#ik this is late but i had to write a one-shot

midnight. the only one up at this time should be the class representative, checking that every door in the dorm building is locked and secure so everyone can sleep safely. 

well, usually he has his rounds completed by eleven at the latest, but many thoughts have been troubling him today so he found that slowed him down. allowing an audible groan to drum in his mouth, he lazily approached the door to his room, ready to throw himself on to his bed after a long, tiring day. (of course, not before completing his nightly routine.)

to his surprise, there was a familiar figure sitting with their back against his door. it caught him off-guard at first, but upon further inspection, he realised the sight was more confusing rather than dangerous. 

“(y/n)?” he kneeled down, gently poking your shoulder, figuring that you were asleep by both your unresponsiveness and your faint snores. “why are you outside my dorm?” 

no reply. 

he noticed a small light glowing beside you and craned his neck to get a closer look. eyes meeting the source of the lustre, the corners of his lips pulled into a small smile; next to you there sat a cupcake with a lit candle forced through it. The icing was blue, just as you promised, and beneath it lay a card which iida took the initiative of reading. 

“happy birthday, class representative!!! thank you so much for being an awesome leader and a friend to all!!! i hope you get what you wish for. from, (y/n) <3″

oh, his birthday; he had almost forgot. glancing down at his watch, he noticed that the clock had only just struck twelve, meaning that you probably fell asleep while waiting to be the first one to wish him happy birthday. just the thought of you doing something like that for him caused the tips of his ears to heat up slightly.

on the front, there was a collage of many pictures mostly of him, some less flattering than others. but he much preferred the back, where there was a much smaller picture of the two of you on a roller-coaster together when you convinced him into riding with you by saying you were too scared to go on by yourself (which you later revealed was just a ploy). you looked ethereal while he looked utterly terrified, and his hair was a mess. the caption read:

“maybe wish for a new hair gel ;)”

wow, even while asleep you somehow managed to find a way to flame him. rolling his eyes, he reached over and gently picked up the cupcake, bringing it close to his lips before closing his eyes, trying to come up with something to wish for, as per your request.

however, his mind was a void. all he could think of was the tasks he had to do tomorrow, his worries and how peaceful you looked. why couldn’t you have wished him happy birthday at a normal time in the day? at least then his thoughts might’ve been intelligible.

“what are you going to wish for?” he heard a whisper from beside him, right at his ear, and he turned to look at your weary face; hooded eyes only just staying open to innocently gaze up at him, admiring the reflection of the flame in the lenses of his glasses. 

“i’m unsure. what do you think i should wish for?” he replied in the softest voice he could force.

you motioned to the back of the card with a goofy — but wobbly — grin, before relaxing your neck and allowing your head to rest on his broad shoulder, “new hair gel. but what do you really want?”

“to stay here forever.” 

the way he didn’t miss a beat caused you to giggle; especially since it was coming from someone as austere as iida, who you thought relished in sticking to a tight, strict schedule. “to stay where? in U.A.?”

iida blinked twice at your response, jerking out of his daze and becoming acutely aware of his previous statement. obviously he couldn’t disclose that he wanted to chill in the hallways with you forever, so instead he spluttered, “uh, yeah.”

“then wish for that.” you replied, already dozing off with all your weight resting on iida’s arm, not that he noticed. his eyes flickered between the light and your soft features pressed against shoulder, and his cheeks felt sore, he hadn’t smile this much in so long. 

“(y/n)?” 

“shh.” you momentarily silenced him by waving a finger over his lips, “i’m asleep.”

“apologies.” he couldn’t help but roll his eyes, offering you the cupcake as he did so, “but would you like my wish? i can’t think of anything.”

“it’s not my birthday, so it doesn’t count.” you grumbled, pushing the cupcake — and hence the glare — away from yourself. “but if you want, you can make a wish for me.”

“of course, whatever you’d like.” he replied without a shred of hesitancy, readying the candle by his lips.

you pried your eyes open slightly to gaze at the cupcake, watching as the dying flame began to flicker desperately, “i wish that this one guy could know how much i love him.” you hid behind his shoulders, trying to conceal your embarrassment for your sappy wish.

“that’s charming. what’s his name?” he hummed, immediately regretting how intrusive and rude his inquiry sounded as soon as it rolled off his tongue.

“iida.”

“oh.” he paled, heart rate increasing in his chest as he—

“tensei.” you continued, clicking your tongue while leaning forward to blow out the candle before being swatted away by tenya, who put out the flame in the process. 

“not funny!” he announced sternly yet laughed in unison with you as the fight for the cupcake raged on.