(softly) val... stargazing
"Would it be too much to ask...if you two could join me outside?"
There it was. The words that the blonde had wanted to say after such a long match with Lunchino, kiting the reptilian for the longest time as his teammates finished ciphering. He had been the only one to leave to the manor on the rocket chair. The sparkling crystal forms on the hunter had made Victor feel… nostalgic.
It had been so long since he could just relax outside and stare at what was vastly prepared for them.
The two, Andrew and Luca, were very surprised.
Why?
Because that was the first thing he asked them as they quickly rushed to the blonde to check how he was - still dirty and covered in stains from falling. Usually, he was always apologising when they would get to him after a match, so to say they were happy that he didn't this time was a bit of an understatement. There was a bit of curiosity on what the blonde wanted to do outside since it was mostly trees without any end in sight. What did Victor have in store for them?
"Sure, why not?" Luca smiled toothily, a worn glove reaching to pull out Victor from his seat. "Got something cool to show us, Vicky?"
"That's…" well, he really couldn't say that it was, now could he? After all, the sight of stars in the night sky was not uncommon for all to see. "Well…."
Andrew took pity on the postman. "Now, if he did that, it would ruin what he wants to show." It was a gentle scolding, no real heat behind it but it gave the other two a smile as Luca held his hands up in faux surrender.
"Ok, ok, Andy I won't push it," There he went once more with a lax fanged smile on his face as he shimmied over to Andrew. "But can you blame me for being but a wee bit curious?" Now, the brunette was hanging off of Andrew as he sang happily, arm wrapped around the albino's shoulders.
A fond roll of Andrew's eyes as Luca clung on him as he continued to sing-song his words like a drunken man. Since Luca was too busy speaking to Andrew, he didn't see Victor gently pick up Wick nor him signing that he would meet the two of them later outside in an hour. However, Andrew did catch the memo,and gave the blonde an ok sign as he watched him quietly go.
"Hey, where did Vicky go?"
"I can't believe you're just noticing it right now."
"Not my fault, I was enjoying my boyfriend's handsome face!"
Luca watched as Andrew's face went pink before he was pushed away for a moment - laughing softly as the gravekeeper told him that they were to meet Victor in an hour.
The hour passed the two rather quickly, enjoying themselves though they were still wondering in the back of their minds where Victor had ran off to. Andrew was leaning quietly on Luca's shoulder in the brunette's room, the static smell of burnt wood and oil was all too familiar to him, lulling him to sleep as Luca was writing in his leather bound journal. Besides the very distinct sound of people talking beyond the door, the entire evening had been silent while the clock in the room ticked slowly.
"Hey," Andrew wearily looked up from Luca's shoulder as he was jostled awake. "It's nearly time to meet up with Victor," he reminded the albino who yawned, a little bob of his head as he remembered. Luca fondly smiled at Andrew as the two of them got up to leave their room.
As the door opened, they were greeted with a bark that had them looking down to see Wick at the foot of the door. With his tail wagging, the bulldog didn't have to start scratching at the door for the two to hurry up and follow him to the back door. Luca let out a little laugh as he quickly followed behind the dog and Andrew close by his side - hands held tightly as they raced together to the door.
The first thing that greeted them as the door opened was the cold gust of wind that frazzled their hair; the second was the sound of a harmonica that blended in quietly with the loud chirping of insects in the background. Sounds of little nails on the stairs had Andrew and Luca watching as the bulldog ran down the little steps and to a laid out blanket. Wick eagerly went back to the comfort of Victor's lap as he was still playing his harmonica and only stopping when the all too familiar warmth of his dear friend rested in his crisscrossed lap.
Eager gold eyes turned to see his companions there at the stairs, making their way to him and he smiled brightly up at them. There was a curious cock of their eyebrows as they stared down at him for a moment.
"I thought we could do a little star gazing," came Victor's shy response when the two didn't say anything at first.
"Haven't done that in a long time!" Luca was the first to respond in a joyous tone as he flopped onto the blanket.
A startle yelp escaped Andrew as Luca pulled him down, he had forgotten the two of them were still holding hands. Knees hitting the floor rather harshly had Andrew shoot Luca a disapproving look for a moment. Luca gently pulled Andrew close all while apologizing, a little eagerness didn't excuse his actions and Andrew quietly forgave him as the other was petting his head. Both men decided to take purchase of Victor's thigh closest to them as their own personal pillow.
"What brought this on?" Andrew muttered softly as his eyes were trained on the sky above them.
There was hardly any other unnatural light besides the soft glow from the manor, which left the sky coated in a deep inky black. The stars gleamed softly as if painted onto the black canvas, the moon was clouded in a light grey coverage.
Victor looked down at his companions - their gaze up on the sky with a relaxed expression. It was easy to see them taking in the view. Slim fingers gently ran through Andrew's hair due to him being closest to Victor's hands.
"Sometimes it's nice to enjoy the little things," Victor softly responded. "With how these matches are, I feel like just having some time to ourselves - with people we cherish very much - can put our hearts at ease. Give us new memories to cover up the bad ones we might have," he said earnestly while twirling a strand of pure white locks.
A low groan passed through Luca's lips, stretching a bit as he wrapped one arm around Andrew and the other reaching to pet Wick in Victor's lap. "You're not wrong," He wistfully agreed. "It's nice."
The smile on Luca's face had Victor's heart swelling up with joy as he nodded his head and smiled bashfully. Andrew hummed quietly to agree with the statement as he pressed himself more to Luca's side - fingers grazing along the man's wrist as they continued to stare at the endless sky. Slowly, Victor lowered himself down on the blanket as well and while his legs were still crossed in an uncomfortable manner, he held out so that the two could continue using his thigh as a pillow.
All three of them continued to look up at the sky in silence and the wind providing them all with a fresh breeze as they shared this moment. Not too soon did Luca start pointing out different constellations to the other two and using his hand that had been petting Wick to the different star shapes that he could vaguely remember, going on about the story behind them. Andrew and Victor listened happily as the genius rambled on from one story to another along with the wildest hand gestures he could make without disturbing the other two too much. Quiet laughter filled the air between them all - soothing and calm.
"Hey! Hey! Look! A shooting star!" Luca excitedly called out as he pointed to the quickly passing form before they missed it. "Make a wish!!"
I wish I can stay like this and protect them for as long as I can.
A moment of silence.
"What did you guys wish for?"
"If I told you then it won't come true!"
A soft smile formed on Victor's lips as Luca playfully pouted at Andrew before the other asked Luca to continue telling them about the stories behind the constellations.
This memory. He wouldn't have it any other way as he helped Andrew with getting Luca to continue with each star map's history, watching at how serene the two looked. Their faces were gently curved into smiles while their eyes glittered. Victor laid his hand over Luca's hand resting on Andrew's shoulder and curled into it while his other hand went to play with the gravekeeper's soft hair. The comforting atmosphere with the sounds of his loved ones talking was the best kind of nighttime music he could ever hope for. The three of them would continue on their little moment for so much longer as they could feel the tug of sleep ushering them to its arms, finding warmth in each other on the clear and beautiful night.
