Solangelo One Shots

Bake Me a Cake

This was requested by Stichthecat literally ages ago, so I'm sorry about that but I really hope you like it!

Nico's POV

The doorbell rings and when Nico's head snaps up he has to fight to keep his jaw from dropping. He's beautiful, he thinks to himself as the boy walks up to the counter, running a hand through silky blonde hair, eyes sweeping the shop. Nico composes himself as the boy sets his hands on the counter, giving Nico a smile with dimples curving into his cheeks. There's a light dusting of freckles across his nose and they seem to glow in the golden sunlight streaming through the window. "I'm here to pick up a cake."

"Name?" Nico can already feel his cheeks heating up and he drums his fingers on the countertop in an effort to let some of the nerves drain out of him.

"Will Solace." Even his name is hot.

Nico checks the orders, Will's at the bottom of the list. "Buddy isn't quite done baking yours, it'll be another half an hour. You can come back if you want." He's searching for something, anything he can say to Will, anything that might make Will think of Nico as Nico's thinking of Will. "Or, you can stay here until it's done. I'm taking some fresh cannoli out of the oven you can try, there's an empty table like five feet away and it always smells like cake in here. I can't really find any downsides." Will is halfway out the door when he pauses, and when he turns around there's a smile spreading across his face.

"You're saying I get free cannoli?"

"Sure. Best in town, promise." There are nerves bubbling up inside of his chest and he's still drumming his fingers against the countertop but there's a curiosity in Will's eyes, and Nico knows that he's drawing him in, ever so slowly. "Come on, I wouldn't lie to you."

"Well, I guess I can't turn down that offer, can I?" Will says as he sits down at one of the rounded tables closest to the counter. Nico grabs a warm cannoli from the display case, setting it on a plate and pouring a cup of coffee. "Here, try this," Nico says, setting the food down next to Will. "They're best warm."

"Should you really be giving me free food?" Will asks with a small smile that makes Nico's heart soar. He didn't have an excuse to be that attractive, it wasn't fair he was that attractive, but he was.

"It's fine. Who's gonna stop me?" he gestures around at the lobby, blissfully empty for the first time that week. "Besides, we're trying a new recipe and I want your opinion. And they're best with coffee, so drink up." He sits across from Will, propping his elbows up on the table to lean his body just a tiny bit closer so that he can see the reflection of the cannoli in Will's eyes. Will grins as he takes the first sip of his coffee, wiping away the droplet that's stuck just above his upper lip. His eyes light up when he takes a bite of the cannoli, and Nico knows that there's something brewing between them.

"That's amazing. Wow. That's-that's great."

"I'll give you some to take home if you want. I'll just toss 'em on top of the cake."

"Thanks." Nico brushes a strand of hair out of his eyes, a small smile dancing across his lips. "My name's Nico, by the way." He isn't sure if he's imagining it or not, but Will looks like he might be blushing. Those awkward high school days are gone, the days where he struggled to get a date to the dance and clammed up anytime he talked to someone. Maybe his first year of college really had been good for him.

"Nice to meet you," Will says, grinning. "I wasn't really expecting to talk to someone cool at the bakery, but I'm glad I did."

"Good to see that I made a good first impression." Nico can see the reflection of himself in Will's eyes, his smile giving off the confident twenty-five-year-old in a club kind of vibe. Will seems to be enjoying it; he's smiling, and his cheeks are the color of a freshly bloomed rose. Nico glances back at the counter, craning his neck to peer into the kitchen. "Buddy!" he yells. "How much more time on the Solace cake?"