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[stand_unshaken]

 

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[dog_eat_dog]

She nods very curtly, forehead against his collarbone. There’s a lump the size of the fucking moon lodged in the back of her throat and she knows she will feel like the weakest person to ever live later on, but for at least a moment, that is exactly where she wants to be.

“Yeah, we can print everything you take,” she replies, somewhat muffled this time. “Maybe someone has glossy paper too or something, it’ll look all official.”

[stand_unshaken]

"It was crazy, not nice to look at," he argues, softly, gently patting her shoulder. "Maybe if I catch a big fish sometime."

He's got his priorities straight. Jesus, he's glad she took the first step.

[dog_eat_dog]

“Well if it’s that crazy, you should have a picture so you don’t have to explain what it looked like,” she replies, and she gives him a little squeeze. She could stay there forever, but the longer she does, the more likely it is she’ll lose her damn head over it, so she pulls back gently.

[stand_unshaken]

He pats her shoulder again, then notches his chin at her cabin.

"C'mon. Three's a crowd, don't want someone like BJ seein' us and getting the wrong idea."

He might make up a song. No way he's going to let that happen.

[dog_eat_dog]

She nods, hauling herself together again to something like composure. She can feel tears on her lower lashes but she’s going to stubbornly ignore them, and look away as long as she needs to.

“Yeah, I think I’d lose my shit if that happened,” she says, moving into the cabin. “We‘d never hear the end of it.”

[stand_unshaken]

He gives her a little slap between the shoulder blades, following her inside.

"That man has too much energy by far."

[dog_eat_dog]

“No kidding,” she replies, wiping her eyes. That’s as good as it’s gonna get. “He’s less annoying now that he’s a warden, though.”

[stand_unshaken]

"Less to prove to everyone," he guesses. "You got some coffee?"

[dog_eat_dog]

More incentive to toe a line.

“Uh, somewhere around here,” she replies, and she goes to the wardrobe to root around amongst the canned goods. “It’s instant, though, that alright?”

[stand_unshaken]

"Sure, I don't mind instant."

He sits down at her table and puts his journal down, relaxing a little. They have to talk about it, but he's enjoying settling into a dynamic first.

[dog_eat_dog]

“Sure.”

She finds the tin and sets it on the counter while she fills the kettle and gets the hot-plate going. She spoons a heaping teaspoon of little coffee granules into a stained mug. All easy to do one-handed, fortunately.

“I miss anything fun these past few days?”

[stand_unshaken]

"Oh, yeah. The invisibility thing's going great on a ship full of petty assholes and people with an under-developed sense of humor."

He puts his hat on the table too and tries to relax.

[dog_eat_dog]

"Yeah, not exactly a great choice on the Admiral's part," she replies, leaning against the counter. Unless he's testing their self-restraint, in which case... touché.

She pours hot water into the mug, watching as it turns dark brown.

"Anyone gone after you yet?"

[stand_unshaken]

"Oh, yeah. William had a go at me. Where that man's grudge comes from I don't know, but it's annoying as hell."

[dog_eat_dog]

"He comes up with these stories for people and lets them run away with him," she replies as she brings the coffee over and sets it down in front of him. She can't help but roll her eyes a little –– William. "Just cross your fingers that the Barge makes you think you're his family or something, it'll settle him right down after."

[stand_unshaken]

"No promises that would settle me down," he warns. "He seems to think it was my fault he shot me that one time, and now he's allowed to always be pissed at me."

[dog_eat_dog]

She shakes her head as she takes a seat across from him. Being lovers had been like an ice bath thrown on her conflict with William; she might have denied it with warning, too.

"It doesn't always make sense," she replies. She mulls over telling Arthur that William assumed he'd broken her arm, but maybe that's an unhelpful sort of honesty. "I don't know. You're a warden. Just be the bigger man, the rest of it is his problem."

[stand_unshaken]

"I try to be. I ain't the one who smacked him in the head, on account of not being invisible."

He probably wouldn't have done it anyway. Probably.

[dog_eat_dog]

"Good thing you have a thick skull, huh?" she replies, gently teasing. "Could have been far worse than a smack in the head. The guy loves knives."

[stand_unshaken]

"That guy loves everything he can torment me with," he grouses, reaching for his coffee.

"Thanks for this. How's the arm?"

[dog_eat_dog]

"Any time," she replies. "The arm's survivable."

[stand_unshaken]

"You need pain medication?"

[dog_eat_dog]

"No, Tiffany loaded me up when I dropped by the infirmary again."

[stand_unshaken]

"Good. Great."

He takes a sip of his coffee, debating the right words. It takes a while, but eventually he says:

"Thank you. For the photograph."

[dog_eat_dog]

She nods, sitting in the silence with her eyes on the table, but she looks up when he talks.

"You're welcome. I figured you'd like it, you being sentimental and all," she replies.