Jiro had been thinking about Izuku more and more. His nonchalant demeanor, his indifference to everything around him—it intrigued her. But what intrigued her more was the mystery that surrounded him. No one at UA really knew much about him, not even his close friends like Uraraka and Iida. And yet, she felt like she was getting closer to understanding him.
One afternoon, Jiro decided to head to the skate park earlier than usual. Izuku had mentioned he'd be there, but when she arrived, she saw something that stopped her in her tracks.
Izuku wasn't alone.
A group of people were gathered around him, laughing and chatting. They weren't UA students—at least, not any that Jiro recognized. They looked rougher, with tattoos, piercings, and worn-out clothes. But they weren't intimidating. If anything, they seemed laid-back, just like Izuku.
Jiro stayed in the background, watching as Izuku casually joked around with them. He was different here—more relaxed, more in his element. She could see it in the way he carried himself, the way he didn't have to put up the nonchalant front as much. He was just... comfortable.
One of the guys tossed a can of soda to Izuku, who caught it effortlessly and popped it open. "You hit any new tricks today?" the guy asked.
"Nah, just messing around," Izuku replied, taking a sip. "Might try something later."
Jiro blinked, surprised. Izuku was talkative with them—more than he ever was at UA. He wasn't putting on a front or trying to hide anything. He was just being himself, and it was a side of him Jiro hadn't seen before.
---
As the group continued to hang out, Jiro noticed a few of them pulling out their phones, recording each other doing tricks or just goofing around. One of the girls even held up her phone, pointing it toward Izuku. "Come on, show 'em what you got!" she encouraged, nudging him with a grin.
Izuku shook his head, but there was a small smirk on his face. "Nah, I'm good."
The girl laughed. "Come on, you always kill it! We need another video for the page."
Jiro's heart skipped a beat. *Another video?* She hadn't seen any videos of Izuku posted anywhere, at least not from him. She was curious about what these "pages" were and how he fit into all of this.
Just then, Izuku's phone buzzed. He glanced at it briefly before putting it away. "I gotta head out soon," he said to his friends. "Stuff to handle."
"Always the busy one," one of the guys joked. "But hey, don't forget about the competition next week. You coming?"
"Maybe," Izuku replied, his tone as nonchalant as ever. "We'll see."
Jiro watched quietly as Izuku began gathering his things. She could feel her curiosity bubbling up inside her, but she didn't know if she should approach him. She wasn't sure if she even belonged in that world of his.
---
Later, as Izuku was leaving, Jiro decided to make her move. She walked up to him, her heart pounding in her chest. "Hey," she called out.
Izuku turned, surprised to see her. "Yo. You've been here long?"
Jiro nodded. "Long enough to see... all of this." She gestured toward the group of his friends, who were still hanging out at the park. "I didn't know you had friends outside of UA."
Izuku shrugged, as if it were no big deal. "Yeah, I've known them for a while. They're chill."
Jiro bit her lip, unsure how to phrase her next question. "Do they know? About UA? About... you?"
Izuku glanced over at his friends, then back at Jiro. "Nah. They don't need to know."
There it was again—that wall he always put up. But this time, Jiro wasn't going to let it stop her. "Why don't you ever talk about them at school? You act like you're alone all the time, but clearly, you're not."
Izuku sighed, his expression as unreadable as always. "I keep things separate. It's easier that way."
Jiro frowned, trying to understand his reasoning. "But why? Why hide it?"
He met her gaze, his green eyes calm and steady. "Because it doesn't matter. UA is just one part of my life. This is another. I don't mix them."
For a moment, Jiro didn't know what to say. She had always assumed that Izuku was distant because he didn't have anyone he could trust, but now she realized that wasn't the case at all. He had people he trusted—just not at UA.
---
Later that night, as Jiro sat in her room, she found herself thinking about Izuku again. He was more complex than she had imagined. He wasn't just the quiet, nonchalant guy at UA. He had a whole other life, with people who cared about him and accepted him for who he was. And yet, he chose to keep that side of himself hidden.
She scrolled through her social media, wondering if she could find any of the videos his friends had mentioned. After a bit of searching, she found it—a page filled with clips of Izuku and his crew at the skate park. There were videos of him landing tricks, laughing with his friends, and even one where he was showing someone how to ollie.
Jiro couldn't help but smile as she watched the videos. This was a side of Izuku she had never seen before—a side she wasn't sure anyone at UA knew existed. And for some reason, that made her feel... special. Like she was part of a secret that no one else knew about.
But as she watched the videos, something else dawned on her. She wasn't just fascinated by Izuku because of his skating or his mysterious life. She was starting to feel something more—something deeper.
She wasn't just intrigued by him.
She was falling for him.
