Robin squeezed his eyes shut, then blinked a few times, slowly waking up. It felt like he'd been teleported from the main road to the middle of nowhere. He glanced around, trying to get his bearings. Trees. Trees everywhere.

     "I fell asleep," Robin mumbled, more to himself, though Yohan was the only one around to hear.

     "Yeah, you did," Yohan said, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "I didn't want to wake you, but not much of a trip if it consists of you sleeping in the car."

     Robin blinked again, taking in the thick forest around them.

     "This is starting to feel less like a date and more like, 'I've brought you to the middle of the woods where no one will find your body,'" he said sleepily, stretching and yawning as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

     Yohan snorted. "Don't be daft. I promise I'm not here to murder you." He stepped out of the car and leaned back in to poke his head through the door. "Come on, sleepyhead. We've got a bit of a walk to the camping spot."

     Grumbling, Robin climbed out of the car, rubbing his eyes and shaking off the grogginess of his nap. Now that he was properly awake, he realised the parking area wasn't as remote as it first seemed. It looked more like a hiker's lot—a dirt path with patches where cars had worn away the grass, leaving faint tire tracks.

     While Robin took in his surroundings, Yohan was already hauling most of their gear out of the boot. He had a large rucksack strapped to his back, a tote bag over one shoulder, and—Robin was still assuming and hoping—the tent in his hand from the backseat. He was standing at an angle, clearly weighed down by the load.

     "I'd carry your stuff, but..." Yohan lifted his arms slightly, emphasising the fact that they were full.

     "All good," Robin said, smiling and grabbing the rest of his things. Yohan attempted to close the boot with his elbow, but after a few awkward attempts, Robin stepped in and shut it for him.

     "Alright," Yohan said, scanning the area. "There should be a red... there!" He pointed to a red arrow carved into the side of a tree; the paint was faded but still visible.

     Robin followed as Yohan started down a narrow, brambly path. "You sure this is a date?" he teased. "Feels more like survival training."

     "Hey, I did my research!" Yohan replied, a bit defensively. "It's a hidden gem. And besides, camping is technically not allowed here, so... fewer people, less stress."

     Robin glanced at his Adidas trainers and winced. "Right. Because I definitely came prepared for off-roading and getting arrested."

     "Don't worry about it, what police officer is patrolling in the middle of nowhere?" 

     "My point exactly." 

     After about ten minutes of walking, Robin's arms already starting to ache from carrying his stuff, Yohan stopped.

     "According to Reddit," he said, glancing around. "We should be close once we see the red dot... there!" He pointed to a red dot painted on another tree.

     Seems like he's been using Reddit for slightly more wholesome things than I have.

     Ignoring the well-worn paths to the left and right, Yohan vanished behind a large tree. Robin hesitated, then followed, ducking through a tunnel of branches and bushes. They squat-walked for a few minutes, the bushes snagging at Robin's rucksack and sleeping bag every few steps. He was about to complain when he noticed the sound of running water growing louder.

     Suddenly, Yohan stood up ahead, emerging from the brush. Robin followed suit and found himself stepping into what looked like a small paradise. A bubbling brook flowed just ahead, fed by a waterfall that spilled into a crystal-clear pool of water. He could hear birds in the trees above them chattering to each other, the rustling of leaves, and the gentle flow of water. It was peaceful. Surreal.

     "Whoa," Robin breathed, taking it all in. "How the hell did you find this place?"

     Yohan grinned, clearly proud of himself. "A lot of digging."

     "And what did that involve? Google?"

     "Yes actually." Yohan almost huffed. "First I googled 'Places to go camping with your date near Bristol," and it just brought up loads of like public camping places, and my idea of camping in the first place was that it wouldn't be public so we didn't have to worry... So, then I googled 'secret places to go camping near Bristol' and went to, like, page 40 of Google and found a Reddit post from someone like, four years ago, with no comments. And when I looked up this place, there was no other mention of it on the internet apart from that Reddit post, so I thought, yanno, this would be our best bet."

     "How did you even know this place was a real thing? What if they were lying?"

     "Well, they clearly weren't, were they?" Yohan said proudly as he looked around.

     Robin continued, "What if that person on Reddit is a serial killer and lures hopeful gays looking for a private place to do a bit of one-to-one cruising and he's actually going to murder us in our sleep?" 

     Yohan blinked. "What's cruising?"

     "Never mind," Robin said, brushing it off. "Where do we set up the tent?"

     Yohan led the way down a small, rocky path to a clearing by the water's edge, with an old fire pit, and a few daisies scattered around in the green grass. "This should work," he said, dropping his gear onto the ground with a relieved sigh. "Alright, let's get this tent up."

      The tent was old, with a strange musty smell that hinted at years of disuse. Yohan mentioned it hadn't been used since he was about eight, but he'd checked it over before they left. After wrestling with the bright yellow tarp and mismatched poles, they finally managed to set it up—a slightly crooked, pyramid-shaped tent straight out of a cartoon. 

     They both stood in front of the tent, panting slightly but gazing at it with a sense of accomplishment.

     "Right," Yohan said between breaths. "Now we just need to get some wood for a fire, put our stuff inside, and—"

     "Yohan," Robin interrupted softly, his hand slipping hesitantly into Yohan's. "Can we just, like... yanno, relax a little first?"

     Yohan blinked, and then his cheeks flushed red. "Oh, uh, sorry," he mumbled, quickly looking away.

     "Don't apologise," Robin said gently, stepping in front of him and taking Yohan's other hand. His voice was quieter now. "It's just... I've missed you, and... well..."

     Robin trailed off, feeling the heat rise to his own cheeks. He didn't need to finish the sentence. The words were unspoken, but Yohan understood. 

     Yohan let Robin's hands slip from his grasp only to pull him close, wrapping him in a tight embrace. Without hesitation, he leaned down, pressing his lips to Robin's in a soft, lingering kiss. It was slow, gentle, and yet filled with all the unsaid things they'd been holding back. For a moment, time seemed to stop, the forest fading into the background.

     When their lips finally parted, Yohan looked down at Robin with a quiet longing, his gaze soft and warm, like the kiss had dissolved every worry and every distraction. They were here, in this secluded, secret spot, and nothing else mattered.

    "Better?" Yohan asked, his voice low and drawn out.

    "Much," Robin replied, his cheeks still flushed a deep pink. He couldn't help but smile, feeling a bit breathless.

     "But," Yohan said softly, lifting one hand to gently brush his fingers against Robin's cheek. "We'll have plenty of time for this once everything's set up. Okay?"

     Robin sighed but nodded, his heart still racing. "Okay."

     With a final, reluctant smile, Yohan stepped back, giving Robin's hand a quick squeeze before turning toward the gear scattered around.

     It didn't take long to get the rest of the tent sorted. Once they had rolled out their mats—Yohan, of course, teasing Robin for the pink, flowery yoga mat that was his mum's—they stashed their things neatly inside, creating a cosy, surprisingly romantic setup. They left the tent flaps open to move in and out easily, and after a quick search, they found plenty of timber scattered around for firewood.

     Yohan had brought along some kitchen roll and fire-starters to cheat a little and soon enough, they had a roaring fire crackling away. Yohan, who hadn't had a cigarette in approximately an hour—possibly a record for him—used the flames to light a cigarette, sitting down on the blanket he'd laid out. He took his first drag in and exhaled slowly as he gazed at the growing flames.

     Robin settled beside him on the ground, the warmth of the fire chasing away the slight chill in the air. The sun still hung lazily in the sky, casting a golden light over the trees as the fire crackled between them, creating an easy, comforting ambience.

    "Not to be cheesy," Robin said, still gazing at the flames, "but this... is really fucking romantic."

     "Speaking of cheese," Yohan grinned. "Wait till you see what else I brought." He tossed his finished cigarette into the flames and leaned over to grab the tote bag from the tent. With a small flourish, he started emptying its contents: a bottle of red wine, two plastic wine glasses, crackers, a small cheese board pre-packaged from a supermarket, and—of all things—a pair of éclairs.

    Robin raised an eyebrow. "You brought actual fancy food to the woods?"

     Yohan looked a little embarrassed. "I brought other food too, of course, but I figured a little wine and cheese was the kind of thing you'd have on a date."

     Robin smirked. "Are you seriously wining and dining me right now?"

     Yohan tilted his head, flashing him a playful look. "If it's possible to wine and dine someone in the middle of the forest, then yeah, I guess I am."

     Robin shook his head with a smile, feeling warmth not just from the fire but from the effort Yohan had put into this whole trip. "Well, consider me wined and dined."

     Yohan cracked open the bottle of wine, carefully pouring it into the two plastic glasses. He handed one to Robin, who accepted it with a small smile. They clinked their plastic glasses together—which made more of a thud sound than a clink—with a soft "cheers," and both took a sip.

     The bitter taste hit Robin immediately, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't mask the grimace that crept onto his face. Glancing over, he noticed Yohan wasn't doing much better. His nose wrinkled, and after swallowing, he put his glass down, pressing it into the dirt to keep it steady.

     "I don't actually like wine," Yohan admitted.

     Robin let out a surprised laugh, setting his glass down in the grass beside him.

     "Neither do I," he admitted, still grinning.

     Yohan laughed too, shaking his head. "Well, at least I tried. But hey, we've still got cheese."

      "And crackers." 

     "Don't forget the eclairs."

     "Right, can't forget those." 

     They demolished the food after having only eaten a shared bag of cheesy Doritos. And now full from their impromptu feast, Robin found himself leaning comfortably against Yohan's chest, the warmth of the fire fading to soft embers. Yohan's arm was wrapped around him, and though Robin couldn't quite remember how they'd ended up like this, it felt natural, like they belonged here.

     "Hey, Ro," Yohan's voice rumbled softly through his chest.

     "Yeah?" Robin murmured, not moving.

     "I... wanted to ask you something," Yohan said, his voice unsteady.

     That caught Robin's attention. Slowly, he lifted his head to look at Yohan. The firelight cast an orange glow on his face, flickering as Yohan alternated between looking at the flames and at Robin, clearly nervous.

     "What did you want to ask me?" 

     Yohan shifted slightly to face him more directly. "I know, like, how this whole thing with us happened wasn't ideal," he began, his eyes still avoiding Robin's.

     "I'm aware."

     "And, you know, when we went roller skating on Valentine's Day and everything." Yohan trailed off, his face turning redder—whether from the fire or from blushing, Robin couldn't tell.

     Yohan cleared his throat. "I've been wanting to ask you if, like..." He faltered again, his gaze darting anywhere but at Robin. "If you don't want to, that's totally fine. I get it. I know I don't have the best track record as a boyfriend or whatever, but I was kind of wondering if..."

     "If I wanted to be your boyfriend?" Robin finished for him, his heart suddenly racing.

     Yohan nodded, finally locking eyes with Robin. "Yeah..."

     Robin suddenly felt his face flush, unsure if it was from the fire's warmth or the rush of emotions bubbling up. "Wait, you mean like... us being boyfriends? Like, officially?"

     "Yeah," Yohan confirmed softly.

     "And you want that?" 

     Yohan let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. "Robin, I'm the one who's supposed to be freaking out right now. I asked the question."

     "I know, I know," Robin stammered. "But I just—didn't think you wanted that."

     Yohan's face grew serious, his expression almost stern. "Robin, seriously. How much more do I have to do to show you that I really like you? Like, not just some guy I like to kiss—though, yeah, that's kind of how this started," he admitted, looking bashful. "But this is more than that. I like you as a person. And I like you romantically. I know I said it on our last date, but that got... kind of ruined." His voice softened, his eyes fixed on Robin's. "I don't know if you remember me saying it, but I've never liked anyone as much as I like you. And, trust me, I don't really like that many people. If you hadn't noticed."

     Robin didn't reply right away, and Yohan's expression shifted from stern confidence to a flicker of fear. His eyes darted back to the fire. "Look, if you don't want to, that's fine," he mumbled, his voice quieter.

     "No!" Robin blurted out, sitting up straighter. "I mean, yes! Yes, I want to be your boyfriend."

     Yohan's eyes snapped back to Robin, wide with surprise.

     "Really?"

     Robin smiled, feeling a rush of warmth not just from the fire but from Yohan's hopeful gaze.

     "Yes, really."

     Yohan chuckled, relief washing over his face as he gently reached for Robin's hand.

     "Good. Cause I really didn't have a Plan B."

     "Murdering me for rejecting you and hiding my body in a forest nobody knows about could have been your Plan B." Robin's teasing earned him a playful shove from Yohan.

     "If that was my Plan B, A, I wouldn't be telling you, and B, you shouldn't be dating someone who would resort to murder just from getting rejected."

     "True," Robin replied, a grin spreading across his face. "I guess I'm glad to know you're not a murderer."

     "Just a hopeless romantic," Yohan said, his eyes sparkling. "With a passion for cheesy dates in the woods... with a boy I really like."

     "And I'm definitely not complaining about that." Robin leaned in closer, their fingers intertwining. "Might I get a kiss then from the boy I also really like... from my, boyfriend?"

     Without hesitation, Yohan leaned in, capturing Robin's lips with his. The world around them faded away as Robin's back gently fell against the soft blanket. It felt like magic—soft, electric, and utterly right.

     In that moment, Robin knew it might just be the best moment of his entire life.