NatePat One-Shots

Elliptical

Think of the world as an Elliptical Galaxy...

A bright sphere in the sky, shining so brightly that appendages aren't needed. Stars shine with dust and gas, the heat radiating and forming a single thought. Yes, this was an early stage, but soon it will grow brighter. Bright enough that the whole world would see it, a beautiful explosion of interstellar matter. Who will populate this galaxy? This lone sea of matter? Of course, no one can, not even a human can withstand the harsh reality that is the Elliptical Galaxy.
Then, like a falling star, Matthew appeared.
He was a thought, a glorious thought, one who could create and destroy if he really wanted to. Unlike many other galaxies, Matthew didn't have the luxury of an expanding world, he could walk for years and be in the same place as before. Sometimes it was a lonely life, his existence seemed meaningless, why create him if for nothing? His first creation was by accident, he'd dreamed of a companion for light-years and had finally willed himself to create his own. Starting from scratch was easier said than done, for creating a human was much more difficult. There were specific feelings, organs, blood cells, bacteria, it was all too much for him and by the time he made a vessel he'd passed out. When he woke up, the vessel was still there but when Matthew considered the repercussions of his creation it disappeared, turning to dust. His galaxy was mostly gas and dust, little lights would dance whenever he took a step, like fireflies in the summer. The sky remained dark, almost dormant, without any stars to guide him. Matthew often wondered what it would be like to create a star, it couldn't be any harder than a human and with this idea Matthew took a handful of dust and concentrated. What made a galaxy? Stars, planets, gas, dust, so many things to create but he wouldn't be making a big one. He visualized the stars and how bright they'd be, he thought of planets and their specific atmospheres.
Slowly, the dust transformed into a ball of light. But at a terrible price.
Matthew's excitement exceeded his creation and caused it to swell, about the size of his own head before exploding in a blinding flash of light. Matthew was not harmed but his eyes had come into contact with raw shaping, his vision twisted and spun until stilling and only then could he truly see the extent of his world. He sat there for hours, shaking intensely at the sight of the enormous bubble that kept him grounded to this matter. If someone from another galaxy tried to cross over to his own, not only would they disappear for good, their galaxy would cease to exist. There would be no sanctuary for lost thoughts. Matthew trained himself to look beyond the barrier and the world around him, he searched for the slightest hint of a world aside from his own, for someone he could call a friend.
Finally, he closed his eyes and dreamed.
The sound of a raindrop hitting the water echoed through his head, only as he opened his eyes his world hasn't changed but there was a name imprinted in his memory.
Nathan.
Yes, after some time, Matthew meets Nathan and teaches him about his abilities.

"I never used to think about who I was," Nathan said one day, "until I met you."

"How is that?" Matthew had accidentally blushed.

"We are thoughts, we never had to wonder who we were or where we came from. We just knew." Nathan finally made eye contact, smiling brightly. "When you came, I finally felt that I had a reason to exist."

Matthew couldn't understand what he meant, was he yearning for a companion just as much as he was? It would seem that they were destined to meet, but while Nathan's world changed around him, Matthew's world simply spun lazily. He wanted to touch him, to speak more to him, but the barrier was a constant reminder of where he stood. He was a thought, he was only a thought, and he wasn't capable of unshaping a barrier. So life continued, they talked from day until night, they had no desire to be away from each other for more than a few minutes.

"Do you think a thought could be powerful enough to travel to another world?" Nathan asked after more than an hour of comfortable silence.

"I don't know, I don't think it's ever been done. We are the only thoughts here, Nathan." Matthew sighed, disappointed with how true his answer was.

"I'm glad you're here." Nathan mumbled, scooting a bit closer.

Matthew tried to steady his heartbeat and not allow himself to fall victim to such emotions, but the more he dwelled on the feeling the sadder he became. It only made him wish that he could cross the barrier, he wanted to be the powerful thought, he wanted to be with Nathan in the most heartbreaking way possible.
I love you.
I love you so much.
I'm sorry...
His heart wretched in his chest and he found himself unable to breathe for a split second, his eyes revealing the stars in the sky for the first time since he arrived. It'd been so long since he last saw them he had to make sure they were real, they shone so brightly, Matthew let out a breathless laugh with a few stray tears streaming down his face. A gentle breeze ruffled his jacket as he looked back up, watching in bitter silence as the stars blinked out, like candles in the wind.
These memories were almost too much, for Matthew soon confessed that they could never truly be together.

"You know I won't leave you alone," Nathan said to him.

"I'm so sorry..." Matthew replied, wiping his eyes.

"Matthew, I love you." Nathan meant it, he put his hand to the barrier.

"Yeah... I love you, too." Matthew laughed, placing his hand over Nathan's.

The barrier quivered at their touch, white hot against their palms. It liquified at their touch and they didn't notice, they couldn't feel it until at least a few minutes.
They could feel each other's skin.
They were truly touching.
They were truly together.