Chaos

Home to you

Ryker 

Ryker glanced at Daryl  sleeping in the truck as they merged into the traffic that would take them into New Orleans and frowned. He had kept his mate away, selfishly, for far longer than he should have. Not only did he know how badly Daryl missed home and the other two, he saw now just how lean the man had gotten and not in a good way. Daryl didn't have an ounce of fat on him normally. Now he looked to be losing muscle mass. Again, after the hard fought gains he had gotten from careful meal plans and diets that Carbry had insisted on.

Even with the fact that Daryl had taken down large deer every day or second day the entire time they were gone, or the fact that Ryker had packed high calorie meal packs, provided by Charlie, along with them. It still wasn't enough and Ryker hadn't noticed the difference until they had finally arrived back at his brother's farm and Mary had forced Daryl to eat something. The man had finished an entire breakfast that could probably have fed an entire family, napped, and then did the same for supper, plus the protein shakes and bars that Charlie kept slipping into Daryl's hands.

Daryl wasn't starving, but it was clear that despite his petulant stubbornness about drinking the meal replacements Knight Corp created for him, he actually needed them.

Ryker had nearly broken down then, half expecting Charlie to lay into him. But the man had merely given him a firm hug and ruffled his hair, murmuring. "You didn't know. And he wouldn't have it any other way. Don't insult him by getting yourself all broken up about it."

Even so, Ryker made the normally long drive from Texas even longer, stopping frequently to grab Daryl enough food to last a couple of hours. It wasn't healthy, though Daryl didn't seem to mind the constant supply of burgers and milkshakes in between naps and their conversations as they talked about anything and everything.

Even beyond anything else, the fact that they had spent all this time together, and the past several days talking again, had helped them. Whatever had fractured between them had been mending, but now Ryker felt as if his mate was attached firmly to his side and he wasn't about to let him go.

But now, Ryker was turning down toward the towering Knight Corp building, feeling a buildup of anticipation. He knew they had been watched and followed from the moment they passed into the first part of civilization, though Ryker hadn't turned on his phone and neither had Daryl. He half expected Carbry to be standing in the parkade waiting for them, though he wasn't sure if it was disappointment or relief when they pulled into the spot and there was no one in sight.

He plugged in the truck before grabbing the bags and then finally waking Daryl up, grinning and helping him stumble tiredly down from the truck. "Morning cowboy. Well... it's almost night time... but we're home."

Daryl yawned and half reached for his duffle bag, rolling his eyes and just slipping an arm around Ryker's shoulder when Ryker refused to give it to him. "Home is with you, Ryke. But a shower would be nice."

He saw Daryl glance around as well, saw the flash of disappointment that his mate quickly hid as they made their way toward the elevator. "I was thinking our fridge is probably empty, so I'll order in. I think you have a couple of those shakes in the freezer, though. You can grab one as you shower and I can..."

Daryl kissed him as they stepped into the elevator, hitting their floor number absently as he pushed Ryker up against the wall. "Shh. You're showering too. And we have been spending all our waking moments thinking about food."

"You need to look into the screen, D. And hit your code." Ryker laughed, kissing Daryl back before the man turned and followed the directions. "And I think you should step on a scale to see how much you've dropped, maybe avoid the gym until you've gained it all back."