003; video

[beathach]

Who: Charles and Hank + You Losers
Broadcast: Video
Action: SS Blameless
When: Right Now

[two old nerds appear on screen, unboxing a large colouring create with "Congratulations On Your One Year Anniversary!" written on the side in big, bold letters. Inside appears to be plushies of DNA, antibodies, and other related paraphernalia.

Of course, while doing this they're sharing the popular "rumors" about them out loud, for their own amusement. Or bemusement, either or]

Let’s see . . . 'Aliens stole Charles' hair.' I can’t say that’s wrong.

In a manner of speaking, sure.

What else . . . 'Hank is a beast in bed'. Hank, you sly devil.

—No comment.

Hmm. 'Hank and Charles are the perfect couple'. I think our students got a hold of this one.

Huh. I just read one lamenting our divorce.

Hold on, what’s this?

[ Charles pulls out a business card ]

Well now . . . I guess I’ll be keeping this.

[Hank's response is to burst into laughter. What a helper]

Comments

[axiomed]

I've been very fortunate. More than I ever thought I'd be.

[ His grin is rueful. ] Though I imagine that's not a strange fact of life in this place.

[outstandingbalance]

It's definitely a change. And how easy it is to put yourself out there is always contextual.

[axiomed]

You're very good at skirting the edges and not adding your own input.

[ He's not bothered by it though. ]

[outstandingbalance]

It's a habit. [She smiles, the humor not exactly self-deprecating, but certainly wry as she adds:] And you're right. I am good at it.

[axiomed]

Do you ever wish you weren't?

[outstandingbalance]

Sometimes. I'm not a big wisher though.

[That quickly taking the place of most honest answer she's given so far. Wishing was a habit she broke a long time ago. Always seemed like a waste of energy, and it took a certain kind of creativity that she'd never been allowed to develop.]

[axiomed]

"Sometimes" feels like a wish, I imagine.

[ And unconsciously, people want things they feel escape them. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Everyone has moments. It's... human, I suppose.

[axiomed]

I think that needs to be celebrated more often.

[outstandingbalance]

What, wishing for things? Or still being human?

[axiomed]

Both. But the latter, mostly. It's something we forget. And a lot of people on the Fleet has a taste of self-flagellation at times.

[outstandingbalance]

[A snort of amusement at that, a bit grim but also showing agreement.]

That's pretty human too.

[axiomed]

It is.

[ Charles certainly does it enough. ]

That's why celebrating what we are is important.

[outstandingbalance]

Maybe start with accepting it first. Baby steps.

[axiomed]

Accepting isn't hard. Changing it might be harder.

[ It's change they all rebel from. ]

[outstandingbalance]

I'm not so sure of that.

[axiomed]

Oh?

[ He waits, hoping she'll say more. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Being human is tough. It means being fallible. And vulnerable.

Not always easy things to accept.

[axiomed]

Not always easy. But not quite impossible either. I think keeping both in mind is important. No one asks for the impossible.

But no one should say we can't.

[outstandingbalance]

[She smiles at that slightly rather than argue. People ask for impossible things all the time, but her experience isn't his. She can live with that.]

I'm not saying we can't. Just that we should remember it's more of a challenge for some of us than others.

[axiomed]

Like yourself?

[ The "us" didn't seem to be directed to the nebulous others. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[It might indeed be a somewhat specific us, though she wouldn't have said it was about her specifically.]

I do okay.

[Which is to say, she won't be celebrating her fallibility or her intrinsic humanity any time soon. She's not sitting around and moping about it either, though.]