The trip to the campsite itself was without flaw. Lou drove carefully while you jabbered on about the excitement of being away from city-life again. Lou grinned from behind her large sunglasses as you bustled around in the back with the food and supplies.

It felt a bit cliché to go camping in the autumn with your girlfriend, bringing every plaid blanket you had, many marshmallows, and a tripod for blurry (but aesthetic) photos. The only thing missing would have been a large dog with non-stop slobber and matching bandanas. 

Lou, begrudgingly, had to give up her chic street-style for a complete lesbian  lumberjack look. Not that you complained. And then once you arrived, she had insisted she would put up the tent when you suggested to spend the first night outside of the van by the campfire. Now, you were leaning against the front of the vehicle, bemused from watching her fight with the tarp and connecting the frame.

Lou’s hair was pulled back with her fringe just brushing her eyelashes. She was wearing flannel and, heavens above, jeans with hiking boots. You grinned over your cup of hot chocolate as she sneered at the manual, kicking it to the side like a dad on a trip refusing to use directions and thus getting hopelessly lost.

“Let me help,” you offered again. 

“Absolutely not.” She had too much pride to give in now, even though she had been struggling for close to an hour now. 

“Babe, have you really gone camping before?” you asked. 

“Totally. We just didn’t use tents back then. We endured the weather throughout the whole night regardless of the conditions.”

“Are you calling me a snowflake for wanting to have shelter in the night?” you scoffed. 

“No, but I do think you’ve been way too pampered by the city,” she huffed. Ah yes, a lovely hypocritical response. You looked at your furry hiking boots and luxurious camping outfit and lifted her chin at her.

“I believe you mean pampered by my incessant gift-giving and spoiling girlfriend.”

“Guilty as charged.”

The tent eventually came together, quite sturdily. Dinner consisted of pre-cooked hot dogs and pre-packaged salads you had bought on the road. You already had a stash of canned soups, bread for sandwiches, and enough snacks to last you a life time, but tomorrow you wanted to try to go fishing and see if you could catch a meal that way, just for the sake of the ‘camping spirit’. If unsuccessful, there was a convenience store right by the camping grounds. You had to find a camping location with modern technology and access close by just for the sake of keeping Lou sane when you ran out of her favourite brand of ice tea. 

You got in the tent for the night and were surprised by the space of it inside, but not so by the haphazard assembly of the frame, which stuck out in some places.

Lou followed in from behind you, wearing her silk pyjama set and grumbling incoherently. It was cute, you thought, but hopefully she’d cheer up soon otherwise this would be a lousy weekend.

“Lou, why on earth are you wearing that here? You’ll freeze during the night.”

“It’s the only thing I have to comfortably sleep in,” she muttered, shoving herself into a sleeping bag. “I’ll be fine.”

You grinned and settled in next to her, “you’ve never gone camping before, have you?”

She avoided your gaze and blew a piece of hair out of her face. “I’ve disguised myself as a camper before for a con. They seemed pretty convinced.”

You giggled, not trying to laugh at her sour expression. The camping trip was entirely your idea, and Lou would do anything you wanted just to make you happy. This one probably beat all the jewels and cash she stole for you, simply because you got to spend so much time with her without anyone else around you for once.

A twig snapped and the blonde biker shot up from her position, “What was that?”

“Probably just a raccoon. Don’t worry, I put all the food away.”

She seemed unsettled, which surprised you, “Lou, you live in New York where there’s unending noise happening outside. People yelling, cars honking. You’re not telling me you’re frightened of wildlife sounds?”

“Not frightened!” she quipped, a little too quickly to properly convince you. “It’s so much quieter here, and it’s weird.. What am I supposed to do, Y/N? Adjust to it in one night?” She was scowling again and punched her pillow before falling face first into it.

“Move over,” you eventually said, opening her sleeping bag from your side. 

“We won’t fit.”

“Nonsense. I made sure it could fit two when I bought them.” You wriggled yourself further down, eventually feeling Lou’s freezing feet press up against your own.

“You didn’t have to come outside to sleep with me tonight. You could stay in the van if you want.”

“And admit to being a wimp in the outdoors? Over my dead body.”

There was another sound from outside, the screech of a fox this time, and her eyes widened. Her shoulders were shaking slightly. You didn’t know if it was from discomfort or the cold, but nonetheless you snuggled closer to her and wrapped your arms around her from behind.

“Hey I thought I was always the big spoon,” she retorted once she realized  what you were doing. Despite her sharp words, her body melted and pressed into yours, gladly accepting the warmth and security you offered. All you did was hum and wormed yourself as close to her as possible. 

“You’re impossible,” she grumbled, her voice slurring as she slowly drifted off to sleep. You grinned and kiss the back of her head, hugging her tightly as her hand reached up to grip your wrist before you fell asleep alongside her.

Lou woke up to the sound of a fire crackling and the smell of eggs and bacon. She wormed her way out of the tent while remaining inside the sleeping bag because it was still cozy from your warmth and smell. 

You were crouching by the fire cooking breakfast and digging through the cooking supplies you had brought. And, well, you had hoped to heat up some soup for yourself to get started and get some energy for a hike today, but the deeper you dug into the cutlery bag, the more you found knives, forks, and nothing else.

“Lou, baby,” you sighed, looking up at the blonde shuffling out of the tent. “You were supposed to bring all the cutlery right?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Did you really?”

Her eyes narrowed, “Why don’t you believe me?”

You held up the two bags marked forks and knives without saying anything. When it clicked, she groaned, folding her body into the sleeping bag and burying her face. 

“Lucky for you we have at least one big spoon left,” you chortled, scooping out the bacon and eggs onto a plate for her.

“Very funny,” she grumbled. “What did you want to do today?”

“Fishing!”

She looked... you didn’t know the word, but the closest to her facial expression was aghast. 

“Oh, Lou,” you sighed, sitting next to her as she ate. “Why did you agree to come if you clearly despise camping?”

“Because I’m trying to show interest in what you like, isn’t that what a good girlfriend does?”

“Sure, sure. But I also don't want to torture you into living in the outdoors for the weekend.”

“I’m trying,” she said again, digging her fork in the paper plate so roughly that it stabbed through. 

“Do you wanna just grab a bite to eat for today? I saw a cafe on the way in.”

She looked at you with a conflicted gaze, wanting to say yes, but also wanting to do what you wanted first.

You nudged her with your arm, before continuing, “and then you can bring a hot latte to the shore to drink and watch while I go fishing?”

That made her smile. She sluggishly got out of the sleeping bag to rush to the van and get ready, the silk not saving her from the chilly night air.

“And on the way we can get some spoons!” you commented as you followed her into the van. Seconds later, her pyjama top slapped you in the face, and you giggled as you closed the van door behind you.