topino | (no subject)

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.

I would still never trade those days of yearning for anything. It taught me patience, and let me fall deeply in love with you beyond the lust. I always appreciate it for that.

[ He laughs brightly, wind in his hair, Joe's hand in his. ] Some music playing, maybe some figs to feed you as the water cools. If we have that in Malta, you will have to drag me back to Andy and Nile.

That long courting did teach us how to truly love one another. [ Even when it had been maddening Joe understood without it they may not appreciate what they have. ]

Please, my heart, I'm driving. You can't fill my head with these thoughts and also focus on the road. [ Joe shifts a little in the driver seat. He's suddenly very impatient to get to Malta. ] We can always suggest we plan our next move from where we're staying.

Not to mention, it taught me how furiously jealous I could be of the people you flirted with at stalls. [ He hadn't been, of course, he'd only been polite, but tell that to Nicky's jealousy of the time.

Envy is a thing of the past, though. He's assured in Joe's love for him. ]

I'm sorry, you brought up bathing, I only let my mind drift. [ He slides their hands towards Joe's thigh, checking his watch in the process. ] You know. We have some time to pull over.

You were the only person I flirted with and you never seemed to flirt back. [ His warm friendliness had probably looked like flirting to a barbarian like Nicky who didn't understand Arab customs. ]

You make a very tempting proposal but I don't want any delays. Even ones as lovely as what you're thinking. [ Because he knows that look and can practically read Nicky's mind. ] Do you think you can wait until we're on the ferry?

I hadn't yet worked out what your style of flirtation looked like. Now, I know better. [ And he certainly likes to see Joe flirt with him, encouraging it wherever he possibly can.

And yes, fine, sometimes Nicky is still jealous, but not of other people. More that they're taking up his time. ]

I can be patient. Do you remember the time we had to watch the mark for three days in that tiny apartment? I don't know that I moved for twelve hours one day.

I would hope so. I've never stopped flirting with you. [ Joe loves to watch Nicky preen under his attention. ]

Those were the longest three days of my life. Trading shifts, never getting a chance to rest together, ugh. [ He makes a face remembering it. ] We did good work but not the easiest assignment that.