Work Text:
Ada had been antsy ever since she arrived home from work an hour ago.
Perhaps "antsy" was putting it lightly. She had been scurrying around her apartment like a madwoman, cleaning things that didn't actually need to be cleaned and spontaneously reorganizing her bookshelf. She usually never had this much energy after a shift, but tonight was different.
She had a date. A date with Ian, to be exact. Their first date.
As much as they had wanted to actually do something on Valentine's Day, it had been another couple weeks before they both had an evening off. But now they finally had something planned, and he was going to be at her apartment in ten minutes, and she was currently trying her damnedest not to panic.
It had been a while since her last first date. A long while. Ever since her relationship with her college girlfriend had gone up in flames, any idea of romance had fallen unceremoniously to the wayside, in favor of med school and licensing exams and work and...more work.
She'd once made a brief foray into dating apps at an old college friend's urging, setting her preference to "everyone" and waiting to see if she felt any sparks. But the conversations were mostly dull, and she didn't have the time to check them very often anyway, and there were only so many cheesy doctor-related pickup lines that she could stand. Her love life had never been a priority, and that was fine.
Maybe that was why this imminent first date with Ian had left her feeling so completely and utterly blindsided.
How am I supposed to go on a first date with someone I've already known forever?
Ada stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.
What if it's just weird and awkward the whole time? What if you say something wrong and ruin it all? What if he regrets the whole thing and breaks up with you before you've even started dating?
What if—
Ada took a deep breath, and then another, trying to put those thoughts out of her mind. Moments later, however, any semblance of mental calm that she had managed to construct was abruptly shattered as her apartment doorbell rang.
She spared herself one more quick glance in the mirror, frantically combing her fingers through her hair and brushing non-existent dirt off of her sweater. She ran for the door, nearly tripping over the rug in her tiny living room before she came stumbling to a halt.
Ada took one more deep breath, and opened the door. There stood Ian, his nose and cheeks pink from the cold, holding his hands behind his back.
"Hey," she breathed, a smile growing unconsciously on her face at the sight of him. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a caged bird.
"Uh—hi," Ian murmured softly, gaze darting around everywhere but her face. He brought his hands out from behind his back to reveal a small bouquet of red, white and pink tulips. He held them out stiffly in front of him as if they were a ticking time bomb.
"I brought, um...flowers?" He immediately seemed to wince at himself for phrasing it like a question. He rubbed the back of his neck. "My mom suggested them, but—uh—maybe they're too much. This was the last Valentine's Day bouquet they had. A–And I think they're wilting in the cold. Maybe I should have brought chocolates instead. I just—"
A pleasant warmth pooled in her chest, briefly displacing the anxiety that had been gnawing at her insides. She beamed and took the flowers from him, breathing in their scent.
"No, they're beautiful. Thank you."
Unable to help herself, Ada gently cupped his face with one hand and leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek, still cool to the touch from the frigid air outside. Ian froze, and she chuckled a little at the way he flushed crimson.
She smiled fondly. "You're cute."
Ian stared at his shoes, fidgeting with his hands.
"...Thanks," he mumbled.
Oh, no, was that too forward? Ada thought worriedly.
How could that be too forward? she argued with herself. I've already kissed him on the mouth. Multiple times.
But he's clearly nervous, maybe I should give him some space.
How am I screwing this up already?!
She abruptly turned around and started towards her kitchen, before she halted in her tracks and turned back to look at Ian, who was still hovering like an awkward ghost in the doorway.
"Um—I'm gonna go put these in a...in a vase," she said falteringly, her voice coming out stilted and strange.
"O–Oh. Okay."
She started and then stopped again, slapping a hand to her forehead.
"Uh—wait, I'm so sorry. Where are my manners? Come in."
Ian hesitantly closed the front door and trailed behind her to the living room, where she gestured for him to take a seat on the couch.
"You can, uh, make yourself comfortable. I'll just be a minute."
In the kitchen, she located an empty glass jar in the back of her cupboard and filled it up with water from the sink, gently placing the tulips inside.
She glanced back towards the other room uneasily. She didn't know why everything was so awkward now, and it scared her. Why did it feel like there was a stranger in her living room instead of her friend of several years? Her former college roommate? Her coworker? Her...now, boyfriend? Maybe? They hadn't talked about that yet.
She felt like she was having heart palpitations, and she thought wryly that she could really use the rhythm defibrillator right about now. Get it together, Ada.
When she returned to the living room, Ian was still hunched on her couch, staring anxiously at her blank TV screen as he drummed his fingers against his thigh. He briefly met her eyes and then looked away. Ada thought that he was adorable when he was nervous like this, which she would probably be able to appreciate more if she didn't also feel like a melting puddle of nerves. She tried her best to keep a smile on her face, hoping that she didn't look as terrified as she felt.
"Ready to go?"
Once Ada had gathered her things, they ventured out into the cold, setting off in the direction of the outdoor skating rink at the nearby park.
As they walked, she suddenly felt Ian's gloved fingers brush hers before he quickly pulled away. She turned to see him staring down at the snowy sidewalk, cheeks glowing red. Her stomach fluttered pleasantly. She switched her ice skates to her other hand and pulled off her left glove, offering her free hand to him with a smile.
He just looked at it for a moment, eyes wide, before he pulled off his own glove and tentatively slipped his warm hand into hers. Ada intertwined their fingers and squeezed his hand gently. Ian's face turned impossibly redder, and he looked away from her, flapping his other hand in a burst of nervous energy.
Ada bit her lip and grinned so hard that her cheeks hurt. She thought to herself that maybe everything was going to be okay after all. Things were a little awkward right now, but that was fine. First dates always were.
It had actually been Ian who had suggested ice skating, much to Ada's surprise. He'd explained sheepishly that he remembered her days of playing college ice hockey, and he knew how much she had missed it after being persuaded by her parents to give it up in favor of prepping for med school. Ian had come to every one of her games, but he'd always politely declined her offers to teach him how to skate. He always said that he just liked to watch her play, and also that he was terrified of ice and sharp metal objects and people with big wooden sticks.
Now, however, he'd finally agreed to rent a pair of skates and let her teach him. Ada had been over the moon, but mostly she was just glad to spend time with him. Especially like this. She rubbed her thumb in gentle circles over the back of his hand, reveling in the feeling of his fingers tangled with hers.
She couldn't help but admire him, the way she'd found herself doing more and more often lately. Her eyes traced the way his messy black hair fell over his forehead and swooped around his ears, the way the setting sun reflected in the dark pools of his eyes and highlighted the soft curve of his jaw. How had she never noticed that before?
It felt as if every day she was noticing something new about him, some small, insignificant little detail that nonetheless captured her attention and wouldn't let it go. Just the other day, she hadn't been able to stop staring at his hands. It had occurred to her recently just how much she enjoyed watching him work, the way his brow furrowed in deep concentration when he was treating a patient or tinkering with the rhythm defibrillator. When he was in his element, he moved with a confidence that you wouldn't know he had, fingers nimble and steady and sure.
It was more attractive than she'd like to admit, and frankly, she would rather jump off a cliff than explain to Edega why she had been so distracted at work lately.
Ian's nervous laugh suddenly cut into her daydreaming, and she realized that she had been staring at him.
"Wh–What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Ada's face caught fire. She dragged her gaze down to her feet.
"Uh—sorry. Just...got lost in thought."
Ian was concerningly silent, and when she dared to look back up at him, there was a ghost of a teasing grin playing across his stupidly cute face.
"Do you...um...d–do you still think I'm...handsome?"
Her stomach flipped. That damn note. Of course he hadn't forgotten about that.
"Listen." She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. "I was...tired."
Ian's smile grew.
"'Very sweet and handsome.' That—that was what it said," he added, sounding very pleased with himself. Ada wondered if it was possible to pass out from so much blood pooling in your cheeks. Her heart was currently attempting to escape from her chest and make a home for itself in her throat.
"Shut up."
She wanted more than anything to kiss that smug grin off his face. Instead, she playfully shoved him away, and he reeled back, snickering. They were still holding hands, so he didn't go far. She rolled her eyes and tugged him along, smiling in spite of herself.
************************************
When they got to the ice rink, Ada wasted no time lacing up her skates and getting out onto the ice. Ian followed much more slowly, shuffling awkwardly on his skates along the rink wall and frantically grabbing onto it when he nearly slipped.
Ada was admittedly a little out of practice, fumbling and nearly losing her balance once as she tried to propel herself forward. But it was like riding a bike, and as she glided over the ice, she could feel it all coming back to her. She laughed joyfully as she began to pick up speed, doing laps around the rink. She really had missed this.
Ian had been watching in wide-eyed amazement as she sailed around the rink. After completing one more lap, she skated her way over to where he was still clinging desperately to the rink wall, legs shaking like a newborn deer.
"You're—um—wow. You're still really good at that," Ian said breathlessly.
"You wanna try letting go now?" she asked gently, barely managing to hold back an affectionate chuckle.
"I—I think I'm okay here," he mumbled weakly. Ada smiled reassuringly and held out her hands.
"Here, you can hold on to me. You're gonna be fine. I won't let you fall, I promise."
Ian groaned uncertainly, but nevertheless he slowly unclenched his grip on the wall and took hold of her offered hands. She carefully began to skate backwards, pulling Ian along with her as he clutched her hands with more strength than she knew he had.
After she'd pulled him around half of the rink, she slowly brought them to a stop, and Ian wobbled unsteadily.
"Your legs are stiff," Ada pointed out kindly. "You wanna try to bend your knees a little, and keep your weight forward."
Ian awkwardly attempted to mimic her stance, and then slid one hesitant foot forward. He promptly lost his balance and careened backwards on the ice with a yelp.
"I got you!" Ada quickly shifted her grip to his forearms to keep him upright. "I got you. You okay?"
Ian made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, clutching so tightly at the fabric of her jacket that his knuckles turned white. Ada rubbed his shoulder in a soothing gesture.
"It's okay, it happens. Maintaining your balance is the hard part. It just takes practice."
Ian didn't seem to be absorbing her words, instead keeping his petrified gaze fixed firmly on his skates. She cleared her throat to get his attention, trying not to wince at the death grip that he currently had on her arms.
"Why don't we take a break?" she suggested. Ian nodded frantically, and Ada steered them back towards the rink wall. Once they had tottered awkwardly on their skates to the safety of one of the rink-side benches, he flopped down with a groan and put his head in his hands.
"...I'm sorry. I'm...I'm doing this all wrong."
Ada sat down next to him, comforting hand returning immediately to his shoulder.
"Trust me, you're doing fine. Skating is hard."
"No, I mean...this," he said miserably, muffled by his gloves. Ada felt a pang in her chest. She gently reached up to pull one of his gloved hands away from his face and brought it down to her lap. Ian peeked at her nervously through one eye.
"Ian, it's okay. It's just me. You don't have to worry about impressing me." She squeezed his hand and smiled. "I already like you."
Ian let out a sigh, tentatively curling his fingers around hers.
"B–But...what if I screw it all up, a–and then you hate me, and...everything is ruined?"
Oh. If that wasn't familiar. Ada held his hand in both of hers, gently rubbing her thumb over his knuckles.
"Hey. I could never hate you. Whatever comes next, we'll figure it out together, okay? I promise." Then she grinned sheepishly and reached up to push her hair back behind her ear. "And...to be honest with you, I've been worried about the exact same thing."
Ian slowly lowered his other hand, blinking at her in disbelief.
"You...you have?"
That same lingering anxiety from before sparked back to life, swirling around in her stomach. She laughed weakly and looked away, dragging her skates back and forth through the snow under the bench.
"Yeah, are you kidding? I was terrified before you showed up, and...I still am now. That little voice in my head keeps telling me that I'm gonna mess up and make things awkward, and that you'll regret asking me out at all."
Ian looked thoughtful.
"Oh. Huh."
"So don't worry, it's not just you." Ada leaned back against the bench and sighed. "I guess...we're all just kinda terrified all the time."
Ian chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I guess that's true."
Ada squeezed his hand again.
"Would you rather just go back to my place? We can forget the ice skating."
Ian furrowed his brow and drummed his fingers in thought for a moment, before he turned to her with a shy, hesitant smile.
"Actually, I...I think I wanna try one more time."
************************************
About an hour later, Ian had fallen twice and nearly crashed into Ada once, but he'd managed to get a handle on the basics, puttering slowly around the rink without Ada's help. She beamed and told him how proud she was, and he blushed, accepting the praise with an embarrassed grumble.
Later, they sat together on a park bench under the glow of a streetlamp, sipping hot chocolates that Ada had bought for the both of them. ("It's my treat," she'd said with a smile when Ian tried to insist he could pay for his own. "For the flowers.") Ada was leaning against his shoulder, soaking up his warmth, and Ian seemed content to leave her there, gazing out at the lights of the snow-covered city with a pleased little smile on his face.
But despite the similar warm contentment nestled in her chest, there was still a question nagging at the back of her mind, the one that had been on the tip of her tongue all day. Ada sat up slightly, taking a deep breath to steel herself. Ian glanced at her curiously.
"Hey, so, um...next weekend, I'm visiting my aunt for my little cousin's bat mitzvah."
She ran her thumb around the rim of her cup.
"And I was thinking, maybe...you could come with me, if you want. My aunt's family have never had the chance to meet you, but I'm sure they would love you. And, well...my cousin is almost thirteen." Ada chuckled. "You can't always take it personally if a thirteen-year-old doesn't like you."
Ian huffed out a quiet laugh in agreement, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.
"And...I thought that maybe I could introduce you as...my boyfriend. If—if you also want that," she added quickly. She continued rambling as Ian stared at her with an expression of quiet awe.
"I mean—maybe I'm moving too fast. I know we've technically only been on one date, but we've known each other forever, and I really—" She took a breath. "I really like you. And I want other people to know how much I like you. And...I've been talking for a really long time, please tell me to shut up." Ada barked out a nervous laugh and wrapped her arms around herself, rapidly jiggling her leg up and down on the bench.
"You...you want me to be your boyfriend?" Ian asked, wonderstruck.
"...Yeah," she wheezed out, feeling like her lungs were collapsing. She chanced a look at Ian as her heart pounded in her chest. He was beaming from ear to ear, face glowing, fiddling with his hands in his lap.
"I—um—I'd like that," he admitted finally, voice bursting with pure elation.
"...Cool," Ada breathed, grinning like an idiot.
"Cool," Ian said giddily.
They burst into a mutual fit of giggles, Ada leaning into Ian's shoulder. The buzzing energy between them grew and swelled and Ian's hands left his lap, flapping around in a flurry of overjoyed excitement. Ada's heart grew wings and soared. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, tangling her fingers in his hair.
"You're so cute, I can hardly stand it," she said breathlessly. "Can I kiss you?"
Ian turned adorably beet red as another dopey, bashful grin spread across his face.
"Okay."