#i couldnt get mishka out of my head it had to be done

[cod-thoughts]

Day 26 of 31 days of COD

Words: 1.8k

Relationships: NikPrice

Tags: slightly ooc, banter, attempt at humour, fluff

Price looked up, confused but intrigued. “Mishka?” he echoed, brow furrowing. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Nikolai’s mouth quirked into a smile, a touch of amusement in his eyes. “It means… ‘little bear,’” he said, the words thoughtful, as if he were measuring each one. “It fits you, I think.” Although not necessary at all it won't hurt to read day 23 for a smidge of context Keep reading under the cut or on AO3

Soap, leaning forward with a gleeful grin, decided to push the teasing a bit further. “So, Captain…Mishka. That name, it’s got a bit of history, yeah?”

Price paused, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He glanced at Nikolai, who gave him an encouraging nod. With a soft chuckle, Price gave a half-shrug, acknowledging the memory. “Yeah. Comes from way back. Out in the cold, out in the middle of nowhere. That’s where it started.”

Nikolai’s face softened, the playful glint in his eyes replaced by something far more tender. He looked at Price as if seeing him for the first time again, as if the memory were as vivid for him as the present moment. “You remember, don’t you? First time I call you Mishka?”

Price nodded, his voice quieting slightly. “Reckon I do. That mission went to hell quick. We were both damn near frozen.”

---

It was the kind of night that crept into your bones, the cold biting with a sharpness that no amount of gear could shake off. Price and Nikolai were holed up in a cramped safehouse, somewhere far from backup and close to trouble. It wasn’t their first time in a place like this, but something about this particular night felt heavier, the quiet between them a little too thick, the walls pressing in closer than usual.

They sat across from each other on the floor, leaning against opposite walls, the only light coming from a dim oil lamp flickering in the corner. Price was watching Nikolai intently, though he’d be the last to admit it. The mission had been hard, harder than they’d planned, and he couldn’t shake the way Nikolai had looked, blood on his cheek, laughter on his lips, utterly fearless.

“Crazy bastard,” Price muttered, shaking his head.

Nikolai smirked, a tired, easy grin slipping across his face. “You like it,” he replied, words careful but smooth. He leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes fixed on Price with that same glint, equal parts challenge and affection.

They’d been here before, caught in this charged silence that felt like it could burst open with one wrong—or right—word. In moments like this, it didn’t matter who else was around or what they were meant to be. They were just themselves, stripped down to the barest truth.

After a few minutes, Price shifted, crossing his arms over his chest as he fought off a shiver. It wasn’t the cold that got to him, though; it was Nikolai, looking at him like he could see straight through to the core of him. The one man he could never really hide from.

“You don’t back down, do you?” Price said, his voice softer now, almost contemplative.

Nikolai chuckled, the sound rumbling through the small room. “I have my reasons,” he replied, his gaze never leaving Price’s. There was a beat of silence, then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “One of them is… you, John.”

Price’s heart kicked up, a little quicker than he’d like, and he looked away, trying to mask the reaction. But Nikolai’s next words caught him off guard.

“Mishka,” Nikolai murmured, the word soft and tender, a sound so foreign in the dark silence. He let it hang in the air, as if testing it out, seeing how it felt.

Price looked up, confused but intrigued. “Mishka?” he echoed, brow furrowing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Nikolai’s mouth quirked into a smile, a touch of amusement in his eyes. “It means… ‘little bear,’” he said, the words thoughtful, as if he were measuring each one. “It fits you, I think.”

Price snorted, an attempt to brush it off, but there was something in the way Nikolai said it that tugged at him, that softened the edges of the moment. “What, ‘cause I’m stubborn?” he shot back, though there was no bite to his tone.

Nikolai shrugged, a teasing smile playing at his lips. “Stubborn, yes. Strong… loyal.” He paused, searching for the right words. “Bear will protect who he cares about, even if… it is not wise.”

Price’s face softened, the usual lines of tension easing as he absorbed the words. It was more than a compliment; it was an acknowledgment, a way for Nikolai to say what neither of them could say directly. There, in the dim light, something shifted between them, something real and grounding.

He didn’t reply right away, his mind still wrapped around the way Nikolai had looked at him when he said it. And then, without a word, he nodded, accepting the name as if it had always belonged to him.

“Mishka,” Price repeated under his breath, as if testing the sound, letting it settle into something private and precious. “Just between us, though.”

Nikolai chuckled, reaching over to squeeze Price’s shoulder, the gesture lingering a moment longer than necessary. “Only us,” he murmured back, his voice filled with a warmth Price could feel all the way to his bones.

---

Gaz, now fully invested, leaned forward, curious. “So it just… started back then?”

Price chuckled, brought back to the present. “Aye. It was something he said one night, in that old cabin we found. Could’ve picked anything, but he called me ‘Mishka.’ Said it suited me.” He met Nikolai’s gaze, a soft smile crossing his face. “Stubborn, strong, all that.”

Nikolai grinned, repeating those words he said that night, “A bear will do anything to protect those he loves. Even if it’s foolish.”

Ghost, who had remained silent through most of the conversation, finally spoke up, his voice calm but tinged with a rare hint of amusement. “Explains why you two are still alive, really. Sheer bloody-mindedness.”

Price chuckled, nodding. “That about sums it up.”

The team chuckled, shaking their heads, as Nikolai, thoroughly pleased with himself, leaned in close to Price, his hand resting comfortably on the back of Price’s neck. “You see, captain? They all understand now.”

Price gave him a long, affectionate look, the kind of look only someone who’s been through the fire with another could give. “I reckon they do.”

Price let Nikolai’s hand linger, his heart lighter than it had been in years, grateful for every bit of love they no longer had to hide around their make-shift family.

Nikolai didn’t stop there, however. To the team’s bemusement, he seemed to be on a mission of his own, making sure no one missed the fact that Price was his.

Sitting beside him, Nikolai once again reached over, casually brushing an invisible bit of lint off Price’s shoulder, then letting his hand fall around Price’s shoulders before deciding that it clearly wasn’t enough and wrapped his other hand around Price’s waist.

Soap groaned, though he couldn’t hide his grin. “Alright, mate, we get it. But I’m startin’ to worry you might break the poor bloke, clingin’ to him like that.”

“Oh?” Nikolai raised an eyebrow, and with a theatrical sigh, he tightened his other arm around Price and pulled him halfway into his lap. “But my Mishka is strong. He does not break,” he replied with a sly smile. “Why else would I choose him, da?”

Gaz, failing to contain his laughter, shook his head. “Mate, if you get any closer, you’re gonna fuse together.”

Price merely chuckled, completely unfazed by the display. He patted Nikolai’s hand where it rested on his shoulder, almost reassuring, as if to tell him to carry on. In fact, the only indication he even heard the team’s comments was a slight narrowing of his eyes, the hint of a grin barely hidden beneath his beard.

Ghost, who had been watching quietly as usual, leaned back with a sigh that sounded suspiciously like amusement. “I’m just surprised Price hasn’t pushed him off by now,” he remarked dryly.

“Oh, I’ve tried,” Price replied, his voice tinged with fondness, though his eyes were twinkling with a hint of playful defiance. “Doesn’t get him anywhere. He’s got a grip like a bloody octopus.”

Nikolai grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “It is true. Johnathan can try all he wants,” Nikolai lowers his voice and winks at them all “but I am verypersistent.”

Soap rolled his eyes, folding his arms with mock impatience. “Bloody hell, just get a room already, the both of you.”

“Oh, don’t tempt him,” Price replied, throwing a smirk in Soap’s direction. “He certainly doesn’t need much encouragement.”

To everyone’s surprise, Nikolai leaned in then, softening his voice with a soft chuckle. “He is right, you know,” he said, entirely unbothered by the team’s reactions. “And since Mishka is so good at hiding how soft he is… maybe I am the only one who can bring out that side, no?.”

Soap practically choked on his coffee, while Gaz shook his head, both amused and horrified. “Alright, alright,” Gaz managed, chuckling, “You two could at least try to keep from making the rest of us sick.”

Nikolai, amused by their discomfort, only leaned closer to Price, his tone softening as he moved his arms to be fully secured around Price’s waist. “They’re jealous, Medvezhonok,” he said in an exaggerated whisper. “Not everyone finds a bear who is fierce and gentle.”

Price’s response was just a soft chuckle, and instead of pushing Nikolai away, he brought a hand up to Nikolai’s cheek giving it a light pat. “Let them be, my love” he murmured, his voice low but warm. “I reckon they’ve got enough to handle with just watching us.”

Gaz finally threw his hands up in defeat, laughing. “You know, Captain, we thought you’d be the one to tell him off if he got too much. Turns out you’re just as guilty.”

“Hmm, well,” Price replied, entirely unfazed as he gazed at Nikolai, “not much point in telling him to stop. Wouldn’t want him to anymore anyway.”

For a moment, there was a comfortable silence as the team took this in, seeing a side of Price they rarely witnessed. It was clear that Price and Nikolai were beyond caring what anyone thought, and the weight of years spent hiding their relationship had finally lifted, leaving behind only the easy affection they shared.

Soap, still recovering from the display, finally shrugged. “Guess it’s true then—what they say about old bears and their habits.”

Price smirked, his arm now resting comfortably around Nikolai’s shoulder. “Oh, I suppose so, Sergeant. Not planning on changing anytime soon.”

Nikolai’s smile softened, and he leaned in just enough to whisper something the others couldn’t hear. “Good. Because this, Mishka? It suits you.”

Price let out a quiet chuckle, his expression unreadable but content, as he gave a final nod. “Yeah, I think it does.”

And as the team settled into the familiar rhythm of laughter and easy banter, Nikolai kept his arms around Price’s waist but moved him off his thigh instead, unbothered by the groans or amused complaints. Because after years of hiding, there was nothing he loved more than showing just how fiercely he cared, his Mishka right by his side.