So Far And Yet So Close [Cookleta] [PG]
[title] So Far And Yet So Close
[author] Lire Casander
[beta] rampantskyline. Any remaining mistakes are my own fault.
[pairing] David Cook/David Archuleta
[rating] PG
[word count] 1075
[summary] After the last worldwide war, about ten human years before, over a half of the States ended up crushed under the ashes. The center and north were devastated when the Canadians crossed the border to help them against the Japanese invasion. Cook still didn't understand how they'd reached that situation - they'd had History books and lots of other ancient reference stuff to learn about wars and their consequences. Yet humans had destroyed their world in the name of some god, or none - Cook wasn't as naïve as to think money and power weren't behind the ultimate reason to occupy other territories.
[disclaimer] I don't own nor have ever met David Cook nor David Archuleta. Everything about them is completely fiction, and any similarity with reality is a mere coincidence.
[warnings] Fluff. Angst. Science-fiction. And cute little kids!
[author's notes] Written for cooxia for her prompt cookleta; SF, for example, one of them is a robot or hologram, or maybe they are crews of a spaceship or something? over at my prompts post. Also written for prompt #8 ~ white noise from my 100_prompts prompt table.
There was something utterly terrifying in staring into space, literally. Cook couldn't even think of blinking for fear he'd miss some meteorite brushing past the starship at cruise speed.
He was out of shift. In this new mission Starfleet had sent them off to, his shifts were always alpha, and he sighed as he checked the digital clock on his nightstand, the only vestige of his times on Earth. It was gamma shift, if he was doing his math properly, which meant he was free to go to the communications crew and demand a long distance holographic conference with what was left of Murray, in Utah.
After the last worldwide war, about ten human years before, over a half of the States ended up crushed under the ashes. The center and north were devastated when the Canadians crossed the border to help them against the Japanese invasion. Cook still didn't understand how they'd reached that situation - they'd had History books and lots of other ancient reference stuff to learn about wars and their consequences. Yet humans had destroyed their world in the name of some god, or none - Cook wasn't as naïve as to think money and power weren't behind the ultimate reason to occupy other territories.
But that war had long since ended. Cook was still trying to balance his life between the shambles of what remained of his old existence. And in between those remnants, the presence of a certain someone gave him calmness and peace.
The communications centre was deserted when he arrived. With a knowing smile, he took a seat in front of one of the hologram devices and pressed the purple button on the side. The machine began working almost immediately, and a soft feminine voice demanded the exact coordinates of the place he wanted to contact. Cook recited the numbers he had learned by heart and waited patiently. The communications were difficult to keep with that part of the planet, but Cook was used to the white noise and the interferences. He just wanted to feel like home again - whole, warm and safe.
The image wavered before focusing in front of him. Cook could see the furniture he helped choose for their living room. Nerves crippled through his body as he called out, "Archie? Archie!"
A slender figure appeared in the frame, wiping his left hand in an apron as he frowned. "Who the heck left the holophone open for calls? Dang it!"
"Archie, Archie, it's me!" Cook tried to get his attention. "Don't hang up on me!"
"Oh, oh, Cook!" the young man exclaimed, lifting his hands in the air. "Cook! You could have told me you were going to call today! I would have tidied this up a little!"
Cook looked around the room - everything was mostly in place, except for a children's playground full of toys and stuffed animals. He smiled, the pain of longing rushing through his veins. "Everything's perfect, Archie," he assured the younger man.
Archie sat down in front of the holographic figure and smiled sweetly. "I've missed you," he whispered, stretching his arm until he was touching the wavering image. "I love you so much, Cook."
"I've missed you too," Cook muttered back. He longed to actually feel those fingers caressing his skin.
They shared a few seconds in silence, drinking in the presence of the other even though it was through a hologram with so much white noise they could barely see each other clearly, until a piercing shriek shook them out of their shared reverie. "Daddy!"
Cook focused on the white bullet that lunged against the communications device, shattering the image for a short moment. When he could see again, he witnessed as a child sat on Archie's lap. He grinned. "Adam! Here you are! I was asking your papa about you," he said.
"Liar," the little child accused. "You were putting lovey dovey eyes."
"Adam," Cook replied in an admonishing voice. "Watch that tongue! And where have you learned such expressions?" From Archie's pained face, Cook understood it had surprised him just as much. "You're only six, Adam."
"When are you coming home?" the kid deflected Cook with a well placed question.
"Soon, son, soon," Cook assured his child. The dark mop of hair of the little child bobbed up and down in acceptance. "I promise you, Adam, I'll be back before you know it."
"I miss you, daddy."
Cook felt like a hand constricting his throat, the prickle of tears at the back of his eyes. When he stole a glance up to Archie's face - the same chocolate eyes, the same open smile as their son - Cook knew the younger man felt the same.
"You know what we'll do?" Cook offered when he finally could speak again, voice feeble and slightly trembling. "I'm going to talk to Captain Kirk and see if I can shorten my time here. After all, I've spent here longer than anyone else."
"You deserve a break," Archie agreed, nodding. "We'll be here waiting for you when you come back, Cook. We'll be here waiting for you."
Cook nodded slowly, the fear of stepping back into a planet he had left deserted dissolving in thin air as he watched his future before his eyes, the child he'd left as a baby for a trip to the stars - for a way to forget a war that had turned him into an orphan, a man without a family, a loner. But not anymore. As he looked down at his new family - his, all of them - Cook sighed. "I'll call back tomorrow with the exact date and place, Archie. Maybe Adam would like to come pick me up?"
From the excited yell his child gave, Cook was sure Adam approved of his idea. "Now I have to go back to work," he smiled as he checked the clock on his wrist. "My shift starts in ten and I still need to shower. I stink!"
"Language!" Archie exclaimed with a light laughter.
"I love you both, so much," Cook whispered as farewell before switching off the device, right when Adam was waving him goodbye as well. "I'm coming back home," he whispered to himself before standing up and walking back to his quarters. He began counting the days he had left before being sent back to the Earth in his mind even before he was out of the communications center. "I'm coming back to them, finally."
[author] Lire Casander
[beta] rampantskyline. Any remaining mistakes are my own fault.
[pairing] David Cook/David Archuleta
[rating] PG
[word count] 1075
[summary] After the last worldwide war, about ten human years before, over a half of the States ended up crushed under the ashes. The center and north were devastated when the Canadians crossed the border to help them against the Japanese invasion. Cook still didn't understand how they'd reached that situation - they'd had History books and lots of other ancient reference stuff to learn about wars and their consequences. Yet humans had destroyed their world in the name of some god, or none - Cook wasn't as naïve as to think money and power weren't behind the ultimate reason to occupy other territories.
[disclaimer] I don't own nor have ever met David Cook nor David Archuleta. Everything about them is completely fiction, and any similarity with reality is a mere coincidence.
[warnings] Fluff. Angst. Science-fiction. And cute little kids!
[author's notes] Written for cooxia for her prompt cookleta; SF, for example, one of them is a robot or hologram, or maybe they are crews of a spaceship or something? over at my prompts post. Also written for prompt #8 ~ white noise from my 100_prompts prompt table.
There was something utterly terrifying in staring into space, literally. Cook couldn't even think of blinking for fear he'd miss some meteorite brushing past the starship at cruise speed.
He was out of shift. In this new mission Starfleet had sent them off to, his shifts were always alpha, and he sighed as he checked the digital clock on his nightstand, the only vestige of his times on Earth. It was gamma shift, if he was doing his math properly, which meant he was free to go to the communications crew and demand a long distance holographic conference with what was left of Murray, in Utah.
After the last worldwide war, about ten human years before, over a half of the States ended up crushed under the ashes. The center and north were devastated when the Canadians crossed the border to help them against the Japanese invasion. Cook still didn't understand how they'd reached that situation - they'd had History books and lots of other ancient reference stuff to learn about wars and their consequences. Yet humans had destroyed their world in the name of some god, or none - Cook wasn't as naïve as to think money and power weren't behind the ultimate reason to occupy other territories.
But that war had long since ended. Cook was still trying to balance his life between the shambles of what remained of his old existence. And in between those remnants, the presence of a certain someone gave him calmness and peace.
The communications centre was deserted when he arrived. With a knowing smile, he took a seat in front of one of the hologram devices and pressed the purple button on the side. The machine began working almost immediately, and a soft feminine voice demanded the exact coordinates of the place he wanted to contact. Cook recited the numbers he had learned by heart and waited patiently. The communications were difficult to keep with that part of the planet, but Cook was used to the white noise and the interferences. He just wanted to feel like home again - whole, warm and safe.
The image wavered before focusing in front of him. Cook could see the furniture he helped choose for their living room. Nerves crippled through his body as he called out, "Archie? Archie!"
A slender figure appeared in the frame, wiping his left hand in an apron as he frowned. "Who the heck left the holophone open for calls? Dang it!"
"Archie, Archie, it's me!" Cook tried to get his attention. "Don't hang up on me!"
"Oh, oh, Cook!" the young man exclaimed, lifting his hands in the air. "Cook! You could have told me you were going to call today! I would have tidied this up a little!"
Cook looked around the room - everything was mostly in place, except for a children's playground full of toys and stuffed animals. He smiled, the pain of longing rushing through his veins. "Everything's perfect, Archie," he assured the younger man.
Archie sat down in front of the holographic figure and smiled sweetly. "I've missed you," he whispered, stretching his arm until he was touching the wavering image. "I love you so much, Cook."
"I've missed you too," Cook muttered back. He longed to actually feel those fingers caressing his skin.
They shared a few seconds in silence, drinking in the presence of the other even though it was through a hologram with so much white noise they could barely see each other clearly, until a piercing shriek shook them out of their shared reverie. "Daddy!"
Cook focused on the white bullet that lunged against the communications device, shattering the image for a short moment. When he could see again, he witnessed as a child sat on Archie's lap. He grinned. "Adam! Here you are! I was asking your papa about you," he said.
"Liar," the little child accused. "You were putting lovey dovey eyes."
"Adam," Cook replied in an admonishing voice. "Watch that tongue! And where have you learned such expressions?" From Archie's pained face, Cook understood it had surprised him just as much. "You're only six, Adam."
"When are you coming home?" the kid deflected Cook with a well placed question.
"Soon, son, soon," Cook assured his child. The dark mop of hair of the little child bobbed up and down in acceptance. "I promise you, Adam, I'll be back before you know it."
"I miss you, daddy."
Cook felt like a hand constricting his throat, the prickle of tears at the back of his eyes. When he stole a glance up to Archie's face - the same chocolate eyes, the same open smile as their son - Cook knew the younger man felt the same.
"You know what we'll do?" Cook offered when he finally could speak again, voice feeble and slightly trembling. "I'm going to talk to Captain Kirk and see if I can shorten my time here. After all, I've spent here longer than anyone else."
"You deserve a break," Archie agreed, nodding. "We'll be here waiting for you when you come back, Cook. We'll be here waiting for you."
Cook nodded slowly, the fear of stepping back into a planet he had left deserted dissolving in thin air as he watched his future before his eyes, the child he'd left as a baby for a trip to the stars - for a way to forget a war that had turned him into an orphan, a man without a family, a loner. But not anymore. As he looked down at his new family - his, all of them - Cook sighed. "I'll call back tomorrow with the exact date and place, Archie. Maybe Adam would like to come pick me up?"
From the excited yell his child gave, Cook was sure Adam approved of his idea. "Now I have to go back to work," he smiled as he checked the clock on his wrist. "My shift starts in ten and I still need to shower. I stink!"
"Language!" Archie exclaimed with a light laughter.
"I love you both, so much," Cook whispered as farewell before switching off the device, right when Adam was waving him goodbye as well. "I'm coming back home," he whispered to himself before standing up and walking back to his quarters. He began counting the days he had left before being sent back to the Earth in his mind even before he was out of the communications center. "I'm coming back to them, finally."