Annika watched as Zariyah joked with the boys - her boys - and felt the smile forming on her lips be

Annika watched as Zariyah joked with the boys - her boys - and felt the smile forming on her lips before she could stop it. There were very few times any more that the trio looked truly carefree. If she could capture the moment and keep it on her at all times, she would. ‘She does smile,’ teased Maverick with clumsy signs. His hands moved just in her line of sight, and reluctantly Annika looked towards him and away from the private moment of friends enjoying each other’s company for the first proper time in months. ‘Wow, you’re so funny,’ she told him, mouthing as she signed. She still wasn’t comfortable enough around him to speak, but she was grateful he tried to sign. ‘It’s good for both of you,’ he said, using the wrong sign for good.Annika gently corrected the sign, absently teaching even when her thoughts were elsewhere. Mav understood, however. He didn’t mind that she was distracted. She knew he was just as glad as she was to see the trio happy; perhaps more so with Zari, but even he wasn’t so heartless as to ignore the need of the boys for the time. ‘One day,’ she said slowly, forcing herself to look at Maverick rather than the trio, ‘it won’t be such a rare sight.’A small smile danced on his lips, his attention glancing quickly towards the trio. To look at them, it was nearly impossible to know that Nikolai was anything other than another member of their group; that Dima was tasked with protecting the crown, and that Zariyah had only just properly returned from Ketterdam. ‘Now there’s a future worth fighting for.’ Mav’s attention skimmed back to Annika, his signs almost perfect for the first time in a few short days. The words were a promise though, she could see it in his eyes. It didn’t matter what his past had been, his views on political matters, he’d do this in the hopes of getting more moments like this for the people who had made him realise there was more to life than money. …A/N: Using Theo James for Maverick’s faceclaim for the moment, but it might change as he was part of the multiverse challenge. -- source link

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