Astra had a lot of comforts. Mostly, they came from her stuffed animals.

She had a favourite, a stuffed bear. Or, rather, it was a small blanket that had the arms and head of a stuffed bear attached. She'd had it since she was just a baby and would carry it around with her as a kid. Even now, it was tucked away in her bedsheets, unknown to her team, and she held it close every night as she slept. The most comforting thing about the blanket-bear was the wide, golden silk trim it had all around the edges of the blanket part. It was always cool to the touch, and to grasp it and run it through her fingers until it went warm was one of the most satisfying, comforting, and blissful sensations to Astra.

And yet, it now compared nothing to the feel of Luna's hand in hers. Luna's hand was small and soft, and Astra could wrap her own around it perfectly. She could think of no bigger comfort than knowing her girlfriend was there next to her and close to her. The idea that they could just coexist, without even needing to say a word, was amazing. The whole time they'd been sitting there, watching another cartoon Astra liked, she'd barely paid any attention to the show. All of her attention had been on Luna, hoping she'd like it. And thankfully, she'd enjoyed it quite well, unless her enthusiasm was faked for Astra's sake. Which Astra wouldn't have minded; the idea was sweet, but she still hoped she liked it anyway.

Unfortunately, time always got in the way of everything.

Luna switched the tv off with a sigh. "Lunch break's almost over," She pointed out. "We should get ready to go back out to class."

Lily, who'd been quietly watching from her own bunk, frowned. "Aw, I was actually really liking that. It had a nice charm to it."

Astra blinked at her, surprised; Lily was often more neutral on the kinds of shows Astra enjoyed, preferring more serious stories.

"We can get back to it once classes are over," Luna assured her. "And then we'll have the whole weekend to finish it if you guys want."

Lily perked up. "Yeah, alright. That could be fun."

It sounded good to Astra too. A whole weekend, watching cartoons with Luna. And yet, she couldn't help longing for something else. Something that they could enjoy alone together, away from the stresses of school. An idea popped into her mind.

As Luna stood up to leave the room, Astra tugged her back a little.

"Hey, can I ask you something first?"

Luna glanced back at her. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine, I just um…" Astra's mind raced. Why was she panicking? "I thought maybe you'd like to…" No, that sounded dumb. "I wanted to know if…um…" That wasn't right either. She took a deep breath and asserted herself, decided to be upfront with it. "I want to take you out. On a date. Tonight. A real date."

Luna smiled softly as her cheeks flushed pink. "Really? Like, to a restaurant?"

Astra nodded quickly. "Unless there's somewhere else you want to go?"

Luna's smile deepened. "A restaurant sounds great," She assured her. "I'd love to go out tonight."

Astra grinned. "So…after class, then?"

Luna nodded, before smirking. "One condition, though."

Astra initially felt a stab of nervousness, before she realized Luna was messing around. She smirked back. "And what's that?"

"You wear that tux again," Luna replied. "You looked very pretty in it."

Astra felt a blush run across her face. "Aw, of course! But only if you wear something fancy as well." Then again, Luna looked amazing in literally anything, even her pajamas.

"I think I've got something," Luna assured her. "Don't worry."

"Hey, this is all very sweet," Lily piped up. "But does this mean I'm going to have to wait even longer to continue watching this show?"

Astra had honestly forgotten she was there, too caught up in flirting to notice anything else.

"Hey, it'll probably just be a few hours," Luna pointed out teasingly. "I'm sure you can find a way to entertain yourself until we're back."

Lily shrugged. "Alright," She replied lightheartedly. "But if you guys aren't back before ten, I'm watching it without you."

Throughout the class that commenced, Astra could not find herself paying attention. Her mind was fixated on the task she'd set in front of her, pondering how it would go and what she was supposed to do, filling herself with excitement for her first real date ever. She kept staring at Luna, hoping Ilia wouldn't notice, or at least, that she wouldn't mind.

The sudden realization that this was her first date ever quickly turned the excitement into anxiety. She'd never done this before. What was she supposed to do? What if she did something wrong? Whenever they showed you couples going on dates in fiction, the scene usually started halfway through said date. How was she supposed to start? Should she pull out Luna's chair for her, or would she find that annoying? What would she order? What would Luna order? What restaurant would they even go to? It occurred to Astra that she didn't know what restaurants Vale even had. This was hopeless.

Really, she'd never even hung out with other people one-on-one before Beacon, aside from her mother, which obviously didn't count. But a date was a whole new thing. A date came with rules, and expectations, and responsibilities, and Astra didn't know any of them.

She didn't think she'd ever worried this much about things before meeting Luna. Cleary, her girlfriend's anxiety was rubbing off on her. If she didn't like her so much, Astra would find it annoying.

She was so fixated on her thoughts that she didn't register Ilia calling the class to a close until Luna nudged her.

"Are you okay?" Luna whispered as other students began leaving the room. "You seem more distracted than usual." The girl's brows were creased in concern. "Is it the date?"

Astra flushed. "No, it's fine," She lied. "I just…can you give me a minute? I need to talk to Ilia." Perhaps a fellow lesbian who wasn't her girlfriend could help her out here.

"Okay," Luna gave Astra's hand a quick squeeze before letting go and standing up. "Just make sure you're not too late for our next class. I'll see you there."

Once the room was empty, Astra hurried up to Ilia and threw herself dramatically over her desk. "I need your heeelllppp." She moaned.

Ilia looked at her in amusement. "I noticed you seemed awfully inattentive. Something on your mind?"

"I asked Luna out on our first proper date and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do," Astra confessed. "I need your master skills. Please."

Ilia chuckled. "What exactly makes you think I have 'master skills'? I haven't exactly been on many dates myself."

Astra pulled herself up to sit cross-legged on the desk. "Yeah, but the one I've heard about that you have had went great, from the sounds of it. My mother could not stop texting me about you. She's head-over-heels. You've got to be doing something right."

Ilia blushed slightly. "She really liked it that much?"

"Yes!" Astra slammed her hands on the desk for emphasis. "So, I need your help! How do I not screw this up?"

"Well, first of all," Ilia replied. "Everyone's different. Luna's idea of a perfect date is probably very different from Neon's."

Okay, that was a good point, Astra had to admit.

"Second," Ilia continued. "I don't exactly think you've got anything to worry about."

Astra frowned. "Explain."

Ilia chuckled warmly. "You seem to forget that you and Luna are already girlfriends," She pointed out. "It's been obvious to me from the day I came here that you two care very much for each other. Knowing Luna and the way she feels about you, you could spill food all over yourself, looking like a complete failure, and she'd not think any less of you."

Astra thought of all the times she'd acted dumb in front of Luna before. And yet, it hadn't stopped Luna from crushing on her and hadn't stopped them from becoming girlfriends. Maybe Ilia was right.

"You are very wise," She commented. "Thank you."

Ilia chuckled. "Anytime, Astra. "Just try not to worry too much about it, okay? I'm sure you'll both have a wonderful time. Now," She flicked a hand. "Go and get to your next class," She gave a slight smirk. "And try to pay attention to that one."

Astra grinned sheepishly. "Right. Sorry."

She hopped off the desk, thanking Ilia again, and headed off to the next class. Her mind felt far more at ease now, with the reminder that she'd pretty much already done everything that could go wrong during a date, and Luna liked her anyway. As for finding a restaurant, Luna would probably be happy to suggest one. That way, Astra wouldn't be taking her anywhere she didn't like.

This would be fine, she assured herself. She let the excitement take over again, skipping as she walked down the hallway. It wouldn't just be fine. It would be great.