commanderforehead | continued from bakerstreet due to captcha

[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...

[ akmazian is always way, way less subtle than he gives himself credit for being. sometimes it's a marvel that he managed to cut it as a spy for any given amount of time at all. ]

Yeah?

[ he does, finally, release him, however, before moving to drop back down into the pilot's chair. he kicks his feet up onto the console, moving to check the photo from before on the camera's view screen. ]

Pity.

[Only Dr Dalias being a favored punching bag for these kind of jokes has kept him from figuring out Akmazian by now, and the night is still young. Well, night being arbitrary in space. It's too obvious, too upfront, while still being antagonistic from time to time. It has to just be more teasing to rile him up.

Right?

He's still getting his own feelings sorted and that's bad enough without trying to figure anyone else's out.

He waits for Akmazian to take a seat before he makes his way back to the copilot chair, crossing his arms against his chest as he looks out to the stars around them.

Ryan glances over at Akmazian.]

At least tell me I'm not making a stupid face in the picture.

[ the fact that ryan seems to just roll with the punches only ever encourages him, honestly. he rolls his shoulders back, settling in to get comfortable, before he finally turns the camera so that the snapshot preview is pointed his way.

personally? akmazian is pretty fond of the little smile on his face. ]

You really gonna make me delete it, doc?

[Ryan judges the picture critically. Well, it's well taken all things considered. If the subject of it was anyone but him he'd even think it was flattering. Seeing himself there, it's just a little too much open vulnerability in that fond smile for him to not feel a spike of self-consciousness about it.

Which, he is aware, is also pretty stupid to feel. For fuck's sake, the first time he met Akmazian was when he had the alien roofie in his system and he showed Akmazian and all of Akmazian's retinue his penis.]

At least I'm not cross-eyed in it. Just keep it to yourself, alright?

[ honestly, akmazian doesn't see anything like vulnerability in the picture. maybe he sees a little more emotional honesty than he's used to seeing out of ryan. he won't ever forget the sort of flat way that ryan had spoken to him at his father's wake, and how much that had worried him.

and then he feels an abrupt stab of guilt when he remembers that. his father would be alive if ryan hadn't stepped up and testified in his defense, and never once had the good doctor brought that up, held it against him. akmazian thinks it might be a little easier to stomach if he did.

he sobers visibly then, before giving the photo one last, long look - memorizing it, maybe - before he deletes it from the camera. maybe he should treat this trip a little more seriously. ]

There. No one else will ever know you once smiled in my general direction.

[Ryan notices the change in Akmazian's disposition, watching out of the corner of his eye. He's not sure what caused it. Some long-buried memory from before the whole spy-framed-for-terrorism thing? Ryan knows very little about Akmazian - almost nothing, in fact, except what he just picked up on that scan that's probably completed by now. He doesn't even know what his real name is, if Akmazian is it or if it's something else.

He knows Akmazian likes to verbally tussle, to unnerve him, and that in spite of Ryan feeling like he didn't really give Akmazian the benefit of the doubt, Akmazian has been nothing but kind past that and shown to be a person with a good heart.

It confuses him, twists him up inside. He's ruined so many relationships because of who he is, he's not even sure how to start something beyond a one night stand and make it last without fucking it up royally. He doesn't want to make any sudden movements and fuck things up again.

He can give Akmazian another smile at least, a bit more wry but still sincere.]

You'll get better photos down on the planet anyway. It's supposed to have a lot of authentic historical sites.

[He gets back up, a little restless and wanting to check if his scan he took earlier has been completed to make sure Akmazian doesn't have any pressing health issues - and that it was successfully fudged enough that no one aside from the two in the ship (and Interface) know that it's for Akmazian.]

Mmhmm. What happened to this being a strictly business call?

[ it's light, but there's still definitely some of that aloofness from before hanging out. he very much knows that it wasn't his fault - danger was expected in that profession, full stop - and it wasn't like he had been the one to directly attack the archives. still.

it had become less about clearing his own name and more about uncovering what was clearly a dangerous conspiracy within the alliance.

the results of the scan are pretty standard: he has a mild allergy to penicillin, but everything seems to be normal. not too shabby for a guy who lives in a cold-ass lonely cargo bay, ok. ]

Edited 2016-08-08 20:28 (UTC)

[Ryan resists the urge to scoff that he knew it. Well, this is why he browbeat Akmazian into the scan in the first place.

Still, Ryan's mildly impressed with the state of his health, all things considered. Clearly any concern he had about Akmazian's residence was misplaced.

The cold front doesn't really move away, so Ryan draws back as well. Whatever easy camaraderie they started to have has ended for the time being. Ryan's not sure if he's relieved or upset by that. He returns to the copilot seat to look over his materials that he gathered on the three sites that look like potential places for information.

Business, right. His tone doesn't so much go cold as it loses the warmth from before, back to the business tone he's used to conducting.]

Several of the authentic historical sites are where the business calls are taking place.

... One isn't exactly open to the public, on that note.

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names are overrated...

orz

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