A Thin Layer of Ice

carry me out

Sunlight splayed through the windows, bright shades casting along the edge of the white comforter. Across the bed hung a large TV monitor, playing the news of current events. It had been several weeks since the incident. Since then, a lot had been going on. Things were brought into court and fortunately enough, it was a quick case. The man could not afford a lawyer and he was soon put behind bars after. It wrapped up cleanly, however, the memory of getting harassed by him would not fade from your mind as easily.

No matter how deep you cleaned yourself, scrubbing harshly until your skin grew sore in the shower, you felt dirty. Tears running down your face while you crumpled into the bathtub, it wouldn't go away. His grimy hands were grabbing onto you, never letting go. Nightmares came to greet your dreams at night, sending your heart racing while you ran from the monsters that didn't know of consent.

You looked up from your phone, [e/c] eyes meeting gold ones. Wook gave you a soft smile and that comforted you. Yes, this was Wook's bedroom that you were currently hanging around at. You had grown closer to him during these last few weeks as well. He was there for you the entire time, from the hard times to the good times. He had a busy schedule but he stuck to your side like honey, supporting you in court. When you were about to break down in tears for having to face the assaulter again, he squeezed your hand. When you won the case, you ran up to him in the audience to hug him. His reaction to your victory was everything. He lit up like the sun. He gave hope, keeping you at bay.

With the trial won, you decided to take a break from working. It was the first break taken since you started your job as a doctor.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked you. He was wearing glasses, messy bangs falling softly over his forehead, and wore a white t-shirt and gray sweats. He was on his laptop and leaning on the bed frame, typing furiously onto his keyboard. He looked oddly adorable in the attire -- it was a nice change of pace to see him so normal.

You were at the foot of his bed, laying down horizontally. It was three in the afternoon and you hadn't done a single productive thing today. It was a strange change of pace, because you kept on worrying for a job you didn't need to stress over for once. Guilt was bottling to the top, for you could already imagine how hard your coworkers must be working. "Nothing. Everything," you answered. The left side of your cheek was smooshed onto the comforter, making your voice slightly muffled. "Are you sure you don't need to work today? I feel bad for holding you back so much."

"Well..." he began, scratching his head, "My group has a concert tonight."

"What?!" you exclaimed in shock, bolting up into a sitting position. The world spun a little at the motion. "What are you doing then? Why didn't you tell me? Get going!" Your hands made the shoo gesture, telling him to get his shit together and work. Maybe you were slacking, but that didn't mean he had to be too.

"I don't want to leave you behind," he pouted. You gave him a look and he relented. "Okay, fine... Let me shower first." You nodded and watched him reluctantly get out of bed. Dragging his feet to the bathroom, he looked like a newborn penguin trying to waddle. He was that clumsy, tripping over air. The door shut and it didn't take long before the water started running.

Thoughts floating all over for the millionth time today, you climbed out of the bed and walked over to the bookshelf across the room. There on the end was a framed photograph, sitting prettily and surprisingly not dusty. The first time you visited Wook's place, you noticed it and was surprised that he still had it. It was a picture of two little kids sitting on the edge of a balcony and swinging their legs around. One was a girl with [h/c] hair and tall legs and the other was a boy with brown hair and memorable gold eyes. Dripping popsicles were in each hand and the setting sun was perfectly making its debut in the background. They were you and Wook from years ago, from when you were still in school and going through puberty.