Luna was practically dragging Astra along as she sprinted from the creatures.

"What's going on?" Astra asked, stumbling over her feet. "What are they? Grimm?"

"They're rapier wasps!" Luna shot back. "And they will sting if we don't get rid of them!"

She'd never been stung by one herself before, but one of them had gotten Blaze a few years ago after she'd accidentally burned down its nest. It had been enough to make her cry, and when Blaze was someone who shrugged off almost any injury, it was a pretty good indication to Luna that she did not want to be stung herself.

The buzzing of the wasps was getting louder, and Luna risked a glance over her shoulder to see that they were getting dangerously close. Even if she drew Striking Shadow, it wouldn't exactly help against a bunch of insects. In fact, swiping at a bunch of wasps with a big stick was sure to aggravate them further.

Shit. We're done for.

As the wasps gained and Luna's last strain of hope began to run out, Astra held her hands out and began to grow a ball of light between her palms. Luna's heart leaped to her chest. Would that even work? Was there enough distance between them and the wasps for the light to even do any damage?

With only one way to find out, Astra turned and hurled the ball at the wasps. It connected and fizzled out, leaving the wasps dazed and stopped in their tracks, but not dead. Luna would have been content to keep running until they'd been left behind, but Astra stopped, pulled out Light of the Party, and slammed it down onto the confused insects, squishing them to the ground.

"Oh, ew," Astra lifted the hammer and inspected the splattered wasp guts that now covered the flat surface. "I'm used to not leaving bodies behind." She attempted to scrape the mess off on the forest floor, only succeeding in getting leaves stuck to the hammer as well.

Luna panted, trying to catch her breath. Her heart was still slamming in her chest, more from fear than from running. "Quick thinking," she told Astra. "Nice work."

"What's the deal with those things anyway?" Astra turned to scraping the hammer against a tree instead, leaving a smeared mess of bug pieces and leaves on the trunk, before muttering to herself about how she'd have to wash it properly when she got home.

"Rapier wasps have the most painful sting of any other wasp," Luna told her, "And more than one sting would've been a nightmare."

"Yikes," Astra flicked a few more bits off Light of the Party before collapsing it and returning it to her back. "What were they bothering with us for?"

Luna sighed. "Probably the sap. Rapier wasps are attracted to sweet smells and they have a hard time distinguishing between forever fall sap and their nests. They probably thought we were a threat to their home." She'd forgotten all about the fact, regretting opening up the tree.

Astra frowned. "Would've been nice for the teachers to warn us about that."

Luna shrugged. "On the larger scale of things, Grimm are more of a threat. They probably just forgot about them, like I did." Guilt stabbed into her. I should've been more careful.

"Well hey," Astra walked up and wrapped her in a hug. "At least we don't have to worry about them anymore."

"Yeah," Luna admitted. "Sorry, though."

Astra pulled away and waved her hand. "Ah, it wasn't your fault. And the only harm that came from it was that my weapon is all gross now."

Luna smiled at her. Astra was more forgiving than she even needed to be, and she felt a warm glow of love towards her. She just wished she could express that love, when even kissing Astra on the cheek made the other girl tense up. How would she respond to Luna telling her she loved her?

"Come on," Astra nudged Luna out of her thoughts, and Luna was thankful they didn't share a Semblance. "Let's keep going and hope we don't have to fight anything else."

Thankfully, the rest of the forest seemed to be clear of Grimm and dangerous wildlife alike, and Luna was able to relax, though she kept an eye and ear out for anything else that could be a threat.

As they walked, she attempted to keep her mind off her concerns over Astra, but they remained in the back of her mind, pressing on her insistently. For as long as they'd known each other, Astra had always been cuddly, sometimes more than she should have been. So the fact that she seemed uncomfortable with anything more than hugs and hand-holding confused and worried Luna to no end. Was it just her? Was she just not good at it? Or was Astra just not ready for that part of a romantic relationship?

"Hey,"

Luna was jolted out of her thoughts as Astra spoke, and glanced at her to seen concern in her girlfriend's green eyes.

"You still seem stressed," Astra commented gently. "Did you want to sit and rest for a second?"

Not wanting to tell her that the wasps weren't why she was stressed, Luna allowed the break. She settled with Astra under one of the larger trees, trying to figure out how else to distract herself from her thoughts.

"So hey," Astra prompted, leaning up against Luna with a twinkle in her eye. "Any idea what you want for your birthday?"

Luna blinked. She'd almost forgotten that her eighteenth birthday was just a week away, and the idea of presents from her friends hadn't even crossed her mind. "Oh, you don't have to get me anything," she replied, knowing Astra was the last person who'd take that as an answer, but wanting something to talk about anyway.

Astra gasped. "Yes, I do!" she insisted. "Cobalt's already gotten you something super cute, and I am not letting him get my girlfriend a better gift than me."

Luna chuckled. "Well, I won't mind whatever you get me," she replied. "You're free to choose whatever you want."

Astra frowned. "Well that just makes things harder," She narrowed her eyes, flicking her eyes over the top half of Luna's body. "What if I got you a new bandanna? No offense, but those ones look kind of old."

Luna stopped herself before she could instinctively reply with a fiercer tone than she meant to. "Ah…no, that's okay," She found herself touching the orange one around her neck. "It's a nice thought, but these are, uh…pretty special to me."

Astra tilted her head. "Why's that?"

"These used to belong to my mom, Yang," Luna explained, running her fingers over the purple bandanna that was tied around her upper right arm. "Shortly after they professed their feelings for each other, she gave Blake this one, so that she'd always be with her, even when she wasn't around. And then, when I started combat school, they gave them both to me."

She still remembered how proud she'd felt when Blake and Yang had told her how brave and strong she was as they'd passed down the precious accessories, how they told her how much they loved her and how they knew she'd be an amazing huntress.

"It was their way of telling me that I'd always carry them and their love with me," She told Astra, her voice quiet. "I could never replace them."

"Oh," Astra replied, a slight look of guilt on her face. "Sorry. I can see how they'd mean a lot to you." She leaned back against the tree trunk. "So, then…are there any other clothing accessories you might like? Anything that could pull the look together?"

Luna chuckled again. "I promise you I'll love anything you get me. Just like I -" She cut herself off. She'd almost blurted out 'just like I love you'. She jumped to her feet, hoping Astra hadn't noticed her blunder. "Anyway! We should uh- we should keep moving. I feel much better now."

Astra stood up and brushed herself awkwardly. "Uh, right. Don't want to lose any more time."

Luna tried not to wince. She definitely noticed.

The two continued in awkward silence, the sound of their footsteps and the birds being the only noise to ring out in the forest. Luna could feel guilt coming off Astra in waves, and she felt just as bad. She'd gotten too caught up in the moment, and she didn't know if it'd have helped if she'd finished her sentence, or if the fact she'd cut herself off before saying it had done even more damage.

With any luck, Luna prayed, they could just pretend it hadn't happened, or that Luna had been about to say something completely different.

Her conscience told her otherwise, poking her like little needles. This awkwardness wouldn't subside until they talked about it, as much as Luna was sure neither of them wanted to. She was searching for the right words when she heard Astra sigh.

"You know, it's times like this where I wish I had your Semblance." Astra was staring at the ground. "Would make things a whole lot easier."

Luna stopped, staring at her. Something was flickering in her mind. My Semblance…easier…She let out a gasp. "Astra!"

Astra paused, looking at her in confusion. "Huh? What?"

"You're a genius!" Luna rushed over and grabbed her by the shoulders. "My Semblance!"

Astra blinked, her gaze flicking from side-to-side. "I am? Wait, what about it?"

"That's how we can find our way out of here!" Their relationship issues had been shoved to the back of Luna's mind. She couldn't believe this had never crossed her mind before. "I can send my Semblance out to try and find Coco and Fallow."

Astra's eyes flew wide. "Oh shit, you can! But- wait," her gaze quickly turned to a frown. "How will you pick them out from everyone else's?"

"They'll be thinking differently," Luna pointed out. "Most of the students will probably be confused, or nervous, or frustrated, but not the teachers." Her mind was buzzing with excitement. Never before had she considered ever using her Semblance this way. And if it worked, it would add a whole new layer of usefulness to it.

Astra flapped her hands. "Well, go on! Try it!"

Luna closed her eyes and focused, sending out her Semblance across the forest to unseen targets. At first, she was met with an overlap of emotions from all around; fear, uncertainty, anger, just as she'd predicted. Some were calmer, but still with an air of doubt. Others seemed confident and sure of themselves, but not the way a teacher would be when waiting for students. She kept looking, focusing harder as she shut out each emotion she dismissed.

There!

Two spots of calm, one fringed with slight impatience, the other with a sense of interest and curiousness. That had to be Coco and Fallow.

"I've found them!" she announced to Astra. She took a few steps forward, and the emotions faded slightly. Turning, she walked back, past where she'd been standing, and felt them grow stronger again. "They're this way!"

She took the lead as Astra followed her through the forest, keeping her focus on picking up the teachers' emotions while Astra kept on alert for any Grimm. Luna's head began to ache the longer she held her reach, having never tried it for this long before. I'll have to work on that, she reminded herself. One day in the future, this could be of invaluable help when on search-and-rescue missions, or to be on alert for any ambushes. Blaire had been right, after all. Her Semblance would be useful in huntsman work, if not directly related to combat.

After a moment, the trees thinned, and Luna could see Coco and Fallow waiting by a transport. Finally letting go of her search, she and Astra rushed forward until they'd cleared the trees and stood in front of the teachers.

"Third ones back," Fallow commented, sounding somewhat impressed. "Well done, you two. How did you manage?"

As Astra launched into how they'd dealt with the rapier wasps and made their way out of the forest, Luna glanced over to see Cobalt and Lily standing a while away. It was easy to guess that they'd been the first back, but Luna found herself wanting to talk to Cobalt for an unrelated reason.

"…and she held it the whole way over here!" Astra finished, her voice prideful.

Fallow nodded approvingly. "Excellent work. You can go and rest while we wait for the other students."

Luna took her chance, heading over to where Cobalt stood, leaving Astra to mingle with the other two students who'd returned.

"Hey," Cobalt greeted. "How'd you guys do?"

"Pretty good, I think," Luna replied, "But is it okay if I talk to you for a second? Alone?"

Lily put her hands up lightheartedly. "Hey, don't let me stop you. I'll go see what plants I can grow out here," She walked away, muttering, "All the same thing in that damn forest…"

Once she was out of earshot, Cobalt raised an eyebrow at Luna. "So, what's so important that you need private time with your old buddy?"

Luna sighed and slumped on the ground, hands on her head. "I almost told Astra I loved her."

Cobalt looked down at her quizzically. "And that's a problem…why?"

Luna rested her arms on her knees and glanced over at Astra, who looked like she was bragging to the other students about their brief adventure. "You've seen how she gets when I show her physical affection outside of hugging and holding hands," she replied. "It makes her so uncomfortable. I think…we're moving too fast for her."

"Ahh," Cobalt sat beside her. "Well, yeah, I can see that. This is her first relationship."

Luna felt a smell burst of frustration. "But I still feel like we're not doing…what we're supposed to be doing. I mean, look at you and Storm! You've been dating for way less time, and you're still further ahead than us.

"Hey, come on," Cobalt placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've gotta remember, Lune, relationships are differently-paced for everyone. But there is no 'right' or 'wrong' speed to go at."

Luna rested her chin on her arms. "I know, but…I still feel bad. Like I'm pressuring her into more than she's ready for. Especially by almost telling her that I loved her."

Cobalt gave her a smile. "Hey, I'm sure she loves you back," he assured her.

"You don't know that," Luna replied dejectedly. "But even if she does, what if she just doesn't know, like she didn't even know that she had a crush on me?"

Cobalt shrugged. "And why should that mean you can't still tell her you do?"

Luna blinked, the thought new to her. A couple telling each other that they loved each other at the same time was standard for sure, but why should that have to be the only way? Why not tell her? Why not trust that Astra catch up in her own time?

She stood up, a new determination coursing through her. Cobalt grinned. "Yeah, that's more like it." As Luna started heading in Astra's direction, he called out after her, "You've got this!"

Astra was thankfully standing alone now, and as Luna approached her, she looked up with a welcoming smile.

"Oh, hey. What were you- "

"I love you." Luna let it come out before her mind could talk her out of it. "I love you, Astra, and I've wanted to say it for a while. But you don't have to say it back if you don't want to."

Astra stared at her, blinking, a pink glow creeping across her freckled face. "Oh."

She's not upset. "I'm sorry, too," She added. "If you think we're moving too fast. If anything I do makes you uncomfortable, I promise you can tell me to stop, and I will. I want you to feel safe."

"I do!" Astra's eyes were wide and gentle as she grabbed Luna's hands in her own. "Nothing you do makes me uncomfortable, I promise! I just- I never know how to react to it, that's all," A cute, sheepish grin spread across her face. "It's just something I need to work on. But please don't stop."

A wave of relief washed over Luna. "You're sure?"

Astra nodded. "I'm sure. And- and I do want to tell you…that, one day. You know, that thing. I just need to be sure I'm ready. Is that okay?"

Love was blooming inside Luna like a thousand flowers, along with a little embarrassment. Having this conversation sooner could've prevented their earlier awkward moment. "That's okay," she assured Astra, her voice warm. "That's perfectly okay."

Astra was beaming, her eyes full of emotion that Luna had the feeling she simply wasn't ready to say. "Okay…well uh, I'm gonna go ask Cobalt and Lily how they did. If that's okay."

Luna chuckled at the repeated use of the statement. "Yeah, it's okay."

As Astra let go of her hands, she hesitated, suddenly looking extremely shy, before leaning over and giving Luna a kiss on the cheek. The first she'd ever done, before hurrying off to talk to Lily and Cobalt.

Luna watched her go, dizzying warmth overwhelming her as she lifted a hand to brush against the cheek Astra had kissed, understanding why Astra had such a hard time responding to something like that. And no matter what, Luna really was okay that Astra couldn't say that she loved her back. She didn't need to.

Because Luna had already felt that love coming off her in torrents.