"Come on, where are you taking me?" Artie asks. Sam has him blindfolded in the passenger side seat in his car and curious. "It's been a week now!"
"So you can wait until we get there," Sam soothes. "I promise that you'll have fun." Secretly, he's been a little nervous about his idea. It seems a little forward for a first date, but he had been close friends with Artie for a while before he got up the nerves to ask him out.
"Okay, I trust you," Artie says, settling back in his seat.
It's kind of a long drive, but Artie had said that he didn't really have a curfew.
"We're here," Sam announces after a while.
Artie perks right up. "Really? Can I take the blindfold off now?"
"Not quite yet," Sam says. He gets a blanket out of the back and spreads it on the ground before getting the picnic basket. Once everything is set, he goes back for Artie.
"I swear, Evans, if you don't take this blindfold off soon…" Artie trails off.
"Or else what?" Sam asks, standing in front of him and gently taking it off for him. Artie's hair gets messed up and Sam starts to pat it into place. He pauses for a second though. They've always been very physically affectionate friends, but with this whole dating thing Sam isn't sure where the line is now. The way Artie looks up at him lets Sam know that hair fixing is still okay.
"You've taken me to a field?" Artie asks, confused. He trusts that Sam has a better plan than random field, but he just can't see it yet. It's too early in their relationship for random sex in a field, so why would Sam take him so far outside Lima?
"Yeah… It's…" Sam holds out his arms. "Let me show you."
Artie wraps his arms around Sam and lets him help him onto the ground. The way that Artie looks up at him with all that warmth makes Sam really, really want to make sure this date goes well so they can go on more dates. "There's a meteor shower tonight. I brought dinner too. It's picnic food though." Artie looks at him like he doesn't quite believe it and Sam starts to backpedal. "I'm sorry, we should have-"
But he's cut off by Artie rummaging through the picnic basket. "We've got to make sure we eat quickly because I want to spend as much time stargazing as I can," he pauses, pulling out a bottle, "Champagne?"
"Sparkling grape cider," Sam says sheepishly. "I've still gotta drive back. Plus we're both underage."
Artie grins and continues unpacking, oohing and aahing at the food Sam had packed for them. "You brought my favorite pudding!" He opens the container and grabs two spoons. "Here!"
Sam takes the spoon from Artie, relieved that Artie doesn't think his idea is stupid. "I know how much you love sweets. I wanted to make sure you had a great time." He eats some of the pudding slowly, deciding to indulge for his date.
"Well, you're doing a great job, yo!" Artie takes a big mouthful of pudding and swallows it down with a big gulp. It's adorable.
"Thanks," Sam says, grinning at him.
Artie sets his pudding aside and pulls himself into Sam's lap, kissing him on the cheek. "No, thank you! This is the best first date ever. We haven't even gotten to the meteor shower part yet!" He starts getting out the meal properly, clearly impressed. Sam doesn't really get it considering it's just sandwiches and some fruit, but Artie seems to like it so Sam is happy. He's also happy about the way that Artie pops a piece of fruit in his mouth and then turns and slides another into Sam's.
When they're done eating, they settle in next to each other, laying back to watch as the stars come out. Artie rests his head on Sam's chest, and they lay quietly together for a while. As the stars come out, Artie prods him in the side and asks him to point out constellations. Sam likes being able to show off his knowledge to someone who appreciates it, especially since he doesn't usually feel all that smart. When he's talking about the stars, he feels smart, though.
Eventually he realizes that Artie isn't watching the stars at all. "Are you getting bored?" Sam asks, worried that Artie finds his talk boring. It happens.
"Sorry," Artie says, turning back to the stars. "You just look really happy when you talk about Astronomy. I got distracted. Now, continue instructing me."
Reassured, Sam continues his talk, fading to quiet as the meteor shower starts. They both make excited noises as they streak past, occasionally pointing one out. When Artie has started to doze off, just a little, Sam picks him up gently and sets him into his car. Artie smiles at him and kisses his cheek as he sets him down. It makes Sam grin widely as he starts driving them home.
"Sammy," Artie mumbles, "do you know what I wished for on the shooting stars?"
"If you tell me, it won't come true," Sam reminds him.
"Sammy," Artie mumbles, "do you want to go out with me again sometime soon?"
"Yes, of course," Sam says.
"Sammy, my wish came true."