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.]

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[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?