When he was just a kid, Raphael fell in love with the stars. He remembers the many nights he spent lying down in the backyard of his home in Mexico just watching the stars. When he moved to New York, he was disappointed that the stars could not be seen as clearly as they could in Mexico. It seemed that there were fewer stars in New York, but his mother explained that it was because of the many lights of the city that the stars could not be seen as clearly. In Raphael's opinion, it was a terrible loss.
As he grew older, he forgot about the stars. Or at least, forgot why he loved them so much. He stopped going out at night just to watch the night sky. He stopped looking out the window and just stare at the beautiful sky. And then Simon came.
His relationship with Simon had been going on for almost a year and Raphael still discovered new things from the younger boy. They had met through a mutual friend, Magnus, and hit it off right away. Or well, after Simon spilled his drink all over Raphael's new jacket But then they met again, and started meeting up in places and then they just started dating. It worked, for both of them. They were perfect for one another (or so everyone seemed to think). Even though they drove each other crazy sometimes, they loved each other and learned to balance one another. But no matter how well both of them got to know each other, there were always new things to discover. Raphael had been shocked with this. At certain point he thought he had Simon all figured out, but then the younger man did something that was completely unexpected and Raphael just kept learning.
Like the one time Raphael learned Simon was a nerd about astrology.
Raphael had been getting ready to go to bed. He had just changed into some sweat pants and one of Simon's hoodies. It was a cold night, though thankfully it was not snowing yet. It was past midnight. He had been working for most of the evening and lost track of time and when he started getting hungry, he realised it was really late but he was not tired. So he ate some dinner, continued working some more before finally deciding to call it a night. He was just getting a glass of water from his kitchen when he heard the front door unlock. He frowned, knowing Simon was the only other person who had a key to his place and it was too late for Simon to be out. They didn't share an apartment yet, though it was in their future plans. For now, Simon still shared an apartment with his best friend since middle school, Clary Fray. Some nights (mostly the weekends) Simon spent the night at Raphael's place but other days he still used his apartment for sleeping. So it was unusual for Simon to be walking into Raphael's apartment so late at night on a weekday. Unless something bad had happened.
Raphael rushed to the entrance, a million questions flying through his mind and already picturing the worst case scenarios. When his eyes laid on Simon, though, he looked completely fine. His cheeks were rosy with the cold as was his nose. But he was smiling and his eyes shone with excitement. In his arms he held various pillows and blankets, adding to Raphael's confusion.
"Simon?" Raphael asked crossing his arms against his chest "Bebé, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you?" Simon voiced it as a question, which made Raphael frown.
"Have you seen what time is it?" Raphael demanded "It is almost 1am! You shouldn't be out so late at night!"
"Technically, it is very early" Simon said "It's already 1 in the morning..."
"Simon" Raphael sighed, unimpressed. "What are you doing here?"
"It's a surprise!" Simon grinned, not at all discouraged by Raphael's tone "Now go get something warmer and some shoes and let's go"
"Let's go? Simon we're not going out at 1 in the morning! Are you crazy?" Raphael demanded
"We're not going anywhere" Simon sighed "We'll still be in the building"
"What are we doing then?" Raphael asked.
"Just...trust me" Simon pleaded "Go put on something warmer and get some shoes and just trust me"
Raphael regarded Simon one more time, before sighing and walking off towards his bedroom to change. Once he was ready, he walked towards Simon who had prepared some hot cocoa and placed them in take-out cups to keep warm. He grinned at Raphael, giving him the thermos and then moving towards the front door, grabbing the blankets and pillows again. Raphael followed after him without a question, though he was still trying to figure out what was going on. When Simon guided him to the roof of the building, Raphael was even more confused. The air hit them, icy cold and sending shivers down their body. Simon quickly draped a blanket over his shoulders before pulling Raphael close to him. Together they walked to a clear space where they could lay down. Simon instructed Raphael to place some blankets on the floor and the pillows. When that was done, both of them laid down, Simon draping the blanket over both of their bodies so they could keep warm.
"Simon?" Raphael asked "Why did you take me out to sleepover in the cold?"
"We're not sleeping over" Simon giggling "We're gonna watch a show!"
"A show" Raphael deadpanned "What are you talking about"
"Just...ssshhh and look up" Simon whispered and snuggled closer to him, looking up at the sky.
Raphael sighed, wrapping his arms around Simon and bringing him closer before looking up at the sky. Nothing happened for a while. The sky was clear and it looked beautiful, the stars were shining brightly and Raphael had to admit that it was an incredible view. But he still couldn't understand what Simon was talking about when he said they were watching a show.
And then he saw it.
It was so fast that Raphael doubt for a moment it was real, but Simon gasped and then the flash of light happened again. And again. And one more time. And suddenly the two of them were watching as countless of shooting stars crossed the night sky over their heads. Raphael was in awe and suddenly he was taken back to those nights he spent in Mexico watching the stars as a kid.
"It's the Geminid Meteor Shower" Simon whispered after some time "It happens every year in December..."
And then Simon started rambling about the meteor shower and started talking facts about the time and why it happened and why it was called that why and how it was related to an asteroid and just a lot of random facts regarding the stars and meteor shower. Raphael was impressed.
"I didn't know you were into astrology" Raphael commented.
"Not really" Simon shrugged "Just the stars"
"Well...it's amazing" Raphael chuckled "I used to love watching the stars when I was a kid"
"Me too!" Simon exclaimed "My dad and I would lay down in the backyard and he would point out the constellations and tell me their stories...it's one of the few things I remember from him"
"Maybe you can teach me one day" Raphael whispered, his lips close to Simon's ear "about the stars and their stories"
"I would love that" Simon whispered, turning around to face Raphael and kissing him sweetly on the lips.
