June Catch All

[inheritance]

WHO: Izuku & others
WHERE: Around the town!
WHEN: Throughout June
WHAT: Quests, meet ups, FRIENDSHIP, everything ever
WARNINGS: None for now!

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[troubadamsel]

[Oh, well, that's different. She quietly thinks it over.]

... If I am truly back to normal by then... yes, I may attend.

[inheritance]

Great! [And the smile returns, just a bit hopeful.] Maybe we could go together...I'm sure you'll feel a lot better once you're having fun there.

[The words are out of his mouth before he can even consider holding them back, and Izuku grows pink as soon as he realizes how forward he's being. His gaze slides away, dropping to the table as he fiddles nervously with the apple in his hands.

He'd meant every word, of course. It would be fun to go together, and he thinks going to the party could only help lift Maribelle's mood. After seeing her so down, Izuku only wants to be there so he can make sure that she's smiling again.]

[troubadamsel]

[That reaction... hm.

If he was merely inviting her one friend to another, there'd be no need for blushing or being awkward. This is... oh, dear.

Maribelle sighs in her throat, uncomfortable. She hates to do this, especially after all he's done for her, but...]

... Izuku. We are friends, aren't we?

[inheritance]

[His head snaps up in surprise.] Of course we are!

[Then, he pauses, looking suddenly uncertain.] W-we are, aren't we? [She'd said as much before--but Izuku can't think of a reason she'd ask this unless, maybe, she might have changed her mind.]

[troubadamsel]

[She nods slowly.]

As your friend... The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you. You do mean a lot to me, and you've been of such fantastic help today.

But... I...

[Oof, this hurts. While she may have bragged about turning down the hands of dozens of suitors, that's just a flat out lie. She's never really had to do so, and... it kind of shows.]

I don't want to make you think... How to put it... You need to be careful, Izuku, with who you get attached to here... and how you get attached to them. One day, we must all return to our realms, our loved ones, our duties. We will not always be together.

[inheritance]

What do you... [Izuku starts to say, brows furrowed, before it clicks and the realization makes his voice trail off.

Oh... he likes her, doesn't he? There's something ironic in the fact that she had figured it out before he did. Then again, he's always been awkward and easy to fluster around girls--he just hadn't realized that he'd stayed in that bashful stage much longer around Maribelle than he had with others.

Not that it would have mattered, if he'd figured it out earlier. Izuku lets his gaze drop down to the table again. It should sting, knowing that Maribelle had let him down before he'd even had a chance to realize it, but it doesn't. Rejection isn't exactly an unfamiliar feeling for him, and Maribelle had been much gentler than anyone back home had. Besides, he can't exactly complain when she's already dispelled his worst fear. They're still friends. She cares about him. For someone who had gone ten years feeling alone and ostracized, that is more than enough.]

We won't be, but that's what makes the friendship really special. Um, don't you think? [Finally, he can meet her eyes again, and he offers her a small, but genuine smile.]

[troubadamsel]

[Phew. There were a lot of ways that could have gone wrong... she needs to give him more credit. He is young, and perhaps a bit naive, but in the end he's a good soul that always means well. The world could use more people like him - more realms could, really.

She meets his smile with one of her own, gentle and kind. She reaches out to takes his hand and give it a small squeeze.]

And you shall always have it, I give you my word. No matter what... please know you can always come to me for anything and everything. That is what friends do, is it not?

[inheritance]

[His eyes grow just a bit watery at that, even as he turns his hand so that their palms are resting together.]

It is. [His smile turns warmer in response.] It means a lot, hearing that from you.

[Admittedly, his emotions are a mess right now, and there's a lot he'll have to think about once he's alone. But for now, he's gotten the confirmation he needed from her, and this means he can continue to keep his friend company without feeling too torn up about it.]