Hope you enjoy. Title taken from Shakespeare.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Expanse.
"I know why you're mad," Miller tells her. "Two earthers telling belters what to do. That's all anyone saw. That's all you saw too."
Naomi spun her head around to respond hotly but he held up a finger.
"Ah, ah. Don't try to deny it. I spent my life reading people. Part of the job. That's all you saw. I'm not blaming you," he added after a pause, "We grew up in the Belt. We know what it's like in a way that they don't, like they never will. It's easy for them to be all altruistic when they've never really been on the losing side. It's easy to be starry-eyed when all their lives they've been considered human and they didn't have to deal with bad air when they were kids, didn't have to ration water, don't know what's it's like when an ice hauler comes too late and you're parched and frightened, don't know what it's like to be afraid that Earth and Mars will go to war because you know whoever wins, you'll lose."
Naomi sighed. "I know, I know they mean good. I know that but I'm so tired of the Belt being helpless, being at the mercy of people who don't care anything about us."
"I get that, I get that, I do," Miller told her. "But I think, and you better not tell him this, I think Jim is right."
"You think we should give the missiles back to Earth?"
"I didn't mean that although I do think so," Miller said, "What I meant was, I think he's right when he says we have to stick together. We can't be earther and belter and martian anymore Naomi. We won't survive. This protomolecule, it's way beyond us. It's, it's not us and we can't afford to be separated when there's something out there that will kill all of us."
"No one else looks at it like that," Naomi said, "Everyone just wants it for themselves."
"That's why we have to look at it that way," Miller told her gently. "We've got to stop looking at where we come from and start looking at each other as people. Do you think we stopped Eros because we cared who was a belter and earther or a martian? Do you think Julie stopped Eros because she cared who was belter, earther or martian?"
Naomi looked away. "That was different."
"No," said Miller, "That's the beauty of it. It wasn't. You and the rest of our stupid crew almost died trying to save me and keep Eros within sight. We all know that if Earth dies so does the Belt but you weren't thinking about that. None of you were. You were thinking about all the people that was going to die on Earth. You didn't care about the fact that they were from Earth."
Naomi sighed and slumped down on the railing next to him. "I thought you were a cynic."
"I was," said Miller, slumping down next to her, "I am. But I walked into Eros, and I saw what happened when people stop caring about other people. And I walked of Eros and I saw what happened when other people start caring about people. We have to stick together. We have to stop being belter and earther and martian and start being us. We have to start caring about everybody else because it is the only thing that's gonna save us."
Naomi laughed and wiped her eyes discreetly. "You're the only person who can make caring sound logical." She wiped her eyes again. "Alright Miller. Let's stop caring about where we're from and starting caring about everybody else and see if that gets us anywhere."
Miller gave her his lopsided smile and held out the crook of his arm. Naomi gave him a look and then slipped her arm through his and they made their way back to the Roci.
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:)
