I need to find John.
It wouldn't be hard; we all had our temporary rooms here in the freaking Himalayas, but John was pretty much the only one who used his. He would take retreat into his little concentration bubble while making important calls, writing important letters, completing important letters. The man who basically saved the world doesn't take a break from work.
I stroll through the halls of the stone complex. It's a beautiful place, and although I spent countless days with Sam in all the different corners of the world, I'm just a tad bit jealous of the gorgeous mountain view Ella and John had for a year. Who knows, maybe they didn't take time to enjoy the place. I, on the other had, sure as hell would take advantage of this. The summertime air is crisp, and the side of the mountain overlooks a huge valley with a crapload of flowers and trees and greenery. Sometimes I wonder if the rest of the world is starting to look like this, since the Entity found it's home here. Earth certainly needs the extra nature.
I don't have to rush, and I don't want to rush. I lost to rock paper scissors with the rest of the gang down in the Loric Elders room, so now I have to go fetch John. They're all concerned about him, blah blah blah. I know John more than most of them, and the one thing I understand is that he can deal with whatever comes to him. It's a part of his personality to care too much and work too hard. It's normal.
I spot John's door at the end of the hall. It's softly ajar, and I walk quietly to it. I lean my arm against the frame, peering my head into the room. I spot the messy blonde head of hair hunched over a piece of paper, the tan hand writing furiously. I'm about to walk straight in when a taller boy with long black hair steps into view. Nine.
It was a tiny bit weird when Nine, one day, decided to kiss our leader out of nowhere. I thought John would be a little more surprised, but then he explained they had a "thing" going on for a couple weeks. It took a while for me to digest it, and to this day, I still am not used to the whole Nine/John relationship. I don't think anyone else processed it very quickly either. I thought Ella would be more upset, but it turned out she had already known for a while. I can roll with it for now, just because Nine turned into a much kinder, much less of a dick completely focused on John 24/7.
As soon as I see Nine, I groan internally and let my head fall against the frame. I don't want to walk in on anything, but I watch on to see if the coast is clear to interrupt.
John doesn't look up when Nine wraps his arms around him, nuzzling his face into the crook of John's neck. Nine whines and massages John's shoulders, trying to get him to stop writing.
"Not now, I'm busy," John says, exasperated.
"Aww, Johnny. Take a break," Nine whispers.
"I can't." John's eyelids droop and he rubs them roughly with his left hand, dropping his right to continue writing. I now notice there is a speaker in the corner of the desk. Nine turns it on with his thumb, then walks out of my line of vision. When he comes back, a sweet tune begins playing, with slow guitar strumming and a man singing softly in a foreign language.
"Seriously, Nine?" John stops writing and twists his head to Nine, who shrugs his shoulders.
"I knew some shit, alright? Sandor used to play this all the time; he said it was the closest to the music on Lorien." John turns back to his work, scribbling out a few lines. Nine comes closer, easing the pencil out of John's hand. John makes weak sounds of protest, but Nine takes his waist and pulls him off the chair gently. He starts to sway his hips to the beat of the music, gripping John's hips and moving them to the rhythm as well. John rolls his eyes and crosses his arms at first. Nine spins John around to face him, and, not missing a beat, he interlaces one of his hands with John and keeps the other on his waist. John laughs softly, and a rare smile crosses his lips. Soon, the two are waltzing around the room gracefully. John laughs; a hearty, beautiful noise, and presses his forehead against Nine's chest. Nine closes his eyes and rests his chin on top of John's hair. The peaceful smile is the first I've ever seen on his face; I never knew such an expression existed for him. But here I am, watching the two guys that got on my nerves the most dancing around.
I suddenly become self conscious that there is a dumb smile on my face, spreading. I try to frown, but I can't. The pair of idiots are so happy it almost bothers me. I've never seen two people more in love. I think this is happier I've seen John than when he was with Sarah.
A tap on the shoulder makes me whip around quickly. All of us are still so paranoid since the war ended. It's just Marina, Sam and Adam. They snuck up behind me when I wasn't looking. I guess I've been standing here too long, and they decided to look for me.
"Hey-" Marina starts. I cut her off, pressing a finger to my lips and gesturing to the inside of the room. The four of us crowd around the crack of the door. I don't know why I didn't just let them break up the scene inside, but something inside me wanted them to keep going. It was so nice.
Marina raises an eyebrow at me when she looks at John and Nine laughing and dancing. When she looks back, a few moments is all it takes for her eyes to grow soft, glamouring over the scene.
The song ends, and the two of them stand together in the silence. They each have their arms around the other somehow, and they both have their eyes closed. John tilts his head back without opening his eyes, and Nine, without opening his, leans down and places a soft but lingering kiss on the blonde's lips.
Sam smiles and props his arm on the ajar door, which swings open immediately. Oops. Our stalker group tumbles through the door like dominoes, making it totally obvious we were all watching them a few minutes ago. I don't know who looks more embarrassed; John or us. He jumps back from Nine as though scalded, and we all mutter apologies while picking ourselves up from the floor. Nine looks slightly irritated, but he doesn't look embarrassed. He keeps one arm around John and stands with his chin up, daring us to say anything.
"We were just leaving, right guys?" I say, breaking the silence. I shuffle the others out the door, and before it closes, John mouths thank you at me. I wink at him and shut the door.
