Work Text:
Nile woke to the smell of freshly baked bread, something she knew was an impossible thing because they were in the Gobi desert and far away from any bakers.
Andy: "If you want breakfast, get up now, Nile, because we're leaving in less than ten minutes."
Nile watched Andy walk towards Booker.
Andy: "I don't mind you living your life as dangerously as you want when you're alone, Book, but please, for once, pack the grenades more carefully than you're doing right now because I would really prefer not to be blown up before lunch. "
Booker: "I know what I'm doing, unlike someone else who once dropped the grenades on the floor while we were still driving."
Andy: "You shouldn't talk, Mr Butterfingers. I still remember when you dropped the grenades before we had the main course at that restaurant in Berlin."
Booker: "You can't blame that incident on me, Andromache. It was the Nazis coming through the front door..."
Nile looked up at Joe, who offered her a cup of coffee and some bread, which she took before she looked at Andy and Booker again.
Nile: "Do they always take grenades with them when they go to a restaurant?"
Joe chuckled while he scratched his beard.
Joe: "Those two aren't as good as we're to separate work from private life, but we do have the agreement that if we eat out, we leave the grenades at home unless we're at war."
Nile: "Remind me never to go out with them while we're at war."
Joe: "I promise. Now, eat your breakfast. We got a long walk ahead of us."
Nile nodded before she took a sniff at the bread.
Nile: "Where did you get freshly baked bread from?"
Joe: "Thanks to Nicky and his sourdough. He never leaves home without it, if possible."
Joe gave Nile a smile before he walked over to pack the rest of his things. When they started to walk, Nile walked next to Nicky.
Nile: "Is it true that you got a sourdough with you?"
Nicky: "Yes. It's a good way of ensuring we get something good to eat while we're on missions."
Nile: "That's true because the bread this morning tasted delicious."
Nicky: "Thanks."
They walked a bit in silence.
Nile: "Who taught you to make sourdough?"
Nicky: "A sweet elderly woman I have forgotten the name of. But I do remember it was right after Yusuf and my relationship started turning into something other than friendship."
Nile laughed.
Nicky: "What?"
Nile: "Well, you're just like everyone else who is in love and wants to impress the other one. Some people buy flowers while you started to make sourdough. It's very sweet."
Nicky: "That's one way to put it. I have never been good with words like Yusuf is, so I had to find another way to express my love, and it was with freshly baked bread."
Joe placed an arm around Nicky's shoulders before kissing his forehead.
Joe: "And it was a perfect declaration of love if you ask me."
Andy walked past them before she slapped Joe on his nape.
Andy: "What have I said about kissing during a mission?"
Joe: "Sorry, Boss, but I was just thanking Nicky for always having his sourdough with him—you know, the one who is the basis of the best bread in the world."
Andy: "Thank you, Nicky for the great bread, but you still broke the rules Yusuf, so one week with night duty without Nicky."
Joe: "Then I better get the best out of things right now before I have to be without Nicky."
Joe kissed Nicky, which earned him another slap on his nape from Andy.
Andy: "Still totally impossible."
Joe: "You would get bored if I started to behave."
Andy: "True, but as an extra punishment, you also have to wash Booker's socks for a week."
Booker walked past them with a big smile.
Booker: "Thanks for the help, Joe. I haven't had clean socks since we left Shanghai."
Joe: "Not going to happen, so forget it, Booker."
Booker laughed before he ate the rest of his snacks.
Joe: "You can't mean that, Andy. We all know that Booker's socks are weapons of mass destruction."
Andy: "You brought this on yourself, Yusuf."
Andy walked on, so she was in the lead, while Joe was trying to argue his case that he shouldn't wash Booker's socks.
Nile: "Do you think you could teach me about how to keep a sourdough alive? I really like the thought of having freshly baked bread while I'm alone on missions."
Nicky: "I don't see why not since you made the pasta dough so perfectly."
Nile thanked Nicky, and they caught up with the rest. When they made camp two days later, Booker dropped all his dirty socks with a big smile in front of Joe.
Booker: "Thanks for the help, mate."
Joe: "Not going to happen, so forget it."
Booker: "Do you really want to be in more trouble than you already are?"
They both looked over at Andy, who was snoring really loudly.
Joe: "Hmm, what if I pay you to forget what Andy told you?"
Nicky looked up from his book before he said something in a language the world had forgotten.
Joe: "Fine, but I'm not washing your socks before I see a washing machine, deal?"
Booker: "Deal, but you know that the pile with socks will only increase as long you keep delaying it."
Joe picked up one of the socks and threw it after Booker but regretted it immediately, while Booker dodged the sock.
Joe: "I need a new hand. Nicky, have you seen the soap and hand sanitizer?"
Nicky: "Look in the blue bag, but you have to wait with washing your hand."
Joe: "Why?"
Nicky: "Because you're in even bigger trouble with Andy than before."
Joe looked in the direction of Andy and realized that Booker's sock had hit her straight in the face. Andy looked around the camp while fuming.
Joe: "If she asks, tell her I was somewhere else."
Joe quickly got up and ran over to a stone before Andy got up. Joe actually thought he had gotten away scot-free, but Andy walked over to him. Around the same time, Nile returned from relieving herself.
Nile: "Why is Andy shouting at Joe?"
Booker: "He poked the sleeping beast, so it looks like Joe will be washing your socks, too."
Booker laughed, Nicky just smiled, while Nile stepped away from the pile with socks.
Nile: "Jeez, Book. What are you doing to your socks? They smell terrible."
Booker: "For your information, that is the smell of hard work."
Nile: "No, that is the smell of someone who doesn't look after his feet. When was the last time you washed your feet?"
Nicky: "I think 1910 when he fell into the Po."
Booker: "Hi, I have been showering since then."
Nile and Nicky laughed while Booker lay down with a grumble.
Nicky: "Leave him, Nile. I promise tomorrow he will be back to himself, especially if there is freshly baked bread with the honey he loves."
Booker held up a thumb before he rolled over to sleep.
Nicky: "Hi Andy. How are you doing?"
Andy: "I was doing fine until your better half started throwing with socks. Please be the adult I know you're and keep an eye on him."
Nicky: "That's a pretty hard thing to do when you said he was doing night duty without me."
Andy groaned before she rubbed her face.
Andy: "Fine, you can join him, but he is still washing all our socks alone."
Nicky nodded before he got up and walked over to Joe.
Andy: "Don't say a word, Nile. Go to sleep now. We got a couple of long days ahead of us tomorrow."
Both women lay down to get some sleep. The last thing Nile saw before she fell asleep was Joe and Nicky holding hands while Nicky placed his head on Joe's shoulder.