A few more nights had passed and this night now denoted the two-week mark since Kyle and Will had arrived on the twin planet and begun their search for any remnants of the ship. Of course, the tension between them had also made things more difficult since their last discussion about preferences and identity. Will had not continued his incessant cuddling with Kyle on the nights following that. Instead, he had taken to sullenly rolling onto his side, his back to Kyle any time the younger man entered the tent behind him now.

Will on his side facing away from Kyle, and Kyle on his back staring up at the roof of the tent until sleep finally came; that was the normal sleeping arrangement now. Though, the quarters were still plenty close enough that it didn’t truly cut down on much of the awkwardness Kyle had complained of previously.

After his first hour of that night’s insomnia, Kyle couldn’t help looking over at where Will lay facing away from him, cuddled around his pillow now rather than Kyle. The younger of them sighed, knowing he’d probably regret even trying to bring up the subject again, but after two weeks with only one another for company, he gave into his need for any kind of social fulfillment at this point.

“So, you really would feel the same about being close, like that, even if I was a girl?” he dared.

Still having trouble sleeping himself, Will smiled at Kyle giving in and speaking with him again, though as he was still turned away, that smile remained a secret to Kyle. “I wish you were a girl” Will offered as he moved to lay upon his back then, which of course meant causing their arms to touch again there in the small tent.

“Excuse me?” Kyle asked, somehow caught again by the strange words that always seemed to come out of the other young man’s mouth.

“Then you wouldn’t be ‘awkward’ about me being a boy” Will teased, then added, “Plus, I’d like to know what that’s like.”

“What what’s like?” Kyle asked, though he was sure he would regret delving into this subject again.

“Being with a girl. Pouring myself into a girl when I finish, like you all did with Lili” he stated in an almost wistful manner as he still kept his eyes downward instead of looking up at Kyle as he spoke.

“You seriously are bi” Kyle stated as though he only just finally began to believe the statement himself. Of course his words did cause Will to give him the briefest look, skeptical though it was. Kyle pulled his eyes away with another sigh before continuing, “I’ve only actually ever been with one girl anyway, myself. And it’s been a really long time” he confessed as he swallowed slightly, his own eyes cast downwards.

Will allowed another smile as he then moved, warily back to his side to face Kyle, placing a hand gently upon his chest, “I’ve only ever been with one boy” another smile as he added, “but not such a long time for me.”

Having lost track of exactly how many times Jared had brought her to climax that morning on the riverbank, Lili finally found herself begging him for a moment to catch her breath once more. He lifted his head from his task and finally pushed himself to a spot laying back on the ground next to her while wearing a wide grin. They both then took several long moments to try to focus on the sky above them, Jared’s breath only slightly ragged from his own arousal, while Lili was very nearly hyperventilating from the series of orgasms he had just given her.

“I guess I got a little overzealous” he offered apologetically, though couldn’t help his slight chuckle as he awkwardly re-adjusted, as he was so aroused himself right then, his own loose-fitting jeans had become unbearably tight after that last activity.

Lili was still only clad in a now sweat dampened t-shirt while her shorts and panties had long been forgotten on the riverbank somewhere near their feet. Her current state only added to Jared’s arousal as he glanced over to see her still laying there, trying to catch her breath. The now soaked t-shirt clung to her hardened nipples, making the outline of they and her still milk-heavy breasts even more difficult for him to ignore right then.

Finally catching her breath long enough to allow herself to look back his way, she caught his eyes traveling over her hungrily, though as promised, he made no move to do anything else without her approval first.

She then bit her lip with her own grin as she rolled toward him, her hands moving toward the button at the front of his jeans as she began loosening them around his glaringly apparent arousal.

“Lili, you don’t have to” he forced himself to whisper the assurance, despite how painfully he did want to pour all of himself into her right there and then.

“I’m pretty sure I do” she teased as she pulled his jeans and underwear down to his thighs and moved to a spot on her knees next to him.

It was only a few moments later, after letting her fingers tease him by traversing the length of his hardness once or twice, that she then moved to take him into her mouth, returning to him all that pleasure he had just given her as well.

When Kyle awoke that morning, it was to the feel of Will gently tracing his fingertips over the sliver of skin below where Kyle’s shirt had ridden up slightly the previous night. Will again was laying his head against Kyle’s shoulder as he moved his fingers so gently it caused Kyle to shiver.

Kyle let out a ragged sigh, though made no attempt to move away from his touch either, “you’re doing it again” he whispered hoarsely.

“You’re hard again” Will smirked as he, not surprisingly, also made no move to break off the contact between them either.

Another blush from Kyle before he managed some excuse, “yeah, well, I was dreaming about Lili.”

That was when Will did finally look back up into his face, though still wore a soft smile, “you miss her, yes?”

An awkward breath as Kyle tried not to stare too long into those doe-like eyes looking up at him, “of course I miss her.”

“Then you should tell her” were all the words Will offered.

“Pardon?” Kyle asked, caught again.

“It’s been many days... She was so scared of us leaving, dying. You should tell her we’re still alive, and tell Ian too, please” he asked gently as he offered a tiny, brief kiss to Kyle’s neck before finally pushing himself up from their bedding to tend to his own morning tasks.

“Wait, Will...” Kyle sat up, calling out to stop the older of them from leaving the tent just yet.

Will couldn’t stop his own tiny smile as he turned back, “changed your mind about me making you feel better?” he couldn’t stop the subtle flirtation.

Though Kyle just shook his head before moving on, “what do you mean, tell them?”

“Call to them, in your mind, like you did with me. Let them know we are still safe” was his explanation.

“But...” Kyle had to think on that suggestion a moment, “but I can’t do that from this far away.”

“Like I couldn’t bring us this far away” Will smiled back at him knowingly before heading out of the tent at last, leaving Kyle to think on his counsel.

After fulfilling each other as completely as possible, without that one final way of fulfilling one another which would risk things neither wanted to risk; Jared and Lili eventually made their way back up the river to their home.

The two wore smiles for once, and were even walking hand in hand when Ian spied their approach from where he had begun breakfast. His expression easily conveyed all of his surprise at their apparent closeness that morning.

“So, he finally shared his stash of the good mushrooms, did he?” Ian greeted Lili, his eyes continuing to move over them both skeptically.

“Morning, Ian” Lili smiled her return greeting as she and Jared finally separated to allow her to take a seat by the fire pit and to allow him to go inside to check on Hope, and his plants of course.

Once Jared was back inside, Ian gave Lili another furtive look as his eyes moved over where she did still look a little flushed in the morning sun, “so we’re friends with him again now?” he had to ask with a raised brow.

“There’s only two other people left on this planet who can talk. I had to eventually speak to him again, right?” she deflected the question as she reached for the bowl of berries that was in the cooler nearby.

“Talking apparently includes walking hand in hand back from the river I guess?” Ian mumbled as he turned back to preparing the meal.

“Is that actually jealousy?” Lili asked with a bit of shock, as well as worry.

“Should it be?” he returned the question with a question.

“Seriously?”

“It’s not about jealousy, Lili” he shook his head, but didn’t turn back to her, “I thought it was us against him after he backed up this bullshit plan of Kyle’s.”

“I know, and believe me, I’ll never be ok with that, especially if Kyle...” she simply shook her head as well, “but you and Jared are all I have left as far as I know, and I can’t just cut him out, no matter how angry I am about it all. And neither can you” she added more quietly, setting the berries aside once more. “Besides, if Kyle really is gone, never to return, Jared will hate himself more than either of us ever could...” she whispered sadly.

“Yeah, well you know what they say about making your own bed...” Ian grumbled, to which, Lili only allowed another sad sigh.

But before either could say more, Lili suddenly looked around as though startled by something. Seeing her sudden change in demeanor out of the corner of his eye, Ian turned back to her questioningly.

“What is it?” he asked, his eyes immediately scanning the woods around them.

“I...I don’t know...” she whispered, continuing to look around with a bit of confusion.

“Um, some small hint about what it is you think you saw or heard would be nice” he replied with a gentle sarcasm as he set aside the cooking utensils in order to reach for one of the guns he always had on him.

After another long moment of Ian scanning the woods and Lili trying desperately to pinpoint what she was hearing, she finally smiled over at Ian as she did manage to recognize the sound at last.

“Yes?” he asked warily, still keeping the gun trained on the surrounding forest.

“It’s Kyle” she smiled again.

Ian seemed more than a bit confused as he looked around again, “what? Where?”

“In my head” she then allowed a sincere chuckle as Ian slowly lowered the gun, looking back at her expectantly, before she continued, “he’s ok. He and Will both.”