terriblepurpose | Deer Country Contact

You're likely right. I'll make sure he and I practice. It's not possible to excel at everything. That's why we specialize. Subterfuge and intelligence are things I'm good at, and that means you don't have to be. You can get better at it over time, if you want to, but don't divide your attention now.

[Telling Midoriya not to try his best at anything related to his passion is a fool's errand, something that provokes fondness and frustration by turns, but he hopes he can at least alleviate some of the pressure.]

I know how you feel about killing. As I said: I'll follow you here, as much as I can. But if it's a choice between that or letting him hurt anyone, you know what I'm choosing.

I've learned lately that I need to rely on people more. It's something I forget.

[ He expressed his feelings before they went to rescue Illarion. Now there's another factor to think about, and a lot in the silence before he sends another message like a confession. ]

I'm trying to save him.

Edited 2022-06-16 17:07 (UTC)

[The message comes after long minutes, long enough that it might seem plausible that Paul has been pulled away, somehow distracted, or perhaps set his Omni aside to collect his thoughts.

He hadn't. He'd stayed curled up on the top bunk, on his side, face towards the wall with his Omni held loosely in one hand as he considered the single word he'd written almost at once.]

Why?

[ He had to say why he doesn't want to kill Shigaraki. He wants Paul to understand it’s not just his own limits he’s thinking about. Now he is asked the why behind the why. He’s not sure he can adequately explain, because there are some things he can't say. ]

He looked like he needed saving.

[ It wouldn't be surprising to Midoriya if people questioned and argued with him. Paul's response wasn't unexpected, and there are any number of reasons for the delay. Its brevity, without any indication of tone, is what makes him apprehensive. But Midoriya is not looking to placate anyone. ]

Shigaraki has hurt people I care about. You know how I feel about that. Anyone would be justified in being angry at him.

But if I understood how he turned out this way, maybe things would have been different. Or maybe not, maybe I'd still have to kill him.

This power I inherited, I've seen it give people hope. I believe its purpose is to save people, not kill them.

[Midoriya is a good person. Paul has known this since they met, accepted it from the beginning. He is a good person, a better one than Paul is, better than Paul could be.

He hasn't seen Midoriya in his silver-dreams of the yet since he asked Paul not to look. He doesn't see him in the fire-dreams, either, with their echoes of the already-past. He only sees a door close; he is always on the wrong side.

The world is not kind to the good.]

Thank you for explaining, Midoriya-kun. If that's what you want, I want you to have it. Let's try to save even him, then.

Thank you Paul-kun.

[ Because he can't tell with text, he asks, ]

This is a lot. Are you angry? You can be. It's all right. I'm listening. I always will.

No, I'm not angry at you. I promise you I'm not.

[With most people, that assurance might read as overcompensation, but Midoriya knows how seriously Paul takes his promises.]

You could be right. That's the hook. That you could be right, and I could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time, and if we follow my instinct, there's never any trying your way. There's unquantifiable risk in either choice, so that's a non-factor. Pragmatically, it's the correct first choice of action. And as I said. I trust you.

[ He listens to Paul have to justify sparing someone's life to himself, and being honest enough to do it in front of him.

Well. He's showing more mercy than some Pro Heroes. ]

Thank you Paul-kun. I won't let you down.

[ His promise. When a hero says they'll do something, they'll do it. ]

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