Chapter Text
As the morning dew from the plants drifted off the blades of grass and the birds chirped throughout the trees, the sun rose from the horizon and coated the sky in an orange glow that signaled the start of a new day. A sight that would make many stop, reflect on their surroundings and take in the scenery, or even cause some self-reflection.
And yet...
"How... much... longer?" an exhausted Jirou huffed out beside Midoriya.
"You're almost there! Just a little bit longer!"
Jirou could barely keep her pacing as she jogged alongside Midoriya, who didn't even seem out of breath despite running for the same amount of time. Even supporting her during the run with compliments and praise when she insisted on finishing this run without any stops, even if he tried to get her to take a break at first. Her pride wouldn't let her quit after agreeing to join her friend just the day prior.
"And... finished!" Midoriya stated after they had passed a bench on the pathway, making Jirou stop with loud gasps leaving her mouth as she quickly sat to soothe her aching legs while a strained smile formed on Midoriya after seeing her condition. "T-That wasn't so bad... was it?"
Even as the wildly beating heart and the exasperated breaths were calming after that endurance run, she somehow managed to shoot off a dry look that left the greenette both impressed and anxious. Not knowing what she might have to say after this level of training.
"You... do this... every day?" she gasped out in between breaths.
"Well..." Midoriya sheepishly chuckled while scratching his cheek nervously, "T-There's actually a bit more that I do after this. Like lifting weights and maybe some workouts after class, then I usually head back to shower and ready for bed."
Jirou could only stare at him dumbfounded as he avoided her gaze by pretending to admire the vast scenery around him. Her incredulous stare seemed to pierce through him even as she managed to finally get her breathing and heart to a somewhat manageable level.
She always knew that he was always nuts when it came to training given how focused he was, but she never would've thought that he would push himself this far. Doing extra workouts and exercise in an already packed schedule of a hero student in UA really drove home how much of a workaholic her green-haired friend was.
No wonder he was so tired when he was overworking himself the past few weeks.
"But even so, shouldn't you tone it down just a bit?" Jirou asked in concern for her friend after seeing the lengths he would go to during class and training. "At this rate, you won't leave much time for yourself or any of your friends like before."
Midoriya frowned while keeping his gaze away from Jirou knowing that she was only concerned for his wellbeing, yet he knew that he couldn't just slow down due to him being the bearer of One for All. With the responsibility of carrying the quirk already on his mind along with all the people he already saved with this power.
Iida from Stain when he sought out revenge.
Kota from Muscular during the Summer training camp when villains attacked.
Eri from Overhaul, who suffered at the man's hands for so long before he was able to get her out.
He frowned at the thought of them suffering and slightly clenched his hands in frustration, knowing that he could help a lot more people if he was able to master One for All faster. Knowing that becoming the symbol of peace that All Might had been was a large gap that he had to fill now that his mentor no longer had the quirk.
Jirou looked on in concern at Midoriya's stern expression and worried that she was pushing too far, as she only agreed to join him in his morning workout and not a therapy session. And opened her mouth her apologize for being so forward when the greenette spoke up again.
"I have to get stronger," the greenette said quietly after a moment of silence much to Jirou's surprise, "people are counting on me to get stronger, and I can't afford to stand still when I can do so much more. I don't want to be a liability to them when I'm on the field again..."
Jirou looked at him in awe at the conviction in his voice, as it was nothing like the awkward ramblings that she was used to seeing during their time in class. Knowing full well that he was being serious as her gaze drifted towards the hands that were covered in scars, all caused for the sake of saving those in need before he finally managed to get his power to a more manageable level. Remembering the feeling of the injuries when she felt them on her own hands the night before.
The two remained silent as a slightly heavy atmosphere took place, Jirou facing away from her green-haired friend and thoughtfully taking in his words with a deep frown while Midoriya anxiously looked off to the side. Grimacing at the fact that he caused such a reaction in her when she was only concerned for him. Yet he knew he wouldn't take anything that he said back knowing that it was the role of the future symbol of peace. Taking in a deep breath as he opened his mouth to salvage this conversation as much as he could befo-
"Ok."
Midoriya faltered at the sudden interruption and turned towards his musically inclined friend with confusion as she stared right back with a determined expression, one that caught him slightly off guard if he was being honest.
"...Ok? I-I'm not sure I understand."
Now it was Jirou's turn to sigh deeply as she turned away from him, a frown on her face as she gathered her thoughts.
"I don't like how you're pushing yourself so hard, but I get it," Jirou started as Midoriya looked on with a furrowed brow. "You were never really the type to give up, even when you didn't have control over that crazy quirk of yours at the start of school. So I get why you are in such a hurry to improve after everything that's happened."
Midoriya slowly nodded at her answer, not quite sure where she was going with this but knew she still wasn't done as she locked eyes with a furrowed brow.
"But I'm not going to sit by and let you pass out from near exhaustion again, so I'm going to train with you as much as I can. Even if I have to bring Iida or Uraraka to do it since I know they were worrying about you too."
...
"...You don't have to do that," Midoriya said softly as he turned his gaze away from her. "I'm perfectly fine with training with myself."
"What? You don't think I can handle it?" Jirou said as she stood up from the bench with crossed arms and a frustrated look. "In case you haven't noticed Midoriya, you are not the only person in the class that has been through villain attacks. The USJ, I-Island, and camp, all of us were in the middle of that along with you. "
The green-haired teen finally turned towards his friend and was surprised by the sight of her clenched fists shaking in frustration. Her normally kind eyes now burning with disappointment as she glared at the ground.
"... And I couldn't even do anything when they attacked the camp that night. I fell unconscious the moment I took a whiff of that gas that was released into the air, being left defenseless as the rest of my friends fought their way out. Some hero in training I was..."
Midoriya's gaze softened at the sound of disappointment and frustration leaking through her voice, knowing full well what she was going through as doubts clouded his own thoughts when he thought he was lacking. Wanting to say something, anything to try to reassure her of her doubts at the moment. But he was caught off guard when a determined look graced her features.
"...So that's why I will join you. Not only to keep you from overstraining yourself but because I need to improve too. I don't want to be cast aside when there's danger like that again, and if working out with you can somehow improve me despite the intense effort then so be it."
Midoriya looked at her in awe at the sheer determination that was displayed through her gaze as she looked right back at him in unwavering defiance. Almost daring him to say something to refuse her newly founded commitment to get stronger.
And the green-haired teen couldn't find it in his heart to disagree, if only because he knew exactly what she was going through. The frustration you felt inside thinking that you could've done more, that feeling of self-doubt in your abilities even when others continued to praise you.
"Ok..." Midoriya relented after hearing her conditions and request.
Jirou was momentarily surprised at the answer but schooled her expression as a small smile made its way onto her face.
"...Good." the purple hair girl nodded firmly as she locked eyes with the greenette. "You better keep your promise then."
"For sure."
The two looked at one another for a moment in the cool morning air, the unknown feeling from the night before being felt as green eyes met purple. They traded warm smiles at one another as the slightest bit of red made its way onto their faces.
Jirou managed to snap out of the trance first, looking at her green-haired friend with a flustered look as her jacks twitched in embarrassment. Making her way past him in a hurry so that he couldn't see how red her face was.
"C-Come on, I think we are almost done right?"
Midoriya watched in awe as Jirou pushed past him and continued down the path they set on, determined to finish this run even when she was still struggling. He watched her start jogging once more as he numbly stared at her retreating form, the red on his face still slightly evident as he recalled the firm and determined look she gave him. How willing she was to train with him despite already going through the intense workout so early in the morning.
"R-Right."
He shook himself out of the daze slightly as he caught up to her, determining his quickening heartbeat to the exercise that he was partaking in while the sun shined on the duo from the horizon.
Yaoyorozu just finished stirring up the batch of tea in the kitchen of the dorm, something that she did routinely after being used to waking up early. Having set the small pot down for Midoriya and Iida who were usually the first ones to drink after showering from their morning runs. A gesture she appreciated as they made small talk before the rest of the class came down the stairs to prepare for the upcoming classes.
Yet while Iida had already greeted her and made his way to the showers, she was surprised to see that a certain green-haired classmate hadn't arrived yet since he usually came around the same time to greet her before heading back up but was surprised to hear two sets of footsteps heading her way.
Her shock grew even further when the people who arrived were the green-haired classmate she was just pondering about as well as her best friend Kyoka Jirou. The purple-haired classmate was panting and making her way towards the fridge in pants before pulling out a water bottle, wasting no time in gulping down its contents as Midoriya stood beside her with a nervous smile.
"You did much better than me when I first started out. I would've collapsed about halfway through."
The vice president watched curiously as Jirou finally finished drinking and looked at Midoriya with a slight smirk, even as she tried to regain her breath.
"It helps that I had a good coach to run me through it. Knowing you, you probably kept going until you collapsed on the road."
Yaoyorozu blinked as Midoriya took in the jab gracefully with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with a slight grin as he grabbed a bottle from himself. She watched as his eyes met hers before walking up to her with a slight smile.
"Hey Yaoyorozu, is that the batch you just brewed?"
Momentarily taken aback by the sudden shift, a smile started to make its way onto her face as their usual greetings started to take root again.
"Yes, it is. I have just told Iida that it would be ready for him whenever he came down and was hoping to do the same to you. But was I worried that something had happened given how late you came back."
"I'm sorry for that. Today had a bit of a different routine because Jirou decided to tag along today to see how I train myself!"
Yaoyorozu blinked once more as her gaze turned towards her friend beside Midoriya, who remained silent and seemed much more interested in the design of the water bottle in her hands than the conversation around her. A slight flush appeared on her cheeks after the introduction from the greenette, making Yaoyorozu raise an eyebrow at the odd gesture as her eyes met Midoriya.
"Really? I hope you didn't push her too hard. I know that your training regimen is quite different than ours."
"I was worried about that too, but she really proved me wrong today. She's a lot stronger than we gave her credit for!"
Yaoyorozu watched as the flush on the musical teen deepened, causing her to hastily grab the ends of her jacks quickly to prevent them from spazzing out. A gesture that was known by the vice president quite well after getting close to her during the school year, forcing herself to hide the knowing smile that wanted to grow.
Oh my Jirou, I think I see what is happening here...
Nonetheless, she kept her suspicions to herself as she nodded to Midoriya with a smile, agreeing to the last statement fully as she poured herself a cup.
"She has a habit of doing that, I'm quite excited about playing the song she wrote in front of the school."
"Yeah! It's going to be great!" Midoriya cheerfully agreed before looking at the nearby clock on the microwave, realizing that he needed to get moving if he wanted to get to class on time. "Oh, I better get going. I will be sure to have some tea before I leave."
Then the greenette turned towards Jirou, who calmed down from the constant praise between the two as only a slight flush remained. Perking up at Midoriya's eyes met her own and his beaming smile started to shine through.
"And thanks for coming with me Jirou, I know it wasn't your thing to wake up so early to join me."
All forms of embarrassment seemed to dissipate as the girl shook her head with a slight smirk, raising a fist to nudge the greenette's shoulder playfully as a smile of her own started to break through.
"Hey, I couldn't drop out after promising to join you. Plus, it helped me improve too."
The two shared a fist bump with one another while matching smiles that made Yaoyorozu raise an eyebrow while a chuckle left their lips. The green-haired teen finally departed from the area as he made his way up the stairs, with Jirou saying her own farewell as her gaze followed his departing figure.
It was quite a sight to see Jirou in such a blissful state as she stared at the empty area where Midoriya left, resting a hand on her chin as a smile remained on her lips. Causing the regal teen to smile knowingly at her friend as she reached for her own cup of tea now that they were finally alone
"So you and Midoriya huh? How long has that been going on?"
The question seemed to finally break through Jirou's trance as she jolted in place before shooting an odd look at her. Diverting her attention towards her with a flabbergasted expression at the question as a slightly red hue formed on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play so coy, I saw how close you two were right now. I'm just surprised is all."
The heat on the purplette's face seemed to explode as her eyes widened in shock, looking at Yaoyorozu with bewilderment as the jacks on her ears flailed uncontrollably.
"It's not like that! We were just training together is all!"
While the outburst was expected, Yaoyorozu was surprised to hear that the two weren't dating given how close and intimate they seemed with each other. A feat that Jirou didn't really demonstrate with any of the other guys in the class, even more so when she recalled how embarrassed she was due to Midoriya's constant praise.
"Really? But I could've sworn it was something of that nature given how close you two were to each other. Not to mention that you two took the time to text each other privately before class started yesterday."
"Y-You saw that?" Jirou said with embarrassment as she clicked the ends of her jacks together, a bit flustered at being caught texting another boy in class even if this wasn't an interrogation.
"I did, but I didn't say anything about it. But I was just curious seeing how laid-back you were talking to him even after confronting him about overworking himself."
Jirou nodded in understanding seeing how their interaction looked from an outside view, as the two didn't really start talking until this past week. Making her sigh in acceptance as she leaned back on the seat she was sitting on; a distant look on her face as she recalled the last few interactions she had with the teen.
"It was not something I was planning on, but after talking to him for a bit I realized we were a bit similar in some ways. And that only made it easy to connect with him as he was helping me with notes for the upcoming concert. Training with him was something of a last-minute gesture, as I wanted to see what he was going through. And it didn't help that I got something out of either."
Yaoyorozu nodded at the thoughtful interpretation from her friend but felt something was missing based on how close they acted to one another. Putting the cup she was drinking down as a raised eyebrow made its way onto her face.
"Is that all you feel about him?"
Jirou looked surprised at the question furrowing her brow in confusion at the calm and calculated gaze that her friend was giving. She felt like she was being broken down and analyzed by the vice-president when she gave an answer that she felt genuinely confident about.
"Y-Yeah, why?"
For a moment, the two said nothing to one another as they stared into each other's expressions. Trying to find some answer to the other's thoughts before Yaoyorozu eventually chucked and sipped a bit of tea with an easy smile.
"Forget it, perhaps I'm overthinking it. I think I should get myself ready for the day ahead. I hope you aren't too tired for today's lessons."
Jirou blinked in confusion at the sudden dismissal but accepted it with grace as she scoffed with a sly smirk of her own at the worry from her friend. Making her way out of her seat and towards the showers as she called to the regal teen from over her shoulders.
"It will take more than a run to keep me down and out of the count. Just wait, I may just surprise you with all this training I do with Midoriya."
Yaoyorozu blinked at the confidence before a soft laugh made its way past her lips, turning away from Jirou as a knowing smile made its way through. She had a feeling that the interactions between her friend and the greenette would only improve from here, and she couldn't wait to see where it led.
Meanwhile, Jirou's smirk fell as a thoughtful frown made its way onto her face. Recalling the words from Yaoyorozu as she went towards her room to grab her uniform.
"Is that all you feel about him?"
She was confident in the answer that she gave her friend, feeling that their interactions were a major highlight to her in the midst of studying and training to be a hero. Something that brought a smile to her face when she recalled the sound of his laughter and the way he smiled at her. A gesture that made her give a smile of her own whenever she saw it and was the cause of, unable to stop the slight flutter of her heart as she continued on her way.
She wondered to herself what the next interaction with her freckled friend would involve.