(A/N): This was probably the most discombobulating chapter I had to write due to the amount of characters present in the same scene, but I knew that if I half-assed my way through this chapter in order to avoid the effort, I would have definitely regretted it. This chapter is particularly important to me, because there are many messages hidden within the dialogue and text. Sometimes, it's just hard to be a teenager.

Thank you for all your kind reviews, Courtney. They motivate me to pump out more writing. :3

Chapter 12 - Sweetheart

"Nothing hurts more than to be friends with someone, knowing you are both in love with each other, and yet not being able to be together."

~ Unknown

Baralai sits alone at a table, drinking away at his green apple smoothie and annoyed by the growing crowd. This boisterous atmosphere grows on his nerves, which makes him wonder why he even came here in the first place until slipping his hand into his pocket. Touching the box of earrings he bought yesterday, he remembers window shopping in the streets of Luca after ice cream, following Yuna into Tobli's Hottest Trends where she wandered into the jewelry department, and smiles.

"Wow, look at all the jewelry. They're so nice," Yuna says, peering through the glass. "Ooh, look at this one, and that one. So cute!"

Baralai smiles, leaning against the case. "You really like the flower ones, don't you?"

She blushes, pouting. "I love flowers. Don't judge me."

"The star-shaped stud earrings are very nice, but… I don't see a lot of variety."

"You wear earrings? Hm... I can kind of imagine you wearing them."

He nods, tapping his left earlobe. "Only this one is pierced, though. Ever since my freshman year, I've noticed a lot of people walking around and sporting that 'one pierced ear' style. I grew to like it, but I didn't actually have the courage to do it until Gippal forced me to."

"Really? Can I see?"

"Oh, sure." He leans down to her eye level, self-conscious of the distance between their faces, how her nose can almost touch his jaw. "But I doubt you can see the hole now. I don't wear earrings as often as I used to."

"Okay." She smiles, pleased with this new discovery, and goes back to admiring the diamonds. "Hey, look at these! Aren't they the cutest? 'Cross Your Heart' stud earrings… and seventy-five dollars?! That's a lot." She laughs, moving to survey the display case all the way around to the other side.

Baralai takes her spot, peering at the pair. Each stud features a design of two small hearts intersecting each other, one heart made of clear diamond and the other of black marcasite; basic sweetheart cutouts of silver earrings. He likes the look of them also, and wishes he could see how they would look on her.

Baralai decided to buy them on an impulse so he can surprise her, but forgot to do so after he dropped her off home. He never wanted the day to end; he wants to see her and be the reason for her smile, the one that will surely adorn her whole face once he gifts it to her. He wants to go somewhere with her again, it can be anywhere, he doesn't care, and dare to hold her hand again. A part of him regrets not taking the chance to kiss her yesterday, and he scolds himself for even daring to consider it.

The moment Baralai spots Yuna enter, he feels the weight from his shoulders lift. "Hello."

"Hi, how are you? You look kind of tired…" she says, sitting across from him.

"That's because I am. It's been a slow day for me." He reaches for her clenched hand on the table and uncurls her fingers, placing the box on her palm. "I saw you admiring this yesterday, so I decided to get it."

Confused by his tenderness, she pulls it close and opens it. "Oh my! Um, y-you didn't have to. I mean, this was expensive! You really bought it for me?"

He grins, pleased by her reaction. "Won't you wear them for me? I want to see how they look on you, although I'm confident you'll look wonderful regardless."

"No, I-I… I can't take these. You really didn't have to get me these."

"I don't mind. Consider it a commemoration of our first date."

"Then… I'll wear one only if you wear the other."

"What? No! I bought them for you. You wear them."

"But I want us to match. Will you please?"

"No! Why?"

"So you can share my burden of embarrassment."

'She makes a good point, but hell will I ever admit it.' Glaring at her, then at the box, and then at Yuna again, he hesitates. "Are you sure you won't wear them? It's a gift. There are no give backs."

Yuna whines in place like an upset puppy, holding the open box to her mouth.

"Please, don't give me that look. Please, don't." After a long moment of persistent eye contact, he finally relents. "Fine. If you must be that way... Give it here." Inserting the earring into his left ear, he sighs and crosses his arms, resisting the urge to touch it. He can feel its very existence burn his earlobe. "You'll be the death of me, I swear… Okay. How does it look?"

Yuna beams at him. "You're so adorably handsome."

Baralai blushes, flattered. "Th-Thank you... but after today, I'll never wear this again."

"What? That's not fair. I was planning to wear mine forever."

"Please, don't say that." He blushes a whole new shade of red, at risk of his first ever heart attack. 'Why did I even bother?'

"Yuna! Hey!" Tidus bounds over in their direction, waving at them in greeting, and stops before the couple with a strained smile. "Surprise to see you here. I could have sworn Rikku told me you were busy today."

"I was! Um, I still am. Actually, Baralai and I, we were, um..."

"On a date. However, if you want to call it 'hanging out,' go right on ahead." Baralai leans back in his seat, tipping the straw into his mouth just so it can give him an excuse not to talk. He didn't expect to have company, and the fact it just had to be him serves to worsen his mood.

Tidus likewise reciprocates his irritation, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Huh. That's funny. Didn't I hear you say once that you weren't interested in dating Yuna?"

"I said no such thing. I simply said I didn't know whether or not she held any romantic feelings for me. But then again, who am I to fault you for your poor memory?"

Tidus ignores his remark, moving to steal the chair between them. "Do you? Like him, I mean."

Yuna gulps, tongue-tied. Should she play it safe or go for the bold approach? Baralai cuts her train of thought short before she can decide.

"Actually, we were in the process of determining our chemistry, which you just so rudely interrupted. Right, Yuna?"

"Um, r-right! Yeah," she says, parroting Baralai's claim with a sense of giddiness and confusion.

"So... if you're really on a date like you say, why did Yuna text us all to meet her here?"

"Ah." Baralai wishes someone had told him about that simple fact sooner. Placing his drink on his lap, he looks in her direction, seeking confirmation. "Is that true?"

Yuna wavers under his pointed stare. "I did? I mean, I did, but… I don't remember sending you a text about it, Tidus."

"I heard about it from Rikku. What? No one said I couldn't tag along."

"You don't mind, right?" Yuna says, hoping to alleviate the tension in the air somehow. "I thought… since, you know, you and Gippal are best friends, you like to hang out a lot."

Baralai conceals his frustration and guilt with a shrug. "Well… Whenever I am free, that is."

"Which is never!" Gippal interjects, squeezing in between the boys with a chair. "Or maybe you're just never in the mood to."

Because Baralai had been sitting beside the wall, Tidus moved over to make room (and much to his delight, closer to Yuna). The mere sight of them sitting together squeezes a dark chord in his chest, and he tries to speak through the angry clench of his jaw without ruining his calm. "Could be. But I appreciate your effort to beat me over the head about it, though."

"Yeah, well… Whatever! You're such a liar! You told me you had things to do. Unless 'doing' Yuna qualifies as―OUCH!"

Baralai tugs on the cheek he pinches, smiling. "Did those words come out of this mouth?"

"I-I mean, uh, what are friends for? Ha ha ha? Okay, you can let go of me now!"

"Tough love." Paine interjects once she sits next to Yuna.

"With you, it's either tough love or 'tough luck.'"

"Yup. That's how I roll."

Baralai smiles. Despite the silent tension between them, he still appreciates Paine's dry sense of humor. Stealing a glance in Yuna's direction, he averts his gaze before someone can catch him in the act, and sighs. Sitting further apart from each other now in this crowded table full of nosy friends, Baralai laments the moment he lost with her. Feeling a vibration in his pocket, he withdraws his phone and reads the text.

[I wish we were alone.] She smiles at him when he looks up at her.

He ducks his head back down to hide his smile. [Me, too.]

"Sorry I'm late!" Rikku bursts through the door, waving at the young woman who stands behind the counter preparing drinks. "Yoohoo! Hello, may I have an M&M smoothie, please? Thanks!" Once she pays for it at the front, she skips over to hop on Gippal's lap. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Took you long enough," Paine says, rolling her eyes.

"Huh. I feel like someone's missing… Hmm… Oh! Where's B?"

"Getting something from his car. He was starting to feel cold from the air conditioner," Yuna says.

"Then this is the perfect chance! So, how'd it go?" Rikku winks, leaning in with a coy smile.

"Do we have to sit here and listen to this?" Tidus pouts in his seat, slurping his smoothie with vicious contempt.

Rikku whips her head to glare at him. "Hey! Do you mind?"

"Yeah, I do." He scowls, returning the glare.

"Then learn to get over it." She sticks her tongue out, giggling.

"Maybe he's not the only one who doesn't want to listen," Paine says, picking at her cuticles.

"You guys! You're being such a bunch of party-poopers!"

"I second that notion! I wanna know," Gippal says, showcasing his excitement by bouncing Rikku on his lap.

"Um, well..." Yuna blushes, fiddling with her blouse. "It went really nice. He was his usual self, basically the perfect gentleman, and I had lots of fun."

Paine scoffs. "That's just an act. No one's ever that nice."

"But isn't he your friend?" Yuna says, hurt and confused by her remark. "How can you say such a thing?"

"It's because I'm his friend I know exactly what he's like."

"I thought you liked him, Dr. P," Rikku says, curious.

"Not right now, I don't."

"Well," Yuna says, frowning, "I'm his friend, too, and I seriously don't believe he goes around pretending to be nice."

"Oh, yeah? What do you like about him?" Paine says, challenging her. "Let's hear it."

Tidus shoves his chair back and stands up to depart from the conversation. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Have fun in there!" Rikku calls out to him, waiting for the moment he slams the door shut before pouncing on her. "Okay, Yunie, speak louder so he can hear you."

"What? But why would I―?"

"To make him jealous, of course!"

"What?! But―."

"To be honest, I didn't think you had it in you, but you surprise me! Now, don't leave out any of the juicy parts. He's bound not to ignore you."

"But that's not what I want at all! Oops…" Yuna clamps a hand over her mouth, embarrassed. Hearing Baralai call for another order of his drink in the background, she lowers her voice. "I really, really like him, and I've been trying very hard for him to like me, too."

"I find that hard to believe," Paine says, rolling her eyes. "What's there to like? He's very vanilla on the surface, but full of pent-up, homicidal rage deep down. He's a huge stiff, and he lectures us like a nagging wife."

"Well, I think he's a very thoughtful person," Yuna says, defensive, "He always knows what to say to cheer me up, and he even tells me things I don't want to hear just because I need to hear it. Baralai's very smart and caring, and... There are a lot of reasons why I like him, and I just don't know what to do with myself. He's just so amazing, and he doesn't even know it."

"Aw, Yunie's in love all over again," Rikku says, ruffling her hair.

"Oh, stop it, you're embarrassing me…" Yuna blushes, holding her red face.

"Oh, stop it, you're gonna make me barf." Paine gags, going back to her smoothie.

Gippal exhales, overwhelmed by the girly scene. "You guys act so sweet together, why aren't you two married, yet?"

"You'd be surprised, but Baralai and I actually do fight sometimes. I guess we're just not obvious about it."

Gippal smirks, wagging his eyebrows. "I wonder how that's going to translate in the bedroom."

"Gippal! Please, don't say such things," Yuna says, self-conscious.

Tidus trudges back within earshot, hands in his pockets. "Are you guys done, yet? Or do I need to go a second round?"

Startled by the sheer volume of his insensitivity, how it sends ripples to disrupt her patience, Yuna bites down on her anger long enough to mask it behind a calm and polite smile. "You know what, Tidus, if it makes you that angry to hear how happy someone else makes me, why are you still here? You can leave anytime you want. No one's forcing you to stay. Or maybe in the future, when you know Baralai will be joining us somewhere, you can choose to opt out. I'm sure no one will blame you then."

Everyone stares, surprised to witness this stern side of her.

Gippal breaks the ice first. "Whoa. Did you just channel Baralai there for a second, cuz that's kinda scary."

Paine leans back in her chair, weary of the angst and drama hanging in the air, and looks to the only one oblivious (and ironically the main cause of the whole affair). As Baralai waits at the side for his order, she notices him wear a particular bright piece of clothing over his white pullover, and wracks her brain for the reason why it looks so familiar. "Hey, Rikku, isn't that your scarf? The one Baralai's wearing."

"Huh?" She twists around in Gippal's lap, looking over their shoulders. "No... Mine has yellow at the ends and the fringes are cuter. Hey, isn't that...?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Yuna turns to see where the girls are staring and gasps in surprise. "Baralai!"

Everyone in their group watches her break out into a wide smile before she jumps out of her seat.

He cocks his head, curious as she skips to reach his side. "Yes? Is something wrong?"

"Is that my scarf? It is! I knew it. I thought I lost it. Where was it?"

"You left it in my room on the bed."

Paine crushes the plastic cup in her iron grip.

Gippal and Rikku snap their heads like a pair of vipers.

Tidus slides off the chair he leans on, stumbling to catch his balance. The most treacherous image pops into his mind unbidden:

Yuna lounges back on his bed, clothes askew, and eyes open and inviting, as Baralai hovers on top of her, unraveling her scarf to toss it aside. She shivers at the touch of his hand caressing her face, eyes drooping shut as he leans in close, her lips parted in anticipation.

"Are you cold? Well, then… We'll just have to warm you up now, won't we?"

Tidus cringes, staggering into his seat and trying to nurse the headache in vain. "Ugh, what did I just see…?"

Baralai continues speaking, oblivious to everyone's scandalized reactions. "I keep meaning to give it back, but for some reason I always forget."

"Since when does Yuna hang out at his house?" Tidus says.

"Baralai told me he invited Yuna to study with him," Gippal says, feeding fire to this development.

"A study date? That was the day I walked to his house and the blackout happened," Paine says, cracking her knuckles to ease the stress. "I even walked in on them about to get it on. At least, that's what the romantic set up was telling me."

"Wait, blackout? You mean the day of the storm? That's when Yunie's mom got into that car accident! Auntie was on her way to pick her up from a friend's house. Now that I think about it… I slept over that night, but I didn't see Yuna come home."

"Does that mean…" After all of these details were drawn to form one inevitable conclusion, everyone turns to stare at the picture of blooming romance. Yuna forgot her scarf on the day she slept over at Baralai's house; the fact she "forgot it on his bed" only worsens the assumption that those two were up to something very naughty that night.

"Red looks really good on you." Yuna smiles, touching his sleeve, yet loses the nerve to grab his hand when the server calls for him to grab his drink.

Baralai blushes, fiddling with the tail end of her scarf. "Thank you. I should be giving it back to you now, shouldn't I?"

"Oh, no, you don't have to. At least, not right now. If you like wearing it that much, you can wear it for a little while longer."

"But―."

"It suits you."

"Well, if you insist." He unwraps the scarf anyway and looks at it, mischief creeping at the corners of his smile. Pulling her in by neck, Baralai pretends to choke her with it. "But prepare to die for it!"

Yuna plays along, laughing and putting up half-hearted resistance. "Oh no, what am I going to do?" Burying her face into its soft warmth, she takes a deep breath and sighs, intoxicated by its wonderful smell. "Mmm... It smells like you. Like your cologne. And it feels all nice and soft, too. Did you wash it? I don't remember it ever feeling this way."

Baralai feels embarrassed all of a sudden; remembering that he had been waiting on a drink, he wastes no time in grabbing it, relieved that he has something else to focus on besides her beautiful face and the periwinkle blouse that accents her cleavage just right. "I thought you would prefer it if I it washed for you before I gave it back. I don't know. Didn't seem appropriate otherwise..."

"I'll let you keep it if I can have some of your drink. May I?" Before Baralai can protest, she drapes it back across his shoulders, and dares to steal a sip. She giggles at the violated expression on his face.

"That's my straw. You're drinking through my… Okay, you know what, fine. I'll just grab a new one."

"You don't want to share?"

"Depends on your definition of sharing. Then again, coming from the woman who thinks there are no rules in tickling people to death..." He stabs a new hole through the plastic, containing the blush that threatens to shatter his composure as he must lean in close (so close they brush noses) in order to enjoy his cold drink. "Happy?"

Yuna sways her hips, smiling. "Very happy."

So caught up in each other, they don't even notice their friends watching them with a broad mix of emotions. Gippal, in particular, loses himself in his version of their Sunday evening. They were probably sitting in his living room, doing something boring like homework, and when the blackout hit―

Yuna squeals in fright, trembling in the dark. "I'm scared…"

Baralai feels his way around the table to reach her, pulling her into his arms. Sensing her tears of fright, he takes her face into his hands and wipes her eyes with the gentle sweep of his thumbs. "Everything's going to be alright. Don't be afraid. I'm here for you."

She squeezes his shirt, snuggling close to fit inside the space of his warm embrace, and lifts her chin when feeling his nose bump her forehead. Her heart leaps into her throat, tantalized by the distance between their lips. "Baralai…"

"Yuna…"

"...Gippal. Gippal!"

Something slaps him in the face, before it drops to the floor.

"Huh? Yeah? What?" Gippal bends to pick up the thick wad of crumpled-up paper, still a bit out of it.

Standing at the counter of the now empty pick-up line, Baralai readies another ball of napkins. "You were zoning out. Don't tell me you were imagining me in a compromising position again."

Gippal breaks out into shameless laughter. "What? Me? No! I mean, I was getting there, but I had to build up the mood first."

He raises an eyebrow, unamused. "I'll humor you. Was I entertaining the company of a transvestite?"

"Nope, not this time. Actually, I was in the middle of figuring out whether you two would look good screwing each other―Oof! B'man! Was that completely necessary?"

Baralai smirks, pleased with himself. "It shut you up for a good second, so I'd say yes."

"Yunie!" Rikku decides to make this the perfect opportunity to chime in, amping up the puppy eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you slept over at his house? You really hurt my feelings."

"Oh, you didn't know? Frankly, I'm surprised. At any rate…" Baralai sighs, leaning back on the edge to cross his arms. "We didn't do anything."

"I call so much BS on that!" Gippal says, pointing a finger at the guilty party, "You two have been acting very buddie-buddie this last week and now we know why. What gives? I want to know what went down."

"Nothing."

"Well, not exactly―."

Baralai shoots Yuna a death glare, which shuts her up, and shoves the smoothie in her face to further ensure her silence. "From now on, you're not allowed to talk. Here, have a drink."

Before Rikku can pester them some more, ignoring the sour duo who chooses not to participate in the teasing, she spots something glint on Baralai's left ear and scrutinizes it. It kind of looks like the earring Yuna wears on her right ear, and Rikku had wondered when she got it and where the second one went ― and then she gasps in divine realization. "Ohmigosh, are you wearing matching earrings? That's so freakin adorable!"

They both combust in simultaneous mortification, further heightening everyone's shock and disbelief. Yuna spurts kiwi slush from out her nose, coughing; Baralai cringes at the fresh stains on his pullover, and takes out his handkerchief to rub Yuna's dripping nose dry.

"Aww. Look at that, Yunie. You've got your very own mother hen! You're so cute, B." Rikku hops on her seat, excited by this new development, and yelps in fright when Baralai whips his twisted-up handkerchief close to her face. "Ha! You missed. So anyway, how was it, guys? Painful? Orgasmic?"

Yuna's face explodes with red heat all over again, and she wishes everyone can stop staring now so she can remember how to breathe or calm her lovesick heart. Something soft and warm slips around her neck, tickling her nose with the faint smell of cologne and acting as her security blanket against prying eyes. Yuna touches her scarf, too bashful to acknowledge his quiet act of kindness.

Baralai clears his throat. "Excuse me, but we don't move at the speed of light to consummate our relationship unlike some people I know."

"So you are dating!"

"Friendship counts as a relationship, too."

"Friends-with-benefits, then?"

"No, you silly girl!" Baralai clears his throat again, reeling back his composure. "Just take it for what it is and leave us alone."

"Bullshit! I'm not gonna take this sitting down. I mean, when did my little B'man finally grow a pair? C'mon, spill it! What else have you been hiding from me? Huh? Huh?!" Gippal jumps up to trap Baralai in a vicious headlock, taking delight in his struggle to wrestle himself free.

"Nothing!" Baralai shoves him back, fuming at the monkey who simply moves to perch himself on the table. "Now for the last time, we didn't do anything."

"C'mon, man, you two were alone for one whole night. Give me the details!"

"We were not alone. My grandmother was there."

"So, basically, you were alone."

Tired of repeating himself, Baralai decides to retreat into his drink instead.

"I can vouch for that," Paine says, listing the evidence off her fingers. "Pink candles, a dark room, and a very messy couch. Doesn't that sound like the perfect setting for teenage shenanigans?"

Yuna jumps to defend their case. "We had a pillow fight."

"Yes! Yes, that's right. Plus, my parents bought those candles in case of emergencies―."

"And you know what? Baralai acted like a complete gentleman while we slept together, so there." Yuna beams, oblivious to the dead silence.

Baralai stands there frozen, clenched fist hanging in the air as if unsure of who he wants to strangle in this precise moment, and then he grins, stepping forward to rub his hands up and down her arms. "Yuna? Yuna, dear? I hate to tell you this, but you're not helping." Stifling the desire to shake her senseless, he decides to jostle his way out of the suffocating circle of meddlesome friends instead, stalking towards the exit.

"Where are you going? You're not going to leave us here, are you?" Gippal looks concerned for once, standing up. "You're the only one with a car!"

"I'm going outside for some fresh air. You know, away from the people who love to make my life difficult for no apparent reason other than to escape the boredom that consumes their daily lives." And with those final words, he takes a sharp turn out the door and out of sight.

"Ooh, boy, he's mad," Gippal says, sighing. "Hm... Well! I elect Yuna to go after him. Raise your hand if you say 'aye'!"

"What? Why me?" she says, dreading the idea of facing his wrath.

"Because, Yunie, he's only nice to you," Rikku says, twisting a braid around her finger, "But then again, I don't think he likes any of us right now, and it kind of really is your fault, sooo… Aye!"

"Does she really have to? Leave the guy alone." Tidus grumps, and Paine affirms his statement with a curt nod.

Yuna fidgets in her seat, anxious. "I'm actually worried about him. Let me go talk to him."

Baralai sits at a bench down the street from Quickly's, staring off into space. It has already begun to grow dark, and he can sense his self-established curfew slowly approaching. He leans back into the wood, tired and cranky. Seeing someone approach from his periphery makes him clench his jaw; not even knowing that it's Yuna makes him want to break away from his solitude.

Yuna taps her palms together, nervous. "Are you alright?"

"Honestly, no. I simply want to leave and go home. It's getting late."

"I guess it kind of is, huh." Silence. She steps a little closer, glancing at the empty spot beside him. "...May I have a seat?" Taking his shrug as his only sign of permission, she sits down and takes off her scarf, pursing her lips in thought before daring to wrap it around his neck. "...um, here, you looked cold. I was thinking that maybe you needed it more than me."

"No, I―." Not in the mood for comfort, Baralai sighs. "Thank you, but you didn't have to. I wasn't feeling cold."

"But don't you feel better already?" she says, fishing for any indication that he appreciates her presence.

"Not really." Hyper aware of her hovering, he studies the petite girl before him and questions how did she come to possess such stubborn, if not infuriating, strength in the face of his temper. No matter how hard he tried to push her away or distance himself from her, she always manages to creep through the cracks in his defenses. "Sometimes you're a little strange, Yuna."

She pouts, pretending to be offended. "It's better than being a mopey person."

He chuckles in spite of himself. "I see what you did there. Mocking me."

She beams. "Only because I care about you."

The brilliance of her smile and the kindness of her words render him spellbound, allowing familiar warmth to pool into his chest. He averts his eyes, tucking his chin into her scarf, hoping that she won't perceive the loneliness or yearning muted in his voice. "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. That was the point of today, actually, before we got swarmed by everyone."

"Oh? About what?"

"On Friday, I never did get the chance to apologize to you properly for my aggressive behavior. I am sorry if I made you feel like I was manhandling you."

Yuna sits up straighter, turning to face him with a fond smile that slays his heart wide open. "This is why I will always forgive you. You never forget to apologize, and that's how I know you're sincere." She scoots close enough to touch sides, and dares to rest her head on his shoulder.

He holds his breath, flustered by her proximity. Craving her warmth, Baralai breaks through the haze of hesitation to place his hand on hers. His heart burns with the desire, the guilt, the longing of wanting to feel close, but a part of him still believes he can never be forgiven. Unable to contain the bottle of emotions, he rises to his feet. "...I-I can't do this anymore."

Yuna stands up as well, bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"We shouldn't be together anymore. You're too good for me."

"What? Baralai, don't talk like that―."

"It's true. Yuna, I hit you―."

"And I've forgiven you."

"Well, you shouldn't!"

"Baralai, that was just one time. It's in the past now. How can you still possibly hold yourself to that?"

"You don't understand. I remember every time I look at you and it kills me inside."

"What's it going to take for you to stop blaming yourself?"

"Nothing! Now, unless you slap me a good ten thousand times, I won't―."

"Is that what you want?"

"Wait, what?"

"Do you want me to slap you? Will that change your mind?"

"I―." He clamps his mouth shut, at a loss for words. Fed up with this argument altogether, he throws his arms out in defeat. "Sure, why not? Hit me as hard as you like. Hit me five times, ten times, I don't care how many times, just give it to me hard―."

The slap connects faster than he can put his thoughts together. Sharp pain prickles his cheek like something fierce, and Baralai gulps down the sudden swell of emotion that threatens to emerge in the form of tears. He doesn't want to believe Yuna had the nerve to hit him, despite the fact he provoked her to do so, but she did, and that hurts him more than if she were to reject him right now. But because Baralai had done it to her first, he feels that he deserved every bit of that betrayal. He dares not look at her or even budge until she tackles him out of his pit of despair, bringing him back to reality in the suffocating warmth of her arms.

"I'm sorry I slapped you. I just wanted you to stop talking."

Her apology becomes the weight that breaks him, pushing him to reciprocate her embrace with equal force. "...You should have hit harder."

"Shush. You don't get to talk anymore."

They cling to each other even after considerable time has past for them to stop wallowing in misery and mutual shame, seeking refuge in the solace of silence. When one of them thinks about breaking apart, they lose the confidence just as quick, because the moment they feel the other move, they react by squeezing tighter. Neither have the resolve to keep their emotions at bay.

Baralai pulls away at long last, looking at her with beseeching eyes. "Why do you put up with me, Yuna?"

"Because," she says, smoothing her scarf down his chest. "You put up these walls, justifying everything with logic and reasoning, but I know you." Looking up into his downcast eyes, she tilts her head to smile. "You feel things strongly. You're driven and you're passionate, but you're also very sensitive. I really love that about you, and it makes me sad to see you hide that part of you. So..." She exhales, reaching down to twine her fingers in his so she can start guiding him by the hand. "I know it's hard sometimes, but try to smile in there, okay? At least until you get back home."

Baralai trails behind her without complaint, gazing at her back until he decides to stop her before the door. Without giving her time to react, he pulls her in tight, winding his arms around her and resting his cheek on her head. She's so tiny, she can fit inside his entire body, and he likes it. "Will you promise me something?"

She hums, smiling. "Sure. Anything."

"Don't ever change for the worse." He brushes a piece of hair behind her ear, letting his hand drop to cup her nape. "You mean so much to me, and I wouldn't know what to do with myself if anything ever happened to you."

"Of course. You're important to me, too, and I will never let anything bad happen to either of us." She touches the cheek she slapped, hoping to soothe the pain and hurt with the gentle touch of her fingertips, and knows he does not reject her when he ducks his head in solemn submission. "I'll always be here for you. You don't ever have to worry about that."

"Really? You'll never leave me?" he says in a small voice.

"Mmhmm." She nods with a cheeky smile. "You'll have to fight to get rid of me."

Baralai laughs out loud, caught off guard by the sheer silliness of that line, and steps back to cover his mouth. "The way you said it... I have to fight to get rid of you? That's a good one." The boyish smile will stick to his face even after he walks past her to enter Quickly's, greeted by the sight of Gippal's knowing, insufferable smirk and discovering to his great satisfaction that he doesn't care.

Baralai stopped caring after he let everyone watch them through the glass wall, and relishes the look of pure jealousy on Tidus's face.