#later nile is looking for something and asks nicky where it is

[peri-helia]

If I can’t dance (I don’t want any part of your revolution)

I hope the song choice isn't ooc for Nile but I was re-watching St. Trinian’s and this happened.

“Are you sure she’s ready for this?”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that” Nicky retorted serenely, not even bothering to look at Copley, as they both watch over the railing as Nile maneuvers herself through the tangle of red wool threads that was doubling for the lasers she would navigate.

Copley sighed, privately wondering if there would ever be a day he didn’t put his foot in his mouth around these people. Probably not in his lifetime.

“I only meant she doesn’t seem happy with the arrangement. I know she’s fully capable, believe me. When –“ he swallowed, unsure of how much Nile had told them of the events preceding their rescue from Merrick Industries, “Nile tracked me down, I offered to come with her. What happened to you was my fault and I was determined to put things right. She just looked at me and said that out of the two of us, she would be the one to walk out of there again”

Out of the corner of his eye, he’s sure he sees the corner of Nicky’s mouth tick upward infinitesimally.

“Technically she jumped out the window” Joe says as he appears behind Nicky, taking a mug of coffee from the tray to offer it to Nicky. Copley’s eyebrows hit his hairline and as he turns to look at the other two men they are both definitely grinning in a mixture of pride and bemusement.

“Faster than the elevator” Nicky quips and it must already be some private joke from the way Joe snorts into his coffee mug.

“Before I forget, Copley, Booker wants you to go over the IDs” Joe tells him

“Again?!” he doesn’t know if it’s the forger critiquing his work or perhaps wanting to be seen as making as much effort as possible as part of re-earning everyone’s trust. Still, given the sharp looks he’s receiving from both Nicky and Joe, Copley decides its probably a smart move. Besides which, it doesn’t look like Joe’s asking.

---

“Thank you, habibi” Nicky sighs as soon as Copley is out of earshot. He takes a grateful sip of his coffee, naturally brewed to perfection. Joe gently presses his hand to the small of Nicky’s back in comfort.

“I don’t like him watching us training any more than you do. Especially when we’re still working through the logistics”

As they watch, Nile’s foot catches in some of the wool for the umpteenth time and Andy stops counting the seconds. Nile gives a shout of frustration and pulls her way free of the strands.

“That’s enough for today” they hear Andy say, passing Nile a bottle of water and patting her on the shoulder for an effort well made.

Copley’s a double-crossing bastard, but he’s not stupid. This way isn’t working for Nile. But she’s so determined to do this part of the job and none of them want to dissuade her. Retrieving the stolen artwork has been her gig from the start, she was the one who brought it to Copley.  If she triggers the lasers, it’s nothing they can’t handle but it’s a challenge she hasn’t had before and Nile is determined as ever to rise to it.

Sure enough, the next thing is Nile saying “I can do this” as much to herself as to Andy.

“We know you can” Quynh unfurls herself from where she’s been watching, “But a break might help. Try again later and it will go smoother for the rest.”

---

About an hour later, the pedestrian access door into the warehouse bangs open and Nile shouts, “ANDY! Andy, I’ve got it!”

Looking up from the mess of schematics, tea things and poker chips, they see Nile striding triumphantly into the space. She hits the loading bay door control panel. There’s a bit of banging of something that sounds heavy and likely expensive, when Booker appears on the other side with a flatbed trolley; two massive loudspeakers precariously loaded atop it.

Nicky wonders briefly what they’ve done with Copley. He’s probably weeping over the budget somewhere, because they definitely didn’t own these speakers this morning.

Something he’s grown to love about Nile, something they all love her for truly, is her innovation. It’s similar to Andy in a way, and maybe in a thousand years they’ll get to know Nile’s way of thinking well enough that they can see her logic but the thrill of the surprise is a treat in itself for the time being.

Once they get the speakers unloaded and set up, Nile walks towards the red string maze again like a gymnast taking first position. She nods at Booker and at her cue, he hits play on her iPod.

A pop song with a heavy beat starts thudding through the warehouse, filling the space so that the room itself thrums with sound. Casting a quick glance at each other, they watch as Nile starts working through the crisscross of threads. It’s…transformative. She’s clearly focused; her jaw set determinedly as she moves through the set-up. But her moves are more sinuous than they had been earlier. The air of distraction is gone and it is like watching a dance; the way she twists and slips through. The threads don’t touch her. Before they know it she’s made it through to the other side of the mats. She’s giving a victory bow as the song fades out.

“Nearly three minutes exactly” Booker announces, pausing the music having evidently been timing her.

Nile beams at them, hands on her hips. “I realized that the counting was putting me off. Sorry, Andy. I train better when I’ve got my music blasting and I suddenly thought what if I can time myself to a song roughly the same time as the we’ve got before the timer on the laser resets. What d’you think?”

It’s clear from Andy’s face that she’s thinking, the world’s best strategist, assessing what she’s just seen. The smile that breaks over her face is like the sun coming up; intrigued and pleased all at once. Something she appreciates probably most of all of them is someone realizing their potential.

“I think we’ll walk it”

---

“The Storm on the Sea of Gallilee by Rembrandt has been returned to the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, having been deemed lost after a burglary more than thirty years ago. It was discovered this morning by a cleaner, along with a note that read ‘Thought you should have this back. Thief’s details with Interpol. Love your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman’. More on this story at-“

That piece had been one of his bloody favourites and now all he’s got is a bleached spot on the wall and probably about twenty minutes before the cops show up. What he’d dearly like to know is how they even got in and why his Spotify has a Sophie Ellis-Bextor song in his recently liked that wasn’t there before.

#the old guard #my writing #tog drabbles #its 2am help #tog fanfic #tog fanfiction #I couldn’t think what to call the bad guy so I didn’t oops

[regina-del-cielo]

dreams from birth snippet perhaps???

For sure! <3

Andy shakes her head, fond, then turns to Nicky, who’s looking at her with a steady, patient look in his eyes. “What?” She asks, her tone biting, as if she didn’t know what he’s about. She’s known him since he was born. He doesn’t answer verbally, just tilts his head slightly to the right, his look turning even softer. Andy heaves a sigh, plopping down on the ground, suddenly exhausted. “She’s a clever one, Andy. Her idea isn’t so bad.” Nicky whispers, gently. He knows he’s treading dangerous ground, but he also knows Andy. He knows they can’t ignore the issue forever. “Children always think that everything has an easy solution,” she grumbles, staring towards the horizon. “Even if we could steal a submarine without getting hunted by every military force in the world, we wouldn’t even know where to start looking, Nicolò. You know this, I know this.” Her voice grows tighter, so she stops speaking. “At least she elaborated her dreams in a way that doesn’t put her in danger. Everyone will think she’s just a very impressionable child, and there won’t be any risk.” She concludes, a moment later. Nicky remains silent, hands clasped in his lap. They look at the ocean together. He can feel that something else is weighing on Andy’s heart, and knows how to wait it out. “Do you think she feels it?” She murmurs, after a few minutes, not looking away from the horizon. “Do you think she… she knows there’s another one? That Nile is a happy kid that wants to find her?” Her voice is clogged with tears she hasn’t allowed herself to cry for centuries. “I don’t know, Andy. I can only hope that she felt Sébastien, back then, and that she can feel Nile now.” Nicky answers, keeping his voice as low as hers, out of respect of their shared grief. “I hope she can feel our love through them.” Andy clenches her fists around her elbows, trying to stop herself from breaking down. “I wish it could be as easy as Nile thinks,” she hiccups, biting her lip soon after, hard enough to break the skin. By the time she’s passed her tongue on the injury, it’s already healed. “I miss her so much, Nico.” Nicky lowers himself on the grass next to her and takes her into his arms. “I know, Andromache. Manca anche a me.” He holds her tight as she cries, hiding her face in the crook of his shoulder. He doesn’t let his own tears slip until he feels Joe’s arms around him, his lips soft against his hair. Booker closes the circle, covering Andy’s exposed flank with the bulk of his torso. They don’t need to be told what’s going on. It takes a while before they’re done letting out their grief for Quỳnh. Somewhere in the cold depths of the Atlantic Ocean, trapped in a rusting coffin, Quỳnh holds her breath long enough to bask in the vision of a little girl playing with her stuffed animal, and being kissed on the forehead by a loving mother. Her new sister wants to find her. Quỳnh hits the lid of the coffin with more resolve, and dies again.

#captainshakespear #asks and answers #writing #wip game #fanfiction #my fanfiction #the old guard #andromache the scythian #nicolò di genova #quynh #nile freeman #yusuf al kaysani #sebastien le livre

[nicolos]

At Sunday brunch, Nile finds herself sitting next to Andy, who is grumpily drinking coffee—something Nile knows her extreme pickiness about—with a face like she's just bitten into a pinched lemon. Fifteen minutes later, Lykon says, sweetly enough that even she can see the trap: "Andy, do you want any of the sugar?"

Andy glares at him, says no, and marches off to get some more coffee. Hopefully with sugar in it.

Lykon gives it five seconds before he gets up and follows her. Next to him, Joe takes a huge sip of his coffee like it's keeping him alive. Nile kicks his foot under the table.

"What's going on with Lykon and Andy?" she asks. Joe gives her his best kicked puppy look, but it's almost noon, definitely closer to lunch time than brunch time, and she is not feeling very pitying. Especially because it's his boyfriend's fault they're still waiting to eat.

"I don't know," he says after a bit. "They were fine last week."

They were fine last week. Nile hums, considering that. At the counter, Lykon is needling Andy about something while she stands, arms crossed, tapping her foot. "Did they sleep together again? They have got to stop doing that."

Joe pauses, and Nile's eyebrows slowly rise. He looks over his shoulder, then shakes his head, though he's looking unsure. "I don't think so? Lykon usually tells me."

Nile does not envy him that. Lykon doesn't have a lot of poetic bones in his body, but he likes to think enthusiasm and way, way, way too detailed description makes up for it. It does not. "What else, then?" she asks, then shuts up as they turn around and return to their table.

Andy sits down, looking grumpy. "Where's Nicky?" she asks Joe.

Joe says, "I'm not Nicky's keeper."

Lykon says, "Yes, you are," the exact moment Andy does, and they both turn to glare at each other. Nile exchanges a long, concerned look with Joe. She's never really thought Andy and Lykon's bad habit of occasionally slipping back into bed with each other is a problem--but they also haven't gone there for at least six months. It could be a number of other things, but if Lykon hasn't said anything to Joe...

She texts Booker, has andy said anythng about being mad at lykon? then glares at it for a few seconds, wondering what the odds are on Booker happening to check his phone in the middle of museum day, and also actually answering.

The door opens, and Nicky enters. "Finally," Andy says. "Is everyone decided? We'll order. Nicky, come with me."

Nile requests her eggs to Andy's retreating back. Joe stares at them go, looking bewildered, then turns to Lykon. "Lykon?" he says.

Lykon is staring at Andy's back with an uncharacteristic intensity. Something is definitely up. "Yeah?" he says, a minute too late.

"How was your week?" Joe asks. She raises her eyebrows, but he holds up a finger for patience.

"Uh, it was great. Hey, what do you think is taking them so long?"

It's been fifteen seconds. Nile watches Lykon all but jump over the back of the chair to join Nicky and Andy, making Andy scowl again. "I see your point," he says. "Maybe they fought about something?"

"They never fight."

Joe shrugs. "Everyone fights sometimes, even me and—Nicky!"

Nicky has returned, looking like the cat that got the cream. He gives Joe a peck before he takes his seat. "Spill," Nile says. "What do you know?"

Nicky does his little mouth-shrug. "What do I know about what? I know many things, Nile."

Joe narrows his eyes. "How do you know something I don't?"

Nicky grins. "Because unlike yourself, I have been in the department all week."

Nile frowns. "What, they fought about something at work?" Andy and Lykon's specialisation is in completely different areas, and while there is overlap, they are usually in agreement. Unless it's something like supervision duty or admin, she can't imagine what they would've had to fight over.

"Something like that," Nicky says mysteriously.

Joe narrows his eyes. "What is it?"

Nicky shrugs. "See for yourself," he says, gesturing outside the window.

Nile looks over her shoulder just as the new adjunct, Quynh, comes through the window. Her face is a little red from cold, and she searches for Nicky before brightening visibly. "Quynh," Nicky says, standing with a smile. "Joe, Nile—you have met, but I thought to invite her as she is new to the area. I am glad you came."

"No, thank you," she says, unwrapping her scarf and draping it on the seat next to Nile with a smile. "Should I go place my order?"

"Andy and Lykon are just at the counter, if you want to join them."

Nike watches as Andy and Lykon, who have been frozen stiff, both hurry to smile at Quynh and welcome them to join her. Lykon grabs a menu off the counter. Andy looks like she might be turning red around the ears, and not from the weather.

Her phone buzzes. It's Booker, saying how badly do you want to know?

Nile smirks.

#the old guard #tog fanfiction #i may be the only aql stan but its ok. i am my own target audience #androlyquynh #lykandromaquynh #or smth #mine. #minefic

[the73rdpostscript]

[I was fucking around with characterization and someone said this was actually pretty good so I figured I’d share it. Happy Tuesday everyone <3]

Joe rolls over, luxuriating in a long stretch.

Beside the bed, Nicky snorts and Joe can feel the warmth of his presence leaning down for a kiss. Joe keeps his eyes closed as he reaches his head up to meet Nicky. And for a few moments he luxuriates in a whole new kind of morning activity, savoring the slow-syrup pace of the thing.

He does not enjoy that Nicky pulls away and ends the kiss sooner than Joe’s morning erection would prefer.

“Nicolo,” he admonishes.

“Joe,” Nicky deadpans back, a smirk surely pulling at the corner of his mouth, “Nile and I have discovered some similar opinions in music. I was just grabbing an album.”

“An album, hm?” Joe asks, finally opening his eyes to look up at where Nicky still gazes down at him. He’s holding a vinyl in his hand, with a look in his eyes like he already laughing at Joe’s opinions on the choice.

“Yes, I think it will sound very similar to her Frank Ocean.”

Joe is far too tired to try and guess who Nicky would be so confident about, but he nods sleepily and reaches up with one hand – blindly grabbing for something he can’t articulate but that he trusts Nicky to understand.

With a laugh, Nicky catches his hand and holds it for a moment, kissing along the flesh and murmuring endearments.

Joe sighs, feeling himself settling into the ease of the moment, and slowly reaching farther up to cup Nicky’s face.

“You are the only music I need.”

“I think in this moment you need coffee far more,” Nicky says, giving the palm of Joe’s hand one last peck.

Joe groans, “Go teach Nile about what you think is good taste so I can fix it later,”

Nicky shakes his head and leans down to kiss Joe properly again, murmuring something filthy that stirs Joe’s blood and leaves him awake in their bed long after Nicky has left.

In the aftermath of such terrible treatment, Joe gives himself a few moments to lounge in the sheets – waiting to see if he wants to follow his arousal or get up and face the day.

In the end the sound of music begins wafting quietly in from the living room, and Joe decides to get a head start on teaching Nile what Nicky surely got incorrect about music of any kind – but especially whatever Nicky thinks is connected to modern hip-hop.

He’ll get Nicky back for the Too Early wake up call when Nile and Andy go out later. Joe always likes trying to make Nicky sing.

#the old guard #joe x nicky #joe/nicky #mine #fic #and yes i know Nicky would just say the name of the album but i searched for 3 days and couldn't find the right artist #so i'm open to suggestions but for now we can imagine he's teasing joe #as he would

[sunsetcurveauto]

a moment of silence for nile freeman who will never be able to successfully land a joe mama joke ever again 😔

#that or she gets really creative with it #nicky: have you seen my sword anywhere? #nile: yeah i think i saw it with joe #nicky: grazie mille #nile to nickys retreating figure:...joe.....joe mama #joe trying to be hip with the kids: my mom! :D #later nile is looking for something and asks nicky where it is #nicky: i think its with yusuf #nile: joe? oh no. NO NO NO NO NO #ANYWAY #nile freeman #tog #the old guard

[somethingsomagicaboutwords]

Okay but listen, Nicky aggressively treating Booker as the younger brother because he has spent literal centuries being the baby of the family with Andy and Quynh mercilessly teasing him and Joe the absolute traitor gleefully joining them despite having only three years on him.

But also Joe kissing Nicky and pacifying him by promising that there'll be a new one someday and Nicky will get his turn.

Then Booker shows up and Nicky is excited AF cuz finally, fucking finally, its not him anymore. Next time Andy says something ridiculous like 'but my bones are weary with age, let the young one fetch the water' while she's being indolent and lazy, everyone in the room won't look at him.

Except, Andy the little shit, takes one look at Booker and says, "Hey Nicky, he's older than you" and Nicky just absolutely loses it okay?!? Like he's almost eight centuries old and this forty something child was NOT older. How dare she.

And that's why Nicky is left to do the standard older sibling bullying towards Booker all by himself (once again Joe is a traitor who only sits back and laughs)

Bonus:

Nicky waiting, timing it absolutely right, pretending to be all casual and nonchalant about it as he sits at the table and asks Nile (aggressively casually) what her age was and Nile being confused she's being asked this three weeks later but answering anyway.

Then being even more confused at the total silence, watching as Nicky and Andy stare each other down.

Andy leaning back in her chair, taking a deep breath, Nicky waiting with excitement, only to have Andy say 'I don't know, she's quite mature for her age' and Nicky just leaping across the table to attack her because this is all so much bullshit.

Joe waiting patiently until Andy has won their little tussle and is sitting on top of Nicky with a happy smile to add 'I'm sure Nile knows where Beirut is' and Nicky, on pure instinct saying 'I know where Beirut is' and then promptly cursing in five different languages because even he cannot believe he fell for that.

Joe with a shit eating grin going 'ah but you did not when you first came to this life hayati' and nevermind that no one gave Nicky a world map ten centuries ago, nevermind that this should not be the scale they were compared on. It's all unfair.

Nicky just hates all of them.

#the old guard #family shenanigans #Andromache being a little shit #Nicky is so done #joe is having a good time #I have new wholesome family HCs #my poor poor WIPs though #yusuf al kaysani #nicolo di genova #andromache the scythian #nile freeman #booker le livre

[fonulyn]

You think Joe ever just stares at nicky doing something, like the 'that's my awesome boyfriend' look and Andy just chucks something to try and surprise him

The first time it happens Nile is taken off guard. Joe is ranting about something or the other - Nile honestly stopped listening when he somehow got from football to Thomson’s atom model, so she isn’t entirely certain what’s going on - when suddenly he quiets down in the middle of a word. 

Nile is just about to ask him what’s wrong when Andy nudges her with her elbow, motioning for her to shut up. Frowning, Nile follows the line of Joe’s gaze to-- okay, he’s gotten distracted by Nicky’s rear, what else, so Nile averts her gaze and looks back at Andy questioningly. 

There’s the barest hint of a grin, and Andy quietly grabs the bread bun from her plate and lobs it straight at Joe’s head. 

It never hits its target as Joe easily snatches it from mid-air before it slams against his temple, his eyes never averting from where Nicky’s still bent over rummaging through the lowest shelf of the fridge. 

Andy groans out a curse.

Only when Nicky straightens again does Joe turn back to Nile, waving the bread in his hand as he ends his sentence. “And that is why you should never trust a Scottish chemist. Or any chemist, for that matter.”

“O-kay,” Nile just says.

*

“What was that during dinner?” Nile asks later, when she’s alone with Andy.

Andy gives her a grin. “Joe’s gotten too good.”

“So, what is it? He gets distracted and you try to catch him off guard?“ Nile hazards a guess, and Andy makes an agreeing sound. 

“It used to be so easy in the first years,” she sighs wistfully, “you should’ve seen him trying to get eggshells out of those curls. Or,“ she amends, “Nicky trying to get eggshells out of those curls.“ She looks downright happy at the memory. ”I miss those simpler times.“

Nile huffs a little, but can’t hold back her curiosity. “When did you last get him?”

“New Year’s eve 1812,“ Andy answers without a beat. “It was a good day.“

*

The next time it happens they’re on an airplane. Nicky is asleep, his head tilted back and mouth open in a way that really, really should be entirely unattractive but somehow isn’t. Even though he’s drooling, damnit. Joe is unabashedly staring at his profile, practically hypnotized by the curve of his nose, and Nile would think it’s ridiculous if it wasn’t somehow ...adorable.

There’s movement in Nile’s peripheral vision as Andy grabs something and chucks it at Joe. 

Joe catches it. Andy curses again. 

“You lose, boss,” Joe says, unbearably smug. “Give up already.“

Andy practically hisses. “Never.”

*

Nile almost forgets about the entire thing during the following months. There are no convenient moments for Andy to try to catch Joe off guard, not even though they spend most of the time together all four of them. 

It’s after a particularly grisly mission that they all need to share a motel room. Nile steps out of the hot shower, feeling like a new person with the grime washed off her. Andy is lounging on the bed, fiddling with the remote control of the tiny TV. Joe and Nicky are sitting on the floor, speaking in low voices as they look straight at one another. 

Nile spots the exact second when Joe spaces out, transfixed by Nicky’s eyes no doubt, as his expression softens almost imperceptibly. And immediately Andy takes her chances and throws the remote.

It doesn’t hit its target now, either, which is probably good because it would’ve definitely hurt more than a piece of bread or an egg. But it’s not Joe who catches it. Instead it’s Nicky whose hand shoots up and grabs the remote only an inch away from Joe’s head.

“My heart,” Joe sighs, the heart-eyes turning up a notch. Or two, or ten.

“Fucking hell,” Andy groans. “That is cheating.”

#joe x nicky #my fics #the old guard #the old guard fic #yusuf al kaysani #nicolo di genova #andromache the scythian #nile freeman #this is just a short dumb thing :'D #but have fun lol #Anonymous #ask and i shall answer #replies #chatty chat chat #my tog fics

[nevermindirah]

Yitzhak!

is a character! who Gregadiah What-Is-Math Rucka gave us almost no information about!

I've gone through Tales Through Time #6: The Bear and #1: My Mother's Axe with several magnifying glasses and done a lot of googling and taken my copy of the Tanakh off my shelf for the first time since (well, since the last time I needed to read Torah for TOG reasons, which I think was Booker Passover headcanons) and here's the best I can come up with.

In The Bear we meet someone who goes by the name Isaac Blue:

Read on for a lot of comic panel analysis and historical research and Jewish flailing!

So what do we know about this Isaac Blue person?

He's Lorge, he's got curly hair, he's basically a taller version of Joe as drawn by Leandro Fernández (ie an antisemitic stereotype why the fuck did they approve this character design?? and then why did they double down and copy-paste it to Yitzhak??):

He's got a mezuzah on the doorpost of his house in Alaska!

I screamed about the mezuzah way back in January in this post where I (very reasonably) assumed this character was Joe and spun myself a tale about how Booker is still Joe's brother so the mezuzah stays up even though Booker isn't welcome in that house for a century. Bottom line: the mezuzah is a tradition with origins in the commandment from Deuteronomy 6:9 to "write the words of G-d on the gates and doorposts of your house" and evolved over the course of the Rabbinic period into the modern mezuzah we see here.

I did unnecessary levels of google image search to glean absolutely no useful information about Yitzhak’s origins from this panel:

I've decided the variant cover of TTT 6 is Yitzhak because of a panel in My Mother’s Axe, shown here, and what's likely an unnecessarily deep reading of Exodus, discussed further down:

The person at the right of the bottom panel is wearing the same clothes as in the TTT 6 variant cover and has the same shoulder-length curly hair and hairy forearms.

Left to right, the people in this panel are Lykon (I'll never get used to him being white in the comics), Andy, Noriko (I think? why doesn't Andy mention her by name here?), and Yitzhak. Andy's robe has a stereotypically Greek design on the sleeve cuff, and I had to stop myself 10 minutes into a Wikipedia rabbit hole because Gregorforth doesn't think that deep about this shit. The solid clues as to timeline that we get in this panel are:

Andy's iron axe

the presence of Lykon, who Andy first met in 331 BCE

So all we know is that Yitzhak is an immortal, he was a contemporary of Lykon, and he's Jewish.

Isaac is the most common Anglicization of Yitzhak (which in turn is the most common Anglophone transliteration of יִצְחָק‎), and Greg always uses the (transliterated) Hebrew when he refers to this character. Yitzhak is the long-awaited child of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis, the child who G-d commanded Abraham to sacrifice but spared at the last minute. I see what you did there, Gregory.

Why Isaac Blue? This is where I pulled out my Tanakh. According to the New JPS translation, blue is the first of three colors of yarn listed in Exodus 35:6 among the gifts requested of the Israelites to construct the priestly garments for the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Then in Numbers 15:38 the Israelites are commanded to "make themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner."

And now for sandbox timelines party! Gregadiah gave us ALMOST NOTHING to go on, so I'm gonna make my own fun.

I, like many modern Jews, think the stories in the Tanakh are foundational mythology that are valuable because of how they've shaped our people but that contain some fucked-up shit and either way aren't meant to be a record of historical facts. Modern scholarship generally agrees that the community we now call Jews emerged as a distinct group of Canaanites sometime in the late Bronze Age (cw this video's host says the Name of G-d aloud despite being a religious studies scholar who knows that is not a name anyone but the Temple priests are allowed to say). The first non-Biblical written record of the people Israel is from an Egyptian source c. 1200 BCE, and the Biblical kingdom of David and Solomon was probably an exaggeration of whatever really happened during the Bronze Age Collapse. We start getting into historical-fact territory a few centuries into the Iron Age:

588 BCE Solomon's Temple destroyed, Babylonian exile begins

538 BCE Cyrus of Persia allows Jews to return to Jerusalem

515 BCE Second Temple construction complete

332 BCE Alexander the Great At Something I Guess conquered Judea, beginning the Hellenistic period of Jewish history — 331 BCE Andy & Lykon find each other

167 BCE another jerkface Greek king desecrated the Temple and basically outlawed Judaism

164 BCE recapture of Jerusalem and Temple rededication during the Maccabean Revolt

70 CE destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans, beginning of the Rabbinic period of Jewish history that we're still in now

What if... and hear me out... what if immortals come in pairs, and the pairs are:

Andy & Quynh

Joe & Nicky

Booker & Nile

LYKON & YITZHAK

What if Yitzhak was a priest of the Second Temple? What if he and Lykon killed each other just like Joe and Nicky would in the same city around 1300 years later, but instead of enemies-to-lovers speedrun with an absurdly long happily-ever-after, when Lykon died permanently Yitzhak decided to separate from Andy and Noriko and become the hermit we later see in Alaska?

We don't know how old Yitzhak is compared to the others, only that he was a contemporary of Lykon at a time when Andy was using an Iron Age version of her mother's axe. Other plausible origins for him:

a Jew of the early Rabbinic period, maybe a child or grandchild of people who were still alive before the Second Temple was destroyed

a Judean of the Second Temple era under the Romans or Greeks or Persians, maybe a priest, maybe not

an exilee in Babylon, maybe of the generation who got to return, maybe of the generation who was exiled (he doesn't look like he was 50 at his first death but who knows, he could've been mortal for both)

an Israelite of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, maybe a priest of Solomon's Temple or again maybe not

an Israelite wandering in the desert with Moses

THEE Yitzhak, ben Avraham v'Sarah, our patriarch who was brought up for sacrifice and then spared, and then spared again, and then spared again, and again, and again...

or! he could also be a Canaanite or other Levantine who predates the people Israel, who at some point in his very long life chose to join our mixed multitude, who like Andromache before him (and like Avram and Sarai would in this case do after him) took a new name to reflect the magnitude of influence this people has had on him

Why do I keep saying Yitzhak might have been a priest? It's thanks to the one detail in the artwork I could plausibly connect to solid research without getting a PhD real quick. Take a look at the gorgeous detail on the opening of his robe in the TTT 6 cover. He's dressed in rags, holes and dirt everywhere, rough stitches probably from hasty repair work — except for the neck opening. Compare that to this description from Exodus 39:23 of the construction of the priestly garments for the Tabernacle: "The opening of the robe, in the middle of it, was like the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding around the opening, so that it would not tear."

The next verses describe the intricate designs for the hem of the priestly garment. Yitzhak's ragged garment looks like the hem was torn off entirely.

Am I overthinking this? Yes I am! You're welcome!

My friend and historical research hero @lady-writes​ is in a Discord server with Gregadiah and asked the man himself some questions about all this. He clearly thinks he's being sneaky?? No shit Yitzhak is Jewish, dude, I want DETAILS!

I will not be giving up my Jewish Booker headcanon, I've put too much thought into it by now, the internalized shame of antisemitism explains Booker's depression too well for me, and it just adds so much richness to Booker/Nile both being children of forced diasporas. Fortunately (for him, not me, bc I'd do it anyway!) Gregothy supports fan headcanons even when they're not in line with his own:

One last thing before I close like 100 research tabs and go back to writing historical fantasy and/or porn! I love that, despite that atrocious caricature of a face design, our canon Jew and our fanon Jew are both Lorge and Soft and Kind, flying the face of the antisemitic stereotype of Ashkenazi Jewish men as small and weak, but also not falling into the New Jew / Muscle Jew stereotype that Zionism created. (I am trying SO HARD not to talk about Israel/Palestine for once ughhhhhhhhhh) Anyway here's a (US-centric but very good) primer on both these stereotypes of Jewish masculinity. Is this why I'm forever projecting my transmasc diasporist feels onto Jewish Booker the service sub? 🤷🏻‍♂️

I’ll reblog a second version of this with full image descriptions so that there’s a version accessible for folks who need IDs as well as a version accessible for folks who get overwhelmed by walls of text.

#TOG POC Love Fest #yitzhak #jewish booker #tales through time spoilers #tales through time #tog meta #tog #jewish things #mine #antisemitism #hi i'm an antizionist jew no i don't really want to talk about it

[lovelikedestiny]

~ Nicky & Copley friendship

the first time Nicky learns about the date of death of Copley’s wife he all but invades his house in a polite and kind manner

by the time Copley has recovered from the shock of having four warriors in his home, the table is already set and Nicky is serving homemade pasta

Copley manages three bites before bursting into tears and Nicky gives him tissues and a hot chocolate with a smiley on the milk foam

they talk for hours about all kinds of topics like philosophy, ethics, religions and morals until a sleep deprived Joe - because his favorite pillow is missing - reminds Nicky to sleep and drags him into their bedroom

Copley is stunned when he discovers that Nicky keeps all of the information he told him about his wife in mind and gets his first hug after he thanked Nicky for cooking his wife’s favorite dish

he gets Nicky a tablet only for recipe-apps and shows him patiently how to use it, later however he sees how Nicky carefully writes down all recipes he wants to try on paper, tongue tucked between his teeth

Copley is the one who introduces Nicky to “Hay Day” because it helps him to focus on something simple to relax and although Joe is suspicious at first he can’t be mad at Copley when Nicky is showing him excitedly that he named his two rabbits Yusuf and Joe

after every mission Nicky takes his time to feed all his animals and to harvest, he names his farm “The Old Guard” and befriends Copley’s farm

even Andy and Nile can’t roll their eyes anymore after watching Nicky smiling softly at his tablet - “Look Andromache, I named the horses after you and Quynh” - “Nile, do you want to name my elephant?”

the first thing Nicky sends Booker is a screenshot of one of his dogs, called “Sebastien”, later he asks Joe why Booker sent back a 🥺 “sad smiley with a serious eye infection, his eyes are badly watering, Yusuf”

Copley is more than surprised when he gets a package for his birthday the date of which he never told one of the others

inside are exotic types of tea, raspberry-chocolate cookies with an unused, small candle, pens from a hotel from Andy, a piece of soap and a painted picture of his wife Joe drew based on a description of Nicky

on the attached birthday card Nile has written short and sweet how Nicky forced Andy and Joe to prepare a present for Copley

because Copley is an intelligent man he gets that he has to befriend Nicky to be tolerated by Joe and Andy

through the impression Copley left on Nicky with his waving and smiling through the scope of his sniper rifle Nicky knows not to underestimate Copley

after Nicky and Copley discussed for four hours if pineapple on pizza would be a violation of human rights, they’re not allowed to get drunk together anymore

although Nicky is the first one to adopt Copley officially into their team, he is the hardest to read and Copley keeps a small notebook in his drawer where he records all clues regarding Nicky’s facial expressions and gestures, based on Joe’s and Andy’s behavior

when Nicky calls him “James” Copley is frightened to death because he thinks he did something to rouse Nicky’s anger and can’t sleep for three days until Nile tells him that Nicky only called him James because he is now a member of the team

as Copley saves them on a mission, getting Joe’s and Andy’s respect and an impressed thumbs-up from Nile because “Hot damn, Copley, you got some moves”, Nicky just smiles knowingly at him like he did as Nile saved them in the lab

that Nicky’s middle name can be “little shit” Copley discovers when he and Nicky get kidnapped and one of their enemies gets frustrated with Nicky’s too honest answers to their questions without answering anything, in fact “What did you want to do?” - “My husband.” - “Jesus fucking Christ, just answer the question!” - “Wait, hold on a second. I thought Jesus Christ was one person. Are you telling me they were lovers? How else could Jesus fuck Christ? My whole life has been a lie!”

Copley nearly chokes on his own spit, especially when he sees the bulging eyes of their enemy

every time Nicky picks up a stray, he gives them Copley so he wouldn’t be too lonely and even though Copley can’t keep all of them he now has two kittens, a pup and a chicken with vertigo

he, Joe and Nicky get passionate about gardening and whenever they visit Copley for missions, Nicky gives him offsets from some of their plants

as Copley realizes that Nicky is a big fan of musicals they visit one together and talk about the meaning of the songs and their interpretation afterwards, humming the songs in the car on the way back and Copley nearly crashes when Nicky nails every note perfectly

Nicky is happy to talk to someone who has found proof for what he said all along “We can do some good. We were meant to find each other. It’s like destiny” because they have a purpose, he answers every of Copley’s curious questions good-naturedly

they solve crossword puzzles together: Nicky always gives small hints when Copley doesn’t know an answer right away to help him without revealing the whole thing and Copley is able to impress Nicky with the range of his knowledge

both of them are the only ones that watch nature documentaries with true interest

at negotiations no one has a chance against Copley’s polite, controlled pokerface and Nicky’s blank expression or his death stare

when Copley nearly dies on a mission because he is buried under a collapsed building and is afraid to die, it is Nicky who holds his hand through a gap and talks calmingly to him

Nicky asks Copley to show him his research and expresses great interest and recognition for his data and persistence in searching

soon Copley has developed a soft spot for Nicky and can’t refuse him anything because honestly, everyone of the team has a soft spot for Nicky

Copley experiences first hand that a disappointed Nicky is a worst nightmare and even Andy tries her hardest to avoid it

Nicky is excited when Copley shows him his library and spends hours reading in there

in every safe house Copley makes sure to get them a usable kitchen and stocks up their groceries based on analyzing Nicky’s ingredients preferences before

#the old guard #tog #nicolo di genova #james copley #immortal husbands #yusuf al-kaysani #nile freeman #andromache the scythian #sebastien le livre #friendship #ever since I wrote Tears on marble face I went down the Nicky-Copley rabbit hole #and here we are #my headcanons #Copley and Nicky solving crossword puzzles together never fails to send me #Joe and Booker do some stupid shit together like trying out how many weirdly scented candles they can hide in Andy's room until she notices #Nicky and Copley sing musical songs in the kitchen while they're cooking together and use the spatula as a microphone #Nile joins them shortly after she caughts them in the act #Hay Day is a game where you can create your own farm and I totally see Nicky growing crops and making his own marmalade #Nicky-Copley friendship #or however you want to call it

[katesbridgerton]

If you’re still doing fic prompts: kaysanova mortal au h/c & broken bones (not drawing on current events for this one, not at all….)

Hi Liz! I hope your expectations are not too high because I had the idea and immediately wrote it haha anyway, I still hope you enjoy it. Thank you for sending the prompt. 🌻

Nicky is empathetic. If anyone can put themselves in someone else's shoes to understand a situation, that person is Nicolò di Genova. The fact that he is on the verge of losing his patience with his own boyfriend says a lot about how things are going.

Joe broke his hand when he fell on the street. Being a smart man, he put his hand on the floor first to not hurt his face… but if you ask him now, he is going to tell you that he regrets it deeply. Why? One would wonder. Because he can't draw.

And in the first week, Nicky understood it's what Joe works with, more than that, it's what he loves to do. But when the love of his life started complaining about the situation 24/7 like his hand was the only good and useful thing about him, Nicky started to lose it slowly.

That's how they ended up in the middle of an argument.

"Yusuf, please. What are you going to do? Stay inside feeling sorry for yourself? The doctor said you're going to be fine!"

"You don't understand," Joe answers in a crying tone.

"You don't let me help you or take care of you. You don't want to go out, I don't- I don't know what you want!"

"I need to draw. I need to draw," he reaffirms. "What I don't need or want is you!" he says like a petulant child.

That's the breaking point. Nicky storms out of their apartment and goes to the bar to meet their friends by himself (because they always meet at the same place every Friday).

"He said that?" Andy asks, taking a sip of her beer. "Joe said he doesn't need you?"

"He doesn't need me or wants me," Nicky answers. "Fuck! You're not rushing him to come back to work. I don't understand, I just don't," he drinks his wine in one gulp like it will help him swallow the words he had heard earlier.

Nicky can’t wrap his head around it. Sick Joe is the sweetest and neediest person, who wants Nicky’s attention all the time. What is different this time? Did he meet someone new? Are they going to break up?

"Maybe he just needs some time alone? And I think you could use some too," Quynh says. "It must be exhausting to be around him acting like that 24/7. Joe is the nicest person, I don't get it."

"Well, welcome to my team," Nicky rubs his temples. "Booker, any advice?"

"I would say have more patience, but you're already a fucking Saint, so no. I don't have any advice.”

"Anyway, where's Nile?" Nick asks. "Did anyone check on her? Is she alright?"

"She texted. Said she wouldn't be able to come today because she needed to help a friend with something," Quynh answers.

When Nicky arrives home later that night, he has no idea if he still has a boyfriend, if he wants to get inside or how Joe's mood is gonna be. He takes a deep breath, before unlocking the door. When he steps in, he bumps into Nile who murmurs an apology and leaves.

Joe is on the floor of the living room surrounded by papers and pencils. Nicky looks down to find drawings of himself, all the different moods he had that week. Including the one during their argument today, his narrowed eyes and his expression full of frustration.

"Nile helped," Joe says in a happy tone. "She helped me draw almost everything that happened in the past week with you. Now I have it and I can save with the rest," he turns to look at Nicky with a smile on his face. "She said she would help me until my hand heals so I don't miss anything. See?" He picks one from the floor. It's Nicky's profile. "You when we were watching a movie two nights ago!"

Nicky is speechless, but at the same time, he has a lot of questions. He turns around, closes the door, locks it, then turns to face Joe again.

"You- Joe, do you always draw me?"

Joe nods. "Some people like to take pictures, I like to draw you because when I do, I know exactly what I was feeling in that moment and," he smiles again. "Yeah, I have them all and whenever I'm sad and you're not around, I look at them and I just- I feel you."

Joe stops for a second, before continuing.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier and for how rude I was. I didn't mean to be, it's just very frustrating not being able to draw your perfect features. I love you."

"I fucking hate you, Yusuf," Nicky says. "What the hell? Even in our argument, you have to be adorable. What kind of shit is that? I was worried that we were going to break up and you were upset because you couldn't draw me?" He walks towards the couch and sits in front of Joe. "Your communication skills are awful! I hope you know that."

"Are you, are you going to break up with me?" Joe asks, confused, scared.

"No! I'm going to teach you how to behave though, that will happen," Nicky chuckles, relieved. "What the fuck, Joe? How's your hand?"

"To be honest? I kind of forced it a little bit today and I know I shouldn't. I know, but no one gets your eyes as I do, so- yeah, I don't regret it."

"Did you eat anything?"

"I'm going to shower and then get something to eat. I ordered food for Nile but I was kind of feeling awful because of our argument so I didn't want anything."

"Okay," Nicky shakes his head, still in complete disbelief. "Our friends think you're an asshole, by the way."

"Well, I guess I deserve that," he rests his chin on Nicky's knee, their eyes properly meeting for the first time that night. "Nico, can you help me?"

"I thought you didn't need or wanted my help."

"Oh, I didn't. Not for drawing. I love you, habibi. But you don't have the talent."

"Smartass," Nick smiles. "You have so much to learn, Joe. So much."

"Teach me, please."

Joe bites his lower lip, and Nicky feels his entire body reacting to it.

#yusuf al-kaysani #nicolò di genova #joe x nicky #immortal husbands #otp: he's all and he's more #the old guard #tog fanfic #userbooker #userkourt #userkayla #usernicolo #demonicneonfishy #moonlightandromache #userbones #userlyde #usersimo #usercacau #userfrench #bea writes

[pochiperpe90]

Here comes “The Old Guard”. Marinelli goes to Hollywood, alongside Charlize Theron.

“Alone, fragile and immortal.”

A story of love, friendship and compassion with an ancient warrior and a young African American, who has just discovered she is immortal, as protagonists. Because the world needs women and courage knows no gender differences. 20 years after “Love & Basketball” and after “The Secret Life of Bees” and “Beyond the Lights - Find Your Voice”, Gina Prince-Bythewood comes to the action movie with very clear ideas on how to reinvent the rules. We talked to her over the phone while she was in Los Angeles during the lockdown. 

A superhero movie that doesn't look like a superhero movie. Is that why you decided to make it? 

Absolutely yes, when I read the script I realized that despite the fantastic genre there was a very realistic background. These characters are real and it's easy for the audience to relate to them despite being immortal. They fight for goals and reasons that people understand. The more realistic the film, the more viewers can reflect themselves in the protagonists. 

In fact, the most fascinating aspect of the characters is their vulnerability: they are immortal, but up to a certain point, which is a paradox. They too have to deal with the sense of the end. 

There is a possibility that they may die, that their immortality is interrupted, that they still suffer from their wounds, and this brings them closer to us. The public still feels sorry for them when they see them in danger.

Immortals suffer, and not just physically.

Many think that being able to live forever would be extraordinary, but no one asks what this really means. Immortality has consequences: it can be a gift, but it can also be a curse.

And we don’t know why immortality fell to them. 

The thing I loved about the graphic novel and the script is the fact that there is no explanation. Not only do we not know it, but neither do the protagonists. But it is a trilogy and therefore there is still a lot to tell.

Could you offer your contribution to the script? 

It was a great script, with great roles based on the graphic novel so I stayed very true to the text. With the author, Greg Rucka, we wanted to reflect on the fear of taking someone's life, the one that sometimes overwhelms soldiers in war, whose psychology is often neglected. Hollywood films have never been very concerned with this aspect, as if killing had no consequences. The protagonists are forced to kill, but if someone has been doing it for centuries, for others it’s the first time. 

What struck you about Luca Marinelli? 

I could talk about him for days, I love him, he's the actor that all directors dream of having on set. He loved the character and gave him life in a very credible way. Between him and Marwan Kenzari is born a great complicity, necessary between two people who have been together for centuries. Luca's eyes are full of soul, his Nicky is the heart of the group, he’s the most sensitive character of all of them. 

Charlize Theron, who is also one of the producers, has an increasingly and more torn body.

Charlize has already played roles like this one, she is very credible in the genre of action and has been helpful to who had never faced it before. From her, who really worked hard, others learned to do the same. She is very credible in the role of a woman who lived for thousands of years.

Matthias Schoenaerts, on the other hand, has an insidious role. 

He embodies the tragedy of immortality, loneliness, betrayal. He is the actor who most resembles his character in the graphic novel. He wanted to make the film at all costs because he had never measured himself with the action genre and felt he had things to express. 

The film underlines how today it’s no longer possible to hide, images can capture you at any time. 

In a scene near the end, when the immortals look at photos and articles about them, they truly become aware for the first time of everything they have done to protect humanity. They understand the power of images from which they continually try to escape in order to hide their identity. 

And then we talk about science and profit. 

In the film, people from different places join forces to protect the world, a need even more relevant today. Yet it is increasingly evident that profit matters more than human lives. 

Do you think the film industry is becoming more inclusive with women? 

Things are finally changing and I am grateful that, despite having no other action films on my resume, I have been entrusted with The Old Guard. I am grateful for the trust they have placed in me. It should be taken for granted by now that women are capable of coping with any film genre and I think how much pressure from the industry Patty Jenkins, who directed Wonder Woman to success and opening the door for many of us, went through. But the door must be wide open because there are still few who have such opportunities. 

In your opinion, have opportunities grown with the arrival of platforms like Netflix? 

Netflix wasn't afraid to trust a series of directors. Which studio would have produced Roma or Irishman? He has the courage to make films that Hollywood deems too risky.

The Golden boy

“Luca Marinelli, as we have never seen him before: in his Hollywood debut, he becomes an immortal and fights with Charlize Theron to save the world.”

Just before the lockdown he was one of the jury members of the 70th Berlinale in the city where he has lived for years - and he swears he had so much fun watching three films a day. The audience awaits him in theatre in the role of Diabolik, in the film directed by Manetti Bros., but on July 10th he arrives on Netflix with The Old Guard, the action movie that sees him alongside Charlize Theron. And where he plays the Italian Nicolo, Nicky for the group of immortals he belongs to. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, the film offers Luca Marinelli an insidious superpower, an endless love and a new opportunity to demonstrate his talent as a true champion. We reached him on the phone and he, less shy than usual, told us how he became a secular "superhero".

How did you get to the project? 

I auditioned in London, where I later returned and met the director. Lastly, there was a final meeting between me and Marwan Kenzari. We made a scene together and then they announced to me, "We'd love for you to be Nicky." 

What struck you about this character? 

The story fascinated me because it tells of immortals as if they were the damned. Nicky and Joe live this condition as a gift because they are linked by a wonderful love story and they are not alone. They met in an absurd and paradoxical situation, during the Crusades, ready to kill themselves. They did it a hundred times and then they looked at each other and fell in love. But others suffer from it, like Andy and Booker. In a beautiful scene, Booker, played by Matthias Schoenaerts, explains what happens to them: they see the people they love die and blame them because they cannot prevent it. And they are tired of watching the world repeat itself following the same dynamics. They fight to save people, but everything seems to go on the same way. Only in the end will they discover what they have done and what they are doing. 

How did it go with Charlize Theron? 

Well, it was wonderful! As I read the script I said to myself: am I really going to make a film with Charlize Theron? And hug as well! I was very excited and intimidated already while reading. She is an extraordinary actress. In the scene where we are at the table and everyone tells Nile something about us, Andy tells her what we are and it was nice to see her running and venturing into the midst of emotions and thoughts. Sometimes I got distracted and didn't say my line. But Charlyze is also a crazy athlete. You have to be really athletes, otherwise you don't survive at the end of the day. And Charlize is an athlete of the body and the heart. 

What about her athletic training? 

We got together a month before shooting to start working with the stunts. I had to get some athleticism back: when I arrived and they looked at me I think they were a little worried. We had to become familiar with martial arts and then we switched from the sword to other weapons and to hand-to-hand combat. We prepared scene by scene, including the choreographies, different for each fight, and each of us had his own rubber reproduction of the sword. It was an unforgettable training.

The immortals come from different places in the world. How much of Italy is there in Nicky? 

Apart from the pronunciation? They still laugh at some of the things I said. Marwan and Matthias, but also Charlize, speak Italian at different levels and every now and then I enjoyed shooting a few sentences to which they could answer me. 

Did you offer your character something that wasn't in the script? 

Well, being in such a group, shy as I am ... I tried. I have always focused on the bond between Nicky, Joe and the other members of the group, because I am interested in discovering what is inside a character, his feelings, how he looks at the world, what excites him. Nicky has lived for centuries, but still greets the people he meets in the desert with a smile, inside him there is the flame of an infinite good. Each character has a different sensitivity and their own armor. Nicky is perhaps the least armored one.

The challenge was also to make people believe in a love story that has lasted for centuries. 

Marwan recites a beautiful monologue in which he talks about their love story. I hope that each of us, in their short life, can say the same thing about the person they love. 

You’ve already had superpowers in “They Call Me Jeeg”. What is your relationship with this genre? 

I like it very much and I think that both films, very different from each other, have a very interesting soul. In Jeeg Robot, Enzo Ceccotti uses his superpowers to help others, taking on a social responsibility. In The Old Guard the protagonists put themselves at the service of others, even if no one has asked them to. “This is what we do,” they repeat over and over to each other. What they do is save people, participate in what they think is right. 

How do you think they would react to protests on American streets and around the world?

I don't feel like playing games, mixing reality and fiction on a terribly real subject like this. I think that in reality, outside of any cinematic fiction, it’s fundamental to fight for equality, within society, but also within ourselves. To go back to our film, if in a microscopic way we manage to carry a message in that direction, I would be very happy. 

What director was Gina Prince-Bythewood? 

She is always ready to listen, and I am someone who asks a lot of questions even at inappropriate times. She always had great patience and was very attentive to the emotional side of the film, to the interiority and beauty of the characters.

CIAK Magazine - Luglio 2020

Just wanted to translate this old interview for the non-italian’s fans ^^ (sorry for my English)

#Luca Marinelli #marwan kenzari #Charlize Theron #gina prince bythewood #Matthias Schoenaerts #the old guard #TOG #TOG Cast #Film #netflix #magazine #movie #interview #english #english translation #mine #joenicky #joe x nicky #Immortal husbands

[even-after-a-millennia]

The Freeman's and Firsts

My first fic for @nilefreemanweek2021 and the prompt Nile Freeman + First(s)! You can read it below or over on my ao3 account here. Nile-centric | Rated G | ~1.7k Enjoy!

Nile jerked awake, her eyes opening and lungs heaving.  She forced her body to remain still, to not jolt upright.  She instinctively started taking deeper breaths, trying to calm her racing heart.  After six months of immortality and the dreams that came with being connected to Quynh, she had gotten better at moderating her body’s reactions to her nightmares.

It was her mind that would not calm.

With a sigh, she eased herself out of bed.  Joe and Nicky were sleeping in the bed opposite her, Andy unconscious closer to the wall in Nile’s bed.  The safehouse was small, but it had a balcony, and suddenly that was the only place that Nile wanted to be.

She snuck out of the bedroom and across the living room, doing her best to keep quiet on the creaking floorboards.  The door to the balcony squeaked as she opened it and she winced, stopping it for a moment and listening.

There were no noises that indicated she had woken anyone, so she slipped out the small gap she had created and into the cold night air beyond.

The balcony wasn’t much, but it did boast a few chairs and a rickety table whose screws could probably use a tightening.  Nile sank into one of the chairs and pulled her feet onto the seat with her.  The sun was just an idea on the horizon, barely a faint glow of orange to be seen, and the early morning air was cold against her skin.

She needed that.  Needed the cold to ground her where she was, in a safehouse with her fellow immortals.  Not the heat of Afghanistan, the warmth of the floor under her as her blood soaked into the rug.

She continued to breathe, holding her breath for seven counts before she released it.  Slowly, her body calmed.  And all she suddenly felt was exhaustion.

The sky was slowly brightening, reds bleeding into the black and blue of night.  She tried to catalog the colors, so that she could recreate the moment some time later on canvas.  But her mind pulled her back to her dream no matter how many times she tried to redirect it.

The door squeaked but Nile didn’t turn to see who it was.  Any of her family would be a welcome distraction at the moment, but she felt a pang of guilt at waking any of them.

A blanket settled around her shoulders and a cup of hot coffee materialized before her.

“Two sugars and a splash of milk,” Nicky’s soft voice said.

Just how she liked it.

She turned to him as she took the mug from his hand.  He looked barely awake, his eyes slightly puffy with sleep still.  But he had taken the time to make coffee for her, get a blanket.

She swallowed, slightly undone with affection for him.  “Thank you, Nicky.”

“Prego,” he replied, sinking into the closest chair to hers.

“I hope I didn’t wake you,” she said, cuddling the warm cup close to her.  Between that and the blanket, she was feeling warmer, but luckily, no memories tried to upset the moment.

He shook his head.  “Many nights, I try to wake to check on the room.  Usually, I can drift back off quickly.  But when you were not there, I worried.  We have seen our share of bad nights.  They are easier when not alone.”

Nile sniffed, then reasoned that the steam from her coffee had made her nose run.  She nodded, taking a sip.

“Would you like to talk about it?” he asked, staring at the burgeoning sun.

Maybe it was because he wasn’t looking at her, that she was able to speak.

“When my dad died, I missed school for a few days.  Even when I got back, I wasn’t really there.  My grades suffered and I ended up in my guidance counselor’s office.  She said something to me that I will never forget.  Well, hopefully,” she said drily, remembering the vastness of time available to her.

“She said that after something traumatic happens, like losing a family member, you go through a year of firsts.  Big ones, like the first holidays without them.  Small ones, like the first time you want to call them, only remember they aren’t there to pick up.  A whole year of constantly remembering that your life is irrevocably changed.”

She sipped the coffee and let the warm run down her throat, savoring the feeling of its heat in her stomach.

“That first year was so hard, I wasn’t sure we would all get through it.  But we did.  Even after that year came big moments, though, times I thought my dad would be there for.  Prom, graduation.  Birthdays.  And I realized that it wasn’t just firsts.  It was those moments when all you want is your family surrounding you.  And suddenly, there was this gaping hole where he was supposed to be.  To take pictures of me and my prom date.  To cheer as I walked across the graduate stage.”

Nile pulled the blanket closer around her and surreptitiously wiped her eyes with the corner of it.

The first glimpse of the sun broke over them, illuminating Nicky’s face.  His eyes were more open, more awake now as he looked at her.  His brow was lowered, not in anger but in concentration, as if every word that came out of her mouth had weight and importance.

Like he was trying to understand her more than anything else in that moment.

She smiled a bit at him even as he got blurry behind the tears in her eyes.

“This whole experience reminds me of that.  I am suddenly the gaping hole in my mom and my brother’s lives.  I should be there for birthdays and big moments and small ones.  And I’m here, knowing what that feels like, knowing I’m responsible for them feeling that way, and not fixing it.  I don’t even know if there is a way how.  And it overwhelms me sometimes.”

Nicky nodded, looking back at the sun.  

It was halfway visible now, harder to look at in its brightness.

“Were there good firsts in that year?” Nicky asked.

Nile considered.  That time felt hazy and endless in her mind, a place that she only visited in her darkest moments.  

“A bunch of ladies from our church would make us a hotdish every week, so that we would have guaranteed meals.  I didn’t want to see tater tot hotdish again in my lifetime until I was eighteen.  I finally made us spaghetti one night just to be able to have something different.  It was the first night my mom laughed since my dad’s death, once I explained why I had done it,” she finally said.

Nicky snorted a laugh.  She grinned faintly back at him.

“Miss Temple from down the street came with her son, who was about my age, and he and my brother Jordan played basketball on the sidewalk as she, my mom, and I sat in the grass and she did our nails.  She worked at the salon my mom went to.  It was just before the funeral.  We both had beautiful nails for the service.  I kept looking down at them while people were talking.  They made me want to paint.  It was the first time I had thought about art since we found out he was gone.”

Miss Temple had been adamant about not using black nail polish.  She had painted Nile’s nails blue and her mother’s purple, both so dark they looked black until they hit the light.  Nile remembered using the lights in the church to illuminate the color of her nails, to show herself they weren’t just black.  That there was still color, even as her father was being put into the ground.

“A girl at my school had lost her mom the year before.  Cancer.  She ended up sitting next to me at lunch my first day back.  We hadn’t talked much before, but everyone else was avoiding talking to me.  I was sitting by myself and suddenly, she set down her tray next to me and started talking about what I had missed in the class we shared.  I think she knew that I needed to not talk about my dad,” Nile admitted.  “She made me laugh, catching me up on all the shit that had gone on while I was gone.  Some stupid story, but it was funny enough to get a laugh out of me.  Another first.”

“There’s more, but those stand out.  Little kindnesses.  Little moments.”

Nicky nodded.  “A few centuries into my immortality, it surprised me how many of those little moments were still present in my memories.  The first time Yusuf and I broke bread together without bickering.  The first time I slept through the night without memories haunting me.  The first time a child looked at me and smiled, rather than shrinking away.  They add up in such a way that makes the awful moments fade slightly.  Balance.  I am glad of them.  It would be a much more miserable existence without them.”

It was Nile’s turn to nod.

She let her mind wander back on her life since she had gained immortality.  Yes, there were awful moments of death and violence and loss.  But there was the first time she had disarmed Andy and the proud look in her eyes as Nile whooped in victory.  The first time she and Joe had painted together, music playing in the background as they lost themselves in colors.  The first time that Nicky had made her coffee just how she liked it, though he had never asked.  

So many little moments that added up to so much.

The sun began to warm her as she sat there in silence with Nicky, mind finally settled into the moment filled with coffee, companionship, and, finally, contentment.  There were still many firsts to come, but she knew that she wouldn’t have to face them alone.

#nile freeman #nileweek2021 #nicolò di genova #aka nicky #fanfic #my fic

[regina-del-cielo]

I was thinking about Copley’s Murder Conspirancy Board (mostly to deal with the absolute rage that the scene with Andy Copley and Booker gives me because ‘UGH THESE MEN ARE SO S T U P I D’), and... I may have a Theory about it - which mostly delves into how much Booker and Copley were in actual contact with each other before the events of the movie.

TL;DR: the Murder Conspirancy Board was built with a contribution of Booker’s information, and Copley was Very Confused on the workings of the Guard’s immortality

(the Essay(TM) is under the cut)

This excellent post expounds on how these two Grieving Dumbasses Definitely Did Not Think Their Plan Through, but still what little they did plan was not done in two days. And I would like to think that Booker would have required more than One (1) Persuasive Speech to get him to potentially get his family outed and put in danger for the (tiny) chance of getting a cure for their immortality.

So they’d been in contact for a while, possibly for almost the whole ‘break year’. Copley has lost his wife two years before the movie, so when he and Booker met again he’s one year into mourning. If Andy needed a break from their jobs, I can’t imagine in what mental state Booker must have been.

Copley probably started looking into the Guard because man, that Surabaya mission was a masterpiece, and how come these guys aren’t mercenary superstars? But they’re like ghosts, and the IDs don’t really match their supposed ages... and dealing with his wife’s death made him go into a Nerd Spiral. And then he finds Booker.

So this is how I think it went: they meet again. They talk. Copley is a grieving widower, Booker goes ‘man don’t I relate’. Booker is probably drunk a lot of the time (maybe so is Copley, misery loves company and all that). They enter a positive feedback loop of sharing grief over lost loved ones. Copley probably spills that he knows something, that they’ve done great things and they have a gift obviously. Booker probably answers along the lines of ‘fuck the gift, it sucks. Didn’t save my children when they needed it’. Copley goes ‘well, medicine is much better today. What if you could do it now?’ And the rest is history.

A) Booker ‘helped’ with the Murder Conspirancy Board

We know for a fact that the Conspirancy Board contains information about the Guard ‘from the last 150 years’ which is, approximately, the time photography’s been around. And it makes sense - photos are pretty easily accessible, and Copley knows their faces. He probably scanned them from one of those fake IDs and then used a facial recognition software to find them in historical photographic archives. But we know (and by the end of the movie so does he) that the last 150 years is a nothing in their lifespan. And while going backwards Copley may have found Booker’s original birth and/or marriage records, nothing of the sort would exist for Joe, Nicky and Andy.

Despite how much we joke about the Guard’s faces being Everywhere in museums and art galleries around the world, we can assume that they wouldn’t leave so many traces of them behind. The two known art pieces representing Andy in an obviously recognizable manner, her portrait with Achilles and the Rodin, are in the cave in Val d’Argent. I don’t believe Nicky and Joe wouldn’t have similar storage places, especially for Joe’s own art. Without photographic evidence and before newspapers, trying to pinpoint the three of them across history would be harder than finding a specific needle in a haystack of needles... unless someone tells you where to look. 

When Andy enters Copley’s living room, he calls her ‘Andromache the Scythian, the eternal warrior’. But how could Copley have known that Andy’s “real” name was Andromache? It’s not on her IDs, and it’s not the top choice for a full name that has Andy as a nickname. It’s a literary name, of course it would appear through history in poems or plays or novels. And how could he have associated Nicky and Joe precisely to the Crusades with what he knows of them from the last 150 years alone? For all he knew, they could have been as old as the Punic Wars, or as young as the Battle of Lepanto. Assuming he’d actually caught on on them being together together.

Well, I think Booker told him. Maybe just a thing here or there, while Commiserating on How It Sucks being an Immortal, like ‘Andy’s been around for so long she doesn’t even remember her true age, that’s exhausting’ or ‘Joe and Nicky are ridiculous for two people whose first meeting consisted of killing each other during the fucking Crusades’. And Copley fell into another Nerd Spiral that brought him to understand that holy shit these people are much older than I thought what the fuck.

B) Copley is Very Confused on How Immortality Actually Works

Copley talks to Andy by calling her ‘eternal warrior’ and talking of her immortality as if it was some kind of gift that can somehow be transferred from one body to another (debatable, but... ok). But he’s also flabbergasted by her not healing from Booker’s shot, and later with Nile he says ‘but then why would the immortality leave?’, which is... well, it makes it sound like he thinks the immortals are some sort of Chosen Ones.

Which means that Copley knows nothing about Lykon. He had no idea that at some point the Guard will stop healing.

But why would he not know, since I just conjectured that Booker told him enough about immortality for him to pinpoint the origins of the eldest members of the Guard? Why would Booker not have told him such a central detail of their “power”? (Booker obviously knows about Lykon. We see Andy telling Nile, and you can bet that ‘is this thing permanent?’ is probably the third question Booker ever asked when he met the others. He can’t not know)

I think it’s because despite having bonded over their grief, they are approaching this ‘discovering what the fuck is up with immortality’ from two extremely different sides. 

Copley wants to know if there is some biological aspect to their immortality that may be ‘transferred’ or ‘activated’ in any random human being. He’s gotten into his head that their regenerative powers can end all diseases. Which. I could probably write another entire separate post on how this is far-fetched at best. Point being, Copley never thought his endeavour as taking the immortality from the Guard to give it to someone else. He thinks Andy and the others are going to live forever and ever.

Booker knows their immortality is not forever and ever, theoretically. He knows that at some point, in the future, he’s going to stop healing and die. But he Wants to Talk to the Manager about it, damn it. He wants his death to be a certainty he can quantify, not something that may happen in another five thousand years based on the data he’s got at his disposal. He wants to have the choice to end it tomorrow or in fifty years - if discovering what causes his immortality saves other people, well that’s an undeniable bonus, but it’s not the focus of his motivation.

Just like Booker and Copley didn’t cover all the potential ways in which Their Plan Could Go Wrong (and honestly, has Booker not learned yet just how fast they revive on average? He tells Nile that ‘big wounds take longer’, and still he revived from the grenade in three/four minutes!), I think they also didn’t Delve into their motivations for seeking that knowledge. Booker probably thought that Copley knowing of their immortality being relative was irrelevant, because of course the doctors will find something (the thing that makes them stop healing), and then he’ll die anyway, so who cares? 

And Copley... Copley was probably Convinced that the Guard was a group of superheroes that just needed to be suggested a new investment plan for using their powers, because saving individuals during wars and natural disasters is very noble and good, but come on, it’s inefficient as hell, they can do much better!

(It absolutely sends me that Copley saw the kind of accomplishments reached by the people that the Guard saved, or by their direct descendants, and STILL it didn’t occur to him that there was a pretty decent chance that sometime in the future they would save someone that would find the cure for ALS and/or other shitty diseases! HE’S LITERALLY HINDERING THEM!!!) 

#the old guard #my ponderings #james copley #sebastien le livre #my favourite Depressed French Boi #James 'Dumb of Ass' Copley #Copley is an Absolute Imbecile and I will Die on this Hill #I hope this rant makes sense I changed the order of the paragraphs a hundred times I'm sorry #just to be clear Booker didn't Completely Spill the Beans about the family to Copley otherwise the man would know about Quynh too #Copley most likely scraped at any small detail he could glean from their conversations and add it to the Nerd Spiral #Copley is a Nerd that also somehow forgot how to extrapolate results from given data #for the Guard's sake I hope his skills were hindered by his grief and he goes back to Full Operativeness once he gets some Therapy #THEY NEED SO MUCH THERAPY OMG

[wickedpact]

Crim pls do a J/N fic rec post at some point in the future I trust you more than I trust myself looking rouge through AO3

im kinda eh abt the concept of fic recs myself just bc the whole 'Different Strokes For Different Folks' thing (idk how many times someone i liked in a fandom made a fic rec list and i ended up not liking anything they posted). plus i have weirdly specific tastes and i.. .. honestly havent read a ton of joenicky fic! (i have a FAT to-read list) but ive been asked this a couple times now so i will slap together a couple joenicky fics i like (not comprehensive, i only spent like 15 minutes making this. also not in any particular order.)

Kiss Each Other Clean by moodlighting

i like this whole fic, but the last 6 or so paragraphs in particular SEND ME TO SPACE, i love cuddling. also [joe voice] nickel neekee

what you seek is seeking you by bankrobbery

i actually recced this one once before. idk its cute i just Like It. (also nicky pretending not to know english bc a customer is pissing him off is Very Funny and i love it)

with every inch of my heart by smilebackwards

i like this one a lot, i think nickys pov should Always be this tender. i dont like miscommunication trope much, (esp with joenicky) but i do like this fic-- the miscommunication in question is far-fetched but its joenicky so of course it is. just enjoy the Angst™

i love michelangelo seeing nicky all dirty and bloody after a fight and being like 'DAMN this bitch is fine' (same). (AND the fact that nicky only agrees to travel with him in the name of wasting the pope's money lmao). the fact that joe and nicky broke up But They Still Snuggle. nile knowing like 2 things about joe and nicky's breakup & pretty much immediately taking nicky's side. joe looking at the creation of adam and bein like 'EH'.

nicky carrying around his little joe drawing? nicky carrying around a spare toothbrush for booker? nicky telling little children stories about a princess locked in a coffin under the sea? ('perhaps someday, if an iron coffin is caught in a net or washed up onto the shore, they’ll remember the princess, a victim and not a monster' EXCUSE ME)

(also 'I have drawn you a thousand times since we parted. I sculpted your likeness, just so that I could pretend to cup your cheek. You are so much warmer than marble, hayati.' R O M A N C E)

Pas Un Ange by inlovewithnight

there are a lot of fics i love in a way thats like 'this fic is fun but it doesnt feel like something that would happen in the Actual Canon' (which is fine!) but this one Does feel like it could happen in The Actual Canon which is cool

this fic also has probably my favorite depiction of nicky's relationship with god/religion in any fic ive read ('[nicky's] peace had come only after walking away from faith as a competition of intensity in favor of faith as a steady compass that he followed like the beat of his heart in his chest.'). i love the whole Drama played out by the background characters and how they all have their own ideas and motivations & nicky is just kind of resigned to being caught in the middle of it.

(also love how near the beginning joe's like 'the Right thing to do in the situation would be stay at this river and help these people.... ... ....... ... .... ... anyways see ya guys later gotta go find nicky'.)

also joe chatting up a pig and the five minutes later chatting up some goats was so cute. & nicky trying to tell the baby's mother how to save it!!!! </3 AND THEY ARGUE ABOUT CHARITY on the way home (not before joe injects a comment abt nickys ass into regular conversation bc Romance™) its a bit of a sad fic tho, that poor baby 🥺

Intercession by PrincessDesire

can i interest you in some Swamp Man Nicky in this trying time?

someone recced this fic to me and i dont remember who. but note that the major character death tag is not, in fact, for a major character but for a background one. neither joe or nicky perma!die in this. also normally i dont like fics where joe or nicky are bi bc Thats Not Canon Babey but i do like this one, i love joe's relationship with Grace and how nicky's perception of that relationship gets flipped on its head halfway thru the fic. i also love joe's Weariness Of Immortality, like when joe talks about how 'youthful' nicky makes him feel. his pov just kind of Feels like an old man and i like it

theres a smut scene in this fic which im personally not big on smut scenes but theres this bit where joe tries to figure out condoms and its very cute. also 'You have many kinds of magic, Nicky. All your spells have worked.' ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

also i just like how WHIPPED joe is from like the first 3 seconds he sees nicky. theres one bit where nicky's like 'ill come visit you!' and joe's like 'when🥺' and nicky's like 'as soon as you like!' and joes like 'now?????🥺🥺🥺 literally come home with me???' incredible.

also the Magic System was cool. i also love how nicky just Accidentally made himself immortal. what a man. also i like this line 'it would never occur to [nicky] to attend any service that wasn’t going to have a direct outcome. Grace takes comfort from it, so maybe that’s the only outcome needed.' idk its so sweet

edit: also i cant believe i forgot the iconic line 'Yusuf is a man of two minds, one large and underutilized, the other small and underutilized.' absolutely iconic & relatable

#Anonymous

[knoepfchen]

goussainville revisited

A week later, Copley gave them the all clear to go back to the Charlie safehouse.

It looked different than Nile remembered. Smaller somehow, and a lot more charred around the edges, but that was fine. It was only a stop along the way, to clear out of there for good.

She was standing at the kitchen table, sorting through their – shared, she supposed – wardrobe, discarding items that were too charred or too bloody to be worn again, when Nicky appeared in the doorway to the bedroom to ask a question.

“Joe?”

Nile understood only the first word, Joe’s name. The rest of the sentence was in a language that could have been Italian, as far as she knew, but probably wasn’t. There were too many guttural sounds, the rhythm felt off.

Joe frowned at Nicky’s words, then responded with a question in the same language.

“Inshallah.” Nicky threw a hand in the air, but when he caught Nile looking, he smiled sheepishly.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh, yes.” He stepped closer to her table. “I’m looking for a book, You Only Live Twice. Have you seen it somewhere?”

Nile’s fingers paused over the shirt she was folding, and she wrinkled her nose as she tried to read Nicky’s face. “Is this a joke?”

She was beginning to learn that even by immortal standards, Nicky had perhaps the strangest humour of them all.

“No, no,” Nicky assured her, “I was reading it before—” He gestured at the charred spot in the middle of the room where Booker must have caught the grenade with his body.

“Let me know if you see it?”

Nile nodded and Nicky beamed at her, then picked up the next T-shirt in the box to help her. They worked in silence for a few moments, just the sound of Joe humming in the kitchen and the mechanical clicks from where Andy cleaned the weapons – and of course, the airplanes overhead, but Nile was beginning to drown them out – in the background.

“What language did you and Joe speak?” she asked after a while. “Was it Italian?”

There was a snort of laughter from the other side of the room and they all turned to Andy as she slid the safety onto the gun she was holding.

“Don’t worry Nile, Andy’s only laughing because she asked the same question about 800 years ago,” Joe said, a twinkle in his eye.

“Is it an old dialect, then?”

Nicky shook his head. “I guess you could call it that, but—”

“It’s a very endangered dialect,” Andy said. “It’s died out many times and has only two speakers left world-wide.”

Nicky replied something that Nile didn’t understand, but that made both Joe and Andy laugh. She still smiled. She liked that every insult here was laced with love, it reminded her of how she’d spoken to her brother, to Jay and Dizzy.

To Nile, Nicky said: “It’s a little mix of the languages Joe and I spoke when we first met. We tried to teach each other, but that’s what stuck.”

Nile didn’t need to look over her shoulder to know that Joe was winking at Nicky.

“Do you speak any more languages?” he asked.

Nile shrugged. “I had Spanish in school, and I’ve been learning French in my spare time.”

“Her Russian is coming along nicely, too.” Andy strolled over to their table, nudging her shoulder. It was the best way she'd ever been nudged.

They finished sorting through the clothes together, then Nicky bundled them up and Andy began looking for a lighter.

“I think I remember your Bond novel.” Nile turned to Nicky. “Were you reading at the desk? Before—"

Nicky hummed. “I was. Booker and I were taking turns after we read everything else in the safe house. But I checked, it’s not there anymore.”

Nile knew she wasn’t the only one thinking what she was thinking when Joe dropped a spoon, Andy’s head whipped around to look at them.

“Copley,” Andy said when the line connected, “any chance you let Booker come here before us?”

In the kitchen, Joe pulled open a cabinet and was greeted by a few empty vodka bottles rolling his way. The ones Andy had taken from the plane, from Afghanistan.

When Nile turned to Andy, her phone was in her hand, already ringing.

#set loosely after 'notre-dame' from last week #actually not all that loosely it's just that there's some stuff that happens in between that i haven't written yet #once this has an actual narrative it'll make it's way onto AO3 eventually #nile freeman #yusuf al kaysani #nicolo di genova #andromache the scythian #tog fic #joe x nicky #my fic #all this time

[fangirlshrewt97]

The Early Bird Gets the Kiss (Not the Water Bucket)

Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)

Pairing: Joe x Nicky

Read on AO3

                                                           ///

Joe did not even stir when Nicky flung the curtains open, letting in the bright Mediterranean sunshine. Unclasping the window allowed the breeze to gently drift into the bedroom, accompanied faintly by the sounds of humanity from the streets below. They had spent yesterday recovering from the jet lag of travelling from Santiago to Granada, but Nicky was determined to visit the Alcaiceria today.

Moving towards the bed, Nicky sat down softly. Joe had since curled into Nicky’s spot from where he had left him on the other side of the bed this morning. Reaching out, Nicky gently ran his fingers through Joe’s thick curls, taking care not to tug on them. Joe let out a pleased sound and stretched his neck, seeking more of the affection Nicky was only too happy to give. Nicky spent some minutes just sitting there, petting Joe’s hair, until the sound of something breaking elsewhere in the house brought him back to Earth. Hopefully that was Nile and not the stray cat she had brought in last night. They had promised Nile they’d show her around the city, since it was her first time here. The girl had been excited enough to promise to wake up early for them, as Nicky had said the market could be enjoyed best in the morning before it got too crowded. It was only fair Joe got up too.

Leaning down, Nicky placed a gentle kiss on top of the light wrinkles next to Joe’s eyes. They were one of Nicky’s favorite parts of Joe, evidence of a first life so filled with joy the lines had etched themselves onto his beloved’s face for a thousand years.

“mmmhmmm” Joe slurred as he turned his head to bury himself deeper into the pillow. Huffing a laugh, Nicky kept kissing the patches of skin he could reach, moving from cheek to forehead to neck to the back of Joe’s ear. “-olo….”

“Buono giorno, ya amar. Time to get up.” Nicky whispered to Joe.

“mmmhhhmmmm. Five minutes.”

Nicky laughed. “As if it’s ever five minutes with you Joe.”

“Three minutes.”

Shoulders shaking with withheld laughter, Nicky gently pressed his hand more firmly into Joe’s hair, squeezing the curls once.

“Colo!” Joe sleep-shouted.

“Up, Joe!”

“Three minutes. Promise.” Joe said, face scrunched up as he fought to keep his eyes closed.

Sighing, Nicky released his hold on Joe’s hair, ignoring the whine from his husband as he got up and opened their bags. If Joe was going to insist on delaying in bed, and he always did, might as well set every thing out for him to save the time later. Once he had laid out the short-sleeved button up and jeans, as well as Joe’s favorite baseball cap, he removed Joe’s toiletries, setting them up in their bathroom with a spare towel from the closet.

When he went back to their bedroom, as expected, Joe was still cocooned into his blankets, face half buried. Shaking his head, Nicky went to Joe, placing one hand on his hip. He shook it quickly, shaking Joe with it till Joe let out a long whine. “Colo. You’re so mean.”

“Three minutes are up hayati. I’ve set up everything you need, let’s go.”

Joe remained still under his touch for another moment before he began wiggling. Nicky stood back as Joe untangled himself from the blankets and sat up, leaning against the headboard. He let out a long yawn, one hand lazily rubbing the crust from his eyes. Finally, Joe opened his beautiful obsidian eyes, shining as always with love and life. “Good morning, my love.”

Nicky snorted, shaking his head when Joe held out a hand. “Yes, great morning, it only took me half an hour to wake you up instead of the usual hour. Get up.”

Joe arranged his face into a big pout, bottom lip jutting out as his eyes blinked rapidly. Nicky merely raised an eyebrow at him, refusing to be charmed today. “No. Get up.”

“So cruel to me Nicky. You wound me so early in the day.” Joe exclaimed, dramatically clutching at his heart with one hand while his other arm covered his eyes.

“You better not make me repeat myself Joe.”

Joe peeked one eye out from beneath his arm. “Or?”

“Or I will make you get up this early every day we are here.” Nicky threatened.

Joe gasped, before sticking his tongue out at him.

Nicky rolled his eyes. “It’s not even that early!”

“It’s 7:00 in the morning!”

Nicky raised an eyebrow at him. “Exactly.”

Joe tipped his head back till it hit the wall. “Fine.”

A small smile appeared on Nicky’s face. He leaned to pat Joe’s ankle. “Good. Get up. Nile seems ready to climb the walls out of excitement to see the Alhambra and I do not know how long I will be able to keep her from coming in to deal with you herself.”

Joe sighed, shoulders slumping. “Ok.”

Nodding, Nicky gestured at the chair next to the window. “Your clothes are in the chair, and I’ve already left a towel for you in the bathroom.”

Joe hummed in acknowledgement.

Nicky turned back, placing one hand on his waist. “I swear Joe, if you are not ready in twenty minutes, I will allow Nile to throw a bucket of cold water on you anyways.”

Joe laughed, knowing an empty threat when he heard it. Well. 80% sure it was an empty threat. “Of course.”

Nicky gave him one last look before turning around to leave the room, when Joe’s arm shot out to grab his wrist. Nicky yelped as he nearly went sprawling on the floor. “Joe!”

Once upright, he glared at his husband, only to be met with a sheepish expression. “Sorry.”

“What is it?” Nicky asked, the slightest irritation seeping into his voice.

“You forgot something.” Joe said, as he knelt on the bed to be at eye level with him.

Nicky’s brows furrowed as he ran through a mental checklist. “No I didn’t.”

Joe shook his head. “No, you definitely did.”

Huffing, Nicky asked, “What did I forget?”

Smiling wide enough to hurt his cheeks, Joe cupped Nicky’s face with both hands. “This.”

He leaned in to press a long kiss to Nicky’s lips, filled with so much love that Nicky melted, body tipping forward till it collided with Joe’s who effortlessly maneuvered an arm to wrap around Nicky’s waist. When they parted, they stayed, foreheads pressed together.

“I love you Nicky.” Joe said, before adding impishly, “Even when you forget to kiss me properly in the morning.”

Nicky felt heat painting his cheeks red, but bit his lip. “You are so ridiculous. Go shower.”

Joe nuzzled nose against Nicky’s. “You’re forgiven, even if you haven’t told me you love me.”

Now it was Nicky’s turn to sigh dramatically. He pushed himself away, and schooled his face into as stern a look as he could manage. “Ok enough, get ready, or both Nile and I will throw cold water on you.”

Laughing, Joe nodded. “Yes Nicky.”

Nicky waited till Joe got distracted to dart in to press one last kiss against Joe’s lips.  Nicky exited the bedroom with a pleased look on his face.

Now to see if Nile was awake. And check if the damned cat had finally managed to break the ugly flower vase Andy had bought thirty years ago.

#my fic #my writing #the old guard #tog #the old guard fic #yusuf al-kaysani #nicolo di genova #joe x nicky #nicky x joe #kaysanova #let me know what you think!