[in answer, she softly squeezes his hand, and looks up at the stars.]

I come up here sometimes when I can't sleep.

[to feel the night air, to listen to things, feeling so light that if she had the energy she could just fly and keep going, untethered like a kite with a snapped string in a wind current. hard as she works, her mind still churns like the ocean.

it's quieter, around him. easier to soothe it. she lets the silence take up its own comfortable space - the weight of his hand in hers, ensuring she won't fly off, until she finds a shape to words that grow out of her chest. careful, careful. they don't rush each other.]

...Some nights I try and lie down, and I get afraid that when I open my eyes, I won't be here anymore. I'll just be back where I was before you, before Hibiki. All of it the most painful dream.

[softly spoken, and left to flutter in the wind.]