Order walked though the door to their apartment, loosening his tie and taking off his shoes in a methodical manner. He took a deep breath and walked back to get out of his suit.
"Hey Chaos I'm back home!" Order beamed. Seeing her was his favorite part of the day, no matter how many times he got to see her.
No response. Order walked to the fridge and saw a pink sticky note which read: "Out in the park painting, I'll be back for a later dinner :)". Order smiled, that was just like her, it made him happy that she got out and had fun today. His eyes traveled to other painting she had created. The classic fruit and basket realism piece by their dining room, the portrait of Order she had done as a inside joke, the oil painting of a landscape that someone had offered her $2,000 for. He smiled, he was really proud of her.
"My wild little artist" he whispered to himself as he gently touched the note.
He went back to their room and slipped into jeans and a sweatshirt. He went to the office, sitting on the computer, checking the clock, 5:45pm, about the time he expected to see. What should he do today? He pondered, staring past the screen, thinking to himself. His work for the day was done, the house already clean, groceries stockpiled, finances ok, car checked, workout done in the morning, everything in place as it should be. What did he want to learn? What did he want to do? Would it be good enough? What if he learned something that wasn't relevant and wasted his time? He could play video games but was that really ok to waste time? Shouldnt he be working towards something? He checked the clock again. 5:55pm. He sighed, he had already wasted 10 minutes contemplating. He moved to the living room.
Playing his favorite video game, he sat, his mind going through the questions that surfaced in the expanding emptiness that his free time left him in. He breathed in, trying to calm his heart rate. What was the use of this game? Would he be able to say he used this time productively? When would Chaos be back? Please come back soon, I don't know what to do, am I doing the right thing? His eyes on the screen, his thumbs moving the controller, is this what he really enjoyed? His timer jolted him out of the deep well of his thoughts. The clock read 6:30pm.
Order was looking at their bookshelf, biting his lip, his eyes reflecting the restlessness of the ocean. His breathing and heart rate had been elevated for the past 45 minutes. The clock read 6:40pm. Which book should he read? Was it a waste to reread one? So much valuable knowledge and so little time. He picked out a slim paperback and began to flip through the pages. His eyes traveled over them, running through the streams of words contained within.
He was so lost in concentration he didn't notice the door had opened. He took an audible deep breath to calm himself down, still lost in the pages. Then her hands found him and with the gentlest touch he was pulled from the restless sea. He gasped, finally breaking though the surface. For a moment he saw the surface of the waves, and slightly grimaced, realizing he had slipped under without even realizing it earlier. His hands found hers and he smiled.
"Hey Chaos, I was wondering when you'd be back, it's really good to see you" Order said, making sure to keep his poise.
Chaos's quiet laugh traveled though the room like an encircling breeze. Her catlike eyes narrowed teasingly and she crinkled her nose at him. "Lost in a good book?"
He looked, he could see himself reflected in her jade eyes, and for a second he thought he saw himself drenched. He blinked and his reflection was restored. "If you call this a good book." Order smirked and revealed "The Old Man and the Sea".
Chaos smiled and gently pushed him. "Dork."
Laughing, they both went to the kitchen and started making dinner together. Order watched her as she prepared the food, he smiled, still far away in the sea. She could tell.
"Everything ok babe?" Chaos asked, her hands moving, preparing the food.
"Yea" Order put on a fake smile. "Just lost in thought back there"
There was a silence. He was still in the ocean, nothing except waves as far as the eye could see.
"You know." A voice spoke off in the distance. It was getting closer. "You don't have to be alone, that's why I'm here." The voice sounded a bit pained. He looked behind him, treading water. There was an island, with a person on it. He swam towards it. "You always make it so hard on yourself dork, just talk with me mkay?" Chaos stood on the island, pulling in the life ring she threw in his direction. Order grabbed her hand and was pulled up on the sandy beach. They stood facing each other. His restless eyes as deep as the ocean blue, the waves agitated, standing steady with her on their island. Her brilliant jade eyes gleamed with curiosity and cunning, seeing the possibilities, the ocean an open canvas to her from their view on the island. It was a big canvas.
"I love you, you're allowed to read, you don't always have to be productive all the time" She gave him a quick kiss and returned to preparing their food.
"Thanks, I love you too. I'm ok now." Order said, slightly embarrassed. He was still trying to make sure he impressed Chaos and everything, hopefully she still thought he was cool.
Chaos felt Order hug her as she prepared the food. She smiled.
————————Stasis's Trauma II————————
Stasis followed Process out of the elevator, down the hall, to a door leading to a room. Process opened the door and Stasis could sense the anxiety rolling out like fog from behind it. The sound of furious scribbling, crumpled papers, and whiteboards filled with meticulously detailed drawings littered the room. Stasis looked around, seeing all the employees working their hardest, she breathed in, was she smart enough to be here?
Cunning eyes shot her way as she walked behind Process, on the way to her desk. Process swept his arm, indicating her desk and where she would be working. "Here is your desk, the desks around you belong to your colleagues in the space physics department, our most elite minds in the company" Process beamed proudly. Stasis gave a strained smile back, managing to squeak out a thank you.
Stasis sat at her desk, everything organized to her liking, a picture of her and Flux laughing while sitting on a picnic blanket in a grassy field gave her peace. She smiled as she remembered that day, and the many memories they shared together.
"Hi!" A feminine voice jolted Stasis out of the fog of memory. Stasis turned around, her eyes meeting the face of a dark haired, blue eyed woman whose face was framed by stylish glasses.
"Hi" Stasis gave a wave. "I'm Stasis, I'm new here"
The woman moved to greet her with a handshake, which Stasis took. "I'm Crystal, my desk is right across from yours" Crystal pointed to the other side of the thin wall.
"We're coworkers now so I thought I'd just say hi" Crystal smiled as she eyed Stasis up and down. Stasis gave an uncomfortable smile as Crystal finished her rove, her blue eyes pausing for a moment after meeting Stasis's dark ones, nearly pulled into their dark intensity. Crystals blue eyes narrowed as she forced a smile after catching her breath.
"I'll introduce you to the others" Crystal threw a glance back over her shoulder as she clipped along "they are about done with lunch".
Crystal opened a grey door to a meeting room with a large table, a TV, and 2 people sitting down over Chinese food. The first person looked up at Stasis, she shivered at the earthy eyes that stared through her. She blinked and they were a normal brown, hidden behind walls of glass and brown hair that hung over the frames of his glasses.
"This is Grid" Crystal introduced him. Grid continued to stare in response. Crystal gave a smile, not seeming to notice Stasis's discomfort. Stasis gave a strained smile and a curt nod.
The second person looked up at her with blue eyes, brown hair much shorter than Grids, and a smile that seemed to be a serene mask. "I'm Lattice, nice to meet you".
Stasis breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm Stasis, I'm new here, and I'm excited to be here" Stasis squeaked out. Glassy brown eyes, a deepening smile, and unreadable blue eyes all watched her.