Aesop stepped into the building. Andrej followed behind, looking around the repaired lobby. The marble hadn't been damaged that much and could be easily patched up, but the ceiling and chandeliers had no choice but to go. The reception desk had also been changed
"So what do you think?"
"Looks good... What about upstairs?"
"Let's go see then."
The two went up to the offices. The windows have been fitted back and, according to Andrej, reinforced. Aesop's office was completely changed. The carpet had been removed and replaced with black tiles. A small chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow throughout the office The shelves were moved and his desk was now in front of the window. He walked around, pausing at the glass window that had once been where he fell out from with Jack. Andrej came up behind him, hands in his pockets.
"Don't worry about it Aesop."
Aesop sighs and turns to Andrej.
"What if things go wrong again?"
"Then we fight to the death."
He took a hand out of his pocket and gripped Aesop's shoulder tightly.
"We will destroy them. That's a promise, and you know very well I never, ever break promises."
Aesop smiled slightly. They continued around the building, lingering around the armoury for a few moment. Andrej had the armoury doors reinforced, and installed a building lockdown system where when triggered, metal gates would block off any entry and exit.
"Ah, I also invited a... Special guest with us today."
"Huh?"
"Ms Reznik, could you please stop trying to avoid us?"
He chuckled lightly as the small lady stepped out from behind the wall, clutching her hat in her hands nervously. Aesop recognized her name as one which Eli had mentioned.
"You're Tracy Reznik?"
"Yes, sir."
Aesop bowed low, startling the female. She turned to look at Andrej, who only smiled and bowed as well.
"Thank you."
"For- For what?"
"For saving Eli Clark that day. You saved his life, and I will forever be indebted to you."
Tracy was at a lost for words.
"Is there anyway we can repay you?"
"Well..."
----------------------------------------------
"Gaah! Why are you so fuzzy?"
Eli grabbed Freki and held him up, staring into the Samoyed's eyes. He was all by himself in the yard working out. There was nothing better to do anyway. For the past hour since Aesop said he'd meet up with his father, Eli had been trying to exercise.
Trying.
The Samoyeds kept climbing on him or sliding underneath him while he was doing push-ups. He'd considered working out, but making a sweaty mess on the floor really didn't seem ideal. So instead, he grabbed one of the Samoyeds and let it sit on his back while he did some planking. The dog didn't seem to oppose anyway as it looked down at its companion, who stayed under the shades of the roof.
"Alright. That should be it for today..."
He lifted the dog off his back and got up. Aesop still wasn't back yet. Eli wandered to the kitchen and stared around. Suppose the maids weren't going to cook, maybe he could give it a try. It seemed about time he did something in return for Aesop. But first, a shower.
As he stood under the cold water, he wondered what he could possibly make. The fridge and shelves were full of ingredients, but that didn't mean he could use them as he wished. He tried recalling what Aesop liked eating, what he ordered the most when they went out on dates. It seemed he liked dishes with more meat in them, and he had a tendency to order or have the maids cook food that originate from Russia.
Maybe some traditional Russian foods..?
Eli took out his phone and began researching. Eventually he settled for a few recipes. Aesop still wasn't back yet, which hopefully gave him enough time to cook. As a child, he's taught himself to cook. He hoped Aesop liked beef stroganoff as he sharpened the knife. He prepared the ingredients and cracked his knuckles. There was no way he could let Aesop down.
---------------------------------------
"That should be it for today."
"Thank you so much Mr Carl!"
Tracy bowed to the both of them. Andrej beamed. They'd offered Tracy a place to experiment her explosives, with materials provided. This was all in return for helping Eli, as well as her small mistake that saved him.
"I should probably get going now. I was planning to bring Eli out on a d-... ahem..."
Andrej coughed as he covered his smirk. Tracy, on the other hand, snickered out loud. Aesop excused himself and went out to his car. As he drove, he wondered what would be a nice restaurant to bring Eli out to. They'd almost been to every restaurant at this point. Without realising he was already on the brick pavement. He opened the door, surprised when he didn't see Eli waiting for him already. He heard clanging in the kitchen.
"Eli?"
"Huh? Yea I'm here!"
"Are you alright?"
"Mhm!"
Aesop made his way over, surprised when he smelled something delicious. Indeed, Eli was standing by the dining table with a smile on his face. There were plates of food before him, all of which Aesop noted were Russian dishes.
Beef stroganoff... Pelmeni... Some sort of fruity wine...
He doesn't remember teaching Eli to cook any of these, or told him he liked eating these. The other male ushered him to the table and pushed the plates towards him before taking a seat next to him. He looked eagerly at Aesop, his one greyish-blue eyes shining. Aesop chuckled and took a bite of the beef, slowly chewing and letting the warm sauce spread across his tongue.
"So... How is it?"
Eli asked, leaning close to Aesop. The male took another bite of the food and took a swig from the glass, sighing as he felt the tingling burn of the alcohol. Indeed the food was delicious, and he loved every single bite of it.
"How long did you spend on this?"
"Er... I don't know."
He pulled the other male over for a kiss.
"It's delicious~"
Eli smiled happily and pushed a plate of pelmeni to him. As Aesop looked down, he noticed a small bandage around Eli's finger and grabbed it.
"You cut yourself?"
"Yea, but don't worry! I-it didn't hurt that much."
"Hm."
He grasped his hand and kissed it. Eli couldn't help but blush and shiver a little. They sat in silence as they ate, Eli having made himself a portion too. Aesop finished first, finishing every single drop of the sauce.
"So... Can i have my dessert?"
