Darryl's POV (Shocker, I know)

Life was so simple when everything was dull.

It was so much easier when everything was grey and boring. You didn't have to worry about your clothes matching since you couldn't even tell the difference between red and yellow. It was easier to not judge people based on how they looked. You could only know so much about a person without knowing their skin, hair or eye color. Did you really even know someone if they didn't have a favorite color?

Before Zak, everything was so easy. Darryl didn't care about other people, he kept to himself and his little rat dog. In school, nothing mattered but class. He didn't really have friends, he never wanted to get close to anyone.

Now that he knows Zak exists, that's all changed.

Now, Darryl wants to see the sky and the ocean. He wants to see those dark, but still somehow bright, brown eyes of his soulmate. He wants to see the stars twinkle in the night sky.

That scared him.

His whole life, all he thought was that finding your soulmate meant heartbreak. Why, you may ask?

When Darryl was young, his mom was in a fatal accident. He grew up watching his dad suffer because of it. One day, he was sitting on the swings being pushed by his father, living a life of happiness.

The next, a day filled with sorrow.

Darryl could still remember the day he was sitting at the dining room table, eating spaghetti-o's that his dad had made for lunch. All of a sudden, he heard a spoon drop. He looked up at his dad, who stood staring out the window above the sink.

He can still remember asking, "Dada, what's wrong?" His dad has turned to him, telling him to get his shoes on.

"Why, dada? I'm not done with lunch!" He had complained, whining about his food.

"Darryl, shoes. Now. I'm not telling you again." His dad had rushed to his room, grabbing a coat while dialing on the phone. He didn't understand what was happening, but he followed his dad and put his shoes on.

His dad had put him in the car, buckling him in while still on the phone.

"Hello, yes, I'm calling about a woman. Her name is Wendy, she was likely in an accident not long ago." He heard his dad say into the phone. Wendy was his mom's name, and he didn't understand why his dad was talking about his mom on the phone.

"Dada, where's momma?" Darryl called from the back seat.

"Not now, Darryl," His father snapped, before apologizing to the person on the other line. "My relation? She's my wife."

They drove for a little while, it felt longer since Darryl was young and impatient, but it was really only about 15 minutes.

They pulled up to a hospital, and Darryl was still confused but he knew not to ask any more questions. His father helped him out of the car and they rushed inside to the reception desk.

"I'm here to see my wife, Wendy. I just called and spoke to someone." His dad panted, out of breath since he wasn't really in shape.

The woman at the front desk had responded, giving his dad something to sign before they were allowed to go see his mom. He dad lightly stuck a little sticker on his chest and then in Darryl's signaling to hospital staff that they were guests.

His dad tugged on his hand, pulling him to the elevators down the hall. Darryl can still remember, he wanted to push all the buttons but his dad stopped him, only letting him push the number 4.

"Not right now, bud. We need to be serious, okay?" He had said, smiling down sadly at his son. Darryl had smiled back up at him very brightly, still not understanding the situation.

He didn't know that this whole time, his dad's eyesight had been turning dull.

When they finally made it up to the 4th floor, his dad rushed him down the hall to a ward that had a bright red sign, but he couldn't read what it said. Now, he remembers it was the Intensive Care Unit.

They stopped outside of a room in the hall, the window on the door showed it was bright in the room. Darryl could hear people talking and rushing around, but he couldn't tell what they were saying.

"Okay bud, we can't go in yet, but I need to talk to you now. Can you be a big boy and listen real close for me?" His dad knelt down beside him, knowing he needed to brace Darryl for what he was about to see. Darryl nodded, saying he was a big boy and his dad could tell him anything. "Bug, your mom had a really bad accident. Do you know what that means?"

Darryl thought for a second before answering, "Like when I wet the bed?"

His dad chuckled softly, a tear rolling down his cheek. His shook his head, caressing Darryl's cheek. "No bud, not like that. Remember the time you fell off your bike? It's like that, but in the car."

"But how can you fall off a car? You're inside it!" Darryl contested, thinking really hard with his young brain.

"It's okay bud, I know you don't really understand. Just know, your mom isn't doing good, ok? She's gonna look really scratched up, her face and her arms and everything. She'll probably have bandages and wraps on her, so don't be scared when you see her." His dad explained, wiping away his own tears before Darryl could notice he was crying.

Looking back, Darryl wished he hadn't. He wished his dad let him notice he was breaking too.

A doctor came out of the room and noticed the two, to which Darryl's father stood up. He spoke with the doctor, letting him know they were family and would wait to see her when they could.

"It's going to be a while, I'm afraid. There's a lot of internal damage. If possible, I'd actually like to speak with you privately if that's ok." He motioned down to Darryl, who was holding his father's hand and staring up at the ceiling curiously.

"That's fine. Is there a play area or something I can take him to? If I have him sit here, he'll either listen or wander off." His dad asked, ruffling Darryl's hair.

The doctor told him there was a play room down the hall with a door that had a child lock so Darryl wouldn't be able to leave, but he could go in and check on him whenever he needed.

His dad thanked the doctor, telling Darryl to follow him. They headed down the hall, and Darryl could remember that the playroom had glass windows, and there were a few other children playing. He was excited to play with them, he had forgotten why they were here in the first place.

They entered the room and his dad let go of his hand, crouching down to talk to Darryl.

"I'll be back in a bit, okay? Have fun with the other kids, if you need a snack here's my bag, there's some crackers and juice in here." His dad handed him a small backpack, unzipping it to show him the snacks. Darryl smiled, saying ok before setting the bag down to play.

He played for a little while with the kids in the room. They were all there for their parents or siblings, and none of them mentioned why, not that any of them cared. They were too young to truly understand.

Darryl wished he could have understood.

After a while, he heard the door open. He had looked up to see his father standing there, tears in his eyes. Darryl stood up, running over to hug his dad.

His dad crouched down, holding Darryl tightly in his arms. Darryl didn't realize it at first, but he was sobbing.

He pulled back, looking at his dad. When he saw tears, his smile dropped. He raised his little hand and wiped away a tear from his dad's cheek.

"Dada, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He had asked, holding his dad's face in his tiny hands.

His father stared into his eyes, smiling sadly, "Darryl, bud, I need to tell you something." He stood up, pulling Darryl along with him.

They headed out into the hall where his dad sat on a bench, pulling Darryl into his lap. Darryl sat up tall and looked at his dad.

"Bud, you know how I told you that your mom wasn't doing good?" Darryl nodded, so his father continued, "Well, it's worse than I thought."

"What do you mean, dada?" He asked innocently, tilting his head.

"Darryl, your momma isn't gonna make it."

At the time, Darryl didn't understand what that meant. Looking back, he wished he had been mature enough to realize what was happening.

"What's that mean, dada?" His father sighed, holding Darryl tight on his lap. He pulled him against his chest into a bear hug.

"Your momma is dying, bud." He cried out, and Darryl could tell that he was sobbing again. He knew the word die, but he never thought he would hear it used to describe his mom.

"No, she's ok! I saw her this morning!" He yelled out, pushing his dad away. He jumped off his lap, trying to run away. His father caught his arm before he could get far.

"Darryl, she's dying and there's nothing they can do!" His father screamed at him in frustration, causing everyone in the hall to stop talking and look at the two of them. He didn't notice, and pulled Darryl back to him. "We're going to see her, but she is dying. You need to understand that, Darryl. I need you to be a big boy for me, and for your momma." His dad said through tears.

Darryl broke down, throwing a fit on the floor. He didn't want his momma to die.

People continued to stare, and Darryl could feel eyes on him, but he didn't care. He just wanted his mom.

A doctor came rushing over, asking if everything was alright. Darryl could remember that his father told him everything was ok, just breaking the news.

He held Darryl in his arms, allowing him to cry it out. It was a lot to take in, especially for a kid. But now, Darryl could see that it affected his father even more than he realized at the time.

After a while, he calmed down a little, enough to wipe his eyes and stand on his own. His father held his shoulders and turned Darryl toward himself.

"Now, you need to be strong for me and mom, okay bud?" Darryl nodded, still sniffling. "I know you can be a strong boy."

"Can we go see momma now?" Darryl whimpered, sucking in his bottom lip to hold in his cries. He had to be a big boy for his momma.

"Of course, bud. Let's go." He took his father's hand and let himself be guided toward his mother's room. His dad stopped outside the door and took a deep breath before knocking, then slowly opening the door.

Inside, it was scarier than Darryl could have imagined at the time. There were beeping machines, flashing lights and doctors surrounding his mom.

When his father stepped into the room, the doctors and nurses all turned toward him and stepped away from the bed. They made their way out of the room, bowing their heads to the two of them.

Once they were given privacy, his father led him up to his mom, who was laying in the bed. She was hooked up to multiple machines, all beeping loudly and full of different wires and lights. She had a breathing mask over her nose and mouth, and a large bandage wrapped around her entire forehead. Her face and neck were covered in large scratches and bruises. Her arm was in a cast, and her ankle was in a brace.

She looked broken.

Darryl remembered gasping, clutching his dad's hand as he reached out to grab hold of his mom's as well. His dad nudged him forward, telling him it was ok to go near her.

She was somewhat conscious, but in an in-between state. Her eyes were half open, and she slowly moved her pupils over to watch Darryl. He could see her trying to smile under the mask.

"Momma, it'll be ok. Dada said I have to be a big boy for you to get better, so I will. I promise." She had squeezed his hand in response, and he can remember his dad put a hand on his shoulder at the same time.

They had sat in silence for a while, all staring at each other and taking in the moment together.

Then, the world shattered again.

Darryl's mom's monitors started beeping rapidly, her body beginning to convulse. His dad pulled him away and held Darryl's face to his stomach to shield him from seeing what was happening.

Darryl began to cry as doctors rushed in and he fisted his fathers shirt in his hand, wanting to get away from the noise and horror.

His dad pulled him out of the room and into the hall where he managed to calm him down again.

A doctor walked out a few minutes later, a solemn look on his face.

His father already knew. All the color around him was drained.

His mom was gone.

Ever since that day, his life had begun to fall downhill. His father started drinking excessively and staying out late, leaving young Darryl to fend for himself.

Eventually, his dad lost his job and they had to move into a small studio apartment. They couldn't afford much, so his dad started taking up odd jobs while Darryl was at school.

Darryl wore hand-me-downs from his cousins and from stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army. They did what they could to get by, but it just got worse and worse.

His relationship with his dad dwindled to nothing, they barely spoke around each other and when they did, it was just a hello or goodnight.

Darryl watched his father break and ever since then, he vowed he would never let that happen to himself.

He would never find his soulmate, and if he did, he would avoid them at all costs.

If he had no connection with them, it wouldn't matter if he saw color or not. At least, that's what he told himself.

Until he met Zak.

Zak changed his world, both literally and figuratively. Those grey clouds he always stared at were now fluffy and white little cotton, surrounded by a sky of a beautiful blue.

The grass he laid in during lunch break was a vibrant green like his own eyes, unlike the dark, dull grey it used to be.

His rat dog was now a milky white fur ball in place of a grey mop of hair.

His world had flipped upside down, all because of one boy.

His soulmate.

He wanted to know him, to hold him, to be with him. He wished to experience everything his parents did, the love and affection they always showed for each other.

He wanted to hold Zak's hand while walking down the street. He longed to go to the movies and finally see a film in color, together.

He craved the feeling of Zak's hair between his fingers as he laid in his lap. He dreamt of waking up next to each other in the morning and staring into those dark, yet bright brown eyes.

Now ... that scared him.