Page 44 of Pistols and Plush Toys

When Nikolai came out of his room the next morning, dressed and ready, he caught the scent of breakfast in the air again.

On quiet feet he headed down to the kitchen, and came upon Elliot at the stove, making what smelled like eggs and potatoes. He was wearing a nice pair of soft-looking pants and a high neck sweater, neither of which Nikolai had seen before.

“Is one of your new sweaters?” Nikolai asked as he walked further into the kitchen, headed toward the coffee machine.

Elliot glanced his way briefly and then turned his attention back to the food, but there was a smile in his voice when he said, “Yeah. Um, Meredith picked this one out. She said she thought the color looked nice.”

The sweater was a deep mauve, which did flatter Elliot’s coloring very well. The high neck also hid the bruising around his throat.

“Meredith is right,” Nikolai said in approval. “Looks very good.”

Elliot glanced at him again, cheeks coloring, expression startled but clearly pleased. This time Nikolai got to see the shy smile, the sweep of eyelashes as Elliot bashfully looked down. “Thank you.”

Nikolai smiled and grabbed his cup of coffee. “You are welcome.” He walked to Elliot to peer over his shoulder. “What we are having for breakfast? Smells good.”

“Egg scramble and potatoes,” Elliot said. “If that’s okay?”

“Is very okay. You know how I feel about potatoes. One true love.” Nikolai perched himself on one of the kitchen stools with his coffee to watch as Elliot moved potatoes around one of the pans.

It was really quite soothing, to watch Elliot in his element accompanied by the pop and sizzle and enticing smell of the cooking food.

A few minutes later when Elliot was plating everything, Nikolai went to make himself a new cup of coffee. When ready, Elliot brought the two plates over to the table, and Nikolai detoured to get a glass of water for Elliot, since he hadn’t made himself any tea that morning.

“Oh,” Elliot said, looking up when Nikolai set down the water at his place setting, and giving Nikolai another smile for his trouble. “Thank you.”

“And I thank you for potatoes,” Nikolai said, sitting in front of his own plate with his coffee. “And eggs too. Still good, even if not as good as potatoes.”

“You haven’t even tried anything yet,” Elliot said, lips still quirked. He understood that Nikolai was teasing. Good.

“Smells very good,” Nikolai said solemnly. “But I’m cannot like eggs as much as potatoes. I’m monogamous. So can only have one one true love.”

Elliot giggled and took a bite of eggs for himself, which Nikolai was pleased to see. Nikolai followed suit, picking up his fork to dive in. Breakfast smelled amazing. He hadn’t been teasing about that .

He groaned at the first bite of the egg scramble. There was some sort of southwest flavoring to it, with just a bit of kick. When he looked up, Elliot was watching him, taking in Nikolai’s reaction.

“So? How are the eggs?” Elliot asked.

“Very good,” Nikolai said, forking up another bite. “Is Mexican?”

Elliot nodded. “Huevos a la Mexicana, yeah.”

Nikolai swallowed the egg and went for the potatoes next. He made an appreciative sound. “I was right to make you new chef. Very smart. You have signed contract?”

Elliot smiled bashfully, ducking his head as he took his own forkful of potatoes. He really did have such a lovely smile. “Yeah,” he said when he’d swallowed. “Meredith sent me the papers last night.”

“I am very smart man, to hire such good chef,” Nikolai said with a definitive air, and was rewarded by a grin from Elliot and another giggle. “Meredith, she’s say she’s paying you for work done already, yes?”

“I…” Elliot fidgeted with his fork. “I have to open a new bank account today for that. I don’t–I don’t have my own account.”

Nikolai put another forkful of potato in his mouth so he wouldn’t react to that. It shouldn’t have surprised him. Of course a man like Vitale would limit Elliot’s resources, making sure he had almost no way to get away. It was disgusting.

He chewed and swallowed and took a calming breath. He couldn’t change the past, but at least it wouldn’t be an issue for Elliot going forward.

“We will get you all set up,” Nikolai said. “No problem.”

“Actually, um…” Elliot frowned down at his food, then inhaled and let it out again. “I was thinking about—about what you said yesterday. A-about the plan. And I want to do it.”

That was… a quicker answer than Nikolai thought he’d get. He tilted his head, eyeing Elliot carefully. “You are sure? You are not having to.”

Elliot lifted his chin, his expression determined. “I know you’re all worried Mattia is going to hurt more people. S-so if I can help stop him from doing that, I—I want to.”

It was obvious that he was anxious about his decision, but willing to go through with it anyway. And he knew what he was agreeing to. That this plan would end with Vitale’s death.

“You are very sure?” Nikolai had to ask. He didn’t want Elliot to have Vitale’s death directly on his conscience.

He watched Elliot bite his lip and then let go, his eyes dropping to his plate. “I… I know what I’m agreeing to.”

“Is very brave thing,” Nikolai said quietly. “You are very strong. Since you are very sure, then okay. Thank you.”

Elliot’s shoulders slumped, breath pushing out of him, like he’d expected that to be harder. Like he’d been ready to argue his position.

“Are you wanting to start today?” Nikolai asked.

“You, um, you mean being seen with you?” Elliot asked, finally starting to begin to eat.

“Yes,” Nikolai said. “Today I’m having meeting with inspector and contractor at new Lucky Clover location. Would be good for you to come with me doing business. Since I’m not bringing just anyone with me to my stores.”

“Oh,” Elliot said. “Um, o-okay. Just going to the store?”

Nikolai waved a hand. “We go to new store, let both inside. I’m say to contractor what it is that is needing building.”

“Okay,” Elliot said, who was actually making headway with his breakfast now. “That doesn’t sound too hard.”

But now that Nikolai was thinking about it, there should be more to the outing, shouldn’t there? To give the excursion more body. Help sell that Elliot was a romance not just someone helping him with work.

If Nikolai were truly trying to woo a man like Elliot, what sorts of things would he do?

Elliot didn’t like grand showy gestures, that much was obvious.

Though thinking of it now, maybe that had something to do with Vitale as well.

Vitale was very showy, and Elliot hadn’t been allowed his own bank account.

It stood to reason that everything he had had been a “gift” from Vitale.

When Elliot had been, well, kidnapped—only a few short weeks ago, fuck, it’d felt like so much longer—he’d been wearing designer clothing. But when Elliot had been allowed to choose things for himself , he’d picked comfortable and cozy and outwardly plain-looking things.

So how would Nikolai romance someone like Elliot? Shy, quiet, lovely, hurting but oh so very brave Elliot, who lit up when cooking and who laughed at Nikolai’s sense of humor and who let Nikolai see him be soft and open with his plush toys.

He should start with food, for one thing. “I’m also will take you out to lunch,” Nikolai said decisively.

“Lunch?” Elliot asked in surprise.

“Yes.” Nikolai nodded firmly. “Nice place for lunch for my nice new boyfriend.”

“Oh. I–right,” Elliot said, looking flustered now.

“Where we should go?” Nikolai asked, settling into this thought. He did very much like the idea of taking Elliot out to a nice meal. “You must pick.”

Color rose high in Elliot’s cheeks, and he looked at his plate, spearing some more potato. “Um, how… nice?”

“Maybe place I’m needing to make reservation for,” Nikolai said thoughtfully, watching the potato make its way to Elliot’s mouth. Then inspiration struck. “Pick somewhere you’d like to eat, but have never been to.”

Elliot’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Okay. Let me think.”

Elliot chewed through a bite, then two, as he thought, and Nikolai was gratified at how he’d guessed correctly. For all that Elliot struggled with eating, the way to his heart was through food.

Nikolai ate more of his own delicious breakfast while he waited, thinking that he was not unlike Elliot in that.

“How about Blue Snake?” Elliot said eventually. “It’s a steakhouse, and they serve A5 Japanese wagyu. The rest of their menu looks really good too,” he added shyly. “I’ve been wanting to go there for a long time.”

Nikolai didn’t bother asking why he hadn’t yet been. The answer to that was obvious. “Fan of wagyu?”

“I mean, anyone who’s a fan of steak would be,” Elliot said. “Someday I… I want to go to Japan and have it there.”

Nikolai realized he was tucking that bit of information away for later, then scolded himself for it. Just because they were going to be playing at being in a relationship didn’t make any of this real.

“I’m like steak.” Nikolai said. “Meredith will say steak is okay this time I think, since you are feeding me so many vegetables. I even eat spinach.”

Elliot ducked his head again, bashful. “I could pick someplace else.”

“No,” Nikolai said at once. “You want to go, so we go. I’m make reservation right now.”

Nikolai pulled out his phone to do just that, noting happily out of the corner of his eye that Elliot was well on his way to finishing his plate.

***

When Alex pulled up to the curb of Lucky Clover’s new location, Nikolai got out quickly and rounded the car to get Elliot’s door.

Once Elliot had stepped out and Nikolai closed the door, he moved to put an arm around Elliot’s waist. They’d talked about it on the car ride, what touches Elliot would and wouldn’t be okay with.

He hadn’t said there was anything he wasn’t okay with, but there were certain things that got him to bite his lip, clearly uncomfortable. Nikolai had immediately shoved those things into the never okay section of his brain.