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Aaron was not a nervous man. He didn’t really get anxious about everyday things other than work occasionally. But as he stood there in his apartment pacing back and forth waiting for the timer on his oven to go off, he couldn’t help but feel all jittery. Asking out Smartass was about the most nerve-wracking thing he’d ever done. He valued them as a co-worker and as a friend if you could even call them that. They were brilliant and fierce and witty and he admired them greatly. So when they announced their resignation, he knew he had to act.
But now there he stood, nervously pacing because he hadn’t thought this far ahead. He berated himself internally for every choice he made. Inviting them over so he could cook them dinner seemed like a good plan originally, but the longer he thought about it the more he psyched himself out. Was it going to seem like he only invited them over to get them into bed? He hoped that they didn’t think that. Not that he would’ve been opposed, but that wasn’t why he asked them out. He genuinely enjoyed their company and wanted to know them better. And as he continued to have this internal dialogue with himself, the doorbell rang and pulled him from his thoughts.
Aaron all but rushed to the door completely overeager. And when he opened it he was taken aback. Smartass looked up into his eyes with one of the most gorgeous smiles he thought he’d ever seen. They were dressed up in an outfit that could have brought him to his knees right then and there.
“Hi, am I early?” they asked with a sheepish grin. Aaron wondered why they would ask that until he looked down and saw he was still wearing an apron around his waist from when he was making bread.
“No! No, you’re right on time. Come, uh come in,” he ushered them inside as he rid himself of the apron. The two made their way to the kitchen while making polite conversation. “Sorry the food’s not done yet, but feel free to make yourself comfortable. Do you want anything to drink?” he asked while returning to the stove to take the food off of the heat. Upon their request, he got them their desired drink and returned to finish up the food.
“Did you really make all of this? It smells incredible,” they mused while taking a sip of their drink. Aaron scoffed and turned his attention toward them with a raised brow.
“What, do you think I’m not capable of cooking a meal? I have more skills than just being a hardass,” he joked. Smartass chuckled and waved their hand dismissively.
“No no, I just meant that, well. You’ve never exactly expressed an interest in cooking for as long as I’ve known you. That’s all”.
“Well, to be fair we never really talked about anything other than work or arguments before,” Aaron teased as he poured himself a drink. They laughed again and nodded their head in agreement. God, he could listen to their laugh all day long. It was one of the best things he’d heard. He couldn’t help but stare while they weren’t looking. Drinking in everything about their form and body language. They seemed to be comfortable.
“Okay, true. But if I do recall, you once said something along the lines of ‘I can make eggs and toast and that’s where my cooking skills end’. Or something to that effect anyway”. Aaron rolled his eyes as he felt his cheeks flush with the slightest bit of embarrassment. The two continued bantering until the food was finished and the table was set.
“I just wanted to say, I’m really glad you said yes to this,” Aaron commented. He wanted to say so much more, but he didn’t want to overwhelm them. He genuinely thought the world of them and valued them as a person. Of course, he would never admit that seeing as he wasn’t great at expressing his feelings. That was unless of course they were wrapped up in insults and snide remarks.
“I am too. To be honest I never really thought you had the balls to ask me out. But I’m glad that you proved me wrong”. Aaron nearly choked on his food as Smartass cackled at his reaction.
“How did you know I even wanted to?”
“I mean come on. You were pretty obvious, and to be fair I thought I was being pretty obvious too. I thought maybe you just didn’t like me or weren’t picking up on things. But turns out you did,” they paused before continuing. “T-to be fair, I’m very glad you did”.
“I am too. You’re actually a pretty incredible person when you’re not questioning my every word,” he teased. The two shared a laugh and continued talking. Eventually, they moved to the couch where they could be more comfortable. Smartass leaned against the back of the couch and stared at Aaron with a thoughtful smile. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing, nothing. Just… It’s nice to see that you’re not so nervous anymore,” they said, their smile warming up Aaron in all the best places. He rolled his eyes and leaned forward a bit.
“I’m not nervous. I don’t get nervous”. A blatant lie. Smartass leaned in a touch too, their hand coming down to trace over the top of Aaron’s, sending a chill up his spine.
“Oh yeah? Then why does your heart beat faster when I do this?” they teased while tracing their finger up his wrist and forearm. It didn’t take a superhuman to tell that Aaron’s heartbeat quickened at their touch. A smirk crossed his lips as both of their faces drew closer.
“I think you have things a little turned around here. I’m not the only one here whose heart races at a few touches,” he spoke as he grabbed their hand and pulled them in closer.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah”. Aaron quickly pressed his lips to theirs while his arms snaked around their waist. Their arms wrapped around his neck and pulled his body closer to theirs. Within seconds they were pulled up onto his lap and straddled it while their fingers flew to his hair.
“So I guess this means you did like me after all,” they joked breathlessly as they pulled away.
“Don’t be a smartass and just let me kiss you,” Aaron chuckled. The two started in again, smiles and jokes falling way to heat and passion. They were definitely in for a long night,