Month 02 – Day 08 – Wednesday

His footsteps were quiet, gentle as each foot touched the barely dirty floor. He unlocked the door in front of him and stepped through in his ghostly yet casual style. He pocketed his keys and kicked his boots off; neatly sitting them at the corner of the door ready for his deliveries tomorrow. He sighed a little as he turned to glance inside the bar.

The lights were off, and the fans were still; the tables were neatly sitting where they were supposed to be and the lady behind the counter wasn't anywhere to be seen. He turned his eyes to the steps, glancing up the stairs to see a barely visible dim light lighting the hallway upstairs. His eyes moved to the clock ticking at the corner of the bar and it read 12:24am.

He made his way toward the steps, carefully skipping the third step and mentally reminding himself to fix it later tomorrow. The squeaking step was starting to get on his nerves. As he stood at the top of the steps, he threw his glance wearily over to each door. And he smiled briefly as the thought came to rest upon his sleep deprived mind.

His little family were all fast asleep and even though he didn't have a big welcome home greeting; just knowing that they were here made it all worth it. It made the tiresome journey home the best thing ever. After so long, he finally realized what it was like to come home every day. To have a home, and to know that no matter where he is, or how far he is away from here, there was always a place for him to call home.

He smiled inwardly at the thought and happily walked toward the children's room. He slid their door open, and as he peered inside he saw Denzel fast asleep at his bed and Marlene curled up on the other bed. She was hugging quite a big chocobo toy to her chest whilst Denzel lay sprawled out almost falling off the bed.

He shook his head disapprovingly and walked quietly into the room. He settled his arm at the boy's head and carefully positioned the boy under the blankets. With a quiet smile and a long sigh, he stood up and whispered a good night before exiting their room.

But just as he made it to his door and glanced inside, he couldn't help but feel the need to check up on the last occupant of this house. He walked quietly a few more steps till he reached her door. It was opened slightly, so he slid his hand at its opening and slid it open. She was lying, curled up on her side, her face facing him.

The blankets were kicked off at the bottom, and the fan above her was on high speed. He figured the hot weather must have been getting to his little family, so he made a mental note to suggest air-conditioning one of these days.

But as his blue eyes touched her angelic face he froze. It was in that moment that his heart skipped beats and shattered into empty silence; for he was frozen, every muscle in his body coming to a standstill as he witnessed such beauty before him.

She looked amazingly beautiful in the dim moonlight cascading down her body. It reflected a glow that shown his eyes with a simple awe. Her hair sat lazily clinging to her shoulders and waist, and her hand, comfortably placed at her face; one under her pillow and the other at her chin. She wore those same clothes she always wore, the black top with her black shorts.

And even yet in her unguarded form he found her beautiful. She was perfect in his eyes and as he watched her sleep, he felt the distinct need to hold her in his arms. To shelter her from every danger of the world with his own body as the shield. To smell her scent and kiss her fears goodbye.

"She is beautiful, isn't she?"

He shook his head briefly and began to turn away. "Couldn't have picked a better time," he muttered mentally.

"Just admit it, man," Zack noted arguably. "She is beautiful."

"What?"

"Just admit it."

He coughs uncomfortably as he whispered mentally, "So she is, so what."

"Because you finally admit it, that's what."

"Shut up."

"That is the 'hi' that I get?" the voice in his head asked, "Not even a hello or a, hey Zack how's things?"

"I'm busy."

"Sure you are, staring at her like a pervert."

"I was not staring like a pervert, I was simply-"

"Man, you are hilarious."

"Shut up."

"You know, sometimes a simple conversation is all you need."

"I don't-"

"Yeah, yeah, you're not good at things like that."

"Give me a break."

"Just take my advice man, you want something, you go for it."

"But-"

"Until you lose it, then you'll regret and trust me, not everyone is as lucky as me."

And then the night went silent. His head went quiet and the night became dull as he thought of the brunette sleeping in the room beside his. He sighed lightly, and turned over to flip the lights before he settled for a comfortable sleep.

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. Yeah, he smiles a little; he'll talk to her, maybe not tomorrow but sometime soon.

Yeah, sometime soon.

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A/N: Haven't really gotten a lot of reviews for this story so not sure if I should continue it or not. It's hard enough trying to juggle fanfiction, work and boyfriend... well boyfriend gets top priority so lol.