Loud And Clear (boyxboy)

Quiet Mornings

Fun fact from your author! Did you know that when you hear a ringing in our ears that is the sound of a cilia dying and you will NEVER hear that particular tone again. :O

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William remembered when it first happened.

He'd opened his eyes in the morning, just like always and laid in bed, not moving.

It was such a quiet morning...

Today, unlike any other day, William awoke with his arms twined around someone. His face was tucked into Lucas' soft hair and he knew he could breathe him in all day if he wanted to. The other boy was warm in William's arms and the warmth spread all the way into his chest in a way that made him think he could never feel cold again.

But like everything so far in William's life, a harsh reality was there screaming at him to take notice.

And once William did, it was a wonder that he had managed to ignore it at all.

In fact, the insistent ringing in his ear was probably what woke him. It was there, high and relentless and loud.

It drowned out anything and everything and as William lay there with Lucas in his arms, panic began to fill him.

He could feel it in his body before his mind took any notice; his shoulders tensed. His arms, wrapped around soft naked skin in an embrace, turned into manacles, slowly tightening until Lucas noticed, even deep in sleep.

He shifted and frowned and William realized what he was doing and consciously loosened his hold.

And if Lucas made any noise to accompany the pout on his face, William didn't hear it.

He didn't and he couldn't. Not a thing. Not the shift of the mattress or his own rapid breathing, just the continued, unending ringing.

His heart was beating so hard he could feel it slamming into his ribs, obstructing his air.

The walls were closing in around him and any moment now, Lucas would roll over, open those rich brown eyes and say something clumsy and sweet and William wouldn't hear it.

He wouldn't hear his voice.

William thought he might puke.

He couldn't breathe.

As deftly as he could, William slid his arms free, cringing inwardly when Lucas immediately rolled against him again.

He looked at Lucas, his face so peaceful and open. He wanted to kiss him at the same time that he wanted to run.

But then Lucas' eyes flickered and the decision was made.

William was out of bed so fast the blanket barely settled by the time he was dressed and out the door.

Panic continued to rise, blinding him to things that would be glaringly obvious otherwise. He was almost hit by a car before he even made it to the bus stop, barely heard the screech of tires and blaring horn before the brakes were slammed and his life spared.

Shaken, William sat down on the bench, mind reeling with shock and so slowly that for a moment he thought he was imagining it, the ringing quieted.

For about a minute, the volume dipped lower and lower until all that remained was silence.

William swallowed.

A lump rose in his throat along with tears in his eyes. He didn't care though. He didn't try to stop it, just let them fall until he could see no better than he could hear.