peace_inthe_violence

He'd given a shallow little nod at the brush of fingers, smile tilting warm and open and easy, because he understood it for what it was. For someone who had as many words as he usually did, he also knew when they weren't needed.

Though his brow arched a little at the statement that followed, "Christmas come early, boss?" It was a running joke, as none of them actually celebrated to any real extent, and the question was usually in response to ammo or supply restocks -or just new weapons in general- and occasionally things like shared food portions and not usually actual presents.

With Joe, Andy was more than happy to let him talk: his words were beautiful, she understood very well why Nicky loved them so much. Everything the man seemed to do was art, be it speech or sketching or the way he could slice with that blade he had. Joe would have been the one she'd choose to immortalize her in ink--written or drawn--if she thought they could ever risk it.

"Yeah, yeah. Andy Claus, I know," she said, teasing just as much as he had and passing him the tiny handful. "Just open it." Inside the fabric scrap were two rings, both simple copper wrapped into a band shape but not joined into a seamless round; each end had a delicate stamp on it, one the rays of a dawning sun and the other a crescent moon.

It took him a brief moment to fully realize what she'd just gifted him with, and after swallowing hard, his only other response was to nod towards the glass in her hand with a quiet: "Better put that down because I'm going to hug you." And the fact that he was giving her a warning likely meant that he wasn't going to let the hug go for a long moment.

That was, in fact, exactly the case, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, followed by a quiet, wholly heartfelt: "Thank you." As far as he was concerned, it had been time to make something official for a long time, because even despite the complexities of what he and Nicky were to each other, he'd never felt like making it official would cheapen that in any way. It would just be further proof, a kind of anchor point.

She laughed, knowing all too well the warning he was giving, and set the glass down safely away from both heat and accidentally being knocked over. Andy was nothing if not good at anticipating her family, and welcomed Joe hugging her tight and not letting go.

Joe gave the best hugs, even when he picked her up and twirled her around. (She'd almost never admit to it, but it did make her laugh when he did it.)

"It's about time," she elaborated. "You two already own each other in every other way."

"In every way that matters." He agreed, giving her another squeeze before finally unwinding his arms from around her shoulders, though he only took a half step back, still cradling her arms, hands solid against her elbows, keeping her that close because he could.

His smile tilted, blinking upward just for a moment as if that might help quell the -entirely happy- tears, "I'll talk to him the next time I actually get him alone. You know he's still a little skittish."

Andy brought her hands up to cup Joe's face, kissing his cheek with a laugh. "I know, I know," she said lightly. "You're only just at holding hands in public, I don't want to spook him or you."

She'd seen what Nicky had faced in backlash, and genuinely wanted him to feel safe. "But I expect to be a flower girl when you do finally pop the question."

"You really think he's going to let you be reduced just to the flower girl, boss?" He replied, smile tilting before he added: "Takes more than that to spook me these days. But I appreciate the consideration."

He finally took a step back, giving her elbows one last squeeze before he let go, picking up her glass to take a quick sip of the lemonade himself and handing it back to her before he could get swatted, "Kid knows what she's doing, and if she's making it up as she goes along, she's doing good at that, too."

"Do you think he's going to pass up the chance at making me interact with flower petals?" she replied, a valid question in its own right. Nicky did love to poke fun at her for her apparent aversion to femininity, unless he caught her with yarn and her needles. He'd met one very messy end with a pair of those once. Andy trusted Joe would remember the event: Nicky did.

She just swatted ineffectively at him when he stole her lemonade, taking the drink back with an off-the-cuff rib and not bothering to wipe off the rim of the glass before downing a third of it, shaking her head. It was good, refreshing and cool without being too sweet, or too medicinal. Nile knew what she was doing. "She used to garden with her mother. I hear things," she said lightly.

"Good at it, too, Nicky let her take the back one over. Its good for her to have something like that of her own, amongst all of us. You remember how confusing it was when you were new." Apparently, someone had a talent for listening rather subtly: the others gladly called it eavesdropping. Andy wasn't picky. "I wanted to give her space, but after Merrick I'm not sure there's a point. She learned what we do the hard way."

For his part Joe was just used to Andy's brand of knowing things, she listened and she paid attention and she looked after her own, which all of them were.

Which was why her observations about their newest addition weren't a surprise and he just nodded, "She learned that the hard way but still jumped in with both feet to get out." Give her some time to actually come to grips with it and she'd be a valuable addition to the team, "And Nicky knew what he was doing, give her a project that doesn't actually end."

His smile emerged once more, "And no, you're right, he would, but I think between you and me we can probably talk him out of the traditional scattering of petals."

"Given her other options I'm glad she decided on us," Andy murmured. "She'll come to terms with it. Might be confusing for a while, but she's not alone with it. Her family might be a sticking point."

They all remembered Booker and how hard it had been on him to watch his wife and his children die, but...he was coming back to them, and Nile was young. She'd have an easier time getting used to it. "Pretty sure you could manage it yourself if you put your mind to it," she returned, curling up a grin. "Nicky likes you and all. But I'm glad you get to finally ask him."

"And I'm glad I've got something decent to do it with." He replied, flashing another smile, though ne nodded a moment later, "And Nile's resilient, she'll bounce back if it comes to that, and she's got us, and more than that she's got Booker."

Who certainly counted as part of 'us', but at the same time had a distinct point of view and experience separate from theirs and more relatable to what Nile was going through.

Andy smiled slowly, but genuinely happy, relieved that Booker was growing back into the fold and was able to talk to Nile. "I think they'll help each other," Andy murmured. "There's no way we can understand losing a child, let alone three." And though Andy certainly understood losing Quynh, it wasn't the same.

That hadn't been expected for years, weighing on her like Booker's wife's mortality had. "They're already getting on like a house on fire now that she's found his old music."

There was another warm laugh, nodding, "I almost feel like we should worry about what the two of them will decide to do for fun, but it can't be any worse than me and Nicky in '74."

In December of that year, Malta had been declared a republic, and the two of them had celebrated, subsequently missing helping Andy and Booker with earthquake relief the following January.

Something that they still hadn't quite managed to live down.

Andy snorted dryly. "I don't see them disappearing for three months to screw each other silly constantly and missing an earthquake," she teased, shoving a hand at Joe's shoulder. She and Booker had pulled the extra weight, though it was a messy and dangerous job with the aftershocks going on around them.

She gave an exaggerated shrug, hiding a smile for Joe. Only for them was she so transparent. "But who knows, maybe I missed that one."

He laughed, shaking his head, "Not what I meant. And if those two vanish for more than a few days I think we should start looking for break-ins at sealed records offices. The old libraries perhaps." A thoughtful sound, squinting skyward a moment, calculating, "Some smaller museums, depending on how long they're gone."

Not that he particularly thought it was Nile's way, but depending on what the end goal was, he wouldn't be surprised, either.

"Oh, I think those two will absolutely break into someplace," she said with a dry snort. "Nothing worse than recovering your drawings from whatever museum they end up in."

She liked teasing them, feeling the intimacy ring between all her family members like a humming, comforting note she could feel in her bones.

"Oh no, nothing malicious, just for the joy of it, or the skill, or just to see how far they could actually get." Which was, he was fairly sure, all the way back home, depending on just what they broke into.

"For one thing I don't think the kid's got a malicious bone in her body." She was dangerous, certainly, or could be if pushed, they'd all seen that, but it wasn't out of meanness on its own, just out of survival.

Andy just hummed at that, taking another sip of her lemonade. "Give her time. Something will happen that will make her feel that way."

They'd all had it happen, and some things were worth feeling malicious over. "I hope she had a better time of it than we did. Even if she got the same shitty start."

"She'll get there." He agreed with a nod, "Hopefully before she actually needs it, but not before she can handle it."

She was settling in, and well, that much they all knew, but things were different here than they would be on a job, and mostly he was hoping she'd be ready for that when the time came.

Andy huffed. "Could any of us handle it when we first felt it?" she asked, shaking her head. "I'm worried for her. It's a whole new world out there now, and I don't know if we can keep up."

"Maybe we can't, boss, but that hasn't stopped us before." It might have slowed them down a time or two, but hadn't ever fully stopped them.

"And Nicky and I started malicious and mellowed, so it's easy to fall back on that if we need to, different when it's for the first time." As far as he could remember they'd all had multiple instances of something pulling that maliciousness right back to the surface, and not always something big, either. The important part was that it never stuck, they could all slough it off again when it was no longer needed.

"Feels like things are different now," she murmured, brow creasing. Sometimes Andy was clear as crystal to those who knew her, and sometimes she was utterly opaque, and now was one of the latter times.

"I don't want her to end up feeling like me. Like it's all...worthless. Like we're going backwards."

He pocketed the bundle with the rings so that he could step forward again, catching her hand and her forearm once more, thumb pressing against the base of her palm and the inside of her wrist, just to make her aware of the beat of her pulse before tugging her hand closer to press it against his chest so she could feel his as well.

They weren't exactly the same, but they were still in time, matched without being perfectly synced, "This much is still the same, Andromache." It wasn't often that he used her name, just when he felt like she needed it, "Whatever else happens we have each other, that's what matters."

Malta

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