Work Text:
Even after they finally admitted their feelings for each other and got together, Giorgio and Evan would have a long road ahead of them as they navigated the ups and downs of their new relationship.
Out in the field, their working relationship was more or less unchanged. Giorgio was still mostly professional while on duty, occasionally engaging in sarcastic banter with Evan in between bouts of action.
It was pretty much the same as it had always been.
Except sometimes, there was a sense of tenderness in Giorgio's eyes when he glanced at Evan during missions.
Sometimes, Evan would sneak kisses on the sly during their downtime on longer missions.
Giorgio always blushed fiercely, embarrassed at the thought of getting caught kissing his boyfriend while on duty, but he kissed Evan back every time anyway.
Off–duty, however, Giorgio was still inclined to be moody and withdrawn at times, and he still had a well of self–loathing and insecurities that made him wonder if he really deserved to be happy with Evan.
But Evan assured Giorgio that no matter what, he wasn't going anywhere, and that he loved all of Giorgio, good and bad parts alike.
A few months after they started dating, Giorgio finally opened up to Evan about his past. (1)
Although Evan knew the basics, Giorgio had never really spoken about the events that had shaped him in much detail before, and he found himself sharing memories that he'd tried to keep buried for years.
Afterwards, Evan had persuaded Giorgio to finally give therapy another try.
Though at first hesitant, Giorgio had agreed to go see Dr Fletcher, and he began to have regular sessions with her to work through years of trauma and emotional baggage.
Though his nightmares never fully went away, they gradually started to become more manageable and less intense.
Eventually, after three months of therapy (though he continued to see Dr Fletcher for quite a long time afterwards), Giorgio finally felt that he was safe enough to be around at night, and he asked Evan to move into his apartment with him.
(He didn't want to give up the massive bed he had in his room, and Evan had no problem with leaving his own apartment behind.)
Evan happily agreed, and soon he and Giorgio were living together.
They worked out a routine for danger nights, when Giorgio could feel beforehand that he was going to have a bad night.
Despite Evan's initial protests, they'd eventually agreed that Giorgio would sleep on the sofa during those nights to minimise the risk of him lashing out and attacking Evan while in the throes of a nightmare.
On those nights, when he woke up trembling and crying (sometimes with Evan leaning over him, having been woken by his cries), he always crawled into bed with Evan afterwards, knowing that he would feel safer and sleep better with Evan by his side. And true enough, he never had further nightmares on those nights.
But there were still nights where nightmares snuck up on Giorgio unexpectedly.
On those nights, when Evan was awakened by screaming, he knew better than to touch Giorgio. Instead, he would call Giorgio's name and murmur a stream of soothing reassurances until his voice pulled Giorgio back into the waking world.
Once Giorgio was lucid enough to be aware of his surroundings, Evan would gently slip his arms around Giorgio, holding his partner and letting his presence wash away the terror of Giorgio's dreams.
Once or twice, Evan ended up brushing up against Giorgio while still half–asleep, and Giorgio ended up taking a swing at him.
Giorgio was always horrified when he woke up and saw what he'd done, apologising profusely, but Evan always made it clear that he didn't hold it against Giorgio in the slightest.
If a slight bruise from time to time was the price of being with Giorgio and supporting him through his night terrors, then it was worth it.
And then, there were times where their roles were reversed.
Evan was still a ball of sunshine and energy for the most part. But after what he'd lived through in his old timeline, he was sometimes a bit quieter and more introspective than he'd been.
Therapy had largely helped him to return to his old self, but he would always be a bit more tarnished, and a bit more scarred than the innocent rookie he had once been.
Some nights, Evan was the one having nightmares instead.
Unlike Giorgio, he didn't lash out while having nightmares. Instead, he curled up tightly into a ball, as though trying to hide away from something or someone.
Evan had been helping Giorgio through his nightmares for years. Now, it was Giorgio's turn to help his boyfriend, and to ensure he was able to sleep peacefully.
Giorgio took his cues from the way Evan had always comforted him after nightmares, gently stroking his hair and holding him until Evan was no longer trapped in his dreams.
Afterwards, he made Evan hot cocoa to drink, then sat up with Evan talking about nothing in particular until Evan felt calm enough to go back to bed.
Evan always clung to Giorgio afterwards, and Giorgio never seemed to mind, holding Evan gently and promising Evan that he was safe.
He told Evan over and over that he was right there, and he wasn't going anywhere, until the soft stream of reassurances lulled Evan to sleep once more.
The sweetest nights were the ones where both of them slept peacefully, basking in each other's presence.
When he slept, Giorgio's cold demeanour melted away, and the frown lines marring his forehead vanished without a trace. In his vulnerable state, he looked younger and more peaceful than he ever was while awake.
His tendency to cuddle up to Evan in his sleep only made Evan love him even more.
No matter how they were lying when they went to bed, Giorgio would inevitably gravitate towards Evan in his sleep, clinging tightly to his partner. Evan usually woke up with Giorgio's arms wrapped around him, his head buried in the crook of Evan's neck.
On those mornings, when Evan woke before Giorgio, he always enjoyed watching his sleeping boyfriend's serene expression. He sometimes ran his fingers gently through Giorgio's hair, relishing in the way Giorgio unconsciously relaxed into Evan's touch, a small smile tugging at his lips.
It was a small slice of paradise, and he cherished every moment of it.
As time passed and their relationship deepened, Giorgio and Evan's teamwork on missions improved as well.
Soon, their track record on assignments began to surpass their existing standards of performance, which were already decent to begin with.
As with any relationship, it wasn't perfect.
They had their ups and downs, and there were days where the two of them argued over petty things.
But overall, they were happy with the life they'd built together, and nothing would tear them apart again.