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In the dreams, it always started out nicely.
Andy had forgotten a lot of things in her six-millennia long life – the faces, the places, heck, even her own name she cannibalized from her sketchy memory after a particularly lucky asshole stabbed her through the head somewhere in the Balkans during the Ottoman invasion back in 1400’s.
She couldn’t forget those that were like her, though.
They had wormed their way into the most hidden corners of her mind, seared themselves until there was no way she could forget them, be it good or bad, and they rarely didn’t star in her dreams.
Quynh was in that regards no different than the others.
“Hey, you see that?” The other woman pointed excitedly at the west, where only a glimmer of the moon could now be seen in the rosy red rise of the Helios’ chariot. “That’s a good sign, you know? First moon and the sun at the same time in the sky marks the beginning of the new year.”
The clearing they were on was something plain, no trees and endless low-growth greenery – Andy tended to forget the specifics of the locations’ naturaal appeals. What mattered if the flora was beautiful if it wouldn’t lead them anywhere or weren’t edible?
“New year, huh,” Andy snorted, but she also had to admit she liked the sound of the words. New year, starting afresh after that absolute clusterfuck that resulted in losing Lykon… yeah, that sounded good. “Guess I can see the point. Should we go westwards, then? Follow the moon?”
Up until that point, it was mostly a memory – blurry of course, the setting plain enough for Andy to forget everything but the existence of the grass and rocks under her feet.
“West? So eager to get me killed, dearest An-dro-ma-che~” Quynh sing-sang as she turned to face her, and Andy’s throat closed up, the chest viciously pressing down on the rapidly speeding heart.
This… this never happened. Quynh never looked at her like that – like she was the scum, the lowest of the low gracing Mother Earth’s surface.
She never did… before. Before. Before.
“Yes, so eager to hurt yourself… you’re su-uch a masochist An-dro-ma-che,”Quynh stretched out every syllable in the parody of the way Andy caught her how to pronounce her name all those centuries ago. “Then again, you DESERVE IT!”
Andy flinched back, the heel hitting the rock and making her lose her balance. She fell on the ground hard, and Quynh followed, draping herself all over Andy, making sure Andy could see her dark eyes… which were rotting, and leaking fluid that looked disgustingly close to ink .
Andy suppressed her scream of terror.
“Look at me, An-dro-ma-che… am I pretty?” Quynh cooed, her beautiful black hair she had always been proud of fall around them… the hair that was filled with algae, dripping with salt water and strewn everywhere. “Am I still pretty?”
Andy woke up with a silent scream lodged in her throat.
Years of practice allowed her to silence her own screaming: she knew how lightly her fellow immortals slept. She still checked, just to be safe: Joe and Nicky were cuddling together, the love birds that they were, in one bed, and deeply asleep, Booker..
Booker’s not here, you idiot, Andy scolded herself. You exiled him for the treason.
It was a rational decision; hell, even the time she’d given him, a hundred years, wasn’t too bad.
That only left -
“Bad dream?”
Nile was sitting on the couch in the improvised living room, nursing a cup of something steaming – probably coffee, but Andy had seen Joe hooking her on the black tea, so it could also be that. The basement of the decrepit building they were currently in, somewhere bum-fuck-nowhere in Normandy Nicky had discovered right after the Operation Overlord finished, had curtains as dividers to give some illusion of privacy and division of space – the only place where they were actually used were in the showers though, so Andy could clearly see Nile and vice versa.
“More like a dream,” Andy shuffled out of the bed, careful not to run into any stray object that could make a sound and wake Joe and Nicky, and all but zombie-walked to the pot on the stove. Coffee, thank fuck. “I don’t dream all that often nowadays. Not enough memories left.”
“M-hm,” Nile made a noise of agreement. “Book – he told me a bit. How the memories quickly fade.”
“They do,” Andy nodded, feeling a light stab of jealousy as she recalled the photo of the grinning Nile and her mother on Nile’s phone. Shaking her head to bat the feeling away, she poured herself a cup of coffee – no longer piping hot, but still warm enough not to be disgusting – and took a sip. “Brain recovers quickly, but some damage always remains. I mean, don’t even recall my name perfectly.”
“Whoa, whoa, wait,” Nile sat up straighter, voice pitching up higher but keeping the volume down, “you don’t remember your name? ”
“No,” Andy’s lips lifted up in a smile that was anything but sincere. “Andromache did sound close enough, so I adopted it.”
“Damn,” Nile said with a feeling, startling Andy. Was it such a big deal to their newbie? “I’d hate not knowing my name. Names are important, y’know? Not being a random string of letters and numbers and whatnot.”
She stood up from her chair, leaving the mug at the side, walked up to Andy and nearly squeezed the life out of the older woman. She’d been like that ever since Booker left – extra touchy with Andy, constantly watching her spar and train, training on her own as well.
“Nile – can’t breathe -” Andy gasped out a bit louder than what she’d like, but Joe and Nicky were still asleep.
“Sorry, it’s just – it hits me in the gut, you know?” Nile released her, but did not step away, keeping the eye contact. “The names matter, girl.”
The fire in Nile’s eyes reminded Andy uncomfortably of Quynh’s; the way she had breathed the new meaning into Andy’s life, how she made everything seem slightly less hopeless, the days slightly less of a monotone drag.
Oh no, she was not going there again. She’d messed up with Achilles, and with Quynh; third mistake was not to be allowed. Once, it was a mistake; second, was a liability; third time would just be a fucking idiotism.
But by the gods of Olympus, it was so tempting…
Cool down Andy, she scolded herself and took a step back, picking up her cup and taking a decisive sip, effectively ending the conversation. Nile smiled with an indecipherable feeling painted over her face, before she too returned to plop into her seat and sip from her mug.
Andy thought she’d heard a soft curse from Nicky, but when she turned to check on the couple, the pair was still deeply asleep.
Her new mortality was fucking with her brain.
Yeah, that had to be it.
“O santo cielo, she’s impossible,” Nicky complained to Joe as they puttered in the kitchen, stuck with the cooking duty for the week. He was watching the carbonara sauce as it sizzled with one eye, the only thing that he could make with the near-empty fridge while Andy and Nile went for a grocery run.
“Habibi, don’t take it that seriously,” Joe patted his other half on the back, checking on the pasta and stirring it a little to prevent it from sticking to the edges. “They’ll find themselves in their own ways. How many times did we have to kill each other under the Antioch walls before we realized we were meant for each other?”
“It’s annoying, though,” Nicky pouted, which was insanely cute and did so many things to Joe’s heart, he had to give those pouting lips a peck. “Why can’t Boss have everything a bit easier?”
“She wouldn’t be Boss if she took it easy,” Joe smirked and pointed at Nicky with the spatula he used for stirring pasta. “Just remember her alcohol intake.”
“One day, one day , I’ll get her for drinking so much vodka, I swear I will,” Nicky huffed, but now looking decidedly less annoyed. “I don’t care about Scythians being absorbed by the Slavs – who all have ridiculous alcohol tolerance, do you remember Yugoslavia Wars - ”
Joe shuddered and tapped Nicky on the shoulder: stop, please, let’s not go there any further. Nicky winced, and not so smoothly continued.
“- yeah, well, that doesn’t give her an insane alcohol tolerance, and she should stop keep testing it! Maybe now she’ll listen since she can heal as quickly,” he ended in a hopeful voice.
“I think that ship has sailed a long time ago,” Joe snorted and turned back to the pasta pot. In that moment, his ears picked up the noise of the unlocking doors and two female voices arguing.
“Boss and Newbie are back.”
“Oh great, the second round of watching the two idiots pine after one another begins,” Nicky sighed, lowered the heat on the stove and turned around to see the two go in, arguing over… pads versus tampons? Yeah, Joe didn’t want to know details – he knew they existed, and they were effective, and that they stunk to high heaven if not disposed of in time but also clogged toilets if tossed there, and that was all he needed to know, honestly.
Besides, the pasta was done, and Nicky’s sauce also looked done – time to throw in a distraction.
“Welcome back, the food’s almost ready!” Joe shouted at the bickering women, which reduced the noise levels nicely. “Unpack the food while we set the table!”
Andy and Nile abandoned the argument in favor of quickly restocking the fridge; Joe left the final details of pasta carbonara to Nicky and went on to set the table. It used to be Booker’s job, but Booker was chilling his ass somewhere in Holland, last Nile and the rat bastard Copley (Joe had still not completely forgiven him) told them, and no one was about to force Nile into filling in Booker’s spot.
Ah Booker, why couldn’t you listen to us when we told you it was a bad idea to watch your family wither away?
But it was none of Joe’s business – if he could forgive Copley, he was sure that one day, he’ll also completely forgive Booker too. He was a kid still, and kids did stupid things, right?
Nile was ready to throw hands with… someone. Anyone.
Why?
Because Andy was being a stupid, oblivious idiot!
How clear did she have to make the fact she liked her? That she was, surprise surprise, bi and interested in her? Just because they had so much time did not mean she wanted to wait for so goddamn long!
Arggggh!
She punched the hanging sandpag with the little more force than necessary, making the bag creak dangerously as the sand swung back-and-forth, prompting Nicky, who was watching her with interest as she practiced kickboxing, to catch the bag for her.
“You sure you don’t need a spotter, Nile?”
“Nah, it’s okay. Thanks though,” Nile waved the well-meant help. “I need to blow some frustration, and catching the bag is part of the process.”
“Why not spar with someone?” Nicky offered an obvious solution. Unfortunately, just because it was obvious, it didn’t mean it was an easy one.
“Yeah, right – Joe’s busy, you said before you’re not feeling like sparring, and Andy’s drowning her last night’s dream in vodka,” she spat out the last part, shaking her head as she raised her hands, ready to beat the shit out of the bag again.
“Is she?” Something in Nicky’s voice made her lower her guard down and peek from behind the bag.
The Italian man’s face was distorted in a deep-set frown, and his fists were clenched.
“You know, maybe you should challenge her for a spar – will teach her to stop fucking around with alcohol,” Nicky suggested, and the glint in his eyes told Nile that he would not be taking no for an answer. “I’ll back you up.”
“Uh – I’m not sure -” Nile frowned, not really willing to take advantage of the partially drunk person.
“She can fight as long as she’s conscious,” Nicky snorted. “Remind me one day to tell you how she punched out this one American fool in the Greek tavern during Gallipoli, while being dead drunk. Now let’s go, we’ll find our idiot Boss and drag her out of the bottom of the bottle.”
Nicky stomped from the training room over to the common rooms, Nile following in his wake. They found Andy slumped in the same couch Nile had been sitting last night, an alarming amount of vodka missing from the one-liter glass bottle dangling from her hand.
“Boss, wake up!” Nicky didn’t hesitate to slap the eldest in the group. “Time to spar!”
“Whussit?” Andy mumbled, slurring words, and Nile’s fury levels rose up exponentially. “Oh Nick, wha-”
“Get up Boss, newbie needs more training,” Nicky snatched the bottle from Andy’s lax grip, prompting the woman to flail her hands around like dead fish, trying to retake the bottle. “Or do you want me to tell her about the Heliopolis fiasco?”
“Fuck no! If anyone dares to mention Heliopolis, I will personally string you by your guts and leave you to piece yourselves together like that,” Andy shook her head, slurring mostly gone from the words, but the drunk glint did not leave her dark eyes. “You want to get more ass-kicking, Nile?”
“Whoever says you’ll win this time?” Nile returned, sliding her feet backwards as she carefully cataloged the space around them. Andy would definitely have no compunctions over fighting on the concrete – Nile would heal quickly enough – and she didn’t fancy herself fast enough to get to the grass where Andy would be less hurt from Nile’s attacks.
Whatever, though. Few scrapes and fractured bones might just teach Andy the lesson Nicky and Nile were ready to give her.
“On three, Boss, Nile?” Nicky waited for the two to nod. “Two – three!”
Nile instinctively ducked to the left; it saved her from being instantly decked by Andy’s right hook. Quickly slipping to the side, she tried to catch Andy’s outstretched arm and flip her down - Andy read her and danced away, swiping at Nile’s extended ankle. Nile jumped and went for the flying roundhouse kick – it connected with Andy’s shoulder, but she instantly smashed the edge of her palm into Nile’s ankle, fracturing it. Hissing, Nile dropped and rolled, the ankle healing at the rapid rate, but Andy was just as fast – she was on top of the Nile before she could rise, forcing her to kick at Andy’s knees to keep her away.
It didn’t exactly work as planned.
Andy fell down under the pain of bruised patella and femur bone, but she fell down face-first – right on top of Nile, pinning her down and restricting her movements. Nile tried to lash out with the head butt, but Andy kept her head far enough away and pinned her down by the elbows to minimize the leverage.
“Huh, not bad – bit of a poor planning, but you’re getting better,” Andy grinned, and only the lightest smell of vodka floated into Nile’s nostrils – Andy was completely sober. The primary objective was completed.
“I would’ve had you if you hadn’t fallen on me,” Nile groused under her breath, and Andy cackled like a hyena.
“What did you say?” Andy basked in her victory, leaning a bit too close to Nile.
She could’ve taken the cheater’s way here; headbutt Andy, continue the fight, probably get some more of her ass kicked. But Nile was not interested in winning a physical spar – she was interested in something completely different.
Closing her eyes and praying to the Lord for some luck, she managed to lift her upper body and planted a kiss straight on Andy’s lips, before flopping down and waiting for the verdict.
A long few seconds, filled with only silence and the crazy beating of her heart as it was struck by adrenaline not originated from the spar, Andy’s body still pressed far too closely to hers, passed before Nicky whooped.
“Finally! Joe, get your ass here!”
Cracking her eyes open a sliver, Nile found herself face-to-face with the most shocked expression she’d ever seen on Andy: eyes wide, lips slightly parted and still slightly wet from the saliva from Nile’s kiss.
She’d really taken her by surprise, hadn’t she?
“What the actual fuck - ”
“Did they finally get together?” Joe’s voice floated from somewhere close by, probably next to Nicky (not that Nile could determine her position relative to Nicky either, Andy’s strong arms and body was completely blocking her sight). “Please say that they’ve gotten together.”
“You two fuckers, get yourselves out of here this instant! ” Andy roared, eyes still wide open as she released Nile from the pinned-down position. “Go on the date, I don’t even care, just disappear!”
They obeyed her with a speed Nile had only seen before in the cartoon; she swore she had seen a faint cloud of dust behind them as they sped out of the basement and upstairs, leaving Andy and Nile to gaze at each other in an increasingly uncomfortable silence.
“You’re an idiot, girl,” Andy finally said, looking down and away from Nile’s eyes.
“Idiot for what?” Nile crossed her arms. “Wanting something I like? Sorry, I wasn’t aware you were in a monogamous relationship.”
The comment netted Nile a gorgeous sight of Andy choking on her own spit.
“What – no, what the – I will – no, I’m not in a relationship currently,” Andy finally sputtered as she got the words to obey her. “But don’t you realize that I’m currently mortal – or to better phrase it, I’ll die the moment I catch the next pandemic disease? Why would you waste your time -”
“Waste my time?” Nile yelled, unable to control herself anymore. “Why would I waste my time?! Andy, you – you don’t get it, do you? I like you, I want you, and I’m immortal for the next millennia at least – I get to choose what’s the waste of my time, and you’re not it!”
Panting as she finished screaming her heart out, Nile looked at Andy properly again. Her eyes were wide again – but the look in them was different. There was no shock or resignation in them: it was another emotion Nile could not name yet, but looked forward to figuring out with more time together.
“I… are you… are you sure, Nile?” Andy looked so small in that moment, none of the woman that was once worshiped as goddess left in her stance. “I don’t know how much I’ll be able to give.”
“That’s what relationships are for,” Nile rolled her eyes. Honestly, Andy could be so dumb sometimes. “We’ll figure things out as we go – as long as you promise me no more of keeping this type of bullshit quiet. We’ll have a problem then.”
Andy chuckled dryly, still looking a bit lost and shocked, so Nile took the initiative again and glomped her, pressing Andy close to herself.
“Idiot woman,” Nile shook her head, and felt Andy’s body shake in her arms from suppressed laughter.
“An idiot you for some reason like.”
“‘Some reason’, she says,” Nile rolled her eyes, relaxing the grip slightly to look Andy in the eyes. “Stop being so self-deprecating, it’s becoming very annoying, very fast.”
Andy laughed aloud this time, and Nile’s heart soared; she kissed her girlfriend (?) again, and this time, Andy responded, kissing her back.