1x1 -- Curious and Stormy

[Curious]

While he was watching Halia and Scott practice, one could practically see Chyhir's expression grow more and more worried with each passing second. When Scott was pinned, he jumped forward a couple inches, arms reaching out.
"D-don't hurt him!" he squeaked, then blushed and recoiled. "I mean...holding him like that might be painful, so..."
I never fail to embarrass myself, do I? Ugh...
As Halia struck Scott's stomach, he inhaled sharply, fingers twitching. Not only would he be unhappy to have to house Scott in the medical bay again, but he hated seeing him in pain, even if it was something small.
"Now you're literally adding insult to injury," Chyhir mumbled with a frown when Halia teased the poor captain.
As the general attention was shifted back to the doctor, he shrunk away.
"Um...heh... Will you try to hit me without warning?" He worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

[stormy tom]

Scott noted Chyhir's concern, so he took extra effort to brush off Halia's blows. They had been rather gentle, actually. They probably wouldn't even bruise. Besides, he needed the practise. His fighting skill needed serious work.
Halia fixed her steady yellow gaze on Chyhir. "In a real fight you will not get a warning, doctor. If I am to prepare you for battle as the captain has asked I must throw at let a few random attacks at you. I will not do this straight away. You should learn some basic defence before I test you."
"Please don't hurt him," Scott sighed. He was well used to the strain of battle, and as much as he didn't think Chyhir was weak, he did know that Halia could get swept up in a fight, even if it was for practise. His weapons' specialist could easily go too hard on Chyhir if she forgot to pull back.
"Pay attention," Halia suggested. "In a fight you must always pay attention. Be aware that any limb can be used as a weapon. Do not forget about the legs while blocking punches, and vise versa. Always keep your hands up to protect your face. That is the place that needs protecting most in a fist fight. I will throw a punch like the captain did to me and I want you to block like I did. Then I will try again, and try to angle your body away from my blows. Try to react quickly, but start slowly so you do the movements correctly. It will become muscle memory if you practise enough."
Scott leaned against the wall to watch, arms folded across his chest, interested to see how the doctor would do against Halia. The semi-cat woman threw a punch. It was fast and strong, as well as well-aimed, but not nearly as powerful as it could be. Chyhir should be able to block it easily. She aimed at his eye, ready to stop herself if he wasn't fast enough to block it.

[Curious]

"I...yes, well, that doesn't mean we have to start with the surprises right off the bat, so I'm glad that we aren't," Chyhir replied in a timid mumble. "I still don't know any of the moves, yet."
The doctor stepped forward to replace Scott's spot in front of Halia. A worried frown seemed glued to his face. Needless to say, he did not look confident in his own abilities in the least bit.
"Uh...okay. Good thing I'll be able to heal myself if my nose gets broken or something... Heheh...heh..." He swallowed thickly.
He could deal with gore. He could deal with tense situations. He could deal with most anything pertaining to health. But when it came to pain, the doctor was obviously lacking in defense or composure. Just like anyone else, he hated being hurt or injured and did what he could to avoid dangerous predicaments.
As Halia threw her punch, Chyhir made a rather sloppy imitation of what she had done previously. He was slow and clumsy, even against such a mild attempted blow.
Chyhir hung his head, his cheeks burning. He could only imagine how silly he looked to the both of them...
"I'm not made for this kind of stuff. I've tried this sort of thing before and I failed every time I attempted to toughen up. It happened on Achlad, too, even though I wanted to learn."

[stormy tom]

Halia made sure her blow was not too powerful. She was glad to see the doctor block the move, even if it was sloppy and weak. "You are not as bad as you think you are, Doctor. I can tell you the Captain was even worse than you were when he was training in the Naval Academy. Samuel has told me many amusing stories. He punched like a small Earth girl."
Scott's stare grew harder, though his cheeks dusted slightly pink. He understood what Halia was doing, however, at least to some degree.
"I very nearly broke his arm when he first asked me to teach him," Halia snorted lightly at the memory. "I had not expected his battle skills to be so lacking back then. But he has vastly improved. And so can you. I will not break your arm, Doctor. But you must have some confidence in your own abilities. Especially your ability to learn."
"She's right," Scott joined in. "Not everybody is naturally pre-disposed to be good at fighting. but everybody can learn."
"Some slower than others," Halia shot a look at Scott.
"Hey."
"My apologies, Captain. You learn quickly, but you are not strong." Halia was certainly enjoying this.
"Apology accepted," Scott scowled and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Try again, Doctor. You must not be afraid to defend yourself. Allow your natural instincts to help you and do not hold back. The enemy will not hold back for you." Halia threw exactly the same punch.

[Curious]

Chyhir brightened at Halia and Scott's encouragement. His embarrassed frown turned slightly upward in a hesitant smile.
"You really think I have potential? Back on Achlad I was teased a bit for being inept in self-defense and athleticism when I was a kid, since Achladians take pride in that sort of thing. I was pretty much considered a lost cause, heheh..." His chuckle was devoid of actual humor. That wasn't the only thing he'd been teased for when he still lived on his home planet. "But if you really think you can help me improve, then...well...that's good."
This time, Chyhir readied himself with a bit more confidence than he had the previous try. When Halia threw an identical punch, he blocked once more. He was equally clumsy, but slightly less slow than before.
"Well...I guess that was a little better...? Maybe..." His frown returned.

[stormy tom]

Halia was pleased to find her punch blocked with a bit more speed and strength behind it.
But Scott was the first to say anything. His reaction was almost instant. The blonde approached Chyhir from behind and took his hand by the wrist, his grip surprisingly gently for a man who spent most of his time shooting or flying a ship. They were not hands accustomed to gentleness, but he managed to pull it off.
"Thumb here," he noted. "You'll break it if you punch like that. Just angle it a bit this way." He extended Chyhir's arm again, but held it out at a better angle.
"Suddenly an expert now, Captain?"
"I'm just trying to help," Scott replied quickly. "Here, widen your stance a little, Chyhir, sink into it." He nudge the doctor's foot with his from behind, adding a little pressure to his shoulder to encourage him to bend a little. Then the captain twisted him left to right very slightly by the shoulders. "Now you've got a sturdy base, and you can pivot like this."
"That is good," Halia added. "Until someone goes for his legs."
"One thing at a time," Scott replied. "Give it another go, Chyhir. You're a lot better than you think you are."
Halia threw a third punch on cue, and her captain stepped back to watch.

[Curious]

Before Chyhir knew what was happening, Scott was behind him, touching his wrist, turning him this way and that, and being...generally uncomfortably close. Or, rather, so physically comfortable to Chyhir that it made him mentally uncomfortable. The warmth of the captain's chest on his back and the gentle grip of his fingers on his wrist caused a pink hue to rise in Chyhir's face. He resisted the urge to squirm while avoiding Halia's gaze.
He still smells amazing. Dammit, I shouldn't be mentally pretending to cuddle him like this, it's ridiculous.
Scott's flattery didn't help, either.
This time, when Halia threw a punch, the doctor was so busy being flustered and thinking about how Scott's hands felt on his shoulders that he hardly managed to block at all. It was far more sloppy than his previous attempts.
Again, this didn't help him become any less embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, guys, I'm so sorry..." Chyhir groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. "I feel like such a child right now."
And that's not only because I'm blocking horribly.

[stormy tom]

"Captain, will you go get us some water please?" Halia asked, perceptive enough to notice that the Captain's proximity to the already struggling doctor wasn't helping.
"Sure thing," Scott wandered off and Halia fixed her attention back to Chyhir.
"Let's try again," he offered. "You are doing well. Perhaps you would do better in a real fight where you would not be so distracted. Sometimes the reflexes can jump in when they are needed. Try again Chyhir. You must pretend that I am not your friend but an enemy instead. You must try to convince yourself that you must defend yourself."
Halia threw the same punch again. How could her Captain be so idiotic? He clearly had no idea that the doctor had fallen head-over-heals for him. What a moron that blonde was... Pathetically so. She had never seen the captain have such an effect on anyone before... well, she had, but that was a long time ago. She hadn't known Scott very well back then, but she had still possessed her abilities of observation and perception.
Whoever you are, Doctor, please do not break my Captain. He has suffered enough. Take good care of him. Halia didn't think Chyhir would hurt Scott, in any way, but it was still possible. She had a good feeling, however, and her 'feelings' were always pretty damn accurate.
"We can take a break if you like, Doctor, you do not seem to be to be enjoying yourself."

[Curious]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for not asking me why I'm being so clumsy and giving me some relief, Chyhir thought, eyes glimmering with relief toward Halia. I have to remember to give her extra heated blankets the next time she's in the medical bay or something. She's so merciful...
"Ah, uhm...alright, I'll try." Attempting to view someone so kind as an enemy, especially after what she just did for him, seemed like one of the most difficult things in the world with how grateful he was feeling toward her. Despite that, he forced himself to harden his emotions and focus. This time, he again did slightly better. Bit by bit, he was improving with her encouragement.
"Uh... I don't know, to be honest I'm not. I've never enjoyed this sort of thing and that's another reason I haven't improved much. I guess enthusiasm counts for quite a bit."
Chyhir folded his arms over his stomach and turned his gaze to the floor.
How much longer am I going to last before the truth bursts out of me? Scott is making everything difficult without even realizing it. At least Halia-- Wait. Does...she know? Is that why she asked Scott to leave for a few moments, because she knows? The thought caused his stomach to drop. But I shouldn't be feeling this way toward him... She doesn't...approve me liking him, does she? The desire to ask her itched away at Chyhir, but he knew that would never happen.

[stormy tom]

"You are a fast learner, Doctor," Halia commented, noting his improved block. The captain's absence had surely helped. "Is that how you became such a skilled doctor?"
She watched as their newest recruit seemed to deflate. "It must be difficult to switch from healing people to trying to hurt them," she observed. "The captain does not wish you to go against your nature and be unhappy. He only wishes for your safety. Although his presence is not always reassuring. He is a stern man."
Perhaps Chyhir would like to forget the Captain for a few moments, or at least feel like he wasn't being scrutinized every waking moment. Listening for the approach of the Captain, Halia took what moments she had to slide up to the doctor and whisper in his head, his hair brushing her lips. Her voice was not at all threatening. Perhaps warning a little, but mostly sympathetic, despite her generally cat-like stare that often lacked emotions other than a sort of dark humour in making fun of her Captain. "Be careful, Doctor. You must tread lightly with the Captain. He has a soft heart, but he has been broken before. He needs a soft touch."
Halia was convinced currently that Chyhir could eventually give that to her beloved Captain, but it might take some time. Already Scott seemed surprisingly relaxed around the doctor it was practically a miracle in itself. But she knew that the wrong move could close the captain's walls even thicker.
"Do not despair, Doctor, you are not alone." Halia and the more perceptive of the crew would do what they could to help the Doctor. Ultimately, it was for the good of their Captain. The galaxies only knew how badly he needed that doctor's soft touch. It wasn't just his body that was frequently damaged. His heart had taken a rough beating as well, despite the impeccable job the blonde did of hiding it.