"Ouch!"
Helen turned to see him frowning, finger already in his mouth to sooth the cut.
"John!..be careful with that." She trilled out, laughter barely contained though her smile was telling enough. "Here let me see it." Gently, she took hold of John's hand to bring it over beneath her face for examination. He could easily have prevented the motion, but he allowed her to take charge with a doting smirk.
"It's only a cut Helen. I think I'll live…" His voice rumbled doing a worse job than her of containing his amusement over the situation.
"You are hopeless with those slides, honestly. I told you I'd see to them before the others arrive. What is that..the third one you've fumbled this week?" A shirked brow punctuated the question that was of course, not a question at all.
He merely smiled at her lighthearted teasing. "They shouldn't make the darned things so fragile in the first place...ah well best left to more /nimble/ fingers then." The fingertips of his uninjured hand grace over top her hand as she fussed over him. Stealing one of her hands away, he lifted it to touch the back just as softly with his lips. She shot him a chiding look for his troubles but at the very least he can say he won the traces of a poorly restrained smile at the corners of her own lips. All too soon she was away from him, no more trace than a midday breeze to be found of her on his skin.
"Come. We should get that dressed before you have James or Nikola complaining you've contaminated the samples." As always he followed her command, moving over to where she'd gathered a few supplies, offering out his hand as she pulled out cleaning supplies and a plaster. John Druitt was never very submissive by nature but Helen…well she had an unusual way about her. He found himself more than willing to follow in her shadow, ever curious as to what she would do next.
"Perhaps I should leave it then. We can place bets on who will make the first jibe."
"As much as I'd love to deprive you of your week's allowance, I'd rather not risk months of hard work and a botched experiment for that aim alone thank you."
He chuckled deeply. "Yes. Priorities I suppose." After a moment he continued. "So how long does the old man have before you take over his practice anyway?"
A proud smile formed before she replied. "I join him come the start of next week. There is a family of Huyas that have taken poorly to the harsh turn of weather we've had."
"Doctor Helen Magnus…I don't think the world is ready."