#my dream husband yusuf al kaysani

[normal-thoughts-official]

Why Joe and Nicky deserve to win the sun and moon showdown, and if they don't I'll end up in the INTERPOL Most Wanted list

A not at all dramatic essay

(Plain text version here)

1. Not only do they canonically use moon imagery to refer to each other, but their context adds new symbolism to that metaphor that other duos don't have

If you haven't seen TOG and aren't familiar with the van speech, well, I recommend that you do, but I'll transcribe it for your convenience:

"He's not my 'boyfriend'. This man is more to me than you can dream. He's the moon when I'm lost in darkness and warmth when I shiver in cold. And his kiss still thrills me even after a millennium. His heart overflows with the kindness of which this world is not worthy of. I love this man beyond measure and reason, he's not my 'boyfriend'. He's all and he's more"

Yeah, pretty long way of saying "actually we're husbands", but let's focus on the "he's the moon when I'm lost in darkness" bit. That bit alone is already insanely romantic and enough to make us fans go rabid with this tournament, but there is an extra layer of romanticism to it, because Mr Yusuf al-Kaysani (aka Joe) is Muslim, and in Islam, the moon represents the guidance of Allah through life, the calendar is based on the moon cycles, and the brightness of the moon is compared to both the face of the Prophet Muhammad and the first batch of souls to enter Paradise. Therefore, the moon, in Joe's culture, is intrinsecally linked with the divine, guidance, holiness, and time

So, when Joe compares Nicky to the moon, he's not only saying that he brings light into a dark world; he is saying that he is the very guiding light that leads him to a blessed life, that he is the foundation through which the world and time can be understood, and that his beauty and holiness is comparable to that of the souls of Heaven themselves

Which is all already enough for me to bite through wood, but the specific relationship between the moon and the understanding of time in Joe's culture is also particularly meaningful for Joe and Nicky, because Joe and Nicky are two of the 5 people who are immortal in the entire world. And one of the core themes of the movie is how that sense of timelessness leads them to isolation, and a constant state of loss. There is a deep melancholy that permeates their entire existence due to the fact that time as we know it no longer makes sense to them, and they live outside of it, skirting around eras and history. So, by comparing Nicky to the very body that marked the passage of time for Joe, he is saying that Nicky is what helps him make sense of the impossible, that he is the constant in Joe's eternity, that he brings meaning to their confusing and sometimes alienating existence

But wait! There's more!

Because Joe and Nicky met in al-Quds (also known as Jerusalem) in the year 493 AH (also known as 1099 CE in the Gregorian Calendar) and had to travel together across the desert for a long time, which means that, for the first few years of their life together, they were in fact relying on the moon to guide them in their path. So they both have a deep intrinsic understanding of how the moon is a compass, the most reliable thing in uncertainty. And the moon has been guiding their steps, their relationship, since their paths were first joined. And they weren't separated since

Like. Listen, I'm sure Star Trek is great and its fans are lovely, and I salute the Star Trek fandom for everything it did for fandom history in general, but you cannot tell me that Spirk has this much baggage associated with the sunmoon symbolism. It just doesn't. If this were a hand touching tournament, no one would have as much symbolism linked to it than y'all, but when it comes to being the sun and moon, no one is doing it like Joe and Nicky

2. The most appealing aspect of the SunMoon dynamic is how they need to defeat all odds to be with each other, and Joe and Nicky have that in spades

"Oh I don't think that's the most ap-" IRRELEVANT. I'll talk about the other ones too. Just keep reading, okay? /joking

As you might know, Joe and Nicky met on opposite sides of a battlefield. They killed each other. (Many times). And what happened then?

They ressurrected and became immortal. That alone is already impossible, but it gets better - even for the rules of immortality in their universe, Joe and Nicky are still an impossibility that has never happened before or since

Because in The Old Guard, immortality is extremely rare. There have only ever been 7 immortals in the entire history of humanity. There are usually several millennia between the appearance of one immortal and the next one. Other than them, the shortest time gap between one immortal appearing and the next was 800 years. But Joe and Nicky became immortal at the same time, on the same day. Their very existence bends the rules of an universe that already bends the rules of the universe they lived in beforehand anyway. Joe and Nicky being together defies the very fabric of time, and if that isn't some sun and moon shit, I don't know what is

But it's not just some destiny shit either. Joe and Nicky were also not supposed to be together by other standards. For starters, they were on opposite sides of a war. Nicky was a fucking priest, and he joined the goddamn actual honest to god crusades. He was hateful and ignorant and awful, and when he chose Joe, he left behind everything he knew before him. All his certainties, his beliefs, his faith, his family, everything he had ever been taught. I'm also gonna go ahead and say that that ties into the whole "the sun is what makes the moon shine" metaphor - because everything that defines Nicky as he is now is the direct result of how meeting Joe changed him

And listen, listen to me. I'm not saying that he stopped being a bigot for Joe, because if he did, I doubt Joe would want him. He did it because it was the right thing to do, and he was wrong and ignorant and indoctrinated by the church. But he still had to make the choice to turn his back to all that, and that plain and simply would not have happened if he hadn't met Joe. It was Nicky's own effort, but meeting Joe was the catalyst

Joe, similarly, had to overcome a lifetime's worth of (well earned) resentment and hatred for what Nicky did. Joe forgiving Nicky at all is already nearly an impossibility (and he would be well within his right to never do that), but he didn't just forgive Nicky, he fell in love with him. And he chose him, well aware of how bloody and terrible his past was, and despite the fact that there is no way he wasn't deeply conflicted about what he felt for Nicky after everything the Christians put him through. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard this process must have been for Joe, and it was one he didn't have to go through at all - which means that he chose to

And that's not even taking into account the very personal resentments between the two of them, because they weren't just on opposing armies, they literally and personally killed each other. Several times over. And yet, impossibly, against all logic, against everything they had ever felt and believed in prior to each other, against possibly their own desires, they fell in love. They fell in love and have been hopelessly devoted to each other every since

And THEN, on top of all that at the beginning of their relationship, they lived as an interracial, interfaith*, gay couple, through what were undoubtedly the worst times in humanity's history to be either of those things. For 900 years, they had to love each other in secret and with varying degrees of risk associated with ever being found out as a couple, or even with being associated with each other at all to begin with

(*It is debatable what their current relationship with their respective original faiths is, since it isn't mentioned in the movie. But even if both of them had turned their back on their religions, they are still culturally Christian and culturally Muslim, and that makes a difference. Personally, though, I don't think either of them turned their backs on their religions, although I do believe Nicky turned his back to the Catholic Church as an institution for obvious reasons)

That's not even counting all the incredibly traumatic shit that they went through ever since (which I won't mention in detail because it's spoilers and also this is long enough already) and that would definitely break a couple with a less unbreakable bond. Through centuries and centuries of pain and regret, they have chosen nothing and no one but each other, first and foremost, no matter what that meant.

Nicky even brings it up in the comics:

[ID: Joe and Nicky touching foreheads with their eyes closed. Nicky is holding Joe's chin and he says, "why is it so difficult, Joe? We've been afforded more time than any lovers I can name. And still, every moment we scrape together feels precious. Something always happens-" End ID]

(From the Tales Through Time one-shot series. I generally think the comics are meh and the movie is where it's at, but I do recommend reading this one. It is set before the movie happens so there are no spoilers)

There has never been a time where being together was easy, and yet, Joe and Nicky chose each other no matter what. They chose each other even when it meant being separated and getting only scraps of time together in secret. If that isn't some sun and moon shit, I don't know what is

3. They complement each other

And not in the dumb stereotypical "the sunshine one and the grumpy one" way either. For starters, Joe isn't bubbly, and Nicky isn't grumpy. No, they have two characteristics that I think represent the sun and moon way better than that anyway - Joe is an extremely intense person, and Nicky, an extremely cool headed one

Joe doesn't feel anything by halves, and despite the fact that he has lived through several lifetimes, it still seems as if everything he goes through is happening for the first time. Every time Nicky or another one of the family dies, Joe looks just as desperate as he would a millennium ago, despite the fact that he's had centuries to get used to the fact that they die and then come back to life. He's the only one who's that affected by it (obviously none of them enjoy seeing each other die, but the rest seem to have accepted to some degree that it's a part of their lives, or at least gotten used to it). He has experienced so many horrible things, yet he is still as affected and disgusted by it every time, going as far as lashing out sometimes. When he's angry, no one is able to hold him back from yelling at the person he's angry at (not even Nicky). Similarly, not even an actual van full of armed homophobic guards is able to stop him from simply dropping a passionate speech about how important Nicky is to him, complete with getting misty-eyed and kissing him at the end (and I'm not even bringing up the fact that both of them have their hands and their feet tied)

To me, that is the most sun-coded possible trait, because the sun is intense, hard to ignore, and quite literally burning. The intensity with which Joe feels also feels like it could burn, but it's also what makes him so warm and loving

Nicky is also a pretty intense person, but, unlike Joe, he is super cool headed about it. For starters, Nicky is a sniper; he is capable of staying still for hours at a time, observing, figuring out the best time to strike. That demands an amount of control over himself, his feelings, even his instincts, that is admirable. But he's not just like that on a mission; Nicky is very careful with what he says, when he speaks, what he lets other people see of him. His expressions are all subtle, contained, and even when he is in a state of murderous rage, he doesn't lash out. He doesn't lose control. The same way that the moon and the sun share their brightness, Joe and Nicky share their intensity, but Nicky is able to subdue it while Joe burns with it and lets that be his strength

Where Joe is expansive and wears his heart on his sleeve, Nicky is cautious and guarded. Where Joe gets lost in his own feelings and loses sight of what they need to do, Nicky keeps their heads straight and reminds him of what they need to do. Like the moon that guides one through the desert

They're different and complementary, but also intrinsecally tied to each other. They have the same spark where it matters, but present it in different, complementary ways. They are a part of each other, but they're also themselves first and foremost. That's what the sun and moon are all about

Sun and moon imagery has been the staple of the Joenicky fandom since day fucking 1, and for good reasons

VOTE JOE AND NICKY IN THE SUN AND MOON DUO SHOWDOWN

[dwarfanonymice]

Writing Patterns (Tag Game)

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there’s a pattern!

Nobody tagged me, but I wanted to try. I can't believe I posted 21 short fics.

Goodbye, old friend. Goodbye, old friend. Goodbye, old friend. From It is what it is (link , Obikin)

There were Jedi knights waiting outside Bail Organa’s office. From Anakin's life can't get any stranger (to his absolute dismay but he made that bed and he has to lay in it) link, Obikin.

All was clouded in the Force; nobody could understand anything because it was a milky grey plain with no landmarks and the frustration was palpable. The Force was secretly laughing and waiting. From Where in the Galaxy is Anakin Skywalker? (link, Obikin)

1. In the Darkness send them.

From: anitheskyguy@jediknights.galaxy To: hotdamnobiwan@jedicouncil.galaxy

Master, master, master… Master!!!!! Stop watching “Pride and Prejudice BBC” or whatever that ancient thing is called. Colin Firth won’t fuck you and you are not Elizabeth Bennet. You don’t have the tits for it. From Five Times Quinlan Vos flirted with Anakin Skywalker and one time Obi-Wan punched him. (link, Obikin)

5. Anakin loved rain. From Softly, gently (link, Obikin)

6. A sandy hill, clear water, laughter. From Dreams (Sogni) link, Yusuf Al Kaysani/Nicolò di Genova.

7. Touch was the most important sense. It told lies without the eyes’ aid, and it told truths. From Touching you, loving you. (link, Spirk)

8. It was a rainy day. One of those days where dishes are broken, and tempers are soured. From My big fat French wedding (link, Hartwin)

9. “Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away, a stupid boy was about to be converted to the Dark Side by a not at all upright character who could not know what a proper citation system was. From Stars!... Can't do it... Not today. (link, Obikin)

10. Bruce Wayne is suave and a ladies' man. Right? Right. Enter Clark Kent. Stage left. From Five times Bruce Wayne (and Batman) had gay panic and one time he didn't. (link, Superbat).

My first fics were Hartwin. As of now, I have written for Obikin, Hartwin, Superbat, Immortal Husbands, Spirk.

Apparently I tend to go for one liners or sentences that can hopefully capture the reader's attention. Correct me if I am wrong.

I'll try to write for other pairings I have in mind but nothing comes (for now).

[therenegadesexualmystic]

So we all agree that Yusuf Al-Kaysani is the most beautiful man in the world, yes? (Followed closely by Luca Marinelli and Marwan Kanzari in some order, maybe a tie depending on hair & face scruff).

[colesawicn]

category is gay and immortal

[rotisseries]

just remembered the van scene in the old guard I need to lie down

[every-aj-needs-an-angel]

Had the coolest/weirdest Immortal Husbands dream.

So I’m a teenager again and I leave my old house “See ya later. Love you!” run down the drive and throw my leg over a black Yamaha (not that I’ve ever owned a motorbike or would know how to ride one) and head out down a country road where I come across an accident (two cars gone through the stone wall and landed in the field, ones upside down, the others on fire)

I park up the bike call my friends “Hi. Sorry, I’m gonna be late there’s an accident up on the back road blah blah blah” end the call to friends to call 999 but as I get closer to the cars I can see there’s no one in them

Friends arrive to have a nosey around but as we go to leave I notice my bike’s missing

“Wait here I’ll drop the others off and come back for you” friend says

“No it’s okay I’ll call my dads” (?) I say clicking the button to call the mysterious “Papa”

(As with all dreams we’ve time jumped) Car with friends leaves, car with dads arrives (Immortal Warrior Husbands are my dads!!) They get out the car to have a look at the accident

Nicky is automatically suspicious, glancing around the tree line, inspecting the cars, looking at shoe prints in the mud

Joe is fussing, checking I’m okay, telling me not to worry about the bike, that they’ll drop me off and pick me up whenever

That’s when all hell breaks loose, guns shooting, bad guys fighting, immortal husbands winning this fight (cos let’s face it who really stands a chance)

Bad guy tries to drag me off from where I was hiding from the bullets behind the cars, scream out “dad!” both immortals turn to look

Nicky’s pinned fighting off four baddies

Joe hesitates not wanting to risk it

Immortal bickering ensues

I’m grinning at bickering during a fight, the baddies grip loosens enough for me to fight my way out of his hold, he’s dead before I even have chance to look up

(Another time jump) All three of us are now pinned against the upside down car Nicky tries to hand me the keys to their car, tells me “Get out of here, we’ll cover you”

I look down at the keys, laugh, grab the gun from the nearest dead guy (never even seen a gun before let alone held one)

“Not a chance” I say and I spring to my feet shooting baddies like something out of Die Hard (no control or aim just for the badass aesthetic but killing baddies all the same)

Look back to see this proud look they’re both giving me and Joe turn to Nicky, them sharing the softest look and Joe says “That’s our girl” springing up to join me.

That’s when the dog scratching at my door woke me up.

[missmysterious56]

Me: casually dreaming about dying (again) cause some how my drunk aunt got guns and accidentally shot me but like i woke up and was casually like she missesd meanwhile i had already died.

also me: causually dreaming that after i died the gang came to take me away and i was like omg lit i can finally get away from them

me when i wake up: shit i forgot to get booker to stop drinking. Dammit!

[eg515]

I had a weird dream last night that was a mashup of The Old Guard and The Boys, which really just means that I dreamed about Charlize Theron as Andy and Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko having a weird fight for power, partly set in my kitchen.

basically, Kimiko is the new leader of the Guard and Andy supports her 100%.

and my awake-brain followed this up with the thought that in this universe, Frenchie would meet Joe and Nicky, and now I need to see that meeting.

[thehuntersmoondiscord]

Crossovers, Mingling, and Fusions! OH MY!  Here is the masterpost for the Hunter’s Moon Discord Crossover Event. If you love seeing two of your favorite fandoms collide, you’ll love these amazing creations! 

(Special shout out to @foxymoley for the beautiful event banner <3 ) 

Hunter Hills by @ember-rayne-storm 

Malec, Sterek | Teen | (Tumblr Post) After being forced through a portal, Alec and Magnus find themselves in a strange new world. A world where an equally strange and potentially dangerous creature lurks nearby. Tags:  Post-Canon, Crossover, Interdimensional Travel, Established Malec, Snippet, Happy Ending

Malec Art by @high-warlock-of-brooklyn

Torn Wings by @brightasstars

Malec | Teen | (Tumblr Post) So you see, the story is not quite as you were told." - Maleficient Tags:  Malec/Maleficent fusion, emotional hurt/comfort, fairy tale style and elements, light angst with happy ending

Won’t Go Home Without You by @sowrongitslottie

Malec | Teen After finding a semi-unconscious Magnus Bane on the side of the road, the Five-O team are thrown into the world of magic and demons as an evil entity threatens to disrupt the peace of the island. Not knowing who else to call, Commander Steve McGarrett gets through to Magnus’ partner, Alec Lightwood, who hops on the first flight available with Downworlder and known New York cop, Luke Garroway. Will the pair be able to help the Five-O task force uncover the mystery of this entity or will they be targeted just like Magnus? Tags:  Malec, Shadowhunters, McDanno, Hawaii Five-O, Crossover Event, Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane, Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Hurt/Comfort, Nephilim, Warlock, Cops

Of Taste by @jesssssah

Malace | Mature | (Tumblr Post)  Once the lonely and disillusioned human son of wealthy New Yorkers, Alec is now a no less lonely and disillusioned vampire who has developed a crush on a similarly jaded tabloid journalist. When said journalist - Jace - becomes enamoured with Alec during an interview he’s not expecting to conduct, and asks him to make him immortal, Alec grows angry and returns to solitude, leaving Jace alone with only memories, feelings, and the recording he’s made of their interview. In Alec’s wake and absence, Alec’s sire - Magnus - finds Jace, promising to give him the immortality he knows Alec won’t, if he still wishes to choose it. But only once Magnus is done showing Jace what immortality really entails. Tags:  Interview With The Vampire Fusion - AU, past Malec, Angst, Moral Ambiguity, BAMF Magnus Bane, Bisexual Jace Wayland, One Canon-Typical Joke About Cancer, Explicit Language, Slurs For Sex Workers, Homophobia, Recollections Of Conversion Therapy, Internalised Homophobia, Repressed Bisexuality, Vampire Typical Death/Violence, Choking, Claiming Marks/Bruising, Blood Drinking, Siring, Sexual References, Coming Out Themes, Drug References, Ambiguous/Open Ending

Malec Art: A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes... by @livinglifebehindthemask

Institutes and Recreation by @bextraordinary

Malec, Jimon, Clizzy | Teen | (Tumblr Post) Otherwise known as “Alec Lightwood's misadventures with a van full of idiots" On a road trip to the Los Angeles Institute, the shadowhunters and their downworld companions are lost in an Indiana town called Pawnee where they meet two very enthusiastic locals. Tags:  Shadowhunters (TV), Parks and Recreation, Crossover, Crack, Road Trips

The Painting by @sivan325

Malec, Buddie, Sterek | Teen | (Tumblr Post)

“Alexander, get away from that picture, I think that it’s cur-“ Magnus said but felt himself get sucked into the painting with his husband. “-sed,” Magnus finished his sentence as he landed on top of his husband, who lay on some soft grass, the air so clean as they breathed.

Tags:  Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Fellowship of the Ring fusion, Dancing with the Stars fusion, Blood, Poison, Alpha Derek Hale, Mage Stiles Stilinski, whump alec lightwood, Hurt Alec Lightwood, whump derek hale, Hurt Derek Hale, Hurt/Comfort, Bingo Square: Cursed Item, Crack, Fluff, Curses, Husbands Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Battle Couple Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Power Couple Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood

36 years to forever by @squiggly-lines-on-a-page

Malec, NickyxJoe | Teen  Alec is 36 when he finds himself not bleeding to death in fucking Jersey. If there is anything he is sure of it is that he should be dead. Tags:  Alec Lightwood-centric, MCD, dont worryThey get better, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Immortal Husbands Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova

[caitlesshea]

you make a fool of death with your beauty

For @blood-suits-and-tears for the TOG HQ Secret Santa! I couldn’t resist immortal husbands + found family and I hope you like it!

“Nico? Nico!” Joe tries to move but everything feels stuck. 

After a couple of minutes he’s finally able to turn over and through the wreckage he sees Nicolò laying underneath something heavy.

“Nicolò,” Joe wheezes just as Nicky stirs and moves his head to look at Joe.

“Yusuf.” Nicky reaches his hand out and Joe grasps it as he crawls closer to Nicky. 

Joe’s able to move what looks like a seat off of Nicky and they both notice the open doorway as they get up slowly and stumble through it.

“Survivors! We have survivors! I need a medic!”

Joe and Nicky look at each other with wide eyes as they turn as one to see the mangled subway car behind them.

“What?” Joe’s about to ask when suddenly they’re surrounded by rescue workers and EMT’s.

The questions come in rapid fire as they’re taken to a triage situation and Joe feels like his head is going to explode.

Yes, they were on the subway together.

No, they don’t remember the crash.

Yes, they feel fine and would like to go home.

Joe leans his forehead against Nicky’s, thankful his husband is okay. He wipes some of the blood off of his forehead, a little concerned there’s not even a scrape on either of them, but thankful nonetheless.

“We’re okay,” Joe whispers in Italian. Nicky nods in return and grabs his hand, absently running his fingers over Joe’s simple wedding ring. 

“I don’t remember the crash.” Nicky looks at him with wide eyes and Joe kisses him.

“Neither do I.”

“Just flashes, two women together at a shooting range, two men playing cards, and a man and another woman somewhere, Greece maybe?” 

Joe’s breath catches and he looks at Nicky, confused.

“You saw all that, too?”

“Sì. Was it a dream?”

“I don’t know.” Joe runs a hand over his side, his tattered and blood covered shirt makes it looks like he was stabbed with something but like Nicky there’s not even a scratch.

“Okay gentlemen,” Officer Keane starts as he walks over to them. “Looks like the medics have checked you out, so you’re free to go. Here’s my card if you remember something and we’ll be in touch if we need your statements for anything.”

“Thank you, sir,” Joe jumps off the back of the ambulance and helps Nicky get down as well.

“We can have one of the officers drop you off somewhere so you’re not walking around the city like this.” 

“Oh.” Joe looks down at both of their dusty and ruined clothes and nods. “Yes please, that would be nice.”

It’s not until they’re sitting in the car that Joe realizes how tired he is. Nicky’s head is lolling onto his shoulder and Joe brings his arm around Nicky to pull him closer.

When they finally pull up in front of their apartment building Joe grumbles at their five story walk up. Nicky makes a protesting noise as he wakes up and Joe shushes him as they make their way into the building.

He has half a mind to grab coffee and a pastry from the bakery at ground level that they work at but Joe would much rather lay down in their bed.

Their studio apartment has served them well over the years; artwork, rugs, and plants taking up a majority of the space, but it’s home.

Two broke college kids when they first moved in and now it’s over ten years later and they’re married and still sharing the same full sized bed. Joe smiles. 

Not much has changed from when they met as young kids and decided to follow each other here for school. 

“We should shower first, Joe.”

Joe slips out of his musings and looks down at himself and grimaces. “Yeah, we should.” 

“I think the clothes are toast.”

Joe chuckles warmly. “Seems that way. C’mon, we can both fit.”

“Yusuf,” Nicky says exasperated. “You know we can’t.”

“Please, amore mio?” 

Nicky must sense Joe’s desperation because he agrees quickly and they both jump into the tiny shower.

Joe relishes in the hot water as Nicky massages his scalp and winds his fingers through his curls.

“How are we not injured?” Joe asks as they step out of the shower and get into sweats so they can lay in bed together.

“I don’t know.” Nicky turns to face him and Joe pulls him closer.

“I was so scared, Nico. You were under all that rubble and - ”

“Shh, Yusuf, we’re okay.” Nicky brings Joe’s face towards his neck and Joe sinks into the familiar embrace. 

We’re okay.

It’s Joe’s last conscious thought before he succumbs to sleep.

In the morning, Joe’s barely coherent enough to get out of bed, much less open the coffee shop they’ve been working at since college, that they now own.

“Yusuf, sit. I’ll open.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sì. It won’t take long. Here.” Nicky pushes Joe’s favorite chai tea latte into his hands and Joe sits down at a table to sketch while Nicky busies himself with opening the coffee shop. 

Joe’s so lost in his sketching that he barely registers the front door opening until Nicky’s voice carries through the shop.

“We’re closed!”

Joe looks up and drops his charcoal as his mouth hangs open.

“Nicolò,” Joe whispers as Nicky comes from the back of the shop.

“Joe? What?” Joe watches Nicky freeze and drop the towel he’s holding.

They both turn almost comically to look at the strangers in their shop, almost like they’re seeing ghosts. 

The familiarity is hard to swallow because standing in front of them are the people from their dreams during the crash.

“This is a nice place you have here. Espresso?” The tall woman with short black hair and piercing blue eyes asks and Nicky nods as he goes to grab her a drink.

“Uh, anyone else?” Nicky asks as an afterthought and as everyone prattles off their order Joe stands to help, thankful for something to do.

“Why did we dream of them?” Joe whispers to Nicky as they start making drinks. 

“I don’t know.” 

“Do you think they caused the crash?”

Nicky looks at him sharply. “Do you?”

Joe looks over at the people scattered throughout their shop and feels something tug in his chest. “No.”

Nicky nods his agreement and leans in to kiss Joe and Joe smiles as they carry the various drinks to the six others.

Various thank you’s and a couple of happy moans later, Joe and Nicky sit down at the last empty table.

“I’m sure you have questions.” The same woman speaks again.

They nod.

“I’m Andromache the Scythian, but you can call me Andy. This is Quynh, James Copley, Sébastien le Livre, Nile Freeman, and Lykon.

“Joe al-Kaysani.” Joe points to himself.

“Nicky di Genova.” Nicky responds and grabs Joe’s hand. 

Andy nods. “You own the shop?”

“Yes.”

“And you live upstairs?”

“How do you?”

“I just do.” Andy’s no nonsense voice is truly something to behold. 

Joe doesn’t like it but he nods anyways.

“Why are you here? Why did we dream of you?” Nicky gets right to the point and Joe squeezes his hand.

“We dream each other,” James says slowly. “When we die.”

“When we?” Joe swallows roughly.

“You died on that train, but you came back to life.” Quynh chirps in a sing song voice. 

“We what?”

“You can’t die,” Andy says as she drinks her espresso like it’s no big deal.

“We can’t die?”

“Not anymore,” Nile responds this time. “I know it’s confusing.”

“You think?” Joe snaps and Nicky rubs his thumb over Joe’s hand to calm him down.

“We’re immortal. All of us and now you two, as well. We each have our own story but mine started thousands of years ago, and we dream of each other when we first die, until we meet, so we can find each other,” Andy says in one long winded breath and Joe and Nicky stare at her with wide eyes. 

“We can’t die?” Joe whispers.

“Not anymore,” Sébastien responds gruffly. 

“And we don’t age?” Nicky, ever pragmatic, asks. 

“You’ll forever be the ages you are now.” Lykon points to them.

“We, we can’t leave.” Joe thinks of their home, their shop, their friends.

“You have about ten years before people start to get suspicious, especially if you adjust your appearances, but we can deal with that when the time comes,” James responds and Sébastien snorts.

“We don’t have to go with you?” 

“Not if you don’t want to.” James looks sharply at Andy and she nods.

“Eventually the people around you will age and die, but…”

“It’s just us,” Nicky’s outburst is met with confused stares. “It’s just us, our families are gone.”

“But, we have the shop and we don’t want to leave it.” Joe adds.

“Then you won’t.” Nile smiles at them. “Plus maybe you could use another barista?”

“Wait really?” Joe asks bewildered.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve spent any time in this city, I think we can stay,” Andy states and everyone releases a collective breath.

“Really, Boss?” Sébastien asks.

“Yeah, Book.” 

“Book?” Joe and Nicky ask. 

“Booker,” Sébastien responds. “It’s a nickname.”

“It’s very original, darling.” James leans across the table to kiss Sébastien, whose face has turned slightly pink. 

Joe smiles at them and leans closer to Nicky. 

They look at their new friends as they let their voices wash over them. The gentle teasing that only comes from knowing someone a long time.

Time that Joe and Nicky seem to have an abundance of, now.

“Forever, hayati,” Nicky whispers with a reverence that makes Joe’s heart sing.

“Forever.” 

[normal-thoughts-official]

Why Joe and Nicky deserve to win the sun and moon showdown, and if they don't I'll end up in the INTERPOL Most Wanted list

A not at all dramatic essay

(This is the plain text version. To see the version with bold, italics, hyperlinks, and big text, click here)

1. Not only do they canonically use moon imagery to refer to each other, but their context adds new symbolism to that metaphor that other duos don't have

If you haven't seen TOG and aren't familiar with the van speech, well, I recommend that you do, but I'll transcribe it for your convenience:

"He's not my 'boyfriend'. This man is more to me than you can dream. He's the moon when I'm lost in darkness and warmth when I shiver in cold. And his kiss still thrills me even after a millennium. His heart overflows with the kindness of which this world is not worthy of. I love this man beyond measure and reason, he's not my 'boyfriend'. He's all and he's more"

Yeah, pretty long way of saying "actually we're husbands", but let's focus on the "he's the moon when I'm lost in darkness" bit. That bit alone is already insanely romantic and enough to make us fans go rabid with this tournament, but there is an extra layer of romanticism to it, because Mr Yusuf al-Kaysani (aka Joe) is Muslim, and in Islam, the moon represents the guidance of Allah through life, the calendar is based on the moon cycles, and the brightness of the moon is compared to both the face of the Prophet Muhammad and the first batch of souls to enter Paradise. Therefore, the moon, in Joe's culture, is intrinsecally linked with the divine, guidance, holiness, and time

So, when Joe compares Nicky to the moon, he's not only saying that he brings light into a dark world; he is saying that he is the very guiding light that leads him to a blessed life, that he is the foundation through which the world and time can be understood, and that his beauty and holiness is comparable to that of the souls of Heaven themselves

Which is all already enough for me to bite through wood, but the specific relationship between the moon and the understanding of time in Joe's culture is also particularly meaningful for Joe and Nicky, because Joe and Nicky are two of the 5 people who are immortal in the entire world. And one of the core themes of the movie is how that sense of timelessness leads them to isolation, and a constant state of loss. There is a deep melancholy that permeates their entire existence due to the fact that time as we know it no longer makes sense to them, and they live outside of it, skirting around eras and history. So, by comparing Nicky to the very body that marked the passage of time for Joe, he is saying that Nicky is what helps him make sense of the impossible, that he is the constant in Joe's eternity, that he brings meaning to their confusing and sometimes alienating existence

But wait! There's more!

Because Joe and Nicky met in al-Quds (also known as Jerusalem) in the year 493 AH (also known as 1099 CE in the Gregorian Calendar) and had to travel together across the desert for a long time, which means that, for the first few years of their life together, they were in fact relying on the moon to guide them in their path. So they both have a deep intrinsic understanding of how the moon is a compass, the most reliable thing in uncertainty. And the moon has been guiding their steps, their relationship, since their paths were first joined. And they weren't separated since

Like. Listen, I'm sure Star Trek is great and its fans are lovely, and I salute the Star Trek fandom for everything it did for fandom history in general, but you cannot tell me that Spirk has this much baggage associated with the sunmoon symbolism. It just doesn't. If this were a hand touching tournament, no one would have as much symbolism linked to it than y'all, but when it comes to being the sun and moon, no one is doing it like Joe and Nicky

2. The most appealing aspect of the SunMoon dynamic is how they need to defeat all odds to be with each other, and Joe and Nicky have that in spades

"Oh I don't think that's the most ap-" IRRELEVANT. I'll talk about the other ones too. Just keep reading, okay? /joking

As you might know, Joe and Nicky met on opposite sides of a battlefield. They killed each other. (Many times). And what happened then?

They ressurrected and became immortal. That alone is already impossible, but it gets better - even for the rules of immortality in their universe, Joe and Nicky are still an impossibility that has never happened before or since

Because in The Old Guard, immortality is extremely rare. There have only ever been 7 immortals in the entire history of humanity. There are usually several millennia between the appearance of one immortal and the next one. Other than them, the shortest time gap between one immortal appearing and the next was 800 years. But Joe and Nicky became immortal at the same time, on the same day. Their very existence bends the rules of an universe that already bends the rules of the universe they lived in beforehand anyway. Joe and Nicky being together defies the very fabric of time, and if that isn't some sun and moon shit, I don't know what is

But it's not just some destiny shit either. Joe and Nicky were also not supposed to be together by other standards. For starters, they were on opposite sides of a war. Nicky was a fucking priest, and he joined the goddamn actual honest to god crusades. He was hateful and ignorant and awful, and when he chose Joe, he left behind everything he knew before him. All his certainties, his beliefs, his faith, his family, everything he had ever been taught. I'm also gonna go ahead and say that that ties into the whole "the sun is what makes the moon shine" metaphor - because everything that defines Nicky as he is now is the direct result of how meeting Joe changed him

And listen, listen to me. I'm not saying that he stopped being a bigot for Joe, because if he did, I doubt Joe would want him. He did it because it was the right thing to do, and he was wrong and ignorant and indoctrinated by the church. But he still had to make the choice to turn his back to all that, and that plain and simply would not have happened if he hadn't met Joe. It was Nicky's own effort, but meeting Joe was the catalyst

Joe, similarly, had to overcome a lifetime's worth of (well earned) resentment and hatred for what Nicky did. Joe forgiving Nicky at all is already nearly an impossibility (and he would be well within his right to never do that), but he didn't just forgive Nicky, he fell in love with him. And he chose him, well aware of how bloody and terrible his past was, and despite the fact that there is no way he wasn't deeply conflicted about what he felt for Nicky after everything the Christians put him through. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard this process must have been for Joe, and it was one he didn't have to go through at all - which means that he chose to

And that's not even taking into account the very personal resentments between the two of them, because they weren't just on opposing armies, they literally and personally killed each other. Several times over. And yet, impossibly, against all logic, against everything they had ever felt and believed in prior to each other, against possibly their own desires, they fell in love. They fell in love and have been hopelessly devoted to each other every since

And THEN, on top of all that at the beginning of their relationship, they lived as an interracial, interfaith*, gay couple, through what were undoubtedly the worst times in humanity's history to be either of those things. For 900 years, they had to love each other in secret and with varying degrees of risk associated with ever being found out as a couple, or even with being associated with each other at all to begin with

(*It is debatable what their current relationship with their respective original faiths is, since it isn't mentioned in the movie. But even if both of them had turned their back on their religions, they are still culturally Christian and culturally Muslim, and that makes a difference. Personally, though, I don't think either of them turned their backs on their religions, although I do believe Nicky turned his back to the Catholic Church as an institution for obvious reasons)

That's not even counting all the incredibly traumatic shit that they went through ever since (which I won't mention in detail because it's spoilers and also this is long enough already) and that would definitely break a couple with a less unbreakable bond. Through centuries and centuries of pain and regret, they have chosen nothing and no one but each other, first and foremost, no matter what that meant.

Nicky even brings it up in the comics:

[ID: Joe and Nicky touching foreheads with their eyes closed. Nicky is holding Joe's chin and he says, "why is it so difficult, Joe? We've been afforded more time than any lovers I can name. And still, every moment we scrape together feels precious. Something always happens-" End ID]

(From the Tales Through Time one-shot series. I generally think the comics are meh and the movie is where it's at, but I do recommend reading this one. It is set before the movie happens so there are no spoilers)

There has never been a time where being together was easy, and yet, Joe and Nicky chose each other no matter what. They chose each other even when it meant being separated and getting only scraps of time together in secret. If that isn't some sun and moon shit, I don't know what is

3. They complement each other

And not in the dumb stereotypical "the sunshine one and the grumpy one" way either. For starters, Joe isn't bubbly, and Nicky isn't grumpy. No, they have two characteristics that I think represent the sun and moon way better than that anyway - Joe is an extremely intense person, and Nicky, an extremely cool headed one

Joe doesn't feel anything by halves, and despite the fact that he has lived through several lifetimes, it still seems as if everything he goes through is happening for the first time. Every time Nicky or another one of the family dies, Joe looks just as desperate as he would a millennium ago, despite the fact that he's had centuries to get used to the fact that they die and then come back to life. He's the only one who's that affected by it (obviously none of them enjoy seeing each other die, but the rest seem to have accepted to some degree that it's a part of their lives, or at least gotten used to it). He has experienced so many horrible things, yet he is still as affected and disgusted by it every time, going as far as lashing out sometimes. When he's angry, no one is able to hold him back from yelling at the person he's angry at (not even Nicky). Similarly, not even an actual van full of armed homophobic guards is able to stop him from simply dropping a passionate speech about how important Nicky is to him, complete with getting misty-eyed and kissing him at the end (and I'm not even bringing up the fact that both of them have their hands and their feet tied)

To me, that is the most sun-coded possible trait, because the sun is intense, hard to ignore, and quite literally burning. The intensity with which Joe feels also feels like it could burn, but it's also what makes him so warm and loving

Nicky is also a pretty intense person, but, unlike Joe, he is super cool headed about it. For starters, Nicky is a sniper; he is capable of staying still for hours at a time, observing, figuring out the best time to strike. That demands an amount of control over himself, his feelings, even his instincts, that is admirable. But he's not just like that on a mission; Nicky is very careful with what he says, when he speaks, what he lets other people see of him. His expressions are all subtle, contained, and even when he is in a state of murderous rage, he doesn't lash out. He doesn't lose control. The same way that the moon and the sun share their brightness, Joe and Nicky share their intensity, but Nicky is able to subdue it while Joe burns with it and lets that be his strength

Where Joe is expansive and wears his heart on his sleeve, Nicky is cautious and guarded. Where Joe gets lost in his own feelings and loses sight of what they need to do, Nicky keeps their heads straight and reminds him of what they need to do. Like the moon that guides one through the desert

They're different and complementary, but also intrinsecally tied to each other. They have the same spark where it matters, but present it in different, complementary ways. They are a part of each other, but they're also themselves first and foremost. That's what the sun and moon are all about

Sun and moon imagery has been the staple of the Joenicky fandom since day fucking 1, and for good reasons

VOTE JOE AND NICKY IN THE SUN AND MOON DUO SHOWDOWN

[here-be-a-dragon]

The Old Guard Fic Rec’s: AU’s (pt1)

See also: (Immortal Husbands Meeting Fics) (Historical Shenanigans Fics) (Nile-Centric)

Lose Your Heart In History, by nash_tag

Modern AU. Father Nicolò is on holiday in Jerusalem when he runs into Professor Al-Kaysani in a Museum. They disagree about art history and a war of words begins. There's definitely no other reason these two guys decide to start hanging. I'm bad at writing summaries. It'll get gay.

Missed You By a Few Minutes, a Few Centuries, by just_another_tinker

Nicolò di Genova was killed on one of the endless mornings of The Crusades, struck down by a scimitar. He woke again later that evening.

Yusuf Al-Kaysani bled out hours later from wounds left by a longsword. He woke again that next morning.

A person often meets his destiny on the road he chose to avoid it.

Alternatively, Nicky and Joe's second meeting was over 900 years too late. And neither one knows the other is immortal, or that they've already met.

with rome below us, by whimsicule

And last but not least: Prof. al-Kaysani got married last week! And while he has explicitly asked for no fuss to be made, we have organised a small gift and a card that you are all welcome to sign. It will be on my desk until September 7th.

Best,

Dr. Quynh Pham

Course Leader BA (Hons) Curating

--

Nile’s eyes are stuck on the word ‘married’. Her mouth drops open, toast falling into her lap without her noticing.

Married. 

“The fuck?”

don't let go (till i reach for you), by strangehighs

It took them a hundred and twenty seven years to find him; five more than the time passed since Yusuf’s first death at Jerusalem. During his first years, before Andromache and Quynh brought him into their fold, he thought the dreams were just that, figments of a mind desperate for answers, even though part of them always felt more like nightmares. The faces of his current companions—laughing, battling, free and happy—were night after night followed by a darkness that seemed to fill his entire body, a despair he couldn’t name.

It took him years to realise that inhuman feeling came from someone as human as himself. A man just like himself.

The Moon When I am Lost In Darkness, by orphan_account

The sun and the moon were destined to never cross paths. By nature’s design they should have never met. But when they did neither was able to find the strength to look away.

—

Aka what happens when the god of the sun and the god of the moon find love and forsake their sacred duties to be together.

on the brink of something close, by magneticwave

It takes Nile an embarrassingly long time to realize that her thesis advisor is, like, legitimately evil.

[hyper-fixate]

first line meme~

tagged by the amazing @ejunkiet​! This was quite fun. Good to know I have a vibe going on

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag some of your favourite authors!

So... I’m a big fan of fairly blunt statements XD

1. Storms and Sands  (my big bang!)

He was a storm and storms have no names.

2. Saltwater 

She knows what the words mean, Nicolò translating them quietly next to her.

3. Wrapped up in You 

Scandinavia is neither his nor his husband’s favourite holiday destination.

4. Heavy is the head that wears the crown 

The first meeting between Yusuf al-Kaysani, heir to the Mahgrebi throne, and Duke Nicolò di Genova, second son of the current Doge of the Italian city-states, ended in crossed swords.

5. Polaris 

Yusuf loved the stars.

6. There’s an art to life’s distractions 

When Nicky comes home, Joe's kneeling with the collar in his hands.

7. A death that does not keep 

The sharp pain radiates across Nile’s wrist and abdomen.

8. No other name but mine 

Nico was clearing down his work table when the knock came.

9. Cashing in my bad luck 

Booker finishes his cup with a grimace and signals for another one.

10. I’ll tell you my sins 

Joe walks with his head down, his hair tucked under a backwards baseball cap and his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

11. Honey, there is no right way 

Joe can't believe he'd let Nile talk him into this.

12. An education

Yusuf, for once, was the first one out of their bed rolls.

13. The best little sex shop in Soho

‘You did what?’ Quỳnh croaks out, pressing the palms of her hands to her eyes and rubbing.

14. The Trick about Handcuffs (with the amazing Sin)

It’s Andy’s fault, because who has handcuffs by the cash register and no key in sight?

15. All my love, sacrificed

The desert takes.

16. Men will always find new ways to wage war

Yusuf struggles to string his thoughts together in an orderly fashion.

17. His heart still beat

It was an easy choice.

18. Atlas

Andy was five hours late for her check-in.

19. You woulndn’t believe the dream I just had about you and me

Yusuf remembered when his older brother, Hamza, had gotten married to a shy dress maker from the village over.

20. I should’ve worshipped him sooner

Yusuf has finished eating and retired to bed by the time Nicolo returns.

Yeah, I’ve got a theme going on of short statements! Lol. I think my favourite is The first meeting between Yusuf al-Kaysani, heir to the Mahgrebi throne, and Duke Nicolò di Genova, second son of the current Doge of the Italian city-states, ended in crossed swords from Heavy is the head that wears the crown. I did not include the Thirst Trap (Joe & Nicky smut) or What time leaves behind (Immortal Fam anthology), because each chapter is it’s own story, but I know there are some good ones in there... 

tagging -

you, reading this!

also (no pressure!): @fereldenturnip @mrsimoshen @mprosperossprite @boulangerlee @flamingbluepanda @fuinixe

[libraryleopard]

jesus take the wheel

Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova, 1.3k, no archive warnings apply, read on ao3

“Maybe I’d be a better driver in America,” Nicky muses. “Everything is opposite, over there. Switching things up might help.”

“I don’t think we need to test that hypothesis out,” Joe says. “Nothing is better in America.”

Or: A domestic one-shot in which I project my terrible driving skills onto Nicky.

The thing is, Nicky is fine driving when it's life or death. (Well, not death, he supposes. But there’s certain phrases you can’t drop from your vocabulary, no matter the language or century, and hyperbole has its place in every dialect.)

The point is, he’s great behind the wheel of a car when careening and explosions are involved. When the goal is to get away as fast as possible with a minimal amount of limb regeneration, consequences be damned.

But anything more mundane? Well. There’s a reason Joe is the designated driver. Nicky tends to drive like an army is on his heels, no matter the circumstances.

“I miss horses,” Nicky grumbles. “You never had to care about stop lights when there were horses.”

“Horses didn’t have air conditioning,” Joe points out, drumming his fingers aimlessly on the steering wheel. “And they smelled a hell of a lot worse.”

Nicky can’t exactly argue with that—the twenty-first century may have its horrors, but the torrent of cool air pouring from the car vents is certainly not one of them. He props his feet on the dashboard, eyeing the red light ahead. “There’s no one here, anyway, can’t you just go?” The tiny eastern European town they’ve settled in for the time being–just until the dust settles, Andy claims–is small enough that even on a weekday, the main intersection at the center of town remains empty.

“That, my darling Niccolò, is exactly why you have not been entrusted with the leadership on this most delicate mission,” Joe replies.

“Yusuf,” Nicky sighs. “I think I could manage a grocery run.”

“Nicky,” Joe sighs back. “Your lack of respect for the great traffic laws of Croatia says otherwise. I will compromise Andy’s baklava for no one. Else we might find ourselves testing the limit of our immortality rather sooner than we expected.”

“What about Malta?” Nicky retorts. “I was a superb driver in Malta.”

“You were superb in many ways in Malta, my love,” Joe concedes, a smile tugging at his lips. Nicky knows exactly what Joe’s remembering when he side-eyes him, gaze catching on his lips. “But as the car still ended up a flaming wreck, I’m not taking that as proof of your everyday driving skills.”

“Those were unique circumstances,” Nicky protests.

“And these are not.” Joe eyes the stoplight, which remains stubbornly red.

“Maybe I’d be a better driver in America,” Nicky muses. “Everything is opposite, over there. Switching things up might help.”

“I don’t think we need to test that hypothesis out,” Joe says. “Nothing is better in America.”

Technically, Nicky can drive. He has the license to prove it—several dozen, actually, though since the names and birthdates are far from accurate, they don’t exactly prove much. He’s just not…particularly up to date. They all have blind spots in this modern world–Andy’s attitude towards smartphones is a reluctant reliance above some mixture of confusion and paranoia and Joe occasionally finds himself less than clear on the ever-shifting borders of countries (when, exactly, did the Soviet Union stop regularly appearing on the news?). Nicky’s blindspot just happens to involve four-way intersections and general bemusement at yield signs.

“It’s barely been a century,” Nicky protests. “Give a man some adjustment time.”

Stoplights are not really the problem, if he’s being honest. It’s more the sudden vehicular evolution that really threw him–how a few automobiles cruising at thirty kilometers an hour exploded into a world-wide industry of speed that always catches him off guard when he looks away for a few years. Now they talk? And drive themselves? It almost seems a waste to stay on top of such an ever-evolving invention. By the time he’d gotten comfortable with a stick shift, they were practically obsolete.

The light finally flickers green and Joe eases the car into acceleration with a whiff of exhaust and a rumble of tires against concrete.

The thing about cars, Nicky supposes, is that they truly remind him of how far he’s come. There’s always a moment—a pure, unavoidable split second—when his foot hits the accelerator and he realizes just how unrecognizable this world would be to the man he once was. This great hulking beast of metal and glass at his command, roaring through smooth stone streets with a belly full of gas and sparks.

Never in his wildest dreams could he have dreamt such a thing. Not in his days as a priest with his rosary smooth beneath his fingers, not once he’d traded worn beads for a knight’s sword, heavy with purpose and intended glory. Not even once he’d seen his flesh improbably knit itself together, once he’d met the eyes of a man once placed as his enemy and felt a spark that was anything but animosity. That mankind could forge metal and distill substances from the depths of the earth into something he could tame with a single press of his foot, with the turn of a key, is still remarkable to him.

He likes to remind himself, still, of the everyday miracle of living so long. There’s always heartache, always the wounds that fade from flesh but never soul, but there is also this moment here in a creation his civilization never lived to see, alongside a man he would have died hating if not for a turn of fate.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Joe asks as they slow to another stop. He’s always testing out new idioms, letting his tongue trip across the fresh inventions of language, as fleeting as sugar between the teeth.

Nicky shakes his head. “I don’t like that one as much. Are you supposed to be paying me to speak my mind? And pennies are so transient, I’m sure they’ll be gone in a few decades and the whole phrase rendered useless.”

“Better make use of it while it lasts,” Joe says. He reaches out for Nicky’s hand without even looking, easy as breath, and smoothes a thumb across the back of Nicky’s hand.

Nicky traces his own finger across his husband’s hands, the contours almost as familiar as his own. They wear rings for now, having deemed this place and time safe enough to indulge. They’ve been married almost more times than Nicky can count—in Arabic, in Italian, in English, in Dutch, in silence, in a dozen more languages than he can count, alone beneath the sky or in grand churches or mosques—yet they’ve always had to be cautious about it. Perhaps the world is finally beginning to catch up, in fits and starts, to what they and so many others have always known to be true in their hearts, even if only witnessed by the shadows.

“We should get married again,” he says, suddenly. “It’s been long enough since the last time.”

Joe tilts his head, the evening light pouring through the windshield sparking gold from his brown eyes. “You think? Perhaps we should spice things up and get a divorce for once.”

Nicky scoffs. “That involves more paperwork than either of us is willing to cough up. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Joe laughs. “Fair. Another marriage, then.”

“Yes.” Nicky laces fingers tight with Joe’s, feels how perfectly they weave together as if some long-ago creator molded them to fit. “Now that Nile’s here. It’d be nice, I think, to celebrate with someone new.”

The unsaid between them: that this will be the first wedding in centuries without Booker, where he can’t get wine drunk and quote rambling sections from classic literature on love and commitment and they’ll all pretend his tipsiness isn’t to hide an edge of bitter jealousy. That Andy may not live to see the next time they exchange vows.

But at least they have Andy for now, and Nile, and each other.

“It would be nice.” Joe’s free hand is still splayed on the steering wheel and for a moment, Nicky is possessed by the urge to take it, to take all of him, and hold him tight, Croatian traffic safety laws be damned. Nicky at least knows enough to check in the mirrors that the road behind him is clear before he leans in and reminds Joe that there’s one language their mouths will always be fluent in, no matter the century.

[bibybuck]

I die of love for him (3/6)

fandom: The Old Guard

pairing: Joe/Nicky

rating: teen and up

word count: 1.2k words (4.6k in total)

summary: ‘Yusuf can’t help but stare at him, but that’s okay, because Nicolo’s staring as well. He wonders if this was the reason God has brought them together: two people on opposing sides, giving them the opportunity to see, to experience, the other’s life.’

or: Six years and six places in Yusuf and Nicolo’s lives and relationship.

title is from a poem called ‘Love in Bloom’ by the Arabic poet Abu Nuwas

for @santiagosnart​ <3

[read on ao3]

or under the cut!

Maybe this entry will live on. Maybe it will outlive me. All of us. Maybe five years or 500 years from now, hoping that it’s in good quality, someone will read this. But I feel like, after the day we had, this is the most accurate way to document it.

It started normally. By our standards, I mean. I woke before Nicolo, who looked like he finally got the much-needed sleep. Exhaustion hit us both hard, but him especially. The lines on his forehead were nonexistent, his skin was smooth. I ran my fingers through his hair gently, doing my best not to wake up. He hummed in his sleep but continued dreaming. I spent the first 20 minutes just lying there, fingers in his hair. The room was basking in the morning sunlight and outside of our window, birds were singing their melodies. I wanted to sketch him, lying there, sunlight creating dramatic shadows on his face, but I didn’t dare to move. I wanted to stay like that for as long as possible.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he said.

Over the past 350 years, I have learnt that he is not a morning person. If he is forced to wake up by an outside force, he will get grumpy. With me, he just speaks in a weird mixture of Arabic and Genoese.

“Can’t stop staring at what’s beautiful.”

The next moment, the door to our room opened. Fear swept through me for a second. We’ve been found. Either someone found out who we are, what we’ve done or what we are or even force. But then Quynh walked in, along with her love of theatrics.

And she had a look. She managed to find the biggest straw hat in all of Malta.

“Nicolo, would you braid my hair?” she asked. “Andromache has talked me out of this,” she points to her hat.

Nicolo and Quynh have a special kind of relationship. He thinks of her as his little sister and she regards him as his older brother, even though Quynh is dozens of centuries older. She loves having her hair braided by him, a unique skill he’s picked up during our travels.

And right on cue, Andromache walked in. “Sorry,” she shot us an apologetic look, “tried to stop her.”

Nicolo sighs. “Give us five minutes, please?”

Quynh clapped and out she walked with Andromache behind her who shut the door.

We were invited to a wedding that day. Even though it’s been centuries, and I have learnt a lot about Christianity through Nicolo, it still feels weird whenever I’m having to enter a church.

Nicolo knows about this. I could feel his careful eyes on me. I smiled at him and I wanted to reach for his hand and he wanted to reach for mine, but we couldn’t.

We sat on a pew in the middle. The father of the bride invited us after we happened to chase some thieves away. He waved when he saw us but otherwise was preoccupied with the wedding.

“Do you think we’ll be able to do this one day?” Nicolo asked quietly; his words easily got lost amongst the chatter of the wedding guests. “Do you think we’ll live long enough?”

“You mean get married?”

In every sense, we are married. We have shared three and a half centuries, shared a bed, shared a life. I know what stresses him out, what makes him happy, what he loves, what he hates. I know how much he loves me, I know how much he loves Andromache and Quynh. I know every single movement, thought, fibre of his. I have never loved and never been loved by anyone as much and I never will.

I cannot imagine sharing immortality with anyone else.

“I want to believe that,” I told him. “I want to believe that one day people will be accepting enough.”

“Of people like us? Of a man lying with another man?”

“Of love so big, so overwhelming, so passionate.”

He smiled at me and I touched his hand that was resting on the pew. No one saw us. Maybe God, of whichever religion, wanted to curse us out.

“Would it be rude to use their wedding to have one of our own?”

He laughed, making it seem like a joke, a passing thought, but I realised this is no laughing matter. Maybe, until the world turns, until people stop being afraid of loves like ours, this is as good as it gets.

“Nico… What if we did just that?”

He turned to me. “What are you saying, habibi?”

“Until we can get married, however long that may be, why don’t we do it? Here and now?”

We have talked about marriage. But two men getting married is impossible. No matter how much we wanted it, it cannot be an option. This is the second-best thing.

The bride walked in and the ceremony began. So for a while, Nicolo stayed silent. Then, he leant closer and I will never forget the words he said to me.

“I will love you until the day I permanently die,” he whispered in Arabic. “I will care for you, I will always be there for you, I will always make you happy. You are the man made amongst the stars and you are perfect for me. Your heart and your soul is full of love and kindness. I will never stop loving you, Yusuf al-Kaysani. I want to be your husband and I want you to be mine.

I looked at him then and saw the tears in his eyes. How I wished I could kiss him.

“Nicolo, I…” I tried gathering my thoughts. “What I feel for you cannot be captured into a few words. You are a breeze on the warmest summer afternoon. You are the moon guiding me through the darkest nights. Sometimes I feel like I’m not worthy of your love, you have so much of it and you give it all to me. My love for you is eternal, evergreen and ever-growing. I love you and I love you fiercely. I will never stop loving you, Nicolo di Genoa. I want to be your husband and I want you to be mine.”

Just as we finished, the priest said ‘I pronounce you man and wife’ and I think both of us imagined that he said ‘I pronounce you husbands.'

***

“What are you doing up still?” Nicolo asks quietly as he walks out to the balcony. He puts his hands on Yusuf’s shoulders. “The bed is always cold without you, my love.”

“Almost done. I had to immortalise the day we had.”

Nicolo rubs the back of Yusuf’s neck. Yusuf leans into the touch. He still hasn’t had enough of these absent-minded touches and he doesn’t think he ever will.

“It was a good day.”

“It was.” Yusuf reaches for Nicolo’s hand, kissing his palm. “I love you, husband.”

“I love you, husband.” Nicolo kisses the top of his head. “Come to bed, habibi.”

“I am.”

Yusuf closes his journal, deciding the drawings for the entry can wait. He stands and blows out the candle on the table, then follows Nicolo inside where Yusuf shows him just how much he loves him.

[peri-helia]

For the ask game, I'm sending you Joe!

Ahh thank you Felicity!!

Yusuf al-Kaysani 

How I feel about this character

My sunshine!!! I love him to absolute pieces, those hotel doors opened and I was a GONER. He’s just beautiful. A scholar, a poet, artist, whose heart is so big, so deep! Beyond measure and reason pretty much sums it up. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character

His husband, the moon when he’s lost in darkness, Nicky. The flirt roast ratio over the baklava

  My non-romantic OTP for this character I love all of Joe’s relations with the rest of the team to pieces, because he loves them so utterly and it comes across in lovely and different ways, but his relationship with Andy shines to me particular. It’s so playful and loving and there’s so much history between them but there’s a specialness to it I can’t really quantify. It was just in the way he swept her up in his arms the minute he saw her, the way he got her to admit that she missed them, the subtle check-ins, the head falling back when he finds out she’s Mortal, the way he looks so lost and young and just  🥺 when they get out of the lab. ‘Cover Andy’ The fact he's in the front seat with her in the getaway car. 

My unpopular opinion about this character I genuinely don’t know if it counts as an unpopular opinion or what so I'm just gonna gush about him more --  but I love how grounded and focused Joe is on the job. He’s very playful and loving in Marrakesh, in Goussainville, when he and Nicky are trying to distract each other in the lab. But the minute they’re working he’s completely serious. When they find out about Nile, when he’s about to start explaining their immortality, when they’re escaping, he’s completely focused on tactics and position I think, keeping them safe. 

  One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. I wish we’d got to hear his thoughts on why they dream of each other. Otherwise I’d love to see just a seamless Found Family breakfast, maybe them meeting up for the next job and just how he is with Nile. Or the Head Bonk scene.