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Nicky looked up when the bell chimed. It was already pretty late, but Nicky had learned that staying open an extra couple of hours on Valentine’s Day was worth the hassle. Taking in his newest customer Nicky was doubly happy about it.
His black curls were wet and stuck all over the place from the winter storm that was raging on outside, giving the man an adorable, crazy professor vibe. But it were his kind eyes that drew Nicky in.
“Hi, welcome to Di Genova Chocolaterie. How can I help you?” he stammered, realizing he had been staring in silence long enough for it to be considered rude.
He must have overdone it with the customer service voice though if the startled look on this handsome man’s face was any indication.
“Hi, yes. Um are you still open?”
“Well, you’re in the store so…”, Nicky answered with a slightly raised eyebrow.
He was still a bit thrown by this windswept stranger who had stumbled into his store and was looking way hotter than he had any right to be. (Also, he might have overworked himself a bit the last few weeks.) Definitely a better excuse for going from extreme customer service voice to rude sarcasm like he had never talked to a real person before.
“Fair enough,” his mystery customer replied, looking as thrown as Nicky felt.
Clearing his throat awkwardly Nicky wondered for a second if he should leave him alone but on the other hand the guy was hot. And he should make up for his rudeness, wouldn’t do to get a bad review on Valentine’s Day. Yeah, just thinking of the business and not trying to bask in the hotness.
“Can I help you with finding anything specific?” he offered with a smile.
“Uh yeah,” hot costumer replied, looking around the shop like a deer caught in the headlight. “I’m looking for chocolate.”
Nicky blinked, doing his best to keep a straight face. Well, not everyone could be hot and smart.
“We have a wide variety of different chocolates, any specific thoughts on the kind? Or do you want novelty chocolates?”
The startled look on hot guys face was replaced by a growing mischievous grin that took Nicky’s breath away. How could anyone be this beautiful?
“If you could point me towards the novelty chocolate and maybe after you can recommend me your favorites?” he added the last part with a wink that left Nicky lost for word and just pointing towards the back corner of the store.
He was really glad that he was alone in the shop. None of his employees would have ever let him live this down.
Nicky busied himself with pretending to look for what his favorite of their chocolates were even though he could name them in his sleep. But he had embarrassed himself enough for one evening. And if he sneaked a few glances at the handsome stranger while he was checking out the chocolates on offer, well no one was there to judge him.
Finally, after both not enough and too much time had passed, the man was ready to pay. He handed Nicky a chocolate penis and a giant chocolate heart that was intricately decorated as well as one of the Valentine’s Cards that Quynh had insisted, he offer this year (and she had been right, people really loved their puns).
It read “Your Beard makes my Pants fall down.” So hot guy was both gay – good for Nicky – and apparently taken – not good for Nicky. Not that it made any difference either way given that he didn’t plan to ask out a customer but still.
Nicky handed over the two chocolate bars he had picked out and the guy accepted them with a warm smile, adding them to his basket without even looking what he was buying.
“Are your sure the bars are to your liking? They’re a bit of a special mix,” Nicky asked, surprised that the man would just trust his recommendation blindly.
“Oh, I’m sure you have great taste…,” he leaned forward slightly to squint at Nicky’s nametag “Nicky.”
The smile that went along with his name was blinding and Nicky could feel himself flush. Holy shit, how did one man manage to become hotter and hotter in minutes?
Handing over the money – and a hefty tip – the hottest man on earth grabbed his purchase and threw Nicky another smile, this time accompanied by a wink. “Thanks for all your help, Nicky. I’m Joe by the way.”
~*~
“Oh fuck, this chocolate is delicious!” Booked moaned around a mouthful of the chocolate penis that Joe had given him. He waved a hand in Joe’s direction who was – wisely – out of his reach with phone in hand. “I don’t even care about the number of immature jokes you’ll gonna make out of this.”
Joe laughed at the near orgasmic noise his friend made when he took another bite, but still managed to take a picture that would be perfect for Booker’s next birthday card.
“Believe me there will be jokes,” he quipped back with a shit eating grin. “I might even make a poster for the station.”
Booker waved him off and took another bite. “Listen, as long as you bring me more of this chocolate you can make it a giant billboard. This shit is divine.”
“I should have known you don’t have any shame Booker,” Joe grumbled but took another picture, hoping that Booker’s sense of shame would return the next time he tried to impress a lady. He still hadn’t gotten revenge for the time Booker had filled his locker with shaving cream like the unimaginative bastard that he was.
“Don’t worry Booker, there will definitely be more chocolate. You see there’s a hot guy there,” Nile yelled from where she was filling up their truck.
“Shut up rookie,” Joe yelled back but Nile just stuck her arm out of the rig to flip him off. And it was too late anyway because Booker managed to wolf whistle with a mouth full of chocolate.
“Ah hot guy! Joe, I’m disappointed. You don’t share anything with me anymore!” Booker exclaimed.
“Don’t speak with your mouth full it’s disgusting,” Joe sighed defeated.
“Seems like I’m not the only one who wants their mouth full of chocolate dick,” Booker replied, brandishing what was left of the chocolate penis at him and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Joe groaned and buried his face in his hands. He should have known better than to tell any of them anything. Ever.
~*~
Joe had done his best not to think of the amazing chocolate shop and the very cute employee too much after Valentine’s Day. Not because the chocolate hadn’t been amazing, but because he found it a bit creepy to be obsessed with someone who kind of had to be nice to you. (Also if Booker or Nile ever found out that he was having a romantic crisis because of someone he exchanged like three sentences with he would never live it down.)
So, he very studiously didn’t think about Nicky. Which got kind of hard when Nile started pestering him about getting her some of the chocolate that Booker hadn’t stopped raving about. At least that was what she claimed. But you never knew with Nile, unlike Booker she had a very good poker face.
At some point though he really couldn’t stand the constant pestering anymore (and Booker’s puppy dog eyes) which is how he found himself back in front of Chocolaterie Di Genova, fervently hoping that Nicky wasn’t there so he wouldn’t make an ass out of himself. Or that’s what he told himself.
When Joe pushed open the door he was greeted by the smell of chocolate and a young woman that was decidedly not Nicky.
“Welcome to Chocolaterie Di Genova, is there anything I can help you with?” she greeted him.
“Uh no thanks, I’m just looking around,” Joe answered, somewhat thrown by the lack of Nicky.
He found himself browsing through the chocolates and various other sweets the shop offered. He kind of wished he had taken the clerk up on her offer to help him find something. There were so many things to choose from and they all looked good. Aside from the liquorish, that was disgusting no matter how fancy.
That he had come directly from his shift didn’t help with coming to a decision, something his gurgling stomach made abundantly clear to really anyone in the store. For a second, he considered just buying one of everything – or maybe the whole store – and just stuffing himself with chocolate.
Really the only thing stopping him was the pizza that was waiting for him at home curtesy of Booker, and it was a very close call.
After another ten minutes of painful indecision and the strong urge to just eat every piece of chocolate in sight Joe came to the realization that he might have to ask the nice lady at the register for help if he ever wanted to make it home to his pizza.
“Hey,” he risked a quick peak at her name tag before throwing a smile her way, “Celeste. I was wondering if I could convince you to give me some of that help you were offering earlier.”
Celeste cooked an eyebrow in amusement as she looked up from the sorting she had done next to the register.
“I want to buy some chocolate for my friend. But she doesn’t have any strong preferences, and everything looks just very good. Last time I got really good recommendation so I was hoping you could save me once more?”
Joe knew he was babbling but sue him he was tired, there was no need for him to be especially coherent.
Celeste took his babbling in stride though.
“Do you remember which of my colleagues gave you the recommendation? That way I get an idea what you might like.”
Of course Joe remembered, but he pretended to think about it for a minute, not wanting to sound as obsessed as he was. “Uh, wait. I think his name was… Nicky or something like that?”
His performance seemed to be convincing enough for Celeste to not immediately throw him out of the store for being a creep.
“It’s your lucky day, Nicky is actually doing some inventory in the back.”
And before Joe could tell her that there was really no need to bother Nicky, she shouted towards the doorway behind the counter. “Hey Nicky, there’s a customer here that needs your help!”
There was a crash in the back, followed by a string of angry Italian before Nicky appeared from behind the curtain that separated the store from the back rooms.
He looked as gorgeous as the day Joe had first seen him, only now his hair was mussed up like he had been running his hands through it in frustration. (Joe did his best not to think about the way that hair would look if he got to run his hands through it). There were flecks of what Joe assumed to be chocolate all over his left cheek and shirt.
“How often have I told you not to yell for me?” Nicky grumbled at Celeste as he stepped up to the counter.
“Apparently not often enough,” Celeste quipped back, and Joe couldn’t help but chuckle which drew Nicky’s attention to him.
“It’s you,” he stammered – whatever that was supposed to mean – before catching himself. “I mean… uh, hi. Welcome back to the store.”
They stared at each other for what feels like minutes. Long enough for Celeste to clear her throat pointedly, making Joe flush even harder. But he wasn’t the only one who was embarrassed because there was an unmistakable red tinge to Nicky’s cheeks.
“This gentleman here was looking for some recommendations for chocolate and he was really happy with yours last time so maybe you could help him again?”, Celeste explained when they both stayed silent.
It was Nicky who broke the intense eye contact first. Joe really wouldn’t have minded getting lost in the pale blue eyes for a few moments longer. There was something mesmerizing about them. Not that the profile of Nicky’s face wasn’t just as beautiful to look at. And holy shit, he really needed to pull himself together.
Suddenly very interested in really any kind of distraction Joe grabbed the chocolate that was closest to him only to put it back fast when he realized that it included Chilly.
“Did your boyfriend like the things you got him?”
Joe was startled from his intense scrutiny of weird-things-that-went-into-chocolate to realize Nicky was still focusing his intense gaze on him.
“My boyfriend?”, he found himself asking, wincing at the squeaky quality his voice had taken on. Smooth Joe, real smooth.
“Yeah, the one you bought the stuff on Valentine’s Day.”
Nicky flushed even deeper now and if Joe hadn’t already been enamored by him before he would be now. No one had the right to look this lovely.
Joe was so distracted by Nicky’s beautiful face that it took him a second to realize what he was talking about, but when he did, he couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up.
Just the idea of him and Booker being together was ludicrous. Booker was like a brother to him. The sort of brother you both loved but also wanted to throw out a window half the time.
It took him a bit to stop the laughter, even after he saw how red Nicky’s face had turned in embarrassment. Sue him he was a bit delirious after an exhausting shift and the idea of him and Booker together was hilariously awful.
“I’m so sorry,” he gasped out as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “It’s just… Booker is like a brother to me. But like an asshole brother who never made it out of puberty.”
Nicky still seemed uncomfortable even after Joe’s explanation and for that matter so did Celeste who kept glancing between the two of them.
Joe wasn’t quite sure why he said what he said next but would later blame it on exhaustion and vehemently deny that it was because he didn’t want Nicky to think he was straight.
“I mean I’m very gay,” he blurted out. “But if Booker was the only other man left on earth I would have to turn to the ladies.”
Both Nicky and Celeste stared at him and for a second Joe contemplated just making a run for the door and pretending that he had forgot where the shop was if Nile ever brought it up again.
“You could also just not have sex instead of disappointing a woman in bed,” Nicky replied, with dry humor in his voice.
Celeste turned to fully focus on Nicky like he had grown a second head. For a second it seemed that she was about to say something but then she just shook her head and threw her hands up in despair before turning around and vanishing in the back part of the store.
“I hope I didn’t make her uncomfortable.”
Nicky shook his head at Joe’s worried tone. “No, she’s just going to gossip to our friends that I made a sex joke at work.”
Joe put his hands on the counter and leaned forward with a conspiratorial smile. “So is it me who brings out the dirty humor in you or is today just that kind of day.”
Nicky flushed even deeper but just when Joe was starting to worry that he had overstepped Nicky retorted with a wink, ”Well that chocolate penis you bought last time was handmade.”
And yeah, the thought of Nicky handmaking chocolate dicks was way hotter than it had any right to be.
Nicky stepped out from behind the counter as if he hadn’t just blue screened Joe’s brain and grabbed one of the chocolates from a nearby display without missing a beat. “I highly recommend this one. We work together very closely with the farmers so we can ensure that the workers get good pay and decent living standards. Also it’s delicious.”
It seemed flirting time was over. But Joe couldn’t even find it in himself to be disappointed because Nicky talking passionately about chocolate was somehow even more enrapturing.
~*~
“Is the rumor true, are you flirting with customers?”
Nicky groaned, wishing that he had checked who was calling before answering the phone.
“You and Celeste really need to stop gossiping all the time,” he grumbled, balancing his phone between shoulder and ear as he scraped the mushrooms of the cutting board and into the pan.
“It’s not gossiping. We’re sharing valuable intel on the wellbeing of our friend.”
Nicky snorted and shook his head. “Sure, Andy.”
“So, when are you gonna ask out your dreamy customer. Celeste told me he’s hot.”
Nicky started stirring the pan full of vegetable with a bit more vigor than what was strictly necessary.
“I’m not. He’s a customer. It’s bad for business to hit on customers.”
“Oh come on Nicky, that’s complete bullshit and you know it,” Andy exclaimed and Nicky could picture the way she was throwing up a hand in annoyance.
“Are you telling me you’d let your bartenders hit on everyone they found cute?” he asked, still stirring the vegetables with single minded focus (and a bit too much frustration).
“Nicky!” Andy sounded really annoyed now and Nicky was glad they were talking on the phone because otherwise he would have earned himself a not so gentle punch in the arm – at least. “I know you know the difference between mutual flirting and creeping on customers. Stop trying to deflect by getting me to give you a lecture.”
Knowing that there was really no way to win an argument with Andy when she was like this – and technically right – Nicky grabbed his phone and held it as close to the sizzling pan as he dared.
“My food is burning gotta go!” he shouted.
“You’ve never burned anything in your life, don’t’ you…”
But before Andy could continue Nicky hung up. Heaving a sigh, he returned to stirring his vegetables and thinking about anything but Joe.
~*~
Not thinking about Joe became very hard because Joe became a fixture in Nicky’s shop. He came by two or three times a week to chat and ask Nicky for recommendations. The initial awkwardness of their first two encounter had laid the foundation of the most natural companionship Nicky had ever encountered. Joe was warm and dependable and fit seamlessly into his little shop in a way that not even Andy or Quynh had until much later in their friendship.
But despite what Celeste or Andy – who had slipped in once when Joe was there, surely tipped off by Celeste – claimed there was no more flirting. No more winks. Sure, there was the occasional bumping of shoulders and one time Joe had gripped Nicky’s arm while telling a story, something which had left Nicky with flaming cheeks and Celeste typing away on her phone furiously
It was just nice to spend time with Joe. The other man had a calming presence and let Nicky ramble on endlessly about different chocolates, the work that they put into finding ethically run farms to partner with and how much Nicky was enjoying teaching his current apprentice the art of handmaking chocolate.
Joe shared little bits about himself here and there and Nicky soaked them up like a sponge. He worked as a paramedic and had been for several years now. He was lucky that he mostly worked with his best friend. Recently they had gotten a new trainee who Joe swore up and down was both the sweetest and most terrifying person in the whole world. Nicky wondered if she could possibly be scarier than Andy or Quynh but really, he didn’t want to find out.
More than once, Celeste had had to pull him away from their talks because a rush of customers had come in that Nicky had completely failed to notice, too focused on Joe. Joe was like the sun in that way, warm and bright and pulling Nicky into his orbit more and more with every time they met.
~*~
“Holy shit, more chocolate?” Nile groaned as she stepped into the breakroom where Joe had just emptied the contents of his backpack into the communal food bowl.
Sometimes he felt a bit bad that he wasn’t savoring Nicky’s recommendations himself but there was only so much chocolate a man could eat. Not that he would admit that to Nile.
“I don’t think anyone in the history of emergency medicine has ever complained about too much chocolate Nile.”
“I’m with Nile on this one Joe,” Booker suddenly piped in from where he was pretending to sleep in the comfiest armchair in the whole station. “If you keep going like this, you’re gonna give us Diabetes.”
“That’s not how Diabetes works Booker,” Joe grumbled and threw one of the small bars towards his face, feeling much better when it hit him on the head. Really served him right for hogging the good chair again.
“You know what I mean,” Booker grumbled but started eating the chocolate bar anyway. “Stop being such a baby and just ask the guy out before you have to write up a case report on how you got a bunch of firefighters and paramedics to no longer eat chocolate.”
Joe wished that he hadn’t already thrown the chocolate, flipping Booker off would have to do for now.
“I’m gonna start checking the rig,” he grumbled and headed towards the ambulance bay even though their shift hadn’t even started yet – and more importantly their ambulance was still out on a call with the outgoing shift.
“You can’t run from love,” Booker shouted after him.
~*~
In the end it was Nile who couldn’t take it anymore. Later she would blame it on temporary insanity induced by way too much sugar but neither Joe nor Nicky believed her. Either way one Tuesday in the middle of the afternoon rush Nicky was surprised with a pissed young black woman pulling open his shop door.
It took her only a few seconds to find him given that he was the only employee in the store today. She stormed his way completely ignoring the customer Nicky was trying to help with picking out something her grandson (“he likes those computer games”) would enjoy.
Pushing between Nicky and the customer Nile waved a piece of paper in his face.
“You’re Nicky?” she demanded.
“Uh… yes,” Nicky replied, trying to figure out if this was one of Quynh’s pranks or if he was about to be killed for reasons he didn’t yet know.
“Joe’s Nicky?” she continued, still pushing that piece of paper on him until he reluctantly took it. “For fucks, sake will you call him and ask him on a date? I swear to fucking god if I have to listen to him wax poetry about your beauty and kind spirit one more day I’m gonna drive the ambulance into the nearest river.”
Nicky stared down at the paper in his hand. There was a phone number on it and a threatening “CALL HIM” with way too many exclamation points.
“My, I think I have to come here more often,” the old lady he had just been serving pulled Nicky out of his stupor. “This is like being in one of my stories!”
~*~
It took Nicky another three days of staring at the phone number during every free minute – and being mercilessly mocked by Celeste, Andy and Quynh – to find the courage to call. The way his fingers shook as he typed in the phone number was kind of ridiculous. Yes, he had a huge crush on Joe and would hate for him to ever feel uncomfortable because of him but that was no reason to act like his phone would explode if he typed in the number.
With a deep breath Nicky pushed the call button. Maybe Joe wouldn’t pick up. (Nicky wasn’t sure if he wanted that or hated the idea).
“Al-Kaysani speaking.”
For a moment Nicky couldn’t speak, swept of his feet by Joe’s warm voice - again.
“Hello? Anyone there?”
“Yes!” Why was his voice so loud and shrill? Nicky cleared his throat and tried to sound less like a pre-pubescent telemarketer. “Hi, uh this is Nicky. From the chocolate shop? Your friend gave me your number. I think. I mean I think she was your friend.”
There was a minute of silence and Nicky couldn’t help but hold his breath. If Joe just hung up the phone, he might have to do what Joe’s friend threatened and jump into the nearest river.
“Nicky, so good to hear your voice.”
Joe sounded genuinely happy to hear from him and somehow that made Nicky’s whole stomach feel warm and filled with butterflies like he was 14 again.
“So, to what do I owe this call?”, Joe broke the silence.
Nicky cleared his throat again; the nervousness was back. But he had come this far and really, he needed to keep Joe’s friend from driving the ambulance into a river if nothing else. “So… I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner, with me? As a date?”
The silence on the other end of the line felt endless though it could only have been a couple of seconds.
“I would love that. Or … I could cook for you? I mean only if you’re comfortable…”
“Yes.” Nicky cut Joe off before he could spiral like Nicky had been doing for half this phone call. “I would love that. But I’ll bring the desert.”
“It’s a date then.”
Nicky was smiling so hard his cheeks were starting to hurt. Joe might just be the best thing since chocolate.
“It’s a date.”