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“Bastards.” Nikolai breathed as he dipped his head to hide the pink stain racing to his cheeks.
They’d jumped out - chaos - whooping and yelling; throwing streamers and confetti - the works - all to surprise him. And God knows, it worked: the books he’d been carrying when he walked through the door lay strewn around him and his heart thundered like it might actually burst. Sinking to the floor to collect the scattered tomes he paused to steal a glance up at the group through his lashes. Nikolai was unable to keep a foolish grin from forming as he watched Daisy and Remy clutch at each other’s arms in excitement, bright eyes trained on him as they waited for his next move. Zoe wore an amused smirk and unsurprisingly was recording the whole spectacle on her cellphone. Vivienne practically vibrated - elegant hands clasped over ruby lips in anticipation of his reaction. Leon watched on silently as he nursed Elizabeth in his bulky arms like a newborn, and Jett peeked through his fingers unable to stand seeing any more, but equally unable to tear his gaze away - like a child watching a scary movie his parents had advised against. Casimir stood by the window, raising both a glass and a sardonic brow in Nikolai’s direction, his other arm wrapped loosely around a beaming Benoit, whose sweater had stray steamers stuck all over it.
“Every. Single. One. Of. You.” Nikolai raked a visibly shaking hand through his dark waves as he clambered to his feet, “What is all this??”
Vivienne clapped her hands, dark eyes sparkling, “It’s for you!”
Remy bounded toward his best friend, slinging an arm around him and gesturing towards the others, voice projected like a Broadway narrator, “For years Niko, we’ve all celebrated all of our birthdays: we’ve had parties, wonderful dinners, we’ve taken trips - you’ve planned heists to steal the perfect gifts for us, and so on...”
Leon looked up from Elizabeth and cleared his throat, “We thought that just because you don’t celebrate your actual birthday - which we all completely respect by the way - that doesn't mean that you shouldn’t get to have a special day selected at random for you by the people who care about you.”
Daisy skipped forward, stretching up to place a party hat on Nikolai’s head, planting a kiss on his cheek as she retreated, “You always do so much for us,” She struggled not to laugh at the horrified look on Nikolai’s face, “Even though sometimes you’re a cranky kitten who won’t admit that you try to look after us all, or make us happy or have-”, she made some air quotes with her fingers, “-feelings.”
Nikolai reached up to touch the ridiculously gaudy plastic crown as he searched for a suitable riposte, his usually witty wordplay faltering, “I- Yes. Well.”
Casimir smirked, evidently enjoying his cousin’s embarrassment, “I think what everyone is trying to say is ‘Happy Not-Your-Birthday, Kolya.”
Everyone’s eyes flew to Jett as he popped open a bottle of champagne, letting the cork sail out of the penthouse window to the street below, “Happy Nikolai Day! Zoe, where's the music? Let’s get this party started!”
—-
**A Few Weeks Earlier**
—-
Jett stretched like a cat, grinning at his friends, “What a weekend!”
Remy nodded as he flopped onto the sofa, dumping his duffel bag on the floor by his feet, “I’m exhausted.”
Leon dropped down into the cushions beside him, massaging his temples, “Me too. That was a hell of a trip.”
Jett patted Leon comfortingly on the shoulder, “Well of course you’re going to feel it, Daddy - you’re getting too old for such… Shenanigans.”
Leon scowled, “You know I hate when you say that.”
Remy laughed as he elbowed the larger man, “Then what about, ‘hijinks’? Or ‘capers’ instead?”
Jett’s eyes twinkled, grinning widely as he offered, “Tomfoolery!”
Remy cut in again, exaggerating his French accent with the next suggestion, “Skullduggery! Hanky-panky!”
Leon groaned as Remy and Jett dissolved into laughter and shared a high-five, “You two are the worst.”
Remy nodded sagely as though proud of the accolade, “It was a particularly fun trip though wasn’t it?”
Leon didn’t need to give the question much consideration - Jett’s birthday weekend had been a lot of fun for everyone, “Yeah it was. I’ve never been to London in decent weather before. Always needed an umbrella.”
Jett grinned, “Bloody British weather mate, what can I say? You can be there in July and it’s raining.”
Leon laughed in agreement, “Felt like a different place in the sunshine. And the James Bond exhibit was pretty cool.”
Zoe appeared in the doorway having dumped her luggage in her bedroom, “It really was, you know I didn’t expect a lot - the tech in these movies doesn’t stand up to much scrutiny if you know what you’re talking about - but the props were really cool. Did not expect them to let you take pictures in the cars though, Leon!”
Leon enthused, “Neither did I! The Lotus that turned into the submarine from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ was amazing! And the DB5? Fit was a bit snug, but I couldn’t believe it when the tour guide said ‘yes’!”
Jett howled, clutching at his ribs, “Yeah you definitely weren’t meant to do that mate - that skinny little guy took one look at you and didn’t want to tell you ‘no’.”
Leon opened his mouth to retort but quickly closed it again, realising he hadn’t seen anyone else get into the vehicles, so Jett was probably right.
Vivienne held her hand up to the light, gazing lovingly at the chain of glittering gems adorning her wrist, “I do enjoy a little thieving from Boodles…. That always takes me back, don’t you agree, Nikolai?”
“Hmm?” Nikolai glanced up absentmindedly at Vivienne. He sat on the floor, long legs crossed as Elizabeth purred and rubbed her cheek against him, glad to have him back and his full attention focussed solely on her.
Daisy beamed excitedly, “That sounds like more Poppy Lore I need to find out about!”
Unable to tear her eyes away from the hypnotic sparkle of her new trinket, Vivienne murmured, “Let’s just say we took ‘Let’s Get Married’ one step further.”
Remy wiped a pretend tear from the corner of his eye, “You two were so young, so in love…”
Nikolai shook his head at Remy as he chimed in, now on his feet with Elizabeth slung around his shoulder like a scarf, “That first one was a particularly nice engagement ring, Viv. Whatever happened to it?”
She finally looked up and shot a wicked grin at her ‘former fiancé’, “Still in my jewellery box with the others, darling!”
Remy winked at Daisy, “Vivienne went through what I like to call her ‘Elizabeth Taylor Phase’ maybe seven years ago. We must have stolen an engagement ring every other weekend for at least a year…”
Daisy gasped, eyes wide, “Oh! Oh! I want to try them on!”
Nikolai cut in, “And on that note, I’ll be in my room. As enjoyable as this walk down memory lane is, there are still details to be straightened out for next week’s heist and I’ve taken enough time away from it already - fun as your birthday was, Jett.”
Jett grinned, “It certainly was! Cheers again for arranging it, Nikolai!”
And with a curt nod of acknowledgement in the explosive expert’s direction, Nikolai, and Elizabeth, disappeared.
As she watched him retreat, Zoe mused, “For a dude who doesn’t celebrate his own birthday, he really makes a point of making ours special.”
Remy smiled, “There’s a big, warm heart in there, no matter how icy his Thief Lord aesthetic is, we know the truth..”
Leon pursed his lips, “Yeah, he always lets whoever’s birthday it is pick the heist… Steal something we really want.”
Zoe grinned, “Last year I got the nightclub in Berlin.”
Jett let out a laugh, “And the weekend of partying that almost destroyed it!”
Zoe quipped, “Says the man who’s just brought London to its knees!”
Daisy looked to Remy, curious, “He really doesn’t celebrate his birthday? Not ever?”
Remy sighed sadly, shrugging his shoulders, then patted the arm of the sofa. Daisy dropped down beside him as Remy clasped her hand in his, “It’s not my story to tell, ma cherie. But I think it’s important that you know - something very tragic happened on Niko’s birthday when he was still a boy.”
Everyone suddenly averted their eyes. Daisy swallowed hard and nodded; Remy’s soft green eyes clouded with sadness as he spoke. Of course she wouldn’t pry, but couldn’t help but wonder what the hell could have been so traumatic that he erased his own birthday from existence. It must have been horrific - whatever it was.
Remy continued, his voice low, choosing his words carefully so as not to betray a confidence by saying too much, “Niko doesn’t talk about it, and I know you’ll respect that. Most of the group aren’t even sure when it is, and that’s how he likes it. It’s all too painful for him.”
Daisy frowned as a morose silence settled over the group. Remy gave her hand a warm little squeeze before placing it onto her knee, as though to apologise for telling her something so unpleasant.
Several minutes passed before anyone spoke again, the gravity of Remy’s words having landed heavily on the group’s high spirits. The first to shatter the stillness was Leon, he shifted awkwardly in his seat, sighing a few times before voicing the thoughts running through his head, “So. Hear me out. He doesn’t celebrate his birthday, but he definitely likes to party?”
Remy gestured as though to say, ‘Sure’, urging Leon to continue with his train of thought, “Would he object to a party - not on his birthday - ‘just because’?”
Daisy reached to ruffle Leon’s hair, “Aww, Leon! That’s amazing - a party to make him feel special, just because we love him!”
Vivienne shot a look at Daisy like she might be sick, “So saccharine.” Turning to Leon she tapped her finger to her lips, “It’s not a bad idea, Leon. I don’t see how he could object? If we have the right people, good food, lots of champagne. Nothing that automatically screams, ‘birthday party’...”
Zoe looked to Remy, “You know when his actual birthday is though? We’re not close to it? If we had a party for him in, say a month? That’s not going to upset him?”
Remy shook his head, “One month from now would be perfect.”
Jett clapped his hands gleefully, a glint in his eye, “Sounds like we’ve got a party to plan!!”
—-
** Present Day**
—-
Zoe tossed Jett a sarcastic salute, tapping quickly at her cell phone - the lights dimmed instantly, colours starting to pulse as a thumping bassline reverberated through the penthouse, changing the scene from a swish sitting room to a trendy bar .
Jett whooped in delight, grabbing some flutes and filling them as Vivienne passed them around the group.
Nikolai accepted all glass clinks, cheek kisses, hugs and fist bumps offered as he moved around the common room shaking his head in disbelief - the evident planning that had taken place becoming clear: on every wall there were print-outs of photographs pinned - candid snaps of the Poppy from various dinner clubs, halloween parties and the like, a terrible old photo of him in a turtleneck (maybe Remy was right to ban those…), sweet selfies of him with Elizabeth, a professional shot of him and Casimir in their morning suits as best man at Kazik and Benoit’s wedding. The sideboard was lined with a variety of his favourite plates from around the world including a corner with a little Russian flag that hosted a selection of zakuski - steam wafted from a vat of vibrantly-coloured borscht, a stack of tiny baked piroshki, thick doorstops of sourdough bread topped with ikra, a huge appetising bowl of ensalada Rusa... The coffee table housed a pyramid made of macarons; Nikolai looked up to see Benoit grinning at him when he read out the little card placed next to them - ‘For our very favourite cousin - we are so happy to have you in our lives - enjoy the macarons (the gold are medovik flavour, the blue are Earl Grey, and the pink ones are raspberry!) Much love, B&C xx’
Clearing his throat, Nikolai chimed the side of his champagne flute with a soup spoon, “Can I have everyone’s attention please? Only for a moment.”
Zoe killed the music to a hum and trained a spotlight on Nikolai within seconds, much to the amusement of Remy who clutched his heart and blurted, “It’s his first big solo performance! Sing it from your heart, Niko!”
Nikolai turned a withering glare on him before continuing to address the group, “I just wanted to thank you all for the kindness and acceptance you’ve shown me over the years - I’m aware that I’m not the easiest roommate or colleague. I very much appreciate the attention to detail you’ve all put into putting this evening together for me - it means a lot, and I feel very blessed to have you all in my life. Except Remy Chevalier. Who is truly terrible.”
Remy shot Nikolai a sly wink that said ‘It’s ok - I know you love me most of all’ as the others laughed and Zoe cranked the music up again, all ready for an evening of fun, friendship and celebration.