Fixing ourselves first is the most important thing we need to do.

Milo and Nora enter the house with a bunch of bags. They smile as Nora goes into Milo’s room to put them away. Milo’s mom came out from the kitchen, and he kissed her on the cheek. “ Did you all have fun?” she questioned, signing to him. He nodded and then went into his room to grab some clothes. When he came out, he took one bathroom, and Nora took the other. When they come out of the bathrooms, they talk and laugh about the day. Nora then entered a room she assumed was his sister to hug and kiss her goodnight. He comes back, and Nora can't help but respect Milo for what he does and goes through every day.

They get some snacks and head to the basement for movie night. Nora wanted to watch a scary movie, and Milo wanted to watch a comedy. They decided on the scary movie first; as Nora settled in, Milo handed her a hot cocoa, and he had tea. She looked at him with questioning on her face. Milo put his cup down.

“ What is that look for he signed, questioning her facial expression. She put the coco down as well.

“ I noticed you never do many sweets if any at all. Is it because of your diabetes?” Milo now laughed at her, but he understood where she was coming from, but it still made him laugh.

“ Nora, just because I am diabetic doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy sweets or they do harm to me; that isn’t it at all. I am not big on them; I love Tootsie rolls. But that is about it: sweets are too sweet to my liking.” He signed Milo now sat down next to Nora to start the movie. Hours seemed to go by, and before too long, Nora had fallen asleep on the makeshift bed they had made; Milo heard the basement door open and saw his mom at the top of the stairs. She looked tired but also like she had something on her mind. Milo covered Nora with a blanket, grabbed the dishes, and headed upstairs. Once there, he saw that the living room lights were on, and his mother was sitting on the couch. He entered the kitchen, washed the dishes, and sat across from her. She closed her eyes like she was searching for the words; she then opened them and looked at her eldest son with love and concern.

“ you are falling for Nora, aren’t you?” she questioned, signing. Milo looked at his mother and half laughed, half smiled,

Stolen story; please report.

“ Wow, Mom, you don’t beat around the bush, do you?” he signed back.

“ Milo, I just don’t want you to get involved with someone who seems broken and then expect you to fix them. She is a wonderful girl, but you can tell she has been through a lot; she hasn’t talked in five years, and she has panic attacks often. Is that something you are ready for to help her through everything to fix a broken person? For if you aren’t, then don’t pursue her, please.” She signs pleading with him. Milo runs his hands through his long hair. He then sits at the edge of the couch and puts his hands together thinking he wants to make sure what he has to say doesn’t come out disrespectful to his mother, but he also wanted his thoughts to be heard.

“ I love you, Mom, and I know you are always looking out for me and my feelings, and I appreciate that, but I need you to understand this: everyone is broken, whether we all want to admit it or not, everyone in this world is broken, whether it is from trauma or other things that caused us to be broken. We are all, in fact, broken humans. That is just a fact; even I am broken,” he Signed, looking at her seriously.

“But, at the end of the day, I disagree with you when it comes to the fixing part; the reason is simple: yes, we are all broken souls and humans, but just because we are all broken doesn’t mean we need someone to fix us. We, as humans, are capable of doing that as well. Yes, some of us have a partner to help fix the broken parts we cannot fix ourselves, but there are those rare humans that don’t get lucky to have a partner to help them with the pieces that need to be fixed, so they fix them themselves with no help at all. That is Nora. I do have feelings for Nora, and that is something I will not ignore, but I will also not pursue her.” He signed, admitting everything to his mother, which confused her as she saw him get up.

“Why is it because you are afraid she shall find out about you?” she said and signed. Milo turned around; his look was understanding but also sad.

“She already knows, but that isn’t why I will not pursue her mother.” He signed, frustrated. His mother's hands went up in the air and hit down hard on her lap. He turned around and sat back down, looking at his mother with love.

“ I won't pursue her because I have my own wounds that need to be mended. I have my demons I am fighting, and it isn’t something I want her or another to fix. I am broken like she is mother, but we will not fix ourselves together. We will fix ourselves apart, for that will make us both stronger in the end. Does that satisfy your Curiosity? “ he signed, wondering if she had any other questions. She stood up, hugging him. He hugged her back and then headed downstairs for the night.

Authors note.

This is edited to the best of my abilities. Please don't leave negative comments; if you don't like my story, move along. If you have advice, you are always welcome to advise.