I feel like I said to someone at some point that this chapter would be North's? I had over eight hundred words written in Sang's perspective before I remembered that it was his and it was too late then so I'm sorry to whoever it was I said that to (if I did at all, lol).
Sang's POV:
Luke is adorable.
His shoulder-length blonde hair and dazzling chocolate eyes complimented his angular face. He looked very pretty, model-like.
After everything Gabriel had told me about his best friend, I figured that Lucian would be smooth and suave, and much sneakier than he was. The reality however is that Luke, as he preferred to be called, is an absolute goofball.
The other two I'd met were Nathan and "North" and they were gorgeous beyond words. So were Luke and Gabriel, though in extremely different ways.
While Luke could very well be a model, and Gabriel was beautiful in a very stylish and artistic way, Nathan and North were more rugged. They were built with muscles like the Russian ublyudki (bastards) I'd been surrounded by for the past year.
As much as I despised most of those mafia pricks, I had to admit that they were damn good eye candy.
Just like the two men in front of me that I was struggling to keep myself from touching, if only to see whether their muscles were as firm as they looked. The glances they sent my way when they thought I wasn't looking told me they probably wouldn't mind if I did exactly that though.
At the moment, Luke was trying to make up for his cute stammering earlier by telling me funny stories from his and his brother's childhood. I laughed as he detailed a grumpy younger North exploding over a few harmless pranks Luke had pulled on him and the rest of his "brothers". I worked out that there were at least six others, more than the seven overall that I'd originally anticipated.
On top of the ones I knew about, there was a Kota, a Silas, an Axel, a Victor, a Sean, and a "Mr Blackbourne". That was a lot of people to meet - but I was good at adapting. From Luke's stories, they all seemed friendly. Except for West and Raven, who were angry and gun-happy respectively, and Mr Blackbourne who was apparently very hard to get close to.
I had no idea what that meant but I couldn't wait to try. I loved a challenge.
"So Sang." Nathan began, reminding me that he'd been trying to say something before Luke had jumped in earlier. I turned to face him with a smile and he froze wide-eyed for a second or two before continuing with slightly red ears. I barely withheld a smirk. How sweet. Blushing was refreshing.
"What have you been doing this past year? We all heard that your mission was so secret not even all the academy elders knew what it was." He asked and I nodded.
"Da. That is true, my mission was a secret. I have to hand in a report before I can give you any details, and even then a lot will still be classified. It's my accent that gave away where I was stationed to Gabriel, but he knows nothing more than the location of my mission." I explained, not at all upset that I couldn't tell them what I'd been doing.
They were ochen' krasivo (extremely attractive), and they seemed kind but I didn't know them and didn't owe them any sort of explanation. North frowned.
"Was it dangerous?" He asked, his voice a dark growl that made me shiver. He noticed my reaction and his eyes darkened even further. I simply opted to nod and say, "Da. Yes."
"Like, you-could-have-died dangerous?" Luke question with a hint of panic in his voice. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"I am speaking English. I just said I cannot give you details." I was confused. Had he not understood me? Not heard me? Had I reverted to my native language without noticing or did they just not comprehend what "no details" meant? I would have to bring it up with Phil.
"Yes but..." he began, before being cut off by a voice I recognised. My eyes widened and I spun to see uncle, whose grin lit up the room.
"Little Bird!" He exclaimed.
"Dyadya!" (Uncle) I cried, rushing into his arms which wrapped around me.
"Oh I missed you, sweetheart." He rocked us side to side and I burrowed into his chest, drawing comfort from a familiar face.
"You know each other?" North asked, to which I rolled my eyes. No, East. I just met him this second. This hug is against both of our wills. We're suing. You.
What a dumb question.
Americans.
Or, well, Germans.
Everyone but Russians.
Buffoons.
I pulled back without answering North, to look at Uncle's face. He'd played such a large role in my upbringing that I considered him close family, very much the uncle he asked that I call him.
"I missed you too, Eli." I squeezed his hands, enjoying the wide grin he hadn't dropped since noticing me.
"Why are you back so early?" He wondered, a flash of worry glinting in his warm brown eyes. I shook my head. "You know I cannot answer that, Uncle. Not yet."
He sighed and squeezed my hands again, before stepping back and letting them go. "I know. But you will tell me when you get Phil's okay." It was a statement, not a question. He was demanding it of me.
I probably would tell him though, so the order didn't bother me. I nodded.
He looked at the clock. "Luke, your shift is starting. North, yours is finished. You can head back to the house if you want. Nathan, what are you doing here? You're not scheduled to work today."
As Nathan answered I looked around, realising it had been a long time since I'd seen Gabriel. I stepped towards the hall where he'd disappeared to before. North's phone pinged with a message. He glanced down and read the text before facing me.
"Gabriel says he's sorry but he's been requested for a mission and had to leave through the back." He'd been glaring before but as his eyes focussed on me the glare softened, the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"That's okay." I said, wondering why I felt a twinge of hurt at Gabriel not having said goodbye to me. I'd only just met him. I shouldn't care already. "I came here because I was hungry. I'll eat and then I need to go to the store."
I was directed by an excited Luke to a booth where both Nathan and West joined me, seemingly antsy about something. "You need to go to the store? What store? Why? Can I join you?" Nathan asked as soon as we were seated, practically vibrating with energy. North rolled his eyes at Nathan's questioning but his eyes held the same curiosity as his brother's.
"I just need to buy a safe to keep in my bedroom and store ubiytsa. You can come if you'd like." I told him, intrigued by his enthusiasm.
North raised an eyebrow, concern hidden in his surly expression. "What the fuck is killer and why do you have whatever it is?" He demanded, his deep growl causing me to bite my lip.
"You speak Russian?" I deflected, not needing to hide the fact that I had a gun but deciding to distract him from his questioning for no reason.
"I know some, I'm not as fluent as Marc though. Answer the question." He answered, not falling for my deflection. I sighed and brought out Ubiytsa, placing her on the table. Nathan's eyes widened and he choked on air, sputtering and jumping up.
"Why do you have a gun on the table?!" He panicked, staring at her like she would live up to her name right now.
"Because I haven't bought a safe to store her in yet. I just told you this." I explained to him, confused.
"Alright, Sang I got you my favourite item on the menu." Luke was suddenly beside us, handing me a plate with a stack of pancakes that smelled like chocolate, drizzled in syrup with a square of butter melting over the top one. "Chocolate chip pancakes." He grinned at me, a wide smile showcasing white teeth that enhanced his attractiveness.
I thanked him and he waited, standing to - I assume - watch my reaction to the food. Nathan stared gobsmacked at him. "Have you not noticed the gun on the table, Luke? Why are you not reacting?"
Luke shrugged. "Uncle told me Sang would probably have one on her. It's a Russian thing. I was prepared." I nodded at Nathan with a smile.
"It's a Russian thing." I repeated, smirking as he blushed again. South was glaring at my pancakes like they'd offended him.
"Where the fuck is the fruit, Luke? She can't eat that shit without something healthy! She'll get diabetes and die." He growled at his brother causing me to roll my eyes. He was more of a health nut than Boris, and I'd watched that man turn down cake at his own birthday. Cake! What blasphemy.
"Thank you, Luke, but I don't need fruit. I am going to the grocery store along with the mall so I will just cook something healthy for dinner." I smiled at him and his own widened.
"You cook?" I nodded. His eyes glazed over and he seemed very out of it. I wondered if he was okay. My eyebrows had pinched together in concern when his gaze cleared and he shook his head while blinking, as if pulling himself from a daze.
"You should come to mine and Gabe's place some time. Neither of us can really cook but we can host an awesome sleepover." He grinned, causing me to perk up. A sleepover? And the only thing I'd have to do in exchange was cook? That sounded fun.
"Don't listen to him, Sang." I looked over at Nathan whose eyes were narrowed at Luke. "Their sleepovers suck. The couch is tiny and no one can fit on it comfortably." He warned.
Luke scoffed. "I wouldn't make her sleep on the tiny lounge. He turned his head, addressing me with the second half of his statement. "You can sleep with me." He waggled his eyebrows.
North growled and shot up from his seat, reaching for his brother, but I grabbed his arm, not wanting Luke hurt over a joke.
He stiffened and looked at my hand on his arm, expression softening. I secretly revelled at feeling his arms, his muscles definitely were as defined as they looked. I sent him a frown, ignoring briefly how his bicep felt.
"Don't hurt your brother. That's rude. You don't hurt family." I demanded, watching his expression turn sheepish. Luke and Nathan snickered.
After West had sat back down, I finally took my first bite of the pancakes. I made a moaning noise as the delicious taste flooded my mouth. All three of the boys' eyes widened and their mouths dropped open, focussing on my lips as I licked them after swallowing.
I turned to Luke. "This is vkusnyye." I complimented, sending him a grin. His eyes furrowed in confusion.
"I'm sorry, what?" He asked.
"Delicious." North answered, still focussed on my lips.
I nodded and took another bite, continuing to make appreciative noises in my throat. The boys all shifted uncomfortably and Luke was holding the menu awkwardly in front of his crotch. I bit back a smirk as I realised what he must have been hiding.
"Something wrong, Luke?" I asked innocently, swiping a finger over the syrup and bringing it to my mouth to suck the flavor off. He groaned almost inaudibly as I did so, and I heard quiet whimpering coming from Nathan's end of the table.
"N-no. Nothing's wrong." He stammered, before glancing at the boys. "I have to go now. To the back. Dishes. I'll see you around, Sang. Bye!" He called, darting away. I giggled at his exit.
Nathan's blue eyes twinkled. "You knew the reaction you'd get out of him, didn't you?" He smirked. I winked at him.
"Who's to say?" I answered teasingly. North's deep voice had my eyes flickering to him.
"You ready to go, Sang?" He asked and I nodded, grabbing Ubiytsa and placing her back in my waistband.
"Are you two still coming with me?" They agreed and I stood from the table, heading to the back quickly to say goodbye to Uncle.
Who I ran into instead halted me in my tracks, the breath rushing out of me.
"Wil?"