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“What do you think happens when we die?”
The question brings Nick out of his thoughts, casting one lingering glance at the night sky before turning his head. Louis is still looking up towards the heavens, his eyes unblinking. Nick heaves out a sigh, turning his head back to look at the moon. It was a beautiful night, the air crisp and cool and the sky an endless black canvas covered with scatterings of stars and the big, beautiful moon.
“Our bodies decompose. The people who we loved when we were alive come to mourn us, telling each other how much we meant to them whether it’s true or not. Eventually we get put into the ground where we eventually become part of the earth again.” Nick chides lowly, his breathing steady. Louis makes a noise, his head slowly turning to look at Nick.
“What about our souls? What happens to them?” Louis asks, his voice light as a breeze. A shivers runs down Nick’s spine, his fingers aching to reach out and touch the boy beside him, the one who seems to have the sun glowing directly beneath his skin at all times.
“If there is a heaven and hell…,” Nick says under his breath, “Our souls combust in a fiery death. They become part of the universe.” Nick says after a while, shrugging.
“Like stars?”
“Exactly. It’s a cosmic thing, honestly it’s very magical to witness.” Nick jokes softly, a warm feeling settling in his bones at the light chuckle he gets in return.
“What does it look like?” Louis says, his voice almost a whisper. Nick thinks about it for a moment, his eyes trailing off into the deep abyss of his mind.
“It’s vibrant colors, pulsating. It’s almost like they’re alive but they’re not alive, at least...not really. It feels like warmth, like coming home. The colors mingle and blend together, it’s angry and primal while also being elegant and refined. It’s every emotion you’ve ever felt combined into one condensed ball of energy that pleads to get out.”
“Sounds...intense.”
“It is intense, but it’s also soft. You shouldn’t be afraid of it, you should welcome it. It’ll happen to all of us, eventually.” Nick says, looking over towards his left. Louis is already staring, his eyes illuminated by the moonlight. It feels like the universe is moving them together, pulling them to the center of some distant black hole. Louis smiles in that dazzling way that always makes Nick forget how to breathe. Louis reaches out, tentatively at first, before placing his hand over Nick’s heart. He’s still smiling and it feels like every atom, every particle in the cosmos is alive and vibrating with the force of it.
“You’re beautiful,” Nick whispers, daring not to spoil this moment. Louis tilts his head, a soft look forming in his eye. He doesn’t say anything, he just shifts closer until he can put his head on Nick’s chest.