Realimation II

"Why me?"

Grace stood at the opposite end of her bedroom, sulking and full of self-doubt again.

Zeno looked up curiously. "Why you what?" he asked, climbing into the bed.

Grace looked down and grabbed at the hem of her pajama shirt. The softness and coziness of the cotton wasn't enough to give her comfort. "Wh-Why me? Wh-wh-what do you even see in me?"

She released Elpis, as intended, though it wasn't the game-changing weapon everyone believed. That wasn't her fault. All she did was figure out the password, and the single greatest vaccine ever created was unleashed to the world. As far as she knew, the Connections was done with her.

And as far as she could tell, Zeno never lied to her.

Grace could feel him studying her critically, as he always did whenever she needed answers. It made her feel better and worse about her feelings. Better to be judged by the literal killing machine, and worse if he reassured her insecurities.

"Come here." Zeno patted the empty side of the bed meant for Grace.

Grace flinched, but crawled into bed nervously. Sharing a bed with Zeno wasn't the problem…not any more. He had a warm heart, but a stern mind; and it was his sternness that made her nervous.

"Do you know why I keep coming back here?" Zeno asked, settling himself under the covers.

"No."

Zeno wriggled himself close to Grace's neck. He ran cooler than a normal human, Grace knew that, but he always felt as welcoming as a gentle breeze during the harshness of summer. Zeno wrapped his arms around Grace's torso. "It's because I feel safe with you."

Grace stiffened. "M-Me!?"

"Yes, you." Zeno sighed sleepily, contently.

"B-But, Zeno! I'm not…" Grace wasn't sure which word to pick to end her sentence. She wasn't strong, like Zeno. She wasn't rich, like Zeno. She wasn't even close to Zeno's league. "I'm not special. I told you that. I'm nothing extraordinary…"

She finally said it, the thing that bothered her the most about their relationship. She was nothing compared to Zeno. He was strong and rich, and special. Meanwhile, Grace was just Grace.

Zeno opened his black and gold eyes, and looked up at Grace. He studied her critically again. Then, his eyes softened. He reached for the side of Grace's face and gently cupped her cheek. "You're plenty extraordinary to me."