Until the Stars Fade Away [MxM - SaifahZon] [COMPLETED]

Night 17

THE YOGA MAT in the corner, a ball, rollers, trainers, jumping rope, kettlebell and even a stationary bike under the window. Zon's childhood room became a gym with not enough room to even swing a cat.

“It feels like they are throwing us out.” Zon winced as Zol, his sister, peaked over his arm and said what was on his mind all along.

“At least your room is used for Dad’s office.” He groaned. His stuff was thrown on the bed. “Just look at this mess!”

“Please! It was never not messy.”

They moved to glance over Zol's room, the smell of a juicy chicken and an avant garde rock-jazz reaching them from the kitchen. Their Dad's head bopped to the rhythm, all relaxed and happy, while Zol and he were about to dig in dust for hours in their sweatpants.

“What an audacity to threaten their own kids,” Zon mumbled under his breath, closing the door to Zol's room. “I can't believe they were ready to bulldoze our stuff if we won't pack them into the boxes.”

“You know they were probably joking?”

“Sure. Maybe. But I'm not gonna take that risk.” He plopped onto the naked mattress, taking his phone out. Deep down, he knew that despite their parents’ decision to renovate their old rooms, they still had a place to return. Yet, a bitter aftertaste of an unwanted change nestled in his guts—just looking at their action figures, comics, dolls, and plushies shoved against the walls he felt assaulted.

He sent Saifah a selfie with a small pout and a peace sign next to his winking eye. They were supposed to meet today, Saifah coming back from his business trip and Zon knowing he has to confront his feelings before he chickens out. But, due to his parents' ultimatum, they had to push it back until the evening, giving Zon more time to second guess his decision. Was it really a good idea?

“So? When will you bring them home?”

Zon jolted upright, his face turning red. “Look at the time! At this pace I won’t finish by midnight!” He dashed towards the door, leaving Zol's laughter behind.

And although it was only an excuse, as soon as he entered his room, he realised it wasn't far from the truth—years of memories waited for him all over the place.

He started with the depths of his desk, then moved to clothes he hadn't worn since high-school, flipped through old books, pop-quizzes, essays, through his toys, figures, and CDs. He became an archeologist, excavating his own past, fascinated by surprises awaiting him under layers and layers of stuff. There was even that box under his bed—a simple shoebox, really—where he kept his biggest gems. Tickets from concerts, movies, and even handwritten notes from the most boring classes. He smiled at his memories; at vivid images of him and Neo skipping classes to watch the most questionable blockbusters. Of their whole group saving for that one music festival that ended up in a heavy rain. He remembered how much it had meant to him, and even now, he was not ready to throw it out.

He opened one of the notes, a page from a notepad. “I want to suck you off.” Right away, he recognised Neo's writing.

“Yours?”

“Let's skip PE. We'll sweat on our own, lol.”

With a frown, Zon gawked at the paper. Why the hell would he ever keep it? He flipped the side hoping to find something deeper, but no. It was empty. It had to be his horny self that found it important enough to save it. Rolling his eyes, Zon threw it into a bin bag—he didn't need it.

The doors swung open. “Look whom I've found!” gushed Zol, before her eyes laid on his findings. “…Yuck!” She scrunched her nose. “You made it worse.”