[Izuku had settled into staring out at the waves on the far side of the sand, but snaps his gaze back to the blond in surprise at that question. What?]
Nothing! [He almost continues, baffled Kacchan would think that's what this is about, but...technically it is.] Nothing bad.
[That's an important distinction. At least, it is to Izuku. It's the entire reason there's even a conversation to be had, Kacchan doing good things. For Izuku, to Izuku. Growth and change, happening right in front of his eyes, until suddenly he has reason to expect it of the other boy, to expect better than who Kacchan used to be.
And that's part of what makes this so hard. Because he didn't used to have any reason to expect anything from the other boy, other than cruelty. Everything about them, who they are as people, the relationship between them...it's all changed so much. Izuku doesn't know what they are, anymore, and has no idea how to figure it out.
If they can put it all out in the open, though...maybe he can find enough pieces to understand. Maybe he'll find the words for what he wants them to be, regardless of whatever they are now. It's worth a try. So...might as well start from the beginning, and work from there.]
Apology accepted.
[He shifts, fingers twining out of nervous habit. It's not what he wants to say -- what he dreamed of saying, when he still let himself dream of Kacchan apologizing to him, when the idea of merely having a normal conversation hadn't felt like a miracle in and of itself -- but it's what he can say honestly. He can't wait until he can say what he wishes he could, because that wouldn't be fair to either of them. Not to Kacchan and the work he's done improving himself, not to himself and what getting an apology he never expected meant to him.
Not when "I forgive you" requires actually forgiving him, and that's something that might never happen, no matter how much Izuku wants to.]
no subject
Nothing! [He almost continues, baffled Kacchan would think that's what this is about, but...technically it is.] Nothing bad.
[That's an important distinction. At least, it is to Izuku. It's the entire reason there's even a conversation to be had, Kacchan doing good things. For Izuku, to Izuku. Growth and change, happening right in front of his eyes, until suddenly he has reason to expect it of the other boy, to expect better than who Kacchan used to be.
And that's part of what makes this so hard. Because he didn't used to have any reason to expect anything from the other boy, other than cruelty. Everything about them, who they are as people, the relationship between them...it's all changed so much. Izuku doesn't know what they are, anymore, and has no idea how to figure it out.
If they can put it all out in the open, though...maybe he can find enough pieces to understand. Maybe he'll find the words for what he wants them to be, regardless of whatever they are now. It's worth a try. So...might as well start from the beginning, and work from there.]
Apology accepted.
[He shifts, fingers twining out of nervous habit. It's not what he wants to say -- what he dreamed of saying, when he still let himself dream of Kacchan apologizing to him, when the idea of merely having a normal conversation hadn't felt like a miracle in and of itself -- but it's what he can say honestly. He can't wait until he can say what he wishes he could, because that wouldn't be fair to either of them. Not to Kacchan and the work he's done improving himself, not to himself and what getting an apology he never expected meant to him.
Not when "I forgive you" requires actually forgiving him, and that's something that might never happen, no matter how much Izuku wants to.]