mysticeclipses

[mysticeclipses]

Comforts For The Troubled Mind

This fic was inspired by this thought from @nekrosmos

Well, since my last fic was Nik comforting Price, I thought to myself, 'What about one where Price is comforting Nik?' Can you tell I'm developing an obsession?

This had to be one of the most exhausting days Nikolai had experienced in a very long time, and that was saying something considering how much running around he had been doing these past few weeks. As an international arms dealer, the leader of Chimera, and so called ‘taxi service’ for Task Force 141, running back and forth between countries in his trusty Black Hawk helicopter became the norm for his life after so many years in his line of work. Yet with so many years of experience under his belt, Nikolai could feel these past few weeks really starting to weigh down on his shoulders, and today was the final straw that made him realize just how much he was exhausting himself for the sake of everyone else around him that needed his help.

Waking up during the early morning hours at Urzikstan, Nikolai freshened up to the best of his ability before quickly busying himself with a meeting with his fellow Chimera operators, having spent the last few days picking up Krueger, Syd, and Yegor so they could join Farah and Iskra at their base. Trying to do a virtual meeting with all of them scattered across the globe just would not work out well, so of course, Nikolai volunteered to fly out and grab everyone instead of having them spend an unnecessary amount of money on plane tickets to Urzikstan. A bit tiring for the man, but he had spent longer in his helicopter, so this was nothing at the end of the day. During the meeting, where they had been trying to come up with a plan on how to counter an attack made by Al Qatala in recent weeks, Nikolai couldn’t help but be constantly glancing at his phone.

Nikolai was anticipating a phone call or message from one of his associates in Germany about an arms deal that he needed to be at, yet his men had been radio silent, which wasn’t a good sign for what was to come in Nik’s mind. Still, he tried to push away the negative thoughts and put more of his focus on the task at hand, working to devise a plan that would work regardless as to whether or not he would still be around to fight with his team. When that phone call finally came through, Nikolai would finally allow himself to breathe a small sigh of relief knowing that his buyer was now on his way to the meet point, turning his attention back to the papers Farah had laid out on a table as they put the final touches on their plan. Only a few small details had to be changed now that Nikolai had his confirmation call, and once everything was in place, he said his farewells to everyone before rushing off to his helicopter under the morning sun.

With Farah having assured Nikolai that she would take care of returning everyone back home once they were finished with their plan, he assumed that this would finally take some stress off his shoulders as he headed towards Germany to get this arms deal over and done with. Oh how wrong he had been. The flight from Urzikstan to Germany took longer than Nikolai had initially thought it would, making him regret not eating something while still on Farah’s base when he finally landed, the sun having neared its peak in the sky. Checking on the goods that were stored in the back of the helicopter, Nikolai couldn’t help but grumble as he saw the bullets for the gun he was trading were now scattered around the inside of the briefcase, now having to spend precious minutes searching for all of them and tucking them back into the right pocket. Nikolai wouldn’t stand delivering products that didn’t represent his professionalism and the efforts he went through to obtain such weapons.

After giving the gun a final once-over just to make sure it was still intact, Nikolai shut the briefcase and hopped out of his helicopter, making his way to the small town where he would be meeting with his client. Of course, Nikolai had to stop at a small corner shop to grab something to eat before he even dared join the meeting, as a hungry Nikolai was a snippy Nikolai, and he knew the deal would be impossible to make if he was in such a state. One drei im weggla and a franzbrötchen later, and Nikolai’s hunger was satiated for the time being, quickly checking his face in a window to make sure he had no food remnants before finally coming up to the right building. It took long enough for Nikolai to get here, smoothing out any hairs that were out of place before heading inside and making his way to the meeting room, taking a mental note of any people he passed by as well. Even after so many years of being an arms dealer and having gained both respect and fear from those around him in this underworld, Nikolai still wouldn’t risk letting his guard down during trades.

Stepping past the metal door, Nikolai instinctively squared his shoulders as he saw the four men on the other side of the table, immediately picking out the supposed ‘leader’ from the quartet as he took a seat next to his own associates. This was exactly what Nikolai had expected to see, but what he didn’t expect was for each of the men to be of different nationalities, something he picked up on as he listened to their hushed conversations. The ‘leader’ was German, as expected, yet the man on his right was French, the man closest to his left was Filipino, and the man farthest to his left was Ecuadorian. None of those facts were issues to Nikolai, he had worked with people all over the globe for multiple jobs, so he was used to being in groups where no two people had the same background. No, the issue Nikolai noticed was the fact that they were much more keen on speaking in their native languages, and only their native languages. Again, Nikolai didn’t have an issue with that, and he could even understand why they would do so, as it was easier to say what you didn’t want others to know by speaking in other languages.

Even though Nikolai could understand what they were saying, he didn’t anticipate having to switch between German, French, Filipino, and Spanish when he wanted to converse with them about the deal. He had to repeat the same sentences four times over, speaking to each of the men individually instead of as a group, which was stressing his already stressed mind. Nikolai had already started growing a small headache from switching back and forth between English and Arabic back in Urzikstan, and now he had to go back and forth between four different languages? It would be a miracle if Nikolai didn’t leave this meeting without a much more aggressive headache. But of course, as fate would have it, Nikolai just wasn’t able to get a break.

That headache, which had started out as nothing more than a dull pulsing in the back of his skull that was easy to ignore, had now grown into an all-encompassing pressure around Nikolai’s head that he couldn’t ignore, no matter how hard he tried. Switching between four different languages wasn’t helping in the slightest, but what’s worse was the fact that the man who had called Nikolai for this deal didn’t even have the money to afford the damn thing! What a complete waste of time this had been, and Nikolai wasn’t afraid to make the sentiment known, cursing the four men out in all eight languages he knew before handing the suitcase with the gun off to one of his associates so he could leave. Of course, the men weren’t exactly happy with Nikolai’s words, nor were they happy to be leaving without the gun, so what else was there to do but open fire on Nikolai and his associates in a desperate attempt to get what they wanted? What a big mistake that was, as Nikolai was never unarmed walking into deals, and all it took were a few well-trained shots before the four men were nothing more than new tallies tacked onto his already extensive tally list of kills. And what a waste of four useful bullets too.

With a heavy exhale, Nikolai simply waved his associates in the direction of the bodies before leaving the room, wiping a few drops of blood off his leather jacket in the process. He trusted his associates to take care of putting the gun in a safe place until they got a new buyer, so now, all that was left for Nikolai right now was to get back to the United Kingdom and the base of Task Force 141 to finally get a break. Another flight that would last several hours wasn’t something that sounded overly thrilling to Nikolai, especially not with such an aggressive headache, but he didn’t exactly have any other choices. At least Nikolai had wisely snagged a couple bottles of water before making the trek back to his helicopter, and he took some time to enjoy the scenery as well since, to his knowledge, he didn’t have to rush anywhere. The fresh air was helping Nikolai’s headache a bit, though he would’ve preferred to have some sort of pain killer. Oh well, at least he could look forward to an ice pack and some peace and quiet once he got back to the Task Force base, maybe even a good meal so long as their fridge had actual food in it and not just week old rations.

The flight back to the United Kingdom was just as uneventful as Nikolai had imagined it would be, and he wouldn’t have it any other way to be honest. Even though the long flight was tiring, and Nikolai’s joints were definitely starting to feel the ache from sitting in the same chair for so many hours, he was just relieved to finally be back to a place of familiarity. And perhaps he was also looking forward to spending some quality time with a certain captain. It didn’t take long for Nikolai’s thoughts to be consumed by John Price and everything he had been missing about the man during these long weeks away. His hearty chuckle, his strong arms, his gentle eyes, the scratch of his facial hair when they shared a tender kiss, the warmth that filled the bed when they laid together, the gentle crinkling of his eyes when he smiled, the healthy thumping of his heart that easily lulled Nikolai to sleep, the way he just made Nikolai feel so at ease. God, Nikolai couldn’t wait much longer to get back on base.

Thankfully, Nikolai managed to land on the base of Task Force 141 as the sun was reaching the end of its descent, painting the sky in gentle shades of greens, blues, and purples with only hints of yellows and oranges. It truly was a gorgeous sight to behold, and Nikolai wished he could share it with John, hopping out of his helicopter to finally stretch his tired joints out. It didn’t take long for Nikolai to notice Price and his team were missing from base, though he just assumed they were out on an op, looking around his hanger for some pain killers he knew were stashed somewhere among his tools and spare helicopter parts. Maybe Nikolai should’ve taken some time to organize the place now that he really thought about it, as he was struggling to find those painkillers, and he could feel his headache coming back thanks to the sounds of tools being knocked into helicopter parts. Still, Nikolai tried to think positively as he continued digging around the disorganization. A warm meal, a comfortable bed, a nice movie, John in his arms, maybe even a bit of stress relief if you could catch his drift. Nikolai wanted to feel John’s bare skin beneath his fingers, John’s well-built muscles in his palms, John’s warm breath against his neck, John’s quiet pants in his ear, John’s ass against his-“Nikolai!”

Laswell’s voice startled Nikolai out of his thoughts, quickly attempting to stand up just to smack his head against the underside of the cabinet he had been searching in, letting out a string of muttered curses before getting out from the cabinet and standing to face Laswell. “Ah, Laswell, is nice to see you again.” Nikolai grunted as he rubbed the top of his head, trying to hide the exhaustion in his voice as he noticed a paper in Laswell’s hand that was now held out in his direction, taking it hesitantly before looking at what she had written. “The team needs your help getting back from an operation. We got false information about the location of some stolen weapons and they’re pinned down under enemy fire. You need to get them out before enemies close in on them.” Of course, Nikolai shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up about finally getting to relax. This was Task Force 141 afterall. “Understood. I will have them back shortly.” Nikolai simply nodded as Laswell before turning around and getting back into his helicopter, punching the coordinates into the gps before taking off for, hopefully, the last time today. It didn’t take longer than a few minutes for Nikolai to make it to the destination, and he knew he was getting close thanks to the sounds of gunfire, which was doing wonders for his headache.

Every gunshot made Nikolai’s head throb in pain, and as he lowered the helicopter to where John and his team were pinned down, the throbbing continued to intensify until it felt like thousands of hammers were constantly coming down on his skull. At least Price, Gaz, Ghost, and Soap got into the helicopter quickly, allowing Nikolai to take back to the air and get them back to base without much of a hassle, though the sound of bullets hitting the helicopter rang in his ears for much longer than he appreciated. Nikolai simply offered the team of grunt to acknowledge their presence before spacing out for the rest of the flight, his body acting without thought once he had landed back on base. Hopping out of the helicopter, Nikolai was already walking back to his shared room with Price hot on his tail, the man speaking so fervently about the operation that it was hard to really understand with his head still pounding so aggressively. Those painkillers were forgotten about as Nikolai opened the door to their room and kicked his boots off, collapsing onto the bed without a second thought before rubbing his temples to try and reduce the intensity of his headache turned migraine.

Nikolai could still hear Price moving around and talking about the operation, but he was barely even paying attention, only realizing Price was talking to him when he felt a hand shaking his shoulder. “Oi, Nik, you alright? You haven’t said a word since we landed, and your face is tense.” Price muttered with concern in his tone, reaching out to place a hand on the side of Nikolai’s head as well. “Ah, извинения, my dear. It has был долгий день and I cannot концентрат well.” Now Price knew something was up considering how Nikolai was slurring his speech and he was switching back and forth between English and Russian without realizing. Patting Nikolai’s head, Price stood up and left the room for a moment, coming back a moment later with a freshly cracked ice pack. Wordlessly, Price placed the ice pack on Nikolai’s forehead, noticing how the tension in his expression melted into relief almost instantly. Price knew that Nikolai likely wasn’t going to be up for much of a conversation, so he took it upon himself to take care of the tired Russian for the rest of the night; closing the curtains, turning off the lights, laying out some comfortable clothes, and slowly closing the door so he could place an order for food and look for a movie.

Around 30 minutes later, the food John had ordered finally got to base, and he managed to pick out a movie from the large collection that Nik had amassed over the years. Would John be able to keep up with anything going on? No, not likely, but he knew it was one of Nik’s favorite movies, so he’d manage. When John finally stepped back into the room, he was surprised to see Nik hadn’t moved a bit from where he was laying on the bed, the change of clothes remaining untouched for the time being, and the only sign that the man was even still awake was the subtle twitching of his fingers. This was a side of Nik that John rarely ever saw, but every time it showed up, it concerned John all the same. Setting the food and movie to the side for now, John shook Nik several times to get his full attention. “C’mon Nik, you know you’ll feel better once you get out of that jacket and jumpsuit. Get changed, I already got food and a movie for us.” It took a bit, but John managed to get Nik to get up from the bed and change, putting the ice pack to the side as he worked to get the movie ready on his laptop.

Once Nik was changed and the movie was ready to play, John unboxed the food and climbed into bed next to Nik, guiding the man’s head against his chest before handing him the food and setting the laptop between the two of them near the foot of the bed. John had ordered two plates of fish and chips, a bit cliche, but it was the one thing he knew would get the least amount of complaints from Nik. John made sure Nik was comfortable before pressing play and nestling the fingers of his left hand into the thick black hair, beginning to idly scratch and rub at the man’s scalp while eating with his right hand. Hearing Nik let out a deep groan of satisfaction, John couldn’t help but smile as he felt Nik slowly be reduced into a puddle of relaxation in mere minutes, the food now forgotten for the time being as he simply relished in the feeling of John’s fingers working the migraine away until it was nothing more than a fleeting afterthought. Still, Nik couldn’t help but lean into John’s touch even after his migraine had receded, the movie simply becoming background noise for the both of them as the night carried on.

Eventually, both of their meals had been finished, the two men simply basking in each other's presences even after the movie had ended and John had nudged his laptop shut with his foot. The silence did wonders for the both of them, and Nik was grateful that he could finally let his mind relax. No words had to be exchanged between the two men, John could tell what Nik needed simply by looking at him, and he was grateful for that. After the hell he had been through, it was nice to simply be taken care of by his lover, even if it wasn’t how he had initially imagined the night going. As John allowed himself to doze off, Nik nuzzled closer, tangling their legs together just so he could feel more of John’s body against his. John had always been Nik’s rock, his grounding force in life, and it was moments like these that confirmed to Nik that he held a special place in John’s heart. And he’d be damned to leave that space empty.

[mysticeclipses]

Your Arms Are My Home

This fic was inspired by this lovely art by @nekrosmos

I'm so nervous to post this, this is my first time writing a COD fic in three years, so I apoloigize if the characters seem OOC, I'm still trying to get a grasp on the characters

The scratching of a pen on paper and the idle ticking of the wall clock was all Price had been hearing for the past few hours ever since returning back to his office after a meeting alongside Kate, the two of them having spent almost half the day arguing with some knobhead General overseas who had been trying to convince the two of them that his dodgy half-baked plan was worth sending Ghost, Soap, and Gaz out to lead the entire operation. It was basically a suicide operation from the information that Price and Kate were getting, and there was no way in hell they were going to let some cheeky git send their team to the grave just for the General to get a medal for his cowardice.

Price tried to keep his composure, he really did, but this General just would not shut up about his awards and his medals and his accomplishments. In all his years of being in the military, John had never met someone whose head was shoved so far up his own arse, yet somehow, he could still tell left from right in that dark tunnel. It was really starting to grate on his and Kate’s nerves, but the second that General dared suggest that Ghost, Soap, and Gaz would be better off on his team than with the Task Force? That snapped the last little bit of restraint Price was holding onto, the sound of his fist slamming against the table making Kate jump from shock before he began laying into the cocky prat.

Now, Kate has seen Price angry plenty of times before. You don’t get to be the captain of Task Force 141, have to deal with the shenanigans of practically having to parent your lieutenant and sergeants while out on missions, and not blow up on them every now and then. But this was an anger that Kate had never seen on Price before. The man was shouting at the top of his lungs, the muscles in his neck were so tight you could see them stretching under the skin, a vein on his forehead was visibly pulsing, and it was a miracle he hadn’t thrown a fist through the screen. It probably wouldn’t have helped anyway, not when Price looked like he wanted nothing more than to wring the General’s neck until his head popped.

After more swear words than Kate could count, she finally got up to put an end to Price’s angry rant before he actually did decide to punch the screen where the General sat with a gobsmacked expression, looking like a child who got scolded by his parents for the first time. Now, she had to yank Price away from the table just to finally get his attention on her, and while she’d never admit it to his face, she found it admirable that Price would defend his boys in such a way. Showed just how much of a leader he truly was compared to the man sitting on the other side of the screen. But there was no point in continuing the conversation with both of them so riled up, even if Price had made it clear that he would not be sending his team to the General in his own way, so she sent him off to cool down while she tied up any loose ends with the General before sticking it to the man and ending the call.

So that’s how Price found himself in his office for the past few hours, having paced around the room several times before trying to smoke to relieve his anger, just to turn his focus on the pile of reports he still hadn’t finished. The cigar was still clenched tightly between his lips, having been reduced to a useless nub overtop a pile of ash at this point, yet he still wasn’t able to shake the annoyance and anger that was coursing through his veins with a violent intensity. Ghost, Soap, and Gaz were his team. Simon, Johnny, and Kyle were his boys. He wasn’t going to let just anyone take his team out on just any mission, much less someone who’s plan had been thrown together haphazardly with no real concern for the lives that were at stake and guaranteed almost no one would make it out alive. What a damn coward that General was, how he hadn’t been stripped of his position was a cock-up to Price.

Honestly, where did that General get off telling Price that his team would be better off not under his leadership? Where did the man find the gall to say such a thing while knowing he hadn’t seen a warfront ever since getting such a position? John. Did that man know nothing about Price and his boys? The people they fought against? The life or death situations they constantly encountered? The bond that had been forged through victory and loss over years of working together? John. Even if Price had made the offer, his boys would never agree to work with such a General once they heard that prat’s plan. John! They may be a little crazy, but they weren’t stupid by any means, and anyone thinking they’d agree to go on a mission or operation that wasn’t thought out completely was an insult to their intelligence. John! That General was lucky he didn’t decide to fly out to their base to have the meeting in person, otherwise he would’ve been lucky to leave with his face symmetrical and his medals shoved up his–

“Johnathan!” Price was snapped out of his angry thoughts by a familiar Russian accent, nearly falling out of his chair before grabbing the edge of his desk to steady himself, a hand clutching his shirt to steady the sudden lurching of his heart as he finally met the worried gaze that belonged to none other than Nikolai. “Bloody ‘ell Nik, coulda knocked instead of scaring the life outta me.” Price huffed, finally taking the cigar nub out from between his lips and setting it on his ashtray. “I did knock. Several times actually, and you never answered, so I simply let myself in.” Nik huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest, taking a moment to look over Price in his current state. Price’s hair was tousled as if he had run his hands through it countless times, his brows were scrunched tightly together, the skin of his lips had clearly been chewed to no end, and Nik could see the anger still coming off of Price in waves. His desk didn’t look any better, what with the pile of ash that Price was brushing into the small bin, papers scattered everywhere, and several broken pens laying in a heap next to the pen cup.

Looks like Nikolai got here just in time. He didn’t want to imagine what Price’s office would look like had he been left to stew in his emotions for much longer, the broken pens were testament to his slowly growing anger that he wasn’t able to shake off easily. “You need to take a break. It’s almost midnight and I can tell you haven’t eaten. Go take a shower and get out of those clothes, I’ll clean up in here, and we’ll get something to eat before I even think of letting you back in this office.” Nikolai’s words earned a gruff scoff from Price as he got up from his desk chair, cracking his neck and back a few times before turning his attention fully on Nikolai. “I’m fine Nik, just got...caught up in my own thoughts. I’ll be done in a few minutes.” Price muttered, barely able to hold eye contact with Nik before he began pacing back and forth behind his desk again, only stopping when Nikolai’s form appeared in front of him.

“This is not up for discussion, you are getting out of this office to clear your head and calm down. Now come, you need a shower.” Nikolai didn’t give Price any chance to snap back with a snarky remark or escape him, taking the man’s arm in his hand as he started pulling him out from behind the desk, ignoring any fighting words or resistance while dragging Price to their shared room. “Laswell told me what happened during your meeting. You are mistaken if you think I’m going to let you fester in negativity.” Nikolai continued to ignore Price’s words, which had turned into another string of less aggressive curses now aimed at Kate for telling Nikolai about his outburst, tugging Price into the room and shoving him in the direction of the shower. “You will not leave until you have showered and have changed into something comfortable. Now go.” Nikolai’s tone left no room for an argument, much to Price’s annoyance, muttering under his breath as he trudged into the shower while resisting the urge to slam the door behind him.

Nikolai couldn’t help but let out a sigh as he watched Price disappear into the shower, only turning around to leave once he heard water pouring through the shower head, running a hand over his slicked back hair as he moved back into Price’s office. It didn’t take too terribly long to clean up; simply dumping the broken pens into the bin that he deemed unsalvageable, pocketing the pens he believed he could fix, and organizing the papers and folders scattered across the desk. Honestly, Nikolai was surprised there weren’t a couple fist marks in the old wood, especially not when he remembered how Kate had described Price in his rage. He wished he was there to see it go down, as there was something about a truly angry Price that made Nikolai’s heart stutter in his chest and his throat go dry, but he couldn’t think about that right now. There were more important matters to be focusing on right now.

Once Price’s desk was cleaned and organized, Nikolai headed back to the bedroom to see if Price was done with his shower, walking off towards the base kitchen when he heard the water was still running. Determined to take another weight off Price’s shoulders, Nikolai began rummaging through the fridge and cabinets for ideas on something to make. After scrounging around a bit, Nikolai managed to find enough ingredients to make a half-decent goulash, grabbing the largest pan he could find so he could make a good amount for the both of them. It didn’t take long for the kitchen to fill with the smell of cooked meat and spices, and on more than one occasion, Nikolai had to swat away an all to eager Soap who was trying to steal bites of food when he wasn’t looking, soon spooning two healthy portions of goulash into bowls before carrying them back to the bedroom. He was nice enough to leave the rest of the goulash out for someone else to have, to which Soap promptly swiped the pan and scurried off before anyone else could get their hands on it.

Stepping into the bedroom, Nikolai was pleased to see John sitting on the edge of the bed in a loose hoodie and sweatpants, damp hair plastered to his forehead, silently handing him the bowl of food before joining him on the bed as the two began eating in silence. Eventually, John spoke up with a mouth full of food, wiping some sauce off the corner of his lips in the process. “Damn, this is some good nosh Nik. How’d you manage to make this on base?” Nik couldn’t help but laugh at John’s words, though he knew that this was likely the first time in a while John had gotten to eat a proper meal. The man lived on military rations more often than he really should. “When you are not busy yelling at generals over video calls, I can show you how to cook simple dishes. Good bonding activity too.” Nik promptly earned a punch to the shoulder for his words, though he didn’t miss the way the corners of John’s lips turned up in a hidden smile, admiring the way his eyes still crinkled slightly with the expression.

“You’re a cheeky prick, you know that Nik?” This earned another laugh from Nik as he finished the last of his goulash, waiting until John was finished before taking both bowls and standing up from the bed. “да. Comes with living life the way I have.” He simply set the bowls on the nearby dresser before getting undressed, tossing the clothes to the side much to John’s dismay before going back to the bed, promptly getting under the sheets before picking up the remote and turning on the television. “Lay down with me, maybe we will find something better than your strange task challenge show.” “Oi! Taskmaster is a good show! Watch it, or you’ll be sleepin’ on the bloody floor!” The threat was void of any real malice as John slipped under the sheets next to Nik, promptly swiping the remote so he could turn on his show, as he wasn’t in the mood to watch another convoluted Russian drama that would be impossible to follow.

It didn’t take long before exhaustion began to overcome John, as with his anger finally simmering away to a meaningless feeling, he found himself wanting nothing more than to get a half-decent night of sleep. Wiggling out of the hoodie, John threw it onto the nearby chair before getting comfortable on Nik’s chest, the side of his face resting on the thick, plush chest hair while he took in the soothing scent of cologne that stuck to Nik like a blanket, instinctively leaning into the hand that began gently running through the loose strands of his hair. “You are a good captain, John.” Nik hummed quietly after a few moments passed, stirring John from his muddled thoughts, tired blue eyes gazing up as if silently asking where such a thing was coming from. “You are intelligent, driven, protective, and you fight for what you believe in. The way you stand up for your team, the way you protect your team, the brotherhood that you have with your team, it is something that isn’t always seen in this line of work. You were right to yell at that mудак for thinking he deserved your team. Though I wish I was there to hear everything you called him.”

That earned Nik another punch to the shoulder, this one having much less force behind it thanks to how drowsy John was getting, which prompted Nik to turn the television and lights off before getting comfortable under the sheets. With his arms wrapped tightly around John, practically ensuring the man wouldn’t be able to get out of bed until morning, Nik placed a tender kiss to the skin of John’s back, nuzzling up behind the man so his chest was flush against John. “Goodnight, моя бабочка.” Nik mumbled before finally dozing off, his face pressed into John’s shoulder blade. For a moment, John simply stared at the wall across from him, and he couldn’t help but think about Nik’s words. He was a good captain, better than most he had met, but it was moments like this he appreciated most. The tenderness, the domesticity, the adoration he shared with Nik, he wouldn’t trade this for the world. He’d take another bullet, fight another psychopath, spend long nights going over plans, if it meant he could return to Nik’s arm. This was his home, his team was his family, and he’d protect it with his life. John gave Nik’s hand a gentle squeeze before finally allowing his eyes to close, slipping into blissful sleep.

[mysticeclipses]

Inky Threads

Chapter 3: A Friendly Talk

Real World AU by @chez-cinnamon Welcome Home by @partycoffin

“Hello? It’s just me Rei, is it alright if I come back in?” The shop owner’s voice broke through the silence, bringing Poppy out of any thoughts that could’ve covered her mind, turning around to face the door before finally speaking up. “Yes, yes, it’s alright to come back in. I’ve finished my phone call.” The door opened with a slight creek, and Rei’s head popped through the opening before she stepped the rest of the way in, black and white curls shifting across her face as she closed the door once more and picked up the slightly steaming cup to take another sip. “I’m assuming your...whoever is on their way to come get you?” Rei asked with a raised eyebrow, receiving a small nod in return, another smile appearing on her face as she slipped into one of the chairs surrounding the table in the middle of the room. She seemed to gesture to the other chairs around the table as she continued sipping on her drink, green eyes staring gently back at Poppy’s own dark brown orbs. “Please, please, take a seat. I don’t want you standing around like this until you’re taken back home. If nothing else, you could spare me a short conversation during your wait. I’d like to try and get to know the partridge that suddenly wandered into my shop on a random Thursday.” There was a clear expression of intrigue on Rei’s face as she waited to see if Poppy would take up her offer for a simple conversation, and for some reason, Poppy found herself drawn to talk with this woman. If nothing else, it was to try and repay Rei for the kindness that had been offered with no hesitation, so Poppy took a seat opposite of her after a bit of standing around once again.

“So...what exactly do you do here, Rei?” Poppy asked after a moment of silence, which seemed to catch Rei off guard, the woman blinking a few times before she seemed to shake off the shock and cleared her throat. “Well, I’m the main owner of Devilish Designs, and I’m also the seamstress. So I do the majority of the day-to-day business, but I’m also the one responsible for all of the garments you saw in the main room, and I do personal commissions for clothing as well. What you see on the floor is often replicated and occasionally altered based on client comments, but most everything I commission is a one of a kind design, even though I do keep all the drawings and measurements on file just in case.” Poppy was definitely surprised by this. Every piece of clothing she had seen out there was made by Rei? All by herself? The young woman was very talented, she had such sewing skills that Poppy couldn’t compete with her, and that was saying something considering how torn up her neighbors clothes could get. Maybe she could ask for some tips, but would Rei even be keen to share her knowledge with someone she had just met, much less Poppy herself? Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask, and Poppy didn’t know if she would ever get to see Rei again once Fionn came to grab her.

“I know...I know this is coming out of the blue Rei, but...do you think you could maybe teach me...some sewing techniques while I’m here?” Poppy asked after talking a moment to muster up the courage to do so, a few drops of ink slipping from her wings as she waited for some sort of a response. Rei seemed to just be staring at Poppy in silence before bringing the cup to her lips and quickly finishing the drink inside, tapping her nails against the porcelain before she finally broke the silence. “I don’t see why not. We have quite a lot of time on our hands. Grab whatever fabric catches your eye while I grab my needles and thread.” A small smile found its way onto Poppy’s beak from hearing Rei accept the offer, getting up from the table as she surveyed the vast array of fabrics all across the room, soon deciding on a simple roll of white cotton fabric so the stitch patterns would be easier for her to see. The table was set with a section of the fabric, a pin cushion full of needles of various lengths, some thick black thread, and a book titled ‘Basic and Complex Stitches for Beginners and Experienced Sewers’ for some good old-fashioned sewing lessons. They started with the basics, such as Rei giving Poppy a few tips on how to perfect her running stitch, basting stitch, and cross stitch, before moving on to stitches that Poppy had only ever heard of. There was the backstitch, the slip stitch, and even the blanket stitch; techniques Poppy had never gotten the chance to learn since there weren’t any books on how to do them in the neighborhood.

Thank goodness the book had pictures to describe each step in the sewing process, as Poppy wouldn’t have stood a chance without them, and that’s with Rei’s help. Sure, her stitches weren’t perfect on her first few attempts, not by a long shot, but Poppy found herself enjoying Rei’s guidance throughout it all. In fact, Poppy was so caught up in what she was doing that she didn’t realize how much time had passed until the door was thrown open, Fionn’s voice breaking the peaceful silence that had filled the back room. “Poppy! Poppy! Where are you?! We’re going home before something else happens and I lose track of you for the second time today!” Fionn was loud, very loud, and it didn’t seem like Rei enjoyed that very much seeing as her face contorted into something that could only be described as a mix of annoyance and irritation. “Well, it seems as if you’re being beckoned home by a...rather abrasive voice. Strangely good timing too, as I need to get ready to open up shop in a bit. I’ll clean up while you get all your coverings back on.” Rei brushed a few strands of hair out of her face as she got to work putting all of her sewing supplies away, allowing Poppy to finish the last slip stitch she was working on. Poppy made quick work of getting Fionn’s disguise back on, just in time too, as Rei had finished putting the fabric roll back on the shelf before heading to the door. “Come, I’ll see you out Poppy. I do need to discuss a few things with the...lovely individual that just shouted in my store, but don’t worry, it’s nothing you need to fret about.” Rei said with a bit of a strained tone towards the end of her sentence, but it was barely detected by Poppy as she left the back room, watching as Fionn searched the store before finally spotting Poppy and Rei.

“Poppy! God damn it, there you are! I was about to start turning this place upside down if I didn’t find you in the next minute!” “I certainly hope you’re being sarcastic about such a thing, otherwise we would have a much bigger problem on our hands.” Rei piped up as she moved to check the time on the grandfather clock behind the counter, her eyes occasionally flicking towards Fionn as he fussed over Poppy for a bit, soon letting out a sigh as he ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair and turned to face Rei. “Listen, thanks for taking care of Poppy while I got here, lemme give you some cash to make up for the hassle and to deter you from calling the police.” Fionn didn’t even wait half a second before pulling out his wallet and rifling around for some bills before Rei put her hand up to stop the man, leaning against the counter as she eyed him up and down a few times. “There’s no need for any monetary compensation, though we do need to discuss the subject of payment for some of my merchandise being broken.”

[mysticeclipses]

Inky Threads

Chapter 2: The Stranger's Help

Real World AU by @chez-cinnamon Welcome Home by @partycoffin

Poppy couldn’t believe what she had just heard. How did this stranger know who she was underneath her disguise? Was she not being careful enough? Would Fionn be angry that she had been found out? Had other people figured out who she was? Poppy was snapped out of her panicked thoughts by a quiet laughter, watching as the woman behind the counter covered her mouth for a few seconds before the laughter died down, a smile appearing on her face now. “You’re wondering how I found out who you are, aren’t you?” The woman asked, to which Poppy nodded slowly, unable to look away from the stranger that seemed to know who she was after meeting her just a few moments ago. The woman made her way out from behind the counter and stood next to Poppy, silently looking her up and down for a moment before speaking again. “Number one, I have never had a customer that was around seven or eight feet tall come into my store. Number two, I have never had a customer that smelled of ink and even dripped it on my floor. Number three, it was just a hunch honestly. Call it a lucky guess if nothing else, but clearly my hunch was correct.” The woman smiled as she moved to the door, looking up and down the street a few times before turning around to face Poppy once again. “Please, come into my storage room, we will have much more privacy to speak without risking someone walking in and seeing you as well.” The woman beckoned Poppy to the door she had appeared from earlier, and all things considered, it wasn’t like Poppy had much of a choice.

Stepping through the door, Poppy was in awe at what she saw in front of her. Shelves upon shelves of fabrics lines the walls, there were several sewing machines on tables, mannequins had various amounts of fabric covering them in different styles, these was a desk with multiple notebooks and pencils strewn about, and there was even a mini fridge hiding in a corner with a kettle on top. There was steam coming from the spout of the kettle, so there was likely water being heated inside, Poppy’s suspicions being confirmed as she watched the woman pour some hot water into a cup with some sort of string hanging over the edge. “You know, I never told you my name, have I?” The woman questioned as she took a sip from her cup, a strong floral scent slowly wafting around the room as Poppy shook her head no. “Well, my name is Reinassa Zakino, but most people just call me Rei. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Poppy.” The woman, or rather Rei, held out a hand for a handshake, getting a clothed feather in response which caused a barely noticeable lip twitch on Rei’s face. “Why don’t you make that phone call back here? I have some things to finish taking care of in the store, so you’ll have all the privacy you need to speak of whatever you need. I’ll knock before coming in, and I’ll wait for a response before coming in, alright?” Rei said with a smile before setting her cup down on the main table and gesturing to another rotary phone on the wall this time, heading to the door to leave only to stop halfway through. “And you can take all that...extra coverage off if you’d like as well, no one other than me will be entering this room.” She hummed before leaving and closing the door behind her, leaving Poppy in the privacy in the back room of the shop to take care of that phone call.

After standing around and taking in everything once more, Poppy slowly took off all the extra scarves and robes and whatnot Fionn had bought at the thrift shop for her to wear as a disguise, placing the pile of clothing on the table before making her way to the rotary phone that had been offered. It was a good thing that this mysterious Rei had rotary phones rather than the flip phones or weird flat landlines that Fionn had in his bungalow, as Poppy still hadn’t managed to get used to the new fangled things in this world, so anything that was reminiscent of home was a small comfort to the partridge. Slowly taking the handle into her inky wing, Poppy managed to calm her nerves enough to where she could turn the dial and correctly call Fionn’s number, hearing the normal ringing tones before that all too familiar voice came through on the other side, though it sounded significantly more frantic than usual for obvious reasons. “Hello?! Who is this?! Whoever you are, you’ll have to call back later, I’m kind of in the middle of-” “Fionn, calm down, it’s Poppy. I’m just calling from a store whose owner was kind enough to let me use their phone to contact you.” It took quite a bit of effort for Poppy to not sound nearly as panicked as Fionn was, but she managed to keep calm, if only by a few feathers that is. “Poppy?! Oh thank fuck you’ve managed to contact me! Where even are you? I turn around for five minutes in the grocery store and suddenly you’re gone? What happened?”

Oh geez, Fionn was really worked up now, and who could blame him? Trying to keep track of eight confused, inky puppets who were struggling to understand this new world that they found themselves in was no easy task, and Poppy could only imagine the stress Fionn felt anytime something bad happened, even if he rarely showed it around them. “Listen Fionn, I’m alright, I found a corner shop called Devilish Designs on Auburn Street. The shop owner let me borrow one of her phones, that’s how I’m able to talk to you right now. How soon do you think you could be here?” There was quite the long pause on the other side, only broken by the occasional muffled shouts of Fionn, likely directed towards Sally or Julie. Those two were still as energetic as ever, even in this strange world. Poppy wondered how they could stay so joyous despite everything that had befallen them. “Yeah, yeah, Auburn Street you said? I know where that is, it won’t take me long to get there, just sit tight and I’ll grab you.” And then Poppy heard a ding as the phone was hung up, leaving her in the silence of the room once more before she heard a quiet knocking at the door.

[mysticeclipses]

Inky Threads

Chapter 1: First Encounters

Real World AU by @chez-cinnamon Welcome Home by @partycoffin

“Oh feathers, how did I end up in a situation like this?” Poppy muttered as she walked through the empty streets, trying to keep the various garbs Fionn had chosen as her disguise around her body. There was a mild heat wave going on in this small Idaho town, temperatures were getting closer to 85°F these days, making Poppy stand out like a sore thumb in all her layers while others were wearing tank tops and shorts. Just a moment ago, Poppy had been in the grocery with Fionn and all her neighbors when she spotted some oranges falling from a nearby stand, moving to place the fruit back where it belonged when everyone had suddenly disappeared, leaving her standing in the middle of the store in confusion. How could they have left so suddenly, and how could they have left without her? Dozens of thoughts were running through Poppy’s mind as she searched the shops lining the streets, trying to find one that was empty or mostly empty, which wasn’t turning out well in her favor currently. Every shop window Poppy looked through was rather full of people, and she wasn’t in the mood to have even more eyes on her after everything that had happened, so she decided to keep looking.

After what felt like hours, Poppy came across a small corner shop that looked to be completely empty of people inside, noticing the interesting name as well, ‘Devilish Designs’, how different. Stepping inside, the environment was nothing like Poppy had ever seen before, the store being just as different as the name was. The ceiling lights were turned down low, the ambiance being carried by a variety of softer string lights hung around, noticing that the bulbs were in the shapes of stars. A polished oak wood floor creaked gently under Poppy’s feet as she stepped farther into the shop, a small bell ringing above the door as it opened and closed, clearly a sign to notify the owner whenever someone entered or exited. Poppy couldn’t help but find herself walking around the store, forgetting why she had come inside in the first place, more interested in what was on display. The floor had many mannequins set up and dressed in what Poppy could only assume was hand-made clothing, a variety of designs and styles being shown, several of which she could see her neighbors in. Several shelves were spread along the walls, each having some sort of accessory as its main focus, the metal and jewels glimmering faintly in the gentle lighting. There were also some tables as well, sporting a variety of candles, incense sticks, sage, crystals, and many other things that Poppy had never seen until now.

Poppy was so caught up in taking in the shop around her that she didn’t notice some of her tail feathers slipping out from under her disguise, only realizing what was happening when she turned to take a closer look at some crystals and a loud crashing sound came from behind. When looking over her shoulder, Poppy realized her tail feathers had caught the leg of a table in the corner and had knocked it over, broken ceramic and wax now scattered across the floor. “Oh feathers, oh feathers, I didn’t mean for this to happen!” Poppy began to panic as she tried to clean up the mess, feeling that panic grow as she heard the faint sound of footsteps.

“Is everything alright out here? I heard something break” A voice spoke up as another door creaked open, a young woman appearing from elsewhere in the store. Poppy was too caught up in trying to clean up the broken candles, not realizing the store owner was in the room until a hand fell upon her wing, pulling her attention to the newcomer. She seemed to be shorter than Fionn, but not by much, especially taking into account the heels she was wearing. A head of curly black hair with several white streaks sat upon her head, accompanied by piercing green eyes and fair skin. A long black dress with sheer shoulders and flared sleeves covered her body, several chains adorned her waist that complimented her other accessories, and a wide brim hat sat upon those curls. Poppy had never seen anyone dressed in such a way, it was definitely unique and fit the aesthetic of the shop, her presence having a rather calming effect after what had just happened with the table of candles.

The woman seemed to take note of the broken candles and Poppy’s minor panic, stepping away for a moment just to come back with a broom and an empty container, guiding the broken pieces in Poppy’s wings to the container. “Just drop those into the container, I’ll clean up the rest of what’s on the floor, I wouldn’t want to see you hurt.” Her voice was gentle and understanding as she got to work on sweeping up the rest of the broken candles, glancing up at Poppy every now and then while she worked. Poppy didn’t expect the woman to be so gentle with her, carefully putting what was in her wings into the container, taking a step back so she wasn’t in the woman’s way while she cleaned up the mess. It didn’t take long for the broken candles to be swept up and carefully disposed of in the container, the woman brushing any remnants of ceramic and wax off the broom bristles before putting it away, cleaning her hands before she turned to face Poppy. “Well, now that we have that taken care of, may I ask what you’re doing in my shop? I thought I had turned the open sign around, but perhaps I didn’t.”

Her tone was still gentle as she headed over to the door, checking the wooden sign hanging from the door only to see that it had been turned to say closed, but she wasn’t going to kick out her guest for intruding with how nervous they seemed. “Ah, well, I came in to see if you have a phone I could use? I need to make a rather urgent phone call.” Poppy spoke up after a moment, her gaze continuing to follow the woman as she made small adjustments to the merchandise on display. “Oh, yes I do have a phone. It’s a rotary phone, but it should work just as well as any flip phone people carry in their pockets these days.” The woman stepped behind the counter and gestured to the ivory rotary phone sitting on the end of the countertop, her thumb pulling at the dial a few times before looking back at Poppy. “Hopefully you’ll be able to reach your desired person, Poppy Partridge.”