Scum & Villainy // Nick & Tonic

[potionandpoison]

It's a quiet day on the ship. Most of the crew is out gathering supplies or ship parts, or holed up in whatever nook of the ship they've taken over as their own. Tonic is at the galley table today, dressed in what he would consider very casual clothing and whatever eyeliner didn't get scrubbed off the night before, picking through a datapad to research potential leads.

Whatever Nick is doing in the galley, it has been happening without interruption for a blessedly long time... But eventually, Tonic's attention wanders, and he suddenly asks one of those blunt questions that are becoming the trademark way the doctor chooses to interact with him.

"Why's your face look like that, anyway?" Perfectly casual, he rests his chin on his hand. "What's the deal?"

Comments

[potionandpoison]

He makes a thoughtful sound, considering what Nick says for a moment... Tonic hasn't been a doctor for very long, but he was something before that to which the statement still might apply. He wonders if he used to care more, when people died. If he'd ever had the thought to find out what happened to them. The thought of then giving that information to the people they left behind, though, that makes his stomach churn just imagining it.

"Oh." He says, suddenly, "Because it needs to stay a secret."

He glances up a second later, realizing with surprise that yes, he definitely said that out-loud. "Sorry, that was... I think I just found a piece of it."

[mohylnyk]

The thoughtful sound draws Nick's attention again, and he watches while Tonic works through his thoughts. Nick is curious, but he's gotten so used to not prying, to waiting for whoever wants to talk to find the words on their own.

Prying just drives people away, and he's already very good at being left behind. He doesn't need to get even better at it.

"Finding things is what I do best. Hope it wasn't a bad realization." Nick says quietly. Tonic has been through more than his fair share of shit lately, after all.

[potionandpoison]

"Mm, not necessarily. It might turn out good."

He thinks of moving on, glancing to Nick's side, the entire reason he'd visited in the first place. But what comes out of his mouth isn't a change of subject, but a thoughtful question punctuated by a smirk at the end.

"Are you interested? I feel like everyone here is too polite to ask about these sorts of things."

[mohylnyk]

Seeing Tonic's attention go to his side reminded Nick why he was there in the first place. Grabbing at the edge of his shirt, Nick starts to lift it to show where there's still some residual bruising - with his two toned skin it paints a rainbow on his side at the bottom of his ribcage.

He freezes at being called out, unable to stop the glare that comes with it. Most of Nick's natural expressions involve glares.

"... People tend to just walk away if you ask them too many questions, so," he replies evasively, looking away from Tonic. It wasn't a 'no', but he's too embarrassed to say yes.

[potionandpoison]

Oh, Tonic is immune to glares. If anything, they only make him more powerful. “Oh, I know.”

With a smirk, he looks curiously at the wound, trying to imagine how bad the damage could be underneath with his limited knowledge of how fast Nick might heal from injuries. But it’s not like there’s a rib sticking out... or any obvious re-bruising along the surface.

“But before that,” definitely not ruling their conversation out either, but there is work to be done. “May I touch you? I don’t want anything I do to be a surprise.”

His hands are still resting non-threateningly in his lap, in case there are any qualms.

[mohylnyk]

"You're the doctor," Nick says with a small snort, still not looking at Tonic and keeping his shirt held up and out of the way. "... Yeah, I figured that would be involved when I asked."

Also part of why it took him so long to get up the courage to do so.

[potionandpoison]

"I'm also very clever," he posits, scooting a little closer, "There are options if you don't like something, is all I'm saying."

He's still going to reach out and touch his side, though. He uses his good hand, starting at the edge of where he can see bruising and pressing very lightly to feel for swelling or anything else that shouldn't be there. While it seems like the good doctor can't pass up an opportunity to flirt--he actually moves fairly quickly, focused very intently on what he is doing despite continuing to talk at the same time.

"If it makes you feel any better, we could share back and forth again. I thought that was rather charming, last time."