Post by Ostrich on Feb 24, 2017 23:49:36 GMT -5
Archie
It was winter. He should have been freezing but he wasn’t. He had trained his body for this, and he would be damned if he would let the cold get to him. It was all in the training, it was all in the mind. Pain itself was just a crutch humanity leaned against and used as an excuse. But he would be better than that, he would excel past it. Which is why he had taken off from work at a run and ran out of the town. Sure, others might have thought it was a bit strange…but he didn’t care. He had changed out of the clothes he was forced to wear at the station and just ran. He knew he should’ve gone first thing out to the barn to check on Bayside, but…even that…that whole thing scared the wits out of him, and he wasn’t ready to face it. Call it what you want, call it fear, but the way he felt around that damned horse was too much for someone who had walled himself off for so long from every emotion. He didn’t know compassion. He didn’t know love. Those two words were not a part of his vocabulary. Hatred, Anger. Those were words that he knew. That he could comprehend. Emotions he could take and use in a fight. These other ones…were dampening his senses.
He ran. He ran as far and as fast as he could, not letting himself get tired. His head shifted back and forth; checking his blind spots continuously. It was a nervous habit he had developed, and he cursed under his breath at the consistency of them. But, he was the only one he could trust-and he couldn’t be caught off guard by a sneak attack. He stretched his legs out and pumped his arms, regulating his breathing to be the most effective and get oxygen to all the necessary parts of his body that affected his running; like his legs, his feet, his abs. It was a technique they’d learned in the military. And no, maybe he didn’t go around touting a gun everywhere, but he still had to go through basic and the training for special ops. He’d seen a few good men (and women, he had to admit) in his unit. He might not have seen them as anything more than him, but he saw them as equals-and when the other men would make a comment against them, degrading them for what they were, he would stand up for them. They’d proven themselves, and they deserved that much at least. Even if their sex was weaker, they’d risen above that.
He growled at himself for letting his mind wander. He slowed as he saw a clearing up ahead, and realized as he approached that it was a lake. Well, a cold swim would certainly numb him. As he ran forward, he stripped off his shirt and tossed it aside, spotting the dock up ahead. He slowed slightly, kicking his shoes off as he checked around to make sure no one was around; of course he could’ve missed something. He sprinted down the dock, put his arms over his head, and dove in.
As soon as his head hit the wonder, he could feel the cold seep into his bones. He could feel it wash over him and numb him. Yes. This was how he was used to feeling. As he surfaced again, he took a long good breath of air before striking against the water and propelling himself forward as he swam. This was normal. This cold, this numbness, this is how he used to feel. This is how he knew how to feel.
It was winter. He should have been freezing but he wasn’t. He had trained his body for this, and he would be damned if he would let the cold get to him. It was all in the training, it was all in the mind. Pain itself was just a crutch humanity leaned against and used as an excuse. But he would be better than that, he would excel past it. Which is why he had taken off from work at a run and ran out of the town. Sure, others might have thought it was a bit strange…but he didn’t care. He had changed out of the clothes he was forced to wear at the station and just ran. He knew he should’ve gone first thing out to the barn to check on Bayside, but…even that…that whole thing scared the wits out of him, and he wasn’t ready to face it. Call it what you want, call it fear, but the way he felt around that damned horse was too much for someone who had walled himself off for so long from every emotion. He didn’t know compassion. He didn’t know love. Those two words were not a part of his vocabulary. Hatred, Anger. Those were words that he knew. That he could comprehend. Emotions he could take and use in a fight. These other ones…were dampening his senses.
He ran. He ran as far and as fast as he could, not letting himself get tired. His head shifted back and forth; checking his blind spots continuously. It was a nervous habit he had developed, and he cursed under his breath at the consistency of them. But, he was the only one he could trust-and he couldn’t be caught off guard by a sneak attack. He stretched his legs out and pumped his arms, regulating his breathing to be the most effective and get oxygen to all the necessary parts of his body that affected his running; like his legs, his feet, his abs. It was a technique they’d learned in the military. And no, maybe he didn’t go around touting a gun everywhere, but he still had to go through basic and the training for special ops. He’d seen a few good men (and women, he had to admit) in his unit. He might not have seen them as anything more than him, but he saw them as equals-and when the other men would make a comment against them, degrading them for what they were, he would stand up for them. They’d proven themselves, and they deserved that much at least. Even if their sex was weaker, they’d risen above that.
He growled at himself for letting his mind wander. He slowed as he saw a clearing up ahead, and realized as he approached that it was a lake. Well, a cold swim would certainly numb him. As he ran forward, he stripped off his shirt and tossed it aside, spotting the dock up ahead. He slowed slightly, kicking his shoes off as he checked around to make sure no one was around; of course he could’ve missed something. He sprinted down the dock, put his arms over his head, and dove in.
As soon as his head hit the wonder, he could feel the cold seep into his bones. He could feel it wash over him and numb him. Yes. This was how he was used to feeling. As he surfaced again, he took a long good breath of air before striking against the water and propelling himself forward as he swam. This was normal. This cold, this numbness, this is how he used to feel. This is how he knew how to feel.
