My Tears Are Becoming a Sea

A Tree full of Stars

- In which the apathetic boy is gifted something he will soon cherish -

Billions of distant starlight stretching out into the unfathomable expanse of the universe, with twinkling comets like the frosted tip of an icicle, and different planets that showered fire instead of rain. All was far beyond imagination, with the final frontier offering up the gift of uncharted galaxies that seemed to expand towards infinity, and there were no rules except for the ones you made for yourself.
                 Craig was there in all that everything, feeling as if he could reach towards it all with outstretched arms, with a space helmet crafted from caring hands, and a big wide smile that didn't matter how much his crooked teeth showed, because even in the darkness of space, he finally felt free, accepted for all he was and could be.

Yet when he eventually opened his eyes to the sound of his door bursting open, it hitting thickly against the doorstopper, he realized that he was still within the whitely metallic confines of the space station; in his own room in his own bed, with only the twinkling stars and planets being seen from out his window.

Well, there goes the respect of knocking on someone's door.

"Craig! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" His younger cousin cheers, bouncing onto the bed with her twin brother eagerly.

Craig groaned incomprehensibly into his pillow, hoping beyond hope that the irritable response would be enough to signal that he was in fact not ready to wake up from unconsciousness. He was already pulling up the covers as some sort of way to shield himself from the torment of younger family members.

The twins were laughing and giggling much to the older teens demise, and it didn't take long for the two of them to completely rip off any remaining blankets from the bed as Craig was desperately urging them to cease and grant him a mere five more minutes of solitude. However, though the plea was delivered with a touch of vulnerability, it served only to render him more exposed and chilled in the space of his own room. When he sat up with yet another groan, his cousins bounced animatedly on the bed with energy so enthusiastic it had reminded him of what a very special day it was.

"Get out of my roooom!" He shouted, pushing away the smaller figure that attempted to wrestle with him.

His cousin frowned as she was pushed back down on the mattress, then she smiled bright and big as if the previous aggression shown from Craig had been completely forgotten. "But it's Christmas morning!" She wobbled onto her feet then pointed. "You have to wake up! The adults won't let us open presents till you're awake!"

He didn't allow for any time for the words to render themselves, only hearing as if underwater as he glanced down, scowling.

"Cora.." Craig said, completely ignoring what she had been saying and only focusing on the dip of the mattress of which she stood on.

"Yesss?" Cora replied, smile growing wider as she clasped her hands together in faux innocence.

"You have fucking shoes on my bed! You're wearing fucking shoes get off!" He pointed out as he stared at the Velcro covered shoes she was wearing, growing quickly more irritable with the lack of respect and attempting to throw a pillow and knock both of the younger twins down like a pair of bowling pins. They only screamed and giggled as a response, as if it was some sort of fun game instead of impending doom Craig was about to unleash upon them.