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"Babe, there's something tragic about you
Something so magic about you
Don't you agree?"
- Hozier
Yusuf sat next to Nicolo’s still form on the bed. Nicolo’s hand in his, pressed against lips watching the rise and fall of his chest with every breath.
Every time Yusuf shut his eyes, the events of the day assaulted his mind, leaving his gasping for breath. The only salve was the sight of the love of his life, hale and resting comfortably.
He hears the floorboard creek behind him. He knew Andy’s footsteps like the back of his, this was minutely heavier and less purposeful. He turned, not moving Nicolo’s hand from his lips to see Nile standing, looking unsure at the doorstep of the bedroom.
Yusuf gently laid Nicolo’s hand down and followed her into the tiny living room.
“Hey, sorry for disturbing you. I noticed that you were not sleeping and wanted to check on how you were doing. Today could not have been easy on you.”
Yusuf watched her with haunted eyes as he could not help but watch the events of the day flash in the eye of his mind.
--
Nile took the front while Yusuf and Nicky covered Andy’s back as they raced through the labyrinth like house. They had landed in Medellin a few hours ago after an old contact of Andy reached out for an extraction. A mob leader holding a political prisoner who was crucial for the passage of various human rights protection legislations. It was an in and out job as far as the immortal guards were concerned.
However, things seldom adhere to plans in recent times. 2020 was really the toilet of fate and luck as far as the guards were concerned.
There were many more rooms and sicarios than anticipated. Andy was quick to unleash her fury with her axe with Nile providing cover as the two immortal lovers wreaked havoc with their swords. It was an absolute blood bath until they reached the room holding the hostage.
The hostage room was filled with children, some toddlers, feet weighed done with iron ball and chains, the minister at the flag end with the mob boss holding a gun to his throat.
“I knew the government would not respect the negotiations so I got some collateral.”, sneered the drug lord in Spanish as he stepped back towards the back door, his cruel voice chilling the room through the cacophony of crying, terrified children.
Andy took one step forward when she paused to notice the liquid covering the floor.
“I would not step into the room any further than that, putta. The floor is covered in oil and one stray bullets, all these strays will suffer very painful deaths.”
The immortal guards tensed up. They had practised this before. They did not lower their weapons but watch motionlessly as the mob boss disappeared into the back. Andy backed out to cut them off from the back as Joe raced through the door the villain escaped from.
Nile and Nicky raced to pick the locks and releasing the children from their entrapments. They worked faster each time but there were just an endless deluge of trapped children, wailing with fear. A firefight raged outside the hellish room. Nicky could hear the exchange of fire getting closer and closer. It would only be a matter of time before a stray bullet would make its way to the tinderbox of a room.
He worked faster to release the children who were booking it, faster than trained athletes, to escape.
They were almost down to two children left in the room when Nile could see the fire fight ensue between Joe and the last of the sicarios right outside the other exit of the room. The sicarios were almost surely about to get cut down by Yusuf’s scimitar when one of the sicarios made a last bid for survival. He created an effective distraction by flinging a grenade over Yusuf’s shoulder into the hostage room. Yusuf used the momentary lapse of attention to slice the man’s arm off only to be blown away as the grenade exploded behind him.
--
Nile was about to pick up the remaining children and run for it when she noted that she would never make it in time. And that’s when she felt the swing of Nicky’s sword too close to her legs and the unmistakable feeling of someone’s boot in her back, catapulting her just close enough to the exit to escape. Then the room exploded into fiery chaos and she did not know anything until she woke up with a deep gasp, desperately trying to drag air into her empty lungs. The children in her arms, were alive and in need of medical attention. Only while taking stock did she notice that their chains were broken by Nicky’s sword, the only reason why she could escape was the lost weight of the ball and chains.
Nicky!
She continued to cough as she pushed herself onto all fours and crawled closer to the room which was more of a fire pit now. Immortal, marine or not, nothing prepared her to see half of Nicky charred beyond recognition and the rest of him melting away. The smell was enough for her to empty her stomach as she did not dare to get any closer.
The smoke was filling up the room and her vision got blurrier with the second as she could make out Andy and Yusuf’s vague outlines run into the room before she succumbed to the smoke inhalation.
“It was a lot, Joe. But Nicky is fine now. He was completely fine after he woke up. I know it’s not easy to see someone you care about like that, but he’s fine.”, Nile attempted to assure Joe.
Joe could not help but indulge their immortal baby with a small smile.
It had taken too long for Nicky to wake up again as they escaped from the collapsing hell hole. Joe spent an hour watching Nicky’s body stitch itself back together in the back seat of a sedan as Andy sped through the outskirts of Medellin to reach their safe house. Nicky only woke up once the guards carried him indoors to promptly fall asleep again.
“I know that he’s okay now, Nile. It’s just going to take me a minute to shake it off.”, Yusuf nodded, not wanting to worry her any further.
Nile eased back sensing that talking was not going to get them anywhere. However, she was determined to make Yusuf better, partly to feel better about the day by accomplishing even the smallest of wins.
So, she let her marine training take over when helping her comrades after a tough day. She quickly moved Joe’s chair so that he can easily look at Nicky’s resting form from the table and put a glass filled with amber liquid in his hand.
In an inordinately short period of time, the golden liquid in a couple of bottles disappeared, in the dimly lit room, with Joe’s eyes trained on Nicky.
Nile attempted at the best of her abilities to keep the conversation light. Joe always had fascinating stories about artists and politics with his trademark humour engrained into them.
Midnight was long behind them as Nile started to feel the alcohol and the tiring events of the day catch up to her.
“Go to sleep, Nile. You need to rest.”, Joe smiled.
Nile shot him a look, worrying her lip.
“Oh, just ask me what’s on your mind.”, Joe laughed, finding her awkward curiosity endearing.
Nile practically shot questions at him.
“For the thousands of times he has died, he woke up again. Him waking up has always followed him dying. Andy died and got up again for six thousand years before her power eased up. You both logically have five thousand years left before you need to start worrying about it. Why do you not let yourself stay secure in the knowledge that he will wake up? Doesn’t this fear actually stop you from using your immortality?”
Joe took a breath before even attempting to answer her question. He shut one eye, exaggerating his efforts to concentrate and push out a cogent answer.
“You see young Nile; having this gift, keeping it a secret definitely has its blessing but its own infuriating limitations. As you can imagine the knowledge about this predicament is sparce and rarely reliable. Everyone has their own theory about the longevity of our immortality. As Andy has a theory about the age of the immortal guard being the factor that decides the end of this life, I have gathered my own theories over time. None are conclusive, of course, but just as plausible as the others.”, Joe explained, gesturing wildly with his hand, the whiskey swilling around in it, glistening off the warm lighting of the room.
“The only other theory about immortality was not limited by the age of the guard but by the number of times the guard uses his gift immortality. Or her.”, Joe gestured wildly at Nile. “So, every time Nicky regenerates, he is going to regenerate one time less. And let me assure you, my immortal bacha, Nicky and I have been very reckless with our gift in the beginning of our immortal journey, many times in each other’s hands too. So I live in fear, that once day, maybe a thousand years from now, maybe ten thousand, maybe tomorrow, we will run out of our gift and I will be left behind, without my Nicolo by my side.”
“But, like, dude.” Nile took a pause to let out a huge burp. “Why do you keep thinking that Nicky will go before you? What if you go before him?”
Joe laughed, “Shaitan! This is what you were after all along? My impending doom? I know I will never die before Nicky because immortal or not, I’ll find my way back to him. Now go to bed before you pass out here!”
Nile sniggered, before obliging. Her bed seemed very comforting suddenly.
Joe watched her drunkenly make her way back to her room before he finished his glass. Heaving himself up from the chair, he truly felt a thousand years old.
He took a moment to stare at the prone form of the love of his life. Nicolo was a work of art. His eyelashes rested on his pale skin inspired Joe to write epics, create masterpieces to last through the ages.
Yusuf had held Nicolo every night for close to a thousand years now. No matter how many blissful nights or poignant mornings flooded Yusuf’s memory, he would never forget the first time he held Nicolo in his arms.
The white demons had dared to enter the holy lands to impose their imperialism, leaving plunder, rape and devastation in their wake. The Muslim brethren had a divine duty to take up arms and defend what was given to them by the Almighty. So, war raged on, Yusuf just one of the thousands defending his homeland on the battlegrounds of Civetot.
No matter how thirsty one was to gain glory and divine approval, no man could prepare for the horrors of the battlefield. Yusuf could have sworn that he was on that field for an eternity, hacking through bodies and spilling blood for years. His arms were incredibly fatigued from ruthless fighting to the point where even curling his hand around the handle of the scimitar seemed like agony. The raging sun seemed to blur his vision with every step.
Yusuf raced through the ranks of the enemy with his comrades. The battle was almost reaching a culmination point, the floor was littered with the bodies of the white devils, their blood running in streams. The only thought running through Yusuf’s mind was that he was done. All he wanted to do was strap his scimitar to his back and go back home. Even as he fought, he could see a mirage of his home, his family superimposed on the battleground. He wanted the violence to stop, he thought as he plunged his sword through an enemy’s chest.
Everyone taught you how to kill, he thought. No tells you how hard it is to pull your sword out of the enemy’s body to complete a siege. Why could these white devils not stay in their lands? Why did they have to let their lust for blood and power lead them so far away from home? Why did he have to live with the horrors of war to satiate the greed of rulers who spend generations without seeing the battle? Yusuf mused as he slashed through a few more enemies.
Delirious thoughts rushed through Yusuf’s mind as he killed for centuries and blood dripped down his face, but he did not stray from his path until he saw a brother in arm struggling to combat an enemy.
The enemy with long golden had his back to Yusuf, kicked the Turkish soldier onto the ground and was about to strike down, hesitated for a breath, when Yusuf plunged his sword through him. Yusuf felt a shiver pass through his body as the scimitar entered the crusader next to his spine till the end of the sword emerged through his heart, the sword’s blood covered tip visible to Yusuf over the crusader’s shoulder.
The Turkish soldier, Yusuf saved could only spare Yusuf a grateful look before he scampered to his feet and disappeared into the fray. Yusuf moved to pull his sword out of the enemy’s body and follow his comrade to hopefully end the siege soon. The crusader was still alive, dragging in pained gasps. Yusuf frowned as he tugged on the sword. In his years of battle, he had never experienced this. He tried harder to release his sword with both hands, the crusader still alive around it, screamed but to no avail.
Yusuf wanted to win but not by causing more pain than necessary. He grew frantic in his efforts to remove sword so that the crusader would bleed out and be put out of his misery. However, it was almost as if the enemy was healing around the sword, the blade gripped tightly by his flesh and blood, refusing to part with the fatal metal, him still howling in pain. Yusuf was suddenly glad that he had stabbed the man through the back and was spared from seeing his pained face.
Out of any more conceivable options, Yusuf wrapped his arm around the crusader’s mid-riff, hoping to gain the leverage needed to withdraw his sword. Gathering all his strength, to let the enemy rest, Yusuf heaved one more time, this time successful, his trusty scimitar finally by his side. The crusader was dead, having bled out in seconds, still upright in his other arm.
Before Yusuf could respectfully lower the man, enemy or not, still a warrior dying in a holy war, he felt a sharp blow from the side of his head. His assailant already racing into battle with another soldier, confident that his blow was fatal.
So, Yusuf fell to his side on that battlefield, his arm still wrapped around the crusader. Both dead before they hit the ground.
--
Hours later, after the battlefield was emptied of every live and injured soldier only the dead remained.
Nicolo Di Genova jolted up with a gasp. He was almost sure that he had died when the cowardly soldier ran a sword through his back. He had spent a good few minute looking at the tip of the sword that had gone through his heart.
“What fresh hell did you reprimand me to, My Lord?”, he murmured. He tried to sit up only to notice an arm gripping his midriff. He quickly threw off his vanquisher’s arm to stumble to his feet and peer through the darkness to take better stock of his surroundings.
In the darkness, amidst the cacophony of vultures preying on the dead, he once again turned his back to his fatal enemy.
Nicolo did not notice, lost in his crisis, the prone figure rise from the dead as well, his sword raised.
Joe jolted up.
“Ah, you are finally awake, amore mio. I made you breakfast. Now brush your teeth par favoure or the food will get cold.”, Nicky said, looking to be at the prime of his health and not at all like he had been blown to smithereens a day ago or like the crusader Yusuf killed many times on the battlefields during the crusades.
When Joe only gaped at Nicky, the Italian man set the tray aside and bent to wipe down the sweat from Joe’s forehead.
“Baby, you cannot worry yourself to the point that you dream about the crusades every time I take a while to heal.”, he whispered as he nuzzle Joe’s cheek, running a comforting hand through the soft curls on the back of his lover’s head.
“It was so real.” Joe groaned, leaning into the smell and warmth of his Nicky.
“I know. But I am here. As real as the memory you saw. I rose again. I’m here, mio.” Nicky assured him, peppering kisses all over Joe’s face.
“I am so fearful, Nicky. I’m not as strong as Andy, Nicky! I can continue without you! Every time you get hurt; I feel like this might be it. I cannot breathe till you wake up again. I’m terrified that the number of times you can come back are limited. I am even more terrified that I will outlive you for the crime of killing first on that field! I killed you twice that day! The very first two times you died and returned were by my hands, Nicky! The first time you woke up in my arms was because I killed you and promptly died after! I am cursed to outlive you, I can feel it!”
“And then I killed you! Many times, Joe. The scores of our enmity have been settled centuries ago. You need not carry guilt from that time. We are completely different persons now, the man who killed me on that field has been faded by time to become the man I love! You are not the same person you were then and I refuse to hold you accountable for those years. Besides, even if your theory is right, you are sure that I returned more times than you have? Over the last nine hundred years?”
“I’ve been keeping count.”, Joe mumbled under his breath.
“Joe, please tell me you are joking, you mad man.”
Joe did not look up to meet his eye. He did not have an exact number in his mind, but he knew for sure that Nicky returned two more times than he did.
Nicky growled, frustrated and pulled him up and pressed Joe’s hand over his chest, letting him feel the beating of his heart.
“Here, Joe.”, Nicky said as he peered into his eyes, communicating more than words ever could fathom.
“Whatever theories you have floating in your head, you need to put them to rest. I’m here and I’m always going to be by your side. In the face of our love, death will always have to retreat.”
Joe could only raise his head and kiss Nicky deeply, taking solace as they shared a breath.