Out Past Midnight

It was dark when the pair arrived at the park. Francine was carrying a very heavy picnic basket while Buster lugged two folding chairs up the hill. They both reached the top panting, and as soon as Buster sat down the chairs, he took a puff from his inhaler and collapsed on the ground. Francine grinned and dropped down next to him.

"So, this isn't what I expected when you said you wanted a late-night picnic," Francine grinned. Buster shrugged and looked up towards the sky. He squinted then pointed to what he thought was a star. Francine squinted and turned her head, then she saw it. She sighed, "That's a plane, Buster. I told you that you can't stargaze in Elwood City anymore. There's too much light pollution."

"Well, a boy can hope. Did you pack enough food?" Buster asked, pulling the basket towards him. Francine slapped his hands away and opened the basket herself. She passed him several wrapped sandwiches. Buster's mouth watered as he began picking at the plastic wrap, "And you made these, not Catherine or the store?"

"I made them all myself," Francine nodded. "Mom thought I had lost my mind packing all of this for just two people. I guess she needs to spend more time with you, then she'd know," Francine grinned, pulling out the last sandwich for herself. It was the smallest of the several piles, but Francine didn't mind as she looked upwards. "I'm sorry the date isn't working out as planned, but I hear there's a planetarium in Metropolis that we could go to."

"It's fine," Buster whispered. "I'm taking astronomy next semester. There's always a field trip into the country for a stargazing adventure. Maybe you should take the class too so we could go together," Buster offered.

Francine grinned and rested her head on Buster's shoulder, "That sounds really romantic, but I already have all the classes I can take. Colleges set limits on these things for a reason," she said, looking over the city, "but I want to stargaze with you eventually, sometime soon, just to make it up to you."

Buster leaned back as he began to open his second sandwich. He rested his head on the fallen folding chairs. Francine chose to put her head on his chest instead, wrapping herself around him. She felt close to him, but she felt even closer when she could rest her head against his chest and feel his heart thumping against her ear.

"Can you believe we're going to start college in a few months, that we're about to graduate from high school?" Buster asked. Francine made a noise to say she couldn't believe it. "You know, I can't believe I have a girlfriend like you too. You've really changed over the years, and I think it was for the better."

"Me too," Francine agreed. "Sports and competition can be a bad influence on people, but I'm glad I'm not like that anymore. I can really see the good in life now, and you really help me, Buster. You're so much funnier now than you were in elementary school," she grinned.

Buster scoffed, "Please! Those were my golden years of joke-telling and crazy eating habits. Come on, you have to agree with me," he pleaded. Francine looked up to him with a smirk. "So you're not going to agree with me? Fine, I won't tell any more jokes."

"No, no, I just...you know when not to joke now. That's more important than knowing how to tell a good joke. Anyone can tell the right joke at the right point in time, but knowing when to keep your mouth shut is hard. That's why I finally said yes."

"What?" Buster asked. Francine lay back and looked towards the orange, light-polluted sky, "We were standing at Arthur's locker and he dropped a book. It landed on his foot, and he'd already been having an awful day. Your face twitched and I just knew you were about to let him have it. Then he rose up and you kept your mouth shut. You pat him on the back and asked if he was okay when you could've cracked a joke, when you really wanted to crack a joke. That was when I decided you would be a good match for me. You'd finally grown up enough."

Buster shifted, "Do you know why I decided I liked you?" Buster asked. Francine shook her head. Buster nodded and looked over the city, "You stopped hating Jenna for sports. You didn't stop playing because you wanted to. Your mom told me the story one day while we were waiting, but I already guessed that you had an injury. And you were so jealous of Jenna because she didn't have an injury, because she was healthy enough to play. It took you a while, but I knew when you stopped hating her. You complimented her one day and you meant it, and that's when I knew I liked you. Well, that's when I knew that I liked you a lot."

Francine smiled and lay against him again, "I didn't know you knew about that, but I'm glad you do. I feared telling you in case you thought bad of me."

"Because you hurt yourself? No, I could care less about that—well, you know what I mean. I wish you could still play, but do I care that you injured yourself being silly in your bathroom? No! You should hear me in the shower," he winked.

Francine cracked up, "You sing in the shower?"

"No, it's a joke, but I made you smile, didn't I?" he asked. She nodded, "Well done, well done. I needed that," she sighed, looking over the city. "You know, sometimes I wish the lights would go out so that you could see the stars, and that I couldn't see my sister's new hairdo," Francine whispered.

Buster nodded and looked over the city, "I've thought the same thing, but light pollution doesn't go away in one day. We'd have to move out of the city, after college of course. We'll get jobs and commute and have a nice house in the country somewhere."

"What if I hate to drive? What if we have to live in the city? What if-?"

"What if I have dreams?" Buster interrupted. "I have dreams that I want to preserve. I know they're childish, but sometimes, those are the best dreams. Don't you agree with me?"

Francine smiled, "Yes, of course I do. I wish I could be a professional soccer player, that Bubby could be my manager for my band, and that I could be a legendary jockey with a horse named Prancer, Rudolph during the holidays so I can dress him as a reindeer."

Buster laughed, "You can be funny yourself, but those are great dreams. I hope at least most of them could come true. I wish I could've met your bubby. I think she would've made a great band manager from what you've told me."

"Only the best," Francine nodded. "She can still be my impromptu manager. I know what she'd like and what she wouldn't like. She's with me here," Francine said, patting her chest. "You are too, no matter what. Even if we need to be apart for a little while to get our lives together, I could never forget you. I don't want to see the day where we can't be together."

Buster held her, knowing the announcement was coming: Francine wanted to go to school in Metropolis instead of Elwood City University. She'd wanted to go there for a few years now, and he knew she'd have to live there. They'd have to call each other, video chat, and have brief visits, but right now, they wouldn't have to worry about that.

Buster held her, holding her close as the coolness of the evening set in. It was getting late, but Francine's apartment was nearby. Every now and then, they saw the curtain open, probably her mom checking in, and a second figure would approach and pull them away, probably Francine's father. Far off in the distance, Buster's mom would be typing over a computer, trying to get in good stories by the midnight deadline.

But on this quiet hill, it was Francine's night and Buster's night. There were no responsibilities, just time spent together. They held each other, wishing time would stand still. They wished the lights would go out and Mother Nature would right herself so they could see the stars, and that they didn't have to leave Elwood City ever, and that they could remain young and carefree forever.

But they couldn't.

A little after one, Oliver approached them. They'd fallen asleep on the hill. He smiled as he helped Francine up. Buster blinked at him, and Oliver grinned, helping him up as well. Together, they carried everything back to the apartment building. Then Oliver drove Buster home.

"I see that you love her, son," he whispered. Buster nodded. "That's fine with me, and I hope it all works out well for you, that you have it easy. But if it's not easy, if the going gets tough, I want you to support her just as she'll support you, because I know you can get through it together. I know you can."

"That's my hope too," Buster whispered. Oliver nodded as he pulled up in front of Buster's condo. Bitzi was still in the living room asleep as he entered the condo. He put her to bed before getting into bed himself and dreaming of the perfect world he wished he could go to.

~End

Theme 159: Stargazing, Theme 171: Cuddling

Themes from my Infinite Arthur Theme List challenge.