[all at once: he's tired. such occurrences increased over the last eighty-plus hours. hot to cold, awake to exhausted, antsy to still. a frown makes its way onto his face, hands dropping to curl into the bottoms of the combat uniform's side pouches. shoulders droop in time, head angling downward as seconds tick back, thoughts running into why haven't you got that fixed, backpedaling into what was it about, ultimately leaving him with nothing to act upon.]
[the ball. three steps forward, stoops to grab it. ends up crouching on the toes of his feet, volleyball raised for seemingly close inspection.]
Like that, they're gonna mend funny. [in the same voice, a little less dusty. another sniff.] Then your fingers're going to be even lumpier than they already are, and the door's gonna know it won.
[the man's movements didn't sit right with him. even in his worst anger-- especially in his worst anger- Nic's fluidity, the assurance of power in every muscle, had been points of admiration. enforced, prolonged pain when they could be called to action at any moment... even beyond duty: self-enforced pain. absurd. unsettling.]
[he would've immediately written it off as another thing he couldn't understand, but. maybe it was time to chip away at that.]
[ really, it's a wonder hinata has managed to go on for as long as he already has. it's been a harrowing couple of days for everyone, but for hinata especially, considering all that he's done (while still probably convinced he hadn't done a thing). and while nic isn't privy to what went on during his black box, he can surmise from tess' reaction that it hadn't been a walk in the park, either.
then again, nic can't say he's all that surprised. the boy had always been surprisingly resilient. maybe they were all wrong to worry so much, after all. ]
it WOn, [ nic replies dully. ] doEsn'T MaTtEr iF iT KNOws.
[ his head hangs heavy, much like the rest of his tired limbs, but he doesn't tip it back against the shelf like he wants to. he wouldn't be able to read his cuff if he did. ]
[-- so he would've thought months on months ago; now, he plops down.]
[sets the volleyball between his legs, idly rolls it forward and back.]
Sorry.
[sign instead of word. easier to concentrate on moving hands that didn't feel like a real language for an apology that shouldn't have been difficult. then again, if he actually had hindsight, he'd know it would have been impossible before trying to hold organs in with bare hands alone, before wooden floors and Tess's kind tone. before all that happened overshadowed his own lapse in judgment, and while his pride hadn't picked itself up - while shame and you hold me back sits as a laden stone in his stomach - he had gained more than a few new thoughts on it, and one of those were:]
[he'd been out of line.]
[shoving down someone doing their job, who wouldn't even fight back--]
[it'd been out of line.]
[should've apologized for the red mark on Nic's cheek, too. if the guy took it as that, he wouldn't argue.]
jesus christ i am so sorry for how late this tag is i seriously lost this notif wails
[ it's a good, long while before nic decides to respond. signing would be easier, but it would also require more use of his hands, and while the gestures wouldn't cause too much pain, he isn't too willing to have his hands become the center of attention given their current state.
people don't often say sorry to him, and nic nearly tells him as much. but then he realizes this might not be entirely about him in the first place, and that is a little easier to swallow than the alternative.
so he lets it happen. lets it be said, in the language he knows best, too, and lets hinata have this moment.
and when it passes, he'll offer: ]
YoUR aiM iSN't bAd.
slowly shakes head and takes your hand anD SQUEEZES IT AAAA LENA ruins the mood with this tag
[entirely involuntary, and entirely universal, if Nic's eyes are anywhere close to his face. brown jumps up from the volleyball, whole body stilling. staring, befuddled.]
[aim in... what? in saying sorry? in sticking his hand on explosives?]
[his face remains a bemused blank for as long as he stares. and it's for a while.]
why do you build me up buttercup then you bring me down
[ nic had made it a point to keep his face turned away, to only keep the boy in the corner of his eyes. he hadn't wanted to make a big deal of his words, and he'd been fully prepared to brush it off, should the kid want to pursue it...
but a complete confusion hadn't been an expectation at all, so it throws nic for a few seconds. prompts the older male to swivel his head around and return that blank stare for one that's mildly incredulous. ]
[ easier to stare at those hands than that blatantly blank expression. but the hands say nothing to him (why would they, the boy struggled with "sorry") so his eyes flicker back to hinata's face despite himself.
aim for what, he says.
no no. bad enough nic had to compliment the kid in the first place — yes, had to, because he definitely wouldn't have said it of his own volition, hell no — he sure as hell isn't about to clarify. ]
nOThiNG. [ his teeth grit, head jerking to glance away (and perhaps hide the angry red splotches that light up his cheeks). ] foRGet IT.
W-w-- [spluttering, knees dropping to the floor as he over-balanced in his haste,] --ait, wait!
[it might've been weird to press the issue -- it felt awkward, especially as Nic glanced away, his words even more grit out than usual. but as with his throw after finding the man, as with the argument in the hallway, once on a roll, he couldn't exactly stop.]
[especially because if Nic said it here, it must've meant something. -- and, beyond that, it... sounded nice, something he might've thanked or felt gratitude for, and - empathetic, off-handedly apologetic,]
[...?! why'd he look so uncomfortable? was it that big of a deal? all he had to do was just say wha--a--]
[--!!!]
Ouch! Oi! Nic, what the hell?!
[never one to be bested (or one to react appropriately, which would be to get away from the whacko kicking a kid), he drops the volleyball to snag the leg that nearly tips him over, using it to kick back at other's side.]
[very carefully avoiding anything close to Nic's hands, mind. don't think he didn't see how mangled those were.]
[ two boys, legs in the air, trying to tip the other one over with force but not too much force because they're both so dumb and this whole thing is dumb and if nic actually used his real strength then hinata would probably have a foot through his ribs right now but that'd just be dumb.
[one of the people in this spat is sixteen. the other...]
S-shut up! Why aren't you in medical?!
[... is a slightly taller, bigger baby, and Hinata wouldn't let him forget it. honestly, why'd he want to apologize to this guy--?! what a weirdo! freaking out over the strangest things, changing moods in the blink of an eye! (hold on, a tiny, hardly heard voice in the back of Hinata's mind whispered. hold on. is he embarrassed...?)]
[(...)]
[(if he was, he's an even bigger weirdo!)]
[---- and yet, the idea of leaving without getting an answer to why Nic hadn't gotten his hands checked out suddenly seemed... quite erroneous. even worse, near unthinkable. to emphasis his point, he jabbed his shoe's toe more stubbornly into the guy's side. it probably felt no worse than a flea's bite, but Hinata would also stubbornly ignore the imbalance between them.]
[ does it help if nic is still mentally 13? no? oh okay.
the mention of medical jut puts a bit of tension in nic's shoulders — not so much over the idea of medical itself (though that's certainly a bit of a factor — he doesn't trust anyone in there) but more over the realization that the kid's noticed enough about him to realize he probably needs to be in there.
[despite missing the tension in the other's shoulders, the change in atmosphere is as noticeable as stepping on a tack. Hinata's foot freezes in its attempts to jab Nic into movement; if he looks any more confused, it could perhaps be attributed to Nic's choice in excuse.]
So plug your nose.
[-- after a pause, his own expression pinching briefly in bemusement before continuing. a good thing Nic couldn't hear tone, he leaned too heavily on concerned.]
No, really. What's up? They don't ask questions, if that's what you're worried about.
[though he couldn't imagine why Nic would be worried about that.]
[ nic doesn't have a lot of value for his life. that much surely wouldn't be much of a surprise, given how often he's found in states like this, how often he willingly puts himself there.
lives like his, they're expendable, and replaceable, and it's just common sense not to waste time trying to fix something that keeps breaking.
so this "care" that so many medical professionals (or otherwise) here claim to distribute indiscriminately — it is too foreign not to be a lie, and too insensible not to be distrusted.
so while he may not value his life, when he is asked to pretend to, he certainly doesn't put it in the hands of people he does not trust. ]
[of course - these are things Hinata doesn't understand.]
[doesn't even fathom. he pauses only because a moment passes wherein he wonders if Twilights had regeneration like Wilson's; the moment leaves with a resounding no way, otherwise he'd be already fine in its wake.]
... You could at least set them. I'll grab the materials.
[foot dropping from Nic's side with a suspicious look on his face. it was the least he could do after causing the man so much trouble--- it was the least he could do, as those fingers looked awful.]
[and different as the origin may have been, he knew as well as any swordsman how valuable one's hands were.]
[ a quiet, steadying breath. a tightness around his lips that seem to settle on a refusal, already ready with it, but when he actually responds, the words seem to surprise even him. ]
dON'T knOw HoW.
[ he's seen theo and nina do it a million times, 90% of those on his own hands. but with both damaged, there's no chance he'd be able to do it right, not that he'd be able to do it right despite.
his hands have never been very good at fixing things. ]
I'm sorry for smashing into... set timelines....... aahhh.
[as the other's expression sets him up to expect refusal, the answer surprises the both of them. for Hinata, it made for a... somewhat pleasant surprise. headway, anyway. words turned over quick, head tilting as suspicion slid smoothly into consideration.]
Then, [still not understanding why Nic wouldn't just go to medical, but accepting it as an immobile obstacle,] we can go to Hange. She knows how. And she spends more time being science-y in her room than at medical, far as I'm aware.
[whenever it might have become a "we," the conditional was apparently there to stay.]
[ he is far too old, nic decides suddenly, to be expected to put up much of a fight in the face of all this dogged stubbornness. it's all too reminiscent of nina's coddling, without the actual coddling, and frankly it's annoying as hell.
is it so wrong to want a little peace and quiet around here? ]
[in short: yes. in long: especially when in relation to Shouyou Hinata, yes.]
[he very carefully keeps himself from immediately beaming upon victory, because one, it wasn't actually a victory (it was a bit of a victory), and two, Nic probably would just look grumpier (and he was supposed to for the purpose of this visit be kind, for all their tussling made that stick).]
[with a smile that wasn't a beam but did brim with happiness in a manner almost more unbecoming, he nodded vigorously, and swayed up to his feet. half-turned to the exit, stopped, waited.]
It'll go real smoothly! It'll be over before you know it! [quickly signing, as it was more productive than fidgeting:] Let's go! Let's go!
[ well hinata's right about one thing — that barely contained smile does annoy nic even more, but you're pretty much hitting par for the course either way, hinata.
nic, of course, takes his time getting up. in fact he seems to be going about a lot slower than usual, likely to hinder and annoy the other boy. he takes his sweet ass time making sure his blackglass and book are closed up and tucked into one of his pockets (thank jesus for cargo pants) and pretty much drags his feet towards the exit.
what's the hurry anyway. they'll still be broken later. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[...]
[all at once: he's tired. such occurrences increased over the last eighty-plus hours. hot to cold, awake to exhausted, antsy to still. a frown makes its way onto his face, hands dropping to curl into the bottoms of the combat uniform's side pouches. shoulders droop in time, head angling downward as seconds tick back, thoughts running into why haven't you got that fixed, backpedaling into what was it about, ultimately leaving him with nothing to act upon.]
[the ball. three steps forward, stoops to grab it. ends up crouching on the toes of his feet, volleyball raised for seemingly close inspection.]
Like that, they're gonna mend funny. [in the same voice, a little less dusty. another sniff.] Then your fingers're going to be even lumpier than they already are, and the door's gonna know it won.
[the man's movements didn't sit right with him. even in his worst anger-- especially in his worst anger- Nic's fluidity, the assurance of power in every muscle, had been points of admiration. enforced, prolonged pain when they could be called to action at any moment... even beyond duty: self-enforced pain. absurd. unsettling.]
[he would've immediately written it off as another thing he couldn't understand, but. maybe it was time to chip away at that.]
[(it seemed important enough.)]
no subject
then again, nic can't say he's all that surprised. the boy had always been surprisingly resilient. maybe they were all wrong to worry so much, after all. ]
it WOn, [ nic replies dully. ] doEsn'T MaTtEr iF iT KNOws.
[ his head hangs heavy, much like the rest of his tired limbs, but he doesn't tip it back against the shelf like he wants to. he wouldn't be able to read his cuff if he did. ]
no subject
[-- so he would've thought months on months ago; now, he plops down.]
[sets the volleyball between his legs, idly rolls it forward and back.]
Sorry.
[sign instead of word. easier to concentrate on moving hands that didn't feel like a real language for an apology that shouldn't have been difficult. then again, if he actually had hindsight, he'd know it would have been impossible before trying to hold organs in with bare hands alone, before wooden floors and Tess's kind tone. before all that happened overshadowed his own lapse in judgment, and while his pride hadn't picked itself up - while shame and you hold me back sits as a laden stone in his stomach - he had gained more than a few new thoughts on it, and one of those were:]
[he'd been out of line.]
[shoving down someone doing their job, who wouldn't even fight back--]
[it'd been out of line.]
[should've apologized for the red mark on Nic's cheek, too. if the guy took it as that, he wouldn't argue.]
jesus christ i am so sorry for how late this tag is i seriously lost this notif wails
people don't often say sorry to him, and nic nearly tells him as much. but then he realizes this might not be entirely about him in the first place, and that is a little easier to swallow than the alternative.
so he lets it happen. lets it be said, in the language he knows best, too, and lets hinata have this moment.
and when it passes, he'll offer: ]
YoUR aiM iSN't bAd.
slowly shakes head and takes your hand anD SQUEEZES IT AAAA LENA ruins the mood with this tag
[entirely involuntary, and entirely universal, if Nic's eyes are anywhere close to his face. brown jumps up from the volleyball, whole body stilling. staring, befuddled.]
[aim in... what? in saying sorry? in sticking his hand on explosives?]
[his face remains a bemused blank for as long as he stares. and it's for a while.]
why do you build me up buttercup then you bring me down
but a complete confusion hadn't been an expectation at all, so it throws nic for a few seconds. prompts the older male to swivel his head around and return that blank stare for one that's mildly incredulous. ]
whAT eh?
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I-it's just, uh. [hands raising, gesturing (meaningless), falling. continued confusion meets Nic's incredulity head-on, holds.] My aim for what?
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aim for what, he says.
no no. bad enough nic had to compliment the kid in the first place — yes, had to, because he definitely wouldn't have said it of his own volition, hell no — he sure as hell isn't about to clarify. ]
nOThiNG. [ his teeth grit, head jerking to glance away (and perhaps hide the angry red splotches that light up his cheeks). ] foRGet IT.
no subject
[it might've been weird to press the issue -- it felt awkward, especially as Nic glanced away, his words even more grit out than usual. but as with his throw after finding the man, as with the argument in the hallway, once on a roll, he couldn't exactly stop.]
[especially because if Nic said it here, it must've meant something. -- and, beyond that, it... sounded nice, something he might've thanked or felt gratitude for, and - empathetic, off-handedly apologetic,]
No, really. Aim for what?
no subject
so what does a mature, grown ass man do in a situation he isn't comfortable with?
fucking twist around so you can shove your foot against the other party's shoulder and shove them away THAT'S WHAT. ]
no subject
[--!!!]
Ouch! Oi! Nic, what the hell?!
[never one to be bested (or one to react appropriately, which would be to get away from the whacko kicking a kid), he drops the volleyball to snag the leg that nearly tips him over, using it to kick back at other's side.]
[very carefully avoiding anything close to Nic's hands, mind. don't think he didn't see how mangled those were.]
no subject
but hinata is totally dumber, obviously. ]
whY Are You STilL HErE?
no subject
[one of the people in this spat is sixteen. the other...]
S-shut up! Why aren't you in medical?!
[... is a slightly taller, bigger baby, and Hinata wouldn't let him forget it. honestly, why'd he want to apologize to this guy--?! what a weirdo! freaking out over the strangest things, changing moods in the blink of an eye! (hold on, a tiny, hardly heard voice in the back of Hinata's mind whispered. hold on. is he embarrassed...?)]
[(...)]
[(if he was, he's an even bigger weirdo!)]
[---- and yet, the idea of leaving without getting an answer to why Nic hadn't gotten his hands checked out suddenly seemed... quite erroneous. even worse, near unthinkable. to emphasis his point, he jabbed his shoe's toe more stubbornly into the guy's side. it probably felt no worse than a flea's bite, but Hinata would also stubbornly ignore the imbalance between them.]
no subject
the mention of medical jut puts a bit of tension in nic's shoulders — not so much over the idea of medical itself (though that's certainly a bit of a factor — he doesn't trust anyone in there) but more over the realization that the kid's noticed enough about him to realize he probably needs to be in there.
seriously, how annoying. ]
SmEllS wEiRD.
no subject
So plug your nose.
[-- after a pause, his own expression pinching briefly in bemusement before continuing. a good thing Nic couldn't hear tone, he leaned too heavily on concerned.]
No, really. What's up? They don't ask questions, if that's what you're worried about.
[though he couldn't imagine why Nic would be worried about that.]
no subject
lives like his, they're expendable, and replaceable, and it's just common sense not to waste time trying to fix something that keeps breaking.
so this "care" that so many medical professionals (or otherwise) here claim to distribute indiscriminately — it is too foreign not to be a lie, and too insensible not to be distrusted.
so while he may not value his life, when he is asked to pretend to, he certainly doesn't put it in the hands of people he does not trust. ]
i'Ll heAl jUSt FiNe ON mY Own.
no subject
[doesn't even fathom. he pauses only because a moment passes wherein he wonders if Twilights had regeneration like Wilson's; the moment leaves with a resounding no way, otherwise he'd be already fine in its wake.]
... You could at least set them. I'll grab the materials.
[foot dropping from Nic's side with a suspicious look on his face. it was the least he could do after causing the man so much trouble--- it was the least he could do, as those fingers looked awful.]
[and different as the origin may have been, he knew as well as any swordsman how valuable one's hands were.]
no subject
dON'T knOw HoW.
[ he's seen theo and nina do it a million times, 90% of those on his own hands. but with both damaged, there's no chance he'd be able to do it right, not that he'd be able to do it right despite.
his hands have never been very good at fixing things. ]
I'm sorry for smashing into... set timelines....... aahhh.
Then, [still not understanding why Nic wouldn't just go to medical, but accepting it as an immobile obstacle,] we can go to Hange. She knows how. And she spends more time being science-y in her room than at medical, far as I'm aware.
[whenever it might have become a "we," the conditional was apparently there to stay.]
shhh shhhh
is it so wrong to want a little peace and quiet around here? ]
iF i GET tHEm seT, tHEn wILl You LEAvE me AlONE?
no subject
[he very carefully keeps himself from immediately beaming upon victory, because one, it wasn't actually a victory (it was a bit of a victory), and two, Nic probably would just look grumpier (and he was supposed to for the purpose of this visit be kind, for all their tussling made that stick).]
[with a smile that wasn't a beam but did brim with happiness in a manner almost more unbecoming, he nodded vigorously, and swayed up to his feet. half-turned to the exit, stopped, waited.]
It'll go real smoothly! It'll be over before you know it! [quickly signing, as it was more productive than fidgeting:] Let's go! Let's go!
no subject
nic, of course, takes his time getting up. in fact he seems to be going about a lot slower than usual, likely to hinder and annoy the other boy. he takes his sweet ass time making sure his blackglass and book are closed up and tucked into one of his pockets (thank jesus for cargo pants) and pretty much drags his feet towards the exit.
what's the hurry anyway. they'll still be broken later. ]