(A/N): Thank you anonymous reviewer for the review. You made a valid concern about Yuna's clinginess, and I'm aware she comes off a little too strongly that way, but I think there's a reason why. And you're not the only one who thinks so! Misa, this chapter is for you. :3

Chapter 8 - Touch

"Proximity bred familiarity, and familiarity bred comfort."

~ Nicholas Sparks, The Lucky One

"Fifteen minutes."

Yuna looks up to smile at the librarian and nods. Packing her things, she leaves the building. The campus looks like a ghost town after school, and the only people around are those who stay for clubs or team practice. On her way out, she happens to run into Gippal in the airy hallway. She waves, surprised to see him walking from the opposite direction. Although Yuna still feels a little awkward around him, at least time has passed for things to cool down – if you could call Rikku giving her boyfriend a good kick to the spleen as things cooling down.

He waves back and stops before her, lazy smile in place. "W'sup?"

"Good afternoon. Rikku's not with you?"

"Nope. She's got cheerleading practice, remember?"

"Oh, right."

He pokes her forehead, and she pouts. "You're probably still out of it, studying in that bat cave of books for hours."

"I did not study for hours," Yuna says, laying the humor mild on her retort. "It was only an hour and a half."

"My point exactly. Anyway, I'm lucky I ran into you. Tidus wanted me to tell you something."

"He did? I wonder what it is." In her curiosity, she does not notice the mischief hidden behind his unassuming visage.

"Yeah. He just finished swim practice. He wants to talk to you. I don't know what about, but it's gotta be something if he only wants to talk to you. Meet him in the boys' locker room. Everyone else has gone home, so it's pretty empty right now."

"The b-boys' locker room?! But–."

"I know. Weird place to talk, right? That's what I said, but honestly – I think he's testing you. Between you and me, he wants to get back with you, but he's afraid you'll reject him. Don't tell him I said that, though. Just pretend to be surprised."

"O-Okay, but..." Yuna sways in place, indecisive. "I still don't know about this…"

"Hey, you don't have to go," Gippal says, walking past her, lifting a hand in farewell, "It's your call."

In another part of school, Baralai collects the basketballs littered across the gymnasium, stowing them away in the equipment room. By the time he returns to the locker room, more than half the team have already changed and left for home. He meets Mr. Kinoc by the open window of his office, handing him the clipboard.

The teacher gives him a quick glance and a nod of acknowledgment. "Shelinda was not here today either, huh?"

"Unfortunately. I'm getting concerned." He sighs, worn down by the week. Managing his old basketball team hadn't been on his agenda, not when he has Yunalesca's turbulent sleep schedule in mind. Usually he would be home at this hour, fixing her food, working on his homework, and completing the small daily tasks before bed; not to mention there are bigger projects he keeps pushing back for the sake of breathing room. The house won't repaint itself, nor will the garden build its own waterfall. There are too many things waiting to be done and so little time, it grates on his nerves. "I don't mind helping out once in awhile, but she's been remiss in her duties for almost a week. My presence is starting to make Beclem uncomfortable."

"Look. I'm not forcing you to stay. You can walk out whenever you feel like it."

"I know," he says, quick to apologize, "I'm sorry. I just thought you'd appreciate the favor."

"You either do things or you don't," Kinoc says, grabbing a new sticky note to scribble something. "We can do without the niceties."

"I apologize, Mr. Kinoc."

"It's no big deal. Anyway, I called her parents. They said she caught the stomach flu."

'Shouldn't it have gone away by now...' Baralai wonders, worried. "Would you like me to visit her? I've been meaning to drop off her homework today."

"Yeah. Here's her address. Now you're all set to go."

"Thank you."

"Well, I'll be heading out now."

"Me, too. I'm going to change first and then head home."

Yuna wanders into a narrow hallway she has never tread before, making sure no one had been looking to witness her moment of delinquency. Standing before the closed threshold of the boys' locker room, her anxiety skyrockets. 'Is he really waiting for me in there? What if it's a trap?' She can call or text him to confirm Gippal's wild story, but the idea of contacting him hadn't really crossed her mind until now. If he does indeed wait for her, he won't wait forever.

Pushing the handle, she steps through and comes face to face with a sight she never expected.

Baralai stands by his open locker, naked except for his white underwear until he slips on his jeans. The silence must have piqued his curiousity, because he turns his head to look at her.

They stand frozen in place, unable to comprehend each other's presence.

Yuna doesn't understand why this shocks her speechless. She has seen Tidus, Gippal, and the men of her household shirtless many times before. Maybe it has to do with the fact it's Baralai; he treats his body as sacred more so than the girls with their own. Because of his modest choice in clothing, she has never laid eyes on any naked intimate part of his body. Until today.

He shaves his legs; he shaves his stomach, his chest, and even his armpits, which makes his dark skin glow in the light like smooth, polished marble. She even caught a full glimpse of his briefs (not boxers, he likes to wear briefs), and she never realized how much she loved the look of them on a man until Baralai's stern voice anchors her back to the present.

"What in God's name are you doing? You know you're not supposed to be in here." He takes a step forward and almost stumbles, hindered by his loose pants, which are unzipped and hanging off a nice set of lovely masculine hips.

This innocent motion causes Yuna to stare once more.

Baralai blushes a flattering shade of crimson, self-conscious.

"W-Will you stop staring, please? There's nothing for you to see–."

She does a double take, surprised by the depth of his humility. "What? That's not true! You're–." Something in his face, his mortified and timid face, makes her want to go back in time and delete those words. "I-I mean, um…"

"E-Enough!" Baralai regains his bearings, fastening his pants at the speed of light. "You've embarrassed me passed the point of salvation. What do you have to say for yours–?"

Several loud voices echo from the direction Yuna entered from, causing them to panic. Quick thinking propels Baralai to jump over the bench and grab her, pulling her to their closest means of safety – a shower stall. He pushes her inside and locks it behind them, rushing to activate the water.

It hits them at once, and Yuna yelps in painful surprise. "Eeep! Don't turn on the water! It's f-freezing–."

"Shh! Stop squealing." He covers her mouth, muffling her remarks, next holding her tight against him when she refuses to calm herself. Somehow one of them missteps, slipping on wet tiling, and they collapse in a tight corner. Baralai seethes in pain, rubbing his tingling numb elbow, and Yuna massages her butt, making a noise of discontent.

"What were you doing?" she says in a harsh whisper.

"I'm sorry if I was making you uncomfortable, but you were moving too much." Baralai stiffens when the echo of loud footsteps rush into the locker room; the sound of three male voices soon follow, filling the silence with their rowdy laughter. One of them cracks a joke about sneaking his girlfriend into the stalls, and Baralai sees Yuna stare at him with wary eyes. He dispels her discomfort with a roll of his eyes and a look that told her "Really? Do I look like the type of person to do something like that?"

"I'm gonna get her in here early one day. Then, I'll be getting lucky while you suckers are sweating your asses off!"

"Yeah, right. You'll be expelled for that crap."

"Not unless you don't get caught."

Baralai palms his forehead, tempted to bang his head against the stall. How can he forget that some couples love to sneak into the locker room to have sex? 'Look at where we are now. How ironic…' He leans away from her as far as possible, disregarding Yuna as she clamps her arms over her cleavage, shivering at the sprays of cold water buffeting them. The water continues to run, both sitting stiff and silent in close proximity, never more awkward in each other's company. Going by the sounds of undressing and continued conversation, the boys are in no rush to depart for practice. He sighs, settling into his spot where the least amount of water falls, and notices Yuna in her suffering. Feeling bad for her, he leans forward to tug on her biceps, signaling for her to crawl over; when that fails to reach her, he initiates eye contact to mouth the words come here.

She understands him somehow and moves, taking care not to bump the walls while squeezing into the space between his splayed legs. "…I-I-I'm c-cold…"

"I know. I'm sorry." He whispers his apology, adjusting himself to better accommodate them, and ends up resting his arms around her shoulders. When she leans into his touch, seeking his warmth, he flinches at the cold feel of her drenched blouse against his bare skin and almost curses at his sense of chivalry.

A sharp slap splits the air, and one of them yelps. "Bastard! Get that towel away from me!"

Once their horseplay begins to recede and the quiet soon settles, they break out into nervous smiles.

"Hey, do you know how I could get out without… um, being caught?"

He nods, waiting for her to move off him. When she doesn't, sitting there red-faced with eyes that continue to stray back to his chest no matter where she looks, he blushes again. Feeling flattered, if not a little violated by her staring, he tips her chin up. "My face is up here."

"Oh! R-Right. Sorry..."

Scurrying back to make room, she stands after he moves to turn the shower off.

"Let me check if the coast is clear. Don't make a single sound until I open this door, okay? Wait for my signal."

"What signal?"

"Just wait for me to open this door."

"...okay."

Closing the door behind him, Baralai jogs to reach his locker. Fetching a towel beneath his pile of gym clothes, he rubs himself dry while deliberating how to sneak Yuna out without anyone noticing. He hears someone enter from the double doors and glances their way.

Tidus walks in, whistling to a popular song; at the sight of him, his cheerful demeanor mellows. "Oh. It's you. Hey."

"Greetings." Baralai nods. "You're late for practice."

"Yeah. Coach Wakka doesn't care." He walks to his locker, which lies further down the same row as his, closer to the shower stalls, and this makes Baralai nervous. Once Tidus rips his shirt off and shimmies out of his pants, though, he sighs in relief and looks away out of respect for his privacy. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Why do you ask?" Baralai slips on a grey undershirt, taking his time to pat down the wrinkles. 'Hurry up and leave already…'

"I don't usually see you here at this time. You part of a sports team or something?"

"No, not anymore. Mr. Kinoc wanted me to fill in for his team's manager. She's sick with a stomach flu apparently."

"Huh. Cool. I mean, it sucks that she's sick, but you know what I mean."

Their small talk dwindles into silence, and this gives cause for curiosity; Baralai never thought Tidus liked him enough to initiate conversation. Whenever they were together with a group of mutual friends, they rarely ever approached each other. Grabbing his slim fit green dress shirt, he unbuttons it, slips it on, and fastens the buttons one button at a time. In the middle of rolling up his sleeves, Tidus breaks the ice.

"So... What's up with you and Yuna?"

'Of course.' Baralai sighs, not at all surprised by his nosiness. Once he finishes straitening his collar, he folds all of his clothes in a neat pile, placing them inside his locker and closing it. What else can he do to stall for time? As much as he wants to deny it, an opportunity has presented itself in the form of unwanted company.

"You guys have been acting chummy all of a sudden. And what's up with you in Chemistry class? Were you watching us, cuz I swear – I've never seen anyone move that fast before. That was creepy."

"Oh? Are you upset someone can finally compete with you for speed?" Baralai smiles a little, enjoying the livid look on his face. "It's a joke. No need to be offended. On that same vein, I'd like to give some friendly advice. You should stop acting like the world revolves around you. After all, it is none of your business who she wants to spend time with."

"What'd you say to me?"

"Pardon me for my poor memory. I could have sworn you were dense, not deaf."

"Gippal wasn't kidding when he said you were a grade-A smartass."

"You mean triple-grade-S. I'm a self-certified 'wise guy.'"

"Yeah, whatever."

Baralai grins, pleased with his growing irritation. Leaning against the row of lockers, which stand at waist level, he crosses his arms and waits as Tidus finishes changing into his swim shorts, shirtless except for a towel thrown across his shoulders.

He slams his locker shut and leans on it. "...so anyway, you still didn't answer my question. You two a thing now?"

"English, please," Baralai says, consumed by the sheer impulse to smile like an insolent child; his buttons are just too easy to push. "I don't speak grammatically incorrect buffoonery."

Tidus rounds on him, patience shredding at the seams. "You think you're so cool, using your fancy words, but you know what? I'm not stupid. You may have everyone believing you're this nice great guy, but deep down I know you're an asshole, too."

"Is that all? I would have thought you had something more important to say."

"You bet I do. You're dating her, aren't you? I always knew she liked you."

"First of all, we're not dating."

"Bullshit!"

Baralai clears his throat, irked. "Do not interrupt me. I wasn't finished."

"Tch. Whatever you say, B'man."

"You are not allowed to call me that."

"Whatever."

His attitude makes him want to wrap his hands around his throat and choke him senseless, but Baralai restrains himself. "Second of all, I've never heard of her liking me in the romantic way you are insinuating. We are just friends."

"Uh-huh." Tidus crosses his arms, unconvinced. "Is there ever a day you don't talk like Shakespeare?"

"Is there ever a day you're not annoying?"

"Aww, am I making you angry? I'm making the smart kid angry. You know, you're pretty cute when you're angry." He laughs, pleased to get a rise out of him, especially when he has only ever seen him quiet and composed.

Baralai scowls. "You insufferable little… I'm glad Yuna is no longer dating you. She deserves someone who respects other people's feelings, which obviously lies beyond your scope of understanding." He watches Tidus's smile drop as well as his mirth, face scrunching up with anger; this sudden mood shift makes Baralai wary.

"You!"

"Pardon?"

"It's your fault!"

"...You've lost me."

"You're the reason Yuna broke up with me!"

"What? I did nothing of the sort. Didn't you two break up months ago? She and I were not even friends, yet."

"No. I know it was you. Yuna kept telling me how I don't pay any attention to her–."

"Well, you do flirt with other girls, especially on days that end with 'y'..."

"–and giving me crap like I don't respect her feelings!"

"Was it true?"

"No! I always wanna do stuff with her."

"Like what, have sex?" Baralai says, sarcastic. Seeing the guilt written all over his face, he knows. "So that's it. Let me guess: you wanted to take your relationship to the next level and when she told you she wasn't ready, you felt rejected."

"Shut up!" Tidus charges forward to grab him by the collar and Baralai snatches his fist, twisting his wrist. His high-pitched yelp of pain startles him, but not as much as the flow of tears that start to spill over his face. Baralai loosens his grip, worried.

"Are you alright? You're–."

"I'm not crying!"

When the punch connects to his face, it almost sends him reeling. Pain explodes throughout his whole cheek, shoving his anger to the surface. Unwilling to keep his fury in control, Baralai swings back for a swift kick. Tidus catches his leg and slams him on the ground, straddling him in preparation for some punches. He snatches both his fists before he can get past the third swing, wrestling him for leverage, and gathers the strength to roll on top of him. Pushing his face to touch the ground, Baralai grabs his arm to lock it against his back.

"Ow ow ow! Let up, man! That fucking hurts!"

"You started it. If you say sorry, I'll consider letting you go."

"What the hell–ow! I didn't know you could fight. You look like such a pansy."

"What are you doing?! Stop it, both of you!"

Yuna emerges from her hiding spot, concerned by the commotion.

The boys freeze in place and look up at her, surprised.

"Yuna?! What – What are you doing here?"

"I thought I told you to wait for my–."

"Hey, what's going on in here?"

"Shit! Coach Wakka!"

They both scramble off of each other at the speed of lightning; Yuna leaps to hide behind the wall of lockers, landing by the boys' feet. Baralai and Tidus try to appear as innocent as possible by the time the teacher enters from the entrance of the swimming pool.

"What are you guys doing in here? I thought I heard some fighting going on, ya?"

"Whatever gave you that idea, Mr. Wakka?"

"Yeah! I mean, look at us. Don't we look like the best pair of friends ever? BFFs? Eh, eehhh?" Tidus says, nudging Baralai to follow his cue. Before he can respond, the blonde leans in to throw an arm around his shoulder, misaiming due to their difference in height, and ends up hugging him instead. Startled by this physical level of affection, Baralai stomps down on his foot, muffling his cry of pain by squeezing him to his chest in the guise of a hug. He forces the smile on his face to mask his violent impulse to murder this boy.

"I don't think it's right to call us best friends, one blonde idiot is enough for me… However! You can say we're on the path to–." Baralai sucks in breath after Tidus pinches his arm hard, and he bites down the colorful slew of curses with every ounce of his willpower when Tidus clamps his teeth down on his shoulder. "–becoming closer."

Extracting himself from his suffocating embrace, Tidus exhales and breathes, boasting a broad smile. "Yup! It may look like we're hurting each other, but that's–." The moment Tidus feels him drag his nails down his naked back, he catches his breath and endures five long agonizing seconds of pain, looking to him with fear and fury, and struggling to find his voice in the face of sadism. "–how we show our love."

"I agree." Eager to use this to his advantage, Baralai smirks and withdraws his hand, patting his cheek, before shoving his face to turn the other cheek. "We like teasing each other. See?" He proceeds to prove his point by slapping his face back and forth, once, twice, thrice – and when Tidus faces him again, about to explode, Baralai reaches up to grasp his lips and squeeze them in a hilarious pucker. "He likes it. Doesn't he possess the kind of face that deserves abuse?"

Tidus slaps his hand away and puffs out his cheeks, enraged, and then they deflate to make way for mischief. "Oh, yeah? Well, don't you think Baralai has the most fine piece of ass on this side of the planet? I mean, look at it! It just screams 'slap me'!"

Baralai jumps the moment Tidus's hand connects to his butt, feeling his face flush hot; this humiliating act of transgression causes him to lose all sense of propriety. "We're so close, you can say that Tidus loves to take it from behind."

"What are you talking about? With a pretty face like yours, you're just asking to get raped."

"Have you looked in the mirror lately? Because whenever I imagine your pretty face on cold, quiet, lonely nights, I just don't know what to do with myself."

"How is that my problem? You're a big boy. You can take care of yourself, if you know what I mean..."

"Ah, but you wouldn't understand, not when yours is too small for proper attention."

"Oh, so you're gonna be like that, huh? Hitting below the belt where I know you love to suck my dick–."

"Okay, boys, that's enough S&M, a'right? This is starting to enter a territory I'm not entirely comfortable with, ya. Not that I'm judging you for your, uh, sexual preferences..."

"Oh? Are you perhaps homophobic, Mr. Wakka?"

"Baralai. Are you being smart with me?"

When Wakka begins to approach them, Baralai leans forward to fold his arms on top of the lockers and taps Yuna's butt with the side of his boot. Surprised by the contact, she squeaks. Everyone freezes.

"What was that?"

"H-Hear what, Coach?"

"Sounded like a squeak, ya?"

"Must be a mouse," Baralai says; in the meantime, he taps her butt again, hoping for her to perceive the signal – move. Much to his relief, he senses Yuna shuffle forward.

"No…" Wakka shakes his head, thoughtful. "It was too loud to be a mouse. It kinda sounded like a girl, and it came from your direction."

When the teacher continues heading down their way, the boys start sweating bullets.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Mr. Wakka. I see no girl in plain sight. Although, I cannot vouch for Tidus. After all, everyone likes to talk about how he likes to sneak some girls in for quality time…"

"Dude! Not cool!"

"And what I find interesting is the fact you don't deny it." Baralai smiles, poking fun at him. Sneaking a glance at Yuna, he spots her near the double doors. If she exits through the front entrance, anyone can see her. There's also the back door through the teachers' office, but Kinoc tends to lock it every time he leaves. Going through the swimming pool, out of the question. 'Is the front entrance really the only way?'

"What the– I thought I told you to stop doing that!"

"Look, can we not talk about this now? I mean, the girls usually come on to me."

"Is it really that hard to say no to 'em?"

"Not when they've got pretty faces and rocking hot bodies – I-I mean, forget I said that."

"Hmph. You're not usually shy about this. I'm getting suspicious, ya?"

"I-It's nothing! I'm acting like I normally do."

"Oh, yeah? Wait till you hear what your parents gotta say about this."

"That won't work on me, okay? My parents don't care what I do at school."

Baralai looks between the two, recognizing this as the perfect opportunity to slip away while they're distracted. Taking care to pick up his messenger bag, he slings the strap over his head and takes a step back. When neither of them respond to his movement, he turns and spots Yuna still by the entrance, looking ready to dash through at any moment. He starts to walk and, once close enough, drops to one knee, pretending to tie his shoelaces.

"Don't go through that way," he says, whispering. "People walk by outside all the time, even after school. Let me check the office in case maybe Wakka unlocked it."

Yuna nods, anxious, watching him stand up and walk past her.

Before Baralai can reach the office, Wakka's voice stops him cold.

"Oy, where do you think you're going?"

"Excuse me?" Baralai halts to look over his shoulder; when he sees Wakka head down the rows, about to round the corner, he masks his panic fast and shoves Yuna by the foot to move. Hopefully the sound of him clearing his throat will be loud enough to overshadow her squeal.

"What was that?"

"What?"

"I heard it again!"

"...like I mentioned earlier. It could be a mouse infestation." Once Wakka reaches their row at long last, Baralai looks back to the ground in front of him. Yuna has disappeared. He sighs in relief. Finally she got the hint and crawled around to the other side. "You know how students like to bring food in here–."

"Baralai? You're still here?"

His head snaps to attention. Mr. Kinoc comes walking through the entrance, giving him an odd look, and Baralai gulps down his trepidation.

"I thought you would have left by now."

He clears his throat. "Y-Yes, well, I was, um…" His heart starts to hammer in his throat after Kinoc stalks straight to the office, keys jangling in hand. 'Oh no, Lord have mercy, all he has to do is look down to his right and he will see Yuna.' Once the moment passes without incident, Kinoc simply entering his office to grab something, Baralai stands in front of the window to block his view of Yuna crouched behind him. "I forgot Shelinda's address! Um, yes, that's right. I forgot her address. I-I apologize…"

"What? But I just gave it to you–."

"I know. Again, my apologies. I must have lost it, because I can't seem to remember where I put it." Recalling the other obstacle he must contend with, Baralai looks back in time to see Tidus pushing Wakka out the locker room.

"C-Coach, hey, we, uh, we still gotta do practice, right? What're we doing standing around for? Let's go!"

"Oh, yeah, right. But I was gonna–."

"You can tell Mr. Kinoc later and have him lecture Baralai instead. Now, pretend that he and I aren't gay for each other."

"What are you talking about?"

"Pretend!"

'I can't believe I'm saying this, but I owe Tidus a reformed opinion.' Baralai sighs, relieved. 'Now if Kinoc keeps himself busy long enough, Yuna can slip behind him and exit through the back door.' Standing by the open doorway, he watches him prepare another sticky note. "May I come in, sir?"

Kinoc waves him in, not bothering to look back. Double-checking to make sure he won't turn around for the next five seconds, Baralai beckons her in fast and she ducks inside, squeezing between the door and wall for coverage. Approaching the second door, he twists the doorknob and discovers it refuses to turn. 'Darn it, we need the key for this one, too?' The moment he hears Kinoc sigh, he turns to watch him groan and move to face him, struggling to pull his weight. Baralai smiles, reaching out for the new sticky note, but Kinoc ignores his outstretched hand, choosing to slap it onto his forehead instead.

"There. So you won't lose it."

Surprised by this, Baralai laughs. "Thank you."

"At any rate, I'm leaving for real now."

"Okay. Oh, Mr. Kinoc?"

"What?" The man moves to exit where he came, oblivious to the girl who hides mere inches from where he stands.

Baralai removes the sticky note and folds it, slipping it into his pocket. "May I exit through here? It's closer to where I parked."

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Throw them back to me."

"Thank you." Catching the keys in midair, he unlocks the door and then throws them back. "Have a good day, Mr. Kinoc."

"Yeah. You, too. Oh, and… tell Shelinda to take better care of herself. I–We, the team, need her."

"Alright. I'll be sure to relay that to her."

"Thanks. Bye."

Baralai places one foot through the door, feigning his departure. Once Kinoc closes the door behind him and locks it shut, departing through the double doors, he waits for another moment before motioning her to come out. Yuna leaves her hiding spot, rushing to his side. He pokes his head out to check if there are any students lingering nearby, using the smaller gymnasium as their hanging spot. Plus, they also stand in plain view of the swimming pool, where the wall stands as rows of large window panes. Once the coast looks clear, Baralai grabs her wrist and leads the way.

His hand feels warm on hers, strong, yet dangerous as he pulls her along without another word.

Yuna almost stumbles on their way up the stone steps, catching herself at the shaded edge of the courtyard. He takes a quick turn into a brick hallway, and she recognizes the double doors that connect to the auditorium before they turn again into a narrower hallway, which leads to the choir room. Baralai lets go of her hand at long last, refusing to look at her, and she assumes he must be upset. Yuna hears the distant sound of laughter and conversation outside, yet she hears no music nearby, and knows they are alone.

"Care to explain what was that?" His usually insurmountable composure threatens to break apart, revealing the demon within. "I fail to comprehend why would you even dare to enter the boys locker room."

Yuna gulps. "...Gippal told me–."

"Gippal told you. Yes, well, isn't he the epitome of innocence. Didn't it occur to you – no, weren't you the least bit suspicious when Gippal of all people told you to go into the boys' locker room? The guy you pranked four days ago, the king of pranks who smiled at you and told you to wait in the–." He stops there, too tired to complete that train of thought. "What did he even tell you?"

"Gippal told me Tidus wanted to talk to me in private…"

"In the boys' locker room? Of all places?" The more he repeats that one statement, the stupider Baralai makes her feel. "There are plenty of other inconspicuous places you can talk alone. What were you thinking? You could have received suspension, worse, expulsion, if Kinoc found you, and if it were a student – rumors! As if you need any more in your life right now."

"I-I just thought he wanted to talk to me. I saw it as my chance, because I really wanted to talk about us…"

"Then congratulations. This has turned out to be the most horrendous case of misguided romance if I ever saw one."

"It's not misguided romance! I–."

He slams his hand on the wall beside her, leaning forward to glare at her, intimidating her with his proximity. As much as he frightens her with the looks that can freeze a person's heart stone cold, she attempts to stand straighter and stare right back. "I could care less about how you feel about him. What I find disappointing is that a young and intelligent lady such as yourself feels the need to follow her emotions blindly. Would it kill you to stop and think about what you're doing?"

"It's not what you think. I didn't go in there hoping to get back with him or anything like that. I just wanted to talk. That's all," she says, taking a deep breath. That took a lot of effort to articulate, especially when she came close to faltering several times under his skeptical look.

"...I don't see why you feel the need to explain yourself, but regardless. Anyone would have noticed that what Gippal laid before you was a trap wrapped in pretty words."

"Well, I know that now, and I don't like the way you're patronizing me."

"I'm not patronizing you." He takes a step closer to place the other hand next to her, forming a loose cage that suffocates her with his body heat. Yuna uses the wall behind her as support, sensitive to his angry energy. "I am not patronizing you and I apologize if I come across that way. I'm sorry if all I ever seem to do is get angry at you, but… It hasn't been a week since the accident and I'm watching you have to deal with all of this unnecessary stress. I'm worried you're not given any time or space to grieve properly, and it angers me because I'm the root of all your problems. It may not look like it, but I've been involved in everything that's been happening to you recently."

Somewhere during his long moment of admonishment and self-blame, his voice softens as does his eyes and face, and she notices him inch closer after losing tension in his taut arms. Yuna may no longer feel victim to his obsessive-compulsive concern, but she still thinks about the way he treats her and how much his actions upset her.

"It's nice to know you feel that way, but… I don't like the way you get angry at me."

"I am not angry at you–."

"You are angry at yourself! Please, stop doing this. Don't you see that when you hurt yourself, you hurt the people you love as well?" She reaches up to cup his face and he flinches, sensitive to her touch.

"W-What are you doing?"

"You looked away."

"I did not look away."

"You did, though. You looked away again. Now you're frowning, you're looking down, your cheeks feel hot, your mouth is twitching, you're trying to fight back the smile, your eyes crinkled – oh! Look, you just laughed."

His hands move to grab hers, yet they do not push her away. This simple act of affection stokes the fondness in his heart, motivating him to stay and enjoy this connection they share. "...I didn't know you knew Meisner."

"I took Mr. Guado's Acting class last year. He drilled it into our brains," Yuna says, smiling. "He even forced us to hold each other's faces as we did Meisner, sometimes even with our foreheads touching, like this."

"I know. Whenever I volunteer to go up, he likes to torture me the most. I think he enjoys cracking me of my shell."

"Your walls are coming down."

"And I'm not even in class to show the miracle."

They laugh, and in the silence that follows, their eyes connect, lingering for a moment too long.

Aware of how close they stand, Baralai clears his throat and lets go of her hands. He steps back to stand at a comfortable distance and folds his arms at his back, ignoring the look of contentment that falls from her face. "I hope you don't take offense when I say this, but… It's nice that you have come to depend on me the past several of days. However, don't let me be the only person you turn to. If you stop to look, there are many people who love you and are willing to support you."

Yuna's eyes dart to the ground, wringing her hands. "What brought this up all of a sudden? ...are you saying that I've been acting too clingy?"

"No, not exactly," he says, unsure of how to phrase this without worsening the awkwardness between them. "It's completely natural to dwell on things and lean on others for comfort. I just don't want you to forget how it feels to stand on your own two feet. You are strong. I know you are."

"R-Really?"

"There's no good reason to say otherwise."

"Thank you... for helping me slip out of there. You saved me."

"No problem. Do remember to thank Tidus as well."

"Of course." She smiles, and then a sudden thought causes her to frown. "...was everything you two said in there true?"

"Oh." Caught guilty, he cannot deny the truth. "Sometimes things that are said in the boys' locker room are not meant for sensitive ears. I apologize. Tidus and I... we said a great number of uncomfortable things."

"I was shocked. I mean, I never thought you were capable of saying such things. You're usually so... well, nice. To hear you talk crudely, though, I have to admit that shocked me more than half the things Tidus said. I'm not entirely surprised to hear that he likes to fool around with other girls. It's just... hearing it from you, it feels a lot more real, I guess. I'm sorry, I'm rambling."

"Look. I don't know what this is all about, but it sounds like to me you're clinging onto old feelings for someone who's not your ideal boyfriend. For the life of me, I can't comprehend why you're attracted to each other when you're two very different people. If you don't mind me saying so, I think you two should learn the concept of letting go."

"That's easy for you to say. You've never been in love to know what it's like."

"Believe me, I am in no rush to experience it for myself. I'm not usually the type to talk about relationships, but I don't enjoy the way you and Tidus are dragging me into your love problems. I didn't even do anything to outright antagonize him. If anything, he has nothing to feel jealous about. You and I are just friends."

Yuna hangs her head, silent. Her reaction raises a red flag, motivating him to press the issue.

"Unless there is something he feels jealous about. Yuna?"

She wrings her hands, blushing to the tips of her ears. "I-I don't know..."

He crosses his arms, unconvinced. "Oh, I think you know."

"...that is, I... I don't think you want to know."

"The fact you two involve me gives me the right to know."

She sneezes, startling him.

"Bless you."

"Tha–ah, aah..." Before she can say thank you, she sneezes again, rubbing her nose. "Thank you..."

Baralai takes notice of how she trembles, hugging herself for warmth; she must feel cold and uncomfortable in her wet clothes. Concerned for her health, he decides to let the matter drop for now and sighs. "I'm sorry, I... This isn't the right time for me to be bothering you with questions. You look about ready to catch a cold."

"It's okay." She sniffles, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"Here. Allow me." He turns away, unbuttoning his shirt. "You can wear my shirt for now. At least until you return home."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"...okay."

He drops his hand once she takes it and keeps his back to her, giving her privacy. Undressing noises can be heard until she asks him to hold her shirt, in which he does. He tries not to imagine how she must look wearing his shirt, afraid to spawn a series of dreams that will haunt his sleep.

"I'm done. You can turn around now."

And when he turns to look at her, the real thing snares him more than any mental image. He can see her collarbone and the top of her cleavage through the open collar of his shirt, obviously meant to fit broader shoulders when one of her bra straps lie exposed. Yuna fingers the cuffs of his sleeves, self-conscious. He smiles at how funny they look on such small and delicate hands, how large and encompassing they are, and decides that he loves the way his shirt fits on her. Before his thoughts can head down a dangerous path, he clears his throat.

"Um, is there someone waiting to drive you back home?"

She shakes her head, solemn. "My Mom usually picks me up, and sometimes Uncle Cid. He's busy today, though, and so is my Dad. I think he's working double shift today."

"I see. So, I'll take that as a no, then." Baralai stops there, thoughtful.

He wants to invite her over, to give her a place to relax and wash off the injustices of the day, but he'd be a fool to pretend he doesn't see the implications. Two teenagers of the opposite sex, alone together in a house where no real adult supervision exists. Although Baralai prides himself in his ability to remain responsible in the face of weakness, he knows his limits far better than his control. In light of their increased time together, Baralai must keep his wits about him, because there are too many complicating factors right now that deter him from acting on his emotions. He can only hope that nothing too dramatic happens today.

"Would you like to take a shower at my house? I can dry your clothes for you, too, if you'd like."

"You don't mind the company?"

"Not today. It's the end of the school week, so I'm a little more flexible with my time. Besides, I do feel responsible. You look miserable."

She makes a noise of agreement, a cute, little whine that catches him off guard, and he chuckles. Feeling defensive, she blushes and shoves him; this only makes him laugh more.

"You're so adorable. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Nooo, don't judge me. Stop laughing at me!"

"I'm judging you so hard right now."