Reality's Sharpest Savior

Extra 5: The Camp Night

(The stars out here are really beautiful tonight. I think I'm starting to see why Jones suggested we'd do something like this. Camping out under the stars, cooking food near the campfire, enjoying the surrounding nature, it's just so... peaceful. Well, almost peaceful. The mosquitos are starting to annoy me. I guess I should go get the bug spray.)

At the campsite in the forest near the Joneses, both Jones and Y/N are taking the time to admire the beauty of nature. With the stars outside shining brightly as ever and the short, cold breeze moving throughout the night, the two can't help but wonder what tonight will bring them, even with their plans still in-check.

"Hey, have you seen the bug spray anywhere, Jones? The mosquitos are starting to bite." Asks Y/N.

"Should be in the bag. Check in the tent while I get these sausages open." Replies Jones.

Y/N goes into the tent, searching through the bag as Jones attempts to get the pack of sausages open for them to grill.

Hearing the sounds of struggle and annoyance from a certain someone, Y/N grabs a pair of scissors after finding the spray. Exiting the tent, they ask;

"You need these?"

"Only for this. I don't know what they were thinking with the packaging. Seriously, it shouldn't be this hard!" Replies Jones, taking the scissors and beginning to cut.

"There we go. Finally, now we can grill these bad boys."

With the fire crackling and the pan sizzling, the sausages whistle with flavor and steam. Jones' tongs continue the work until they're just about done.

"Looks like they need a few more minutes. Think you could get the plates ready?" Asks Jones.

"Sure thing." Replies Y/N before getting up from their seat.

They follow up to the tent, grabbing the package of paper plates out of the bag before looking up to see the sky. Making their way back to their seat, placing the plates down near the campfire, they stare up to see the stars, shining as they light up the dark above. Their concentration doesn't last for long, though, when Jones suddenly says;

"All done! Better have those plates ready."

The two feast, talking while their plates get more empty. With Jones boasting about his grilling and Y/N lending a not-very-serious ear, the night continues to pass and the number of stars increase more and more.

"Look at all those stars. It's pretty cool, isn't it?" Asks Y/N.

"I'd say. They are looking extra, uh, sparkly tonight." Replies Jones, gulping down his food.

Finishing off the last of the sausages, they clean up their mess and prepare to settle for the night. That is, until, Jones looks back up at the sky and thinks of an idea. He pokes his head through the tent to see Y/N. He asks;

"Hey, uh, you aren't feeling tired right now, are ya?"

"Not really. Why?"

"So, I was thinking... what if we stargazed tonight? Would be a good way to end the night. Plus, we haven't got much to do now."

"You really want to? I didn't think you were really interested in that."

"Hey, wouldn't be camping without a little time under the stars, right?"

"But we just ate hot dogs."

"...Wouldn't be camping without, uh, more time under the stars, right?"

Y/N let's out a small chuckle turning back to the bag, grabbing some blankets and saying;

"Can't argue with that."

Finding a suitable spot near the campsite, Y/N places down the blankets as Jones takes some pillows from the tent to add to the comfort.

The two lay and gaze above, pointing out any constellations that happened to come across.

"Ooh, I think I found one. Alright, what is it? The... Big Dipper?" Asks Jones to himself.

"Where do you see that?" Asks Y/N.

"See that one I'm pointing at? I think it's right there. It's supposed to look like a spoon, right? Looks more like a frying pan to me."

Y/N begins to chuckle again. "A frying pan? Really?"

"Hey, it does! Look, you've got the handle, the big, bowl-like shape. See that? A frying pan!"

The two laugh to themselves throughout the night, giving any constellation they saw a new and silly point of view. The Leo? An arm holding an iron. The Draco? A slithering worm. The Cygnus? An X drawn by a preschooler.

The two settle down after time passed, continuing to gaze up at the stars in silence. However, it is soon broken when Jones starts to speak again, saying;

"Thanks for this. Really, this has been great."

"Hey, it was your idea. I should be thanking you, really."

"I don't know, you've made this night great. You've... made a lot of my nights great. And days, obviously, but still."

"...I'm glad for that. I'm glad you thought of this idea too."

"Yeah, me too."

Jones leans in for a kiss, puckering his lips and pressing them onto Y/N's. Accepting his embrace, the two felt as if the night stopped passing, the cold air ceasing. They don't know long it lasted, but I did feel like a while. The two smile at each other. They don't feel anything but the blankets. Reality begins to collapse on them, however, when a gust of wind blows right passed them, leaving the cold air frolicking about.

"Got chilly quick, didn't it? Do you, uh, wanna head back to the tent?" Asks Jones.

Y/N looks back up at the stars. Their shining beauty hadn't changed.

"...Maybe we could stay out here for a few more minutes. I'm really enjoying this." Replies Y/N.

Jones looks back up to the stars as well. He gets more comfortable in his spot and leans his head onto Y/N's shoulder.

"I'm fine with that." He says.

The stars don't stop shining. Even with nature's cold, the warmth of both themselves and the comfort of their blankets make it bearable. The don't care about it now, or really anything for that matter. For right now, they just care about themselves and the stars.

Thank you so much for reading! This is the last of the Extras for this story, so I hope you enjoyed them all. But still, thanks again, and I hope you guys have a great rest of your day/afternoon/night!