iamalicu

Anya likes being the protector more than the protected (ch 105.5). She is very proactive in trying to save her parents and her classmates. While her parents and the adults are obliged to look after her, Damian is... not. Arguably, his higher social status would make him more "worthy to be protected" than a commoner kid. But while Anya puts on a brave front, she gets scared and anxious like any other kid, seen as when the adrenaline rush fades and she cries into Yor's arms.

Damian, as a fellow child, is not obliged to stand up for Anya. He said he would make the perfect hostage, and while what he said makes sense, Anya can read his mind. The catalyst for Damian to make a move was seeing Anya "look scared" (misinterpretation of Anya being overwhelmed by other's thoughts). And I think hearing Damian's panicked thoughts afterwards made Anya appreciate him more, because he wasn't fearless. He stood up for her while being acutely aware of the risks and being terrified himself. He was a "hero" who 1) wasn't obliged to protect her 2) lacked the information Anya had 3) was just a kid like her. Anya now sees the similarities between herself and Damian (will protect people they care about) while feeling touched by his determination. She's always protecting people so it feels nice to be protected. (And not just in silly situations like dodgeball matches.)

Note that Anya only called Damian a hero after his apology, but not before he called them friends. Anya might be reminded of Strix afterwards, but before that, it was all genuine. Damian acknowledged his mistakes and said something nice, so Anya was also willing to say something nice (and be honest).

There is also the aspect about Damian's family. I think Anya has always understood, even if just subconsciously, that she and Damian are similar because they want to impress their fathers. Now that Anya has met Melinda (and Demetrius), she comes to the conclusion that Damian's family is weird. Someone who wants the same things as her (a loving, caring family) is less fortunate than her. I think this is why Anya directly reassured Damian that his mom loves him + why we got that close up of Damian saying "your family seems nice". Now that she sees more similarities between herself and Damian (and feels better about him), she wants to be kind to him.

Then it seems like Damian and Anya are returning to their bickering status quo. Interestingly, Damian apologies in both the post hijacking chapter and the crunchy cakes chapter. Granted, for the latter he was apologising to Henderson, but I think Anya could tell Damian really wanted to give her the cakes. She happily agrees that they're even and that they can be good friends.

And then, of course, the famous school party chapters.

It is SO important to me that Loid literally thought Anya could dance with whoever she likes. He had a logical train of thought Anya could follow. "So long there isn't any major rift" -> Damian and Anya's friendship improved after the hijacking, and while they still bicker, it's not anything major. Loid points out the Desmonds wouldn't consider Anya and Damian deserves to make his own choice. After Loid "set Anya free", Anya looks at Damian (reading his mind? Judging the situation?) and decides she wants to dance with him. This is a decision she made of her own accord. Throughout the story, Anya obediently followed Loid's requests for Plan B, but when she is permitted (and requested) to "not go for Plan B" and can choose whoever she wants, she still goes for Damian.

Then Anya fought tooth and nail to be Damian's dance partner. It didn't matter that she looked undignified or tore her dress. She just really, really wanted to win. And she shocked even Loid. She won this part without any interference from Loid or reading minds. Anya's just that determined.

And then we have the second most insane panel of this chapter.

No sparkles! No mind reading sparkles! She knows! Because of course she does! While the other girls see it as an opportunity to swoon over Damian, Anya gets straight to the point. She didn't do it with fanfare, didn't do it with a smug "heh". She just said what she knows. Because she knows Damian.

Tying in with what she knows about Damian's family, Damian's words seem like a confession. He's already admitted to her that he's not close with his parents (bus hijacking chapter), and he's now openly envious of a commoner's family. Then he tries to walk it back but Anya knows the truth.

So she also tells him a truth. A truth that she keeps hidden from her own family, but will tell the boy she calls a hero.

Anya openly values Damian as more than an asset to Plan B and no longer grudgingly puts up with him. Sure, he's still a jerk sometimes, but Anya's also seen his nicer/ more vulnerable sides. If Damian is nice to her, she will be nice to him. If he tells her a secret, she'll also tell him a secret. They are similar kids with similar motivations. And Damian is important/special enough that Anya told him her most well guarded secret (which can be dangerous!! Given he's the son of the "evil superboss"!!).

I don't Anya likes Damian in the way he likes her (ie. not puppy love), but she definitely cares about him and almost has a soft spot for him? Like when she truly wanted to dance with him. And she told him that his mom loves him AFTER Damian said something mean (while reading his true thoughts).

While Damian frustrates Anya and she says she doesn't like him (for good reasons lmao he's still annoying), she is willing to be kind and vulnerable. She sees through Damian's snark and arrogance. Almost like she wants to encourage the softer side of Damian to come out instead of his prickly defensive side.