(Untitled)

[yo_babe]

Word don't take long to travel, and Babe's heard - Babe's heard enough, and he don't wanna hear any more. This is impossible, of course, but maybe if he stays in the rec room and looks at issues of magazines from 1986 with their Lincoln town cars, he won't have to think about it. Every time he does, his stomach ties in knots and he feels sick

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[gotacigarette]

Not a bloody thing about it is easy. Eden hasn't slept well, and the bruise from the punch-bag has turned sick yellow and green on her cheekbone. She's got Nelson at one heel and Phyllis at the other and, when Babe comes into sight, Nelson speeds up to a trot, mewling pathetically.

"We were looking for you," she says, walking up to him, slowing to a stop just in front of him and, without waiting, without asking, reaching out to take his hand, twining their fingers together.

[yo_babe]

Sometimes, Babe wants to take his field knife to that damned punching bag, but then he'd end up the punching bag and it'd be a lose-lose situation for everyone. Now, here's his girlfriend, their pig, and their cat...it don't get much more surreal than this, folks.

His own fingers lace in with hers, grateful for their presence. "Ya found me," he says, leaning down for a moment to placate Nelson with a skritch under the chin, having to shift his fingertips over the magazine still in that hand.

[gotacigarette]

With her eye still not working, her depth perception for shit, Eden's getting used to the bruises, and she's getting used to turning her whole head to look at Babe. She squeezes his hand, watches as she pets the kitten that's closer to a fully grown cat, now.

"How's the world?"

It's all she'll ask, but he'll know what she means, and it felt pretty shitty, holding him through the night, through the loss of his friend like that.

[yo_babe]

She could've asked anything but that and it would've been easier to answer. "Guess it's the same as it was yesterday," he says dolefully. He looks at her, gives her a wan smile, "Gotta count my blessings though, huh?" He's got a lot still and he knows it, and he needs her to know it's not missed on him.

[gotacigarette]

"I suppose so," says Eden, watching as Nelson pushes up onto his back legs, kneading Babe's knee with his front paws.

"You've still got that little bastard, after all."'

[yo_babe]

Ow. Shit. As much as Babe wants to bat the sharp clawed little beast away, the thing's purring and it looks like he's rolling dough for biscuits. "Yeah, him and his damn claws," he says with a slight hiss.

After a pause, he sighs and says, "I didn't talk to him as much I could've, yaknow?" He doesn't talk to most of 'em as much as he used to. He knows why, but it ain't like he couldn't put forth more effort.

[gotacigarette]

Eden thinks about that for a second.

"If Norton suddenly turned up here tomorow, I'm not entirely sure that I'd want to spend my life with him, you know? It's shared bloody experience. You can only go through so much."

She reaches up and touches his face with her free hand.

[yo_babe]

"I didn't even get to say goodbye." It's a cliche statement to make, but now he knows what it feels like, not to just see their faces one more time and say something final, something meaningful. Babe doubts he could've thought of anything to say, but that ain't the point.

[gotacigarette]

"You don't, always."

She shifts, curling her arm around his neck to draw him in close, stroking red hair with her free hand.

"He's gone back to his life, right? That can't be bloody bad."

[yo_babe]

"How do we know?" He's arguing, he knows it, but how do any of them know? Maybe they go to another shit hole island and have different versions of Bills and Joe Toyes and Edens and Docs and Bucks. "Wherever he is, I just hope he's happy." She's trying to cheer him up, trying to make him see things better, and he feels better with her touching him and being able to look at her, right in front of him.

[gotacigarette]

"We don't. Which doesn't mean we can't bloody believe it."

She leans in and kisses him, her lips tasting of smoke and salt.

"I'm here. You're here. We'll make do while we've got it. Tell me you f=ucking love me."

[yo_babe]

It doesn't mean much to just believe it. Babe's believed in a lot of things before, but definitely not in a magical island, so it's all just hot air to him.

It's like he's falling, though, and she's catching him, making him focus on her where he's got no choice. His hands grasp her by the hips, pulling him against his own so that she's close enough that the tip of his nose bumps against her cheek. "I fuckin' love you," he promises.

[gotacigarette]

Eden turns her head and catches the end of his nose with a kiss.

"I fucking love you too," she says, quietly. "And I'm sorry Bill's gone, baby. I really bloody am."

And she is. They've all had enough of fucking loss.

[yo_babe]

"Me, too."

It's then that Phyllis noses at his leg. He looks down at the animal who ain't as stupid as he sometimes thinks. Both the pig and the cat are staring up at them, expectant.

"And I'm stuck with all-a you. How'd that happen?"

[gotacigarette]

"You just got bloody lucky," says Eden, turning her head to take a drag on her cigarette and then offering it to him, staying as close as she can.

"And you haven't knocked me up, so just count your bloody blessings. It's not like there hasn't been fucking opportunity."

[yo_babe]

It's not like Babe's never thought of that, and Christ, what a thing to be thinking of right now. "Yet," he adds, maybe just to make her nervous and lift the veil of gloominess that seems to be over his head the past few days.