connect the dots
ficathon: write your darlings
fandom: prosa; prose: wanderer
characters: crown & orion
prompt von nameonehero
i'm just a curious speck that got caught in the orbit,
like a magnet it beckoned my metals toward it.
make my messes matter,
make this chaos count.
he’s glorious and you are stunned - because you expected everything, because you waited for so long just to get here, to meet him, the point where all the lines collide, all the red strings of fate you collected over the years, they all wrap themselves around him. he isn’t aware of it, because he’s aware of so many things, but not how important he is.
you look at him and some part of you goes oh. you’re the center of my universe.
you’re the one this story is really about.
the thought makes you smile, because you haven’t smiled in a long time and suddenly it is easy, because for the first time in years you feel like you’re in the right place, exactly where you are. even the ghosts are silent, and that doesn’t happen very often - every other moment, it would’ve made you feel weird, the cocoon of silence wrapped around your shoulders where the voices usually are. this is it, you think, and the murmur of voices rings back to you, familiar, comforting.
„hi“, he offers you his hand as a greeting, an exchange, but you back away, because you aren’t sure if you are worthy of touching him yet, if you will ever be. there’s something like disappointment in his constellation eyes, but you can’t really figure it out - why would someone like him be disappointed by someone like you, you wonder? the ghosts don’t understand either.
„it’s nice to meet you“, he ruffles his hair, uncomfortableness clinging to his movement, his body language, like a second skin, „even under circumstances like this.“
people like us can only meet under circumstances like this, you want to say it, but swallow it instead, and it forms a lump in your throat, because he is nothing like you and you are nothing like him. „it’s nice meeting you too“, the words sound unbelievable, even if you mean them, but maybe it’s your curse, because nothing you say ever comes out right, even if language is supposed to be your power, your shield, your sword. most of the time, you feel like an awkward teenager, not like a prophet destined for greatness. the boy smiles, an honest, heartwarming smile.
„my name’s orion“, because of course his name is orion.
„i’m crown“, you reply, and for once it feels easy, „and i’ve been looking forward to meeting you.“ he looks confused, slightly, eyebrows furrowed, and occasionally his gaze shifts over his shoulder, as if he’s looking for something, as if he’s used for someone to be there. „have we met before?“ you shake your head, and avert your eyes, but of course it doesn’t matter, of course you still see him, in a way, but this time, you don’t close your eyes, only look away.
„sorry, that was a weird thing to say.“ he laughs, a little. „it’s by far not the weirdest thing i’ve heard during the last days, don’t worry“, he shrugs. „care to explain? i won’t laugh.“ „i’m used to being laughed at“, it tastes only half as bitter as it sounds, because everything from your old life feels so much less meaningful now that you are here. to your surprise, orion laughs. „same, but people over there laugh at everything.“ „especially weird names“, you add, and a smile forms on your face, as if it’s meant to be there, now that you’re with him.
„it’s really weird, though“, you warn him, but he shakes his head.
„i may have thrown the world into chaos just because i wanted to be a hero, that’s weird, and now i’m here, which is weird too, and i met a ton of even weirder people, believe me, you can’t be weirder than alpha.“ „who’s that?“, you ask, and a voice behind you whispers you will find out eventually. i still want to hear his reply, you answer back silently, and with a low rumble, the ghost vanishes. orion shrugs with a half-smile, as if he has no answer to the question either. „the weirdest guy i ever met, and i have no idea how he ended up in this. he really hates magic, and now he’s involved in this hero-quest-thing, while being a magician? if he is. i’m not sure.“ you crook your head. sounds interesting, blank whispers next to you, and you nod. want me to find something out? you nod again, and blank grins in his usual, otherworldly way, only to disappear into the void behind you.
„i guess i’ll have to meet him anyways.“
„yeah“, orion ruffles his hair again, but the locks just keep pouring into his forehead anyways, „i guess we’re complete with you.“ „you are“, you say, because you know. in a weird way, orion seems to believe you without question. „you said you’d been looking forward to meet me. does that mean you knew we were going to meet?“
now it’s your turn to shrug. „in a way.“ it’s somehow the best you can offer, and it's the most honest you've been in years, because of course you don't run around, telling your father that you can see ghosts, hear them, especially, but you figure you can tell orion a little more, because isn't this what you have been dreaming of? pouring your heart into a cup, handing it to someone else, watching it glow in orions hands, because he strikes you as the type of person that can make anything glow. that can illuminate everything.
“you surely are a mysterious person”, it makes you blush, a little, because you didn't meant to. “i've just grown used to it”, you reply, and he nods like he gets it, even if you're not sure if he really can. “i'm sorry”, you apologize for nothing, but it feels like the right thing to do, even if he furrows his brows again. “don't apologize, you haven't anything wrong. we only just met. you don't have to hand me your biography including all your weak spots and your favorite color and favorite food.”
the chuckle pours out of your mouth before you can bite it back. “my favorite color is gold, i like plain rice with soy sauce, and i have plenty of weak spots. it's nice to meet you, orion.” for a second, your eyes meet - you want to blink and look away like you usually do, because you feel exposed and raw, but he holds your gaze, silver swirling around a black hole, and you can see a whole universe stretched out behind them, a universe so fragile, interlocking lines held together by silver dots, forming a sky, a world.
his smile is as bright and as fragile, and you wonder if he will live through all of this, with his moonlight heart. that's what you're here for, the ghosts whisper, and you feel determined and strong.
“mine is silver, and homemade lasagne is my favorite food, and i bet you have less weak spots than me. but it's what makes us strong, right? the fact that we are so damn weak?” you open your mouth to reply, but no words feel right. instead you feel stunned by his honesty. “i knew we were going to meet because i was destined to be your prophet”, you don't know where the words come from, but you can't stop them, “until the end of time. i was made you stand by your side, through everything.”
you expect unbelief, expect a laugh, a freak that you're used to.
but orion only looks at you, with his unbelievable smile.
“i'm looking forward to it, my prophet.”
and your smile illuminates the whole world.