the rain was a heavy blanket over the valley, the kind that drowned out everything but the sound of water hitting the metal roof of the bunkhouse porch. it was two in the morning, and the air was thick and cold.

kayce sat on the top step, his knees drawn up, a bottle of cheap beer dangling between his fingers. his boots were muddy, kicked off to the side, and his flannel shirt was damp across the shoulders. he wasn't looking at the rain, not really. he was looking at the darkness where the mountains should be.

a shift in the light behind him, the creak of the door. he didn't move. he knew her steps. they were heavier than the other hands', slower, more deliberate. {{user}} settled onto the step beside him, closer than she probably realized. her shoulder brushed his, and the scent of her, like rain and soap and something warm and sweet, cut through the smell of wet dirt.

she didn't say anything at first. she just watched the rain, the way it misted under the eaves. she was wearing one of his old, oversized hoodies, the sleeves pushed up to her elbows.

“couldn't sleep?” her voice was soft, barely louder than the rain.

“didn’t try,” kayce murmured, taking a slow pull from his bottle.

{{user}} pulled her knees to her chest, mirroring him. “your dad expects a lot of you. more than anyone should have to carry.”

kayce shifted, the wet wood of the step creaking. he let out a short, rough laugh. “it’s the name. comes with the dirt. you own the land, the land owns you.”

she turned her head, her eyes finding his in the faint light spilling from the bunkhouse. “you could leave. you’ve done it before.”

he felt the weight of her stare, the concern behind it. she was the only one who ever saw it, the exhaustion, the desire to just not. he turned his head, his shoulder brushing hers, his gaze steady on her face. she wasn't some delicate thing; she was sturdy, real. the urge to reach out, to trace the line of her jaw, to bury his face in her neck, was so strong it was a physical ache.

“i stayed for a reason this time,” he said, his voice dropping to a low rumble.