fandomtownies | The Arms Hotel, Saturday

Nick wasn't ignoring his phone today. Really. Odds were pretty good that the ringing that had been happening since last night, when his siblings and his mother started calling him, involved something he wasn't going to want to answer just yet.

He let the call go to voicemail. Since his sister called to wish him a happy birthday a day early and suggested they do lunch over the weekend, he kind of had to confess that he wasn't on that coast. So now, yeah, he wasn't entirely certain if he was dodging calls that were reminding him that he was another year older today (fuck everything), or family demanding to know how the hell he had been gone for a full year and a half without even telling his mother. What kind of son did that! When he had only called with a 'Merry Christmas' last year, they figured he was just busy with work! Nikolai Silas Bartamian how could you do that to your mother?!

He didn't even notice when Gunther put out the specials board today, and all that was on it was, "Birthday Cake," and birthday wishes to him from the rest of the kitchen staff.

Couldn't pay attention to birthday crap. Busy trying to come up with a decent cover for never actually coming home from that trip to Greece in June last year. Picked something up overseas, seeing somebody on this coast for it, same cover as the one he was using for his boss, but with more family guilt tacked on. This birthday was fucking fired.

[Open!]

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There's plenty on the menu, and every meal comes with a slice of the birthday cake for Nikolai that he probably still hasn't actually noticed yet.

He would be happy for the distraction!

... His brother is phoning again. Fuck everything.

Hannibal was in town today for the wine party (and another fruitless round of "chase the flamingos off the lawn"), and it was hard to miss that specials board. He came inside and walked over to Nikolai. "I suppose this is when I say congratulations and good luck on making it to the next one?"

"Huh?" Nick glanced up from muting his phone and gave Hannibal a confused look for... all of half a second before he noticed the board. "Oh. Shit, guys, c'mon."

A beat.

"I mean, uh, thank you." He offered Hannibal a wry grin. "Around here, I guess I need all the luck I can get with that."

And, you know, in Baltimore, generally, too.

"And a good doctor," Hannibal answered modestly.

Well, that got a chuckle out of Nick, at least.

"That too. I'd be in a pretty sorry state if I didn't have you around to put me back together."

...

"Several times."

Hannibal chuckled back. "Well, we'll have to call that your birthday present, then, as I had no idea it was your birthday until I walked past. It's going well, though, I hope?"

"Mostly," Nick agreed. "More or less. Phone keeps ringing, and I have half a mind to just turn the damn thing off, though."

He paused for a moment, and with impressive timing, his cell started ringing.

Sigh.

"My personal phone, not the hotel's."

"Family?" Hannibal guessed. He wasn't sure who else would know the date, be that persistent, and cause that much annoyance. "And you can't answer it and be done with it?"

"They're probably calling about more than the birthday," Nick admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "They might have just found out yesterday that their difficulty getting in contact with me lately has been less about how busy I am at the agency, and more about how I haven't been in California for the past year and a half."

That was the sort of thing that tended to warrant a few phone calls from the folks, yes.

"Ah. Yes, I can see where that might cause them...a bit of concern," Hannibal agreed. Because really, Nick?

Nikolai never professed to be a responsible adult who actually had his shit together. Could he really be to blame if other people decided that he was?

"Something came up," he said, his tone a little dry. "Not really the sort of chain of events you can call home to let mana know about."

'So about that time I was in Greece getting back in touch with your family, mom...'

"You developed a condition that made your eyes sensitive to light. That's what you've been telling everybody else, isn't it?" Hannibal asked. "You don't think your family would believe you?"

Was your family smarter than anyone in Hollywood? That was good to know.

Well, in fairness, Hollywood.

"I've met my sister," Nick pointed out, eyebrows raising. "And she and my mother know the 'Nikolai is lying' tone far too well for that to fly. I was not exactly the most well-behaved kid mana ever raised."

Contain your shock, Hannibal.

He would do his best.

Also regarding not being too amused at the situation.

"I could write you a doctor's note?" he suggested.

Nick opened his mouth for a moment, sort of froze that way for a couple of seconds, and then shut it again, shaking his head and chuckling.

"You know, I'm tempted to take you up on that?"

Even if he was joking. Mom Bartamian probably wouldn't accept anything less.

"Let me know if you need it," Hannibal answered, laughing. "I have excellent penmanship."

"You will be the first doctor I come looking for," Nick promised. "It'll even be the first time I've needed a doctor's note for my mother, but not for my boss."

Because Nick's boss couldn't be bothered to chase him down for one, just so long as he was still doing his job. Even from the other side of the country.

"You know where to find me." Hannibal smiled. "I should let you get back to work. And to ignoring your family."

"Dodging my family," Nikolai corrected. "There's a slight difference."

... Too slight, really. But it was there.

"Either way, thanks for swinging by, Doc. Much appreciated."

Hannibal nodded and waved on his way out. "Take care. I should hate to have to patch you up too many times."

Forgot to give him a birthday. I figure the day I remember to after he's been in the game a year and a half is as good a day as any to be like, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIKOLAI.

*throws confetti*

The Arms Hotel, Saturday

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OOC!