Out of Time
Read this first: If you're under the legal age, that being 18, you should not be here. This story, however, does not contain anything sexual, except for a gay relation thingy that has no penis or whatever in it. It's clean, but if you don't like them faggots, don't read this. Author's Note: This story kind of came to me one day, and I really wanted to write it. Kind of got lazy, so it's done way later than it should have been, but oh well. There's a lesson in this, don't know if people will find it.
- * * "What time is it?" the fox asked. He peered around the room, his eyes slowly adjusting to what little light came in through the blinking alarm clock and glow in the window. He stood up, having seen it was only an hour past midnight, and went to get a glass of water. He opened the blinds while holding the cup, squinting first in preparation. He held one arm up to shield his eyes as the moonlight entered the room, about as bright as daylight. He let his eyes adjust and he stared into the water in the cup, swirled it around, and watched the reflections of the white and blue lights dance around the room. He took a sip. He closed the blinds again and sighed, sitting back on his bed, drinking a bit more of the water. When he was finished, he placed the empty glass on the bedside table, shivered, and crawled back in the covers. A brief glance around the room identified his drawers, tables, mirrors, computer, and other items scattered about. He did not feel like cleaning anymore, though he tried previously. His eyes closed, and he waited. He was not sure what he was waiting for, but he waited and waited. He played across a calendar in his head, counting the days, and he figured that there was only a couple days left, at the most, though he might have just been optimistic. Time was very limited at this point, and everyone knew it. He had only been asleep for an hour, and he was somewhat tired. He quietly opened his bedroom door, sneaked across the living room and into the kitchen, careful not to disturb the one sleeping on the couch. He opened the fridge silently, grabbed an energy drink and opened it as quietly as he could, yet it still made a fairly loud noise. The figure on the couch fidgeted at the noise, but went back to sleep soundly. The fox sighed and walked back to his room quietly, closing the door without a sound, and turning on a light after placing a towel at the bottom of the door to make sure the light did not escape and only parts of the sound could make it through. He sat down on his bed and took a few sips of the drink, waiting for it to come into effect. He was not really thirsty, but he felt he needed to stay awake. A clipping from a newspaper sat on his desk amongst other things, so he picked it up and looked over it again like he did hundreds of times before to remind himself that it was all real. A picture showed the moon, much smaller than it was now. Next to it was a meteor, generic in shape and size. The newspaper spoke of the meteor colliding with the moon, throwing it off its rotation, and setting it on its slow decent to Earth. They calculated that everyone had about two months left at the most, give or take a few days. As time passed by, the moon grew brighter, or at least seemingly brighter. It got larger and larger progressively, a large circle of death in the sky. Panic arose, and then, anarchy. Electricity shut off for the most part, and so did servers and broadcasting stations. Everything seemed to halt except for sewage systems and plumbing. For some reason, they figured that if they only had a month or so left to live, they might as well do so in a clean fashion. Still, generators were the way to go. Many were already dead, especially the ones living in the coastal areas. As the moon got closer, the ocean got higher and more violent. Tyler lived in what used to be a mountain area, but now there is a cliff drop to the ocean, all of the houses and bodies still swirling in the eddies below. Some buildings were still visible, especially the taller ones, but most were gone. Some escaped the tides, though. They had to move somewhere else, somewhere further inland. One such fur was sleeping in the couch in the living room. Tyler had known him for several years prior to the recent events. They were very close friends, almost inseparable. When his home was destroyed, Tyler offered for him to move in, although the house was pretty small. He sighed softly and set the article back on the desk. He looked toward the window, staring at the closed blinds. It was impossible for light to go through them. That was one of the first problems that arose as the moon fell, and it was the first they could solve. Several attempts had been made to keep the moon away, and even destroy it, but everything seemed to fall short. So everyone waited for the end of the world. The crime rate started to drop when furs began to feel as if it no longer mattered to have televisions and electronics when there was no electricity. Food was stolen infrequently, but generally, no one cared too much. It was as if the population was in a trance, hypnotized by their inevitable death. The sudden confrontation freaked everyone out, but now things were calm. Some were moving underground. Some thought it was futile. Some spoke of it as punishment for their sins. Some thought that it was an attack on the Earth. No one could really say for sure, but it was generally accepted that everyone that is on the surface when the moon hits is going to die. The approximate time they had left was either by the end of that day or the next, or at least that was what they calculated. He pondered what to do until that time, because if there was anything he ever wanted to do, he had best do so by tomorrow, or before then. He took another sip and shook his head slowly, trying to wake up a bit more. He heard the sound of a can opening in the kitchen. He figured Matt was awake. He shrugged it off and stared at the can, counting breaths and seconds to pass the time, unable to come up with a proper course of action. He thought back and wondered if there really was anything he wanted, and he set up a list in his head. None of them seemed important to him anymore, and the list began to shrink back down. His ears picked up a couple footsteps, and then a knock on the door. He said, "Come in," and the door opened. A white fox entered, holding an energy drink as well, the tab bent off to the side. "Hey, Tyler. Couldn't sleep, either? I guess it's alright if we don't... might as well watch the fireworks, huh?" the white fox said. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the far corner as Tyler nodded. "Yeah, the best fireworks the world will ever see. Not too much time left now. I bet most of the world is awake right now." They sat in silence a few minutes, slowly opening the blinds little by little, letting their eyes adjust to the light. Tyler spoke up a little, though softly, "It's weird, isn't it? It's so bright, and yet everything feels so cold now." His voice sounded as if he were in wonderment at it. Matt nodded. "Yeah. That's because it's the moon, right? Water levels rise, the light of the moon doesn't generate as much heat as the sun... all that stuff. I mean, we're very coastal now, so no doubt it'd be colder. Besides, it's night right now." With a soft chuckle, the orange fox laid back. He stared up at the shadows on the ceiling, blending in with much of the night. "Guess you're right. So how long do you think we have?" After a moment of thought, Matt said, "I think maybe a few more hours. They tell us it'd be a day or two before it happens, but I think they're only saying that to make it a surprise, so we don't get all riled up or anything. Not like it matters, since it's the end of the world and all." Tyler sat up, grabbed some clothes and put on a jacket. Puzzled, his friend asked, "Where are you going?" A smile played across his muzzle as he responded, "We are going to the cliff-side. We can watch the show outside, like we should. Got a couple of sunglasses when it enters the atmosphere, too. What do you think?" Matt shrugged and agreed. "Sure. Might as well, nothing else to do anymore." The two of them grabbed whatever they could to keep warm and headed outside. They entered the only car that had fuel and drove off around a mile in silence, following the side of the cliff until there was a flat enough opening for them to park and sit at. First, Tyler sat down, and then he patted the spot next to him and stared out into the ocean. He saw the water glitter and glisten, like dancing stars, waving at them, beckoning them, as if wanting an embrace. He shook his head slowly, putting the morbid thought aside. He looked up and saw the sky full of stars, clouds of light strewn across every which way. The white fox sat down and commented, "You're all quiet. What's up?" With a low voice, as if not to disturb anything, the orange fox responded, "This is probably the last time I ever get to do this, y'know? Only way to get out of this is a miracle, and I think those are out of style these days." Matt nodded. "No doubt. Well, shall we put on our super-awesome end-of-the-world glasses? Don't want to miss this for the world." He grinned. Tyler smirked. "Alright. Here's yours, and here's mine. Might as well put them on now, that way when it happens, it happens and we won't miss a thing." They both placed the sunglasses over their eyes, ridding themselves of most of their sight, save the moon itself and some particularly bright stars. The ocean looked fuzzy, but little light could be gathered, since it danced around a bit. A sigh escaped the orange fox's maw. "Hey, do you remember all those times in high school? Where they kept saying that the comet would never hit the moon, and we all just went on without knowing this would happen?" Matt nodded. "Yup. Can't really forget something like that. I mean, who would've guessed that the world was going to end so soon? We thought we were invincible. Now we know different... I'm invincible, and the rest of you aren't." With a laugh, Tyler pushed Matt playfully to the side. "Yeah, sure. So, Mr. Invincible, what're you going to do when the rest of us are gone? It'd be awfully lonely for you to just dick around all infinity." Thoughtfully, the white fox said, "Well, I'll just have to make a device to clone myself. Then I can have an army of me walking around. Who better?" Tyler gave a sigh under his breath. "Yeah... might take you some time on that one." He paused for a moment. "Hey, what about that chick that was always chasing you around in school? You could save her and start the species back up from scratch. It'd technically be your duty to do so, you know." Matt rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, her. Well, I guess I could. I think she was wiped out with the other coastal areas, though. And I guess it would be my duty... which would make it feel like a chore, and I don't think I would do it at that point. Besides...." Tyler waited half a minute before inquiring. "Besides what?" "Oh, huh? What? Nothing. Sorry, just kind of got lost there," was the response. The orange fox shrugged. After a moment, he asked, "If this whole thing blows over and we are saved, what's the first thing you would do?" Matt laughed. "Who, me? Hell, I'd sleep for a week. Or a month. I haven't been getting much sleep at all, but then again, I don't think anyone has. They'd probably take out a while week or two just to give everyone time to sleep, like an international holiday. How about you?" Tyler smiled. "I think I'd try to fix a few things. After the announcement, I found out we didn't have much time anymore. I couldn't do what I wanted to. First thing I'd do, though, is probably go back to school. I kind of miss all the people now." His friend nodded. "Yeah, I hear you there." A cloud moved past much of the moon, casting a large shadow on the two, although they still got some light. "Hey... just wondering, but if you had a choice to be with anyone in the world right now, before we all die, who would it be?" Matt made an odd sound, as if in thought. "Hm... that's a tough one. Can't just lay a question on me like that without an example. You go first while I think." Tyler looked off to the side out of instinct. "Well... I think I'm alright right now." Matt looked over at Tyler and quirked a brow. He smiled lightly aside to himself, and said, "Oh? I'm that awesome, right? I mean, who wouldn't want to hang out with me?" The orange fox nodded and looked over at him, smiling. "Yeah... but, what I'm trying to say is... I don't think there'd be anyone else in the world I'd rather spend time with than you. I, uh... can't say it." He looked away and they both fell silent for a few minutes. He blushed furiously under his fur and was glad there was no lighting for his friend to see it, even if he could discern the two colors. He felt very warm all of a sudden, and part of him wanted to run away at that moment. He felt something on his paw and looked over. A limb attached to a white fox he knew was on it, a paw on his paw, and he looked up quizzically. He was met with a lick on the cheek and a whisper that said, "Me too." Tyler half smiled, half frowned. Part of him wanted to cry out of happiness at the words, and yet part of him wanted to cry from frustration. "Wait, what?" was his only response. Matt laughed and said, "Sorry, I guess that came out a bit weird. I just... really like you, and all that stuff. Kind of... love you, a bit more than a friend. Have for a long time, just didn't think of saying anything about it until you asked that question. Well, never really worked up the courage to." The red fox blushed, and then furrowed his brows. "So you've felt this way for a while, then? You should've told me!" The white fox snorted. "Pfft, you should've told me, instead! I didn't tell you ‘cause I was waiting for you to tell me. In either case, I'm innocent." Tyler bit his lip. "So we've wasted all this time, and yet... ugh. Why do we find out now?" Matt nosed at him. "Probably because we have nothing to lose, even if we did say it. We're all about to die, anyway. I mean, look." He pointed toward the moon. "It's starting to enter." They looked at the moon, beginning to glow orange as fire raced across its surface. They could only see a circle of fire spreading out, growing larger and larger as time passed, increasing in speed. Tyler commented, "Looks like the fireworks have begun." He turned his paw over and held the white one in his. "Maybe... if there were more time...." Matt had taken his sunglasses off and was looking over at him. The fire had started to give off enough light that they could see each other. "Yeah, but no sense worrying about that, right? We're here right now." The orange fox shook his head and looked over. "But if we had known...." His sentence was ended with just a shake of his friend's head. "No, even then so. It would still happen. We're only two foxes, and this is the end of the world. Nothing we can do about that. Even if we got all those memories and experiences, they'd all be gone, right? I mean, mine would stay, ‘cause I'm invincible and all." Tyler nodded hesitantly. "Guess you're right. Now why do you have your sunglasses off? Thought you wouldn't miss this for the world." Matt simply responded, "You're much more than the world." Blushing, Tyler squeezed the paw in his. He glanced at the moon cautiously, careful to keep whatever he saw in the sunglasses. The moon was entirely engulfed in flames, growing seemingly larger as it filled the sky. Clouds were being pushed away as it fell. The ocean seemed to rise like a tower toward it. "It's almost time," Matt whispered in his ear. Tyler nodded and looked over at Matt and noticed he was smiling. He quirked a brow, wondering how he could be smiling at a time like this, before he noticed he was doing so, as well. A large roar filled the night as the sounds of the moon finally reached them. They folded their ears back, and laughed. A little closer, and they were nose to nose. A large bang, and they had locked lips, kissing deeply. They broke the kiss at the sound of a large splash. The tide had begun to churn and had risen almost at their level. They peeked over at the moon, now at the horizon, and a large dust cloud was headed their way, accompanied by a giant tidal wave. They looked back at each other, both still smiling, and crying at the same time. Matt said, "And here... we... go...." They kissed once more, before the waves crashed over them.