Ficlet: Bruised

[vilakins]

This is another story for my big table of Vila fic for fanfic100, written for the prompt of 'purple'. 350 words, set just before the end of Orac.

Bruised

Vila lingered after the others had left.

"I can't give you another pill if that is what you want," said Cally. "I did tell you that you will not feel any effects for several hours."

"It isn't that." Vila shuffled his feet and looked embarrassed.

"Then what is it?" Humans were odd about some body functions. "You do have to expect some digestive upset with radiation poisoning."

"Oh, no! Well, I've been sick a few times, but--" Vila lifted a lock of hair and showed her a purple bruise just on his hairline, "--it's this. Can you fix it?" His eyes wouldn't meet hers.

Was that all? "I can help the swelling to go down." Cally picked up a resonator. "It may not work as quickly with your present condition, mind." She frowned; he must have been hit quite hard. "How did you get this, Vila?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

She was beginning to get suspicious. "I do."

"Oh, all right." Vila's shoulders slumped. "I walked into a door."

Cally was appalled. She had seen enough human viscasts to know this was a traditional and transparent excuse. She put the instrument down and looked at him, concerned. "Who hit you, Vila?"

"No one! I told you--"

"Are you protecting someone?" Avon had somehow got Vila on his feet and down to Aristo despite his illness. "Did Avon--"

"Of course not!" Vila was shocked into looking up. "I walked into my own door. Don't you see?" he said miserably. "I'm the expert at getting through locks and security systems and I couldn't even get out of my own cabin. Opened the door and walked right into it."

"It's not that bad." Cally rubbed some lotion into it.

"Yes, it is, for me! Look, you won't tell anyone, will you?"

Cally's mouth twitched. "No. And don't worry, it will be gone in a few hours."

Vila pulled his hair over the purple mark. "Um, don't happen to have anything for a bruised ego, do you?"

Cally gave him a fond smile.

Vila grinned, already feeling more cheerful.

Comments

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Aw. That's clever and cute. :) And yeah, really walking into a door would be a bit like being 39--nobody would believe you.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Or turning down the chance to be a space captain. :-)

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

aww, I'd kiss it better...

I said that out loud, didn't I?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

You and me both. :-) We'd look after him.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Aww, sweet!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

It took me a while to think of something for 'purple'. Some of these prompts aren't easy.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

No, they're not and some of those colors are especially hard. (Though, fortunately, at least "purple" was a dead easy on for Stark, enough so that I already had a suitable drabble to use. Thank you, PKW!)

And, aww, I want to hug Vila. :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

:-) Yeah, purple was a pushover for Stark. The next one's 'sunrise', not an easy one for Vila. From orbit, maybe?

And hey, am I the only one not getting LJ notifies? :-(

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

I seem to be getting thim, but if there are ones I'm not getting that I don't know about, um, I don't know about them. :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Well, I only know about the comments here because I looked. :-(

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

I seem to be getting them randomly and sporadically now.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

"Um, don't happen to have anything for a bruised ego, do you?"

Awww!

Gina

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

:-) This one got a lot of awwws.

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

Hee! Aww, that's a adorable! Poor Vila.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

He says it's all worthwhile for the sympathy and hugs he's got from us all. :-)