BNHA || white lie

16

The dog barked playfully at you. You gave a little 'woof' back.

"Aaron, you never told me you had a dog!" you exclaimed happily, giggling as she jumped on you, tail wagging. Aaron smiled at the scene.

"It never came up in conversation," he explained, joining you on his sofa. The large, happy golden retriever crawled onto his lap, pushing her head under his hand and begging for attention.

"What's her name?" you asked. He flushed, embarrassed.

"Don't laugh. It's Athena."

"Why would I laugh?" you gasped, and called the long-haired canine by her name, to which she readily responded, tail thumping. "I love Greek mythology!"

His entire visage visibly brightened. "You do?" he pressed, leaning toward you. His eyes fluttered excitedly. "I do too! Which tale is your favorite?"

You put your hand on your chin in mock thought. You knew your answer. "The story of Atlas," you answered confidently. "I always found it sort of motivational, to be honest."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Motivational? Wasn't Atlas forced to bear the weight of the world? How is that motivational?" His words were questioning, but his voice was almost mocking. As always, you didn't comment.

"Well, yes," you admitted. "I'd always admired him, though. The weight of the world surely isn't light." You paused, trying to get your thoughts together. "We're all--we're all Atlas, in a way. We each have our own world, each of us responsible for it, each world with its own weight, and tasked to shoulder the burden." You ran your hands through Athena's silky fur absentmindedly. "It's not easy. Not all of us are strong enough to carry it. It's hard, and sometimes I want to just, sort of, let go, I guess. But then I remember Atlas."

Athena whined and nuzzled your hand. With a start, you realized you had stopped petting her, and you rubbed her reassuringly. Aaron was quiet, his eyes steely and expression unreadable. You continued nonetheless.

"Atlas has the world to carry, and in that world lives all of ours. And I know that if I do let go, then that's one more life, one more weight for him to bear. He has enough to carry. So I have to endure, no matter how heavy it may get, if only to help him out a little, you know?"

.

.

.

You found yourself at Aaron's house more often than not, even as summer rolled around. His parents didn't mind--in fact, they loved you, and always invited you over. Today was no different.

"[Name]," his mother began, her smile kind, "I heard you're going to be a hero."

Her casual words threw you off balance, and you hurriedly put down your fork and knife. Aaron's family had insisted you stay for dinner and you, wanting to avoid returning home, had agreed. "Y-yes! I got my license just recently, actually!"

Aaron paused in cutting his food. "You're already a hero?" he asked, almost disbelievingly. "That quick?"

"I'll be making my debut soon," you admitted, smiling excitedly. You couldn't wait. It would be an escape, the touch of excitement in your life you never knew you needed. Aaron's father's eyes brightened.

"That's great!" He laughed cheerfully and piled a scoop of vegetables onto his spoon. "You know, neither my wife or I have made ours yet."

You chewed your food before swallowing, mulling over his words. "You're heroes too?" you asked them curiously. Both adults beamed, and Aaron's mother opened her mouth to speak but was cut off abruptly by a screech.