Never Enough
There was an old saying in the Mask family home.
What is good enough is never good enough.
It was a rule Kevin constantly abided by.
His training was never harsh enough, his body never strong enough, his tongue never sharp enough.
Riding his bike through the highway, his hair whipping behind him, his mind deviously drifted to places he didn't want it to go. Like the events of his most recent match.
He had failed. He failed to preserve his family's legacy, failed to beat Kid Muscle, failed his father and coach. Failed.
He wasn't strong enough, smart enough, skilled enough to win. Croe had abandoned him because he had lost the one thing that made him worthwhile.
Tears blurring his vision, the road swaying beneath his watered eyes, he forced them back. He would not be weak enough to cry.
When he had stood in the ring, beating down Kid Muscle and listening to the collective screams and cheers of the crowd, he felt so elated. Finally, this was his chance to prove to the world, his coach, his father and himself that he was good enough. He was good enough to train, to care for, to watch and admire. He was good enough to defeat the one who's father had destroyed his family's legacy.
But he wasn't good enough. Never good enough.
How in the world did it happen? The Big Ben Bash was perfect, no one had ever escaped.
What's good enough is never good enough.
Perhaps if he had worked harder, he would have won. Perhaps if he had somehow managed to force his body to train even when numbness had spread and unconsciousness had begun to seep in, he would not be riding the streets of London, alone.
Closing his eyes, his mind replayed the final moments of the match constantly, the echoing footsteps of his departing mentor repeating like a mantra in his ears. Not even the wind nor the roar of the engine would drown them out.
He had been abandoned, again. And Warsman never even looked back…
Opening his eyes, Kevin realized that he had somehow swerved into the wrong lane. He barely had time to react when the motorcycle abruptly collided into an approaching car. The squealing of tires was the last thing he heard as the world instantly went black around him.
Author's Notes: This was originally just going to be a little one shot with Kevin angsting over the loss of Croe/Warsman. But I couldn't think of how to end it, so why not end it with a little bang and turn it into a short series? D Hope you like it!