starry night. [k de vries]

synopsis: K and the hunter deal with a power outage.

The two of you are in the middle of making dinner when the power goes out.

K sighs, their half-finished meal still on the stove. There might be enough heat to finish it, but they don't fancy doing that in the dark. Not when you're somewhere in the living room, likely using your phone for a flashlight while flailing around in the dark.

"[Name]?"

"Yeah?"

K abandons their pan and summons an orb of light in their hand, using it to make their way towards you. They're not surprised to find you standing, looking at them with a pained smile.

"Great date, huh?" you joke.

K cracks a smile of their own. "If you enjoy lukewarm dinner. The power will likely be back soon; storms like these die quickly." They pause. "Did you want me to grab candles?"

"Are you trying to make this more romantic?"

K blushes. They're glad for the dark because otherwise, you would have seen the pink tinge in their cheeks. They didn't think about it that way. They could easily continue using their magic to light up the room, but they thought you may be more comfortable with candles. It was a practical thought, not a romantic one—though they're not sure they mind it being the latter.

These dates have meddled with their mind.

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" K asks.

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Sometimes I'm just being pragmatic."

"And sometimes you can use that to your advantage to make things romantic."

"Maybe," K concedes. "If you want candles, I can get them, but I can also do this…"

They twist their fingers and let the light from their hand explode, the magic exploding into a dozen stars that scatter around you. They hang in the air like ornaments on strings, illuminating the awe on your face.

They'll never get tired of it. It's not like you haven't seen magic before, but you always regard K's magic as something special. More unique than the rest. In some ways, it's true—every warlock's magic is a little different—but something about your expression always warms K's heart.

K is their magic—there's no separating the two. It's essential for their partner to at the very least accept it for them to even consider being in a relationship with them. To see you embrace it so dearly means more to them than you'll ever know.

"I think this is better than candles."

"Yeah?"

"Don't act like you don't know it."

K laughs at that. Lightly, they grab your hand and tug the two of you to the floor.

"Come," they tell you.

"What are you doing?" you respond, but you don't get an answer until the both of you are laying with your backs to the rug, looking up at the ceiling.

K vanishes the array of hanging stars and for a moment, there's nothing but darkness between you. An obsidian ink that spirals throughout the air, bathing the two of you in silence. They wait a moment before unveiling their purpose, twisting their fingers once more to create a night sky freckled with constellations.

When they were younger, they used to be able to look up at the sky and point out a hundred different stars, making up patterns that they saw and naming the ones that were already discovered.

It's one of the things they miss most about the past. With pollution looming over cities, it's rare that you can ever see any stars anymore—especially in New York. The city that never sleeps always has its lights on. Even on a good day, it's impossible to see anything but the moon.

K grabs your hand and tugs it forward, pointing it at a glowing constellation to their right. "That one's Ursa Major." They move your hand to the left. "That one's the Big Dipper. A little overrated if you ask me, but there's worse."

Even if you know the constellations yourself, you keep quiet and let K talk you through everything. At some point, they stop pointing out real constellations and start making their own, forming anything from random animals to attempts at portraits of your friend group.

They're terrible—drawing with stars isn't exactly easy—but neither of you care.

"You're amazing," you breathe.

K blushes again, but this time, there's not much they can do to hide it. They turn their face towards you, letting you see the darker hue of their cheeks before leaning in for a kiss.

Soft lips brush against yours, teasing until they can't handle it any longer. They press forward, savouring the feel of you, the hum of pleasure you make. Butterflies dip from their stomach and down to their toes, but they embrace them, not shying away from how happy they feel.

When the two of you pull away, K leaves their hand on your cheek, their palm cupping your jaw with affection. "I really like you."

You break into a smile. "I really like you too."

And then you're kissing again.