Page 188 of Pistols and Plush Toys

Elliot scribbled a few options down before the obvious struck him. He still had more translated recipes. That had been a team effort, after all. It would be the perfect thing to serve.

Actually, hadn’t there been one that was burger adjacent? And hadn’t Gerard mentioned wanting a burger…?

Elliot smiled, unlocking his phone to pull up the translated recipe pages.

Then, in his notebook, he started jotting down what he’d need.

***

Excited energy buzzed through Elliot as he moved his way through the kitchen, preparing the kotleti and slicing sweet potatoes. Nikolai was sitting at the kitchen bar, tapping away on his laptop, pausing occasionally to watch.

Technically tonight wouldn’t be Nikolai's first taste of his grandmother’s kotleti recipe. Elliot, in his need to get it right for the dinner party, had done test runs on it earlier in the week, making mini sliders as he adjusted the beef to pork ratio, adding butter, then adding garlic.

Xander and Nikolai had been his taste testers, parking themselves in the kitchen and trying slider after slider until Elliot got it just right.

Watching the two of them together sharing food stories and a meal had filled Elliot’s heart full to bursting. Two people so important to him getting along over food Elliot had made for them… there wasn’t anything better.

“Do you think they’ll like the kotleti?” Elliot asked Nikolai now.

Nikolai smiled before he even looked up from the laptop. “Gerard has been texting me for many days about it.”

Elliot tapped his fingers against the marble countertop. “I just want it to be good.”

“Everything you make is very good,” Nikolai said easily.

Elliot flushed. He still wasn’t used to how easily Nikolai doled out compliments. “How, um, how’s work?”

Nikolai’s eyes flickered briefly back to his screen. “No one is shouting in emails today, so is improvement. And earlier I hear from Vicki Vitale.”

A vice gripped Elliot’s chest hard.

Since Mattia’s death, they hadn’t heard anything from the Vitale’s. There’d been a funeral, listed in the paper, and then silence.

“What… did she say?” Elliot asked hesitantly.

“She was introducing herself as head of Vitale family,” Nikolai said. “She knew Vitale and Tkachenko had agreements before. So now she was asking our future.”

“Is that… good?” Elliot asked.

“Good news, I think.” Nikolai said. “The Vitale family, they are listening to her. So we have new agreement.”

The squeeze around Elliot’s chest eased. “That’s good.”

Nikolai nodded, but now he looked troubled.

“Are you sure it’s all okay?” Elliot asked.

“My plan with Mattia Vitale… it worked, even if agreement is now with Vicki Vitale,” Nikolai said. “Why I’m taking you in the first place.”

The tone shift at the end had Elliot pausing and turning back to him. “Nikolai… I’mgladyou took me from Mattia. Even though some of it was scary. Even though some of it hurt.”

“But ?????–” Nikolai started.

“No buts,” Elliot said, cutting in soft but sure. “You’re the best thing to happen in my life. After all of that, I ended up here, with you.” He smiled, if shyly. “I wouldn’t change any of it. Okay?”

“Okay,” Nikolai said, shoulders dropping in surrender. “I’m sorry. Is… stubborn guilt. I don’t like that you were hurt. But you are also one of the best things to me.”

“I’m—I’m glad,” Elliot said, smile growing.

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