The Book of Mormon Oneshots

Fireflies (ChurchTarts)

AN: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YKho5dZN8yA ('Stars' by Alessia Cara)

I figured this was a fitting song for this chapter :')

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The sun began to set, pulling a blanket of starry night sky over Kevin, Connor, James, Chris, Nabulungi, and Arnold, who sat around a crackling fire. The six had decided to catch up with a camping trip after going their separate ways for some time. Kevin and Connor were fiancés, James had recently been hired for a very successful company with the support of his loving boyfriend, Chris had officially tried every Poptart flavor so far, and Arnold and Nabulungi were two awkward lovebirds who were still figuring out their futures. All of the young adults were very grateful for the small vacation away from their stressful lives.

Currently, everyone was relaxing after a long day at the lake, roasting marshmallows and eating snacks.

"I have to say - this is almost as good as an actual S'mores Poptart - " Chris said with a mouthful of his gooey treat. His face was covered with chocolate and marshmallow, making James snicker.

"What's so funny?" He asked, frowning. "It really is, I - "

James shook his head, "No - it's not that - " He smiled and cleaned up Chris's face with a wipe.

"aAAAAA - " Connor squealed, causing a blush to rise to both of Chris and James's cheeks. "Oh em gosh, you guys are so cute!! I knew I was doing the right thing getting you two together." He said triumphantly, smirking.

"Hey! Don't take all the credit - " Chris mumbled. He had to put a lot of effort into actually talking to James at first, since he was worried he'd mess something up and ruin their friendship.

"You're right." Kevin agreed. This satisfied Chris, until he flashed a smirk. "I helped a lot too."

"That's not what I - "

"I did too!!" Arnold interrupted, grinning. "Remember that time on Christmas when I p u r p o s e l y put up holly in the door frame, but we didn't have any actual holly because - Africa - so I got some green leaves to put up instead, but then they were actually poisonous, so it worked out even better because then you two both had rashes everywhere and had to spend loads of time together healing?!!" He sputtered out quickly. 

"Um, yeah..." James blushed, wearing a sheepish smile. Chris wore a similar expression.

Nabulungi giggled. "I too helped! I believe we all boated you two."

"You mean shipped?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That too!" 

James laughed softly, taking Chris's hand. As Kevin went on to explain the concept of shipping, he leaned in closer to the blonde and whispered, "How about we take a little break and go on a walk?"

Chris nodded, grinning. "Sure."

The two stood up, and James announced that they were taking a little time to themselves.

"Don't forget to use protection!!" Kevin shouted as they walked off, being scolded by Connor shortly after for saying such u n h o l y things.

The boys laughed at the two lovers, and they then took off  to explore the woods. They navigated through the pines as the voices of their friends faded away and it was just them.

"So..." Chris said, swinging their intertwined hands.

"How's seeing everyone again?" James asked, keeping his eyes on the trail ahead of them. 

"Its been awesome, actually. Connor's like, my best friend - besides you - so its been great seeing him again. And, of course, talking to Kevin and Arnold and Nabulungi is too, even if we aren't as close. Arnold can be really funny." He said, smiling.

"Yeah - he's fun." The tall boy agreed, returning the smile. "And sometimes the way Nabulungi says things is funny too... shoot - is that mean - I didn't mean to be mean - I mean, I just - the way she - " He stuttered before Chris squeezed his hand, assuring him it was okay.

"It's fine, it's fine! She's still kind of learning our slang and things, like shipping, and it's kind of expected for her to get some things wrong at first, and um, I think she knows that, and she's willing to kinda laugh at herself and let Kevin explain the right term to her, so it's uh - I think it's okay."

"Heh... thank you Chris." James said gratefully.

"Of course."

The two continued for some time in silence, simply enjoying each other's company, when James abruptly stopped, catching a glance of Chris.

"...James? Is there something on my face again - "

"No, just..." He sucked in a breath, taking all of his boyfriend in. The moonlight somehow made him even more handsome and adorable, which he hadn't known was possible. His eyes seemed to shine brighter than the stars sparkling above.

"You're so handsome... and cute, and precious..."

Chris's face turned bright red in a matter of seconds, caught off guard by James's words. "You - you are too."

A small smile traced James's lips, and he gave Chris a gentle kiss, causing the small boy to be even more flustered.

They pulled away after a quick moment, both blushing messes.

"Anyway ~ " Chris said through a giggle, looking up at James. He opened his mouth to say something else, but nothing came out. Instead, he gasped at the sight behind James. "What's... what's that?"

James slowly turned around, unsure of what to expect. He was met with a truly extraordinary sight. 

"Are those... fireflies?"

The dark-haired male nodded, his eyes sparkling. "Looks like it..." The soft, glittering light emitting from the bugs reflected in James's glasses.

Chris's face lit up immediately. "Can - can we try to catch one?!" He asked eagerly.

"Of course." James responded, a blush dusting his cheeks. Chris's excitement was adorable ~

The blonde beamed and quietly sauntered over, cautious not to make any sudden movements. His boyfriend followed close behind.

Once he figured he was close enough, he quickly tried to scoop one from out of the air and into his hand, but the bug quickly flew away.

Chris frowned, and tried again. Same result. "James - what am I doing wrong?"

He thought for a moment, until coming to a conclusion. "You need to be more gentle when cupping them in your hands. Even though you approach them calmly, they get startled when you suddenly try to grab them." 

"Oh - okay." The smaller boy said with a nod.

"Here - I can - I'll help." James came up from behind and took hold of Chris's hands, turning the boy into a shit-i'm-gay mess. He gently guided them to the fireflies, and slowly cupped their hands around one of the bugs. 

Chris was in complete awe as the firefly moved around in his hands, it's golden glow lighting up both his and James's faces. "Woah..."

"What do you think, Poptarts?" James asked, smiling softly at Chris's amazement.

"It's really pretty..." He breathed, unable to take his eyes away from the bug in their hands.

"Not as pretty as you..." James murmered, pressing a kiss to the top of Chris's head.

Chris let out another small laugh. He let go of the firefly in his palms, and whirled around suddenly, wrapping his arms around James's neck. "You fLirT." He gave him a short, sweet kiss on the lips and pressed his forehead against his boyfriend's.

"I love you..."

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AN: aaa, that ended abruptly - sorry. I've been working on this for a lot longer than I anticipated I'd be, and I decided I should probably end it before it got too long. anyway - thanks for reading!