Work Text:
What a busy week
The couple has been doing assignments like crazy the past 9 days. Working day and night taking care of targets, since apparently people suddenly remembered that they still want a person dead until the end of the year. Funny enough: it's the same every. Single. Time.
During November and December, the Dovlin drowns in assignments, which only settles again shortly before Christmas with all the holidays afterwards.
Festive of love my ass, scoffs Naib when sitting at a stool, signing yesterday's missions on the polished bar’s counter. Norton is casually chatting with Mike next to him, while Demi is softly humming along to a song playing from the speakers of the bar.
After finishing his signatures, Naib pushes himself away from the bar to stretch his arms above his head, asking: "Alright, now that's done: What do you have in store for us today?"
Demi happily picks up the tablet and papers before smiling at the tanned man.
"Northing. You two worked so hard the past weeks already that y’all deserve some rest now. We're not getting many new assignments in anyway and the ones we have open still have a longer deadline." she walks over from behind the bar approaching the stairs to probably store the finished assignments in her office. But before climbing up the steps she chimes: "Relax a little and enjoy yourselves. Also, didn't the little sunshine ask for you two a few weeks ago as well?"
Oh, right.
Tracy has been shyly asking to spend a day with the couple. It's been quite a while since the last time they were able to enjoy time together. Even Norton’s ears perk up when hearing that, pausing the conversation he had a second ago, to turn his head instead glancing at Naib to ask for his opinion.
“We could ask her if she’s busy today and see if we can arrange the meetup.” mutters the tanned man, reciprocating his husband’s curious gaze who suddenly beams with a bright smile.
“Alright! I’ll call her real quick.”
Since Tracy also got her own assignments to take care of, she’s been staying at her flat most of the time lately. Over there she got all the monitors and equipment she needs, to guarantee the amazing quality of her work. Of course she’s sometimes seen with a laptop in hand at the Dovlin, when her flat seems to become overwhelmingly lonely, but that’s not the case today.
While the hybrid is enthusiastically hopping down from his seat to get out his phone, taking a few steps away to make the call in peace, Mike swiftly takes over the taller man’s spot next to the brunette.
“Soooo you two are gonna have a cute lil dads-day with Tracy then?” Naib rolls his eyes with a snort and a soft smirk tugging at his lips at the freckled man’s words, seeing him grinning back playfully.
“Sure, if you wanna call it that way.”
“I haven’t seen her around much either… maybe you can drop her off at the Dovlin tomorrow so we can say hi as well.” thinks the blonde aloud, adding: “I’m sure Luca is gonna approve of that too, apparently he found some cool new things he wants to share with her. Ya know, nerd stuff.”
“Nerd-stuff?” repeats the tanned man with a chuckle and a raised brow, watching how Mike nods enthusiastically, trying to describe what Luca showed him a few days ago in a sad attempt to share his fascination with someone.
“Yeah! It’s something technical, so, kinda boring in my eyes but hey, they seem to like this stuff.”
They fall into a soft discussion of how in the world Tracy and Luca are able to understand all the technology themed topics, until Norton shuffles over the wooden floor back to the bar, a bright smile on his lips as he’s hugging the smaller man from behind. Naib huffs lightly when feeling the ravenette’s arms wrapping around his middle before leaning back with an expectant: “And? What’s the news?”
“She’s still busy with an assignment at the moment but it won’t take long anymore.” begins the hybrid to explain, “so, she asked us to pick her up in around two hours.”
Hearing that elicits a genuine smile from the mercenary, while Mike barks out a chuckle at the scene in front of him. Resting his elbows on the counter he chimes: “That happy to see the little one again?” he nods at their expression, making the couple very self-aware of each other’s happy-faces.
“We haven’t seen her in a while. Of course we look forward to it.” huffs Norton in defense, watching the freckled man wave it off.
“No need to explain, Norty. Just messing a little with y’all.”
Killing time isn't really a hard task at hand if you're around friends and colleagues. The couple almost forgot about their planned meeting with Tracy while joking around with their two friends since Luca joined them at the bar not too long ago. Hastily packing their few belongings, Norton and Naib say their goodbyes before sprinting to the garage next to the lobby and into their car to drive off. Luckily it doesn't even take them 5 whole minutes of passing through the grayish streets until the hybrid parks the vehicle at the sidewalk directly in front of the entrance of the girl’s flat. Tracy was already waiting outside with the huge backpack on her shoulder, smiling brightly when seeing the couple stopping at the sidewalk. Immediately she jumps into the backseats with a mocking: "I almost started to believe you forgot about me." hearing Naib huff as he turns around in his seat with a smile of his own. The tanned man crooks a brow, looking at the luggage the blonde has in stock while Norton apologizes for being a bit late before driving off to reach their own home.
"I thought you'd only be staying for a night, that backpack looks like it contains stuff for a whole week."
Tracy snorts with a roll of eyes at the mercenary's comment, exclaiming: "It only seems big cause I'm small. I only packed the necessary."
Since they all live rather close by, the ride back to the couple’s flat doesn’t take long either. Soon enough the taller man gets out of the car, and snatches the blonde's backpack before she can reach for it in his place, receiving an offended: "Hey, I can carry it myself!"
Naib, who already opened the building's door, chuckles at the girl's pouting countering with: "No whining little miss. You better expect to get spoiled today."
He holds the door open for his husband and Tracy who are quick to climb up the stairs of the apartment. The grey-eyed girl has been in the couples flat before, but only briefly. It's gonna be the first time for her to stay overnight and she's more than happy about it. She's been looking forward to spending time with the duo for a while now.
While Tracy and Naib take off their shoes and jackets after arriving in their flat, Norton already carries the girl’s belongings into their guestroom, also checking if the bed is all set up while he's at it.
"How's work doing, any interesting assignments?" asks the brunette, helping Tracy hanging her outdoor coat on the wardrobe before guiding her into the living room. The blonde is studying her surroundings in interest, amused to see a few personal belongings and gifts of the two men scattered around the place, making it a lot cozier.
"It's pretty much alright, mostly basic things such as viruses or restoring memory from databases but sometimes there are also more interesting tasks." muses the girl, deciding to sit down at one of the chairs at the dining table, watching Naib doing something in the kitchen while he hums understandingly.
"Want anything to drink?" asks the mercenary shortly after, gaze wandering to the blonde who looks up at him.
"Depends, what do you guys have in stock?" Naib snorts at that, waving her over instead of counting off all the things sitting in their shelves. Quick to follow, the girl soon stands next to the tanned man, looking through their storage.
"I think I'm good with a tea for now, it's pretty could outside lately." mutters Tracy, picking one of the teas that sparks her interests, hearing the mercenary approve with a soft: "I think imma join you with that."
Getting out two cups, Naib halts in his tracks for a moment before shouting: "Priya, want some tea as well?" receiving a quick: "Yup!" by Norton right after.
Wondering where the hybrid is at the moment, Tracy moves from her spot in the kitchen, exiting the living room to walk across the connected hallway before coming to a stop in front of the slightly opened door at the end of it. Gently pushing it open, she sees Norton fumbling around with a bunch of pillows on the bed standing in the room aside of a desk and drawer. Hearing the soft creaking, he turns around to spot the blonde mess of locks peeking at him with a curious gaze, causing the ravenette to smile.
"Hey there! I'll be coming over in a second, we didn't have the bed prepared for you yet." explains Norton his actions, attention turning back to his task, before he’s suddenly feeling Tracy hugging him from the side. Immediately dropping the fluffy items, he straightens up to reciprocate the embrace, feeling the girl squeezing him even tighter in response which elicits a genuine laugh from the hybrid.
"I didn't give you the greeting-hug yet." mutters Tracy, though her voice is muffled by the taller man's shirt with her face resting right against his chest.
"True, somehow we forgot about it." chuckles Norton, before softly murmuring: "It's nice to have you around. We've really been looking forward to spending time together again."
Hearing that, the blonde throws her head back to grin up at the taller man, feeling a sense of happiness.
"Wow, so now y'all are hiding hugs from me?"
Naib is leaning in the doorframe with crossed arms, watching how the duo in front of him turns to look in his direction upon hearing his offended words. While Norton is wearing a cheeky grin, having the audacity to stick his tongue out at the smaller man, the girl simply giggles, letting go of the hybrid to instead leap at the tanned man in order to hug him as well.
With the brunette, she's able to comfortably rest her head against his shoulder, a satisfied sigh escaping her when feeling the mercenary gently brushing over her head, fingers threading through her messy locks. What she doesn't see is the way Naib now sticks his tongue out at the taller man in return. Tracy also doesn't notice the following grimaces the men throw at each other, until eventually both of their chuckles reverberate through the room.
"By the way, the tea is ready by now." announces the tanned man, making Norton hum in acknowledgment, returning a: "I'm almost done here as well, I'll join you two in a minute."
The moment the ravenette is done with setting up the bed (making sure that it's extra comfy) he finally sets foot in the living room, spotting Tracy and Naib huddled up under a blanket on the sofa, chatting with each other. There surely must be a lot to discuss, since it has been almost a month since the three of them got the chance to properly talk with each other. Noticing the hybrid's arrival, Naib points at a cup on the board in front of the sofa which he preserved for the hybrid. Making his way towards them, Norton gently nudges the tanned man to further move towards the girl so he can get comfortable next to the mercenary who's sitting sideways to face Tracy while talking. Taking his cup, and being offered a share of their blanket as well, the ravenette sinks into the cushions in content, listening to the two in front of him chatting about what happened during their time apart. Naib is currently telling her about one of the many assignments they had the past weeks, a memorable one to be honest. From the information about the assignment, they received back then it sounded like a simple one but when they arrived at the target’s home, they realized that twins were living in the apartment and they didn't know which one of them was the right target.
"In the end we had to leave again and ask Demi for further details." chuckles the tanned man while Tracy is listening curiously, having her full attention on the mercenary's story.
"Did you finish the job then?"
"We did. Though, it took us a while to distinguish them." affirms Naib, adding: "Funny enough the other twin was the one who initiated the assignment in the first place."
The blonde's eyes widen at that, taking another sip from the tea she got.
"The dude could have helped us with that mess, if he'd had worn a shirt that says ‘Don't get me’ or something like that." rumbles the taller man behind the mercenary, hearing him approve with a laugh.
When everyone has finished their share of tea with the cups emptily sitting on the board again and after they caught up on each other's experiences the past weeks, Naib eventually asks: "Is there something specific you wanted to do today?"
It's already around 2pm by now but they still have the whole afternoon and evening. Tracy grins shyly, saying: "Wait here, I'll be right back." before getting up and out of the living room. The couple shares a questioning gaze with Norton simply shrugging his shoulders. They don't have to wait for long until the blonde comes in with a few items in hand. Upon a closer look, the couple realizes that she's carrying hair dye, scissors and a pack of gloves making them raise their brows.
" I actually wanted to ask you two to... give me a makeover? I wanna cut and dye my chair since it also grew quite a lot..." blinking in disbelieve Naib asks: "Are you sure WE should do that? You'll might end up not liking it..."
But despite the warning from both Norton and the tanned man, Tracy insists on them doing it for her which leads to their current situation: The girl sitting on a chair in the bathroom, Naib reading through the hair dye instructions while the hybrid is looking for utensils and towels. Luckily, they have everything they need since Naib is obviously no stranger when it comes to dyeing hair. But the cutting part it is gonna be interesting...
Tracy explained them beforehand what she had in mind and even showed them some pictures but.... the rest is up to the couple. They agreed on Naib taking over the cutting as well, since the brunette has more experience when it comes to hair in general, his husband is gonna keep an eye on it too though and helps by being the emotional support through all of it.
Picking up the scissors Naib asks one more time: "You sure you want this, Trace? Now's the last chance to say no." but the blonde simply giggles in expectance, chiming: "GO RUN RIOT!"
With this being the last confirmation needed, the mercenary gets the comb as well to section the hair better and makes the first cut.
Only the haircut itself took almost an hour. That is, because the couple took breaks every now and then to look something up on YouTube when they weren't sure how to cut something decently. In the end, Tracy doesn't even look half bad. The tanned man gotta admit, that he seriously expected it to end up being way worse.
"Wanna get up and take a look?" asks the mercenary after putting away the scissors. The blonde is having way shorter hair in the back now with two longer strands in the front, just as she asked for: a so called asymmetrical "bob" haircut. Even Norton is rather impressed by the result of his husband’s work.
"Nope, I wanna see it when it's all done. It's supposed to be a surprise." chimes Tracy, still as confident as ever.
"It's gonna be a surprise for sure." mutters the hybrid lowly, turning to get the gloves for Naib, who elbows his ribs for the rather gruff comment.
"Can you at least tell me what part of your hair you want to have dyed?" scoffs the tanned man, putting on the gloves and taking the brush to apply the bright mixture.
"Only the tips and lower parts of the lengths, please!"
It's beyond the mercenary how chill and relaxed she is. He would never Trust Luca and Mike to just cut and dye his hair like that...
The sounds of the little container being opened snaps the smaller man's attention to his husband who offers to hold the dye so Naib can have both hands for applying it. Dipping the brush into the red color, the tanned man makes the first stroke. Immediately the light blonde of the girl sitting in front of him turns a vibrant shade, reminding Naib to be careful to not make a mess. Norton curiously watches him, deeming that the mercenary does a decent job with carefully dying the girl’s hair.
This must be a piece of cake for him now.
Since he doesn't have a big task to pay attention to, the hybrid shifts his focus to Tracy.
"Getting tired from sitting around?"
"Not really. Though, the chair could be a bit more comfortable for my liking." The ravenette chuckles at that, agreeing with her words, when suddenly the girl speaks up once more: "Hey, Naib."
"Hm?"
"Want us to do your hair as well while we're at it?"
The tanned man slows down a little with his task genuinely thinking about the offer. It's true that his hair has grown out quite a bit as well and he would save himself from the hassle of doing it sometime later too... which makes him decide for an answer quite fast: "Sure, if you want to."
Tracy cheers happily when hearing the other's approval, looking forward to have Naib sitting on the chair later, being at her and Norton's mercy. The tanned man smirks at the hybrid beside him musing: “Wanna get your hair dyed as well?” but Norton declines with a laugh, saying he rather leaves that look to them.
“Right, now we both have colored hair.” giggles the girl happily, kind of avoiding to make eye contact, causing Naib to conclude something else.
Did she perhaps decide to dye her hair to… match with me?
It takes the mercenary another 20 minutes until he huffs out, putting the utensils away and stripping off the gloves from his hands announcing: "Alright, I'm done."
Norton hums in satisfaction as well when seeing the colored hair, pressing a chaste kiss to his husband’s cheek with the words: "Good job carinò, looks great."
Within only a few seconds Tracy jumps up from the chair, grinning at the tanned man with the words: "Your turn now!"
Luckily taking care of the mercenary's hair didn't take long at all. They had to bleach the roots for about 20 minutes before washing that off and slapping that dye on top. They were done quite fast, since Naib only has that one colored strand in his hair, and he forbid them to touch the scissors while he's not looking.
While they let the dye soak in, the trio decides to get pizza as a snack, ending up with them sitting on the sofa once more, eating and chatting.
"Hey, Norton." begins Tracy after some time, causing the hybrid to shift his attention on her, "You never really told me how you joined the Dovlin I think. I know about almost everyone, aside you. I only know what Demi said at your wedding, something about Naib training you?"
Next to them, the tanned man chokes on his bite, remembering the first time they've met. Alarmed by the other's coughing, the ravenette slaps the mercenary’s back, who barks out a laugh by now.
"That's an interesting story actually. Go on Nort, tell her." huffing in amusement, the taller man grins at his husband, before starting to dramatically announce the beginning of his journey in the Blacklight-District.
"Ya know, we first met when Naib wanted to kill me in my sleep..."
The mercenary watches in pure amusement how the blonde's facial expressions change every minute while Norton is telling their story. Of course not in full detail, but enough to let her know just what they went through the past two years. Their food is long gone already when the hybrid eventually comes to an end with the words: "And now we're happily married and I'd never want to go back there ever again."
Tracy sits opposite of them, blinking a few times before releasing a big breath.
"That was... a lot."
"Tell me about it." scoffs Naib, dwelling in nostalgia when remembering every scene Norton described and told her.
"Now I understand why Demi got so sentimental back then... y'all really have been through a lot together. Your love-story sounds like a movie." (wink, wink)
"Yeah, well, it happened." mutters the hybrid with a chuckle, before sitting up to stretch his body which stiffened from staying in the same position for a while. Afterwards he gets up completely, gesturing at the hallway with the words: "I think it's time for you two to wash your hair by now."
Right, they almost forgot about the color. Following the hybrid, Tracy and Naib walk back into the bathroom. The girl comes first, stepping in the shower with her head hunched over so Norton can carefully rinse the color out. The water looks like the remains of a massacre, as if blood is flowing down the drain, making the grey-eyed giggle. After shampooing and rinsing the hair once more, Naib hands her a towel to dry her hair with. While Tracy is busy ruffling her head like a dog, Norton tugs the tanned man towards him so he can repeat the procedure.
"I can wash my hair by myself." mutters Naib, but the moment he's trying to grab the shower-head, the taller man tugs it away and out of reach for the mercenary, making him frown.
"I know you can, but let me do it for you."
Knowing that backtalking won't do any good this time, and maybe because his beloved is having such an adorable expression, the tanned man gives in, hunching over to let his hair hang down.
"Close your eyes, I can't promise that it won't get on your face." mutters the taller man softly in an act of thoughtfulness, causing the mercenary to snort. His brain is working on its own, and before he can stop himself, he mutters a quiet: "I've heard those words before in another situation."
He hears Norton gasp quietly, hissing: "Don't say that in front of her!" a blush high on his cheeks as he's rinsing the other's hair who just realized what left his mouth. Carefully he opens an eye to glance at the girl but Tracy is busy gawking at her new hair in the mirror and doesn't seem to have noticed anything of the couple' exchange. Suddenly the tanned man hisses with a curse, growling: "Fuck, it got in my eye!" but instead of turning the water off to give his man a towel, Norton lets him sit through the pain, simply humming in satisfaction: "That's karma, love. Serves you right for saying such things."
The remaining rinsing of the brunette's hair passes without any other unfortunate implications. By now, he's standing in front of the mirror, blow-drying the blonde's hair who seems like she just won't stop smiling. Tracy is having such a wide grin, complimenting the men's work multiple times and thanking them even more often. Naib is glad she's happy with how it turned out, he himself thinks it's a good look on her, makes her seem more... rebellious, and it also goes well with her beanie.
By now it's past 6 in the evening, the couple asked their little companion if she has any special wishes for dinner but Tracy is rather uncomplicated, saying that anything is fine and that they can just surprise her. So, in the end the trio is spending time in the kitchen together, listening to music, singing and fooling around while preparing some chicken with vegetables baked in the oven. Tracy laughs and giggles a lot and it's hard for them to say that it's not one of the most precious sounds ever.
During the evening Norton often spotted his husband lovingly gazing at the blonde, ruffling her hair or squeezing her in a soft hug. Watching him being this gentle with Tracy makes the hybrid's heart flutter in affection, only able to imagine what a soft and caring family person the smaller man could be if given the opportunity.
On the contrary, Naib is observing the ravenette doing very similar things. Playfully mocking the grey-eyed until she lightly punches his arm with a giggle, or patiently helping her with something. He loves seeing the tall man behaving like a father towards the girl. Sometimes they seem forget that Tracy is, in fact, very capable of caring for herself. They just enjoy to spoil and baby her so much. It's unbelievable to the tanned man how Tracy must have spent many years with only her own company, when she's obviously been yearning for love and care this entire time. Though, he’s glad they can give her the deserved affection now and maybe make up for the lack of it before.
Letting his mind wander during dinner, the tanned man suddenly seems to freeze when a thought pops up in his mind.
“How about we take a stroll outside later?”
The blonde’s eyes light up at that with an audible gasp. Pushing herself forward on the wooden dining table, she’s practically squeaking: “FOR REAL?!”
The intense reaction makes Naib chuckle unsurely, glancing over to his husband for a short second before asking: “Yeah? It’s just a walk, I didn’t ask you to join us on an assignment.”
The hybrid beside him is chuckling quietly, eating another bite while watching the conversation. Leaning back in her chair again, Tracy restores her composure. She’s shyly poking around her food when murmuring: “Well, yeah. But usually, you always tell me how I shouldn’t go out anymore when it gets dark.”
The brunette blinks in surprise. Of course he meant what he said back then, but part of him expected the girl to just ignore his words and do it anyway. Seems like she’s actually been listening to him.
“True. But we’re coming with you so there’s no need to worry.” concludes the mercenary, putting his cutlery on the now empty plate, pushing it away from himself before lightly crossing his arms.
The smile growing on the grey-eyed’s face is simply stunning. Tracy is beaming so brightly, that her cheeks lightly squish her eyes together in the process. Hurrying to eat the remains of her dinner, the girl is trying to speed up the time, wanting to go out with the couple as soon as possible.
White clouds are escaping Tracy’s mouth as she’s gazing up the foggy night sky while Norton closes the buildings door behind them with a click. They were kind enough to lend her some more clothes to stay warm outside since by now there are -5° making the air around them freezing cold. Naib lends her another hoodie to put on beneath her outdoor jacket, she also got a big scarf and a pair of gloves that’s way too big for her rather small hands but it keeps her warm and cozy. The couple looks just as stuffed as her, only Naib’s eyes are visible since he decided to pull the scarf up to his nose and Norton is wiggling closer into the high collar of his jacket.
Dressed like that, there’s nothing that could cause them to freeze, making the tanned man nod in a direction, eventually starting their little trip.
They’re strolling through the streets with the ravenette and Naib being on both of the girl’s sides, keeping her in their middle for maximum protection while softly chatting together. Sometimes the men are being reminded of past events and missions when passing certain areas, causing them to chuckle and tell one of their stories while Tracy listens in interest. Eventually, while passing through an especially dark alley, the blonde hooks her arms with both of them, making a chain out of the trio and catching the couple off-guard. Norton even yelps when suddenly being tugged down, before a smile crosses his lips, making him adjust his arm for her to hold onto better, without him having to hunch over. Tracy pulls them closer together, making the men almost squish her while she sighs happily in the comfort of their warmth.
While wandering through the district, they don’t come across man people, since Naib already led them into a direction away from the middle of the busy parts. Only in the beginning they’ve seen a few small groups positioned on the sidewalks in front of buildings, in some darker corners or backstreets. The mercenaries keep their gaze sternly on them, observing the people to see if they make any move to come closer or start a fight, only relaxing when they’re out of sight again.
By now they’re in the deeper part of the Blacklight-District, the quiet one where you rarely find people, unlike around the main street. There are mostly abandoned houses, some even partly in ruins. Broken windows are no rarity, making shattered glass glisten on the ground below their feet.
Tracy looks around the same way she did before. Eyes flickering over empty stores with “closed” signs displayed, which probably haven’t changed to “open” since many years already. Scouting the area like this is a lot of fun to her, she feels utterly protected in the presence of the two men, knowing they wouldn’t hesitate a second to keep her safe from anything and anyone.
Their steps are reverberating off the asphalt and building’s concrete facades while a few soft, spare neon lights barely illuminate their surroundings and the trio striving over the empty street.
A comfortable silence has settled between them by now, until Tracy suddenly breaks the quiet atmosphere with a gasp, freezing in her tracks. Alarmed by the girl’s behavior, the couple flinches slightly with Norton hurriedly asking: “What’s wrong?”
“A snowflake!”
The blonde’s eyes are open wide, watching the crystal star swaying through the air right in front of her before landing in her now opened palm. It stays there for a few seconds, before melting in the warmth of her hand. Looking up once more, her eyes begin to sparkle, spotting many of the white sensations floating in the sky, softly levitating down to them. By now the men have turned their gazes upwards as well. Naib’s lips tug up into a slight smile.
The first snow of the year.
Shifting his focus to the people next to him again, causes the mercenary to laugh out loud, seeing both his husband and Tracy sticking their tongues out to catch the frozen water. Hearing the tanned man, Norton crooks a brow at him with a smirk.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing.” waves him the mercenary off, adding: “Keep doing whatcha doing.”
The hybrid takes a few steps towards him with a huff, one of his hands settles on the brunette’s hip while the other is reaching upwards, tugging the scarf (which covers half of his husband’s face) down, exposing an amused grin.
“Nah, tell me what you were thinking that it made you laugh like that.”
Norton moves in closer until their foreheads are touching, feeling the smaller man’s hands on his waist as well, as their soft breaths mix into white clouds between them.
“It’s nothing.” repeats the mercenary, leaning in further to press their lips together in a chaste kiss, adding: “I just thought that catching snowflakes like that was cute.”
A rough chuckle erupts from the taller’s throat at that, head tilting to share some more sweet kisses with his beloved. Norton embraces the mercenary in a hug, feeling the brunette move to noose his neck, making him shiver lightly when feeling Naib’s cold cheek and slightly chapped lips pressing against his warm skin there.
“Going out for a walk was a nice idea.” mutters the hybrid eventually, watching Tracy how she’s still mesmerized by the sky, catching snowflakes, stumbling from side to side in awe. The tanned man hums in agreement, looking up to watch the girl for a few more moments as well.
“True, but it’s getting quite cold, isn’t it? You’re usually the frostbite of the two of us.”
Norton laughs at the other’s words, countering with an amused: “That’s true. I’ve been alright for the time we’ve been walking. The movement kept me warm but by now I’m freezing. I didn’t want to kill the mood though.”
Naib scoffs at that, shaking his head lightly with a muttered: “You dumbass, just tell me when you get cold.”
The mercenary tightly slings his arms around the other, pressing his body against his to warm the ravenette, who only laughs at the display of the smaller man’s attempt to wrap him up.
Everyone's cheeks are dusted in a rosy tint the moment the trio sets their feet back into the flat at night. Norton and Tracy are shivering like crazy their trembling even audible by soft teeth chattering, while Naib is already heading in the kitchen, telling them to get blankets and warm up on the sofa. Doing as told, the two discard their coats, scarfs and hats, getting the spare blankets the mercenary mentioned to huddle up on the comfy cushions of the sofa in front of the TV standing in the room. Hidden beneath the fluffy fabric, the duo eyes the tanned man in the kitchen, watching him getting out a pot.
"What are you doing?" asks the girl eventually after watching him getting out 3 cups as well and some more ingredients.
"A little surprise." muses Naib with a wink, further sparking both his husband’s and the blonde's interests.
"Just turn on the TV and watch something until I'm done." advices the brunette afterwards, as if shooing their gazes away to stop them from peeking over to the kitchen.
Sounds like he’s trying to stall a toddler.
Scoffing at his beloved's words, the hybrid gives in, leaning forward to grab the remote before turning to the girl next to him, asking: "Anything you wanna watch, princess?"
Shuffling closer to the taller man until she's comfortable resting against his shoulder, Tracy shakes her head, tugging the blanket further up under her chin.
"Nah, let's just see what's on the program for now."
Soon after, the background noise of channels zapping from one to the other fills the living room. Sometimes there are people talking, sometimes there's music playing with Norton and the girl discussing if the channel they're currently on is worth watching. In the meantime, Naib is letting some milk boil in the pot while getting out cinnamon and small marshmallows, gaze flickering over to the cuddling duo on the sofa, making a content smile spread on his lips.
My little frostbites, thinks the mercenary to himself, amused by how quickly both of them started to freeze and shake all of a sudden on their way back home. Looking out of the window, Naib can still see many snowflakes falling from the dark sky, making him wonder if the snow is going to stay for a while. Christmas isn't even a full month away either, it would be fitting if the white crystals are gonna stay, setting a magical mood for the holidays ahead.
Around 10 more minutes pass until Norton notices the smaller man approaching, holding two cups. Curiously he's sitting up taking the one handed to him, gasping in surprise. The mercenary prepared a hot chocolate for them, lovingly decorating it with whipped cream, cinnamon and small marshmallows on top.
"Babeeeee" whines the hybrid in awe, the drink in his hand too precious for him to handle. Also Tracy is releasing a sound of delight when getting her own cup, eyes sparkling just like before when spotting the snowflakes in the air.
"Thank you so much, that's so cute!" keens the girl brows furrowed in an utterly thankful and touched expression. Both of their reactions elicit a grin from the tanned man, who is walking back to the kitchen to get his own share before striving back to the sofa, taking place next to the blonde girl.
Tracy immediately frees herself from her warm cocoon to offer Naib a spot beneath the warm blanket as well, making them all a comfy pile on the cushions with the blonde once again squished between the couple in utter happiness, sipping the sweet and warm surprise.
It’s already late while they’re still cuddled up on the sofa, their empty cups long gone in the kitchen’s sink together with some other dirty dishes from today. Tracy has been “resting her eyes” for a while now, but it’s easy to tell that in reality, she fell asleep. Not that the couple minds though. It’s been a long day for the blonde. After all, she still had to finish work before they picked her up.
The show on the TV became a simply background noise by now, while both the hybrid and Naib are softly talking to another with the girl curled up between them. The mercenary is mindlessly, running his hand through the smaller one’s colored locks, while resting his chin on the other one.
“I think we’ll get some more free time until the end of the year from now on. After all, Christmas is coming around and usually people know how to behave themselves better during that time.”
Norton hums in agreement, a soft smile adorning his facial features as he’s watching his husband in the flickering light of the screen.
“Maybe we can spend some more days like this then.” muses the taller man in a low mumble, hand gently reaching forward to cup the tanned man’s cheek, thumb brushing over the skin. Naib chuckles at the gesture, turning his head slightly to kiss the hybrid’s palm with a grin, mumbling against it: “I’d love that, today was fun.”
Below them, Tracy shifts in her sleep, a soft huff escaping her lips as she’s further cuddling into the soft cushions and focusing the couple’s attention on her once more.
“Maybe we should go to bed as well.” suggests the tanned man quietly, hearing Norton hum in approval before answering: “I’ll carry her over in the bed then.”
Trying to move as little as possible, the hybrid gets up from the sofa before leaning down again to pick the sleeping blonde up, carrying her in his arms. Naib is quick to follow, turning off the TV and checking if everything else is ready for the night. When Norton proceeds to carry the girl out into the hallway though, the mercenary calls for him with a quiet: “Wait a sec!”
Stopping in his tracks to turn around with a crooked brow, the ravenette watches Naib leaning over to Tracy, pressing a chaste peck to her forehead with a muttered: “have some sweet dreams” making the hybrid’s heart flutter in warmth at the loving gesture.
“Okay, now you can go.” chuckles the brunette with a grin, turning back to the kitchen to quickly put the used cutlery in the dishwasher before vanishing in the bathroom.
Carefully, Norton carries the blonde to their guest room, placing her on the mattress before tugging the blanket up to her shoulders. He brushes her locks out of her face, mumbling a quiet “good night” before exiting the room again, silently closing the door.
When the couple finally lays down on their own bed, all warm and cozy in a hug beneath the covers, they still talk for a bit. Suddenly Norton grins, pointing out Naib’s soft smile that he’s wearing. The mercenary blinks, feeling caught red-handed which causes him to grow flustered. A murmur of something like: "It kinda reminded me of when I was younger and my mother brought me to bed.” escapes the smaller man, before he clears his throat, adding: “It just makes me really happy that she feels comfortable with us and that we're important to her like that."
Hearing those unusually shy words, the hybrid smiles, kissing the mercenary’s forehead before muttering: "I also think it's nice to experience such a warm and safe atmosphere. And since we can't have children of our own, this is a nice taste of what a real family should feel like."
The tanned man feels a rush of blood exploding on his cheeks at those words. The ravenette is completely right with what he said but… his choice of words makes him embarrassed. Having children with the man he loves so dearly would absolutely be amazing, but at the same time the thought alone, or even imagining it, makes him want to curl in on himself in pure awkwardness.
In order to hide the bright hue on his cheeks (of no avail, Norton already noticed) the smaller man nuzzles closer to his husband, his mind still revolving over the words he’s heard. Eventually Naib finds his voice again, further embracing the taller man, when only breathing out a soft: "Yeah... with the way it is at the moment, it really does feel like we have a little family of our own..."