Star Shine, Shine On

Rhayn found themselves lost in thought as they stared up at the stars, eyes glistening in joy as the shining celestial bodies graced them with their presence. With a skip in their step Rhayn made their way towards the top of the hill, Flynn and Yuri making sure to follow closely behind. 

“Geeze, how exactly did I end up bein’ the one to carry all this stuff?” Yuri complains, shouldering a large amount of both food and a picnic blanket. 

“Because I’m the one with the telescope. You had to carry something!” Flynn responds. 

“Well, you’re a knight aren’t you?”

“Oh don’t start with that again!” 

Yuri chuckles at his jab towards Flynn, however Rhayn soon turns around when they reach their destination. “You guys! Do you have to fight about everything?”

“What, that?” Yuri chuckles. “That’s nothing compared to everything else I’ve put him through.”

Flynn sighs. “...By the way, it was nice of you to carry Rhayn’s share of the pile.” A smile creeps across his face.

“Oh cut it, dork.” Yuri curtly responds.

“Oh no, I mean it!” Flynn sets down the telescope. “I’m sure they appreciate it, right?”

Rhayn nods. “I really do, thank you both for carrying all that stuff up here! But…” They tilt their head slightly. “Why were you so insistent on carrying my share, Yuri?”

“What, and let you get your clothes dirty?” Yuri sets down his share of the pile with a huff. “You always make sure they’re so clean, I couldn’t let you do that.”

Rhayn looks towards the clothes, still clean like Yuri said. They blush, putting a hand to their mouth as they turn away. “Well, I suppose… You humans are so strange when it comes to clothes.”

“What do you mean?” Flynn wonders, setting down the telescope. He peeps through the glass, trying to adjust the instrument for optimal use.

“Well, when we first met you looked so… Flustered?”

The two of them remember, having first met Rhayn with their… Revealing outfit. Flynn and Yuri couldn’t help but to look away, not wanting to stare at the practically exposed Krytian, but they seemed to mind little, if at all. 

“Ah, that.” Flynn reminisces, turning pieces of the telescope. “Well… Your clothing styles are much different than ours. Usually-”

“We didn’t wanna say something stupid and embarrass you.” Yuri cuts Flynn off, setting the picnic blanket down with a small grunt as he shakes it about, unfurling it. “If you think about it, Krytian customs are probably about as strange to us as human ones are to you.”

Rhayn tilts their head slightly, sitting down on the blanket as they think. “Hm… I guess so, huh? To be honest, I find your clothes much more appealing than mine anyway!”

“‘S that so?” Yuri wonders, rummaging around the basket. 

“Yeah! Your clothes cover so much, it makes it feel… Like there’s a secret.”

Flynn snorts, turning towards Rhayn. “Really?”

“Yes! It’s so much fun!”

The gang share a quick laugh before Flynn gets back to work, but shortly after joins them on the picnic blanket. With a quick tap of the lantern’s blastia, the hill lights up in a warm, orange light. Yuri grabs various small boxes, each with a name scribbled on top in various handwriting. Rhayn’s name was written in cursive letters, with a heart at the end. Flynn’s name was straight and narrow, to the point and easy to read. Yuri’s meanwhile was… Written in a hurry it would seem, sketch-like and messy.

Everyone opens their boxes, a sandwich for all within… But Rhayn finds a small wrapping inside, with an F and Y scribbled in on opposite ends. They gently place the sandwich down on top of their box, and stare inquisitively at the wrapper.

"Woah there!" Yuri calls out with a mouth full of sandwich, gulping it down as Rhayn's head snaps towards him. "You weren't supposed to find that yet!"

"I told you we should've kept it in the basket!" Yelled Flynn as he wiped his mouth clean of crumbs. "Sorry Rhayn- We were going to give it to you after we ate."

Rhayn grins. "That's okay! Do you want me to put it back?"

"...To be honest, I kinda wanna see what your reaction is." Wondered Yuri. Flynn flicked the side of his head. "Ouch! Hey!"

"It'll spoil the food! I'm not gonna let my hard work go to waste!"

"Wait, you made these Flynn?" Rhayn wonders. Flynn turns towards them, curious.

"Yes?"

"Oh, that's strange…" 

"Why is that so strange?" Flynn wonders as he turns towards Yuri, suspicious as the ex-knight closed his eyes and tossed the last piece of sandwich in his mouth.

"Yuri asked me to make the food, but… I wasn't sure how, so he told me he'd handle it!"

"Yeah, and what better way to handle it than to make sure a knight does his best work, serving other people?" Yuri smiles as he speaks, leaning back and laying in the grass as Flynn sighed.

"I should've expected as much." Flynn concedes as he finishes his food, around the time Rhayn started eating theirs.

"Though, I guess I should've known." They start, looking at the sandwich. "Afterall, Yuri always takes off too much crust. These are perfectly square!"

"Hey- I do not!"

"You do." Flynn retorts. 

Yuri grunts. "Well it was my idea to get you that little surprise."

"And who actually found it?" Flynn teases.

"Me! I told you Repede ate the first one so I had to make sure he didn't get sick!"

"A likely story. I guess it's always up to the knights to fix things, as you always say?" 

"Oh can it." Yuri chuckles, causing Flynn and Rhayn to both chuckle as well. 

Eventually they finished their food, and delicately took the wrapped good into their hands. "So… Can I?"

"Go for it." Yuri responds, Flynn choosing to simply nod.

Rhayn excitedly, yet delicately, opens the gift, revealing a block of chocolate with red and green specks littered throughout. Their eyes light up, and they immediately take a bit, red cheeks and closed eyes munching at the bar of chocolate.

"Yeah, that's about what I was expecting." Yuri chuckles.

"Is it good?" Flynn wonders, watching Rhayn's eyes water as their face turns red.

"Yes!" They reply before taking another bite.

"Those always look like they hurt." Yuri jokes.

"Oh they do, very much so." Rhayn responds, completely serious as small streams leave their eyes. 

"Well then why eat it?" Wonders Yuri.

"The searing pain makes the sweet parts that much better! Plus, I like when food is hot- It's so… Exciting!" 

"Haha!" Flynn laughs, leaning backwards. "I suppose I can't argue with that logic!"

The trio chuckled and laughed to themselves, finishing their meals as they enjoyed the ambience the night had to offer. The stars shined brightly, as if there was a message, a story to share. Rhayn’s eyes similarly lit up, placing their hands in their lap. Flynn had just finished with the telescope and, having known this, they scrambled towards it, peering through the glass.

“Didn’t take you very long, eh?” Yuri chuckled, taking a sip of his drink.

“Hey, don’t bully!” Rhayn puffed their cheeks as they focused the telescope. “I just wanted to peek…”

Yuri laughs. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing!”

Flynn watches the two bicker playfully back and forth, laying down in the grass and looking towards the stars. A smile crept across his face, looking towards the two he had come to care for.

“Oh!” Rhayn shouts, pointing towards something in the sky. “Look! It’s the falchion!”

“Falchion?” Flynn wonders, turning his head towards them. Yuri was similarly confused, tapping on their shoulder.

“Lemme see.”

Rhayn scoots out of the way, allowing Yuri to peer into the glass. “The constellation! The starsigns? You don’t remember?”

Yuri thinks for a moment, then lets out a soft gasp. “Ah, I see what you mean. Yeah, ‘course I remember!”

Flynn smiles, there’s no way he could actually tell! He sits up, politely tapping Yuri on the shoulder.

“Gimme a sec Flynn.”

“How did you know?” Rhayn wonders, as Yuri was preoccupied with the telescope- There should have been no way to know!

“When Flynn wants me to move or asks me to do something, he taps like a grandmother.” 

“What- I do not!” Flynn responds, befuddled as Yuri snickers. 

“And you, Rhayn, tap like you’re about to die if I don’t pay attention to you right then immediately.”

Rhayn’s face turns red as they puff out their cheeks, Yuri snickering again. “Well, at least when I’m trying to get someone’s attention I don’t have to get Repede to do it!”

Flynn snorts, Yuri pauses and Rhayn smiles at the whole interaction. A second later, the trio all bursts into laughter, Yuri finally relinquishing the telescope to Flynn.

“Fine, fine. You got me there.”

The night continued, and as it went on, Rhayn felt warm inside. Seeing Yuri and Flynn share these little moments with them, the gifts they brought them… It all felt so freeing. So inviting and carefree! Rhayn couldn’t help but smile, and the pair couldn’t help but notice as Flynn turned around.

“What are you smiling about?” Flynn asks with a smile of his own.

“Oh- Nothing! Just thinking.”

“Well, quit thinking and tell us what this starsign is!” Yuri jokes, inviting Rhayn to look through the lens. It was going to be a long night of star seeing, and Rhayn wouldn’t have it any other way.