Work Text:
Human beings long for connections. We spend our whole lives searching and creating these relationships with other people. These people become are family and our friends. Sometimes those connections last a lifetime and other times they are fleeting. They can be valuable, comforting, toxic, and painful. And some connections transcend words. But at the end of the day you are alone in your own mind.
Except what if one day you weren’t?
Eight people went to bed one night, each their own person. Waking up the next day with seven different selves.
This is their story.
Logan stretched his arms high above his head, leaning back in the cushioned swivel chair. He stared at the computer equipment in front of him, watching the numbers fill up the monitor as it collected data from the dishes outside. Nights like these had become routine for the man since he started working at the observatory. A paper bag fell into his lap and he looked up to see his coworker Emmett smiling at him.
“Go take your break Logan,” Emmett said, setting a hand on the top of the chair. “And by that I mean go eat somewhere other then in here. For once.” Logan looked up at him, giving him an unamused glare. He grumbles a bit, but stands up.
“You make it sound like all I do is work,” Logan said.
“Well am I wrong?” Emmett said, taking a seat in the identical chair next to Logan’s. Logan refused to look at his coworker as he straightened out his polo shirt with his one free hand.
“Thank you for the food,” he said before turning and walking towards the exit.
“And don’t come back,” Emmett yelled jokingly as Logan left the room. Emmett was right though, he really could use a break. So he fetched his thick coat and a blanket from the break room before heading outside. He headed out to the open area not far from the building, and laid the blanket out on the ground. No one else was around and the only artificial light in the area was the small lamp hanging above the door leading back inside. He zipped up his coat, embracing the chill of the night air before sitting down. The cold nipped at his bare hands and he wished he had something warm to eat instead. Not that he wasn’t thankful for the sandwich that was still tucked away inside the paper bag Emmett had dropped on him, but it wasn’t quite the same as getting to eat a freshly cooked meal. He looked up at the night sky, letting his mind relax and just take in the sight. No matter how many times he looked up, the stars that he could see from this point in the world never cease to take his breath away. Suddenly a light flickers out of the corner of his eye. An orange bright glow that moved like a wave. He turns his head to the left and sees a small campfire.
Suddenly he’s no longer sitting on the ground, but on a wooden bench. The emptiness of the desert had disappeared and was replaced by a suburban backyard. Logan looked around, easily able to see the tall wooden fence that outlined the yard thanks to the light pouring out of the house behind him. Was he hallucinating? Or had he fallen asleep? But it felt more real than any dream he’s ever had before. He could actually feel the warmth of the fire on his face, and smell the musky smoke as it rises up into the air.
“Hey,” a man said and Logan wiped his head in the direction of the sound. A man exactly the same age as him sat next to him on the wooden bench. How had he not notice him before? He looked just as confused as Logan felt, until he looked up at the sky and a wide grin spread across his face. Logan followed his gaze and saw the familiar sky he’d been working under for the past few months. The fire and suburban landscape had disappeared. He was back outside the observatory, but he was no longer alone. The man in a sweater and jeans, stood next to him, eyes wide as he stared up at the sky.
“This is amazing,” he said, taking a step back while trying to bend his head back as far as he could without falling. It was as if he was trying to take in the whole sky. “Where are we?” He asked, looking back down at Logan.
“Um,” Logan stutters a bit taken aback by the question. “The Atacama Desert in Chile.”
“Wow! I’ve never been outside of the states before,” he said. He stretched his arms out and spun around, looking up at the sky once again. When he laughed out in delight, Logan could practically feel the man’s child like wonder bubbling up in his chest as if it was his own. Logan opened his mouth to say something but was quickly interrupted.
“It’s so cold,” the man said, wrapping his arms tight around himself. He didn’t even ask for Logan’s permission before joining him on the blanket. The man sat unabashedly close and Logan could smell the campfire smoke on the man’s clothes.
“How? How are you here?” Logan said, equally baffled by both the situation and how calm this man seemed to be about it.
“No idea,” he said, adjusting the glasses on his face. “One minute I’m here with you. The the next-” He pauses and they both find themselves back on that wooden bench in front of the fire. The flames make a cracking sound that make Logan jump slightly.
“You’re here with me,” he said, finishing his thought. “I’m Patton by the way. It nice to meet you Logan.” He stretched out his hand and Logan took it out of instinct, surprised that he could actually feel the man’s rough skin against his own.
“How do you know my name?” Logan asked, letting go of Patton’s hand. The man shrugged.
“No idea. I just did. Maybe you wanted me to know so now I do,” he said. “Truthfully I’ve got no idea how this thing works, whatever this is.”
“Wait. This has happened to you before?”
“Mainly just short flashes or feelings of these other people that I’ve never met before, but your the first to actually stay this long,” Patton said, excitement dancing in his eyes. Suddenly Logan bursts out laughing, looking down at his lap with his head in his hands.
“I thought,” Logan said, trying to calm himself. “I thought I was going crazy.”
“Well if you are, at least you’re not alone,” Patton said joining Logan in his laughter. That just gets Logan started again and It takes a minute for both of them to calm down.
“So where are you exactly?” Logan asked looking behind him at the small ranch style home. Even in the low light he could make out the peeling beige paint near the back door. A plastic chest sat next to the steps, probably full of gardening tools, and a large window sat above that. The curtains were closed but the light inside the house still bled through.
“Springfield Illinois. Pretty boring compared to Chile,” Patton said.
“Perhaps, but it seems peaceful here. A different sort of peaceful,” he said, pausing. He looked back into the fire. “For some reason this place feels like home even though I’ve never been here before. Though that doesn’t seem any crazier then somehow talking to a person halfway across the world using only my mind.”
“You think this is just happening in our heads?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. How else can I feel like I’m physically here with you, but at the same time still physically be in Chile?” As those words passed through Logan’s lips, the scene changed yet again and the two of them were back on the blanket surrounded by desert. “It’s only logical. Beside just because something is happening in your head doesn’t make it any less real.”
“Was that Harry Potter?” Patton asked, “Did you just quote Dumbledore?”
“I enjoy the occasional work of fiction. A good amount of variety keeps the mind sharp,” Logan said feeling his cheeks flush. He looks up at the night sky, the stars and constellations bright and clear as if they had been freshly painted. Patton started to laugh again and Logan laid down flat on his back. He just listens to the man laugh slowly fade away. Logan knows Patton is already gone before he sees the space next to him now empty. He was alone again, yet at the same time Logan knew that he’d never truly be alone again.