#merricks

🐻Animals Asia

For any other couple, any other people for that matter, that wouldn’t sound so bad. But not every couple met on opposite sides of the Crusades in 1099, killed each other many times, struggled with the guilt of being in love with another man and of the people you’ve been taught to hate no less. Not every couple can say they’ve been together for over 900 years, a relationship lasting across a millennium, to the point where they’re so perfectly in tune to every aspect of the other. Now, once you’ve been in love for someone you develop certain habits that perhaps you didn’t have before. Sharing a single look speaks a million words to you but means nothing to anybody else. A small brush to the shoulder to remind the other that you’re there. Ankles tangled under the table. A tired head-bonk when you don’t have the energy for anything more. Nile hasn’t known them for long; she never got the chance to get to know them as their usual selves. Already she feels a connection to them though, the passionate and talkative lines of Joe and the sweet, kind lines of Nicky. And already she can see just how much they mean to each other, yet it was only expressed in few words. That made it all the more beautiful to watch though, how after all these years they didn’t need a lot to let each other know that they loved each other. “Is everything alright with you and Joe?” Nile asks one morning. Nicky is leaning over a frying pan, making everyone a breakfast to wake up to. He was thoughtful like that, though perhaps to him it was only out of necessity. He hums and asks her to elaborate. “I don’t mean to intrude or anything,” Nile says quickly. “I just… I just noticed that you haven’t really talked as much. Or touched.” Nicky doesn’t take his eyes off the food as he answers, “Trust me, we’ve touched.” She frowns, “What? I- Oh - No! That wasn’t supposed to be a sex thing, Nicky! I don’t want to know about you’re sex lives-” “I apologise, Nile,” Nicky laughs. It’s light and breezy and carefree in its cadence, and Nile can only smile sheepishly. “I couldn’t resist. Joe is usually worse with the innuendos though.” “I see,” Nile trails off. “Maybe I shouldn’t have even been worried.” Nicky looks up at her then, one hand still stirring the ingredients of the pan. “No, no, its sweet. Truth be told, I think things have been different since Merrick’s.” “Do you want to talk about it?” Nile asks. “There’s not too much to say. Joe is angry, that’s most likely obvious. At Booker, at Merrick, at Kozak and Keane, at Andy’s mortality. I don’t think I’ve seen him this angry in a long time,” Nicky says. It’s tinted with a little bit of emotion, though what it was, Nile can’t tell. Sadness, maybe, regret, guilt, anger of his own: the weight of it sounds foreign in his voice. She decided immediately that she hates it. “The experiments in the lab were just awful,” Nicky explains lightly, sensitively. “I can tell he’s shaken up by that too. I don’t like seeing him like this.” “Where is he now?” Nile says. While she was speaking, Nicky had transferred the contents of the pan onto a plate. Nile looks down and sees the delicious-looking omelette, complimenting him on his culinary skills. He looks sheepishly pleased at that, accepting his own seat at the table opposite her. “I think he left for a walk to clear his head,” Nicky informs her. “You think?” The corners of his lips turn down, “He was gone when I woke up.” “I’m sorry,” Nile says sincerely. “Nothing to be sorry for,” He replies with the same lightness as before, despite his words. “He gets like this, sometimes. It’s nothing we haven’t worked through before.” “You two are lucky,” She says before she can stop herself. “To have someone who loves you as much as you two love each other. It’s cute.” Nicky smiles up at her, “I’ll be sure to tell Joe you think that way. It might make him smile.” Nicky would do anything to make Joe smile, Nile realises.

(tommy is my favourite - i want him to be around to be a sweetheart to robert and aaron and their children, and then loom over people when they threaten robert. aaron would be like FINALLY. i want sandy to come back and slap everyone who dares speak out of turn about robert, and i want louise to be robert’s bff and the niece and uncle causing a ruckus even though she’s older than him lmao)

That’s cute! I love Zack’s parents. They’ve always been so supportive. 🥹 I think it definitely means something if Cara made the mom post!

RIP BERND

RIP BERND

RIP BERND