WILLIAM'S ENTIRE BODY buzzed with warmth as he laid flush against Orion's chest. His arms wrapped around Orion's sides, and his eyes fluttered closed at Orion's chin resting upon his head.
He would stay like this forever if he could, even if it meant that he would never do anything else ever again. He felt no reason to move. As soon as he had rested his body ontop of Orion's, the heaviness plaguing his limbs seemed to dissipate.
Orion's warm hands rubbed up and down William's back, wrestling against the cover of their weighted duvet to provide his lover with comfort. The blood in his veins pumped whenever he reduced William to such a comfortable state. The curly-headed man spent so much time planning for the future that Orion felt relieved whenever William took a break.
"Don't you think it's a little too early to head to bed?" Orion mused in a hushed whisper. He continued to rub up and down Williams' back while his other hand rose to cradle his boyfriend's head.
"Mmm."
"Is that a hum of agreement?"
William groaned in annoyance. He didn't care when he went to bed. When sleep was calling, he couldn't decline.
The blond chuckled. "I guess that was a disagreeing hum, then."
Orion was silent shortly after he spoke. William deserved to rest, and with how comfortable he felt with William in his arms, he figured that it would be alright to take a nap. He even figured that he might be able to eventually fall asleep as well.
But, William missed the sound of his lover's voice when chasing sleep. It was like a forever-needed lullaby required to take him to a dreamful state.
William fidgeted in his place. He tossed and turned, resulting in his curls tickling the bottom of Orion's chin and coaxing a muffled laugh from him.
Finally, his breath evened and his body stilled as he interlocked one hand with the larger hand at his side. "Can you keep talking?" he mumbled sleepily, "I like it."
William could feel his lover's chin twitch at the top of his head, indicating that the blond's lips had probably broken into a smile.
"What do you want me to talk about?"
"Mm," he hummed, "yourself."
"Myself?" Orion said, pleased.
"Now that you're human, is there anything you want to do? Any dreams you have?"
The movement within Orion's chest halted, which told William that he was holding his breath. The question had clearly surprised the larger man, as he hadn't had much time to think about it. Christian had only made his final wishes two weeks ago, but William was curious and determined to help Orion experience the world as he always wanted.
Orion inhaled as he hesitated to speak.
"I know that you enjoy what we have now with just the two of us out here... but one day, I want to live in a city."
William's drowsiness wore off at his request. "A city? Why?" He hated cities. He hated the noise, and the busy, fast-paced life. He would rather live anywhere else.
"Do you remember how stars communicate?"
William hummed. "You said you could telepathically speak to each other, right?"
Orion nodded. "But we can't really...embrace each other. Any time we hug or hold hands, it reminds me of how I could never hug or hold my loved ones."
He took a deep breath, "And when you smile at me, It reminds me of how facial expressions don't exist amongst stars. I've never once seen my family or friends look at me with love because unless granting wishesâwhich is a responsibility we have to do alone, they don't have faces.."
"I wish my siblings could see the admiration in my eyes." Orion glanced out the window. "Maybe we would be.. closer? That may not make much sense, but sometimes I think that maybe there's a lack of connection between us because we've never gazed upon one another's faces. We try to be expressive with our voices, but it isn't always enough."
William frowned.
Orion thought about this often. The first time he turned of age and shot down from the sky to grant a wish, he had come to the realization that as a star, their options to show love were limited. The first wisher he ever had, was an older woman. When Orion saw the way her face contorted in joy as she set her eyes upon him, he began to realize that he wanted to see his own mother look at him in such a jovial way.
It all started to make sense. Why his parents had always been so excited to fulfill their wish granting duties. So excited to leave their children, and meet strangers whose facial expressions would make them feel more like family to them than their own.
"I had to spend the majority of my life watching humans embrace each other. I want to live in a city one day, with bustling engines and flurries of people and businesses and opportunities, just so I can experience life. A life filled with... expression. I don't want to feel distant anymore."
William nodded against his chest. The man lived in a house on top of a hill. He wasn't far from the city, but he still lived in isolation because that was how he liked it. Yet, he would drop everything and move to the city immediately if it meant that Orion would be happy and experience life as it is.
"But I know you don't like the city, so it's okay!" Orion rushed out. He was quieter as he continued, "Maybe one day we could live in a rural area with neighbours instead? We don't have to live directlyâ"
"We can move after I finish my final year. I've... never hated Seattle."Â William cut him off.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Uhm..", Orion hesitated, surprised at how quickly William agreed, "Can I also get a job?"
William smiled against his chest. "Of course you can!" he paused, "..actually, Willow has some things for you that would definitely help with that. You'll see later." He smiled at his boyfriend lovingly, and it made Orion's chest burst with emotions. "Do you know what kind of job you want? Do you want to go to school?"
"I like baking with you. It makes me happy to see how happy you are when we finish baking something sweet. I think I want to bake every day, instead of just once a week. I want to see other people that happy as well."
"Like, you want to work at a bakery?"
"Can I do that?"
William chuckled softly as he whispered, "You can do anything you want." In response, Orion placed a kiss on the top of his head, and William snuggled further into his warmth.
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"Okay!" Willow flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "This is your health card. " She pointed. "This one's your birth certificate. This is your passport...oh wait you look so handsome in this picture! Good job Willâ" She furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to remember what else she had in her tote, "Oh, here's your SSN, you absolutely cannot lose this. "
Orion stared at her blankly while confusion swirled in his stomach. He had never thought about any of these items before, and he wasn't sure how or why his name was labeled on every one.
He cleared his throat, "Orion Georgiou?"
"It's your last name! If you don't like it, you're allowed to change it. Just make sure you let me know first so that you aren't found out."
"Found out for what?"
The twins looked at each other knowingly.
Neither of them spoke to their father often, but they found his wealth convenient. William owned a fully detached house that seemed more like a mansion, situated on the top of a hill with acres of land despite being a rising fourth year in university. It wouldn't be possible without his father.
"Just don't tell anyone you got these from me, buddy. Most of these were assigned to you when you were born in California, okay?"
Orion smiled, still confused. "Okay, thanks!"
As Orion gathered his new personal belongings, William reached toward his sister's hand and gave it a firm squeeze.
His circle was small and was more like a triangle, but he knew that he was lucky. The people surrounding him were some of the most caring and supportive people on the planet, who would do anything for him if it meant that he would enjoy life a little more.
William wanted to do the same for them, and he would.