Midgar, Gaia -- Zack's Room, ShinRa Building, Sunday Afternoon

[intraspective]

Most of yesterday had been spent sleeping—Ino wasn't sure what Zack had done, upon waking up—she only knew that she hadn't woken until late that evening and had been up for only a few hours before falling back asleep, her body more worn out than she'd thought.

Fear and monster hunting took a lot out of a person, who knew?

Sunday, though, was so far going better. Even if she was still obviously on edge to anyone who knew her as she lay on Zack's bed and idly watched him do squats. In this room, she was okay.

And they'd been out and about a bit earlier, for food and monsters. That was enough for her.

[For that one in Midgar with her. NFB due to distance, please.]

Comments

[puppy_fair]

It was more than the eyes, but he supposed Ino probably understood that much. The eyes, the armor, the sword, the scar on his face. His boundless enthusiasm had dribbled out of him one nightmare experience at a time and sometimes it felt like his reserves were running on empty. A lot about him had changed over the past few years.

Over the past few months, for that matter.

"It's silly of me to keep putting this off, isn't it? I don't even have the 'too busy with missions' excuse, anymore. And I'd love to know what's up with that, still."

[intraspective]

Her eyes were very gentle as he tried to change the subject.

"I'll come with you," Ino promised him. "You won't have to be alone with them when you're not feeling up to it."

Even with her he tried the masks at times, still. The only difference was she could see through it.

[puppy_fair]

And the thing was, he knew better than to think that he could get away with it. But some old habits died hard, and it took a lot of work just to get him to share this much. Being 'Not Okay' about something wasn't his style, even when it was something that was eating him from the inside out.

"I'd like that," he said, after closing his eyes for a moment and just soaking those words of hers in. "I don't even know for certain what it is that I'm so afraid of."

Maybe it was just the fear that he didn't belong there, anymore.

[intraspective]

She contented herself with watching him, resting her hand against his arm, as she thought.

"Whatever it is," Ino said softly, "I'll be there. I promise."

[puppy_fair]

He exhaled, and with it came another small smile as he lifted his hand to clasp lightly around hers.

"I'll try not to let Gongaga bore you too much when we go," was about the best he could manage in reply.

It translated roughly to 'thank you.'

[intraspective]

"You'll be there," she reminded him, curling her fingers around his. "I'm never bored with you around."

She heard and understood.

Ino's fingers tightened slightly. "I do love you, you know."

So she wasn't going anywhere, even if the words had been hard to get out. They made things sound--final, even though this was the first time she'd said them to him.

[puppy_fair]

It was crazy, wasn't it? How a few simple, monosyllabic words all strung together like that could make everything okay, all of a sudden?

Zack was smiling, now. Not for the sake of wearing a smile, but because he had reason to wear a smile.

"And you're one of my precious people."

His precious person. His collection of precious people was dwindling, lately.

[intraspective]

Really, it was unfair. He could stop her in her tracks just by saying that because--did he even understand how important it was, to her, that he thought of her that way.

That he called her that way? He wasn't even from her home and yet that phrasing, with that meaning, rolled off his tongue so easily.

She was just going to swallow... hope he didn't notice that her eyes were a bit brighter than usual, and then she was going to kiss him. He didn't mind that, did he?

[puppy_fair]

Mind it?

Never. They could kiss until their portal arrived and it was time to head back to Fandom, so far as Zack was concerned.

They could kiss longer than that.

Did they ever have to stop?