Do You Blame Yourself?

[Chapter 47] - Operation Lovestruck

"I guess you've taken that babysitting role quite seriously now, have you?"

Kwazii's feet froze in place. "I wouldn't word it like that," he insisted, slowly turning around.
"Oh, but you're so good at it!" Peso stated enthusiastically. "You do very well with children."
"Like the time I lost your brother."

Peso paused, his mouth contorting into a frown. "Well, other than that time," he said.
"I'll have you know, I don't do well with small people," Kwazii said, gently referring to Pinto without Peso's knowledge.
"That's a bit mean," he said sarcastically, crossing his arms.
"What are you talking about?"
"You- never mind."

It's not like he was trying to be mean.

But it was something about the way he crossed his arms, the way he stared him down with his chin held up high, as if Kwazii were inferior to him.

I might as well be inferior to him, he thought.

It wasn't just that, though. It was the feeling he got in the pit of his stomach, that feeling he knew a bit too well.

He was in some deep shit.

"Wh- you, why are you making that face?" Peso asked, gesturing to his face.
"What?"
"You look like I just told you that I'm breaking up with you, what's up?"

...

Kwazii shook his head. "Nothing. Are you... not mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad at you?"
"Because I went outside, unsupervised, with a shark," he muttered.
"Well, I had nothing to do with it, and you aren't missing a limb, so I'm not affected," Peso said.

"You flipped a tit when I went to search for the jellyfish, why aren't you screaming your head off at me for being with a shark?" he asked.
"You being with a jellyfish that stung you was a different thing. You were with a shark that probably didn't know anything other than the fact that you were nice," he answered.
"Right... You've changed."
"You could say that." Peso nodded his head in salutations before backing out of the HQ.

...

"God, strike me dead," Kwazii muttered as soon as Peso had left.
"That was painful to watch," Barnacles joked, leaning against the control panel.
"It was painful to experience."

He wasn't going to get away with this, though.

To be painfully honest, that can apply to both of them.

"Where are you going?" Barnacles asked as Kwazii unconsciously turned to leave.

"I don't know. All I know is I've got to, um," his eyes darted around the room, "fix some things."
"Shoot your shot."
"As I always do."

~

"Why don't you care?"

Peso perked up for just a moment. "What do you mean? I always care," he said, merely glancing back at Kwazii.
"You just brushed it off, like it was nothing."
"Well, did you want a reaction out of me?"

Kwazii rolled his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me."
"Shut up."
"You first." Peso smiled, fully aware that Kwazii wouldn't know he did.

"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Organizing," Peso replied.
"You're always organizing, cariño, take a break."

...

Peso could've sworn his ears were playing with him, or that he was just hearing things, or something like that, but there was no way he'd believe that Kwazii would say that.

Of all people?

"Where did you learn that?" he questioned, turning around to face him.
"Huh?"
"Who taught you that?"
"Myself?"