For all the things happening in last night's episode, this stuck with me. Don't know why. Wrote it in half an hour, so it's rough, but I couldn't not write it. Let me know what you think.
"Then I will call you that."
It had been weeks since his father (seriously, was that really his father?!) had told him his name. Nobody had used it yet, though. He hadn't even told Sam about it. At first, he'd wanted to revel in the fact that he now actually knew his first name. Because for years, it was what he had longed for. And to finally have it, know it, was a gift he never thought he'd have.
And as weeks passed, he tried to get used to his new name. On some level it felt strange to actually have a name; having done with just a letter for the longest part of his life. So he took it for a test run. One of the first mornings, he found himself staring at a paper coffee cup with his name on it. It felt strange; even for the eight coffee cups that followed.
He wondered if he was just not meant to have a real name. Maybe the universe had just decided to that he would have to make due with a letter, and that was it. Maybe it was fate. But then again, even with the universe conspiring against him, why had his father told him? Just to taunt him, then?
He hadn't told Sam. Sam would probably try out his name, maybe even tease him with it, and honestly, until he was used to it, he wasn't going to mention anything to his partner. Not even Hetty could get it out of him. And that was not because she didn't try.
And after this case, which he, for some reason couldn't really shake, Nadir was the first one to call him by his name. Saving the boy, and somehow getting him to trust him, felt as a victory. He never really considered himself good with kids. But Nadir had struck a cord. He tried to level with him; telling him about his upbringing and being all alone in the world, not even knowing his first name. It sort of backfired.
"I don't care about your name!"
It had taken him by surprise, to be honest. He swallowed and tried a different tactic. But it kept lingering in the back of his mind. I don't care about your name. But he did. His name was everything to him. His name was the one thing that could identify who he was. Where he came from. That was the reason that he went after it with such zeal; to finally know his family. And to have it thrown back into his face was harsh. It hurt.
His other tactic worked, though, and Nadir was safe. He would be with his family. So he left them with each other in the boat shed. Nadir called him back.
"Did you ever find out your first name?"
In spite of everything he had to smile. "Yeah. It's Grisha. And uh… nobody calls me that."
But Nadir was nothing if not observant. "Then I will. Thank you, Grisha."
And maybe, after all the weeks of trying it out and it not fitting, maybe, Callen wondered, he had just been waiting for this kid to say it. To say it like it fit. Like it was really him. So Callen swallowed the tears he felt coming and nodded his head. Grisha Callen would take some getting used to, but it was him.
"Thank you, Nadir."