The Emerald Prince

Chapter 41: While the Jury's out

Izuku hurried down the stairs of the abandoned high rise, and raced back to where Manual and Iida were panicking and calling people surrounded by equally panicked heroes, onlookers, paramedics and an unconscious Stain.

"IZUKU!" Iida almost sobbed his name, sprinting forwards and wrapping his arms tightly around the greenette's slender frame, his big build almost engulfing the other teen.
"Sorry Tenya." Izuku murmured, rubbing gentle circles on Iida's back and melting into the hug, he needed it as he knew he had to maintain his mask of calm for a while to come. "Shigaraki wanted a rematch."

"You fought the head of villains, Shigaraki Tomura!" Roared Manual in shock, once again terrified with the teens lack of injuries.
"AGAIN!" Iida growled. "What is it with you and dangerous situations... it's... it's..."
"Again..." echoed Manual.

Izuku softly pulled away from the bear hug and smiled at the hero, "Aizawa warned you I was dangerous."
The hero nodded weakly and Izuku turned his focus back to his classmate.

"Tenya," Izuku said gently. "Look at me."
He raised his hands to brush Iida's tears away.
"I'm basically uninjured, mentally and physically, as are you, see?"
The class president didn't seem to hear him, still too distressed to think logically. "But-"

Izuku sighed exasperated. Iida wasn't letting this go, was he.
Distraction time.
His hands still rested either side of the taller teen's face.
He pulled him down and kissed him full on the mouth, rejecting his quirk was unnecessary as Iida wasn't exactly willing, and too shocked to reciprocate before Izuku pulled away.

"I'm fine. You're fine. Stain's going to be locked away. Today's a win okay?"
Iida's mouth opened and closed a few times. So did those of the surrounding heroes.
"O-o-okay." Stammered the teen.
"Good! Now, I am hungry, exhausted and covered in blood. Can we go?"
He looked expectantly at Manual, and the hero nodded, "stay up though, we'll have to question you once we've dealt with Stain."
Izuku nodded and strode forward, weaving easily through the motionless crowd, a dazed Iida in tow.

———

Iida noted Izuku visibly relaxed when they were out of view, but the greenette dragged him all the way back to the Hero Office without slowing his pace.
He pushed open the doors, and Iida was unsurprised to find the main office abandoned in the crisis.
He did try to release his grip, as Izuku dragged him into a kitchen for some food and then out the main office and into a small out building where the dormitories were.

Up two flights of stairs, and down the corridor to the third room on the left. Izuku pulled a key from god knows where and shoved it into the lock, releasing Iida and opening the door, tearing off his bloodied hero outfit, uncaring how Iida reacted - which was to blush profusely - and not slowing pace in the slightest, walked straight to the bathroom.

"Consider your apology for putting me through this shit, letting me take the first shower." He called before closing the door.

Their room was small, with a shared bathroom, two single beds side by side with their headboards against the wall opposite the main door. There were side tables beside each and one desk to the left of the door, opposite the bathroom Izuku had vanished into.
It was beige walled, with a small window above the beds looking out onto the darkened street below.

Hardly five star, but it worked well for the few nights a week Heroes needed to crash there, or trainees needed to stay.

Iida carefully picked up the trail of blood stained clothes, folding them as best he could and put them by the door. He was embarrassed by how comparatively clean his own gear was.

He moved to the bed on the left - Izuku had happily allowed him the one closest to the desk, and carefully looked through his obsessively neatly packed suitcase for pyjamas.