'You know,' Izuku thought, 'it has never really occurred to me just how large Beacon's Campus is until I specifically set out to 'find' someone on it.'
When he had previously gotten together with Blake to talk about things or to discuss reading, it'd been done as part of just having randomly spotted her or having just so happened to run into her. Now that he'd finished Little To Do With Something and actually had the time, not to mention the desire to just lay back and relax, to discuss it he thought he'd try and find his book buddy. Well, that had turned out to be a tall order... so he did something he had never thought he'd do.
He called a girl on his Scroll.
Izuku did his best to school his features as the call went through and... well, Blake was somewhere, that was certain. Somewhere outside and pretty high up, if the fact that he hadn't really seen any buildings behind her. When he had offered up the potential to read, Blake seemed quite ready to accept the offer (i.e., her neutral expression had cracked that slight corner smile as she nodded) and that gave Izuku an idea of where to find her. After he managed to calm down after the harrowing task of ringing up a girl, he ended up traveling across campus to one of the dorm's rooftops. There Izuku spotted Blake Belladonna, sitting up near one of the edges with a book in hand just... kind of looking across Beacon as a whole. Despite her distance from the entrance, Blake seemed to be aware of Izuku's arrival from the moment he cracked open the door because once he took a step out onto the rooftop, she turned her head to look back at him.
"Kind of taking this whole isolation thing to another level, aren't we?" Izuku asked with a slight chuckle, Blake having just shrugged as she quickly shifted around, providing Izuku room to sit and a way for the two to look at each other face to face.
"What can I say, I prefer it. Gives me time to think... plus, I've never really taken the time to really just... absorb Beacon's Campus before, you know? Figured that was something I should probably correct at this point." Blake combed a strand of hair behind her ear as she spoke, a slight shrug to her shoulders as she did so. "It really does look nice, yeah?" Izuku nodded as he walked over and took a seat next to Blake, pulling out his own copy of the play as you sat across from her.
"It does. I've taken a few walks around campus now and I've pretty well taken that in. Plus the fall weather's really pretty this time of year too." Blake offered a slight shrug to that as she looked out in the far distance.
"I dunno. I think being so close to the Forever Fall forest has kind of spoiled me on the 'beauty' of Fall. Now it just seems kind of normal." Blake gave that slight smile of hers again as she spoke, finally turning her attention down to her own book. "So, consider this a bit of an easier read after our previous discussions?" Izuku chuckled a bit as he offered a nod and scratch at the back of his head.
"Oh yeah, definitely. This wasn't nearly as heavy or thoughtful as the last two books. Just a pretty fun read... though the language can be a bit weird to get around sometimes." Blake chuckled as she nodded in agreement, having cracked open her own copy of the play.
"Yeah, you get that with some of these older stories but, well, I think there's a certain charm to that. Makes it feel more authentic than abridged versions which tries to update the language to make it a bit easier. A little bit more fulfilling too when you actually read it." Blake shrugged as she looked off to the side. "Or maybe that's just me, I wouldn't know." Izuku offered a slight shrug; he really hadn't thought about it all that strongly one way or the other, but he supposed it made sense. Blake seemed to take his shrug to mean exactly that as the black haired young woman just took the time to stare at the book.
"Well... hmmm, what should we talk about when it comes to the book first? It really doesn't have heavy themes for us to discuss so I thought it'd be a bit more difficult to sit down and pin down. Maybe we could talk about the actual plot or something?" Izuku really had no idea; as fun as the book was, it had been difficult to think of a way to transition it into an actual discussion about the book. It was a pretty silly little play about people playing matchmaker, sometimes terribly, and a whole lot of little struggles. The title fit, if nothing else.
However, he watched as Blake ran her hands over the book for a moment and he saw a slight glint to her eyes, as if she had an idea.
"You know... it's funny. A lot of this guy's other plays offer far more serious contexts to the plot of them. I'm sure you're at least vaguely aware of them... most of his dramas and even some of his other comedies usually have something major in the background going on. Even the Summer's Dream had these larger than life aspects to it involving Old Gods and fairies." Izuku vaguely heard that about a lot of plays involving the guy who wrote them, and nodded... wondering exactly where Blake's going. "Heck, even this play, several times, threatens to break out into one of those stories. It starts off with a lot of the main characters coming from some battle or war, it threatens to devolve into duels to the death involving honor, suicide... yet every single time, it pulls back into something silly and ridiculous that seems... I dunno. Meaningless by comparison? I don't want to call stuff like... you know, love meaningless but... well... you get the picture, right?"
"Yeah, you mean that the actual plot the book contents itself with seems like small potatoes compared to what it could be about." Blake nodded, smiling at his understanding.
"Exactly. There's a lot more important things going on that this could be about but... well, in the end it's just a little comedy. A Little To Do With Something that... well, maybe as the name entails... doesn't mean much." Blake tapped the book for a second as she seemed to take it all in. "I mean, think about it. As nice as the romance is in this and as good as the characters are... for all we know, the day after the events of this play..." There was a moment of silence, one that he considered breaking for a moment, before Blake sighed and looks up at Izuku. "Izuku... is it ridiculous that we're up here talking about this play now of all times?" Izuku blinked slightly as he tilted his head to the side.
"Why? Did you not like it or have fun?" Blake shook her head vigorously.
"No, it was a great read and, after the last two, a nice bit of reprieve. It was fun and ridiculous and still really well written. It's a good comedy and a good play and I really enjoyed myself but... I mean... should we really be talking about something like this right now? The day after all of us almost died?"
...
Ah, now Izuku was getting a better picture of what Blake had been getting at.
"Yesterday we all went to some place that was supposed to be safe and familiar and... well, let's face it, we all were fortunate that you sent off a signal and that Toshinori arrived in the time he did. Things could've been worse. 'A lot' worse... and now the day after it all happens... I dunno. Tsuyu's packing up for a vacation with her family out into the bogs, Yang's still trying to crack terrible puns even as Peach forces her to go check in with her and even Tenya seems more content to just... be him. It's not just my team too, it's everyone... including me and you." Blake picked up the book again as she looked down at it. "It's a comedy that something that really is so insignificant is being given a place next to something most people would consider 'direly' important but... is that right? Should we really be distracting ourselves with Something that's so... small by comparison?" Izuku saw that Blake wasn't making a judgment call here one way or the other... she seemed genuinely conflicted on the matter as she thought it over.
He frowned slightly as he lightly handled the book in his hand. Really, even compared to The Man With Two Souls and The Modern Sage physically, the play was lighter in his hands than the previous works. It wasn't as obvious or as much of a force on his person, it was just there... and yet, despite that, he found that it could lightened his mood, even after some crazy stuff or a hard bit of work. As he thought over Blake's point and the nature of the play before him, he ended up shrugging as he looked Blake head on.
"Then by that logic, we probably shouldn't have read any of the books we read before. I mean, that was time we could've used to train in preparation to fight the Grimm, those Monochrome guys or anyone else that could possibly come up." Blake flinched a bit as Izuku spoke, though he could tell that she eased up a bit when she saw the calm smile on his face. "I think... I think life isn't really about the fight. It can't be: I know I train a lot, but I'm 'especially' aware of the fact that if you keep fighting, if you keep training, you'll only break yourself down more and more... literally, in my case."
Blake just shook her head as she watched as Izuku held up several bruised fingers.
"However, we train and do that kind of stuff because there's more to life than the fight. Life's about the people, the little stories that end up coming together in order to form our great, big world. We train and do what we can so that we can protect that... I know I do it because I want to protect all of these little stories, including yours, my team, and everyone around me." Izuku clenched his fist as he kept up that smile. "But we also need to slow down. We need to stop and take it all in... to give ourselves time to make these kinds of stories for ourselves. Because it gives us a reason for these fights... and it reminds us of them. If we didn't have these stories, these reasons for fighting... well, then there wouldn't be all that much that separated us from the unthinking, unfeeling Grimm." Izuku finished off this point with what he hoped was a dazzling smile.
"This story isn't big in the grand scheme of things, true, but it doesn't diminish its importance to the people in it. They're trying to get away from their own battles, and find more to their lives along the way. Maybe this story, compared to all the other ones the author wrote, was his way of saying these small moments of laughs and love are as important as any epic."
...
Blake actually chortled a bit, and openly at that, as the young woman brought her hand up to cover her mouth.
"That's pretty cheesy of you Izuku..." She muttered, trying to sound her usual distant and somewhat sarcastic self, even as she lowered her hand. "Still... I see your point. It's really easy to lose sight of these kinds of things if all you do is fight all the time... it really is." Blake lightly touched the cover of the play as she looked up at him. "I guess it really is important to remember why you fight and to find reasons to fight. Otherwise, you're right... we become no better than monsters." Despite the seriousness of that phrase, Blake just sighed as she danced her fingers across the cover of the book. "Still, that doesn't leave us much to talk about in terms of serious stuff..."
"Well... then let's just have fun with it. Let's not talk about serious stuff when it comes to this book." Blake cracked open an eye slightly at that, a slight smile on her face as she shrugged.
"Fair enough." Izuku saw Blake hum to herself... before she nodded. "Well, the obvious thing to talk about that is gossipy about this book is... well, the gossip." Blake picked the book up by its spine and held it up. "I mean, the entire premise is these guys get together like a bunch of old women and gossip with each other as they try to set these and themselves up without most folks even knowing. I think that's pretty fun to talk about."
"You mean all the matchmaking going on? Yeah, that would be pretty fun to talk about." Izuku saw Blake snort a bit as she rolled her eyes, Izuku offering a goofy grin in response. "I'm guessing you don't exactly find it profound."
"Obviously not but more than that... I dunno, it seems both silly and a little annoying at the same time." Blake crossed her arms. "I mean, these guys get together and decide to put these two together and then decide to help be wing-men for their friend to get with this girl he likes without the girl knowing... 'and then' they turn that around on the guy by having her pretend to die after he hears rumors about her and insults her? I mean, these are some pretty extreme lengths to go to in order to try to play matchmaker. Kind of cruel too." Blake leaned forward as she looked at Izuku. "I mean, just pulling an example from our own friends... Nora and Ren, for example? Like, it's so obvious it kind of stings, right? But... I dunno, would you really go to the lengths the people in this book would go to hook them up?"
"I dunno... it sounds like you wouldn't like the idea of playing matchmaker." Blake scoffed a bit as she combed a stray bit of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, no. I've had enough of people trying to play wing man or being 'supportive' of me that I don't think I'd be all that into that kind of stuff."Izuku nodded, that sounded reasonable.
Izuku carefully tapped his chin as he considered Blake's point, slightly humming to himself as he did so.
"I might play matchmaker if one or both of them are trying to make a move and it's just failing miserably. I mean, I get it, as if I could do better in a social situation than someone else but... I think in Nora and Ren's case, that might actually be possible." Blake grinned as she nodded in agreement before Izuku moved on. "Or maybe if one of them is trying and the other doesn't realize it I would... which I guess is kind of what Nora's doing, right? Maybe?" Izuku ended up just shrugging as he looked at Blake. " I guess I'd want to make sure that both sides are receptive to the idea and not just assume that..."
...
Hold on a second.
"... Wait, Blake, what's this about you?"
...
Blake's face immediately took on a surprisingly dark hue of red as it seemed like she, too, realized what she just let slip. The black haired young woman immediately choked as she seemed to do her best to bring her book up to block her face, as if she was shielding herself with it.
"Nothing! I said absolutely nothing! You didn't hear anything!"
"I'm pretty sure I heard you saw that people were trying to play matchmaker with you..." Izuku remarked somewhat slowly as his green eyes went a bit wide in realization. "Oh! Is this about that rumor you said that I should ignore if I heard it?" Blake seemed to practically freeze, her ribbon having practically stood up straight along with the rest of her posture. Izuku saw her shift around a bit, as if she was having an internal argument, before she just shook her head.
"... Gods this just gets better and better. Why did I even bring that up with him before? I swear, I keep digging my own grave with this..." Blake muttered from behind her book as she just heaved a heavy sigh. "Yes, Izuku, it does." Izuku tilted his head curiously to the side and though Blake seemed, for a moment, like she was measuring a choice between just running and sticking around, the normally quiet young woman just frowned as she leaned forward. "Look... it's nothing you need to worry about, okay? It's really nothing: some idiot-" Izuku saw Blake jerkily look side to side, as if fearing that the very person may have been listening at the time, before she turned back to the conversation, ",thinks I like some guy and they're trying to be 'helpful' by giving me advice and trying to see if this person they think I like likes me. So let's just-"
"Do I know either of these people?" He asked, curious, as Blake's mouth just stretches out into a 'very' thin line. She coughs into her fist slightly as she looked off to the side.
"Yeah, you do. How well kinda depends on how you look at it, I guess." Blake muttered toward the end.
"So what caused this anyway? I don't think people just randomly decide stuff like this about other people without proof..." Izuku muttered, though Blake frowned as she pointed down to the book.
"I think our little play here would say otherwise Izuku... but... fair enough, it wasn't... 'nothing'. I kind of walked into it myself and... it's kind of my own fault." Blake scratched the back of her head, embarrassed and aggravated. "I kind of... sort of gave the impression I did like the guy."
"How do you do that without actually liking the guy?" Blake laughed to herself as she just put her on her forehead.
"How indeed?" The black haired young woman shook her head as she sighed. "Let's just say I walked into a situation that I didn't want to get mixed up in and... I kind of panicked and tried to talk my way out in a very dumb way. Now this person thinks I'm some hopeless romantic and is doing their best to help me... and I really don't want or even need the help because, again 'I don't like this guy that way'." Izuku frowned slightly at the way Blake said that. There was finality, of course but... well, it also seemed like she was being extraordinarily careful when she said it. As if she didn't want to be too harsh or was looking for a way to speak softly about it.
"You don't sound that firm about it. I think most people would be more annoyed with both people in a case like this, right?" Izuku asked, curious, as Blake just looked at him for a moment.
"It... really isn't the guy's fault this all happened. It was mine. Besides, it's not like I'm insulted or anything that... someone might think that. I mean, I'm uncomfortable with it but..." Blake noticed the obvious question on his face and he watched as she rapped her fingers against the cover of the play as she shook her head. "I don't mean uncomfortable like this guy's disgusting or anything, he's... alright, I guess. More of a person you'd like as a person than you'd be attracted to. I'm just uncomfortable to be put into this kind of situation. I just really can't see myself with this guy."
"Something wrong with him?" Izuku asked, blinking slightly. It was all pretty weird sounding, at least to him. Blake just sighed as she shook her head.
"Honestly? No. No not all. He's... a good person. Kind and just, really a stand up person. The kind of person... well, just the kind of person you'd admire. You'd... like him a lot." Blake seemed to be thoroughly weirded out as she spoke and, honestly, Izuku couldn't blame her. It probably wasn't the conversation she'd looked to have when the two started talking. "It's just... well, we're not exactly... we're 'very' different. Like, different on a pretty fundamental level. On who and what we are." Izuku blanked on that, tilting his head to the side as he brought his hand up to his chin in thought. Who he might get but what? What was a what that would... oh. Well, he guessed there was one 'what' he could think of, but it seemed weird.
"Is this guy a Faunus? That seems like an odd reason for you to not like it, considering how pro-rights you are Blake." Izuku actually saw Blake almost falter, her jaw dropping for a second as a choking sound escaped from somewhere in there. After a moment, Blake brought a hand up to her face, practically having slapped her forehead, as she sighed 'very' deeply into it.
"... Guess we're running with this then..." Blake whispered so low and behind so much breath that Izuku really couldn't make it out, but she just looked at him as she seemed to hesitate. "Yes... I mean, I don't have anything against... Faunus. Not like that anyway. Like you said, I'm pretty pro-Rights and all, and I'd want there to be an equal relationship between Faunus and Humans... but well, getting with a... Faunus..." She seemed to practically trip up every time she approached that word. "... Well, it doesn't seem like it'd work out well. It's a real rarity even now for it to happen and heck, even some pro-Human Faunus I knew really don't know what to make of Human-Faunus... 'relationships', so you can imagine what it's like among White Fang Faunus. With humans, well... you and I know what the reaction there can be like."
'Yeah... not exactly great' Izuku considered, 'With relations having grown more tense as the Fang radicalized, that has become an even trickier part of the balance of the Human-Faunus struggle. For anyone who wanted to try to navigate 'that' particular pool, well, things would be pretty awkward at a minimum.'
"Yeah, I guess I see your point... that would be pretty insane to try to navigate." Blake nodded and... well, he watched as Blake took a slight breath and looked off to the side.
"... Like I said though, it's not just a what." Izuku blinked slightly as Blake spoke up, combing a stray hair behind her ear. "It's also a who."
"Is he not your type or something?" Izuku asked, somewhat curious. He knew that everyone had a type and, hey, if a person didn't match up that was fine. Still, the reaction from Blake is a surprise: she actually chortled a bit.
"No, probably not. In fact, I'm very sure he isn't 'my type'. Thinking about my last relationship, he's probably the furthest thing from it. But, well, after my last relationship I'm not even sure if my type is my type anymore." Blake shook her hair out a bit. "I guess I'm just not looking for a relationship in general for that very reason. The who... Izuku, it isn't this guy. It isn't any other guy even. It's, well..." Blake shrugged as she looked Izuku in the eye. There wasn't a hint of sadness or remorse, just a sort of calm, flat acceptance.
"Let's just say that if anyone actually got to know me, they'd probably do their best to keep their distance and leave it at that. Rightfully so too. So... Hell, I guess there isn't even much of a reason to worry about it."
Izuku's mouth opened and closed a few times as he really took in the last of what Blake had to say. Honestly, hearing it out of someone he considered a good friend at that point... it really was disheartening.
'Just what has hurt her to this degree? 'Who' has hurt her like this?' Despite his innate curiosity, he held back on asking such a thing directly. There was no way of knowing how Blake would react... so instead, he opted for a different route. To try and just be reassuring. To try and fight against this self-doubt Blake seemed to have hanging so thick around her thoughts.
"Blake... people call me out on my low self-esteem and, well, I can't say they don't have their reasons... but the fact remains that I have some very 'real' issues." Blake seemed a bit puzzled as he started, he ran a hand through his hair as he gathered his thoughts. "I'm nervous around people, I mutter to the point of weirding people out and constantly have to chase things that come natural to others. Heck, I nearly fumbled us being friends entirely by being such a weirdo when we first met." There was a slight crack in Blake's expression, a very small grin, as she shook her head, seeming ready to push back. "However... despite all this I'm working on all that regardless and keeping up hope that I can be better than that. I need to be if I want to be the kind of Hunter I want to be."
"But you, Blake... sometimes it seems like you've given up on yourself in some ways." Blake stated back a bit as he laid it out plainly, Izuku looking down to the side. "You seem to think so little of yourself... and you admitted as much just now. And Blake? I have to say that, whatever it is that is making you think low of yourself, I honestly can't fathom why it exists or that you're entertaining it. Because the more I've come to know you, the more I appreciate the fact we became friends. For whatever failures you might see in yourself, I'm sure me and the rest of our friends could name qualities that more than redeem anything you might hold against yourself." Izuku spoke with as much conviction as he could, doing his level best to try to 'will' this belief into Blake herself. The girl just seemed to fold a bit at first, wilting ever so slightly as she glanced off to the side. "Blake, it's alright for you to distance yourself from others if you need some alone time. But please don't act like people should keep their distance from you for some reason, because that simply isn't true. 'I know' it isn't true."
"... You know huh?" Blake says with a small chuckle, the young woman keeping her eyes closed. If Izuku had listened closely enough, he might have heard her mutter of 'so naive' under her breath. However, as Blake turned back to look at him with a slight smile. "I... appreciate your trust Izuku. It's... nice that you have such faith in me." Despite what she was saying and the expression she wore while saying it... he couldn't help but feel like Blake's holding back. Like she was still withholding some sentiment she had running about in her head. "You're a good friend Izuku. I'm beyond lucky to have met you." Now that was something completely genuine; nothing held back or kept, just genuine intent. So... even if Izuku felt like Blake's still walling him off slightly, Izuku smiled as he nodded.
"Blake, like I said, I appreciate that we've become friends. I feel the same... so don't be so down, alright?" Blake just chuckled, something light and almost hollow from her chest, as she offered Izuku a nod.
"In fact…," Izuku's grin began to widen really far, and he looked her straight in the eye with complete determination, "if this is all that's stopping you from asking this guy out... Blake, I think you should take a shot with this guy!"
...
...
...
"Huh?" Blake's face seemed to go quite blank. Izuku nodded as he smiled at her.
"Yeah. Blake, if you're just worried about how he might think of you... trust me, you have nothing to worry about. I mean, you're... p-pretty and a great friend. I'm sure he'd say yes if you asked him out for just some kind of first date! I mean, I'm in no way experienced, but even I know that a first date is usually just something casual, so you wouldn't even have to worry so much about it going into something more if you didn't want to." Blake's face slowly grew more and more red as Izuku spoke, her embarrassment clear as she seemed to look everywhere 'but' at Izuku.
"Izuku, come on. I mean, seriously, I thought you said-"
"I know, I know, but I'm not trying to force you into this like some matchmaker, I'm just trying to give some helpful advice." Blake mutters 'of course you are' under her breath, as if she was flummoxed she thought he'd do anything else 'but' try to help her out. "And I know... I think if you really think this guy's a good person and that all you're worried about is the whole Human-Faunus thing and your doubts, that you should give it a try. I mean, you seem like you know him... but then again, I don't know any Faunus friends that I've seen you speaking with besides Tsuyu." For a moment, Blake looked like she was about to panic, as if he'd pieced something together, before a look of realization crosses his face. "Wait, Blake, is the reason you know so much about this guy without us knowing him because you stalked him too? Like me?"
Izuku was not sure if it was the accusation or the fact that he brought her stalking him back up, but Blake's face practically went beet red at that. Izuku chuckled nervously as he brought his hands up defensively. "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up... but, well, if that's the case, maybe you should try and talk to the guy? See if you two get along well and share interests. Maybe then you'll see that he won't be put off by you or afraid for whatever you think's wrong with you. Heck, I'm sure he'd see you the same way I and everyone else does." Izuku offered as wide and genuine a smile as he could at that, which only seemed to cause Blake further embarrassment as the red trailed down from her face to her neck and back to her ears.
"If you don't want to date him, then don't... but don't let your fears about who or what you are stop you from something you might enjoy! Heck, I'd even be willing to try to get to know this guy too and tell you some stuff about him if you'd tell me who he is!" Izuku gave a winning smile at that as, finally, Blake brought her hands up to her face, as if trying to hide just how red her entire head at turned.
"... Gods... is this punishment for my sins? For not going to church when you bailed me out of the situation with Toshinori? Is this how I'm supposed to pay my dues back to all the people I've hurt and betrayed? Why this? I honestly think I'd rather be stabbed in the stomach repeatedly then go through this... he's literally talking about... and with a smile on his face... he's being such an idiot..." Blake whispered something to herself behind her hands and, try as Izuku might, he really couldn't hear anything she was saying. Eventually he watch as the color pulled back from Blake's ears and neck as she looked at Izuku again, a thick blush on her face as she seemed to 'strain' her expression to keep an even look to her.
"Well I appreciate it Izuku and I promise I'll give it some thought and no really you don't have to worry about meeting this guy I appreciate the sentiment but I think I can handle it myself ohboywouldyoulookatthetimeIthinkIneedtogoseeyoulaterIzukugreattalkingaboutthisbookIreallythinkthatwegotalotoutofit!" Blake immediately jumped up on her feet and practically sprinted away from the spot the two had been sitting, heading back to the staircase as she did so. Izuku just blinked and offer a slow nodded at that, just barely understanding what Blake had been saying in that entire spiel. Before long, however, Izuku realize something as he called out to Blake to stop her.
"Wait, Blake! What about our next book? The library's going to close tomorrow along with the rest of the non-resident buildings on campus, so we should probably decide that now!" Blake stopped dead in her tracks, as if his words had managed to lasso a rope around her ankles. Izuku see the young woman looked back at him... he saw she was interested and, yeah, even eager for another book... but as soon as she looked at him, Izuku saw that the red on her face threatened to explode again. Eventually, Blake forced her expression back into her even look as she just glanced over at the door.
"U-Uh... well, how about 'you' decide this time Izuku? Go to the library and pick us out some copies of books you think we'd enjoy reading and talking about and then stop by my dorm later... and slide it under my door! Yeah, that's it! Now, see you later Izuku!" With that, Blake immediately opened and closed the door behind her, leaving him alone on the roof.
...
"Huh, she really must be nervous about all that..." He muttered to himself as he rubbed his chin. A pretty big responsibility had just been dropped in his lap: Blake had just asked him to pick out a book for both of them. He wanted to show he understood her tastes or, at least, that he knew what she'd be remotely interested in reading. As Izuku stood up and headed down to the library, he gave it some thought...
It wasn't long before he'd departed from the library with two copies of his find. The King Under The Mountain was a pretty thick book, slightly larger than some of the others that he'd read before, but it was by all means manageable for him to carry around. Honestly, growing up in Vale, he'd always been exposed in some way or another to stories about Arthur and his Knights, the fabled Early Kings of the land that would eventually become Vale. That the story, from what Izuku understood, was much more grown up than the kid stories and fairy tales of knights that he'd heard about and pondered some pretty heavy themes convinced he that it might've been a good book for Blake to want to read as well. It didn't take long before he hit Blake's dorm and, taking a moment to readjust the books in his hands, Izuku knocked on Team TABY's door.
"Blake, it's me." Izuku called through. After a moment he heard 'very' light footsteps on the other side of the door.
"Hey Izuku. Just slide it under..." Izuku chuckled a little as he scratched the back of his head.
"I'm afraid it'd a little too big for that, Blake." Izuku heard Blake pause for a moment on the other side and, after a second, the door cracked open ever so slightly. Blake peeked out, her face schooled in that very calm, very even expression of hers as she looked at him and then down to one of the books in his arms. He extended a hand out and Blake took it, taking a look at the cover. Izuku saw Blake hum for a moment as she looked at it, her amber eyes blinking as she flipped it over.
"... You know, I've heard of this. It's a pretty common legend in these parts but... well, I've never actually taken the time to read one of the sources. From what I have heard though..."
...
Blake cracked a smile, ever so slightly, through that expression of hers. "It sounds like a good read." Blake continued to stare 'very' determinedly at the book and not Izuku as she shook her head. "I guess you have been paying attention to my taste."
"Well of course. I want you to have as much fun with this as I do Blake. I want us both to have a good time and I really enjoy seeing how engrossed you get with these books too." Izuku offered a kind smile at that and, for a moment, Blake broke her gaze with the book to look back up at him. All at once, that slight smile immediately folded back into her even expression as he swore he momentarily saw her ears turn red.
"Right. Of course. Well thanks Izuku, I'll be sure to read this as soon as possible. I look forward to our next discussion." Izuku nod firmly at that, before giving Blake a thumbs up.
"Same here Blake! Also, I hope my advice helps, and remember that I'm willing to-"
Having brought up his advice about her dating situation again, Izuku knew for a fact that he saw Blake's face turn red again as it seemed like steam began to slowly drift out of her ears. The door was closed quickly as Blake gave him a quick 'I remember Izuku, thanks, that's really sweet of you' before closing the door behind her, the young woman having turned the lock as well. Izuku blinked in some confusion before he scratched the back of his head.
"Guess she's really nervous about this guy or something. I don't really think she should be but... well, hey." With that he began to walk down the hall, book in hand and a bit of a spring in his step.
'Knowing Blake though...this guy must be pretty great.'
"Can't wait to meet him."
a/n: As ever, when a chapter's late like this the next one will still be posted on the scheduled day, so next one will come out on the 7th.