"They trust you, you know."
Twilight stops mid-sentence, surprised by the interruption. He turns to Time; they sit alongside each other on a fallen log the group had pushed towards their campsite. In front of them, a small fire that had begun to slowly die.
Time takes a deep breath in response to Twilight's look, losing himself in the meager flames. He collects his thoughts before meeting the younger man's look.
"They trust you. I trust you-"
"What do you-"
"-And you certainly don't need my approval." Time finishes, now firmly fixed on Twilight.
They maintain an intense stare until the younger casts his eyes down.
Time starts again in quieter tones, reminding himself of the others who sleep not too far away.
"Maybe you've noticed- or maybe not- but they look up to you. All of them." He reaches over to place a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "They know you wouldn't lead them in the wrong direction."
Twilight stares down at the paper in his hands- it was a list of the places they'd been transported to, detailing whose world it was and how long they'd spent there. He had been hoping to find any sort of pattern, to find anything that would give them some clue as to why they were all together.
Time watches as Twilight rubs the edges of the paper between his fingers- he knew the younger had offered to join him in the night's first watch so they could discuss his notes.
"We don't have any direction," Twilight says after a moment, watching as he lets the paper go and it floats to the ground. He rests his hands on the log, leaning back to look at the sky. "None of us know what we're doing" he whispers, so quiet Time can just barely hear him over the low crackle of the fire.
To Twilight's surprise, Time chuckles. He looks to the older man with enough confusion that Time gives a heartier laugh, forcing a small smile from Twilight.
"What?"
"You're right-" Time says lightly as he takes an easy breath, "-we don't know what we're doing. But that doesn't matter to them." He nods, looking over to where the others lie.
"We've all faced our own hardships," Time continues, "Our journeys can be lonesome."
He pauses, once again looking at his younger companion.
"We're just... happy. That we don't have to go through this alone. Like we've always done."
Time can see the ache- of which he knows all too well- on Twilight's face as he turns back to the fire. He doesn't want to meet the elder's gaze, but Time is okay with that. It's something that he's learned through his own travels: that sometimes, being left to your thoughts is exactly what you need.
The two sit in silence, appreciating the sounds of wildlife that fill the space their conversation once held.
Time thinks about the moment they were all brought together- the confusion of meeting their own selves from different worlds, to the fierce camaraderie formed through their shared destiny.
Whether a minute or an hour passes, Time doesn't know. He doesn't mind the silence, though, because he has someone to share it with.