Leela sighed as she leaned against the railing of the ship. God, how she hated that idiot. If she could take back just one act she'd ever committed, it would have been sleeping with him. It was one of her few regrets, but boy was it a big one. And he never failed to remind her of it every time she was around him. Her brow furrowed, she tore off the stupid tiara he stuck on her head for whatever stupid reason and threw it as hard as she could towards the far reaches of space, only to have it bounce off of the pressure shield and clatter to the ground nearby. Zapp Brannigan was ruining her life, there was no doubt about it. And there was no escaping it, either. His "assignments" took him all over the galaxy, difficult as she found that to believe. Even if she did try to get away from him, he'd most certainly find her. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to see Fry kneel down and pick up the tiara, looking at her, confused.
"What's the matter, Leela?" he asked as he bent a kink out of the small, cheap crown, "How come you're not inside getting drunk and taking your clothes off with the rest of them?" Though this did little to lift her spirits, she threw him a small smile anyway.
"I guess I'm just not in the mood, Fry," she muttered as she leaned back against the rail. He stepped next to her, still holding the tiara, absentmindedly fiddling with the rhinestones.
"It's what Zapp said, isn't it?" he asked quietly. She nodded and sighed.
"He just- gets to me sometimes."
"You mean like every time you see him?" he asked with a small smirk.
"Something like that," she mumbled, wishing it weren't so obvious to even Fry. She didn't like appearing vulnerable, especially around her crew.
"Hey, try not to dwell on it," he shrugged, "People remind me of stupid things that I've done all the time." Leela stared at Fry in exasperation. He could say the most idiotic things. "I just don't let it bother me."
"Yeah, but the stupid things you do usually aren't important enough to bother you."
"True," he admitted, polishing the fake gems on his sleeve, "Maybe what you're thinking is really important is just a little thing, like burning toast or blowing up a planet." Raising an eyebrow, Leela decided to let to comment pass.
"Maybe you're right, Fry," she admitted, brushing her bangs behind her ear, "I guess it bothers me because it happened for all the wrong reasons, kind of like a lot of things I do." A simulated breeze drifted across the deck, sending a shiver across Leela's bare back. She suddenly wished she'd brought her coat out with her as she crossed her arms for warmth. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Fry, who shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Here," he said simply, "You look cold."
"No, don't worry about me, it's my own fault I didn't bring mine," she tried to hand it back.
"No, keep it. I insist," he grinned forthrightly, "I'm headed back inside anyways." He looked down at the tiara in his hands and smiled, placing it haphazardly back on her head.
"Thanks, Fry," she smiled, pulling his jacket tighter around her.
"No problem," he shrugged as he turned to head back inside, "It's kinda warm in there anyways. That probably explains why Zapp's playing Twister in the nude." Mentally smacking herself in the forehead, Leela couldn't help but roll her eyes. He might be good company, but he could be totally clueless.
"Actually, I meant about just being there to talk to about…little things."
"Oh, right, that!" he beamed sheepishly, "Anytime. After all it's not like you slept with Zapp or something like that, right? …Right? Leela?"