A chill managed to find its way into my old cotton jacket, running up my spine and causing goose bumps to flesh out across my skin. I shivered, but continued to shuffle down the dirt road in front of me, determined to make it to my destination on time. It must've been about forty-five degrees out, but that was normal for late autumn in Texas, so I shrugged it off, opting to simply wrap my jacket tighter around my chilly frame, pressing the thick book in my arms deeper to my chest.
I walked for a few more minutes, enjoying the light breeze on my cheeks, auburn locks flying past my shoulders as I went, exposing me to the crisp, autumn air. I turned to watch the trees behind me, to see the wind rustle its branches and shake its remaining leaves away, only to be carried off by the cool breeze.
It wasn't long before I saw Bruce's lean form, nothing but a shadow now that the sun had nearly set. I felt a grin tug at my lips and a slight blush warm my cheeks as I waved. I hurried up the hill, smile widening as he stepped over and curled his arm around my waist in greeting.
"Hey, you ready?" he asked, that soft smile of his playing at his lips, his breath warm as it brushed the loose strand of hair against my ear.
"Absolutely," I beamed, having waited nearly a week for this.
Bruce chuckled as he led me to a softer section of grass, where there was a blanket lying in wait for the pair of us. Knowing Bruce, he had probably already been here a half hour, waiting and preparing everything for us.
I smiled, settling onto the blanket, and placing the book down in my lap. The last of the sun's rays were just disappearing over the horizon, rays of golden orange and yellows giving way to a deeper shade of blue as they dissipated completely. I could feel Bruce's gaze on me, and I looked up, brows creased. "What?" I asked, lips quirked into a smile.
"Nothing. I just think that this is going to be the perfect date night," he smirked, lowering himself down onto the blanket, his shoulder brushing mine as he slid closer to my side. He peered over to the book in my lap. "What did you bring?"
I reluctantly slid the thick bundle over to him, a sheepish look on my face. It was an astronomy guide, listing hundreds of various constellations that shine over North America this time of year. "I wanted to come prepared," I muttered, cheeks blooming pink once more at how childish it seemed. I let the hair slide from its place behind my ear, forming a thick curtain around one side of my face.
Bruce gently pushed it back with calloused fingers, pinning it behind my ear as he smiled. "No, this is great. I only know a few constellations myself, so this should come in handy tonight," he assured, peering at me behind those metal frames of his.
I rolled my eyes, knowing he was full of it. He had more than likely spent hours the day before studying star charts and the history of different constellations. He liked coming prepared, as well as learning new topics of scientific study. Plus, he probably wanted to try and impress me a little, which I had no objections to.
I loved learning just as much as Bruce did, and he was a brilliant teacher, speaking enthusiastically, bordering on rambling as he explained different concepts and theories. Most of it I couldn't follow, or I only understood the general gist of it. But I was fine with that. Bruce was surprisingly patient, and it was more about seeing those brown orbs of his light up in excitement and wonder as he spoke that I loved, than the actual words.
"You have that look on your face," he observed, snapping me from my thoughts.
I turned, blinking owlishly for a moment. "What look?"
"The one you get when you're thinking intently about something," he smiled, an impish look in his eyes.
I raised a brow, but shook off his comment and turned back to the book, flipping it open and leafing through the pages in hopes of finding something interesting. After a few minutes of this, I found it difficult keeping my focus on the text, by attention continuously shifting to the man beside me. I closed it with a sigh, setting it to the side and curling into Bruce's side, hugging my knees to my chest. "How much longer do you think we have to wait until we start to see some stars?" I asked, already growing a bit impatient, if not slightly bored.
Bruce wasn't much of a conversationalist, even when he had a partner that rivaled him in intelligence like Tony did, and sitting in silence, although calming and comfortable, can become rather tedious when waiting.
He chuckled lightly, leaning back on his palms as he glanced up toward the darkened sky. A few balls of gas had already begun to shine through. "Not long. A few more minutes, maybe," he smiled, elbowing me lightly in the ribs before lying completely on his back, his arms folded beneath his head.
With a playful slap on the leg and a small smirk, I followed his example, lying down beside him and turning my head to gaze at the sky above us.
The sky had quickly begun to fill with twinkling lights, and after a few long, pregnant moments, the sky began to lighten from the dull, dark blue that it was before, to a swirling mass of color: deep violets, rich blues, and a few balls of gold, pooled together in a conglomeration of cosmic beauty, hanging above our heads.
Bright, massive stars, ringed in cerulean, were scattered above, distinct among the smaller ones surrounding them. But their size meant nothing, compared to the sheer quantity of them all. Large clusters of stars, more than I even thought imaginable, shined down on us, and I felt myself marveling at the beauty of it all, mouth slightly agape.
Bruce shifted his arm from beneath his head down to his side, propping a knee onto the blanket as he turned his gaze upward, eyes searching the sky.
After a while, I began to notice that Bruce wasn't saying anything, and by brow creased in mild confusion. I expected him to be rambling on about the various constellations and star systems, about the potential planets Earth-like enough to theoretically support life, and about a whole book's worth of other information, to the point where I would have to gently press my lips against his to get him to stop. But he only gazed upward as I did, not saying a word.
I turned my head a fraction, eyes studying Bruce's features for a moment. He was only so quiet when he was deep in thought, and I had half a mind to ask what about, when he finally spoke.
"Sometimes I miss being out here in the open like this: being able to see the stars clearly without all of the city lights," Bruce confessed, his eyes glazed slightly in thought.
Unsure of what to say, I opted to stay quiet, hand searching the space by my side until I found Bruce's calloused fingers, and I intertwined mine in his, offering him a small smile.
He returned it, wide and genuine, and he squeezed my hand gently, inciting a slight blush to rise to my cheeks. We sat for a while, and he finally began to act more like himself, telling me all about the stars that burned above us, millions of miles away.
Hours must have passed like this, with our backs pressed against the hard ground, our fingers intertwined, Bruce chatting enthusiastically in my ear while I listened intently, both of us completely oblivious to the time slipping past.
The temperature had dropped significantly during all this time, steadily decreasing until my thin, cotton jacket wasn't quite enough to keep the chill away, and I shivered beneath the few layers I wore.
Bruce seemed to notice near immediately, as he broke our hands apart, only to then wrap his arm around my shoulders, pressing me gently into his side. I snuggled closer, my arm draped over the cardigan he wore, and I pressed my face into the crook of his neck, relishing in the warmth that seemed to all but radiate from him.
"Do you always run this hot?" I sighed with a smile, voice muffled slightly by his bristled skin.
"Yeah, actually; it takes a lot for me to get cold. I suppose this is one instance where the Other Guy actually comes in handy," he chuckled. He rubbed his hand across my arm soothingly, causing me to somehow further relax into his embrace, another small sigh escaping my lips.
"I think I'll deem you my own personal radiator from now on," I teased, eyes closed.
Bruce grinned, pressing me closer. "I think I can live with that," he replied with a chuckle. His gaze flickered up toward the sky once again, and he stayed quiet, the only sounds filling the still air being our gentle breathing and the symphony of crickets chirping around us.
We, not surprisingly, drifted off to sleep like this, me in his arms, wrapped in his kind warmth, and he with his head resting against mine, our breath ghosting in front of us, before mingling, and finally ascending into that beautiful, glittering sky.