Study the Stars.

"baby, i promise, it won’t happen again…" kirishima whines, dragging the words out like he’s performing a tragic monologue rather than apologising for something as small as being late.

"you were five minutes late," you whine back, matching his theatrics because if he’s going to be dramatic, then you’re going to be dramatic enough to win awards for it.

you sit in the passenger seat with your arms crossed, pretending to be furious even though he opened the car door for you, kissed your cheek as he always does, and has been showering you in compliments since the moment you sat down. still, there’s something undeniably entertaining about watching him scramble, because kirishima is never more attractive than when he’s desperate to make things right.

"how’s gym going?" you ask, voice casual, even though you’re already planning exactly where this conversation is headed.

he straightens a little, caught off guard. "gym? uh— good! i’ve been consistent with my streak."

"how many push‑ups can you do?"

he blinks, confused but honest. "like… sets? around a hundred probably. why?"

you turn your head toward him, letting the moment drag just to make him nervous about your next move. "i want you to do two hundred push‑ups with me lying between your arms, and instead of touching the ground, i want you to kiss me."

kirishima’s eyes widen so dramatically it’s almost funny, his mouth opening and closing like he’s trying to catch the right words before they escape him. he stutters once, twice, then somehow pulls himself together.

"uh— sure! yeah! i can do that! like… now?"

you raise an eyebrow, amused. "you can do push‑ups in the car?

he looks around the interior like it’s suddenly shrunk to the size of a shoebox, then shakes his head so fast his hair moves. "no. right. okay. let’s— let’s drive to my place."

he fumbles with the keys, starts the car too aggressively, apologises for starting the car very passionately, and pulls out of the parking spot with the determination of a man who has just been handed a quest he refuses to fail.

you watch him, admiration curling in your chest. "you’re really going to do it?"

Namaygoosisagagun First Nation/Collins has burned to the ground. The entire community is nothing but ashes after being quickly consumed by wildfires. They did not have any support from emergency services, and no one offered aid. The community saved themselves by escaping into boats because no one came.

Mishkeegogamang and Cat Lake have lost power. Families are ending up in shelters with nothing. Armstrong, Lac La Croix, Whitesand, Gull Bay, Lac des Mille Lacs are currently in the fires path and all members are being evacuated.

All this loss, all this devastation, and it was entirely preventable.

After steadily underfunding wildland firefighting and purposefully excluding Indigenous wildland firefighters and Indigenous wildfire organizations from wildfire operations, firefighter training, decisionmaking, and resource exchanges, in 2025, Doug Ford slashed the forest firefighting budget.

It's hard to ignore his decision to cut funding and leave us out of adequate fire training (even though we've lived with forest fires for thousands of years—far longer than settlers have been in Canada—and made sure fires like the ones we're all seeing today were prevented through kinisitotēn) when, despite making up less than 5% of the population, we account for 42% percent of all wildfire evacuations in Canada.

And when we are successfully evacuated, we face discrimination and racism—like Kashechewan—because it's always been easier to blame us than it is to blame the true culprit: denialism, corportate greed, and colonization.

The people of Collins and every other impacted community deserve better.

Right now, the AFN is currently accepting donations to help Collins First Nation. If you're able to, please consider donating.

ONWA (Ontario Native Women's Association) is another great place to donate to. They have outreach vans going to motels and inns and offering food, water, resources, and cultural support to those impacted by the wildfires.

Other places to consider donating to are Mikinakoos Emergency Fund, Red Cross, True North Aid, Indigenous Climate Action. You can also send donations directly to Whitesand First Nation via e-transfer ([email protected]) and they request that you add your full name in the e-transfer comment section to receive a tax receipt.

*Before sending money, verify that the appeal appears on an official First Nation, Tribal Council or registered charity channel.

If you can't offer financial support, please consider donating items of need. Moontime Connections is currently accepting drop-off donations. If you live in the Thunder Bay area, Namaygoosisagagun Health Office is also taking in donations! They can also bemailed to Superior Inn Hotel & Conference Centre at 555 West Arthur Street, Thunder Bay, ON, P7E 5P8.

items needed are: food, diapers, medical masks, men’s and women’s joggers (all sizes), children’s clothing (newborn to size 14), children’s shoes, summer clothing, men’s clothing, toiletries (lotion, Vaseline, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, etc.), strollers, adult depends-all sizes, dog & cat food