Laying in his bed staring up at the white, textured ceiling of the dorm room above. The little Freshling felt a familiar heavy feeling settling on his chest. It had been awhile since he had received a letter from his home, even longer since he'd gotten a phone call from anyone in his family. Maybe they had really dumped him here to abandon? Biting the inside of his lower lip, he held his breath in an attempt to keep the tears from gathering in his large eyed, but the sting still came and he quickly snapped his eyes closed just as two thick droplets fell down his cheeks. He could hear the heavy breathing of his roommate below and it only served as a reason to keep himself from breaking down completely. Yet the exhale that left him was too shaky and loud to comfort him, and in a flash Momoko was skittering across his bed to the ladder. Quickly make his exit to the room without caring whether he disturbed the other. He just needed a moment to himself.
It was in this half-stumbling down the long hall, with his hands wiping frantically at his eyes to stop the tears that wouldn't, that Momoko found himself in a bathroom. One that was thankfully empty and before the door even swung closed he broke down completely. Ragged sobs tore from his chest and the little Kumiho all but slid down to the tiled floor, his hands covering his eyes and he just let himself sob as loudly as he needed. The tears dampening the palms of his hands. He wanted to go home, but even this young he understood there was no home to welcome him. At least not one that would do so warmly. His mother hated him, after all. She'd never outright said it but he knew it in the way she'd treat his older siblings. He was a stain on his family's appearance of perfection, a sad little burden.
He stayed like that for awhile, letting his normally tightly held composure crumble away until there were no more tears left to fall and his throat felt sore. After that he just sat there, the new silence in the room almost deafening in his large ears. Yet feeling entirely drained, the little Freshling stood and made his way over to the sink to clean off his face. After which he let himself just stare in the mirror, his sad and pained expression slowly softening as he studied himself. He couldn't be like this, no. He would prove them wrong. All of them, and when he came back home after Academy they would be proud of him. He'd make sure of it. So, drying his face and hands, Momoko quickly made it back to his room. A new sense of determination settling within him, something not even his roommate could ruin. At least he hoped not.
Word Count: 487
