Grazing The Sky

"Stay the night," Adelah said, speaking aloud to both him and Lance. "I have spare rooms. I'll try to get in contact with Yittek."

Zidane knew she was telling the truth; the feeling was distant, but he could sense her thoughts searching, each one sending right after the next. Satellite signals.

Her hands were on his shoulders, turning and guiding him towards the other large room connected to the kitchen area.

"Get some sleep," she was saying. "I'll have breakfast ready when you get up."

A pain shot into him; his emotions were awake again, every ounce of sadness and insecurity striking the spot below his c.h.e.s.t, above his stomach. The pouch that held his Razalek energy, its very existence the whole reason he was in this mess. The whole reason he was broken, incompetent...

"A curse..."

He was more than that... Much more...

He blinked, the ceiling in front of him. He was lying down, a mattress below and sheets above. Zidane sat up, looking at his feet. His boots were still on; Adelah hadn't taken them off. This was her way of showing she was accepting him, not minding the dirt of humans that came with his shoes. He looked out into the doorway, into the hall, the darkness around him completely silent.

Zidane put his feet on the floor, standing up and feeling the weight of gravity settle in his legs. He blocked out any memories trying to come to him, making his way towards the corner of the room. He reached up, molding a thin part of the ceiling, pulling it towards him before directing it to a ninety-degree angle.

Gathering a burst of energy, he jumped, hanging by one hand. He pulled himself up, raising his lower body until he was parallel with the ceiling. His tail reached past him, hooking onto the pole and wrapping around one, twice, three times. Tight enough for him to let go, strong enough for him to swiftly swing down, gravity rushing to his head. He let out a breath through his nose, content at the blood rushing to his head. Clearing the pure exhaustion behind his closed eyes.

He centered himself, parting the negative emotions until there was nothing but a white speck. He focused on it, letting an exhale drain from him, letting his breath take him to where he needed to be.

The scent of their room, a vanilla intermixed with a jasmine incense burning on top of her dresser, was the first thing to come to him. He noticed every bit of those first few moments, keeping his eyes closed. Staying. Being. And then he sensed her move.

He rolled onto his side, meeting her half-way, her forehead snuggling against his c.h.e.s.t. His arms wrapped around her, one of them diving between the mattress and her side to embrace her completely. Zidane opened his eyes again. He was staring at her, watching Zooka's head shift, face resting against him. Her hand gripped his shirt, hands bunching the fabric near his shoulder.

She didn't say anything; her head shifted down, temple moving against his shirt. She was still asleep; he could tell by the way her face was twitching, discomfort flashing.

He brought one hand to her, pad of his thumb gently running along the space in between her eyebrows, erasing the knot that was there in her skin. She relaxed at his touch, night terror fading into something more peaceful. Something she more than deserved.

An emotion rose up inside him, a guilt that this clone—this other version of him, didn't immediately smooth this discomfort away. What the hell had this clone been doing?

He was reckless, letting Ezyta send it off like that. He'd have to check in with it more, make sure it was working properly.

Zidane leaned down, gently placing a kiss against Zooka's forehead. His thumb ran along the side of her face, lips pulling back and breaking the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers, watching her closed eyes for a moment before shutting his own. His thumb stroked her face again. Rejen; a gesture that acc.u.mulated to an immense amount of love. More than words could say.

The hand near her face moved, supporting the back of her head and cradling her to him a little more. He curled his upper body into her, resting his eyes, his forehead into her hair. He held on a little tighter, feeling that warmth. Whatever anyone tried to do, she would be here for him. Nights like these couldn't be taken away; distances, universes, dimensions didn't matter. As long as he could be like this, as long as he could be home, the rest didn't exist.

Nothing could change that.