we'll be counting stars [private to brenny]

Toby paced back and forth from one end of his room to the other, hands clasped behind his back, and his eyes squinting. He had been doing nothing for the past hour but thinking. Thinking about what he had been doing, what he will be doing. Thinking about the war, about Finn. His mind was swimming with his thoughts, and it was much easier to think now than it had been in weeks. And so he was doing just that.

Toby turns and stops his pacing when he hears a knock at his door frame. Then, a familiar voice preceded Finnegan entering into his room. It was honestly a little bit unexpected, since Finnegan hadn't made any plans with Toby, or even told him he was coming to visit. Toby opened his mouth to inquire as to why Finnegan was here, but Finnegan began to speak first.

"A date?" Toby repeated, though it was a rhetorical question. He was really a little hesitant to agree. Their last date was a nightmare. But, Toby did think that he couldn't dwell on it forever. Eventually they had to pick things up where they started.

Toby's eyes fell a little from Finnegan's face to the shirt he was wearing. A memory flooded back to Toby; the two boys sharing a dressing room and smiling, giving each other clothes to try on. Toby had said that Finnegan didn't have to wear it, because it was obvious Finnegan hated it. But if he was wearing it now, he must be making a big attempt to mend things and please Toby. The boy couldn't help but smile a little.

"Alright Finnegan, I accept," he said. He wandered over to his wardrobe and got out some socks, slipping them on before getting on his shoes. He then straightened up and looked at Finnegan. For some reason, Toby felt a little nervous. Finnegan seemed confident, which was unusual, and it kind of threw Toby off. Not that he didn't like it, but it was kind of like having another first impression. And Toby didn't want to screw his up.

"Lead the way."

Before they even left the room, Toby was caught off-guard with a kiss on his cheek. He felt his face get hot, and undoubtedly his pale skin was beginning to take on a tone of pink. It was true that Toby didn't expect Finnegan to kiss him this early, having just did a sort-of restart on their relationship. But, it was a nice surprise, and a change from previous experiences. Toby shuffled his feet bashfully, a bit baffled at what else to do.

Finally, Finnegan broke the tension and held out his hand for Toby. The boy looked at the hand, then at Finnegan, then back at his hand. For some strange reason, Toby's only thought was those are some nice hands. Why he thought that was a mystery to the world. Toby raised his own hand and placed it in his boyfriend's. The pair then exited the cabin with Finnegan leading.

When they got out of the cabin, Toby noticed that it was rather dark. Finnegan walked ahead and did not notice Toby's distraction with the sky above. Being a necromancer, Toby adored the night, the moon, and the stars. He frequently took late night strolls, and was careful about how he went. Why? At Camp Half-Blood, the campers had a curfew. The enforcers of that curfew were known as harpies, and they were some of the most unpleasant beings one could possibly encounter. This thought occurring to him, Toby tightened his grip on his partner's hand. Narrowing his eyebrows, Toby lowered his head and walked so he was side-by-side with Finnegan.

"Finnegan, what about the harpies?" He asked, voice lowered. He looked at the boy expectantly, hoping he had already thought of this complication. Finnegan was, after all, an extremely intelligent person. Much more intelligent than he would let on, but Toby also knew that he could be extremely scatter-brained and forgetful.

Once they arrived on the beach, Toby took his eyes off of Finnegan, and looked out. The beach was dark and calm, the water looking almost just like the sand except for occasional dots that were reflections of the stars above. All was dark except for one spot, illuminated by the orange glow of several tiki torches. The light created a kind of circle around a blanket. Atop the blanket was a picnic basket, just like Finnegan had said, but Toby certainly was not expecting this. The surprise caused Toby to stop and examine the scene. It was much more than Toby expected of Finnegan. The ensemble created a surprisingly romantic mood that Toby did not know Finnegan could come up with. He even suspected that Finnegan might have gotten help from someone else to come up with this.

"Finnegan, it's lovely," Toby whispered to the boy. He squeezed his hand and allowed Finnegan to lead him to the blanket. He watched Finnegan sit down and produce a poptart from the picnic basket. Toby let out a small giggle. It wasn't very classy, but Toby understood that there were limited resources if you only had the camp kitchens to raid from. Toby took a seat across from Finnegan, and looked at the stars reflecting in the ocean. Still, itching at the back of his mind...

"Finn, are you sure we won't get in trouble?" he inquired once more, a little bit more pressing for an answer, this time. He drew his gaze from the beautiful water to the handsome boy across from him, but with both pleasant sights, Toby's face displayed worry.

There was a sense of relief that washed over Toby when he heard that the Harpies would not be interfering with their night. He found that he was able to relax a little more, not being under the stress of doing something that he wasn't supposed to. He kind of wondered what Finnegan did in order to get the harpies off of his case. Pledge dishes? Send them to tartarus? No, he'd probably get kicked out of camp if he killed them. Finnegan probably had to do the dishes. Toby felt a little bad that Finnegan had to go through that trouble just for him. But, in the spirit of the evening, he tried not to let it get to him.

Toby watched as Finnegan produced a can of spray cheese and crackers, and he stifled a laugh. Curious as to what other cafeteria products might he have packed, Toby pulled the basket over to him and peered inside. As he rummaged, he saw a can of tuna (which he easily passed), some cookies, string cheese, a bag of pretzels, a can of something that Toby didn't even want to know. Toby took out the pretzels and pulled open the bag. He began to munch on a pretzel and returned his gaze to Finnegan. In the minute that Toby was distracted, Finnegan had managed to get a dollop of spray cheese on his nose. How that was possible escaped Toby.

Toby bit his lip and mulled over his options. He could take a picture... Well, no, Toby didn't have a camera. And phones weren't allowed to be used in camp. He could just not tell Finnegan and silently laugh at him throughout the dinner. As funny as that would be, Toby also figured it would be quite cruel. Grabbing a napkin, Toby scooted over so that he was closer to Finnegan.

"Yeah you kind of- uh, got a little something on your nose, genius," he teased. He brought his hand up to the boy's face and gently wiped the fake-cheese product off of his nose. "Much better." he chuckled, leaning back and tossing the napkin by the basket.

"Oh... nothing really," Toby shrugged at Finnegan's question. The night seemed rather still between the two boys, and Finnegan's question was really supposed to be a conversation starter. But, what could Toby possibly tell him? 'Oh nothing much, just moping around my cabin and going out to practice raising the dead at night!' Toby shifted uncomfortably. "I've just been, uh... reading and stuff. Not much..." Toby sighed at his lie, but his tone made it clear that he did not want to pursue that particular line of questioning.

Toby shifted so that he was sitting in a more comfortable criss cross applesauce position. He had noticed the boy's blush when he wiped the cheese off of his nose. Although it wasn't a very romantic gesture, he could understand that it was at least a little bit intimate, since Toby had shared Finnegan's personal space for a couple of moments.

"Uh, did I say that you could take my pretzels?" Toby asked, snidely. He shot a rather offended look at Finnegan, eyebrows scrunched together, and hand placed over the bag of pretzels as to guard it. After a few moments, Toby's expression softened, and he began to laugh. It was a soft, genuinely-amused laugh that could usually only be produced in Finnegan's presence. As the laughter dialed down, Toby sighed, but a smile remained on his face.

Things easily got on Toby's nerves. Whistling, clicking sounds, and other small things simply ignited the fury within the seemingly-sweet boy. At times, Finnegan was one of them. This was not one of those times. Seeing Finnegan ramble was maybe the cutest thing Toby had every seen at that moment, and his smile grew wider. He licked his lips when the ramble dropped off into sudden silence. Why had he stopped? Toby could have listened to him rambling all night. Then, he realized that Finnegan was awaiting an answer.

"Wha- uh," Toby sputtered, snapping out of his small infatuation with Finnegan at that moment. "I've just been reading, like... Well, don't judge me..." he disclaimed. "But I kind of like reading about old religions and various religions in different cultures. I don't know, it's kind of this thing I have. Maybe its because Hecate is like a big goddess in witch-based religions..." He said. Although it was a lie that he had been reading, it was true that he was fascinated with the topic. Pulling upon his passion for the subject made his lie a lot more convincing.

The next thing that happened, although horridly awkward and slow, could have put Toby into a state of shock. The next thing he knew was that he had a boy's head on his shoulder, brown hair tickling the side of his cheek. The moment didn't last long before Toby began to feel himself sweat. Not so much on his face, but kind of a nervous sweat on his back and under his arms. Oh god, he's going to think I'm so gross, Toby thought to himself desperately. It seemed like under normal conditions, Toby wouldn't be this nervous to be with Finnegan, but the conditions were pressuring. Toby felt like he couldn't screw this up, and that made him nervous.

"Yeah, I m-mean, the stars are nice," He responded lamely. When Finnegan was looking away, Toby bit his lip and mouthed "Oh-my-god" at nobody in particular.

A mental note went off in Toby's head to buy some books on his next trip out.

Deciding to try his best to go with the flow, Toby propped up his arms behind him and leaned back on them so that both he and Finnegan could see the stars better. As soon as he looked up at the sky, he was as mesmerized as usual. Hearing Finnegan murmur some one the names of the stars, Toby's eyebrows raised. He loved stars, but more in a spiritual and pretty way. Certainly not enough to memorize the individuals' names. Toby glanced around the blackness and spotted what he assumed to be Venus. He liked that planet, and he definitely hoped that it was the goddess shining its light down on the couple.

Feeling Finnegan move uncomfortably, Toby sat up once again. Hearing Finnegan's remarks, Toby's eyebrows arched down into a sad look. His brown eyes swept over the boy with a look of sadness.

"No, no," he said. He paused for a moment. It was a good point that Toby had never thought about before. How fast should they be going? Toby felt as though it was even more awkward to set a specific pace given that they hadn't exactly started all the way over due to how deeply invested they already were. Toby's hands tightened and he thought quietly for a moment, avoiding Finnegan's gaze. "No, you're not going to fast, I just..." Toby trailed off.

"I just really don't want to mess this up. I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, and out of habit. Then he shook his head. "No, let's not let this get sad," he said, letting out a breath. Perhaps it was a bad sign that they had to make an actual effort to remain happy. Toby strained to force the thought out of his head. The thought that they were always sad around each other. "You were doing it exactly right, I was just nervous to like... kill the mood. Too late for that, I guess," he muttered, letting his head droop just as Finnegan's had down to his lap.

Toby's senses were a little bit overwhelmed at the moment. He was trying- and failing- at keeping himself from sweating. He knew that if he had to stand up he would probably faint about now, or shake uncontrollably. He was scanning every little detail of Finnegan's face, noticing and worrying about the blood. He didn't know what to do. At this point, Toby was frozen with his lips sealed together and eyes staring at Finnegan, awaiting what his next move was. And then it came.

Toby felt Finnegan's hand touch his chin, and goosebumps began to crawl all over the boy, making the hairs on his arms stand. As Finnegan's head drew nearer, Toby tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes. It was just the normal thing to do when kissing, but it felt different. He didn't know what kind of different, but it was at least a good different. Like the kiss was supposed to say something, and Toby got it. When Finnegan finally pulled away, Toby blushed and looked down quickly. It did not matter that he avoided Finnegan's gaze, because it was obvious that Toby was smiling like a goofball.

"No, that moment wasn't ruined," Toby agreed. He nervously brought a hand to his head and fidgeted with his hair as if it was messed up. When he figured that it looked fine his hands dropped to his lap. His head lifted up and his eyes locked with Finnegan's for the first time in a while. "No, it was perfect."

Toby watched, growing concerned, as Finnegan began to try to stop his lip from bleeding. He hadn't even thought about his bleeding lip while they were kissing. While Finnegan was distracted with his own lip, Toby brought the back of his hand up to his mouth and wiped his mouth off. Looking at the back of his hand, he saw a few streaks of faint red. Oh, gross, Finnegan! Toby thought to himself. He wiped the back of his hand on his pants quickly before trying to look casual again.

Toby waited for Finnegan to finish. When he did, they locked eyes for a moment. Toby raised an eyebrow as Finnegan began to smile like someone who had gone bonkers. Toby began to laugh at his facial expression, but stopped abruptly, realizing that he had had that exact look on his face before.

When Finnegan scooted closer, and began to mess with Toby's hair, Toby buried his face in his hands, feeling himself blush. He began to chuckle into his hands at Finnegan's whine, somehow oddly cute. Admittedly, Toby's hair was a little hard to deal with. He spent a lot of his morning prepping his hair. More time than he would like to admit. But, he didn't say that to Finn.

"Wha- I- I mean, yeah I know," he said, removing his hands from his face. He turned to look at Finnegan with a sort of grumpy expression. "But what right have you to say my hair is difficult? Yours is like an abandoned bird's nest," he accused. Wow Toby, way to go. Shots fired.

"Quiiit," Toby then swatted away Finnegan's hands. He smiled and bumped his shoulder against Finnegan's chest, pushing the boy away. "I'm not monkey to be groomed," he said, sticking his tongue out. He reached up and smoothed out his hair, giving up all hope of volume. He didn't feel the need to impress Finn anymore, anyway.

Hearing some slurred speech, and then some drunken laughter, Toby glanced over his shoulder. Coming towards them was a couple. Judging by the voices, it was a man and a woman. He couldn't really discern them until they got close enough that the tiki torches illuminated their faces. When Toby saw them, he bent his head down, looking at his lap. He had no desire to talk to them, and maybe if he didn't look at them, he could pretend that they could not see him. That tended to be Toby's default logic when it came to encounters that he would rather not deal with. Unfortunately, it tended not to work.

Hearing Finnegan speak to them, he was kind of surprised at the boy's assertiveness. Maybe it was another representation of how he didn't want this date to be ruined, or maybe he knew them and didn't like them. Either way, Finnegan's tone had something snappy in it. When the boy insisted on staying, Toby tensed. He knew that both he and Finnegan were not assertive enough to push them out of their space, even if Finnegan seemed adamant on this date going well. When the girl persuaded the boy to leave, Toby's muscles relaxed.

Tobias lifted his head and watched the back of their heads as they left. Before they were clear of the blanket, however, the boy stumbled onto a tiki torch. The pair kept walking, completely oblivious. Toby watched as the tiki torch tipped precariously, and then fell down onto the picnic basket with a smack. At first, none of the boys made a movement, and nothing happened. Soon, however, the basket caught fire.

Toby was the first of the boys to move. He scrambled to his feet and then jumped off of the blanket and into the sand. Now, along with the tiki torches, a fire in the middle of the blanket added on to the orange lighting. But, somehow, this fire seemed so much more hostile. Toby watched the fire for a moment as it grew. And then he noticed something. Finnegan hadn't moved. The boy was still glued to the spot that he had been sitting at, his eyes delving into the flames.

Toby shot forward. Just as the flames expanded so that they were almost nipping Finnegan's lap, Toby put his arms under Finnegan's and dragged him off of the blanket, and a reasonable distance into the sand. Then, Tobias produced something from his sleeve. He dashed to the beach. He could hear the couple laughing in their drunken way somewhere to his left, but he kept running until his shoes found the wet sand. He stopped in front of the water, stuck his wand out, and muttered something. Then, turning, he ran back to the burning blanket. His hand was elevated over his head, holding his wand. Above his wand was a stream of water that ran from there to the ocean. Upon arriving back at the blanket, Toby swooped his wand towards the fire, dousing the hot flame with chilled water.

As soon as the fire was out and the charred blanket was left smoking, Toby ran straight over to Finnegan, without so much as pausing for his breath. When he reached the tall and lanky boy, he threw his arms around his torso and squeezed him close. It was ridiculous that he had gotten that scared, but Finnegan had not moved. An easily avoidable accident turned out difficult to accomplish for Finn, and Toby was terrified. Glad that Finn was safe and not on fire, Toby squeezed his eyes shut and just remained there, hugging Finnegan, his head on the boy's chest. After about a full minute, Toby let go.

"You ass!" He shouted, almost immediately. "Never freeze up like that again!! You could have just hopped off the blanket!" He said, hitting Finnegan on the arm. "What an asshole." His emotions flip-flopped internally as he received a kiss on the cheek. His cheeks began to burn pink, and he hoped that Finnegan could not see it in this light. Toby took a step forward, and took Finnegan's face between both of his hands. He stood on his toes and placed a gentle kiss on the boy's warm lips.

After the kiss, Toby fell back down onto his heels, and his arms fell to hold around Finnegan's waist. With all the adrenaline pumping, Toby's fear of taking things at a moderate pace and being intimate totally disappeared. As Toby's arms brought Finn closer to him, he could better see his adorable face.

"I guess the date is over. Fire is kind of a party crasher, huh?" He asked, with a slightly amused air. For some reason, the mere fact that their date was supposed to be perfect and then ended in a fire had comic validity to Toby. He actually found it kind of humorous.