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...

[ He flinches to hear it all the same. That North was gone. That he hadn't made it. That MAINE had been twisted so much that he'd kill his friends, his family, just for more AI fragments. That Delta was stuck with Sigma and the twins they never got to know.

That poor kid.

Delta keeps on and York's stomach only goes more sour. If he'd been more careful, if he'd taken a clearer shot, if he'd just stayed HIDDEN maybe-

Maybe nothing.

And South left her brother to die. And ran off with Delta. ]

That's why you feel like you have to be useful. You were stuck with her, AWOL, for god knows how long.

[He continues in the same toneless voice.]

For over a year, at the end of which she decided to divert the Meta by leaving me as bait while she made her escape.

[Delta exhales slowly. He hadn't even liked South at that point, and it had still hurt. Still, he gets a little more inflection in his voice when he continues.]

Fortunately, the battle was interrupted by Agent Washington, who had recovered, and two simulation soldiers. They managed to drive off the Meta. South was injured in the confrontation; Wash moved me to one of the simulation soldiers as South succumbed to her wounds. [...And the less said about that the better, unless someone really wants to pry.]

Interestingly, I determined that the other simulation trooper, who introduced himself as Private Leonard Church, was ignorant of his true identity as the Alpha. It was not long after that I awakened here.

D-

[ He could ask more. Might, even, but right now getting that odd tone out of his voice was more important. York bundles Delta closer still if at all possible- if he didn't like being hauled into York's lap now would be the time to say something because what the fuck. South-

What happened to her? What made THAT an appropriate reaction?

The last time they'd been here neither of them had known. And now... The tidbit about the alpha caught his attention. Held it for a moment before he lets it go. ]

Delta- you know I'm never leaving you behind again, right? Ever. Not if I can help it.

[Yeah, if York was at all wondering where Delta's abandonment issues were coming from? Might have something to do with all this. York's sure to have noticed a reluctance to commit to anything, an even greater difficulty in trusting others than before, and if possible even more issues than he'd already had just being a personality fragment in the first place.

He does let himself be gathered up against York, though, and he doesn't respond to the words right away. No, of course York would never intentionally abandon him. That' the whole reason Delta's still here.]

In conclusion, if Agent South appears, I do not wish to have anything to do with her.

[He'd seen the inside of her mind, after all, and everything else being equal? He'd been happier with Caboose.]

I'm not gonna invite her in. I'm not gonna tell her where we live. I'm not gonna bother getting her a suit- you might have to reign me in. I'm probably going to want to put a bullet in her.

[ You don't just abandon family. You don't fucking GIVE the enemy what they want just for a few hours. You don't shoot your friends, either.

And no one, no fucking one ever fucking disrespects or endangers Delta while he's breathing. But that's just it, isn't it? He wasn't. Not then.

His arms go tight around Delta for a moment, hard enough to be uncomfortable before he catches himself and loosens the embrace. ]

Sorry, buddy. I'm just-

You would not be alone. [Hadn't he convinced Wash to do just the same? South had a lot to answer for, and even if he didn't take her treatment of him personally, there was North to consider. Him she had set up to be horribly injured, if not worse, and worse had in fact come to pass. And of course she'd let the Meta take Theta, which on some levels was even worse.

After York looses his grip, Delta shakes his head and looks at him, finally meeting York's eyes again.] You have nothing to apologize for, York. Nothing.

[He lets out a short huff.] But perhaps you can understand why I felt some awkwardness around North.

He's not like that. He's never been like that. If he'd had any idea...

[ Do they have a right to tell him? They should. It's family, it's blood, and North should know just in case she ever appears. Just so he'll understand why the rest of them want nothing to do with her. ]

You should tell him.

[ York won't. It's not his to tell. It's just his to know and to work around and, christ, no wonder Delta's been so withdrawn. York smooths a hand through his hair and rests their foreheads together for a moment. It's nothing like being in each other's heads but it's close. ]

But it's up to you, alright? Whatever you want to do, whoever you feel safe with or don't- that's up to you. And you know I don't give a damn if you're useful or not, you're my friend, my partner, and I love you, D.

[ It's hard to explain in other words. There's nothing in english to really explain what they are to each other. But maybe now that Delta's got a human brain and a human body he'll understand a little bit better? Maybe. ]

Nothing'll ever change that.

I know he is not like that. [North would never have given up Theta to save himself--and South had known it, and it was that jealousy that had caused the final rift between them. It was a rift that North, if even aware of it, had not consciously acknowledged in a way that South had been able to understand. And it was that, more than anything else, that allowed Delta to trust him enough to agree that he could live with them.]

I cannot tell him yet. [It's barely above a whisper. Hell, he'd only just now told York, and he trusts York more than he's ever trusted anyone else.] Eventually, if you think it best, I will try, but it is too difficult presently.

[There's a tiny part of him that doubts York's words, even so, but he tells it to go silence itself because it is not helping. Instead, he takes a couple more deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. York is here, he's not going anywhere, and besides, he's too terrible of a liar to sound this convincing about something he's not sincere about. That, more than anything else really, helps Delta calm down, to try to accept hat York's saying.]

Thank you, Taylor.

[Just that. Enough to acknowledge the words and add emphasis to the fact that he was listening. Maybe he can't say the same in return--he may never truly be able to, as emotion isn't and never has been something he's comfortable expressing, but if he can accept it that's as good as he's going to be able to do.]

[ There's no other word that adequately describes the affection, loyalty, protective desires and familiarity that they've shared. It's a different sort of intimacy, wrapping your mind around someone else's, sharing a bridge between your thoughts and theirs. Love is the closest thing, the simplest, that he can use to say that he trusts Delta, that he won't ever leave, that he needs him, that he depends on him, and that he'll take care of him all in one little word.

It's not the same as he felt for Clair. Not what he'd felt for his family, but it's there.

That Delta responds with his name- not his designation? It's more than enough to have him pulling back with a smile. They're fine. They'll be okay. They'll get through this. ]

I'm here for you, D. Always.

[ He's a shit liar, he's always been a shit liar, but a fair actor and a fantastic infiltration specialist. He only holds a few things to be true since the project ended. That he will do anything for Delta, that he keeps his people safe, and that he'll be cold and dead in the ground before anyone ever makes Delta feel like this again. ]

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