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Things were weird with Gale, ever since his discharge from the hospital. As much as Zach sought to comfort, impress and protect her, his actions seemed to be gaining the opposite reaction from his girlfriend. In his guilt, he tried to give her some space, some breathing room. Maybe he was being too oppressive? Suffocating? The boy couldn’t very well talk to his friends about this without fear of ridicule - Denebola had better things to do than listen to him whine, Anxo would just tease him relentlessly, Fai was too busy kicking a** and taking names…

And his sister? She seemed to have her eyes glued to the stars rather than paying much attention to things here on Earth.

Having mostly healed from the stab wound Captain Epidote had so lovingly given to him, Zach was alone in the park, laying across one of the picnic tables. Having gone out for a job to clear his mind, Zach needed to get away from Itsuki’s rambling and his father’s concern. Legs swinging free, he sent a text to Gale, hoping she wouldn’t be upset with him.

Truth be told, Zach was surprised to hear from Gale. She'd been distant and Zach blamed his behavior for that. Her asking for dinner was a sign from the heavens as far as he was concerned. Flipping over on the table, he tapped out a quick reply.



Before leaving the picnic table to find a safe place to power up, Zach typed out a quick message to his father, explaining where he was... in relative terms. It might have been a fib about Gale picking him up at the park, but at least he wasn't lying about who he was with. Itsuki would have to deal with it.

Kicking off the table, the boy jogged to the public restrooms and powered up there, hoping the smell wouldn't linger. Thankfully the park was empty at this time of night and his trip out towards Gale's apartment was uneventful. Maybe the youma thought it was too hot to creep around the crevices of the city. Soon, he found himself near Gale's window and gave it a quick few raps with his knuckles.

Themisto had presented a smiling face to the window, only to have curtains shut in his face. Yep, bad idea to power up and come here. It put Gale in danger - something Themisto didn't think of before running off. He simply wanted to see her after spending so much time apart.

With a sigh, the super senshi dropped to the ground, scanning fervently to make sure no powered individuals were nearby. Of course, someone unpowered might have seen him. Maybe he screwed up too much tonight. Maybe he couldn't fix this. Maybe everything was ruined. Walking to an alley to power down, he checked his phone, having missed the message about pizza. Smacking his forehead with the heel of his hand, Zach fished his wallet out of his pants and went looking for a solution.

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock at Gale's apartment door. He'd brought fresh pizza from the corner store, and a small bouquet of blue flowers. Leaning against the door, Zach tried to make amends.

"...hey, babe, uh... sorry about that... I um... brought pizza? And a lil' something extra? Uh... if you'll forgive me, anyway."

He was shocked to see she had been crying. Probably his fault. Maybe the pizza and flowers would make up for it?

You're a friggin idiot, Zach. he thought to himself.

"Well uh... yeah, sure I did." he started, hoping Gale didn't hate him enough and would allow him inside the apartment. The pizza smelled delicious. "I just... got too excited about seein' you, and I just... wasn't thinkin'. Didn't even see your text about gettin' pizza in the first place, and uh... the flowers..."

A blush had crept to his face. How could he have been so stupid?

"...the flowers are for my ********. Sorry, Gale... will you... forgive me? Maybe?"

Zach cringed, thinking maybe he deserved a slap at the very least, for so brazenly endangering his girlfriend with a powered stunt like he did. If she hauled off and punched him, he certainly wouldn't blame her. "If this ain't enough, there's a store 'round the corner, they got those Lil Debbie snack-cake things too."

For what it was worth, the boy had at least kept himself quiet during Gale’s tirade. She was right in every aspect - coming here under powered guise was terrible impulsive and downright stupid, regardless of Zach’s original intentions. Yes, he scanned on his way there and several times around the building and found nothing, but that didn’t make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Gale was right - Epidote could be lurking in civilian form and have seen him, put two-and-two together and hatched a plan to murder Gale in her sleep.

Pizza wouldn’t take that back.

Flowers wouldn’t take that back.

After her loud sob pierced his psyche and she was weeping on the floor, Zach had had enough. For all his thuggish and juvenile bravado, the boy didn’t have enough armor to protect his deepest and most vulnerable weakness. His immature antics and devil-may-care attitude were his method of protection, but he’d failed her in one too many ways for pretenses to matter any longer.

Zach was silent while Gale wept, for the most part. His shoulders shook and he turned away from her, placing the pizza box and flowers on the kitchen counter. Tears caressed his cheeks and he bit his lip to keep his composure, but even that was failing. Real men don’t cry, he thought, curling his hand into a fist. Zach hated himself more than anything in that moment, more than Epidote. More that Stellerite. More than Horatio and Pasiphae, who brought him into this mess to begin with. Zachary Calloway had hoped, one day, he would become a real man, someone that the woman he adored wouldn’t abandon. His mother left because he was a terrible son, he’d disappointed his mentor by accidentally upgrading without her and his moon was terrifying on top of that. He’d put Gale in danger despite his best intentions. His own sister gave herself to her moon, instead of being by his side when he needed her most.

Hearing Gale cry, hearing her accusation that he’d desired her death…

...that cut too deep.

“I get it.” he finally sighed, voice quivering and soft. If he so much as let go of the insidious tension deep in his cut, he may shatter right there in the kitchen. Real men don’t break down. That was his mantra. “I get it, Gale. You don’t… have to repeat yourself. I get it.” Eyes were kept cast downward, for he was no longer worthy to even look at Gale now. Stepping from her kitchen, Zach’s shoulders were the only thing he couldn’t keep from shivering. His nails were trimmed, otherwise he’d have cut gashes into his palm from the pressure.

“I ******** up… one too many times. It’s… it’s fine. I get it. I just… wanted to do right by you. Badly. You risked your life to save mine and all I’ve managed to do was inflict… grief and pain and suffering on you. I’m sorry. I can’t… I can’t take any of it back.” Zach’s voice was beginning to crack, and swallowing thickly, he pressed through as much as his waning strength would allow. Deep breaths preceded the quivering voice of a wounded boy. “...keep the pizza… and the flowers. Consider them a measly attempt at an apology by someone who can’t even do that right. ...it’s fine, it’s… it’s not your fault. I just have to get it through my skull that… all I do is disappoint the women I love. ….I won’t disappoint you anymore, Gale.”

The last thing he wanted was to lose what fragile composure remained in front of the woman he’d wronged. Zach hastily made his way to the door and couldn’t even bear to look at Gale, head hanging low while his breath hitched in his throat. He wouldn’t let a sob escape, so he escaped in its stead.

Real men don’t cry.