S/O to Nocturne for being my first commenter and advise giver. Thank you all that's stayed this far. My laptop took a dump and now I'm trying to write on my phone with my Wreck-It Ralph fingers, and it's exhausting.

"I NEED ALL FACULTY TO THE QUAD, NOW!"

Slade was sprinting across the quad when he heard that announcement. Midoriya appeared in a flash of green lightning. "Stop, now!" "Get out of my way!" A wild swing was easily dismissed, earning Slade a knee to the side. He hit the ground with a huff. "I'm not here to hurt you!"

Midoriya jumped on Slade, holding him down by the shoulders. "Calm down!" Slade's eyes were wide, as adrenaline pumped through his veins. "You need to calm down, Freeman. You AREN'T WORTH THE FUCKING AIR YOU BREATHE!" Izuku's face turned into his fathers, causing Slade to yell back "GET OFF OF ME!"

A fist the size of a car made from dirt slammed into Izuku's side causing him to roll and bounce. Slapping the ground, Slade stood back up on his feet with help from a couple of small pillars of earth. He saw the green teenager get up, and activate his quirk again. The other teen shook his head, getting his old man's face out of his mind.

"Whoa! You see that?!" "Hard to miss, shitty hair!" "Oh man, what's up with him?" Kaminari asked as he was grabbed by Bakugo. "Come on, dunce face! I ain't missing a fight if Deku's involved!" "Hey wait! Don't hurt him!" Uraraka called out as Kirishima followed the other two.

"I'm don't want to fight you!" "Then don't! Leave me alone!" Slade's skin was crawling as his earth shield was reattached. "You can trust us!" Midoriya yelled as several faculty members were appearing around the quad. Slade looked around, his breathing quickened. He felt like a cornered animal. "No ones here to hurt you, Freeman!" Aizawa called out. "Come on, kid. Just take it easy."

Two tendrils of dirt slide out of Slade's pant legs, and he disappeared straight into the ground. "What...what happened?!" Midnight asked. Aizawa's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. "GET BACK!"

The earth shook as a large hand made of dirt emerged from the ground. Izuku paled as a behemoth made of dirt emerged from the ground. The teachers stood ready. "This is why he's called Golem..." Izuku muttered as he looked up at the 10 foot figure. Slade had collected earth around him and used it to become something that reminded Izuku of an enemy from Spyro 2.

Slade stood above them all, in what others would describe as a mecha of earth. "I can't see him to deactivate his quirk!" Aizawa called out as the beast yelled, bringing a fist down toward Izuku. The beast was slow and easy to dodge, but his strength still put a crater in the spot where Izuku stood.

He had little areas to jump around, having to resort to the trees to change his trajectory. A massive wall appeared in front of Golem, facing toward Izuku. "GAEA'S...WRATH!" The giant punched the wall, causing it to slide fast toward him. Izuku charged up, ready to kick a hole in the wall.

"MOVE IT, NERD!" A loud explosion marked the entrance of Bakugo, who blew the wall to dust. "KaChan!" "I'll take it from here!" "Get out of there!" Aizawa called, but Kirishima was already sprinting toward the giant, hardening with each step. A large fist collided with him, who stood his ground. "Nice try, Freeman!" An uppercut severed the behemoth's arm at the elbow.

Aiming his hands backward, Bakugo used his explosions to rocket forward. Slade saw this and called more dirt in front of him to form a shield, blocking the large explosion. The earth charred and fell away, as several dirt spikes emerged from the giant's chest. Luckily, Bakugo was able to change trajectory and avoid being skewered.

Izuku charged up, watching the spikes retract. He had one shot to get this. Kirishima had gotten back up from the backlash of the explosion. "Over here!" Kirishima yelled, getting Slade to turn his back to Izuku. "There!"

Using a tree, Izuku shot forward like a bullet. Twisting, he put his foot forward. His foot slammed through the back of the earth giant, and hit something fleshy. Slade shot out the front of his protective covering. "There!" Aizawa activated his quirk, cancelling out the four teenager's quirks. The mount of earth fell like water to the ground. Slade stood up, trying to use his quirk and nothing happened.

"What's going on?!" "It's Aizawa's quirk, he can cancel out yours!" Midoriya yelled. Something shot past Izuku, as he realized it was Erasurehead's scarf. It wrapped around Slade, keeping him from moving. "Let me go!" "Not until you settle down!"

The quad had gone silent, save for Slade's sound of struggle as he tried to free himself from his scarf. "Just let me go!" The teen tried in vain to free himself. Aizawa yanked him hard to the concrete before giving himself a much needed blink to rewet his eyes.

After a few blinks, he saw Slade standing back up quickly, and turned to make a run for it. A hand brushed under his nose as Midnight used her gas to sedate him. His eyes rolled back and he hit the ground hard. "Thanks. Get him to Recovery girl, and maybe keep him locked and strapped down." "With all do respect...sir." Mina's voice cut through the adults conversation.

"Don't restrain him. Just leave him be in a room with Recovery girl. He won't hurt her." "How do you know this?" "He's fine being around females. It's males he doesn't trust."

XXX

Slade gasped and sat straight up, trying to get his bearings. The smell of disinfectant and white walls was a dead giveaway. "Easy kid..." Chiyo's voice said calmly. Slade gasped a few times, getting air. "What happened..." "Made a mess. Got beat up. Midnight had to gas you. Here." She handed Slade a glass of water and two pills. "That'll help the headache. As effective as her quirk is, it makes your head throb like a hangover."

Slade took the medicine and pulled his legs up, hugging his knees. "I messed up. Bad." Chiyo pulled a stool over and hopped up on it to face him. "Listen kid, I've been at this for years. I've seen a lot of bad cases. And lost causes." The words made the teenager hug his knees more, but the elderly woman continued. "But you...you're not a lost cause." "But-" "But what?"

Slade closed his mouth. "Your teacher gave me a message. Once you've recovered, you're to report to Principal Nezu." Slade's stomach sunk. "I'm getting kicked out..." "Hush that talk now, young man. While a couple of the teachers are straight edge, Nezu is very understanding. He'll maybe have you speak to a counselor or something. I wouldn't worry about it." "But I-" "Enough buts, young man. This isn't America. We don't just pretend mental health issues don't exist. The best heroes even have problems."

Slade elected to say silent as Recovery Girl held sequential fingers. "Best Jeanist? Depression. Aizawa? Depression. Mirko? Body dysphoria . Death Arms? Anxiety. You don't have to do this alone, kid." "I've been alone my whole life in this, save my two friends back in the states. Even they don't know how badly I am mentally."

Recovery Girl hopped off her stool. "I'm releasing you from my care now. If you want to avoid seeing anyone on the way to Nezu's office, then take a left when you head out." Slade slowly got up from the bed, feeling a few of his joints pop. "Follow the hallway to an elevator. It's coded, the number is 1738. It'll take you directly to his office." "Thank you..." The older woman just nodded and smiled like a grandmother. "Don't worry, kid. We're here to help you. Oh, and if he offers you tea, accept it."

He stepped out of the infirmary, taking a left as instructed. Slade pocketed his hands, calmly walking down the empty hallway while wondering if this is what people on death row felt like. He was either going to be executed via lethal injection, or by Suge Knight. He approached the elevator, bringing out his hand and fingering the code into the keypad.

The doors opened with a soft ding. He stepped in and watched them close as calm elevator music pumped out of the speakers. He never liked the music. Always too cheerful and reminded him of being on hold on a phone call. Fortunately he only waited about 30 seconds before the doors opened. There was an ominous foggy glass door you always see in police shows or in schools. "Principal Nezu" was etched into the glass.

He knocked softly, hearing the shuffling of papers. "Come in!" He slowly opened the door, seeing the cat/dog/mouse/bear that was Nezu sitting behind his desk. "You asked for me?" "Yes, please, do come in." His tone was not one the teenager was used to, and didn't sound scornful. He took a seat across from the principal, taking a steady breath. "Tea?"

Slade nodded, remembering what Recovery Girl said. "Yes, sir. Thank you." Nezu hopped up onto his desk and poured a hot cup of tea for him, before sitting back down. That was the first time Slade had seen the principal up close. He wondered how they made sharp suits that size. And was those... Timberlands?! "Thank you." The two sat in silence for a moment, as Slade tried his best to mimic Nezu. He brought the cup up, which was already a challenge considering his fat fingers.

He blew on the tea, sipping it slowly. It was rather bland, but he wasn't about to say a thing. Nezu set his cup down and sighed. "Freeman, you're aware why I asked for your presence, correct?" Slade sat his cup down, his left leg bouncing nervously. "Y-yes, sir. My conduct in the courtyard during lunch period..." "Correct."

Nezu, again, hopped up on the desk. "We have a strict no-fighting policy in our institute. Which means, it's not going to just be you in trouble." Slade's heart sunk. "W-wait, no! Sir, I attacked first. Please, don't drag Deku or the others into this." Nezu was pacing and stopped immediately, turning on his paw and faced him. "So you're saying you not only tore up the yard, but also caused numerous explosions and trees to splinter?"

Slade opened his mouth, before closing it. "They acted in self-defense." Slade stood up, looking at the principal. "If someone is to be blamed and punished, let it be me alone." Nezu's beady eyes never left him, nor did that smile. "I was always under the impression Americans were self-centered and always placing blame. But here you are, fully ready to take the lashings for them. Why?"

Slade sat back down, his head hanging low. Why indeed. He had no answer, really. He knew it was his fault. He threw the first punch. He used his quirk the most. He went full golem to attack his classmates. The silence hung in the air like last night's sauerkraut. He lifted his head up, and what came from his mouth surprised even himself. "Because it's the right thing to do."

"Correct!" Slade jumped at Nezu's response, mainly out of surprise. "What?" "That is the correct answer! I've asked that question, not quite verbatim, to multiple kids and even adults and the responses are quite surprising...but the true heroes always respond with what you said." The teenagers eyes were rather wide at the mouse that was currently waving and smiling.

"That right there tells me that you will be a great hero! So, for that, I'm only giving you two days suspension." "T-two days?! My old school would give out 4 weeks!" The mouse winked at him. "We're not in America now, are we? Now, let's talk about your little...incident. We take mental health seriously here. So, for those two days, you will spend time in special classes with a counselor. I have just the one picked out for you." Three knocks on the door came as soon as Nezu ended his sentence.

"Come in!" The door opened slowly. "Meet your new teacher for the next couple days, Emi Fukukado!" Slade looked over his shoulder, seeing her fully. First thing that caught his attention was her almost radioactive green colored hair. Then, a wide grin, almost like someone who just stubbed their toe and is trying to play it off cool. Mix in a pair of shorts that reminded the teen of the pants old men wear when golfing.

"Hiya! You can just call me Miss Joke!" She hand out a hand, which Slade slowly accepted, shaking. "She will be your counselor." "Don't worry, Nezu! I'll crack that shell of his!" Oh no, please don't be the kind of person who's always happy and cheerful and full of unbound energy at 5 AM. Nezu handed her a folder, which she tucked under her arm. "Come on! You still got a couple hours left, might we well make use of them." She waved at Slade, as he sighed and stood up to following her. "Thank you, Principal Nezu." Slade said with a soft bow before he left.

"So, tell me about yourself!" "Everything should be in the packet..." "Noooo, silly. I wanna hear it from you." The pair descended the stairs, their voice echoing. "Well, my father was the most wanted criminal in all of the Midwest. He drank and beat the hell out of my mother and I until I ratted him out and came here while my mother is now in witness protection and I haven't even talked to her since I left." "And...what's your mother like?" she asked, with almost a hint of hesitancy in her tone. "Oh, she was great. Quirkless but strong. Caring. Horrible taste in men."

The two stepped into a room on the ground floor. There was the typical chair and chaise, which Slade promptly took. "Please, get comfortable. We have two whole days plus now to do this." Ms Joke said as she opened his folded. To her surprise, he kicked off his shoes and socks before lying on the chaise, face up. "The socks too?" "I don't like constraints on my feet. I like feeling the ground under me naturally."

The silence lasted maybe five minutes. She was scribbling in a notepad the whole time. Slade had his eyes closed, before he let out a soft sigh. "Honestly, I thought I was being expelled today." "You could have been, if someone had been really hurt. Luckily, no real injuries." Slade took a pillow from the couch and hugged it to his chest. "Alright. Let's get started!"

xxx

Across the campus, the class had one more period to go. They sat in the classroom, chattering to themselves about the events. "You heard anything, Kirishima?" "Nah, I'm afraid not Mina. No ones seen him either." "Dumbass probably got expelled," Bakugo said casually while leaning back in his chair. "Doubtful. You and Midoriya fought last year, and you two got a few days house arrest. Maybe that's what happened." Kaminari brought up a good point. "Actually, I'm surprised we aren't in trouble for fighting with him..."

The door slid open, causing a silence as Aizawa stepped in. "Good afternoon class." "Sir, I have to ask-" "Before you finish that sentence, Midoriya, let me talk." Midoriya nodded slowly. "Good. Now, due to the events that unfolded during lunch hour, Freeman has been suspended for two days." "WHAT?! Two measly days?!" Bakugo shouted in anger, standing up and slapping his desk. "Sit down, Bakugo." The teen followed orders and sat down quickly, crossing his arms. "As I was saying...two days. He is undergoing a mental evaluation as we speak to see if he's fit to be a hero."

The whole class was murmuring now. "That's bull!" Everyone's eyes were on Mina, who stood up. "He's literally having a breakdown! Who hasn't?! Momo, when you lost at the sports festival last year. Same with you, Uraraka. All of us when the league attacked us! I see no difference in him than us!" "Ashido, sit! It was your little Jedi mind trick that got him unwound to begin with." Aizawa's words cut through Mina's defense, making he sit down with a huff. "Which leaves us to you three who engaged him in the quad."

Midoriya and Kirishima gulped loudly as Bakugo just scoffed. "I was prepared to dish out a few days of suspension myself..." "Wait, prepared?" Midoriya asked curiously. "But, according to Principal Nezu, Freeman took full and sole responsibility for everything that happened down there." "Are you serious?! First he covers for Kaminari, now this?! No, I take responsibility!" "No, I do!" Midoriya yelled and stood as well. Bakugo scoffed again and stood up, his hand popping. "We we're all out there, teach. You saw it."

"Then I claim responsibility for inciting it all," said the pink girl. "And I claim responsibility for going to get Mina!" Uraraka confessed while standing. "That's enough! This is not up for debate, everyone sit down." One by one, each conspirator sat down in their chair. "You can save all that bravado for tonight when you see him."

xxx

"So, who are you, Slade Freeman?" The question was rather vague, but personal at the same time. "I...what do you mean?" "Just, who are you? I want to know. Your likes, dislikes, hobbies." The teenager stared up at the ceiling. "I...like food?" "That's something. What about the food here?" "Onigiri. I love that stuff," Slade commented, not taking his eyes off the popcorn texture. Who still uses that?

"What else?" "I like..." He stopped for a second, really thinking. What did he like? He was so used to tip-toeing around others, he really had to think. "Music." Emi scribbled on the notepad quickly. "Music. Amazing. What music?" "Loud. Heavy. The kind that drowns out screams and inner demons. Hits you in the chest. Let's you know that you're not the only one in pain..." The pencil was moving much faster than before. "Let's talk about things you're afraid of."

"Uh...heights?" "No no. Besides that." Slade wasn't getting the point. "So like...wasps? Cause I hate them and my heart about bursts from my chest when I see them." "How about your fear of physical touch?" The teenager went silent quickly. "Says here, you shy away from touch." "If you grew up and the only touch you knew was painful, you would too."

"So to you, all touch could potentially hurt?" Slade turned his head. "Well..." "And it's not just touch from men, is it?" "I...I don't shy away AS bad from others..." "But you still do." "Wouldn't you?!" Slade sat up, looking at his counselor. "Every time someone touches my shoulder, I think they're going to spin me around and hit me. Every hand coming toward my face could be one that will strike me. Every hand close to my neck could choke me!"

Slade threw the pillow against the book case that was to the left of Emi, standing up. "It doesn't matter if someone even warns me, I'll still pull away. And...and I hate it!" A lump started forming in his throat, his voice cracking. "How the hell am I supposed to have normal relationships with people?! What am I supposed to tell a girl I'm dating? 'Sorry, I can't hold your hand cause I think you're gonna break my finger.' I can't live like this!" He hit his knees, hot tears stinging his cheeks as a few soft sobs echoed through the otherwise quiet room.

"I'm broken..." Those two words bounced in his head for years. It was the first time he said them out loud. His head went to the floor before he just flopped over on his side like an exhausted dog lying down. Emi slowly closed her notepad, and knelt down beside him. She reached out and touched his hair, feeling him flinch. This didn't detour her, as she started to rub his head. "Slade..." He sniffled and curled into a ball. He was conflicted. He didn't know her, and she was unaware of this, but his mother did this every time to calm him down when he was younger.

"You're not broken. Just...cracked." The teenager snorted, not sure if that was much better. "You have long road ahead of you, kid. Not everyone is out to get you, and not every touch will lead to pain. I can't sit here and say you have all of us and that you're not alone and all that stuff. While that's true...you're the only one who can fix yourself. You need to relearn to trust others. I know it won't happen today, or even tomorrow, and I'm not saying it'll be easy, Freeman. But, you can do it. I believe in you."

The teenager was silent, his sniffling the noise coming from him. "Also...to be blunt with you, when you become a hero you'll have to deal with that. You'll have reporters and people in your face and pushing against you all the time." There was a soft sigh before the teenager got up, still kneeling. He wipes his eyes, nodding. "Y-yeah. Can't have a meltdown on national television..."

"Exactly! Now, it's about time for you to go back." Slade looked at the clock. How the hell did time go by so fast? I guess time flies when you're having a mental breakdown. "I want you back here at 0830 sharp, okay? We have a long road, but it starts with the first steps. Now, stand." The two stood up slowly, as the teenager was now aware of how much shorter she was than him. "You're going to do one thing before we leave, alright?" "Put my shoes back on?"

Emi let out a soft cackle before shaking her head. "No, silly. You are going to give me a hug." The room got deathly quiet. "A...hug?" "Yes, a hug. Let's call it the first steps to trusting people." "I'm not sure about this..." The teenager wasn't sure about a lot of things, but primarily he wasn't sure about hugging an adult female that was his counselor. "Know what...you're right, it was rather silly," Emi commented, waving her hand dismissively. "I..." "No no, perish the thought." She smiled before she picked up her notepad and the folder. "I'll do it."

Emi tossed down what she was holding and smiled. "Great! I'll let you approach, so take your time." "Okay...sorry, I've only hugged two women my entire life. And one was my mother." Emi stretched out her arms, holding her smile. "That's okay!" He took a deep breath to steel his nerves. The other girl he's hugged was his one other friend back in the states, and that was right before he left for Japan. He slowly approached, his arms mirroring hers.

Contact. The hug was reminiscent of two awkward teenagers. Slade's muscles tensed, but slowly relaxes. "There. See? No biggie." Slade pulled away and nodded. "Yeah...no biggie." "Good. You're on your way to recovery now! So, get those feet covered back up and head on back to the dorm before Aizawa gets cranky." "He's always cranky..." The comment slipped out, but Emi let out a sharp laugh. "You're not wrong! Alright, get!"

xxx

He left the building, feeling every so slightly lighter. And also a foreign feeling...hope. Well, it was either hope or it was indigestion. Can't rule out that one. Or an ulcer. Maybe he should quit the spicy foods for a bit.

"I can't believe Mic gave us extra homework! That jerk!"

Oh crap. That was his class! He recognized Kaminari's voice anywhere. And he was out in the open!

"There's nothing wrong with treading the Tell-Tale Heart, Kaminari. It's a classic literary piece by a truly inspiring and tortured poet." "Give it a break, My Chemical Cro-mance!"

As much as he wanted to laugh at Bakugo's nickname for Tokoyami, he had bigger issues. Where to hide! There! Bushes. Do a barrel roll!

Channeling his inner Solid Snake, the teenager rolled and slinked behind the foliage for cover. The quad had been fixed already from his little bout earlier that day, which was fortunate. This was good. He'll wait for everyone to go in. Some head right to their rooms, thus making it easier for him to slip by undetected.

"What'cha doin'?"

That was not Slade's proudest moment. Nor did he know he could reach that high of a pitch. Apparently Mina had spotted him before anyone else, and decided to investigate. Thus, the predator became the prey.

After Slade calmed his tachycardia, he realized who it was. "M-Mina?!" "Hey! We've been really worried, since we haven't seen you all day." "Mina, did you scream?" He heard footsteps, and now his racing heart stopped completely. "Please, not now...make them leave! Pretend you saw a spider!" Slade quickly whispered, trying to negotiate. "And that explains me talking to a bush?" Damn it, she had a good point.

"Everything okay over-hey, it's Freeman!" Kirishima yelled, as Slade face palmed. "What you doing in the bushes?" "I was hiding. Until Mina almost sent me to the Shadow Realm." The teenager got up, seeing all the eyes on him. Yeah...not awkward at all. Every have a dream you forgot your pants? It felt like that.

"Listen...about earlier-" His sentence was cut off by Midoriya holding up a hand. "You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have pushed you like that..." "You didn't push me. You just spoke the truth." Midoriya stepped forward, shaking his head. "No. We pushed you too hard. We weren't letting you come out of your shell naturally, we were using crowbars and cutting torches." "Yeah, I'm sorry for doing my Jedi mind trick on you.." Mina apologized next.

"And I'm sorry for getting Mina and instigating it all..." Uraraka bowed, as Slade stood there, confused. "Also, thank you for covering for us! Aizawa told us! Super manly!" Slade looked at Kirishima, who's shark teeth were on full display in a wide grin. "That's because I caused it. If I hadn't gone nutty, you all wouldn't have been included in it all."

"Alright already, we know everyone's sorry and all that shit. Can we go back inside before it's dark?!" Bakugo responded in a crabby voice, walking toward the dorm with Kirishima and Kaminari in tow. "He's got such a way with words..." Mina commented, with some sarcasm." "Such a charmer," Jirou responded, with equal amount of sass. "Oh, I got your homework," Midoriya commented, digging into his bag.

The next few hours melted away as Slade went on to do his homework. Math wasn't too hard, even if he had to consult the textbook more due to not being in class. However, the English was hell no matter what country he went to.

The sound of footsteps made him freeze. They got closer...closer...before stopping at his door. A soft knock on the door made him put his book down. "Come on, little green."

The door opened as Midoriya stepped in his room, a confused look on his face. "How'd you know it was me?" He asked. "Long story. What's up?" "Uh hey, Sato was making dinner, figured you'd want some food?" Slade chewed on his cheek. He really didn't feel like any human interaction at the moment, but a distinct aroma hit his nostrils at that moment, piquing his interest.

"Yeah...sure." Slade stood up and followed the other teenager down the hallway. As they hit the stairwell, the smell of food hit even more. It was an amazing smell. And a familiar one, but one he couldn't quite put a finger on.

As they descended, his brain started to figure out where he had smelled it before. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but they were already on the ground floor, and a majority of the class was standing there, soft smiles and kind looks on their faces.

"Is...this an intervention?" Slade's loose attempt at comedy didn't go unnoticed as a few of them snickered, but Uraraka stepped up first. "Freeman, we were discussing earlier. We have no idea what you're going through...you're in a foreign land surrounded by strangers who've been around each other for a long time."

He noticed the flour on her shirt at that point as she kept brushing her hands on it like she was trying to get it off. "So...we wanted you feel...more at home." "Get on with it, round face!" Bakugo hollered from the couch, as Uraraka swelled her cheeks up and glared at him. Momo stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What she's trying to say, Freeman, is that they wanted to thank you for taking the hit earlier so they wouldn't get in trouble. Also, you have to be homesick, so after some research, Sato figured out what to make for you."

They stepped to the side, and Slade's suspicions were confirmed. On the table sat a few plates, piled high with what looked to be chicken fried steaks. Beside it was the heap of mashed potatoes and gravy, along with corn, rolls, and various other sides with it.

Slade's jaw dropped. "I had to finagle with some ingredients, but overall it wasn't too hard. The quintessential Midwest dinner!" Sato exclaimed, as Slade slowly covered his mouth. "Complete with all the fats and calories!" Mina added in with a smile.

They'd gone out of their way to research and make up a Midwest dinner just for him. A lump formed in his throat as he tried to say something, his voice coming out shaky and slightly high pitched. "Th-thank you..." He was shocked they'd do that. Hell, Slade's best friend in the states would have just said thanks and pumped his arm.

"Can we eat?! I'm starving and this shits going to get cold!" Bakugo's voice cut through whatever was in the air, resetting the mood to normal. "Come on! I made enough for everyone!" As they all sat down at the table and started passing around food, Slade rubbed his face several times to cover up a couple tears that formed. "Hey everyone! Smile!" Everyone looked at Jirou, who was at one end of the table, holding her phone. "You too, Freeman! You're one of us!" His lips slowly cracked into a small, but very appreciative smile.

Holy hell, this was an undertaking. So my computer tanked, and somehow half of this story got Thanos snapped and I had to redo it. But here we are...thank you to all who've favorited the story, and also to the anonymous reviewer The1percentgerm for motivating me. I've also played with the idea of a love interest, but I don't even know where to start or who to start with. I have the epilogue already in my head, and it doesn't work too well without one. Any suggestions/reviews help!