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Charlie wipes his brow tiredly and sets down the mop he’s holding less than graciously in the corner. Mechanically, he drags himself out of the bathroom (which now smells just bad instead of totally awful) and outside through the entrance to the bar. Nightfall washes over him in place of the dim yellow glow of the pub’s interior and Charlie sees Mac sitting desolately on the chilly curb. He holds his knees to his chest and stares wonderingly up at the sky like he’s waiting for something; a sign or a premonition, something mystic. Mac’s brow is creased tentingly and his lips are parted just slightly as he gazes into the sea of stars overhead.
“What are you looki–”
“Shit, Charlie!” Mac tenses and jumps, whipping his head back to face his scraggly friend. “Jesus, you scared me.”
“Oh, sorry, man. I was just wondering what you were doing.” Charlie asks with a chuckle, raising his hands defensively.
“Just, um… Nothing. Looking for Orion.” Mac turns his gaze back to the stars.
“Orion?”
“Yeah, Orion the hunter. Badass constellation.”
“Dude, what’s a constellation?” Charlie questions earnestly, flopping his hands down and raising a brow. Mac looks back at him in disbelief.
“You… don’t know what a constellation is.”
“Nope.”
Mac stares wildly, scrunching up his face and letting his jaw fall agape. He begrudgingly beckons Charlie to crouch next to him. The scruffy man settles on the curb clumsily, leaning into Mac’s bare arm as he awaits an explanation. “Okay. Basically, a constellation is just a set of stars that make a shape,” Mac begins. “Like with the zodiac symbols. Those are all from constellations.”
“What?” Charlie reacts as if he’s just been shot. “Okay, first you’re telling me that constellations are star things, and now they have to do with murderers?” Mac shakes his head exasperatedly but laughs when he shoves his elbow into Charlie’s side. “Not the Zodiac Killer, dumbass. The, uhhh, like; taurus and pisces and cancer.”
“And now there’s cancer involved? Man, I’m not getting any of this.” Charlie is totally clueless, confused as Mac starts chuckling and clutching Charlie’s shoulder for support. “Okay, wait. Just start with the whole O’Brien thing.”
“Orion,” Mac clarifies, rolling his eyes playfully. “He’s a hunter. See, you can find him by looking for three little stars in a row.” He continues scanning the sky, Charlie looking and then mimicking Mac by squinting at the deep sea of navy blue without any aim. But then he spots the belt of sparkling stars and outstretches an arm to point. Mac coincidentally does this at the same time, and their arms become slightly tangled and knotted. Charlie’s palm slips against Mac’s and their forearms are jumbled up. Nevertheless, they point to the same place, and Mac spreads his fingers as he points out the legs and torso on Orion. “See, you got it.” He affirms softly, turning to smile at Charlie.
But he’s staring up at the sky, eyes glittering with an incredible curiosity. He’s seriously never seen these things in the stars before. Never knew to look for the constellations. A childlike wonder overflows in Charlie and he automatically lowers his arm and lets his palm rest over Mac’s whitened knuckles in the gap between their bodies. Mac feels himself go warm despite the night breeze and his sleeveless shirt, unable to look away from Charlie’s expression of wonderment. They’re both mesmerized, sitting in the quiet and sharing heat while they admire.
Charlie lets his head fall on Mac’s shoulder and he breaks into a series of questions about what other constellations there are, babbling on with a bright grin. He glows to Mac, firming his grip on the other’s hand with excitement. “Okay, wait – why do you like Orion if there’s so many of these star things?”
“Well, I already said, he’s like… super badass. Manly hunter dude.” Charlie nods with fake-wisdom in reply. “And I guess he reminds me of my dad, a bit.” Mac says more quietly, gaze drifting down. He thinks about his father, thinks about fights, thinks about longing, thinks. His hand scrunches up into a fist – angrily, sadly, confusedly – but Charlie doesn’t pull his hand away. Charlie keeps his eyes on the stars overhead but speaks to fill the silence.
“I think this Orion dude really reminds me of you.”
“What?” Mac asks, surprised and embarrassed when his voice comes out shaky and wet.
“I obviously don’t know shit about constellations, and you showed me the fella first. You said he’s a tough guy, right? You’re like the toughest guy I know. You’re jacked, yeah, but you’re also totally… emotionally jacked,” Charlie says genuinely, saying whatever comes to mind. “I think you’re awesome, man. You’re my Orion.”
Mac feels even warmer than before, like he might implode. The cold pricks at him and he feels awfully tender as he presses into Charlie and fights his tears. “You’re sniffling. You want my jacket?” Charlie asks. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s just crazy chilly. Might catch a cold.” Mac replies, slipping into the faded-green sleeves of Charlie’s jacket and instantly feeling at home. He feels soft and malleable and it’s terrible – but he allows himself to be comforted. Charlie subtly rubs the pad of his thumb against Mac’s tensed knuckles and calms him. Mac wonders how he makes it look so easy. He speaks, voice steadier.
“What constellation did you want to learn about next?”
“Whatever ones you know, dude,” Charlie grins, pulling himself into the jacket with Mac.