Third person pov

Kit and Tenya became fast friends after that. Akinori had been the cause of the fire, which resulted in his immediate expulsion. The school was no longer incident free, after all. Despite his protests and the protests of his family, he was kicked out without so much as a recommendation to help him in getting into another middle school. Tenya felt a little bad about that, but he'd gained a new friend out of it. A real friend. He couldn't complain.

It somehow wasn't surprising that Kit didn't have friends of his own. He was brash, blunt, and didn't seem to like people in general. Tenya himself had been quite surprised when the brunette slammed his lunch tray down across from him, glaring at the people who'd been taunting Iida about the squareness of his face and his manner of speaking. Though telling someone to "fuck off" wasn't something Iida would usually commend, he was flattered.

Kit was vulgar, but not petty. He belonged to family lodged deep in the modeling industry. He himself had been forced into a few magazine shoots and such of the like, though he very clearly wasn't happy about such. He rolled his eyes and scoffed every time he talked about it. And t though he didn't particularly want to be here at Somei, that didn't mean he wasn't doing his work as he was meant to. Tenya respected that. Kit was making the best out of a less than ideal situation.

Tenya also very quickly learned that Kit was naturally smart. No genius, sure, but he knew what he was doing. He also didn't stand for bullies. Tenya had a sneaking suspicion the brunette had been bullied in the past for his lack of quirk and had been forced to stand up for himself when nobody else would. The blue-haired male admired that, even if Kit's way of dealing with the more unsavory of their peers wasn't the best.

He got into a lot of fights. They mostly happened outside of school, hence the lack of expulsion. However, this meant that Kit was constantly feisty and ready to rumble. Tenya discovered pretty fast that he had a knack for talking to shorter boy down from his heights of rage. He didn't mind does such. Preventing Kit from duking it out with some snide rich boy in the bathroom after school was a plus. It made Tenya feel like he was helping in a way. Like he and Kit went better together and contributed to the relationship in their own ways.         

Kit earned a new title not long after becoming Tenya's friend. Everyone started calling him "Iida's guard dog." It was a little demeaning, but also accurate. Ever since befriending Kit, the bullying had come to a complete and total halt. People shied away from Kit. Why wouldn't they? While he was quirkless, he was also terrifying in several ways. He didn't hesitate to jump into a full on fight, and he'd play dirty if it meant he won. He pulled no punches. It was another thing that Tenya found oddly admirable. 

Tenya liked Kit, despite his rough edges and unsavory language. He was someone who knew what he was doing, and why he was doing it. All his actions were thought out, as were his words. Nothing he said was ever without meaning. He was analytical in his own way. Tenya had to respect that as well. Besides, the way Kit thought was... intriguing. Tenya would be interested to know his whole thinking process in general.  

Kit and Tenya became what some might call best friends after some time. They walked with each other from class to class, chatted in their free time, compared their answers on their homework, confided in one another things they told no one else, and ate lunch together. They even shared food at times, trading things they didn't like out for things they did. It was... well, normal. So natural Tenya felt as though he'd been doing it his whole life. It was a nice feeling, to have a friend. He'd nearly forgotten the sensation. 

The year went on, and summer crept closer. Tenya knew then that it was time. It was time for Kit to meet his family. It was made abundantly clear by the red-eyed boy that he was never letting Tenya come over to his house. It wasn't because he didn't like Tenya or want to hang out with him. Kit disliked his family a great deal. Tenya wouldn't go so far as to say he hated them, but he certainly never had anything kind to say about them. From what he'd heard, Tenya wasn't sure he'd be able to find anything kind to say either.

"This is a shit idea." Kit said as they walked towards the Iida residence. Tenya was nervous. He'd been preparing for this very moment for an entire week. He'd cleaned his room from top to bottom, and then he'd cleaned it again. After that, he cleaned the whole house. He restocked the kitchen. Checked on Tensei's room to make sure it was in order. Then, he cleaned his room again. He mowed the lawn, organized the pantry and fridge, mopped the floors, dusted the ceiling fans, and so on and so forth. The house had never been so clean.

"It will be fine; I assure you!" Tenya made a chopping motion with his hand. "Just be yourself. Say... Say something nice!"

Kit's face twisted. "Okay, which one? Because I can't do both." He insisted, earning a swat over the head for his troubles. He snickered, waving Tenya's hand off with his own. Tenya was an odd guy, but so was Kit. They had a weird chemistry. They were literally opposites, for one thing. Tenya had blue eyes, and Kit had red. Kit was short and tan, while Tenya was pale and tall. Kit was slim in frame, while Tenya was bulky. Their personalities were also totally flipped. It was laughable. If not for the whole incident with Akinori, they never would have become friends.

Kit adored Tenya though. He didn't know why, but he absolutely did. The guy was extremely uptight, but there was a certain fire in his eyes that made Kit want to laugh. Maniacally. He was brilliant! Smart, with drive, even if he was fairly uptight. He was such an enigma that Kit couldn't help but stop to stare. His mannerisms and the way he spoke were endearing. Kit just wanted to sit back and watch him go through the motions. In fact, that's pretty much what he'd been doing this whole time. It just so happened that they became friends in the process. 

They added to each other, as friends were supposed to. Tenya hesitated to tell people to fuck off. When he was being bothered, he brushed it off. It felt like the guy was always putting his well-being second, and Kit hated that. So, he stepped in. He made sure the guy ate, drank water and orange juice, and assured he was left alone by the ragged bully types of Somei Middle School. 

Kit lacked tact. He had a temper. So, Tenya made sure to reign that in. Somehow, against all odds, he was good at it too. Kit had no fucking clue how that was possible. He'd taken anger management courses to no avail. Tenya just had this way of rationalizing things that worked. He was respectable enough that Kit listened when he spoke, no matter the situation. His opinions were damn well worth something.

"You'll do fine. I talk about you all the time." Tenya said, sounding proud of that fact. He pushed his glasses further up his face. "My brother has been wanting to meet you!"

"You talk about me? I'm flattered, Tenya, really." Kit put a hand over his heart and batted his eyelashes, earning an eye-roll and a smile. Kit liked it when Tenya smiled. He was uptight enough that he didn't do it too terribly often, but he'd let one slip if comfortable enough. Kit was glad he'd earned enough of Tenya's trust to cause that comfort.

"Yes, yes. Inflate your ego even further." Tenya made a shooing motion at him. Kit scoffed. "But truly, my family has been asking about you!"

"What all have you told them?" Kit asked cautiously, raising a brow at his friend. Tenya had a habit of only mentioning the good qualities someone had. 

"Well, they're aware that you're adept at English and mathematics. They know you dislike onions and pork, I told them that we study together at times, that you do rather well in gym class despite being quirkless, that you have brown hair that is always a mess, and that you defend people from bullies." Tenya relayed thoughtfully. Kit stared, exhaling slowly.

"Okay... so you told them all the decent shit." Kit looked down at himself. His uniform was a mess, he had no idea where the fuck his tie was, he wasn't wearing his shoes, only socks, his hair was a mess, he had three piercings in each ear, and he cursed like a sailor. None of which his family was expecting. Very pleasant. Wonderful. One-hundred percent perfect!

"...I'm sorry, I'm not sure 'decent' is a word I would use to describe that mess-" Tenya reached for his hair only to be swatted away by Kit, who was scowling. Not in a bad way. Tenya had learned mere days after beginning to befriend Kit that scowls were his go to expression, and that he had several different types. This one was more exasperated, based on the minor eyebrow furrowing and minor downturn of the mouth.

"Tenya, they're expecting a Somei-worthy asshat. Not uh... this." He gestured towards his mismatched socks, which had several leaves stuck to them. Tenya followed his gaze.

"Where are your shoes?"

"Hell if I know." 

"Okay, okay, it's fine. But you are correct." Tenya frowned. "I shall call them and give them fair warning!"

"What th- no, it's too late for that shit, Tenya. You can't just call and tell them to expect hell in socks and a blazer. Shit like that never goes over well." Kit said, swatting down the hand Tenya had his phone in. "Do they know we're best friends?"

"Of course they do!" Tenya sounded affronted by the accusation that maybe they didn't. They hadn't been best friends long. One day Kit had mentioned it offhandedly, and Tenya had forced him to repeat it on camera so he could re-watch it anytime he felt sad or was unsure it had actually happened. He was so happy that he'd almost cried, launching into a rant about being honored and proud to be his proclaimed "best friend." Kit had just stared blankly at him for a majority of it.

"Okay, if you told them you were gay, would they accept you?" Kit asked slowly. Tenya stared.

"I'm not-"

"That's not the point. Answer the questions." Kit insisted. Tenya sighed.

"I believe they would, yes." Tenya said with a small huff, sounding reasonably sure. Kit nodded sagely. 

"Good, then shit's probably fine. If they knew you accept me as a best friend then that translates to you liking me enough to hang out with my trash ass. If you like me enough to hang out with my trash ass and they recognize that, they won't kick me right back out the front door." Kit gave a thumbs up. Tenya looked confused.

"Kit, I don't believe they would kick you out either way." He assured them.

"Politely usher me out, then."

"Okay, they might do that."

The two continued to chatter like this as they drew closer to the Iida household, where mayhem had ensued. For one thing, Tensei had taken the evening off when he heard the news. He'd raced home so fast he nearly got a speeding ticket on his way. Because finally, finally, Tenya had agreed to bring Kit over. They knew little about him, but Tenya brought him up every day. It was all he ever talked about. The dinner table was dominated less by grades and essays and talk of people breaking the rules, and more of his time with his 'honorable best friend.'

The Iida's weren't sure what kind of boy he was, but they did know he was quirkless and small. Those born without quirks did tend to have late growth spurts in terms of height and such, so it wasn't much of a surprise for them to hear how short he was. They were expecting someone shy who disliked bullies enough to stand up to them. Someone... well, sort of like Tenya. Tenya had reported that Kit was very smart and analytical, so they had some idea of what they were getting. Tenya was picky about those he associated with most of the time.

Tensei was especially excited. As Tenya's older brother, he felt he'd failed to an extent when it dawned on him that Tenya never brought up any friends or had any over. It was all schoolwork and grades with him. He wanted to be top of the class and smart enough to get into UA. It felt like all he talked about for a long time was studying and how he was doing in class ranking wise. He talked about rules and grumbled about anyone who broke them. He was a bit of a stickler. Not at all laid back like Tensei.

Tenya seemed brighter since meeting Kit, though. He smiled when he spoke of his friend and talked more about other things besides school. Well, more like he talked about the things they did at school. It was an upgrade from his usual stalks about tests and such, so they took it. When they asked what had happened to him that day, it wasn't 'I wrote an exemplary essay on the discovery of quirks.' No, it was 'Kit and I bought copious amounts of Orange Juice from the vending machines to see how fast I could chug them and if it would effect my engines.'

Or in short, normal teenager stuff.

Tadao and Yumi, the parents of both Tensei and Tenya, were ecstatic. Tensei had always been a social butterfly. Charismatic and confident, he had absolutely no problem making friends! Tenya was a little different, and it worried them. They suspected he was being bullied, but he denied it when asked. The teacher all brushed it off as well, saying nothing was going on and it was fine. Without proof, they couldn't confirm. That's why they were so relieved when Kit showed up.

Tenya told them that Kit stood up to bullies. While Tenya had never outright said that they were his bullies, they were pretty sure. And pretty glad, too. 

"They're here." Yumi whispered excitedly when she heard the door unlock. Both herself, Tadao, and Tensei were all shocked still when chatter filled the house. Chatter. When was the last time Tenya chatted or participated in a conversation unless he was first addressed?

"See! What did I tell you? There are leaves everywhere now." Tenya's voice rang out, sounding chiding yet amused. Tensei resisted the urge to race into the room, grinning at his excited parents instead. They were all waiting in the dining room, which Tenya and Kit would have to pass to get to the staircase. Then, they could casually take the chance to introduce themselves.

"And whose fault is that?" An unfamiliar voice quipped. Not what they were expecting, but the Iida family was hopeful anyway.

"Yours, actually." Did Tenya just snort? Yumi was going to shed tears. "How did you lose your shoes? They're on your feet. Or they're meant to be, anyway."

"I just looked down at one point and they were gone. There's no telling if I even put them on this morning." The voices were getting closer. "Do you think we'd die if you piggy backed me while using your quirk? Because that could be cool."

"We have a training room if you want to... you know..." Tenya was getting even closer. Right there! They stopped for a moment. Tensei held his breath, getting ready to hop up and introduce himself. 

"Wait, I think the asshole with the weird snappy quirk took them." Kit exclaimed. Yumi and Tadao both flinched, and Tensei's eyes widened. Did Kit just curse? Wait, but was Tenya okay with-

"Took what?" Tenya responded easily. As though it were normal. Was it? Tensei blinked a few times. Tenya was uptight, but he hadn't even commented on it...

"My shoes, of course. I'm going to break that fuckers nose next time I see him." Kit seethed, temper revving up. They all tensed, and Tenya sighed audibly. 

"You have no proof. And he probably stole them because you insulted his mother." Tenya appeared, but not in the dining room. It was the other side of the kitchen. They all twisted around to stare as Kit slid in after him. He had on one bright red sock and one grey one. He wasn't at all what they'd expected.

He had scruffy brown hair and sharp crimson eyes. He was tanner than most people in Japan, with visible scars on his arms and a few on his legs. His blazer was tied around his waist, and he'd rolled his pants legs up a few times. His tie was nowhere to be seen, and he had three piercings in each ear. Bold, if Tensei did say so himself. He was certainly short, but far more feisty than anyone had been expecting. And the cursing... a...and the threats... How was this kid friends with Tenya? It was... It was Tenya!

"No, I insulted the brother of the chick with the weird slime hair. Remember? She uh... shit, she has blue skin." Kit fished for a name but came up empty.

"I know who you're talking about." Tenya assured, pulling a few drinks out of the fridge. His eyes fell upon his frozen parents and wide-eyed brother, and he tensed. Tensei watched him fidget unsurely for a moment, the easy-going half-smile he'd been wearing moments before gone. "Ah... hello."

Kit popped out from behind him, blinking at them. "'Sup." He raised a hand to wave. Tenya elbowed him in response, forcing a smile. Tensei took a deep breath. Okay, so what Kit wasn't what they were expecting? Plenty of people cursed and... threatened to break people's noses... 

Right? Right.

"Hey." Tensei cleared his throat, giving a grin. "I'm Tensei Iida. Tenya's brother."

"Ingenium." Kit recalled. Tenya seemed to straighten at this, pride clearly swelling. 

"And those are my parents, Yumi and Tadao Iida." Tenya clapped his friend on the shoulder eagerly. "Now, come see my bedroom."

"Wow, someone's impatient. Careful, Tenya. They might get the wrong idea." Kit teased, taking a soda from him. Tensei blinked as Tenya scoffed in a very not-Tenya-like sort of way. Tensei tried not to be amazed. Really, he did. But Tenya was like... he was interacting with friends! Like normal! And they were teasing each other, and even if Kit did seem a bit rough, he was interacting with Tenya like any normal friend might.

"You wish that was the case." Tenya grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the stairwell. Tensei would have choked if he'd had anything in his mouth. Was that a comeback? Wit? Sass? Tenya had never displayed any of that before. Not once. Tensei had done as any older brother might and teased him to high heaven, but it was always met with the shaking of a head or a change of subject. 

"Thanks for having me over." Kit managed to say before he was dragged up the stairs. Tensei stared after them.

"He... isn't what I was expecting." Yumi finally managed to pry her mouth open after almost a full minute of just sitting there and mulling. There was a crash upstairs, followed by a shriek and laughter from Tenya. Real, full laughter that made Tensei and Yumi both inhale sharply. When had Tenya last laughed? Neither were actually all that sure. He chuckled sometimes, but laughter? They gazed at the stairwell like maybe it had answers. 

"He's certainly different." Tadao was smiling as he said this. 

"Dude, you have a mother-fucking super-sonic treadmill?!" Kit's voice was barely audible from upstairs, but Tenya's laughter increased into the wheezing kind. Tensei smiled and leaned back, wondering if maybe he should record the sound. Tenya had been uptight and stern since childhood. He set high standards for himself, but it seemed Kit really gave him the ability to let loose. He was glad.

"I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing." Tensei couldn't stop himself from grinning.