topino | (no subject)

[ Nicky hums softly as he thinks about what he will do if his beloved team loses (not that he actually cares about football). ] No, I will miss your arms around me too much. You will be able to sleep with me, still.

[ Otherwise, how else would Nicky sleep?

Suddenly, he catches sight of something in the distance, and his grip on Joe's hand tightens. ] Guarda, Joe, look. Malta.

[ And there it is rising out of the sea. Malta. Their second home. He breathes a sigh of relief. Of course the sight also makes him impatient to be on land. Their vacation is so close he can taste it. ]

There it is. [ He nuzzles Nicky's hair. ] I suppose we'll have to head back to our car soon. We can take our time, though.

[ And watch the city come into view. ] Do you remember the first time we saw it together? It didn't look like this.

[ Nicky is already breathing deeper to see it. He's so relieved to be home, even if it's a different kind of home. He closes his eyes and steps back into Joe's touch, laughing at the idea of Malta being the same. ]

We didn't look the same then, either.

[ He struggles to even remember what they looked like, when all Nicky remembers is how handsome Joe had been. ]

I remember thinking it was like Genoa, like home, but a place I didn't have to worry about my past catching up to me.

I think my hair was longer. And my beard too. [ It's a vague memory like most things that aren't related to Nicky and falling in love with him. ]

I remember our first place. How tiny it was. [ That's it, really. A small, cramped place was all they afford but that had simply allowed them to be close. ] We should walk by and see what it is this decade.

[ Because the place changed long ago and has kept changing. They still have each other, the important part. ]

I like it when your beard and hair are long enough for me to take full handfuls of. It makes me feel like I can guide you where I want you.

[ He feels a little sad to think of their first place and how it's no longer theirs. Nicky knows the years are long and it would never stay the same, but he longs for a home they can return to with a proper bed and kitchen, maintained in a way that they could simply drop in again and live in.

Not a cave or a decrepit safehouse. ]

I think we should take evening walks in the sunset every day, so I can kiss you on the coast with the sea in your hair, and the sunset reflecting on your face, my love.

I can grow them out while we're here. [ Joe had been thinking about shaving them but Nicky's words stop that immediately. ] It's the reason why I like your hair long.

[ One day, they'll get their own place and have something more than safe houses and abandoned places. He knows Nicky wants to settle. He's more comfortable wandering but that was his life before Nicky. ]

Nightly walks sound nice. Down at the beach, I assume? Barefoot in the sand. You know how much I enjoy the romance of a moment.

I think we should both grow our hair and see how long it gets in the next two months. Andy can tell us who won when we return. [ Nicky already intends to let his beard, moustache, and hair grow, until he resembles more of his past self than his present.

And then, he will see how he can make marks on Joe, instead of only the other way around. ]

Of course, in the sand, and barefoot. Maybe under the moonlight. I enjoy the romance, but also enjoy the thought of skinny-dipping in the sea.

We can recreate how we first met. [ Nicky was something of a wild man their first meeting. Joe still fell for him anyway. ] With the sword fighting if we desire.

[ A passing tourist looks very confused by that statement which makes Joe grin a little. ]

Ah, I see your brilliant plan now. [ He tugs Nicky away from the railing to move on. He’s getting restless as they get closer and closer to the shore. ] Not that I am against it. You know how much I enjoy the sea.

I think this time I will keep it to more of a scruff and use beard oil. There are modern developments that I think will make me much more handsome.

[ And his hair, he will stop just after his chin, just at the point he can tie it up. He smiles brightly and with great politeness at the passing tourist, as if nothing is wrong.

Moving towards the car again, Nicky snorts. ] I think you love being naked in the surf, that's what you love.

I don’t know what I’ll do if you get any more handsome. I suppose just trail after you like a devoted hound. Eager to please you in any way I can.

[ The truth is Nicky is always handsome even in horrible fashions and various hair styles. He loves him when there is brain matter in his hair. Joe cannot stop loving him. It is physically impossible. ]

I do! [ He laughs loudly. ] No matter how much you enjoy me in that swimsuit you’re enraptured with I think swimming nude feels better.

[ Nicky is still snorting under his breath with laughter, seeing as he doesn't think that he needs to do anything to earn Joe thirsting after him like a dog on a summer day. ]

You please me in all ways, my beloved, my husband. [ He kisses his cheek as they wander back to the car. ]

And I admit, it is nice when you are bare-assed for the world to see, and I can sit back and claim you victoriously as mine. It is not what they promised me when I sailed to the Crusades, but it a better treasure, all the same.

[ Nicky breathes and Joe thirsts after him. ]

And in a few hours I will please you so well someone in the hotel will complain about the noise. [ He says with pride. There will be some risky driving to the hotel. ]

It has been a long time since someone else saw me naked. [ He pauses for a moment. ] Outside of our friends that is.

[ Andy and Booker have seen him naked plenty of times. It happens after living together for centuries. ]

[ It is nice to have so much power over someone, not that Nicky would ever use it for anything. It's only a problem when other people figure that out and try to use it against them, but Nicky makes sure they regret doing that.

No one gets to use his love for Joe or vice-versa and live for it. ]

That loud, am I? It's a very big goal to aspire to.

[ And yet, he has no doubt Joe can make it happen. ]

I think some of the Maltese people are owed a view of perfection, before I crush their dreams by making out with you and grabbing that perfect ass.

[ There is a very special violence they reserve for anyone who hurts the other. Joe showed no mercy to Keane for the violent way he killed Nicky.

And after that kill Joe had simply wanted to curl up with his husband and love him to remind himself they were both alive. ]

You can be that loud if I am very clever. [ He rocks up on his toes with a smug look. He knows he can make it happen. ]

Ah, so we're going to the beach while I wear that thing you generously call a swimsuit. You know, the wedding ring will tell them I'm taken.

[ Nicky still has that inclination to curl up with Joe and simply hold and be held, for hours. That is what the hotel is for, and the house after that. It is to remind themselves of what they have. ]

You are always clever. You are one of the smartest men I have ever met, habibi.

[ He digs out the keys from Joe's pocket as they move, angling them back to the car, even if it does still reek of sex. ] A wedding ring is one thing, but a possessive kiss while I dip you in my arms says 'my husband' much more clearly.

[ They will rest in each other's arms and heal. They will let their love wash away the pain and fear and grief of the last few days. It cannot happen soon enough. ]

Says the man who can calculate bullet drop and wind trajectory in his head in a split second. You are brilliant as well.

[ He raises an eyebrow as Nicky takes the keys but if he wants to drive he certainly can. ] Well, if I'm going to get kissed then we can go to the beach for you to show off every single day of this trip.

[ Nicky does not smile too broadly for the compliment, but the praise is reflected in the way his eyes shine with it, the curve of his lips upwards, proud of what he does, and that Joe notices.

Though, with almost a thousand years on them, they should pick up some things. ]

Then we will have to go to the beach every day. And the market. I would like to claim you as my husband with market kisses as well, while you pick out the food we will cook each night.

Nicky... are you going to claim me as your husband everywhere we go in Malta?

[ He's not upset by this idea, mostly amused.

Although, a part of him is worried because Nicky is not usually so publicly possessive. It might be a sign of the lingering fear from the lab. ]

Because that will leave us very little time for anything else. It's a very big place.

[ So what if he intends to? They have had a harrowing experience and Nicky needs the universe to understand that Joe is his and he should not be taken from him. The people in Malta are just a convenient by-product. ]

Twice a day, then. Once at the market, then at the beach. We are on vacation, aren't we? We can make time.

[ It's that, or he will want to stay cooped up in their house, with Nicky refusing to let Joe out of bed. ]

[ They will not be parted so easily. Joe has faith in that. If Nicky needs to show the world then Joe will let him. ]

I do like the market in the morning.

[ When they reach the car he pushes Nicky up against the side and kisses him deeply and slowly, really savoring the simple pleasure of kissing him.

He's here. They are together. Nothing will part them. That's what the kiss says. ]

We can make time.

[ It's a kiss like any other they've had, but it feels like more. Nicky lets Joe back him into the car, lets him kiss him deeply, lets his mouth part and his head tip to the side to make it more.

He wants this, another thousand years of this, and it feels selfish to demand, but he's scared that mortality or Kozak or another company will cut it short. Merrick is only one man. He has competitors.

The thought makes him kiss Joe harder, bucking up against him to claim him, prove that no one can touch him. ]

They can't have you.

[ It's a promise, a vow, and he says it out loud so Joe understands that Nicky will die a dozen times over to make sure he's safe. ]

Only you.

[ Joe trails more gentle kisses along Nicky's face, showering him in affection and reassurance. They can't spend long like this but he'll give what he can. ]

I am only yours and will only ever be yours. Even when the stars are dust and the universe nothing, I will be yours.

[ He rests his forehead against Nicky's and stares into his eyes so he can see the promise in his eyes for the same. ]

[ It soothes the restless ache, though not completely. Nicky thinks the only thing that would do that is killing Kozak and watching Copley destroy her research, but that can come later. Right now, Malta beckons, and Nicky is eager to get to their hotel.

He presses his forehead to Joe's firmly, a little harder than he would otherwise, and nods. ]

Yours. And mine. My sun. You will always be there to guide my heart.

What a lovely heart it is.

[ He untangles from Nicky and goes to settle in the passenger seat since Nicky has the keys. ]

Come on, qamri, we need to get ready to disembark.

[ They will be in the car for awhile but they should be properly buckled and ready to go. ]

[ Nicky ducks into the driver's seat of the car, needing to feel in control of something, even if it's only driving to the hotel. He can't help his snort as he climbs into the car and smells...well, them. It hasn't dissipated in their walk around the top.

He settles in and reaches across for Joe's hand to squeeze and turn over in his. ]

I don't want to worry you. I will get better. I will calm. I only need time and you.