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"They're the best," she agreed, grinning up at the sky as her eyes slipped shut. The sun felt so good against pale features, and the breeze was a soft, cool brush against their skin and through their hair.

She kept up the idle trail of fingers through his beard, hand traveling from beneath his chin and up along his side burn so the tips slipped into the warm silk of his hair before gliding back down. Not every woman liked beards, but Gretchen liked them just fine, so long as they were taken care of. After a moment her other hand fell to the wrist of the arm that was draped across her hips, circling loosely.

"When do you get leave?" So far the Death trainee had only left the island once, and that was with a specific purchase in mind. She wanted to leave more, but she just wasn't sure where to go, and she certainly didn't want to go alone. There were many things that could be fun solo, but traveling, for her, just wasn't.

"Hmm." Rolling, she slipped her arm over his shoulder and fingers back through his hair. "What about Michigan? Lots of lakes there." So many lakes. The five great lakes, and then some.

"I'll bet you can go fishing pretty much anywhere there, hell they've got rivers too, if you wanna fly fish." Gretchen had been there once, as a teen, fishing with her dad. it'd been a fun trip. They'd rented a cabin on the edge of a lake and spent a week there. "Lots of camp grounds, too."

His shopping list made her grin until he mentioned not having enough money to cover everything he wanted to buy. "Most of that's for the bonfires, right? I could pitch in." She slid nails along the back of his neck and up over his scalp as far as the ground beneath his head allowed.

A curious, almost impish little smile graced full lips as she lifted her head to look down at him. "Are you aimin' to head off island by yourself?"

A delicate little pout followed the decline, and for a second or two it looked as though she'd argue, insist on helping out, but he put his foot down before she had a chance. The pout melted into a soft frown as she looked down at him. "If you're absolutely sure." She didn't understand it though, the want to do this on his own, without her's or anyone else's aid.

But couldn't she be just the same?

After the accident, after therapy, Gretchen had insisted on doing things for herself. Declining help, even when it would have been wiser to accept it. This had gone on for years, until Gretchen had eventually mellowed and stopped looking at every helpful hand as a threat to her capability and independence.

"I would like to help, though," she added after a moment, smile returning as a second hand joined the first, the tips of her fingers kneading into his scalp. "If you'll let me. Throwing a big bonfire sounds like a hell of a big endeavor."

A soft giggle followed his butchered pronunciation of the mitten state, and she nodded in confirmation as her leaned down to catch his lips, the tip of her tongue tracing a quick line along his lower lip. He still tasted sweet. Her voice was a murmur when she pulled back just enough to talk. "Would I be imposing if I asked to go along?" She liked fishing, and camping, and being outdoors.

And she liked him.

She made a delighted little noise against his mouth as he leaned up and kissed her again. Almost a purr, certainly pleased to have an excuse to spend even more time with him, and away from Deus. Admittedly, the island had gotten just a little bit brighter since she'd woken up on the roof still wrapped in warm arms, but going off somewhere, just the two of them, sounded just dandy.

"I want to come," she reiterated, bumping her nose against his. Did they need camping gear? Did Isaac have that already? Did it matter right that second? No. Not it didn't. They could work out the specifics later.

His cheek scratched against her's as she pressed close, slipping arms around his shoulders as she rose up on her knees and laid across his chest. "Isaac." Lips brushed his ear as she murmured into it. "How do you say Handsome in Norwegian?"

The word was repeated a few times over in her head before lips moved, sounding it out as he tucked chocolate waves back behind her ear. It wasn't flowing, or flowery. It wasn't a traditional sort of romantic like you saw in movies, music, or books. It was hard to wrap her twangy voice around it, but she had to disagree on one point.

"Oh, I dunno," she mused idly, drawing back enough to look down at him. "I think it could be romantic."

It was a half lidded look she gave him, knowing, cheeks warm with a subtle rosy flush.

At his question she had to smile, raising her chin with a wicked little smile. "So I've got something to call you that's just for you." There was no denying the term was accurate, but 'handsome' was something she tossed around almost casually. Thoughtlessly. He deserved better.

For half a second she thought perhaps she'd said something wrong. Then she was dropping bonelessly against him to muffle a laugh against his chest. "Oh boy, that is not a bell you can unring." The humor in her voice did not take away from the good natured threat. "Alrighty, Buttercup. If that's what you want." She would call him buttercup, in private, in private tweets and texts, murmured up at him as she passed him in the dorm halls.

There was a disgusted sound for Devika, but Gretchen completely ignored it. A feat that was so much easier in Isaac's company.

She was, of course, pleased by the moniker he'd picked for her. It had her grinning ear to ear as she peeked up at him, before the smile settled into something happy and content. "We can stay as long as you want to." They still had fruit. Not half as much as they had when they arrived, but enough to hold back the pangs of hunger for a few hours at least.

After that she didn't know what they'd do, but she was sure they'd figure it out. If that included a brief trip back t the dorms for some snacks and blankets, that was alright with her.

Oh yes, she liked the nickname just fine. The grin flared brightly again as it passed his lips, a pleased little sound following as her hands smoothed over his shoulders, fingertips spreading. "Not too late, I think." The Sky was still mostly blue, though there was that breath of orangy pink on the horizon. Ir was probably sometime after seven, at least, but beyond that Gretchen's guess wouldn't have been much better than Isaac's.

There was also the chance she was just hoping it wasn't too terribly late, because she simply didn't want this to end.

"Mmm, and have a fire, and toast marshmallows for smores." Her thumbs pressed into his muscles, kneading softly in small, thoughtless circles as her eyes fell closed at feather-light touch of lips against her temple.

She had to agree with him as well. It really was a shame, because it was comfortable. Soft sunlight, warm bodies, fresh air and a cool breeze. Great company, of course. "Can head back to my room after, or the roof. We can listen to music."