All I Have to Give

Chapter One: Like Sandpaper

It was cold and dark in the water, even with his eyes open. He could barely make out the animals swimming around him without a care in the world. In some way, it was almost soothing, but the further he sank, the more he tried to swim up, clawing and kicking desperately in a vain attempt to break free of the water's hold on him.

Every time he did manage to get closer to the surface, barely making out the blurred outline of someone familiar to him, his hands desperately reached out towards them, silently pleading for help. They never grabbed his hand, only watching him struggle against the ocean as he began to sink further and further down again.

Some part of him briefly thought about giving up, letting his lungs fill with water and his last taste be salt. Just as the thought crossed his mind, however, he sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes opened, adjusting to the darkness of his bedroom.

He remained still for a moment, letting his body register the cold draft that settled over him and the pain in his back that signaled he'd been laying on it for far too long. Slowly, he turned to glance over at his wife, who had stolen the covers from him, filling the quiet room with her faint snoring and occasionally muttered words that he couldn't quite decipher.

Oh, he silently thought, carefully sitting up and resting his feet on the cool floor, staring idly at the red numbers of his alarm clock that only served as a cruel reminder of how much sleep he just lost. Unable to fight back a grimace, he stood up from the bed and carefully grabbed his hoodie that was draped over the dresser, slipping it on as he made his way out of the room and down the hallway, being cautious of every creak that emitted from under his feet.

Eventually, he found his way to the kitchen, thankful for the dim light that broke through the thin curtains covering the window. For just a moment, he stalled his movements, ears picking up the very loud clattering and clanking coming from the garage that only served to sour his mood further.

"He really couldn't have waited until morning...?" his voice came out muttered and almost a bit hoarse. Though, he supposed if he did confront the drunk scientist that currently occupied  his garage about how late it was and how he should have just waited to work on his inventions in the morning, he would say something along the lines of: "It's technically already morning, and last I checked, you don't pay the fucking mortgage."

Or something similar. No doubt, there would definitely be at least some sort of jab at his current unemployment status.

Well, whatever.

Nothing new.

Nothing he wasn't used to...

Shaking his head as a means to not think further on how pathetic that statement was, he opened the cabinet to grab the container of animal crackers he originally came in here for and gingerly shuffled out of the kitchen, heading for his office, where he would spend the rest of his night watching Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, because really, what else was he supposed to do to get his mind off of the hole that had settled in his chest.

+

"What are you doing?"

It took a moment for her voice to register, slowly pulling his attention away from the TV and shifting slightly in his recliner. She was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, a confused look resting on her face.

He probably looked pathetic to her. A grown man watching D&D while eating animal crackers at five in the morning. How much more pathetic could you get?

"I couldn't sleep," he replied quietly, then asking, almost out of courtesy, "I didn't wake you, did I?"

No, of course he didn't. She always got up at five in the morning, but knowing her, the reply would be something related to how the TV was too loud, even though he could barely hear it from where he was currently sitting.