A Moment Too Soon (Yaoi boyxboy)

Nowaki

It was dark, warm, quiet...but unsettling. Something just felt off, but I couldn't do anything about it. It was in the air, swirling around me, getting inside of my lungs and suffocating me. It made my eyes burn, causing tears to well instantly. I was trying to run from it, but I couldn't seem to escape whatever it was, no matter how hard I struggled. I wasn't even moving, which made me feel even more helpless. I could hear something, though...it was quiet, ringing a little.

"...ki..." I caught the edge of a word, but I didn't know what it was. Then a rhythmic pattern followed the word. Three sounds...knock, knock, knock. "...Nowaki?" My eyes fluttered open and I found myself laying on the opposite side of my bed, staring at the wall. I blinked a couple of times before slowly sitting up. My head pounded and I winced slightly, bringing my hand up to my temple. I must have been crying. Something was clutched in my other hand and I looked down to see a paper.

It was Kida's letter. I stared at it for a long moment. Suddenly, there was a knock on my door and my eyes flickered towards it as I jumped a little. As quickly as possible, I folded the paper and put it back into the envelope, then slid it into the notebook next to my bed. As I stood, I wiped my slightly swollen eyes in case of any tears and then walked to the door to unlock and open it. When it swung open, I saw my Mom sanding there.

"Finally up, sweetheart?" She asked me. I glanced back at the alarm clock next to my bed. It was 12:34 already...I had slept half the day away, like usual. I never used to do that...

"Yeah...sorry." I told her. She shook her head and smiled at me.

"It's alright. We all need a little extra sleep sometimes." She had an excuse for me, but she and I both knew I was doing it way too much. I really needed to try harder to keep a better sleep schedule. "I made you some food. I put it in the microwave to keep it warm, but you'll probably have to reheat it anyways."

"Oh, thank you."

"Are you alright?" She looked over me cautiously and I nodded. It wasn't very convincing, but she didn't ask me any further questions. Instead, she replied with, "Well...why don't you go ahead and eat some food, then take a shower and go for a walk or something? You could use a little fresh air."

"I...Alright." I agreed. There was no point in arguing with her about it. She would only convince me to go in the end anyways, and she was right. I needed to get some air. Maybe it would help my headache.

"Alright then." She kissed me on the forehead and then turned away. I watched her walk down the stairs before sighing and turning back to my room. I shut my door again and then looked across my room at the bathroom door. A yawn escaped from me as I headed for the closet in the bathroom cupboard and got one out. After setting it on the counter I stripped my shirt and pants off, then turned on the water.

It took a minute, but the water eventually got warm and I left my hand in its path for a moment to make sure it didn't get too hot. Once I decided it was okay, I stepped in and let it run over my body. My muscles relaxed as I stood there, bringing relief to my tensed body...showers were so nice. After a few minutes passed, I finally got to washing and rinsing my hair, and then last was my body.

When I got out, I hurriedly dried myself and threw on some clothes I found in my drawers. I wasn't sure if they were clean, but they looked semi-folded, so I assumed they were okay. I really needed to try and get room back in order too. I just hadn't been able to gather enough motivation or energy to do it for a long time...it was like that with everything since then. It seemed like I never had enough energy to deal with anything anymore, and I was constantly fighting my emotions. There were times when I didn't even eat because I was so exhausted.

Suddenly I remembered the food my Mom left in the microwave for me. She told me to eat and then shower...oops. I tossed my towel in the hamper and then trotted down the stairs. Once I reached the bottom, and entered the kitchen, I pulled the plate out of the microwave after heating it. I ate my food quickly, and threw what I didn't eat in the trash. After that, I pulled my shoes on and placed my hand on the doorknob. With a small sigh, I called out,

"I'm going out now. Bye, Mom."