Archive of Our Own ^beta

Blaze knew Daniel had made a habit out of overworking himself to no end when it came to assignments. He had always been like this, often suffering severe burnout afterwards in high school, and that habit persisted into college. Blaze knew just how horrible Daniel’s burn out symptoms could be, and he’d be damned if he watched his partner bring himself to that stage again, so he devised a plan in his head. He was going to get some snacks that he knew Daniel would enjoy and take him to the park for the afternoon. After all, it had been ages since they’d been on a date and Blaze felt somewhat guilty for it.

So Blaze put the plan into action, first, he’d load his car with whatever necessary, a blanket to sit on, a few plastic bags to put their rubbish into, and of course, his wallet. He’d stop at the supermarket next, picking up a few snacks. He had known Daniel for years, despite them only being a couple for a few months, so he knew what snacks Daniel ate when he was stressed out. Blaze also picked up a few snacks for himself too. Then, eventually, he pulled up in the parking lot of Daniel’s dorm building. He knew Daniel’s dorm building like the back of his hand, and could probably make his way up to Daniel’s dorm from the parking lot with his eyes closed. He took the elevator and knocked on the door of his boyfriend’s dorm room. “Hey Greenie, you in?” He called out to him. Moments later, Daniel opened the door and gave Blaze a hug. “I didn’t know you were coming over.” He murmured.

Blaze couldn’t help but feel a certain softness towards his boyfriend. “Did you have your nose in your textbooks again?” He asked him in a gentle tone, his hand coming up and gently stroking Daniel’s green, fluffy hair. Daniel nodded, pulling away from the hug. “Yeah, yeah I was researching for that assignment due next month.” He yawned. Blaze laughed, ruffling his hair. “So on top of everything~ got time for a little break? I wanted to take you out for some fresh air.” Daniel stepped back and adjusted the blue-light glasses that sat on his nose. “Yeah, maybe a break could do me some good…” He murmured and ran a hand through his own hair. “Let me just get dressed and freshen up a bit before we go.” He stepped aside to let Blaze in.

It took Daniel about 10 minutes to get dressed and freshened up. He had showered earlier that morning so all he really needed to do was re-apply his deodorant and put on some cologne. When he was ready, he grabbed his phone and looked up at Blaze. “Where did you wanna go?” He asked, turning his attention to out the window. With Blaze, it was quite unpredictable what he would want to do. “Well, I prepared a small picnic for the two of us. I was gonna set up in that park that you and I used to frequent before I dropped out. How’s that sound?” He asked. Daniel was somewhat relieved that Blaze didn’t have something extravagant like a hike planned. “A nice relaxing picnic sound’s really nice, actually.” He spoke with a soft smile, and upon seeing the softness in Daniel’s expression, Blaze melted into a smile too. “Yeah? I thought you’d like it. Let’s go, Greenie.” Blaze took Daniel’s hand and led him to his car. 

~~~

The two men arrived at the park. It was always very quiet. Blaze led Daniel to their favourite spot, one that they had found when Daniel was in his freshman year of college, and ever since then it had been their spot. They came here for their first date when they first started seeing each other, and had even shared their first kiss here. Blaze spread the blanket down and sat on top of it, and Daniel set the bag of snacks down. “It’s a lovely day.” Daniel smiled, looking out towards the pond where a family of ducks seemed to be swimming. “It is, I’m glad I was able to tear you away from your textbooks, even if it’s just for a few hours.” Blaze grinned as he rooted through the bag of food, pulling out two cans of soda. He handed one to Daniel. “Here, relax yourself a bit.” Daniel took the can and opened it, taking a sip. “You didn’t have to go out and buy things, I would’ve still came if you didn’t.” “What kind of a picnic has no snacks?! You wound me, Greenie.” Blaze teased.

The two stayed out for hours. Time always seemed to fly whenever they were together. As the park started to empty, Daniel and Blaze started getting more bold with their affection towards one another. They didn’t really like being outwardly affectionate due to them being a same-sex couple, and not wanting unnecessary comments made about their sexuality or relationship. However, when the world was quiet like this and they could be outwardly affectionate towards each other, it made everything worth it. Blaze wrapped his arm around Daniel’s shoulders and kissed his temple. “It’s so nice to just… be here with you like this. Just us and this beautiful sunset.” He murmured, rubbing Daniel’s arm with his hand. Daniel looked up at Blaze, his dark blue irises reflecting the golden light from the setting sun. Blaze looked down at him and felt his heart speeding up, his hand came up and stroked over Daniel’s cheek ever so softly, his touch feather light. “I love you, Blaze.” Daniel said quietly, and Blaze could feel his jet black tail swaying against the ground. “I love you too, Greenie. You’re amazing.” Blaze took a hold of his chin, tilting Daniel’s head up before pressing a kiss to his lips. Daniel didn’t take long to kiss back, his own hand coming up to cradle Blaze’s jaw. He really did love Blaze. 

~~~

As the date came to an end, Blaze drove Daniel back to his dorm. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Blaze gently ruffled Daniel’s hair. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Daniel smiled up at him, pressing a gentle kiss against his cheek. Blaze smiled at the contact, cupping Daniel’s cheek and stroking it affectionately. He leaned down slightly and kissed Daniel’s lips again, lingering for a moment before pulling away. “I’m already looking forward to it. Love you, Dan.” He spoke softly, stroking his cheek. “I love you too.” Daniel spoke back softly, going inside for the night. Blaze watched him go into the building before getting into the car and driving back to his apartment.