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It didn’t take long for one Zachary Calloway to reply to Gale’s ominous text. “We need to talk” was usually codeword for “something big is going on” and Zach wasn’t one to let someone down in that department. Despite still being relatively new in terms of senshi business, he wasn’t new to the ins-and-outs of love and life. At least, to some degree. He promised to meet her in the park as soon as he could, and the boy was true to his word. It took him a good fifteen minutes via bike.

Gale could probably hear the rhythmic turning of the bicycle chain before she saw him approach. Zach was wearing the old comfy standbys - sweatshirt that should probably be replaced (but had a few punk-looking patches to cover lovely holes he’d gathered over the years), some ratty old pants that were soft due to wear and his beaten, tired Nike shoes. While the boy’s manner of dress wasn’t impressive in the slightest…

“Guess who brought slushiiiiieeees!”

Maybe his choice in beverages was.

“I had to pass by the convenience store on the corner and figured… if life’s gettin’ you down, you get down on a slushie. Fewer calories than a box’a donuts, anyway. Hope you like the red flavor?” Really though, who didn’t like the red flavor? Crazy people, that’s who. Zach got himself the Cola flavor and sat down at the base of the slide on which Gale was perched, tilting his own drink-of-choice in her direction. “...unless you don’t. We can trade if you want?”

He made himself comfortable, sprawling out as far up the slide as gravity would allow. “So… what’s up, buttercup?”

“Yeah well… if somebody’s down, you bring ‘em food or something. Takes their mind off the trouble for a lil’ while, anyway.” The boy shrugged, a jovial smile on his face. He may not be able to fix whatever was bothering Gale, but he could at least dilute it.

That is, until she explained she was nearly killed.

Zach about choked on his drink right then and there. A flurry of sputtering and coughing made the boy jerk upright and lean heavily over the side of the slide, spitting up bits of Cola-flavored slush all over the ground. Wiping his face with the back of his sleeve, he made to claw his way up to the top of the slide where Gale sat. He couldn’t quite fit, so he made due with wedging himself up as high as he could.

“Aight.” Zach had his face very close to Gale’s. This s**t was getting very serious. “Details. What happened? What the hell is a starseed? Who did it? They have a date with my fists.”

Was it Stella? He wouldn’t put it past those dirty, liar, scumbag agents who stole energy and tried to tempt people into the dark side. Didn’t everybody know you basically lost everything when you made that switch? It was terrifying to lose everything you held dear. Was that what they were trying to do to Gale?

Zach couldn't help but simply state as Gale recounted what happened between her and one of Stella's goons. Epidote was his name? Zach took mental note of that name and decided to try and find out who this person was, and have a nice, little chat with them.

Whatever a starseed was, the fact that Negaverse officers could interact with it was terrifying. Gale said she felt like she was dying when it was removed, so whatever it was, it must've been incredibly precious and important. No wonder the Negaverse officers wanted to mess around with such a thing.

...wait a minute. Denebola mentioned starseed every briefly when they first met. She must know something else about them.

The last thing he wanted to do was scare Gale further, so the boy put her arm around her to provide some warmth and comfort. "Gale, look. I may not be the smartest guy or the most handsome guy or the strongest and most badass senshi or whatever, but I know one thing. I know Gale and Kari are great people. You coulda left me behind. You coulda just kept on walking and we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now but, you know what?"

He lifted his drink with the other hand, gently tapping it against Gale's in a toast gesture. "The Gale I know saved my goddamned life. The Gale I know is a hero. And... even heroes make mistakes sometimes... regular people make mistakes. We're all out here, just lookin' for something. Maybe Stella knew that and took advantage of you. I dunno. All I know is that she works for the Negaverse and they can't be trusted. One'a their Generals almost killed me a couple weeks ago..."

He looked down at his own legs and sighed deeply. "...if you're not sure what, whether it's Stella or not, I mean... sometimes we jump at the first sign of finding what we're lookin' for..."

Goodness knows he was known for such a thing. Zach had to stop and laugh at himself. "Oh-for-four, remember?"

"Heh... I'd probably feel pretty strong then too, savin' somebody's life like that. Being a hero to somebody like that..." Zach looked up at the sky, marveling at the changing colors as the sun began to set. Slowly, stars were awakening from their slumber to twinkle against blue velvet night. "...that's what I wanted to do when I powered up. ...wanted to be the knight in shining armor to a pretty girl, heh... it's pretty stupid now that I say it out loud."

He turned away momentarily, hating how he could feel beat in his cheeks from embarrassment. It wasn't particularly manly to admit to such an old-fashioned sentiment. Senshi women were very capable of saving themselves. And saving him! Zach didn't have a very good track record there either.

The boy seemed surprised when Gale admitted to the notion of quitting. "Really? You don't think you're good at it?" Zach turned more towards Gale, confusion plain on his face. "You saved a life, girl. You fixed my ankle. You killed a friggin' alien-demon-rhino thing. You don't get to Super by bein' a shitty senshi. You get to Super by kicking a** and takin' names and killing demon rhinos and that's that."

Zach shook his head. He fully understood what it was like to have your heart's desire tossed back in your face, or to never have it at all. That emptiness deep inside one's soul, that painful longing. Zach knew that feeling all too well.

"Four powered," he corrected, lifting his slushie to take a drink. "Way more than that in high school."

And while Zach considered himself a coward in many respects, the way Gale was looking at him was simply too much. The boy leaned in to give the girl a sweet kiss, devoid of untoward intentions. Leaning back, he coughed, slightly embarrassed. "...two, if you.. you know... don't mind the lack of boobs 'n everything...."

The mushy stuff wasn't where Zach particularly excelled, but he would certainly try for Gale. "I mean... if you'll have me. I'm prettier than Stella anyway, right?" Zach made to fix his hair and flutter his eyelashes at Gale. "I mean, you can say no! I just want the truth, you know? Don't wanna go wastin' anybody's time and all that."

Zach looked up at the sky again, now darkened to the velvet of night. "It's funny. If I kept runnin' from Themisto, I never woulda met you, and you never woulda saved a dude in distress, heh. Thanks, shoes." Maybe they weren't so bad after all. But he shouldn't count his chickens before they hatched.

He leaned against her lightly to check in on the mood. "...you okay, Gale? Not gonna... explode or anything...?"

Zach shrugged, almost as if the question didn't really register. "Would you still be interested in me, since I've been with other people? Does that make me a slur?" He chuckled and reached over to tuck a piece of the bruentte's hair behind her ear. "Nah, you're not a slut, Gale."

Her other questions were more potent and worthy of consideration. "We're whatever you want us to be. I'm letting you define this one. Everybody's gotta be comfortable with the... what's the word..." Zach snapped his fingers to think of the phrasing his father used. "Boundaries, yeah. If you don't wanna date or be with me, then I'm cool with that. I just gotta know... what does Gale want?"

Her renewed resolve inspired him to do the same. To stop galavanting around town and patrol in pairs, to stop taking dumb risks. Maybe someday, under Kari's guidance, he too would become a Super Senshi. "...I won't run either. Some day I'm gonna visit the moon and not, you know, piss myself if it's scary as hell up there..." If Denebola was anything to go by, there could be an ancient and tragic past just lurking up there, waiting....

At Gale's unintentional insistence, Zach leaned in to snatch another kiss. "Well, if you get too hot, remember I brought slushies. Maybe we'll go get seconds?"

Zach couldn’t help but laugh in a sheepish, embarrassed sort of way. Usually he was turned down - sometimes gently, sometimes in a public, humiliating way. He pulled Gale in closer for a moment and leaned gently on her. “...well, I guess this means… it’s official? That also means I gotta bring you home to meet dad sometime. He’s always raggin’ on me. Find a good girl, Zach, and you bring her home when you do.” He tried to deepen his voice to imitate his father’s good-natured nagging and started to laugh.

It was getting cold out though, and Zach pulled his sweatshirt over his head to offer it to the brunette. “I should probably walk you home. It’s gettin’ kinda late. Unless you want another slushie? My treat.” He walked slowly to where his bike leaned against a nearby tree.

Looking up into the sky, Zach let out a long sigh. “...and you’ll probably have to meet my sister too. She’s a senshi. Super weird.”