Work Text:
12th March 2004
It was Nik’s birthday. It had been a lovely day, being woken up by Si and Garri bouncing on the bed and yelling “ S dnem rozhdeniya , Papa!” at him, Farah yelling “ Eid milad saeid, rajul eajaz! ” and Alexei toddling in with John’s help and just loudly squealing in his attempt to wish him a happy birthday. After school, they’d showered him with presents and cuddles, before Christine and Mac came to let John treat Nik to a night out. They couldn’t go back to the restaurant they first went to during their first date, but John treated him to a very nice restaurant. And then John had suggested a mini piss up.
It was a Friday, sure, but they still had kids so they couldn’t go too hard on the drinks. Sure, they’d be back by midday, but Nik knew he was getting old now and couldn’t just sleep off a hangover anymore. He was sure that the closer he inched to 40, the harder it was to cope with them.
They’d found a nice little bar in Soho, Nik getting them a little booth whilst John ordered them drinks. His treat for once, he was ensuring Nik didn’t spend a penny tonight. Not even on petrol. He arrived at the table with two tumblers of whiskey, sliding in to sit next to Nik as he hands him the glass. Nik kisses his cheek before taking a sip, thankfully not managing to pull a face as it burns down his throat. It was good, Nik couldn’t deny it. Very smokey, felt fitting for him. Laughing to himself as it reminded him he hadn’t actually managed to get a smoke in on the way to the bar, he excused himself — John teasingly pouting at him, before lightly swotting his arse as he moves by — to head outside.
He’d spent his time outside lamenting to himself just how lucky he was. Luckiest man in the entire world, he always called himself, for managing to catch the eye of John Price that night in Berlin. Clearly making a good impression, proving himself to be worthy; a worthy partner, a worthy father. The fact he got to say he belonged to John Price? It was the best feeling in the world. That John had chosen him, nothing else could compare. Perhaps maybe the birth of their children, but even then, that wouldn’t have happened without John choosing him.
Tempting fate wasn’t something Nik believed in — if it was going to happen, it would — but upon walking in and seeing him sat not too far from their booth, Nik thinks he truly tempted it then. He looks just as smug as usual, knowing he’d finally been spotted. His mere presence was a statement itself, a statement that those threats in Barkov’s prison camp weren’t empty. He was here to inflict them.
The kissy face he was given had him snapping out of his daydream, unable to hide the momentary look of disgust the kapitán’s way as he strolls back to the booth, aiming to look as nonchalant as possible. But those who knew him well, like said kapitán, would see the twitch in his hands as he desperately closed them into fists to hide it, the way his leg began to tap once he was seated.
“Nik? What’s up?” John’s voice pierces through the haze, and Nik just reaches out to grip onto his hand. To the untrained eye, it would seem such a loving gesture. But the two sets of eyes on him were not untrained.
“Mm. The usual. Was just someone going by, you know. Those types.”
John frowns at him. He should’ve come up with a better excuse. John knows something like that barely affected Nik nowadays, given the environment in which he grew up. Nik was numb to that sort of thing, it rolled off his back like nothing. But Nik didn’t want to spill what had him shaken, didn’t want to give that man the attention he so desperately craved.
John just squeezes his hand, giving him a soft smile. Perhaps he thinks Nik is just reminiscing about his time in that prison, and that just makes him feel worse. Instead of spilling, Nik just squeezes his hand in return, taking a deep breath before smiling widely at him. A genuine smile. He could never fake a smile around his solnyshko .
“When did you say Kate would be here?” He asks, keeping one hand clutching onto John’s, taking a large sip of his whiskey with the other.
“Oh, you hit 35 and your memory starts going? Is this what I have to look forward to?”
“You have baby brain often.”
That earns him a playful slap on the arm, coupled with such a beautiful laugh, and a muttering of ‘cheeky bastard’ under John’s breath. It was true, the baby brain did hit John hard but Nik always made him feel better by saying he was growing a whole new brain, a whole new person, he had to give himself some leeway. If Nik had to pick up some slack, it was the least he could do. Though John said it was more that Nik was milking the pregnancies more than he himself was, which wasn’t entirely a lie. It was Nik’s excuse to wait on him hand and foot.
“She’ll be half an hour, said she’d give us time alone.” John finally answers, squeezing his hand again.
“Plenty of time to sample this whiskey, see if it is to her liking.”
Nik had wanted everyone around for his birthday. He’d never celebrated it much before being with John, but he found he loved it being a big affair. Not necessarily for the attention being on him, no, more than it was a good excuse to gather all the family and friends. They were having that big celebration tomorrow, when everyone was off work and the kids weren’t at school, but he’d still wanted to see Laswell on his actual birthday too. She’d been more than happy to come along but said she’d be a little late, being “caught up at work”. Fat chance. Nik knew she’d met someone, he’d have it out of her by the end of the night just who this mystery woman was.
“I’ll be honest, I did ask for the time alone.”
Nik pauses, turning to look at John. His nerves were settled by John’s soft smile — he wasn’t about to get a bollocking for overdoing it with his shitty knee earlier then — but he still couldn’t think of a single thing that John would want to speak to him alone about. Unless it was the man. . .
That was, until he notices the box in John’s hand. Looking between it and John, he allows himself the small thought of ‘that cheeky, sly bastard’. He had been so sure he’d be the first to properly propose! John had asked during a particularly passionate night, but they both resolved to do a proper proposal. He did have the ring, it was sat in his bedside drawer waiting for the right opportunity. Now, Nik had to simply show it to him once they’d arrived home.
A breathy, tear filled “yes” left his mouth, causing John to playfully raise an eyebrow, a smirk dancing on his lips then. “I haven’t even asked yet, gimme a sec!”
They both laugh then as John finally opens the box, showing off the most beautiful ring Nik had ever seen. John retrieves it from the cushion it was kept in, holding it up to him. “Nikolai, will you do me the honour of being my husband?” He asks, and Nik can only tearfully nod then, drawing him into a kiss by way of an answer. Nothing else needed to be said then, as John deftly places it on Nik’s finger, then gestures to an inscription on the top. Squinting a little — he did not need glasses, thank you very much — he’s able to make out, in perfect Cyrillic, his new name engraved on the band. He pulls John into another kiss then, before resting their foreheads together.
Nikolai Price. It definitely had a nice ring to it.