built over me a worry as big as a shipyard

Word Count: 742
Characters: James, Zyphire
Notes: This takes place in an AU fusion with His Dark Materials.  Zyphire is James's daemon, an osprey, and this fic takes place during DMC, after Jack has pestered her into attacking him. This AU is also one in which Jack and James knew each other and were lovers as young men, before Jack was branded. There is perforce a metric fucktonne of history and tension and grief and blame flying around.

They are both enough shaken by it that after her attack on Jack, Zyphire gives up her enforced aloofness and allows James to come to her.  More than allows, she doesn’t say, though they both know, and as they sit, she sidesteps over to her accustomed place on his shoulder, and begins to pick apart the strands of his hair.  It’s tangled, crusted with salt and neglect, in need of a comb and a dousing in clean water; unpicking it is as much a kindness on her part as it is a way for her to avoid the necessity of speech.  It is good to be close.

‘Why did you do that?’

James speaks first, as Zyphire had known he would, though it’s a silly question for a man to ask his own daemon.  She breaks off her work, and presses the crown of her head against his ear.