[York exhales softly at the care in North's hand, at the conscious way he avoids the place where Delta used to live. York hasn't breathed a word about what they're both missing, not since Carolina asked. Not for weeks.
But he doesn't want to think about Delta right now. Not when he can make North happy.]
C'mon, North. You never complain about anything.
...Except my awesome stories, which is bullshit, because they're awesome, okay. Other than that, though--free pass to complain, any time.
[He punctuates this with a light kiss to North's forehead. He has to shift up a little to get there; York's not small, he knows this, but god, it's hard to forget how big North is, this close.]
[At some point, North knows, he's going to have to talk about what happened, about the fading purpled scar like lightning on the back of his neck that he knows they've both seen. About why he doesn't talk about Theta, or South, or anything really past the Good Times that they had what feels like ages ago.
But that point isn't now, not when he has York pressed so close to him, when he can slide his hands down to scoop York into his lap, while York scoots up to kiss his forehead.
The tears in his eyes are gone, replaced with a little bit of mischief. He's gone soft, but there's still the same strength in his arms that could take the recoil from two sniper rifles without so much as a flinch.]
Mmm. I can't exactly complain about this, either.
[He says, as one big hand settles on York's thigh.]
[Carolina has been watching over the edge of her coffee mug since she first heard York get up out of his chair, and she isn't exactly displeased by what she sees. Sure, there's a pang of jealousy; but not in the way of being one sided. It's more, she realises, like she's watching them and enjoying what she's seeing so much that she wants to be a part of it, too. So she puts her coffee cup down and saunters over, leaving her pup asleep under her chair, her footsteps quiet despite her inability to walk without a swagger.
Plopping right down next to North and leaning an arm on his arm (as she quickly discovers his shoulder is out of her reach, if she wants to be comfortable in the slightest) she peers at her two boys with a sly smirk and--]
Room for one more over here? I heard something good was going on.
[York's already grinning when Carolina joins them. It's definitely not his common experience to be the one scooped up into someone's else's lap, and it sets his heart racing a little.]
Why, you jealous, Cat? Always gotta get in on the action. Well, here.
[He moves his hand from North's face to rest instead over the hand on his leg, keep it there as he leans over to give Carolina a forehead kiss, too. Smek.]
Better?
[He settles comfortably against North's chest, eyes crinkled cheekily. His hand loosens and travels idly up North's forearm. Just exploring.]
[North smiles warmly when Carolina comes over and joins them, leaving one hand on York's thigh and moving the other to wrap around her shoulders and tug her in close to his side. They have awakened a beast of casual displays of affection, and he will not be tamed.
If he were a cat he would be purring right now, cuddled up with York in his lap and Carolina against his side. He's warm and happy and content.]
I don't know if the forehead smooch is what she's jealous of.
[But Carolina bites her lip and gives York a mischievous look. Shifting in place a little so she can reach just a little better (and finding she really doesn't mind his arm around her) she gives that mischievous look to North, now.]
Well, you're right about that.
[But she's ready to play along, too, and puts her hand on North's cheek to turn his face toward hers, kissing him gently on the lips-- lighter and gentler than York, but real all the same.]
[Now that, he wasn't expecting. His eyes widen when Carolina kisses him, and the first thing he notices is that it's different but it's not...different.
The arm around her shoulders pulls her a little closer, and he relaxes into the kiss, easy and gentle. Her lips are softer than York's, but it's nice.
He breaks the kiss and meets her bright green eyes.]
[Those bright green eyes stare right back at him-- and then crinkle at the corners as she smiles lopsidedly, hand still on his face, and gives a short giggle. Her laughter is, as always, low yet sweet, mellow like coffee with sugar.
She gives York another mischievous look, and says--]
[He looks from Carolina to North, and his smile both warms and gentles when he returns it to Carolina.]
Yeah, he might be. Guess you'll have to be the judge of that, Carolina.
[Their past is there, in the way the pads of his fingers brush her cheek before sliding back through her hair, in the way his palm fits to the side of her face.
But it just gives them the starting point for who they're going to be.
York kisses Carolina--their Carolina, their leader, the girl who'd grabbed his lighter right out of his hand and he'd never looked back--with his hand on North's arm, new and familiar all wrapped up into one, and thinks, leapin' lizards, it's good to be alive.]
[There's no jealousy, watching York and Carolina kiss. How could there be, when he just kissed both of them, when he's still under and between them.
He smiles watching them, the familiarity in York's hand on her cheek, the way they both look so happy. He moves his arm out from under York's hand so that he can thread their fingers together instead, his grip loose and comfortable as he curls their fingers lightly, leaning over to nuzzle York's shoulder, unwilling to interrupt their kiss.]
[And when Carolina pulls away, finally, it's with a smile-- a soft one, unlike she's smiled for such a long time.
She doesn't open her eyes until she's quite sure she isn't going to cry or do something equally ridiculous, and to top it off, she pushes her hand through York's hair to mess it up.]
Mmm, I dunno. One kiss each isn't anything to judge.
[He retreats for a moment from both of them, laughing in spite of himself, but North has one of his hands and the ghost of Carolina's skin is still alive along the fingertips of the other, and it's not like he can really fix his hair without rinsing it and starting over, anyway.
Instead, he just pulls North's hand and his towards the center of his chest (this is his, now, sorry about it); reaches over with that other hand to cradle the side of Carolina's face, rub the pad of his thumb over her skin again, prove that smile's real; and then flicks at her hair, mock-huffy.]
Maybe that's all you get, Carolina. Other people here know how to treat a dude. And a dude's hard-maintained hair.
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But he doesn't want to think about Delta right now. Not when he can make North happy.]
C'mon, North. You never complain about anything.
...Except my awesome stories, which is bullshit, because they're awesome, okay. Other than that, though--free pass to complain, any time.
[He punctuates this with a light kiss to North's forehead. He has to shift up a little to get there; York's not small, he knows this, but god, it's hard to forget how big North is, this close.]
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But that point isn't now, not when he has York pressed so close to him, when he can slide his hands down to scoop York into his lap, while York scoots up to kiss his forehead.
The tears in his eyes are gone, replaced with a little bit of mischief. He's gone soft, but there's still the same strength in his arms that could take the recoil from two sniper rifles without so much as a flinch.]
Mmm. I can't exactly complain about this, either.
[He says, as one big hand settles on York's thigh.]
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Plopping right down next to North and leaning an arm on his arm (as she quickly discovers his shoulder is out of her reach, if she wants to be comfortable in the slightest) she peers at her two boys with a sly smirk and--]
Room for one more over here? I heard something good was going on.
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Why, you jealous, Cat? Always gotta get in on the action. Well, here.
[He moves his hand from North's face to rest instead over the hand on his leg, keep it there as he leans over to give Carolina a forehead kiss, too. Smek.]
Better?
[He settles comfortably against North's chest, eyes crinkled cheekily. His hand loosens and travels idly up North's forearm. Just exploring.]
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If he were a cat he would be purring right now, cuddled up with York in his lap and Carolina against his side. He's warm and happy and content.]
I don't know if the forehead smooch is what she's jealous of.
[Kiss the girl]
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Well, you're right about that.
[But she's ready to play along, too, and puts her hand on North's cheek to turn his face toward hers, kissing him gently on the lips-- lighter and gentler than York, but real all the same.]
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The arm around her shoulders pulls her a little closer, and he relaxes into the kiss, easy and gentle. Her lips are softer than York's, but it's nice.
He breaks the kiss and meets her bright green eyes.]
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She gives York another mischievous look, and says--]
Y'know, he might be better at this than you are.
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[He looks from Carolina to North, and his smile both warms and gentles when he returns it to Carolina.]
Yeah, he might be. Guess you'll have to be the judge of that, Carolina.
[Their past is there, in the way the pads of his fingers brush her cheek before sliding back through her hair, in the way his palm fits to the side of her face.
But it just gives them the starting point for who they're going to be.
York kisses Carolina--their Carolina, their leader, the girl who'd grabbed his lighter right out of his hand and he'd never looked back--with his hand on North's arm, new and familiar all wrapped up into one, and thinks, leapin' lizards, it's good to be alive.]
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He smiles watching them, the familiarity in York's hand on her cheek, the way they both look so happy. He moves his arm out from under York's hand so that he can thread their fingers together instead, his grip loose and comfortable as he curls their fingers lightly, leaning over to nuzzle York's shoulder, unwilling to interrupt their kiss.]
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She doesn't open her eyes until she's quite sure she isn't going to cry or do something equally ridiculous, and to top it off, she pushes her hand through York's hair to mess it up.]
Mmm, I dunno. One kiss each isn't anything to judge.
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[He retreats for a moment from both of them, laughing in spite of himself, but North has one of his hands and the ghost of Carolina's skin is still alive along the fingertips of the other, and it's not like he can really fix his hair without rinsing it and starting over, anyway.
Instead, he just pulls North's hand and his towards the center of his chest (this is his, now, sorry about it); reaches over with that other hand to cradle the side of Carolina's face, rub the pad of his thumb over her skin again, prove that smile's real; and then flicks at her hair, mock-huffy.]
Maybe that's all you get, Carolina. Other people here know how to treat a dude. And a dude's hard-maintained hair.