“You miss home, don’t you?”
Light from the fire flickered across the four people relaxing on Tuna’s couch. Her was curled up at one end, barefoot, with Renojack’s upper half resting in her lap. He was snoring lightly, dead asleep. Gently she stroked his hair and turned her head her ear to the other pair’s conversation.

“Yeah, I do, but it’s fine. Mama won’t want me back till summer’s over.” Bale looked down and Tunafish, sprawled across his chest. The young lady looked up at him, doubt mirrored in her gray eyes. “Come on, babe. I can see it in your face.” Shifting to obtain a more comfortable position, she kissed the spot just above his collarbone. “So whadda we do? The summer can only last so long.”

Bale sighed and dropped his arm around her shoulders, stroking her hair with his other hand. “I’m workin’ on it. I can’t stay here forever, sweetheart. There’s lotsa work to get done, stuff the brothers can’t do by themselves.” He paused and glanced at Her, meeting her eyes. “And I ‘spose your right. I miss it somethin’ terrible.” Sighing, he leaned back a little farther. “T, I don’t wanna leave. I love you. I’m just not sure what I love more.”

She lay there for a moment, her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Then she straightened up and looked over his face. “Clear as crystal, man. I know I say I hate it here, but I could never leave. No way.” There was a little scar on his left cheek – had she noticed that before? “I just need the water. The people. The atmosphere.” He was cleanly shaved, too, and she noticed another scar just above his right eyebrow. “But, babe, let’s face it. We can’t split.” She felt tears stirring in her throat that she pushed away. “You know what that’d do to the both of us.”

He nodded. Her’s gaze moved between them before dropping to Renojack’s peaceful face. They were always separated, always. But then, he always came back. He heart went out to her friends. Poor doves. Her delicate eyelashes dropped, and before long, she was dozing.

Bale stared into the fire, his expression pensive. Tuna slid down again. The energy had been sucked out of her, leaving her vexed and cold. She felt the tears rising again, tried to stop them, failed. Through the haze she heard him saying, “They were stuck in a heap o’ bills when I left. Hope they’re okay…” Gone again. That sweet, simple voice. The woman could do nothing but bite her lip and blink. Still, the tears were coming – they had started before he trailed off, and she felt so helpless and furious at herself now.

“Your eyes turn green when you cry.”

So small, that statement. She leaned in closed and put her arms around his neck, burying her face in it. “If you leave I’ll have Her and my friends and the sea and my old life but – but not you!” She sounded so childish, and yet he didn’t laugh. He just sat, held her, kissed her hair. Her forehead. At last Tunafish looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. “I’m such an idiot. I fell in love with a tourist. How much dumber can I possibly get?!”

This time, he laughed. It was a nice, quiet sound. Slipping his hands around hour cheeks, he turned her face fully towards him and kissed her, straight on. The young woman could do nothing but crumble, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her opened one content eye and watched them, doing her best to hide the fact that she was awake by attempting to keep the smile off of her face.

At long last, they, too, slept. And all was well for the four friends.

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c:
-flees-
...dear god this is long. XD The others are even longer, too.