(Self-indulgent and loosely inspired by Hakuouki alarm clock app)
"Hey, are you awake? If you continue to sleep then I'm going to play a prank on you..."
"Hey, you're still not awake yet?" Souji called again, this time sounding a bit more urgent. She was going to be late if she didn't wake up soon.
"Hmm..." she answered the familiar voice that she woke up to every morning. The gentle voice that teased her playfully to open her eyes and greet the day.
"I'm awake now, Souji," she opened one eye, reaching out a hand to hold his, "good morning, and thank you for waking me up again today."
Souji smiled indulgently at her sleepy face, putting a hand on top of her head and ruffling her bed hair.
She giggled in response and quickly looked away from him as she let out a huge yawn, mindful of her morning breath.
Souji looked on with amusement at her rolling and twisting figure as she stretched herself in bed, making lots of cracking noises.
"I wish I could just roll around in bed for the whole day," she sighed, wincing as her back gave a particularly loud crack.
"You always say that every morning, but we both know that's not going to happen today, or any other day..." Souji chuckled, resisting the urge to pull her closer so their bodies would be snuggled up together. He wanted to make her wish come true, and honestly, it was what he wanted too, to be able to spend the day leisurely with her without any interference from the outside world.
But he didn't have the power to stop time from ticking away. "You need to get up now, you have another busy day ahead," he reluctantly nudged her off the bed.
Less than an hour later he saw her off at the door and wished her a good day. As she hurriedly disappeared behind the closed door, he wondered if she was going to have a good or bad day today. He wished that he could face the day together with her instead of having to wait around for her return in the evening.
"Hey, isn't it time to sleep now? Wouldn't want you to be sleepy and overslept tomorrow, right?"
"I know, another five minutes, alright?"
Souji sighed inwardly. From the look on her face, he didn't think five minutes would be enough. He heard her breath hitched and automatically his hand reached for the tissue box.
As of late, that was what she had been doing, losing herself in tv dramas. She used to tell him about many things, like a secret that was only shared between the two of them. But lately, it was as if she didn't want to talk about anything, preferring to bury her own story under the layers of the dramas' plots, where she would rather let the characters on tv speak their lines, while she kept her own words silent.
He couldn't deny the feeling of loneliness that had been creeping into his mind. Their time together was quietly slipping away from his grasp. He wondered if there was something more he could do, or something else he could say in order for things to return to the way they once were.
He had gotten used to having her in his world, without realizing that her world was spinning faster than his. Was he going to be left behind and replaced in the end? Perhaps she didn't need him anymore in her world.
"Goodnight, Souji." Her tender kiss on his cheek pulled his thoughts back to the present. Darkness had fully enveloped the room, and he reached out his arm to pull her closer towards his chest. He liked it when she was within his reach, it made him feel like he had only been imagining the growing distance between them.
She sighed contentedly as she snuggled into his embrace, resting her tired head on his shoulder, and burying her face into his neck. Souji closed his eyes, taking in her warmth, feeling that they fit together perfectly, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
A minute of silence passed between them before she abruptly pulled away from his arms. "It's too hot," she said, rolling away from him. "Goodnight, Souji."
Cool air rushed into the empty space within his embrace that she just vacated. Souji stared at her back, reminding himself that it was indeed hot as it was in the summer. She was still within his reach, but it felt like an invisible gap had widened between them. She was there, but he missed her presence.
Tentatively, Souji touched her arm, trying to bridge their distance. "Hey... am I not enough for you?" he asked in a quiet voice. All the doubts and worries came flooding out with that simple question that he had kept asking in his mind lately. But no matter what her answer was, he wanted her to know that he would always be there for her as long as she wanted him to.
She turned around to face him, frowning slightly at his question before reaching out to hold him.
"I know I get scared, but I want to protect you too.
So, don't disappear, I'll be lost without you.
Don't ever leave, let's stay together until our hair turns grey.
A lifetime is too short, and forever isn't long enough.
When everything ends, I'll be right at the beginning with you again."
