topino | (no subject)

Alright, we'll drive. [ Luckily, neither of them get sea sick. ] Let's make sure we say goodbye to the others.

[ He grabs their bags and the passports with their fake identities. There's shouldn't be any problems.

He walks out of the room with their things and calls for Andy and Nile. Everything gets set on the kitchen table and then everyone gets big Joe hugs. ] We'll call you when we get there. And check in. Go have fun while we're gone.

[ Because they should relax as well, not just him and Nicky. ]

[ Nicky waits until Joe has had their turn with them before giving bone-crushing hugs of his own, keeping Andy as close as possible and whispering words of advice to Nile. When he's done, he picks up the bags and finds Joe.

He can always pick him out in a room, always, and right now, he needs him desperately. ]

Do you want to drive? [ He jangles the keys for him, wondering if Joe will want to go as fast as possible on the way to the port. ]

Yes. [ He snatches the keys from Nicky's hand and takes one of the suitcases as well. He's going to help whether his love likes it or not.

They load the car and he gets in the driver seat. It should only take them an hour or maybe an hour and a half to get to the ferry. How long they'd have to wait for the ferry, though, was up in the air. ]

Check the ferry schedule for me, taw'am ruwhi? [ He slides on a pair of sunglasses and then drives, eager to get away from the weight of everything. ]

[ Nicky grins as he watches Joe take charge, ambling after him and loading up the car with no real rush now that they've said their goodbyes and are heading off. He waves to Nile and Andy in the window, stretching out his legs before he digs out his little burner phone to start looking up schedules.

The minute they are far enough away, with his sunglasses on, Nicky puts down the windows. ]

I think we can make it for noon! [ The wind is a little loud, but he likes the way it feels in his hair. ] We can have some lunch and wait for the boat to come in.

[ It's the most relaxed he's seen Nicky in days and it helps Joe relax. Once he's done with his phone he grabs his hand and laces their fingers together. ]

It will also give us time to call Copley and see if he's found a place for us. [ If not, they'll get a hotel room for the night and check again tomorrow morning. ] He knew we were set on leaving today.

[ The more time that passes, the more relaxed he will get. Tangling his fingers with Joe's, he drags his thumb in circles against the back of his palm, staring at him adoringly. ]

Copley will have to get used to us too, not just Nile.

[ Especially if Copley will be covering their tracks. He presses his tongue to his lower lip, thinking about a nice hotel stay for a night and how he could worship Joe on borrowed sheets. ] I was very specific in my details of what I wanted. I sent an email.

He was CIA. He should be able to move quickly.

[ It's a nice little test for Copley to see if he could keep up with the pace of immortal mercenaries.

Joe brings their joined hands up and kisses his knuckles. ] We have very specific things we want to do on this vacation. You were very polite in that email.

He might be CIA, but he has never met anyone like us before. [ He is not speaking, strictly, of their talents, but rather their relationship. If it had been difficult for Booker, he wonders what it will do for Copley, who also lost his wife.

He lets Joe tug his hand over with ease, smiling fondly at him. It is his first mission. ] We see how he does, and then maybe the emails will not be as polite the next time.

[ They've always been respectful and understanding of what Booker's lost though Joe knows he can't truly understand it. There's the fear of losing Nicky but not the reality of it. Not yet. ] It is very rare to see a couple together after nine hundred years.

[ It really does feel lighter now that they're alone together. ] I think he'll get Andy's version of polite for awhile. She's not a fan, I don't think.

Amore, it will soon be a thousand years. I do not know what to get you for our anniversary, but for a millennium together, I think it will have to be big. Maybe a small island?

[ One thousand incredible years. Not perfect, of course not, but they don't need to be perfect. ]

I'm not sure I'm a fan either. He led us on in Sudan, and he used the plight of young girls to do it.

I was thinking about stealing something from a museum for you. [ Is he kidding? Joe will never tell. ]

Well, he's CIA we should've known we were being used but the young girls blinded us. [ They were all very protective about children. ] If we hadn't gone and they really were in danger we would've felt like monsters.

For a thousand years, I expect more than just one thing from a museum. [ He pulls Joe's hand to his lips to rest a kiss there. ] I expect a whole wing. [ Is he joking? He's steady and giving nothing away. ]

[ Nicky presses his lips together. ] I know, and it's why I don't trust him. He used that story and he sent those men to die, all to get his proof? And he brought us in. Trust will come slowly.

There are some beautiful weapons in the Hall of Weapons and Armor at the Art Institute in Chicago. Definitely some broadswords that should be in your collection. [ Joe will find the perfect gift and it might be a weapon or it might be a book telling the story of how he fell in love with Nicky. It might be both. ]

On the one hand, I understand grief can do terrible things but... the part I don't understand is how he thought his wife would want him to do it. [ Joe's tone is soft and contemplative. ] He has pictures of her on his desk. I noticed when we were there. To see her face every day and think "Yes, murder and torture in her memory, that's what she wants" baffles me.

Mmm, we can pick up postcards for Nile and you can fetch me something for a thousand years. We have plenty of time to plan.

[ And here Nicky had been thinking of a small island in the South Pacific and several great artworks, along with weeks of sex that might kill Joe if only to bring him back to life.

Nicky slides one hand out the window to let the wind drift through his fingers, the other with Joe's as he curls it in a little more. ] If anything happens to me, I expect you to avenge me with murder and torture, but only to those who deserve it. [ Not that Joe would be surprised. ] I think, maybe, the death of his wife did things to his priorities, to his empathy. He lost his compass. I don't know what I would do without mine.

A postcard is a good idea. She's still too young to go home. [ Where she would be tempted to do something like see her family. ]

Oh, I will bring the wrath of an avenging angel down on them but you're not going without me. [ Joe says it as fact. To him, it is. They will go together. Just as they came into immortality together. ] That and the CIA training, maybe he was doomed from the start. I'd still like to punch him a few times.

[ They really need to avoid what happened with Booker happening again. They need to take better care, and understand that not everyone has the other half of their soul with them. ]

I could suggest we practice sparring, then pit him against you. You could punch him a few times before it became suspicious.

[ That, or maybe they could just make Copley continue to book them lovely private villas in Malta at short notice. ]

I doubt he could give me a properly satisfying spar. I'd break something of his that wouldn't heal right.

[ Yes, perhaps they needed a little more understanding but they should be safe among their family to express their love for one another. ]

You've also ruined sparring for me. Like Pavlov's dogs a sword fight makes me think of sex with you. I do not want that association with Copley.

[ Better than shooting him, which is what Nicky has thought of doing a few times. It would only be a graze, but it's still crossed his mind, after everything that happened. ]

I'm very selfish to want to keep that response to just me, yes.

[ He kisses each of Joe's knuckles, taking his time to show his affections. ]

Is that why you always wear such loose pants when we are on missions?

Cargo pants are useful for a mission with all the pockets.

[ He rolls his eyes with a fond smile. ]

It's after the mission when I am still full of adrenaline and on edge that I get hard remembering how fierce and beautiful you are in a fight.

[ There have been some pretty intense post battle moments between them. ]

[ Nicky's smile is knowing and very smug, because he knows exactly what Joe means. He also has felt the same himself, so he's very much enjoying the reminder. ]

It's nothing compared to the way you cut down our enemies with such speed and talent. I could watch it for days.

[ And he has, though he'd like to avoid that for a little while now. ] In those early days, I killed you more than once when we were wrestling and it turned me on so much. Better you be dead than aware, I thought. [ How stupid he was. ]

[ He laughs at the idea of being killed just so he wouldn't know Nicky wanted him. ] You know, I stopped killing you because I wanted you. It was terrifying but I couldn't have any more of your blood on my hands.

[ Oh, what idiots they had both been. What a relief now to have each other and love so fiercely. ]. My biggest regret was introducing you to regular bathing. I made my own hell with that.

[ Nicky is grinning, thinking of the few times he had scrambled for a sharp blade just to preserve some of his dignity. ] The day you introduced me to regular bathing was a nice one, but I was still a wild thing. Better the day I found someone to tidy my hair and beard.

[ And then, he felt he could truly look the part of the seducing invader. ]

I remember you wouldn't look at me in the water. I thought you were just being respectful.

[ What dignity did Yusuf have left once he started to lust after the wild thing that was Nicolo? ] I was being respectful. I thought you'd castrate me the moment you saw my very obvious want and I wasn't sure it would grow back if you did.

[ He had it much worse when Nicky truly cleaned up. Allah tested him so much in the early days. ] I needed time, as well, to make peace with what I felt for you.

If you had looked, you would have seen my own very obvious want.

[ And yes, it does grow back, though that's a death that Nicky never shared with Yusuf because of how embarrassing it had been, but also how frantically worried he'd been. It was early in their courtship, he had hidden himself away. ]

I'm glad to know your peace was made, because now I cannot imagine being without you. [ He wonders if losing Quynh had made them so reluctant to part ways, or if they were like this before, but he can't remember. ] Now, I can't imagine a hot bath without you in it with me.

We could have gotten our heads out of our asses decades sooner. [ But he's more amused by the idea than regretful. ]

Like you say, love, destiny brought us together. We were always meant to find each other. [ He squeezes Nicky's hand tightly for a moment. ] Now you're speaking of heaven. Some bath oils, candles, and you. Oh, paradise on earth.