Page 50 of Search for the Lost

Maybe Chaos had only lashed out at him because it had sensed an old enemy, its opposite. After all, Leo was made out of Chaos, and he had learned to be different, to accept that Order had its place. Maybe that was the point of this whole bizarre experience, this Freaky Friday quest that had started with that strange Thing Aspin had brought them.

Maybe I need to learn to be different. Let a little bit of the chaos in.

As if in response, the world lit up. The chaos around him shifted, turning from vile and acidic to bright and hopeful and sweet.

It buoyed him up and up and up.

Great beams of golden light—as if the sun were perched on the surface directly above him—radiated through the liquid and turned it honey-gold. Where the rays touched him, his skin was healed and made whole again.

That touch felt familiar. Bright. Sweet. Kind.

Leo.

Crispin let go and took a deep breath of his liquid surroundings, letting the golden glow infuse him from the inside out. His arms and legs stretched out on their own, his head thrust itself back, and he became a star of golden light himself, illumination pouring out of his eyes and mouth, out of his ears, and emanating from his skin like a flood lamp.

He felt whole, and new. Made over into a better version of himself. Isn’t that what Leo always does to me?

He opened his eyes. Leo, beautiful, messy Leo, was looking down at him from Crispin’s own face. “Crispy?”

Crispin reached up with weak arms, and pulled Leo down for a kiss.

Leo’s surprise changed to passion.

They kissed like they hadn’t kissed in a month, since everything had become so… domestic. And if it hadn’t been for the presence of the others…. Well, they would find time to give their feelings full expression soon. But for now, this one perfect kiss was enough.

Something shifted in his soul. The room went fuzzy, and at first he thought he was falling back into Chaos.

But it wasn’t that.

His vision snapped back into place, and he was looking down at… Leo. Not Leo in Crispin’s body, but actual Leo in actual Leo’s own body, lying on the bright orange couch.

Leo’s eyes went wide. “Are we…? Is this…?” He held up his fuzzy arm to look at it. “I’m me again! You’re you again!”

Crispin grinned. They were back where they belonged, in more ways than one.

And yet, everything had changed. He knew how Leo felt inside, and he supposed Leo knew the same about him. More importantly, he knew what it felt like to be Leo.

His beautiful human ball of Chaos stared at him, a look of wonder on his face. “Love’s true kiss.”

Crispin nodded. “I suppose it was.” Then it struck him. “She did this on purpose.”

Leo raised an adorable Leo eyebrow. Oh how Crispin had missed seeing those from the outside. “Who… did what?”

“My mother. This whole thing was a test. Or maybe an affirmation?”

Leo scowled. “She did this to us on purpose?”

He bit his lip. “I think so.”

Aspin nodded. “That’s so like her.”

Leo’s Mom was nodding too. “I agree. She loves you, but her ways are strange.”

Crispin snorted. Understatement of the day. “I think I know where to find her.” The place she had always gone when she needed to escape, when she didn’t want anyone to find her. Why didn’t I think of it before?

“What happened to you?” Aspin looked confused.

“I’ll explain it to you on the way.” Crispin squeezed Leo’s hand. “But first, take the time you need to say goodbye to your mother. We have a long journey ahead of us.” He kissed Leo’s cheek, and it was every bit as sweet as the kiss they’d shared earlier.