Makoa had his fair share of good nights and bad nights when it came to sleep. There were times when he could drift off effortlessly, enjoying dreamless nights that left him feeling completely refreshed. Those were the nights when he woke up ready to take on whatever the day may bring.

But not every night was so easy. Sometimes, his dreams would turn into a chaotic replay of his past trauma from his old school, full of nightmares that seemed to have a life of their own. These dreams would drag him back to a place where he could practically smell the harsh chemicals in the air and hear the unsettling sounds of arguments and distress. On the nights when he was caught in the grip of these nightmares, he would toss and turn until he woke up with a start. Even now, as he shot up in his bed, he could feel his back burning and his throat tightening as if his life was being snuffed out.

His eyes trailed around the room, looking to ground himself. But all he could see was darkness and eventually Caleb’s sleeping form across from him. He was fine, he was in his dorm room and there was nothing to worry about. Yet his heart was still beating wildly within his chest, as if it would bust out like an alien and run off into the distance. Cyrus lowered his face into his hands, rubbing at his eyes that held tears he didn’t even know he had shed. His hands moved then through sweat soaked hair and an even more soaked shirt.

Cyrus made a face of disdain as he picked at his clothing. He muttered softly to himself a few choice words. He considered just going back to sleep but that wasn’t going to happen. He could smoke but he didn’t think he had a single stick left and judging by the clock it was far too late to shower, again. It was well past one in the morning. No one would be up right now.

No one would be up…

That was a thought. It took him a good moment to work up the courage to leave his bed as quietly as possible. For once, he didn’t want to wake Caleb who had dealt with his nightmares far too many times. Poor guy should be allowed to sleep comfortably in his own bed for once, without waking up to find his best friend snuggled up next to him. Moving to his bag that rested across the room, he would unzip it slowly and carefully. Afraid the sounds might be too loud and would, on occasion, stop to check that Caleb was still out. Seeing he was good to go, he checked the bag for cigarettes. He found one, which was a surprise to say the least.

Now he had the idea to crack the window open as he usually did but the smell could also stir his best friend and the need for a shower was creeping up on Cyrus. Without much thought, he gathered a clean set of clothing that wasn’t drenched, packed the cigarette in the folds of his chosen fresh gear and soap stacked on top. Turned one final time and crept out of the dorm room. Shutting the door softly and waiting. No sound came from his room. Cyrus then let out a sigh of relief and began his journey to the bathrooms.

It wasn’t a long one but it sure as hell was a heart rattling one. He could run into a teacher at any moment or even that janitor. But, as luck would have it he didn’t meet a single person on the way. Even in the bathrooms, he saw no one and the showers - as he thought - were completely empty. ”All right.” He told himself. ”Make it fast. In. Out. Back in the room…after a smoke…”

Within minutes, Cyrus chose his stall, tossed his clothing on the nearby chair and hopped in. He was making pretty good time getting cleaned and just maybe, he had lost track of time. It wasn’t until he heard a noise near the door to the bathroom that he panicked. Quickly shutting off the shower and grabbing a towel. Trying to try himself off as quick as possible, yoinking on his boxers, the shorts he brought and - wait, where the hell was his shirt? Where the heck was his pile of soiled clothing?

A slow and low fuck left him as a whisper,  now he wasn’t sure what to do. Did he put them somewhere else? Was someone in here with him all ready? He could make a run for it and then what? He knew for sure as hell that he wasn’t about to say, Hello, like some damn horror film side character. That's how bitches got stitches - or worse.

To leave his clothing behind that might be questioned later on or book it out of here and hope he ran into no one without his shirt - which was a horrifying idea. So, he choose to wait and see what might happen. Perhaps he was being paranoid and no one was around and if no one was - he would go back to his dorm and back to his bed before Caleb noticed he was missing.

If someone was here, he was screwed beyond belief.