85 He Would Take What He Could Ge (1/2)
He wanted to support her but couldn't really do anything beyond offering words of encouragement. He had told himself from the moment she agreed to let him stay by her side that he couldn't do anything to mess that up so he was forced to tread carefully.
If he had things his way, he would be touching her every second they were both awake to be positive she was still here with him. But that would probably put her off so he resisted the urge.
That didn't mean Ash didn't sneak in friendly little touches as much as he possibly could, such as purposely reaching for the dice at the same time. It was underhanded but he would take what he could get.
Come to think of it…he could probably get away with a hug right now. Ruby did seem down and hugging friends was a perfectly acceptable thing to do.
”I think you need a hug,” he said matter-of-factly as he opened his arms.
Today her face was greenish blue with brown spots/patterns like a turquoise stone and the color became more concentrated in her cheeks. Ash had seen enough of her facial patterns by now to be able to tell when she was blushing in most of them.
But why would she be blushing over the prospect of a simple hug? It wasn't like Ruby was shy.
She crawled her way around the dice and scorecards to accept his offer, burying her warm face in his neck. He was careful not to crush her shimmering wings as he savored the feeling of having her in his arms.
Ash had become terribly selfish. Here he was offering her comfort when he knew full well that he was getting more out of it than she was.
”Am I really capable of doing anything good for anyone?” Ruby asked in a small voice. ”It seems like all I ever do is make things worse.”
”That is not true,” he said emphatically. ”Just knowing you made things so much better for me. Having you here makes me happier than anything has in longer than I can remember. Everything that happened was because other people got greedy; it wasn't your fault at all.”
Tears dripped out of her eyes onto his shoulder. ”But Flora still has to grow up without parents. I can't help but feel responsible. If I had been more careful about hiding my powers none of this ever would have happened!”
That logic was so faulty Ash didn't even know where to start with it. He pulled back slightly so he could make her look him in the eyes and drive his point home. They both looked like topaz right now though one was blue and the other yellow.
She sniffled and altogether looked pitiful with tear tracks on her face, which made it feel like a fist was squeezing his heart. Seeing her this upset was as distressing as it had been the first time she cried in front of him.