blade tip - hero killer: stain x tenya iida

interrogation - part 3

iida eyes widened, along with stain's. he wanted to speak but he couldn't; fear gripped at his throat and refused to let go.

a blade... was it the one that stain kept for when they did it?

the older man rose from his chair calmly, knowing that the events that were about to take place would break iida's fragile mentality. he shot a glance at his partner in an attempt to let him know that everything was going to be okay.

"explain yourself. now." aizawa commanded. the respect that he had previously held for his former student started to slowly drain away. iida began to stutter and chop the air profusely in defense, as if he were a broken cassette looping over and over. the more aizawa stared at him, the more iida started to shut down. stain sighed and took a deep breath before facing the window where aizawa stood.

"iida and i met two years ago in tokyo city," stain started, "and initiated a close relationship soon after. he originally did not know of my work as a small-time villain but eventually he caught drift and i had to come clean. after being with tenya for a while, i realized that being a villain was not something i wanted to pursue any further so i became a vigilante."

"that doesn't explain the knife that we found in your hand, though."

stain turned his burning face away from aizawa and took a moment to think of what to say. what's the nicest way you can say this in? he thought.

"y-you see... iida and i like to uh--" he muttered, clearing his throat midsentence "--like to experiment." the younger one nodded plainly in agreement as he maneuvered his shirt to reveal a slash across his upper back. aizawa knew exactly of stain's paralyzing quirk and observed in both amazement and disgust.

after a moment of awkward silence, aizawa resumed his questioning. "right. what exactly were you doing at the crime scene so late in the night then?"

"...experimenting." stain repeated. "i ran into iida there earlier that evening and we spent a bit of time there together until he had to leave, hence why i was fast asleep upon discovery. i only happened to be near the body by coincidence."

"this is one of the most villain-concentrated areas in musutafu. people get murdered here all of the time." iida interjected. "i actually discovered the body on my own and called some fellow heroes to help deal with the situation. stain was supposed to have already left by that point."

everything slowly started to piece together in aizawa's brain. although he was not proud of iida for instigating a relationship with a law-breaker, he gradually began to feel sorry for stain. iida obviously cared about the other man a lot and was trying to help him escape his villainous lifestyle. after all, iida wasn't a pro hero for nothing.

aizawa left the observation room and entered the spacious warehouse that iida and stain awkwardly stood in. stain's wrists were still bound together tightly by eraserhead's cloth so all he could do was look at iida, who looked a lot more stable now after the explanation.

"how can i know that i can trust you?" aizawa inquired before untying stain's wrists. he trusted iida's judgement, but couldn't help feeling slightly unsteady with putting his trust in a once-villain.

"well, you could help train me to become a hero. you can see what i have to offer first-hand and help me develop my physical abilities. i am willing to do what it takes." stain appealed, leaning his arm gently upon iida's shoulder.

aizawa, taken aback by stain's sudden confidence, took a moment to consider it and finally nodded in agreement.

"if that is acceptable, i would also like to help you train him eraserhead. i will not under any circumstances let our personal relationship interfere with hero work." iida declared in his usual intructive voice.

"fine, fine. do what you want. just try not to get involved in any murder cases next time." aizawa said as he turned to face the door and walked out of the room.

they were alone now, finally.

"jesus christ." stain whispered as he ran his hands through his long black hair. putting on a tough facade in front of such an honoured hero drained him immensely. iida exhaled sharply and rested his forehead upon stain's, cupping the older's face with his shaking hands. they shared a quick kiss before returning to each other's embrace.

"y'know iida, i don't think you realized it but before you fell asleep yesterday, you told me you loved me." stain spoke in a hushed tone, looking down to meet the other's gaze. iida's cheeks turned a bright shade of red in embarrassment. he pushed himself out of his arms and stood back, his thoughts clouding his conscience. "i- well- i meant to say it at another time but i guess it slipped out--" he sputtered. "i-if you don't feel the same way i understand comple--"

"no, no. it's fine." confessed stain, a small blush painting his cheeks. "i thought about it for a while after you told me. i guess i never realized how much... how much i love you. the concept of loving someone has always terrified me in a way, but knowing that it's you that i love, i know that you won't hurt me like everyone else has."

they stood silently for a few moments, glancing at eachother bashfully. stain never expressed his emotions so outspokenly before. iida opened his arms once more and walked towards stain, and wrapped his arms around him tightly. "i would never leave you. you don't have to worry anymore."