Tick tock.

The sound of the clock in the kitchen was growing loud in Aion’s ears.

Before, the sound of a record had covered the sound, but now that everything else had grown silent, there was nothing to stop it from making itself known.

It was grating in his ears.

Tick tock.

He sat up, staring in the direction of the kitchen. Usually, even with no music to drown it out, Crow’s endless talking, singing or guitar-playing would be there, a constant noise that had originally annoyed him to no end.

Now that he wasn’t there, the silence was deafening. 

Tick tock.

Every second that passed made his ears twitch uncomfortably. Even from so far away, the clock didn’t let itself be forgotten.

Tick tock.

He shot to his feet, taking quick strides, bordering on running, toward the kitchen.

Tick tock.

Quickly pulling the clock off the wall, he ripped the batteries out of the back. He threw the clock in the trash with more force than intended, the sound of the protective glass on the front cracking loud in his ears.

 

Then, finally, the apartment was completely silent.

Aion wandered back into the livingroom, falling face first into the couch. He closed his eyes, and for a few minutes, he found solace in the silence. But the longer he laid there, the more deafening the sound of his own thoughts reverberating in his skull became.

The complete silence was too loud, too overwhelming, making his thoughts stand out too much.

With a groan, he found his phone, connecting it to a bluetooth speaker. Music filled the room, giving him something to focus on. Something that unlike the sound of the clock was less jarring, something much softer.

He finally found himself relaxing.

-

“Hey, Aion, why’s the clock in the trash?”

Aion opened his eyes, finding Crow’s figure illuminated by the sunset. The music had stopped again, but this time, Crow’s voice pushed the silence to the side.

“A God has no need to keep time,” he said, but when Crow kept staring at him, he looked to the side, fidgeting with his hair. “...It was too loud.”

It didn’t look like Crow quite understood, but when he dropped down on the seat Aion made available next to him he looked like he was thinking something over. A moment later he spoke again.

“Wanna get a digital clock instead?”

Aion’s eyes turned toward Crow. He gave a slow nod.

The smile was wide on Crow’s face. “Cool! Let’s go shopping this weekend!”

 

After that, the silence was no longer pressing at him from all sides, pushed aside by the sound of Crow’s voice as he told him about everything that had happened throughout his day.

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