Work Text:
Don't Want To Fight Anymore.
by Lopaka Tanu
September 13, 2064 - Helios System.
Pressing a hand to his ear piece, Corporal Helman cleared his throat. "Sir, we've got a message coming in from the Nachynka. It's Admiral Noryenko."
"What's he say?" Turning from the map console, Commodore Ross nodded towards the crewman's back. He had been expecting this for the past twelve hours. "What's the news, son?"
"He's taking command of the fleet, the entire fleet. Under Secretary Chaput has authorized and affirmed his posting." Slowly, the corporal turned from his station. Eyes wide, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Upon facing the rest of the command deck, he found himself the center of attention. "Secretary General Diane Hayden has been suspended while the Inspector General's Office investigates her connection with the Chig attack. Chaput has been appointed Acting Secretary General during the crises."
Ross couldn't bring himself to meet the corporal's gaze. Sighing, he leaned against the barrier rail. "What are our orders?"
Nodding, Helman swiveled his chair back to the radio controls. Transmitting his message, he waited for a reply. "Gold level authorization needed, sir."
"All right, I'll handle it myself." Sharing a look with Colonel Hopwood, Ross nodded. "Colonel, you have the bridge." There would be plenty of time if this were what he suspected to be true. Passing a lieutenant on his way towards his private office, he nodded an acknowledgement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Have you heard anything from the old man?" Sitting up on his bunk, Hawkes fought to keep his excitement down. In the past twenty hours since McQueen had left, there hadn't been any word.
Closing the barracks door behind him, West shook his head. The heavy feeling in his chest increased at the crestfallen expression of his team mate. "It hasn't even been a day. They've probably got him doped up to the gills."
"Yeah." Hawkes swallowed. Taking a deep breath, he frowned over the situation. There was too much going on lately to think clearly, it wasn't right. "What about the plans?"
"I dunno." Rubbing his head, he walked over to Wang's bunk. As he laid down, he avoided noticing the pictures still plastered to the wall behind his pillow. Really, all he wanted to do was lay there forever and not wake up.
Scooting to the end of his bunk, Hawkes bounced a little in his seat. He started to say something, then closed his mouth. He glanced over at the other bunks.
Nathan could hear him. Was very aware of his actions in the quiet room. If the other man wanted to speak, he would, if he didn't, he could deal with that too. Either way, he wasn't going to start it.
Finally having built up enough courage, Cooper stood up. He crossed the walkway to kneel beside West's bunk. Reaching out, he touched Nathan's upper arm. "Hey, West."
Sighing, Nathan cracked open his eyes. "What, Coop?"
"I can't sleep, man." Running a hand through his close cropt hair, Hawkes knew he looked like he was tweaking. It had been months since the greeny meanies, but that was an experience he would never forget. "It's too quiet."
That was it? This is what had the Invitro near to climbing the walls? All the shit going down, all the lives gone, and he was bothered by the quiet? Nathan felt like smacking him. "Go to bed, Coop."
"I can't!" He glanced over the bunk to his against the far wall. "I've tried every bunk in this place, even yours. None of them feel right enough for me to get comfortable."
West started to groan. Then something occurred to him. "You tried my bunk? Tell me you didn't blast one in the blankets."
"No, I didn't." Rolling his eyes, Cooper gave in to the urge to mock punch Nathan's shoulder. It had been a one time thing that felt like a century ago. Still, just the thought of then sent a twinge through his chest. "I don't think I can sleep in here, it's the place."
Now that the other man had him thinking on it, West found he was bothered by something too. Deep down, he knew what it was, but his thoughts skitted away from that. Bracing himself on an elbow, Nathan sat up to glare. "Where do you think you can sleep?"
"Actually, I was hoping I could sleep with you." At Nathan's shocked stare, Hawkes felt himself shifting away. "Never mind. Forget I said anything." He started to stand, turning so he could head back to Vansen's bunk. A hand on his shoulder stopped him short.
It was then Nathan realized what was really going on. "Coop." He gently shook the invitro's shoulder to get his attention.
Looking at the other man, Hawkes grit his jaw. This was the part where he would get yelled at. Always the way!
For the first time, Nathan noticed the pale, drawn look of the other man. There were dark wrinkles under his eyes, giving the appearance of bruising. "Have you gotten any sleep in the last fourty-eight?"
Cooper shook his head. Counting back, he couldn't actively recall the last time he had. He knew it had to have been in the last three days. They had been well rested for the recon mission, that much he knew.
Snorting, Nathan twisted his hand in Cooper's flight suit. Jerking him up in to the bunk, he wasn't quite prepared for the man's enthusiasm. That was how he found himself slammed back on the bunk with nearly two hundred pounds of Cooper crushing the breath from his body. Seeing stars, he pushed him off his chest.
Rolling on to his side, Hawkes kept a leg and an arm draped over West's body. He used this grip to bring the other man to him so that neither of them fell off the narrow mattress. Nuzzling his cheek in to the single pillow, he sighed, content.
Turning his head, Nathan watched the other man's face settle in to something like peaceful. The pillow was now more than half under Cooper's thick skull, leaving him barely an edge. His eyes narrowed, the situation was not going to last!
A deep snore erupted from Cooper's half open mouth.
Nathan's eyes opened wide. What the hell had he gotten himself in to? He tried to back away from the hurricane of bad breath and deck rattling snores. Tried being the operative word.
The octopus grip tightened, dragging Nathan even closer than before.
Staring up that bottom of the top bunk, Nathan wanted to cry. Hadn't he suffered enough?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sliding his ident chip in the viewer console, Ross braced himself for the meeting. There had been a lotta flack coming his way since the big reveal. It had only increased after the ambassador's self
destruction. With the change in command, he knew that the time to face judgement was upon him.
Back straight, shoulders back, he keyed up the console. A second later the symbol for the United Earth Forces came up.
"Please enter authorization code."
Typing in the code, Ross hit the enter key.
The screen flashed, then was replaced by the face of an older man. His gaze unwavering and set, he instantly met Ross' eyes. "Commodore Ross, I am Supreme Admiral Noryenko."
"It is good to place your name with a face, sir." Ross tried for a humorous approach. When the man's stern visage remained unchanged, he let the false cheer drop. "What is the situation, sir?"
"Grim. Your men have cost us a great deal." The man's eyes did a quick check of the signal readout on his end. "Your new orders are to proceed at top speed to the Sol Sector immediately. Officially, you are returning to home port for repairs and crew replacement."
Dropping his gaze, Ross nodded. He had a feeling that was to be the situation. "About my people, sir, I take full responsibility..."
"Silence." It wasn't harsh, but came out abrupt. "This is not a disgrace, do not consider it as such. Our plans have changed, Earth needs to be protected."
"Sir?" The Commodore hadn't felt so tongue tied since he was a captain. Turn about after such a situation was unheard of. "Just what is the exact nature of my orders?"
"The Saratoga is to head the home guard. With your record in battle against the enemy, your experience will be of vital importance. A more detailed instruction will be provided when you arrive." Leaning forward slightly, the admiral lowered his brow. "That is all you need to know."
So, there was an agenda after all. Ross could say that he was surprised. There was always a backup plan just in case the main one went wrong. "What about the Wild Cards? Recent actions have taken a heavy toll."
"Yes, it has." Leaning forward, the admiral touched something on his console. "As of now, there is no longer a Fifty-Eighth squadron in the Fifth Airwing." Then his image flashed, before being replaced by the UEF's symbol.
Ross stared at the screen for a long time afterwards. He felt a little unsteady, as if the rug had been jerked out from under him. After everything they had been through, the battles, birds, good men and women who gave their everything. This was not what they had deserved!
Rubbing a hand over the lower part of his face, he swallowed back the thickness in his throat. How the hell was he going to explain this to his crew? Hell, he wasn't even sure he understood it himself. The part he did know, piss him off.
Something big was going down, and they weren't to be a part of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 12, 2064 - FTL Transit - Bosporus Corridor.
Nathan wasn't sure how it happened, but he must have fallen asleep some time during the night. The next time he became aware of his surroundings, he had a very affectionate Hawkes slowly rubbing against his hip. Turning his head, he found the other man still asleep.
Oh, no. Not happening. Seriously, not happening.
Reaching between their bodies with his trapped hand, he pinched at Cooper's stomach. This caused the other man to flinch away from him, but other wise not react. That hadn't been the reaction he had hoped for. As the rubbing became a slow grind, another tactic came to Nathan's mind.
Scooting the short distance over their shared pillow, he took a slow breath. As he exhaled, he leaned in, his lips pursed. This had worked with Wang during the Trophis Cycle on Deimos. A slight smile curled Nathan's lips as Hawkes snorted.
Unfortunately, the other man didn't wake up. Rolling a little in his sleep, he plowed West under him.
Nathan now found himself completely buried beneath Cooper's weight. The sleeping invitro's face was mere centimeters from his. A pursing of his lips now and they would be kissing. All right, no more Mr. Nice Guy. Raising his head, Nathan gently pressed his lips to Cooper's.
That got a reaction.
Grinding his erection harder in to West's hip, Hawkes began to moan in to their shared kiss.
Face screwed up in frustration, Nathan jerked his hand free of Cooper's weight. In an act of desperation, he brought it down to just under the swell of the invitro's ass. Cupping for all he was worth, he squeezed the firm flesh.
Eyes clenching tight, Cooper groaned in to Nathan's mouth. Thrusting his cock against Nathan, he moaned loud and clear in the barracks. A short second later, warmth flooded the cloth between them.
Nathan's eyes shot open wide. Even as Coop went for another thrust against his hip, he could feel more warmth spread. He began to groan.
Why? Why did Cooper have to be a horny bedmate? Was there someone out there who hated him so much? Did he do something to deserve this? He was sorry, no matter what, he truly was.
Slitting open his eyes, Cooper broke apart their kiss. A smirk crossed his lips as he stared down upon West. "Good morning."
"Hawkes, get off me." Nathan didn't have to push any more, as the other man jumped clear off the mattress, and landed on the deck.
Crashing to his ass, Cooper scooted away until his back hit the next bunk. He ran the back of his hand over his lips, scrubbing to get the taste and feeling from his lips. "Ugh, man! What the hell?"
Sitting up, Nathan looked down at the wet stain on his jumpsuit. He grimaced as he felt it start to grow cold. "I think I hate you a little right now, Coop. Just thought you should know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Entering the mess, Cooper was surprised to find it near to full. Many of the pilots were supposed to be on standby last he heard. Then again, that had been twenty-eight hours ago. As far as he knew, Project Round Hammer was still a go.
Another idea occurred to him, causing him to pause. He felt West stop behind him, and turned to glance over his shoulder at the other man. "Did something happen while I was asleep I don't know about?"
"How should I know? You had me pinned to the mattress all night." Nathan scrubbed at his right ear. There were suspicious scratches on his lobe. He knew they hadn't been there when he went to sleep.
"Hey, I apologized for that, all right? I told you, I thought you were someone else, now let's drop it." Shaking his head, Hawkes was now irritated. That was okay, he preferred facing unknown situations angry. The feeling was familiar and he could handle that. "Shall we find out just what the heck is going on?"
For several blinks, West could only stare at the invitro. He didn't think he would ever get used to that. "Fine."
"Fine." Checking his collar, Cooper faced the mess again. The crowd hadn't changed during their little exchange. Squaring his shoulders, he stalked in to the mess towards the chow line.
Nathan was only a half step behind him. Despite the discomfort between them, he couldn't bring himself to leave the other man's side in the face of these people. He realized then it was the truth. They had become separate from the whole.
It wasn't hard to figure out why.
Pausing at the end of the line, he grabbed a metal tray. There were no plates and plastic trays this time. Standard fare spoke a lot of what was going on. They weren't going in to battle any time soon.
Ahead in line, Cooper had the same thought. Letting out a relieved sigh, he put his tray out for the first helping of fried eggs and bacon bits. Then it was on to get toast and a helping of fried potatoes. Loading up, he walked over to the drink unit and grabbed himself a half frozen fruit juice.
Hawkes held his tray out for the clerk to take a inventory. Once she was satisfied he had nothing to charge, he was waved on. A short second later, he found a spot at an empty table. As he set his tray down, West moved to his side.
He felt a little self conscious of sitting so near Cooper, but that was out weighed by the fact they were now the center of attention. The conversation in the mess hall had quieted down and people were actively staring. Nathan knew Hawkes was glaring at them, but he just cut in to his breakfast. Having just loaded his fork down with eggs from concentrate, Nathan didn't notice the corporal until he was upon them.
The man stopped opposite of the table from them, making sure they noticed him. "Lieutenants West and Hawkes?" When he had their attention, he snapped a salute, then held out a paper.
Standing, Nathan returned the salute, but Hawkes kept eating his breakfast. He accepted the paper. "Thank you."
Snapping another salute, the corporal marched out of the officers' mess.
Nathan sat back down with a sigh. It had the official stamp of the Navy upon the outside. Unfolding it, he quickly scanned the contents. Closing his eyes, he handed it over to Cooper.
Mouth stuffed with eggs and bacon, Cooper picked at the paper with greasy fingers. Upon reading it, he balled it up. Dropping it on the table, he went back to eating.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting on what had been Shane's bunk, Nathan couldn't help glancing about the sterilized room. Beds had been rolled up, walls stripped clean, lights shut down. Even the smell had been scrubbed from the room. There was no sign that this had been the home of the Wild Cards just two days before.
Moving the toe of his boot, he kicked against the foot locker that now contained all that remained of their lives together. Everything the Quarter Master hadn't seen fit to scavenge for reuse, that is. Uniforms and boots were kept for use by someone else who might need them.
Dropping his eyes, he bit back a gasp. This had been his home for a year. People he had grown to care about, even love, had worked and lived here. A twinge started in his gut, trying to coil his guts in knots. They were a family.
How did someone move on?
The bed shook softly as Hawkes settled down beside him. Without thinking, Nathan reached for him, encircling an arm around his shoulders.
As Cooper dropped his head to Nathan's shoulder, he felt the other man stiffen against him. So much strength in that wirey body, it almost seemed impossible. Sliding his own arm up West's back, he dropped his hand on the guy's shoulder. "Sargent says we gotta move our crap. Soon as he wakes up, I'm sure he'll be more understanding."
Nathan released a gasping chuckle. Sniffing, he wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. "Did we do the right thing back there?"
"Yeah, we did. Vansen knew it, so did Wang. We just gotta keep on, else no one will remember. Know what I mean?" Toeing at West's footlocker, Cooper pushed it a little more in front of Nathan. "Hope you don't expect me to move that thing. It must weigh a tonne."
"Nah, Coop, I'll get it." Strange enough, he didn't feel at all put out by this. It was actually kinda comforting. "You got your crap moved already?"
"Well, yeah. First thing I did." Cooper turned his head to look up at West. "We gonna be all right?"
"I hope so." When he turned his head to rest his chin upon Cooper's forehead, neither of them said a word about it. "You think McQueen would be upset we're sharing his quarters?"
"Probably." Closing his eyes, Cooper allowed the sensation of West's pulse against his skin to sooth him. "But at least we're making sure his crap gets back to him."
"Yeah, it was nice of the Commodore to assign that duty to us."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 8, 2064 - Coraline System.
Entering the rec, Nathan had his hand resting upon the small of Cooper's back. They were jump coordinating for the final FTL transit to the Sol system. That meant entering normal space, and regaining access to subspace communications.
Across the room, he saw that a line had already started to form for the free terminal. The two reserved terminals had lines as well, but significantly smaller. Since he was number two on the list, that meant he didn't have to wait long.
Nathan slowed down as Cooper looked his way in question. Raising his eyebrow, he jerked his head towards the table in the corner. Their usual table was empty right now, but wouldn't remain that way for long given the short time they would remain in normal space.
Sighing, Cooper rolled his eyes. He shook off Nathan's hand and marched over to the table. His shoulders were set to ward off any attempts at conversation.
Shaking his head, Nathan tried not to think about what this meant. Ever since the orders came for them to be disbanded, Cooper had been growing less sociable. Had he been ignoring West too, Nathan would have thought something was wrong. Instead, he could all too easily understand and sympathize.
Pushing that from his mind, he felt a little thrill of excitement fill him. The first guy was almost done with his call, his thumb on the kill button. Taking out his ident card, he twirled it between his fingers. Nathan passed the row of waiting people humming to himself.
Taking the head position, he ignored the glare from the woman behind him. She hadn't been fast enough in the sign up line, so it wasn't his problem. Happily, he waited the thirteen seconds for the lieutenant before him to sign off. Then, he strolled up to the terminal and slid in his card.
Typing in the account number, he waited for the communications dish to connect him to Earth. It was a short wait. On the screen, the word 'waiting' flashed to signify it had reached the destination. Nathan hadn't the time to sit down in the chair before her face appeared on the screen.
Face lighting up, Nathan couldn't keep himself from blushing at the sight of her. "Hey."
Her hair was shorter, her face paler, but even with the bad reception, Kylen was still recognizable. The skin around her eyes was tight, strained like her smile. "Nathan."
"How's my favorite girl?" Leaning forward, he placed his hand against the screen.
Looking over the screen, her eyes kept darting back and forth between him and something else. "Why are you calling?"
The smile slipped from his face. Sitting back, he tried to keep up the pleasure of seeing her. "What do you mean? I promised I would stay in contact." He wiped his hand print off the screen. "I'm sorry I hadn't tried before, but the Saratoga's been in transit the past week."
"Past week?" Face scrunching, she looked aside. Her mouth moved as she mentally counted back. "Yes, it has been a week, hasn't it."
His heart nearly skipped a beat. "Is something wrong?" Swallowing, he prayed it wasn't something too bad.
Her smile grew more brilliant, almost reaching her eyes this time. "No, Nathan. Everything is wonderful, it's just, different, that's all. So very different." Something again drew her attention.
Frowning, she shook her head. She did this twice more before sighing. When she looked back at the screen, her cheerful expression was completely gone. "I have to go."
"Kylen?" Alarmed, he started to sit forward. Before he could ask her what was happening, the screen went blank. Nathan sat there in shock for several heartbeats, trying to figure out what had happened.
Eventually, he was drawn from his thoughts by someone behind him clearing their throats. It was then he realized that there were other people waiting. With numb fingers, he reached up and pulled his card out of the machine. As he stood, he could feel their eyes upon him.
Dazed, he wandered across the rec towards their table. Nathan could sense Cooper waiting for him, but couldn't make his eyes focus on the now. Nearing the table, he saw a blurry figure stand up. Wiping at his nose, he spun to sit in the chair Hawkes pulled out for him.
The moment he was down, he felt an arm sling over his shoulders. Nodding, Nathan took a shuddering breath. There was a simple explanation for her abrupt responses. He would find out what the problems were and they would work through it.
They had to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uniform perfectly aligned, Commodore Ross tugged his hat down. The only sign of his discomfort that he allowed to show was his attempts at physically perfecting his image. "Mr. Secretary General, what an unexpected surprise."
On the screen, Secretary General Chaput nodded his agreement. "Indeed."
"To what do I owe your attention?" He wanted to ask how such a man even came in to power, but that would not work out well for anyone.
"In a short time, you will arrive in orbit of Earth. Upon docking with Magnus Station, The Saratoga will undergo immediate repairs and upgrades." The banner behind Chaput wavered, then faded to blue. Pushing back from his desk, he stood up. "This is completely for security reasons."
Taking a step towards the screen, Ross crossed his arms. "What has happened?"
"By the time you arrive, the news will have hit every station in the empire. I suppose it is best you arrive prepared to handle the fallout." As he spoke, Chaput tugged on his hair until it was back in
place. That done, he began to unbuckle his cufflinks. "Five days ago, a modified Operation Round Hammer went ahead on my orders. The Chig moon and home world were bombarded with high intensity radionics. Fatal casualties were in the one hundred percentile."
Ross staggered. Reaching out, he caught himself on the edge of his desk. That tenuous grip was the only thing keeping him aloft. "I'm sorry, sir, but did I just hear you correctly?"
"You did." He tugged his suit jacket down until it was perfectly placed. A slight smile adorned his features as he looked through the screen at Ross. "My advisors have informed me that the Chigs will begin suicide runs on our most important bases within the month. They are likely to hit Earth within two. My estimates put them much closer. That is why you are coming home."
The sound of his own pulse was rushing through Ross's ears, making it almost impossible for him to hear. Nodding, his mind raced to put in to coherent thoughts of the possible ramifications. "What of our combined fleets, the ones that carried out the attack?"
"Ninety-five percent survived. They are being pursued, so we expect another ten percent loss before they reach safe harbor at Ixion. Once there, our battlements will hold off the enemy." As he spoke, Chaput seemed to grow more confident in his manners. "After that, all we must do is wait for them to come to us. The war is over, all that's left is the clean up."
Running a hand over his face, Ross stared at the screen. "You do realize you've order our people to commit genocide."
For the first time, Chaput showed an actual emotion. "This was not genocide, it's pest control!" Leaning over his desk, he glared Ross. "For too long humanity has let our enemies deal one crippling blow after another. Why? Because we have been too weak to act, too afraid to do what was necessary. The AIs before, and the Chigs now."
Ross still couldn't believe his ears. So, he just stared at the other man.
"I did what no one else would, and now, I will face the consequences." Straightening up, he started to chuckle. "Oh yes, unlike my predecessor, I will own up to my actions. Mine has been the shortest reign of a Secretary General. Good or bad, it will always be remembered."
"I suppose that is the important thing." This time, he didn't bother to keep the disgust from his voice and expression.
"No. What is important is that the hard part is over." Raising his chin, he saluted Ross. "I am entrusting the safety of this planet and her people in to your hands. God speed, Commodore."
Ross snorted. The man had clearly gone off the deep end.
Seeing that his salute would not be returned, Chaput sighed. Shrugging, he reached in to his pocket. "Good bye, sir. Remember what I did was for our future, no matter what else you might think of me." Closing his eyes, his arm tensed.
A brilliant flash filled the screen before the signal was lost.
This time, when the weakness came, his hand wasn't fast enough to stop his fall. Hitting the deck, his knees protested violently. All Ross could think of was how bad it was now going to get.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 8, 2064 - Near Earth Orbit.
His hat on, Nathan cast one last look over the room to make sure he had every thing. The stripped cabin left little doubt that he had taken it all. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he had missed something. A final glance at the bureau revealed nothing new there.
Sighing, he grabbed his duffle off the bed. Sliding the strap over his shoulder, he looked out the porthole. There in golden relief, the Earth slowly spun beneath them. He was home at last, yet he never felt so far from it.
This would be one of the last times he wore the uniform. Barely over a year in it and he was already being discharged. Nathan supposed it could be worse. He could have ended up in cuffs like the former Secretary General. An honorable discharge was the best he and Cooper could have hoped for.
Speaking of the other man, Nathan looked across the small room.
Standing in the doorway, fiddling with the braid on his uniform's shoulder, Cooper was waiting for him. Sensing he was being watched, Cooper raised his face. He gave Nathan a tight smile.
Seeing him in his dress uniform made Nathan's chest ache. He really was a special man. Without him, West wasn't sure he would have made it. Gripping the shoulder strap on his duffle, Nathan nodded towards the door. "Let's go, Coop."
"Where are we heading?" Bored, Cooper continued to mess with his braid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His hat in his hands, Nathan stood waiting for the door to open. He didn't have to wait long. A short second later, the door to the Celina house opened. Smiling hopefully, he watched her step in to the doorway. "Kylen."
Her hair was limp, looking unbrushed and stringy. The skin of her face was pale accept around her eyes. Dark circles highlighted there near bloodshot state. Leaning against the door, she made a weak attempt at a smile. "You came."
"I promised I would." Twirling his hand between his fingers nervously, he tried not to fidget. "How have you been?"
"I'm..." She gasped, dropping her chin to her chest. Kylen held up a hand to keep him back. "Please, just let me finish. I thought I could, really, I did. It's just, being back here, it's taken away
everything I had. It's like everything just happened, the attack, the prison, those..." Sobbing, she put a fist to her chest. "I can't do this, with, to you. Please understand, Nathan. Please."
Face expressionless, Nathan nodded. So it wasn't just a one time thing after all. With a steady hand, he put on his hat. Tipping the brim at her, he made an abrupt face. He made it down to the front gate before he heard the door close.
The moment he heard the soft click, something in his chest clenched. It was painful, making him gasp, but he kept on going. From the trees across the street, he picked up an Invitro sized shadow, but he ignored him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Their gloved hands touched every other step as they walked through the hospital. From the corner of his eye, Hawkes kept an eye on Nathan. Since that morning's events, the other man hadn't said a word. He knew from experience that he would keep up the silence until he was
ready to do something about it.
Then the shit would hit the fan.
That was okay, he wasn't letting the other man from his sight. Now that they were both essentially free of obligations, Nathan was all he had. He wouldn't exactly say that made him feel good inside, it didn't wake him screaming either. There was just something about the steady presence that kept him from doing something stupid.
He had had plenty of that in the past six years, thank you. Five of those were spent trying to keep his head. One of those was spent trying find it. The moment he thought he might actually know his place in it all, everything had been snatched away. Looking down, Cooper found his hand in West's, their fingers tightly laced.
Together, they came to a halt outside a doorway. A shared look told him that Nathan had been keeping track and that they were there.
Taking a deep breath, Cooper reached up to rap his knuckles upon the door.
"Unless you're here to give me a sponge bath, you can go away." Even through the door, the calm voice made his will known.
Sharing a grin with Nathan, Hawkes grabbed the door knob and turned it. Shoving open the door, he made sure to bounce it off the brick wall. He was the first one to see McQueen, and it made something strange happen within his chest. Almost like something had been lifted from it.
"I said..." McQueen trailed off as he caught sight of who it was that dared to disturb him. His eyes only went wide for a second, before he composed himself. "I hope you two are not in dereliction of duty."
"He might be, but I've got my walking papers." Hawkes threw a thumb over his shoulder at Nathan. "So, what's this about a sponge bath? Got somethin going with the nurses I should know about, Colonel?"
Upon hearing the news, McQueen sighed. Closing his eyes, he let his chin droop a little. "I suppose it's good that you didn't get charged with any major crimes."
"Yet." Stopping at the foot of the bed, on the left side, Cooper plopped down in the space where the Colonel's foot should have been. "We only just got in to port this morning. We're bad, but give us some credit."
Coming up beside Cooper, Nathan laid a hand upon his shoulder. "It's good to see you, sir." In his other hand, his hat hung by his side. "Are they treating you well?"
"As well as can be expected." The touching wasn't lost on McQueen. He wisely chose not to comment on it. "How have you two been holding up?"
"They disbanded the five-eight, but stopped just short of throwing us in Leavenworth. So, aside from having our careers and life up ended, we're fine." Cooper ignored the sigh from his team mate. "Oh, and Kylen dumped West. Talk about ungrateful."
That earned him a slap to the back of the head. "Hey!" Turning around, Cooper glared at Nathan.
Closing his eyes, McQueen couldn't hold in a relieved smile. "Well, it's good to know some things never change."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea." Tugging on the collar of his uniform, Cooper glared at Nathan again. The material was already chafing against his skin and driving him nuts. Having worn the Dress Uniform all day, he was ready to kill just to get out of it already.
He thought the whole point of getting out of the Marines meant he didn't have to wear a uniform any more. Sighing again, he tried not to fidget with the collar as he slung the duffle over his shoulder from the trunk.
At the front of the Taxi, Nathan was busy paying the driver. His duffle slung over his back, he ignored Cooper's whining. Once he had gotten a reasonable amount in return, he signaled the man to keep the rest. Then he stood back while the Taxi pulled off down the road.
Rolling his eyes, Cooper crossed his arms. "Any time."
"Keep your pants on." Nathan made sure his uniform was in perfect order before he signaled for Cooper to join him. Once the other man was within reach, he slung an arm around his waist. This earned him a serious sidelong glance from Cooper.
Shaking his head, he let the other man guide them up the driveway. It was a pretty place for a natural born house, he supposed. Never having developed a sense of aesthetic for such places, Cooper was going solely on TV and film ideals. The yard was neat and the fixtures well kept.
As they came up the front walk, the lights of the front porch were turned on.
This caused Cooper to squint and hold a hand over his eyes. The gentle tug of Nathan's hand on his hip kept him moving. He found the closer he got, the less he liked this. By the time they were at the front porch, he was ready to call the Taxi back.
But, it was already too late.
The front door opened.
Bracing himself, Nathan pulled Cooper closer. Stepping on to the porch, he smiled. Watching as they came out, he bit back on a nervous giggle. "Mom, Dad, I'm home. And I brought someone with me. This is Cooper Hawkes."
Throat dry, Cooper swallowed. When that didn't seem to help, he half raised a hand. He gave them a short wave and said the first thing that came to mind. "Hi. Don't worry about setting up another bedroom, I'm sleeping with your son."
Snorting, Nathan slapped a hand over his eyes.
THE END.....................