"Look at that. Have you ever seen so many stars in your life?" Laney breathed as she leaned back against a large log, tilting her face up to the sky.

"It's a perfect night, isn't it?" Jen agreed, stretching out contentedly next to her. "Except for the mosquitos." She slapped at her arm.

Laney leaned over to rummage through her pack, pulling out a small bottle and handed it to Jen. "Here, put some more lotion on."

"That's what she said," Jen muttered as she rubbed the lotion over any exposed skin and tossed the bottle back to Laney.

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Neither does your face."

"Nice, Jen. So mature."

The two women lapsed into silence, the heat of the summer night lying heavy on their exhausted bodies. They'd gotten a later start on Tuesday than they'd planned, and so had made up the mileage over last day, covering over 10 miles, most of it uphill, before making their evening camp. Overhead, a barred owl hooted, and was answered by another off in the distance.

"It was nice of Hikaru to drive down with us," Laney commented.

"Mmm. I guess he didn't want Kyoya to have to drive back by himself after dropping us at the trailhead," Jen said, sitting up and poking the campfire.

"Really." Laney rolled over to her side and gave her friend a hard look. "So you two sucking face at the trailhead had absolutely no bearing on the matter whatsoever."

Jen shrugged. "I can't imagine why it would. We had fun, and by now he's back in Japan. I probably won't ever see him again, but if I do, maybe we'll have some more fun."

"Okay." Laney rolled back over and looked up at the stars again.

"What?"

"Nothing. You said there was nothing there, I said okay."

"Bullshit, Laney. If you have something to say, spit it out."

"It's just …" Laney hesitated, picking her words with care. "David would never have wanted this for you. He'd be so upset to see you … to see you cutting yourself off from happiness with another person."

"Just because I don't want to get into a relationship with a guy who lives in fucking Japan …" Jen started.

"I'm not talking about Hikaru, specifically." Laney interrupted. "He's been dead for three years, Jen. It's not cheating to have feelings for another man."

"I know." Jen said quietly. "I know that, I do, but … it still feels like a betrayal." Jen stared into the fire. "I loved him so much, Laney. As long as I live, I will never love another man like I loved David."

"I know, honey." Laney reached out and squeezed her friend's hand. "But I wish you'd open yourself up to the possibility of making room for someone else, too. Seeing you like this breaks my heart."

Jen squeezed back. "You're only saying that because you're in love, and you want the whole world to be in love with you."

"I'm saying that because you actually looked happy with Hikaru this past weekend, and quite frankly, happy looks good on you," Laney said seriously.

Jen grinned. "Well, I'll tell you this much; that boy knows his business. I'm surprised I was able to do even 5 miles Tuesday."

"Ew!" Laney looked for something to throw at Jen and settled for a handful of leaves. "I don't need the nasty details."

"Yeah, because every time you and Kyoya show up someplace late, it's totally because the car wouldn't start, right?" Jen smirked.

Laney blushed furiously. "A healthy sex life is nothing to be ashamed of," she huffed.

"Healthy?" Jen teased.

Laney couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Okay, so the sex is phenomenal. Honestly, Jen, the past few days have been so good. Not just the sex—everything has been amazing."

"Saturday night you were saying you weren't sure he knew what he wanted, and now things are amazing?"

"He told me he loves me. I mean, I know that might not sound big—but for Kyoya?"

"No, I get it. He's nothing if not emotionally tight-fisted," Jen said. "Look, I think you're certifiable for getting in this deep with a guy you've known for barely three months. But … I've been watching him the last few weeks. The way he looks at you when you come into the room? It's like the whole world fades away, and there's only you. I pulled Tamaki aside to get his view, make sure I wasn't reading too much into it. He told me, and these are his exact words, mind you, when he's near you Kyoya is incandescent, and he's never seen that in 12 years." Jen took a deep breath. "So whatever it is you've got, I'd say he's got it twice as bad."

Laney's fingers toyed with the small golden wren around her neck. "I think I want to spend the rest of my life with this man," she whispered up to the stars.

Author Note: Thanks so much to gingerwithattitude, mutemuia, and guest for the very kind reviews, and to Beaker77 for the favorite. Your support has meant more to me than I can say. Many of you have commented that you are waiting for something bad to happen to Laney and Kyoya; you shouldn't have to wait much longer. The shit's going to hit the fan with the next chapter, which should hopefully be up tomorrow or Thursday.