[I sincerely hope someone writes the super-sexy ovary-exploding man-handling version of this prompt, but in the meantime, I offer crack.]
-------
If it weren’t for Nicky’s decades as a sniper, he might have tensed or lowered his binoculars. Instead, he took a steady breath and said, “Code Pink.”
Joe froze beside him on the small tattered sofa they’d set just inside the third-story window for surveillance.
“Shit,” Andy cursed from the cafe across the street. With any luck, she’d had the forethought to lift her mostly empty coffee cup to hide her mouth. “Fuck. Now? Where?”
Nicky didn’t stop his search for the target, but Joe brushed against him in the familiar motions of removing his headset and scooping up his own binoculars.
“I see it,” Joe said. “200 meters to your left, boss.”
“Nicky, keep scanning for the target. Joe, eyes on the Code Pink,” Andy snapped. Neither of them pointed out they were already doing that. Code Pink’s were stressful for everyone. “Booker, where are you?”
“In the little art gallery,” Booker said, bewildered. That was where he was supposed to be.
“I’m still with him, if you’re asking,” Nile said. “What’s a Code Pink?”
Andy ignored her. “Quynh?”
“At the fountain.” Quynh’s voice had a trace of amusement Nicky wasn’t sure Booker and Nile would catch. “No sign of the target.”
“Everyone stay ready,” Andy ordered. Nicky let his methodical search pattern trace over her and found she’d been quick enough to lift her phone to her ear as cover. “This could be our only window to plant a bug on him.”
“Code Pink’s moving toward the ice cream parlor,” Joe reported. “275 meters to your left. Quynh’s closer now.”
“Ice cream?” Nile asked, “What—?”
“I have eyes on target,” Nicky said. “Approaching from the Southeast and closing on Nile and Booker’s position.”
“Understood.” Nile instantly snapped back into her mission mode. “We’re on it.” “Quynh…” Andy started.
“Under control,” Quynh said, her amusement more obvious this time.
Joe’s free hand swept over Nicky’s knee and squeezed in a way that normally felt comforting, but at least they were on the same page. The milk run portion of this mission was about to go bad.
“Eyes on target,” Booker said. “Closing the distance.”
“Code Pink’s moving,” Joe said. “Fuck. On an intercept course.”
Nicky stayed silent, still tracking the target’s path. He and Joe were too far away to stop the inevitable.
“Eyes on Code Pink.” Quynh was too serene for Nicky’s nerves.
“Approaching target,” Nile said.
“Providing distraction,” Booker said, “in ten, nine — oh look, how cute. Hello, little one. What beautiful curls you— ah!”
Quynh’s shriek burst through the comms like static, and her perfect tackle sent Booker sprawling across the cobblestones. His head hit hard, but she came up shouting.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out about that woman? My father told me not to trust you, but I told him he was wrong, and now—” She sounded close to tears. “How could you?”
“Come on, Book,” Andy murmured. “Fight back.”
“Quynh.” Booker pushed up on his elbow and switched to Greek. “What was that? That wasn’t the plan.”
“I loved you!” Quynh shouted before switching to Greek as well. “You’re absolutely dreadful at this.”
“A little warning would’ve helped! Am I bleeding?”
After living with various combinations of these people for so long, it was easy for Nicky to tune out their shouting and focus on the mission.
The target skirted around the growing crowd, brushed past Nile, and continued down the street.
“Success,” Nile rushed to say in a gap between the shouting.
“Going dark,” Nicky said and Joe echoed him, neither caring if the others heard. They’d figure it out eventually.
Nicky set his binoculars and earpiece aside and twisted to drop his forehead to Joe’s shoulder. Joe pressed a dry kiss against the top of his head.
“We did it,” Joe murmured in his hair.
“It was closer than it should’ve been.”
“Yeah, but Booker didn’t get all the way to the child, and Nile didn’t blow the mission distracted with his…”
Nicky shuddered, “Dad Vibes, she calls them.”
Joe snorted and pulled him closer. “And if those seconds of contact were enough to make Nile jump him at the safehouse, maybe they’ll be finished by the time we rendezvous.”
The tension of the close call leeched out of Nicky’s shoulders, and he rolled his head to meet Joe’s eyes. “What will we do in the meantime?”
Joe’s grin said exactly how he hoped to spend the hour before they could safely leave the building.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Book of Nile; Booker cannot be within 10 ft of a child if Nile is present.....
Date: 2020-11-11 03:45 am (UTC)[I sincerely hope someone writes the super-sexy ovary-exploding man-handling version of this prompt, but in the meantime, I offer crack.]
-------
If it weren’t for Nicky’s decades as a sniper, he might have tensed or lowered his binoculars. Instead, he took a steady breath and said, “Code Pink.”
Joe froze beside him on the small tattered sofa they’d set just inside the third-story window for surveillance.
“Shit,” Andy cursed from the cafe across the street. With any luck, she’d had the forethought to lift her mostly empty coffee cup to hide her mouth. “Fuck. Now? Where?”
Nicky didn’t stop his search for the target, but Joe brushed against him in the familiar motions of removing his headset and scooping up his own binoculars.
“I see it,” Joe said. “200 meters to your left, boss.”
“Nicky, keep scanning for the target. Joe, eyes on the Code Pink,” Andy snapped. Neither of them pointed out they were already doing that. Code Pink’s were stressful for everyone. “Booker, where are you?”
“In the little art gallery,” Booker said, bewildered. That was where he was supposed to be.
“I’m still with him, if you’re asking,” Nile said. “What’s a Code Pink?”
Andy ignored her. “Quynh?”
“At the fountain.” Quynh’s voice had a trace of amusement Nicky wasn’t sure Booker and Nile would catch. “No sign of the target.”
“Everyone stay ready,” Andy ordered. Nicky let his methodical search pattern trace over her and found she’d been quick enough to lift her phone to her ear as cover. “This could be our only window to plant a bug on him.”
“Code Pink’s moving toward the ice cream parlor,” Joe reported. “275 meters to your left. Quynh’s closer now.”
“Ice cream?” Nile asked, “What—?”
“I have eyes on target,” Nicky said. “Approaching from the Southeast and closing on Nile and Booker’s position.”
“Understood.” Nile instantly snapped back into her mission mode. “We’re on it.”
“Quynh…” Andy started.
“Under control,” Quynh said, her amusement more obvious this time.
Joe’s free hand swept over Nicky’s knee and squeezed in a way that normally felt comforting, but at least they were on the same page. The milk run portion of this mission was about to go bad.
“Eyes on target,” Booker said. “Closing the distance.”
“Code Pink’s moving,” Joe said. “Fuck. On an intercept course.”
Nicky stayed silent, still tracking the target’s path. He and Joe were too far away to stop the inevitable.
“Eyes on Code Pink.” Quynh was too serene for Nicky’s nerves.
“Approaching target,” Nile said.
“Providing distraction,” Booker said, “in ten, nine — oh look, how cute. Hello, little one. What beautiful curls you— ah!”
Quynh’s shriek burst through the comms like static, and her perfect tackle sent Booker sprawling across the cobblestones. His head hit hard, but she came up shouting.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out about that woman? My father told me not to trust you, but I told him he was wrong, and now—” She sounded close to tears. “How could you?”
“Come on, Book,” Andy murmured. “Fight back.”
“Quynh.” Booker pushed up on his elbow and switched to Greek. “What was that? That wasn’t the plan.”
“I loved you!” Quynh shouted before switching to Greek as well. “You’re absolutely dreadful at this.”
“A little warning would’ve helped! Am I bleeding?”
After living with various combinations of these people for so long, it was easy for Nicky to tune out their shouting and focus on the mission.
The target skirted around the growing crowd, brushed past Nile, and continued down the street.
“Success,” Nile rushed to say in a gap between the shouting.
“Going dark,” Nicky said and Joe echoed him, neither caring if the others heard. They’d figure it out eventually.
Nicky set his binoculars and earpiece aside and twisted to drop his forehead to Joe’s shoulder. Joe pressed a dry kiss against the top of his head.
“We did it,” Joe murmured in his hair.
“It was closer than it should’ve been.”
“Yeah, but Booker didn’t get all the way to the child, and Nile didn’t blow the mission distracted with his…”
Nicky shuddered, “Dad Vibes, she calls them.”
Joe snorted and pulled him closer. “And if those seconds of contact were enough to make Nile jump him at the safehouse, maybe they’ll be finished by the time we rendezvous.”
The tension of the close call leeched out of Nicky’s shoulders, and he rolled his head to meet Joe’s eyes. “What will we do in the meantime?”
Joe’s grin said exactly how he hoped to spend the hour before they could safely leave the building.