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"Butch, it's not that big of a deal."
"If you were just a little ways over, it would have hit you in the head. You would have died."
I rolled my eyes, "Oh please! You're making this such a bigger deal than it has to be!" I would have crossed my arms and rolled over, but the bullet buried in my shoulder kept me from doing so. I was sitting up in our bed, where I'd been for two days, recovering. Every waking moment, Butch was next to me in a chair, talking about how stupid it was for me to jump in the way of a bullet, even to save him. I frowned at him, "If I didn't take it to the shoulder, you would have taken it to the back of the head. I didn't want to risk that!"
"But what if you died?! What would I have done?!"
"You would have been safe, Butch! Why can't you just be thankful?!"
"Because I don't want to lose you! You're the most important person in the world to me, and if you died, I don't know what I'd do!"
He clenched his jaw and I felt a lump form in my throat, "And what if you died?! Huh?! What would you expect me to do?! Just leave you there?!"
"Yes! Because even if I died it would mean you get to live!"
I bit my bottom lip, my eyes burning with tears as I looked to the ground, face red. I couldn't bring myself to look into those icy eyes of his for some reason. I bit the inside of my cheek as a tear escaped my eye. It was silent for a long time, until Butch sighed and grabbed the hand of my good arm gently, "I'm sorry... Look, I just... I love you, alright? I love you more than myself, and without you, my life would be pointless." He paused, "In the long run... I'm happy we're both alive."
I kept my eyes on the ground, not holding his hand, but keeping it in his palm. He smiled a little, leaning forward, "Oh, come on... Don't be mad at me. Want me to go grab you a drink? Maybe a snack?"
I huffed, leaning back and looking at him, sniffing, "I love you too. I'm sorry for getting all upset."
"Yeah, me too." He stood up, kissing my knuckles, and brushing hair from my face, "I'm gonna go fix you a drink, and we'll listen to an old holotape or the radio or something, alright?"
I nodded, and he walked out. I was perfectly fine with doing all of that. More than fine, in fact. I don't think me and Butch would go action-hunting for quite some time anyways.
