tired eyes clenched shut as light flickered over his face. sunlight, whether real or artificial, bombarded his peaceful slumber. oh, how he hated mornings. refusing to give in to the waking world as he's rather bask in sleep, matt rolled away from the offending morning rays with a grumble of defiance and snuggled deeper into his silken sheets. a soft sigh of utter relaxation escaped him at such luxurious comfort. where did cal get the credits to purchase such a delightful item? he'd have to find a way to thank his friend. but first! more snuggling into this almost forgotten comfort. it even felt just like the ones he had back at home…
wait.
groggy and confused matt jolted to a sitting position. ❝cal?❞ half shut eyes blearily scrutinizing his surroundings. this wasn't where he'd fallen asleep last night. his head whipped this way and that as realization slowly settled in. this was his room. the pillowy softness his bed, the soft silken fabric surrounding him his sheets, but more importantly this was most definitely not the mantis. no thin mattress on a creaky cot, no tight cramped spaces, and no shuffling of feet accompanied by bright chirping beeps and hushed noises of an early riser such as cal.
❝❛m not on the mantis…?❞ shocked into awareness and sitting disheveled on his bed in expensive pajamas, matt painted a comical picture of disbelief. he couldn't wrap his head around the months he'd spent alongside cal and bd being reduced to a crazed fever dream. the brutal, traumatizing fall from his reality into a war torn world of the past? the friendship he built with cal and bd-1? their daring, wild misadventures? it couldn't have been a just dream. it'd been too real. he'd felt everything too deeply. every pain, every scratch, every half hug, and high five. the good and the bad.
he'd been so desperate to get back home the entire time, and now that he was, matt found himself missing his friends. he hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye.
still he couldn't understand… had the answer to getting back to his own time been as simple as waking up that entire time?
he sat in silence, hugging a fluffy feather pillow to his chest, trying to recall everything. waiting for it to fade away like dreams often did, but everything stayed vivid and vibrant in his memory. somehow, someway, cal and bd had helped him come back home. after everything he was home.
❝papa. dad.❞ a breathless whisper that carried equal parts joy and excitement. he was home. he could see his parents again. he could hug them. ask his papa questions, eat his dad's food. he'd missed them so much.
matt shoved off the bed at mach speed, a frantic smile on his face as he called out loud enough to shake the walls, ❝PAPA! DAD! I'm home, I'm back! I'M -❞
silken sheets betrayed him. his bare feet touched down on expensive fabric causing him to trip, sending him forwards toward the floor. instinctively, his arms whipped out in front of him, shielding his head from the impending impact. one that never came. confusion flooded him for the second time this morning. a single hazel eye peaked open and took in an all too familiar scene. he was falling, falling, falling.
❝oh kriff, not again.❞ the low groan of defeat rushed passed his ears. well, maybe this time he could stick a better landing, or, if he was lucky, cal would catch him. - @akunaa