the male stargaze || chase and marina
𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: camp harton // 23rd of June 2021.
𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: marina and chase.
𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: what starts out as a night of stargazing with a friend turns into the beginning of a summer romance
Chase had snuck into Marina’s counselor room that she shared with Rose. “Psst” he whispered, as he saw Rose on her own bed sound asleep, “Marina” he added as he gave her a little shake because she was so focused on her book, her shining the flashlight in his face. He put his hand up over his face, “Drop the book, nerd. You can see the constellations” he said, crouching down by her bed. “We’re going stargazing. Jonah said that he was tired. Big baby. The night is still young, and so are we” he continued to say before he heard Rose move. Chase motioned for her to follow, giving her time to put on some shoes. He had a blanket sitting outside and was all ready to go with his telescope out in the field.
Marina loved going off to Camp Harton, whether she was camper or a counselor, it was all still fun. To leave your life behind for the summer and just do what you want with the people you love. She was so invested in the book she was reading, that she didn’t notice Chase come in. Marina flinched for a second and looked up from her book to see her friend’s face. Seeing Chase always made her smile, there was never a dull moment when he was around. “I can’t say no to that.” she whispered back excitedly. Stargazing, how romantic. the thought rudely popped into her head. There was nothing romantic about a couple of pals looking up at the stars together. What an idiot. Marina threw her bookmark in her book, and quickly got some shoes on. She stepped out of the room as quiet as possible once she heard Rose move and linked her arm with Chase’s as she followed him. “Wow, you really came prepared. You sure you want Jonah to miss this? I wouldn’t wanna ruin this special Chonah moment.”
He was happy to be here. Working with kids was a fun time for him, and it was good practice for hanging out with Genevieve in the future. But for now he could also spend the late nights sneaking out and having a good time with his friends while more responsible counselors also snuck out … the camp was kind of a lawless disaster. She linked her arm in his and they headed out to the field, “Jonah was really tired from all the rigorous sex we’ve been having. I said I wanted to go a few more rounds, but he told me he wanted to sleep” said Chase as a loud laugh escaped his body. People were going to start believing him at some point if he kept these jokes up. Chase laid down on the blanket, putting his hands behind his head “so tell me about your book” he said looking over at her.
Marina laughed along with Chase. She wondered how many people actually believe those two were actually dating, it was very believable and very entertaining. “Poor guy just can’t keep up.” she shook her head, playing along with what Chase was saying before laying down beside him and looking up at the sky for a moment. “It was marketed as a Breakfast Club murder mystery, and I don’t know it’s just cause we live in Hastings, but I’m kind of a bitch for the whole labels aspect. The nerd, criminal, outcast. We really missed out on that clique system.” she smiled to herself as she thought about it. Marina wasn’t sure if she would have benefited from it, but it was fun to think about. “But I definitely think the nerdy girl did it. I’ve been reading back and trying to pick up on details, especially during the death scene. I’m telling you, she’s suspicious.” She then turned her attention to Chase, “Oh, speaking of stories, have you been working on any comics lately?”
The thing about Chase and Jonah was that they would act like they were dating even in private. It was a very homoerotic friendship. Not everyone would get it, but luckily Marina did. “I know, and now he’s texting that he wants to be included, but it looks like he’s going to hang with Wren” said Chase, he wasn’t disappointed though. Chase loved his time with Marina, he actually felt really normal around her. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel normal around Jonah, its just that he knows. Which is a different kind of intimacy. “It’s always the nerdy girl” said the blonde with a laugh as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I mean, places in the clique system would have been a lot harder for us. It’s not a gen z activity I don’t feel like” he added, “like we all do too much shit. Like yeah I’m a burnout sometimes, but sometimes I’m a nerd or a geek, or a cheerleader” said Chase, “I feel like the clique system is so limiting and I want to be limitless.” Chase turned to her on the blanket, “It’s actually going really well. But I’m almost at the point where I show Jonah and tell him to critique me. So it’ll be a moment before I let you see it” he added, “I want it to be good when you see it, not just the shitty parts.” Chase cared a lot about Marina’s opinion.
Marina definitely wouldn’t have minded if Jonah met up with them. He was always sweet, and seemed to really come out of his shell whenever he was around Chase, but she also valued this alone time with him. Whenever she was with Chase, all her problems seemed to disappear. It was like they were in their own little world, free of any worries. “I don’t know how they boxed themselves into one clique. Sometimes I think about it for way too long.” she shook her head. “Like if a queen bee wanted to be a cheerleader or wanted to get into theater, would they let them? Would they get kicked from the group?” People like Savannah and Sloane thrived in a clique system, but that was mainly because their ultimate goal was to be on top of the social ladder. Marina always wanted to be number one in everything she did, but that was thing, she wanted to do so much. She smiled excited once Chase mentioned how everything with his comic was going well. “I mean, I gueeess I can wait a little longer.” she sighed dramatically, but she completely understood. Marina did not like to show off any mistakes when it came to her work, especially if she was showing Chase. There was a special kind of happiness that came from Chase complimenting her work. “You ever base anything off of real life events? Or real life people? Kinda like Read It and Weep.” she asked, referring to the classic DCOM.
Chase smiled and got visibly excited, “exactly!!! The whole thing makes no sense!!” What kind of people would even come up with that? It was definitely something built for the Savannahs and Sloanes of the world: people who didn’t do too much but sit there, be pretty, and be mean. People who had teams or other hobbies didn’t have the need or want for cliques. Chase rolled back over onto his back to look at the stars, “No real life stuff, just high fantasy. I don’t want anyone to read too much into it. So everything is from scratch. A universe I have been thinking about for a really long time” said the boy, thinking about how he should work on it more this summer. “I do love Read It and Weep though, we should add that to the movie list for the summer” he suggested, looking forward to more nice moments like this. “I mean we both know I’m not exactly busy. I bet you are, but we can schedule around it” he applauded.
Marina matched his excitement and smiled widely at Chase. Someone understood, it was all just so confusing and she had even more questions about it. But they would just sit in her head until she forgot about them. She turned to her side to look at Chase and poked his arm, sometimes she forgot how strong he was. He was a base after all. “Is there anyway I could get a little preview? Just a sneak peak? Maybe just tell me a little bit about it.” she asked as she wiggled her eyebrows. It must have been super detailed if he had been working on it for a long time, it made Marina even more excited to read it when the time came. She then pulled out her phone and went to her ‘movies to watch’ list, “Read It and Weep. Got it.” Once she placed her phone down on the blanket, she laid on her back and shook her head, “I’ve got a pretty clear schedule, but! My bet with Rosie is finally finished, and I am ready to have a fun summer.” Marina was still having a good time throughout the bet, but there was always a sense of frustration.
He turned to face her, resting his head on his hand. “I can give you a little synopsis. It’s got a strong female lead, with a terrible backstory. But she uses her powers of rage and destruction to help those weaker than her so she stops feeling like she’s a monsters” said Chase, bright eyed. He loved female protagonists, and his comic book was going to be about how the scariest people can be so afraid of what they are perceived as and how they aren’t what everyone thinks. That there’s so much reason behind rage. He smiled when she went ahead and put it into her phone, like they were going to forget. Chase most definitely would as soon as the next small thing came around, he was forgetful at his core. Unless it pertained to people or something that happened, the memory would float away until he thought of it again. “The bets over? Damn. I got so much Marina time this semester because you couldn’t be off doing your thang” he said with a little laugh. “You have to schedule me into your google calendar” Chase teased.
Marina’s expression softened a bit as she listened to Chase. She knew she’d love his story the moment she got to read it, but now she could hardly wait. It felt like something she’d really enjoy, maybe even relate to on some level. Sometimes she felt like a monster herself, that she destroyed everything she touched. Even after these couple of years, she wasn’t allowing herself to grieve properly, and it only made her angrier with herself. She considered herself lucky that she hadn’t ruined her friendship with Chase yet. As excitable as he was, there was level of relaxation that came from being around him. “Ooh I can’t wait to read it! I mean, take all the time you need. But I’ll just be here, waiting oh so patiently.” she said with a small smile. Marina gently hit Chase’s arm and laughed with him, “Just because I’m a free woman now, does not mean you’ll be having less Marina time. My nicely organized google calendar always has spots for you. Unless you’re the one that gets busy this summer, hm?” she teased back.
“Patience is a virtue, and it looks smashing on you luv” said Chase, not sure why he went into british accent mode … but you can’t fight it once the sentence starts coming out. He groaned when she said that he was going to be getting busy this summer, “don’t remind me. Jonah’s going to be busy all summer with Rory, so there’s so much free time. I just … I dunno. If you remember, I am a married man. That ceremony in the forest was very accurate to an actual wedding ceremony. One stop at the courthouse and we’re both taken” he joked as he shoved her a little bit to match her physical energy. “But really, it’s just hard to find someone who understands me like that. Ya know?” he said, not really making much sense. “I’m just tired of people never knowing what I’m talking about, or just focusing on the parts of me that they like” he said. Chase was emotionally exhausted from changing how he was acting just to please the people he was with. Too straight for some guys, too gay for some girls. Too much of a jock for some folks, and too much of a dweeb for others. He didn’t want to fit into their boxes just to spend time with them.
Hearing Chase’s british accent put a smile on her face, she was no stranger to randomly putting on an accent. She definitely understood where he was coming from. Rosie was currently having her epic summer romance with Taylor, but there was still time for these two to find someone to fool around with for the season. “Oh I remember. It was so real they made us kiss right then and there, which I guess I shouldn’t have been too shocked by. Who’s not kissing at their own ceremony?” As slightly awkward as it was at the time, it may have been one of Marina’s favorite LARPing moments. It was all very romantic, the outfits were so pretty, and it just made sense with the plot. It was great! She was looking back and forth between Chase and the sky for a little bit, but once he started explaining, she gave him her full attention. “Don’t waste your time on those people. If they don’t want to get to know all of you, then they’re missing out.” Chase was a very complex guy, but that’s what Marina loved about him. He loved so many things and knew so much. He wasn’t afraid to be himself, and that was admirable, especially since she was the type to get so worried about what others thought of her. “Not to gas you up too much, but every part of you is pretty great. You have a lot to offer. I mean, have you noticed how talented you are? Writing stories, drawing comics, giving oscar award performances with Caspian, being super athletic. You’re really showing out.”
Chase laughed, “ah yes. Our first kiss” he said, thinking about the other times they had kissed. How defeated he had been that day, and she actually made him feel confident for once. Yeah, Chase loves himself. He’s a big Chase stan, but being confident amidst a break up was tough. “You’re just saying that because you’re my wife” said Chase, laughing a little bit, “don’t sell yourself short. Athlete, cosplayer, superior twin and if you tell Rosie i will kill you both in LARPing and forreal, too pretty to exist and be a human so your robot AI must be killer to have such lifelike interactions, not to mention you made me my favorite thing in the world … my scale model of the millenium falcon. So you’re kind of an icon” Chase smiled at her. He was really content just laying out here gassing each other up. It felt like he was on top of the world in the most relaxed way possible. “Not to geek out on you, but I am your biggest fan. I might make a stan twitter once my hyperfixation on stars ends” he added as he rolled over to look up at the sky. “There are planets out tonight”
Chase specifying that it was their first kiss took Marina back to all the other times they had kissed. There was always some guilt that came with remembering that night with Chase. She was a friend to Gabrielle and even though it may have not been the best decision to hook up with Chase of all people, Marina never regretted it. Maybe that’s why she felt that little bit of guilt, because if she went back in time, she wouldn’t change a thing about it. Her and Kyle kept going back and forth at the time, and it made her feel like he just didn’t actually want to be with her. She was fun in the moment, but too much of a hassle to stick around for. It’s not like anything deeper developed between her and Chase either, but she at least expected that. He had just been through a breakup. “I’m your wife because you’re so talented.” she corrected him. “There’s no way I’d just marry anyone, even if it was for the sake of our kingdom.” she laughed. Marina couldn’t stop smiling as Chase spoke. It was nice to know that someone she thought highly of felt the same way about her. Once he brought up the gift she made him, she reached under her shirt to show him the necklace she was wearing. “Funny you mention that, I’ve been wearing this all day.” It was the locket that came with the journal he gave her that same Christmas. That was by far the best present she had ever received. Marina then got up on her feet and pulled him up so they can take a closer look through the telescope.
He had that goofy smile on his face as she showed him the necklace. “That’s my wife” he replied as he took her hand. It was small in his, but she was strong. He was up on his feet and walked over to the telescope, absentmindedly putting his hand around her waist as they took turns looking into the lense. “The stars just aren’t this bright in town, maybe out at Henderson Falls … but not like this” said Chase, his hand resting comfortably on her waist. “I feel like we both shine brighter out here too” Chase added, “I had a camper come up to me today and say that she ships us so hardcore that if we’re not endgame she’s not coming back next summer”. He laughed at the idea. Him and Marina were contact comfort buddies. The kind of friend you call when you need a snuggle, or a feel better fuck. “I didn’t know how to tell her that you’re … otherwise occupied with your Hot Hollingsworth Summer” said the boy with a smile, “you gotta save me a HHS kiss though. Spousal rights”. Chase was happy that she was getting her groove back, he wanted to do the same. Maybe actually kissing someone would get him back on track.
Marina gave Chase’s hand a little squeeze before looking through the telescope. It didn’t even faze her that his hand was around her waist. It felt normal, nice even. “It’s beautiful.” she said with big eyes as she looked up at the sky. Marina laughed along with Chase as he mentioned what the camper had told him. “Well did you tell them we’re already married?” she asked jokingly. They just had such a good relationship, she felt like she didn’t have to hold back who she truly was when she was around him. Maybe the kids could just see the … chemistry between them? Friendship chemistry of course. Marina looked away from the telescope and up at Chase once he told her to save him a kiss. “I mean, just because I’m having my Hot Hollingsworth Summer doesn’t mean I don’t have time for you. What kind of wife would I be?” Without thinking too much on it, Marina cupped the sides of Chase’s face and moved in to give him a kiss. It wasn’t too weird that they were kissing, they’ve done it plenty of times at this point, but there was this feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t really ignore. “There you go, one Hot Hollingsworth Summer kiss.” she said after pulling away, her gaze falling down to his lips.
Kissing Marina Hollingsworth seemed like a smart idea, but it just kind of unleashed something in Chase. It was easy to deny their chemistry when they were just being friends. It had been so long since they had done anything, but when they were kissing he felt a change in the air. He felt a need to kiss her again, he wanted to lay out here under the stars with her and talk about all the things that they loved. Enjoy her really understanding him and all his hyperfixations. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this excited and happy to be kissing someone. Someone he knew he liked a lot as an individual all the time. Things were many shades of gray with Gabrielle. There was always something looming in the distance, but him and Marina were out here alone. No baggage in sight. Easy. Not her, but their connection was easy. Chase reached out like he was going to pull her in by the waist and kiss her again, but instead opted in to tickling her. Sure it was childish, but he just wanted to be in her space, even as a friend.
Marina was fully ready for another kiss. Maybe kissing him wasn’t exactly as simple as she thought. If she had learned anything from the last time, it was that her and Chase don’t just kiss and let that be the end of it. But once he started tickling her, Marina jumped a bit and immediately started laughing. She tried pushing his arms away or at least squirming out of his reach, but that just didn’t seem to work, so she tried to think of something else. Marina tried as gently as possible to push him back onto the blanket, but she ended up falling right with him. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” she said as she laughed in between her words, hoping she didn’t hurt him. She was now on top of him, but that hadn’t fully registered yet. Marina was just enjoying her time with Chase. Sometimes she felt like she never got to have good moments like these. Genuinely fun moments that she was’t going to regret later on … unless.
Chase had the air knocked out of him when she fell on top of him, but he laughed regardless. “Don’t apologize, we are married after all” said Chase, taking the opportunity and pulling her in for another kiss. She was already on top of him, “I want to keep doing this” he said between kisses before he moved his lips to her neck. “I want on the schedule” Chase added as he moved his hands down her body. If they wanted to, it could end after summer or if she wanted it could end after tonight. Or maybe it didn’t have to end. They were both single. They supported each other. They got along. Sure, there were some secrets that would need to come out once they got serious, but he could really see himself with her. Just being dorks all the time.
Without hesitation, Marina kissed Chase back, closing any space they had between them at this point. She moved her head back a bit as he kissed down her neck, a smile forming on her lips as she heard him speak. Who knew what would happen to them after this, but if there was a chance to continue it a little longer, she’d take it. After months of keeping up with the bet, she deserved a good time with a good person. Marina didn’t want to think about what would happen in the future, she wanted to focus on the present, and right now, she wanted Chase. “No one else is on there. No one else has to be either.” Marina didn’t need anyone else if she was with Chase.
Well, this was going better than Chase could have ever imagined. Not only was he making it on the schedule but he was going to potentially be the only participant. Chase was so exited to be there he was honestly shaking a little bit, it might have been the cold air but he was practically vibrating from excitement. “Yeah I’m really cool with that” said Chase, “as long as I get a special color in the color coding system. Of your choosing of course.” Being with Marina just felt right, and they hadn’t even done much yet. “And we’re both smart. We won’t let this affect our jobs or cheer or larping. We can totally do this and it not be weird” he began to ramble, “I mean we’ve done it before, and things have been good.” He was talking so much for someone who should be otherwise occupied, “you can shut me up, please.” He didn’t know why he was so nervous. It wasn’t like they hadn’t had sex before, but things were kind of different now. No one was actively hurting. It was just sex because it was the two of them, and it wasn’t even scary. It was just nerve wracking how much they were putting on the line right now and not even really acknowledging it.
"Oh of course, it just makes it all easier. Maybe a green for you.” When Marina was planning out team bonding events or just writing out ideas for routines and formations for cheer, she had it all color coded as well. Every teammate was assigned a specific color, so Chase already had his own. Things like that came in handy during summer camp when she worked with a bunch of the same people. Marina listened to Chase ramble on, nodding her head every so often. He was right, they didn’t make this an issue last time so they could definitely do it again. This wouldn’t get in the way of anything, they could handle it. Marina didn’t always make the best decisions, but this wasn’t one of those times. She would never want to risk losing what her and Chase had. It was going to be great, she was sure of it. Marina giggled and nodded her head as Chase told her to shut him up. She began to kiss him again, moving down from his lips to his neck.
-fade to black-
Chase moved so that Marina’s head could be on his chest, “I know I said this a lot during, sorry about that I know I talk too much, but you are seriously so beautiful” said Chase. His smile was shining bright as he caught his breath. Sex with Marina was so easy, he felt like he was giving and getting everything he wanted and everything she wanted. “Next time though, we should think about costumes. If we were to … I don’t know. Compose like a summer sex bucket list. You know, I should probably ask if all of that was good before I assume you would want to have sex with me again. That was good for your right? Because it was great for me. I mean top shelf sex. Like I couldn’t even reach type of top shelf. Not that I’m short. Because I’m not a short king. But yeah” he said, honestly not able to stop the words coming out of his mouth at all. He would honestly pay someone to come and duct tape his mouth shut right now. Like stranger out of the woods, absolutely traumatizing for everyone involved, duct tape mouth and retreat. That was a dark thought to have, he didn’t like the idea of someone coming out of the woods. Should he be concerned about that right now?
Marina looked up at Chase with a smile on her face as she laid her head on his chest. The compliments never got old, if anything, it made her more confident during the sex. She shouldn’t have been so dependent on how other’s viewed her, she knew she had to work on that, but it was hard. With Chase, she didn’t have too much of an issue with this. She didn’t constantly questions whether he liked her or not, or second guessed the things she said or did around him. She didn’t have to. He liked her for her, Marina was sure of it. Her eyes widened slightly once he mentioned the idea of costumes. “Yes! I mean, yeah.” she laughed, realizing she sounded a little too excited for that. “Sorry, that’s just something I’ve always wanted to try out, but never been able to.” The smile on her face grew as he kept speaking, she found it really cute. She could listen to him talk for hours. “Oh it was amazing. Top tier sex for me, seriously. In fact, I’m very interested in that summer sex bucket list idea. Do stuff we’ve never done before and see what we like. That could be fun.” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at Chase.
Chase did something he did not usually do, which was think before he spoke. As he ventured into the new territory, he thought about what he wanted. Which also somehow happened to be new territory as well. But here he was conquering lands as he spoke, “If you’re just interested in friends with benefits … I might need um, some convincing. I’m not trying to sound like an ass. So this might come out offensive but I mean it really really well. I don’t want to be boyfriend/girlfriend … fuck that does sound shitty. I mean … I am interested in having a discussion about being monogamous and date-ing but not like hiiiii this is our anniversary type of drip. I’m coming across weird, I just mean I want to spend more time with you and only you and I want to get you flowers and text you late at night but also in the mornings. Long ramble short: I want to have a summer romance and when summer ends we should talk about it. Or we can talk about it in a few days or in 15 minutes.” Chase finished his statement and realized he had been talking very chaotically with his hands. “I just don’t want to share a summer sex bucket list if it means I can’t tell you that I like you as more than a friend, so that’s why friends with benefits like … doesn’t work for me. Also on a theorem level because have you seen any friends with benefits go well? Like ever? In all media it seems to go horribly or they end up dating anyways so why not just cut the shit?” he kind of winced at his final statement, wondering if she could just knock him out honestly so he’d be quiet. He was so embarrassed.
Marina was doing her best to take in everything Chase was saying. It was a lot, but she wanted to hear him out. Clearly there was a lot going on in his mind, and she wasn’t trying to make him confused or stressed out. She made a mental list in her head, trying to go over everything he mentioned. “Honestly I’m not really sure I’m ready to be someone’s girlfriend right now either.” She put a lot of pressure on herself when she was in a relationship, and it would cause her to lash out. Her insecurities and jealousy would get the best of her, and fights were always bound to happen. She needed something less serious, but still something more than just friends with benefits. That’s how she would get fucked over. She put a little too much faith in the friend, but at the end of the day, they were just friends. They didn’t owe her anything, and coming to that realization sometimes hurt. Especially when they fell back to whoever they were with before. It made her feel like she wasn’t good enough, like she wasn’t worth sticking around for. “But a summer romance sounds nice. I know both of us haven’t been in a lot of different relationships, and when we are in one, it seems to be pretty on and off, so I think this is the best thing for us.” she said honestly. “But I do like you, Chase. I wouldn’t risk our friendship just for sex if there wasn’t something there.” There was trust with Chase that ran deep, so being this honest felt good. “I want to have a good summer, with you. But not something so serious where it stresses us out, I’m sick of being all anxious about a relationship of mine. A nice in between, you know?”
“A nice in between. I like that” said Chase, mulling it over. Nothing serious but nothing so blasé as friends who fuck. He cared about her. “Yeah, I don’t want to be anxious or to cause you to be anxious” said the boy, thinking about all the things he wanted to put on the summer sex bucket list. He held onto her, “we’re about to have a really good summer, I can feel it”