Father and son

The distance separating us wasn't very big but he crossed it incredibly fast and... He pulled me into a hug as he knelt to reach my height.

It was a strong hug, but warm and with a touch of delicacy in an attempt not to hurt me.

It had been a long time since anyone had hugged me so tenderly, I don't think even when I was born in my past life there was as much tenderness as this hug.

but it was still a hug I hadn't been able to return.

I had never hugged my father in my past life.

Should I just… return the hug?

I know it was a silly question, but I just couldn't take the initiative, and I don't even think I would.

Or so I thought.

Until I felt tears fall on my shoulder as my father's body shook, at that moment the return of the hug came naturally.

"Kaz... Forgive me... If I had been there...your mother and you... I"

Every word uttered by my father came out with difficulty and together with a crisis of crying and shaking in his body.

My heart squeezed with that demonstrated appearance, a man in agony who cried like a child while asking forgiveness for his son, for something that was not in his control, for something he shouldn't blame himself.

I can't imagine the mind of someone who lived with the guilt of a tragedy for 7 years while the culprit was on the loose and still had the audacity to try to repeat the tragedy.

Hate boiled in me, remembering that I killed the culprit, but not in the right way.

I should have slit his throat and smeared his guts on the wall, no pain would be enough and no morals would be great enough not to be exceeded, at that point it would just be my hands and how much the worm could take.

Although hatred nearly overtook me, I knew it wasn't what would help me comfort a man so wounded by loss, only compassion, and understanding guided by my reason would be the most ideal solution, even if the seething hatred was greater, we didn't have to of two suffering people thinking about the past.

"It's not your fault and it never could be, however unfair, bad things do happen, and oftentimes get out of our control, and I assure you that power does not prevent tragedy, it only delays it."

I followed my reason and tried to calm the man down, and it seemed to have worked, at least my father didn't cry anymore and his body didn't shake either.

"That doesn't negate my failure... When I got you out of the hospital... the doctors said that if I had arrived two minutes earlier... you would still have your eye."

The guilt still hadn't left my father's voice.

And damn these doctors!

How dare they say to a father that he should have done more to save his son's eye!

And worst of all, he would have to live with it whenever he looked at my face.

Maybe, depending on the damage, it would be possible to put in a prosthesis, it didn't have to be functional, just... So as not to hurt my father even more.

{It was found that the wound was too deep for vision to be restored, however with a cybernetic eye prosthesis vision may be reconstructed with the aid of nanomachines.}

Blessed be the nanomachines with their amazing capabilities!

"My eye is not important, with a cybernetic eye and with my Quirk I can restore it the same as before, I'm fine."

As he spoke I made a point of gently breaking the hug and putting my hands on his shoulders and looking into his eyes, to tell him I wasn't lying, because they say the eyes are the window to the soul.

He let out a sigh of relief and for a brief moment, a smile graced his face.

"So much like your mother, even without memory you proved yourself strong, and did not let the circumstances shake you, your mother would not only be proud as I am, she would be weeping with pride."

I couldn't deny that it got to me, knowing that my father was proud of it, made me feel…light.

Happy.

But not enough to neglect my surroundings, especially my father, who looking closely revealed deep circles under his eyes, indicating little or no sleep and I wasn't going to let that go.

"Dad, how long has it been since you slept?"

"I don't... I stopped to count, but I think it's been like three days."

I sighed, of course, it's been three days, how can a man like that sleep while his son is passed out from a stab wound to the eye.

I got to my feet as he helped me, not that I needed to but I guess it was a parent's instinct.

"Let's get out of here, you need to sleep"

When I said that we needed to leave he seemed to hesitate while looking thoughtful even as he saw that I was already in the doorway.

"Dad, this place doesn't seem to suit you and maybe you should avoid it... for a while.

I can't make you but get some sleep and think about it"

He sighed and said nothing but nodded in agreement and then followed me.

But as soon as we left the room and I was about to close the door, he stopped me.

"Kaz, I... I'm sorry for burdening you with this pathetic view of me and all this drama with my problems, you just woke up and-

"Enough! It's not pathetic to vent to your family, and I'm not made of china, and even if I were I would still carry the world for you because you're my father and you took care of me for 7 years even though I was a hopeless case."

I sharply cut him off, I wasn't going to watch as he apologized again for something he shouldn't have carried, it was unfair to himself!

"You're going to be big Kaz, now let's go to bed before Melina gets mad."

I couldn't help but smile at my dad's comment, something that seemed to happen a lot.

And together we close the door as we embrace each other and walk the path I came earlier with Melina, but we walk without saying a word, just the silence and us.