"Alright, what the fuck is going on?" Alex stormed into the rogues' loft, already fed up with the situation. Michael and Nikita sat shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh, on the bed, looking half-asleep as they sipped to-go coffee cups. Birkhoff handed Alex her own coffee cup when she walked in. He stood near the door as far away from the other two as possible. The young agent guessed that it had something to do with what the team of rogues were meeting about. However, she didn't really care.
"These two fucked," Tipping his coffee cup towards Michael and Nikita, Birkhoff bluntly informed Alex. A part of him knew he was making a bigger fuss than he needed to, but the fact that Nikita and Michael were finally together was nothing short of a miracle. Also, he was still upset about walking in on them naked. He had every right to attack the new couple, especially when they kept him from knowing the full context. The two could roll their eyes and huff all they wanted. But by keeping him out of their business, they brought the torture onto themselves.
"And?" Chugging her amazingly sweet and delicious coffee (she was a bit surprised that Birkhoff managed to guess what she would've liked) Alex shrugged. There was no way that that was the major thing the team of rogues had to discuss. The fact wasn't even a big deal. Michael and Nikita had been too close to be friends for as long as Alex had known them. In fact, she had almost guessed that they had had sex before. She didn't know why she had been called to the loft just to learn Nikita and Michael fucked. That could've been a simple text.
"See. It's not a big deal. We should focus on Kasim, Gogol, and the black boxes instead," Building off of Alex's lack of care and enthusiasm, Nikita tried to change the subject. It was great that the team was gathered together; Birkhoff and Alex should hear the updates regarding Kasim and Gogol, and they should discuss how they should proceed with the black boxes. Hers and Michael's relationship, however, was for them to discuss in private. They needed to figure out where they stood and what their future held on their own. Hopefully, they discovered that their future together was long.
Birkhoff could understand why everyone wanted to move on from the conversation, but he was the one who had to live with the new couple. He had suffered through their flirting for months. How was he supposed to survive their PDA. He refused to walk in on them again; he couldn't see them kissing either- or worse, fighting. Boundaries had to be set. Birkhoff would not live with the couple if they were going to be insufferable. He'd force Michael and Nikita to live in the loft if it came down to it. They had to talk about how the new dynamic affected all of them so they could live together, "But you two are dating now. We need to set PDA boundaries."
"Wait. I thought Michael and Nikita have always been dating," Alex hid her smirk behind her coffee cup. She knew Nikita and Michael had been dancing around each other for months- if not years. Although the fact that they were finally together wasn't a shock, it was certainly a new development that Alex wanted to know the origins of. Because it absolutely was a huge and new development. But it wasn't a new relationship. The two had always been flirty and committed; they were simply sleeping together then. As Michael and Nikita blushed and spluttered at Alex's question, the young woman shot Birkhoff a proud look, "See, nothing's changed."
"We swear to keep you out of our drama," Attempting to appease everyone, Nikita promised; Michael nodded to back her up. Alex and Birkhoff shot each other a look before they erupted in laughter (Birkhoff almost spat out his coffee). Not once did Michael and Nikita spare the others from whatever the hell was going on with them. They tried. But the others could still tell when the two's feelings were dragging them through it. The mess was always obvious, even when they didn't explicitly state it.
As Michael and Nikita sighed and slumped against each other on the bed, Alex took pity on them. They finally got their shit together and realized how in love they were. They didn't need their friends making fun of them, even if it was deserved. Nikita and Michael should celebrate their happiness. Yet, since it seemed like they wanted to do that on their own, the team should focus on the other matters Nikita had mentioned. Alex was particularly interested in Gogol. If something about them had changed, she needed to know for her revenge plans. Hopefully, they weren't too drastically affected, "Now, what's this about Gogol?"
While Nikita told Alex and Birkhoff about Al-Qaeda running heroin through Gogol territory and Ari's latest hatred for her, Michael hung his head guiltily. Nikita noticed and held his hand, but it didn't help. He would always feel awful about putting her in further danger with Gogol. Although he was able to kill Kasim, it wasn't worth the cost of her safety; he saw that clearly when he wasn't blinded by rage. But Nikita never held it against him. She believed she was going to piss Ari off again anyway. It might as well have happened while she helped him than on some random mission.
Despite Nikita's ease to forgive and forget, Michael struggled to let himself off the hook for how he had treated her. For the sake of their current conversation with their team, though, he could hold tight to her hand and move forward. Michael caught Alex and Birkhoff up to speed on Kasim and how he and Nikita had killed him. He held back from sharing the more painful and messy parts, which, thankfully, Nikita also refrained from adding. The two just focused on the fact that one part of his revenge mission was complete. The next step was to kill Percy.
Unfortunately, the only way they could kill Percy was if they destroyed all the black boxes. The rogues had only located and destroyed one. Owen was on the hunt for another, but they hadn't heard from him in weeks. They had severely stalled in their efforts to burn Division and kill Percy. They hadn't made any real progress in months. Yes, they saved targets and helped one another. But Division was still going strong. It was frustrating, annoying, and a little demoralizing. Their war just kept going, longer and more painful than any of the rogues wanted.
There had to be something the team could do to push things along. Alex offered her help. The rogues had kept her out of their black box search. However, with her position in Division, she could get them the information they needed. It wouldn't be a problem for her, and it definitely wouldn't be a burden. The rogues had done so much for her recently; the least she could do was spy for them. After all, if they had intel on the black boxes, they could burn Division once she was done using them to kill Semak. Both the man who had ordered the hit on her family and the man who had agreed to the deal needed to die. Alex would make sure of that.
It was soon decided that Alex could try to get them information on the black boxes in Division, but she was to do so extremely carefully. In the meantime, the rogues would call Owen and put the pressure on to locate the Guardian he suspected was in London. Michael and Nikita might fly out there to join him. There were no other active missions they had to focus on. And at that point, destroying black boxes so they could kill Percy was becoming the greater priority. They'd do whatever it took to end their war with Division and start living their lives. Though, what the latter might look like was still up for debate.
Eventually, the team broke for the day. Alex headed to Division to see how she could start her black box hunt, Birkhoff attempted to call Owen, and Michael and Nikita did their post-mission cleanings. The new couple had ignored cleaning their weapons and gear for a little too long. Focusing on themselves instead was the better call for the moment. But they had some deep cleaning to do throughout the rest of the day. The two moved to the safehouse so they could shower, change, and completely relax as they cleaned. Nikita and Michael also set boundaries with Birkhoff so that awkward conversation wouldn't come back up later.
Besides the 'no PDA in communal spaces' talk, the day went as smoothly as it normally did when the rogues didn't have a disaster to prevent. The only other problem they encountered occurred when they were going to bed for the night. Michael and Nikita froze in the hallway outside their respective rooms. They cast each other awkward glances, unsure of what to do. After everything they had said and done the night before, it felt weird separating into their own bedrooms. Having their own bathrooms continued to make sense, and it was probably better for their overall sanity. Yet separate rooms didn't seem right.
Michael and Nikita had already lived together and worked together and been through hell together. Did they really need separate beds since they were sleeping together. Or would that be too much. Should they keep their space since they spent so much time together. Should they keep their own rooms so they could have solitude. Should they only go to each other's rooms when they wanted to have sex. Okay, that was definitely too much. The new couple were starting to think a little too much about how they began their relationship. They didn't need to dance around each other or be cautious. After all, they had already been through the best and worst together.
Relaxing against their open doorways, Michael and Nikita laughed. They didn't need to act like awkward teenagers. They knew each other; they had been friends and partners for so long the definitions blurred lines. They could make it through the weird newness of their relationship just fine. All the two had to do was talk like they always had. Actually, they needed to talk more than they ever had. That'd fix all their future problems as a couple. If they stayed open with one another, they'd do just fine- more than fine. Michael was sure of it, "Alright. There's an easy solution for this."
"Oh yeah?" Crossing her arms, Nikita arched an eyebrow in disbelief. She was certain that Michael had some sort of compromise that'd settle their anxiety and give them hope for the future. She trusted him to have the best solution to all their problems, even if they were as ridiculous as trying to decide if they were going to share a bedroom or not. Maybe down the line that'd be an easier problem. They'd be so sure and so in love that it wouldn't even be a question. But, while they continued to talk and see what the future had in store for them, they had to be a bit tentative. Mostly, it was to ensure that they were completely serious about being together.
"Yeah. We just tell each other when we want to spend the night together and when we need space," Michael shrugged. Although he didn't think he could spend a night away from his girlfriend (God, he loved the thought of that) he'd give her the option for space if she ever needed it. Even if they loved one another with every ounce of their souls, there was nothing wrong with needing a moment alone. Their own rooms could be an escape. Since they lived and worked together- and with others- an option to be alone would be good for them.
"And if one of us wants to spend the night and the other doesn't?" Nikita countered. She absolutely agreed with Michael; the two should just tell each other what they were feeling and what they wanted. But what if their wants weren't the same. As partners, when they disagreed about what they should do, they argued. They shouldn't do that since they were together. Their bad habits should be fixed. Nikita and Michael should try to be better for each other. They should give their all to each other- best, worst, and in between- but always striving for best.
"We don't spend the night. Consent is key," Michael smiled crookedly, closing the door to his bedroom. He had the feeling that he was going to join Nikita in her bedroom that night. The way she rested against her door frame- crossed arms, flirtatious smile, and lust-filled eyes- let him know that she was waiting for him to cross the hallway to her. They were probably going to spend most nights together; they couldn't get enough of each other's presence since they had crossed that line. They were actually in a relationship, and nothing could break them apart.
Nikita couldn't help but smile as she rolled her eyes. No matter what he did, Michael made her smile. She was so glad that he had kissed her and they had agreed to a real relationship. She didn't know what she would've done if they never dived head first into love. She just knew that she was going to be so happy with him moving forward; and she knew that he had the same feeling. However, their happiness didn't mean things were going to always be easy. Nikita was aware that bad days could overcome her. If that happened, would Michael still stay, "Okay. But what if one of us says we want to be alone, but the other thinks that's not the best idea?"
"We just have to talk to each other. We communicate everything," Moving to Nikita, Michael was completely serious. He had been serious throughout the entirety of their conversation. But then, his voice dipped low, and he gazed at his girlfriend earnestly. From then on, they were going to share everything with each other. They weren't going to keep each other at arm's length or push one another away. They were going to be together for a long time- maybe even forever. The two had to start paving their way to a bright future then. It all started with a promise he husked against her lips, "We always have to talk- no more secrets, no more lies."
"Yeah. But I don't want to talk tonight," Tugging on Michael's t-shirt, Nikita smirked. She kissed her boyfriend (honestly, just thinking of him as hers sent thrills up her spine) and pulled him into her bedroom. They could talk later; they would talk later. The two would constantly talk, expressing their thoughts and feelings about all things. It was the best way to build their relationship. Both wanted to spend as long as possible with each other; communication was key to achieve that. But it could happen later. That night, the new couple was more focused on making love and sleeping in each other's warm arms.