Malta

[peace_inthe_violence]

This is a fairy tale of blood and bullets
It is the story of three men and three women and a small island between Italy and Africa.
This is a story about tragedy and pain, about healing and hope, but mostly it is about
love.

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[orgilotes]

"Not letting you torture yourself alone," Andy murmured, voice soft even when she wrapped her arms around Booker to squeeze tightly. He wasn't the most physically demonstrative, and neither was she, but being surrounded by the rest of them might help. Just to know he wasn't alone, even when he felt hopeless.

"Family time. Be with us." She'd fit in next to Booker wherever he found space, in whatever arrangement they all fit into: it wasn't the first time they'd all shared a bed, not by a long shot. "Let us help."

[transfuge]

Booker found himself pulled down between Nicky and Andy. Nicky against his back and Andy pressed against his front. He rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes tight against the almost overwhelming wave of emotion.

He loved them all so much. He wished he could let go of the grief that dragged him down and be happy. He wished he could embrace the love they gave him fully.

“I love you too,” he said softly. He didn’t want to wake up Joe and Nicky who were sleeping so peacefully. “I know you love me. Don’t doubt that, okay?”

[peace_inthe_violence]

Joe wrapped him back into his arms and Nicky smiled as he was pulled back into the family warmth of his husband's chest. Trust Joe to not wake up even with the shuffling of additional bodies in their bed.

Booker ended up against his chest and while he had no idea what was going on, he knew that heavy tone of Andy's voice. Something was off and Booker was trying to pull away from them again. He wrapped his arms around his wayward brother, pulling him tight so he could press sleepy kisses along his shoulder.

"Shh, it's time for sleeping, not talking. Talking can come in the morning. Close your eyes, Sebastien." His accent was thick with sleep and he pulled on Booker's shirt until he was pressing his palm against the bare skin of the younger man's stomach. "Let us keep you tonight."

[nicely_tousled]

If there had been any hint of danger, Joe would have ...well he would have at least mostly come awake, but as there were only familiar voices, there was no reason to, just settling again as soon as Nicky was pressed against him again.

He grumbled something that probably wasn't even meant as words as much as noise, burying his face into the crook of the other man's neck again, sighing contentedly and settling back into a deeper sleep once more.

[orgilotes]

"It's okay," Andy murmured, settling in after she'd kicked off her boots, face tucked into Booker's collarbone and pulled tight against his front. It would be a long trek to getting him comfortable, where he didn't feel the weight of things past on him constantly, but they'd manage. Tonight was just the first step. "We're here."

Over the hours until dawn--and if the others had much say in it, probably a few hours after that--Andy somehow twisted and moved until she was touching all three of them, tangled in legs and arms and utterly comfortable. She could sleep in just about any place or position as long as she felt secure. That Nicky and Joe and Booker were there meant she felt safe and loved, and woke with a soft hum and stretch, instead of a start while reaching for a weapon.

[transfuge]

Booker stayed up for awhile. It was hard to fully let go of the thoughts circling around his head. But it was also hard to deny he was loved and cared for when so many warm bodies were pressed against him, unwilling to leave him struggling alone.

But he felt drained after facing so many deep pains and heavy guilts. The large amount of whiskey didn't help either. Sleep basically dragged him under. He was lucky that he didn't have another nightmare.

This wasn't the end. He knew his friends would make sure he wasn't still struggling and they'd probably hover like worried grandmothers but somehow that didn't feel as suffocating as before.