Holding On
Title: Holding On
Pairing: Ryouga/Yukito
Rating: G
Ryouga Hakua stared around the infirmary of the Sky Island with interest. He’d never been on a Starfleet ship before and he wondered if they were all like this. Mai fidgeted in his arms and he hugged her tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head as they waited patiently for someone to see to them. All things considered Mai was reacting better than he’d dared to hope, but while she wasn’t screaming or crying or anything she was still very restless and none of the songs he knew were helping to calm her.
The attack had come without warning and they’d all but been wiped out, save for the few survivors the Sky Island had picked up, the ship arriving too late to do anything more than that. He still couldn’t understand why it had happened; they were - had been - a peaceful settlement right on the fringes of Trill territory, they’d had nothing any raiders could possibly want, yet they’d been attacked anyway. It just didn’t make any sense, not that he could see. His arms tightened around Mai again, relieved beyond anything that she’d survived with so few injuries and still terrified that he’d wake up somewhere and the rescue would have been a dream, a delusion, that his niece, well, more like his daughter now, was gone.
He jumped at the sound of someone clearing their throat and found himself looking into the face of a man in the blue-trimmed uniform of Starfleet’s medical staff; his black hair was loosely tied back and there were pale blond streaks running through it. The bridge of his nose was ridged otherwise Ryouga would have taken him for Human, as it was he couldn’t quite place which planet the man was from and he obviously wasn’t Trill like Ryouga and Mai were. Well, maybe he’d find out later.
“Ready?” the man asked, eyebrow raised in question.
“Ah, of course. Mai?”
“Your nose is funny,” she announced, much to Ryouga’s mortification.
“Mai!” he hissed, his cheeks burning. “I’m sorry,” he apologised, “she’s just a child and she’s never been out of Trill space.”
The man, the doctor, smiled a little. “I know she’s a child,” he said calmly. “I have eyes.” Before Ryouga could do anything except blush even harder, the man was crouching down to Mai’s level, holding up a tricorder where she could see it. “And your spots are funny to me, too. But, you know you have those because you’re Trill?” Mai nodded. “My nose is like this because I’m Bajoran.”
Ah, Bajoran, Ryouga thought, pleased to have an answer at last. He still didn’t know where the planet was but he could find out later. Along with everything else he seemed to want to know about this man he’d only just met, which had to be some kind of coping mechanism or something because it couldn’t be normal to be so burningly curious about a complete stranger while under these kind of conditions.
“So, Mai, I’m Yukito. Would you just hold still for me please while I do this? It will only take a minute.”
“Alright,” Mai said cheerfully, more relaxed now than she had been at any point since arriving on board the USS Sky Island, and the doctor - Yukito, apparently - was done before Ryouga had time to register he’d even started.
“You’re fine,” Yukito told her. “If you want to go with the nurse over there I think she’s been replicating sweets without telling anyone. She might share if you ask nicely.”
The nurse grinned back at him and held a hand out to Mai. Mai looked at him quickly and he smiled, dropping a quick kiss on the top of her head before nodding and forcing his arms to loosen their grip on her. “It’s okay, Mai, you can go.”
She squirmed out of his lap, making a beeline for the nurse and the promise of sweets and Ryouga watched her go with a smile, once again thanking whatever benevolent deities there might be that she was safe.
“Your daughter will be fine,” Yukito said, recapturing Ryouga’s attention. “She only has a few grazes. It could have been a lot worse.”
“I know,” Ryouga said feelingly. “I know.” He didn’t correct the man’s assumption.
“And now it’s your turn, ah--”
“Ryouga,” Ryouga said hastily, frustrated that he’d forgotten his manners so completely. “Ryouga Hakua.”
“Unjoined?”
“That’s right.” Unlike most of the Trill population, Ryouga had never wanted to be Joined. He wasn’t ambitious, all he wanted to do was help people the best way he could and whether he was Joined or not wouldn’t change that.
Yukito nodded, unaware of Ryouga’s thoughts, and made a few adjustments to the tricorder, his forehead creasing in concentration. “Alright, hold still, Hakua, this will only take a moment.”
Ryouga nodded, then winced - that wasn’t exactly ‘holding still’, after all - closing his eyes and trying not to concentrate on the way the doctor held the tricorder, or the long, long fingers…
“Alright,” Yukito said eventually, “you have a mild concussion, nothing to worry about too much. The nurses can handle that if you want to go see one of them.”
“Can’t you do it?” Ryouga asked, surprise making him unconscionably rude, much to his embarrassment.
“I’m a physiotherapist, not a doctor,” Yukito replied, faint smile on his face. “Unfortunately for you I’m all you’ve got. Doctor Shiraki’s in surgery with some of the critical patients and Doctor Mitchell is with the other seriously injured survivors, so they’re pulling in everyone who can use a medical tricorder for the non-critical people.”
“Oh,” Ryouga replied blankly. “I didn’t realise, sorry.”
Yukito shrugged. “Why would you? Anyway, you’re done and I have other patients to see to, so if you don’t mind…?”
“Right, of course, sorry.” Looking around for Mai, Ryouga had a moment of panic when he couldn’t see her, then Yukito tapped him on the shoulder and pointed. Mai was sitting on one of the consoles, her legs swinging loosely as she chatted happily with one of the nurses.
“We have a resident counsellor on board,” Yukito said idly, very focused on his tricorder’s reading. “Dr. Carson. He was in here earlier, I think.”
“Thank you,” Ryouga said thankfully. He didn’t want the counsellor so much for himself - although talking to one couldn’t really hurt - but it would be good for Mai and he wanted to know if there was anything he should be expecting once the reaction set in. Because it would, he knew, and he had the sinking feeling it was going to be bad.
Pairing: Ryouga/Yukito
Rating: G
Ryouga Hakua stared around the infirmary of the Sky Island with interest. He’d never been on a Starfleet ship before and he wondered if they were all like this. Mai fidgeted in his arms and he hugged her tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head as they waited patiently for someone to see to them. All things considered Mai was reacting better than he’d dared to hope, but while she wasn’t screaming or crying or anything she was still very restless and none of the songs he knew were helping to calm her.
The attack had come without warning and they’d all but been wiped out, save for the few survivors the Sky Island had picked up, the ship arriving too late to do anything more than that. He still couldn’t understand why it had happened; they were - had been - a peaceful settlement right on the fringes of Trill territory, they’d had nothing any raiders could possibly want, yet they’d been attacked anyway. It just didn’t make any sense, not that he could see. His arms tightened around Mai again, relieved beyond anything that she’d survived with so few injuries and still terrified that he’d wake up somewhere and the rescue would have been a dream, a delusion, that his niece, well, more like his daughter now, was gone.
He jumped at the sound of someone clearing their throat and found himself looking into the face of a man in the blue-trimmed uniform of Starfleet’s medical staff; his black hair was loosely tied back and there were pale blond streaks running through it. The bridge of his nose was ridged otherwise Ryouga would have taken him for Human, as it was he couldn’t quite place which planet the man was from and he obviously wasn’t Trill like Ryouga and Mai were. Well, maybe he’d find out later.
“Ready?” the man asked, eyebrow raised in question.
“Ah, of course. Mai?”
“Your nose is funny,” she announced, much to Ryouga’s mortification.
“Mai!” he hissed, his cheeks burning. “I’m sorry,” he apologised, “she’s just a child and she’s never been out of Trill space.”
The man, the doctor, smiled a little. “I know she’s a child,” he said calmly. “I have eyes.” Before Ryouga could do anything except blush even harder, the man was crouching down to Mai’s level, holding up a tricorder where she could see it. “And your spots are funny to me, too. But, you know you have those because you’re Trill?” Mai nodded. “My nose is like this because I’m Bajoran.”
Ah, Bajoran, Ryouga thought, pleased to have an answer at last. He still didn’t know where the planet was but he could find out later. Along with everything else he seemed to want to know about this man he’d only just met, which had to be some kind of coping mechanism or something because it couldn’t be normal to be so burningly curious about a complete stranger while under these kind of conditions.
“So, Mai, I’m Yukito. Would you just hold still for me please while I do this? It will only take a minute.”
“Alright,” Mai said cheerfully, more relaxed now than she had been at any point since arriving on board the USS Sky Island, and the doctor - Yukito, apparently - was done before Ryouga had time to register he’d even started.
“You’re fine,” Yukito told her. “If you want to go with the nurse over there I think she’s been replicating sweets without telling anyone. She might share if you ask nicely.”
The nurse grinned back at him and held a hand out to Mai. Mai looked at him quickly and he smiled, dropping a quick kiss on the top of her head before nodding and forcing his arms to loosen their grip on her. “It’s okay, Mai, you can go.”
She squirmed out of his lap, making a beeline for the nurse and the promise of sweets and Ryouga watched her go with a smile, once again thanking whatever benevolent deities there might be that she was safe.
“Your daughter will be fine,” Yukito said, recapturing Ryouga’s attention. “She only has a few grazes. It could have been a lot worse.”
“I know,” Ryouga said feelingly. “I know.” He didn’t correct the man’s assumption.
“And now it’s your turn, ah--”
“Ryouga,” Ryouga said hastily, frustrated that he’d forgotten his manners so completely. “Ryouga Hakua.”
“Unjoined?”
“That’s right.” Unlike most of the Trill population, Ryouga had never wanted to be Joined. He wasn’t ambitious, all he wanted to do was help people the best way he could and whether he was Joined or not wouldn’t change that.
Yukito nodded, unaware of Ryouga’s thoughts, and made a few adjustments to the tricorder, his forehead creasing in concentration. “Alright, hold still, Hakua, this will only take a moment.”
Ryouga nodded, then winced - that wasn’t exactly ‘holding still’, after all - closing his eyes and trying not to concentrate on the way the doctor held the tricorder, or the long, long fingers…
“Alright,” Yukito said eventually, “you have a mild concussion, nothing to worry about too much. The nurses can handle that if you want to go see one of them.”
“Can’t you do it?” Ryouga asked, surprise making him unconscionably rude, much to his embarrassment.
“I’m a physiotherapist, not a doctor,” Yukito replied, faint smile on his face. “Unfortunately for you I’m all you’ve got. Doctor Shiraki’s in surgery with some of the critical patients and Doctor Mitchell is with the other seriously injured survivors, so they’re pulling in everyone who can use a medical tricorder for the non-critical people.”
“Oh,” Ryouga replied blankly. “I didn’t realise, sorry.”
Yukito shrugged. “Why would you? Anyway, you’re done and I have other patients to see to, so if you don’t mind…?”
“Right, of course, sorry.” Looking around for Mai, Ryouga had a moment of panic when he couldn’t see her, then Yukito tapped him on the shoulder and pointed. Mai was sitting on one of the consoles, her legs swinging loosely as she chatted happily with one of the nurses.
“We have a resident counsellor on board,” Yukito said idly, very focused on his tricorder’s reading. “Dr. Carson. He was in here earlier, I think.”
“Thank you,” Ryouga said thankfully. He didn’t want the counsellor so much for himself - although talking to one couldn’t really hurt - but it would be good for Mai and he wanted to know if there was anything he should be expecting once the reaction set in. Because it would, he knew, and he had the sinking feeling it was going to be bad.