Baby-sitters Club | Oneshot: Stargazers

[luxken27]

Title: Stargazers
Fandom: Baby-sitters Club
Universe: Post-canon
Genre: Romance
Rating: M
Warnings: Sexual content
Word Count: 1,816
Summary: Janine has always loved meteor showers, and this one is particularly memorable.

Links: AO3 | DW

Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

This fic idea kinda came out of nowhere, and it kinda didn't. I've been absolutely enchanted by the idea of Janine as an astrophysicist ever since I caught the The Farthest special about the Voyager missions on PBS a couple of months ago. I wanted this universe so badly, but unfortunately the latest bout of writer's block made it impossible to get from the "I want this!" stage to the "I made this happen!" stage.

I've been brooding over some original fiction for most of this year, and it was while doing this that the idea for this fic came to me. I could write about Janine sharing the experience of a meteor shower with Charlie - and how fortuitous, I could set it (and write it) for Valentine's Day! I needed a bit of OTP squee, and the more I thought about this idea, the more I wanted to commit pen to paper over it.

And I must say, it feels really nice to write again, especially about familiar, beloved characters *happy sigh*

Of course, I couldn't just slapdash something off, especially if it was going to be on the smutty side. I did actually look quite a bit into the natural phenomena of meteor showers, and there isn't one that actually happens during mid-February. It seems most of the regular meteor showers happen at the opposite end of the year, and I was too tied to the idea of setting this on V-Day to budge for reality. So, I did the next best thing: I made one up.

This served my purposes two-fold: one, it allowed me the setting I wanted, and two, it helped me carve out a bit of depth for this version of Janine. I love the idea of her being absolutely fascinated/enchanted by space and the stars, even as an adult. She parlays her passion into a profession, and she still enjoys it just as much as she did when she was a kid. So what better thing to happen to her, than for her to discover a new meteor shower?

I set it in the Cassiopeia constellation both because of the constellation itself and because of its proximity to Perseus (origin of the brightest annual meteor showers, the Peresids, which appear in July/August).

Of course, the best place to view a meteor shower is in a naturally dark place, and as I *love* the idea of Shadow Lake in winter, I just had to set the story there ♥ I can just picture it - dark and deserted, the perfect place for a little wintry romantic getaway. They'd have the place all to themselves, and a giant expanse of sky to view the multitudes of shooting stars.

I gave Janine my weakness for strawberry-flavored anything, which seemed appropriate for Valentine's Day. It's a time to be indulgent and a bit silly, so why not have a completely strawberry-themed meal? I can totally see her being very pleased by the gesture, especially because it's something she'd never do herself. But then, I also love the idea of Charlie being the driving force for the romantic part of their relationship, and of him doing something like this, just because he knows she'd enjoy it.

I decided to give Charlie a different future direction, too (again because why not?). I liked the idea of playing with the theme of stargazing - both literally (as Janine does) and figuratively (as a celebrity-watcher does). What better way to mix in the celebrity world than as a PR person? And in the NY area, that means the world of theater. I don't know how well this idea works for others, but I like the idea of him finding a niche in the world of publicity. Goodness knows he's had plenty of practice, what will everything he did for the BSC in canon! :P

And then, of course, there is the stargazing itself, in the form of the meteor shower. Janine is already excited about seeing it, and about sharing her discovery with her husband. It's the middle of the night, she's squirming in his lap, and I don't think it would be that much of a leap for things to turn amorous. I really liked the idea of him sublimating her excitement for what she's observing and turning it into sexual pleasure to match her cerebral pleasure. It's a bit of a fight for her, to keep her eyes open and her mind focused on this ultra-rare meteor shower, while he brings her to orgasm.

The original version of this fic was a bit smuttier (Charlie's words of encouragement were way dirtier, but I had to soften it - I just couldn't quite picture him being crude in such a soft moment). Given the nature of the act itself, though, it doesn't quite rise to an explicit rating, IMO. So, that was a bit of a compromise - but then, I don't turn away the smut bunny any more than I turn away the dialogue fairy, because its so rare that they speak directly to me!

Writing this fic was a lot of fun, and I am stupidly excited about having new fic after nearly six months of radio silence. Posting this, along with a new post for the OTP manifesto for Valentine's Day, really put me in a fantastic mood for Valentine's Day!