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“Okay, okay- you ready?”
Navy blue sky above the pair’s heads reflected gentle light down on them. Buildings and homes had grown small under Bloodhound’s eyes as well as Elliott’s, whose focus was on the telescope which refused to work in his hands, and the lit sparkles shining from the small buildings almost drew Bloodhound fascinated closer to the edge to see more. However, Elliott had already reserved the edge for his telescope.
“Right. Watch this,” Elliott spoke again with a confident, just as well as excited, grin garnishing his lips. He pressed his eyelid shut tight and moved his head enough to look through the scope. “Wait- Wait, what? Why? Why doesn’t it- Please…”
Bloodhound took a curious step closer to Elliott and his telescope. Their head tilted slightly to the left and their gaze focused on the telescope.
“Does it not work?” they asked. Elliott turned his eyes to Bloodhound, and they could see the clear embarrassment in his look.
“Yeah. It worked before, I think- I mean, I bought it from someone and they said-” Elliott shut his mouth and turned back to the telescope. A heavy sigh fell off his lips. “Shit.”
“It’s easy to scam people nowadays, Elliott. Do not feel shame…” Bloodhound tried to comfort him, but a small and amused smile took over their lips. Elliott noticed this and his lips instead curved into a pout.
“I’m broke already! I shouldn’t have bought this.”
“Next time you’ll know to check if the product works before purchasing. Think of it as a lesson.”
“Fuck that.” Elliott sighed again and kicked the telescope with a frustrated sound leaving his mouth. His anger quickly turned into shock over his features as the telescope tilted over the edge. “No, no no no- Holy shit!” It dropped down and continued to fall through countless feets of air and forest, and all Elliott could do was to watch in horror while Bloodhound’s eyes had only widened in surprisement.
“... Elliott.”
“Not a word, honey.”
“Don’t kick things while on the edge of a cliff. That is all I wanted to say.”
Elliott crossed his tan arms under his chest. His lips remained curved into a pout while his eyes were glued down the cliff.
“I just wanted us to look at the stars.” Elliott’s disappointment shone clear in his voice. “You know, like- I wanted you to see them too- They’re really pretty. I also learned, like, constellations a while ago…”
Bloodhound sat down. Their legs dangled off the edge and they pressed their back comfortably against the ground filled with damp grass.
“We don’t need a telescope to stargaze, Elliott,” they reminded him. They gestured to Elliott join them, and Elliott stayed standing up for a good second. Then he finally sat down and lay on the grass. Shivers ran down his spine and he grit his teeth silently.
“Cold.”
“I told you to bring a jacket.”
Elliott chuckled quietly and moved his hands to rest over his stomach. Bloodhound moved their gaze up at the sky, and they stayed silent as the only sound in their focus was Elliott’s calm breathing and the gentle wind brushing in through their clothes.
“I see Duneyrr.” Bloodhound pointed at the sky with their palm. “Right there.”
An unsure sound fell off Elliott’s lips. “Uh… What’s that?”
“A stag.”
“Okay. Where- Where is it?”
Elliott crawled closer to Bloodhound to see the sky from their perspective. His thigh pressed against Bloodhound’s; they moved it then away from him, as the small hidden object inside their pocket pressed uncomfortably against their leg. Bloodhound gestured at the stars in the sky, creating a large stag with a pointed palm, and Elliott still seemed to have trouble recognizing the constellation. They had to draw it again for him and only then Elliott realized the pattern.
“Like- Like a stag, yeah- There. I see it. There?” Elliott pointed at the stars with his finger. Bloodhound nodded. They weren’t sure if Elliott had actually catched which pattern they’d tried to show him, but they accepted his attempt. A wide smile replaced Elliott’s frown and he planted back down on his back. “It’s cool.”
“I also think so.” Bloodhound kept their focus on the stars while Elliott turned on his side and supported his head with his hand underneath. Bloodhound continued to talk with a low but warm tone. “I used to study constellations with my late Father. As much as he was interested in his work, he never passed a chance of sharing his most passionate hobby with me.”
“He sounds like he was a nice guy.”
“I like to think of him as such.” Bloodhound now glanced at Elliott, whose eyes were still glued on them, and a questioning smile grew on their thin lips. “Didn’t you wish to show me a constellation?”
“Well-” Elliott lay back on the ground and looked up to the sky- “There’s a dipper.” As soon as Elliott pointed at the pattern on the sky, Bloodhound recognized it. A quiet hum formed inside their throat.
“Where is that?” they asked. They moved closer to Elliott this time, and Elliott smiled immediately; he wrapped his arm under Bloodhound’s head and let them rest there as he tried to show the easy pattern to them with excitement taking over his expression.
“It’s a little com- comp, eh- comper… It’s simple, I mean. There,” he explained and Bloodhound followed his finger tracing the pattern.
“I see it now. Thank you, love.”
Elliott stayed quiet, but his smile was enough to tell them he enjoyed the moment just like that. He lowered his head close to Bloodhound’s and shut his eyes for a short second. He placed his other hand above Bloodhound’s chest and their pulse beat silently against his palm. New moon stood faint but beautiful in the middle of the stars, and the soft wind brushed Elliott’s curly hair against Bloodhound’s forehead. They raised their other hand to move his curls to the side, but back enough to brush them off Elliott’s face too.
Elliott was the first one to speak again. “I think I actually found a pretty gorgeous star.”
“Hm. I think they’re all pretty,” Bloodhound hummed, “But do show me.”
Elliott gestured at the sky. A shy but thrilled grin widened over his lips and he turned his palm to point at Bloodhound. “Right here!” His cheesy chuckle allowed Bloodhound to smile at his words too.
“Ah, I see. How about this constellation I recently discovered?” Bloodhound traced their thumb over Elliott’s cheek, right above his faint freckles, and a mushy laugh escaped Elliott’s throat at the touch. “Will you help me come up with a name for it?”
Elliott hummed in thought. His fingertips pressed against Bloodhound’s flat chest and he traced small patterns on their clothing.
“Future,” Elliott then said.
“Future?”
“You think it’s beautiful, right?” Elliott certainly knew how to be cheesy with his lines, but just as Elliott smiled at his own words, Bloodhound did too. He continued, “Our future… and my face. Obviously.”
They nodded and Elliott agreed with another nod. He sat up back on the edge and looked down to the city shining under their eyes, and Bloodhound moved their palm to hold the surface of their pocket. They sat up after their boyfriend and slid their gloved fingers into the pocket, feeling the small box’s corners with their fingertips before pulling it out. Their voice came out as quiet after their silent breath. “Elliott.”
Elliott turned his head to Bloodhound and immediately turned his body the same direction; he lifted his legs from the edge and crossed them comfortably.
“Yeah, baby?” he asked. Genuine curiosity reflected through his voice - it always did whenever Bloodhound wanted to talk to him. They held the box tight inside their palms, pressed their fingertips harsh against it like it would disappear from their grip if they’d soften right now.
“This place is beautiful.”
“It sure is.”
“I had different plans for this, for today- But I think this place…” Bloodhound glanced at the city underneath their presence, and then they looked back at Elliott. “What does it hold to you?”
Elliott fell silent for a short second; his expression changed from soft to genuinely confused, but he didn’t question Bloodhound instead of giving a straight answer.
“I kinda realized here that I was gay,” he told them and continued with an uncertain smile, “And- And the next time I kinda realized I liked you. Loved you. You know. Now’s the third time here, so- I wanted to spend it here with you. It’s cheesy, I know, but- But it’s a nice view, right?”
The view was nice, indeed, to both of them; they loved the sight of the city, the dark blue filled with sparkles above their heads, and they loved the sight of each other. But Bloodhound said nothing to his words, and instead they moved their hand from covering the orange box inside their palm.
“Then I suppose this would be a perfect moment for this.”
Elliott’s eyes widened at the sight. “That’s- Is that, uh-”
“I think you already know, yes.” A mellow laugh parted Bloodhound’s lips and they opened the box for Elliott to see the silver ring inside of it. His mouth gaped open, and his fingers tangled together just as he always did whenever his nervous feelings would get over his head.
“I actually- Baby, you ruined it! I was about to do the same, like, next week,” Elliott groaned playfully at them, though an elastic smile still lingered over his features.
“Propose?” they confirmed.
“Yeah! Our dinner date. I just don’t have the ring yet.” Eager sparks filled Elliott’s eyes like damp tears when a laugh escaped him again. “So I can’t give you a ring back yet.”
“It’s okay, elskan,” Bloodhound smiled to him, “You can give it when you have it.” Their gentle grip on Elliott’s hand pulled him to let them slide the silver ring in his left ring finger. Elliott held a breath inside his throat and almost couldn’t contain his smile through his excitement.
“I love you,” he finally breathed out.
And when Bloodhound told him the exact words back, their night with Elliott turned into the most delightful one as Elliott pulled them into a kiss and lay his back back on the grass. Their smile matched Elliott’s against his lips-
And those smiled lasted for the whole time they spent under the stars that night.