مخلص له

booker is already awake , has been for hours. sometimes he’d rather not shut his eyes at all rather than jolt from his bed in a jolt with the risk of waking everyone up . every night its the same . he sees her , he feels her die and die again but he doesn’t bother telling anyone about it . its too painful for them so he bears the burden on his own  and he has for a very long time . 

the frenchman finds himself smoking on the veranda , elbows leaning against the stone wall as his gaze fixates on the rolling waves in the distance . as safe houses go , this might be one of his favorites . booker can hear him coming up behind him but he doesn’t move . just the fact that a cigarette is in his hand will tell the story of a troubled mind since its the only time he picks up the habit . 

he speaks but he isn’t sure what triggers the reaction . they both are up at this hour and he knows its for reasons they can’t hope to convey properly . ❝  thank you , i’m not sure how long i’m going to stay . but a night or a couple . i appreciate this . you guys are insufferable , but you’re family . i’ll deal . ❞ its late but he pulls the flask from the inside of his coat and takes a swig before offering it over . sometimes its really the only way he could find the way to sleep .

A fond smile has the corners of Joe’s eyes squinting as he dips his head in a nod. “Thank you. I think.” The moon reflecting off the water holds his gaze for now. It’s easy to imagine the stars and the water meet where it turns into black. “Same for you, too. Completely insufferable but I wouldn’t trade you for the world.” His smile twists into a smirk. “An amazing yacht to disappear on might be hard to turn down. But the world? Definitely not.”

Bare toes curl against the stone floor. “Stay as long as you want. It’s nice having you around.” He knows Booker. Knows what that cigarette in hand, the lack of sleep and the still faint smell of expensive scotch lingering on his breath means. They all have their nights that play out in their own version of horrid coping mechanisms. Or lack thereof. 

@bcck​​ || action meme: part 2 || accepting!

9. finding a forgotten treasure

They have been tasked with the pleasure of eliminating their mark. Brazil. Deep in the rainforests where acres upon acres of land is being lost each day. To human greed and precious resources deemed expendable without the foresight to plan for generations to come that will suffer for the current one’s ignorance. What lies underneath for those villages that are brought to their knees at the unforgiving forks of bulldozers and the men who drive forward without worry is a fate far darker than humanity, as a whole, is willing to acknowledge. 

What becomes of those forgotten faces? Tribes that have existed, unknown, for millennia? Discovered and mowed down mercilessly in the name of commercialism. Barely without a grave to shelter their bodies and comfort their souls. Whole towns disappear. Yet families are missing members. Not all have died. Women, children. Their screams deafened to the dead ears of their fathers, brothers, husbands. There is profit.. No one misses the unknown. Until the “wrong person” does.

And then they do, too. 

Their job is finished. Clean and precise. In the time it takes them to erase those with guns and little morals, the foundation their marks have built their empire upon is crumbling. Their message has planted a seed. Fear. And it’s one that blossoms quickly. Now..? Now they have TIME. Nicky and Andy have accepted the challenge. A lost city their destination. Paititi. Whoever reaches it first? Bragging rights barely touches the pay off.

Three days and nothing. Deeper and deeper into the trees they go. Skirting around voices speaking a language they do not understand because it’s never left where it began. Through abandoned places that get their hearts being fast and only turn out to be ghosts. It’s well past morning on the fourth day when Joe spots something ahead. A glimmer of muddied gold. Splotches of it beyond the trees. Buildings that are darkened shapes behind leaves. But, oh, they want to shine and they do. In glittery sparks that steal his breath.

@deepwcb​ || action meme: part 2 || accepting!

3. waking from a nightmare

Her second yelp drew him out into the living room. Where she fell asleep on the sofa earlier. Nicky’s concern had him trailing after Joe and stopping just short of the end of the hallway. Both exchanged a glance, no words needed as Nicky went to make them something to eat. He kneels beside her before taking a seat on the hardwood floor. Knees bent up, one arm wrapped loose around his shin. The other closest to her? Reaches up and gently pushes her hair back from her face while steeling himself for any reaction she might have. Including socking him.

@serenitysought​  || comforting edition starters || accepting!

“I’m right here. And I’m not going anywhere.”

The aftermath of battle comes rushing in when least expected. Bits and pieces that get trampled across without realizing they were there. Like little broken shards of a shattered glass not completely swept up. Eventually? You’ll discover them eventually. Some can be plucked up, tossed away as if nothing. Others are sharp enough to stab and leave you bleeding.  (even if they don’t bleed for long, the pain’s still there)  Joe’s moment came by a benign jester. Paul’s instance on snapping his seatbelt regardless of the fact no crash would kill either of them. The strap against his chest and waist, the click of metal clasping into hard plastic casing.

Pinned against the seat with the slightest pressure. An image pops into his mind bright and vivid enough to make the sterile smell of alcohol and cleaning supplies overwhelm his nose.  It’s not himself he sees but Nicky. Doing his best not to give into the pain of pieces of himself being cut and chipped away. His beautiful face struggling to remain placid and uncaring but Joe can see the pain in his eyes. The barest wrinkle of their corners. How his heart monitor picks up speed and his breath hitches.

Their comforting jokes, the stupidity of their situation, the laughter that’s a balm to soothe nerves and communicate on a level no one understands is gutted in those moments. Himself? Powerless to help an oblivious that the same is being done to him. Fingers curl against his mouth, elbow propped on the door and jutting out into the open air of the road. He flings the contraption off and feels careful fingers reach for his shoulder. Sea blue eyes full of concern capture his as he struggles to stay on the surface.

@nicknamedrook​ || comforting edition starters || accepting!

“Do you need a hug?”

Fingertips press into a bicep as Joe sits thinking over the details of the meeting ended not more than a few minutes ago. Front teeth idly bite and chew at a tiny sliver of his bottom lip pinched between them. Her voice breaks him out of his concentration. Tugs him towards glancing up at her with a dawning realization of what his entire being is exuding with the slouch and his expression. Her question makes him more aware of it. He’s quick to let the tension ease from his shoulders right after. A wobbly but warm smile follows suit.

@miseretenue​​ || comforting edition starters || accepting!

“You’re not alone in this.“

It’s in the dead hours of the night that Joe ends up stirring awake. No violent nightmares. No shock upon eyes swinging open. Only a mind half-restless and a body that refuses to tolerate it anymore by stealing away his sleep. A palm rests against his face and his sigh runs warm down the inside of his arm. After a quick press of lips to the softly breathing Nicky’s, he’s carefully out of bed and intent upon going to make himself warm to drink to ease himself back to rest.

In the kitchen is where he sees him. A shadow standing out on the veranda of the stone home they’ve taken refuge in. The smell of the sea wafts in through billowing curtains and rustles the dust enough to make the scent feel, strangely, like home. Shoulders slouched, Booker doesn’t turn to face him. Joe thinks nothing of it when he sets the kettle down upon black iron and a dancing, blue flame. A quiet query. Why is he awake? What’s on his mind?

likes encouraged but please do not reblog!

joe and helping not only humans.

if joe feels safe and that they are going to be in one place for a while. that he’s ready to let his guard down (as much as he does) and live a ‘normal’ life? indulge in that quiet? he’s very prone to being a soft heart towards lost animals they come across. or who happen upon the places they are staying. he loves finding spots with large open doors, windows, etc. it’s not uncommon for a stray cat, dog, bird to find it’s way towards a small bowl of food or a bit of seeds hanging from a feeder while he’s milling about.

if the animal is in need of assistance? he is more than skilled in the means to help. bind broken bones, stitches, fetch medicine if they need it. why not extend a hand and help the animal along until they can find it a home? though the longer they stay and the more he is attached to one he’s helped, he is less urgent in the task. 

often donating to the vet or person who takes him in, it’s something small he feels he can do but still make the world of a difference. for a pet. and possibly someone lonely. or a family missing one piece to their puzzle. 

@praeludio (nicky) || action meme: part 2 || accepting!

6. hearing their full name

Even after a millennia has passed between them, Joe hasn’t always been INNOCENT of having his own means of stirring up their pot. This one? Happens to come in the form of a sleeping ball of white fur that’s managed to curl up on Nicky’s side of the bed. SBound leg obscured from view by the mountain of hair on top. Shedding, drooling and who knows what else as it slept peacefully after getting a full belly of a roast that he’d been cooking for the better part of the day. 

Yet, he doesn’t say a word as Nicky makes his entrance after two nights spent helping Andy with Nile. Not about the large black as pitch fluffy mutt in their room. Of course there’s the hellos, the I missed you. Kisses exchanged and he listens to Nicky’s footsteps come to an immediate pause in the bedroom doorway. Then he hears his name. Not Joe. Not something poetic and sweet.

Confusion. Did not expect that? Tone bewildered.  That---that was his entire name. Lips fold in together and he dries his hands off with the towel hooked on the stove handle. Pivoting on a heel as the footsteps come right back. Brows wrinkle towards one another as hands swing back to curl his fingertips around the lip of the kitchen counter. 

@miseretenue​​ || action meme: part 2 || accepting!

3. waking from a nightmare

Mumbling.Is that what he heard? Joe lifted his head, first looking down at Nicky who was comfortably asleep.  He waited. Ears keen towards the shut door. rom a room that wasn’t Nicky and his. Another noise. Bare feet touch the hardwood floor and one hand swings up to scratch the back of his head. Nicky shifts in bed, naturally moving towards the warm spot he left behind. It’s their nature to seek one another out even in sleep. If they can’t find anything other than scent, smell, warmth? Nothing else is needed for them to wake. Nicky finds enough of him left behind to keep dozing. Words. Jumbled and distant from directly across the hall.