Work Text:
A young hyena and boar pair cuddles close in bed as they sleep soundly. The boar rests his head on the hyena’s uncovered chest. Being peacefully rocked by his gentle breathing until he suddenly starts to shiver and gasp. Struggling to breathe, he grips the hyena's fur tight as he starts to shake and pant on top of him. The hyena wakes up alarmed, bringing his hands to his lover’s face and calling out his name. After an agonizing minute, the boar finally manages to recover his breath and stop trashing. Opening his eyes and giving his lover an unfocused gaze as he responds, still disoriented. The hyena hugs him close. Nuzzling him softly as he breathes in relief. The boar weakly hugs back. Whispering small reassurances in his ear as he nuzzles too.
Death bed (Coffee for your head)
[ Song by: Powfu ]
[ Lyrics by: Powfu ]
[ MV by: Glagger_True ]
“Don't stay awake for too long, don't go to bed. I'll make a cup of coffee for your head. I'll get you up and going out of bed”
The hyena couldn't sleep for the rest of night. And the boar didn't have energy to get up in the morning. Deciding to pamper him to help him up, the hyena goes downstairs and makes a cup of coffee for each. Once he's back, the boar smiles and thanks him. Already perking up from the sweet gesture and managing to get up once he drank his sweet coffee.
“Yeah, I don't wanna fall asleep, I don't wanna pass away. I've been thinking of our future 'Cause I'll never see those days”
As their day starts and they meet up with their friends in the dining room, they start to talk and make plans for the day together. But even though he smiles at them, the boar keeps thinking about his sudden attack. Failing to keep a frown out of his face when they're not looking as he reflects on the short time he has left and wishing that wasn't the case. Thinking about a future with them and his lover he'll never have.
“I don't know why this has happened, but I probably deserve it. I tried to do my best, but you know that I'm not perfect”
His thoughts turn darker as he starts to think on all the arguments they had. He thinks about how the distance they were forced to take from each other in the past and his own secret schemes have made him bitter, cruel and incapable of understanding his hyena. Of loving him how he deserves no matter how much he tries. And that he deserves better than that.
“I've been praying for forgiveness, you've been praying for my health
When I leave this earth, hoping you'll find someone else”
He thinks about the many times he wanted to come clean about everything and beg for his forgiveness. And how he would give up each time because he would see the sadness in his eyes as he hoped that somehow fate could be avoided. So the boar would stay silent instead, and hope that any of their friends could offer him the happiness he never would once he was gone. As they had done many times in the past when he wasn't chosen.
“'Cause, yeah, we're still young, there's so much we haven't done
Getting married, start a family, watch your husband with his son”
Despite that, he couldn't stop himself from dreaming. From going back to happier thoughts and thinking about all the things he wished he could have. Having their first date, telling their parents they were together, having their first anniversary, asking his hyena to marry him in the very same place they met, moving in a home of their own together, maybe starting a family of their own if they decided that and growing old together with their kids.
“I wish it could be me, but I won't make it off this bed
I hope I go to heaven, so I see you once again”
But dreams would always end. And reality would always crash down. The only comfort he had was the certainty that when it was all over, he would still wake up and meet his beloved again. In that same place. In that same time. His heaven. Their heaven. The place they would always go back to together to meet up once again.
“My life was kinda short, but I got so many blessings
Happy you were mine, it sucks that it's all ending”
Suddenly, his thoughts are broken by the feeling of a warm hand on top of his. Looking to the side, he locks gazes with his lover, who gives him a worried glance. Looking around, he notices that his other friends are also staring worriedly. He gives them a smile and reassures them, telling them he'd like to spend the day with them today. They smile and agree. And as the day passes by with them doing a variety of activities around the manor together, the boar’s smile grows. He will have a sad ending, and that will never be good. But he did have a blessed life for one that deserved nothing good. And for that, he's thankful.
“Don't stay awake for too long, Don't go to bed. I'll make a cup of coffee for your head, I'll get you up and going out of bed, yeah.
And I, don't stay awake for too long, Don't go to bed. I'll make a cup of coffee for your head, I'll get you up and going out of bed”
As the end of the day comes and their friends say good night and retire for the evening, the two lovers remain together. They know going to bed late isn't good with how tired the boar already is thanks to the disease, but both are afraid that one of them might not wake up if they go. After drinking another cup of coffee each for one last extra burst of energy for the day, both move to the garden to lay down and watch the stars together. Hand in hand. And as a single shooting star crosses the sky above them, they make one single wish together.
“Yeah, I'm happy that you're here with me, I'm sorry if I tear up. When me and you were younger, you would always make me cheer up”
Suddenly, the boar starts to cry. Overwhelmed by the reality he finds himself in. Startled, the hyena turns to him to ask what's wrong. The boar just smiles and reassures him they are happy tears. And apologizes that he can't help it but remember their past sometimes and cry. He starts to thank the hyena for everything and nothing all at once. For just being there for him in the past and in the present even though he can't be there for him in the future.
“Taking goofy videos while walking through the park, You would jump into my arms every time you heard a bark”
They both start to reflect on their past together and laugh. They remember how they would play together in the park near their homes and pretend they were anything their little minds could imagine. Explorers, pirates, movie characters, heroes. And how the hyena would scream in fear and hug the boar tight whenever he heard a bark because he'd fear it came from the wolf that was once an enemy rather than a friend now.
“Cuddle in your sheets, sang me sound asleep. And sneak out through your kitchen at exactly 1:03”
They talk about their sleepovers at the hyena's house. How they would stay up late eating junk food and talking about the things they liked. How they would complain when the hyena's parents came into the room to tell them it was time to brush their teeth and sleep. But would still obey and cuddle close under the sheets once they left the room. How they wouldn't sleep and just kept talking until the boar would get hungry again and convince the hyena to sneak around the kitchen with him just to eat more before finally sleeping peacefully together, listening to the other breathe.
“Sundays went to church, on Mondays watched a movie. Soon you'll be alone, sorry that you have to lose me”
They talk about how once they were taken to a cathedral during a school trip for art class. And how the boar made fun of all the angel and demon statues to make the hyena giggle. They talk about how they both would go to the movie theater together sometimes to watch movies after school. And how they would go home talking about how good or bad the movie was to them. By the time they're done reflecting, the hyena is crying, too. They hug each other close, bringing their foreheads together for comfort. Then, they kiss deeply. Softly. Conveying all the things they can't bring themselves to say because they're too painful to acknowledge. All the apologies and I love yous they'll never get to say. Once the tears stop, they decide to finally go to sleep.
“Don't stay awake for too long, Don't go to bed. I'll make a cup of coffee for your head, I'll get you up and going out of bed.
And I, don't stay awake for too long, Don't go to bed. I'll make a cup of coffee for your head, I'll get you up and going out of bed.
Don't stay awake for too long, Don't go to bed. I'll make a cup of coffee for your head, I'll get you up and going out of bed.
And I, don't stay awake for too long, Don't go to bed. I'll make a cup of coffee for your head, I'll get you up and going out of bed.
And I, don't stay awake for too long, Don't go to bed. I'll make a cup of coffee for your head, I'll get you up and going out of bed.”
The following days follow the same loop. But the boar looks worse and worse each morning. Regardless, he keeps on smiling anyway. Drinking coffee and then spending time with his friends and lover as the looming threat of death coming from the woods and the end result of the boar's own schemes drew ever closer. Eventually, hell itself breaks loose upon them all, and tragedy brings an ending to their story in all pages that were ever written. The boar is forced to watch his beloved and his friends die over and over before him as he had many times before. And is forced to dream of it when he inevitably sleeps between each new reality he's forced to face again and again as he attempts to change it for what is by now an immeasurable number of attempts. Eventually, however, a miracle happens. His lover remembers. Just like he can. No, better than he can. And through that miracle, the boar finally sees his lover and his friends live past him. Leaving one final letter to his beloved where he finally gets to tell him everything that he never could before sleeping again with a smile on his face. Knowing that just like always, he would wake up once again. And that there would be sweet coffee and a goofy grin waiting for him when he did.
…
It was 8am. Time to get up for the young little boar as usual. It was winter, and he was very excited. It was his first winter in his new home, and he decided that his gift this christmas would be what he wants most, a friend. He got dressed at a lighting pace. Covering himself with what was essentially an armor of padding against the cold outside and his shiny new scarf that his mom had just bought for him to keep him warm. He goes downstairs and says good morning to his parents. Happily eating his breakfast and drinking his version of the weird ‘coffee’ drink his parents had allowed him to try yesterday. The normal version adults drank was bitter and awful, and he couldn't understand why anyone would like it. So he decided to fix it by making it sweet with a lot of milk and sugar! It tasted great then. And it made him feel excited afterwards. Once he was done, he zoomed outside and got to work on his new friend. Only to end up sad and disappointed a few minutes later at how difficult it was to make one. Was he just not able to make one alone? It would be so much easier if he had a…
Suddenly, he heard a noise, and turning to the side, he saw another kid. A small hyena boy that was dressed with the same amount of winter clothes as he was.
And that was when he remembered. That's right. They had new neighbors.