Page 36 of Pistols and Plush Toys

The shirt came up and off, and then Nikolai got a look at the whole of him.

Although the bruising along his side was the worst of it, it wasn’t, in fact, all of his injuries.

On the other side Elliot had what looked like a rug burn, a light abrasion along the slope of his side that became worse at the hard point of his hip bone.

There was also a small scrape at his rib cage.

Both were minor in comparison to the bruising, but they spoke of someone who’d been attacked while he’d been on the ground.

If Vitale hadn’t already sealed his fate with the ring of bruises around Elliot’s slim neck, this would have done it. These injuries weren’t ones you got in a fair fight. They were the kind you got on the ground, cowering, when someone wouldn’t stop hurting you.

Nikolai had to swallow a snarl. Had to compartmentalize the rage that wanted to broil up inside him. He had the sheep in hand, so he had to be gentle. This moment was only for softness. For care.

Nikolai touched the sheep’s nose to Elliot’s hand again. He traced his long fingers, the knobs of his knuckles and then up to the wrist. He kept his movements slow, unhurried, as he traced up Elliot’s forearm, and heard a small whoosh of breath as he moved the sheep up to his shoulder.

There he had the stuffed animal stop and peck a soft plush kiss over one of the fingerprint bruises. It startled him that it felt natural to do so, but he didn’t question it. This moment was for Elliot. For showing him that he deserved care.

He let the sheep kiss across Elliot’s collarbone and then down the center of his chest toward the bruised area.

Nikolai watched Elliot’s stomach flex, the muscles tensing and releasing as he did so. Without his shirt, Nikolai could see even more clearly how thin he truly was, the sharp points of his ribs and collarbone sticking out more than would be healthy.

He hated that a man who loved food so much should be so thin. So underfed. There seemed to be something unspeakably cruel about that.

He wanted to fix it.

When Nikolai got to the bruise, he had the sheep trace the shape of it again, gently and carefully, but with a firm enough touch that it wouldn’t tickle.

It was an ugly purple all along the center, fading out to a mottled blue at the edges.

Not yet old enough to start to yellow. Sheep went over every inch of it, his soft fur brushing the skin as if just that could heal it.

When he’d covered the entire area, he set Sheep down in Elliot’s lap and uncapped the cream.

With one careful hand he started applying, starting at the top of the bruise and working his way down. He was generous with it, applying a thick top layer to the skin without working it in too much. He didn’t want to put pressure on what undoubtedly hurt.

When all of the bruise had been covered, Nikolai set the cream aside and picked up the sheep again. Elliot was watching him, expression somewhere between uncertainty and disbelief.

His eyes still had a glossy wetness, but no more tears had fallen. The shaking had gone completely, and now he was breathing slower, in deep whooshing breaths.

Nikolai pressed the nose of the sheep to the center of Elliot’s sternum, as though pressing a kiss there. “Very good,” Nikolai said. “Thank you for letting овца help.”

Elliot let out a hitched sound, and his hands finally moved, coming up to curl his arms around the stuffed animal. At the same time Nikolai let go, retreating as Elliot hugged the sheep.

There was a flush to his cheeks that now extended down to his chest. Nikolai's eyes lingered before he realized what he was doing. He averted his gaze, and made himself stand, picking up the cream and setting it on the bedside table.

“When you are ready, breakfast is in kitchen,” Nikolai said. The words felt clumsy. He felt clumsy. What had he just…?

Then his eyes found Elliot’s again. He looked… open. Vulnerable.

But so very trusting. It pierced Nikolai straight through his chest.

“Okay,” Elliot said quietly. He licked his lips, finger idly brushing the top of the sheep’s head, rubbing the soft fur with the pad of his finger. “Thank you.”

Nikolai bobbed his head. “You are welcome,” he said, and then made himself turn and walk out.

He needed a moment. Several moments.

He needed to think about what he’d done, and if it was okay.

And if he was going to do it again.

Nikolai closed the door softly behind himself, unable to shake the image of Elliot sitting there on the bed. Trusting Nikolai to take care of him. To be soft with him.

Soft as Nikolai had never been allowed to be.

It felt as though something inside Nikolai that he’d long thought dead had come back to life.

***

Breakfast was quiet. Elliot didn’t seem up to much conversation, and Nikolai didn’t try to coax him into speaking.

Instead, he passed the meal by telling Elliot about an episode of Checklists that involved the contestants being driven into town and told to procure a hat, a book, and a picture of a duck.

It was more than Nikolai ever really talked at one time, but by the time he was detailing how the winner had found a toy store and gotten a picture of a rubber duck, Elliot had finished nearly his entire smoothie bowl, which Nikolai very much counted as a win.

And then another win; Elliot agreed to see a doctor.

“Thank you,” Nikolai said, biting his tongue on telling Elliot how brave he was. How good. “My guy, he is very trustworthy. Also discreet.”

“Okay,” Elliot said.

“Would you like me there?” Nikolai asked. “Or is okay by yourself?”

“I-I’m okay,” Elliot said. “It’s okay.”

Nikolai nodded and didn’t press, and when Dr. Williams arrived, he showed him to Elliot’s room, where Elliot was tapping at his new phone. He felt pride over the fact that Elliot was using it, though Nikolai noticed that his stuffed animals were hidden once again.

Elliot gave Dr. William’s a shaky smile.

Nikolai left them to it and went back to his office, to continue going over his new hires with a fine-tooth comb, even though Meredith was also on it.

Two sets of eyes were better than one.

Dr. Willams knocked on his door about an hour later to let him know that while he wouldn’t tell Nikolai the details of Elliot’s injuries because of Elliot’s privacy, Elliot would at least not require more extensive treatment.

It was the best news Nikolai could hope for, so he thanked the man and then turned his attention to the group chat conversation with Meredith and Gerard.

They were talking in the secured text app where texts could be timed read and then would disappear like they never existed.

Someone who knew someone who knew someone had sent Meredith a photo of Vitale getting off a plane in Florence. Meredith had posted the picture in the chat with a sixty second timer.

Nikolai looked at the grainy image until it disappeared.

Fucking great.

How long would Vitale be gone? Nikolai doubted the man was gone for good. He’d simply fled to lick his wounds and, most likely, to plan his revenge.

Nikolai didn’t revel in the idea of having to look over his shoulder for the coming days, weeks, months…?

Fuck, it couldn’t really be months, could it?

Gerard: We’re going to need to lure him back

Nikolai: you’re supposed to be asleep

Gerard: I was. Now I’m up.

Meredith: You’ve slept barely seven hours.

Gerard: Plenty enough for this conversation

Meredith: Gerard, I swear…

Gerard: Read me my rights later Meri, this is important.

Gerard: So, a lure for a rat?

Nikolai: He will be suspicious of anything involving Elliot now.

Nikolai sent it, already seeing the beginnings of their conversation start to disappear.

Gerard: Maybe, but he’s also full of himself. I can see him getting pissed off enough to come back

Nikolai: You think?

Meredith: I agree. Unfortunately.

Gerard: He’s obsessed with the kid. When I said you’d taken him back, he stepped right into the line of fire before one of his cronies pushed him back out. He gets blinded by anger and makes mistakes.

Nikolai: It’s shame you only got him in the shoulder

Gerard: Stupid fucking bleeders taking hits for him when we know perfectly well he doesn’t reward loyalty.

Gerard: But yeah, so. If the kid was out and about, that might make the rat want to come out of hiding just to get at him again.

Nikolai frowned at his screen.

Nikolai: As bait, you mean.

Gerard: Yes and no. I was thinking that Mattia cares a lot about Elliot being *his* right? So if word got back to him that he had moved on, was dating someone else…

Nikolai went white-hot at picturing Elliot, sweet, abused Elliot, putting himself back into the line of fire to taunt Vitale into making another appearance.

Nikolai: No.

Gerard: What, you don’t think it would work?

Nikolai growled. He… couldn’t say that. He stared at the above texts slowly disappearing, one after the other as he thought.

If Vitale was a spoiled child, then what did a tantrum-having child get most upset about?

Someone else playing with their toys. Touching their things.

Gerard: He’s cute enough, it wouldn’t be a hardship to have him pretend with one of our guys. I’m sure he’d cooperate. You said he’d changed his mind on Mattia.

One of our guys. As if Nikolai would even think of asking Elliot to play house with Alex or Pyotr or Boris. Not when he was only just opening up to Nikolai.

Nikolai: It wouldn’t work. He’s comfortable enough around me, but I don’t think he could pretend to date just anyone.

Meredith: Nikolai has a point. Asking an abuse victim to fake date a man he barely knows probably isn’t going to result in anything particularly convincing.

Meredith: Not to mention we did kidnap him. Twice. That doesn’t inspire warm fuzzy feelings.

Gerard: Is it kidnapping if we helped him out of a bad situation?

Meredith: The second time was technically a rescue I suppose.

Gerard: And people RESCUED from bad times do indeed sometimes have positive feelings toward their rescuers.

Gerard: Not to mention that if we made it look like Elliot was dating the man Mattia hates the MOST, I bet Mattia would be back in the states inside of a week, spitting mad.

Nikolai stared down at his phone in growing horror.

Nikolai: You cannot possibly be suggesting what I think you’re suggesting.

Gerard: It’s a good idea! We just need to stage a couple of dates for you two, just enough of a public appearance to get it back to Mattia.

He’s already living with you. And you said he’s comfortable around you.

How hard would it be to have a few outings where you talk and hold hands and he maybe kisses your cheek?

Nikolai: I don’t like it.

Gerard: Look. I don’t want to wait around for him to blow up another building and neither do you. We want Mattia gone. To do that, we need him back in the states. This is a sure fire way to get him to fly home.

Nikolai: Meredith, tell me you have better idea.

Meredith: Gerard’s idea isn’t…the worst idea in the world.

Gerard: Thanks, love.

Meredith: I don’t love it. I think that’s asking a lot of Elliot, who’s already been through some shit. But I do agree with Gerard that it’s bound to work. And probably work fast.

Gerard: Kolya, let me put it this way:

Gerard: If the roles were reversed and you saw Mattia putting his hands all over Elliot, would you sit back and take it?

Nikolai’s jaw clenched, mind immediately going to Elliot’s extensive bruises. The fingerprints around his throat.

Nikolai: I will ask Elliot.