1x1 -- Curious and Stormy

[Curious]

"Ah...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm sure the last thing you need is another scare," Chyhir murmured with a long yawn.
He could have sworn that Scott's kiss shot life straight into him. His eyes seemed to suddenly glisten with activity and strength flowed into his body. He didn't even care that Knuck was blushing and looking away in the background. He lifted an arm to grasp his shoulder despite the way his muscles screamed in protest.
"Alright... I'm glad. Thank you...for everything. Even though I specifically told you not to come after me." Even in his terribly weak state, he still managed to summon an almost scolding expression. "If you had gotten hurt because you came after me I...I don't know what I'd do..." His shivering hand moved from Scott's shoulder to his fuzzy cheek.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, Captain Lumberjack," he chuckled in reply to his fretting. "I'm more concerned about you. You don't look all that great, yourself. Still handsome, but...you know what I mean."

Meanwhile, now that he had been assured that Chyhir was okay, Knuck was looking at Sam. Well, more like squinting up at Sam through his goggles, considering he was maybe half his height.
"'Ey. Forgot to introduce myself. I'm Knuck, weapons merchant. You're Sam, right? That's what Cappy called you earlier," he started in a quiet voice as to not disturb the couple across the room. He gestured with a thumb at Scott. "Do you think we should leave 'em alone, or...? I'm not so good with emotional stuff, so I dunno."

[stormy tom]

Scott chuckled. Captain Lumberjack. Not quite the description he would use for himself... but perhaps the beard did give him a sort of lumberjack feel. He took Chyhir's wrist and gently pressed his hand back against his stomach. "I'm fine, Chyhir. Just a little tired. I've been up for long hours planning the past couple of weeks. But I did get a good night's sleep before initiating it. I'll get some more rest later. For now I'm happy to just stay up with you. And maybe I'll shave later too," Scott rubbed his furry face. He hadn't grown a beard in forever. It put years on his appearance, but it did soften the solid lines of his jaw.
The captain rubbed his eyes clear and leaned back in his chair. "And there was no question about coming after you," Scott explained, fixing Chyhir with a calm stare. "It's my fault you ended up here like this anyway. My past got in the way and hurt you. I'm sorry."


Sam offered Knuck his meaty hand. He probably could have crushed the smaller creature's head in that hand. "Sam's right," he replied with a grin. Then he laughed. "'Cappy's not great with emotional stuff either my friend, and neither am I. But I'm happy to hang back and give them some space. So Scotty's makin' some new friends..." Sam tapped the rifle in his hand with a big finger, thoughtful.
"So, you hangin' around with us for a bit? I warn you, the captain and his crew are dangerous people." He grinned slyly at Knuck. "I suppose you've heard of the infamous criminal Mr. Blackwood? Sure you have, it's a navy base. They'd be the first to know. Anyway, glad to meet you."

[Curious]

Chyhir's heart squeezed in his chest. Scott really had been working tirelessly to save him. It made him feel both touched that he cared so much and guilty for causing him so much trouble. His head bowed from his pillow slightly and he turned away in hopes that Scott wouldn't see the tears in his eyes.
"No, it's not you, it's...it's me. I'm sorry...I know I've caused you a lot of trouble, way more than I'm worth. This is my fault. I wasn't brave enough to shoot Darius when I had the chance, and now look at me--look at you. Neither of us are in good shape and Darius even escaped. I'm a coward, Scott, and you're a hero. Not to be gloomy, but I feel like...I don't deserve you? I don't know..."
I can't be like this. I'm supposed to be supportive, not weak. Scott has enough problems without me being self-conscious.
"I'm sorry," he whispered again.

Unintimidated by the fellow's size, Knuck shook his hand without hesitation. His own clawed hand could hardly even wrap around Sam's.
"Nah, I think I'll be fine, mate. I'm pretty dangerous myself, too. I don't only design and create weapons, I also use 'em, and use 'em good. If I had a blaster a bit ago, that slimy Darius guy wouldn't have had two seconds to flee. He'd be dead. Boom, splat." He splayed his hands out in a gesture that apparently resembled an explosion and widened his already-big eyes.

[stormy tom]

Scott wanted to scream, shout, slap Chyhir across the face. But instead he sighed and reached for Chyhir's face, turning it to face him and cupping both cheeks. "No." He said firmly. "That's not true. You risked your life instead of throwing your morals out the window. The fact that you could not shoot him just proves you've got a strong moral code that you chose not to break. And that is strength of the soul. That's all I can ask for in my crew, Chyhir. Remember what I told you about bravery? Choosing not to kill or even injure Darius was a choice of bravery. And you protected me in the process. So don't be sorry, and don't give me any of that crap. You saved me. I was just returning the favour."
Scott tried for a smirk, bringing his face closer. "And I'll save you any time honey. You wouldn't be in my crew if you weren't worth it. Next time I see Darius I'll take him down myself and we won't have to worry about him anymore. Then he can't hurt either of us or anyone else ever again. I'm the one who doesn't deserve you, Chyhir. Here you are, putting your faith in a criminal who can't even shake the past."

Sam grinned. "Looks like we picked up just the right guy! We'd be happy to have another enthusiastic enemy of Mr. Edgar. But you might have to fight Scotty for the honour of killing the monster." He leaned in closer and brought his voice down. "The two have a bit of a history."

[Curious]

Chyhir returned Scott's passionate gaze with his own sullen one.
"B-but...I..." His protest faded away almost immediately and he sighed with defeat. He didn't feel like arguing with him, not one bit, so he decided to just let it go. He wrapped his arms around Scott's torso rather weakly and nuzzled his face into the crook of his shoulder.
"I would say 'you must be a criminal because you stole my heart,' but that's way too cheesy. It's the first thing that popped into my head, though," he muttered into Scott's shirt.
He paused for a few moments, buried deeper into the fabric, then whispered in a broken voice: "I never w-want to see that man again...ever..." Flashes of what he'd been forced into faded in and out of his memory. He felt sick to his stomach.

Knuck glanced at the scene of Scott and Chyhir with an uncomfortable frown. Like the doctor, he hated seeing others in pain, but he didn't handle his reactions as well as him. He lowered his voice even further, feeling out of place.
"Yeah, uh...I can tell. Geez, that man Darius really is messed up, making someone like Chyhir fight for his life in such a way. I can handle stuff like that (I already have), but...him? I doubt the poor fella could hurt a fly even if he wanted to."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Can I touch your tentacle hair thingies?"

[stormy tom]

Scott knew pick-up lines were like the stupidest things ever, but when Chyhir made the joke he couldn't help but blush a little and smile softly. He lowered himself closer, allowing Chyhir to snuggle close to him a little before taking the doctor's arms and unwrapping them, gently but firmly pressing them back against the bed. "Careful. Don't undo all the work those surgeons did on you. You should get some rest, okay? Here," Scott carefully lifted the blanket and lay down beside the doctor, cradling his head against his chest with gentle hands. "Better?"
He would happily share his warmth with the doctor, make him feel safer. Whatever needed to happen he would do it. Darius wasn't laying another finger on Chyhir. "Don't worry, hun, nobody understands that better than I do. He won't harm you again."
Because the next time Darius got within aim of his rifle sight, Scott would kill the bigger man.
"Now I'm ordering you as your captain to get some rest," Scott wrapped his arm around Chyhir, placing a hand on the doctor's forehead. "I'll get some rest too, will that make you feel better? And I'll be here when you wake up. Promise. But wake me up if you need or want anything. Otherwise, you've got a lot of healing to do."

Sam grinned and bent down, tentacles lifting off his shoulders and extending toward Knuck. They were smooth and green-blue-coloured, behaving almost as separate entities to Sam. Although friendly and docile now, they could crush a human hand easily, maybe even a wrist depending on the size of the tentacle and the size of the person. Those tentacles were strong.
"Go ahead," Sam offered cheerfully. "Wanna see something really cool?"
The big man shook himself like a wet dog. When he stopped his dark skin had rippled and was shimmering bright blue and green as tiny scales flipped over, hiding the human skin on one side and revealing the more, uh, fishy side that was his natural appearance. He would have offered Knuck to shoot him so he could see the ripples of the blaster shot travel across his skin doing almost no noticeable damage. But he decided against it. No shooting in the infirmary, an certainly not near his best friend and injured boyfriend.

[Curious]

Chyhir let out a blissful sigh once Scott had settled into his hospital bed. He his heavy eyelids slid shut almost immediately. He knew from experience that the nurses and doctors there wouldn't be happy that his lover was in bed with him, but frankly, he didn't care.
So this is what it feels like to all those people who insist on keeping their lover close while they're in the hospital. I used to get annoyed when they were clingy and refused to separate, but...now I get why they do that. Just having Scott close to me makes me feel so much better and safer. It's amazing. Like magic.
He wholeheartedly believed every word that left Scott's lips, giving him even more of a sense of security.
"Mmh...okay... Love you..." Ten seconds and he was out cold.

Knuck burst into a grin full of fangs. He eagerly extended a hand to poke, prod, and lightly grab the tentacles like a kid at a touch pool aquarium exhibit.
"Holy haboob, they're so gross," he whispered, wrinkling his nose, "I love it."
That grin of his only widened when he witnessed the phenomenon of Sam's skin transformation. His fawn eyes widened in awe and he placed a hand on one of Sam's muscular arms, stroking it with a smooth palm.
"Woah, what a beauty. I wish my own scales were as colorful. They're no fun," he gestured to his reddish-brown self with his free hand. "I'm not even considered attractive on my home planet. Not that it matters that much, it's just a bummer, I guess." He shrugged his bony shoulders.

[stormy tom]

Scott sighed a smile and started to fall asleep himself, tightly pressed against Chyhir. He needed some rest himself. He'd been running around like crazy for a while now, and a bit of rest would do him good.
He kissed Chyhir's ear and fell asleep too.

Sam laughed. "Hey, they aren't gross!" The tentacles wiggled in affirmation, but continued to allow the smaller man to tug on them. Although shiny, Sam was not slimy like a fish might be. His scales could produce an impact-absorbing fluid when he took blaster shots, helping his body to protect itself from damage and heal faster. But otherwise he was just smooth.
He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows and flexing. "You like them? You'll like this then little guy." Sam turned around and pulled off his shirt, scales on his back rearranging and rippling to make room for spikes to grow out on either side of his spine. They were slight curved and angled, sharp along the under edge. They made perfect rudders while swimming. Sam held up his hands and pressed his fingers together, the separated. A thin film spread out between them. Then he pressed his fingers together again and spread them, the film gone. His species could do an excellent job of blending in while on land. The right hood and Sam could pass for a human.
A very big human, that is.
He blinked once, a clear film falling over his eyes. He blinked again and it was gone. "Pretty cool huh?" Scott had never shown such blatant interest in his hidden abilities. Scott thought they were cool, certainly, but he showed it in different ways. Speaking of whom... Sam glanced over as his spikes folded back against his spine and his scales rippled back to their dark human skin tone. His captain was asleep. Ah, at last. Both halves of the couple needed their rest.
Sam turned back to Knuck. "Ah, we've got all sorts in our crew. You're not so bad-looking to me. Anyway, our ship isn't a fashion show, despite the presence of our dashing captain."
He could say what he liked: Scott asleep.

[Curious]

Knuck looked as though he had just seen an extremely convincing magic trick. His hands clasped together and his ears pointed straight up with delight.
"Why, you're a regular old shapeshifter, aren't ya?"
The ballistics expert moved forward to run a hand down Sam's spine. He ogled at the spikes that had formed across his back, touching the tip of one lightly with a finger.
"What kind of species are you? Are you a hybrid of some kind?" Questions poured from his mouth faster than he could fully register them. "Do you swim often? Does it hurt when the spikes come out? Are you single? Can you camouflage into any color? How about your tentacles, can they change color, too? Do you control the tentacles, really?"
Suddenly, he stopped. He glanced to the side at the couple fast asleep in each others' arms.
"Uh...I should probably stop talking so loudly, shouldn't I?"

[stormy tom]

Sam laughed. "I'm no hybrid. My species can adapt to living above ground and blending in. I look mostly human unless I need to use my other abilities. I don't get much chance to swim frankly. The Endeavour doesn't go to many oceanic planets. I can't change colour otherwise. I can control my tentacles but they generally move around without my conscious interference. And yeah, I'm single," Sam wiggled his eyebrows, than glanced back at the sleeping couple. "Perhaps we should keep quiet, yes."

He would give the pair as much time as they needed to sleep. "I might need a nap too actually. I've been running around trying to keep up with the captain. Wake me if anything happens, okay?"