Nikita

Nikita and Qiao walked into the house, each to their own, until Qiao noticed that his friend was slowly losing it. Why else would a stranger agree to force him home?

He already knew that Nikita wasn't interested in the right state of mind, but what had happened to him? He wanted to ask that, but right now wasn't the perfect time.

Qiao had to go back to the base and deal with some issues there. They were launching a new operation, or rather, he, Qiao, was opening a fresh investigation into the crash that left him with a broken best friend.

He had wanted to tell Nikita today at the hospital, but he hadn't expected Nikita to be that troubled. He had already lost the family, and he wouldn't lose Nikita too.

Of course, hearing that Nikita had submitted his resignation letter broke Qiao, but if that were his friend's first stage of grieving the loss of his family, then he would let him. Qiao would have supported Nikita when the director gave him an unmodified break, but knowing Nikita, he would work until he couldn't anymore. 

He was used to forgetting his pain in the operating room because then his focus would always be on the lives he needed to save,  but that didn't make it easier for him.  He was pretending like the crash didn't happen, like he would go back home to his family, and they would have a nice Russian family dinner.

Nikita didn't want to feel anything. So Qiao had taken it upon himself to tell him about the open investigation, but he would say to him after work. This was personal for him,  which meant that come rain come sunshine, Qiao Xi would get all the answers he needed for his friend.

He would help Nikita get his closure, and he would help Nikita recover and heal. When he had submitted to his superior, of course, they were skeptical, considering Nikita was already over the news that he never even paid attention to. 

It was like the world was just a long noise for him, which was dangerous. He was running away from everything that was keeping him together, and now that he was here in Qiao's house,  it was clear.

He didn't want to go back home.

How would Qiao tell his friend about the good news? How was he supposed to explain to Nikita that Carrie was also coming home to help with the investigation? Anyway, he would banter with him a little longer until that time came. 

"Nikita," he called out to his friend, who just ignored him and went to the kitchen. Nikita was hungry, and with all that had happened today, he needed an unlimited refill and fast.

He was stressed out, but he didn't want to worry Qiao.  That wouldn't be fair, considering his friend already had enough on his plate.  Maybe they would figure shit out, and maybe when the skies were back to normal, they could have a night out. 

The woman who had died at the hospital had been a mole planted on Nikita by someone powerful, one that even they could fight. They, however, needed to figure shit out before his resignation notice period ended. 

No matter what happened, he had made up his mind. He was leaving Todorov, and not even Maggie could convince him otherwise. 

"What's up, Qiao?" Nikita responded absentmindedly as he waited for the food to warm up.  Qiao was worried, but he didn't want to show it, and there was already too much pressure on Nikita at the moment. 

"Don't do that," Qiao said as he sat on the kitchen seats. Was this a conversation he wanted both of them to have? Absolutely, but was the time right? Absolutely not. For the first time, he hated his career, but what could he do anyway? He had to be there for his friend no matter what happened.

"Do what"

"Pretend like nothing is going on," Qiao insisted, but his friend didn't seem to care. Well, he did, but the food was more important at the moment.

He was escaping the conversation, a trait he had mastered over the six months of the tragedy. He didn't know what would happen and when anything sensible would happen, but he would live in the moment.

"I'm not."

"Y'know what, I'll deal with you after work," Qiao said, taking his guns and keys. Nikita had made up his mind, but maybe the food would make his mind clearer.  Just maybe. 

"Okay, bye now, shooo," Nikita said as he pushed Qiao out of the kitchen. His friend on-the-go other hand, looked at Nikita, feeling betrayed, but Nikita didn't care that Qiao didn't want to go to work; at least one of them was supposed to do what they loved the most.

They all had jobs that saved people's lives, and they needed to be good at their jobs, and that wouldn't happen if Qiao volunteered to babysit a grown-ass doctor who didn't feel like staying at home.

He wanted to go to work, but he couldn't, but Qiao could. So he would make sure Qiao went. Besides, just because he was given a break didn't mean he would wallow in the house. 

"You're kicking me out of MY house?" Qiao asked unbelievingly again, trying to confirm how sane his friend was. Oh, the audacity this man had. 

"You said your house was our house, now go on," Nikita said, pushing Qiao even further outside the house.  What was he supposed to do with him anyway? He knew if Qiao stayed longer, he would miss out on whatever important issues had him come back home for the document.

Of course, the document was still in his hands when he was pushed out by a man wearing a smile so fake that even the watchman could see. 

"Unbelievable"

"Yeah yeah, shoo now."

"Take care, brother."

"I'm in your house bro, what could go wrong?" Nikita said quietly,  his voice fading before he regained his composure. 

Self-pity wasn't going to do him any good, and he knew that.  He had been avoiding self-pity for six months, so here and now,  he wouldn't be doing it when he and kits realized there was more to the accidental crash.

The plane was forced off the skies, and he had to find whoever was holding the trigger that ended his beautiful family and left him in such a mess. 

"You mean you're eating all my food?" Qiao teased, but Nikita just rolled his eyes. This house had way too much food for one person, but Qiao Xi would never admit that there was enough food. 

"Well, other than that...Anyway, go on, and you take care; I'll be okay," Nikita reassured his friends, who looked like a lost puppy.  Had they really hit the insanity buŧŧon on Qiao Xi? 

"If you insist," Qiao said as he left.. He only needed to survive the day, and he'd be okay, and they both would be.