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[Such a small timid thing he is, even as he stands over her. It feels like it should be so easy for her to lift him up, cupped in her hands. A small mouse, maybe a bird, trembling as she brushes her thumb over its head.]

[But he is somehow a young man, and trembling still. She smiles wanly at him, feeling her own urge to approach this slowly and with caution, despite the confidence she typically portrays.]

Shall I say it for you again? You are good to me, Inigo. I am the midnight sky, and you are the starlight that glows within me. You are... as precious as that abalone that you found on the shore.

[She stops there, the words drawing short on her lips. It feels like too much, to speak so plainly of something that touched her in ways she can't fully describe. For a moment, she worries (again, absurdly) if he might draw back from her declaration. Strong emotion has rarely been a boon to her at any point in her life--a live wire lying bare across her soul, and she stands all but ready to recoil at the slightly brush of pain. But he claims that this is what he wants... The truth of her, in all of its rawness and enormity.]

[ He quietly listens to her.

But Inigo is certainly not frozen. His hand reaches up to meet the spot where her hand is brushing the hair at the side of his face, just so his hand can lightly touch her own, giving them a physical connection - especially when she speaks of the abalone.

It's still scary, accepting that you mean a lot to someone. But what's even scarier is the idea of Blue feeling bad, just because Inigo is too insecure to accept it.

So he inhales. He tries to find some courage.

And - despite the way his face still definitely looks like he's been crying just now - he smiles at her. ]

I would give you it again. [ That shell. ] As many times as I could.

[ It may have been more significant for her than for him, but the hindsight of it all, this new knowledge - it does give it an added weight to Inigo. Especially because he knows how much it means to her.

More people should do things for Blue that mean so much for her. ]

You're.. so important to me. I hope you know that. I want to be your starlight.

[Will you live for me, then? she wants to ask, but the moment is too nice to ruin with the answer she knows he'll give. He promises her starlight, but his glow is only meant for one season. He can't help it; it's his nature. And it's hers to be reserved with her belief.]

[Still, she smiles with his touch, tucks a lock of hair behind his ear, then entwines her fingers with the ones resting over them. She lowers both hands down, lingering with that connection for a few seconds longer.]

I'll allow it. For however long you like.

Thank you.

[ Thankfully Inigo is in far too good a mood to realize the nuance in those words, so it doesn't ruin his mood in the slightest. Instead the young man just seems to bask in the physical contact and kindness she's giving him in the moment, smiling so sweetly at her. ]

And I'm going to wear that coat a lot. Just so you know.

[Just so she knows, he says. Her smile pulls at the corner instinctively, twisting her lips into a smirk that she's well known for. Her firefly is so delicate, and yet so full of humor. As if she hadn't hoped he would wear it always.]

I would hope so. That is the point of it.

[The buttons were made just for him, after all. It would be a disappointment to her if he stashed it away somewhere.]

I'll look forward to seeing it often this winter.

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