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The ringing in Noli’s ears ostracized as he languidly looked up at the clock on his wall. The equilibrium of gentle silence and the natural stillness of things were undisturbed before it had been broken long ago like an illusion shattered and racked as the wind came by and swept it away, clearing the air of its existence entirely. Noli rested his upper arm on his forehead, and the rest of his body was draped across his bed lazily buzzing with nerves and the summer heat.
Sunlight glistened on the glass counter part of the clock, blinding him each time he even tried to check the time. His mind felt numb and was utterly and completely blank. Noli tried to think back to what he was doing prior to this but it eluded him.
The soft hum of the AC spitting out air reverberated throughout the room, practically whispering in his ringing ears. He propped himself up in his elbows, in an meager attempt to sit up but to no avail.
His head throbbed immensely feeling like a baseball after it had been roughed up by a bat one-too many times. Or maybe it felt like his head was a giant cottonball, soaked in water and weighed down. Maybe a large sandbag; who knows?!
Through all of these analogies one thing remained clear. He needed to get the hell up before he ended up rotting himself to an early grave. Noli pushed himself up to a sitting position. His vision did a somersault, and he immediately fell back down to the bed in a heap. What's with him today?
Is he sick? Was it something he ate? Countless explanations crossed his mind, yet he never seemed to grasp the truth. Perhaps he could say it was one thing and stick with it because that was the easiest way to describe it. But, is the simplest explanation really the most true? Who's to say the problem’s more abstract?
A sharp almost painful ringing snapped him out of his blundering thoughts. Noli gingerly rolled over, and aimlessly searched for his phone through the incessant vibrations being sent out alerting him of a call. His hand grazed over his sheets and layers of blankets before he felt a familiar box shaped device under his blanket. He immediately sat up and scrambled to pull the blanket off, and answered the phone under a facade of calmness.
“Noli!” He flinched upon hearing the volume pound against his ear, and hastily adjusted it; pressing his thumb on the button for volume control,
“Where are you?” 007n7 asked. Noli was about to respomd before 007n7 dramatically gasped. “Are you skipping class again?” A cheerfull, slightly ruffled voice cooed at him.
Noli sighed, plopping back down on the bed with a soft thud, his migraine returning in full like an iron hammer being knocked against his skull.
“No. I was in class today dumbass.” Noli lied. 007n7 never really got pissed off from his lies and found them entertaining if anything. It was a strange mix of annoying and endearing.
007n7 ‘tsked’ from the other side of the phone, and Noli knew he caught onto the lie. “Sure.” He conceded, letting Noli get away with another lie (which was rare since 007n7 had a third sense or some shit for his compulsive lies.) “You free?” 007n7 asked.
Noli stared up at the ceiling and absentmindedly thumbed one of his locs as he considered his answer. “Maybe. Why?” He asked, because he was not tagging along with 007n7 somewhere boring. If anything he wanted to do something fun and about as chaotic as Noli’s sleeping schedule.
“Can we go on a date?”
Noli blushed. He got really flustered when 007n7 said things like that so boldly. So, he did the most logical thing he could in that moment to save him embarrassment from inevitably stuttering. No, he wasn't timid, Noli was dauntless. Except for romantic things. He found himself bashful when it came to that kind of stuff.
Noli hung up the phone immediately. Then he quickly unlocked it and sent 007n7 a text agreeing. He let his phone sink into his bed and buried his face in his hands; embarrassment written over him. His phone chimed, the sound cutting through all his ailments and alerting him of the one thing at the top of his mind.
He moved his hands away from his face, and flimsily tapped on his phone to illuminate the black screen. Noli read the message from his notification wall.
“Campus cafe :3”
Stupid ass fucking text. Noli groaned as he typed out a quick reply expressimg his indignation towards 007n7.
He replied with a laughing emoji. Noli turned off his phone, and stood up; ignoring his headache. He was fine, it wasn't as if he was going to die spontaneously.
A vertigo threatened to send him toppling over, and he stumbled forward, grabbing onto the wall for support. Languidly, he slowly blinked, attempting to blink away the hallucinations of space and his room turning into a mass of stars.
He pressed the palm of his hand flat onto the wall of his room and tried to move forward. He trailes his hand over the textured surface, and stepped forward. He could see himself moving forward in third person, but he didn't feel like he was moving.
Was he high or did he have a fever?
The latter, he decided. Noli didn't remember smoking or eating any edibles unless he was secretly drugged. However if he was, he probably wouldve noticed quickly and the…
the..
Thoughts bubbled up in his head, then exploded before they surfaced. A cascade of synchronized popping infiltrating his head, it made it hard to think.
He felt like a fish. He slowly lowered himself to the floor and sat down cross-legged. Noli moved his head to the side, resting on the cool plaster wall. He looked at the oak floor below him, tracing the planks outlines with his eyes.
He decided to check which one he was. He placed the back of his hand to his forehead, feeling the lava-like warmth. It was hot. Was it really summer heat affecting him or..
Noli took off his jacket. Immediately his skin was graced by the cooling sensation of air against his heated limbs.
He stayed in his position against the cold wall and even colder floor. Through muffled thoughts, Noli thought that telling 007n7 that he couldn't make it was the most logical.
He groaned at the thought of getting up he truly didn't want to..
Wordlessly, Noli pushed the palm of his left hand against the cool wooden floor. Feeling its smooth cold waxed planks against his hand was a nice drastic change against the temperature threatening to engulf his body. He pushed down on his hands, attempting to help guide himself up as he stood.
Shakily he stood up. Nausea churning in his stomach. He leaned harder against the wall, slouching as he placed a hand against his mouth. He found back the urge to puke as bile trailed up his throat like a liquid when you suck on a straw.
He gagged slightly, feeling hot warm liquid flush against the inside of his mouth. Stomach acid. He roughly swallowed, grimacing at the taste as he felt the burning liquid trail back down his throat and to his stomach.
His tongue rolled back reflexively and he felt the urge to expunge his insides once more. He closed his eyes, trying to quell the urge. The light spilling in through his window was far too bright. It was pretty, dazzling even but it only made him feel off-center. The sound of his AC pounded against his ears. Grating. The ringing that had been plaguing his ears was replaced by the uncomfortable air spewing out the AC and the shaky ceiling fan ostracizing back in forth–not quite secured properly.
A loud bang broke through his cacophony of sound and feeling. A soft click sliced through them like a blade to bamboo. Noli slowly opened his eyes confused. Was he getting robbed?
He pushed himself away from the wall, stumbling sideways and tripping over himself. The floor began to expand, and it closed in on him like the wall. Blearily, he realized he was falling. He reached out his hands to brace himself. He closed his eyes trying not to see the aftermath of his fall. But it never came. A pair of strong arms latched onto him. He was brought into a hug. The person's hands were cold, comfortable against his heated skin. Their arms were warm, uncomfortably so. However he didnt mind too much.
His head was pulled into the person's chest, and he recognized the decal on their shirt. “O-seven” Noli said, voice raspy. It hurts to speak. His throat uncomfortably sanded against itself. Furthermore, he was sure it would feel the same if he swallowed sand.
He felt one of the cold hands leave his back. He mourned the loss of the cold sensation. He felt his hand press flush against his sweat-soaked forehead. A lovely contrast against his burning skin; he once-more registered.
“No wonder you're so out of it..” 007n7 mumbled.
He felt 007n7 rest his chin on Noli’s head. He hummed softly, the sound vibrating inside his skull like a bunch of bees were swirling around in there instead of his brain. “Lets get you to bed.” 007n7 said. He slid his hands down Noli’s body, hooking them under his arms. Noli shook his head stubbornly, the action making his brain shake against the inside of his skull. Somewhat akin to shaking a water bottle full of ice.
“No” Noli said, closing his eyes. He felt 007n7’s jaw move, a signal he was about to talk. Noli shook his head, adamantly refusing before he even got any words out.
“Okay..” 07 said in resignation. “--we'll stay like this for a bit.” He said awkwardly, moving his hands back to Noli's back. Noli hummed in response, relaxing against his chest and shifting his weight against him. Drowsiness began to kick in and the buzzing in his brain ceased. Instead his head felt like an empty aqaurium and he was fine not thinking for a moment or two.