Meat lovers

1, just a taste.

I felt time slipping through my fingers as the family in front of me writhed with activity. At present the mother was shouting at her two daughters while the father looked on in shame. Their yellow clad baby was on the verge of tears, but I was determined to break down first. "Can we just have the check?" The father pleaded. I nearly collapsed with relieved sobs, instead I calmly nodded and walked back to the kitchen. "Nicholas, I need the check for table twelve"
He apathetically tossed the check at me "I've been waiting for them to leave so I printed it out early in hoped that they would leave."
"Nicholas we can't waste paper printing checks early" the manager patted Nicholas on the shoulder, a little too roughly. Nico grumbled.
Everything he said just convinced me more and more of my suspicions.
I took the check out to the family, and watched with pent up glee as they filed out of the restaurant. The kitchen still needed me,so I returned. As expected there was a meal that another table needed, but from what I could tell we would have a break in orders soon.
"Nicholas, help Tiberius with those plates."
He grumbled but did as told. I let him ferry out the steak, and made note of his gaze upon the bloody morsel.
I had no doubt in my mind at this point.
"Hello, hello. Who had the steak?" The man at the fat end of the table smiled and raised his hand. Almost reluctantly, Nico walked over and set down his plate. The man who had ordered noticed his hesitation and commented on it "sorry buddy, its my steak now"
He laughed it off like a sport "don't worry, I'll just order one on break, your food is safe from me"
A few of the patrons let out soft chuckles at that.
He was good with customers, but it was a facade and everyone in the staff knew it. He hated this job.
With a flourish he tucked the tray under his arm and nodded to the table. He cleared his throat and said with a thicker accent than usual, "bon appetite"
I led us back to the kitchen "you going on break?"
Nico shrugged "why not? I've been needing a smoke since I first heard those.. Ugh... Damn children"
"Heh, man you really hate kids don't you?" I leaned in the door of the break room
"I hate anything that I can't control"
"Like this job?"
"It has its perks" he pulled his coat off its hook and headed for the back door "like the smoker friendly alley"
I stepped out with him, I didn't smoke myself but I could understand the sentiment. It was raining, and a bit chilly "kind of wish I'd grabbed my coat" I rubbed my arms for emphasis
"You can't borrow mine, it's designer"
The beige suede trenchcoat was draped over his left shoulder as he rifled through it's pockets.
"So, there's something I want to ask you"
"No, you can't borrow any of my stuff"
"Jesus Nicholas, no one wants to borrow your shit"
He huffed haughtily and pulled out his cigarettes, like everything he owned, it was a luxury brand "well they should"
I shook my head "if your paycheck was as big as your ego you'd probably buy out the Rolex showroom."
"I intend to"
"Anyway, my question; do you remember when head chef Flores cut off his fingers on accident and was later fired for taking horse tranquilizers for the pain?"
"Yes" he smiled coyly and lit up
"Well, I have a friend on social media who made a post about it"
He inhaled deeply and let the smoke slip from his lips as he spoke "which site?"
"He told me he was from France and worked at a fancy restaurant"
He held the cigarette, not smoking it "which site?" His voice was slightly harsher.
"I would honestly consider him my greatest friend in the world, and I'm quite certain he feels the same"
He jabbed the burning roll at me "which. Site?"
"Nico, are you Necrotech17?"
"Depends, are you bloodman83?"
I laughed "the one and only"
He finally gave me a genuine smile "mon amis!" He gave me a big hug, something I wouldn't have expected such vigor from Nico, considering his smaller frame. Well not that small, I was only about two inches taller than him. "Oh I am so sorry about being so rude to you, if I had known it was you I would have given you the respect a man like you deserves"
"oh, and what kind of man am I?"
"A very twisted man, that's who."
I laughed, fondly remembering all our discussions "this wouldn't happen to be about lampshade, would it?"
He closed his eyes and sucked sharply on his cigarette "god, that story is absolute tripe, and I loved every fucking second of it"
A few months prior I had commissioned a popular writer in the Gore forum we frequented to write probably the most deprived work of literature ever conceived. He may have weaved the words, but the ideas and characters were all my own. it was a very popular story and had gotten me a lot of attention online.
"I knew you were tweaked, but lampshade was most definitely jarring. I had no idea that the human mind could conceive such sickening concepts. I for one am not a fan of unreasonable expectations of the human corpse or mind but lampshade is by far one of my top three favorite Gore stories."
I swung an arm over his shoulders "does this mean I can borrow your jacket?"
He laughed "ah, no. No you may not"