"Don't worry, we're on it." The time traveler with the glasses said, rolling up on Elliot and all the Milos.
"Hi Dakota, Hi Cavendish!" All the Milo's chirped. Well, at least he actually knew their names now, but which one was which? It didn't really matter, as the car soon after zoomed into a portal. Things felt… for a lack of any good words, really strange, and suddenly everything was back to normal. No extra Milos, just one Milo, looking at him with a slightly questioning look.
"Are you feeling okay, Elliot? Not that I don't appreciate the hug and the sentiment, but it does seem out of character for you, and I'm fairly certain that I spy a bump in your hairline. Did you hit your head? Do you need to see a doctor? I think I have a cold press somewhere in here." Milo started to shift through his backpack.
"No, no, I mean, yes, I hit my head, but that's not why…" Elliot started the beings of a ramble before looking down at Milo's confused face. He should explain better. "Alright, uh… you know your time traveler friends?"
"Dakota and Cavendish? You know them?" Milo grinned, brightening up.
"Well, not really, but apparently, they messed up the time stream somehow, and it made it so you were never born." Elliot said, before gesturing to his stop sign. "Something about my stop sign blocked the time waves from my brain, so I'm the only who remembers."
"Oh…" Milo nodded, smile faltering for a second before snapping right back on. "So, how was it, a world without me? Was it everything you wanted?" What? Oh right, what he said yesterday.
"Well, yeah, it was great at first. There were no disasters, explosions, or animal attacks, but it got really boring. It turns out, without you around, I don't really have anything to protect people from." Elliot shrugged. "Turns out I needed you more than I thought. I'm glad your back."
"Oh." Milo said again, but this time he actually sounded... sad, and his face briefly slipped into an expression Elliot had never seen on Milo. For a brief second Milo looked hurt. And then Elliot was hit with a realization. Milo was just a kid. He had spent some much time looking at Milo as a force for destruction, that he had lost sight of the fact that Milo was thirteen. Then came the second realization.
Yesterday had yelled at a thirteen-year-old and his friends that he was menace and that the world would be a better a place without him in it. Christ, what kind of jackass was he? And he had just now confirmed that the world without him in it was a better, safer place. Why couldn't he just think a second before he spoke? Kids that age already had enough to deal with without people telling them such heavy things.
"Well, I'm glad you're in a better in a better mood today." Milo said, smiling again. "I should get going, though, Diogee probably needs walking." Milo turned to leave, but Elliot stopped him.
"Wait!" Milo gave him a questioning look.
"What do you want? Do you want that cold press after all?"
"No, I just…" He sighed. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. It was really uncalled for."
"Oh, it's fine, it's not like you're the first one to say something like that about me. Besides, it's true, right?" Milo shrugged off the hand Elliot had used to stop him from leaving. Elliot's brain scrambled. Was he supposed to lie? The world really was a safer place without him around, but that wasn't the thing Milo wanted to hear. "It's fine, really, I should g-"
"Your friends!" Elliot blurted out and Milo looked confused.
"What?"
"Your friends, without you there, they never meet. Since you're here, Zack has more friends than he would without you. You bring people together." Maybe he was laying it on a little thick, but he didn't know what else to do. Milo bust out a big grin.
"Well, nothing brings people together like a good ol' disaster." Milo laughed, tilting his head, before straitening up and giving him a smaller, more genuine looking smile. "I know I'm not the best with social cues sometimes, but I can tell your trying to make me feel better. Thanks."
"Your welcome. I'll see you Monday, Murphy." Elliot waved as Milo walked away.
"See you Monday!" Milo called back, giving him a wave without looking. Then he stopped and turned his head back. "If the sign is blocking time waves from your brain, it might be dangerous. You should maybe get a new one."
Fair point.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Alright, I wasn't originally going to post this up. I was going to get it out of my system and leave it to rot on my computer, because it's not good, but you know what? Fuck it. Can't hurt, there are worst things on the internet. So here is this thing. Yeah. Review, or not, your choice.