if the mafia can learn to love

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi gave him a light kiss. "Now that that's out of the way, can we eat please? I'm starving. I think better when I'm not dying."

[assassinrue]

"Sure. I can cook if you like." Nikolai looked at her sheepishly, he wasn't really sure he had told anyone other than Mamu that he could, and liked to, cook.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi grinned. "The mafia-gangster can cook. I'd love to see this."

[assassinrue]

Nikolai pursed his lips and lead the way to the kitchen.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi followed him with a grin and flounced over to the counter, pulling herself up to sit on the surface. "What are you going to make?"

[assassinrue]

Nikolai shrugged. "A quiche I suppose."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi bit back a laugh. Quiche? That word just sounded funny coming from his lips. "Okay."

[assassinrue]

Nikolai through together the quiche and while he waited for it to bake, he pulled out some bread he had made earlier for them to snack on.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

As Avi chewed on the crisp crust of the bread, she watched him with a slight tilt to her head. He was an enigma, that was for sure. An enigma that she was falling hard for, and that frightened her. It frightened her that she was so willing to overlook how he'd killed people.

[assassinrue]

Nikolai sighed. He knew his life would eventually come back to Snake. It always did. Every turn where he least expected it, their lives would intertwine. Why couldn't he escape him?

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Maybe for one night we can forget all this," Avi said quietly. "One night to be normal people. We can eat quiche and watch movies and... Whatever else we want to do. No worries."

[assassinrue]

Nikolai stared at her for along moment as if she were speaking a foreign language. "Yeah." He said slowly. "Maybe we can."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi's eyes traced the lines of his face, finally coming to rest on his haunted eyes. On impulse, she stepped forward and pressed her lips against his, her hand gripping the counter tightly. Yeah, she knew how to forget her troubles, and it had nothing to do with quiche and movies. Maybe if she lost herself in him, in his touch, she could let it all go. She'd never been one to run to sex when things got bad, but... things had gotten really, really bad. Besides, Nikolai wasn't just some guy. He was the reason she wasn't high-tailing it out of the situation.

[assassinrue]

Nikolai stepped back and cocked his eyebrow. "Now is not the time for that."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Why not?" Avi murmured. She pushed forward, her body pressing against him, her eyes still closed and her chin tilted upward.

[assassinrue]

Nikolai placed his hands on her shoulders. "Because I don't want you like this." He ran his thumb over her cheek. "I want you happy and willing, not trying to escape something."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"I am willing," avi protested. Even she noticed that she left out the 'happy' part. "I need to feel near someone right now, when everything else around me is falling apart."

[assassinrue]

Nikolai sighed, turned off the oven, and took Felicity's hand. "Come here." He lead her back to his bedroom, pulled back the covers, urged her to climb in, and then he got in next to her. He took her hands in his and pulled her arms around him and then he wrapped himself around her, holding her as tight as he could, pouring all of his healing, hopeful energy into her. He never loosened his grip.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi snuggled against him, her cheek resting against his chest. She'd never been held like this, by someone who was there to cling to and draw strength from. In his arms, she thought that maybe there was some way what she was doing wasn't completely insane, that some good could come from it. Nikolai was a good guy in all the important ways, and while that had irritated her a few seconds ago, it made her heart swell now.

[assassinrue]

"You're beautiul Avi, and intelligent, you're worth doing this right." He gave her an extra tight squeeze then loosened his grip.