[closed]

[brute_shot_bully]

Who: Agent Carolina youfallback and Agent Maine brute_shot_bully
What: Chillaxing in the fallout of OH TEH NOES DRAMA
When: Tonight
Where: Maine's room in Carolina's room
Rating: PG-13. Maine.

He wouldn't have heard her enter, wouldn't have expected her at this time, even. Ever since the blowout from Washington's intention to get Maine's armor back to him, he'd been spending most of his waking time just working out.

His room resembled more a military gym then an actual bedroom. Every possible machine to work every possible muscle lined the floor, each one wearing signs of use. Mirrors lined the wall, a stack of free weights by the door. If one looked hard enough they'd find the bed tucked in a corner surrounded by a few stacks of books and dirty magazines (and under the bed, the box of dirty toys from Mistress). Next to the bed was a recent edition, a door to an indoor park for his dog, for the times he was locked in.

Which seemed rather pointless, now.

Maine himself was at the bench, a brace over his right knee, pushing himself to lift ten pounds over his limit. The distraction of taut muscles, the stretch of scar tissue over his various wounds, the heat and burn, was enough to make him forget just how angry he was with everything if just for the moment. His dog, As Yet Unnamed, lounged on the bed. She heard Carolina enter over the grunts of her owner and the creak and clanging of metal. She lifted her head and gave a single, deep, warning bark.

Comments

[youfallback]

If York had been saying these things, Carolina was entirely unaware of them. He'd mentioned from time to time that he thought Maine was dangerous and still a murderer, but never along these lines until much more recently.

"Based on what happened, Maine? No one else gives a shit," Carolina wasn't one to curse openly, but the stronger wording helped prove her point. "He's not the Castle hero. You got 'one perk' with being free for twelve hours a day. He wasn't happy then either."

Part of her, the very annoyed and frustrated part, considered that York likely wouldn't ever be happy with any situation thrown at him. Another part, though, regarded that opinion as relatively unfair.

[brute_shot_bully]

Maine continues to look at her, then eases back against the couch and goes quiet a moment. Without her, he'd probably still be rotting away in prison. It's enough of a sobering thought that he loses some of his edge.

"Told York I'd apologize. Got no response when I did."

[youfallback]

"You apologized?" Carolina blinked for a couple seconds before frowning. "And he didn't say anything?"

Well, that wasn't what she'd expected based on how York had been acting. For Maine to apologize and for York to spit in his face, that changed everything, it really did. For a few moments, she was simply stunned by that news. Maine apologized, Maine was making steps to rectify what had been done, and, for all appearances, York was doing the opposite.

Honestly, she didn't like how that rested against her own opinion of York. It didn't destroy it entirely, but it didn't converge either.

[brute_shot_bully]

Maine shrugs, setting his feet up on the coffee table and taking a drink. "Didn't expect it to work, anyway. Was a while ago."

But then he grunts with a wry smile. "Abel forgave me. Caterina." He shrugs. Abel had all but openly invited him into their little 'team', why did he even need York?

[youfallback]

"Feet down," Carolina spoke almost without realizing she'd said it. Feet do not go on coffee tables, man.

She still thought about the matter at hand, despite what should have been a ready distraction. If Maine's other victims had already started forgiving him, then what was holding York back, really? Was it really the fact that Maine had hunted him more fervently? Or was it something else? She was understanding Maine's anger even better and York's less.

"I don't know what's going on with York," she finally spoke again, popping the cap off her beer. Honestly, she'd never thought she'd be saying something like that. He'd been a constant for so long, both back at Freelancer and here; he'd been a sure thing, unwavering, someone she could always trust.

[brute_shot_bully]

Maine hesitates, but sets his feet down with a grumble. He picks at the label on his beer for a moment, and then glances over at her. He'd forgotten how new this must be for her, that even though he'd been set back and forgotten enough to put him closer at her time, he still had a year and a half of dealing with castle life (such as it was, with the holes). Maybe dealing with them like this was harder, but on the other hand, maybe that bit of separation gave her some clarity that they lacked from being too entrenched in the situation.

"What do I do, Boss?"

[youfallback]

That was one question Carolina wasn't ready for and she felt its weight on her shoulders the moment it was spoken out loud. She'd been wondering the same herself for several days now, but not allowing it to distract her. Things like that weren't the immediate, the danger present. Instead, she'd worked on maps, trained for extra hours every day, slept less, and altogether thrown herself whole-heartedly into her work.

All because she didn't know what the next step was. In missions, the course of action was clear and if mistakes were made, then back-up plans were readily available. Here? The Castle threw the impossible in her face, ripped apart her team, and a pressure onto her that only tightened over time. Sure, there were brief opportunities to loosen that pressure, but moments like this felt too tight, too much. Her grip tightened on her bottle of beer, skin stretching across her knuckles.

"I don't know," she replied.

She wished she had a better answer than that or that she could somehow know all the answers now-- not later, not off in some far off time--, but she didn't.

[brute_shot_bully]

He nods, quietly noticing her grip on her beer bottle, and suddenly just wanted to tread lightly. She had been his greatest champion here, so far, besides Washington. There weren't any answers and there weren't any easy questions, and for a moment he missed the sheer simplicity of existing under the shadow of the ranking board.

He rubs his hand over his head for a moment, then knocks back the rest of his beer and stands to go get another. His dog watches, ears perked, sitting up when he moves out of view and trying to keep her eyes on him with a slight whine.

[youfallback]

Carolina would be lying if she said she didn't miss that seeming simplicity of that ranking board and the Project in general. There she could find order, there she had a distinct niche carved out for herself from years of blood, sweat, and tears. Here in the Castle, she could not even be entirely sure of if she would be a human or a toy the next day, or if her team might suddenly vanish, leaving her here alone.

When Maine got to his feet, she realized her intense grip on her bottle and slowly began to release it, knuckles no longer so vividly outlined. As a distraction, though, she shifted in her seat and took a long swig of her beer. Damn if she didn't miss home so much right now.

[brute_shot_bully]

He sets the empty bottle on the counter and opens the fridge, and then pauses a moment before grabbing three bottles with one hand and two with the other and kicking the door closed with his foot. He knew two wasn't going tobe the end of it and he didn''t want to get back up.

He glanced over at Carolina. This really was a shitty situation all around, but hopefully she knew he'd follow her whatever she decided needed to be done.

[youfallback]

Carolina glanced up from her bottle when she felt Maine's gaze on her, even more humiliated by the fact that she still didn't have a proper answer. She was supposed to be their leader, unflinching in the face of the unknown and ready to do anything for her team. That was made difficult, though, when she didn't know what that 'anything' was supposed to be.

"Don't give up," she finally supplied, her voice firm, "I'll figure something out, but for now, don't throw in the towel."

[brute_shot_bully]

He grumbles an affirmative. Truth be told he was damn near just that, between York and Wash, but knowing Carolina was on his side was reason enough to continue to give a shit. He sat back down on the couch and set his beers on the table, taking one and popping the top.

He raised it in a toast. "To you." Because hell if he'd know what to do in this situation without her.

[youfallback]

If she knew Maine considered there were sides in all this, she'd likely just head off to bed. She's so sick and tired of hearing York talk about sides and not seeing their team as a collaborative unit. Sure, there were arguments and a huge number of issues going on right now, but that didn't mean there were sides and that she had to be on either one or the other. Honestly, trying to support her team as a whole was getting more and more difficult.

Quickly, she finished off her first beer and opened a second, shaking her head at that toast. It's not out of self-hatred or self-doubt that she didn't want to be toasted, it was the idea that even while she felt she was being the most sensible at the moment, the Castle had told her that being the 'most sensible' or 'the best' didn't matter here.

"Don't," her words were simple enough, laced with the exhaustion that crept further in.

[brute_shot_bully]

It had always been about sides. Freelancers vs. Insurrectionists, Maine, Wyoming and York vs. Tex, it was a matter of habit to divide things cleanly into who you were fighting and who you were fighting with. York had made it clear to Maine what those side were.

Carolina's comment confused him, and he lowered his beer with a furrowed brow. He would have thought she'd appreciate the recognition.

[youfallback]

Carolina shifted her weight in her seat, deciding that her bottle was more interesting at the moment. She did appreciate the sentiment and the fact he appreciated her work, but right now a toast just felt wrong.

"Thanks for getting more beer," she replied, finally glancing back over at him.