Author's Note: Something I wrote to entertain myself between contests. ^^; I should do that more often. Anyway, I kind of feel like this one is sort of a spiritual successor to "Headache" (a previous fic of mine) as far as the characterization of Max and Ray goes, but I'll let you decide for yourself whether you want them to be part of the same timeline. And I must say, writing about Max and Julia was rather fun. I've always liked the idea that she just might be as odd and neurotic as I sometimes think Max is, so I tried to get that across. Also, I don't think this fic is up to my usual quality for some reason. Yes, yes, not a high standard to begin with, I know, but still. I wrote this down in multiple sittings, and the disjointedness shows, I think. I tried to make it flow better in the editing/proofreading stage, but I don't know if that helped. -_-; Oh, well. I wrote it, I'm sharing it, maybe you'll enjoy it.~

Warnings: Nothing really. The quality is below par, but I don't think there's anything too traumatizing.

Obligatory Disclaimer: This work of fiction was inspired by Rune Factory 2, and the outdated upper-class custom of sending nervous relatives off the country until they can think straight. I have not found any evidence that I might be responsible for either of those things. ^^;

Insanity Loves Company

It was one of those bright late-winter days that made everything seem as though it was being tidied up for spring. Ray quietly considered the melting snow, and remembered how fresh it had been the last time he had seen Max, as he stood with Julia in front of the church, their white clothing blending in to the white ground. Coldest wedding I'd ever been to. He thought it had been strange weather for a honeymoon, but they departed nonetheless, their footprints on the snowy dock as they waited for the boat that would carry them off. They had been gone for a week, and Ray had anticipated seeing his friend again, back with all sorts of rambling tales of adventure. When finally they did arrive home, he knew something was wrong. The mansion seemed closed to outside visitors, and no one seemed to be coming in or out. A few days later came the old familiar announcement; that Max was away On Vacation.

"On Vacation" was one of those euphemisms that the upper crust had for all variety of family problems. What it really meant was that Max was under stress, which made him stay up tearing apart and reorganizing every room in the house for several nights on end, and Herman, concerned for his son's well-being and weary of the noise, had sent him off to some rest home out in the inland countryside, where he'd spend the week lying around with a bunch of other filthy rich brats who could never be bothered with such common things as getting used to life. Ray always felt a bit bad when he thought of it that way. Max's upbringing had certainly left him rather prissy and sheltered, but he also suspected that he wouldn't have been the most stable of people, regardless of how he'd grown up.

The mansion had large, heavy doors, but as soon as Ray turned the knob, they flew open, revealing two grinning, almost frighteningly excited faces. Max seemed like his most recent episode hadn't left him any the worse for wear, and Julia was happily clinging to his left arm.

"Hello!" the pair exclaimed in unison, as though they'd been sharing a voicebox.

"Um… Hi there." Ray was still rather blindsided from having the door all but yanked out of his hands. He wondered if they'd been sitting there listening for the click of the knob all afternoon. Julia detached herself from Max and made a beeline for the kitchen.

"I'll get the kettle started! Go sit Ray down in the parlor so we can sit and chat!"

Max grabbed Ray by the arm and whisked him over to an ornate velvet couch, practically tossing him in to it before taking a seat on a matching couch across the table. Max and Julia had always done things at a rather brisk pace, but it seemed like they moved even faster now, as though marriage had allowed them to feed off one another and double their speed. Just watching them made Ray feel slightly dizzy. Before he could settle down, Julia came swishing in, carrying three teacups on a tray.

"Max! The slides!"

"What?"

"The slides! He's here to see the slides!"

"…Oh! Of course, dear."

Ray felt slightly puzzled by Julia's behavior. She seemed to be acting as though he had insisted on seeing them, when in all actuality, he had no idea that they even had slides. Max was setting up a projector and dimming the lights. Julia all but forced a teacup in to Ray's hands. Max stood in front of the screen and cleared his throat.

"We thought you'd enjoy some slides from our honeymoon in…"

"Trampoli, dear."

"…Right, that was it! Lovely place. You've heard of Whale Island, haven't you, Ray?"

Ray nodded. He thought he remembered reading about it before, or maybe someone had told him about it.

"Alright then, I suppose we'll get started!"

Max took his seat and began flipping through the slides. Julia with her makeup half-applied and trying to cover the lens with her hand. Max looking frustrated and fiddling with a box of flashbulbs. A grove of trees. A clock tower. Max and Julia standing together on a beach. What looked like a somewhat overgrown amphitheatre. The famous Whale island. Max sitting in a dimly-lit tavern and holding a glass of wine, looking slightly bored. A church with stained-glass windows. Max nervously standing on a suspension bridge. Julia sitting in a small rowboat and beaming at the camera. Max rowing said small boat around a lake. A flock of strange glowing creatures. The biggest pot of soup Ray had ever seen in his life. Julia submerged in some kind of outdoor hot spring. Max sprawled out on a bed with a think book opened across his face. It seemed like the pictures were never going to end. Max and Julia kept an unbroken stream of banter throughout the entire slideshow, commenting on Trampoli's natural beauty, groaning with embarrassment at candid shots, ridiculing one another, and launching in to long stories about their adventures and various encounters with the townspeople. Though there were times when he felt like groaning from boredom, Ray found the whole thing rather charming. The town in the photos seemed lovely, and Max and Julia seemed to suit each other well, despite their history of occasional petty squabbling. Ray remembered watching them get in to a screaming argument about who should take the blame for a water stain on a table. Even his mother and sister were more mature about choosing their battles.

"Tell me, Ray, how are things working out for my dear sister and yourself?"

"Not bad. Almost a year now, you know."

"Ah, already tolerating her better than I did, I see! Give it time and I'm sure you'll be at each others' throats before you know it!"

Max laughed, and Ray remembered that, though they were some of the more well-intentioned siblings he'd known, and they did seem to genuinely care about one another, Max and Rosalind had been at odds off and on for as long as he'd known them. It seemed understandable, given that one of them wasn't exactly easy to live with, and he didn't mean Rosalind. Ray often forgot that his interest in her had developed following a rather miserable summer when he and Max believed themselves to be madly in love. She really was a lot like her brother, only more well-mannered, and not so desperate and impulsive. It was then that Julia bolted up from the couch, startling him a bit.

"Well, I'll go get us some snacks, then!"

Ray nodded and smiled politely. Max seemed to cringe a bit. Ray realized that something had been slightly off about him ever since they sat down. His speech was as lively as ever, but there was something about his posture and body language that made him seem lethargic and defeated. Ray wondered how the week before had been for him. He always came back seeming tired after being sent away, but they had never been able to talk to each other about it in anything but the most general terms. He wondered if Julia knew where he had been, but he figured she had to, and that it must not have bothered her. In fact, Ray wasn't sure if Max's instability hadn't been one of the things that drew her to him. It seemed to make him more of a catch in her eyes, kind of like his money, or his tendency to flirt with anything that moved. Ray remembered feeling the same way, if only for a while.

"Snacks are ready!"

Ray couldn't believe what he was seeing. Julia had all but dashed in to the room, carrying a plate piled high with more cucumber slices than he'd ever seen in his life, placing it on the table. Not being one to offend, no matter how odd the situation seemed, Ray took a single slice and chewed thoughtfully, trying to get over the initial shock.

"You… Sure have a lot of cucumbers. Did Kyle give you some of them, or…"

"…It's this new thing I heard about! Apparently, if you spend a few days eating cucumbers and nothing else, you feel wonderfully refreshed! It must be true, because this is the second day and my skin is already absolutely glowing! Oh, and Max decided to do it with me, and I think we're both looking so much better for it, and…"

Ray looked across the table at his cucumber-pushing hosts. Julia looked no different than normal, if a bit giddy with cucumber poisoning. Max just looked rather pale. He wondered if he should mention that Max had been somewhat anemic for as long as he'd known him and probably wouldn't do well with this sort of thing, but ended up deciding against it. Knowing Max, he was trying to impress her or had made it in to some kind of contest, so a few dizzy spells would serve him right. The whole incident made him realize that Julia probably wasn't playing with a full deck any more than Max was. At least, he figured, they probably understand each other. Even so, he wanted to get Max alone so they could have a proper conversation.

"Um, Julia… Do you think I could borrow Max for just a bit?"

"Ooh, rekindling the flames?"

Ray rolled his eyes. During his ill-fated relationship with Max, Julia had found out about them and enjoyed tagging along and cracking embarrassing jokes. Apparently, she thought they were the two most gorgeous people in the world and found a romance between them almost too good to be true. Which, he supposed, it would have been, if they hadn't spent most of it screaming at one another.

"…Please stop doing that."

"But it's so fun! …Ok, you can have him."

Ray lead his friend in to the kitchen, and the two of them sat side-by-side on the counter, listening to the silence growing heavy around them. As per usual, Max was the first to speak.

"…Brought me all the way in here to sit on the counter, did you?"

"No, it's that… Well, I haven't really had a chance to talk to you in a while, and… I guess I just want to know how you've been."

"Very well! Happily married!"

"You are, aren't you? The "happily" part, I mean."

"Of course! She's an utter delight, though I'm sure you've noticed."

"I'm sure you love each other very much. Believe me, I can tell. It's just that it was really soon after that you…"

"Ray, I was under a lot of stress. Even good things can require a lot of transitions, and well… Well, you don't have to worry. It's over now, and I'm alright."

"How about just staying home next time, then? If having to adjust to things makes you worse it can't be good for you to just send you off like that."

"…Other people live here, you know. It's not like I can expect everyone to wait it out until I start sleeping through the night again."

Ray couldn't name what he was feeling. Something angry and protective. He practically yanked Max in to his arms.

"…Well, if no one here can deal with it, then I will! Just come stay with me next time. I live in a clinic, so we've got lots of extra beds. Besides, Rosalind's there, and she loves you. And I'm there, and I…"

"…And you love Rosalind."

Ray ran his hand over Max's hair. Being so close to him after so long made him realize that he still had some lingering feelings for his friend, at least on some level.

"Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean I don't love you. I'm sorry we didn't work out together, and I knew that tore you up pretty badly for a while there. But it's not like it was easy for me, either, and it at least seems like it turned out for the best for both of us. You love Julia, and I do love Rosalind, but that won't ever change the fact that I love you. Always have."

"I just remember that you seemed so angry with me towards the end. I was surprised that you even started talking to me again."

"Max, I was angry with you because you're a damn basket case and I was fed up with trying to fix you." Ray smiled slightly. "…But you're my basket case, so I had to learn to live with it."

"That's all well and good, but I have a feeling you'll change your tune when I'm going crazy in your house next time."

"Max, you're welcome to be crazy in my house any time. But you shouldn't wait for that. Come over tomorrow. I'll make you dinner. Something besides cucumbers."

Max smirked.

"…I'll bring Julia."