Arkady's pov(the next morning) I looked in the mirror as Nienke asked "what was that kiss about?" I glanced over as I adjusted my new uniform "a realization." She asked "what realization is that?" I opened and closed my mouth several times trying to find how to say it before saying "i'm falling in love with you." She froze in my periphery before saying "im glad I wasn't alone in that." I turned and smiled as she walked up and tugged and pulled at different parts of my new shirt adjusting it before she said "there" I turned to the mirror one last time admiring my new look.
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Nienke asked "so why the change in uniform?" I replied simply "my old uniform was showing its age, time to update I think." She nodded saying "I like it" I smiled softly before she said "let's go talk to Sam, I think it's time to visit Mama. Both of us could use a break." I nodded and followed her through the halls. She asked "so is there anything you want to do when we visit?" I replied "I've got some ideas." She gave me a look before smirking, "you're gonna have to hang up your new uniform. Not wearing that to see mama." I chuckled softly as we entered the tac ops center I saw Sam look over seeing the two of us before he knowingly spoke "this about leave?" Nienke gasped lightly as I replied "так, we want to visit nienke's family." He asked "we?" Nienke said "I want Arkady to come with me, I figure having 2 operators go would be a better proposition. Given the whole Deimos thing." He nodded slowly before saying "I'll grant it, on one condition." We paused listening to this condition. He continued "You have to bring your weapons and armor with you." I tilted my head to the side before asking "that's it?" He shifted his weight before saying "do you want more?" I replied quickly "немає, just surprised." He chuckled gruffly before saying "go pack and get ready, I'll have a SUV prepped for you." Nienke replied "thank you so much." He waved her off as we turned to leave he said "Kasper, stay here for a minute." Nienke looked at me worriedly as I nodded and she walked out he said "this isn't going to cause problems on missions right?" I replied with certainty "none, I'll do my job just as I always have." He nodded slowly before saying "enjoy your leave." I waved as I moved my way through the door and saw Nienke waiting for me. We walked back to the room and changed into casual clothes, I complimented "you look great." She looked down at her simply black blouse and blue skinny jeans before looking at me as a blush danced across her cheeks "thank you, you do too." I felt my face heat up before saying "thank you, let's get going it's a long drive." She nodded as I picked up my rucksack and gun cases, grabbing the keys to the SUV following Nienke through the halls and to the garage. I loaded our gear into the back before hearing Nienke "it feels nice to feel like a civilian again, instead of constantly being worried about our next operation." I replied "it's very uncomfortable for me." She gave me a look before asking "why?" I replied "it's been almost 20 years since I stopped being a civilian, since then I was always training or doing operations." She nodded slowly before saying "well, you get to see how much Katwjik has changed." I nodded and started driving though the mountains of Greece, I looked through the window and saw the coast in the distance. I silently wondered what this world did to these people to make them hate it so much, to hate the world so much that they'd try to kill people protecting it. Nienke asked "something on your mind?" I replied "I always wondered why the people we fight, The White Masks, the remnants of the True Patriots, Deimos and his army, what happened to them to make them hate this world so much." She paused before saying "I've never thought about it like that." I replied "you shouldn't, it humanizes them. You don't see a target anymore you see a father or mother." She asked "so why do you think about it?" I answered "because I've learned how to switch it off, I can just shoot someone and not see any of the shockwaves that kill causes." I heard several intakes of breath as she got ready to say something but chose otherwise several times. She replied "but isn't seeing those shockwaves what stops their family but becoming them?" I nodded before saying "that's why we will never stop fighting." We fell quiet and continued to drive, Nienke turned on the radio and paired her phone playing some music as we just drove. After 16 hours of driving we checked into a hotel, I talked to the young woman at the front desk and got a room. I showed her my military ID card as Nienke showed hers and mentioned that we had our service rifles with us. The young woman called her manager to the front desk and explained the situation, the older gentleman was very understanding knowing that Team Rainbow had bases all over Europe. I smiled and said "thank you very much, have an amazing day" as Nienke and I started to the room, carrying our guns and rucksacks. Once we reached the 3rd floor, we started searching for our room number. Starting down the hall I heard Nienke "here, I found it." I walked over swiped our keycard and walked in after Nienke and saw two twin mattresses, a 32 inch tv a small table and a small patio. I dropped my rucksack and pulled the door open looking out at Vienna. I felt Nienke brush against my arm as she asked "feeling any more comfortable being a civilian?" I nodded and said "It's been a while, it's a nice change of pace." She nodded before asking "so why are you falling for me? I don't think I'm that special" I replied looking at her "you're amazing, you know so much about so many topics, I always learn something from you. You're art could be put in shows, you keep up with us on operations even though you're terrified. You're beautiful, you're sweet and kind and always make sure I'm okay. We take care of each other, I love having someone I can count on completely. Whenever we're on operations together I know I have someone watching my back and I always watch yours." She blushed deeply before scooting a closer on the railing. I commented "you're blush is very bright." She looked away before asking "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" I nodded and replied "very much so." She looked at me in shock before I wink and said "I'm gonna hit the sack. I'll see you in the morning." She nodded slowly before saying "goodnight." I replied "goodnight Nie, sleep well." As I walked into the bathroom and brushed my teeth before laying down on the bed I had claimed. When I woke up the next morning I sat up and got changed before moving back out to the patio sitting down in the chair. I sat there quietly for about 20 minutes before Nienke pulled the slide door open "are you okay?" I looked over and replied "так" she asked "wanna get some breakfast before we start moving again?" I stood and saw she was still in what she went to sleep in, a baggy T-shirt and her underwear. My face immediately heated up as I saw her look at me inquisitively before she realized she hadn't gotten dressed yet. Her face burned bright red as I turned and looked away as I heard her tearing through her bag looking for clothes. After a couple minutes I heard "ok, I'm dressed." I turned and saw her still looking a very dark shade of red as I asked "food?" She nodded as we moved down a couple floors and got our food sitting down eating she was quiet the entire time we ate. Soon enough we were packed up, checked out and on our way again. We should be there by tonight, hopefully. We sat quietly for a while, an air of awkwardness suffocating the car. After a while Nienke asked "so how'd you sleep?" I glanced over for a second before replying "not terribly, the bed was kinda uncomfortable." She nodded and said "mine was pretty stiff too." The conversation flowed fairly easily after the awkwardness left, I didn't pay too much attention to the time as it passed before I saw the sun low on the western horizon. I glanced at the time and saw it was 1900, next I glanced at the GPS and saw it said we were about 20 minutes from Nienke's mothers house. I asked "excited to see your mother?" She nodded and started rambling very quickly in Dutch. I said "nie, nie, you're speaking Dutch, I don't understand what you're saying." She looked at me and had a look of realization before saying "yes, I'm very excited. I've missed my mother terribly, I can't wait to be home. I need a break." I nodded slowly before saying "yeah, I think we could all use a break." She replied "it's been very busy." I nodded as I turned onto her mothers street. We drove slowly before Nienke pointed and said "there it is!" causing me to pull over and park the car. I turned it off and just kind of slumped in the seat, Nienke looked at me and asked "are you okay?" I nodded and said "just a little... unnerved?" Nienke joked "you don't think my mother is going to bite, do you?" I answered "немає" she nodded as she opened the door "then let's go." I slowly slid out of the car and closed the door double checking everything before I saw Nienke staring at me amused. I commented "okay, okay, let's go." I started following her as she walked towards the house. I jumped when the door flew open and an older woman came flying out of the house rushing to Nienke. I saw Nienke return the tight hug as the two started laughing and talking in Dutch, I looked at the porch and saw an older man standing in the doorway staring at me. I heard "Arkady" causing me to take my eyes off the older man to see Nienke and her mother looking at me, I smiled kindly as her mother walked over and said "you look tired" I replied "I've been driving a long time today." She replied "that's not what I was talking about, your eyes, they're tired." I laughed softly before saying "так, I've seen a lot." Her mother said "Where are my manners? Come, come, let's get inside." I saw Nienke looking at me causing me to shoot her a look of questioning, she shook her head no as we started following her towards the house, I asked Nienke "is that your father?" She nodded and said "didn't know he'd be here, he's usually on business trips." I nodded slowly before we reached the porch. Her dad said something in Dutch before I saw Nienke glance at me before nodding and heading inside. Her father asked in a thick accent "what brings you here?" I replied simply "Nienke asked me to be." He replied with another question "why would she do that?" I replied "truthfully, I don't know." He asked "how do you know her?" I replied "we met originally when I was 18, after that we kept in contact until my job picked up." He asked "and what is your job?" I replied "I'm a Ukrainian Special Forces Reconnaissance Team Leader." He looked at me in disbelief before Nienke's mother asked "Daan, are you done interrogating this young man." He looked at me before saying "this man says he's Ukrainian special forces, do you believe that?" Nienke appeared in the doorway "Papa, he works with me at Team Rainbow. I was there when he got recruited. He's Ukrainian SSO." Her father scoffed before moving aside and Nienke's mother motioned me inside. I took off my boots so I didn't track mud past the mud room, her father moved past me as Nienke's mother motioned to the kitchen table and said "sit, sit." I sat down, Nienke sat next to me as her mother asked "how long has it been since we last talked?" I replied after some thinking "I believe 11 years maam." She asked "Any reason you stopped coming by?" I replied "things picked with work." She nodded before asking "is everything okay?" I nodded as Nienke replied "a lot of things have happened at work lately, we've been very busy." Her father asked "oh really? What kind of busy?" I heard Nienke angrily "do you always have to do this?" Her father asked innocently "do what" to which Nienke's mother said "you always discredit what she does for work." He replied "she's brilliant! I think she's wasting her abilities and potential!" I asked "forgive me if I'm overstepping, but isn't her using her brilliance to bring people home safe to their families a good thing?" He replied slowly "well, yes, it is." I asked another question "have you seen any white mask terrorist attacks in the Netherlands in the last year or so?" He paused before saying "no, I can't say I have." And I pointed out "that's because of the work Nienke does, she's on missions, she's getting into gunfights and she's keeping civilians, like yourself, safe and able to do your job." He froze as he tried to defend himself. Nienke's mother said "Daan, go take a break and calm down." I watched as he stood and wordlessly walked out of the room.
