Izuku Midoriya entered his classroom on the first day of his last week of middle school. Thanks to his studying, he was at the top of his class without trying. He would half pay attention just in case a topic that he hadn't already taught himself came up, but that was extremely rare. His class typically gave him time to either sketch out the heroes he saw on the news in the morning or get further into the stack of books he had from the library. Izuku knew his teachers were not fans of him and just ignored him in class. His blatant ignoring of their lessons would have done them no harm, but his passing every test and acing them seemed to piss them off. If he had to pin it on something, he would assume the teachers did not like a quirkless kid beating out all the students with "potential". That's why all his teachers decided to try to give him the most challenging questions they could.
So here he was, taking a final that was made ten times more complicated than the rest of his class. Izuku had brought up how he didn't think it was fair that he was being tested differently from the others, but of course, it was brushed off. The excuse the greenette was given was that he had an unfair advantage because of all his studying. Izuku thought everyone else had an unfair advantage at anything else in life, so why was he being punished for taking the time to study outside of class? He didn't want to get in trouble again, though, so he didn't argue. It was becoming annoying being called out for nothing.
However, he wrote all his answers in pen and had the teacher grade them in front of him to ensure they were not changed. He caught the teachers at one point trying to switch his answers up to force him to get a lower grade, so he took precautions and warned of the legal implications. His grades were the only thing he had to positively stand apart from everyone else, and he wouldn't have them sabotage that. He finished first, as always, and sat back down after the teacher reluctantly gave him a perfect score. Once in his seat, he began to sketch up some of the poses he remembered from the battle he saw earlier that morning. All Might was fighting a villain with a shock-absorbing quirk and one with a slime quirk. It was so cool, but the fight only lasted three punches with the guy who could absorb his hits; it seemed like there was a limit to his absorption level. It appeared that the slime villain got away in the mess. Villains have been surprisingly more active today. There were three times more news stories this morning than on the entirety of a regular Monday. Izuku didn't have much time to investigate the specific details of each story yet but mentally reminded himself to make time for it later.
'All Might could get past the shock-absorbing quirk by overloading the force he put into the punches. The overwhelming power that he holds in his punches must be insane. I wonder what happened to the slime villain, though; maybe he was able to escape through the sew- '
His thoughts were cut off by the teacher hitting him in the head with his hand that stretched from his arm.
"MR. MIDORIYA, there are still students taking the exam. You're distracting the class with that insensate scribbling, and I will not stand for this. Go to the principal's office!"
Midoriya bowed and apologized to the class before taking his things and heading to the principal. His sketching was honestly silent, and he knew that. The greenette learned that he shouldn't argue with the teacher about these wild accusations, or he would end up in more trouble. He had stopped muttering after nearly being expelled for "his insane habit". That was a total mental switch for him, and he had to focus on catching himself on it for a while. He let his guard down when he was alone, though, and let his mind run free. This was just payback for getting a perfect on his final and not being able to do anything else about it.
His walk to the principal's office was routine. They had no means of stringent punishments, but they stretched the rules as much as possible to milk the most out of it. Midoriya spent most days in detention to the point where he just showed up on days where he did not have it anyway. When he arrived, he gave the secretary a wave and took his usual seat until they were ready for him to go in. She was always pleasant to him, so this part of the day was welcomed. After making Midoriya wait for about 15 minutes, the door to the principal's office opened, and he was beckoned to enter.
The man sitting opposite the teen could be described as portly. His skin was tan and wrinkly, with two tusks that protruded from under his comb-shaped mustache. Gehin Seiuchi, quirk walrus. He had extensive observations of the man and could see why he never amounted to much more than a middle school principal. He could smell the desperation for a promotion from the school board practically oozing off him. Getting a student into UA would be his best chance to get there, and everyone saw Kacchan as their golden ticket.
"Distracting class again, Midoriya?"
The principal barked as the boy took the seat that seemed to have been molded into his shape for how often he came here. Wanting to get this over with, he nodded and waited for his punishment to be dished out. He wished he could have just gone to a different school, but their finances wouldn't allow it. This school got most of its funds from taxes, so it didn't cost him to go there. Plus, based on his experiences, it would end up the same anywhere else he would go. People would look at him as a quirkless freak, and he would have to live through it again. The principal gave Izuku the same disgusted look that he was so used to. Everyone who knew of his quirklessness gave him that same look; it never stopped stinging.
"On finals week? Son, what could possibly make you think that your time is as valuable as anyone else's? No more, Midoriya. This is the last week I will have you as a student, and I look forward to not needing to have these conversations any longer, and Aldera Middle School will be rid of you. I have already warned the high school about your situation and the problems you cause, so don't think you can start off getting away with your antics again next year. I don't want to have to force teachers to stay after school the last week so take this as a kindness that you won't be punished with detention this time. Instead, I want you here an hour before classes start the rest of the week so you can clean the bathrooms. We gave the normal cleaners some time off after I received word from your teacher. You know the time and place, so make sure you are here on time tomorrow morning."
The principal had a mischievous grin on his face as he explained the punishment for the teen.
"Just be glad I am not suspending you for possibly harming the chances of a hero course candidate in your class. Katsuki Bakugo needs to show that he will be an amazing hero, and he can't be doing that with you distracting him. Now go; you are late for your next final. Hopefully, you can finish on time."
He said that last line with a smirk as though this had all been a way to stall him.
After making it to class, it took him 5 minutes to finish the following final. Midoriya was sick of being targeted. He never asked to be quirkless, but he was persecuted for it. The rest of the day, no more 'interruptions' were made. The greenette just sat at his desk quietly with his thoughts. The testing for the day had been easy enough, but he knew to expect it to be graded harshly for his written portion; anything with his opinion was taken as though it was automatically wrong. He wonders what it's like to be treated like Kacchan. Everyone seemed to always be on his side no matter what… the opposite of Izuku. Speaking of Kacchan, he had better get going. Izuku quickly gathered his stuff to leave, but he was too late. Katsuki Bakugo and his lackeys were waiting for him at the door.
"Little Deku, what a poor excuse for a human. Your interruption with teach earlier almost made me get an answer wrong. You hold people back wherever you go; that doesn't sound like what a hero would do. Why can't you get it into that thick skull of yours? You. Will. Never. Be. A. Hero. So, stop it with these stupid notes and drawings. How can someone who is supposedly so smart be this idiotic? You're just gonna end up getting yourself killed. You know, you really piss me off."
Katsuki grabbed the sketchbook out of Midoriya's hands and burned it with a small explosion. He put a hand on the stuttering kid's shoulder.
"Uh… S-Sorry Kacchan… I d-didn't mean to distract y-you."
The response was soft and timid; he still had issues with confrontation, and those explosions terrified him. The blonde always seemed to take advantage of this fact too. Deep down, he was extremely upset about his sketchbook.
The hand placed on Midoriya's shoulder began to smoke as another burn was implanted onto his skin. He still found himself wincing at the familiar pain. One more of many that he hid from the world, the scars alone would haunt him. The phantom pain in his chest resurfaced as the new burn seared him. Midoriya then made the stupid move of trying to retrieve his sketchbook from the blonde. Bakugo put his other hand on his face and pushed the greenette to the ground. He was off balance and skidded backward, trying to get his footing until he inevitably fell, bashing his head on the chalk tray of the board behind him. His head was spinning from the pain, and he just sat there clutching it. Bakugo just scoffed and threw the burnt sketchbook back at the boy.
"Just pathetic. This school is already crappy enough; you really want to embarrass it more by failing so hard? Just give up already."
The spiked blonde boy turned to leave the classroom before he stopped at the door and uttered the last words he would say to the boy on the ground for a long time.
"You know, if you really want to be a hero so bad, I have a solution for you. Just take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a heroic quirk in your next life."
The tone of the room grew cold immediately. Did that really just happen? Did someone who wanted to be a hero just tell him to kill himself? And why did he not have a strong argument against it?
The goons he was with looked shocked but still followed the angry boy.
"I'm just trying to help you out, Deku. This way, you won't feel the bitter sting of failure more than you already do. Now for your sake, you better hope I did better on these finals than you; I will not be anything but the best. I always win. If you tried to become a hero, that would be the outcome anyway."
Bakugo said these final lines as he walked away with his friends, leaving behind a stunned Midoriya.
Walking home from school that day, Midoriya was furious. He was leaving earlier than usual because there was no detention, but crowds were blocking his regular walk home, forcing him to make a detour. His sketches were ruined; only two usable pages were left that weren't charred. He still felt the sting of pain from the burns he had gotten today. They were all from the person he once thought of as a friend but grew to fear.
Most importantly, he felt worthless and useless. He only had dinner with his mom to look forward to today. That, at least, would cheer him up a bit. Izuku was still trying to process the words that had been uttered to him earlier.
"What kind of hero would tell someone else to kill themselves? I can't believe that he would say that to me."
Lost in his thoughts as he went into the tunnel on his detour, he was not paying attention when slime began to form out of the manhole behind him.
"I didn't even get a chance to look at the hero news to catch up on…"
His angry muttering stopped as a large shadow overcame the light from the tunnel behind him. The greenette slowly turned around to see the slime villain All Might fought earlier loom over him and smile sinisterly.
"Looks like I stumbled on a nice medium-sized flesh suit. Now come here, boy, and don't struggle!"
Although the monster had told him to do those two things, Midoriya decided he should do the opposite. The greenette stepped backward quickly, trying to get away from this villain. However, he didn't correctly consider where he was and moved a bit too hastily. He tripped over his own feet and fell back, hitting his head on the tunnel wall. It was the same spot he had knocked against the board earlier, and the pain resurged and was horrible. This tumble gave the villain an opening to encase the boy and force his slime into the boy's mouth with ease.
"I need to get out of here. Who would have thought HE would show up here of all places?"
The sludge villain said to no one as he began to wrap his gooey body around the boy. The boy was struggling to free himself from the sludge. He tried to claw the slime from his body, but it slipped through his fingers. He wasn't strong enough. Izuku realized he was going to pass out and probably die. Not enough oxygen made it to his brain to think straight, and he felt like his head would explode in pain. It felt like something had broken a dam and whatever was trapped behind began rushing through.
"Now, hold still and quit fighting. It's useless to try; my body is fluid."
Suddenly the manhole cover shot in the air and startled the villain.
"Shit!"
"There's no need to fear… because I am here."
Izuku felt a strong gale of wind as he began losing consciousness. He looked over to the source of the current and saw a large man with his fist extended.
"All… Might...?"
It was the only thing he could get out before he finally passed out.
'What happened?'
He looked around, trying to figure out how he got to this place. He remembered he was in a tunnel, but now he didn't know where he was. Midoriya was confused as he found himself floating in what appeared to be a black abyss. The black, dark surroundings gradually brightened into a blinding green void. His entire body was slowly engulfed in the bright light as his head throbbed at the stimulation.
Voices.
Hundreds of voices surged into his mind, and he was in agony. Then it was suddenly gone, the voices faded, and darkness returned but a different kind of darkness—familiar like when he first woke up from sleep. A quick and repeated patting on the side of his face was what he felt as he slowly came back to consciousness.
Toshinori was crouched over the boy trying to get him to respond. The hero could tell that the boy didn't seem to be injured to the point of at least not being able to wake up. At least he didn't think the slime did too much damage to him. A little blood was coming from his head, but he wasn't critically injured. So, he was going to slap his face for another 10 seconds before shooting off to get someone. Medical attention was definitely not his strongest heroic attribute.
"Hey, kid… Kid, are you okay? Wake up, kid."
This seemed to get a response from the boy as he slowly began to shift. Taking this as the boy was starting to wake, Toshinori saw the notebook and pen that fell out of his hand, quickly opened it, and signed his signature. At first, he was confused about how the book got so damaged but promptly dismissed it as part of his quirk. He could find two pages of good enough quality to leave his mark. Satisfied, he returned to the boy, crouched down, and resumed slapping his face. The boy's eyes slowly began to open and view the man crouched over him.
"Good thought we lost you there for a second."
The number 1 hero bellowed as he stood up away from the greenette.
"Young one, I am sorry you got caught up in my fight. The sewer system in this town is so hard to navigate."
As All Might said this, the boy's green eyes shot open and stared at him as though he couldn't believe what they were showing him.
"A-All M-M-Might!"
The boy was already up to his feet and speaking faster than what should be humanly possible.
"Thank you so much for saving me, sir. My name is Izuku Midoriya. It's an honor. You are my favorite hero, and I want to be just like you. Would you please give me an autograph? I should have a pen here somewhere. AH, YOU ALREADY SIGNED IT! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Toshinori watched as the boy had a big fanboy moment and chuckled. The green-haired teen stiffly bowed over and over to the large blonde.
"Well, Young Midoriya, I am glad you are safe, but I need to get this villain to the police so they can deal with the rest, and with that, I must take my leave."
The boy looked disappointed as the pro was going to leave. There was not enough time for him to stick around when others needed help. The constant villain attacks were beginning to wear him out, and he had to be at his best for later. The man picked up the villain and secured it to his person, ensuring it wouldn't fall out as he traversed the city.
"Now, stand back! I'm taking off!"
He began to stretch himself for the short hop across the city. Ready to go, the giant just threw a wave, crouched, ready to leap away. As he jumped, the man felt relieved to reach the boy in time. He was the one who let the villain escape his grasp earlier, so if the boy got hurt, then it would have been his fault. That's when he noticed the extra weight on his right leg. Looking down, he saw the greenette clutching to his leg, wildly flailing at the speed they were going.
"Kid! What do you think you're doing? This is extremely dangerous! I love my fans, but this is ridiculous!"
Toshinori yelled back at the boy floundering around in the air as he held on for dear life.
"I'm s-s-sorry b-but I have an important q-question I need you to answer!"
The greenette wailed back. His lips and eyes rippled due to the speed they were traveling.
There was a brief moment the hero thought about just letting the boy fall, only to catch himself in his stupidity immediately after the thought passed. Toshinori angled himself and threw a punch to change their trajectory to land on one of the taller buildings and absorb the fall. He did his best to soften the fall and landed with more grace than someone his size should have. The boy immediately fell to his knees and looked like being on the ground was the greatest gift he had ever received.
"So, Young Midoriya, what's so important that it was worth nearly losing your life with that risky move?"
His time was precious, especially today. Villains were out, and people needed to be saved. All Might could tell the nerves were getting to this fanboy as he struggled to formulate his thoughts.
"Spit it out, boy."
"A-All M-Might, can I be a h-hero like you without a quirk?"
He was used to getting this question, though he knew from experience how disadvantaged the quirkless were.
"Ah, I see, have hero fever and want to get out there and help people? A noble cause! Sadly, hero work is too dangerous for some people to be able to do so effectively. As you could tell from the sludge attack, you endured."
The boy looked bright, but intelligence is only one part of being a hero. It took a second for young Midoriya to respond.
"I'm pretty good at analysis, though. I have watched heroes and villains use their quirks for nearly ten years. I can use that to my advantage, right? I may not have a quirk, but I could still take out villains! I want to stand with a fearless smile that makes everyone feel safe, just like you."
The teenager's eyes showed how much he wanted this as he pleaded with the hero, hoping to change his mind.
Not good. Sure, his intelligence and analytic skills would be a great help in the field, but not being able to defend himself would effectively make him a liability to others. Being quick-witted won't be enough to save him from the harsh reality of those with dangerous and deadly quirks. Heroes like Eraserhead and Nezu weren't exceptions.
Eraserhead stayed in the shadows and used hit-and-run tactics with his Erasure but has also been training his fighting style since he was a young child. He is a professional at what he does and can shut down the truly deadly quirks when fighting.
Nezu wasn't a hero on the front lines, and if he did show up, his mind would have already given him the answer to shut down anything he came across, not to mention those… teeth. Nezu's intelligence was a borderline premonition; it was like seeing his sidekick when he talked to the mouse… dog… bear… president. Being intelligent wasn't enough to save this child; he couldn't give the boy false hope and get himself killed. He needed to be forward about this. It will hurt, but it will help him in the long run.
"I stand by what I said earlier. You would sadly put yourself in too much danger to allow me to tell you that you what you want to hear. I'm sorry, but you cannot be a hero. In combat, you have no good means to defend yourself or others, and while analysis is a key part of hero work, it has to be backed up by something else. Boy, I will tell you a secret that I don't let out for fear of causing panic. There is plenty of fear hidden behind this smile. It is a brave face to make others feel safe. This job isn't easy; even for me, one wrong move could be disastrous. Pro heroes always risk their lives, but some villains can't be defeated without powers, and throwing yourself at them would be suicide. So no, I don't think you can be a hero without a quirk."
He doesn't hold back the boy needs to know the stakes of the job. It's not something just anyone could do.
"I… I see…"
Toshinori saw this defeat in the boy's eyes, but failure in his eyes was better than no life at all.
"You want to help people; there are other paths. You would be better off trying to do something more in the background, like being a detective or a doctor. Or if working with heroes is your ambition, then going into a hero school's support course would be a good next step. These, too, are noble professions that society also needs, and you would be able to help from the background where it is safe. I am sorry Young Midoriya, but it is time for you to give up on these dreams of heroics. It's not bad to have a dream but make sure they are obtainable; realistic. Understand that this is to help you in the long run. Now, be…"
His explanation was interrupted by the sound of an explosion and then another.
"MORE VILLAINS! I will have to go and give aid as well as turn this villain into the authorities. Good luck, Young Midoriya. I am leaving as a hero would!"
The conversation played back as he believed he had done the right thing. He had stopped a villain and saved a child.
'Young Midoriya, it is just too dangerous for you to jump in the fray. I hope you understand that I am just trying to help you.'
He knew better than most what it was like to try to be a hero when quirkless. His master was the only reason he could help all these people.
The thought of his master brought his mind to why he was here in Musutafu rather than his regular patrol in Tokyo. All for One. Gran said they might have found the location where he had been hiding. The raid would be tonight. A mountain not too far from the city that's where he would throw down with true evil.
Izuku just stood there on the top of the roof for what felt like hours. "All Might… not you too…"
Slowly making his way home, Midoriya was at the lowest point that he had ever been.
"Even All Might said it. Damnit. Deep down, you knew it. You knew it but kept trying to prove that you weren't useless. What a futile attempt."
If the number 1 hero who encouraged everyone didn't think he was worth it, that was it. His dream of being a hero and helping others with a smile disappeared. The boy shed tears but uttered no noise as he went home, head pounding with a much more intense headache than earlier. It was late, and his mom was supposed to be home soon. He turned the key to their apartment and walked in.
"Worthless; I really am a useless Deku like Kacchan says."
'You know what you could do to be a real hero? Take a swan dive off the roof and hope for a hero's quirk in the next life.'
Kacchan's last words to him echoed in his head.
His heart curled as he felt he was just a burden to everyone. His mind shifted to his mom; she would be devastated… but he also knew that money was tight, and it was hard for them to get by. Maybe he should get a job and help with the bills. It wasn't like he needed the extra time for school. He walked over to their television and turned it on to hear the news. He prepared the kitchen for his mother to come and cook with him.
"Hero agencies around Musutafu and all of Japan have been attacked. A coordinated villain attack was placed, and many heroes and civilians were injured. From the recent reports, the agencies of Death Arms, Kamui Woods, and Water Hose were attacked. In a sad turn of events, the heroes, Water Hose, were killed in their fight with the villain, Muscular. The villain was able to escape and is still at large. He was wounded in the fight."
The reporter turned away from the camera as a new sheet was shown being handed to him on camera. Izuku turned from the cabinet as a sense of dread pooled in his gut.
"This just in, Mr. Brave's agency has been attacked and set ablaze. Damages are currently unknown, but the fire is intense. We will get you more information on this incident as soon as we are informed."
The greenette froze at the words and dropped the pan he had been holding. Seconds later, Izuku rushed out the door and sprinted to the agency. It was halfway across town, but he needed to get there. Maybe his mom had already left for the day and was heading home. He had to find out. He had to know. He called and called as he ran, but she wouldn't pick up. He never ran so far and so fast in his life. He stopped calling about 1000 ft away when he saw the light from the blaze. Shock took over, but his body decided he needed to get closer. He kept moving closer and closer, arms extended towards the building, only to be held back by the police. His ears were ringing, his head was throbbing, and all he could do was scream for his mom.
Tsukauchi was having a rough day, and it was only 6 pm. Villains were running rampant across all of Japan. They were primarily low-level threats, but a few big names came through and did a lot of damage. Now, the 4th Hero agency has been attacked in the last hour by a different mystery villain. The carnage was terrifying. The villain that attacked simply walked into the lobby, created a large mass of cerulean flames, and left the way he came. The entry was charred, and anyone there had burns, primarily second and third-degree burns. The only person not so lucky was the receptionist, whose body was assumed to be at the center of the attack. She was given emergency medical treatment, but the damage was too much. All of the security feeds were cut as soon as the blaze began. He had no solid leads, and the villain just seemed to disappear as if it was never there in the first place. He took time to speak to the wounded, but he couldn't get a good description. This was going to be one of those stressful cases, and he knew it.
What made it worse was a teenager who came barreling up to the police line hysterically screaming for his mom. The kid wasn't responding to any of the officers who tried to calm him down and ask her name. The detective understood the boy was terrified, but he couldn't just stay here screaming. He just wanted to know that his mother was okay, but the amount of worry put him in a frenzy.
Mr. Brave showed up panting and slightly charred as he and a few other heroes and the fireteam were able to evacuate the rest of the building. When this happened, he had been helping at another agency that was attacked in an attempt to help there. He looked like he was ready to collapse from exhaustion.
"Brave, you need to take a break. You got everyone out and saved all the lives you could. By our scope of the scene, it seems only one casualty occurred during this entire event. The receptionist was burned too badly; it looks like she took the main brunt of the attack."
The detective calmly debriefed the hero on what happened. He still looked utterly defeated.
"One casualty is too much, Tsukauchi. I should have been here."
He's seen it on many heroes' faces. He was facing the consequences of utter defeat and was trying to move on. Maybe helping this boy find his mother would get him out of this thought.
"Brave, do you know whose kid that is? He's not responding to my officers, and I'd like to get him reunited with his family and get this scene back under control."
Tsukauchi was trying to get as much done as possible and knew that it was dangerous for a young teenager to be here, but he wasn't responding to his men, and maybe he had a connection with the hero. The expression on Brave's face was enough to let Tsukauchi know his long day of dealing with things wasn't over yet.
"That's Izuku Midoriya, my receptionist Inko Midoriya's son. She was a single mother. You said she was the one casualty, didn't you?"
Mr. Brave asked that last question, and Tsukauchi immediately felt horrible for the boy. Now his day seemed full of rainbows and unicorns compared to what this kid was about to go through. He turned to look at the boy, and the teen stared back with a haunted face as if he already knew.
"She's not responsive."
Brave put a hand on the detective's shoulder.
"I'll break the news to him; I was the one that failed his family today. I met him a few times, and he loves heroes, so it may dull the blow if I do it."
The hero sighed.
"I hate this part of the job."
The detective just gave a nod; it never got easier when they had to give their condolences. He wanted this to be something that could take Mr. Brave out of his depressed state, but now it just made him feel worse about everything. Tsukauchi watched from a distance as the boy looked at Mr. Brave as he walked up and crouched down at the boy, who at this point was on his knees. Tsukauchi saw the life in the teen's green eyes evaporate as the news hit him. There was only a moment of pause before the kid went unconscious in shock.
After checking up on the boy with the paramedics, it was determined that the greenette would be fine. In addition to the shock, some fresh head trauma needed to be treated. Tsukauchi picked up the kid and put him in his car after he was properly cared for. There wasn't enough room in the ambulances with all of the injured, and the boy just needed to rest for a bit.
After shutting the door, he turned to Brave. The hero seemed lost in thought, staring at the car door. No one knew where this boy would end up, but teenagers were always the hardest to find homes for. Hopefully, there was some family for him to stay with for a few more years until he was fit to be on his own.
He would catch the villain that did this and ensure that whomever they were paid for the harm they caused. He was going to have a long night of drinking in the company of Toshinori, reminiscing the events of this night. Toshinori… Today was his big raid against All for One. He wanted to join the hero but was told it would be too dangerous to tag along. He hoped he was okay or able to get back up if he called for it…
Wait… any hero around wouldn't be able to provide backup because of all the villain attacks. This was all coordinated by him! Distract everyone from the actual situation. He called Gran Torino on his phone and hoped for an update, but the phone went to voicemail. Toshi was strong, but he couldn't help but worry for his best friend.
Izuku was almost smiling as the hero would have saved the day and was going to tell him the news that his mother was alive. He knew she was probably hurt, but he was about to tell him good news. That's what heroes do. They save people and keep families together.
Then he saw the look on the hero's face.
Watching the burning, he finally snapped. His world just stopped. All Might could smile despite all the fear he felt inside. The words that left the hero's throat felt like the world could only continue to play this cruel joke on the greenette. Izuku felt his own throat shut tight, breathing became difficult, and he was terrified. He was so scared and alone. He had lost everything in one night, and his mind went blank as he passed out with a frown etched on his now unmoving face. There would never be a day worse than this.
He dreamed in his unconsciousness, but it was only a wish that had been lost to time. The words just kept repeating.
"You… you never got a chance to tell me, mom. I was going to prove it to you, but you never got to see it. You could never tell me the words I needed to hear from you."