"You've really never had a picnic before?"

They have made their sandwiches and are eating them leisurely under the tree, laying on their backs, no less.

"Well, no," says Alek. "Why eat on the ground if I can get people to set up a table for me?"

"But isn't this more fun?" Deryn gives him a mock punch.

"I guess it is."

As she finishes her sandwich, licking the flour off her fingertips, Deryn rolls over onto her stomach and props herself up on one arm. She's still curious as to why Alek would do something so obviously outside his element. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your first picnic?"

He doesn't move from his spot, chewing his lunch. "Thought I'd try something new, that's all," he says after a mouthful.

"Oh, come off of it."

"I just thought as our last day, we could spend it as a…well, you know." Alek's finished his sandwich and he reaches for an apple, crunching into it with a face tinged with pink.

"A what?" Deryn looks at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain, when – oh. She sits up abruptly, taken aback. "Is this supposed to be a date?"

"Well, you don't have to say it like that," Alek says, embarrassed.

Deryn's feeling a mixture of things right now; part of her wants to scream with euphoria because does this mean he likes her yet the other part of her is extremely suspicious. All she's ever wanted from him was to return her feelings, but now that it's happening, she's skeptical. Alek has never shown any interest in her before.

Her eyes narrow and she jabs a finger in his chest, and he scoots back. "What's Jaspert put you up to now?"

"Your brother?"

"Aye, my barking brother!" Deryn spares a furious thought for her older brother. She knows he's always just wanted the best for her, but how dare he interfere in her personal life? Meddling was always his specialty.

"He's made you pretend to like me, hasn't he? He knows how I feel about you and he's going to make you go on this sodding date to make me happy! You can go and get stuffed, the both of you! I can't believe – mphf!"

Deryn can blame that last bit on being pleasantly surprised by Alek's hands on her face, pulling her close and his lips doing this fantastic, magical thing and all her anger melts away and she allows herself to just get caught up in all of it. This time, the kiss is worlds better because they both know what they are doing, and maybe Deryn's biased, but he tastes sweeter than before so she pulls him closer, like she'll never get enough. And Lord knows that's true. His lips taste like the apple he's just eaten, and that is not a bad way for a boy to be. She can feel Alek's hands creeping into her short cropped hair, and she winds hers unconsciously around his neck.

Now it's Alek who breaks off first, and Deryn keeps her eyes closed, grinning madly. The rush comes in a burst of giddiness, and she can't even remember what they were doing five minutes before. She'd been angry about something, no?

"Jaspert didn't make me do anything," says Alek. "And is the picnic really that rubbish? I worked hard on it, you know." He looks at the blanket nervously.

"No, the picnic is fine." Deryn hides a blushing laugh, then sighs, patting her cheeks. "Blisters, look what you've done to me; I look like a blushing schoolgirl!"

Alek touches her face gently. "Red's a good color on you."

She swats his hand away, still flushed. "But Jaspert really didn't have anything to do with all this?"

"I swear," Alek promises, with a sly smile. "Unless you need more convincing…?"

With a ditzy squeal, Deryn tackles him back onto the blanket and they leave the real world behind.