The ending of the wedding had ended, not in bliss, but in disaster. After the fires broke out and the fight, of which one Jack Adler was involved and which Jannik would be seriously discussing with him after the fact, Nik lost Eli, too. Not in any permanent sense, no, but it was understandable. The manager believed it was one of the girls, that Jess or McKenzie had been hurt, somehow. Family was always first, as Nik well understood. He didn’t begrudge him his leaving.
It was only after the fact, when statements had been made and Jack had been checked on, ensuring quietly that he wasn’t given anything for his pain that remotely resembled a narcotic because that’s what he did, Jannik found himself hopping into his car and winding his way toward the Barbecue.
What he found was charred and damaged but, fortunately, not altogether unfixable. He saw the building, too, but Eli was his primary concern, after all.
Nik was somber as he stood a bit off to the side, hands in his pockets, and let the man rage for the moment’s time that he was given, a blanket draped over his arm one of the first responders had given him after he’d asked where Eli was. The man came up alongside him now and laid a hand, wordlessly, on his arm, draping the blanket over his shoulders with the other and tucking Eli carefully into his side. Jannik sighed a bit through his nose, eyeing the still smoldering remains of what had been the main dining hall of Robin’s before nodding to himself.
Pulling away, ever so slightly, Nik nudged a knuckle into the side of Eli’s face, his cheek, unafraid of his anger, knowing it wasn’t directed at him. “Elijah, he murmured, a small trick he’d learned to get the man’s attention. His voice was softened, soothing, and a small smile curled around his mouth when the other man looked his way. "The kitchen is alright, hm? Which is good, seeing as how we can fix the rest. I know…I know this was your mother’s. But…you can make it for her, now, yes? Remember her in another way, I suppose?”
Eli knew that buildings were just made of brick and stone. They were replaceable, in their nature. They had been built up, and though they could be burned down, they could just as easily be built back up again. There was a piece of him… the smallest piece, perchance, who remembered how sad he had been, the littlest kid, moving from Kansas City. Kansas City was all that he knew, and his family decided to uproot and change their entire lives.
But when they arrived in Catalina, what with the beaches and the sunlight and the beautiful restaurant they had created… Eli fell in love. And that same restaurant had been up and running, surviving and thriving for thirty years. It had such a permanence to the Hinkley’s, and held such a piece of Eli’s heart… it felt strange and sad and sentimental to just have to let that piece go.
And yes, things could be fixed and worked on, and improved… these things were all true. But that fact didn’t make any of it hurt any less.
At least Nik was now here. Eli knew he had kind of just up and left, but he had to. Just as Nik had to stay and make sure Jack was okay. But at least he wasn’t alone now. Even though Eli felt like he was losing the shred of sanity that was still grasping at straws in his head, he felt the weight of Nik’s hand on his arm, felt the way that Nik pulled him in, and that grounded him in a way he didn’t even know he quite needed. Sure, Nik was a new development, relatively. But where would he be without him?
Eli felt the first tear spill, as he looked over at Nik. Elijah. The use of his full name really was so rare. His breathing felt harder, now, as he looked over at a comforting Jannik. He hated feeling this way, feeling this much anger was not like Eli. But everything felt hopeless, as it was. “I suppose.” He tried to wipe at his eyes, but the tears kept coming. “God, I’m so sorry you have to see me like this. Just feel.. heartbroken.”