[ no, don't look at him like that - like he's something to be proud of instead of the helpless kid that he really is. he can't stand that, when it feels like there's not a single thing he can do to make anything here any better. ]

We don't have time to let more people die. I don't know how much longer it'll take, or if it's even possible to fix all this.

[ his expression cracks, betraying the fear that still whispers in the back of his mind, all too familiar from the past year or so. ]

I just don't want it to end like this, but we haven't been able to change anything yet.