Homecoming - Book Two: Twenty-one Guns - The Better Half of Me
Title: Homecoming - Book 2 - Twenty-one Guns
Author: escapes
Artist: solostrightnow
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don't own them, just the order the words are strung together in.
Characters/Pairings: luke/noah
Word Count: book 2: 26k plus Total: 60k
Warnings:You are going to have to trust me. Be warned that there is angst. Lots of it. i can't give you more without completely ruinding the story.
Spoilers: None
Summary:Sometimes the hardest battle in the war is finding your way back home.
Author’s Notes: Thanks for all your patience as I finished. In the course of writing this, I started a new job in a city an hour and a half away from where I live and I've been doing the worlds slowest move on record on my days off. And there was a trip and other stuff in there, so just...thanks for not yelling at me to get it done. Well, much anyway. =)
Special thanks to noelleleithefor the betas. I appreciate so much you managed it in the midst of everything else you have going on.
Link to Story Master Post: Book One
Link to Art Master Post: Click here for the awesome
Noah thumbs the driver's license in his hand, running the pad of it over the new photo of him on it, the camouflage of his uniform just visible at the base of his neck before the picture cuts the rest of it off. He looks at the symbols on it for the class of license, the restrictions and the acknowledgement of his military service.
Over the course of the last two months, Noah and Luke have talked almost every day, through letters and email and when they managed to both be on their computers at the same time, doing video chats. Noah has been very careful to not mention the license issue. Luke has been true to his word and hasn't pressured or judged Noah on any of the decisions he's made since returning back to Leonard Wood. He knows there is probably a limit to Luke's patience and he didn't want to hit that limit before everything was decided and in place.
It had been a long year since the seizure in the hospital that he'd been waiting for his license to come. Now that it's finally here, he can't wait to drive again. His fingers are almost itching to wrap around a steering wheel.
He'd used the money that Holden had sent after he'd sold Noah's pickup for him and bought a smaller car that was a lot easier on his wallet for gas and insurance. It had also been the last big reminder of his life with his father that remained in Oakdale. It had been hard, but it was time to let go and live his own life, not the one his father wanted him to live.
He can't think of a better way of celebrating making his own choices and the ability to drive again than going to Oakdale. Putting his bag of road supplies on the passenger seat, Noah buckles himself in, takes a deep breath, and starts the car.
Six hours later, Noah is pulling up the long driveway to the farmhouse, wondering if he should go over to Luke's house first, or talk to Emma first and then go find Luke. He touches the watch on his wrist and thinks about the engraving that's pressed against his skin. Worth the Wait. He knows that Luke has been worth everything he's been through, he can only hope that Luke feels he's been worth it too.
The question is going to be answered for Noah soon her than he thinks, when the screen door bangs open and Luke is standing there, his eyes wide and mouth open in shock. "Noah?!"
Noah gets out of the car and runs his eyes over Luke from head to toe. He looks like the best thing Noah's seen in a long, long time. Two months to be exact. Reining himself in from walking over and grabbing Luke, Noah nods. "Hi."
Luke looks like he's holding himself back from rushing Noah himself and he gives Noah a look that goes over every part of him and then trails over to Noah's car, seeing the boxes and bags piled in the back, then back to Noah. There are hundreds of questions in Luke's eyes, but Noah is surprised that not one of them comes out of Luke's mouth.
Looking down a little, Noah raises his hand to scratch at the back of his neck and looks back up at Luke, feeling a little out of his depth and not quite sure if he should have warned Luke of his decision. "I'm home. For good."
Luke makes a noise and before Noah can decipher whether it's a good or bad noise, he's almost knocked off of his feet by Luke's body colliding with his and arms wrapping around him tight enough to make him lose his breath.
Feeling the tension drain out of him, Noah wraps his arms around Luke and lays his head on top of the blond one on his shoulder. He closes his eyes, soaking in the feeling of Luke in his arms again.
"I'm home."
Author: escapes
Artist: solostrightnow
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don't own them, just the order the words are strung together in.
Characters/Pairings: luke/noah
Word Count: book 2: 26k plus Total: 60k
Warnings:You are going to have to trust me. Be warned that there is angst. Lots of it. i can't give you more without completely ruinding the story.
Spoilers: None
Summary:Sometimes the hardest battle in the war is finding your way back home.
Author’s Notes: Thanks for all your patience as I finished. In the course of writing this, I started a new job in a city an hour and a half away from where I live and I've been doing the worlds slowest move on record on my days off. And there was a trip and other stuff in there, so just...thanks for not yelling at me to get it done. Well, much anyway. =)
Special thanks to noelleleithefor the betas. I appreciate so much you managed it in the midst of everything else you have going on.
Link to Story Master Post: Book One
Link to Art Master Post: Click here for the awesome
Noah thumbs the driver's license in his hand, running the pad of it over the new photo of him on it, the camouflage of his uniform just visible at the base of his neck before the picture cuts the rest of it off. He looks at the symbols on it for the class of license, the restrictions and the acknowledgement of his military service.
Over the course of the last two months, Noah and Luke have talked almost every day, through letters and email and when they managed to both be on their computers at the same time, doing video chats. Noah has been very careful to not mention the license issue. Luke has been true to his word and hasn't pressured or judged Noah on any of the decisions he's made since returning back to Leonard Wood. He knows there is probably a limit to Luke's patience and he didn't want to hit that limit before everything was decided and in place.
It had been a long year since the seizure in the hospital that he'd been waiting for his license to come. Now that it's finally here, he can't wait to drive again. His fingers are almost itching to wrap around a steering wheel.
He'd used the money that Holden had sent after he'd sold Noah's pickup for him and bought a smaller car that was a lot easier on his wallet for gas and insurance. It had also been the last big reminder of his life with his father that remained in Oakdale. It had been hard, but it was time to let go and live his own life, not the one his father wanted him to live.
He can't think of a better way of celebrating making his own choices and the ability to drive again than going to Oakdale. Putting his bag of road supplies on the passenger seat, Noah buckles himself in, takes a deep breath, and starts the car.
Six hours later, Noah is pulling up the long driveway to the farmhouse, wondering if he should go over to Luke's house first, or talk to Emma first and then go find Luke. He touches the watch on his wrist and thinks about the engraving that's pressed against his skin. Worth the Wait. He knows that Luke has been worth everything he's been through, he can only hope that Luke feels he's been worth it too.
The question is going to be answered for Noah soon her than he thinks, when the screen door bangs open and Luke is standing there, his eyes wide and mouth open in shock. "Noah?!"
Noah gets out of the car and runs his eyes over Luke from head to toe. He looks like the best thing Noah's seen in a long, long time. Two months to be exact. Reining himself in from walking over and grabbing Luke, Noah nods. "Hi."
Luke looks like he's holding himself back from rushing Noah himself and he gives Noah a look that goes over every part of him and then trails over to Noah's car, seeing the boxes and bags piled in the back, then back to Noah. There are hundreds of questions in Luke's eyes, but Noah is surprised that not one of them comes out of Luke's mouth.
Looking down a little, Noah raises his hand to scratch at the back of his neck and looks back up at Luke, feeling a little out of his depth and not quite sure if he should have warned Luke of his decision. "I'm home. For good."
Luke makes a noise and before Noah can decipher whether it's a good or bad noise, he's almost knocked off of his feet by Luke's body colliding with his and arms wrapping around him tight enough to make him lose his breath.
Feeling the tension drain out of him, Noah wraps his arms around Luke and lays his head on top of the blond one on his shoulder. He closes his eyes, soaking in the feeling of Luke in his arms again.
"I'm home."