It happened so fast.
Too fast.
Hunk watched as the rubble fell.
He screamed.
================
"Hola!" Hunk looked up to see a strange boy smiling at him, his front tooth missing and his face covered in spider-man band aids. Hunk looked at him with a warm smile, the boy's excitement leaking into him. "Me llamo Lance! Y tu?"
Hunk didn't know what he was saying, but he heard Lance assumed the kid, Lance, was asking what his name was. "My name's Hunk." Hunk said, extending his hand out so that Lance could shake it.
Lance smiled, and though neither of them could understand each other, they still had so much fun playing together and spent the entire day together.
*****
The next time encountered Lance, he was in kindergarten.
He was sitting in the corner, not really socializing with the other kids. Hunk, however, didn't care about the other kids, and simply marched right up to him and smiled warmly. Lance's face lit up in a grin. "Hunk!" he cried. "You come!" he said, his Spanish accent very noticeable. Hunk grinned.
"Your English is getting better!" Hunk exclaimed.
"Si?"
"Yep!" Hunk said. Lance smiled so wide Hunk wondered if it hurt his cheeks. "Do you wanna sit next to each other?"
Lance's mood visibly brightened and he nodded.
********
Hunk started to make extra lunches.
He had noticed after a few weeks that Lance never brought a lunch to school.
Hunk always brought it up, asking Lance where his food was during lunch time, offering him his snacks during snack time. Lance always claimed he was forgetful but Hunk, thought he was young, could tell there was more to it.
He tried so hard to get Lance to open up, but he didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. They'd only been friend's for a few weeks after all.
Finally, after weeks of dancing around the subject, Hunk put his food down. "Lance," he said during lunch time, when Lance showed up once again with now food. He passed the extra brown bag lunch eh'd made that morning to Lance. The look of surprise on Lance's face caused him to break. "Why don't you bring food?"
"I forget." Lance said simply, devouring the peanut butter and jelly sandwich like it was his last (or first) meal in a very long time.
"Lance," Hunk said. "I know your lying. Tell the truth please."
Lance eyed Hunk curiously for a few minutes before sighing sadly. He awkwardly picked at his band aid. "Promise you don't tell?"
Hunk nodded.
"Mama forget 'bout me." Lance said. Hunk stared at him, egging him to continue. "She too busy with mis hermanos." Lance explained. "She forget me."
"Your mom...forget's about you?" Hunk asked in shock. "Is she mad at you?"
"No!" Lance exclaimed. "Mama loves me! She just forget."
Hunk wrapped his arms around the tiny boy, encasing him in a healing hug. " I promise I won't forget you, Lancey."
"Gracias Hunk." Lance whispered against Hunk's arms.
