Archive of Our Own ^beta

Cool afternoon air drifted in through the open windows, carried in by a gentle breeze. Huddled around two of those windows were three figures, perched close to one another so as to share a pair of binoculars between them. Gaz’s eyes raked up and down the near-empty street steadily. He was really starting to wish that something, anything, would happen. It seemed that every sign of life had vacated the vicinity of the building; there were no cars, no people, no street dogs. Hell, not even the fucking pigeons seemed to want to come anywhere close.

He glanced over at his companions; Nik and Price were pressed shoulder to shoulder, both of them vying for the same lookout spot in the window. It was cute really, the way they seemed to have no qualms about getting so close to one another. Price’s personal space was Nik’s and vice versa.

Gaz wasn’t exactly sure how the pair had met, but they seemed to have been together for a long time. I don’t think I could ever make something like that work, he mused to himself. There was long distance, and then there was over 2,000 kilometers distance. “Long” didn’t seem to convey accurately just how far of a distance it was. Judging by the way Price and Nik had remained glued to each other’s side since Gaz and Price had first touched down in Russia, they had clearly felt the same way.

Gaz readjusted himself so that his back was to the window, slouching down onto the sill and stretching his legs out languidly as he did so. “What’s the matter, sergeant?” Price asked near-instantaneously, eyes never leaving the window. “Our stake-out not interesting enough for you?”

By the tone of his voice, Gaz could tell that the captain was just as uninterested as he was. “‘Course not,” he returned with fake enthusiasm. “Just had to stop to take in the view of this lovely flat.”

Nik let out a snort of laughter at that one. “You’re only trying to flatter me, sergeant.”

“Me? Flatter you? Never.” Gaz put a hand to his chest as he gasped with mock surprise. He let his eyes wander around the room, taking in just how truly hideous it looked. The ugly mold-green walls paired with furniture so old he swore a T-rex made them was an eyesore if he had ever seen one. He sincerely hoped that Nik’s sense of style was at least mildly acceptable compared to this; he’d hate to be Price if it wasn’t.

It seemed as though his loss of focus had prompted Nik and Price to do the same. Their contest over the window had dissipated, and now Price sat on its sill, his feet propped up on a nearby dingy wooden chair. Nik remained facing the window with crossed arms, but it was clear that it was more out of a sense of duty as opposed to any genuine interest.

“Bloody hell, Nik. This place really is a shit-hole.” Price remarked.

Nik put his hands up in defeat. “You said you wanted The Butcher, I give you The Butcher. You never said it had to be first class.”

Price glanced over his shoulder and down at the street below where he had a clear line of sight to the building where The Butcher would be holding his conference. “Well, its certainly one hell of a view.” He relented.

Nik’s gaze wandered out further, sliding over the red shingeled rooftops and off into the city skyline on the horizon. “Was the capital before Moscow,” He noted offhandedly, seeming to think Price was referring to the scene as a whole.

A look of fond nostalgia came over Price’s face as he studied Nik. “The good ol’ days?” He smiled. Nik nodded, humming softly in agreement as he turned to meet Price’s gaze warmly. 

After a moment, Gaz decided to break the silence, finding his role as third-wheel to be almost as boring as his role of look-out. “When did you two meet anyway?”

Price’s eyes slipped off of Nik and onto Gaz, hesitating briefly as he thought. “A long time ago. What is it now, Nikolai, twenty years?”

“Just about,” Nik agreed, turning to Gaz as well. “We were about your age, sergeant. Now look at us, we are old men.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“Aw c’mon sir, nothing to be ashamed of.” Gaz chuckled at the rather indignant look on Price’s face, as did Nik. “You don’t look a day over fifty.”

Price’s nose crinkled at that, and he furrowed his eyebrows at Gaz. “Thank you for that, Kyle,” He huffed. “You just better hope I don’t start acting fifty and let you do this whole thing by yourself.”

“You wouldn’t”

“Don’t be so sure of that.”

“Is true,” Nik added, jabbing a thumb accusingly over his shoulder in Price’s direction. “He made me walk over fifteen kilometers back to the base the first time I told him he had a bald spot.” He motioned to the back of his head as he said this, a grin plastered across his face.

“Nik!” Price snapped, all the while pulling his beanie down further, not at all suspiciously. Nik watched him do so, then turned back to Gaz and raised his eyebrows as if to say see what I mean?

“Don’t worry,” Gaz laughed mischievously. “I promise I won’t tell.”

Something that might have been “You better not” left Price’s lips, but he grumbled it out quietly enough for Gaz not to be completely certain.

Gaz pushed himself up from where he leaned against the windowsill, instead opting to rest himself against the wall so as to have a better view outside. He watched the still-empty street in silence for a few more minutes, picking at the chipping wood of the sill with a finger absentmindedly. “I wish the guy was a little quicker,” he sighed impatiently. “Starting to think that we’ll all be dead by the time he comes around.”

“I bet he’d like that,” Price hummed in amusement.

“Such little patience, sergeant. For shame.” Nik teased, bumping Gaz’s arm with his elbow.

“I’m just scared, that’s all.”

“Scared?” Price questioned. “You said you were ready for this.”

“Oh no,” Gaz waved a hand dismissively. “I’m not scared of The Butcher. I’m scared of having to spend all afternoon listening to you two tell stories about “the good ol’ days” just to keep entertained. It’s already starting to feel like an old folks home in here.”

That got a bark of laughter out of both of them despite Price’s earlier annoyance. “As though you aren’t dying to hear more.” He teased back.

“Alright, you got me.” Gaz gave in far too easily. For as much as he joked, he had to admit that he was at least mildly interested in what stories the pair might have to offer. “Let’s see,” he hummed, fiddling with the brim of his baseball cap as though he was agonizing over what question to ask them next. Finally he settled on one; “Worst mission you’ve been on together?”

Nik grimaced nearly as fast as Price’s eyes lit up. “Somalia,” they agree in unison.

“The hell were you doing in Somalia?”

“Chemical weapons dealer,” Price informed him before nodding to Nik. “Go ahead, tell him.”

“They shot down my baby,” Nik sighed dramatically, hanging his head as though in deep mourning.

“We all nearly died, but that didn’t matter to him. He wouldn’t stop whining about that damn helicopter for months afterward.”

“Do you know how expensive helicopters are?”

“For god’s sake, Nikolai, the military gave you a new one-”

“Seems I struck a chord there,” Gaz interrupted before their bickering could progress any further. “Maybe that wasn’t the best question then, yeah?”

Never bring up the helicopter, Price mouthed from behind Nik, just far enough back to be out of his line of sight. Gaz smiled at that, making a zipping motion over his lips in return. The message was clear enough, although it might be fun to trap someone alone with Nik and get him started on the helicopter.

“Alright,” Gaz fished around for a better question to pass the time, still noticing no sign of The Buther’s arrival. “How did you two get together?” 

Price and Nik’s heads both shot in his direction so fast he was certain they would get whiplash, looks of shock evident on both of their faces. Assuming they must have misheard him, he tried again; “What got you two to be ‘a thing’?”

For another awkward moment, they both stared at him, neither wanting to be the first to speak. After what seemed like the most tense ten seconds of Gaz’s life, Price was finally the first to respond. “We’re not,” He started, far too forcefully. He paused, clearing his throat before trying again. “We’re not together, Kyle.”

Now it was Gaz’s turn to stare at them in shocked silence, eyes flicking between the pair as though trying to comprehend what he had just been told. “...You’re taking the piss.” Was all he could think to say. They both shook their heads in unison, glancing at each other briefly as if trying to read the other’s thoughts. “Oh,” Gaz mumbled simply. “Well, that’s… Sorry, I just kind of assumed that…” He trailed off, waving his hand between the two of them half-heartedly in an attempt to explain himself. Quickly deciding that he would rather not stick around and endure the ensuing embarrassment, he pointed down the hall and announced rather gracelessly that he was going to use the restroom.

With his hurried footsteps disappearing down the hall, Price and Nik found themselves in an even worse scenario; being completely alone together. Suddenly, Price had found something very interesting on his jacket to pick at. Likewise, something equally as interesting seemed to materialize outside on that lifeless street for Nik to stare intently at. They sat like that for several minutes, each completely at a loss for what to say.

Price turned over Gaz’s words in his mind, along with the look on Nik’s face. He felt wholly uncertain of what he should do. Should he say something to Nik? Was it really that obvious? On the otherhand, maybe Kyle had simply made a wildly presumptuous guess, and if Price let it go he would never have to bring it up again. Finally, after a long, deafening silence punctured only by the racing of his own heartbeat, he broke. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think he would-”

“Do not apologize,” Nik waved him off as nonchalantly as he could manage despite the growing blush on his face. “Is not a problem, yes?”

“Yeah,” Price nodded, although he remained unconvinced. He could tell that Nik was watching him out of the corner of his eye, but the heat Price could feel rising to his own face prevented him from looking back. “Have you ever-” He started, rushed yet hesitant all at once. He wasn’t quite sure how to finish that sentence, or if he even could finish that sentence out loud. Have you ever though about me like that? Have you ever wanted to be with me?   Each idea that came to him sounded even more foolish than the one before it.

“Yes,” Nik replied simply once it was clear Price wasn’t going to continue. Evidently, he hadn’t needed to hear the rest. Despite his casual tone, Price noticed out of corner of his eye the way that Nik rocked on his feet, and how he scratched at the windowsill.

“I- Yeah.” Price stuttered out. “Me too,” He cringed slightly as the words left his mouth, suddenly feeling so ridiculous about it all. His gaze finally lifted to meet Nik’s, only to be greeted with a grin.

“Ты идиот!” Nik laughed breathlessly. “Why did you never say anything?”

“Why did you never say anything?!”

“Do not turn this on me,” Nik demanded with a teasing smile. “When did you-”

Price put his head in his hands in utter defeat, not even letting Nik finish his question. “Years.”

This earned him another giggle from Nik as he slid over to Price. Nik crouched down before his friend, prying Price’s hands away from his face to get a good look at him. He pulled Price up from where he sat on the windowsill and immediately wrapped him into a bear hug. “Now, now, stop pouting,” he smiled. “You look upset.”

Price wrapped his arms around Nik, chuckling softly as he buried his face into the crook of Nik’s neck. “I am upset,” he grumbled. “That Kyle is the reason for this.”

Nik laughed along with him for a moment before pulling back and resting his hands on Price’s shoulders.”Maybe he is smarter than you thought.” He glanced down the hall to the bathroom that Gaz had retreated to. Price hummed along in agreement; at the very least, Kyle had excellent self-preservation skills. Price’s attention was brought back to Nik when he felt soothing circles being rubbed into his shoulders by Nik’s thumbs. Price met Nik’s gaze, his warm, dark eyes studying Price’s face for a moment. “Before he comes back,” Nik started, his voice no more than a hushed whisper against Price’s skin, making him shiver. “May I kiss you?”

Instead of giving him a proper answer, Price brought his hands to Nik’s face, cupping it gently before pulling him in for a kiss. His lips, Price found, were softer than he had ever imagined, and his stubble scratched at Price’s beard in a way he could only describe as perfect. Nik lowered his hands, sliding them off of Price’s shoulders and onto Price’s side, pulling him impossibly closer and holding onto him for as long as he could. When the two finally parted, they were both out of breath, and each had a smile spread across his face. “So, we are, to use the sergeant’s words, ‘a thing’ now?” Nik asked, giving Price a peck on the nose for emphasis as he did so.

“Only if you’re alright with it.”

“How could I not be?”

A loud creak echoed down the hallway just then, a clear indication of the bathroom door being opened. The pair separated rather reluctantly. Neither one of them wanted to let go of the other, but neither wanted to hear shit from Gaz for the rest of the day either. More like the rest of my life, Price reconsidered with a fond annoyance. They retook their spots by the window again, nothing seeming to have changed, with the exception of each having a window all to himself. Despite this, Gaz appeared to notice the change in the air the instant he walked into the room. He looked far more relaxed than he had upon making his hurried exit.

“Looks like I made it back just in time,” he noted, nodding toward the window just as an old beat-up pickup truck revved and growled its way down the street. He made his way back to Price and Nik, this time stopping between them. The three watched intently as the truck rolled to a stop just below them.

As they sat in a momentary silence, waiting for any sign of their target’s exit, Price leaned close to Gaz and whisper in his ear. “You,” he said simply, causing Gaz to cock his head inquisitively at the captain. “You asked how,” Price clarified. “It’s because of you.”

The shit-eating grin on Gaz’s face told Price all he needed to know.