It was two am on a Saturday in the early fall, four years after the night the three teens had met in the pizzeria. The cars moved about their usual business in the blue night, rushing unheedingly past the old cafe standing in the corner where Industrial St. and Elmera Ave. meet.
Inside the cafe, in a room in the attic, Hiro Hamada sat. He stared blankly out of the window, tiredly tracing pictures of robots on the foggy glass. His eyes were nearly closed in sleep, and his head was nodding to the side.
Hiro wasn't looking at anything in particular, the world outside was out of focus through the fog and his half-lidded eyes. Forth and Onward Pizzeria's lights were on across the street, proclaiming 'Pizza 24/7' in flashy orange letters.
In fact, the whole city was aglow with neon signs that formed a many-colored blur in Hiro's sleepy eyes and blended with the car lights, street lights, and moonlight, a collage of burning stars.
When Hiro fell asleep, his eyes finally closing, the lights didn't go away, they spun sunnily in his dreams and danced fantastically on his eyelids.
🤖
Cass Hamada came home from a midnight search for the secret ingredient to her persimmon brownies (which were an absolute necessity for the next day's Eat and Greet Sunday) to find her nephew, Hiro, on the floor by the window, asleep.
She crouched down next to him, remembering the years when this was usual behaviour for Hiro, back when he was young enough to be carried to bed. Unfortunately, Hiro was too old for Cass to carry.
"Hiro," She said quietly, shaking his shoulder.
He stirred, fluttering his eyes open.
"Hiro, why are you on the floor?" Cass asked him.
Hiro sat up groggily.
"Come on," Cass said, leading him to his bed. "Climb into your bed. It's more cozy there."
YOU ARE READING
When Death Won't Take You
FanfictionShe was too young, too innocent, and death didn't take her. She got another chance. Another, alternate future.
