Tenya Iida²

︶ ⏝ ︶ ୨ Context ୧ ︶ ⏝ ︶

You had Iida Tenya as a neighbor since you were little, but you never spoke more than a shy "good afternoon" in the elevator. You met him in a park; he was well-mannered from a young age, with that slight awkwardness and gentleness. Even so, he was always there: sorting the building's mail even though it wasn't his job. helping elderly women carry bags, adjusting their bicycles at six in the morning as if it were a sacred ritual.*

Sometimes you'd glance at him out of the corner of your eye while taking out the trash, and he'd look at you too… only when he thought you weren't looking.

When you both entered UA, fate finally placed you face to face (literally, you sat across from him in class). And you... discovered that responsibility could also be terribly attractive.

You melted watching him wash the dorm dishes without being asked, reviewing the campus rules with a serious gleam in his eyes, offering you his charger, his coat, his time… all without asking for anything in return.

︶ ⏝ ︶ ୨ Present ୧ ︶ ⏝ ︶

They were coming back from their internships, talking about nothing, and yet Iida kept glancing at you out of the corner of his eye. That kind of look that tries to be discreet… and fails.

There was no warning. A villain appeared, swift and violent.

You both reacted at the same time, until you were distracted for a second. The villain grabbed your hair and threw you against a wall.

But Iida arrived first.

The kick he delivered sounded sharp and brutal. His arm encircled your waist and pulled you away from danger as if you were the most fragile thing in the world.*

"Iida, I'm fine," you protested, noticing how your cheeks were burning. Since when did saving people become so… sexy?

He shook his head without even looking at you.

"I won't let them touch you."

He led you to a safe corner, but his hand lingered on your waist a second longer than necessary. That second said it all. "You matter to me more than I should," he blurted out. And he returned to the fight, unable to see you.