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North's scream cut through the usual noise of the training hall. A slight stutter among the fencers was over as soon as it started. One after the other, the blaring of the boxes melded together with sharp sounds of blades touching and shifting shoes. A veil of sound filled the hall again in an instant.
North stood straight, braid flailing wildly around as she signalled her opponent, Johnson, with a finger to hold up, tugging on the wire. She tore her mask off, mouthing things to herself.
"Probably the filthiest curses to have ever been uttered by a human person," thought Hank.
He sought out her eyes and raised his brow. Predictably, he got the bird and a grimace. North then shook her hair frantically out of her face and gathered up any wisps that got out of her braid.
Soon the bout resumed and Hank leaned back again, sliding the pillow placed between his back and the chair up a few inches.
He watched North struggle briefly between her own impatience and Johnston's stone-solid guard before she collected herself and got him good on the forearm. Good enough that Hank didn't even need to look at the box to be sure who scored.
Another wild shriek, another shuffling stutter on the strips. Hank glanced at his watch, 5 more minutes of fighting and then it was time for cool down. He gathered his thoughts, any tips based on today's bouts and (as North liked to call them,) parish announcements. There wasn't a lot to mention this time, with no crucial competitions in sight. As he leaned back and closed his eyes the hall sang out again. It was nearing 8pm.
Hank stood up for a moment and was about to bring his hands together in a couple of loud claps when the door behind him opened slowly.
A head of combed back dark hair poked into the exercise hall. A lean man stood in the doorway, shoulders covered with snow, with a reddened face. He started stomping in place to shake the snow off his boots but stilled quickly, eyes transfixed on the fencers, mouth opening slightly, its corners twitching up.
He then noticed Hank and did a double take.
"You're Henry Anderson," he said, voice tinged with incredulity.
"I prefer Hank, but yeah," said Hank and extended his hand. "And you are?"
"Oh, I'm a friend of North's. My name is Connor Stern," he replied, tugging a glove off to shake Hank's hand eagerly. Hank hummed.
"Oh yeah, I think she's mentioned you a couple times."
Hank didn't mention how often she called Connor 'the one with no ass' and how many rants she’d gone on about her friend’s uptightness and all the anecdotes about his criminology doctorate and the surrounding issues.
"She obviously forgot to mention her new coach was the Henry Anderson," said Connor with a smile. Hank nodded once.
"The very same. How do you know North?"
"We used to train together back in both middle and high school here in Detroit. She terrified me back then," replied Connor, eyeing the hall as a familiar shriek rang out once again, though now a bit different in pitch.
Hank followed the newcomer's line of sight and saw North frantically unhooking herself from the wire, eyes wild and yes - zeroed in on Connor, a huge grin on her face.
“Uh oh. Still does sometimes.”
She paused for a moment to politely shake hands with Johnson, and then she practically ran to Connor's side.
"Holy crap, you actually came!!" She screamed, all but tackling Connor. After a thorough noogie, she finally let him straighten up.
“Good to see you too, North,” he huffed, frantically fixing his hair, just for her to mess it up again.
“Yeah, same here! Lemme do the cooldown and change and then it’s Taco-fucking-Bell time. God, I’m going to be so fucking hungry in a minute.”
Hank let himself chuckle at that and left the two to their hellos as he addressed the hall after clapping his hands twice.
“Right then, good work today everybody, dress down, bring your drinks and let’s go through the cooldown quickly so we can all go the fuck home and eat something warm.”
A murmur of agreement answered him.
North rejoined the group, a wide smile on her face. Hank looked back to see what happened to Connor and saw him perched comfortably on one of the chairs the fencers threw their stuff onto. He’d given up on fixing his hair and more of it hung over his eyes. Hank’s eyes stopped shortly on Connor’s hands as he rubbed them together before tucking them between his thighs.
“Adorable,” he thought before slapping himself internally and turning back around to his group, wandering around the hall while catching their breath and drinking in long, desperate gulps. “Don’t be ridiculous, Anderson.”
The rest of the training session was over quickly and he couldn’t help but glance from time to time to where North was chatting with Connor as she got ready to leave.
“See ya, Hank!” hollered North at him and he waved with an eye roll. Connor smiled politely and then they were out of the hall.
Hank sighed and adjusted his pillow again.
***
Connor started the car and started pulling out of his parking spot.
“What do you want to do? Taco Bell and then?” he asked.
“Shower, food and beer. Lots of all three,” she said, slumped in the passenger seat.
“Sounds good. Your place or mine?”
North snorted.
“My place or Amanda's, you mean.”
“Is that a problem?” asked Connor, glancing at her with confusion.
“Connor, she fucking hates me.”
“Nonsense, she just despises the word cocksucker and the frequency with which you use it,” protested Connor, rolling his eyes at her with a smile.
“Sure...”
“I'm serious, just don't swear and you’ll be fine!”
***
A bit more than an hour later they found themselves in Connor’s room. In spite of the cold weather the window was wide open so the steam wafted out of the bathroom adjacent to the room. Containers with takeout laid strewn around them as North carded her fingers through Connor’s hair with one held and drank beer with the other. Her hair, dark with moisture, laid limply over her shoulders and dripped onto the bed covers.
“Are you really better?” she asked, in a voice unusually flat.
“I am. I really am. I never thought it was possible and- I never told anyone. But I’ve always had this sort of a noise in my head. Commenting everything I did and criticising how I did it. Constantly.”
North hummed. Her fingers stilled for a moment before resuming the previous motions.
“It’s gone and it’s much clearer now what I want and what I don't,” he finished. North hummed again.
Connor sat up.
“I missed you. I want you to know that,” he said, seriously.
North scoffed.
“I sure fucking hope so.”
A beep from Connor’s phone resounded in the room. He grabbed his phone and got up quickly to close the window.
“The fuck?” asked North, frowning.
“Mom asked me to close it, says she can feel the draft.”
“Jesus fuck. You need to get your own place, Connor.”
They stared at each other for a couple seconds before Connor covered his face with his hands and dragged them down slowly. North huffed out a laugh.
“I know, I know. I just- need a couple more days before I’m ready to start looking. I just got back from Maryland.”
“Gimme your laptop, I’ll start for you, you just tell me the price limit and anything you absolutely need.”
“North, that almost sounds like you care and want to be helpful.”
“Shut the fuck up and give me the price brackets, mama’s boy.”