#after!solovetsky

Adler did not think he would have a trying day today, with working on these files constantly for the past few weeks to catch Perseus, he was hoping for a small reprieve. At least away from the affect of that man and to the free world and taking up all his time and mind. Only once he finally gets home, locking the door behind him and calling out for you does he find you groaning and singing a nonsensical song about puzzles in Russian on the couch, all limbs everywhere and head nodding offbeat to your song and smelling like how he imagines Russians always smell when they’re not being intent on destroying the free world.

He sighed with lips quirked, walking up to you.

“What happened to you while I was out?” He noticed a note on the coffee table, seeing it was signed by Park that they had an outing and Bell went a little overboard with her and Rivas since it’s been some time they met up with one another. He chuckled, amused before dropping the note and squatting by your form with your eyes closed and hands moving like a conductor, his lips forming an affectionate smirk. “Come on, Bell. Let’s get to bed.”You blinked, blearily before tipping your head exaggeratedly towards him and squinting.

“Mmmm. . . ‘m not tired. You go,” you waved your hand at him in a shooing motion sloppily before it falling back to your stomach like dead weight. “дерьмо,” you cursed in Russian, the der’mo in a slur. “Heavy arm.”

You did go overboard today. You usually could handle the liquor.

“Come on,” he said encouragingly. “The bed would be more comfortable. I can count on it.”

“Mmmm. . .” You nodded. “Okayyyy.” You sat up, a little shakily. Adler moved to grab you to take you to the bed instead but you moved his hand away and shaking your head, muttering that you got this as you stood up with a slight wobble before moving to the stairs. Him behind you to make sure you don’t fall and ready to catch if needed.

Once they reached the bedroom they’ve been sharing the past year since you came back from your time in MI6. A wise decision in the end. You needed to keep your distance just like he had to. And not just from the CIA either.

“It was never personal.”

This is not the fucking day to think about this right now, Adler took off his jacket and began changing to sleep wear as you went inside their bathroom. Perhaps doing it a little roughly as he took off his shades, glaring at them before pinching the bridge of his nose and placing the glasses on the nightstand. He looked over to the bathroom and headed downstairs quickly. Can’t have Bell wake up too bad. Although it seems we both might be fucked up.

He came back with a glass of water and aspirin with some crackers, seeing you were still in the bathroom and placed the items on your side of the bed atop the table.

You were probably having trouble due to your state, Adler realized as he slightly mussed his hair before moving to stand up to knock only for you open the door, your own nightwear on being a white slip. When you still didn’t move from the door and only seemed to stare at him in bewilderment at his half naked form, he moved to lay down with an inviting smirk as he patted the empty space next to him.

“Nothing you haven’t seen before, sweetheart. Let’s go. I promise I’ll stay with you tomorrow to help you recover from the shitty hangover you’ll have. Sorry I couldn’t come sooner today, you know how it is.” When you still didn’t move and just furrowed your brows at the nickname of sweetheart, he decided to change tactics as he sat against the headboard. “I can call ahead tomorrow to have the next two days off if you want and not just tomorrow. Go see that movie that came out—what was it? Star Trek? Star Battle? Whichever one. I can use a break myself from all this.”

You raised your hands, motioning them back and forth in denial as you frowned.

“You’re handsome and all but no thanks.”

Adler blinked, slowly. Assessing. Came up blank.

“What?”

You moved to the foot of the bed, looking at the ground with a focus you have only for decryption as you answered.

“ ’m doin’ those thiiiings with the most handsomesssst man on the planet. моя любовь,” moy lyubov you said lovingly in a sigh.

You are completely out of it, Adler observed, his smirk forming into an amused fond smile as he leaned his head against his hand as he laid back on the bed and watched you gather extra blankets and placing them on the floor.

“Alright,” he said, he’s sure if you were sober you would hear his smug tone and call him out on it but you only did a distracted noise as you bunched blankets and towels down there. “I’ll bite. What makes him so better than what you have right here?”

It was as if a light was switched, you perking up with arms filled with blankets as you bunched them to your chest, eyes bright.

“Where to start?” You asked yourself, a smile on your face that made his eyes soften looking at you but his smug amusement did not fade. Your words continued to slur or you having to start back up again as you spoke. “His hair. It bounces like a мяч in the play place—play ground. Up and down when he nods or just—moves his head a kind of way. Like having it’s own разум. It’s so soft when I touch it—like wheat or melted snow because he’s slowly getting gray hair. I don’t tell him that.”

He’s not dyeing his hair. But the fact you don’t seem to mind the physical affect of his age made his chest warm as you kept going, putting a hand to your cheek.

“And his eyes. His blue, deep, strong eyes.” You practically squealed, hiding your face with the blanket and giggling as he chuckled with you at your innocent excitement. You peeked your eyes from under the blanket, your voice slightly muffled due to the blanket. “красивая. The most beautiful one’s I’ve ever seen. I could drown in those eyes and I would be okay with it when I first saw them, they’re so красивая—beautiful. Pretty. He always wears these ah—eh—the word. очки? оттенки? No—um, oh! Sunglasses!”

Your eyes lit in realization, moving to sit on the chest in front of the bed as you went on with adoration in your eyes that Adler doesn’t know whether to warm at or get uncomfortable just how much there was in your eyes for a man like him. After what he did. His eyes took a far off look as you stared down at the blankets on your lap.

“He covered them a lot. I always. . . wanted to see. He did it for a reason. So I couldn’t see. Even though I think he knew I wanted to.” You sighed, your lips than turning sad and Adler is getting a growing suspicion of why you drank so much today. “It took some время, but I saw them. But that’s not all—“

“You don’t gotta keep going, kid.” There it was. Guilt. “Come here. I’ll call tomorrow. I’ve been away from you too—“

You just went on like he didn’t even speak.

“мой Рассел.” You said in a breath, the Russian way you spoke his name always making him stop whatever he was doing and look at you. This was no different as he moved to sit up on the bed. “He’s—he’s a good man. He doesn’t think so, моя любовь.” Even the way you said “my love” kept his attention as you went on softy. “He does a lot. Makes me—has me—makes sure I’m safe. And I feel safe with him. Despite. . .” You stopped, frowning as you stared down at the blankets. Adler stayed where he was, rooted to the spot. He’s not sure he’s even breathing. “The world. It takes a lot from him. The world needs to be safe too. But he. . . he balances a lot. His work. Me. His work and me at once. Everyone always takes from him but when can he—he needs breaks too. I—“

You stopped, blinking as you looked around once more with watery eyes compared to before. Quickly standing up it almost made you fall over as you darted your eyes everywhere and having him sit in attention.

“Bell? What’s—“

“мой Рассел!” You said loudly, eyes meeting his. Filled with water yet determination and love he doesn’t deserve after everything but you give freely because they’re both insane apparently. “He needs me. I need to find him. It’s late and he’ll be worried and he’ll be alone again and I’ll be alone without him again and I—“

He stood up, walked up to you and tugged to him in one fell swoop. Wrapping his arms around your shaking desperate form as he shushed you quietly. His skin was gathering wetness but he doesn’t care, but you seem to as you shook your head and pushed him away and telling him you can’t cause you have Russell and he’ll be sad and you love him too much for him to be sad.

He pulled back a tad, grabbing your hand on his bare chest before going to the scar on his shoulder with a wry smirk he didn’t quite feel. Your fingers on the slightly concave part of his skin in a shape of a hole.

“It’s me, kid.”

You crinkled your brows, staring at the scar as you touched it gently. Softly. Pressing and grazing and your touch bringing chills to his spine but he did not move as he stared down at you.

You moved your reddened eyes towards his, connecting as your eyes widened. Relief.

“Russell!” You darted forward, wrapping your arms around him as you nuzzled him. Him taking a slight step back due to how strong you moved forward, but wrapping his arms around you just as strongly. Bringing you as close as possible as he put his chin to your head. You kept nuzzling him as if you could breathe and he could feel your smile despite having his chest hair in your face. “I missed you.”

He moved to put his mouth to your neck, giving it a soft kiss before taking in your scent.

“I missed you too, sweetheart.”

You pulled back a bit, putting a hand to his scarred cheek as you thumbed it lovingly as you stared at him the same way. He did not think such a look would make himself soften yet get a pang within.

You frowned for a split second at his subtly stricken eyes before giving him a comforting peck to his lips.

“What’s wrong?” You questioned.

Adler’s lips formed into a sarcastic smile.

“Just that you’re too good for me.”

“No,” you say, smiling softly at him as you rugged him to bed like he wasn’t trying to do the same to you earlier. “I think we’re in the same place in terms of good.”

Adler chuckled, you not letting go of his hand as you went to your side and he went to his before you placed your head on his shoulder and nuzzled once more, humming in content. You moved a hand to his shoulder with the bullet wound scar just as he had a hand of yours in your left shoulder.

“Glad you recognize me and it took the matching shitty scars we gave each other.”

You made a noise in the back of your throat, distracted.

“I’ll never not know it’s you, моя любовь.”

Adler laughed at that, making him shake and you pout as he did it before he quieted and pulled you to be on top as you squealed. You giggling happily and adoringly as you had your chin on his chest and had your shining eyes on him. Only him. Always him.

He leaned up to kiss you, you opening easily for him as he tasted you slowly. Reverently. The kiss saying everything he wishes to say but the words always stuck in his throat. You always knew though, as you put a hand to the hair you love so much and weaved your fingers through it.

He pulled away, gazing up at you as he rubbed your back in an up and down motion. You closing your eyes with a sigh as you laid your cheek against him to get comfortable, your body relaxed on top of him.

“We’re going to see a movie tomorrow.” You made a noise to show you were listening as he brought his lips to your head, grazing it as he spoke and giving it a peck. “After you recover though. Promise me you won’t drink like this again, Bell. I’ll see what I can do to not be away from you long.”

You lifted your head groggily, blinking slowly in confusion.

“I didn’t. . . didn’t drink because you’re always working. That’s stupid.”

Perhaps he was wrong than. It still doesn’t add up though. At his questioning look, you moved your eyes to the side and away. Before looking back at him and putting a hand to his scarred cheek.

“Don’t be sad.” You say and Adler already expects the worst. Was it the nightmares he gave you? It was hard at first to calm you when they decided to move in together, but you eventually always did if he shushed you and grabbed you to go on top of him. The irony not lost on him that only he could make you feel safe again. “I. . . the voices were loud today.”

It didn’t take long for Adler to connect it. The affects of MK-Ultra still affecting you, some days harsher than others. Today must’ve been bad if you got this far.

You kissed him before he could ask, a press of the lips to calm and to soothe. Of forgiveness and devotion.

You pulled away and you pressed your forehead against his.

“I’m okay now. I have мой красивый Рассел with me.”

Adler doesn’t think you will ever be okay. But he won’t ever be either. An insane couple meant for each other. So he just smirked up at you as he cocked a brow at you, hand behind his head.

“The handsomest?”

You huffed and kissed him instead in answer. And he met you. He’ll always meet you.

He’ll do whatever it takes for that.

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I can write fluff too. Don't worry! But some sadness is the standard with these two.

I have other works in my plans besides finishing For Whom the Bell Tolls, just be patient with that. Hope you guys enjoy!

Sorry if Adler was a little off here, did my best with his POV.