Stargazing is Gay
DesertDraggon
Max looked at his watch for probably the millionth time tonight. 1:23 AM. He flops back into his bed with a huff. He'd gone to bed 4 hours ago, he was exhausted at the time, but now? He’s pretty sure he's actually dying inside. This is the fifth time this week he hasn't gotten any sleep. He doesn't know why his anxiety has gotten so bad, why his brain won't shut the fuck off and let him rest, but it sure is fucking happening.
“Fuck it.” He curses under his breath and slides out of bed, swiping for his hoodie and stomping outside. It’s chilly, but not uncomfortable as Max makes his way across camp, using his phone’s light to navigate. He sneaks around the lodgings until he finds and breaks into the back door to the kitchen. It’s only a few seconds before he’s out with four bags of stale chips and the door is locked again like he was never there. David was a fool to give him a can of soda for being 'tolerable’ for a week. Turning it into a double padlock pick was too easy.
Max pops one of the bags open to munch as he wanders. It’s blissfully quiet, everyone but him dead asleep. It’s the little things…
It’s passing the tents that he notices someone sneak out and scramble towards the docks, carrying some big cylinder. Curious as to whom his sleepless buddy is, he follows, as quiet as someone with four bags of chips can be. Which… isn't really.
Out on the largest dock, they had set up whatever it was they were carrying and settled. A sitting duck, ready to be scared out of their nighties. Max approaches, slow and steady, until he accidently steps on a creaky board, the stranger’s attention drawn to him. Max froze, and dropped a bag with a loud crunch.
“What are you still doing up?” The stranger, who Max recognises as Space Kid, questions. It's not accusatory, but it still get under his skin.
“I should be asking you the same thing.” He grabbed his fallen chip bag, and tramped over to Space Kid, who was nestled on top of a sleeping bag, with an expensive looking telescope set up in front of him. “But it looks obvious to me now, you're just being a huge nerd. Where did you even get that thing?”
Space Kid just giggled, patting the space beside him. Max sighed and plopped down next to him. “I brought it from home! But,there’s gonna be a planetary alignment soon, and I’ve been keeping an eye on it!” He explained before removing his fishbowl helmet. Max just stared at him, mouth agape.
“You never take that off unless you're eating…”
“Well… I wouldn’t but it's kinda hard to see through the telescope with it on… and sometimes I fall asleep out here, so I take it off.” He leans towards the device, positioning it to look out into the black abyss of night.
“Makes sense… I guess. You look different without it.” Max shoved some chips in his mouth to prevent himself from saying anything else. While the silence of night was great, it felt good to not be the only one up at this god forsaken hour. Best not to make enemies now… not that Space Kid would be easy to piss off.
“Do you wanna see?” Kid asks, glancing over at Max with a huge grin. “You can see Mercury really well tonight! I feel like you would be a Mercury kind of guy.”
Max snorts and hands Kid his opened bag of chips as he scoots closer and looks through the lense. He really can see, with surprising detail, the damn planet Mercury itself. He’s definitely impressed.
