Engine Boy, I Love You!

#1: Come back tomorrow, okay?

Note: I split these into parts, so if you ever want to find what part you left off in, hit [ctrl] +[f] and type in [PART 1], 2, 3, etc. (Make sure the whole story has been loaded.)

PART 1

It had only been a couple of days since All Might's secret had been unveiled to the world. Iida could still remember standing there amongst the crowd, watching in silence as the now thin and weakened version of All Might lifted a trembling finger towards the camera.

"Next... next, it's your turn."

Amongst all that cheering, Iida remembered feeling a bitter nagging sensation deep inside of him. It was as if he'd known that this was coming for a long time. When he turned to see Midoriya sobbing behind him, he felt that feeling grow even stronger. He didn't cheer either, as their group shuffled out of the packed crowd towards the police. Rather, his fist tightened at his side, a firm frown across his face to suppress any possible tears.

He knew how Midoriya felt now. That finger, as if pointing directly to the villains—no, the heroes; told him it was time to get stronger. In the name of his brother, and now All Might, he would become the best hero he could be.

It was indeed his turn.

Which is why after some thorough testing of his hero costume, Iida decided it was time to submit some design improvements to the lab. He'd already gone once with Uraraka and Midoriya, but only a few jogs around the track told him something still wasn't quite right with his boots. He noticed after comparing the height of his jumps with and without his costume on, that he couldn't get as much height or stability as he would've liked.

Which meant it was time to visit the costume development studio.

When class was dismissed, rather than pack up his things, Iida headed straight for his locker to grab his hero costume. He ended up passing Midoriya on the way there, who'd stopped by because he'd forgotten his water bottle after gym.

"Iida! Are you not heading back to the dorms?"

He turned to notice Midoriya peering at him from the doorway.

"I'll only be a bit," he insisted, straightening his glasses, "I'm stopping at the development studio in a few minutes to request for costume maintenance. Something isn't right with my boots."

"Oh, I see. That explains why you were jumping around a lot in gym class. You were measuring your height, weren't you?"

He gave Midoriya a sideways smile before nodding affirmatively, Midoriya's perceptive as ever. How long was he watching...?

"Anyway, I will meet you and Uraraka in the common area later. Requests need to be submitted early for the most punctual results, after all. I can't afford to fall behind everyone!"

He slung the strap of his costume case over his shoulder before approaching the opposite exit with a quick bow.

"I guess there's no helping it," Midoriya smiled, giving him a quaint wave before turning left in the doorway, "Later Iida!"

"I'll see you later!"

When Midoriya was gone, he turned and began to walk briskly (without running, of course) in the direction of the studio. He glanced over as he passed the stadium on the way, stopping only when the sign for the studio was in sight. His pace slackened a bit then before coming to a complete halt about 10 yards away. An unpleasant look fell across his face at the lively sounds of drilling and pounding.

Hopefully Mr. Maijima is here today instead, he paused dreadfully, glancing at the sign with uncertainty, If he's not here, maybe I should just leave. Hatsume tends to be a bit... overzealous.