1x1 -- Curious and Stormy

[Curious]

"I asked if you're single?" Knuck blinked twice with a blank expression. The tips of his ears slowly turned red and his gaze darted to the side. "Well, that's not ideal."
Okay, then. That's weird. I'm weird. Oh well, what's done is done, and there ain't no undoing it. Even though I don't remember doing it...?
"Ahem! Anyway! I don't know where I'm goin'. Are you just planning on sleeping here, 'cause...I mean I don't mind, I've slept with Chyhir before. In the same room, I mean. But sleeping on the floor of a cell ain't exactly the most comfy way to go about getting shuteye, so I'm pretty bushed, myself. Is there anywhere that's slightly more ah...soft that I could sleep? I dunno if I'd be allowed to sleep on a cot or not. Heh, that rhymed. Cot or not."

[stormy tom]

Sam shrugged. "We're not even supposed to be in here so I doubt you could snag a cot. You could borrow the chair."
Either way, Sam could handle the floor no problem. He sat down and crossed his arms over his chest, rifle tucked against him, ready to use if someone decided to barge in.

Scott slept through the day and awoke when a nurse came to check some readings. She noticed Sam sitting in the corner, and so made no moves to try to get Scott to get out of the bed. She took down the blood line and replenished the fluids, leaving some food on the little tray table before leaving.
Scott very carefully got out of the bed and pulled the table closer, sitting on the edge of Chyhir's bed to slice one of the apples the nurse had given them. He used one of the throwing knives he'd brought. There was also some warm toast with jam and some hot tea. Scott grabbed the report the nurse had left him and chewed on a slice of apple while he scanned it. Chyhir had really be put through the loops. Darius was not going to get away with this.
But justice could be served later. For now, Scott contented himself with just being able to look after his boyfriend. It looked like he might not be up and about for a little while yet. How had he survived so well and so long with those injuries in the ring? Chyhir was a lot tougher than he gave himself credit for.
Scott lowered the report and reached over to brush some hair from the doctor's face with a soft hand. "Hang in there, hun."

[Curious]

Knuck settled into the chair that Sam had recommended. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him. He waited for quite some time. For whatever reason, however, despite his fatigue, he couldn't catch a wink of sleep. He opened one eye and scanned the dim room. Sam appeared to be asleep and the other two were still passed out, as well.
I wonder if I could just...
He wriggled in his seat and returned his gaze to Sam lying on the floor. It was probably about a minute that he stared, weighing his options.
Maybe he wouldn't mind...
He stood and tiptoed over before kneeling beside the massive male.
"Sam?" he whispered. A few seconds passed. "Sam?" No answer.
Light as a feather, the thin little guy crawled atop him. Yes, this was much better. Nice and warm. He curled up in a circle (not unlike a cat would) on top of Sam, fitting perfectly over his stomach. When he closed his eyes, he was asleep in no time.

Chyhir stirred when he felt a touch to his face and his sharp ears caught a voice. Scott was awake. It took some effort for the doctor to open his eyes.
"Did I ever tell you I'm a light sleeper?" he slurred. Although he made his words out to give the impression of annoyance, he was smiling.
The scent of food wafted its way to his nose and his stomach growled irritably right off the bat. He perked up slightly. Now that his worry was gone and he knew he was safe, he had both the motivation and appetite to eat. He hadn't eaten properly in so long that even his cheeks had thinned out to a noticeable extent.
"Is that fruit spread?" His old youthful excitement returned to his eyes after having been absent for so long.

[stormy tom]

Scott smiled when he saw his lover awaken. "Sure is," he replied. "I'll start you with the toast. It's good for an upset stomach, and if you haven't eaten well for a while it might help prepare your stomach for something more substantial." He tilted the bed a little higher so Chyhir could eat without sitting up, putting the report aside for the moment.
"How did you sleep? Do you feel any better?" Scott asked, holding the plate against Chyhir's chest so the doctor could hold the toast with his good arm and leave his injured one to rest. "We've got as much time as you need so there's no rush. Nobody knows we're here but the nurses, and so far they haven't caught on. Darius doesn't know we're here either. He thinks we left on the Endeavour and never comes round this sector of the infirmary to discover otherwise."
The captain didn't want the doctor feel rushed in any way. "But I need you to be honest with me, okay? Whatever happens you're not walking out of here. Your leg is broken. Sam or I will carry you to a ship when you're good to go." Scott was no doctor, but he did intent to at least try to take on the role to make sure the actual doctor didn't go doing anything he shouldn't be. Scott knew for himself that he would be up and running out of here as soon as possible, ready or not, but he had no idea how good a patient Chyhir himself was.

Sam continued to sleep, content to catch up on his rest. He was a deep sleeper, and there were currently no threats.

[Curious]

"Alright. I know what you mean, even if I really want more than that," he replied with a tiny chuckle. He munched on the toast contentedly and listened to Scott. He smiled in between bites. Scott was adorable.
"I definitely feel better than I did. Even if I wasn't being tended to, I'd do plenty better in just knowing that you were okay. So all this happening...all this relief in so many ways...I'm doing fantastic.
He shuddered, taking another bite of toast.
"My memory isn't too happy, though. The worst part about being here wasn't getting hurt, it was seeing innocent people so desperate to escape this place that they were hurting others. Uh...you don't know about what happens here, right?" He set down his breakfast for a few moments to explain. "Darius has an arena in which prisoners compete to escape. If they win enough times, they're let out. He didn't use it for me in that way, though--it was punishment for when I didn't give him information that he wanted." His stomach sunk at the memory and he almost lost his appetite at that moment, but looking at Scott's face pulled his spirit back into place. He returned to nibbling on his toast.

[stormy tom]

Scott's face furrowed. Darius made him so, so angry. "I had a vague idea that this system was operating before I left the navy, but I learned fully about it while I was working on my plan to rescue you," he explained. "I built myself a second identity, worked my way through the ranks of the warriors enough to give Darius an idea of how strong I was in the hopes he would eventually pair me with you. Turned out I didn't have to be so precise. He was hand-picking prisoners from records, but he didn't know what they all looked like. So just took down the next guy in line, and there I was."
He forced himself to relax. That part was over now. They could move on, forget about it. Or at least try. "I'm glad you didn't get more badly hurt," he sighed. "My medical knowledge is limited so I can't do much to help you. Looks like me and Halia should be able to look after you, looking at this report."
Scott held up the piece of paper describing the injuries Chyhir had sustained, as well as a list of procedures and treatment going forward. The main one was rest, and lots of it. Next down was keeping off his legs for a while. Medical science had come a long way, which meant Chyhir would heal faster than had he been on Earth. But it would still take some time. His shoulder injury was deep, and had not been treated immediately. Not to mention his broken leg, which he had been walking on. Then on top of the dehydration, lack of food, and exhaustion? It might take a little while for the doctor to get back up and running again.
But Scott would be there to do whatever was needed.
"You've got stay off you feet for a while," Scott explained quietly. "Take it easy. You're pretty tough, you know that? Running around with these injuries? You really do fit right in with this crew." He offered the doctor a piece of apple and a sip of tea, supporting the cup so the liquid would not spill. It was herbal, and might make him feel better.

[Curious]

"Yes, it's...awful." Chyhir sighed shakily and busied himself with finishing his toast instead of focusing on what had happened in that wretched place. "I'm sure you've seen enough of it to know how terrible it is."
Chyhir gratefully received the slice of apple and sip of tea. He regarded the fruit with affection especially, as it reminded him of his earlier times with Scott, even though they hadn't been that long ago.
"That was really brave of you to go through all that, especially just for me. I...couldn't bring myself to fight back against any of my opponents, they were all so...sad. And part of me wanted to let them hurt me enough to win because it meant they'd have a chance to escape..." He swallowed thickly even though he was long done with his meal and stared at the wall ahead of him. "So I just sat there every time... One of them was...mad...learned to enjoy it...and he..." His voice died in his throat. The fresh scratch marks on his back burned.

[stormy tom]

Scott reached out and returned the plate to the tray, taking Chyhir's hand in both of his. "Hey. It's over. You're safe here with me. Look me in the eyes, Chyhir. The universe is full of awful things, and as much as I try I can't protect you from all of them. Not your innocence anyway... I wish I could have traded places with you so you didn't have to experience all that. But the best I can do for you now is help you heal." He fixed his blue eyes on the doctor. "So do me a favour, okay? None of this is your fault. The same thing would have happened had someone else been in your position. They would have given themselves to Darius in the hopes that I might be safe, I know it. And all of them would have been horrified by what they would have had to endure. What Darius did t you is not your fault. It's not because you are weak, in body or spirit. It's because he knows how to hurt people, and he's good at it."
Scott hoped he could breathe a little logic into the situation, but he also knew it might take some time for Chyhir to come to terms with things.
"Here," Scott held out the mug of tea. "Have a little more tea, okay? You look tired. Maybe you should try to get some more rest, hun, you look a lot better. But still not too great." He bent down and kissed the doctor's forehead. "I won't go anywhere."

[Curious]

Again, affection flooded into Chyhir like a dam bursting. Scott was so sweet and so very gentle with him. He knew exactly what to say to him to alleviate his fear or sadness, without fail. This man standing before him was just so...perfect. Chyhir could have cried for the millionth time out of warmth alone, but he was frankly too tired for that kind of strain.
"I love you so much," he breathed. "So much."
The comfort of tea was far inferior to Scott's both physical and verbal consolations, but Chyhir drank some more, anyway. He tucked into it with a sigh. The heat trickling through his body felt quite nice.
"You don't have to stay here, though." He looked up from the mug. "I don't want to be burdensome to you. Any more than I already have been, that is. I'm sure you need to tend to things outside of babying me, especially taking care of yourself."

[stormy tom]

Scott waved a hand. "All part of the plan, Chyhir, I promise. There is nothing else I need to attend to, and frankly, I wouldn't rather be anywhere else than here with you. Darius came after you because of me. The least I can do is stay by your side and help you get better. Besides, that's by job and pleasure as your captain and boyfriend. So be quiet and let me look after you for once. You've done a heck of a lot of looking after me already."
He would have given almost anything to switch places with the doctor. But the universe didn't work like that. "Get some more rest Chyhir, you won't be alone."
Not now, not ever