"Ah, finally, you're home!"
Neville juggles his bags, halfway through taking off his scarf and jacket when he's pounced on by his girlfriend. "Hannah, let me at least get through the door first!" he laughs, dropping his bag and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss. He allows himself the indulgence of a few moments where he only thinks about the floral scent of her hair and her hands nesting at the back of his neck, the feeling of her soft lips on his own. "I've been waiting all day to see you. Happy anniversary, love," he murmurs, his mouth millimeters from hers. Neville's eyes flutter closed as he leans in to kiss Hannah again, but she's quicker than him.
Hannah pulls back, stepping back and shooting him a sly grin as he stumbles forward a half-step and looks up at her questioningly. "Don't distract me, I've got a surprise for you. Close your eyes!"
He does, raising an eyebrow even after he can no longer see her. She shuffles forward, pressing a kiss to his forehead and reaching for his hand. Neville chuckles, allowing her to lead him forward into the sitting room and across the house. She opens the back door, and the cold autumn air hits Neville's face, bringing with it a gentle drizzling of rain.
"What're we doing outside? It's cold and rainy—"
Hannah hums, cutting him off. "You'll just have to see, won't you? I suppose you can open your eyes now, if you'd like, it's just not quite ready yet." She takes a few more steps, so she's further into the back garden, ahead of him. Neville blinks his eyes open, staring around at what had been a boring, neglected yard this morning.
Hannah has completely transformed it. There are a handful of lanterns, white and silver, hovering around the perimeter of the picnic blanket set out in the center of the lawn. A large, wicker basket sits open upon it, it's contents barely visible. Neville thinks he can make out the slender neck of a bottle of champagne and a baguette. A pile of leaves that must be an entire tree's worth sat just to the side of the blanket, neatly manicured and inviting the little boy within him to jump into it. Taking a dazed step forward, Neville's mouth gapes open as he meet's Hannah's eyes.
"I just said it's not ready yet!" Her tone is chastising, but there's a grin twisting her lips. "Take another step and I'll kiss you." Hannah's voice grows low, and Neville chuckles at her attempt at seriousness. She shoots him another warning look before returning to her task of lighting the lanterns.
"That's a threat, is it?" Neville raises an eyebrow, waiting until Hannah's looking his way again before taking an exaggerated step forward. She rolls her eyes, flinging herself at him. Hannah's arms wrap around his waist, her lips find his, and Neville takes another step toward her. He leads them over to the leaf pile, hardly able to see and working his hands into Hannah's long curls as he deepens the kiss.
When her feet feel the crunch of the dry autumn leaves, she falls backward into the pile, tugging Neville down with her. The leaves flutter up then back down again as they laugh within them. The browns, warm reds, burnt orange of the leaves cover their entangled bodies. The dark of the night sky stretches out far above them, flecked with stars, the deep light of the moon shining down upon their picnic.
"I did plan that we'd eat first," Hannah murmurs as Neville pulls back and looks at her fondly. But then his eyes close, his nose scrunches up, and he bends over to the side, sneezing loudly into the crook of his arm. Neville sneezes twice more into the elbow of his woolen sweater before turning back to look at Hannah again.
"Damn allergies." He shakes his head, sitting back and offering her his hand. Hannah rolls her eyes again and takes it as Neville says, "Food sounds great."
"Whatever makes you happy, darling," she laughs as they sit down on the picnic blanket. Hannah nestles herself into Neville's side, and he wraps an arm around her. He makes up a plate of food for each of them.
Hannah's content to stay in Neville's arms all night. He holds her close and tells her about his day at work. He even tries feeding her a grape or two, and it's ridiculous and adorable, but Hannah thinks she'd rather feed herself. She pushes herself up to sitting again, and moves so she's across from Neville, so she can see him. She watches the way his face lights up as he talks and the way his eyes never waver from her own as she tells him about her plans for the weekend.
They stay like that for a while, basking in the serenity and whimsy of their night in. After they finish eating, Hannah lays back with her head resting on Neville's crossed legs. She looks up at him, then up at the stars. They crisscross the night sky like a piece of art. Hannah points as she locates the big dipper. He follows her gaze, and looks up just as a small flash of light flies across the air directly above them.
"Shooting star," he murmurs. "Make a wish."
"What could I possibly need to wish for? I have you, that's all I need."
A/N: Written for: Seasonal - Days of the Year - Oct 3: Write about someone treating their boyfriend to something nice; Autumn Prompts: (word) rainy; Color Prompts: Burnt orange; Birthstones – Bloodstone: (dialogue) "Take another step and I'll kiss you"; Flowers: (word) Sneeze; Elemental: Aquarius: (pairing) Neville/Hannah; Audrey's Dessert Challenge – P C1: Write about enjoying something with a loved one; Ravenclaw Challenge: (trait) Whimsical; Star Chart: Oct 21: (scenario) Wishing on a shooting star; Gris-Gris: (weather) Drizzle; Fortnightly – Boyfriend Checklist 14: (time of day) nighttime; Writing Club – Showtime 12: (object) lantern; Lyric Alley 20: Whatever makes you happy; Em's Emporium 4: (dialogue) "Close your eyes!"; Holmes: (word) Anniversary; Make Your Own Pizza Step 1, 6: (word) dry; Dragons and Writing Month: wc 919