Room 504, Saturday Evening

[intraspective]

Getting back from visiting her dad was—nice. Mostly because Ino was dead tired and being back on Fandom meant that her dad couldn't train her at the moment.

Not that the training had been a bad thing, she thought, unlocking their door (Zack wasn't back yet? That was weird; he'd said he'd only be gone a day or two) and making it far enough inside to flop facedown on the bed.

Okay. So she probably had to, like, sit up and go find food and change into her jammies and everything and would totally do so.

Just… give her, like, fifteen minutes. Of laying here. Maybe more.

Training had even been kinda awesome with what he'd been covering. But at the moment? Mmmmmmm rest.

[Oooopen, sure!]

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[intraspective]

Ideas were sort of the point, really.

And she was just going to return that kiss, with interest, because she'd missed him and he was here now and kissing was far better than a number of things right that moment.

(Okay, kissing was better than a great number of things anytime, shush.)

[puppy_fair]

Kissing was the stuff of life! Of life!

... Or, at least, it was fun to do. Which was also good. And from this particular vantage point, it was seriously easy to wriggle in so that he could put his arms around her.

"Missed you," he offered. Because he had!

[intraspective]

See, and now there could be clinging and kissing. She was totally okay with that.

"Missed you too," she said, smiling just for him. "Weren't a--bad--trip, exactly, but wasn't great fun neither without you."

[puppy_fair]

"Next time, we'll have to train together," Zack decided, putting on that puppy grin of his. "Think your dad would be pretty tough on me?"

It said a lot, really, when Zack was hoping that the answer to that question would be yes, right?

[intraspective]

"If he wasn't," she said, amused. "Then there'd be somethin' seriously wrong. You've seen his reaction to you."

So yes, her dad would be so very hard on him.

[puppy_fair]

"And we weren't even dating yet, then," Zack laughed. "Man, that would be an awesome training session!"

Zack had issues. Could you tell, Ino?

[intraspective]

Yes, yes she could.

"I'd rather, personally speaking, that you two didn't try to kill each other."

[puppy_fair]

"Aww, I wouldn't be trying," he replied. There might have been a pout in there, somewhere. "I like your dad, you know. He's not a bad guy."

And it kind of helped that he was Ino's dad, and all.

[intraspective]

"He's not," she agreed, always happy with a compliment to her dad. Because her dad was awesome. "He's just--protective."

[puppy_fair]

"Which is totally his right. You are his little girl, after all."

See! Zack understood what family was all about!

... He just kind of sucked at it, himself. That was all.

[intraspective]

"Not so little anymore," she noted, with a bit of a laugh. "Speakin' of little girls and boys, you've got a letter on the desk."

One that, to her eyes, didn't look official or nothing at all! And as their were only a few people who'd write him a letter, Ino was pretty sure she could make the assumption there.

[puppy_fair]

"Oh, yeah?" Zack's eyebrows furrowed a little, at that. He didn't really know many people who would write him an actual letter, instead of just firing off some digital mail to his PHS. Which meant...

He was having a wee tiny little haeart attack, now. Yes.

"They wrote back?"

[intraspective]

"That's what I think," she said, studying him seriously. And smoothing her hand down one of his arms. "Would you like to read it?"

She wanted him to.

But it was his choice, really.

[puppy_fair]

"I... should, huh?"

And he would. In a minute. Maybe. If he could get himself as far as the desk to get the letter without freaking and bolting.

"Do you think they're mad?"

Yeah, any second now.

[intraspective]

Awwwww.

"I think," she said, picking her words carefully. "That they're probably more confused and hurt than mad, Zack. I can't imagine how they felt when you left the way you did."

She pushed herself up to sit. "I don't think they'd be mad," Ino said, very gently. "Maybe later. But not right now, when they've got--this chance."

To have a son again. To know where he was and what he was doing. To know he was happy.

[puppy_fair]

"I was a pretty dumb kid," Zack mumbled, shifting around and sitting up, as well. He shut his eyes and pulled in a deep breath. Held it for a moment. Exhaled, slowly. "There are some things that should be more important than dreams."

And that stung to admit, too. For a myriad of other reasons.

[intraspective]

She studied her hands.

"At least you've got a chance to make things right," she said carefully. "Everyone makes mistakes, you know? But not all of them are--ones that can't be fixed."

[puppy_fair]

"I know that one, too," Zack agreed, looking down at his knees. Sigh. "I should probably actually read it, huh?"

[intraspective]

"I think so," she said, toying with a bit of her hair. "I can--go, if you'd like privacy."

She'd probably go and fall asleep on the common room couch, but details.

[puppy_fair]

Zack shook his head a little.

"Please stay? I don't know if I could make it all the way through, anyhow."

Before needing hugs. Lots of hugs.

[intraspective]

"Then I'll stay," she said simply. "I'm right here for you."

And all her hugs were his for the taking.

[puppy_fair]

Awww. She was the best ever. Zack gave her a small, kind of twitchy little smile before pulling himself to his feet and making his way to the desk.

Yep. There was totally a letter there, just for him.

...

"Do you want to open it?"

He was now going to proceed to be a big sissy about this.

[intraspective]

Ino pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.

She shook her head, and patiently watched him.

Sorry Zack. Not getting out of it that easily.

[puppy_fair]

Which left Zack to stand there like an awkward, terrified lump, before picking up the letter and making his way back to the bed with it.

Where he was going to sit.

And stare at it. And not actually open it, now. Maybe if he stared at it long enough, it would read itself?

[intraspective]

Ino wasn't going to give into the rising exasperation she felt. Maybe it was the fact that she'd never worried about her parents' love, that she'd never done anything like what he'd done, that had her not... really understanding, on an emotional level, why he was so scared of this.

She wriggled over to squirm her way under his arm so she could rest her head against his chest.

"I'm right here," she said, knowing better, somehow, than to express her confusion with his reactions. "I'll--be your backup."