#nicodigenova

[jackswolfe]

what could be the beginning of a series of scenes that were definitely and undoubtedly cut from the film (otherwise knows as @alkaysani always blesses me with their writing so I decided to give back some love 💜)

The CCTV camera hit the concrete floor and shattered into pieces at Andy’s feet. The sound of it was muffled by a persistent ringing in his ear. The plastic cracked under the sole of her boot as she swiftly moved towards the far right corner of the room, where she spotted another blinking red light in the dark. Nicky only heard the sound the sharp edges of her labrys made when it cut through the air as Andy swung it at the second camera. This time, the sound of the little dome hitting the floor dimmed out the ringing.

Booker stood almost completely engulfed in the darkness of the room, where the blinding lights did not reach. Still, Nicky thought he could discern what the look on his face meant. Something akin to disappointment pulled his brow into a frown and twisted the corners of his mouth downward. He must have known something about the cameras that he didn’t tell them, Nicky assumed.

He hadn’t realised that his knees were shaking until he was already following Andy on her way to find the next blinking red light. His entire arm felt heavy when he reached out to touch her shoulder. “Andy.”

This stopped her in her tracks, the gentle touch from the pads of Nicky’s fingers startling her as though he yanked her out of her racing thoughts. The feeling was subdued instantly, however, when Nicky felt her relax. He watched as the tension in her shoulder blades eased slowly under the warmth of his skin. “The cameras already have the footage. This won’t help.” 

It might have been confusion that Nicky observed sketched on her features for a split second before she caught herself. Alternatively, it could be the shadows that the labrys cast on her face as she still held it raised in a tight grasp, ready for another swing. He couldn’t be sure if it was a trick of his mind or she was too deep in thought to register anything else.

“Come.“ His voice was merely a whisper, quiet in the empty space where he was certain everyone’s silence was louder than spoken words. So much so that Nicky even wondered if he’d spoken at all. He must have, since moments later the white knuckles wrapped tightly around the hilt of the weapon regained some colour and Andy blinked twice as though she was finally acknowledging her surroundings again. 

He watched her spare one last look at the lifeless bodies on the floor where they stood and the crimson red blood pooling beneath them. Although Nicky was sure that every one of them shared the same thoughts, more or less, he knew what Andy’s silence meant in this particular moment.  So many unnecessary deaths, he thought. And none saved. 

The sight of Joe stretching his arms above his head was a beckoning one. For one, Nicky couldn’t hear his heartbeat from this distance. But he had centuries of pressing his ear to his beloved’s chest to let himself be lulled into the kind embrace of sleep. He had the countless times when his lips were pressed to the pulse point over the delicate skin of Joe’s wrist in a silent worship of the man’s life source. He had the moments when bare chests moved in tandem against another, their heartbeats synchronising as though from the same beating heart and spilling warmth between them all the way to their extremities. He couldn’t hear Joe’s heart beating in his chest from this distance, but he knew the precise rhythm of the beats. If this was yet another language that they only spoke with each other, Nicky understood it and his heart responded in kind. They came back to each other this time too. He was given another chance to hear Joe’s heart speak the same language as his. 

Likewise, he found it endearing the way Joe felt the need to stretch his body as if he could release the heavy weight of death from his muscles. Often, it even looked like he managed. And here Nicky stood, his knees feeling as though he was wading through water, his vision murky and the ringing in his ears, the result of bullet holes perforating his brain just minutes earlier, a persistent hum still. It was loud enough that he almost missed the question that Joe addressed him. He didn’t need to hear it though. He knew from the way Joe inched closer to him, his dark eyes trained on him but burning with concern, his hands almost reaching up with his palms facing Nicky. For him to lean on Joe if he needed. 

“Sì. It will pass in a moment.“ Joe always came to quicker. Even though their bodies breathed air into their lungs and made blood surge through their veins again at similar rates, by the time Nicky began to recognise his environment, Joe was always already springing back up to his feet. It was not the best way to breathe back to life after being stuck in the cold clutches of death. It wasn’t now and it wasn’t 900 years ago (although Joe would disagree). 

Still, Nicky was itching to dispel the concern that ailed Joe’s features. 

“You have a little...“ he pointed at his own right temple to mirror the spot on Joe’s skin where he sported blood spatters. He was bloody all over, they all were. However, he couldn’t help but relish the little tug at his heart when that look in Joe’s heart was replaced by something else entirely, coupled with a little weak smile. It was all Joe could muster given the circumstances. It was more than enough. 

Joe made a round circle with his finger, gesturing to his whole face. “You have a little more.” Nicky couldn’t argue with that logic. Relief washed over him then. Even though they once again came close to eternal numbness and dark, Joe was smiling again and responding to his attempt at humour. The mere knowledge of that illuminated a path to a solution for their current predicament, whatever it may be. 

When Nicky bent down to retrieve Joe’s shotgun on their way out, he didn’t realise his knees were no longer unstable. 

#the old guard #nicolo di genova #andromache the scythian #yusuf al kaysani #joe x nicky #usercacau #nicodigenova #userbones #tuserceleste #ok we always talk about joe and his big sister andy but i present to you !! for your consideration !! #nicky and his big sister andy !! #anywho i told cacau one of these days i'll write something for them #🥺 #SO HERE WE ARE #writing #and thank you cass for what we talked about !! #she basically had the idea that nicky always needs a little bit longer than joe #and joe wants to be there to help him through it 🥺