intraspective | Room 655 (and beyond!), Atlantis Resort, Bahamas, Thursday

"I still think you're cheating," Ino complained half-heartedly, grinning and hunting for her sandals. "You totally didn't walk 'round yet on your knees. Cheater. Why should I go on a date with a guy who can't keep his promises?"

Yes, a date.

They were just friends so this was just one date and that was it but they'd made a deal about this one so it had to happen.

Ah ha! Her sandals! Ino slipped them on, tied her hair back from her face with a brightly coloured ribbon and glanced at him.

"You ready?" A beat. "Cheater."

Not that she'd refused, mind, when he'd brought up the date they hadn't had yet. Shush.

[For the daaate.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

puppy_fair

Zack had no idea! His uniform was made to handle the elements! Extremely!

"Of course I am," he laughed. "You know, it'd be silly to come all the way out to a place like this without even getting into the water!"

... Like he'd been failing to do all week. There had been a lot of squats, between Sunday and today.

From:

intraspective

Ino was probably more aware of that than anyone else on vacation, too. Of course, she'd made it to the beach all of... once... so it wasn't like she ruled at vacation much either.

Room 655's occupants were not suited to peaceful vacation, really.

"And yet," she said loftily, "I've noticed a distinct lack of swimming on your part."

Well, yes, that's why you had to get him a swimsuit now.

From:

puppy_fair

"I didn't have a swimsuit!"

And now he was going to! That worked out nicely, didn't it?

He meandered his way idly around a rack into the men's swimsuit section. "We're changing that!"

From:

intraspective

Ino held up a pair.

"These are colourful," she said, grinning over at him. "But these ones are even more so."

The second pair got considered before firmly being placed back on the rack.

"Not your style."

From:

puppy_fair

"Sooooo not my style," Zack agreed, kind of gaping at the second pair for a moment even after they were safely put away again. "The first aren't really, either. I can probably get through the vacation better if I don't start running around with rainbows on my butt."

It would give people ideas.

... What sorts of ideas, Zack had no idea. But he knew that they would exist, somehow.

From:

intraspective

"But the rainbow is cute!" she teased, giggling and putting it back before he told her to. "Don't tell me you don't want any colour?"

Ino would sulk at him.

"Something more like this?"

From:

puppy_fair

"Those aren't too bad, I guess," Zack replied, even if he was wrinkling his nose a little as he looked them over. "They kind of look more like they're made for playing mini-golf than swimming, though."

From:

intraspective

"Oooh," she said, smothering a laugh. "You're one of those shoppers, huh?"

She poked through the rack a bit more.

"These boat ones are cute? Or what 'bout these ones?" Don't laugh, Ino, that'll ruin your chance to see his expression. "And these look like they're made for swimming in."

It was a swimsuit, Ino. Stop stating the obvious.

From:

puppy_fair

Zack's eyes were a few sizes larger than they'd been in a long, long while.

"Do you really want to see me in a Speedo that badly?"

From:

intraspective

The laughter and the faintest hint of pink on her cheeks was probably not the most reassuring thing, right?

"It's not my fault that this is what they've got for selection!" she protested.

Giggling, yes.

From:

puppy_fair

That was so not reassuring!

Zack was now contemplating that slightly terrifying 'military' swimsuit regardless, though. Maybe it would be for the best for the world at large if something else got pulled off a rack, and soon.

"There's plenty of selection that isn't skintight," Zack replied, leaning over and poking through a rack of baggy trunks with floral prints on them. Mostly because it seemed like a very safe rack in comparison.

From:

intraspective

Oh sure, ruin her fun.

Ino peeked around him.

"You cannot seriously want those. You'd look like you were wearing someone's grandmother's curtains."

From:

puppy_fair

Zack wrinkled his nose a little as he looked at them.

"You think so? They are kinda... Um."

... Curtainy. Yes.

"But there are plenty of other ones to choose from!"

Ones that didn't involve him strapping himself in with faux leather, at that!

From:

intraspective

But those amused her and appealed in about equal measures!

"These are nice?" she said hopefully, pointing at another pair.

A beat.

"Oh! These ones!" Sunflowers!

From:

puppy_fair

Zack was so totally going to come back to contemplate those tight military ones later.

For now, he was making 'oooooo' faces at the pair with the sunflowers.

"Those ones are purple!"

They looked fun, okay?

From:

intraspective

"And they've got sunflowers on them," she said brightly. "And those are really cheerful--longevity, warmth, loyalty--"

Ino went very slightly pink. Adoration.

"And stuff," she finished hurriedly. "But they're definitely good omened."

From:

puppy_fair

Zack cast her an amused glance at that, and, fortunately, decided not to say anything about the shade of pink that she seemed to be going.

"Lucky swim trunks, huh?" He took a moment to poke through the sizes on the rack, and then grabbed a pair. "I think we might have a winner, in that face!"

From:

intraspective

"They're cute too," she offered, glad he wasn't saying anything. "I second the winner vote."

Because she so got a vote? What, Ino?

From:

puppy_fair

"These ones it is, then!" Zack gave the waistband a little stretch, looking at the trunks thoughtfully, and then he perked up all over. "Should I try them on now, or did you want to see if they have sun hats here, too?"

From:

intraspective

"You just want to get shopping done with quickly," she accused him cheerfully. "Do you see any sun hats?"

Ino was going to go up on tip toe to see if she spotted any but really, he was still more likely to spot them first.

From:

puppy_fair

"Oh, sure I do!" Zack didn't even have to really look hard. Ah, the joys of being near freakishly tall. "Over there, by the door!"

Easy!

"Oooh, that one's pink!"

Gangway, Ino. Zack is prancing on by!

From:

intraspective

Near freakishly tall?

Ino trailed after him, snickering. "You could get one," she suggested, eyes dancing. "In pink, even."

Evil, Ino.

From:

puppy_fair

"I could," Zack agreed in a chirp that suggested that he totally didn't see anything the matter with the suggestion. "Except hats don't sit quite right on my head. Too much hair, I guess."

He guessed. Clearly, Zack wasn't aware just how crazy his hair actually was.