Hey guys! Aster and Jack's second date:

"Where're you taking me?"

"It's a surprise."

Aster chuckled as Jack pushed him forwards. He had a blindfold wrapped around his eyes and had no idea where Jack was taking him.

"I know we're in the woods outside town."

"We're not in the middle of nowhere, don't worry," Jack reassured him. "We're not lost."

Aster stumbled.

"Mind your step," Jack warned belatedly.

"Oh, really?" Aster snorted sarcastically. "Thanks for the warning."

"I got your back. You know, your back."

To illustrate, Jack squeezed Aster's right buttock, and Aster jumped. Laughing, Jack tapped him on the shoulder.

"We're here," he murmured.

Trying to recover from the pleasurable shock of having his buttock squeezed, Aster removed the blindfold and blinked.

It was a clearing. It wasn't very big, but it was full of lush grass, which shone brightly in the afternoon sun. It was surrounded on all sides by green trees, bursting with life now that spring had arrived. Flowers bloomed in the clearing, and bees and butterflies flew from one to the other. Birds tweeted in the woods, and cicadas chirped.

And right in the middle of the clearing, Jack had spread a checkered picnic blanket, complete with a picnic hamper and a couple of paper plates.

"Hope you like it," Jack said, skipping past Aster to sit himself down on the blanket. "This used to be my special place to sit and relax. If ever I wanted a quiet moment, I'd come here to think by myself and just be me. And I liked it. I've been coming here my whole life, and I wanted to show you." He paused for a moment, then admitted quietly, "This is where I came to cry when my ex-boyfriend, Pitch, was getting a bit too much for me."

Aster was quiet; he was touched that Jack would show him a spot that meant so much to him personally. Seeing that Jack looked a bit down, though, Aster went at once to his side and took his hand.

"Listen to me, Jack," he said urgently. "I know we haven't been dating very long, but I want you to know – I'd never do anything on purpose to hurt you, or to offend you. And if I do anything like that, then you must know that it wasn't deliberate, and that I am very sorry. And I want you to tell me if anything I do doesn't sit well with you. Because I couldn't bear it if something I did hurt your feelings."

Jack looked at him and smiled. "I know," he reassured Aster. "It's okay, baby." He reached over and kissed Aster on the lips.

"Now," he said in a much brighter tone, "for the picnic. I thought we'd have a nice, proper picnic, old-style, like they used to do."

"That's the only proper way to do it," Aster responded as Jack produced sandwiches and apples from the hamper.

For a while, they were quiet as they enjoyed their food. Aster bit down and savoured every last bite of the delicious grilled cheese sandwiches that Jack had made. Honestly, how had Jack made such great sandwiches?

Don't think. Just eat, his brain told him. Aster gladly obliged.

~~Page Break~~

"Now," said Jack as he put away what remained of the food, "what do you want to do?"

Aster yawned lazily – somehow he made even that seem sexy. "Let's cloud-gaze."

Jack snorted. "Cloud-gaze?"

"It's not as boring as people say it is," Aster said defensively.

"Relax, relax. I never said it was a bad idea. Come on." Jack lay down on the grass. Aster lay beside him, and put an arm around Jack as he snuggled into the Australian's side.

"It's a beautiful day," Jack commented as they looked at the clouds.

Aster raised an arm. "Look," he said, pointing at one of the clouds. "Doesn't that look like a little rabbit?"

"A little bunny rabbit?" Jack sniggered, poking Aster's cheek. Aster pouted.

"Don't judge," he complained. Jack laughed and Aster kissed his cheek to prove there were no hard feelings.

They were silent again, enjoying each other's company and basking in the sunlight.

"It's rather warm," Aster remarked.

"It is," Jack agreed. "But it's perfect sunbathing weather."

Aster suddenly sat up.

"What're you – " Jack began to ask, but cut himself off abruptly when Aster pulled his shirt over the top of his head and lay back down, shirtless.

Jack was suddenly aware of the body heat emanating from Aster's now half-naked body. He was also aware of the now visible muscles rippling through Aster's arm as he stretched it out to hug Jack close to his side again. His heart began to beat a lot faster.

Aster noticed the change in Jack's body language, and looked over, grinning. "Like what you see, Frostbite?"

"Maybe," Jack panted, and Aster laughed.

"Just a maybe?" He suddenly rolled over so that they were in the same position they'd been in last week while watching Back to the Future, with Aster hovering over Jack on his elbows – except now, of course, Jack could see Aster's bare chest, and it was glorious.

Reaching up almost timidly, Jack waited for Aster to pull away, but he didn't. Jack's fingers touched Aster's chiselled chest, and spread his fingers out against the warmth. He ran his hands up and down, before finally wrapping his arms around Aster's neck and pulling him down for a long kiss.

"I'm trying very hard not to freak out right now," he whispered against Aster's lips, and felt the Australian's deep laugh shuddering through his body. Aster rolled off Jack again, and they returned to cloud-gazing. Jack placed his hand on Aster's chest and they cuddled.

They stayed that way for a while before the sun began to set. Then they packed up their things and left.

Jack was already looking forward to their next date.

More sexual tension! I was thinking of letting them have a few glorious dates before thinking of the next turn in the plotline. What do you guys think? Let me know in the reviews!