A soft wheeze escaped Tal as Sah rolled off and then he gratefully sucked in a deeper breath, eyes closed with the bliss of being able to do so freely again.
And not being pinned in a most embarrassing manner by that guy.
He enjoyed the sensation of glorious breathing for several minutes before he pushed himself up into a sitting position, making sure nothing had gotten cracked inside along the way. A few bruises from their tumultuous roll across the end of the bridge were all he could find and as Sah reached down Tal reached up automatically to take the offered hand, pulling himself fully to his feet.
"Can't kill me that easy, Jester," he teased back with a sharp grin and a squeeze of Sah's hand before letting go. "Next time I won't go so easy on you, though."
Tal just scoffed through his own grin. "I'll let Dierdre know you'll be needin' some humble pie t'go with those rum cookies," he shot back smugly. Boreal just snorted a smoke cloud of amusement and trailed after Lilly to lean against the courier's side - and then sit on his foot, trapping him in place while Lilly's bonded said what he needed to say.
It was already off to a bad start, with Sah's warning about weirdness causing Tal's grin to fade and his nose to wrinkle in wary alarm. Boreal's weight on his foot kept him from retreating from the potential awkwardness, so there was no escape at the sudden outpouring of...
Gratitude?
For several long beats there was silence and stillness as Tal just stared at Sah, not quite believing what he was hearing. Then he wriggled his foot out from under Boreal and stepped forward, reaching a hand towards Sah's forehead with a worried look on his face. "Lemme just... take a look. Sounds like y'cracked your head pretty good when we went down." Which was easier to believe than the hunter going soft on him or... whatever this was.
Tal just hoped the other man couldn't see the uncomfortable heat crawling up his neck and ears.
Scowling at the protest, Tal checked Sah's eyes to make sure the pupils were the same size before Sah retreated. The courier tried not to look too relieved - at the distance between them again? The apparent healthiness of the other man? That he wasn't the only one blushing? - as he jammed his hand back into a pocket and rocked back on his heels.
"Mmm. Look, y'don't have t'thank me. Makes it awkward. It's just... y'know. Somethin' we do for ea--for fellow Halovians." He glared at the dragon who had flopped into her belly beside Lilly and was openly laughing at him with gaping jaws and a lolling tongue. "But if it makes y'feel better, sure. You're welcome, I guess." He sucked in a slow breath and then spoke so fast the words practically tumbled over each other coming out. "An' thanks for helpin' me out, too, today. Now let's go."
Back to home, Halo, and the families that waited for them there.
~Fin~
