oh, love!

Cuter and prettier? She had assumed that he knew he was attractive, but she didn't think he was all that egotistical. Oh, well she supposed he had the right to think himself cute. Pretty, too. Boys could definitely be pretty, though pretty wasn't a word she would have described him as. "Yes, you are quite pretty." She had to think about how everything could be a mother. If everything was a mother, no babies would ever be born. Some fathers weren't very motherly, either. But fathers had to care about something, right? They could mother over the thing they cared — her thoughts stood still when he reached out for her face. She felt fingers brush the side of her head, and she resisted the overpowering desire to shake her hair out so he would do it again.

"Eat...?" She had temporarily lost all thought processes, and had to fight to remember what he meant by that. "Oh! Eat, yes. Let's go get food somewhere." She hated asking people to buy her things, especially people she like liked. She couldn't really think of anything she wanted to buy, she supposed the zoo wouldn't let them take their pretty parrot. "Penguin! I want a penguin. Stuffed, though. I don't like real penguins anymore."

Enlightened, she suddenly felt rather silly for saying that he was pretty. Her hand pressed into her cheek, Ania shrugged a bit. She didn't think she was prettier than a magical catbird. If she was able to get whatever she liked all the time, she hoped she wouldn't turn into a spoiled creature. Though, for now she thought she could be happy with a penguin. "Matching penguins! You should get one too. Then we can both have one. They can be friends!" Or lovers. "They can live on the mountain of candy together! And make lots and lots of baby penguins. As friends, of course."

Food. She had the strangest desire to consume as many chicken nuggets as she could. Zoos usually had them on the kids menu, didn't they? "I want chicken nuggets. So badly." Chicken nuggets upon a mountain of sweets sounded like an excellent plan. She wouldn't mind sharing with her ... Lover? Boyfriend? Somewhat-close-boy-but-not-there-yet-friend ...? "Hey. What are you anyway? I mean like, since you really like me and I really like you. What is that?" Ania wasn't quite sure what to class him as. He didn't really fit completely into any labels she could think of.

Ania remembered reading something about penguins mating for life somewhere. They presented pebbles to the mate they desired, almost like a wedding ring. She felt a bit bad for penguins, since they had to go away for so long. At least they remembered each others voices, though! It would make things a whole lot messier if they kept forgetting.
What did she want him to be? That was a good question. She wasn't normally so forward with the relationship issue, but it had started to bother her now. It was slightly better than a store clerk mistaking them for a couple and insisting on how cute they were together, though. "Um. I dunno, I think I'd like you to be Hadrian. " She has taken quite a liking to Hadrians after all. "This is so awkward." She couldn't very well say 'yes, mate with me for life like the penguin do.' It felt desperate to say anything other than a humourous remark, too.

"I don't know what I want. I think I just want you?" The last part sounded awkward and somewhat cheesy, and she couldn't help but cringe a little. It was the truth, though, she didn't really know what she wanted other than just that. Hmm but she also really wanted chicken nuggets. Maybe this would be better discussed over chicken nuggets.

Blinking slowly, Ania had not expected that question quite so soon. She was a little stunned at the sudden blow, and mildly flattered that he had developed those feelings for her so quickly. In the past, she had turned people down no matter how much she liked them. The fear of being hurt kept her from reaching out. Hadrian looked like a heartbreaker if she ever saw one. That kind wasn't sweet, though. Nor were they willing to wait on a decision. She felt a strange respect for this person, and all at once, she made her decision. She lifted their intertwined hands, examining their fingers. They fit awfully well together.
"I think I'd say yes. How could I resist that cute face?" The fear of the unknown was still there, but she had decided that it would perhaps be nicer if she didn't spend her life in overwhelming caution. In any case, he provided ample support against penguins.

She liked him, he was nicer than most boys her age. It wasn't difficult to notice that many male specimens only went after girls to get in their pants. If they were rejected, they moved on. Instant gratification was in the forefront of their small minds, and she was impressed with his statement to go slowly. She wasn't about to give her body away, but she felt that she could afford to invest her heart. "I've only ever had one .. boyfriend before. You'll have to teach me quite a bit, I'm afraid."

It had been quite a while since she was able to call someone boyfriend. Just the word made her shiver. Boyfriend. A stupid smile appeared on her mouth, and she ducked her head under his arm. A little embarrassed at herself, Ania broke away uncertainly. She wanted to test this whole relationship thing out. What did people even do when they were together? More research would be necessary. What should they do now anyway. The animals were all starting to crawl back in their homes, and many were no longer visible. "Okay, food now? It doesn't look like the animals want to be stared at anymore ... "

Her gaze dropped back to the bears, and even they had mostly submerged themselves in their den. The plastic moulding that made up the rock caves was slick in the sun. It looked like it had been cured with something to make it look more realistic. "Hey. Do you think they have little stuffed bears in the shops, too?" Perhaps it was better that she didn't go to zoos all that often. She would end up adopting a stuffed animal of each thing she saw that day, her favourite species would change and mold faster than the stock exchange. "What do couples even do?"