#howd he light the cig you may ask? well that's up to him and his broken arm.

[panchulien]

Nikolai has to take a step back and go on a leave due to his recently broken arm. He is not happy about it.

He's trapped in his house, with strict orders from his doctor (and Price) to NOT work and focus on resting, so his arm can heal properly and quickly.

It's torture for him, staying inside and doing nothing. He is itching to do something, to be useful, anything. It's what he does, it's what makes him valuable, it's his entire purpose, so now having to forcefully take a step back is making his skin crawl.

Price makes sure to check up on him every chance he gets, just to make sure Nikolai didn't break the rules and is resting properly. If he bribed the downstairs neighbors to keep an eye on Nik and alert Price if he gets up to something, then that's Price's business.

Price calls him in his breaks, listens to Nikolai whine about how bored he is and how bad the TV show he's watching is, Price just lets him complain because it's a much better option than having to force him to stay inside. Nikolai tries to sweet-talk his way out of it, even begs for it, but no can do.

"Please, John? At least let me in the hangar, promise I won't even touch anything." He pleads, Price can practically see Nikolai's hurt-puppy look over the phone. He dismisses the thought before it gets thru his defenses.

"We both know that's not true, sweetheart. You just focus on resting for now, and you'll be back on your feet in no time." Price knows that's bullshit, knows if he was Nikolai he'd also be going mad. But someone has to say it.

Nikolai manages his way around the house just fine, except this one particular occasion.

He's just smoked the last of his cigarettes, and he's going to do something drastic if he doesn't have another in between his fingers in the next 20 seconds. He searches through the house, mumbling curses under his breath in whatever language comes in his head first, and eventually ends up in the bathroom.

To no one's surprise, he trips and falls while he's searching thru the bathroom cabinets, cursing loudly as he goes down, but lucky for him, Prices secret pack of cigs is exactly where Nikolai remembers it.

Price comes home only to find Nikolai laying on the bathroom floor with his head resting against the bathtub. He'd panic if it wasn't for the fact that Nikolai looked perfectly fine, and smoking HIS secret pack of cigs on top of it.

He just sighs, the sight is amusing to him, "How long have you been down there?"

Nikolai just shrugs. His ass is numb from how long he's been sitting there, but he doesn't mind. "Couple of hours."

John snorts before offering a hand up to him so he can get up. John will have to find a better place to hide his cigarettes next.