Huggable Kitten B3, Friday Late Afternoon

[intraspective]

Friday afternoon and Ino was sprawled out on her bed with an anatomy text. Talk about boring. This was better than brooding about Cal, or giving into the urge to go and strangle Ichigo though, so whatever. The text, at the moment, was closed and she was testing how well she'd managed to retain what she'd studied.

Ino wondered, really, if she'd ever feel like she knew enough to actually feel confident in her abilities while working at the clinic. What had she been thinking, seriously? She didn't know anything about healing.

Bruises and cuts were only the tiniest tip of the knowledge she needed to know. She sighed, and focused again on her studying.

[For Hinata, then open afterwards.]

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[intraspective]

The hug had gotten a squeak, the spinning had her clinging to him--because, hello, unexpected--and the flopping was much more her speed.

"Dork," she said, grinning at him. "Of course he'd be proud of you."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I still have to bring him dinner," he said. "He's staying at the playhouse for the moment, since he's come without any money and the theatre director's letting him stay. He came in for a play. Well, he said a book but the cover said it was a play and I figured it out from there."

He was breathing rather fast and still sort of bouncing.

"He's like the memories. From the stones. He's warm and kind and a little confused but he only came here yesterday. I gave him some books to help with that."

He didn't even have to say anything. Ino had to know how happy he was.

[intraspective]

She just smiled. It was obvious how happy he was.

"Your father's here, and you come running to tell me?" she teased him. "You should be glued to his side, I'd think."

It did, though, make her extremely happy to know that he'd rushed to tell her when he didn't have to.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I told him to explore a little so he'd get used to things," he admitted. "After all I want him comfortable here. I want him to stay. I don't want him to leave, after all. I gave him a little money and some books, like I said, and the summer ice I had in my bag."

Then he looked at her.

"Of course I had to come tell you.

[intraspective]

She glanced down, smiling but not wanting to meet his eyes. It wasn't like she'd known for sure that he'd come and tell her, him saying that she was his most important person or not.

Especially, now...

"I'm glad you did," and she was, really truly was. "I hope he stays."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"He'd only die if he went back. I think it would be soon, after all, since he was only with Elphaba for a little while. Well... when... you know. Nanny could only talk about it for a few minutes before she'd come storming in telling us both to keep our own business, but enough comes out in seven or so years even with Nanny as rambling as she is."

He leaned back on the bed, curling up with Ino.

"I'm going to have to tell him. I don't know how."

[intraspective]

She snagged the scroll before he could lean on it, and put it to one side. Time enough for that later, she supposed, resting her head against him.

"I can be there, if you'd like, when you tell him. If it would make you feel better."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He smiled at her and couldn't help kissing her hair.

"If you'd like. It's not so much that I'm nervous as I don't know how you'd tell someone that."

He quirked his lips.

"Or how to make sure he doesn't think I just don't want him to leave."

[intraspective]

Really, she supposed, it was stuff like this that led to Ichigo asking if she and Liir were a couple.

Ino wasn't sure why people couldn't get it that they were just siblings, seriously.

She grinned a bit at that. "Is it such a bad thing for him to think that his son just doesn't want him to go?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"He's got three other children, legitimate children, from his wife," he said thoughtfully.

"And my mother, who he seems to think the world of."

He looked sideways at Ino.

"Even though he noted that my snappishness was certainly from her side of things."

[intraspective]

"You? Snappish? Oh, totally not." She was teasing, yes. "We'll get him to stay, don't worry."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He grinned again.

"He told me to call him my father," he said with a touch of pride. "He didn't even mind that I fainted."

...well, he had to tell someone about that.

[intraspective]

...

...

Ino buried her face against him and just shook with giggles.

She was happy for him really, but seriously--fainting?

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He looked down at Ino with a sniff.

"The man's been dead since before I was born! And he snuck up behind me before asking for a book. I turned around and then my brain just sort of shortcircuited in between 'I know where that is' and 'Nameless Name, it's my father!'."

[intraspective]

"And you're bad with surprises!" She just hugged him, and giggled more.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He hugged her back, a good strong squeeze and leaned his forehead against the side of her head.

"I don't even know how to be this happy, Ino. Thank you."

[intraspective]

"Didn't do nothing," she said lightly, grinning. "But you're welcome."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He nudged her.

"You're Ino. That's all you need to do."

[intraspective]

She poked him in the side.

"That's nothing, though."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Anything but."

He closed his eyes and settled against her.

"Don't let me fall asleep. I do need to cook something and bring it by to him."

But as wonderful as things had been, they'd also been exhausting. Emotions weren't anything he was particularly used to, in the grand scheme of things, so they could occasionally burn right through him.

[intraspective]

She petted his hair. "You need sleep, silly," she said quietly. "And he'll still be here tomorrow."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Wake me up in a couple of hours? Hopefully, I'll dream something good to cook."

He had to bring him dinner tonight.

"I don't want him thinking I don't keep my word," he pointed out.

[intraspective]

She ruffled his hair. "Go to sleep," she said, not promising anything either way. "I'll be here."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He opened his eyes.

"I don't want to let him down the day he meets me, Ino."

But then his eyes drooped again and his muscles relaxed.

The calm even breathing told her everything she needed to know.

[intraspective]

"Have faith in me," she said, even though he was sleeping, and stealthily pulling her medical textbook over so she could study while he... took up most of her bed. "You won't."

She wouldn't let him.