It had been a few days since the mission where Jiro caught Izuku smoking during the simulation. The event was still fresh in her mind, and she couldn't shake how different he seemed now—so distant and detached, yet strangely captivating. The more she observed him, the more she found herself drawn to the layers he was hiding beneath his nonchalant exterior.
At school, things continued as usual. The video of Izuku skating with his friends had been forgotten by most of the students, but Jiro couldn't forget it. She had seen a side of him that none of their classmates had: the side of Izuku that didn't care about hero rankings, didn't care about fame or approval, and certainly didn't seem to care about playing by the rules.
And despite herself, Jiro found it... intriguing.
She watched him from across the classroom, tapping her fingers lightly on her desk. Izuku, as usual, had his earbuds in, his face blank as he stared out the window. His aura was calm and indifferent, as if nothing in the world could faze him. But Jiro couldn't help but wonder—what was really going on behind those green eyes?
After class, as the students began to file out, Jiro gathered her courage and made her way over to where Izuku was sitting. He didn't notice her approach at first, still lost in whatever music was playing in his ears. She tapped his shoulder gently.
He pulled out one earbud and glanced up at her, his expression neutral. "What's up?"
Jiro fidgeted with the cord of her headphones, her usual cool demeanor faltering just a bit. "Hey, I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to hang out after school. You know, away from all... this." She gestured vaguely around the classroom, referring to the strict hero training environment of U.A.
Izuku blinked at her, clearly surprised by the invitation. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to decline. But after a few seconds, he nodded. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"
---
Later that afternoon, they met up at a park just outside the city. It wasn't far from the skate park where Izuku and his friends usually hung out, but this place was quieter, more secluded. Jiro had brought her guitar with her, and Izuku carried his skateboard under one arm, looking as calm and detached as ever.
They sat down on a grassy hill overlooking the sunset, the soft breeze carrying the sounds of distant city life.
"So..." Jiro began, strumming a few chords absentmindedly on her guitar, "I've been meaning to ask you about that video. You and your friends—Kaito, Ren, and Emi, right? You guys seem... close."
Izuku shrugged, sitting back with his arms behind his head. "Yeah, I guess. We skate, we hang out. Nothing special."
Jiro glanced at him, feeling a little frustrated by his lack of enthusiasm. She wasn't used to people being so hard to read. "But it is special, isn't it? I mean, you're different when you're with them. I saw it in the video. You're... free."
Izuku raised an eyebrow at her, intrigued by how closely she had been paying attention. "Maybe. Doesn't really matter, though. People see what they want to see."
Jiro frowned, plucking a more intense chord. "You always do that. You act like you don't care about anything, but I don't believe that."
Izuku smirked slightly, his eyes still on the horizon. "What's there to care about?"
She stopped playing and looked directly at him, her voice quieter now. "What about... this? Us, right now? Do you care about being here?"
For the first time in a while, Izuku seemed to pause and actually think about his response. He looked at Jiro, studying her for a moment. The wind tousled her dark hair, and her usually stoic face showed a vulnerability he hadn't noticed before. There was something different about her, something that made him lower his guard—if only just a little.
"I guess I do," he admitted finally, his voice softer than usual. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
Jiro felt a small flutter in her chest at his words, but she tried not to show it. She wasn't used to being flustered, especially not by someone like Izuku, who was so frustratingly hard to pin down.
They sat in silence for a while, Jiro strumming quietly and Izuku listening, the comfortable quietness between them stretching
