"They're going to get dirty sooner or later. Come on."

Live a little lingers at the back of his throat and he swallows it down. He wishes he could afford himself the luxury of pretending Shino's never left--even if that's what Shino truly has experienced. He wishes for the nights of crying that have ended in a hoarse voice and a pounding headache to have been merely a bad dream.

He leans against the foot of the bed, arms outstretched on either side as he allows himself to flop backward, the mattress bouncing under his weight with a squeak that belies its age.