There's a brief moment, when prodding the augmented shoulder, that Rhys flinches pretty visibly, but he doesn't stop the investigation. When Elijah states his conclusion, he pulls a face.
"How do you-- Why do I need an X-Ray? What did you feel?"
"Your shoulders are asymmetrical and I can't tell the cause from the
outside. To put it bluntly, if you were an android I'd be recounting my
screwdrivers."
Rhys has already opened his mouth to reply, when slowly, and visibly, realisation breaks across his face.
"Okay. Right."
He brings his hand up to drag it down over his eyes, chest suddenly, stupidly tight.
"Would you help me-- I know I'm basically asking you to break a bunch of connective tendons that I'll need to fix later, but I need to get this thing off for a bit."
He's mentally charting how mand surgeries, how much longer he'll need to wait before his arm actually works again, and whether he can deal with the weight just dragging down unsupported for that long.
Rhys's breath hitches, and he draws back a little, planting his hand in the middle of Elijah's chest. He drops his head, not wanting the other man to see his eyes right now,
"Sorry. I'm not-- if we do that right now I'm pretty sure I'm gonna cry."
And you won't know how to deal with him and it'll just be awkward all over.
"...I don't mind," Elijah says, with a pause that suggests he's weighed the words but not simply invented them. "I know you're different to me, expressively speaking. But let's get this done, first."
"Right. Right. Probably easiest to do this right under the joint--"
He reaches across to dig his fingernails underneath part of his prosthetic's outer casing, just below the armpit. This part is easy. He's done it a million times before, for maintainance. A little pressure and it snaps off easily, revealing wires and cables. Rhys's hand lingers near them, tempted to just rip them out, but last time he did that it stang a little.
This time he doubts he'll feel a thing, but all the same...
He accepts them. Works the jaws of the wire cutters around the cables, and squeezes hard.
Some cut easy, others resist until he's squeezing white knuckled on the cutters. Once they're gone, he shifts his grasp to feel up under the remaining carapace.
"Ugh-- the are a couple of bolts and way more microfibre tendons in there, that'd be easier to cut off this top piece was off, but-- I am a genius who decided to point solder this in place."
His voice steadies as he talks through the problem. It's fine. Standard maintainance. Hardware issues.
"If you have an iron I could probably scrape the solder out from under the front myself, but I might need you to do the back for me?"
Although he does adjust the angle of the lighting, slightly, so he has the
best possible view of what he's doing before he gets to work. He's got
'painstaking but efficient' down to a fine art, with more delicate work
than this, and he's going to make it as painless as possible.
Getting the solder out isn't a fine detail job, just an annoyingly fiddly one, and right now nothing on the arm hurts at all. The way he described feeling with the prosthetic? Identifying pressure and heat and pain without experiencing them like he would on flesh? Right now they're just nothing. Total numbness. Like it's not even him.
He's quiet as Elijah works, just watching the other man, appreciatively.
Elijah hums quietly as he works, carefully working out the last few scraps
of solder, contenting himself that the job is done to its fullest before
even trying to move on.
"...Alright. Just hold steady while I finish removal."
Rhys does feel it. A sudden cascade of muscles unclenching and uncramping as the weight comes off him. Stored up hurt for the days he's spent over-adjusting.
He makes a sound in the back of his throat, then leans forward into the touch, to put his head on Elijah's shoulder. His arm around his waist.
It doesn't occur to him that he's still hiding his face from his boyfriend.
"Thanks. I-- literally couldn't have done that without you."
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 05:16 pm (UTC)"...Your prosthetic is in full working order," Elijah says, brows lifting. "How thoroughly were you checked out at the Infirmary?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 05:38 pm (UTC)Rhys scratches his shoulder, frowning,
"Harry offered me an X-Ray, but I said I'd check the hardware with you first, since the nervous connectors wouldn't show up on that kind of scan."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 05:49 pm (UTC)Elijah waves that off.
"Take off your shirt. I'm going to palpate your shoulder."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 05:57 pm (UTC)Rhys frowns a little, but does as instructed, carefully unbuttoning his shirt, and dropping it on the table behind him.
"Palpate away."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 06:04 pm (UTC)Elijah digs his fingertips in, fairly ungently scoping out the shape and structure of his augmented shoulder.
Then the other. Then he hums.
"You need an X-ray."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 06:14 pm (UTC)"How do you-- Why do I need an X-Ray? What did you feel?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 06:21 pm (UTC)"Your shoulders are asymmetrical and I can't tell the cause from the outside. To put it bluntly, if you were an android I'd be recounting my screwdrivers."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 10:13 pm (UTC)"Okay. Right."
He brings his hand up to drag it down over his eyes, chest suddenly, stupidly tight.
"Would you help me-- I know I'm basically asking you to break a bunch of connective tendons that I'll need to fix later, but I need to get this thing off for a bit."
He's mentally charting how mand surgeries, how much longer he'll need to wait before his arm actually works again, and whether he can deal with the weight just dragging down unsupported for that long.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 10:15 pm (UTC)Elijah draws in a deep breath.
"Yes. I can help you with that."
Apparently apropos of nothing, he leans in and carefully brushes a kiss across his mouth.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 10:26 pm (UTC)"Sorry. I'm not-- if we do that right now I'm pretty sure I'm gonna cry."
And you won't know how to deal with him and it'll just be awkward all over.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 10:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 11:31 pm (UTC)He reaches across to dig his fingernails underneath part of his prosthetic's outer casing, just below the armpit. This part is easy. He's done it a million times before, for maintainance. A little pressure and it snaps off easily, revealing wires and cables. Rhys's hand lingers near them, tempted to just rip them out, but last time he did that it stang a little.
This time he doubts he'll feel a thing, but all the same...
"Um. You have wire cutters within reach?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-11 11:45 pm (UTC)"Yes."
He reaches out, opens a case.
"They're sterile."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:07 am (UTC)He accepts them. Works the jaws of the wire cutters around the cables, and squeezes hard.
Some cut easy, others resist until he's squeezing white knuckled on the cutters. Once they're gone, he shifts his grasp to feel up under the remaining carapace.
"Ugh-- the are a couple of bolts and way more microfibre tendons in there, that'd be easier to cut off this top piece was off, but-- I am a genius who decided to point solder this in place."
His voice steadies as he talks through the problem. It's fine. Standard maintainance. Hardware issues.
"If you have an iron I could probably scrape the solder out from under the front myself, but I might need you to do the back for me?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 07:40 am (UTC)"Let me do the whole thing," Elijah suggests, voice....surprisingly gentle. "I can see what I'm doing."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:31 pm (UTC)He drops his hand from under the carapace, setting it on the workbench beside him.
"Sure. Thank you." He shifts a little, "Is this an okay angle for you, or should I move?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:32 pm (UTC)"This is fine."
Although he does adjust the angle of the lighting, slightly, so he has the best possible view of what he's doing before he gets to work. He's got 'painstaking but efficient' down to a fine art, with more delicate work than this, and he's going to make it as painless as possible.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:54 pm (UTC)He's quiet as Elijah works, just watching the other man, appreciatively.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 12:58 pm (UTC)Elijah hums quietly as he works, carefully working out the last few scraps of solder, contenting himself that the job is done to its fullest before even trying to move on.
"...Alright. Just hold steady while I finish removal."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 01:13 pm (UTC)He braces himself a little, expecting to feel the pull as it's removed, even though he's felt nothing else of this.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 02:56 pm (UTC)Elijah sets down the arm carefully on his worksurface and then reaches out for his flesh-and-blood shoulder, carefully curling his fingers around him.
"All done," he says quietly.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 03:27 pm (UTC)He makes a sound in the back of his throat, then leans forward into the touch, to put his head on Elijah's shoulder. His arm around his waist.
It doesn't occur to him that he's still hiding his face from his boyfriend.
"Thanks. I-- literally couldn't have done that without you."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 03:29 pm (UTC)"You're welcome. I..."
He takes a moment.
"...I know I'm not...available to you in the ways that you need. But I want to be here for everything that I can offer."
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:06 pm (UTC)Is Elijah saying a thing about their relationship?
And if so... why?
"You are here for me. And I feel the same way."
This mumbled into Elijah's neck, before he pushes back a little, eyes wet.
"Are you all right?"
no subject
Date: 2019-12-12 04:13 pm (UTC)Elijah almost visibly steels himself.
"...Have I upset you?"
Already?
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