The morning after the funeral, Hector woke up in an empty apartment and stayed in bed well into the afternoon. Eventually, his hunger overpowered his grief, and he got up to have something for a late breakfast.

Of course, his ma had been the one to handle the shopping, and in the days without her, he had run out of food. Hector stared blankly at the empty fridge before coming to the conclusion that he would have to get groceries himself. Armed with a purpose, he put a coat on, grabbed his key, and walked out.

Outside–as much as he could be outside, living in an underground cave system–the world continued. Hector checked the egg carton for cracks and got in the checkout line with all the people who hadn't had their mom die that week. Did he know that? There was a lot of death in the Drain. Maybe everyone else had lost someone, too.

Someone behind him tapped his shoulder. "Excuse me? There's an open register."

"Oh," Hector said, and he shuffled awkwardly to the cashier.

The walk to and from the store took him alongside a canal. Hector stared at his feet, the grocery bag held at his side, and trudged along. Somewhere, far away, the sun was shining, but it couldn't reach him. Would he have the energy to cook anything when he got home? Maybe he would just go back to bed.

The flood siren snapped him out of his thoughts.

Hector dropped his bag. He was at the bottom level of the tiered street–he needed higher ground. He ran to the closest stair and stopped to help others ascend before him, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the canal; the water was already creeping higher as he watched. By the time he went up, it had spilled its banks and was lapping at his feet.

He made it to the second stair just as a roar of water rushed through, soaking him instantly and nearly knocking a woman next to him off her feet. He grabbed her arm and gripped the railing as the water rushed past, pulling them both up the stairs and onto dry ground.

They took a moment to breathe. "Are yew okay?" Hector asked.

The woman nodded, then grimaced, one hand going to her shoulder. "Think I dislocated something," she said, her voice strained.

"Sorry, that might've been my fault."

"Don't apologize, I'd be in the water otherwise." She spoke so casually, as if being pulled out of the mouth of a flood was an ordinary occurrence for her. "You don't know first aid, do you, hon?"

Hector shook his head and looked around the small crowd. They had been the last two up, which hopefully meant the stranger's dislocated shoulder was the only casualty. "There's prob'ly someone around who can–"

"Doctor! Is there a doctor here?!"

The call came from a man crouched over a waterlogged body that lay motionless. Someone ran over and spoke a few words before checking the body for a pulse.

Hector's gut twisted. Of course not everyone could have heard the sirens in time. Of course there would be someone just too slow to get to higher ground, someone who everyone would forget and move on without, just like the sun rising over the distance surface.

"Don't worry about me," the woman said, "I'll find someone."

Hector barely heard her. He stared at the body as the doctor worked to bring them back, unable to process another death that shouldn't even affect him.

In the back of his mind, he realized he had lost his newly purchased groceries in the flood. He would have to go to a different, further grocery store to get more.

While he was distracted by that thought, the body sputtered back to life.

Hector gasped. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath. The doctor helped the person roll on their side as they coughed up lungfuls of water and took harsh, ragged breaths. The crowd was beginning to disperse–Hector heard someone laugh in relief. They had survived another flood. Life would go on.

He took a hesitant step towards them. "Hey," he called out. "Do yew need any help?"

The doctor looked up. "If you can call a medic team–"

Through their coughing, the rescued person managed to speak. "No."

Hector blinked. "No?"

They shook their head and struggled to their feet. "I'm fine," they said, the doctor helping them up. "I just… I just need to go."

"You weren't breathing for at least forty-five seconds," said the doctor. "If not longer. I strongly recommend going to an emergency room."

"No," they repeated. "I'm fine, alright? Just–" Another cough shook their frame. "I'm going. I'm just going."

They pushed the doctor away and took shaky step after step down the street. The doctor looked at the man who had called him and just shrugged.

Hector's heart dropped. "Wait!" he said, running after them. "There's–there's gotta be someone I can call, right?"

They didn't look at him, hobbling towards an offshoot from the cavern. "Just leave me alone."

"If–if yew don't get help–" Hector followed them around a corner. "Yew could get really sick! Floodwater has all sorts of germs in it!"

"I'm not–"

Another coughing fit made them double over. Hector caught them before they collapsed. "Just let me help!" he said desperately. "Can I at least walk yew home?"

"I don't–" They took a shuddering breath. "I don't have one."

"What?"

The person pushed them away and staggered, putting one hand on the cave wall to steady themself. For the first time, they turned around and met his eyes.

"I was on the street!" They glared at him, their damp hair laying limp around their face. "Flood took away everything. I don't–" They coughed again. "I don't have friends, no family who gives a damn. I don't have anything anymore."

Hector stared at them, speechless.

"Just–" They looked down at their feet. "Just go home, alright? Forget about me."

They took a few deep breaths before turning to walk away.

Hector's mouth was moving before he had fully processed what he was about to say. "Come home with me."

They froze. "What?"

"I–" Tears prickled at his eyes. "I have a two bedroom apartment an' I'm the only one living in it. Yew can–yew can stay there."

"You're not serious."

"I am!" Hector took his glasses off to wipe his eyes. "I don't want to let yew walk away and–and just die somewhere. Not if I coulda done something."

"Yew're still sick, Ma, are yew really going back to work?"

The memory brought more tears to his eyes. Despite them, he managed a shaky smile. "So come home with me," he said. "okay?"

They shook their head. "You can't be serious. I could–I could be anyone!"

"Yeah, well, anyone's better than going back to my empty apartment."

"You–" They ran a hand over their face. "No one just does this for people. What are you getting out of it?"

"Helping someone's good enough for me." Hector stuck out his hand. "I'm Hector. What's yewr name?"

They stared at his outstretched hand. Slowly, hesitantly, they reached out and took it.

"Cap," they mumbled. "Just… just Cap."

"Cool!" Hector said. "Like Captain, right?"

"Kinda." They didn't make eye contact. "I'm a guy, also. If you didn't know."

Hector nodded and mentally swapped the pronouns he had been using. "Got it! Me too!"

Oh, gods, he sounded like an idiot. Cap just stared at the ground, putting some of his weight on Hector's hand as his legs wobbled.

Hector gently tugged him forward. "My home's not far," he said. "C'mon."

Wordlessly, Cap let Hector lead him out of the alley and through the Drain. Far above them, through impenetrable stone and dirt, the sun shone on.

end