bakerstreet | it's been a while but I'm still thinkin' Arby's

They're all too young for us.

[He moved closer to deftly bump his shoulder against the other man's.]

No, I'm speaking of the fact that I'm pretty sure she thinks I am your....what is the phrase? 'Boy toy'?

Technically but I'll still go home with one every now and then.

[ Booker laughed and bumped him back. ]

If only she could've seen who you're actually a boy toy for. Her jaw would've been on the floor.

[His smirked turned more mischievous and he gave Booker a sideways glance.]

Amusing how you assume that I am his toy and not the other way around.

[Okay, nope. He didn't joke about sex enough to be able to do it without blushing like a choir boy, alcohol or no.]

Forgive me, my mirth oversteps.

[ No one would ever know Nicky was one of the most deadly people on Earth when he blushed like that. Booker shook his head. ]

I've overheard you two often enough to guess confidently how it usually works.

[ He shrugged his shoulders. ]

You don't have to apologize for being in love and lust.

You are right, I do not. But I should apologize for being crass about it.

[A deadly killer with an extremely defined sense of propriety.]

We do not mean to be so obvious. We will try harder in the future.

[Yep, his buzz was gone. He was still in a good mood though, at least?]

Have you heard me and Andy talk some nights? You are not being crass.

[ Booker was really trying to reassure him. It wasn't that big of a deal. ]

Ah, young love.

[ Technically, Booker was the oldest when he died. He liked to make jokes about it. ]

[His buzz was gone so he didn't outright snort, but he did give Booker a look that made it very clear on how much shit he was pretty sure Booker was full of.]

And what of you, hmm? Shouldn't you be going home with some attractive woman with a sinful smile and an ample bust instead of denying me fries?

Did we encounter anyone like that tonight? The only one here with a sinful smile is you.

[ It was a rare mood for Booker but sometimes yes, he did go home with someone for a night. Not tonight though. He had a date with fries. ]

Oh, I can think of a few who would have gladly gone home with you, mio amico. The red head for starters. And the blond. Though...the blond was a man, so perhaps he was never an option, no matter how handsome.

[Fries that Nicky was trying to sneak a few of from the corner of that bag...]

Eh, I gave up on gender in the 1930s I think. None of them really caught my eye.

[ While he did prefer women he'd go home with a man in the right mood. It was a good play but Booker stretches his arm out to keep it away from Nicky's sneaky fingers. ]

How can you eat so much? Are you hollow?

[To his credit, he laughed instead of pouted.]

Not hollow, no. Though, I wish I was sometimes. Ohh, do you think the little bodega on the corner will be open? I want something salty.

[Of course he did.]

Ne sommes-nous pas tous.

[ A little hollow would be nice. Feelings were entirely too much sometimes. ]

Probably. I think it's twenty-four hours. We can stop.

[ Booker planned to get a fresh bottle of whiskey. He needed to refresh his buzz. ]

[He most certainly did not, but who was Nicky to argue? He wanted to, but he wasn't Booker's keeper. The man couldn't really drink himself to injury, so what reason did he have to intervene.

Even if he did worry a little when he collected the trash at the end of a stay at a safe house and counted the bottles. Between Booker and Andy, their waste was mostly glass.

He went quiet as they walked, not pensive or moody. Just quiet. Content and at ease in his skin and the company at his side.]

It is a beautiful night, Booker. Thank you for taking me out into it. It was a lovely date.

Ah, anytime.

[ Sometimes, a safe house where they all lived out of each other's pockets was too much. Booker needed to get out and distract himself. Nicky looked like he needed it too. ]

Things were getting boring.

[Sometimes he did. He loved his life, for the most part. Loved his husband with every fiber of his being, Andy and Booker almost as much. If not the same and just in different ways. After all, he was no stranger to Andy's bed. Nor had he been a stranger to Quynh's.

The only person who's bed he hadn't been in, either by himself or with Yusuf, was Sebastien's and that was mostly because Nicky hadn't wanted to push in their tentative beginnings and by the time that he felt like Booker might be receptive to the idea, they were comfortable with how their little world worked.

Sometimes, however, the tight confines of a safe house was suffocating. Usually when Andy was in a mood and Joe was set on edge right along with her. Getting out was a blessing and Nicky chuckled as he looked up at where the stars would have been a few centuries before.]

Boring. Yes. Do you think the safe house will still be standing when we get back to it?

[ Booker considered for a moment. He was very good at figuring people out and he knew everyone very well. It wasn't hard to imagine the two of them. ]

Andy will be cleaning some weapon. Joe will be sketching. Probably be wearing one of your sweaters.

[ They all love each other fiercely and sometimes that translated to sex. Booker still felt that sleeping with Nicky or Joe would disrupt something in their relationship or in himself. It was hard to say.

One day, maybe it'll happen. ]

We'll return with fries and eat together and drink and tell jokes and reminisce until the tension is gone and all it better.

[Maybe.]

I hope so. I do not want have to break up a fight between them.

[The unspoken 'again' remained that way as Nicky tucked his hands into his jeans pockets. Getting in between Andy and Joe when they were at odds with one another was like stepping between two lions.

And about as painful.

He was really coming to hate this job. Of course, the jobs that included children, even in the smallest capacity, were the hardest on all of them.

He was quiet for the rest of the walk, though he did duck into the bodega as they passed it. A jar of feta stuffed olives for himself and a pint of dulce de leche ice cream for Andy.]

This should appease, yes?

[ Booker followed, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, and a thing of dates for Joe. ]

If they're still at odds I'll let Andy kick my ass with a sword and you can calm Joe down.

[ Fights among them are rare but they do happen. They're all strong willed, stubborn people. Of course they clash. They always make up in the end though.

They're family. At the end of the day they love each other. Booker will put himself in between the two if it's needed. ]

[He chuckled, but it was a short lived sound. Between the fresh bottle of whiskey and the prospect of walking in on a fight, his good cheer of the evening was leveling out to something more his normal level of contentment. Not bad exactly, but not as carefree or relaxed as he'd been all evening.

Paying for his items, he quietly thanked the man who rung him up in his own language before heading back outside.]

They'll be fine. I bet they've settled already and we will just be coming home with fries and treats.

Nothing distracts from frayed nerves like alcohol, grease, and sweets.

[ Booker nodded his head at the man before he paid and then followed Nicky. They don't have much longer to go before they're back at the safe house. ]

There's a lot to be said for food and bringing people together.

There is a reason that the breaking of bread was considered a peace offering for as long as it was.

[He glanced over to the other man, expression amused and open.]

Perhaps not quite as much alcohol, but it does help. Sometimes.

Aren't you from a time when water was unsafe to drink? Why do you hold a grudge against alcohol? It saved lives.

[ He was just teasing. They can have a serious conversation about Booker and drink another time. ]

[That managed to pull a chuckle from him.]

True enough.

[Oh, look. The little apartment was still in one piece. That was a good sign, right?]

[ Booker hid his explosives. The apartment was never in any danger. ]

See? They haven't killed each other. You were worried for nothing.

[ He got the door for Nicky and made a grand gesture for him to go in first. ]

[Never underestimate Andy's ability to cause massive amounts of destruction.

Smiling a little at the offered door, Nicky slipped past without asking if he should be concerned about Booker thinking he was a woman with manners like those.

Inside the apartment, the air had settled a little and Nicky's shoulders eased a little as he handed over the ice cream before leaning down to press a kiss to Yusuf's cheek.

The job could start soon and as soon as it was over, they could all relax.]

it's been a while but I'm still thinkin' Arby's

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