milliways_bar | (no subject)

"...probably the first," Wes says ruefully.

"Ah-- you got here right after--?" He pulls a face. "That can't have been good." Master of stating the obvious? "Not a bad place to recover from somethin', but..."

"Maybe, but I'm not going to abandon him. I care about him, enough to keep this up forever? Probably not. But we are adults and we both know what we are doing."

Aeryn shrugged, keeping her face carefully neutral.

"Better than some of the places I could have ended up. And at least one of the Crichton's survived."

Way to confuse the guy, Aeryn.

"Yeah? Well ... okay."

Wes has absolutely no idea what to say about it all, really. He could go for the don't hurt him spiel, but he supposes it's more likely to be the other way around. So he says nothing.

Because yeah, that line about multiple Crichtons is pretty damn distracting anyway.

"--wait what?" With confused peering.

"He was split." She had explained it so much it didn't affect her anymore.

"In two. Supposedly, two equal halves. Two John Crichtons."

"...uh ... huh."

Really, things shouldn't surprise him so much anymore. He's been at Milliways for seven months now.

He has a feeling his head is going to regret this question, but, "How did that happen?"

"I wasn't there. But something about a dead leviathan with a mad scientist, imprisoned on board."

Sparks flew from the beacon. Aeryn cursed, rubbing the burn on her finger.

Wes rubs at his head, eyes closed, and doesn't make any comment about that sounding like the plot of a bad holofilm.

He looks up again at the curse though, and tries not to appear too amused.

"Y'okay?"

"Yes." She stuck the finger in her mouth and sucked on it absently.

"Just a pain in the eema. And what about you? What have you been up to?"

Wes shakes his head, grinning.

"Eh, not much. Just stuff at home. 'Course, I'm stuck here again now I'm back," he adds, rolling his eyes.

"I've never been bound." So she can't sympathise.

"I've had my share of home troubles though." She reached into her bag and pulled out another tool and almost as an afterthought, a camera.

"I'd smile if I were you." There's a blinding flash and she waits for the photo to develop.

Wes is very much o_o

"Um."

He blinks a few times 'til he can see again, then eyes Aeryn.

"What was that for?"

"Because I like you." She pushed the picture towards him.

"And I want a photograph of you so I can point out to people the drannit who I sometimes have a drink with."

Or she's just obsessed with taking pictures, you decide.

Wes grins as he looks at the photo, then uses it as if it's a mirror, straightening his hair a little.

"Well, can't fault a girl wanting a holo of me, sure. Hardly the first, after all."

He makes it sound very tiring.

"Girl?" She quirked a brow at him.

"Oh yes, you are so handsome, how could I resist. Take me now, Wes Janson." Her voice is dry and toneless.

Wes ducks his head for a second to hide the rueful grin, trying for an apologetic expression.

"'mfraid I'll have to disappoint you," he says very seriously, "but I already have a partner."

Pause.

"Also, I don't want to die."

Aeryn blinked.

"I know I can be a little rough, but I've never killed someone during sex."

Facepalm.

"Not what I meant."

...still facepalming.

"And tell me to stop thinking about it, please."

"Then what did you mean?" Aeryn isn't stopping him. She'll have sex with who she wants. Not that she wants him.

What is this a Cati fic?

"It's not my fault if you can't stop picturing me naked."

"I meant--" Wes eyes Aeryn, and shakes his head. "Never mind."

He sighs.

"Well, you're not helping."

"How about if I do this?" She stood up, clearly amused and pushed the beacon off the table.

"Oh no, I appear to have dropped my beacon."

Then she bent over.

Wes tries not to look. He really does. He knows he's being played.

But he's still Wes.

And he facepalms again.

"Stop it." Muffled by his hand.

"What? Are my trousers too tight?" She may have wiggled.

She also might be on the point of collapsing from laughter. Leather-clad booty in da house!

"I don't know," Wes says, still muffled slightly by his hand, "I am Not Looking and you can tell the jury that."

She sat back down.

"You are very amusing." She was positively beaming.

"Look I don't think anyone expects you not to look. As long as you don't act on it."

She pulled his hand off his face.

"Which would be impossible to do, since I have no desire to sleep with you."

"Thank you; I do try."

Wes eyes her for a moment. "I dunno," he says a little dubiously. "Some people can get very jealous."

And then, very much :O!, he says, "None?"