Work Text:
he passes the gate, his step slow, as if he were compelled not to go too fast. compelled to admire, in a way. he wonders why anyone would build such a stupidly big thing, just for pitch black to be behind it.
raising his head, he catches a glimpse of something. a text, thinly etched into the black wall before him. the letterings are thin, golden, and he can't help but read them. a human instinct, you could say. the worst instinct of all.
his thoughts stop, come to a crash, when he's done with the first line. his eyes grow wide, just so slightly. the only thing he can register, after that, is pain.
it's like two hands reached for his head and tore it open and seeped in. ripped everything that was in it before, and replaced it with blades. the knowledge feels like blades. derek can't even move, even though he wants to run away. it's like thorns have coiled around him, keeping him here, cutting into his skin.
the text speaks of a king. a king who is not there. a king he shall never see, and he knows it. he knows all, now, and what a terrible thing it is. he'd pray god to help him, but he knows he wouldn't get an answer. he knows. he knows.
he knows of trivial things and of the way the universes were woven. he knows how life forms thousands of light years away from earth call the ‘yellow' that is overwhelming his eyes right now. he can see the studio were his favorite song was recorded in absolute detail. he knows every single interpretation of that song. and now, it's not even his favorite song anymore. one of the first attempts at coherent music, tried out by some kid hundreds of thousands of years away, ties his heart more than everything before.
a blink, after what felt like years of staying stuck in front of that wall.
and then, he bolts out.
he knows that soon he'll meet a boy named avery. he knows he's as good as dead.
an idea comes to his mind, a new idea, something that's not part of what was stuffed into his mind. save avery. try and fuck up the grand weave of fate a little. after all, he already knows avery. already knows he's way worth it.