Freelancer North [Dakota] (for_family) wrote in elsewhere_rpg, @ 2017-12-21 12:42:00 |
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Entry tags: | attack on titan: captain levi, dresden files: harry dresden, red vs blue: north, red vs blue: york, supernatural: castiel, sword art online: kirito, tags for admin: year 01 |
Who: Harry, Kirito, Levi, North & York (Castiel cameo)
What: A cabin in the woods. Still.
When: December 20th, Early morning
Where: The Woods
Rating: PG-13
Status: Log - Complete
During this odd little imprisonment (nearly twenty hours stuck together in a little cabin), Harry would have had a chance to observe the little man he was stuck with. One of the odd things: he didn’t really seem to sleep. Sure, he seemed constantly tired, but at no point did he make mention that he needed to rest. At no point did he attempt to lay down or catch a few winks. Levi only slept two or three hours a night, consistently. It was impossible to continue to function that way.. But apparently, Levi had been doing it his entire life. He was well versed with the exhaustion that came with it and though it reflected in his movements, his face, and his speech patterns, it didn’t seem to cause any issue with his performance or his cognitive skills. He got up now and again to pace around the house, look out the windows, and he even cleaned the cabin up as best he could. Yeah. He’d dusted. Sure, it was some sort of obsessive habit, but it kept him calm and even-tempered, so Harry was best off just letting him do it. Before first light, Levi had looked towards the window again, eyes lingering there a moment before he stood up, carefully lying Kirito’s head back onto the couch (it’d been in his lap-- don’t ask how it got there, he didn't know, don’t fucking look at him like that you asshole he’d fucking stab your eye out with that goddamn black sword), and climbed up to his feet. Like everything he did, the motion was swift and violent, and confident steps were taking him over to the window to peer outside. He knew he’d heard something. *** Harry had mimicked taking a picture of the scene when it first unfolded. But he'd said nothing about Levi offering the boy comfort, because Kirito needed it. He hadn't moved at all, and when the wizard had determined that the seals keeping them inside were going to keep them inside he'd come back around to see what he could do for Kirito. In the end, it wasn't much more than to soothe him. To see if he could ease his nightmare and make him stop screaming. The boy's expression had relaxed some, but by no means did Harry think that had fixed it. Since then he had settled down in silence, staring at his knees. He'd drifted off eventually, but the slightest noise drew the wizard from his nap and back into focus. It was a restless sleep. But morning was coming. It couldn't be far off now. Levi’s movement jerked the wizard back to reality with sharp insistence. He followed his movement with his eyes, pushing himself to standing (Ouch, everything hurt. Getting old sucked), and waited. “What did you see?” He whispered. Why was he whispering? It just seemed more appropriate. *** Levi drew his knife slowly, moving to the side, so he wouldn’t be seen through the window, then those dead eyes locked onto Harry and he brought out his free hand to push towards the ground, telling Harry to get down. Whatever was out there, he didn’t want it to see them. Sure, it would see Arturo and the Captain had an intense desire to protect his horse, but protecting these people-- this boy-- was more important. The next noise would surely be heard by Harry, too. Snapping twigs, then silence again. Something was moving around outside, but it was trying to be quiet. It was heavy. The former thug gripped his knife tighter and lowered his eyes to the ground, just listening. Outside, York and North had separated when they’d seen the cabin and the horse. Arturo hadn’t been tied up, he was roaming free and that was abnormal. The cabin looked a little creepy, if they were honest, and with no signs of life on the outside, they didn’t know quite what to think. As they got closer, they were able to determine there were three people inside. Hopefully, Harry, Kirito and Levi-- but there was still a certain amount of caution required. After all, what if it wasn’t them? Better to approach it carefully. So the two Spartans moved in slowly, separately. It would be York who ultimately made his way to the front door and had Delta scan the interior of the house. Levi kept his eyes on the door, as if whatever was outside would be able to get in. He had no idea, of course, that people could get inside... they just couldn’t get out. He dropped a little lower, eyes focused intently. On the other side of the door, York patiently waited for North’s signal. Delta could give him plenty of information, but North could see from his vantage point, and York was well aware that someone was directly on the other side of the wall, just waiting for him to go through that door. So, he planned to go through the window. Inside, Levi shifted just enough to peek through that window in an attempt to see what was going on in the darkness. He couldn’t hear the movement anymore and no one had come through the door yet. No one had even tried. What the fuck was going on out there? *** An anxious little chill swept over Harry while he watched Levi, listening hard for the sounds of movement outside. It was like being stalked--suddenly they were the prey and the predators outside had them exactly where they wanted them. But Harry wasn’t a helpless doe by any means. He rolled his eyes at Levi, but did move as quietly as he could to crouch down behind the sofa and once there, assess what he had in his pockets. You never gave a wizard time to plan, because then you never knew what they’d come up with. Levi, however, was an excellent distraction to offer their incoming houseguests. So the wizard got to work. He’d only need a second to get the magic off once whatever it was came through that door. Outside, the Spartans had moved into position, carefully clearing the area around the cabin while silently communicating with each other. York moved in, the sniper kept his distance where he’d be most useful, staring down the long end of a rifle. He raised a hand to signal to York that he was ready--target locked in his sights. It was nice working with York. They were seamless. Unlike South, who often decided she didn’t have to listen to her brother. Inside, the wizard prepped for war, crawling on hands and knees for a better position, unknowing that outside, North had him dead to rights and that his movements were being relayed to the soldier outside the door. *** Giving the barest nod, York shifted a foot back-- it was enough to alert Levi of exactly where he was-- and then he moved, the shift of darkness outside causing Levi to move as well. It happened quickly, the golden soldier smashing in that window with a fist, then his opposite hand swinging the gun to point it inside. At the same time, the little man inside stepped forward, an arm coming up to deflect some of the glass, and he slashed out with his knife, impacting it with the gun. It was far too late for York to recognize him, though-- the aggressive move had instinct kicking in, Delta immediately relaying the size and weight of the assailant, which prevented York from diving in. He didn't need to. Instead, his free hand snagged the wrist holding that knife, and the Spartan yanked, pulling the small man right off his feet and through the window, throwing him back and out into the forest. It was like throwing a ragdoll. Levi was yanked out like he weighed nothing at all and was launched outside. Luckily, he was able to tuck and roll, before he came to a skidding stop in the brush and was on his feet again, pushing up to rush after York, who was just about to kick that door in. Levi recognized the armor, he’d seen Tex’s black set, but he didn’t know this shiny set belonged to York, and he didn’t see the sniper hiding in the darkness behind him. As far as he was concerned, this threat had to be taken down. Yeah, he was going back for more against something far larger and far heavier than he was, in armor. What? The door was kicked in before Levi could reach York, and that gun pointed into the darkness. “Harry?” He called out. *** Eyes on the field, North remained calm. Three assailants were easy for York to handle, North was just monitoring. When the golden soldier flung the first man from the window and clear across the yard there was a moment of disbelief when the figure got back up and went rushing after the soldier again. Gutsy little guy. “York, watch your six,” North told him, “a monkey’s--shit, cease fire!” Now that the man was outside the creepy cabin in the woods, it was easy to identify him. He was looking at Levi’s back, and though the man was wearing his cloak tied around his waist like some kind of decoration, it was hard to miss the remaining markers. The straps, knee high boots, his jacket and the fact he was rushing back in like York wasn’t the most terrifying thing he’d ever seen in life. What was he going to do with a knife against that? That happened very quickly. Inside the cabin, Harry’s heart stopped when the window crashed open and Levi was pulled out like a damned doll. No time for it now, the wizard dodged over the back of the sofa to put himself bodily between their targets and the prone boy and just as soon as that door came slamming open, Harry released the spell he was holding--sending off a blast of kinetic energy. Without his staff it was a lot less controlled, more wild, less concentrated so that it was generally less forceful but broader so that it didn’t hit the figure in the doorway square in the chest, but rather, all of him. He’d missed York calling his name. Too late. *** North called out for York to cease fire at the same time he was shouting Harry’s name-- his gun dropped slightly. He didn’t have a second to react. Delta didn’t have a second to react. He was hit with the brunt of a spell that knocked him back only a few steps (these Spartans really were monsters) but that had him dropping his gun and falling to his knees, hands grabbing at his helmet, slamming into it as he began screaming. Levi slid to a halt just a step behind him -- having been protected from the spell by the sheer bulk of York that created a veritable wall. But the monster attacking them was on his knees. Disarmed. Screaming. What in the fuck was going on? His knife lowered some and he spared only the briefest glance to Harry, before he heard the movement of North behind him (who had no doubt given away his position at that point) and turned to face the newest threat. Yeah, he’d take you on, too, monster. *** They all heard York screaming. North had already started moving from the moment he’d warned the golden soldier--the sniper descending from his perch with a surprising swiftness for a beast so large. He’d slung the rifle over his back and was running across the overgrown brush. “Stand down!” he was shouting at Levi, the tiny little figure having turned to face the behemoth. He didn’t have time for the Captain, he’d fling him aside with the same careless ability that York had, because his friend was on his knees screaming and he took precedence. Levi wouldn’t get far with a knife anyway, so that North ignored him as a threat. He was at York’s side at the same time the wizard appeared in the doorway. “What did you do!” he demanded of Harry, who had certainly recognized the situation and the pair the moment York had stepped back, fallen, and started screaming. Harry had never used his magic on him intentionally. His blood was cold in his veins. Wisely, he stepped back to put distance between himself and the downed soldier. “Delta, unlock his helmet.” *** He wouldn’t need to fling the Captain aside, or even shove him. That knife came down when he heard that voice. He stepped aside and back as the large armor-- man-- North?-- dropped down next to the shiny set. He was shouting at Harry. The screaming stopped. York’s hands slipped away from his helmet and he dropped forward. North could surely catch him and support his weight so his visor didn’t end up in the dirt. If he did, he’d find the armor entirely limp. And there it was. What York had been bitching about. What happened if the only medic got hurt? Who would help him? Delta didn’t respond. When Theta went searching for the other AI, he’d find him gone-- entirely offline. Trying to restart. Both of them were unresponsive. Levi lingered, tucking his knife away and finally looking back up to Harry, who looked a little shocked. “Hey.” He snapped, suddenly. “Get Kirito out of there.” But where would they take him? If this was North, it meant.. That was York? If that was York, there was no doctor to take him to. They were fucked. *** North did catch him, taking the brunt of York’s dead weight so the soldier wouldn’t collapse into the dirt. He turned him in his arms, and though no one could see his face under his helmet, he was worried--bordering on panic for a Spartan. His own nose had begun bleeding but who cared? “Theta, lockdown,” North instructed, the AI confirming as he relayed information about York’s status to his host. Unresponsive. He and Delta. Harry had made the delicate technologies inside the man’s head short out. York had the healing unit, but if the wizard had fucked off all of it… “Come on, you stupid asshole,” North hissed. York didn’t get to die on him. Harry seemed to understand the situation in its entirety. He was watching from the other side of the room, having retreated to the boy’s side. What were they going to do? Call Texas, take Delta out of her head to put him in York to fix the damage? “He can restart his heart,” Harry heard himself say. “I’ve seen it.” The first time he almost killed York. He’d stopped breathing for two minutes but Delta had brought him back. The wizard blinked, looking down at the prone boy. Priorities. His priority was York, but the moron would put himself last. What were you doing Harry, get it together. “Get him, Levi, and go. I can’t come near them, you have to come get Kirito and go back to town.” *** They did need to get Kirito out of there, in case that thing came back, in case the spell came back up again and the boy was trapped inside, but: “Go where? You killed our fucking doctor.” The Captain announced in a firm voice, before he was stepping around the metal giants and was moving for Kirito, to lift him from the couch and cradle him close to his chest. He was heavy, considering how light Levi himself was, but the little man had no trouble. Kirito may as well have been a small child. Still, he just needed to get him to Arturo, it wasn’t a difficult transition. On the ground, the lights on York’s armor flickered, then shut down. The visor dimmed. The armor shut off and, if possible, became even heavier. A small light winked on the side of his visor. Last time, Delta had been able to fix York. This time, Delta was offline. The armor had recognized it. The Spartan was down. The AI was down. It had turned on the self-destruct. Sure, Texas implanting her healthy version of Delta would help, it’d stop the countdown and he’d be able to help York, but.. Was she going to make it there in the next sixty seconds? It was unlikely. Harry had done a bang-up job on this one. *** Yeah, good job, Harry. The wizard was already berating himself despite the fact this was a genuine accident. He didn’t know it was York and magic was as quick as thought, once you let go the magic there was nothing you could do to draw it back in. It didn’t matter, all the reasoning in the world wouldn’t make Harry hate himself less. Levi stalked past Harry to the couch, the wizard looking at the little man as he moved by, taking in details he’d ignored before. He looked ridiculous in that get up, like he belonged on the set of Star Tours at Disneyland. Why did he have wings emblazoned everywhere when he didn’t know flight was a real possibility? Harry blinked. Wings. Feathers. “Castiel!” North hadn’t looked up, he’d tuned out everything going on around him, watching in silent horror and disbelief as Theta updated him. The fail safe had been activated. The countdown began. “Get out of here if you want to live,” North said, reaching up to disengage the lock and remove his helmet, just as a shadow fell over them. *** Levi was already hefting Kirito up onto Arturo’s back when North said they needed to get out of there if they wanted to live. He swung up behind the boy and looked down at the trio still there on the ground. Then, suddenly, the trio was a quartet. The dark-haired man in his trenchcoat and his curious blue eyes had appeared not far from the two Spartans. But his attention was on Harry. It only took him a second to follow Harry’s gaze to the pair he was standing over. What was that blinking light? Why was North clutching at York inside his armor? He crouched down, a hand coming out to grasp the side of that golden helmet. The locks disengaged, heeding the angel’s command, and he pulled the helmet off. Blood dripped from it, all across the broad, golden chest. Both of the blonde’s ears were bleeding heavily, as was his nose, and there were even streaks running from the corner of his missing eye, so much blood that there was no way Delta would have been able to heal him. That was a massive brain bleed. It was very likely Delta had been destroyed inside the Spartan’s brain and it had killed York in a matter of moments. He’d certainly been dead the moment he’d stopped screaming. Castiel reached out a hand, touching two fingers to York’s forehead-- and with a flash of light, all that blood was gone and York was gasping, his eyes opening. He immediately grabbed onto the closest thing-- North’s arm-- and held as he struggled to get his breathing and heart under control. Delta flickered back to life in his brain. “You’re alright.” Cas told him simply, though he didn’t seem quite done, because he was reaching for North next, his fingers pressing against his forehead, also. That blood from his nose was gone, the damage in his brain healed. And then the angel was standing. Levi, atop Arturo, had balls. “The boy, too.” He demanded, causing the angel in a trenchcoat to turn slowly and look at him, not looking very pleased at the demand. Levi didn’t back down. “He’s injured.” *** North looked up when that hand came into his line of sight and it took everything he had not to reach for his pistol so he could unload the clip into the man reaching for his dead friend. If he wasn’t thinking rationally, could you blame him? “It’s okay,” Harry said, and so they both watched when Castiel removed the helmet. North’s hand coming up to stroke through that blonde hair, cradling York’s head in hand. If he hadn’t been crying before in his resignation, he was now. All that blood. And then it was gone, literally, in a blinding flash of light. North turned his head to shield his eyes, but it was unnecessary. The man in his arms struggled, he gasped in a lungful of air at the same time Theta’s cheer went up in his head. Oh, god. York. The purple soldier gripped the other man harder, pulling him up closer, “Relax,” he said, following Castiel’s easy statement. “Take it easy, buddy.” He had a throaty quality to his tone, all the indication in the world of his emotion, let alone the tears in his eyes. But it went ignored, North blinking up at Castiel when he touched his forehead too. Given a boost, Theta initiated contact with Delta, to be sure the self destruct had been noted and appropriately canceled. Relieved, Harry looked up and then immediately winced when Levi made his demand. There were far too many crises happening tonight. Harry gingerly stepped around the pair of giants on the ground, making as wide a berth as possible. “Cas,” he said, “thank you,” and then casually put himself between the angel and the man on the horse, with his boy. “The kid took some psychic trauma, he got possessed. He’s been trapped in his head for more than twelve hours. Can you help him?” *** Held protectively in those large, metal arms York settled down, but didn’t release his grip. Instead, one hand shifted to grasp the back of North’s head and once the Angel was on his feet, York was pulling his friend down to press foreheads together and just hold him there, panting softly. Fuck. He shut his own eyes down tight and just held. He wasn’t letting go. Not yet. His fingers tightened their grip in that blonde hair. Not ten feet away, Cas listened as Harry spoke, then nodded once. “For you.” He told the tall man, taking a few steps forward to reach out for the boy. Levi held him tight, but didn’t try to pull him away. He remained sitting on the horse behind him, Kirito held close to his body, even though the darker young man was slumped over. Two fingers touched to his forehead, and following the small flash of light, he would be healed up as well, that hand retracting slowly as Castiel fell back to stand beside the wizard and watch the boy wake. He did enjoy healing people, he had to admit. It was all he’d ever wanted: to help. *** Harry didn’t know what he’d done in life to earn that kind of care and consideration and respect from an archangel, but whatever it was, he was glad to have it. He turned to watch Castiel work his heavenly ability, which to outsiders looked simple. Just a gesture. But who knew what power and forces in the universe he was drawing on to heal people? Kirito’s eyes flew open, he looked around in confusion, from the horse beneath him, the strong arm around him keeping him upright, and the pair of people watching. North and York on the ground behind the wizard and his friend added to the confusion. What the heck? He slumped back against the solid body behind him, only to realize a second later who it was. “Ah!” he exclaimed, jerking forward, “I’m sorry.” Harry laughed a little, dark eyes turning to Cas, a mixture of sadness and seriousness. He always seemed to call Cas in times of trouble. How many times had the angel come to save his butt now? “Seriously, thank you.” Behind him, the Spartans were still on the ground. Harry was content to leave them be, looking like some twisted, futuristic depiction of a pair of Greek gods embracing in a passionate hold. Once upon a time, Harry would have been jealous of that kind of love. *** Suddenly, Kirito was awake. Suddenly, Kirito was better. Suddenly, Kirito was aware of his surroundings. Levi shoved him. Hard. Right off the horse. When he landed on the ground, at least, he’d realize his leg didn’t hurt... well, anymore than it’d hurt being shoved off of a horse and landing on solid ground. Castiel had healed that, too. “Tch. Shitty brat.” He straightened up and narrowed his eyes on the boy. The reaction actually got Castiel to look amused, then he was turning his eyes onto Harry beside him. “You’re welcome.” And with that, the angel was gone. Slowly, York’s grip on North lessened and he was able to look around the area, blinking some, as if he was having trouble with something, with seeing. Cas had also healed his right eye-- he could see out of it, and that was causing trouble, his brain and Delta trying to tell him what to see at the same time. It made his stomach lurch. “You okay?” He asked up to North, finally. “Harry?” Was the wizard alright? *** Kirito fell like a bag of rocks, flopping onto the ground with sheer gracelessness, landing in a heap of limbs and the furl of his coat that tangled in his legs. Asshole. The boy looked up, opting to just lay there for a second before he took note of Arturo’s strong legs just this close to his head. That had the potential to be unpleasant. So he pushed himself to sitting, rubbed his head, and then pushed himself to standing. With Castiel gone--what the fuck? Kirito hadn’t even seen him go. Was he a ghost?--the wizard turned away from the Asians and faced the Greek gods of bowflex. “I’m not the one who decided to die,” Harry said, “will you stop doing that?” Harry stepped in just a bit and crouched down, still enough of a distance he could take the pressure off of the pair. “You walked into Harry’s magic,” North said, “Stop worrying about us and worry about yourself for once, idiot.” *** With his boy healed, Levi lingered only a moment atop the horse before he dropped down next to him and pinned him with a sharp, angry look. Because somehow, all of this was his fault. Levi wasn’t sure how, but it was. And it was Kirito’s fault he’d been worried. The smell of blood was thick in the air and the little man didn’t understand what had just happened, but he was pretty sure they’d all have been dead without that man showing up. Well, maybe not him. He’d been prepared to ride hard with Kirito in his arms. He wasn’t sure if the boy would have survived it, though. “I’m fine.” York assured them both, blinking a few more times, doing his best to try and adjust. What was wrong with him? Delta kept trying to compensate, distorting the images the only way he knew how. It was making York sick to his stomach. “I’m fine, really--” he was pushing himself to sit up, though he still held onto the sniper at his side. “I feel alright.” There was nothing wrong with him. It was a strange feeling. No aches or pains or bruises. What the fuck? His eyes shifted to the two Asians standing near one another. Probably closer than they rightfully should have been. Huh. “Are you okay?” He prompted again to North, he knew they’d been hit with magic. How were they okay? *** In all the chaos of the last few minutes, Harry had completely forgotten that Levi was injured. If that wasn’t an indication of Harry’s priorities, what was? York first, Kirito second, North on a low third (though he knew York would be pissed about that, sorry soldier) and Levi somewhere along where Harry placed himself in the scheme of things. Then the smell of blood hit the air and because York was no longer leaking blood from his body, Harry had to turn and look. Kirito looked a little concerned, raising both hands in surrender, to mollify the older man. “Hey, Feathers,” Harry called to Levi, “Stop jumping around before you hurt yourself more.” North ignored the conversation going on behind them, shifting to help York sit up and then leaning into kiss his forehead. “I’m fine, just a little shaken. Theta says everything is okay.” Harry frowned. “What are you doing out here anyway?” North looked over York’s head to peer at the wizard, who studiously avoided his eyes, “Mustang. He’s pissed you guys missed your rotation on the patrol. Sent us looking for you.” Harry made a noise in his throat, then stalked away from them and back to Levi and Kirito. He brushed past the little man and stared down at the kid with hard eyes. “Next time you want to wander off on a dumb exploration, you give the damned details about what we’re doing and why. We don’t get to play with lives here, kid. And not for your stupid personal benefit.” Kirito’s lips had parted, he stared up at Harry, “Yeah,” he agreed, “Okay.” That took the wind right out of Harry’s sails, who wanted a reason to continue to shout. He wanted Kirito to argue with him. The kid just slumped a little. “I’m sorry.” He looked around at Levi, Harry, and the two Spartans. *** Never let it be said that Levi wasn’t good for something. His arms crossed over his chest and he stared hard at Harry when he was called ‘feathers’. What the fuck did that even mean? Asshole. He was content to stand in silence. That was, until Harry came over and spoke like that to his boy. A hand moved up, pressing against Kirito’s chest and giving him a little shove, enough to put himself between the Japanese boy and the towering beast of an American. “Don’t be sorry.” Nevermind that he had just given Kirito a look that said he was entirely at fault for this. “You mind your own soldiers, I’ll mind mine.” Yeah, he was a foot and a half shorter than Harry. What of it? He’d just crane his head enough to get a proper look at him, eyes cutting upwards instead of bending his neck more than he had to. Back off, wizard. Behind them, York was slowly climbing back up to his feet and both hands were coming to offer help to North. *** Kirito didn’t fall this time, he was balanced on his feet, taking the shove back with easy movement. One day soon, he was going to clock Levi right in his damned face for how he handled the kid. The desire to do exactly that right now was strong, but he just narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Harry stared down at the little man, uncowed. “Then teach him something useful, Mighty Mouse, because he doesn’t seem to know a damned thing. Before someone does die.” York had been Harry’s fault, as far as the wizard was concerned. He wouldn’t put that weight on Kiriito’s shoulders. But next time it could well be. North and York on their feet, the sniper retrieved both helmets then turned to look at the wizard towering over the titan killing machine. “Hey, no need for that,” North said, offering York’s helmet back to him. “Everything’s good. We should get back before Mustang mounts a bigger party to come find us. I’m sure he’s about to blow a fuse by now and then he’ll burn down the entire forest. Since we’re standing it, we should get out.” North made sense, it didn’t make Harry stop glaring. *** York took that helmet, pushing it back onto his head and locking it, he was a little shaken up, he could admit that. Seeing tears in North’s eyes had freaked him out. But that would be saved for later. Instead of speaking, he just watched. It wouldn’t be a contest if Harry and Levi went head to head. It was like going up against North. No way. “You’re the one who killed your little boyfriend, not my boy.” His boy. Possessive Captain. “And if it weren’t for your friend, he’d still be dead. That’s on you.” Kirito had nothing to do with it, as far as the half-Japanese man was concerned. And really, he might not have pushed this hard, but Harry looked ready to snap. If he was going to snap on someone, it was going to be him, not his boy. *** Harry looked ready to snap, that was why North cast a glance back at York, just a quick half smile to show he was okay before he dragged his helmet back on and stepped forward. The ground shook with his movements, being a titan in his own right. He towered over Harry as he was, he definitely towered over Levi. The wall of solid armor put himself between both men before they could lunge for each other’s throat. “There’s nothing to gain from pointing fingers here,” North said, raising a giant gloved hand to rest against Harry’s chest, and because Levi was so short, North just kind of reached out otherwise he’d have to put his hand on his head and that would just irk the little guy more. “Let’s go home,” he said. “We’re not accomplishing anything standing here fighting each other. For all we know, while we’re standing here with our cocks in our hands and town is on fire or under some other threat. So let’s go make sure everyone’s okay before we tear each other apart some more.” North looked between the two though they couldn’t see his eyes. That was the only time Harry ever met North and York’s gaze--when there was something between them to shield him from a soulgaze. So the wizard looked up and nodded. “Right,” he said. Then he relented, shaking himself off. North nodded too, looking down at Levi. “You good?” he asked him. “Theta says you have an injury.” *** The way Levi reacted to North was beyond York, the golden soldier just watching as his partner turned his attention onto the angry little man and Levi just clicked out his displeasure and turned his head to the side, arms crossing over his chest. It was his only form of submission. He didn’t have another setting. But, surely North could recognize it for what it was. “Fine.” He reached out a moment later to grasp Arturo’s reigns and held the animal steady. “We need to head back. Mount up.” Those last two words were meant for Kirito and they were harsher than he intended them to be, but it was pretty clear he was just concerned. He wanted to get the boy back to safety in the town, the forest wasn’t safe. Deliberately, he turned his back to North. *** North nodded his head again when both men relented. He stayed where he was anyway, keeping an eye on Harry and Levi. Kirito sighed, stepping forward to haul himself onto Arturo’s back. How did Levi make it look so smooth? Kirito made it look how it felt--impossible. Why is Levi angry at you? Theta prompted. North shrugged his shoulders. “He’s not angry at me, Theta.” With Kirito mounted and Harry a good enough distance away, North finally shifted his position, his gaze sweeping around the eclectic group of men. He was still shaken, but hiding safely behind armor now you couldn’t see it. He’d been resigned to dying with York, he’d committed Theta to that choice. But York was alive, they’d deal with the upset later. “Come on,” North said, “Let’s get back. Captain, if you can let the General know our status on your return, we’d appreciate it.” He assumed the little man would ride ahead with Kirito. Harry and the Spartans would bring up the rear. *** With Kirito up, Levi mounted up in front of him (yeah, it was graceful, and easy for him, he just seemed to float up, just a quick tug of arms and a tuck of his leg and he swung himself up) and gave a solitary nod to North before he was spurring Arturo into action and the pair were off, through the forest. The shorter Spartan watched them go, then came forward to clasp his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I still love you, man.” He told him, pulling the taller (but, now slightly shorter) man in to wrap his arm around him. “Let’s go home.” With his wizard and his partner. He and North would have to talk later about what had happened today. But not right now. |