Sitting side by side with Astra, their backs against the tree trunk, Seth couldn't keep the smile from creeping onto his face. He did try, wanting to act suave and cool, as mysterious and aloof as his alter ego presented him to be, but no matter what he tried a goofy smile was always present on his face.

Even the few times he managed to subdue it, it came right back with extra gusto whenever he looked at the woman next to him. Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind, and always responded with a smile or a small laugh of her own, which sounded like heavenly music to his ears every time.

Sometimes, being cool wasn't everything.

Pouring them each a glass of wine, Seth hummed softly as he started to pull out the prepared food from his little wicker basket. He had the usual staples of a picnic, such as sandwiches, salads and shortbread. There were also a few things which had names that didn't start with s.

The odd item was a bundle of red vines, the candy not the plant. They seemed to stand out in stark contrast to the plate of cooked beast meat sitting next to them, yet Astra's eyes sparkled at the sight of them.

"How did you..."

"I may have had a little help planning this. You mentioned it to Carnifex once and I had some of my spare puppets search the old stores for them. Managed to snag a few packets that weren't past their expiration date so... Bon appétit."

"Ah, so that's why he was acting so weird before. I'm guessing it was him making a racket in the kitchen too?"

"Yeah... I had to get some help with some... okay, most of this. I have many skills, but cooking is not one of them. It seems my affinity for fire only goes as far as burning things. However, I make a pretty good sandwich."

He picked up one of the sandwiches, took a large bite out of it before waving it in the air. The melodious rhythm of her laugh reached his ears once again, and he had to avoid the urge to sigh lest he choked on the sandwich. Gulping it down, he gave her a cocky, self assured smile like he was a player in some club.

"Not bad for a first date, huh?"

"First... are you sure about that?"

"Hmm? Oh you remember that, do you?"

"Well... you made it quite obvious."

She took a bite from one of the red vines and pointed it like a wand towards the tree behind them.

"You noticed that? Well... That one doesn't count. Not in my mind anyways."

"Hmm, maybe. But I still like it. It's a good memory, and although it wasn't perfect or as good as this one. It was still a nice first date."

"Good memory? I remember being trapped for months and nearly starving a few times. But... I guess If I think about it a little more, there was a few good days in there too. That still doesn't count as a proper first date though, this was a perfect first date. A second date would have to be even better than this."

Seth laughed softly and let out a low groan as Astra playfully punched him in the arm, just gently enough for him to feel it and for it to rock his body.

"Okay Okay fine. It counts. But this still isn't a second date. Maybe... A Second First date. Like a do over."

Stuffing the rest of the candy into her mouth, Astra held up her hand as a dagger manifested from flowing ink.

"I can accept that, but how about we make it a little more comfortable, since you went so far as to recreate that nice memory."

With her free hand she traced her finger up and down the forearm of his prosthetic arm. A motion that was already teasing, made worse by the fact that he couldn't actually feel it. Like it had done many times in the past, his imagination stepped in to fill the gaps, and soon her tracing finger sent shivers down his spine as he imagined what it felt like.

With two fingers, she walked her hand up his forearm, over the bend of his elbow and up to his bicep. When those blackened fingers finally brushed against the point where fake met flesh, another shiver went down his spine. As good as his imagination was, it couldn't compare to the real thing.

She was gazing into his eyes, leaning closer to him, as she traced her finger back and forth across the seam of his arm, touching the skin that was peeking out from underneath his harness.

Leaning closer, he could feel her breath curling across his lips, her eyes drawing him in deeper and deeper as she moved ever so closer, until their foreheads were a mere inch away before...

Click

Astra quickly leaned away, a mischievous smile on her lips as she held a dagger in one hand, and his arm in the other. She wiggled it in the air as she giggled wickedly, making his own arm wave at him, before she tossed it behind her.

"There we go, much more comfy. Just one more fix to make."

Seth leaned forwards, about to speak, only for Astra's hand to press into his face and push him back. Using him as leverage, she pushed herself to her feet and leaned over to the tree, using the dagger in her other hand to carve into the tree.

"There we go~ Just like last time."

She let go of his face and stepped back to admire her work, a soft smile on her lips. Seth clambered to his feet, stepping in next to her so that their shoulders were touching, his now empty sleeve flapping beside him.

She had carved their initials into the tree, just like the last time. Seth smiled again, nudging her gently with his shoulder as his mind drifted back to what she had called their first 'First Date'.

It was during their time trapped in the between space, during the Shattering. What had been months for them, but only seconds for others. They really had gotten closer during that time.

Not only was it when Seth finally confessed his identity to Astra, even if it was with a little prompting from her, but they learned how the other thought. They had been mostly trying to survive above all, but even if he didn't learn silly things like her favourite food, it was inarguable to say that they weren't closer as a pair after that event.

It was also what finally made him understand how he felt about her, even if he wasn't ready to confess that secret at the time. Not even to himself.

He could still remember a few of those days, sitting next to the campfire, gorging themselves on the meat of whatever had stumbled through the portals, not knowing when the next meal was going to be.

The feeling of her body leaning against his as they got what little sleep they could, keeping close for warmth and for simple comfort.

Yeah... Now that he thought about it, those were really good memories. A soft smile spread across Seth's lips once more, the same goofy smile he was unable to get rid of, as he gazed at Astra's mischievous smile and listened to her laugh, nudging her shoulder once again.

He wouldn't give up those memories for the world.

Astra poked his arm, dropping herself back onto the ground and leaning back against the tree. She gently patted the blanket next to her.

"Come on, Let's not let this food go to waste. A lot of people worked hard on them, and I'd hate to disappoint them. Especially the guy who made the sandwiches, I hear he worked on those single handedly."

Seth rolled his eyes as she let out soft giggles at her own joke, trying his best to hold back his laughter but still letting a soft chuckle escape his lips. He plopped down onto the ground next to her, picking up a few pieces of shortbread.

Taking a bite with one, he offered the other to Astra, who instead leaned over and bit into his instead. When he raised his eyebrow to her, and gave him a knowing smirk, she simply reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, wriggling them back and forth as she intentionally messed up the hair he had spent an embarrassingly long time getting just right.

Brushing his messy hair to the side, so that it looked somewhat like it used to, Seth glanced at her with a knowing smirk.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were purposely trying to mess up our second first date."

"Really? Whatever would give you that idea? But if that were the case, I guess you'd just have to take me on a third first date, to make up for it. Now wouldn't you?"

She smirked softly, gently wiping the crumbs from her lips with a single finger, before softly biting the end of her finger. She looked at him out of the side of her eyes, giving him a particularly sultry look that sent jolts of electricity roaring through his entire body as everything screamed to pounce on her in that moment.

"Hmm, I guess you're right. I would have to. But first, let's get to the end of this one."

"Not that we need to rush with that."

"No... we definitely don't."

He said with a content sigh, relaxing back against the tree as Astra's head rested on his shoulder, and took another bite of his shortbread.