Chapter Text
Joe was cursing to himself as he tried to make his way through the groups of students in the university building. Apparently, someone thought it wasn’t a problem to schedule a 9 a.m. Ancient History class on Fridays. Joe had stayed up late to do his coursework, and seriously needed the coffee that was securely stored in a flask in his backpack. He might have snoozed too many times this morning, until his brain caught up with the fact that it was 8:30 and needed to leave within fifteen minutes to get to his lecture on time. There had been no time for breakfast - coffee was more important in this situation - but he promised himself he would go to the coffee shop after his lecture.
With one minute to spare, he made it to the lecture hall, where he took out his laptop, notes, and the much needed coffee. He tried to concentrate on the professor’s voice as he waited for the caffeine to kick in. His stomach grumbled and that is when he noticed the smell of fresh baked goods. Someone has had time to go to the coffee shop this morning , he thought. His stomach made another noise, and the guy in front of him turned around, lifting an eyebrow. ‘Sorry,’ Joe whispered. He knew how hard this subject could be, and did not want to distract anyone. The guy smiled. A moment later, he turned back to Joe again. Joe felt a pang of annoyance - he had already apologized, he couldn’t help it that he was hungry! But instead of saying anything, the guy - who had incredibly beautiful blue eyes, Joe couldn't help but notice - offered him a muffin. ‘For you,’ Blue Eyes whispered. ‘Are you sure?’ Joe replied, although he wanted nothing more than to eat the divinely smelling muffin. ‘ Si , take it. I have too many anyways, I will not be able to eat them all.’ Joe accepted the offer, wondering how a person could ever have too many baked goods, and couldn’t help but notice how the guy’s smile made his face light up. The muffin tasted amazing - blueberries and a hint of cinnamon - and he would make sure to thank the guy once the lecture was over. Maybe he could use it as an excuse to start a conversation. Or ask him to get coffee and more muffins.
He didn’t get the chance to do that. Despite his large cup of coffee, Joe had managed to fall asleep during the lecture, and was now woken by the sound of a new group of students coming in. Sighing, he grabbed his stuff and made his way to his favourite coffee shop. He could probably get some of his reading done before his next lecture. He definitely needed a good breakfast first though. And more coffee. Maybe. Definitely. Every student has a healthy caffeine addiction, right?
He waved at Nile, who was preparing some orders. The coffee shop was never busy around this hour, there was a comfortable lull between the morning rush and the midday lunch crowd. Installing himself at his usual table next to the counter, he waited until Nile had served the last customer. He had been coming to The Old Guard since his first year at uni. Back then, he lived in dorms, where the new students were full of excitement and - due to their new freedom from parental supervision - were always organizing parties. While Joe appreciated a good party every now and then, he also wanted to do well academically. The noise, however, made it impossible to focus in there. So when the midterms came around, he escaped the dorms and found The Old Guard , which was located next to the university library, close to his lecture halls, and - most importantly - only a ten minute walk from the apartment where he lived now.
‘Good morning, handsome,’ Nile greeted him, placing a fresh cup of coffee in front of him. ‘What’s up?’
Joe groaned. ‘Ugh. I’m not having the best day today. I haven’t had breakfast and fell asleep during my lecture. Can I have a grilled cheese and a blueberry muffin please?’
‘Sure thing,’ Nile said, laughing about his morning struggles, ‘but we don’t have blueberry today. I have chocolate though?’
‘That’s fine,’ Joe nodded. ‘There was a guy in my lecture today who gave me a blueberry muffin. It tasted so good, I thought he must have bought it here.’
Nile laughed. ‘You charmer. I mean, you are right, we do sell the best baked goods, but that doesn’t mean that this is the only place you can get a muffin. We only have vanilla ones and chocolate ones today. But I’ll get started on your order now. You look like you could use it.’
Joe smiled at her and took a sip of his coffee. He looked at his to do list and sighed. It was going to be a long day.
***
The next couple of weeks, Blueberry Guy - the nickname Joe had given the guy in his head - had a different pastry with him every Friday morning. Joe told himself that that was why he was staring, that it had nothing to do with the guy himself. He still didn’t know his name, but was too shy to talk to him. ‘Good morning, class,’ the professor said. ‘Today we’ll be talking about the First Peloponnesian War. I also uploaded your midterm results, so feel free to look at them after the lecture.’ A useless proposal, Joe thought, as he noticed that he and his fellow students went online to see their grades.
COURSE 25641 - Ancient History: Midterm essay. Grade: A+.
Joe smiled. He had always been fascinated by history, so when he applied for university, he had no trouble picking a subject. He was glad to see that his hard work was paying off. Of course, it did not hurt that his roommate Andy was currently doing her PhD in History. She was like an encyclopedia, and seemed to know everything about every era. Sometimes, Joe suspected that she was secretly immortal. No one could know that much about the Byzantine Empire, right?
Directing his attention back to the professor, he looked up and saw that not everyone seemed happy with their grade. Blueberry Guy was staring at his screen, a worried frown on his forehead.
At the end of the lecture, while everyone was packing up their stuff, Blueberry Guy walked to the professor. Probably asking for help , Joe thought. He was almost at the doors leading him out of the lecture hall, when he heard the professor call his name. He looked around and saw that the guy was still there too. Joe walked back. ‘Mr. Al-Kaysani,’ the professor said, ‘how would you like to earn some extra credit? Mr. Di Genova here has requested a tutor, but as you might know, our department does not have the luxury of TAs. Blame it on the sciences. You know, there seem to be people who think that subjects like physics or biology are more important and more deservant of funding. While it is true that there is a difference between the outcome of research projects here in our own department and over at the science department, that does not mean that one is better than the other. All sciences are equal and should be treated as such. Biologists may be able to tell us how to live longer, but what is life without art?’
Joe glanced sideways and found that the other guy was looking at him already, a small smile on his lips. His professor tended to go on and on about a topic, and while what she said was interesting, he also kind of wanted to leave and visit Nile at The Old Guard .
‘Where was I? Ah, yes, Mr. Al-Kaysani, you are my best student and so I was wondering if you could take it upon you to help Mr. Di Genova with his questions. You can think about it, of course, just please let me know by next Friday and then I can arrange your extra credit with the administration. Carry on boys, have a nice day.’
And with those words their professor walked away. Joe looked at the other guy and was momentarily distracted by his eyes and the smell of baked goods that seemed to hang around him.
‘So? What do you think?’ the guy asked with a slight Italian accent.
‘You want me to help you out?’ Joe asked.
‘ Si . I have needed help for a while I think but I never asked for it,’ he said looking down, fidgeting with his hands. ‘I got a D on my test. I really need to improve, I cannot fail this class because I… well, I - it does not matter. So I asked the professor and she said you were top of the class. Do you think you can help me? I mean - I totally understand if you do not have time or do not want to - I do not wish to assume…’
Joe laughed and held up his hand. ‘Yes, it is no problem. I will help you - on one condition.’
‘What?’
‘You bring me more of those blueberry muffins.’
The guy burst out laughing and Joe felt something flutter in his stomach. ‘Deal. I have to leave now, but do you want to meet next week after class? I know a nice coffee shop nearby where we can go. Here, give me your number, then I’ll text you the location.’
Slightly overwhelmed, Joe accepted the guy’s phone and put in his name and number.
‘Grazie,’ the guy said, and he turned to leave.
‘Wait!’ Joe said. ‘What’s your name?’
‘I’m Nicky,’ he said. ‘See you next week, Joe.’
***
Nicky. Joe and Nicky. Nicky and Joe .
It was Saturday evening, the day after they had arranged their tutoring sessions, and Joe was at home with his roommates. They were on their second drink of the evening and waiting for their food to be delivered. The TV was on with a rerun of Friends , but Joe wasn’t really paying attention. Nicky .
He felt his roommate Booker nudge his arm. ‘What are you thinking about?’
‘Or whom?’ Andy suggested.
Joe smiled. They knew him too well. ‘There’s this Italian guy in one of my classes. He asked me to help him with his coursework. I… he’s ... ,’ he sighed. ‘I think I might have a small crush on him.’
‘ Oh la la ,’ Booker said. ‘Why don’t you invite him for our night out?’
They had planned to go to a bar later that evening, where they would meet up with Nile and some of her friends.
‘I don’t have his number,’ Joe said. ‘I gave him mine, but forgot to ask for his. But I will see him next week after class.’ He took another sip of his beer. ‘It doesn’t matter anyways, it’s not as if a guy like that is single. You should see him guys, he’s got these beautiful blue eyes and when he smiles, it’s like - ow!’
Andy had thrown one of the couch pillows in his direction and Andy being Andy, it hit him in the face. ‘Save your lovey dovey story for another time honey. Booker and I are too single for this.’
The bell rang. Booker got up to pay the delivery guy and Joe managed not to think about Nicky too much. Only half the time. Okay, maybe a bit more. He’s out of my league , he thought sadly. But maybe we can be friends .
***
When they arrived at the bar, Nile and her friends weren’t there yet. As it was a Saturday night, the place was packed, and Joe was glad that they had reserved a table. He sat down next to Booker, opposite from Andy. They ordered pints and a round of shots. Joe hoped that Nile would get here soon, otherwise they would be too drunk.
They had finished half of their pints when Booker spotted Nile, who was trying to make her way through the crowd. When she made it to their table, she hugged Andy and then turned around to introduce her friends. Joe felt his mouth become dry. Fuck .
Nile introduced everyone but all Joe could focus on was the fact that Nicky was here. Him and Nile apparently knew each other somehow, and here he was, dressed in blue jeans and a light pink shirt that had the combined effect of Joe wanting to cuddle him and rip the clothes off him.
Before he knew what was happening, Nile and her other friend sat down next to Andy, leaving the seat next to Joe open for Nicky.
‘Ciao,’ Nicky said softly as he sat down. ‘What a pleasure to see you again so soon.’
After a silence that was only a little bit too long, Joe stopped staring and replied, ‘Hi! Nicky! Do you know Nile?’
‘How do you guys know each other?’ Nile interrupted from across the table.
‘We are in the same class together,’ Nicky said. ‘Ancient History.’
Andy smiled, ‘another historian! We can add you to the group.’
‘Nicky asked me to tutor him. Truth is, I let Andy write all my essays so I don’t know if I can help you.’
‘Don’t listen to him, Nicky,’ Andy laughed, ‘he only pretends to need my help, Joe is super smart.’
Joe blushed.
‘So he agreed to help me, on the condition that I give him treats,’ Nicky said, ‘A fair deal, if you ask me.’
‘Omg you have to try his bakes, Joe,’ Nile said, ‘they are absolutely amazing.’
‘Okay, I will,’ Joe said, looking at Nicky with a smile.
‘You have,’ Nicky said quietly.
‘What?’ Joe asked.
‘The blueberry muffin? I made them myself. I was really stressed that week, so I maybe baked a little more than I should have.’
‘You made that?’ Joe was surprised. ‘You made those yourself?’
‘Hang on, he was the Blueberry Muffin Guy?’ Nile asked, shaking her head. ‘I should have known, Nicky is always going around sharing his bakes. You made a good deal Joe!’
‘Guys, guys, enough about studying!’ Booker interrupted. ‘We’re here to have fun! I’m gonna get another round, pints for everyone?’
Booker wouldn’t be Booker if he didn’t also order more shots, and that is why Joe wakes up the next morning feeling moderately hungover but also happy - even though he cannot remember what they talked about, he knew that Nicky and him were together all night without any awkward silences. He smiled to himself and, for once, he was looking forward to his 9 a.m. lecture.