Evil Author Day: House on Fire (The Brave)
I wrote this last year after the Mexico episode (The Greater Good). I didn't post it then because I wasn't entirely happy with it, and I don't think I'll post it anywhere else, so here's your chance to read it.
~o~
New York. Tonight. Already cleared it with Patricia. See you there.
That had been the text waiting for Noah on his phone when he left work. No other details, just those few words, but Noah knows that Adam will have it all covered. Spec Ops operators tend to have a plan for everything, so vacations-even quick weekends-are no exception.
Noah hadn't even bothered to go home, just grabbed his go-bag from his trunk and hopped on the Accela to Grand Central Station, texting Adam his arrival time once he was on the train.
Now, as he's stepping off the train onto the crowded platform, he can feel the butterflies starting up in his belly. It's been four months since they've seen each other, and while this is unexpected, it's not unwelcome. It's just pure luck that the team ended up in Mexico, but he's not going to look this particular gift horse in the mouth. It beats having to wait another two months for Italy.
He spots Preach first, as he's making his way along the concourse. It's hard to miss him; the man is huge in person. He's lounging against the wall, eyes never stopping as he scans the crowd. He gives every appearance of not having seen Noah, but Noah knows that's as far from the truth as one can get. Preach probably saw him as soon as he stepped off the train.
The crowd parts, and he can finally see Adam, his easy smile and loose-parade rest stance a balm to Noah's parched soul. He looks good in those dark-wash jeans, and the crisp white shirt sets off the tan he's sporting to perfection. The crowd swallows him up again, but Noah's seen enough. He's moving with purpose now, eager to get to Adam and start their weekend.
When the crowd parts again, he stops dead in his tracks. Adam is down on one knee, holding a sign that simply says, "Marry me." He's smiling, so confident in the moment, as if he knows exactly what Noah will say. Well, he probably does, but it's not like Noah minds if he's that predictable.
He steps up in front of the men, Preach's eyes dancing with glee. Adam's looking up, trying his best for innocence and falling spectacularly short.
"Hey," Noah says, which is the most ridiculous thing he could say, but it's out there now.
"You gonna answer, or are we just going to stay here, blocking traffic?"
Noah mutters something he'd rather not repeat as he grabs Adam by the collar and hauls him to his feet. He's not fooled; he knows Adam's letting himself be manhandled, but Noah could care less. He presses his lips to Adam's, wrapping his arms around his man, relief, joy, love and maybe a little exasperation winding through him in a heady mix.
They break the kiss and Noah just hangs on, pressing his lips to Adam's neck. "Yes," he mutters into the warm flesh under his mouth. When he pulls back, he says it louder, but no less heartfelt. "Yes, of course I'll marry you."
Adam smiles, one of those heart-stopping smiles that were at least half the reason he ever agreed to go out with Adam in the first place. It's a little smug around the edges, which makes Noah roll his eyes.
"You don't have to look so smug," he says, pecking his fiancé-fiance-on the lips. "You're ruining the moment."
Preach snorts behind them. "Come on, you two. Let's get this show on the road. My wife's expecting me home sometime today."
"Wait, you mean right now?" Noah asks, his voice gone squeaky like it hasn't been since junior high.
Adam squeezes him. "We're both on American soil for the first time in months, and who knows how long it'll be before that happens again. So yes, we're doing this today."
"But I-"
"I swear to god if you're about to say you don't have anything to wear, I'm going to leave you both here to fend for yourselves," Preach mutters as he turns and heads for the exit.
"I wasn't-but now that you mention it-"
"I've got it all covered, Noah," Adam says quietly.
He takes Noah's hand and guides him through the concourse and out into the bright afternoon sunshine. There's a car idling at the curb; Preach climbs into the passenger seat, leaving Adam and Noah standing on the sidewalk as people rush by, completely oblivious to the life-changing moment they're in the middle of.
Adam turns to him and takes both his hands. "I don't want to go back to Incirlik with this still being unofficial. If something were to happen to me-"
"Jesus, don't say that," Noah mutters.
"-I want to know you're taken care of," Adam finishes, as if Noah hadn't spoken at all. "And when it's time for me to come out of the field, I want to come home to you. To my husband. Unless you're not ready for this."
"I'm ready," Noah says. He looks Adam in the eyes, showing him just how much he wants this. "I want to marry you. Have probably wanted to since our second date, if I'm being honest."
"Our second date was a mid-watch cup of coffee somewhere in the fucking desert that is Afghanistan, Noah," Adam says, but the soft look in his eyes tells Noah that he gets it, and maybe feels the same way.
"Your point?"
Adam shrugs. "Not sure I have one. Except that it's time we do this. You with me?"
"Yeah," Noah says softly. "I am."
~o~
So, it turns out that if you're a soldier on leave, and you need to get back to base immediately, the State of New York will waive the 24 hour waiting period and let you get married right away.
And of course Adam knows that. Noah shouldn't have even given it a second thought, but he does, right after seeing Jaz with a garment bag that looks suspiciously familiar. She, of course, just smirks at him and hands it over.
The next several hours go by in a blur that Noah is sure he'll remember later, but can't even begin to process as it's happening. They're all there, all of Adam's team, even Amir who he hadn't even met yet, but who apparently picked out their wedding rings at a little shop in the Jewelry District that he knows.
They get married with little fanfare and lots of back-slapping and then Adam and Noah steal away for a night at the Four Seasons. It's the most posh hotel room he's ever been in, and he would ask just how much this cost, but it's no secret that Adam barely spends the salary he makes, much less the hazard pay, so it's not like this suite even puts a dent in his bank account.
It's all a hazy dream, and Noah just goes along. He's happier than he ever remembers being, which is such a cliché, but he's not complaining. For once, he's just going to let it be.
~o~
They say goodbye the next morning in the hotel room. It's harder than Noah had thought it would be, maybe because they're married now. They stand in the middle of the room, just holding each other, not saying anything, because everything that needs saying is in the gold bands around their fingers.
When they finally pull back, Adam reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a chain with a dog tag on it. He unlatches the chain and tugs his wedding band off, dropping it onto the chain to clank softly against the dog tag. He fastens the chain and drops it over Noah's head, leaning in for a soft kiss.
"Take care of that for me, will you?"
"The ring, or the dog tag?" Noah asks, which is kind of stupid, but he's a little heart-sore right now, so he can't be blamed for sounding like an idiot.
Adam just smiles. "The ring. The tag. You."
"I will," Noah whispers. "You take care of yourself. I want to see you in Italy in two months. You owe me a honeymoon."
"I'm already counting the days," Adam says in lieu of the promise they both know he can't make.
Instead, he pulls a wide black silicon band out of his other pocket and slips it onto his finger. It's a poor substitute, but it'll survive the unforgiving environments he operates in a lot better than a band of gold. Plus, no one's going to try to steal something that's only worth about ten bucks.
Noah reaches out and fingers the band, brining Adam's finger to his lips to press a long kiss where the band rests against his skin. It's the same thing Adam did to him after he'd slipped the ring onto Noah's finger.
Adam's face goes soft, and he pulls Noah in for a long, sweet kiss. When it's done, they don't speak, but they really don't have to. They've said all they need to say already. Instead, they grab their gear and head for the lobby. They're taking the train back to DC, where Adam will debrief with Patricia before he hops a transport back to Incirlik.
They'll have one more night together, and Noah plans to take full advantage.
~Finis