He's an adult again. The vent fades around them, his mother's body disappears. He still stares a the smear of green on the ground where it was.

It takes him a moment, but he answers her.

"I--I'm fine," he says coldly, a bold-faced lie. "I simply need a moment to--to--"

He tries to think of an excuse, and he can't think of anything. This happens so rarely.

"I need--I just need a moment to--"

Something snaps inside his chest, and he buries his face in his hand, shoulders shaking. A few drops dribble through his fingers and plop to the ground.