Set in early season 2. Birkhoff, Michael, and Nikita catch up on a few things.
Nikita was walking towards the kitchen when she noticed Birkhoff sleeping at his desk. He looked as though he had intended to just recline back and rest his eyes; his tablet was on his chest and the screen saver on his computer was turned on. Chuckling to herself, Nikita moved to take the tablet off his chest. She didn't consider waking him- she wasn't in the mood to face his post-nap grouchiness. But since she didn't want to hear it if he accidentally broke his tech, she made the risk to near him. So very carefully, she put his precious tech back on the desk and slowly backed away.
She managed to complete her trek to the kitchen and grabbed the water that she had wanted. As she took a sip, however, Nikita heard Birkhoff begin to snore. It took everything in her not to spit out her water. She had to bite her lip to keep from squealing in laughter. Fortunately, her torment didn't last long. With a loud snort, Birkhoff managed to wake himself up. Nikita exploded in laughter. She nearly doubled over as she shrieked, "Did you wake yourself up snoring?"
"I was resting my eyes," Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Birkhoff grumbled. He was certain that he only fell asleep for a second. He was just resting, not napping. Though, he did eventually realize that Nikita had moved his tablet without him realizing. He must've really been out of it. Maybe his exhaustion was worse than he had thought. He was definitely getting crankier the more Nikita laughed at him. He probably needed a real nap.
"Yeah. Sure," Rolling her eyes, Nikita smirked. She was sure that was what Birkhoff's nap started as- staring at his multiple screens must've strained his eyes. But there was no doubting the snore that she had heard. The nerd's energy drinks had finally backfired on him.
Continuing to blink and rub his eyes, Birkhoff tried to wake himself up. Nikita stopped laughing at him for a moment to glance at him in concern. His eyes must've been really strained; he deserved to rest them, or at least wear something to protect them. Nikita thought that was what his glasses were for in Division. Birkhoff used to wear them on and off in the bunker. Except, he hadn't worn them once at the safehouse. She wondered why, "Where's your dorky little glasses, Nerd?"
"I don't need them anymore," Birkhoff huffed. He had worn glasses on and off in Division because of the dim lights in the dungeon. His eyes always hurt like hell after a long day staring at computer screens. In the safehouse there was at least tons of natural light and a chance to rest. He could actually save himself from eye strain. Except for that day apparently.
"Liar," Handing Birkhoff a glass of water, Nikita taunted. Based on how varyingly the nerd had worn them, she doubted they were corrective lenses; they were just sort of reading glasses. But he still definitely needed them, even if they were dorky.
"I just need a break," Birkhoff continued to grumble. Although he appreciatively drank the water, he didn't back away from the computer. He didn't think he needed that extensive of a break. His chair was comfortable enough to relax in.
Nikita, however, didn't believe so. She yanked Birkhoff's chair back and tipped him out of it. He was forced to his feet, which he snapped to with a glare. Nikita only smirked and walked away, "Then take a break. Drink your water. Go for a walk. Stretch. Take a real nap on a horizontal surface."
"How can I do anything when all you do is annoy me?" Birkhoff snapped at Nikita. She didn't go away or look offended at his outburst, though. She simply seemed amused. Birkhoff soon realized why. He had proved her point by remaining so grouchy- he needed an actual break. He shook his head and sighed, "Alright. Maybe I will nap."
"You're worse than living with a teenager," Nikita scoffed, moving back to the kitchen to drink the rest of her water. Once she had sobered up, Alex wasn't actually that bad to live with. It had been fun spending that year together; they both weren't so alone anymore. Nikita missed that. A part of her wished they could go back to that moment. Yet she had messed up too much. Her stupid choices ruined one of the best friendships she ever had.
Birkhoff stared after Nikita in confusion. He didn't doubt that he was being moody and that he definitely needed to eat, drink water, and nap, yet Nikita's comment had him puzzled. What did she know about living with a teenager. Unless she was talking about herself, which he doubted. She was referring to something specific that he just couldn't understand, "When did you live with a teenager?"
"When I lived with Alex before she decided to be my mole," Nikita explained. Alex had been eighteen, so she was closer to being an adult than a teen. Yet she certainly had her bratty moments. Not that Nikita could blame her. She knew she was worse when she had lived with Carla when she was eighteen.
"Right. Alexandra Udinov," Realization finally dawned on Birkhoff. He was aware that Alex had been planted in Division by Nikita and that she was really Alexandra Udinov. But that was practically the extent of his knowledge. There were tons of gaps in the story that he needed filled. Namely, he had to know how Alexandra Udinov had survived the hit on her family. Had Nikita always been rogue. If so, then props to her, "How'd that all work? Like, how'd you save her? How'd you get her recruited? What happened between you two?"
Nikita finished her water and poured herself another glass before she even attempted to respond. She didn't want to get into it. She still hated herself for lying to Alex and hurting her, and she didn't want to discuss that with Birkhoff- she hardly wanted to talk to Michael about it. The nerd should just let the subject drop, "It's a long story."
"I'd love a bedtime story," Nearing Nikita, Birkhoff pressed for her to open up. He could wait a few hours and just go to bed early. Napping wasn't that important. But sharing all their information was. The rogues were all on the same team; they had to keep each other informed. They didn't want anyone looking stupid when they said the wrong thing at the wrong time.
"Sit down," With a long sigh, Nikita set down her glass and pointed towards the couch. She probably wouldn't tell Birkhoff everything- some things were still only for Alex to tell. Yet the least she could do was go over the basics. Birkhoff shouldn't remain in the dark. He had agreed to work with the rogues, after all.
Once comfortable on the couch, Birkhoff listened intently to what Nikita had to say. He actually let her talk without interrupting, even though it was clear that she continued to hold things back. She at least did a great job in answering his questions so he wasn't left confused or wanting more. Though, after all was said and done, he did have one thing to say- something that had been bothering him for months, "Wait. So that shell program was there since you were a recruit? Why'd you keep it?"
"Of course your main takeaway is the hack," Nikita chuckled. Although she was glad that Birkhoff only wanted to talk about her old hack, it wasn't surprising that he was so hung up on it. Honestly, she was surprised that he had never mentioned it before. He griped about the rocking horse and the bug on his tooth, but not the shell program. But maybe that had been a good thing, since she didn't really have an answer for it, "I don't know. Maybe I wanted to fuck with you a little bit. It did take you years to notice that it was there."
"Don't act like you're the better hacker. Especially when you're dating Michael," Birkhoff huffed. He had no real excuse for why he never caught the shell program. The best he had was that he never thought to look for a recruit shell program on the servers. But he couldn't get away with saying that to Nikita, so he just tried to make fun of her instead.
"What's that supposed to mean?" It was Nikita's turn to be confused. How did dating Michael affect her hacking skills. Sure, he wasn't the most technologically savvy or handy man. But that didn't diminish her skills.
"He never told you how he almost ruined my system with a hack?" Birkhoff couldn't stop himself from already laughing. Since he wasn't in the middle of the hacking crisis, the situation was hilarious. Michael never learned how to work a computer, and he probably never would.
"No?" Nikita started to laugh as well. She could clearly picture Michael fumbling around on a keyboard. Though, she couldn't imagine what he was doing with a hack in the first place. That was something he always delegated.
Birkhoff continued to laugh. Of course Michael wouldn't have admitted his blunder to Nikita. He hardly owned up to his mistake around Birkhoff. But that wouldn't stop the hacker from making fun of the rogue in front of his girlfriend. She deserved to poke fun of him too, "Yeah. He was looking for echoes or something. The hack was so bad, he almost brought down Division before he ever went rogue."
"Echoes?" Bewildered, Nikita chuckled. Her boyfriend confused her so much sometimes. He always joked that her insane thoughts left him clueless, but the same could be said about him. He had wild theory moments as well.
"Yeah. Something about finding where Alex had been before she was kidnapped by the mob. Which, I'm now realizing that he was trying to find where you were," About half a year later, Birkhoff finally realized what Michael was doing on the computer. He had already figured out that Alex was the mole (somehow) and was tracking her past locations to find the rogue. Birkhoff probably should've figured that out sooner. Of course the only reason Michael would hack would be to find Nikita. Why else did he do anything.
"Well, yeah. He does everything because of me," Nikita agreed with Birkhoff. Michael did tell her that he was able to find the loft because of something Alex had said, but knowing that there was more to the story helped his claim make sense. The failed hacking attempt was a fun twist, though. She'd have to tease her boyfriend about it later.
"Like go rogue," Birkhoff responded more seriously. It had been made pretty clear that Michael went rogue because of Nikita. Even before he actually worked to take Division down, he had been breaking rules because of her. There was something about Nikita that drove Michael to do things like nothing else. He had claimed that it was because she helped illuminate the truth. But Birkhoff knew it was more than that- it was so much more than that.
Nikita didn't agree with Birkhoff there. There were plenty of reasons Michael went rogue; he had plenty of reasons to hate that damn place. She was hardly one of them, "Eh. That's more because of his family than me. Though, I was enticing."
"That's what you think," Joining the two in the room, Michael smirked. Nikita instantly threw a couch pillow at him. He only managed to catch it after it hit him. Yet he recovered quickly by throwing it back at her and collapsing right next to her on the couch. The couple continuously nudged each other until they were too busy laughing to tease.
Scooting further down the couch, Birkhoff rolled his eyes at the couple. He couldn't complain too much about the shift in their relationship when they had always been like that. At least then they weren't so intense around each other. And for that, he was grateful for. Birkhoff had grown tired of the brooding Michael, especially when Nikita was rogue and he wasn't. Which then begged the question, when exactly had Michael joined his girlfriend on her side of the war, "When exactly did you guys hook up? Wait. Hold on. I think I can figure it out. Let me just track Michael's moodiness."
Whereas Nikita laughed, Michael glared. He wanted to say something biting to the nerd, yet Birkhoff had been serious. He was fairly confident that he could determine when Michael went rogue based on how much he was brooding. For example, when he was too broody for his own good, then he definitely wasn't with Nikita, "Not after Uzbekistan."
"No, definitely not then," Nodding vehemently, Nikita replied. Michael hung his head, disappointed in himself for how he had let his grief and pain twist him like that. She didn't blame him for that, though. She completely understood his choices. What mattered then was that nothing like that would ever happen again between them. They were better, they were on solid ground. And that pain couldn't control them anymore.
"Was it around the time you helped the Guardian in London? Cause you were definitely different around then," Birkhoff questioned the couple, bringing them back to the moment. Michael had started to act differently around the time he was sent to London to stop the rogues; he seemed less weighed down, less angry. That could've definitely been because of Nikita. Birkhoff had also noticed that Michael tended to smile more whenever she was around. She was certainly his bright spot in the war.
"Not that different," Michael wasn't sure why, but he felt like he had to defend himself a little bit. He hadn't changed completely because of what had happened in St. Petersburg. Yes, he was more sure of himself and what he was doing. And yes, he was more open about his thoughts and feelings. But he was still himself- just more.
"It was a few weeks before London. Though, Michael didn't help the Guardian. He helped me and Owen kill him and destroy the black box," Proudly, Nikita responded. She could've backed her boyfriend up and argued with Birkhoff. However, she agreed with the nerd. Michael was different. That wasn't a bad thing. After all, she was different because of him.
"I went rogue after my trip to St. Petersburg. I found out some stuff about Percy that changed my mind about Division," Rather than continue arguing with Birkhoff, Michael did a better job at explaining why he left Division. He knew his remark only scratched the surface of the whole story, but he wasn't willing to tell it then. He knew it would kill the playful mood the rogues were in. Maybe during a more serious moment, he'd tell Birkhoff everything. He should know about his family. The hacker was his friend (best friend, practically); he should know about all the important things in his life.
Birkhoff nodded. Just like with Nikita's story about Alex, he knew Michael was holding back. But, again, he wouldn't push. Michael would tell him eventually. He was more sure of that then than he ever had been in the past. Michael actually and willingly talked to Birkhoff about things since they had both gone rogue. It was just another example of how he was different, "Nikki definitely changed you, Mikey. Good. You needed that."
Michael threw the couch pillow at Birkhoff while Nikita rolled her eyes. The nerd wasn't even close to being able to catch it. But that didn't matter. He was too busy laughing good-naturedly at the couple, "Seriously. I'm glad you guys got together. Now there's no awkward tension between you."
"What awkward tension?" Michael played dumb. He knew exactly what Birkhoff was talking about; he simply didn't want to give him the satisfaction. The nerd had plenty of other things to make fun of the couple more. Michael refused to add to it.
"Fuck off and take your nap," Shoving the nerd's thigh with her foot, Nikita bit. Although she doubted that he'd go to sleep then- he seemed far more energized after swapping stories- she would like it if he left the two alone.
"Even as a couple, you're still clueless," Getting to his feet, Birkhoff snarked. When they were in Division, he never would've had the guts to taunt Michael and Nikita for the feelings brewing between them. But as rogues trapped in a safehouse together, he had free range. There were years of pent up quips dying to get out. The two better prepare themselves.
"And I can still kick your ass," Michael warned. He also glared at Birkhoff, yet that look didn't hold as much power as it used to. Living together and witnessing soft moments between the couple definitely dulled any threat the rogues could level. They were far too close to one another. And they were starting to know each just a little bit too much.
"Nice choice in men, Nikki," After moving out of striking range, Birkhoff fired off one more jab. A part of him seriously did mean that. He was glad that his friends managed to find happiness despite everything. But, of course, he wouldn't say that aloud.
Before Michael could retaliate, Nikita sprung to her feet. She took a threatening step towards Birkhoff and flinched like she was going to fight him. He didn't wait around long enough to know if she was being serious or not. He made a break for the safety of his bedroom while she shouted after him, "That's what I thought."
Once the nerd was out of sight, Nikita plopped back down on the couch completely satisfied with herself. She snuggled next to her boyfriend, wrapping his arms around her as she relaxed. Michael chuckled and lightly kissed the top of her head. She hummed softly, content. With another kiss to her crown, he wrapped his arms tighter around her and muttered in her ear, "Wow. You're so tough."
"Shut up," Nikita dug her elbow into Michael's ribs. When he groaned in pain, she giggled. He was able to retaliate by tickling her side. Instantly, she squirmed out of arms and to her feet. She glared at him in warning, daring him to try something else. He thought about it for a moment, yet he soon called a truce to cook dinner. Her rumbling stomach agreed.
Soon smelling food, Birkhoff rejoined the couple in the kitchen. Taunts and stories continued as the rogues cooked, ate, cleaned, and settled back on the couch to watch a movie. Agreeing on what to watch was another struggle for the friends, but Nikita's choice ultimately won when she deployed some dirty tricks. After about an hour, though, it didn't matter what they had picked. They all fell asleep- first Birkhoff, then Nikita, and eventually Michael- curled together on the sofa, happy and momentarily at peace.
