The Old Guard - OneShots

Waving Through A Window

They had not been taking any jobs recently. After Merrick, every single one of them needed a break so that's exactly what they did. They took a break. Together, they were travelling across all countries that they could mostly agree on visiting. It was slow. Peaceful. Enjoyable. Currently, they were in a little city in the south of Australia. It was winter time and the sky became dark early on in the day which was perfect for their much needed rest and relaxation. 

The house they were staying in was big, big enough that they could all have their own rooms with the much needed privacy that they all craved after being crammed into small caves and hotel rooms during missions. When they had arrived, Joe had checked each room and instantly chosen the biggest one (and the furthest away from the rest of the house) for himself and Nicky. Andy had scoffed and taken a different room. Nile. the newbie, had been given the last room and happily accepted it.

Now, Andy sat in her room at the window, looking over into the small garden that came with the house. It was half covered in concrete, leaving the other half for unkempt grass to grow, so long that it would cover their ankles if they stepped in it.Nicky and Joe were at the far end of the garden, away from the house, bundled up away from the cold. Both had one of Nicky's black washed-out hoodies on, though only Nicky's hood was drawn up over his head. Instead, Joe had on a bright blue beanie that stood out in the dark, lifeless garden. Funnily enough, he also had on a bright blue scarf that Andy knew was knitted by Nicky when they had been in London. Nicky did that sometimes, knitting to cope with the stress that overwhelmed him during missions or long periods of time away from Joe.

They were both walking towards the house, hands entwined. From where she was sitting, Andy could make out the faint mumble of Italian as Nicky spoke. It tickled her ears with a soft familiarity that came from years of listening to the whispers of Nicky and Joe as they lay down and comforted and laughed with each other. She let out a soft breath and watched it disappear into a mist of windy air.The couple below stopped at a garden swing. It was made of metal, the seats of stretched fabric that didn't look entirely cosy, but comfortable enough to sit for a couple of minutes. They sat down, their thighs and shoulders pressed together and Joe threw his arm around Nicky's shoulders. Andy watched them, warmth filling her chest, at the affection displayed so freely below her. 

Joe picked his legs up off the ground and swung them forward so that they were both swaying slowly back and forth. A sharp laugh erupted from Nicky's mouth and it travelled up to Andy's ears, filling her chest again with a soft warmth. It wasn't often that Nicky laughed so easily and she watched as Joe turned his head, pressing his lips to the side of Nicky's head, his eyes pressed closed. They had stopped swinging now, Nicky picking his and Joe's entwined hand. He kissed each of Joe's knuckles as they looked into each other's eyes, the world around them falling away like the snow that was beginning to drop from the dark sky. 

The air became more and more misty as the snow fell and Andy watched them through the evening, talking, laughing and playing with each other's hands, Nicky's fingers pulling the rings of Joe's fingers and sliding them onto his own. And Andy knew, she knew that they would be okay. Because not only were they safe but they were happy. Together.