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You’re sitting out on the porch by yourself. It’s a warm summer night, and the fireflies are out. You left the porch light off, so you can watch them blink as they fly around. The distant noise of cars on the highway is nearly covered up by the night chorus of crickets and frogs.
A ray of light cuts across the darkness briefly as the door opens and closes again behind you. Soft footsteps approach you, and you feel a warm body settle in behind you. Hol Horse stretches his legs out on either side of you and slings his arms around your shoulders.
“Hey.” He murmurs.
“Hey.” You say it back, leaning back into him and tilting your head up to look at him. He’s all dressed down, just a t-shirt and a pair of loose comfy shorts. His hair is pulled back in a sloppy ponytail.
“Nice night.” He murmurs.
“Yeah.” You agree. “Nicer now that you’re here.”
“Aw, aren't you sweet.”
He leans down to press a kiss to your forehead, and you both sit and watch the fireflies for a while. One comes to rest on a potted plant on the porch, antennae twitching as it crawls around a leaf for a moment before taking off again.
Eventually Hol breaks the silence.
“I used to sit out and watch the fireflies like this at my granddad’s house when I was a kid, y’know.” His voice is wistful, and you’re sure if you were to look up, you’d find him staring out into the middle distance, lost in thought.
“Tell me about it?” You ask, knowing he’ll keep talking if you let him.
“He had fruit trees, peaches and plums, and I used to climb all over ‘em and steal the fruit. I’d sit on the porch like this and eat ‘em while the fireflies were just coming out. I got juice everywhere, of course, but I was a messy kid.” You snort, knowing he hasn’t really changed much. He nudges you in mock offense, knowing exactly what you’re thinking.
“Hey, at least I do laundry now.” You both settle back down. “Anyway, nights like this are my favorite. Warm enough to sit out like this, but not as hot as the day.”
“And the fireflies are out, of course.” You add. “It’s nice to have something pretty to look at.”
“What, I’m not enough for you?” Hol teases, and you pretend to be thinking about it.
“Oh, I don’t know, I think I could do better.” You look up at him so he can see your grin.
“You’re killin’ me, sweetheart.” He deadpans, and you snicker.
“C’mon, it’s not that funny.” He says, but he’s smiling while you laugh. You relax back into his arms with a yawn. The fireflies are still out, but it’s gotten late.
“Looks like it’s time we get to bed, darlin’. Hold still.” He rises to a squat, positions his arms around you, and stands up with a grunt of exertion. “There. Knew I could do it.”
“Thank you, Hol.” You murmur next to his ear as you wrap your arms around his neck.
“Hey, I’ll carry you around any time you want.” He says, and you close your eyes and let him take you to bed.