[open] Oh the weather outside is weather

[wannasmash]

Who: Izuku "DEKU DON'T" Midoriya and YOU. Featuring a Warmblood who will, per this month's effects, influence you to be your best self... whatever that may mean.
What: Catchall log with: a snowball fight, fishing Paul out of a collapsed basement, giving mushrooms to Illarion, event things. Event plotting comment.
When: January
Where: A park. Abandoned basement. The Red.

Content Warnings: fantasy violence against a snake-shaped rock monster, panic attack, teens in danger. Mention of: being kidnapped, child abuse and/or neglect. More TBD in comments below.

Open prompts:
Snowball Fight!
Wallflower Time (Snake Den at The Red) (Event)
Taking Note (Snake Den at The Red) (Event)

Comments

[wannasmash]

There's no trick. He isn't fully aware of having done it, only conscious of wanting to save Ange some awkwardness. He isn't in the habit of thinking of himself and taking himself into account. So, there's no hint of embarrassment, present or imminent, when he looks at Ange with a small smile.

"Yeah. I'd be in a lot worse shape here if it wasn't for him. He reminds me of how to be strong. That resilience. When tough stuff happens, how not to lose sight of your goal."

Being friends with Midoriya usually means being admired by him as well.

[entreats]

"Is that something that doesn't come naturally to you?"

She sounds a little curious, though her tone doesn't seem to give away too much here. Perhaps Ange is just trying to still make some pleasant conversation, just so Midoriya spends another moment not really being a wallflower here.

"I'd say you kind of seem like the type to get back up, no matter what happens. But maybe I was wrong about that..?" It's that pluckiness about him that gave her the impression, really.

[wannasmash]

Often, when he reassuring someone he's fine, he smiles. Something a little truer to himself brightens his smile by a shade when he recalls a memory.

"When I was little, I used to watch this video over and over, of my favorite hero saving a lot of people. I grew up wanting to be just like him." It says something about Midoriya that his favorite video around the age of four was frightening news footage of a disaster. "I wanted to be the kind of hero who saves the day, no matter what."

The shape of his dream has solidified into something more specific and grounded, but that's the gist. That's its origin.

"So, when I was knocked down, I'd get back up, no matter what. It's easier to get up again when you have an example of how to do it. It's even easier when you have a friend around who reminds you of the times you did."

Surviving a serial killer in a dark alley together or teaming up for a slightly illicit rescue mission will do that.

[entreats]

Ange hums, listening to his explanation. It's a very different experience than she has ever had, especially back when she was a child, but it's not like she can't imagine it in the slightest either. It kind of makes sense that someone would grow to believe in that stuff, if they were so obsessed with something like that as a child..

"If your friend wasn't here."

It's just an 'if', but Ange knows it's the sort of 'if' that hangs over all their heads.

".. could you still do it then?"

Maybe that's what she's trying to figure out here. Because she believes what Midoriya is saying here, but it feels like there's something missing. There's so much emphasis on the role his friends play in it, that Ange can't help but wonder if he's perhaps afraid of ending up alone.

(Or maybe, she tells herself, she's just projecting. It's entirely possible.)

[wannasmash]

There's a slight tightening on one corner of his smile. He knows that "If." He can't pretend it doesn't exist.

"I'd have to, if it came down to it. Whether or not I have friends, Beasts will still attack people, and I have to do something about that."

It was lonely, but he got used to it in middle school, not having friends. He just left school for home straight away instead of hanging out with anyone. His only joy was the hope he'd catch a Pro Hero in action. Now, on the other side of it, he's learning that the thing he enjoyed watching is sometimes hard and grueling. But, as his mentor said, Midoriya moves instinctively to save others, no matter the hardship. Loneliness is included.