Wanted by The Mafia [Bxb]

Seventeen

Back in Valentino's apartment, Nathaniel plopped down onto the most comfortable, fluffy mattress, feeling like he was on the softest cloud in the sky, floating away in bliss.

He smiled, eyes closed as he stretched and yawned like a kitten. He pried his eyes open to stare back at the beady eyes that were watching his with intense emotion.

"Kitten, what're you doing?" Nathaniel sat up quickly, fixing his messed up hair with a blush of embarrassment. "Sorry, couldn't help myself," he murmured, avoiding Valentino's burning glare. Valentino chuckled, ruffling the boy's soft hair. "Go ahead, you'll be sleeping on it for a week, after all."

Nathaniel jaw dropped. All this time, he had thought that he was going to sleep in a spare bedroom or something. "Where will you sleep?" He questioned, hands in front of him neatly, his eyes wide and innocent.

"Right here." Valentino motioned towards the bed Nathaniel was sitting on. "What's wrong? Not like I'm going to do anything. We're both guys," Valentino insisted, watching Nathaniel's expression change and cheeks heat up.

"Y-Yeah. Sure." Valentino extended his hand, Nathaniel taking it gratefully. "Let's go eat. You must be famished." He sure was, his stomach growling in pleasure at the thought of it finally being full.

By the looks of Valentino's kitchen, it appeared to hide great wonders that lurked behind those cupboards. The smell of cinnamon was so tempting, Nathaniel's dehydrated mouth watering when he spotted the fridge.

"Would you prefer a caesar salad with chicken or some spaghetti?" Nathaniel eyed the uncooked, stiff and straight spaghetti strands, desiring the delicious taste of them in his mouth. As much as he wanted it, he went for the healthier option. "The salad, please." He said quietly, his stomach arguing with him, taste buds surely not wanting a plain old salad.

"You sure? I don't think your stomach agrees." Valentino said, looking over his shoulder as he opened the fridge. Nathaniel nodded with a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm not that hungry."

Valentino ignored his insisting words, turning on the oven, filling the pot with hot water. Nathaniel waited patiently, assuming that he was cooking the spaghetti for himself.

He sat down on the wooden table, tapping his foot as he waited. He was shocked when a steamy plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce poured over it was placed in front of him. Nathaniel looked up, lips parted slightly. Valentino sat down in front of him, taking the salad and stabbing the dry leaves with his fork.

"Eat up, kitten.

"Aren't you going to have some spaghetti?" "Thank you for the kind offer, darling. That was the last of it, we don't have anymore." Nathaniel felt bad, guilt flooding his big, sensitive heart. He pushed the plate away.

"I'll have the salad, Valentino. It's okay." Valentino gave his a stern look, making the small kitten gulp. "I'm not going to argue over food, Nathaniel. I can see that you wanted it, so I cooked it for you."

Nathaniel stayed quiet, ashamed about complaining. He let out a tiny, "thank you," before swirling his fork around, collecting the spaghetti that he wanted to devour completely.

It was his favorite food, but his diet was horrible. Despite his fast metabolism, he ate complete trash, eating out almost every night after work.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Do you want to watch something while eating? I have a couple movies laying around somewhere." Nathaniel nodded, excited as he bounced slightly.

"I love movies!" He squealed, covering his mouth with his hand to not create a disgusting image. He didn't want to ruin Valentino's appetite.

"We have Lady And The Tramp, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and As Above So Below. Whichever you prefer." Nathaniel had already seen Harry Potter and the Lady and The Tramp, so he crossed those out of his list.

"What's the last one?" He asked, munching on his last bite of his scrumptious dinner. "It's a horror movie. I love this movie, I definitely recommend it." Seeing Valentino's passion, Nathaniel felt a faint yet evident feeling overwhelm him. He loved seeing the mafia happy. "Let's watch that."