Chapter Text
"Midoriya..."
Midoriya was uneasy with the stare from Ashido the moment he arrived in the classroom, wondering why his pink-colored classmate would want him so early before class. It didn't help that some of his other classmates from the production team were giving him looks of sympathy from behind her either as they refused to meet his eye.
"You're off the team."
He could feel his heart stop as dread started to well up inside, not understanding how this sudden decision came to be.
"O-Out?..."
They started to explain how the stage crew needed another pair of hands for the performance that they had planned. Which led to him being called out due to his strength and mobility with his quirk, yet that still didn't stop the frown from forming on his face that was accompanied by a look of devastation.
"But... I-I promised Eri that I would dance..."
They had the decency to look ashamed of asking but was surprised when his friend Aoyama stepped forward with the usual sparkle in his eyes. Explaining that he was taking part in the stage crew by lighting up the area with his quirk, resulting in a disco-like experience.
Before he could voice a single word, Kirishima stepped forward with a slight bow and clasped hands to show their gratitude.
"We know that you've been working really hard on it on the performance! But it would mean a lot if you could help us out!"
"Well..."
Midoriya scratched the back of his head while trying not to let his disappointment show too much. As much as he wanted to say no, the greenette figured that they must really need another pair of hands if so many of them were asking for his help. And being the type of person he was, he couldn't just let their plea for help go unanswered. Even more so when he saw that they were waiting with bated breath for a response.
"Well... As long as I get to dance a little bit, then I wouldn't be lying to Eri..."
As one, the stage crew let out a pleased smile before coming
"Thanks, Midoriya! It really means a lot!" his pink-skinned classmate said with a beaming smile that Midoriya always associated with her with, "I might have to rework your schedule for now seeing that you are helping them, but I will be sure that you will get a part when it comes time to dance!"
He gave off a hesitant smile towards the dancing group as the conversation shifted towards new dance routines and moves before slumping down in his seat with a sigh after their attention was brought away from him, accepting his new role while trying to rein in his disappointment. While he was glad to help his classmates with their ideas and goals for the festival when the time comes, he was really looking forward to dancing for Eri on the stage. Wanting to see her face when she saw the concert in its entirety for the first time and his moves. At least he wasn't completely taken out of it, so it wasn't like all the practice was wasted. He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't notice Uraraka walk up to his desk with worry.
"Deku, are you ok?"
He jumped in his seat at the sudden call and turned to see the look of concern in Uraraka's deep brown eyes. Making him slightly flustered at the stare while feeling his face warm up just a bit over the concerns of his first friend at UA.
"D-Don't worry about it Uraraka," he tried to wave off her worries with a sheepish laugh, "It's only a matter of time before I get back into the swing of things. I'm sure I will get the hang of it."
She didn't look too convinced at his plea but decided to let the matter rest for now as she hesitantly made her way back to her seat after a brief confirmation. Making Midoriya sigh in relief as he thought about his plans for that evening seeing that his schedule was cleared for the time being. Unaware of a pair of eyes looking at him in concern as he opened up his notebook.
'He's lying again...'
Jirou furrowed her brow in confusion from her seat after seeing the whole exchange, everything from Midoriya getting put off the dancing team to waving off his concerns with Uraraka. Making her sit back in her seat with a huff and crossed arms as she looked at her green-haired friend with a thoughtful expression.
She never really understood why Midoriya was so insistent on telling everyone he was fine whenever he wasn't, even when he was talking to his closest friends. But she knew it was a trait that he used ever since the start of the year much to her confusion. The only reason why she never called him on it was because he didn't look too keen on letting others know given the strained smile on his face.
'But as a friend, shouldn't I get involved?'
This was a strange yet familiar territory for her to be in right now, as she would once again have to confront him over something that he kept to himself. Yet unlike the last time, she didn't hesitate for nearly as long and only made her choice.
Pulling out her phone she quickly typed a message only to backtrack a couple of times on her wording, not wanting to be too straightforward about wanting to meet up to talk about his problems. As she was sure that would make him brush her off as he did with his friends before she first confronted him. She decided to go through a different approach, typing out something that made her slightly embarrassed but pushed through it seeing no other option.
Jirou: Hey green, I finally finished the song we made for the festival. And I wanted to know what you thought about it?
She didn't really need the feedback from her green-haired friend but thought it was a convenient excuse given that he had helped in the creative process. Waiting in her seat with bated breath as Midoriya momentarily blinked in confusion before pulling out his phone to see the message with surprise. Taking a quick glance around his surrounding before looking at her with that familiar dumbfounded expression that made her hold in a chuckle. Giving him a slight eye roll with a pointed nod towards his phone to let him know that it was fine to answer, the boy's features softening as he went to type back.
Midoriya: Sure, I don't mind. Did you want to meet up in the usual spot?
Looking up from her phone, she saw the familiar nervous expression on his face with his face turning into a bright shade of red from asking something so forward, still unfamiliar with the idea of being invited to a girl's room. Yet as the musically inclined classmate could feel the slight heat in her cheeks as well, there was a small part of her that felt warm inside at the idea of them being able to hang out again since it had been a while before their last meet up. Typing out her answer with more enthusiasm than she would like to admit to anyone else.
Jirou: Sure, same spot as usual.
The two shared a smile with each other as the teacher finally strolled into class with his usual hard stare, making all conversations cease as they scrambled to their seats. Ready to see what they might learn during their path to become a hero as they pushed their meet-up to the back of their minds.
All while missing the odd look on a certain entitled vice president as she looked between her friend and the freckled teen in confusion.
(Jirou's room)
Jirou absentmindedly strummed her acoustic guitar as she waited for her visitor to arrive, oddly looking forward to talking to the greenette and seeing what was bothering him at the moment. A vast contrast to how embarrassed and anxious she was they first started talking to one another.
She only paused in her activity when she heard a soft and anxious knock on her door, making her put down her instrument gently before making her way toward her bedroom door. Find an anxious Midoriya waiting in the hall fiddling the notebook in his hands with a nervous expression, though he relaxed once he caught sight of her.
"H-Hey Jirou."
"Sup Green."
For a moment, they looked at each with fondness before Jirou ultimately stepped to the side to invite him in. A gesture that he took with a small smile on his face as he made his way towards the inside of his room, looking at the room in awe that made the sound-based hero-in-training smile before his eyes drifted toward the instrument that was lying down.
"Is that what you're going to be using in the concert?"
Chuckling while shutting the door behind her, she made her back towards her bed with Izuku sitting down on her chair after only a little bit of prompting.
"No, it's not loud enough to carry across an entire stadium. I'm going to be playing one of those," she explained before pointing to the purple electric bass on the wall, "I thought you would've remembered seeing how we took notes on them.
"Right, right," Midoriya chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head, "I guess I must've forgotten with everything going on."
Jirou frowned at the crestfallen expression that momentarily fell on her freckled friend, seeing that he was still shaken up about the decision that he had momentarily forgotten the subject he provided help on. But his face of displeasure was gone before she could point it out.
Deciding to not outright ask him due to him just getting here, her eyes then trailed off to a purple notebook that he was holding. An odd choice given the standard one he used for his hero notes or for school.
"What is that for?"
Following her gaze, Midoriya's expression brightened up significantly as he brought the journal out for her to see, flipping through the blank pages as his smile never dwindled in the slightest.
"This is the notebook I got for you. I figured since we were always taking notes with each other that I put it in its own separate category. And it helps since we're always switching between heroics and something musical. That way, everything involving you can be found right here!"
Jirou stared into his glimmering green eyes with her own and found no ill intent or dishonesty in them, even when she used her hearing to listen to his heart. She quickly moved her head down as her face started to burn and the ends of her jacks started to twitch.
It was no secret that Midoriya was a bookworm, always writing something in his notebooks while muttering some incoherent words about heroes or studies no matter the time or place. Even if they were in the middle of training, he always seemed to have one on hand. Making his class confused about where he had it before writing. Though even if the class was a bit put out by it at first, they couldn't deny the passion and drive that Midoriya put into his work.
But the idea of having an entire notebook dedicated to her was just too much, especially since she was never used to this much attention from anyone before. Let alone someone that she was growing fond of due to their meetings, unable to stop the slight flutter of her heart at the gesture.
"T-Thanks Midoriya," she stammered as her friend beamed at the gesture, oblivious to her embarrassment the purple-haired girl forced down her blush before finally being able to look at her friend in the eyes, "S-So you were going to take notes on it?"
Midoriya nodded in confirmation as he opened to a fresh blank page, "Yeah. I might not know a whole lot about making music, but I thought it would be a good idea to write down what it was about or the way it would play," he paused before wavering his hands frantically in front of him, "N-N-Not that I'm telling you to change it or anything!"
"It's fine," Jirou waved off her concern with a slight chuckle seeing how it was now him who was being nervous. Though she had to admit that the idea did have some merit having someone who wasn't part of the band hearing it. Todoroki may have been the first one to hear it, but that was more about wanting to incorporate it with their production crew and props rather than the actual piece itself. Though there was a small problem...
"But I have to warn you that it is actually kind of loud," she said with a slight grimace for not thinking this completely through, "So I don't think I can play it at full volume unless you want someone barging in."
Midoriya also grimaced at the idea of disturbing the others that may be on this floor before deflating slightly in disappointment.
"Does that mean you can't play it...?"
Jirou's heart ached at the look on her friend's face, even more so when she remembered that he was also dealing with the disappointment of being put out of the dancing team. Plus, she did kind of invite him to come over to listen to the song, making it a real jerk move to make him come over and not give him a chance to listen to it.
"I mean... there might be a way for me to play it," Jirou started off hesitantly as the greenette's expression perked up the slightest bit, a raised eyebrow that made her more confident in her sudden idea, "I could try to play it in a different tone so that you could still hear the words."
Midoriya thought about it for a moment as his gloomy mood soon dissipated, looking at Jirou with understating seeing the reasoning behind them, and awe since he wasn't used to kind gestures like that being returned that often.
"Really... You would do that?"
"B-But only a little part of it!" Jirou hastily said not wanting Midoriya's hopes up in case her improv didn't go well, "Then you have to tell me what you think of it if you want me to sing the whole thing!"
"H-Hey you got it," Midoriya placed his hands up in surrender with a sheepish laugh, not really seeing anything wrong with the deal as he settled into position, "I won't make fun of you for it either since I know this is kind out of nowhere. I just want to hear the lyrics for now, then maybe later we can hear what it sounds like with the full band."
The sight of Midoriya's reassuring and understanding face made her sigh slightly in relief, settling back down on the bed as she looked at the instrument in her hands. Though she was still a bit nervous performing for an audience of one, strumming the guitar for a bit to get a bit of a rhythm going as she looked at Midoriya uncertainly. And seeing only an encouraging look on her friend's face made her take in a deep breath to prepare herself, finally closing her eyes and starting to sing.
~What am I to be...~
~What is my calling...~
~I gave up on giving up, I'm ready to go...~
The pacing and tone were different than the one she used during practice, as she wanted to reduce the amount of noise being made just in case someone else on the floor heard their little performance. Yet that didn't make Midoriya's look of awe diminish in the slightest, looking at her with a sense of wonder as he took in the words from the song to heart with that voice that seemed to captivate his entire being.
~The future's left unseen...~
~It all depends on me...~
~Put it on the line to follow my dreams...~
His breath caught in his throat as the words hit a little too close to home, recalling the days of his youth dreaming nothing more than to be like All Might. Pushing himself up when everyone else seemed to knock him down for his ideals.
~Tried all my life, I've tried to find...~
~Something that makes me hold on and never let go...~
~Oh...~
~Hero too... I am a hero too...~
~My heart is set... and I won't back down...~
~Hero too, strength doesn't make a hero~
~True heroes... stand up for what they believe~
~So wait and see...~
Midoriya couldn't help himself as two tears managed to break through, hearing the message All Might himself gave when they met that fateful day. A message that he wanted to hear his entire life, only granted after his courageous actions during the sludge villain incident.
The last notes rang out from Jirou's guitar as Midoriya quickly rubbed his face to dry off any tears on his face, not wanting to give Jirou the wrong idea as she finally opened her eyes to see her audience. The sight of her bushy-haired friend being in complete awe of her performance made her blush a deep red, the ends of her jacks fidgeting while nervously asking for his opinion.
"So... what do you think?"
Midoriya briefly looked down and realized that he didn't write any notes on the piece, too entranced by the song to get anything written down.
"I-I don't think there needs to be any changes, Jirou."
Jirou didn't seem to believe it, even if she could hear nothing but the truth given the state of his heart and the honest expression on his face.
"C-Come on, I'm sure that there's something about it that needs to change."
"No, I really mean it!" the freckled teen insisted with a firm expression and a giant smile on his face that took Jirou out of her self-pity, "That was amazing Jirou! I think it's just what the people need to hear!"
Jirou couldn't take it anymore and kept her gaze towards the floor as she fiddled with the ends of her jacks, embarrassed yet delighted at the praise from her green-haired friend. Unable to stop the large wavering smile from spreading across her face as her face continued to burn.
"T-Thanks Green…"
Midoriya also turned a bit sheepish, realizing that he was gushing over her work so much to the point that it made the usually snarky girl silent. Scratching his cheek with a nervous laugh as he avoided her gaze for the time being, before making his own request.
"So... Can I hear the rest of it?"
Jirou managed to look up at the hopeful and shy expression of Midoriya, a look that she never knew Midoriya knew how to pull. Though as she chalked up the fluttering of her heart at the moment to her current embarrassment, a smile was returned as she got back into position to play her guitar.
"...Sure."
As the sounds of the guitar rang out and Jirou started singing once more, Midoriya couldn't help but stare at the life and joy in Jirou's expression as she started singing once more without any hesitation from before holding her back. Unaware of the warm and caring stares they were giving one another as the room filled with her song.
Once Jirou finally went through the song, Midoriya wasted no time in praising her performance much to her embarrassment (and secret pleasure). Eventually shifting the conversation towards other unimportant matters as Jirou strummed her instrument, though that did make the greenette realize something about their meeting now.
"I guess this visit was for nothing huh? I don't really have any notes or changes for you."
Jirou managed to break out of her nervous state when she heard that, realizing it was the excuse she used to try to get him to show up. Yet despite that, she waved off his worries with a simple wave of her hand and a smile on her face.
"It's fine, don't worry about it," she said before finally deciding to shift towards the real reason why she wanted him to visit, "Though I was surprised that they wanted to change roles for the festival given how hard you were working on the routine."
While the smile was still on the teen's face, it was smaller than the one he used when he was praising her work as his eyes lost the glimmer of excitement. A much more diluted than the one he usually displayed around people that made Jirou frown.
"O-Oh that?" Midoriya chuckled nervously not wanting to bring the mood down after the amount of fun they were having, "It's no problem at all Ji-"
He stopped when the sound of the instrument ceased and saw the unamused look on her face along with the raised eyebrow, realizing that she didn't believe a single word out of his mouth.
"...There was just someone that I was hoping to show off my dancing to," Midoriya said with a sigh knowing it was futile to keep up this façade in front of her, "since it would mean a lot to her."
"Oh..." Jirou blinked in surprise at his answer, not expecting that kind of statement from her friend given his personality as she went back to absentmindedly strumming her guitar, "I didn't know you were that kind of person."
The greenette furrowed his brow in confusion, not quite sure where his musically inclined classmate was getting at, "W-What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, you know," she started off with a slight smirk that made him tense at her answer, "the kind of person that would try and woo a girl off their feet with your fancy moves. I never knew you had it in you, but you've shown us that you're always full of surprises."
Midoriya blushed a deep red, not believing that that was where her mind went, "It's not like that!"
"Sure it is..." Jirou said while giving him a pat on the shoulder for faux comfort, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me Midoriya."
He groaned while covering his red and burning face with both hands, "It's really not like that Jirou..."
Jirou laughed at his flustered state, a sound that Midoriya was hearing more of whenever they hung out with each other. Though once he eventually calmed down enough, he managed to explain the day he had with Eri and Mirio. And the promise he made to her about seeing him dance in the concert made Jirou turn a bit more serious.
"Eri huh?" Jirou raised an eyebrow in surprise as the instrument lay beside her forgotten for the time being, "You mean that little girl you saved for in the raid?"
He reminded himself that while Eri was free and no longer with Overhaul, she wasn't really saved. As she has yet to release a full smile of her own but kept that part to himself for the time being. Though he didn't correct her at the time.
"Y-Yeah, she looked really excited at the idea of seeing me dance when I told her about it. But I feel like I'm letting her down since I won't be in it as long."
"Oh…" Jirou couldn't help but frown a bit in disappointment seeing how much this promise made to her friend, yet she still managed to give a reassuring smile of her own, "Well, at least you aren't being completely taken out of it."
Midoriya raised an eyebrow at the comment as she continued to push ahead while giving him a reassuring smile, "And the way I see it when push comes to shove you always seem to give your all when the time comes. So just got to make it count when you do perform, right?"
A small smile managed to break out on Midoriya's face, thankful for the reassurance and the uplifting words from Jirou.
"Yeah, I guess your right..."
Jirou smiled at the usual upbeat attitude from Midoriya returning to form, even if it was completely back yet. She knew that it would take some time to adjust to the change, so she decided to ask about his next plans seeing that he was free for the time being.
"So what are you going to do?"
The greenette frowned as he looked at the ground in contemplation, wondering what he was going to do for the past few days. Ashido already told him that she would have to rework his schedule due to his addition to the stage team, and Todoroki said they weren't going to be ready for a few more days as the stage got built. Leaving a bit of free time in the morning before he had to go help the stage crew.
"I guess I will do some more training," he started with confidence before hastily waving his hands nervously after seeing the deadpan expression of the girl in front of him, "A-At least until they let me know when I can start practicing again."
Jirou huffed at the idea of him doing even more training but couldn't fault him for coming up with that as he didn't really have much of a choice being forced to stand on the sidelines for a day or two while everyone shifted to the change. Though she frowned at the thought of him being left alone, as he would no doubt push himself to his absolute limit without anyone to watch him like last time. Which caused her to come up with an idea.
"...Well, why don't I train with you?"
Midoriya blinked momentarily in confusion before looking at her with wide and surprised eyes, taken aback by her sudden offer as several thoughts came into her head.
"Y-You don't have to do that J-Jirou! You already did a lot for me by letting me sit here and listen to your singing. I don't want to be a bother to you..."
At that, Jirou only tilted her head with a raised eyebrow, an act that a later Midoriya would find cute, but at the time, only made him pause in his frantic ramblings.
"What's wrong with wanting to hang out with a friend?"
Midoriya's brain momentarily shut down at the honest question, all reasoning and excuses in his head suddenly ceased at the confused yet kind expression on the purple-haired girl. A look that he never saw on her before and made his heart skip a beat.
To be honest, there wasn't really a reason to refuse her to join him. As there tomorrow wasn't a day where he would be training with All Might, only some light exercise and cardio before practice for the festival could get started. And while he usually preferred to do these by himself, there was just something enticing to the idea of her joining along for the ride. Maybe it was due to the many hangouts that were occurring lately, but her coming along seemed like a good idea the more he thought about it.
"Ok..."
Jirou blinked, expecting much more resistance from her stubborn friend, "Really?"
"Y-Yeah, it would be nice to have someone to train with every once in a while."
A smile was shared between the two, pleased that something was able to come out of this meeting even if Jirou didn't need his notebooks anymore as a study guide. Though that made them both notice the amount of time they spent talking to one another, causing the greenette to stand up from his spot and head toward the door.
"Wait, Midoriya."
The greenette paused at the door just as he was about to exit, turning around to see the usually sassy and confident Jirou turn uncertain. Making him wonder just what was it that made her fidget in her spot on the bed.
Jirou on the other hand was cursing internally at the fact that Midoriya didn't mention the out-of-place hug that night. Forcing herself to speak so that they may confront it, rubbing her arm bashfully as her jacks started to fidget.
"A-About that night when you help me figure out what song to play, I wanted to apologize f-for what I did after."
Midoriya was confused for a moment, furrowing his brow as he recalled the last time they interacted with one another before widening his eyes and realization. Along with a blush that covered his entire face as he tried to stammer out an answer to something that he found odd yet comforting.
The hug she gave him.
They never really talked about that now that he thought about it, too caught up with the festival and schoolwork to really confront the issue. Though he recognized that it was indeed something that needed to be addressed seeing how out of place it was.
He saw how nervous she was and realized that it was something that was eating her up all this time, and he felt bad for making her feel this way after everything she has done for him so far. So even as his face continued to burn over the topic, he steeled himself to be honest about his feelings no matter how she reacted to it.
Jirou didn't see his expression though as she still refused to meet his eye by keeping her gaze towards the ground, "I'm not really used to giving other people hugs like that..." she winced at how lame that sounded even as her cheeks burned a bright red, "So I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, since I know it was probably out of nowhere and how you might find it weird and uncomfort-"
"I didn't mind it..."
Jirou's jacks twitched at the soft sound emitting from his mouth, finally turning her head upwards to the very bright face of Midoriya as a nervous and sheepish expression grew on his face. A look of disbelief emitted from the young musician as she watched her friend's reaction cautiously.
"You... didn't mind?"
Midoriya winced at the look as he rubbed the back of his neck with a frown as he avoided her gaze, knowing that it was an odd thing to admit to someone that he was only recently hanging out with. Nonetheless, he nodded in confirmation as Jirou slumped her shoulder down in relief.
"Oh...That's... That's good."
"Really?"
"Yeah," the sound-based hero in training said as she clinked her two jacks together, "I was worried you were going to be all mad about it."
"O-Oh No!" Midoriya cried out as he nervously waved his hands in front of him, "I thought you going to be mad since I didn't say anything about it."
A look of surprise formed on the girl's face before a chuckle managed to break through, stumping Midoriya out of his shock.
"I guess we were both overthinking it."
A chuckle managed to break out of his own, the two at ease now that the conversation was over and no hard feelings were found. The relieved smile from the purple-haired girl captivated him when he eventually looked back at her face, leaving him momentarily stunned as she returned the same warm smile that started to grow himself
For a moment, they stared at one another as the atmosphere turned into... something. They weren't quite sure what it was, but nonetheless Jirou decided to break it as she finally stood up from her seat to return her instrument back to its case.
"I uh... better get ready for bed."
"R-Right, I better head off too. Busy day and all of that. I'll text you the time for tomorrow," Midoriya rambled on before pointing off towards the right side of the hall with an awkward chuckle he finally opened the door before walking off, getting a look of confusion from Jirou as she peeked her head around the corner, only to see him turn right back around and started to head the other direction with a bright red face much to the amusement to the girl in the doorway, "M-My room is that way..."
"Goodnight Midoriya."
She chuckled at his awkwardness as the warm smile on her face never left, watching him disappear around the corner before slowly shutting the door behind her. Leaving her alone with a goofy smirk as she shook her head in amusement at their actions. Recalling the conversation she had with him with fondness as she got ready for bed, idly wondering what kind of training he would bring.