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Sakuya pulled a wide blanket from his ever-present backpack and laid it on the grass at the river's edge. Was it big enough? Comfortable enough? Though it was too late to change anything, he worried. “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”
“Oh, you thought this out, nice.” Tenma seemed a little impressed with his boyfriend's actions. So far, so good, Sakuya decided.
“I've always thought that the stars look really pretty from here, so I... I wanted to share it with you!” He forced the words out through his embarrassment. “That's what I was planning. So, um, let's lay down.”
Side by side, the two actors looked into the night sky. It was clear, almost perfect, and the dim crescent moon didn't dull the stars. Sakuya waited for a moment, then lifted a hand to point into the heavens.
“So if you start at the north star, Polaris, then look down...” the older boy started to explain, but Tenma cut him off.
“Hang on, which one are you talking about?” In his busy life, Tenma had never really had the chance to just watch the stars.
Sakuya didn't hesitate to clarify. “It's that really bright one there. It lines up with the North Pole, so if you walk towards it, you'll always be going north.” It was subtle, but he hoped his boyfriend would be able to use that information. “Can you see the line of stars that extends down from it? And then it kind of forms a square at the end.” He traced out the constellation as Tenma scooted a bit closer.
“Yeah, I can kind of see it now that you point it out.” The ginger boy was close now, just short of too close. They hadn't been dating very long, and every moment of contact was still new and exciting.
“It's called Ursa Minor. There's another constellation called Ursa Major near it, if I can spot it... yeah, there! It's kind of a similar shape, so once you've found one, it's easier to see the other.”
“Oh, yeah, you're right. That's it right there?” Tenma raised a hand alongside Sakuya's, their arms brushing against each other, just barely. It was electrifying, and the older boy had to fight back a shiver.
“That's it, yeah. The names come from a Greek myth about a mother and son being turned into celestial bears by the gods,” Sakuya explained. “Have you heard it before?”
Tenma turned his head slightly to look more at Sakuya. “No, I haven't. I guess you know it?”
When Sakuya turned to look at Tenma as well, their noses brushed, forcing a gasp out of both of them, followed by a bit of nervous laughter. “Mhm. There was a wood nymph that Zeus took a liking to, and Hera didn't like that, so she turned the nymph into a bear.” Tenma nodded in acknowledgement. Their noses brushed again, static connecting the two. Sakuya let out a stifled gasp, but continued. “Her son was a hunter, and when he came across a bear in the forest, he had no idea... but Zeus stopped him by turning the son into a bear too. And he took them and placed them in the night sky, where they would be safe. And so there they are.”
Tenma paused, thinking. “Huh... you know a lot, I guess.”
Sakuya only chuckled awkwardly. “Not really. I learned all this so I could tell you about it.”
That must have set something off in Tenma, because he suddenly pulled his boyfriend into his arms. “You didn't need to go that far, y'know.”
“Yeah, I did. Because it's you, I wanted to!” Though Sakuya's voice came out muffled, he heard Tenma's racing heartbeat more clearly than ever.