A/N – These are quickly becoming shorter and shorter… I'll try and write a longer one at some point, I just keep getting distracted by Tumblr XD

Enjoy!

Thanks to AlreadyOnMars for the prompt!

Taz had always been fascinated with Up's growing collection of scars. She was aware of the few she could usually see, such as the one over his left eye, and he had a few on his arms, but Taz knew he had more, though he never really mentioned them. Each scar told a story, in Taz's opinion, and as she lay nestled into the crook of Up's arm one movie night, with the karate kid playing on the TV, she suddenly realised she wanted to know these stories.

"Hey, Up." She said softly, and he glanced at her, raising an eyebrow curiously. She paused for a moment, and then reached up, lightly trailing a finger down the scar over his eye, and he closed both of them at her touch. "I was just wondering, can jou tell me about jour scars?" Even as she asked the question, she realised how stupid it sounded, but Up simply shrugged, not minding in the slightest. He sat up, removing his arm from around her, and pulled off his shirt. Taz tried not to stare and instead focused on the scar that ran across his chest.

"I got this one on m'first mission," Up told her with a small grin. "I was still a rookie. I was kinda stupid – eager to please." Taz hid a smile, thinking that that sounded just like her, when she was a rookie. "I let my guard down for a split second and next thing I knew, I was nursin' a wound to the chest after one o'the robots fired at me, and it grazed me." He lifted a hand and tapped a small, crescent shaped scar on his right shoulder.

"I got this one on our last mission," He informed her, and he noticed Taz flinch ever-so-slightly at the mention of the fight with the Wiynr. It was at least two months ago, but he knew she still had nightmares sometimes. "But it was nothin' too serious, just a minor wound – That scar won't last long."

Taz nodded, idly running her fingers across the scar, and Up tried to avoid shivering at the touch of her fingers on his bare skin. He held up his hands with a small smile, and Taz could see the scars she had already identified before.

"I aint really sure where all of these come from t'be honest," Up shrugged, not really caring. "I think one of 'em was when I punched that robot when we first met." He glanced at her, and they shared a smile. "But most of the others are from weapon training an'-"

"Cooking?" Taz interrupted with a smirk, and Up grinned at her, nodding his head.

"Yeah, an' cooking." He agreed, and pulled up the leg of his pants to show her a scar which ran around his ankle. "I got this one in a battle – I tripped, and a robot grabbed me there, digging into the skin – Almost snapped my foot right off." Taz flinched slightly. He touched a small scar on his chin and one by his left ear. "An' I'm not sure where I got these from." He admitted.

"Jou have so many," Taz said slowly, shaking her head. "I don't know how many I have, but I know it's not nearly as much."

"Y'have eight in total." Up informed her in a very matter-of-fact tone, and Taz looked at him in genuine surprise. He gave her a wry grin and reached up, lightly pushing her bandana to reveal her forehead, where a small scar lay. "You got this one from when the Winyr cut yer hair, and they caught yer skin at the same time." He said quietly, and Taz simply stared at him.

Silently, Up moved his hand down her neck and stopped at the base of it, where another scar lay, and ran his finger over it gently, tracing the shape.

"You got this one in a fight with Joe Alderman." He said, his voice still quiet, and then moved his hands to the bottom of her shirt before he gently, tenderly ran his hands underneath it and trailed his hands up her spine, lightly running over the six new haphazard scars which lay there. "And six from the whip." He finished in a murmur, as Taz shivered slightly.

"Jou remembered dem all?" Taz asked, staring at him in wonder as he pulled his hands away, and he chuckled slightly.

"Naw, I just pay attention, 'sides. It's not really the scars that catch my attention, it's the times that you've been hurt which stick into my memory. And for the record, though I know the scars like the ones on your back show that you have actually suffered…I'm glad you don't have too many other scars – Because that shows that you haven't suffered too much." He paused here, but saw she was about to speak and hurried on. "And I know that y'don't want me fussin' about keepin' y'safe and all, but I can't help but be relieved when you're safe. It's not that I don't think you're capable of handling yourself – I just don't like seeing ya get hurt."

Taz blinked, looking unsure about what she should say for a moment, and then a tiny smile spread across her face, and she wrapped her arms around his chest in a hug. Immediately, his arms wrapped around her in return.

"Jou're right – I don't like jou fussing over me." Taz agreed, looking up at him with raised eyebrows. "But gracias for caring, Up."

"Forever and always, Taz," Up reminded her, lightly pressing a finger against her dog tags as a reminder. "Y'know I've always got your back."

"And I've always got jours." Taz agreed, shooting him a slightly bigger smile, and he grinned in return, leaning back against the sofa once again. Taz turned her attention to the movie once again, enjoying the feel of Up's arm being draped around her waist.