day or vent out his frustrations to her. The cat always listened to him; she didn’t ignore him or put more pressure on him as his parents sometimes did. Once in awhile, Iida would even have a good cry, hugging her gently as his worry and fear and everything else spilled over. All the things he felt that he couldn’t share with anyone else, he shared with Tuna. In return for her patience, he made sure she was fed well with only premium cat food and treats and that she had plenty of cushions to sun herself on and toys to enjoy.
Tuna was Iida’s best friend. He had never really talked about her to anyone. Now, he had human best friends, and what could possibly be better than having his human friends and his feline friend meet?
The doorbell rang and Iida could hear one of the servants answer the door before he was able to get down the stairs. When he reached the hallway, he saw Midoriya and Uraraka standing there, both smiling so widely that it made Iida’s own lips curl into a grin.
“Hi, Iida-kun! Your house is lovely!” Uraraka chirped.
“Your garden is so pretty, Iida-kun!” Midoriya added.
Iida felt his chest jut out proudly at the praise. He had never had friends over before - never had friends, really. Knowing that he had impressed them made his heart soar. He waved them towards his bedroom, letting them in and offering his bed for them to sit on.
Unsurprisingly, Midoriya was more interested in looking around Iida’s room, studying and analyzing. Iida often wondered if that was his friend’s true quirk: analysis. Midoriya stopped in front of a poster of Inugenium. His green eyes lit up.
“That’s your brother, right, Iida?” He asked.
“Yes! He’s currently in Europe on special business! He’ll be home very soon, though,” Iida said, his voice wavering slightly, “I hope.”
Midoriya turned to look at Iida, noticing the look of worry etched on the larger boy’s face. He needed to find a new topic quickly. He spotted a cat curled up on the pillows of the bed, being cooed at and pet by Uraraka, and gasped.
“You have a kitty, Iida-kun?” Midoriya asked in amazement.
“She’s licking me!” Uraraka said, giggling.
Midoriya rushed over to love the pet, scritching her behind the ears and laughing as the cat batted at Uraraka’s hair. Iida’s heart felt like it would burst from joy. His friends were getting along!
“What’s her name? I bet you’ve picked a very good name.” Uraraka said.
“Her name is Tuna. She’s fifteen years old!” Iida said.
“She’s very soft.” Midoriya noted.
“I bathe her once a week.”
“You’re so nice, Iida-kun!” Uraraka exclaimed.
“Tuna’s very lucky to have such a great caregiver!” Midoriya praised.
“Thank you, Uraraka, Midoriya! Would you like to use the laser pointer? She likes to chase it!” Iida said.
The two nodded and Iida picked up the laser pointer and shined it on the pillows, making the trio laugh as Tuna pounced at it. Tuna had been Iida’s friend since birth. Now, he had two more friends, all as willing to love him as the first.