Life got back to normal after Haxus' rut was done; he moved back in with (Y/n), feeling more refreshed than he had in a very long time. (Y/n) was lonely while Haxus was gone and felt better when he was living with her again even though she personally wouldn't have minded helping him through his rut; just thinking about him being horny all the time was enough to make her feel extremely turned on. She filled him in on everything that happened while he was isolated while they were in bed together during his first night back; the paladins had been busy fighting Lotor and they were gone more often. As much as Haxus disliked Lotor he didn't mind the paladins being out of the castle more than usual, especially since it gave him the chance to be out and about. He was kind of out of it for the first few days of rejoining the world of the living, being in one's yearly rut did that to a person, but (Y/n) was there to help him readjust to normal life.

One afternoon while the paladins were gone fighting Lotor and Coran was busy in the observation deck in case they needed to contact him (Y/n) decided to take Haxus on a picnic. Technically they couldn't actually go anywhere, but the room Kaltenecker lived in would be the perfect location since it had synthetic grass, fresh air and was almost exactly like being outside. (Y/n) prepared all the food for their picnic and selected an old blanket for them to sit on, so all she had to do was set everything up and invite her roommate to the picnic location; Kaltenecker wouldn't bother the picnic because she didn't wander around too much and enjoyed hanging out at her stall. She couldn't wait to go on a picnic with Haxus even though she wasn't aware of the galran meaning of sharing food with one person in particular, although she did have a crush on him and if she knew more about galran culture she would have had a picnic with him sooner. Once everything was set up and ready (Y/n) walked to her room, feeling excited about having her first picnic with Haxus; she had a feeling that he would like picnicking once he got used to it.

"The others are gone and Coran is busy, follow me because I have a surprise." (Y/n) said when she entered her room and saw Haxus sitting on her bed, looking completely bored out of his mind.

"And what kind of 'surprise' do you have?" Haxus questioned with hesitation, looking up at (Y/n) and noting how excited she was; her behavior still occasionally confused him but at that point he didn't bother questioning it too much.

"You'll see. Now hurry up and follow me." (Y/n) answered while beaming a smile at her somewhat grumpy friend, not missing how much easier he was to deal with since his rut was done.

"Alright, I'm coming." Haxus sighed in exasperation, standing up and following the young woman out of the room they still shared.

(Y/n) felt even more excited about the picnic as she led Haxus to their destination, briefly wondering if galra ever had picnics or not; if they did it was probably extremely rare no thanks to Zarkon and his no fun policy. Earlier, she sliced some random fruit she found in the fridge and made some Tameks veal sandwiches; for something sweet, she put some steamed Metaetti sweets in a medium sized bowl. Since the paladins found orange juice at the space mall she poured some in a pitcher for them to drink, hoping that the galran male would like the sweet flavored fruit juice from her homeworld. Haxus followed (Y/n) down certain hallways and around a few corners, curious about where she was leading him and what kind of surprise she had in mind. Freely walking through the castle was a freedom he would never take for granted even though he could only do it while the paladins and Coran were busy; he didn't mind (Y/n's) company during outings.

"Okay, here we are. What do you think?" (Y/n) announced when the door to their destination slid open and she led him in, a wide smile playing across her lips as she looked up at him.

"Why have you led me to the cow's grazing room?" Haxus inquired with a hint of sass as he took in his surroundings; being in a room that simulated outdoors was nice but he didn't quite understand why (Y/n) brought him to said room.

"I thought it would be a nice day for a picnic." (Y/n) replied cheerfully before she started walking to where she had everything set up, thankful that Kaltenecker didn't go near it seeing as she was busy eating hay near her stall.

Haxus didn't say anything as he followed (Y/n) to the picnic spot she set up; he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he actually thought having a picnic in Kaltenecker's room was oddly refreshing. Thanks to air filters in the walls and ceiling there was a constant flow of fresh air so that the whole room didn't smell too badly of manure. Constantly living on a ship had taken a toll on Haxus' mental health and he didn't quite realize it until he entered the one room where the outdoors was simulated almost perfectly considering it had been several decaphoebs since he got to be outside to just relax. Once they were sitting across from each other on the blanket Haxus felt a little awkward; he'd never been to a picnic before and he didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do. He watched (Y/n) put some of the food on her plate and pour some juice in a cup, although he wasn't sure if he should do the same or not.

"Go ahead, everything here is for both of us to enjoy." (Y/n) said when she looked at Haxus, realizing that he didn't know what to do at a picnic.

"So then the purpose of this 'picnic' is to eat?" Haxus queried with a confused tone, still not quite understanding what a picnic actually was and why humans enjoyed having them.

"Yes, partially, but it's also a way for two people to get to know each other better or to hang out." (Y/n) said as she gave him a simple explanation before she took a sip of her drink.

"So then it's what you humans refer to as a 'date'." Haxus commented dryly as he reached for a sandwich, still looking at the young woman who was sitting across from him.

"W-what? No! This is not a date!" (Y/n) stammered in embarrassment while trying to deny the notion that they were on a date; she wouldn't mind it if their picnic was a date, but she still thought he didn't like her as more than a friend.

Haxus shrugged before he started eating the sandwich he picked up, silently humming in satisfaction when the taste danced across his taste buds. While he and (Y/n) ate he didn't think having a picnic would be as nice as it was; it felt as though his inner turmoil melted away into nothingness. (Y/n) picked up a Metaetti sweet and put it in her mouth before she ate it, puckering her lips ever so slightly when she tasted its somewhat tart flavor mixed in with the sweetness. Haxus ate the small sandwich within a matter of seconds, glancing at Kaltenecker when she turned to look at him; he thought she looked a little odd, but then again he wasn't familiar with Earth animals. Sitting in the synthetic sunlight felt good against his skin, warm, almost like sitting outside on a lovely spring day.

"This 'picnic' as you call it is quite relaxing. I wouldn't mind doing this again sometime." Haxus spoke softly right before he reached for a second sandwich, the corners of his lips twitching upwards just a little bit.

"You- you actually like it?! I mean- yeah, we can do this again in the future." (Y/n) stuttered awkwardly, astonished that Haxus was actually enjoying something nice for once.

"Yes, I'll admit that I do enjoy it. Some of your strange human traditions are enjoyable." Haxus admitted without shame, not caring if he was going soft during that particular moment; he wasn't completely devoid of emotions, after all.

(Y/n) let it sink in that Haxus actually enjoyed picnicking; to her, it was a major breakthrough and a way to help him recover from the brainwashing he went through in the galra empire. She grabbed a sandwich and ate it as though she didn't think much of his change in behavior, not wanting him to revert back to his usual unimpressed self. Haxus grinned when he smelled the young woman's pheromones spike; he knew that she was excited about him enjoying something mundane for once. During their picnic Haxus realized exactly how uptight he had been about everything, even long before (Y/n) saved him, which made him feel low-key depressed. However, he was going to continue making most of his outing with (Y/n); he was free to enjoy himself and he cherished his time with her.