uhm

Getting a pocket watch fixed is a big gesture for Simon.

It belonged to Johnny's father's father. Something the sergeant inherited when his dad passed away, a family heirloom. It means the world to Johnny from the stories he's been told, stories of a child sitting at his Papa's feet as the man explained the mechanics behind a pocket watch and the significance it held, bought for his grandparents' wedding.

It's been broken for years. Johnny mentions getting it repaired often, but he never quite gets around to it. Like the broken cupboard door in Simon's flat, except the gold, scuffed watch holds great significance.

It costs him a pretty penny to get something so old fixed; he's told it's a delicate task by the man who accepts the request, and Simon takes him at his word because what the fuck does he know? He just wants it repaired and done so quickly.

He doesn't make a scene when he hands it over to Johnny; in fact, he doesn't utter a word. He slides it across the table as they eat moderately burnt chicken.

Johnny's face flicks through a rapid cycle of emotions before landing on confusion, before he thinks to open the watch. His breath hitches in time with the hands ticking. For a scarce moment, Simon thinks he's about to burst into tears.

"Ye fixed it?"

If Simon were feeling particularly assholish, he'd fall into a spiel about how he didn't fix it; he simply took it to someone who could.

"Yeah."

Johnny runs his fingers across the casing, and Simon knows what lies underneath his thumb. The initials engraved read WM, William MacTavish. Or, as Simon knows him from the tales and photographs, Papa.

"Ye sappy big bugger."

Nik knew he'd never been "on the dating scene". His first love was the service, and it was only usurped by Nik when John realised the yawning chasm in his soul couldn't be filled with violence. Nik had gladly taken up his place in that abyss and he had filled it, like he had always been destined to be there. Hopeless romantic, you say? Well, of course.

"An' then, she text me three weeks later and asked why I'd given up the chase. Girl, you told me you weren't feelin' it and spent our entire final date on your phone," Gaz said, exasperated. "I ain't bein' your next viral TikTok. I'm not a bloody mind reader."

"Aye, that's rough," Soap murmured, pausing to take a swig of his beer. "'Hae I ever telt ye aboot the man I met on Grindr for a quickie?"

Gaz snorted. "Narrow it down for us a bit, Tav..."

"Shut yer pus. Naw, this yin brak intae ma flat when I deployed and slept in ma bed for the hale week. Wore ma clothes and everythin'."

Rudy's eyes widened. "Qué va..."

John blew out a puff of grey smoke and cleared his throat before leaning across to Nik. "Fanks for savin' me. I fink I woulda been eaten alive."

Nik hummed in agreement.

John continued. "If you go before me, I'm stayin' on my own. Maybe invest in a dog. You've set the bar too fuckin' high, mate."

There was only snow, and darkness, and freezing wind that whipped into the marrow of his bones.

Frozen fingers made a futile attempt to move against the will of joints screaming for relief as he adjusted his grip on the rifle in his hands.

He squinted at the endless blanket of black stretching beyond the meager shelter his foxhole provided. What little the snow illuminated was wreathed in eerie blue that warped the trees into faces twisted in sneers that stared, and stared, and stared—

Nikolai blinked.

No wonder men went mad in these woods.

He was surely well on his way there to join his comrades.

He wondered if the faceless soldiers standing sentinel beside what was sure to be his grave knew the answer. If they had been like him once.

If they were waiting.

...He dared not ask.

Nikolai tipped his head back to try and find a glimmer of light beyond the canopy of drea–trees above him. Branches of glittering frost swam in his vision, starlight shining bright and silver somewhere far, far away out of his reach.

His gaze shifted towards the moon's blue halo. The sight of it stirred something deep in his chest, a memory of someone maybe, and he smiled.