The next morning, the group chat was already buzzing. After the photos from the abandoned park went up on Instagram, it didn't take long for the rest of UA to catch wind of it. Messages came flooding in from classmates who either wanted to know where they were or why Izuku and Jiro were hanging out with this mysterious group of skaters.
Izuku didn't bother responding to any of it. He leaned against his locker, scrolling through his phone lazily as the flood of notifications continued to come in. His nonchalant attitude remained firmly in place as he tapped through messages without replying, his headphones on as usual. He just didn't care about the noise.
Jiro stood next to him, her phone buzzing just as much. She glanced over at Izuku, wondering how he stayed so cool under pressure. Her friends had been texting her all morning, but she hadn't replied either. It was like being part of this crew had given her a different perspective on things—one where she didn't need to explain herself to anyone.
"Are you going to tell them anything?" Jiro asked, watching Izuku scroll past another notification.
"Nah," Izuku said, putting his phone away. "Let them think whatever they want."
As they walked into class, the atmosphere was thick with curiosity. Kaminari and Mina shot Jiro questioning looks, clearly trying to figure out what was going on. Iida, standing at the front of the classroom, looked like he was about to give one of his speeches, but he was holding back—for now.
Jiro could feel the stares, but she ignored them. Instead, she took her seat next to Izuku, as usual, trying to act like everything was normal. She could hear the hushed whispers behind her, the speculation about what she and Izuku had been up to. But just like Izuku, she was learning to tune it out.
"Midoriya," Iida finally spoke up, unable to hold back any longer. "We need to talk."
Izuku didn't even bother looking up. "About what?"
Iida sighed, clearly exasperated by Izuku's indifference. "About the photos you posted last night. This... behavior. It's not fitting for a future hero."
Izuku shrugged, not meeting Iida's gaze. "What I do in my free time is my business."
"That's not the point!" Iida's voice rose slightly, drawing more attention from the class. "You're a hero-in-training. Your actions reflect on UA, on all of us. If people see those photos—"
"Let them see," Izuku cut him off, his voice calm but firm. "I'm not doing anything wrong. I skate, I hang out with my friends. That doesn't change anything about who I am as a hero."
Jiro couldn't help but smirk slightly at how effortlessly Izuku shut the conversation down. She admired his ability to stay so composed, to not let anyone get to him. It was something she was still learning from him—how to be unapologetically herself without worrying about everyone else's opinions.
The rest of the class watched the exchange in silence, some clearly unsure of how to react. Bakugo, sitting a few seats away, rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. He'd long since stopped bothering with Izuku's new attitude—it was too much effort to care.
As the class went on, Jiro's thoughts drifted back to the night before. She replayed the memories of skating with Izuku and the crew, the way he seemed so at ease with them, how different he was compared to how he acted at UA. It was like he had two versions of himself—the one everyone saw here, and the one he became when he was out in the world, just living life.
After class, Jiro and Izuku met up with Kaito, Ren, and Emi at the park again. It had become their usual spot, a place where they could just be themselves without any of the expectations from UA hanging over them. As soon as they arrived, Kaito tossed a board to Izuku, and the familiar rhythm of skating took over.
Jiro leaned against the railing, watching them for a moment before pulling out her phone to record a few clips. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the park, and the sound of wheels on concrete filled the air. She caught a shot of Izuku landing a trick effortlessly, his expression as relaxed as ever. It was like he belonged here—more so than in the sterile halls of UA.
"You gonna post that?" Emi asked, glancing over at Jiro's phone.
"Maybe," Jiro said with a shrug. "Why? You think I shouldn't?"
Emi laughed. "Nah, it's just that the UA kids are already talking. Posting more might stir the pot even more."
Jiro looked down at the video on her screen, watching Izuku glide across the park. She knew Emi was right—posting more would only fuel the rumors. But part of her didn't care. Part of her wanted the world to see this side of Izuku, the side that didn't fit into the rigid mold of a hero-in-training.
"Let them talk," Jiro said, echoing Izuku's words from earlier. And with that, she uploaded the video.
It didn't take long for the comments to start rolling in—her classmates were clearly keeping an eye on her profile. She could already see Mina and Kaminari had liked the video, with comments asking where they were and what was going on. But she didn't reply. She didn't need to.
As the night wore on, Jiro found herself sitting next to Izuku on a bench, both of them quiet as the others skated around the park. The air between them was comfortable, no words needed. She glanced over at him, wondering if he ever thought about what people said behind his back, if any of it ever got to him.
But looking at him now, completely at peace with who he was, she realized that none of it mattered to him. And for the first time in a long time, she felt like maybe it didn't have to matter to her either.
Izuku caught her looking at him and raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Nothing," Jiro said, shaking her head with a small smile. "Just thinking."
"About?"
"About how you don't care about any of this. About what people think."
Izuku shrugged. "Why should I?"
Jiro didn't have an answer for that. Instead, she leaned back against the bench, her eyes drifting up to the darkening sky. Maybe she was learning something from him after all.
As they sat there in silence, she couldn't help but feel that whatever came next, she'd be okay with it—as long as Izuku was by her side.
