Room 504, Sunday Night

[intraspective]

She'd been alright getting back to the island. Holding it together and keeping a bounce in her step. She'd managed, even, to get through a shower--and was she ever glad to have a real shower again--but it was looking around her room, her things just as she'd left them--

Less than a week ago. More than seven months ago.

--that was making it hard for her to keep her composure. Ino settled herself--thinner than before but still herself--gingerly on her bed, her unfamiliar and yet almost too familiar bed, in a plain white shirt and grey leggings. Ino shrugged a bit, picking at the shirt.

She wasn't ready to sleep yet. Not now.

Not when things kept swirling around in her head. The quick patter of thoughts, persistent and aching, not letting her close her eyes and relax. Ino hadn't relaxed in months, not really, not daring to.

She was glad to be back. Seriously.

But it'd take time for her to be comfortable again.

[Door closed, post is oh so totally open!]

Comments

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael was the second to knock on her door - he'd hoped to be the first, but she wasn't the only person he'd needed to check on.

"Ino? You awake?"

[intraspective]

She was feeling calmer now, just a bit, steadier in her own skin and more able to breath in and not feel so out of place. Kabuto had helped remind her of the here and now.

For the second time she went to her door and opened it. "Sleep eludes me," she said quietly, "hey, Michael."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Hey." He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, carefully, noting the weight she'd lost. "You made it."

[intraspective]

She leaned into him, her arms snaking around his waist. "I made it," she said, "I'm tenacious. Told you that before, didn't I?"

It didn't really matter what she said. Ino was just happy being there, being held, being safe.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"You did", he agreed. "But it's good to see it. You... think you might sleep if someone's here, maybe?"

It was an offer. He thought she probably needed it.

[intraspective]

"I'm glad to be back," she said, glancing down, resting her head against his chest. "I don't think sleep's the in the cards at all tonight. Too many thoughts, you know?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense", he said, stroking her hair in a hopefully-soothing way. "How long... were you gone?"

[intraspective]

She closed her eyes, just taking a moment to just feel things before answering him.

"...Seven months," she said eventually, "feels like forever, right now."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Seven months?" He winced and held her closer, tightly. "But you're back now. It's gonna be okay."

[intraspective]

Her eyebrows drew together a bit at that, though he probably wouldn't notice since she was still looking down.

"I'll be fine," she said reassuringly, not adverse to the clinging he was totally doing, "promise."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Course you will."

[intraspective]

Her frown got a little more pronounced. "You know," she said, "I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not, but it had better not be."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"It wasn't", he protested. "I know you're going to be fine. Why wouldn't you be, now?"

[intraspective]

She looked up at him, blue eyes just a bit older than they had been before she'd left. "No reason at all," Ino said firmly, "I'll be fine."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Maybe not right now", he said uncertainly. "But you will be."

[intraspective]

"I'm fine now," Ino said, nettled, "why wouldn't I be?"

Besides the fact that she obviously wasn't exactly fine. Shush.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"...'cause you just got back from seven months in the past, you're way too thin and you can't sleep?" he pointed out practically.

[intraspective]

"I did my best," she said, pulling away from him to go and sit on her bed, staring at the ground, "I did my best."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"I know", he assured her, following her. Sitting next to her, his arm went round her shoulders and he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

[intraspective]

She let him, relaxing slightly against him. "It wasn't, you know, all bad. Just..." the world's longest survival exercise.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Just stuck out on your own with no money and not speaking the language", he finished. "At least you were in a city."

[intraspective]

Her lips twitched, almost a smile. "The money issues were solved by the first day," with light-fingers and no compunctions against stealing, "but yeah, at least at first I didn't know the language." Ino glanced at him. "Know it now though, and another. Wasn't always in a city."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

He wasn't going to argue with her stealing to survive. Not for a second.

"Yeah? Where'd you go after Paris, then?"

[intraspective]

She rolled her eyes, not at him but at the memory. "We got a message to 'Go to London', you know, right? Well, uh, London's a lot harder to find than you'd think when you've got no concept of the geography around you. I wound up in Italy for a few months, looking for London."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael blinked.

"How come you got split up from Deadpool?"