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?"

"Twenty-five minutes." Buddy's Italian accent is thicker than Nico's; Nico only has a hint of an accent from his first few years in Italy but it's still there, still smooth as butter. It's done him well before; a girl in high school once complimented it. Not like that did anything for him.

"We can just talk till it's done," Nico says. "I can refill your coffee, grab you another cannoli. It's been a little while since I've had an interesting conversation, but you look like you could help me out with that." He isn't imagining it this time; Will's face is bright red and he covers his smile behind his hand.

"Shouldn't you be working?"

"Nah." He grabs Will's coffee, taking a long sip while maintaining eye contact. Will's eyes are bright, shimmering with hope. "It's slow. Besides, as I said, I need good conversation. You seem pretty cool."

"Thanks. You, too. I mean, it's not every day that you get free food." Will can't take his eyes off of Nico and in that second, Nico knows; he's in.

Will's POV

He hadn't thought that going to pick up his brother's birthday cake wouldn't be a big deal. He'd get it, pay, and leave. He hadn't expected to find someone hot, enticing, the definition of sexy working behind the counter, throwing off signals so strong that Will can't ignore them. He feels as if he's being drawn in like a fish on a line, and he's loved every second of it. "You want more coffee?" Nico asks, swirling the last of the coffee around at the bottom of the cup. "I feel bad. I had, like, half of it."

"It's fine. But yeah, sure, I'll take some coffee." His voice comes out weak, uncertain, and he winces internally as Nico stands up, grabbing the coffee cup and pouring the final droplets into his mouth.

"We've still got like ten minutes 'till your cake is done anyway. I'll grab you another cannoli, too." Ten minutes. That isn't a lot of time, Will thinks to himself. Ten more minutes and Nico could be nothing more than another lost connection that he thinks about every night before he goes to sleep, the classic "what if" running through his head on repeat. Hopefully, Nico will reach out, because Will knows that as hard as he tries, he won't be able to do it.

He isn't sure why Nico was gone for so long but five minutes later he returns with two cups of coffee and two cannolis on a plate. "Try the hazelnut one," Nico says, setting the plate down in front of them. "We need to make sure it's sweet enough. And I'll stop drinking your coffee, too." He grins as he picks up the second mug, taking a small sip before setting it back down. "I got my own. You're free from my overwhelming need for caffeine." Will laughs and glances down at his cannoli, wiping a drop of cream off of the outer shell and licking it off of his finger.

"This is really good," Will says. "I can't imagine working here. You must eat so much good stuff."

"You have no idea," Nico says. "I'm gonna be honest, I'm surprised I'm not three hundred pounds."

"I can't tell," Will says, his voice hoarse. "You- you look really good." He isn't sure how Nico's managed to be so smooth throughout the conversation, every joke and compliment landing perfectly. Will says one thing and he sounds like a horny thirteen year old trying to land her first boyfriend.

"Thanks." There's a sparkle in Nico's eyes and Will takes a long sip of his coffee in an effort to look slightly less awkward. "You do, too. Unrelated to the food, but you look good." Will chokes on his coffee and Nico frowns. "Sorry. Too far?"

"No, no, no." Will shakes his head fervently. "Definitely not. I'm just not used to being complimented and stuff."

"I find that hard to believe." Will's entire body is on fire but when Buddy from the kitchen calls Nico's name, he feels as if he's been plunged into a tub of ice.

"Fuck," Nico says underneath his breath, standing up and downing the rest of his coffee. "Your cake's ready." He disappears into the kitchen and Will stands up heavily, pulling out his credit card and waiting at the counter. Maybe he should bring something up here, that he wants to spend more time with Nico, get dinner or see a movie. But every time he imagines saying it he freezes, and his stomach flips. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, it's up to Nico to make that move.

"It'll be 28 dollars even," Nico says, taking Will's card. Will frowns.

"I thought cakes here were 35."

"Gave you a little discount," Nico says with a wink. "20 percent."

"Thanks."

"Hey, no problem. Besides, what's the point of hanging out with the employees for half an hour if you don't get a few special surprises." He leans forward, his eyes sparkling. "Anyway, it was nice to spend time with you." He presses a soft kiss to Will's cheek, and Will hopes that Nico can't hear his face heating up again. "See you later." He turns around, wiping something off of the opposite counter and Will frowns, an urge inside of him prompting him to open up the box. His brother's cake is the most prominent, with a couple of cannolis shoved into the cracks. And sitting on top of it all is a single chocolate cupcake, a phone number written on top in frosting with call me underneath. Will grins, and just as he begins to walk out of the bakery Nico turns around, throwing him a wink that makes Will swoon.

Hi guys, I want to start out by saying sorry about no update last week, I had a ton of homework and I spent a lot of time with my friends on the weekend. Anyway, I hope you liked it!

Nina