@creativepromptfills

Oftentimes, Blue looked like she was going to hit him. Sometimes she did. Sometimes she just shook her head with a disapproving expression, like this time.

“... are y’ mad?”

“No, I’m not mad. I’m just trying to figure out how someone can be so stupid and survive this long.”

Z blinked. That looked like stupidity to her? “Whaddya mean? I made sure their ship sunk and got us their treasure!”

She scowled harder. “While risking yourself.”

“So? The Ferry—”

“Only opens its door so many times to us all,” she said sternly.

Z recoiled. Now that he looked again, she looked really mad. Mad and… upset? But why?

He must have stared long enough for Blue to realise what he was thinking for she sighed and turned away, her expression softening. Her eyes momentarily went to their plundered gains before settling back on him.

“Look at yourself,” she said, voice gentle, yet it wavered ever so slightly. “You don’t see it, but I do. In the time that I have known you, your hair has lightened, some of it has greyed. Your skin betrays you, too.”

Z wasn’t sure what it was he was feeling, but he didn’t like it. He didn’t like that she was right, too. The difference between them was that he hadn’t worried about it — so he was starting to look more his age. More… good lord, how old was he?

He scratched at the side of his head. “It’s not so bad.”

“If you are as old as I think you to be, it is quite a wonder how you have yet to gain wisdom.”

That stung more than she could know.

Blue had raised a hand and started to say more; he didn’t recall any of the words as he reached out and grabbed that hand, gently pulling until he could get both arms around her. That seemed to shut her up, and he desperately needed it, her touch and her silence.

They stood there for a long moment until Blue leaned against him, pressing her face against his neck. He was always careful of her injury, it had been a habit for so long, and in this moment he reminded himself, trailing fingers along the oh so wrong dip and bump of her shoulder. It wasn’t just that Blue was afraid of him getting hurt or killed and leaving her for a few days, she was afraid of being alone.

That struck him a little funny. Jackson, Marcus, Grimmsevere — there were so many in their extended crew now and all of them got along both amongst themselves and with her. Blue was very good at getting on well with people, both short term and long term as a deep, meaningful sort of thing. She’d never be alone, but that wasn’t the point.

“I’ll be more careful from now on.”