Work Text:
The sun had peaked and was on its way down. With the ending of the day would come the end of their time together. Hopefully only for the next few months.
Separating the two of them was a thing called university. Evie had planned for a gap year, but Doug chose to attend the Magical Institute of Technology, the college of his dreams. Nearly 500 miles away in a college town near South Riding, the prestigious school claimed a list of notable alumni and the best chemistry program in the nation.
His reaction to his acceptance was no surprise to Evie. He had been in near anguish for weeks, waiting for his final decision letter. It felt like yesterday when their friend group crowded around him and he tore the envelope open to reveal his acceptance notice and full-ride scholarship to MIT. The joy in his eyes was forever etched into her mind.
At the time, she didn’t bother to show any of her true feelings until she finally caught him alone. While lying across his bed after studying for their last chemistry exam, she blurted out her worries. It had been 1 AM and in retrospect, Evie always chalked that night up to their shared delirium.
She had been hysterical over the thought of him going away. Paired with it being the middle of the night, he offered her his bed while he took the couch. The rest of that conversation was mutually avoided, until a few days before he was to leave.
In the back of Evie’s mind were worries about how long-distance could strain their relationship. It didn’t help that it seemed to be inevitable.
So, the day before Doug was to drive out to South Riding and stay until holiday, they agreed to go on an all-day date. Their escapade of sorts left them with a picnic basket, blanket, and a few other items all compiled into Doug’s forest green SUV.
In the car, Evie leaned her head against the window, watching a rainbow of colors begin to decorate the sky. Feeling cozy, wrapped in the comfortable silence of the ride, Evie let her mind wander. She didn’t have very much to say, the fears of what would happen after the next morning occupying the bulk of thoughts.
“One last stop to end the night,” Doug said, interrupting her thoughts.
Evie turned to him and smiled. “Can I get a hint?”
He didn’t answer immediately, his face twisting into thought. “It’s romantic, you’ve never been to it…and the only thing to see is currently right around us.”
Doug glanced to his right with a small smirk, and Evie locked eyes with him before turning her attention back to the sky.
A bit of wonder rushed through her veins, Evie longing to keep driving to nowhere in particular. She just wanted to stay together. She was glad he hadn’t driven straight back to her cottage where things would come to a swift end.
Evie closed her eyes and the moments of their high school days came back before her eyes. Dancing together at school events, late study dates, and most recently, stealing little kisses during movie nights at her cottage.
She wondered if the feelings from those moments would ever come again.
As the car began to slow down, the wheels spun over gravel. The sound of little pebbles ricocheted off the car’s exterior and short crunches between the mineral and rubber piqued her interest.
Opening her eyes, the skyline of Auradon City filled her view as they drove up the gravel hill. They reached the end of the road and were met with short grass and wildflowers waving in the wind.
“Skyline Hill, one of the best scenic views in Auradon. Also known as one of the most secluded spots,” Doug informed, shifting the gear into park and turned off the car.
Evie sat up, her eyes scanning the view of the entire city, a mix of castles, hills, skyscrapers and more littered throughout. Simultaneously getting out of the car, they went to the trunk where he grabbed the checkered blue and white blanket. Together they found a spot next to the car, and a few feet away from the metal fence that bordered the hill’s edge.
Lying on their backs and facing the sky, they watched the clouds move slowly, revealing more of the sun that was quickly waning. Her hands were placed over her midsection, one of Doug’s behind his head, the other at his side.
“You’ve been awfully quiet since we ate,” Doug commented, breaking the calm between them.
Evie turned her head his way, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She didn’t say anything, sitting still. Lifting one of her hands off of her abdomen, she looked to find his. Doug moved his hand closer to hers and she interlaced their fingers.
“Is this the end of us?” Evie asked, her voice drawing quieter as she ended her sentence.
“No,” Doug blurted. Evie was surprised to hear the unsteadiness of his voice. She was delighted to know he wasn’t planning to end things with her, but the butterflies were still fluttering in her stomach. “Well I wouldn’t want it to be,” he continued, matching Evie’s whisper.
The two of them fell quiet again, Evie searching the endless view of Auradon. This crazy beautiful place with an abundance of opportunity had landed her someone she hadn’t expected. She didn’t want to let the person she treasured to slip through her fingertips. And she was positive he didn't want to let her slip away too.
Evie’s wish that the night would never end had proved to be unattainable. Eventually, she was sure, time would get the best of either of them and they’d move on to someone new. She couldn’t envision it, but the anxious thought gnawed at her heart.
“Since you’re going away and everything, I hope you know that you’re free to date anyone you want. It might be easier that way. That we break up and...” Evie trailed off, avoiding eye contact.
“I wouldn’t want to. It’s hard for me to put into words and I have no clue how you’re going to take this, either. But I guess I always dreamt that we would be together forever. Ever since cotillion—” Doug began, before Evie interrupted.
“I get it. I had been wondering if we would end up like Mal and Ben one day. My point in saying what I said was because I understand how much of a challenge it is to be in a long-distance relationship. And I’m scared that…I’m scared that you’ll find someone else. Like a real Auradon girl,” Evie said, biting her lip.
She looked straight up to the fluffy clouds with pastel colors flowing through them, trying not to catch Doug’s reaction in her periphery.
“Evie, two things. First, you are an Auradon girl. The Isle was and is forever a region of the entire nation of Auradon. And two, I statistically think it is impossible to find someone as phenomenal as you,” Doug complimented as he gently squeezed her hand, Evie returning the squeeze. “Where else could I find a blue-haired seamstress who also happens to just know the atomic weight of silver off the top of her head.”
With his teasing, he managed to get a laugh out of Evie, one that brightened her eyes. Though her laugh blew into the wind, her smile remained.
Evie sat up suddenly, breaking her hand from his and crossing her legs. She curled her fingers into the grass and sifted through the dandelions and tiny blue weeds, admiring the plants. Pulling a few and braiding them together, Evie lost herself in her thoughts only to be reminded of where she was when she felt arms wrap around her midsection.
Doug sat his chin on her shoulder, watching her weave the yellow and blue flowers together. Only a sliver of the sun still hung around the horizon, and Evie could feel her heart beating faster.
Doug began to hum one of her favorite songs and seconds after he started to hum, Evie smiled wider and laid the flowers down on the picnic blanket.
With a soft gaze in her eyes, she turned ever so slightly to Doug, their faces inches apart.
“Promise me you will remember me all the way in South Riding,” she whispered, her words landing on the tip of his nose. He drew the stray hairs blowing around her face away as he moved to gently plant a kiss on her temple.
“I promise a million times.”
Evie didn’t want to go home. She wanted to stay right there in the comfort of his embrace. As the sun finally set, they watched the city illuminate in golden lights all at once. Doug unraveled his arm from Evie, both losing their shared warmth.
Doug stood up, Evie following soon after. He grabbed one of the ends of the blanket and she grabbed the other. Folding it together six times, they met in the center and Evie handed it to Doug to pack up. As he went to put the blanket in the trunk, Evie stood near the fence’s edge.
She rested her hands on the fencing and took in the view of the golden lights shining around Auradon City. An overwhelming feeling of bliss found its way into her heart, Evie wistfully thinking of everything she and Doug were. She hated to acknowledge that they wouldn’t be this way again until the winter solstice.
“Ready?” Doug asked, coming up behind her and looking at the rest of the city. She pulled hair behind her ears as it blew in her face.
“Yeah,” Evie said, her voice carrying away with the wind. She turned around to face him, staring straight into his pale green eyes. “I know you already know this, but I’m going to miss you. A lot.”
Doug’s mouth formed his signature goofy smile, reminding Evie even more of how much she was just going to miss every little thing about him. His smile was contagious and she gladly flashed one back.
“Me too,” Doug said, drawing her in for a hug. As Evie leaned into him, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her arms hung around his neck, his curving into their usual place around her mid.
Holding onto each other, Doug gently swayed Evie as her head fell into its place against his chest.
Slowly letting go, Evie was taken by surprise as she watched his face near hers. Her heart spluttered in awe of what he was doing. Her eyes half-lidded, they soon closed as his lips met hers and a quiet gasp took away her breath. It was soft and innocent, their bodies relaxing as each moment passed. The persistent worries and fears in her mind disappeared.
As Doug was first to pull away, the breeze lifted the warmth from their bodies and carried their equally soft breaths away. Evie snaked her hands from his shoulders to his chest and latched onto his hand.
“Please don’t take me home,” Evie said, a light chuckle following her sentence. Doug glanced at her and leaned into their held hands.
“Eves, I wouldn’t if I could,” Doug laughed. Evie swinging their hands until they reached his car. “I would drive you endlessly across Auradon under the moonlight,” he teased, throwing his hand up across the sky as if to paint a picture, Evie playfully pushing on his shoulder.
As they got into the car, Doug turned on the brights. He slowly turned around and descended the hill.
Evie was sure Skyline Hill would become theirs over time. Reliving the feeling of his body close to hers, their lips hovering over each other, his calming presence, it was unforgettable.
Evie returned to the moment they first met when Doug was overcome by her beauty when she arrived. When he defended her when no one else would. Pulsing through her veins was how they moved in harmony when they danced at every Auradon Prep event. She felt the way his hand brushed over hers when he handed her the keys to her starter castle.
She didn’t want to feel the emptiness that was bubbling up in her stomach. The feeling, the lump growing in her throat was unavoidable. But for right now, the stars twinkling above her head whispered assurance that things would maybe, just maybe, turn out alright.