LITG Oneshots

the stars shine bright - Henrik/MC (Mature)

From the moment the words "We should go camping" exit Henrik's mouth, Beth has all sorts of ideas in her head. Campfires under starry nights, hiking through the trails, maybe even canoeing on a peaceful lake. It's going to be perfect.

She hasn't camped since she was a child and would go with her family each summer, her parents packing her and her brother into their family car and driving to one of the campgrounds in the Cotswolds. She has fond memories of those times, of fishing and hiking and strolling through the quaint historic towns. They stopped camping when she and Max were teenagers and no longer wanted to share a tent with each other, but she's always wanted to do it again, perhaps with a family of her own. Going with Henrik would be so romantic, and it's a perfect way to start what could become a new tradition.

"That's a great idea!" she exclaims. It's getting late, but all tiredness is forgotten as she jumps up from the sofa so she can grab her laptop. Henrik groans at the loss of contact, then smiles lazily when she returns and cuddles back into his side. "Where do you want to go, and when? Is next month enough time?"

"I was thinking this weekend," Henrik replies, wrapping an arm around her and burrowing his nose in her hair. "There's a meteor shower. We can sleep under the stars!"

"This weekend?! That's only a few days away! We need to plan, and buy all the supplies, and make a packing list, and—"

"Alskling, I already own most of what we need. I can pick up anything else tomorrow after work."

"But we need to make a list!" Beth opens a new document and starts typing out a list of things to pack: tent, sleeping bags, extra blankets, pillows... "Wait, does your tent have a transparent roof?"

"My tent? No, of course n—"

"Oh, then we should buy one!" She brings Google up on her browser and searches for 'Best stargazing tents'.

"Why do we need a tent? I have one already."

"We need a stargazing tent!"

"Can't we sleep under the stars?"

Beth cranes her neck to look at him with wide eyes. "Out in the open? With people around?"

Henrik's brows furrow. "People? No, we'll find a place where there's no one around."

"Oh! Okay, um... I've only gone to campgrounds where there are other people close by. Where do you have in mind?"

"The Lake District is fine. I'd love to take you to Wales or Scotland, but maybe when there's more time and we can go for longer. But I know a few places; leave it with me."

"But we can book something tonight! I can look up the best campgrounds in the Lake District."

"Don't worry about it," he says, amusement creeping into his voice. "I'll call tomorrow when I'm at work. We have some contacts up there, so I'll be able to find a good place."

Beth wants to argue further — she loves to organize things, and the accommodations are one of the biggest things to figure out when planning a trip, but she takes a deep breath and tells herself to let it go. After all, this was Henrik's idea, and it also happens to be his area of expertise; she can trust him to take care of this.

"Okay, but we do need a tent."

"But I already have one."

She pulls up the first result in her search and starts scrolling through, occasionally rubbing her eyes as she concentrates.

"See these?" she asks, pointing at the screen. "They're perfect for stargazing. They have mesh tops and sides, and waterproof flies to go over in case it rains."