#otarini

"Hi." Lonie beams, though nervously. "I hope you don't mind me sneaking in to set this up. I wanted to spend some time with you for your birthday, given that we're always mostly missing each other." she explains as she kneels down onto the blanket and opens the basket.

"I promise I won't fall asleep this time. I had lots of black tea and I had it late and I want to hear all about the stars." She says, unpacking the contents.

She pulls out some utensils first, and then a still-warm loaf of garlic bread that she made that day, wrapped in a cloth; next is a small bowl of homemade shallot and parsley spread, two jars of mushroom soup made with those she forraged herself, carrot sticks from her vegetable garden, a jar of freshly squeezed orange juice, and finally, a small cake that she baked herself, with dark blue glazing and golden script of Cam's nickname, decorated with edible golden glitter, and a single blue candle on top.

"I know the candles intefere with visibility but we can just snuff them out when we're done eating." she explains, bringing the cake's candle to one of the pre-existing flames. She then offers it to Cam. "In case we don't see any shooting stars tonight."

They blow out the candle and she leans over to press a kiss to their cheek.

"Happy birthday, Cam."

(—leila-of-ravens 💙☀️🌙)

As Cam steps out onto the observatory deck they're taken aback by the beautiful glow of candles and what looks like the perfect set up for a picnic. But of course the most beautiful sight of all is Lonie, smiling and highlighted in a halo of candlelight. Cam's heart skips a beat or two as they look at her, and they nervously brush a hand through their hair.

"Lonie," Cam takes a step towards her. "Did you really do all of this for me?"

Cam is at a loss for words as they listen to Lonie explain the picnic surprise she'd planned for them. As she unpacks the basket and promises not to fall asleep too early Cam laughs, taking a seat next to her on the blanket.

"It's ok, if you fall asleep I'll just carry you home. It wouldn't be the first time," they smile, thinking of the time they'd given Lonie a piggyback ride across town when she was too sleepy to walk.

Lonie's brought all of their favorite foods, and no doubt all of the ingredients are fresh from her garden. Cam's cheeks are starting to hurt from all of the smiling they've been doing, but they can't help but grin as a wave of affection for their partner washes over them.

Lonie pulls out a beautifully decorated birthday cake and lights the candle, and they listen proudly as she remarks that they'll need to put all of the candles out later for better star visibility. Cam leans in to blow out the birthday candle and beams as Lonie kisses them on the cheek.

Cam places their hand on her shoulder as they lean in towards her. "Thank you, Lonie. It seems my wish has already come true." They gently press their lips to hers, trying to convey how grateful they are through a kiss. "You're better than anything I could have wished for."

oh wow i have so many otarini feelings, i’ve wanted to write an observatory date for them for ages now, so thank you for enabling me 🥺 @leila-of-ravens

☀️🌙

44. Tentative kisses given in the dark.

It’s a warm night so Cam had suggested sitting out on the observatory’s observation deck. It’s at the top of the building, and they always feel like they’re closer to the stars up there. They’ve laid out a blanket to sit on, and as Lonie looks up at the starry sky, Cam looks at her. 

It’s dark outside but the moon and the stars are bright enough to illuminate her features. She’s nearly glowing in the moonlight, the flowers in her light colored hair a reminder of the sunny day they’d spent together before this trip to the observatory. Lonie turns to look at Cam and catches them staring, but before they can feel too embarrassed about it she smiles and leans her head against their shoulder.

Cam smiles back at her and turns their attention to the stars, searching for one constellation in particular. The stars they’re looking for are very faint and it’s not really the right time of year, but they manage to spot them all the same.

“Lonie look, that one there is Cancer!” Cam points towards the left side of the sky and draws a line to connect the stars of Lonie’s zodiac sign. 

“Where’s Sagittarius?” Lonie asks and Cam searches the sky for the bright cluster of stars that denotes their sign.

“Sagittarius is much easier to find, you just have to look for the teapot,” Cam explains. “The teapot?” Lonie looks over at Cam in amusement and finds their gaze trained to the sky. She stares at them for a minute, taking in the way their dark eyes reflect the stars and the focused expression on their face. 

“Yes! See those stars there,” Cam draws another line with their finger and Lonie’s eyes follow their movement, “They make the shape of a teapot, those stars are part of the Sagittarius constellation.” 

“Hmm.” Lonie settles more comfortably on Cam’s shoulder and they put their arm around her to make sure she isn’t too cold. It’s nearly midnight, much later than Lonie usually likes to stay up, but she’d asked Cam to show her the stars so here they are. They would bring her the moon if she asked. 

Cam isn’t quite sure what to do next, part of them wants to just lean down and kiss her but they don’t want to be too forward. They stare up at the stars instead, letting the familiar task of tracing constellations quiet their mind. Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Orion, Gemini, they follow the path of stars across the sky until they feel grounded again, at home on this planet under a vast sky full of stars and with a very pretty girl by their side. 

Lonie slowly reaches for Cam’s hand, and when they feel her lace her fingers through theirs they turn to look at her. She’s smiling at them again, and though Cam can’t really see them in the dark they know the freckles on her face are scrunching up in an adorable way. They can’t help it anymore, not when she’s looking at them so sweetly.

“Lonie, can I kiss you?” Cam tries to breathe normally while they wait for an answer. They’re usually so confident but she leaves them shy.

“Yes.”