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Time, fate, destiny.
Those are the things that X found himself fighting. Yet some things are always predetermined. Inevitable.
The plane crash Cyan survived, Ah Sheng's murder by Wang Yi, the Ruin's Incident, the murder of Yang Cheng's parents and his friend, the experiments done on Dragonboy, on Nice. Him, tossing that coin at Cyan's street performance before she became an idol. All things that must happen if he wanted to get the best result, the best ending.
But there was one thing, just one fate that he so desperately tried to change.
Smile's death.
He ran numerous simulations within the small dimensional bubble he had created with his power. Tried so many paths, so many different decisions to try to change it. He kept Nice from going to the bridge, both Dragonboy and Smile's reputation plummeted, resulting in Smile getting assassinated while he was packing to leave the Hero's Tower. He turned Dragonboy into trash before Smile showed up, but that caused Nice to directly inject Smile with Fear. He stepped into the Fear injection, thinking himself immune. That was a mistake, and the feeling of Smile's body exploding into a kaleidoscope of colours made him puke, and the scene had haunted his memories for hours before he was finally able to calm down to start the next simulation.
After that, he changed his method. Instead of directly trying to prevent that instance, he tried to keep Smile from going to the bridge. He took the man out to eat, no change. They had skewers and beer on the moon. Smile flew his drunk ass back home. He tied Smile to his bed, and that awakened some unresolved feelings. It made him realize and understand the whole reason why he was trying so hard.
Throughout the years they had known each other, sharing snacks and beer late into the night, fighting alongside and against each other. He had fallen in love with the man who had suddenly barged into his life with a big, dumb smile. The man who had cried over the missed opportunities with his wife after years of separation. Who talked about lost time with a daughter whom he hadn't seen in ages. X realized just how hard in had fallen for Smile. That each time he saw Smile die, he felt a piece of himself die as well.
He had cried that night, sitting on top of Smile's warm body. It was awkward and a bit uncomfortable as he struggled to loosen the bonds, yet Smile stayed. He stayed and held him through the entire night. Eventually, he had to let Smile go, and by some miracle, Smile still visited him despite it. It gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, he had finally found the right path.
It lasted until the end of the week.
The longest he kept Smile alive was a few months, right up to the Hero's Tournament.
He had confessed.
Everything
The simulations, the repetition, his feelings, his desperation for that perfect ending. The ideal future where the world wasn’t completely ruined. It was fine because this, too, was just another simulation. Another chance with no real repercussions. Smile had just sat there and listened. Then, gave him the softest smile he had ever seen. A never-before-seen private one just for him. It made his heart skip a beat. Afterward, Smile asked him what he wanted to do. His answer was obvious.
He moved into the Hero's Tower.
Of course, not to the room assigned to him as X, that place could rot. Instead, he moved right into Smile's unit. Smile's death occurs whenever they're separated, so what better way than to stick by as close as possible.
He had originally thought it was going to be awkward, especially with the confession added in, but somehow, it wasn't. In fact, Smile was a champion about it all. Despite knowing his impending death and his friend's protectiveness, he was still very accommodating. Most of the time.
If there was one thing X regretted, it was his sudden confession. Yes, it was mixed in with a lot of other information, but Smile took the confession to heart, apparently and used it as a weapon. He wasn't a hormonal teenager anymore, in fact, he was never really hormonal in the first place, but seeing Smile walk around in boxers that were too short or just shirtless, well, even he couldn't help his body's reactions. Smile knew it too because he'd always get a knowing grin every time he had to excuse himself, either to the washroom or just a different dimension to calm down and take care of the problem.
Things had eventually come to a head when, with a drink too many and a relaxed atmosphere, they had kissed. The taste of alcohol was bitter, and the flavour of chicken was strong too, but it was warm. So very warm, and it felt good, felt right. They had kept kissing until they fell asleep.
The next day, Smile had expressed his own feelings, assuring X that he wasn't a replacement for anyone. That, despite the alcohol, he knew what he was doing and had no regrets. X had felt elated, and he desperately hoped that this was going to be the right path. He felt happy and loved, and Smile was good to him in so many ways that he just didn't want to let go.
But fate had different plans.
Things had been going so well that he became complacent. He went to work as he normally would, despite not needing to pay rent anymore. He needed that normalcy, especially in a simulation. It was foolish of him to do so. Foolish of him to believe that he could leave Smile even for a bit and that nothing would happen, especially inside the Hero's Tower. He knew what the Commission and the executives were like, so he should've known.
When he had returned to the tower with beer and skewers, he was greeted by a destroyed room and Smile's body, bloody and cold. He couldn't even stay for long because the assailant was still there, and even after snapping the enemy away, he couldn't bear staying either. He ended the simulation then and there, emptier than ever before.
Once he was alone in the void, he cried. He cried until he had no more tears left before composing himself for the next simulation.
He never tried this method again.
He tried many more simulations after, ignoring the search for the best path. Killed a few heroes, let half the world's population get destroyed, became almost an equivalent to Zero. But nothing, nothing he did would allow Smile to live. Eventually, he came to a heart-wrenching conclusion.
Some fates cannot be defied. Some lives are pre-destined, like that of him throwing that coin and gaining his powers a few years later.
Smile was always destined to die that night under the bridge.
If he didn't, the world would be destroyed, whether it be by his own hands or someone else's. It broke his heart knowing this. That Smile had to die to save the Earth. It made him question why he, of all people, had these powers. After all, what was the point of it all if he couldn't save the man he loved?
Still, it took him many more tries, many more simulations, many more times of seeing Smile's repeated deaths before he found it. The best ending. He had to close his heart to not feel hurt every time he repeated the simulations, and even after finding it, he couldn't bear to leave. He couldn't bear to return to reality, where he knew that if he let the world continue as usual, he would have to face the finality of it all. He wanted to keep seeing it. Keep seeing Smile's face, alive and bright, because he knows, if he leaves, that'll be the end.
What finally got him moving was an old interview of Smile's. One that was recorded so long ago that it was almost forgotten. It helped him move forward. Made him realize that despite everything, he still loved the world he lived in, and he did want to save it from destruction. He'll never be as good a hero as Smile.
He left the simulation, ready to tackle the fate of the world's destruction. Even if no one knew or saw what he had done, he would make up for it. He'll become a hero the Commission has never seen before. For the sake of Smile's hopes and dreams, he'll try to become a real hero.
"Mr. Smile! Why did you decide to become a hero?"
"Why? Well, isn't it obvious? I want to protect the smiles of the people of this world that I love."