Title: Life Seconds Numbering
Day/Theme: 23rd September/"To Aurora, not to hurry"
Series: Love Mode
Character/Pairing: Seiichi/Tomoki
Rating: PG-13/12
In the night time, after Tomoki has slipped out from underneath Seiichi and cuddled into his side, Seiichi often lies awake. He watches Tomoki all he can, because too soon - it's always too soon, whether it's fifty days or fifty years - he won't be able to see it any more.
He fell in love with Tomoki's smile and it's always there, even now, utter tranquillity stretched over pale lips. Tomoki stirs a little when Seiichi drifts his fingers over it, but only snuggles closer.
"I love you," Seiichi says into the darkness. The only sound he hears is Tomoki's breathing, deep and slow enough that Seiichi's heart catches between each one.
The clock by Tomoki's bed, the weird cartoon character one on his bedside table, ticks unnaturally loudly. For one terrible, arresting second, Seiichi believes he can hear Tomoki's heartbeat in it and he hears - no, imagines - the clock stopping. Tomoki snorts in his sleep - not noisily, just the soft snuffle of a restless boy - and the moment breaks, his raw terror smashing messily as if it had faced the dawn instead of three o'clock. Tomoki doesn't want to die, but he has accepted it; Seiichi has not. Seiichi hasn't known Tomoki long enough, but then, forever wouldn't be long enough. Every moment more is one moment less.
The clock's ticking drives him mad, every single night. If Seiichi had his way, he would have broken it against the wall long ago. If Seiichi had his way, he would stop every clock in the world. However, though time is a human invention, it still passes; besides, Tomoki loves that clock. It's the last thing he has of his childhood. Seiichi can stand a little noise.
But in the night time, after love, Seiichi has to lie awake and listen to it ticking Tomoki's life away.