Where Every Scroll is a New Adventure
Very Yummy - Blog Posts
new reblog game actually put in the tags what the blog you reblogged from tastes like
tw: mentions of death?
Price and the team pinned down in active combat zone. Patience wearing thin, along with their ammo. Doesn't seem so promising.
Nikolai's chopper up above providing air support and waiting for the right moment to land so they can get the fuck out of there. They are under heavy fire and it'll require a miracle to get them out safely. Luckily, Nikolai specializes in "upside down", so there's still hope.
Except, that hope dissipates the moment they all witness Nikolai's chopper going down in flames, an explosion following it the moment it touches the ground.
They don't have time to mourn, or even process their shock, as the enemy is equally surprised and the team has to use their brief moment of weakness to return fire and clean them all. They're trained soldiers, they've lost men and seen explosions before, they can't stop to mourn the dead in the middle of combat, they have a job to do.
So, in the end, the team makes it out alive. Every last one of the enemy is killed, had to be done. By far the messiest job they ever handled, but sometimes shit just go sideways. Sometimes it goes so fucking wrong that you watch as your comrade goes down in flames.
The ride back to the base is quiet. It all happens too fast anyways, they don't have time to search the ruins for Nikolai's body. Have to make sure they are safe and secure first, that the rest of them are alive and not-injured.
Price is out of it for the most part, his world stopped spinning the moment he saw the chopper explode. His eyes are dull, he doesn't hear anything, doesn't process any of the words directed at him. There is only one image in his head, and it's the helicopter in flames. It repeats over and over in his head.
The boys handle the mission briefing, Price is excused for the day. Hell, he's excused for however long he wants to. You don't just come back from that.
And he doesn't.
He's not sure what's happening at all. He hasn't processed it yet. He doesn't return anybody's worried calls or texts. Not from Laswell, not from his sister or anybody else.
One moment he's standing in his, their, bedroom. The next moment he finds himself standing over the ruins over the helicopter. It has barely been 24 hours, the remains of the crash are not cleaned up yet.
Price wants to see it for himself, that Nikolai is dead. The realization will fully sink in when he finally sees the body.
He's barely holding it together as he scans the area with a flashlight, hands shaking, selfishly knocking on god's door when he knows he hasn't been there in years.
He looks for traces of Nikolai, anything to confirm that he's dead, and yet he finds none. There are traces of blood and pieces of his flight jacket around, pretty badly burnt too, but the man himself is nowhere to be seen. Price doesn't know how to feel about that.
All of a sudden it's too much, and he sinks to his knees. His sobs are the only noise to be heard in the quiet night.
A few weeks pass, or so Price thinks. He hasn't bothered checking the calendar ever since Nikolai died. Disappeared? He doesn't know. It doesn't matter what day of the month it was when he re-lives the same day over and over again anyway.
There isn't any ceremonies made for the man. Only an empty grave with the name "Nikolai" on it for the people who knew him to pay their respects to. Price doesn't visit it. Part of him still believes he's out there somewhere.
His suspicions soon turn out to be true, though the discovery almost kills him on the spot.
A knock on his door, two am in the morning. Price doesn't have to get up from his bed as he's not sleeping anyway, hasn't been able to in weeks. He's exhausted, blue eyes tired and red from crying, and he's not sure if his mind is playing tricks on him as he opens the door to the sight of Nikolai.
There Nikolai stands in front of him. Leaning on a cane, his pretty face covered in scratches and bruises, but he stands there alive. His heart breaks at the sight of Price, and he doesn't know where to begin.
"John.." He can't bear looking at him. At how ruined Price looks, like he can't believe Nikolai is real, like him dying was the end of the world to him.
Price is barely holding it together. Either Nikolai is really back or God is playing a sick, cruel fucking joke on him. He can't tell.
"Thought we lost ya'..." He manages to let out when he finds his voice again, hoarse and shaky. He takes a step forward and lifts his hand, putting it on Nikolai's cheek as if to make sure Nikolai is really there.
And he is, he is there. His skin is warm under his hands like Price remembers. Nikolai stares at his wet blue eyes as he himself struggles with words.
"I'm not easy to get rid of, Captain." He lets out a laugh, leaning into Price's touch.