Freelancer New York (freelancer_york) wrote in elsewhere_rpg, @ 2017-12-05 15:15:00 |
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Theta had informed a half-asleep York if the portal opening five minutes ago. The shortest of the male Spartans was now running top-speed towards where he knew they were, thanks to Theta. He’d popped Delta back in, kissed Ed, and taken off. He saw them in the distance, the short woman among the two giants. North towering over the group entirely. He didn’t stop. Why should he? He ran straight into his friend like a freight train, throwing his arms around his shoulders with every intention of trying to knock him straight to the ground. Of course, North had height and weight on him.. But the locksmith had momentum. Texas stepped out of the way so as not to get caught in the mess it was sure to create. *** Theta told North there was an incoming hostile. He hadn't exactly used that combination of words, but it did catch North’s attention, causing the Spartan to turn and in turning, caught sight of his barreling friend as the massive form headed straight for them. Then Texas side stepped, leaving North the target. Aw, shit. York hit North like a damned wrecking ball. North wasn't even angry. He didn't brace for impact and that, friends, was why when titans fell the woods shook. The two men toppled, North’s breath left his lungs, and they hit the earth in a tangle of limbs and more than six hundred pounds of muscle and metal. Ouch. But the soldier laughed, more like a wheeze because he was literally breathless, and wrapped strong arms around his friend. “Hey, man, are you trying to kill me here?” He asked. He also didn't try to make York move. Nor would he ever. He was home. ****** Trying to kill him? York could only laugh and he pressed his forehead down against North’s, clearly having no interest in getting up anytime soon. He’d dropped North to his back and was now quite comfortable atop him. North was his. Dibs. “Just trying to remind you that you should always be prepared for sneak attacks, buddy. I’m looking out for your best interests.” By tackling him. Duh. Of course it made sense. “How was it? How long were you guys gone? Did you bring me back a souvenir?” Yeah right. ‘I went to crazy happy town and all I got was this damn t-shirt’. That was exactly what North would bring back for his friend. It was a joke, of course, but an eager one. He wanted to know everything had been okay and that he’d made the right decision allowing North to run off like that. Yeah, yeah, North could take care of himself, but York still worried. *** “Sneak attacks are a swift kick to the balls, York. This was full on assault.” He still grinned. Oh, man. He missed his friend. North too was perfectly content to let York remain atop him. In fact, he just hugged him closer, one hand stroking through stupid blonde hair, the other running down the other man's back. “It was its own form of hell,” he said. “They were nice--there’s people on the other side. A settlement about the size of this one. They were so happy. I think it's the toxic elements in the food, the vegetation. But they were so happy to be there, they welcomed us on sight. They answered our questions without trouble. Super weird,” he said. “Theta says we've been gone for three weeks and two days.” North framed York's face, looking his friend over with concern and no small amount of love. See? He came back and he wasn't an old man yet. “I must have lost your gift in the portal,” he winked. He hadn't brought anything back. Theta had cataloged information, which North would give to Georgia later. *** That had York laughing again and he pressed his lips down against North’s forehead, then his temple, then his cheek. “Next time, I’ll kick you in the balls.” Joked in return, as he just laid there. He could have laid there forever. He’d have been happy there forever. “They were drugged up on their food source? That makes sense. No one can be that happy, huh?” He shifted his body some, getting more comfortable atop his best friend. “You’ve been gone from here for two weeks and two days. So you’re not an old man-- I don’t know if I’m disappointed or not.” His hands roamed over North’s face, then down over his neck and shoulders, he gripped at his biceps, then held on. “I love you, man.” Reminded with a little breath as he pressed their foreheads together again, noses brushing. “Thanks for coming back to me. Even if you forgot my trinket.” You were well loved here, North. Never forget that. *** He closed his eyes, relaxing back on the ground with the paper weight stacked atop him. His arms dipped low to York's hips, clutching them as he let himself feel. He was home. Everything was okay again, as okay as it could be without South in his life. York was here. His little kisses across the taller man's face were comforting. His touch. “Expecting a silver fox?” He joked, pale blue eyes opening again. He reached up to touch York's face again. “I love you, too.” Of course he did. Of course he'd always come back to him. Until the day one of them was dead. “Come on, I'm getting older by the minute sitting here.” he grinned. He didn't want to move, but, “If we don't take cover, General Mustang will want to debrief us before we get a chance to rest.” He winked. Ditching business to relax and be around one another would always be preferable. But North didn't need York's permission to move. He shifted his weight, muscles straining as he pushed back into a sitting position and then slowly began heaving their combined weight to standing. North could carry York. It might look ridiculous, but the man had the strength to do it. *** “Hoping for a silver fox.. But instead I just get you back as you left. It’s disappointing.” He laughed again. “Maybe if we sit here long enough, you’ll turn into that silver fox I want so badly.” Because like Hell was he moving. He just stayed right atop his friend, doing his best to pin him down with his dead weight. “If we stay right here, Mustang won’t find us. We could build a shelter and just stay here.” Because it’d be easy to build a shelter while he was lying atop North. Yeah. No, he wasn’t moving. Except the taller man was, shifting to sit up and effectively dropping York into his lap. Then he was hefting their joint weight up and York began laughing again, letting his friend haul him up. Whether he ended up like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, a bride in his arms, or with his legs wrapped around his waist, hanging off the front of him, it didn’t matter. He’d let North carry him for a few moments, just to prove that he would. He knew North could do it. York, likewise, could carry North. They were strong enough. *** A sack of potatoes it was. He usually carried South like an extra pack on his back, but getting York in that position was more effort than the moment warranted. So he just hefted the massive soldier over a shoulder and climbed to his feet, laughing in earnest now. Look at these two morons, a pair of laughing idiots. They were best friends and it was heartening to see them enjoying themselves. Not everything in life needed to be bad, or sad. They made sure they could still laugh. So North laughed, he grinned from ear to ear as he carried his friend away, waving bye at Texas and Hawkeye, “I've got my treasure,” he joked. He would carry York several yards before, still chuckling, he dropped the other man to his feet and then shoved his shoulder playfully. “You dick,” he taunted. “You have a bad eye but two good legs to walk on.” *** A pair of laughing idiots indeed. He brought a hand down to smack once against North’s rump before he was dropped down, Texas rolling her eyes at the two idiots and glancing aside at Riza, who was watching with curiosity. She’d never really seen them interact. It was.. Strange to watch. “How do you know my legs are still good? You’ve been gone a long time you know, maybe I’m an old man now and they’re impaired.” He bumped and nudged and pressed against North as they walked, smiling all the way. The two of them, they might as well have been one person for all the time they spent pressed together. “Let’s go home.” He reached out to wrap his fingers around North’s hand and held on. *** “Because you came running over here like an ox,” he said, shoving York aside again only to step into the space after so that they were bumping again, a unified wall against the world intentional or not. It felt good to be home. Smiling, North didn't look down when York took his hand, he only turned it to thread their fingers together. Brothers in arms, friends for life, they were each other's heart. Together, as in most everything they did, they walked off into the night, heading home. |