"Niko, you should go wash up and rest." Jin said to a zoned out Nikolai.
"You said it like a thousand times already." Nikolai replied glaring at him.
"You've been standing at the door for a half hour Niko!" Jin said, with narrowed eyes "Stop calling me 'Niko' and shut up." Nikolai responded.
Taking a deep breath "Ok sir, I'll go check the house...to see if there's anything wrong, but please just go take care of yourself." Jin said.
"FINE! just shut up already!" Nikolai replied dismissively at his bodyguard, he was still trembling from everything that happened, all he could think about was Andrea, but he didn't want to show his distress to Jin.
On the other hand, Jin knew Nikolai was putting on an act, after all the crying he did, he was suddenly acting like a tough guy.
Jin wondered if Nikolai was afraid of him or not, as That one memory from earlier was stuck in his head.
The way Nikolai reached to him with his arms to hug him, crying in Jin's arms when the incident happened, he was hugging him as if he's hugging someone dear to him.
Brushing off these thoughts, Jin began doing his job while Nikolai entered his bathroom.
The actor got a glimpse of himself all bloodied and disheveled in the bathroom mirror.
This is the first time he ever looked this way, not because of a movie or something, this was reality now, his friend's blood smeared all over his face and hands.
"Andrea." he whispered to himself, resting with his arms on the edges of the bathroom sink, looking at the blood stains made those awful memories from the incident play in Nikolai's head, over and over like a broken tape, until he found himself crying again.
Jin who was around, checking the house, heard him cry and hurried into the bathroom to see him.
"Sir did something happen?...oh, are you okay?" Jin asked, he watched as Nikolai dropped to the ground crying loudly while still holding onto the sink.
Walking over to him, Jin knelt besides Nikolai "Hey..." he tapped on Nikolai's shoulder few times, "it's all my fault." Nikolai said.
"Don't say that Niko."
"I *sobbing* I took those threats lightly."
"Niko don't blame yourself."
"Why do you care...WHY DO YOU CARE?!" Nikolai turned to face him, he backed Jin into a corner, "WHY?! why of all the people I've known through in my life, you appeared." He asked with tears still flowing from his eyes.
"7 years...I haven't seen you in seven years Nikolai."
"The best seven years of my life, Jin."
"I can tell...you became the superstar you were always meant to be."
"I thought we were meant to be."
"I'm really sorry for everything...I know you won't forgive me, Niko."
"You're right, I won't, I'll never will."
...An hour later...
"I made us some Mac and Cheese, you didn't eat anything all day." Jin said setting the table.
Fresh out of the shower with a towel over his shoulders, "You call Mac and cheese food." Nikolai scoffed at him, "You act as if you never ate it before." Jin said with slight smile.
"I'm not hungry, I'll go straight to sleep." Nikolai announced, "You can't! you have to eat something...you need to take iron tablets and vitamins, and you can't have them on an empty stomach." Jin protested.
"Did Andrea tell you about my Anemia too?" Nikolai asked, "of course, he said you lose balance and faint many times, so I should also pay attention to your health as well.
I Know iron supplements cause you to be constipated too, so Andrea said I should also make sure you have your stool softener before you go to bed." Jin replied calmly.
Feeling embarrassed, Nikolai snarled at him, "What the hell are you now?! A DOCTOR?!"
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, it's normal to have anemia." Jin said, "You know what's not normal?! This right now!" Nikolai replied pointing at himself and Jin.
"I know what I signed up for, and I'm not bothered by it." Jin spoke up, "fine I'll eat, and starting tomorrow, I'll make your life a hell, just like you did to mine back in the days!" Nikolai said whining before he sat down to eat.
Feeling happy inside that Nikolai sat down, Jin sat down as well and started filling Their plates.
... Minutes later...
"I Knew it, you were starving!" Jin exclaimed, "So what!" Nikolai replied shamelessly after eating his third plate.
"I'm glad you're eating." Jin said filling him another plate.
"Chutiya! (fucker)" Nikolai said underneath his breaths, "Huh? did you say something?" A clueless Jin Asked.
"Nothing." Nikolai replied glaring at him, "Uh...okay!" Jin said giving him the plate with a smile.
"It's delicious, somehow." Nikolai said trying not to sound like he was just complimenting him over Mac and cheese, "from now on, you can ask me to cook anything...I will make sure you eat well, so leave it to me!" Jin said Smiling bigger.
Seeing him smile like that made Nikolai choke on his food, he started coughing badly.
"Oh oh!" Jin hurriedly poured him a cup of water while tapping on his back.
Drinking half of the cup, "A sniper couldn't kill me today, yet you almost did!" Nikolai said angrily while still coughing.
"How's is this my fault? did I do something?" Jin asked clueless.
...Few minutes later...
Putting his plate in the sink, "How can you be this calm, you used to burst in anger...At literally anything." Nikolai asked, "And you used to be so calm at literally everything... until our thing." Jin replied.
"That giant scary scar... over you lips." Nikolai said pointing at the scar on Jin's face, "How did you get it?"
"..." Jin remained silent for a second, "I told you about my glasses, I deserve to know something in exchange." Nikolai said.
"Um, I got it from work, while protecting a previous client...it's no big deal." Jin replied a little nervous, "You indeed became a bad liar." Nikolai said before he walked away from him.
Turning back to look at him, "Where are you going?" Jin asked, "bed! I want to sleep even though I don't know if I can do that...at least not with what I'm dealing with today." Nikolai replied before disappearing from his sight.
"Is he talking about The trauma from today or me?" Jin asked himself.
...An hour later....
"Do you usually sleep this early Niko?"
"What early? it's 9:30, Jin."
"I usually go to sleep after 11pm...this is early to me." Jin replied while preparing a mattress for himself on the floor, next to Nikolai's bed.
"You aren't supposed to sleep too much as a bodyguard...and if this is too early for you, you should live with Andrea! he eats dinner at 10pm." Nikolai replied while laying at his bed, he knew he can't sleep, especially not while he was thinking of Andrea.
"Are you two in a special relationship...you and Mister Andreoli?" Jin casually asked, "How come you call him Mister but address me with 'Niko'...am I your pet or something you jerk?" Nikolai replied.
"So you are dating?" Jin bluntly said causing Nikolai to get up from his laying position, "YOU!...and? so what if we are dating?! Are you jealous?!" Nikolai said.
"No, I am actually happy for you." Jin said with a smile, "Mister Andreoli is a perfect man...I hope he comes back home soon." he added while laying his blanket.
"Oh!" Jin hummed as he remembered something, "I placed my stuff in the corner over there to not bother you, don't worry I won't take much of your space." He said pointing at the boxes laying away by the corner.
"Whatever, just turn the AC on." Nikolai said laying back on his bed, he rolled himself with the sheets like a burrito and closed his eyes.
Meanwhile Jin turned on the AC as Nikolai requested, then went back and sat on The mattress with his laptop and reading glasses on.
He started searching everything he could find online about the Death Threats, wanting to know more about it, other than what Andrea has told him.
Despite that Andrea told him to focus only on protecting Nikolai, Jin wanted to look for a suspect himself, and social media was something he found to be useful during his search.
"This is interesting." he said clicking on a video.
...Few hours later...
"It's almost 1am." Jin said closing his laptop, "Huh?" he was caught off guard by Nikolai Suddenly moaning in pain.
"Andrea... ANDREA!" He kept calling for Andrea in his sleep, he started screaming and thrashing around until he banged his head on the headboard.
"Nikolai!" Jin said shaking him awake, "You're having a nightmare!" he added.
"Huh...ugh." Nikolai groaned touching his head, "What the hell." he said sitting on the bed.
"You were having a nightmare, about Mister Andreoli I guess." Jin calmly said pouring him a glass of water.
He sat down next to Nikolai on the bed, giving him the glass to drink, "Sorry to wake you up, you nearly fell off the bed, and you hit your head too." Jin said.
Blankly staring at the empty glass of water in his hands, "Why are you still awake?...you can't fall asleep while on the job?" Nikolai replied coldly.
"Don't worry about me."
"I'm not worried about you Jin, I couldn't care less."
"Niko, everything is going to be ok."
"Fuck you."
"Ok, I get it, you don't want to talk." Jin said giving a reassurance smile before he went back to his mattress and sat down.
...Next morning...
"The hospital says he's not awake yet." Jin said as he placed two plates for them on the table.
Nikolai clicked his tongue in disappointment, sitting for breakfast.
"Don't worry, he's at a hospital, not a morgue." Jin joked as he sat down, "HEY YOU JERK! watch what you're saying." Nikolai shouted at him.
"Sorry." Jin apologized, "Whatever...what's this...thing?" Nikolai said pointing at their breakfast, he was looking with skeptical eyes at the rainbow waffle Jin just placed in his plate.
"A waffle?" Jin spoke confused, "I know it's a waffle but why is it rainbow?" Nikolai asked.
"I thought it's cute." Jin replied enthusiastically, sighing "Ugh...just give me something to drink." Nikolai said.
"Ah okay!" Jin said getting up, he went to the fridge and came back with two glasses of some orange liquid in them, and straws.
"This doesn't look like orange to me." Nikolai said, "Yeah, It's a carrot smoothie." Jin replied sipping on his.
"HAAA?!"
...Few Minutes Later...
"It's not bad isn't it." Jin said smiling in Victory, "no it's not, surprisingly." Nikolai said drinking his smoothie.
"I'm glad you like it." Jin said, "And by the way, since it's Sunday, you have nothing work related to do in your schedule, so the best thing to do is to stay home.
I found it weird that you have a super busy schedule at all the days except for Sunday, it's like you crammed everything together just to free Sunday." he added.
"Yeah, I was supposed to be on set practicing with other actors for my role yesterday, but you know what happened." Nikolai replied.
"What's the new role about? like what type of show are you doing?" Jin asked curiously, "As if I'm going to tell you." Nikolai said rolling his eyes.
"Okay, btw, I noticed you have a nice garden outside, there's even a green house! do you mind if you show it to me later?" Jin asked.
"I thought you said we shouldn't leave the house." Nikolai said, "The garden is a part of the house." Jin replied.
"Are you a Gardener now?...bodyguard, doctor, a housekeeper, what Next?"
"A husband." Jin joked making Nikolai choke on his smoothie.