floating

shuyaki

bao stared at their ceiling, the feeling of exhaustion and tiredness gnawing at their chest. for the first time in months, their insomnia kicked in.

bao hadn't slept in 22 hours.

though that wasnt awful, at least in bao's eyes, it was much more than usual. it was common for bao to just sleep the day away, having the rest schedule of a cat. but instead, tonight, they couldn't sleep. though, it did give them time to think.

today hawks couldnt meet them, he was busy with a mission that he couldn't tell bao about. something along the lines of "i legally can't disclose mission information, sorry, mai".

their mind instead traveled to that trip to the highway, a week and a half ago. that night was so nice and calming, much different from their other meetings. usually, they talked and talked, filling up the time they had together. but it was so much silence on that night.

and hawks had helped them, genuinely helped them in a physical way. other ways, he had helped with bao's mental state. though the edge of a building was still slightly tempting, the urge had died down. the feeling of being wanted occupied a small part of bao's heart. bao had a friend.

since that night, bao had applied to the small kitchen. after running a background check, bao yakemai was hired. they had a job, a place to spend their time outside of their own apartment complex. they has responsibilities.

their first shift was tomorrow morning, but of course the nerves ate away at them, causing insomnia to kick in. it was so tiring, staring at the slightly textured ceiling and doing absolutely nothing. there was nothing to do, nothing that would fill time quickly.

so instead, bao continued to lay, sighing every few minutes while their heavy eyes refused to close. they glanced at their alarm clock, a bright 5:08 am shining back at them. five hours until their shift started. even if they did get sleep, if wouldn't be near enough to give them the energy for a work day, but they knew they wouldn't fall for a while.

~~~

nine am. bao had about an hour until their shift started, the build up of stress throughout the morning being near its peak, absolutely overwhelming.

currently, the young adult was scrubbing water out of their hair from a shower, the steam in the bathroom causing the mirror to fog and the counter to be slightly wet. bao liked burning showers.

they didnt have a work uniform, instead having to dress in comfortable but airy clothes; they would be working a hot kitchen after all. from what they knew, they'd be working with various meats, the restaurant being more of a barbeque spot.

rather than letting their mind wander on what the day would bring, they instead concentrated on grabbing the things they needed. their phone, house keys, wallet, all good. as far as they knew, nothing else was needed. so, they left home.

the restaurant was downtown, a little over 10 blocks away. it wouldn't be an awful walk, but certainly more than bao had gotten in weeks. while exiting the complex, bao's eyes wandered to the concrete a few feet down.

that's where their body would have been a month ago.

no, no, their thoughts couldnt wander so early in the morning. bao shook their head, hair falling in their eyes as they walked further and faster, desperate to reach the next block.

~~~

as they approached the kitchen, bao's phone in their pocket buzzed. pulling it out, the screen illuminated and bao saw hawks' contact name stretch across the screen; he had texted them.

keigo: have a good first day at work, you better be happy i found that place for you!
9:48 am

bao stopped. he put in the effort to message them. though it was small, it was kind and meant a lot to bao. they smiled, pushing open the door to their new workplace.