Work Text:
At night,
when the stars light up my room
I sit by myself
Talking to the moon
Trying to get to you
In hopes you're on the other side
talking to me too
Or am I a fool who sits alone
talking to the moon?
— Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars
***
Only when it started raining did Li Ming come down the roof of their house. He was already feeling cold, freezing even; he repeatedly rubbed on his arms to create friction, heat. He'd been lying in the middle of the enormous roof, watching how the orange sky turned gray, dark, a blanket of black sprawled to no end, so lost in thoughts that he lost track of time. He'd been there since the sun started setting and now it's only a few minutes away from midnight.
"Li Ming," Wen greeted as he saw Li Ming emerge from the backdoor. He tapped the chair next to him, silently telling Li Ming to sit next to him.
The boy managed to flash a faint smile as he took slow strides toward Wen. He pulled the chair out asking as he sat, "Uncle Wen, why are you still awake?"
"Just needed to finish these,” Wen answered, chuckling as he pointed at the pieces of paper scattered on the table in front of him. “I could not work in your Uncle's room, I didn't want to disturb him. You know he has to wake up early tomorrow."
"Oh, right. I forgot. He asked me to help at the diner tomorrow." Li Ming grimaced as he recalled the number of times his Uncle had reminded him about it— but he forgot, regardless.
P'Praew has a scheduled check-up and is expecting their first child soon, hence, P'Leng, his friend, who typically assisted his Uncle in the diner, would be unable to go.
“Then you have to sleep now, it’s almost midnight. Why were you up on the roof anyway?” Wen asked still, despite knowing the reason why.
He was aware and concerned that the boy was once again bearing the burden by himself. He was filled with questions as he peered at Li Ming, but he dared not ask him for fear that the boy would retract, isolate himself again, and refuse to talk to anybody as he did before. Instead, it was his eyes that spoke for him, gleaming with a mix of question, concern, and perplexity.
Li Ming noticed how Wen looked at him, unable to hold his gaze. He averted his eyes, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment as the same person kept on catching him at the most distraught, confused, and distressed points of his life.
"Uh, I just talked to him a bit," Li Ming’s voice cracked mid-sentence, warm water pooling on his eyes despite his best efforts, feeling a large lump suddenly blocking his throat.
Wen understood; Li Ming didn't need to explain further. He drew the boy close and put a warm, consoling arm around his shoulders as if to reassure him that he had someone to rely on and did not have to bear the anguish alone.
Li Ming— for the first time after the unfortunate incident— allowed himself to break. He cried and wailed, and screamed as he was enveloped by the warmth of an embrace, the silence of the night, and the memories of a lost love.
It's been two months since he lost Heart in a road accident that night. That night… was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives, having been able to make their relationship official, celebrating their first kiss.
Two months and Li Ming still talks to the moon the way they did every night as they sat holding hands on the window sill of Heart's room.
But now, he does it by himself, up the roof along with the chilly breeze of the wind…
***
"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" Li Ming signed before he gathered Heart in his arms, pressing a cloth into his bloodied head.
Heart willed all his remaining energy to sign back, "I can die happy."