commanderforehead | continued from bakerstreet due to captcha

[For all Ryan knows, Akmazian could smuggle cats for half the station. Or he did it for Jane or Levi as they were the ones that asked Akmazian for help.

... come to think of it, Ryan doesn't know what they paid for Morpheus. He idly wonders if he should worry.]

Almost. [Reaching into his bag, Ryan brings out a small portable medical scanner.] I want to get a blood sample from you before we go, you obviously aren't in the station's system and I don't want you to come down with some kind of tropical flu on Thetis Prime only to find out the hard way that you're allergic to penicillin.

[He does at least wait for Akmazian's consent before he goes for it. The scanner doesnt need needles, he's not in the goddamn dark ages. Unlike some doctors he could name.]

[ except he's not giving immediate consent. instead, he's holding a hand up to stay ryan, taking a quick step backwards as he does. ]

Uh. Is that gonna put me in the station's system?

[Ryan sighs, but he can understand Akmazian's trepidation and prepared for it. He does, daresay, even sound understanding as he explains]

I can override the upload function but it cycles every 50 hours and resets, there's a chance it will upload anyway... so if it does it will be under the generic name we give human patients who we don't have the IDs for. And on the off-chance someone does decide to look specifically at John-Doe-Kappa-1-1-5's medical record, Interface agreed to fudge some genetic markers so they'll find a 5'4" ginger man who carries the recessive gene for xeroderma pigmentosum.

... in spite of what Doctor Urvidian says, I am not stupid.

[ ryan's words do a lot to put him at ease, but there's still a vague air of reluctance about him as he slowly lowers his hand and then, finally, beckons for ryan to go ahead and take the sample. ]

I'd never accuse you of being stupid, doc. But you're also not a fugitive. Not everyone keeps this kinda stuff on the forefront of their minds, you know.

[ and then, belatedly, he frowns. ]

You made me a 5'4" ginger? What'd I do to you?

[Ryan can't resist the small quirk of a smile at the corner of his mouth as he asks,]

Do you want the list alphabetically or chronologically?

[Obtain illegal medicine for him. Stop a plague and save thousands of lives. Get him a cat. What hasn't Akmazian done?

Ryan coughs, schooling his expression and taking Akmazian's hand to gently press against the side of the scanner for a sample. He's relieved that Akmazian relented, that Dalias didn't have to say please, didn't have to admit real concern for the wellbeing of the other man that went beyond the enlightened self interest of keeping him safe. He's also more than a little pleased to have thought ahead, to have considered Akmazian's situation as well as he did.

Saying the scanner doesn't use needles is a bit of a misnomer, but the needles are microscopic, painless, and most importantly you don't see them. There's just a bit of a tickle, Ryan holding Akmazian's hand in place until it's done, letting go when the scanner has what it needs.]

There. [a few quick keystrokes and Ryan places the scanner back in his bag.] John-Doe-Kappa-1-1-5 processing now. It should have everything done by the time we hit planet-side. Lead the way to the Balmy Breeze.

[ well, he didn't stop the plague just as a favor to ryan. he'd sort of been planning on doing that, anyway, but he doesn't mind letting ryan take a little credit for that one - especially if it earns him brownie points.

whatever. he's not smitten. shut up. he's a grown-ass man, thank you very much, and he does not get a private, childish enjoyment from ryan fussing over him and taking his hand like that.

goddammit. ]

The Silent Storm. [ the emphasis he puts on the name is more sulky exasperation than actual aggravation, and he turns to stroll toward the docking area. and then, as if he feels like he has to actively remind ryan: ] It's a good name for a good ship. And I guess you're just ignoring that whole thing about beggars and choosers, huh?

[Of course Akmazian isn't smitten. That's ridiculous. That'd be like accusing Ryan of being smitten.

Goddamn it indeed.

There's another brief quirk of a smile before Ryan gets his expression under control at Akmazian's exasperated correction of the ship's name, and Ryan follows him towards the docking bay. He's becoming quite familiar with the pirate ship.]

Did I sound like I was complaining? I'm offended, the Silent Storm is the best pirate ship I've ever been on.

We could take a detour if you want. Give me the chance to introduce you to some actual pirates.

[ he continues to grouse even as he boards the ship, though he'd probably be smiling himself if he'd managed to actually catch ryan's expressions. akmazian heads immediately to the controls, dropping heavily into a seat definitely molded to his butt in particular, before he leans in and punches in some coordinates. ]

You know. [ his voice is light when he starts. ] I still don't think I've heard a thank you for spendin' my day off running errands with you. [ as if he has scheduled work shifts. as if he doesn't look for any excuse to spend his downtime near ryan. ]

[Ryan lets off until they're inside the Silent Storm, setting his bag and med kit down in one of the containers meant to hold smaller cargo and not have it knock around. It's on the tip of his tongue to fire another jibe back at Akmazian, to keep it going, and oh it takes some glorious self-restraint to not offer to go back and ask Levi if he's got some other contacts so Ryan can indeed get a look at some other pirate ships that might be better. But... but ...

He might have actually been considering the same thing. Maybe. They do have a working relationship of sticking their necks out for one another, an exchange of trust for trust. Ryan doesn't think he has ever said thank you for being given that trust in return, especially when arguably he was worst at it to start with. So. Softly and sincerely as he hangs back a bit, so he doesn't have to look Akmazian in the face when he says it,]

... thank you.

[ trust for trust, ignoring the time that akmazian knocked both ryan and jane out to drag him to a far off star system that had allegedly been blown up. regardless, he's smiling a little to himself when he fires the engines up and starts to carefully navigate away from the station. he just needs to get far enough to safely clear the station before letting the autopilot take over.

cheerfully: ]

You're welcome. You gonna head this way? Think you owe me a selfie, doctor.

[Ryan gives a very audible sigh as if he's deeply put upon by the request, but he obligingly makes his way up front anyway. He's always a little tense during take-offs here, on Akmazian's ship. He keeps waiting for some kind of hail, an alert, something that means they've been caught, and yet it never comes.]

A selfie? Seriously?

[ and that's the real beauty of the silent storm: the black market cloaking technology installed on it, worth probably five or six times the value of the ship itself. not that he'll bring it up unless he's asked, of course. ]

What? I told you: I like to scrapbook.

[ he shoots him a mock pitiful look, as if he's wounded that ryan isn't treating this seriously. ]

[The less Ryan knows the happier he'll probably be. He's still an Alliance officer, after all. Even if he's already working with the alleged terrorist. Ryan raises an eyebrow at the wounded look, not believing it for a second.]

Right. And you're going to put a picture of me in there.

[He just wants to make sure he's got this down right.]

I do believe that is the point of taking a photo, yes.

[ calmly and oh so seriously, as if he's happy to patiently explain the concept of scrapbooking to ryan. ]

I haven't exactly done a whole lot of photo taking since school. [Well, before things went bad, specifically.] I hope you know what you're doing. Do I have to smile?

If you're gonna be that nervous about it, let's just wait until the return trip.

[ he will reach under his seat, though, and pull out an honest to god beastly antique of a camera. he lifts it up, as if preparing to show it off to ryan, before he instead just snaps the shutter. ]

They always say candids are better, anyway. [ who says that, akmazian, and why are you parroting them. ]

[Ryan thinks he's more curious than nervous, but if Akmazian wants to wait that's fine. It isn't like he's directly adverse to pictures, the whole twelve step and forgiveness and all that, but Ryan never really got into being in the pictures again. And who would take them, after he'd alienated everyone who he was close to? Over a decade later all that has passed by, but he never really got back into the habit. He's pretty sure the only person who has a picture of him now that isn't direct family is Dr Urvidian - Ryan would bet good credit that Urvidian uses a photo of Ryan for a dart board or something of the same.

Ryan's eyebrows raise curiously as he sees the camera Akmazian produces. Is that thing older than he is? God, how is it even still functioning. It's so... quirky, that Akmazian even owns something like that.

The snap of the shutter is at just the right moment. It catches the fond smile for the mayfly life it had before that changes to alarm.]

You - delete that. I was probably making a stupid face and I don't need another thing for you to blackmail me with.

[Ryan makes a grab for the camera to do it himself if Akmazian doesn't instantly comply.]

Edited (I CAN GET NAMES RIGHT) 2016-08-08 17:15 (UTC)

You know what? Nah. [ well, that's one thing about ryan being so short: akmazian isn't, and he also isn't averse to standing up and literally playing keep-away with the camera if ryan persists in trying to get it.

honestly, he's not even sure what he'd do with photos he takes with this, anyway. it's not like he has any sort of adapter that actually interfaces with the physical media the photos are kept on -- it had been just an interesting part of a particularly boring smuggle that he'd kept for himself.

he studies the photo on the small viewscreen, looking a little smug. ]

Dr. Dalias, I can promise you right now: if I ever feel the pressin' need to blackmail you, I've got way better material to use than this.

[Okay this REALLY isn't fair!! AND HE'S NOT SHORT!! HE'S NORMAL SIZED AND YOU ALL ARE GIANTS AND-!!!

And he has no idea that Akmazian has no way of getting that photo off the camera or anything, or even why it bothers him so much. Well, okay the last one is because it's embarrassing. What if he looks like an idiot? Hasn't he looked like an idiot enough without there being some kind of proof of it?

The point is Ryan is now standing on his tip toes trying to reach past Akmazian's head with one hand while the other makes a grab for his shirt to try to yank him down at the same time in order to reach that damn camera.]

Then you've got no problem deleting it!

[ if ryan had asked him calmly, or acted cavalier about it, then akmazian probably would have forgotten about the photo immediately. as it is now, though?

he's just reaching down with his free hand, clasping his fingers around ryan's wrist so he can try to peel it off of his chest. ]

Jeez. If I'd known that's all it took to get you to try to climb me...

[ he flashes his eyebrows at him, very much aware that the joke was more for his own benefit than ryan's. ]

Look, this is very delicate equipment. I can't just let anyone handle it.

[ the double entendres will never stop. ]

[Ryan's cheeks go vaguely red and he definitely pauses for just a moment to look at Akmazian like he's considering cramming the camera down his throat once he gets hold of it.]

'Delicate' my a-ah!

[Because what could make this better? Just enough of an automated course correction to have Ryan lose his already precarious footing and fall against Akmazian, who is hopefully more steady on his feet or they're both going down.]

[ he is, thankfully, just because he had already been bracing himself for ryan's assault. he does sway back briefly, however, but he flings the arm holding the camera around ryan's shoulders, catching him tight against his chest. ]

Oof. You okay there, doc?

[ akmazian's tone is light - it was only a little jolt, of course, so he's sure everything is fine - but the concern in it is earnest. best to check, right? ]

[Ryan's arm goes around Akmazian's shoulder too, tense and still while his heart works its way back down from where it managed to lodge itself in his throat.

Okay maybe no more roughhousing on the moving vehicle.

It was also entirely his own fault for losing his cool, much as he'd like to blame Akmazian for pushing his buttons again. After no more turbulence comes and his pulse gets back under control Ryan sighs again and loosens his hold on Akmazian. Way to act seventeen again, idiot.]

Yeah. Only injury is my pride, which should be used to it by now.

Maybe you should take a seat, then. Don't want to do any damage to ourselves before we even land, right?

[ it's a nice sentiment, except akmazian hasn't loosed his hold at all. nope. he's just going to casually .. hold him there .... for as long as he can get away with it. ]

That would definitely be a new record I'd rather not share with Doctor Urvidian or Nurse Johns.

[So, you know, if the worst happens please do not tell them.

He figures, okay, Akmazian will definitely let him go now, except... uh... then he doesn't. It isn't like Ryan's still going for the camera, or they're hitting a lot more turbulence. Just two dudes, holding each other really close.

That 'More than 50% but less than 100%' certainty Ryan had that Akmazian's flirting was just teasing ticks down a little closer to 50%. He lets it go for another breath, then another, before he speaks up about it.]

... I think I've got my footing now, so...

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names are overrated...

orz

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