Room 504, Saturday Evening

[puppy_fair]

Zack... was not normally the sort to sit down at a desk and pick up a pencil and write letters of his own volition, no. In fact, if he had his way, he'd do all of his communicating in person, or at least on the telephone. But the people that he wanted to get in touch with at just that moment weren't exactly living in a corner of the world where technology was abundant, and so if he was going to get in touch with them, it was with a letter, or else not at all.

Dear Dad and Mom,

How are you guys?
Sorry for leaving town so suddenly.
I just really wanted to become a SOLDIER.
I bet you're worried now that I've told you...
But now I'm fulfilling my lifelong dream, and I'll do my best in SOLDIER.

P.S. I have a girlfriend.
Zack

Zack wrinkled his nose as he looked the letter over. It was... pretty lame, so far as letters went. But what else did you say to people that you hadn't spoken to in nearly five years? His mother would have wanted to know if he'd finally found a nice girl, and so he'd covered that much as an afterthought. And his parents would both worry once he told them that he'd gone and joined ShinRa's army. He couldn't tell them that everything was okay, because as far as he was aware, everything wasn't. But there wasn't a single lie anywhere in that letter. He was embracing his dreams, and he'd do his best, and that's all that they really needed to know after all of this time, wasn't it?

Now he just had to get up the nerve to mail it.

[Open door, open post. That unfortunate excuse for a letter home is snatched from Final Fantasy VII: International. Zack really sucks at writing letters, apparently.]

Comments

[intraspective]

Ino wrinkled her nose at him.

"Probably," she had to agree. "Maybe next time you can tell them 'bout what Midgar is like. Who your friends are? Things like that. That don't really depend on location."

[puppy_fair]

Zack nodded a little at that. "That would work," he replied. "About Kunsel and Kennedy and Jak and Arthur. And more about you. Mom will want to know everything there is to know about you."

That was just the way his mother worked.

And then from there, she would want to know why the heck he hadn't proposed to her already.

[intraspective]

Because Ino had taken long enough to get used to the idea of dating him? And marriage would make her run for the hills? And they were just a tad too young for that anyway.

... Even if they already acted like they were married.

Ino laughed a bit. "Well," she said, amused. "I'm an open book." He knew what wasn't for people to know after all. "Think she'd like me?"

Not that Zack could really know that, considering his age when he'd left home...

[puppy_fair]

No, he really couldn't, but he suspected that his mother would think highly of any girl that had encouraged him to get in touch with his folks again.

"I think she would," he agreed, smiling lopsidedly. "You've got a nice smile. She'd appreciate that."

[intraspective]

Ino huffed a soft laugh at that.

"I suppose that's something," she admitted. "I'd--want her to like me."

[puppy_fair]

Enter: The playful grin.

"And I'm pretty sure that my dad won't try to interrogate you about your intentions with me, either," he added.

Because, no, he totally hadn't forgotten about Konoha.

[intraspective]

Ino flushed.

"Dad was--right though, weren't he?"

So there!

[puppy_fair]

"Well... at the time, we were just friends, right?"

Or, you know, just friends who were so not admitting that they liked one another more than that!

[intraspective]

"He was still right," she insisted, giggling. "And think of the talk you'll be getting next time you see him."

Oh yes.

[puppy_fair]

Zack blinked. He blinked, and he stared, and then he burst out laughing. He couldn't help it, okay?

"Oh, man. I didn't even know what he was getting at the first time around until he started being really blunt about it. I'm doomed."

[intraspective]

"You think so?" Ino asked, humming. "I think he liked you."

Well, as much as Inoichi was going to like any of her boyfriends.

[puppy_fair]

"... You think so?" He pursed his lips a bit at that. "Well, that's got to be a good sign, right?"

Wishful thinking! Dream big, Zack!

[intraspective]

"It's definitely better than how he's reacted to some guys," she said, more dubious than Zack but also knowing her dad better, you see.

[puppy_fair]

And now Zack was wrinkling his nose and giving Ino a wary eye.

"... Now you have me paranoid," he announced.

[intraspective]

She patted him. Gently.

"He'll get used to you."

[puppy_fair]

Hey! That totally wasn't as reassuring as it could have been!

"Do you think I'll get used to him?"

It was her dad. She'd totally know these things better than he did, after all.

[intraspective]

Ino bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

"I think that one is up to you," she said, nodding.

[puppy_fair]

"I'm doooooomed," Zack groaned, flopping forwards in his chair and thumping his forehead against the desk.

... And laughing.

[intraspective]

"At least my mom likes you?" Ino tried, giggling as she pushed away from his chair.

[puppy_fair]

"That's just because I swept her floor," Zack accused. He turned around to grin at her, letter forgotten on the desk behind him. "I'm useful around the house!"

[intraspective]

"Funny," Ino teased, wriggling one finger in front of his face. "I ain't noticed that myself."

[puppy_fair]

"Bedrooms," Zack sniffed, "are a completely different story."

The room in which a person slept was a sacred domain, where there was a place for everything and everything went into its place.

Mostly strewn across the floor.

[intraspective]

"Says you," she retorted, and leaned over to steal a kiss from him.