Work Text:
Joe watched Nile as she idly thumbed through a magazine on the couch across from him. The TV played in the background, adding some noise to the quiet safehouse where they were laying low after their latest job. It was one of their older ones, more an infrequent home than a safehouse, somewhere he and Nicky could keep some of their stuff. Normally around this time in the afternoon, Nile would be training with Andy, but Andy had gone off somewhere.
Nile straightened up and asked, out of the blue, "So, do you have any priceless art hidden somewhere around here too?" The curiosity in her voice made Joe smile.
"Yeah, we actually have a bunch of stuff in the basement that you might like," Nicky answered as he crossed through the living room to the kitchen, hands full with groceries.
She often asked questions about the artists they may have crossed paths with, and the interest she had expressed for some of these historical figures was endearing.
Joe suddenly put down the pencil he was drawing with and beckoned to the youngster, "You know what, let's check it together!".
At the tone in Joe’s voice Nicky's head appeared through the door frame. His gaze met Joe's as he arched a brow, questioningly.
"It's a surprise!" Joe waved him off with a grin.
Nicky looked like he was about to object that he hadn't asked anything, but he quietly disappeared back into the kitchen instead.
"So, what are we looking for?" Nile asked once they got to the basement.
Joe smiled at her. "Don't worry about it, just check out the collection."
"Oh, that's gorgeous... Wait, no way. Is that a Michaelangelo?!"
Nile stared at a painting, mouth agape. Joe barely gave it a look.
"Ugh, yeah..."
He restrained himself from further comments for the benefit of not appearing overly resentful towards the artist.
"What do you mean, ' ugh' ? That's... I can't believe you'all, seriously! Gosh, this one is lovely too..."
She excitedly pulled back some dusty sheets to look at the statues underneath, muttering something about sleeping there while Joe went on an exploration of his own. He answered questions, offered some dubious anecdotes, and stopped right in his tracks when he stumbled across an old friend of his.
"Here you are..." He smiled, and gently pushed the sheet off the electric gramophone he had been looking for.
Then he saw the bitten-through cord. He cursed low.
Nile dropped the cloth she was peeking under and stepped closer to him, head cocked to the side.
"What is it?" she asked in the ominous silence.
"You would not happen to know how to repair that, would you?" he asked in a hopeful voice, holding up the mangled part.
" I..." The look on Joe's face made her hesitate and backtrack, "...can try and search for a tutorial on YouTube?" she offered.
"I can't promise anything, though," she added, but Joe was already low key beaming.
"That would be great!"
They would have spent hours in the basement, if Nicolò hadn’t called them for dinner.
"That's de-licious, Nicky!", Nile said.
She was not stingy with compliments but they were always heartfelt, he could tell. Nicky smiled at her and looked around. Andy added a quiet nod at Nile’s statement while Joe caught his gaze and winked at him. Which reminded Nicky:
"So, what was the surprise, by the way?"
"What surprise?" Andy asked.
"I wanted to bring up his gramophone... but it's broken," Joe admitted with a wince, though he didn't say anything about Nile's future attempt to remedy that. It could still be a nice surprise if she pulled it off.
"Oh, yeah. I could have told you. I went and looked for it yesterday."
Joe stared at Nicky, then shook his head, a small smile on his lips.
"Do I sense a story?" Nile asked Joe, and kept on eating, her gaze going from one man to the other. She was always eager for a good story.
"Nicky loved that thing."
"It was a present from Joe," Nicky added, eyes softening on his lover as various memories came back. There was a wistful tighteness in his chest which was idiotic; everything broke sooner or later, for them.
"You were so enthralled by it at this party…”Joe said. "One of Moran's thug's birthdays, I think? what was his name?"
Nicky had a little laugh which earned him a curious look from Joe, but it was Andy that answered: "James something."
"...Are you talking about Bugs Moran?"
Nile’s disbelief would cease one day, and it would probably be too soon, but today was not that day. The trio shared a look, and answered in the affirmative. Then they chatted about the thirties and the shenanigans they may or may not have been responsible for, depending on who you listened to.
After dinner, Andy and Joe were on dish duty, leaving Nicky and Nile to choose the program. They agreed on Chopped , to Andy's apparent despair. But then again, she stayed to watch the whole show and was quick to comment on each candidate, and even to throw some money into it. (Nile would ultimately leave them all broke, which they would say was only because she was more familiar with this kind of program).
When everybody scattered to bed, Joe was held back in the living room by Nicky’s fingers tugging slightly on his sleeve.
"My heart?" Joe asked.
Nicky smiled at him, while he gently pulled him into his embrace, wrapping his arm around him.
"I was not enthralled by the gramophone, Joe," he started, voice low in the newfound peace.
"I distinctly remember you were -" Joe tried to object, but Nicky tenderly cupped his neck to silence him while he continued:
"...I was watching the couples dancing in the house and thinking it would be nice to dance like that with you."
The soft smile on Nicky's face spread to Joe's. The simplest of words could throw him, as long as they were Nicolò's. Delicate hands found their place on the small of Nicky's back, lips met between them in a chaste, fond kiss. Nicky's arm stayed wrapped around Joe's shoulder, keeping him close even as his mouth left Joe's.
"Shame it's broken, then..." Joe smiled as his hands moved on Nicky's back. Nicky huffed a soft laugh, then leaned on Joe a little more, almost nuzzling the crook of his neck.
" Partirono le rondini dal mio paese freddo e senza sole... "
Nicky started singing some well known notes in his lover's ear, voice low and intimate. They didn't need a gramophone. They didn't need anything but the other by their side. Joe swayed gently, pulling his lover with him in an open invitation to dance. His hand searched for its twin, fingers intertwining as the two men slowly started to spin around their axis, unhurried.
" La mia piccola rondine partì senza lasciarmi un bacio... senza un addio partì... "
Each inflexion of Nicky's voice made Joe shudder with delight and filled him with reverence. As Nicky straightened up, Joe's eyes locked on his lover's, sparkling with utter adoration. Each time Nicky sang to him was a precious, rare occurrence.
" Non ti scordar di me, la vita mia legata a te.. ."
Nicky never thought words could suffice to express what he felt for Yusuf, though in these moments when he could read it all in Joe's gaze, it didn't matter, for he knew they felt the same. His thumb stroked the nape of his lover, as he kept on crooning to him with unwavering affection.
" Io t’amo sempre più; Nel sogno mio rimani tu... "
Their stride was regular, easy. The movements were largely instinctive, as the men seemed mostly captivated by each other now. In the quiet and the penumbra, the safehouse had become a sanctuary where Nicky's deep voice felt like a prayer meant only for Joe. Joe was elated, entranced by what could only be described as a display of devotion to him.
" C'è sempre un nido nel mio cor per te... Non ti scordar di me. "
The world could crumble around them and it wouldn't matter; They lost themselves in each other, forgetting everything, avidly drinking in the love overflowing from the other. The song was the sweetest offering, an oath that resonated deep in Joe's bones, and he never had as much faith as he had in this implicit promise. Nicky repeated the chorus once too often, in order to enjoy the moment just a little longer.
When the song came to an end, Joe kissed Nicky once more, soft and warm, keeping him so close that he could feel his heart beating through his chest.
"Can you sing some more?” he asked.
Nicky smiled and kissed him fondly, lingering there for a while as his fingers gently brushed on Joe's cheek. Only when satiated did he finally resume singing, to Joe's obvious delight.
Joe was almost glad the gramophone was broken, for nothing could be as enchanting as sharing this moment with him nor as captivating as Nicky's beautiful voice. Except maybe his laugh. Joe gently pushed Nicky away, keeping his hand firmly in his own as he made his lover spin on his heel, then pulled him back safely within his arms. He greeted Nicky's sudden chuckle with a stolen kiss and kept him close, looking at him with never-ending love.
That could never be broken.