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Night had fallen over the Silver Lining, but the sky still shone brightly as thousands upon thousands of stars sparkled brightly above, and the moon emitted a gentle pale glow. The bears lay on the grass outside of the Cloudseeker. They had been stargazing, as the sky looked more beautiful tonight as they had ever seen in a long time. Most of the group had fallen asleep. Even Dibble, who was cuddled up to one of Grumpy's legs was fast asleep. The only two still awake were Grumpy and Share, who had been talking to each other quietly so as to not disturb their friends.
Share had gone quiet for a while, Grumpy noticed. "Hey, you asleep?" He whispered.
"No… Just thinking." She whispered back. "...About?" Grumpy asked, turning just his gaze to her, afraid that if he moved too much he'd wake Dibble.
"Home." Share responded finally after a few seconds of silence. "The Silver Lining is beautiful, it really is… And I've enjoyed our travels! But… I can't help but feel a little homesick." She went on, still gazing at the stars as she spoke. "Especially everyone waiting for us back home… It's been so long since I've seen them all. I miss them."
"...Well, you still talk to Wish, Tenderheart, and Bedtime bear almost daily." Grumpy replied. "And technically you could call anyone else whenever you wanted, even if the call might lag a little…"
"I know. But it's not just that… It's everything else back home too. My own house, Sweet Celebration's bakery I'd always get cookies from, Friend and Secret's garden I'd always pass by on my way there…" Share trailed off for a moment before continuing, "It just feels wrong being so far away from it all, even now that we've been gone for so long." She finished speaking with a sigh, and she turned her body to the side, her eyes meeting Grumpy's gaze. After another moment of silence, she spoke again. "Do you not miss it?.. Home, I mean? Surely everyone gets a little homesick, right?"
"Oh, yeah, of course." Grumpy responded. "I mean, I definitely did when we first left! And I do still think it'd be nice to sleep in my own bed back home finally… But at the same time, I don't really mind being away." Grumpy paused before speaking again, thinking of how to word what he wanted to say. "I guess I never feel too far from home here because you and the rest of the crew are my home. As long as we're together, it doesn't matter how far from Care-a-Lot we are, I'm always at home." He noticed Share beginning to smile. A warm, gentle, and loving smile. "It's cheesy, I know." He added with a chuckle.
"I don't think so." Share replied gently. "I think it's wonderful. I didn't know you thought of us like that."
"Well, of course." said Grumpy. "Even back in Care-a-Lot, I hang out with you all more than anyone else. The only time I would genuinely feel like I was away from home would be if you weren't with me."
Share didn't respond, she simply smiled and gazed lovingly at him. After a moment she scooted closer to Grumpy and cuddled up to him. He wrapped his arm around her as she did so. "Anyways," Grumpy whispered to her. "don't fret too much. We won't be here forever, you know. We'll be able to head home soon enough."
Share nodded in reply. She shut her eyes and laid her head on Grumpy's chest. After a moment of silence, she whispered, "I love you." Her voice was soft, and trailed off, as she was already drifting to sleep.
"I love you too." Grumpy replied back gently, closing his eyes and allowing himself to fall asleep too.