They sat next to each other over the small fire he'd made. It was cold out that night, and although it hadn't rained for days, everything was still a little damp. They were both tired, not in body, but spirit, mind. It had been a hard few months. It had been hard for everyone.
They'd known each other before, but this night, they talked in ways that they'd never talked before. They were both so beaten; they didn't even make a pretense of keeping emotional walls, they just talked.
"When things like this happen." He said, "You know that everybody's feeling it, you know? And, I mean, I'm not feeling it as bad as some people. I mean, some people had family or friends who're just... gone. So, I know that my pain really isn't that big of a deal, and that my pain is the same as everyone else's. But, I still hurt, you know? I... It's hard to wake up to that view. It's hard to wake up to the rain, and to survive one day just so that you can survive the next. You know?"
"Yeah." She said, "I know. When it first happened, I was really scared. Like- really scared. All I could think about was keeping myself safe. It was really bad, for a while. I had friends who I was with, my roommates and stuff, and I didn't even think about them. I didn't think about them at all. I was just worried about making it through, and not for anybody or anything. I wasn't like 'if only I can survive until the final season of Lost' or anything. I just didn't want to die, and I didn't care if anyone else did."
They spoke like this while the moon rose, and they were still speaking when it set. They comforted one another in small words, and nods, and sometimes only looks of recognition. They talked about before. They talked about home, and hope, and they asked their questions about the future. Neither of them had answers, but it was good to ask together.
When they'd both run out of words, it was nearly morning. He reached out and grabbed her hand. The dampness on the edge of her sleeve had dried from the fire and crunched slightly in his fingers. She cradled his hand in hers, as casual and natural as sleep.
They sat close, on that first morning, and watched the sunrise hand in hand.
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