"... Gods, how do you even 'broach' a subject like this?"
Izuku stopped in his tracks, having heard the voice on the very edge of his hearing as he looked around. It was faint, so faint he'd damn near thought he hadn't heard it for a moment before, again, it hit his ears.
"I mean really. 'Oh hey Izuku. So hey, recently I've been having my conscience kick at me because of all the lies I've been telling one of the few friends here at Beacon I 'really' have... No, I don't just mean the lies about stalking you. Why yes, of course there's more lies. Have you 'met' me? Of course I've been lying about something else this entire time. Trust me Izuku, it's probably always best to assume that I'm lying to you. Seems like it's 'kind' of a thing with me. Plus hey, 'bonus points', I've been lying about literally everything about me. Stuff that really reaches down to the fundamental aspects about who I am. And those? Yeah, those aren't even 'the worst' lies! You don't actually know 'anything' about me'... Yeah, that'll go over 'great'..."
Izuku couldn't really make out the brunt of the words but he recognized the tenor of the voice well enough, a smile popping onto his face. Having finished The King Under The Mountain a while ago now, he'd been looking forward to getting together with Blake in order to talk about it. With the library having been closed most of the week it had seemed like the smarter idea to Izuku to wait until it was opened back up again so that, when he and Blake would finish discussing the book, Izuku could go and get another. Almost a week later and, hey, with the school week right around the corner from starting again, the Library had been opened back up to the student body, albeit to a 'very' limited degree. Izuku'd spent the better part of the day looking around for her and now, following the sound of her voice, he thought he'd found her.
"... What am I going to do... I-I can't tell him about... 'that'. There's no way. He'd have to turn me in; that'd be the only right thing to do. Not even-" The sound of a thud overcame Blake's voice, the sound of a book hitting something solid. "-had infinite patience and... and that's worse. That's 'so' much worse. No matter how much he says he wants to trust me... Gods, let's not even get started on this ridiculous... ugh, 'romance' crap." Finally, after crossing a corner of a building, Izuku spotted her. Blake, the copy of The King Under The Mountain he had retrieved for her, at her side as her hands reached up for her temples, the black haired young woman rubbing at them to fight off a headache before her hands slowly slid over her face. Izuku frowned slightly as he paused though, after a moment, Izuku again walked up to Blake. As if she'd heard him from that great distance somehow, Blake immediately turned her head up to face him, a surprised look on her face.
"Oh, Izuku. Hey." Izuku watched as Blake took a slight breath as she placed her hands neatly in her lap, her body language somewhat tense as she seemed to be keeping a tight grip on herself. "Didn't expect to see you out this late. What's up?" He frowned slightly as he shrugged, taking a standing position near the black haired young woman.
"Well I heard that they opened up the library for people to bring back or pick up books today so I thought, well, I'd read our book so why not try to find you so we could discuss it and then pick another one, like usual?" Izuku watched as Blake nodded slightly, a minor 'ah' escaping her lips as she quickly slid over and patted the seat down next to her.
"Sounds... sounds good to me, Izuku. Come on, take a seat then." Izuku nodded, slowly, as he quickly sat on the edge of the fountain with Blake, the cold stone sending a slight shiver up his spine as he shook it out a bit. Blake smiled ever so slightly as she reached over for her own copy of the book, preparing to crack it open... however, before she could really settle in herself, Izuku watched as Blake scooted ever so slightly away from him, the young woman calmly combing a stand of hair behind her ear as she did so. Still feeling that frown tug at the corner of his lips, he turned over to face Blake.
"Hey listen, Blake... are you doing alright? I heard you muttering a little ways away and... well, you looked a little distressed while I was walking up." For a moment Izuku would swear there was even the slightest twitch of Blake's bow as he spoke up, the young woman's body language tensing ever so slightly. Eventually, Blake just looked over at him, a sorry look on her face as she shrugged.
"I've... been thinking about a lot of stuff lately. Just, you know, trying to work through some of it. Been a bit of a mess as of late, you know?" Izuku nodded slightly at that, a slight tilt to his head.
"Does it have anything to do with what we talked about before?" Izuku watched Blake squirm a bit as he brought up that particular conversation, the young woman blushing as she looked off to the side.
"Yeah... yeah, it does. Not in the way you might think though, honest... I mean... urgh..." Blake just rubbed at her temples again, his concern being ever more apparent.
"Blake, listen, if you need to talk I'm your friend. I'm more than willing to hear you out." Blake paused a bit at that, though she eventually just gave him a soft smile as she shook her head.
"Izuku, thank you but... I think I'd honestly rather just get my mind off all this stuff rather than dwell on it right now. This week's been a good week after all, no need to spoil it." Before he could argue, Blake cracked open her book and placed it on her lap. In short order he followed the same gesture, not wanting to press Blake too hard there and then.
"Alright... you want to start us off as usual?" Blake nodded slightly at that, her smile fading down into her usual, casual expression as she flipped through the pages a few times.
"It's an interesting little story for when it was mostly written. I mean, I know people back then were concerned about the fates of their souls and what not but... well, the tales back then were usually more black and wait morality plays, yeah? Don't get me wrong, none of the characters here besides maybe Morgan have a really complex morality themselves... but the way it gets worked around does get pretty grey for the time." Blake tapped a picture here and there as she went through the text, Izuku nodding as Izuku followed along. "I mean... The Quest for the Holy Grail is really the thing that sets this entire thing off, right? The symbolism is obvious; the Grail is the utmost good in the story, something pure and noble and something most assuredly worth chasing. Arthur's Men, his Knights of The Round... they're good men in most ways, loyal people, 'strong' people... and yet..."
Blake hummed as she placed a hand on her cheek. "It's not like with Victor Frankenstein; this wasn't an ideal or journey taken for the wrong reasons or with an ultimately fatal end goal in mind. This wasn't breaking the laws of nature or trying to be God, this was 'honoring' the Gods that they would've known back then. It was a journey that most people would agree is a good thing; The Holy Grail. Yet... this pursuit of something good and noble, undertaken by relatively good men... it just saps all of Camelot. So many of Arthur's knights either lose their way, die or just fall off the face of the story in the pursuit of the Grail, leaving only Knights so apathetic to Arthur's court that, even knowing that Lancelot is betraying Arthur in so serious a manner, they stay silent rather than tell their king or apprehend him. Percival, a kind and good man who had previously attempted the Grail Quest, ends up failing himself, unable to do what was required of him... 'twice'. He couldn't see the Grail on his own 'twice'. He only succeeded in the Quest himself by accompanying Galahad."
"Then there's Lancelot... aside from the big thing, he's a loyal Knight, arguably Arthur's best and the one closest to him and a good leader... but the Grail rejects him again and again, casts him as unworthy and for a reason: he's... he's just stabbing the person who trusts him so greatly in the back, without regard to what it means. He doesn't care, he doesn't show remorse for it until he's caught... it's meaningful to him, his love of Guinevere enough to justify his betrayal, even when anyone else and no less than the Grail itself sees the stain in him. So he just keeps on lying, keeps on justifying what he's doing, all because of his own desires. Because no matter how deep his betrayal or how much the Grail shows him the error of his ways... he can't see himself as in the wrong. Heck, even 'after' the Grail Quest, when he's been so thoroughly slapped down by The Grail, he goes right on back to sleeping with Arthur's wife. Just... just goes right back to lying. Meanwhile Arthur... Arthur ends up being blindsided by all of this. One of his knights rouses the rest into the Grail Quest, against Arthur's wish, his wife and his best friend sleep around behind his back and it's no less than his own 'enemy', Morgan, who eventually feels bad enough for him to tell him the truth... and when he learns it? He does the only thing he can as an honorable man: he challenges Lancelot for his honor…"
"And he's rewarded with Mordred trying to take everything else, he's rewarded with near death. Camelot falls and... that's it. The only person who was good enough for all this, the only man Arthur could've trusted unconditionally, was Galahad, the man who finally completed the Grail Quest and the Gods took him to the Heavens for his reward." Blake scratched her cheek slightly, a slight reflection of Izuku's own gesture, as she sighed. "If Frankenstein was the story of a man who needed his companions to stop him before he undertook a fool's errand for pride... what does The Grail Quest and The Fall of Camelot tell us? That even good men who pursue a noble goal will eventually be rendered ash for their effort? That even the best of us will pass on before we see the consequences of our efforts play out? That the rest are just doomed to see the worst among them take advantage of their exhaustion and weakness?"
Izuku frowned slightly as he took in what Blake's saying, rubbing his chin ever so slightly as he did so. While he couldn't deny that a lot of what Blake described did happen in the book... well, to him, the message wasn't necessarily supposed to be 'about' all that stuff. It wasn't the end of Camelot that was the end all be all lesson and, most certainly, it wasn't that good deeds were doomed to be punished either. Izuku collected his thoughts, but by bit, before he turned his head to face her.
"I think that to a certain extent you might be right; that the biggest part of the story is that you should not let the righteousness of your cause blind you to the consequences and significance of your deeds. That you should pay attention to the costs of the pursuit. On the other hand... I think there's more to the idea, and something all together different, than the thought that good is doomed to nothing but ash in pursuit of something good. After all, there were plenty of ways to keep Camelot from falling the way it had." Izuku raised a finger that he lightly pulled back, as if counting something off. "So the first problem I think the book is bring us toward was communication, or the lack thereof. Whenever the knights found their image, ability or virtue challenged, they sought to deal with it alone, rather than entrust it to even their closest friends. Some of it was independence, in those days they did not have long distance communications, so knights on quests could not reasonably develop a habit of relying on others. Some of it was fear of the reaction they might garner. They probably feared knowingly showing their worse nature to their fellow knights..." Blake nodded in some agreement, a slightly forlorn smile on her face as she chuckled.
"'Hell is other people', right?" Izuku blinked in confusion at that as Blake coughed into her fist. "Sorry, uh, another play that I've read before... go on." Blake waved Izuku to continue, which he did.
"That does bring us neatly into the next big problem though. The second problem was trust. Betraying trust, both in little ways and in large, cultivated an environment of suspicion and doubt, which only fostered more doubts. When the Knights hid from each other or only came upon each other's worst secrets out of accident and oversight... well, it just created this spiral. Because no one would communicate or lean on each other, they just stewed and festered on their own... Mordred being the prime example. His betrayal was born as much out of his concerns about Lancelot and what his treachery meant for the kingdom as it was out of his own ambition." Blake was... quiet as Izuku made that point, the young woman just nodding her head stiffly as she did so.
"The final problem was overreach. When the Holy Grail was revealed to the Court at Camelot in vision, the best and the brightest of Arthur's Knights vowed to Quest for it and bring it back. Even if Arthur was hesitant, he allowed his knights to go on this dangerous Quest when he might've stopped them. On the one hand, this meant that there was bound to be at least one member of these knights who might succeed in securing the Grail... but that also meant that his court was increasingly left with the worst and least virtuous of the knights, such that when rebellion came, many gladly stood against him. The Knights of Camelot, the best of them, and even Arthur by allowing them to leave forgot the needs of the Kingdom for The Grail." Izuku leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees as he looked forward.
"Because they couldn't support one and other through communication, because they didn't trust or each other or were too keen on betraying that trust time and time again... because they had spent so much in pursuit of their goal while forgetting that their homes also needed them, Camelot was lost. Not because good men are doomed to such a fate, but because good men can make mistakes too. We're meant to learn from the mistakes and be better people by it; to talk with each other and be willing and ready to trust, even if it isn't easy. To remember that there's more to our lives than whatever Quest we set ourselves upon..." Izuku's lips were razor thin at that, even as he otherwise keep an even expression.
'Some person I am to talk about that, right?' Sure, Izuku had managed to balance his time and life between friends and the pursuit of his dream alright so far, but there was a time where he felt the negative effects of overwork creeping up on him. Where he was too overextended and nearly cost Izuku his health. More than that though... he was talking about communication and trust to one of his friends when he was still very much keeping One For All from all of them. Sure, he had his reasons and they were good ones; there were a lot of risks involved with letting people know about One For All, especially if it ever got out to the wrong people... or, worse, if the wrong people knew his friends knew.
Still, how much could Izuku honestly say he trusted his new friends if he was keeping secrets from them and lying to them about the nature of his own Soul to cover those tracks?
Izuku failed to notice that Blake seemed to have a similarly contemplative look next to him, though her expression was far more bent into an uncomfortable shape. The young, black haired woman ran a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked down at the ground, seemingly unwilling to look at Izuku for a moment. As the moment drew on and his thoughts lessened, Blake really snapped him out of his reverie.
"Yeah... you're definitely more a King Arthur."
"... Huh?" Izuku blinked as that statement drew him out of his thoughts. Blake chanced a glance his way, a soft smile on her face as she shook her head.
"It's nothing. Kind of stupid really. When I read this book... well, after everything, it was kind of easy to see you in a couple roles and I was trying to figure out which one fit best. I was thinking Galahad but... heh, no offense there Izuku, but you're hardly walking, talking 'perfection' written into a newly introduced character into the mythos." Izuku chuckled a bit as he nodded in agreement, Blake having hummed. "So... that leaves Arthur. Self-sacrificing, keen on duty, serving the innocent and the weak. A person with a vision and dedicated to seeing it through. Heck, you've even already saved a few lives between the Emerald Forest and The Tunnels. A good person... a trusting person." Izuku saw that conflicted look again at the last part, as he just grinned a little.
"I dunno though Blake... King Arthur? You're putting me a little high up on the Totem Pole, don't you think?" Izuku laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head, Blake just smiled as she closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Maybe... but between everything that's happened and the person you've shown me you are, knowingly or not... that's how it seems to me Izuku. Besides; it's your dream right? To be that high on the stack? To be the Symbol of Peace. If... when you accomplish it, then it'll fit completely." Blake nodded to herself, seeming sure of the moment, while Izuku just smiled slightly and looked forward, scratching his cheek with his finger as he took a moment to think. He smiled even more as he faced Blake, giving her a bright, shining Izuku Midoriya grin. One that Toshinori Yagi himself would have been proud of if he saw it.
"Well, if that's the case and I'm Arthur... then I'd definitely want you to be my Percival, Blake." Blake literally choked for a moment, a shade of red coming onto her cheeks as she glanced over at Izuku. Before she can stop him or ask, Izuku continued on, his smile dipping down slightly as he took a moment to look Blake in the eyes. "Yeah, Percival... Blake, I've never pried into how you lived your life before coming to Beacon. I don't know what choices you made or how it all ended... but just from talking to you, I know that there was a lot on your shoulders. Both good and bad." Blake's blush died down as she chanced a glance away, her eyes darting away from his as she looked down at the ground.
"However... I also know that you're trying your best to make up for whatever it is; because you're here. You came here, looking for something of your own. You could be anywhere else but instead you're in some place training to do what's right." Izuku did his best to smile nice and wide for Blake, even as she seemed to not be looking at him directly. "You're Percival because whatever that good or bad is I know you're the kind of person who wants to do what you think is right."
There was a silence that fell over the pair of them as he finished. Izuku watched Blake's form... and there was so much tension in her body language. She was stiff, her hands gripping at the edge of the fountain till her knuckles ran white. A mix of a smile and a frown struggling on her lips as a slight dusting of red could be seen on her cheeks.
Eventually, however, it all folded into a frown as Blake's body relaxed... but only ever so slightly.
"... No... no, you're wrong Izuku..." Without looking at him Blake pushed herself up from the fountain, standing back up on her own two feet. Izuku blinked, a concerned frown falling onto his lips as he quickly stood up. Before he could get a word in edgewise Blake turned to face him, her face twisted into a conflicted grimace as a mixture of guilt and shame washed over her expression. "Izuku... you couldn't be more wrong. You couldn't be further off the mark if you 'tried'. Izuku... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... I've... I'm not the person you think I am. I'm worse Izuku. I'm so much worse."
"Blake... listen, whatever you did, I'm-"
"No! Gods, Izuku, listen to you! Whatever I did? Really? Whatever I did, whatever I've done, I'd still be a person that would be worth being around you? No matter what stupid, dumb mistake I made, no matter how badly I acted? Izuku... I keep saying that you're trusting and, Gods it's the worst and best thing about you." Blake shook her head. "You're actually who you set yourself up to be. You put your faith in others to work with you and, when they put their faith in you, you do whatever you have to in order to meet it! Even if it means getting thrown at the maw of a Grimm to shatter your arm to save a partner or just breaking finger after finger to save innocent people! You're a hero, and you want to think the best of everyone and... Gods, Izuku, it's going to hurt you! 'I'm' going to hurt you if you put that trust in me!"
Izuku flinched for a moment at Blake's manner of fact way of speaking. While it was clear that the girl in front of him was angry and, yes, she was shouting at him... it was not aimed at him. No, every barb, every hurtful word, even the anger she's radiating... it's all pointed back at her. Her face scrunched up in a loathing scowl as she shook her head.
"I've been lying to you. Way before even the stalking, I lied to your face! You, someone just trying his hardest to help... who 'knows' that he can trust people... I've... I've lied about who I even am. On the most basic level... Izuku... you don't even know..." Blake ran a hand through her hair, absentmindedly brushing it across her ribbon as she looked up at the boy in front of her. "Izuku... please, just go."
"What? Blake-"
"If you stay around me I'm going to hurt you. That's... that's just in my nature. That's who I am. That's probably the most truthful thing I've ever said to you..." Blake scornfully, bitterly laughed at that as she brought her arms up to wrap around her torso, her head drooping as her eyes lowered. "Anyone who ever put a modicum of trust or faith in me knows that... and Gods... I don't want to be the person who does that to you Izuku. You're... you're 'my friend'... but..." Blake continued to shake her head as she stared stubbornly at the ground. "But you're wrong... I'm not doing what I think is right... I'm running. I'm trying to get away... I'm... I'm not a good person. I'm not fit to be anyone's friend. So... so just... do yourself a favor, Izuku and don't bother with me. Please." Blake deflated as she finished, keeping her eyes firmly locked on the ground. He was left a little stunned for a moment, pretty much unable to speak. When he did recover, Blake was still standing there, eyes locked on the ground.
Blake was not even looking at him. The young woman, having just given her best shot to get Izuku, 'Izuku' to get away from her, to leave her alone, wasn't even looking him in the eye. As if she expected that after everything she said, after all the ways she put herself down, how she revealed the absolute pits of her self-loathing, that he'd just leave. That there wouldn't be any question, that she wouldn't even have to look up to watch you go... like she couldn't watch it. A deep frown marked his face as he looked down at his friend, watching her arms hang limply by her side as she just waited for him to talk off. In the end he took a deep breath and hold it, knowing then and there what he had to do.
"Blake..." The young woman in front of him sighed, more defeated and tired than annoyed, as her head raised just ever so slightly. Before she could ask him to go again... well...
Izuku lightly cuffed her upside the back of her head. Blake, more out of surprise than anything, grabbed at the back of her head and looked up at him, a mix of annoyance and shock plastered across her face as she looked him in the eyes. "Izuku, what, why did you-"
Blake's words are immediately cut off as Izuku again surprised her; he reached forward and placed his arms around Blake's shoulders, placing them just at the middle of her back, and he 'pulled'. Izuku brought Blake in close to him, her chin resting on his shoulder, as he placed his head against hers. She was slightly taller than Izuku, making it slightly awkward, but a quick tilt kept him from planting his chin right into her clavicle. The girl almost stumbled forward, her hands reaching up as they were placed against his chest as he brought her right in. Izuku couldn't see her face anymore but he could 'feel' the heat radiating off of her cheek and her ear as her entire body stiffened up.
"I-Izuku?!" Izuku felt Blake press her hands more firmly against his chest, trying her best to push Izuku away again, but his hold stayed strong. Izuku kept that breath held in even then, before eventually he found the words to speak.
"You're not something I'm bothering with. You're my friend. I am making this choice, to be here and be your friend, of my own free will, just like you're here in Beacon of your free will."
"Izuku... my 'will'... it isn't here to be a good person. I'm here because... the things I've done, the secrets and lies-"
"So what if you're keeping secrets? Everyone has their secrets, even me! I'm not perfect, and I don't want you to be. You say I'm a hero, but what kind of hero would I be if I didn't help my friends? What kind of person would I be if I let you, my friend, think this about yourself."
At this point, Blake's hands loosened their grip on Izuku as they slide down, though her fingertips were just barely holding onto the front of his shirt as he heard her whisper. "... You'd still be a good person Izuku. Like I said, it's better for you. I'm not worth it, Izuku."
"Blake..." Izuku kept a firm hold on her as he kept his head looking forward, her black hair being about the only thing he saw of her head as he spoke, his words just blowing past her ears.
"You're my friend. No matter what, that makes you worth the effort."
The autumn wind howls as the chill gets sent blowing past them both. Izuku watched as Blake's arms sunk to her sides, the tips of her fingers having given up the ghost of holding onto him. Izuku winced for a moment as he watched one hand ball up into a fist, as Blake pulled back on it ever so slightly. Izuku was worried but, bracing himself, Izuku kept a firm hold on Blake.
What Izuku felt instead of a harsh punch to the gut or a kick to the knees was honestly one of the softest, least heart-filled pounds against his chest he thought he'd ever felt as Blake basically just let her fist drop against his chest. It didn't even hurt for a moment and, before he could even ask, Blake just quietly spoke.
"... You're so stupid Izuku... you're just... you're just so dumb and naive... Gods..." Despite the words, there was almost a laugh in that voice. Izuku took a chance to lean his head back to look at Blake's expression, not letting his hold on the girl go for a second as he did so. What he might've expected to be an expression of frustration and rage he saw, quite plainly, was just a defeated look. Her cheeks were pink, sure, and he'd swear there's even the ghost of a smile on her lips... but her eyes were just staring forward past his shoulder. There were no tears; he honestly didn't think he'd ever seen Blake cry, and that held true now. However, what was there was a defeated, hopeless look. It contrasted so strongly against what should otherwise be a look of quiet joy, but... well, Izuku had to assume there's still some part of Blake that didn't believe him. That even as she wanted to be happy hearing what he said, even if she wanted the moment, she still couldn't bring herself to believe what he was telling her. That it was just not in her.
So when Blake pulled her arm back again, he was almost worried she's going to try to actually strike him this time, especially as her smile dropped, her cheeks went pale and she buried her head into his shoulder so he couldn't even look at her. Instead, he was treated to the sight of Blake's hand going up to the top of her head and, fiddling with her ribbon, the girl untied it. Izuku watched as her hand unceremoniously dropped to the side and his gaze followed her ribbon down to the ground. For a moment, he was just confused, as he brought his gaze back up to look at Blake's...
Cat ears. Two black cat ears just standing right on top of her head, twitching ever so slightly in the cool autumn wind. Blake was just dead silent, her body limp as she keeps her face in his shoulder, not saying a word. The autumn wind again blew by... but it's only after it's passing, long after the chill would've been brought across her skin, that he saw Blake shiver, just for a moment.
As Izuku stared at those two twitching cat ears... he couldn't help but feel like a lot of things click all at once.
'Blake...she's been...fascinated by the White Fang...I suppose that makes sense now considering she's a Faunus. She would obviously be deeply invested. She'd hate Cardin for what he did to Tsuyu. She'd be trying everything in her power to make Faunus equal to humans. This isn't just some kind of good will. It is her life.'
From there... well, it wasn't hard to guess why Blake was hiding. Why she seemed so frustrated, so angry with herself... what mistake she thought she made.
Gods, despite how much it all suddenly snapped together, he still couldn't help but feel like he'd had the air punched right out of him.
"... I see. Well, if nothing else, I definitely feel like an idiot for not figuring it out earlier..." Izuku offered awkwardly, the young man still trying to process all of this as a choked laugh forced its way from Blake's throat.
"Yeah... I'm... I'm honestly kinda surprised myself. Didn't think a ribbon would be enough but, hey..." Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke, the young woman just keeping herself still as a statue as she waited. Izuku nodded slightly as he looked forward past her shoulder, out into the empty grounds around the fountain.
"... Still, I think I understand Blake. Why you kept this secret, why you might not have wanted to reveal your Faunus Heritage. Not because you're worried about being discriminated against, since I know you're stoic enough to not let it get to you... and Heck, Yang would just beat them up anyway. No. No you feel too strongly about this... Blake... were you..."
He couldn't quite force out the words. It was too heavy, too intense, but still Blake nodded. It was clear what he meant, the heavy 'thing' sitting between the both of them at the moment, unspoken.
The White Fang.
"... Yeah. Yeah I was."
Izuku wanted to be sure. he wanted to know for certain. There was a pause in between him speaking and Blake's reaction but, in the end, he felt a slow nod against his shoulder, Blake's hands tightening into fists as the young woman seemed to brace herself.
"You were scared you'd tell the wrong person. That you'd be hounded by those you once called your friends, your face would be publicly known..." A shaken breath released itself against his shoulder as, once again, a solemn nod was all he could feel beside him. There was a pregnant pause that filled the air. A heavy silence that threatened to smother them both. Blake was waiting, her body braced as if awaiting a car crash, while he braced himself as well.
What could even be said here. What could he do? All those things he'd said to Blake, he'd meant every word of it... and in his heart of hearts, he still did. The Blake Belladonna he'd come to know at the school was a good person. Who did what she could to do the right thing. Who was thoughtful and quiet, sure, but who had still helped him out when she didn't have to.
Yet here it was. White Fang. That symbol of hatred... all encompassed in someone who he thought of as his friend.
What could he do? What the Hell was the right thing to do in this situation?
Go back on everything? Turn every utterance into a lie and turn his back on his friend for what she'd done, what crimes she must have committed as a member of the Fang or... well, face that. Accept that part of her pass and... and become effectively complicit in it. If he didn't turn his back on her now, he'd have no choice but to keep her secret. Anything else would destroy her...
Destroy his friend...
...
In the end, Izuku surprised her almost as much as she surprised him; without her fighting or struggling against him, and with her head pressed to his shoulder to hide from him and the world, it was beyond easy to bring Blake in for a closer hug. Despite the warmth, Blake seemed to shiver and he could only imagine the wide eyed expression on her face as he spoke.
"Blake... Your secret is safe with me."
If a rag doll could stand, Izuku thought it would feel a lot like Blake at that moment. While she was not ready to fall over, Izuku felt Blake's body practically go limp. Perhaps relieved, perhaps shocked beyond her own ability to reason, but whatever the case whatever Blake had been 'bracing' herself for had come and gone without striking her and, for all intents and purposes, the black haired young woman seemed utterly bereft of a reaction.
"Izuku..." It's quiet, so quiet. Almost as if she was afraid that if she spoke any louder that the illusion would shatter and that reality would sink in and replace this moment. "... This can't... this has to change something... you... you can't just know this and..." Izuku nod slightly at that as he looked over at Blake.
"This does change things. What this changes is now... because I would like us to focus on the present, and what you are doing and can do now. Because, if I'm honest, I think you did the best thing possible, Blake. Becoming a huntress gives you so many ways to make up for what you did. Because I do think... I do think that's what matters to you, now. You've made that apparent. That 'is' who you are."
"Because... I know you're a good person, Blake."
The silence between the two of them was nearly deafening. On the one hand, Izuku 'really' wanted to crane his head over to look at Blake, to try and figure out what she was feeling right now, to see if he'd managed to get through to her... but on the other, he was worried that doing so might spark... he didn't know, something crazy. Like she might suddenly run away and it might've all been for naught. He wanted his friend to know that it was okay, that he was okay and that, as far as he was concerned, she was going to be okay.
In the end, he found himself inwardly sighing in relief as he felt Blake move; not away or in a move to break his hold but toward him. The limp arms that had hung by her side had, hesitantly, 'very' hesitantly, reached up slowly and reached around him, before Blake desperately grabbed at him in some facsimile of a hug, her fingernails having practically dug into his back, as if she might've been frightened of what he'd been spooked by; that at any minute 'he' was the one who was going to up and run away. Despite this moment, despite the scene... there were still no tears. Blake's body shuddered and shook but nothing came of it; there were no waterworks, except maybe from the corners of his own eyes, but even now, after all that, Blake's stoicism seemed to remain, at least a little bit. Still, Izuku didn't mind; it showed that he'd at least somewhat managed to do what he'd set out to do... right?
...
One of his friends was a former terrorist in the White Fang.
Who was hugging him right now and doing her best to not sob on his shirt...
Well, he made his choice.
This was his life now... and he wouldn't regret it. Because he meant it; he believed in Blake. Believed in his friend.
Leaving that freak out for another time, Izuku just took a deep breath and allow the moment to play out. Soon enough, Izuku felt Blake shift around and pull back. Izuku wasn't scared this time and, feeling like it'd probably be better by now, Izuku let go as Blake did. Well, he did for a moment; there's a second where Blake looked like she's about to stumble backwards and, grabbing lightly onto her shoulders, he steadied her.
"Sorry..." She said, her voice croaking somewhat as she laughed. "This was kind of... well, really exhausting..." She muttered slightly, an honest smile on her lips as she took a moment to steady herself, Izuku finally letting go when it seemed she was good on her feet.
"Well I can't exactly say I blame you..." Izuku chuckled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head, watching Blake's ears twitch ever so slightly as he spoke. The distance between the two of them, while no longer embarrassingly close, was still close enough for... well, he had to imagine his voice was probably pretty loud to her second ears while being face to face. Especially after she kept them under that ribbon for so long. At least, that's what he thought... admittedly, that might be a little off, considering her ears seem to fold forward ever so slightly toward him. "This has been a bit of a day."
"Yeah..." Blake scratched slightly at her arm. "Maybe we should head back in..." Blake muttered, bending down to pick up her ribbon. "You know, get some rest before anyone sees us..." The cat Faunus spoke softly as she reached her ribbon up for her head, preparing to it back onto her. Izuku nodded ever so slightly as he scratched his cheek.
"Yeah... so..."
"... So..." Blake repeated, slightly apprehensive.
"... What book should we read for next time?" Blake's hands paused before they even get to tying the ribbon, the young woman looking surprised at Izuku. Eventually he watched as she shook her head slightly, the ribbon dropping down to her side with her hands as she sighed.
"You really... you really meant it, huh?" Izuku just gave him a wide smile as he nodded.
"Of course Blake, you know me." Blake chuckled again, her free hand reaching up to cup her face as she shook her head.
"Yeah... yeah I do..." Blake took a deep, exhausted breath as she looked up at him, her eyes utterly exhausted even as her small smile finally reached them. "Maybe we could hold off on deciding... to be frank, I'm just wiped... I don't think I could think of something to read if I tried."
"Yeah, maybe." Izuku agreed nervously as he turned to face the school building. "In that case I'll keep a look out while you tie that back on and we can get back to our dorms. Maybe in a few hours we could message each other..." Izuku sheepishly scratched his cheek as he thought about it, taking a step forward so as to get a better view of the area around the fountain
Blake's ears rolled back forward as she looked back up at him, giving a slight smile and a nod as she let go. She finally went about securing the bow on her head and, for a moment, he had to wonder just how uncomfortable it was for her. Still, that wonder is left in the recesses of his mind; today had been an exhausting affair with getting that all out and Izuku and Blake seemed like they were both talked out. The two of them made their way back through Beacon and, eventually, split off to their dorm rooms. Izuku paused to watch Blake make her way down the hall, the young woman's right arm having held onto her left as she headed toward her dorm, before Izuku departed himself.
Things might change now that you knew all this... but one thing he could be certain of was that he'd kept his word. He'd keep Blake's secret and he'd trust her as his friend, hoping she'd do the same for him.
...
In spite of what he'd learned... Izuku couldn't help but still feel optimistic about that.
a/n: Woof.
Blake's Socials in the original Quest were perhaps where the most technically in-character meta-gaming took place in the entire body of the Quest. The players kept coming up with a lot of the speeches and dialogues you've been reading for the book reviews in not so-subtle attempts at immediately and effortlessly solving Blake's character arc before it could even start.
As you'll see later on as the story develops, there was resistance to this, shortcuts rarely work after all, and while it was in-character for Izuku to act like this, and even reasonably for Blake to be relieved, the 'goal' of a lot of these players ended up backfiring spectacularly as a direct result of this meta-gaming.
What's before you now is a *heavily* edited ending to this Social compared to the original version which involved a lot more Shonen Speech, a lot more certainty on Izuku's part and a lot less introspection. It would've been a bit asinine to just throw it up here so I took some sheers to them. It isn't perfect still but, hey, you work with what you got.
-gorilla_fingers