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Tony tapped his fingers idly on the counter, leaning forward and trying to find a way to twist to pop the spot in his back that always felt a bit too tangled up. The bakery was quiet this time of day, after the lunch rush but before the after school rush, which always bled right into the after work rush.
There was a pair of omegas perched on bar stools in front of the big picture window, giggling and fluttering their eyelashes at each other, but Tony had already texted Natasha about how adorable their budding romance was, and there really wasn't much else to do.
The fan perched on the shelf by the back room swung back around and blew a stream of cool air across Tony's face and he sighed, eyes closing. He loved his job, was deeply grateful he had a job at all, but his shifts at the bakery started too early and went too late.
The door opened, the little bell above it furiously announcing a new customer, and Tony looked up to see an alpha shuffle awkwardly in through the door.
Tony's first thought was: damn he's fucking hot. His second thought was: damn he needs to watch a few seasons of What Not to Wear. His black t-shirt and black jeans were faded, and combined with his long, dark hair, day-old stubble, and slight scowl, he looked distinctly lost in Tony's cutesy, Instagram-friendly bakery and café.
The alpha came up to the counter and gave Tony a nervous look.
"Can I help you?" Tony tried his best to sound cheerful and accommodating. The man gave off timid-woodland-creature vibes, like one wrong move would send him scampering back into the forest. Where he'd use his beyond-impressive biceps to cut down a tree or something.
"Uh. I don't know," he said. "I'm looking for something very specific."
"Okay. Well, we carry a lot of things, so try me."
"I… I don't know what it's called," the man admitted. He curled in on himself. "Sorry."
"That's okay. Surprisingly common. Something you ate once? Someone's German grandmother made it for you? Served at a wedding?"
"Uh, no. I've never eaten it."
"Um. Okay. What's it look like?"
The alpha sighed. "I don't know."
"Okay, so this might sound like a dumb question, at this point, but what do you know about it?" Tony asked.
The man gestured towards the street. "I was walking by, and I smelled it. And it was the best thing I've ever smelled, and I have to have it. But I've never smelled anything like that before, so I don't know what it is. But it's definitely coming from this shop."
"Huh." Tony braced both hands on the counter, peering at the man. "Well, it's certainly a challenge. Luckily, I'm fond of a challenge." He clapped his hands together. "Can you describe the smell at all? Sweet? Spicy? Chocolate? Fruit?"
"Hmm." The alpha gave that some thought. "Mostly sweet, but a little spicy, like maybe cinnamon? I'm not sure about chocolate or fruit, it was just this passing…"
"Alright. Let's start with cinnamon and work out from there."
One by one, Tony took items out of the case and let the man have a sniff. One by one, he shook his head, no. It wasn't the cinnamon buns, churros, or snickerdoodles. It wasn't the cinnamon raisin loaf, or the blueberry muffins with cinnamon streusel topping.
After that, they moved on from cinnamon. Tony tried every muffin in the muffin case, seven different types of doughnuts, and even all the savory bagels and buns. The alpha sniffed every tart, every cake, and every cookie, looking more and more dejected as they went on. "Sorry," he muttered, once Tony had informed him there wasn't anything else to try anywhere in the whole bakery. "I'm really sorry I wasted your time."
Tony shrugged, offering him a smile. He really was cute, albeit in a tragic kind of way. "It's okay. I didn't have anything else to do, anyway. You brightened up a boring afternoon. It's too bad we couldn't satisfy your craving, though."
The alpha shrugged. "I appreciate you trying. I'll, uh, I'll take a dozen cookies, mixed, and one of those cream cheese danishes."
"Sure!" Tony dug out a box and counted out thirteen cookies, then slid a danish into a bag. He rang it up, but the counter was a mess from all the containers he'd dug out of the backroom for Bucky to smell, so Tony stepped around the counter to hand the alpha his order. At the same moment, the fan swung back Tony's way, and blew fresh air right across Tony's hair and into the alpha's face.
The man's eyes went wide and his mouth fell open, then he took a step towards Tony, his gaze fixed to Tony's face instead of the box in his arms. "It's -" he said. He took another step,
Heat flushed up the back of Tony's neck to his cheeks. "Are you -?"
"The smell," the man said. "It wasn't any of the baked goods."
"Yes, I think we pretty definitively -"
"It was you."
"Pardon?" Tony squeaked.
"It was you. You're what smells so delicious. Like sugar and cinnamon and espresso." He breathed in again.
Tony swallowed hard. "I - my name's Tony," he managed.
"Bucky."
Tony set Bucky's box carefully on a nearby table then stepped up close to him. "It only seems fair that I get to -" He leaned in and sucked in a deep breath of air. Bucky smelled like motor oil, fresh snow, and metal. Maybe bitter to someone else's nose, but to Tony's, it was heaven. "Mmm," he hummed, and Bucky blushed.
"Uh. So when do you get off work?" Bucky asked. "Because I have a dozen cookies I might need help eating."
Tony grinned. "Five-thirty. And I haven't eaten all day so I can probably help you out. They're pretty damn good cookies, if I do say so myself." Tony grabbed a pen from the cup by the cash register and scribbled his number on Bucky's cookie box. "Text me."
Bucky grinned down at the number like it was a cheque for a million dollars. "I will. Thank you, Tony."
Tony leaned his hip against the counter. "Guess we found a way to satisfy your craving after all."
Bucky laughed then started backing out of the shop, keeping his eyes on Tony. "Guess we'll find out."
Tony waved, and Bucky disappeared through the door.
Well. He leaned forward, one elbow resting on the counter. There was every chance he was developing a craving of his own...