Every Single Thing I Touch || HeartLiming "Moonlight Chicken"

5. Trauma

For the first time ever since Night died, Liming had a dreamless sleep and he had to say, it probably had something to do with his full stomach. Liming woke up late the next morning, acid reflux kicking in as he rushed to the washroom to throw up everything he had the last night. The unfamiliar feeling of a full stomach continuously worried him as he washed up and got dressed in his school uniform. As he brushed back his hair, sighing as more hair strands started to come off his scalp, he felt the unmistakable aroma of actual food.

Lung.

Liming grabbed his backpack and ran down the stairs—as his eyes lit up seeing Lung with his mother at the dining table, eating and smiling at each other. A huge burden that has been weighing on him was removed instantly as he watched them, arm suspended in air in greeting. As Lung noticed him, he smiled immediately and gestured him to come. Liming walked towards them as he stared at the spread in front of him.

So much food. So much.

"Good morning" Lung said sunnily as he stood up, "I packed you lunch as well. Hold on"

As Lung retreated back to the kitchen, Liming cautiously sat next to his mother, who was busy eating to even acknowledge her. He felt warmth surround him, as he watched his mother happily dig into the food with gusto. He'd last seen this smile when Night was alive and when she would prepare food for them and sat at the same table as they did right now.

He could practically hear his mother's and twin brother's laughter as Liming would run around the table creating chaos as he always did. He and Night would fight over the bigger chicken piece, or that their mother was favoring Liming when she's preparing lunch for them. Liming loved spicy food, just like his mother whereas Night couldn't even taste it before he complained that his butthole was on fire. Liming would intentionally rope Night into eating spices and laugh as he complained to their mother who would swat at Liming, laughing.

A scrape of the fork against a plate brought Liming back to the present as Lung set his lunchbox between him and his mother on the table. Liming looked at his uncle thankfully as Lung started to serve him breakfast. And that was the exact moment his mother finally lifted her gaze from her breakfast to scream.

"What is he doing here?!" she yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Liming as if he was supposed to be anywhere but there, "He killed my son! Take him away! I don't want to see his face!"

Liming sat, shell-shocked as Jam grabbed her plate and threw it on the floor—the crash resounding around the room in echoes. A fat tear crawled down Liming's face as he watched his mother's intense display of disgust—she was cursing at him, saying words that he had never heard leave her mouth ever in his life. Jim grabbed her hands as she threw Liming's lunchbox on the floor as well; leaving a wet trail of delicious food that had soiled in seconds. Liming stood up as he grabbed his backpack and ran away from the house.

A sob broke out as he pulled the bicycle out from the stand and started to pedal towards school. Why was he crying over something he had expected since a mile away? His mother hating the sight of him was normal now. She always found some kind of utensil to throw on the floor and today, everything his uncle had made were on the floor. He could still hear her fear and trauma in the way she screamed at him and it broke his heart. He remembered when Night would say that their mother favored Liming over Night and looking at what just happened, he couldn't be any more wrong. Liming paused, a few feet away from the convenience store as he fell on the bicycle and started crying.

If Liming hadn't forced Night to come out with him that night, none of this would've happened. It was all Liming's fault. There was no one to blame for Night's death other than himself. North knew it. Heart knew it. His mom knew it. Hell, even his uncle knew it. They were all blaming him for Night's death and it was the truth. Liming killed Night. Liming killed his own twin brother.