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Holland Valley was unusually calm. John hadn’t made a new broadcast, or even radioed Rook, in at least 3 days. Something that should’ve felt like a breath of fresh air, but Rook couldn’t help but worry. He’d asked Sharky what he thought about it, or had noticed at all, but he only seemed to enjoy the brief pause in their otherwise hectic schedule. Rook still couldn’t help but feel bothered by it somehow.
He thought about causing more chaos, destroying more cult buildings, anything to try and get some sign of life from the other man. But not even the peggies at the outpost he’d spend the last few hours scouting out seemed bothered. Maybe John had really just taken a few days off. It wasn’t what Rook would’ve expected, but he’d learned that the other man rarely was predictable. And even if he’d taken a break it wasn’t like Rook still didn’t have things to do, like maybe taking the opportunity and liberate the valley. But there was a calm in the air, affecting even the rest of the resistance. Father Jeffries suggested Rook should try to spend some time doing more calming activities, probably wanting some relaxation of his own. But regardless of intentions, Rook couldn’t resist the temptation to spend his time doing something less stress heavy than leading a rebellion, now that it had been voiced.
After packing his gear and telling the others where he was heading, unusual calm or not, there was no way he wasn’t making sure people knew where he went, Rook headed towards John's ranch. He had to admit, his reasons for liberating it as early as he did might be more fueled by pettiness rather than the anger the rest of the resistance harboured… But in the end he’d still forced the cult out of there so did his motives really matter?
Then, of course, there was the fact that one of the best fishing spots in the area was sitting on ranch property. Rook hadn’t been much of a fisher before Hope County, but when the only breath of calm air you could get was while holding a pole and standing knee deep in a river he’d quickly seen its charm.
Driving up to the ranch and unpacking his stuff Rook still didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, or rather anything that was ordinary. Sure peggies were still around, but they didn’t seem to be in their usual “attack at sight” mode. The few that saw him still didn’t give off a friendly aura but… small victories? More than anything it unnerved Rook even further, he’d almost hoped his trip up would get interrupted. Still, trying to push down his uneasy feelings, he gave quick greetings to the resistance members guarding the ranch and made his way down to the river.
Rook only wanted some relaxing free time and while the sturgeon swimming around were an impressive catch, he wasn’t prepared to keep any. Some other time maybe. Rook might not have been the best chef but he knew how to cook his catch well enough to have Falls Ends residents yearning. He felt it was the least he could do after all the help they’d given him.
After a while of not catching anything, in fact Rook was almost certain the fish were avoiding his hook on purpose, Rook thought he might have better luck on the other side of the river. His missions rarely brought him that far anyway, too many mountains, might as well scope that part of the forest out a bit more.
While no other fishers were currently by this part of the river, someone had left a boat right by the riverbank. He made quick work of packing up his stuff and dumped it into said boat. It was just a simple motor boat, but the river was barely wide enough to even need it.
However, as Rook stepped back onto land, he noticed something in the forest. A bag of spilled supplies. Not that unusual in Hope County but something gave him an odd feeling. He didn’t know the last time he’d heard of someone staying at this side of the river. And supplies left lying usually meant someone was in trouble, most of the time because of the cult. After abandoning his fishing gear by the boat, and making sure his firearm was loaded, Rook went closer to investigate.
He hadn’t gotten very far into the forest, he could still catch a glimpse of the river past the trees, but something about these unknown trees still gave him a lost feeling. As he got close to the bag Rook realised its contents looked less spilt and more… searched through? And in the dirt he could see marks of something seemingly being dragged. Rook was starting to regret his decision of investigating this more and more. But he couldn’t leave now and potentially abandon someone in danger.
Following the tracks lead him deeper into the forest. At first Rook didn’t want to call for help, everyone was taking a well deserved day off and he didn’t want to scare them unnecessarily, but as he got further from the river he was starting to consider it. The fact that he had no map over this area didn’t help. After following the tracks for a few minutes, too deep in his thoughts to think clearly, Rook noticed he’d gotten too far into the forest to still see the river. Panicking he tried to catch anything on the radio, any sign someone else could hear him and respond. But all he got back was the silent static.
Rook had to make a decision, keep searching for someone who might or might not be hurt, and possibly end up caught again, or turn back and get contact with someone. Rook leaned his upper arm against a tree and bumped his head against it. Turning back would be the smart decision, but he couldn’t leave someone who might need help. Defeated he clicked his radio back into his belt and kept following the tracks. Which were getting deeper into the dirt, whoever made these couldn’t have gotten much further. Also blood. Rook hadn’t been sure before, the dirt had some red tones after all, but this was still wet blood. He couldn’t be far behind.
The tracks eventually led him to a cliffside, with a grapple hook and rope hanging off it. How someone hurt enough to barely be able to walk could climb a rope was beyond Rook, but he could hear noises coming from the top of it. That was reason enough for Rook to climb it. He’d gotten this far, he was gonna find who’d left those tracks even if it killed him.
Pulling himself up onto the cliff, Rook half expected a gun to be pointed at him, it could only happen so many times before it became the norm. But no, what he saw instead was someone lying passed out with a poorly bandaged, still bleeding, leg wound. Rook rushed up, thankful that a first aid kit was amongst the few things he’d brought. It had been a while since he took a first aid course but it would come back to him, probably. First he should check this person was even still alive, right? However he didn’t get much further than that as he took one look at the face and froze.
John Seed.
Rook should kill him. Wasn’t that his goal? What everyone expected of him? What all this fighting was for? He still couldn’t get himself to move. John’s bandages kept getting redder with every passing second.
Eventually Rook managed to bring his fingers to the other man's neck. He still had a pulse. He wasn’t dead yet. Rook could leave again, pretend he’d never been here, and no one would find out. But something was holding him back. Despite everything that the Seeds, and John specifically, had done, Rook couldn’t bring himself to walk away from someone who needed help. Cursing himself, and the faith he’d probably sealed, Rook moved down to assess the wound.
As he started looking over and pulling on the bandages John woke up with a start. At first they just stared at each other, not saying anything. Then John started scrambling for something. Any kind of weapon probably, but in his wounded state he could barely move.
“Stay still or you’re gonna bleed out quicker” Not if Rook had anything to say about it but he would still appreciate a calm patient.
“Fuck you” John spit at him. Rook just glared back.
“I’m trying to help you.” He was still attempting to pull at the bandages.
“More like trying to kill me quicker, I know what you’re doing” John sounded a bit loopy, probably the blood loss. That didn’t stop him from waving his arm accusingly in Rook's face.
“I’m declaring a ceasefire, you’re in no shape to fight like this” Rook was already starting to regret this, why didn’t he just kill him?
“Until you stab me in the back that is!” John was yelling now, which just caused more blood to bleed out. At the end of his sentence he gave a weak attempt at a punch in Rook's direction and then promptly passed out again.
Rook sighed. The bandages needed some proper care, more than he’d be able to do out on some cliff. Looking around himself he noticed a seemingly abandoned cabin not too far away, probably where John was headed. Hauling him into a fireman’s carry Rook set off for the cabin.
John stayed unconscious the whole short way to the cabin, but Rook could at least feel his breath on his neck so he knew he wasn’t dead yet. The cabin itself looked like most houses in Hope County, trashed and left in a hurry. Rook laid down John on a couch so he could assess the damage.
Carefully pulling off the bandages revealed a nasty looking wound down his whole shin. It had clearly been John who’d left the drag marks he’d found before, based on the amount of sticks and dirt Rook could see. John would be lucky to not lose his leg to some infection after this. Sighing again Rook opened up his first aid kit and began cleaning it as well as he could. The cabin still had water, thankfully, so he thought he’d be able to do an alright job cleaning the wound. After cleaning and disinfecting it Rook applied a clean bandage. It was large enough to probably need sutures, but Rook had never been a proper medic and decided to wait and see if it would heal on its own.
With John taken care of for now the reality of the situation finally hit Rook. He had no idea where he was, with no contact to the rest of the resistance, stuck in a cabin with his enemy. He was screwed.
//
At some point Rook had managed to relax enough to fall asleep, despite his efforts not to let his guard down. He was promptly woken up again by something getting thrown at his head. As he opened his eyes he could see John glaring at him, holding some rolled up bandage ready for another throw.
“Hey John” What else could he really say in this situation. Since John still stayed laying down Rook guessed he was still too hurt to move.
“Let me go” This made Rook glare back at him.
“I’m not holding you captive, you’re free to go whenever you want. If you can.” The last sentence made John throw the bandage.
“You should’ve left me, my people would’ve found me”
“Yes, found you dead you idiot” Rook stood up, suddenly filled with anger. He took a couple deep breaths. “What even happened to you?”
John crossed his arms and mumbled something.
“What was that?”
“I said I fell.” Rook raised an eyebrow. “I took a hiking trip to get away from everything in the valley for a few days. And took a wrong step. Fell into some bushes and shit” John seemed done explaining.
“And you didn’t bring any first aid or anything? You would’ve bleed out if I didn’t find you”
“Hmpf. Maybe your sin should actually be pride if you think I’m only alive because of you” Rook frowned.
“Thanks for the lifesaving or whatever deputy but you can leave now, I’ll be fine.” John continued, rolling his eyes at the mere thought that Rook actually saved him.
“Do you even know where you are? We’re quite a bit from the ranch.”
“Have you forgotten how to use a radio deputy Rook?” John was teasing him.
“We’re too far away for any radio signal to reach anyone in the valley. I’ve tried” John got paler. God, Rook hoped he hadn’t started bleeding again.
“So we’re… just stuck here?” John's voice was slightly shaking.
“Until someone finds us. Or you get better” John was staring at him now. Rook could almost see something vulnerable in his eyes, before they hardened again.
“Why don’t you just leave me then. Seems like that’d solve a lot of your problems” John spit out.
Rook sighed and sat down in his chair again.
“I’m not leaving you. It’s my duty to serve the people of Hope Country and you are, unfortunately, one of them. I don’t leave people in danger, even if they’re my enemy” John glared at him again.
”Very righteous of you, wraith” He then turned around on the couch and fell back asleep.
Rook regretted this more and more every second.
//
When John woke up again he was sure the whole thing had been a dream. It was all too ridiculous, Rook saving him, he scoffed. If Rook would be given the chance to end John's life he’d take it, just like everyone else would.
He moved to sit up, he’d have to take care of this shit now after all, but as soon as he tried to push himself up a hand on his shoulder stopped him. John looked up and locked eyes with the deputy once again. Ah. So it hadn’t been a dream. He frowned.
“Would it kill you to lay still?” Rook asked, clearly not expecting an answer. John just scoffed at him again.
Okay so Rook had really ‘saved’ him. Still didn’t mean that John trusted him.
After making sure that John stayed still Rook moved down to check over his bandages again.
“The bleeding has stopped, but it can start again just as quickly if you start moving.” Rook barely looked at him, just poked and prodded at the bandage. “It’ll probably take a while of rest before you can safely get back to the ranch” He at least had the decency to look apologetic.
“How long is ‘a while’? John hissed.
“Again I’m no medic-“ John interrupted him before Rook could finish.
“How long deputy” His tone was rising. Rook took a deep breath.
“At least a week of observation. If it’s looking better earlier we can leave but… one week. For now” Rook stood up and went somewhere behind the couch where John couldn’t see.
“We?! You mean you’re gonna stay here?” John was screaming at where he guessed Rook stood.
“I told you I’m not leaving someone in danger” John threw his pillow again.
“Fuck you” He crossed his arms and deflated back into the couch. Rook took another deep breath. One week of this huh.
//
While John slept again Rook familiarised himself with his home for the next week. It wasn’t big, just about the size of all the other cabins he’d seen so far. What had once been a living room was now more of a makeshift base with John sleeping on the one whole couch and Rook's supplies spread out over the floor. Behind John's couch was a somewhat functioning kitchen, the stove still had some power and Rook had found at least one clean and whole saucepan. The fridge was both empty and broken but he still had some rations left, and found some canned food in the cupboards. It wasn’t enough to feed them for a week but Rook had seen some wildlife outside, if he didn’t stray too far away he could probably go hunt. At the back of the cabin stood a staircase, but the entrance at the top of it to the second floor was barricaded. Well with John’s leg he shouldn’t be climbing stairs anyway.
Rook himself had been alternating between sleeping in an armchair opposite of the couch John was on and the floor. Both made his back hurt when he woke up but for now it was the best alternatives. Sneaking past John, as to not wake him, Rook stepped outside. The remains of a fireplace was still visible next to the cabin, and a set of hunting supplies. Rook figured he could probably cook something there if he’d manage to hunt something. It might be a rough week but they’d both come out of it alive. Hopefully.
//
A few hours later John was woken by the stinging pain of Rook peeling off his bandage.
“What the fuck are you doing” There was still some sleep in his voice. Rook just looked up at him unimpressed.
“Cleaning your wound and changing bandages. You know, the basics in treating a wound.”
“I could do it myself” John crossed his arms again. Rook looked even more unimpressed.
“Just stay awake a while after this and I’ll give you some food.” Rook started disinfecting the wound causing John to wave his arms around again.
“Ow, you fucking bitch” John started hissing loudly as Rook carefully dabbed around it.
After a few more minutes of John screaming and hissing Rook pulled out a fresh bandage and secured it. He then gave John’s knee a pat and stood up.
“There you go, one sec and I’ll give you some soup” Rook turned to go behind the couch again, and then came back with two steaming bowls.
John was about to start a fit again but the smell of hot food hitting his nose reminded him of how hungry he was and he quietly took the bowl and dug in.
After quietly eating a while Rook opened his mouth.
“So, are you gonna tell me what you really did out here?” John just huffed at him.
“You gonna tell me what you were doing out here? Quite a bit outside your usual area, deputy.”
“I was fishing,” Rook answered simply. “Saw some trouble on the other side of the river and went to check it out. Now here we are”
John rolled his eyes.
“I was looking for some peace and quiet. Needed to do some thinking. Reconnect with God.”
“What, did you lose connection?” Rook had meant it as a joke but John’s immediate glare made him throw up his hands in a defensive pose.
“No. Just had to think about… everything.” John seemed to want to elaborate but then changed his mind.
Their meal continued in silence. Until Rook cleared his throat.
“I was thinking, we have rations for a few more days but not a whole week. I could go hunt tomorrow, if you’re feeling well enough to be on your own a bit. Bet there are lots of turkeys around here.” Rook noticed he was rambling, for some reason coming with a suggestion to John was more nerve racking than just ordering him.
The other man just stared at Rook without moving, before sighing.
“Sure whatever” His attention was turned back to his soup. Rook was surprised over how easy that was.
“Great. I’ll- I’ll be gone a little while tomorrow then, maybe you’ll even sleep past it.”
When they’d finished eating, Rook returned the bowls to the kitchen and washed everything. He then checked John's bandages for the final time that evening. The food seemed to have knocked out John, or he wasn’t in the mood to talk, so the rest of Rook's night preparations went undisturbed.
Early the next morning, right as the sun began to rise, Rook packed the bare essentials for his trip. He wasn’t planning on going far but he’d be prepared nonetheless. He made sure to leave water and some food by John so he wouldn’t have to try to get up. When everything was done he grabbed the least broken bow he could find outside the cabin and set off.
//
John woke up much later, the sun was shining in through the trashed curtains. After looking around for Rook he remembered the deputy would be away today. Had he even given a specific time? Not like John knew what time it was but for all he knew Rook could’ve just left him, again.
John shook his head. No, Rook had said he’d come back. He hadn’t lied about that, yet. He had said it’d only be a little while though. Thoughtfully he sipped on some water. John still couldn’t, or rather shouldn’t, walk on his injured leg so all he could really do was just lie here and wait.
At some point he’d fallen back asleep, and was promptly woken by Rook slamming the door shut.
“Morning” Rook looked… pleased? John wasn’t sure.
“Lying is a sin, it’s not morning” Rook just rolled his eyes.
“Anyway, I got the fireplace outside going and some turkey cooking on it. Hunt went great, how was the couch?” John had a feeling Rook was hiding something.
“Same as usual. Did something happen?” John shouldn’t act like he cared but he got an… uneasy feeling. Rook just smiled.
“Everything went great, got a bit scratched up but nothing some band aid can’t fix.” Now that he mentioned it John took in Rook's appearance for the first time since he walked in. He’d removed his jacket and just wore a tshirt, but aside from the dirt and grime on everything worn in the forest John noticed some blood on his sleeve. Fresh blood. He just raised his eyebrow and decided to leave it alone.
“Anyway, I’m gonna go back to the fire a bit, be right back” Rook turned and was out once again. He was acting weirder than usual.
//
Rook’s smile dropped as soon as he was out the door. He could feel blood dripping from his shoulder. Damn peggies had ambushed him just as he was on his way back. Not enough of them to cause a ruckus but they’d gotten some lucky shots in. Rook cursed. He didn’t know what to tell John. Should he have returned him to them? They didn’t seem like they knew Rook had him. But maybe John would’ve wanted to be returned to the cult instead of being stuck here with him. Bandaging up his arm he continued worrying. It wasn’t like he actually cared about John or anything, he just… it felt like his responsibility now that he’d started taking care of him.
It wasn’t like John wanted to stay. At every opportunity he’d expressed a desire to leave. Rook shook his head. Worrying wasn’t helping. What was done was done, he’d just have to hope more of them didn’t come and this would all soon be over.
When the food finished cooking Rook brought it back to John, who didn’t question him anymore beyond once again raising an eyebrow at him. Rook just continued playing oblivious and smiled at him like nothing was wrong.
“If you’ve finished eating I need to change your bandages again” Rook said, standing up. The food had relaxed John enough that he didn’t fight him and just presented his leg.
“Might sting a bit” Rook mumbled as he carefully removed the old ones and went to clean the wound. “It’s beginning to heal nicely though” He smiled brightly up at John. John looked slightly confused, with his head cocked to the side. Rook flushed and turned back to his work.
“...that’s good” John said after some silence. Rook taking care of him had gotten comfortable by now. If he really was healing then that meant this would soon come to an end. John quickly shook his head, no he wanted this to end, this was his enemy. His shaking caused Rook to look up confused.
“Something wrong?” Rook looked so sincere. John just grunted and turned his head, trying to hide his face.
“Nothing, just… itchy”
“Ah, that’s another sign it’s healing” Rook smiled again. John just grunted.
After Rook had finished bandaging him up he went into the kitchen to be out of John's view so he could look over his shoulder again. The bullets had just grazed it and as long as he kept it clean it would heal fine on its own. Rook still wrapped a clean bandage on it to heal it as fast as possible.
He made sure John had some water by his side, and then tried to make his bedding on the floor as soft as possible. After hunting and getting injured he fell asleep quickly.
John, on the other hand, did not fall asleep quickly. His mind was thinking over everything the deputy had done for him. He’d saved his life. And kept taking care of him to make sure he stayed alive. Why? So they could go back to the valley and kill each other there?
John still felt like it was a trap of some kind, get him injured and then found by the pretty deputy so he’d let his guard down, and then rip it all away. But Rook didn’t have any reason to do all this. He hadn’t even demanded something in return. Of course he still could but if that was the end goal why wouldn’t he make his demands known before even saving him in the first place.
Eventually all John’s wondering knocked him out into a deep, dreamless sleep.
//
The next morning John woke up to the sound of wood carving. As he opened his eyes he saw Rook sitting in his armchair with a long stick, almost long enough it could be considered a branch. Contrasting the large stick was Rook's tiny pocket knife. Judging by the amount of wood chips on the floor he’d been carving for a while. Rook hadn’t noticed him waking up yet so John took the opportunity to study the other man.
He was obviously focused on his task. John could see drops of sweat on his forehead, and the way his biceps and hands flexed indicated the stick wasn’t of the softest wood to carve. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and John couldn’t smother the lustful wish of wanting him to take it off. Blinking hard he forced himself to properly look at Rook's shoulders. He could see a bandage where he had noticed blood the other day, stained with blood once again. But this wasn’t blood from yesterday, it was fresher. Rook’s wound was bigger than he was acting.
Rook carved off a large chip and put down the stick and knife. Taking a couple deep breaths he wiped his forehead and then leaned back with his eyes closed. Was he done? Or taking a pause? John moved slightly, twitchy from being still for so long. The sound seemed to have startled Rook regardless.
“Ah, morning” Rook smiled at him, brushing dust and wood chips from his shirt and rolled down his sleeves again. Covering the bandages once more. John was sure he was hiding it now.
“Morning” He sounded gruff, no point in hiding it. ”What are you doing?”
”I thought it might be good for you to start moving a little bit, carefully of course. Your leg has healed enough to hopefully stand some pressure without starting the bleed again but still… I thought it would be good for you to have some extra support so you don’t tear it.” Rook bent down to pick up the stick. “I tried to get the handle part smooth and all” Rook took the stick in his right hand and grabbed a slightly longer cutoff branch a bit under the top. He then leaned his forearm back against the stick, not entirely unlike a crutch. He finished his demonstration by walking up to John while using the crutch to support his right leg. When he reached John he let go of the stick and held it out to the other man instead.
John raised an eyebrow while carefully reaching for the stick, and with the help of both it and Rooks grip on his arm sitting up from the couch. At first he barely put any pressure on his hurt leg at all, not wanting to go through everything again, but after a couple careful steps he slowly started lightly using it. He experimented with how much he could lean on it before it started to sting and then tried to get comfortable walking around the living room with the stick.
When he came to a stop he looked up at Rook. The other man was looking at him with… wonder in his eyes. It made John want to look away. Why was Rook affecting him like this? Ignoring all the thoughts in his head he walked back to Rook and the couch.
“Nice, you still know how to walk” It should have sounded cocky and rude, but John couldn’t help but pick up the light teasing tone in Rook’s voice.
“Yeah…” John sat back down on the couch, noticing how tired he’d suddenly gotten. “I think I need to take a nap”
”Right, sorry should’ve expected that” Rook sprung into action taking back the stick and leaning it against the side of the couch. As John settled back into the couch he started cleaning up the wood chips. John wanted to stay awake to watch him, but the exhaustion of suddenly moving around again quickly knocked him out.
//
With his new crutch John started slowly getting comfortable walking again, but just a few laps around the room still made him exhausted. With Rook as extra support he could manage a bit further but he still couldn’t get far without his leg burning or being so tired he’d pass out. Still it was progress. And it was also progress that made their return to the valley feel much closer.
John didn’t think a few days with the deputy would affect him like this but now he was suddenly dreading losing the other man. It didn’t make sense.
John hadn’t been fully truthful with his reason for being out here. Yes, he was trying to reconnect with God, but the truth was that he’d started to doubt Joseph. He should be ashamed for just thinking the thought but something in his mind kept nagging. And these days with Rook hadn’t helped his doubts. Rook and the resistance were their enemies, why had he then done everything to save him?
Though he didn’t want to admit it, Rook the last couple days had done more to truly care for him than his family ever had. Sure Joseph protected them but did he truly care for them? John wasn’t sure. If Joseph was here he’d say something about how Johns lust for Rook clouded his judgement, but what if it was the other way around? If God had given Rook to John, and Joseph was trying to keep Rook from him? John shook his head. He didn’t know what to think anymore.
//
The next day John woke up with a note on his chest. Rook had gone fishing for their dinner, and would be back later. John huffed. He’d also added a footnote to be careful if John was gonna practise walking again. Like he needed to be warned.
Seeing the crutch still leaning against the couch where Rook had last left it, John decided to start the day by getting some practice done. Now that he’d actually gotten to survey their base he had a better idea of the layout, but still hadn’t had the energy to get much further than the large living room they stayed in. John decided investigating the whole cabin would be his mission for today.
The whole cabin he quickly discovered was not much more than their base camp. A couple smaller rooms that were different levels of trashed, and a large staircase in the back of the house. The top of the staircase was blocked off by heavy furniture. A barricade. John stopped to think for a few moments. And then decided to start climbing the stairs.
Maybe it was the adrenaline talking, but sitting on top of the stairs on his own after all this time needing help with everything, John’s head felt clear. He finally felt like how he’d tried to up on that hike that landed him in this situation. The fog cleared from his vision, and behind that fog… Rook. Strong and secure like always. Nothing like the fear and pressure he felt from Joseph.
Joseph would be so mad if John switched sides like this, and because of Rook, but this short time with the deputy made him feel more alive than he had in years. Maybe even enough to throw away his life and family for him.
Suddenly the thought hit him. What if Rook didn’t feel the same. What if he was just trying to serve the county or whatever bullshit he’d said before. The dread became a pit in his stomach.
Looking down over the stairs he knew one thing he could do, to ensure Rook stayed here with him a bit longer. Clearly he was only staying around to nurse John back to health so if he suddenly suffered another injury Rook’d have to stay longer.
Standing up on the top of the stairs and dropping the crutch he considered his options. The obvious choice would be to just fall down them, but there was also the risk of that not worsening his injury enough. He could also just jump down and try to land right on his leg. He’d also have to make sure he didn’t break his neck or something, being alive was still part of the plan.
John's musings distracted him too much to hear the door opening, and before he knew it Rook had found him and was yelling from the bottom of the stairs.
”What the fuck are you doing?” Before John could even answer Rook was climbing the stairs two at the time. Reaching the top he grabbed both of John’s shoulders, grounding him.
“Well?” He wanted an explanation, John could see that, but under that he saw worry in Rook's eyes. He had to avert his eyes, feeling a blush creep up his cheeks from Rook’s intense stare.
“Don’t worry about it, just stretching my muscles” John muttered.
“Nope, tell me what’s going on. Really.” John glanced up at him. Yep, still that worried stare. He felt his cheeks burn again.
John took a deep breath, and looked right into Rook’s eyes.
“Okay, you want to know the truth? I want to stay here with you. I don’t want to go back to the world out there, where we’re fighting and it’s all death and destruction. This time with you has been the best I’ve felt in a while and I’ve been injured for most of it. I like you, I might even love you and I don’t know what to do about that!” He took another deep breath. “I don’t want it to stop. So I guess I thought I could, y’know, get hurt again.” John felt bashful after his whole monologue. His cheeks felt wet instead of hot, was he crying?
”Oh John.” Rook chuckled. Was he being condescending?
Before saying anything else Rook wiped his tears and cupped his face, bringing his eyes to meet Rook’s.
“You could just say something you know? No need for self-destruction.”
Slowly, slow enough for John to stop him if he wanted to, Rook closed his eyes and brought their lips together.
John felt like the world stopped, like he couldn’t breathe. Like he finally understood why people would sacrifice everything for this. And most of all it cemented his thoughts of never wanting to leave Rook again. When he’d collected himself enough to move again John tightly wrapped his arms around Rook’s shoulders and kissed him back fiercely.
When Rook broke away to catch a breath John started biting down his neck, needing to mark him up in case this was the only time he’d get to touch Rook like this.
“Okay okay, I’m not going anywhere” Rook laughed slightly and pulled away a bit, still staying in John’s arms. John felt drunk on love, or lust, or both. Rook smiled at him.
“Hate to ruin the moment but, I have to ask what we do now.” Rook still smiled but looked a little concerned.
“I’m not going back to Joseph if that’s what you think.” That seemed to make Rook calm down. “If the resistance accepts my surrender, I will follow you there, or wherever you want.” John said with determination.
“I think I can put in a good word for you.” Rook gave him a quick kiss again, and wrapped his arm over John’s shoulders to help him down the stairs. “Come on now, I’ve got fish for dinner and then we need to prepare for our return to society, or what you can call it.”