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Nile has always loved wearing combat boots, or at least she has since she can remember.
When Nile was little she would take his dad’s boots and wear them all around the house. She loved the sensation of wearing them. Her dad was the person she most admired in the world. He was like her personal super hero. Using his boots made her feel like him. Like Nile could be like him when she grew up. The combat boots made her feel powerful and strong, just like he was. And he would always be proud when he found her wearing them and gave her a big hug. It was something that connected them.
After his father died she avoided wearing combat boots, because it would make her remember him and get sad. It didn’t feel right to wear boots when his father wasn’t there anymore to banter about it with her. Since then, she only wore sneakers.
When Nile was with the marines she had to get used to wearing combat boots once again. But it was okay, that time it was different because it was about work and the boots were part of the uniform.
Now that Nile is part of the immortal family she hasn't felt the necessity to use combat boots. She uses sneakers most of the time. The other immortals are like her in that sense, and mostly choose to wear combat boots only for missions.
Except Andy.
Andy is definitely not the most fashionist of the team. The old woman wears really simple and plain clothes with the excuse of not wanting to get attention. Still she gets attention no matter how she doesn't want to, because really she can make look everything look good, even a potato bag. Nile should tell her that one day, or maybe not, better not feed the ego of who was a goddess a lifetime ago.
Anyway… the thing is that when it is about combat boots, Andy’s care for clothes changes. She is the one who is always wearing boots and if she is not wearing a pair is probably because she is barefoot. Nile believes Andy is like some kind of boot collector. She has different kinds of boots, in different colors and in different materials. She probably has every model that has ever exist.
The reason Nile is thinking about this is because they are in Greenland. Nile has just woken up and seen that while they were all sleeping the first snow of the season has happened. It was all covered in beautiful wihte snow.
Nile loves snow and she wants to go out, but she realized that she hasn’t brought proper footwear for snow. So she checks the others' clothes and concludes that none of them were ready for the cold weather, except Andy. She had a perfect pair of combat boots, that are tall to the knee and would keep your feet warm and dry.
After a moment, Nile decides to put Andy’s boots on and goes out to have a walk in the snow. She spends an hour exploring their surroundings and enjoying the cold.
When Nile goes back to the safehouse she finds something that hasn’t been expecting. Andy is on the porch drinking some hot infusion with just socks on her feet.
“What the hell are you doing Andy?” Nile asks, as she aproxime the old woman.
“Drinking chocolate”, Andy answers simply. “Do you want some?” She offers, pointing to the thermo that is on the table.
“I mean, why are you outside in just socks with this cold?” Nile asks, frustrated. “You are mortal, you could get sick, like a cold or a flu”, she reminds the other.
“Well, when I woke up I couldn’t find my boots”, Andy says and gives her an amused smile.
“Right, that...”, Nile doesn’t know what to say, but somehow she feels like blushing.
Nile starts unleashing the boots, so she can give them back to Andy. But the other woman stops her before she can finish her task.
“It's okay, you can keep them”, Andy grabs her hand to stop her. “Come, sit, have some chocolate, enjoy the sight of the snow”, she kind of bosses her.
“Fine”, she finally agrees, relaxing.
Nile sits down next to Andy and accepts a cup of hot chocolate from her. The chocolate is too sweet for her taste, but that is expected from Andy. That woman just loves sweet things too much. But it also has some cream and cinnamon on it, and she likes that choice; and is warm, which is perfect for the weather.
“So, you like snow?” Nile asks, breaking the peaceful silence they were in.
“Yes, I do”, Andy nods.
“Good”, Nile smiles. “I was starting to think that immortals hated cold weather”, she comments thinking about how most of the time they avoid going to places where they were in the winter season.
“They do”, Andy says pointing at the safehouse, in reference to the others' immortals. “They all come from countries with tempered weather, so they are not fans of the cold”, she explains.
That is a connection Nile hasn’t made before, but it makes sense. Quỳnh was from Vietnam, Joe was from Magreb, Nicky from Genova and Booker from Marsella. Also, if she remembers correctly, Joe and Nicky had told her once about how Lykon was from Greece. So he probably didn’t like the cold either.
“Well, I’m from Chicago, I’m used to the cold and I love snowy winters”, Nile says happily.
“And I’m from some part of the pontic steppes, imagine winter in the 4000 bce. Back then we had the real hard winters”, Andy says, sounding smug about it.
“Yes, I’m not sure I can imagine how you survive without heating”, Nile says thoughtfully.
“I died from hypothermia and freezing a lot of times”, Andy informs, lost in her head, like she was trying to remember those times.
“But still you love snow”, Nile says, surprised about that fact.
“Yes”, Andy confirms. “And you love snow too”, she says, looking at her with some kind of ilusion.
“I do”, Nile nods.
“Good, finally someone to enjoy winters with, this is going to be fun” Andy says joyfully.
They share a smile and go back to drink their chocolates. As they enjoy the quiet of the early morning, Nile thinks about a lot of ways they could tease the others about their dislike for snow. Suddenly, she comes out with the first crazy idea.
“What do you say if we wake up the others with some snow?” Nile proposes.
“I say that’s a great idea”, Andy accepts with a big smile.
They grab a lot of snow and use it to throw it at the other immortals' faces to wake them. That starts a big snowy morning war. Nile has so much fun that she can feel her stomach hurting from how much she laughs thanks to it.
The next time Nile thinks about wearing Andy’s boots, they are in New York. This time Andy is immortal again, so it is not like she would prejudice the other woman for taking her pair of boots.
Nile is the one in charge of taking out the trash because her mother has asked her to do it and she can’t say no to her. But Nile hates New York’s alleys. She had thought Chicago was bad, but New York is worse. Is full of rats and she hates it. Nile knows she shouldn’t care that much, she is immortal after all and is not like rats can kill her. But they are gross.
So, Nile takes Andy’s combat boots with her and wears them for her task because they make her feel protected.
When she is back at the apartment her mom is with Andy and Quỳnh, they are knitting.
“You know I was thinking we should wipe the floor”, Theresa informs, pointing at her to sit down on the couch.
“Really?” Nile asks, not sure where this conversation is going.
“Yes”, Theresa nods. “The floor is dirty, so I don’t think it is good for anyone to be barefoot”, she adds, looking at Andy and Quỳnh.
“I’ve been barefoot in dirtier places than this one”, Quỳnh says, not giving it much magnitude.
“Same”, Andy agrees with her wife and Nile thinks she should make a meme of her using that word.
“And someone took your boots”, Theresa says.
“Mom”, Nile complains. “So, that’s what you wanted to talk about”, she guesses.
“Maybe”, Theresa tells her playfully.
“You were the one who asked me to take out the trash”, Nile reminds them. “Here the alleys are full of rats, it’s gross”, she explains in a defensive way.
“And Andy’s boots protect you from them?” Quỳnh teases her, making the other two women laugh.
“If neither of you find rats gross then you all should take the trash out next time”, Nile argues, feeling like a blushing. “And if you want your boots...”, she starts saying to Andy.
“Is okay, keep them, I like being barefoot”, Andy cuts her off, to reassure her. “But just for you to know, it is not like rats can kill you when you are immortal” she kind of jokes.
Nile lets out a frustrating sound at that. Her mother and Quỳnh laugh. They are annoying when they plot against her. She throws them some cushions from the couch, making them laugh even more.
“You old people are really annoying”, Nile accuses them and they all laugh at her.
And then she is out of the living room, looking for some peace. Nile may be a little annoyed but she finds herself smiling, she loves when the most important women in her life are happy.
The next time she steals Andy’s boot is about a live or die issue. Nile is probably exaggerating, but well… She has never been to Al Aziziyah before.
Nile had thought that Afghanistan's heat was the worst, but it seems that Saudi Arabia is even worse. The heat is suffocating and there are moments of the day that you feel like you can’t breathe without perspiring. Her snicker gets glued and stuck in the asphalt all the time, making her feets get covered in burns and blisters.
They are all struggling like her, except Andy… She is in combat boots again and Nile can’t understand how she can handle them when it is so damn hot.
“How does she do that?” Nile asks Quỳnh.
“What?” Quỳnh asks back, confused.
“Wear combat boots in this weather”, she explains.
“Ohh, that”, Quỳnh says, looking at her wife with an amused smile.
“It's because it’s always boot season for her” Joe jokes, making them laugh.
But after a couple of days, Andy is the only one who has never complained about her feet burning. Nile feels that fact has to mean something. So, she decides to take the chance one day. She takes Andy’s boots when everyone is napping and goes out with them.
Nile goes to the market to buy some things she wanted and by doing it she realizes Andy’s combat boots are perfect. Her feet don’t get burned with them on. They might be a little uncomfortable because of the hit, but at least nothing hurts.
Is by dinner time when Nile meets with the others immortal. They have dinner in a little pub that has tables on the street. The weather is still hot, but not as much as during the day. There is a little warm wind going on that Nile is not sure if it makes things better or worse, but her feet don’t hurt so she won’t complain tonight.
“I hate this weather so much”, Nicky says as he sits in front of her.
“Me too”, Joe agrees, stretching his legs over an empty chair.
“We should go somewhere fresh once we finish the job”, Booker suggests.
“I thought you guys like summer more than winter”, Nile says, amused by them.
“This heat is not summer, is hell”, Joe says in the dramatic way that always makes them laugh.
“Finally we can order food, they are here”, Booker says, pointing at Andy and Quỳnh who were coming down the street, on their way to join them.
Nile watches Andy and Quỳnh walking hand by hand. Andy is wearing her sneakers and Nile thinks it's funny because she has never seen her wearing snickers before. She has some black jean shorts and a black tank top. Nile’s snickers are colorful and fluorescent, they don't fit Andy style at all. But Andy wears them like she does it all the time, like they are hers and doesn’t complain about it.
“Nice snickers”, Nile teases Andy, as she sits next to her.
“I know, they look cool on me” Andy says with a smug smile. “Your combat boots on the other hand, makes you look old and out of fashion”, she jokes.
“But at least my feets aren’t getting burned”, Nile manages to say once she stops laughing.
They have ice cream for dinner and they laugh a lot. It takes them a week to do the job and then they are out of Al Aziziyah heat.
After that, Nile forgets all about combat boots. Or at least she does until they are taking a walk by “paseo de gracia”, in the center of Madrid. They are doing Christmas shopping, when something gets her attention. There, in a window shop, they have her father's favorite model of combat boots.
“Hey”, Andy calls her. “Are you okay?” She asks as she reaches her.
“Yes, I’m fine”, Nile says, without taking her sight from the boots.
“That’s my line”, Andy reaproces her, making her smile a little. Nile finally takes a look at Andy and realizes that has been the older woman's intention. “Do you want me to buy you those boots?” She asks kindly and curiously.
“No, it's okay, don’t worry about it”, Nile dismisses her.
“Nile”, Andy calls her in a warning note. That's the tone she uses when she is really worried.
“It's just, those were my dad’s favorite models and made me think of him”, she explains.
“Is it okay to miss him”, Andy says softly, taking her hand as comfort.
“I know”, she nods.
Nile knows Andy is right and it's okay for her to miss her father, and she is going to miss him her whole long life. Andy probably has lost hundreds of people she had loved and Nile is not sure if she can handle that. She thinks she will never process it... But their lives, they go on. Nile doesn’t have the energy to discuss this at the moment, so she just grabs Andy’s arm and guides the older woman to where the other immortals are.
They spend Christmas Eve in Paris with Theresa, Amur and James. They had a beautiful and intimate dinner with homemade food.
On Christmas morning the first thing they do is exchange gifts. They have fun guessing their secret santa gifts and they are all happy with them.
So, Nile gets surprised when they are giving her one more present.
“This is for you”, Joe tells her, giving her a box.
“What?” Nile asks, confused. “But, we already exchanged our presents”, she says.
“Yes, but Andy insisted on getting this to you from everyone”, Quỳnh explains.
Nile opens the box and finds the pair of combat boots she has seen in Madrid. They are perfect, just like she remembers. She feels like crying, but doesn’t want to have a breakdown in front of everyone. That's why she decides to just leave the house to have some fresh air.
She sits down on the front stairs and takes some deep breaths to calm down. Some minutes later, someone sits next to her, and Nile is sure that someone is Andy. She doesn't need to open her eyes, she had learned to recognize her.
Andy caresses her back softly as she cries. Once Nile feels ready, she opens her eyes and sees for herself that she was right and her companion is Andy.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to make you feel bad with the present”, Andy apologizes.
“It's okay, it's not that”, Nile shakes her head.
“It's that you want to keep using my boots? Because you can keep doing that if you want to”, Andy jokes, trying to make her relax.
“I’ll keep your word on that”, Nile says, smiling a little.
They stay like that, in silence, enjoying the cold of the morning. Is quiet and comfortable. Andy never pressures her to talk, and Nile loves that about her. Surprisingly Nile realizes that this time she wants to talk.
“Do you remember how I told you those were my dad’s favorite model of boots?” Niles asks.
“I do, that’s why I chose them”, Andy nods.
“He had a pair like that, when he was home I always loved wearing them and going with them everywhere, no matter how big they were for me”, she says, losing herself in the memory.
“That sounds like you”, Andy appreciates, looking at her with a soft smile.
“When he died, it was because of an explosion. They couldn’t give us a body, and neither did his boots”, Nile finishes her tale, feeling like crying a little more.
Nile sees the exact moment Andy understands what she is implying, how the boots were a reminder of her father's death. Nile knows that Andy hangs on to some objects too, because they remind her of people she has lost. Like Quỳnh’s necklace and Lykon's laces. At least Quỳnh is back now. But she knows Andy understands.
“Is okay, you don’t have to wear them”, Andy assures her. “We can give them back to the store or I’m sure Nicky will find something to do with them”, she negotiates.
“No way!!”, Nile refuses. “They are mine”, she states with confidence.
“They are, so you can do whatever you want with them”, Andy accepts, colliding her shoulder with hers in an affectionate way.
“Come on, let’s go before they finish breakfast without us” Nile decides, finally standing up.
Andy stands up too, and follows her into the building. They climb the stairs to the third floor and enter the apartment.
“Andy”, Nile calls her, before they go to the dining room. “Thank you”, she thanks the other woman honestly.
“You’re welcome”, Andy says with a smile.
Nile grabs Andy’s hand and drags her to the breakfast table. They join their family. No one asks about her breakdown and everything is okay. Nile feels very happy to be celebrating this holiday with all of them.
Later, Nile tries on the boots and they fit her perfectly. They are comfortable and warm, and she feels happy with them.
And if they become her favorite footwear and she wears them everyday for the next month, without taking a break from them... Well, that’s something no one would dare to tease her about.