Freelancer New York (freelancer_york) wrote in elsewhere_rpg, @ 2017-10-22 00:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | red vs blue: north, red vs blue: york, tags for admin: year 01 |
Thread - North/York
Who: North Dakota & New York
What: Checking on Tex.
When: Oct. 19th, Evening, after this. Before Ed & York.
Where: The Inn, the Church, around Elsewhere.
Rating: PG-13
Status: Log - Complete
Neither North nor York had heard from Tex lately. Not in the last 24 hours, at least. It was a little strange, but not unheard of. However, knowing she was so injured, the medic had suggested they go pay her a visit. The two had debated wearing armor or going without.. In the event Tex was angry, they were safer in their armor. However, if she wasn’t, the armor was only cumbersome at best. So, throwing caution to the wind, the pair had set out on foot, without their armor. Walking through the dark town, side by side, to the opposite end where the church was, no one tried to bother the two men. They were very tall and very large. And they walked together in a way that said they were in perfect sync with one another. Not a single weakness to be had in the impenetrable wall that was York and North. As they walked, the darker blonde took a glance at his friend, considering his face for a few moments too long before looking forward again and speaking. “Ed told me he was in love with me.” Well. There it was. *** North had been quiet, justifiably, when you thought about it. He'd learned of his impending death just a few days ago, which didn't bother him much at all when he got to the heart of it. No, what had worked to silence him was the thought of what was going to happen to South without him. And Theta. He'd been quiet because he missed the other half of his heart and soul. But with any luck, he'd never see her again. She'd live out her life with whatever freedom and happiness she could with Wash, and North? Well, if he stayed here he'd die here and if he didn't, he'd go home and die there. His fate was already sealed. The rest was just details. It gave him some peace. He didn't have to wonder anymore. So that was why he was quiet, walking beside his friend with eyes alert but otherwise relaxed. No one bothered them. … except York. North blinked himself out of his reverie and canted his head toward York. “Really?” He asked. He didn't have much of an opinion on it. York and Ed were free to do whatever they liked. But still, not exactly what he imagined was troubling York. *** “Yeah.” He answered in return, keeping his eyes turned forward, watching for anything that might come out of the dark. “And today, Mustang tore me a new one for it. Told me to be an adult and fix it.” That was the long and short of the conversation, anyway. “Reminded me the only reason Ed liked me at all was because his mother died and I was the first person to be nice to him since. Said I was just a substitute.” He wasn’t wrong. “That I was manipulating him to make myself feel good, at his expense.” The way he spoke, the words that came from his lips, they weren’t curious or confused. They weren’t looking for any sort of comfort or pity. They were factual. Today, this had happened. Now you’ve been informed. Not that it mattered. Not that any of it mattered. The whole thing made York’s chest feel tight but he didn’t want to dump that much on North. North had his own issues, which his friend understood. York knew the first thing on North’s mind when he woke was South and the last thing before he went to bed at night was the same. “How was your day?” Had it sucked as much? *** North listened. He was good at that, just quietly assessing the news, His blue eyes pensive. He looked at York after a moment, bumping his shoulder into the shorter blonde. “I don't think you're manipulating him, that's unfair.” He knew York and Ed were close. Just like he and York were close. What was wrong with that? North hadn't spent much time around General Mustang though so he didn't have a very good read on the man. “I think he's stressing himself out,” North said after a moment. “And you just happened to make yourself a good target.” From what North did know, Ed and General Mustang were from the same world. They had links to each other that neither North nor York were part of. “What do you think about it?” He asked, “Do you really believe you're some kind of sub?” maybe he was. North didn't know Ed very well, either. York had been around much longer and he had stronger ties to the people he knew. *** Was he some kind of sub? York tilted his head a little. “I didn’t think so.. But now that he mentioned it, I guess I am.” The shorter blonde looked like he wanted to say more, but chose to end it there instead. They didn’t need to wax poetic about his troubles. It was weird. He had troubles. Sure, they’d all had some sort of troubles before. York and Wyoming had never gotten along, there had always been tension there. And when Wash had joined the team, there’d been some strange tension between North, York and Wash, while the three of them had settled into an unorthodox relationship. Beyond that, there’d been tensions between the single digits, doubles, and anyone below that. All pitted against one another. So the two were no stranger to relationships that had a bit of baggage, but it wasn’t this sort. This was a whole new monster. “I don’t mind, really.” He said after a long silence. “Whatever he needs, man.” York could be that. He liked Ed. They were friends. Closer than friends, they were brothers. And while the tall blonde didn’t find Ed to be sexually attractive. Well.. if Ed wanted that, he’d figure it out. At least he could do something with the short remainder of his life. Something good. *** “York,” North said, pausing his steps and reaching out to stop his friend, “I love you, man,” he told the other Spartan. “But sometimes you’re a raging idiot and I don’t understand how your brain works. You know what I love the most?” He started walking again, looking at his friend as he did, “That you’re so giving and you never expect anything back. You know what I hate the most? That you’re so giving and never want anything back. You have to stop and take care of yourself once in awhile, too.” Because York would give everyone whatever they wanted. He’d be the tool or the punching bag or the glorified sex doll if it was necessary and he’d never consider himself while he did it. That wasn’t healthy. North worried about York because York was incapable of worrying about himself. *** ‘Everyone’ was a subjective word. The Golden Soldier was selective in his giving nature, not everyone was worthy of it, but sometimes his gifting was unpredictable. Back when he’d been just five-- only a very small child-- he’d been willing to be beaten to a pulp in another boy’s place. Where had that come from? He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember his home life, nothing before that first day on Reach. Had he been born into a cruel family and he was used to it, so it was nothing to him? Had he been born into a loving family and he felt compelled to protect those around him? He didn’t know. Sometimes he wondered, but he never voiced it. None of them did. Pulled to a stop, he allowed that blue eye to search North’s paler set for a moment, before they were walking again and his friend was speaking. “I don’t need to look out for myself. I’ve got you.” He told the taller Spartan with a smile, then a hand reached out to catch North’s arm and pulled him to a stop there in the darkness. “Ed asked me to kiss him.” There was more to it, but York didn’t continue. Not yet. *** North laughed a bit, “Yeah, you do,” he agreed. It was true! North looked after him, he always would. But the giant of a man paused when York caught him, turning back to look at his friend, stepping closer again so they could keep their tone down. “Oh?” he replied, pale brows raised, “Did you do it?” He wouldn’t be surprised if York didn’t. York had never even kissed Carolina after all, why would he kiss someone he considered a brother? It wouldn’t make any sense. Maybe North’s thoughts were naive though. Romance and relationships were one of those nebulous things he’d never quite figured out. How could he, when South was his primary consideration and took up just about every moment of his life from the time they were born? Everything else had come second. Except, perhaps, for York. North offered a little smile. *** The smile faded from York’s lips as he watched the man across from him. It was difficult for him to see North’s expression in this light. When it was dark out, he was most vulnerable, relying nearly entirely upon Delta to be his eyes. “No. I asked him if that was what he really wanted and he couldn’t answer.” And that had been when York had known: Ed was confused, he didn’t know what he wanted. And that had been when he’d begun turning the young man down, albeit gently. He didn’t want to destroy their friendship. “But it made me think.” And he’d thought about North. A hand came up, touching gently at the taller Spartan’s jaw and angling it down some. Then that hand smoothed around to the back of the sniper’s neck and he held tight. “I want to kiss you.” *** Theirs was a song and dance made routine, the closeness between them that was all touch and quiet breathing. York touched North’s face and then his hand was sliding around North’s neck like it usually did when they stood brow to brow. North expected to be pulled in, but then… York said words and North’s lips parted. He wanted to kiss him? Hadn’t they just been talking about Ed and York kissing? Oh. York didn’t want to kiss Ed. He’d just said- North’s eyes dropped to York’s lips, he raised a hand to brush his fingers lightly over them, feeling York’s breath mildly against his skin. His mind slipped back to the brush of lips they’d shared in the woods the other day. Then he leaned his head down, his nose brushing over York’s cheek lightly on the side missing his eye, weirdly reverent to outsiders. Their lips brushed. In another life, with a more aware pair, North might have stopped and said this whole thing was unfair. *** He could feel the distinct gentle, fleeting touch of North’s skin against his own, the way the feeling deadened when North’s nose brushed over his scar, and returned to its same intensity on his skin a moment later. The two scars dipped in a little, marring his face with more than just a line, but two small canyons. And ever since that first time the sniper had seen his friend’s new face-- the first time having been met with a subtle look of shock-- North hadn’t reacted. Hadn’t flinched away. It was just part of who York was. North had accepted. He was a good friend. Their lips brushed. York took the invitation. His chin lifted and he pressed his mouth to North’s, his hand tightening a little on the back of his neck, holding him there. There was no accounting for the way his heart sped up or the little flip in his belly. Internally, Delta warned him that his heart rate was unacceptable. *** He inhaled a short breath when their lips touched in earnest. It was clumsy, it was real, and they were both eager. North didn’t know what he was doing, his ideas had come from furtively watching people like Texas and Harry stealing moments, like all the other Spartans that hooked up to kill some time and to just feel something sometimes. He didn’t know what he was doing, but it felt good. It made his heart race for reasons that had nothing to do with fear as they set out on a mission, nothing to do with the potential for death. It was the kind of staccato rhythm borne from thrill and genuine pleasure. Delta warned York his heart rate increased. Theta was chanting North and York sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. North ignored him, well he tried anyway, because it eventually made him laugh and in laughing he had to break away, though he didn’t go far. His own hand rose up to frame York’s face, the other curled into his shirt to hold him close. He was close enough to touch his lips to York’s cheek, so he did, right there over the scar on his face. *** It felt good. All of it felt good. The close proximity of his friend. The tightness in his gut. The way his heart threatened to beat out of his chest-- Delta warning him again that he should step away from North and calm himself. Mostly, the press of their mouths felt good, it felt exciting and oddly fulfilling. Then that hand was touching his cheek, the other grasping onto his shirt. He felt anchored. North always managed to help him feel anchored, even if he was out at the head of the team, doing something that would potentially get him killed. He always knew North was back there, he always knew his friend had an eye on him and would keep him safe. He felt that now. The taller of the two Dakotas was holding onto him. North had him. Then that kiss to his cheek came and York let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. It was a reassuring sort of thing. And while Spartans weren’t concerned with appearances, it was impossible not to know that you no longer looked the same as you once had. People no longer responded to York as they used to. So the kiss was comforting. “York,” Came the voice of the green AI, as he flickered to life over the Golden boy’s left shoulder. “Your heart rate is alarmingly high. I must ask that you disengage from Agent North Dakota and step away.” For his own good, of course. *** North held him. His pale blue eyes opened when Delta spoke, looking at the green AI hovering there so close. The Spartan smiled at him, “Hey Delta,” he addressed the AI. “It’s alright, I’ve got York. I’m not gonna let anything happen to him.” Increased heart rate or not. North always had York, always would. He loved him, after all. They were best friends. Still, even knowing they were stressing Delta out, North kissed him again, laughing when they bumped noses inexpertly. How did Harry and Texas make it look so flawless? *** The AI took just a moment, then responded with. “Your response has been noted. In the future, I will defer to your expertise, Agent North Dakota.” Delta flickered, then he was gone, and York smiled slowly and might have said something in return, but then North was kissing him again. In that moment, the shorter soldier was sure that there was nothing better in the entire world than the feeling of North’s lips, smiling against his own. Slowly, his hand slid away from the tall Spartan’s neck and he (equally as slowly) pulled back from the kiss, though his body remained close. His mouth felt wet. It was a strange sensation. “We don’t seem to be very good at this.” He would admit with a soft chuckle, that single blue eye finding North’s mouth again, suddenly fascinated with it. Why had it felt so good? Even after bumping noses, even after they’d missed mouths the first time, it had felt amazing. It was so strange, York had never been crap at something before (well, except telling lies..). And they both were, to boot. It made him feel oddly pleased and comforted. “What do you think?” Would he want to try it again, later? *** North laughed in earnest this time, pressing his forehead to York’s temple just for a moment. “What are you comparing it to?” He asked, but wasn’t offended, because they did suck at it. They both knew it. Neither of them had ever kissed anyone in their lives and they hadn’t gone through that childhood practice period with their hands or other children or anything that normal children did. Regardless, it had been something wonderful and gratifying and North was glad. Why hadn’t he kissed York sooner? If he’d known it felt that way… He spent all of his time close to the other Spartan! What did he think? North looked into that single blue eye, “I liked it,” he told him, “I think it’ll bother Ed if he knows.” He wanted to do it again. He just didn’t know how anyone else would handle it. *** With his friend pressed close again, York broke into a wide grin and a hand tugged some at North’s shirt to bring him in even closer, their chests both bumping into that hand that held fabric. They must have been a sight. Two giants, holding onto one another that way, almost like they were going to start a fight. “I liked it, too.” He admitted, but nodded to the assessment that it would bother Ed. No one needed to know but the two of them. It was a private affair. Slowly, his hand released that shirt and York took a step back to disengage. They, after all, were on a mission to go see Texas. “I was comparing it to watching Tex and Harry.” Who made it look so effortless and simple. It wasn’t! *** Grinning like a pair of idiots, the blondes each took a step back, hands fell away and they were just the two of them still. Their friendship would hold through everything and this? Well, their shared kiss had just been another step along the rung of their bond. North elbowed York playfully, looking amused and content at once. “I’m glad you’re here, York,” he said, “I don’t know how to be without you.” Without South or York? North wouldn’t make it. He knew that about himself. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his (too tight, honestly) jeans, the taller man fell into step beside his friend and they resumed their steady march toward the church. Eyes forward, North ventured out from the trap inside his head that focused on South, taking in the sights around him with more than just looking for danger. Inside the church, Harry was sitting vigil over a prone woman tucked into blankets in a neat little pile on the floor. He felt the wash of energy that alerted him to the presence of bodies outside. He and Carlos had to get creative with their warding, erecting an alert system but nothing with obdurate defense. They didn’t make their designs to keep anyone out, but had placed them to give the wizards enough warning to vacate if needs be. Or, in this case, to stand ready for an assault. Harry had pushed to his feet, standing solidly between the woman and whoever was entering the church. When the giants entered, their shadows oddly shaped from the flickering green flames that lined the walls, Harry frowned. “What’s wrong?” he asked. Why had they come? North, still confused by magic, was immediately taken by the green fires in the mason jars, but kept his hands to himself because they were here on a mission. Locking down, Theta shored up his defenses and worked to keep him and his host alive through the assault on his being. *** Delta, accustomed to this assault, locked down as well and braced against the force of nature that was Harry Dresden. He immediately took notice of Harry’s defensive stance upon stepping into the church and he himself stepped forward and shifted to be just a bit in front of North-- a similar defensive stance. Protective. Though, when Harry seemed to relax, just a little, so did York. He still didn’t move, though. If Harry (or Winter) ever wanted to get at North, they’d have to go through York. “Tex hasn’t been answering my messages..” His eye trailed to the prone woman and he stared for a few seconds, then looked back up at Harry. “Is she dead?” The question had a pained edge to it. He honestly thought there was a chance Tex was dead. She was so still, even with someone having come into her space. She hadn’t even stirred. What had happened? The Medic was coming forward without hesitation, to try and get a better look at the blonde woman. What was it with Harry Dresden and collecting blondes? *** Is she dead? Harry didn't glance at Texas to check. York was a non issue in the mind of Harry Dresden, to Winter. He was capable, but not a threat. Neither predator nor prey. North, however, was still unknown. Harry hadn't spent nearly as much time with the pale blonde as he had York, and Winter's wolf was still ambivalent about the soldier. Harry didn't take his eyes off North. York stepped closer. Harry allowed it. “She's fine,” he said, head tilting just slightly. “She's sleeping. She hasn't been sleeping, so I helped her out a little. Don't go past the salt line.” He warned. It wouldn't wake her up if York did. It would just erode the magic quicker. She needed all the time to sleep she could get. North, quite aware of the look in the wizard's eyes, had stayed back. His hands out of his pockets now, hanging loosely at his sides. Not a threat, wolf. But not weak either. York had given Winter all the wrong signals about North from the beginning. He was someone that needed protection. Weak. Harry forced himself to breathe, finally looking at York. *** Now York was watching Harry instead of Tex there on the floor. He didn’t like the way Harry was staring North down, like he wanted to pounce on him. Like he wanted to find out just what the taller man was made out of. It sent shivers down York’s spine. Delta flickered over his left shoulder, but never fully formed. Just flashed of green and York’s eye shifted back and forth a little before stilling again, settling onto Harry’s face. The light came to a stop. A bit of blood began to trickle from the shorter Spartan’s nose. It was ignored, the flow was slow, it was only a few drops and would dry rather quickly. “How long did you put her out for?” That blue eye stayed stuck on Harry this time, refusing to leave him to look back down at the prone female Spartan. She was fine, Harry wouldn’t hurt her. He was hoping to keep the wizard’s attention on him, away from North. Sure, he knew North could protect himself, but it wasn’t really North that worried him, it was Theta and his ability to protect his host. Delta was stronger, and Delta could heal the damaged parts of York’s brain. Theta couldn’t. An angry Harry could kill North with the magical equivalent of a sneeze. *** The tension became obvious a second after York stopped and paid attention to it. North didn’t move a muscle, just settled in squarely, his eyes doing that strange jerky motion while Theta communicated his status. Harry’s eyes moved from York to the taller Spartan again as the air changed. It got colder. North furrowed his brows slightly. Harry frowned, too. “A couple days, it’ll fade with the sunrise.” Sunlight was cleansing, after all. Even in this weird place. Magic had rules! Harry was just glad his magic worked. His eyes locked on North again. He could see the subtle tells in the way the younger man stood, the strain on his muscles to hold himself in place, braced against whatever was happening inside his brain while that little bit of technology worked furiously for its own survival. If Harry stepped just a few feet closer, were to draw in just an ounce of his will, North would collapse under the weight of his own brain fighting to survive. Harry stepped back, not toward Texas who also had Delta, but away from both the male soldiers. “You should go, I’ll tell her you came by,” Harry said lightly. “Assuming she doesn’t immediately murder me when she wakes up.” She thought she’d only be out for a few hours, Harry had let her run with that narrative. With any luck, she’d be out for up to three days, but more likely just two. *** “Yeah, thanks-- if she does murder you, let us know, man.” York lingered a second, then came forward and threw his arms around Harry, holding on tightly in a hug for a moment, before he released him and turned to head back for North. “Let’s go.” Tex was in good hands. They could head back. They’d gotten what they came for. |