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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The walk home had been quiet and North decided that was for the best. Let the consequences of his actions stew in York's mind for a while so he can really realize what it is he's done today. When they enter the place he does as York does and removes the armor plating, setting the pieces aside neatly, stacked in the corner of the room.

Once he'd taken his time to do that he approaches the armchair and sits in it. He doesn't even know where to start with this—York's a grown man and should not have behaved the way he did today. Not only that but he's the man who's been waxing on about how they needed to be on an even keel, need to be open and transparent and make decisions together.

He lets several beats go by before speaking. "York, I think we need to think about how this leadership role affects you."

"..." For a long moment he can't really think of anything to say. Leading in theory, in abstract? Fine and well. Actually having to step up and serve as an example- there's more than one reason Carolina was on the top of the leaderboard back home. She'd been more disciplined. Quieter. Cagier. And had, to his knowledge, spent most of her life in the military industrial complex even after the Project.

He's a busted up locksmith with delusions of...something. Not even grandeur. Survival.

"I fucked up." He'd told North he'd fuck up. He just hadn't expected it to be so soon, so visible, or so damn explosive.

"I think we're beyond that part by now." York had had his tail between his legs all the way here. The fact that he knew he'd made a mistake was painfully obvious. Now if he'd swaggered his way home and put up a wall of bravado for this conversation, that would be where they'd have to start but now? Yeah, that part doesn't need to be said.

Kind of like North doesn't need to break out the I-told-you-sos.

"Where do we go from here, York?" he says instead. "What you did, it breached everyone's trust in your leadership."

"To be honest I don't think anyone aside from you has decided that I'm in charge." He's just putting that out there to start while he tries to sort out a way to repair this fucking breach.

It's a mess. It's also a mess he thinks he's fine to have had. He's got a right to be angry. They ALL have a right to be angry about that bastard showing up. About Tex standing there with them like she's a part of what they're doing, like she has their back and then very obviously not. Living with him and not telling any of them, not telling Carolina? He'd overreacted. He'll own that. "Carolina's got a handle on things. Malcolm's got a handle on things. I'm the supplies guy."

That. That's something he's always been. That's something he can keep doing.

Actions speak louder than words, York, and you've been putting a lot on yourself for someone who claims not to want to be in charge. North centers his gaze on York's face. "I think you were willing to put yourself in that same sphere until now. Maybe I made assumptions about the role you were taking on but you never contradicted me until now, either."

"Until it was obvious how unfit I am? Yeah. You know who else lost their temper and did stupid shit while running things? He did. And if I'm gonna act like that I need to not be in charge." He's trying to be self aware here. As much as he'd like to keep on and keep trying if he's going to end up anything like the old Director- it's not a path he should go down. They deserve better. All of them.

"All right," North concedes. "We've all made our mistakes in this situation, it seems like." However, that York's reaction was overblown is not something North is going to dispute. "I won't make any more assumptions, but you need to rein yourself in too. If we're making decisions collectively..." He sighs sharply. He thinks that's a recipe for a split in the group. Carolina being in charge is better but that has its problems too. Everything has it's drawbacks.

"We all need to settle and just sit down to talk. That's what fucked us over back home. We never talked about everything. I figure we get that sorted, figure out what we all want to do- and go from there." Running things is- no one can really step up and do that easily. Not without discussion. Assumptions aren't going to help anyone here. "...I appreciate the faith you had in me go'n into this. I do."

"Well, I have to be honest, I've never seen you do anything like that." Sure, York had a right to be upset but he had never displayed a temper quite like that. Maybe he'd never been provoked enough in North's presence.

"I trusted her. I trusted her enough to fight Carolina. To fire on the ship that had been my home. To turn against everything I thought had been right and then five years later I trusted her again and Died for it. And It didn't bother me then. But I know what comes after now. After me. After you and south and wash and everything. And all of it's on him. Every last bit of what we went through is on him- and he's the one she decides to back? I snapped." Not his proudest moment, that.

"I trusted her too, York. I was in on what happened, remember? I fought my own sister for the same cause." He rubs his forehead with the crook of his thumb. "I'm upset with her too. Tex, that is."

"You got South out of there. I-" Set Carolina up to fail. To fall. To be dropped off a fucking cliff and he's not going there today. She's fine. he's forgiven. It's okay. "She's fired is what she is."

He'd reply that that should be a collective decision but he knows that's what everyone else would opt for as well. But there York goes, talking like he's the one making the decisions. "Taylor..." He gets up and moves to the couch. "Listen. I'm in your corner. Tex...she has complicated reasoning for things sometimes. Taking down the Project from the inside—is that the decision you would have made, had it been you?"

"Not from the group I mean- that's everyone's call. I mean me and her. She was helping me with some stuff I do for money. Partners. She's fired." That. That IS his call to make and he's sticking to it. Now to make the appropriate pinkslip. He's not sure there's a FU stamp big enough.

"Okay. That I understand." After this there was no way either of them would be able to work that closely.

"My question still stands, though. Is that what you would have done?"

"I wouldn't have blown the ship up if I had to do it again, but yeah. Ending the project had to be done."

"See, I probably would have taken the evidence and gone to the authorities. But in retrospect, I see the urgency."

There's a pause.

"There's never a way to know if what you did was the right choice. You just have to live with the consequences."

"There were two more fragments slated for productions." Even saying it like that made him feel all gross and weird. Christ. Production. Just torture the host mind until it breaks enough.

"There's also a thing called pattern recognition. Kind of important for adaptation and survival. Repeating mistakes is not going to end well here. We all have to choose but my vote is that we kick her off the island."

He's quiet for a minute. He hates to admit it, but... "I think you're right."

"She's got her reasons, I'm sure. But she hasn't told them to us and back home? She never did. She just went and did whatever she felt like she had to and sure, two outta three times it was something I agreed with. One out of three got me killed. So." He's earned the right to be wary.

"She's a lone wolf. That's never going to change, it's who she is."

"Yeah well she can fuck off with that. I have too much on my plate to handle without worrying about her. And now I have to because she'll want to protect him and she doesn't have a power suit right now and she's very human so it's not as shit as it could be- but that is still shit I didn't need."

He looks over at York and blows a breath out of his nose. "Yeah. Yeah, she's not doing anyone any favors right now." Other than the Director.

"I didn't sign up for this shit. Travel, save humanity, get cool armor. That I signed up for. Not a dysfunctional not family, angst, a codependent relationship with an AI and death. I really didn't sign up for the death. The rest, eh, I'll take it." He scrubs his hands through his hair and slowly tips over until he's on his side, head pillowed on North's legs.

North sighs. He'd predicted York would want some kind of bolstering from physical contact. That's why he'd moved. He sets a hand on York's shoulder. "That's what I was talking about with living with the consequences. What-ifs do us no good."

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