"Screw it," says the MC. "I'm going out for pizza."

Ok, so if alcohol's out, how do you show a tough character is in pain? Or any character, for that matter, without being too on the nose?

Usually, when a character is insecure about something in general, it's a good idea to show that character overcompensating for their perceived fault.

Ex.
In the television show Dexter, when Deb feels vulnerable-- even powerless-- after being taken in by the now-unmasked Ice Truck Killer, she works out much too much.

She feels weak, so she works out to become strong.

Exercise is particularly effective, because exercising is usually *virtuous*. It's particular to Deb that exercise is a sign of damage.

And even though I lit into Gossip Girl re: Chuck's drinking, I think his *whoring* is also a good example of a character overcompensating. Feeling lonely and inadequate? Have lots and lots of sex.

But what about a character that's in pain because of a *temporary* circumstance?

Right now, I'm writing a scene in which two characters are in a situation that cuts close to the bone-- for both of them, but for different reasons.

How do they *show* that the situation cuts close to the bone? How do they *show* their pain, when they've only got a scene or two to do it in?