(Hockey BxB) Whistle In The Wind

-𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈-

 ╔══《"I'm somebody's baby,》══╗
someone else's midnight call."

       The creaking of the front door startled Váli. Curled up tight, he laid on the floor of his bedroom in the fetal position. Upon hearing the squeak of the hinges, he pushed himself up. The various clothing items cushioned the typically hard floor.

       For as long as he could remember, Váli found comfort in laying on the floor. Whenever he had a fever, or his stomach hurt, or a migraine was extra piercing, he would be found on the cold tiles of his bathroom floor.

       The chilliness of the white slabs on his warm cheeks had comforted him. Instead of a mothers cold hand placed on his face, the young Váli had to rely on the floor for comfort. That's why, even at 17 years old, Vál found himself lying on the floor.

       He hadn't planned to. But after painstakingly climbing up the steps that felt as steep as Mount Everest, Váli couldn't resist. When he opened his door slowly, the floor cried out his name. His sore limbs cried back, begging for relief in the soft clothes littered everywhere.

       In a single blink, he was already on his side, coiled up like a roly-poly. That's where he laid, with his eyes closed but his mind not quite asleep, until the front door had opened. He wasn't sure how long he had stayed in that one position. But his stiff limbs and the darkened sky indicated hours had passed. 

       Gripping the floor, he hoisted himself up slowly. His door was closed, but Váli didn't want Aksel to see. As a kid, Aksel always criticized Vál for his habit, claiming it was unusual. Váli knew his heart couldn't handle being yelled at, especially from his brother.

       Bustling life erupted downstairs. Laughter from male and female voices. It wasn't hard to piece together the origin. Only two people were home. Crawling to his door, Váli placed his right ear against the white wood. Breath hitched in his throat, Váli tried to breath properly. His eyes fluttered close, and his body went limp.

       He was sprawled against the door. A look of concentration etched on his face, as if attempting to will himself through the atoms of the wood, begging his body to float down the stairs, and join his mother and brother in their laughter.

       He knew praying was useless, collapsing on the floor in a heap. The laughter got louder, as did the footsteps. Two pairs of feet thumped up the stairs and down the hall. By now, Váli's ears were ringing. His mind was hazy, but in the fog, he heard the clear voice of his mother. She talked cheerfully and casually.

       Vál overheard her faint 'goodnight' to Aksel before a door closed and the voices stopped. Váli sighed, relieved that his mothers voice no longer overtook his senses. Before he had the chance to get up from his spot near the door, his mom knocked. Two short knocks.

       Immediately, Váli sucked in, holding his breath, scared a single exhale would alert his mother. After ten seconds of gruesome silence, his mother walked away. Each knock felt like a punch to Váli's stomach, the area aching.

       Icing it was the best solution, but Vál had never cared enough to follow the guide of professionals. I'll be fine, a little stomach pain is nothing. Stomach pain, the excuse was so simple. It was plausible, and it rolled off Váli's tongue like the truth. Nobody will know the difference...

...

       Across the hall, Aksel had thrown his backpack on the floor. His hair flopped around him as he laid back on his bed. I should probably cut it soon. He pondered, running a strand between his thumb and pointer fingers. It reached well past his ears, and his middle part was grown out, that title no longer applied.