Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One of the first things Sigma had always wanted to do, once settled in a home of their own and with overall enough stability to finally be able to call it a good life, was learning more about cooking. Sure, he could pretty much survive on only foods they already knew how to make plus eating near his work, but there was so much to learn too, both in terms of expanding the range of dishes they were comfortable with and learning how to bake as well.

To do so, apart from asking friends in order to gather recipes and advice, he had begun looking up not only recipes but tutorials online too; after all, seeing what it was done in video really helped. Especially to know exactly how each step and the end result were supposed to look.

And, after around half an hour which had given them a bunch of useful stuff already, Sigma might as well have found the most perfect channel for him.

Said channel’s owner, an Ukrainian man named Nikolai, really had a way to mix up funny comments and/or different anecdotes between his explanations shen showing the cooking process so seamlessly his videos were equally entertaining to watch and easy to follow. Plus, he seemed to know very well what he was doing, given how he could afford doing things like flipping food in the pans with quite the amount of flair and other similar tricks.

Also, everything he made looked so damn good they were starting to get hungry despite having just eaten before starting searching for videos, even.

“Wow.”

“The food, the guy, or both?” Sigma hadn’t even realized they had actually said something out loud until Lucy dropped that question, which pulled his attention away from the videos and towards her in an instant. Though, before actually turning their head a little to talk more comfortably, two things happened: Sigma gasped at the girl’s ‘accusation’ and paused the current video.

“You know I’m doing this because I want to learn more.” Of course, that didn’t constitute much of a defense, and it showed in his tone. As well as in their friend’s next response.

“Yeah, and?” Lucy snickered. “You can wanna learn and also enjoy the sight of a hot guy, c’mon.”

“Hot.” Sigma repeated, almost automatically and without really thinking.

“Hot, ‘course. I mean, he’s not really my type, but one has eyes.” Not that he didn’t believe her, but they had already found a very funny counter-attack too.

“Sure? Because he wouldn’t be the first white-haired guy to catch your eye, right?”

Sigma knew their words had managed to have full effect when Lucy’s palm collided against his mouth, with not enough force to be painful, but sure as hell more than enough speed to render him unable to keep on talking.

“Don’t say that here!” If anything, that would be the best moment to say it, since Atsushi was by no means nearby. But given how he had effectively gotten back at her, they chose to respect her wishes (sort of) and not comment anything more about it. Besides, that wasn’t usually their style either.

So he went for another route instead.

“I mean, I don’t really know him? Like, him for real. And I didn’t know about his channel either till now.” That, of course, didn’t stop Lucy.

“Yeah, and? She said again, with the exact same tone and expression. “My point still stands, duh. You can like what he does and how he looks.” And there he had no answer but a shrug, because Lucy was right.

Nikolai was, downright and undoubtedly, gorgeous to an incredible degree; a face that seemed sculpted by a Renaissance artist, alluring mismatched eyes with a scar crossing that added a smidge of mystery, certainly well-cared long hair (always braided or otherwise pulled up while cooking) and… and what seemed like a toned body under the colourful clothes he tended to wear under an equally eye-catching apron.

(Because, yes, Sigma had noticed. Again, Lucy was right.)

“I mean, sure. But my main objective is still learning his recipes.” He more or less admitted. More ‘more’ than ‘less’ even if they had still put emphasis on their main initial objective, but…

… But Sigma ended up getting hooked, and it was definitely not just about the recipes, that for sure.

“Hi!!! See this amazing red velvet cake here? Well, today I’m gonna show you how to do it.” Pausing the video, Sigma glanced at their table to check everything needed was nearby once again. And then, he may or may not need a few seconds to stop staring at Nikolai’s arms and actually pressing play again.

But, well, it wasn’t like Nikolai wearing a t-shirt in that specific one was their fault, nor it wasn’t like the sight distracted him too much either.

In fact, and thanks to that man’s channel, Sigma was learning quite a lot.

When it came to just baking, they had gone quick and swiftly from simple cookies to cupcakes and now to pies and cakes; the taste ended up being as wonderful as the instructions (and instructor) promised, and he had taken up decorating as well, something he usually started doing once they had gotten the hang of the main thing first. Plus, in terms of cooking in general their progress was equally good.

Sure, there were always mistakes during some processes, but that hadn’t made his determination or enjoyment decrease even a smidge.

Because, last but not least: Sigma was enjoying it all a lot.

In general, and the ‘project’ currently in their hands in particular too, obviously.

“Make sure you mix everything well, of course!” Nikolai kept saying as the video went on, taking a bit of said mix with one finger and tasting it. “I’d say don’t do that before washing your hands, but if you haven’t before starting… Well, I’d say you reconsider, for obvious reasons.” They would deem that as an unnecessary reminder, but Sigma had a long way of dealing with customers at work, and you could never be too insistent; quite the opposite, it was best to operate under the assumption people would be obtuse as hell, because they usually were.

Besides, his now tenth instance of staring a bit too much came precisely when Nikolai proceeded with that taste tryout.

“There’s no way those ain’t thirst traps, c’mon.”

Lucy had barely finished speaking when Atsushi choked on his tea and Sigma’s cheeks started to flush. For no particular reason.

“What?” They both said, almost in unison, to which Lucy quickly laughed.

“Did you really not see it?” She continued, and Sigma considered if showing their friends more of Nikolai’s videos had actually been a good idea given where the conversation was going. “To be fair, I cannot blame you, since they’re actually subtle and tasteful… not like those guys who make it look like they’re fingering the food and it looks cringe instead of sexy.” After a moment used up to shudder, Lucy kept carrying on. “But, c’mon. No one puts the camera in an angle that shows their ass when bending down unintentionally.”

That was… true, and it must be showing on Sigma’s own face, because the redhead didn’t lose time in laughing again.

“What?” When he managed to speak again, was repeating the same… rhetorical? question from before. After all, they knew what she was talking about and also would be lying if saying he hadn’t considered if those frames weren’t on purpose.

And now it had been pointed out more explicitly, they found it hard not to think about it.

“Don’t worry, Sigma-kun. I didn’t notice either.” Atsushi said, in what clearly was a genuine attempt at making them feel better. Sweet, a shame it also handed Lucy a chance to say what came next on a golden goddamn place.

“You have a pass, sweetie. ‘Cause you’re not the one who’s been watching this guy’s videos non-stop.” And because Lucy was always more lenient with Atsushi, unless flustered or struggling to handle her huge crush on him in any other way; in fact, was she focusing on Sigma’s situation because it felt easier for her than playing with the ball in her own court?

Or rather… Lucy was the only one playing at all, since Sigma had nothing but watching someone he didn’t actually know cook.

Maybe it was a bit of infatuation, Sigma had to mentally admit when he started to get giddy whenever a notification of the newest Nikolai’s video dropping popped up on their phone.

Maybe it was, given how they indeed spent a not small amount of time studying his features, staring at his arms and hands when seeing him at work, and even falling for the indeed-on-purpose details like Nikolai bending down that way when putting something in the oven, tasting the result or middle stages with his fingers or winking at the camera.

It totally was, taking into account how in the one making tiramisu Nikolai had straight up changed out of a recently stained t-shirt on camera and Sigma’s face had become full red in a matter of mere seconds.

And they had stared.

Maybe it was a bit of a crush, with how he had started to wonder how it would be like meeting him in person; what they could talk about, how much could he handle the situation itself-- Sigma liked to think the answer was ‘well’, since that wouldn’t be their first rodeo trying to flirt with someone he found beautiful as hell and…

… and the fact they were also thinking about flirting might as well be the final clue he needed to confirm how it definitely was a crush.

Which was funny, actually. After all, what were the odds such wishful thinking could get to become true?

Such wishful thinking not only could come true, but it actually happened, as unexpectedly as one might imagine.

That day, Sigma had gone on a small shopping trip with Lucy and Atsushi, though the three of them were currently going on separate ways to get specific things they wanted… or, rather: both his friends were on a hunt for the perfect decorations and wrapping to complete their respective Valentine’s Day gifts, which of course they intended to give to each other. Meanwhile, Sigma had chosen to go on their own as well in order not to raise suspicions from any side.

That wasn’t to say they weren’t helping any of them, since one of his tasks at hand was actually giving both feedback as they texted Sigma with updates.

Replying with texts of encouragement, because both needed it and because Sigma genuinely deemed their ideas as good, didn’t take too long… but it was apparently enough for them to lose sight of where he was going, causing the following disaster in a matter of seconds:

Just as he was locking his phone to place it back inside one of their bag’s pockets, Sigma bumped into something, tripping and starting to fall backwards as the phone slipped from their hand. But, before even getting close to hitting the floor, an arm circling his waist helped them regain balance, prompting Sigma to discover how he hadn’t bumped into something but someone instead. And that was just the beginning, since that was not merely someone but Nikolai himself, right there in the flesh like some kind of miracle.

Was that a strike of good or bad luck? Probably a mix of both, actually; they had gotten to actually meet him, but in an comically embarrassing way.

At least from his own perspective.

Besides, surprise and awe struck him so bad it took a bit for Sigma to do so much as even speak, or even worry about the fate their phone had been subjected to. For that same while, all he could do was stare at Nikolai with eyes wide open, mouth slightly ajar and a what seemed like an incipient blush on their cheeks.

“Oh, uh… sorry. And thanks!” Of course, regaining the ability to talk didn’t come without sounding awkward as hell. So much for someone who fantasized about carrying out a conversation like that flawlessly.

Though, in Sigma’s defense, that wasn’t how he would have chosen to meet Nikolai at all. And his hand was still on their waist, which wasn’t exactly optimal for focusing.

Quite the opposite.

“No worries, sweetie!” Sweetie?No, that wasn’t helping either. “By the way, I think that’s yours.” Nikolai then said, handing over their thankfully intact phone. Hell, the whole scene might as well be straight up from a romcom, and Sigma didn’t exactly intend to complain.

“Wow, you’re a lifesaver.” As he finally placed said phone somewhere safe, Nikolai also let them go, though not moving away much. Again, they weren’t exactly bothered by that-- at least, not in a bad way.

“Aw, you flatter me, my dear… hm, may I know your name?” Yes, because another petname might end up with Sigma making a fool of himself.

“Sigma, and--”

“Oh, Sigma!” Did he actually know them? Because it seemed like it. “Well, maybe I’m mistaken.” Maybe he was. “But… Sigma with that card emoji and… a bunch of doodles of yourself as a profile pic?” Nikolai definitely was at least somewhat familiar with who he was, and Sigma’s embarrassment increased tenfold due to it.

It went without saying how every single video Nikolai released ended up with a like from Sigma, as well as all his previous ones when they had gotten around to watch those and try said recipes… Which obviously meant there wasn’t a video without its respective like at that point. But that wasn’t everything, since they had developed a habit of commenting whenever they felt like it; after watching one for the first time, after trying the recipe instead… sometimes both, obviously. And never it had crossed Sigma’s mind that someone could recognize him as a regular, less of all Nikolai himself, who had an insane amount of both likes and comments in every video.

Well, at least they could tell Kyôka she shouldn’t worry about whether she was able to draw faces accurately or not because damn if they were.

(Of course they were, and Sigma liked them more than well enough to set those as his profile picture. That was how they had gotten there.)

“Yes, it’s-- it’s me.” Maybe that didn’t sound as confident as they hoped in their most optimistic fantasies, but since it was nowhere near as his fears sometimes told them, such a response could be deemed as a success. “I know you too, obvi.” That part sounded less awkward, funnily enough. “Big fan.” And soft soo.

“Thanks, Sig.” A nickname coming from shortening their own name wasn’t as heart-going-rogue inducing, sure, but Sigma wasn’t immune either. “For what’s worth, I love seeing you in my notifs.”

“Oh?” It shouldn’t be surprising, given how they had actually picked Nikolai’s interest enough, and yet it somehow was.

Not like it had to mean something, since he was very much not the only common ‘presence’ there and… But maybe it did mean something and… Anyway, it was too soon to jump into conclusions, and even sooner to get carried away like that.

Right?

“I mean who doesn’t like people who take their time to comment like you do?” Nikolai went on, gesturing energetically. “And yours especially are very sweet.”

That did it.

The slight shade of pink hadn’t abandoned Sigma’s face at any moment, but now he could also feel it getting worse; they may not be able to see his own face, but judging how their cheeks were starting to get warmer… Luckily, the creeping up embarrassment didn’t render him unable to keep functioning. In fact, Sigma actually managed to pull off their best move so far.

“By the way, I was going to check a store near here, if you want to come along.”

Nikolai saying yes kickstarted an afternoon together, buying from clothes to ingredients that didn’t need to be refrigerated or frozen to wrappings for Valentine’s Day homemade sweets.

“Y’know, this isn’t gonna be my first Valentine’s Day video, but I’ve never done thematic cupcakes so far. And I wanna show a few wrapping techniques to go with the food itself.” Those words might have been said with the most casual demeanor ever, and yet Sigma felt somewhat comforted, even when… Well, Nikolai specifying he was getting all of that for a video didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t going to share those or some others with someone else he wanted to impress (probably others, since gifting what he had already featured in a video ruined the surprise).

Not to mention how, despite the two of them getting along quite well, Sigma still didn’t feel like they had any right to Nikolai’s private life. For obvious reasons.

And yet…

“Oh. I’m just sharing them with the same friends I came here with. I don’t have anything else going on.” And yet, they felt an imperious, maybe silly need to make clear he had no romantic plans of their own for that day. Or in general, by that matter.

“Nothing else?” Maybe he was reading too much into it, but Nikolai’s interest in that part made them giddy. “Do these friends already have plans?”

“Exactly. With each other, by the way, unless nervousness wins.” Sigma explained, leaning a bit closer as if the whole thing was classified information-- which technically was, but not for someone who didn’t know any of them and therefore couldn’t snitch or so. “Which I hope not, since they’ve both been preparing for that moment with quite the determination.”

“Good luck to them, then.” Nikolai said, to which they offered him a brief smirk.

“I’d directly tell them both, but they might suspect information getting leaked and whatnot. I mean, technically it is, but nothing that will reach the other.” With that, Sigma laughed a little.

“Don’t worry, Siggy.” Siggy? “These lips are sealed.” Was the answer they got, as Nikolai pinched his thumb and index finger, moving them over his mouth to mimic zipping them closed. “In fact, it can be our little secret.” It wasn’t such a big deal, not to mention how it was crystal clear his words had a bit of a jokingly tone to them…

… and still, Sigma could feel a few butterflies fluttering inside his stomach anyway.

“My, thanks.” Their smirk turned into a full-fledged smile, and if he didn’t add anything else it was because he had barely opened their mouth again when a very recognizable voice (Lucy’s) entered the scene.

“See? I told you that’s him with Sigma.”

In the end, what happened before actually leaving was him introducing Nikolai to Lucy and Atsushi, which despite bringing to light a kind of nervousness Sigma wouldn’t have expected, went as well as expected. And, in the end, Sigma went home as if that had been a day like any other when it couldn’t be more the opposite.

“You’re like, glowing and so.” Lucy said, more pleased than in a teasing way. “Did you get his number too, or what?”

Saying Sigma almost tripped with his own feet wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

“No?” Of course, Lucy didn’t need more to understand, and that only increased their current embarrassment.

“Did you forget or…” Atsushi asked, with of course his best intentions, but not exactly helping either.

Sigma would be lying if the idea hadn’t occurred to them at all during all the time he had spent with Nikolai; in fact, he had actually considered it several times… all with the same ending result.

They hadn’t dared to.

“Well, you can always send him a private message asking for it, right? I mean, since he’s advertising his profiles everywhere else to announce those videos. Not to mention he probably has secret personal accs, but that’s another thing.” The look of bewilderment must be showing in his face (as usual) because Lucy instantly patted their shoulder in encouragement. “C’mon! You’re not gonna seem stalker-ish when you already follow him everywhere, and you just spent hours together.”

“Besides, if he knew who you were…” Atsushi then added, making Lucy nod energetically in a heartbeat.

“See? It’s gonna be perfectly fine.”

And it indeed was, but Sigma didn’t get explicit confirmation of it while proceeding to do it. He did get explicit confirmation of it, though, but in the form of a notification from their phone. A notification that showed how Nikolai had beaten them to it instead.

Chapter Text

Nikolai’s number acquired, falling into a routine of the two of them texting regularly happened both fast and very naturally. Though maybe saying ‘regularly’ was an understatement, since it didn’t take much time until it evolved into talking almost every day.

Sigma didn’t just comment on Nikolai’s videos anymore, for they also started showing him most of their attempts at trying his recipes (yes, even the ones that ended up a bit disastrously on the first time). Nikolai would in turn tell him some snippets or ideas for upcoming videos, and that was merely when the conversation revolved around food, since they talked about pretty much everything: how their respective days went, conversations with friends, funny pictures or videos…

“He’s telling me gossip too.” Sigma said, chuckling.

“Cool.” Atsushi said, frowning slightly a few seconds later. “Wait, does that mean you’ve been telling him gossip as an exchange?” He might not be a genius like some of their friends were (Sigma himself wasn’t either), but he was indeed smarter than a lot of people gave him credit for. Atsushi himself included.

“A bit.” They admitted, chuckling. “But don’t worry, he’s not snitching. Well, not to someone who knows you guys, but you get me.”

Another slight frown appeared on his friend’s face-- or it would be more accurate to say the expression hadn’t completely faded during that exchange. At least until he got apparently satisfied, when Atsushi simply shrugged.

“Alright. I wasn’t gonna be mad or anything, just… kinda use it to ask if Lucy-chan had said something about me.” Well, Sigma couldn’t say they weren’t surprised.

“You know I can’t tell you that, right?” He was tempted to add a ‘take that as you will’ for a second, and if they ended up not doing so, it was for a very simple reason: being sure Atsushi would understand anyway.

Also because a new text from Nikolai took all their attention away.

To be completely accurate, it wasn’t exactly like the other day, since Nikolai straight up invited them to his… Well, studio. Which was less nerve-inducing than getting inside his home so damn soon, but only slightly. After all, Sigma was going to see where the magic was made.

Also, his actual home was on the floor right above, so.

“Hi, Siggy!” Nikolai greeted them with his usual braid twisted into a bun, an apron on and a small flour stain on his face. “Make yourself at home.” After a theatrical bow, he made way for Sigma to enter, extending his arm while doing so with the exact amount of flair he had used for bowing: his usual, which was a lot. A lot in a way he could totally pull off, as proved by every single of his moves, both on and off-camera.

Maybe a big part of Nikolai’s performance when recording already brought his natural demeanor, if what he did was bringing a bit of performance to everyday life, maybe it was somewhat of a mix of everything.

“Hi.” Sigma smiled, letting himself be guided inside for a ‘tour’ that ended up by the kitchen; the only room there besides the bathroom.

The rest of the space was filled to the brim with a ton of other projects, in almost every kind of art one could think of; paintings made using several mediums, sculpture, pottery, sewing… and that was only what Sigma could actually distinguish while moving around.

“So cooking is just the one you share.”

“No, just the one I share the most.” Nikolai quickly replied to their comment, with a smile equally proud and smug. “You’d have to dig a bit for the rest, though.” Of course, it sounded like a challenge.

“And here I thought you’d tell me if I asked nicely.” Even if they didn’t manage to impress Nikolai by saying so, Sigma had definitely impressed himself.

“You can try.” Or perhaps they had indeed impressed Nikolai, given the smile he offered him.

“I will, then.” Maybe Sigma would have to think their strategy more properly, but said challenge was a more than welcome one anyway. “Oh, and by the way, you have a bit of flour there--” Given how Nikolai hadn’t seemed to notice (or chosen to not do anything about it), he chose to mention it. And, when the other’s response was tilting his head, Sigma ended up raising a hand to wipe said flour away with their thumb.

And the whole motion was more smooth than they could have predicted if actually thinking about it before proceeding.

“My, thanks!” Nikolai then said, grinning. Had he done that on purpose?

Well, there was no way Sigma could know if the stain being there had been planned or not, but they weren’t naive enough to think Nikolai’s response after he pointed it out had to be premeditated. No matter if it had been from the start of their words had prompted him to improvise. And such knowledge, of course, made Sigma feel giddy with excitement.

Just like their first meeting had led to way more than that, Sigma’s first visit had also led to many more, to the point they could easily feel how he was getting used to it. To the point where going up to Nikolai’s place per se for the first time too was… well, it couldn’t be classified as ‘not a big deal’ in their books, but Sigma was way less nervous than he had thought would happen.

In terms of furniture and decoration, it seemed kind of an extension of his studio-- though it would be more accurate to say that the other way around, maybe; long story short, Nikolai’s finished projects could be seen everywhere, sometimes alongside personal pictures, sometimes framing said pictures. And, in general, it gave a bit of a chaotic but lively vibe. Exactly as he had expected… because, yes, Sigma had been imagining how it would be ever since entering the studio.

“Take a seat, food’ll be ready in a sec.”

“Aw, you didn’t have to.” Sigma saying so was a formality at that point, since most if not any of their hangouts (could they call it dates?) ended up with one providing food for both of them.

(Mostly Nikolai, but Sigma was already plotting to ‘counter’ him and level the scales.)

“Maybe, but I wanna.” Was the instant answer they got from Nikolai, in line with what he used to say whenever facing a similar comment, or straight up the exact same. Of course, being a common occurrence didn’t make Sigma cherish those responses less. If anything, moments like that should prompt him to make them refrain from stopping with those ‘you shouldn’t have’ entirely.

Besides, he could also take a more active approach in another front, too.

“By the way, next time should be at my place.” Sigma then said, smirking. “I mean, about time I started inviting you over too, am I right?”

“Well,” Nikolai quickly mirrored his smirk. “won’t catch me complaining about that.”

“Please, wish me good luck for Valentine’s day.” Atsushi was saying, as he picked another spoonful of rice. “I’m gonna need it.”

“I wish you calm, Atsushi-kun. You don’t need that luck, you got this.” Sigma swiftly replied, stirring their own food (soup) for a little before eating as well. “Also, tell me how it goes, like… not in the exact moment, but you get me. I’ll be there.” To celebrate, of course; that was an offer he had extended to Lucy as well.

“Oh.” Atsushi simply said, making them blink in confusion.

“Oh?”

“I assumed you’ll be distracted that day too. Well, we, Lucy-chan has no doubt.” Of course, that only increased Sigma’s confusion for a bit. Only for a bit, since it didn’t take more for them to understand.

“I-- haven’t dared to ask, no.” He admitted, and not starting to blush then and there could almost be deemed as a miracle.

“Well, I get it.” Atsushi quickly replied, which was honestly very helpful. “I mean, I’d be nervous too. Hell, I am and I’ve been planning this for long.” Their friend then fell silent, as if he either just had an idea or was debating whether or not sharing it would work. Or both. “Listen, since I still gotta actually ask Lucy-chan myself when her shift ends that day to go and meet her, what if we make a deal and text them both at the same time?”

As he spoke, Atsushi also raised one hand with its respective pinky up, silently signaling to turn the whole thing into a formal promise. And Sigma, after taking a deep breath and nodding, did the same so he could join their fingers together.

“Alright.”

Once that was done, both fetched their phones.

Given how Nikolai had said yes easily, that was technically a date; a date Sigma had spent preparing for during an ungodly amount of time. And yet, when the moment came, they weren’t done getting ready.

To be fair, Sigma himself wa s ready; they had already changed into the outfit chosen for the occasion, fairly fancy but also comfortable enough for staying in, accessorized with a necklace and earrings to match. His hair  had been braided to circle his head, too, and obviously a bit of make-up was the finishing touch. He had also managed to clean the whole place spotless, so in reality there was just one thing giving them a headache until the very minute Nikolai was at their doorstep:

What to make as a gift for him.

Sigma’s first idea had been the classic homemade chocolates, but discarded those quickly in favor of doing something a bit more complicated since what better to impress Nikolai with than showing off their increasing level of expertise. Yes, even if that wouldn’t be Nikolai’s first time seeing it. So they had moved up, keeping the part where it had to be something with chocolate to still maintain the day’s spirit.

That had ended up moving from cupcakes to cakes, settling for a molten chocolate one with marshmallow filling… and that was where the problems had started.

Which meant they had to try a few times. Which in turn also meant they were still doing so when the doorbell rang.

(It also also meant Sigma had shared more than one failed attempt but otherwise edible with their friends more times his pride was willing to admit. That, though, wasn’t the focus then.)

“Hi, come on in.” On top of their whole attire, of course, there was still the apron he usually used for cooking, now with more of a reason. So, evidently, there was no way Nikolai wouldn’t put two and two together. But, well, Sigma himself was going to tell him sooner or later, so… there was nothing to do except owning up to the ‘failure’ first thing.

“Am I too soon?” Despite seeing something more or less similar coming, the question didn’t make Sigma feel less ashamed.

“No, I just… got a bit carried away.” Sigma let out a defeated sigh. “Ideally, I would’ve been done before you arrived, but this cake is resisting a lot.” That was an understatement, actually.

“Well, I can help you! If you want, of course.”

It took a bit, since Nikolai first set a bag he had been carefully carrying over the kitchen’s counter then put on Sigma’s spare apron as well (he was also dressed specially for that day, it seemed, with black and white pants and a shirt that looked incredibly soft to the touch), but after doing so both got to work. Plus, Nikolai’s arrival had happened before the part of the process Sigma struggled with, so the cake could finally be (saved) completed.

“Was this a surprise?” Nikolai suddenly asked a while later, causing their heart to skip a beat.

Sigma had counted on mentioning it; after all, the two of them hadn’t agreed to meet up on Valentine’s Day for nothing, right? And whatever Nikolai had brought must be for him, too. So there were hints, but those didn’t completely calm them. In fact, he may not be completely calm until they had said it all.

“It was the idea, yes, or I’d have asked you for help way sooner.” Letting out a brief sigh, he continued. Sort of. “And I’m glad I got it now, but--”

“But?” Nikolai had no business tilting his head like that, mirroring how he had done during Sigma’s first visit at his studio, and looking so adorable. And encouraging, obviously, but also adorable.

“But this technically doesn’t count as a gift for you anymore, since we’re doing it together.”

It was something very simple, actually, and yet it had taken more courage than Sigma would have thought they would need. Sort of. But he had managed to say it, and what remained then was simply waiting for Nikolai’s reaction, which didn’t take exactly long either…

… alongside with the confirmation that no, they hadn’t miscalculated or failed at reading the signals when it came to what was going on between Nikolai and him.

“Well!” Nikolai clapped, leaving the cake in process for a while to turn towards them instead. “No worries, Siggy, sweetie!!! There’s a very simple solution, heh. I give you the Valentine’s Day gift, and you give me the gift on White Day.”

Sigma opened his mouth a bit in surprise, until their lips moved to draw a joyful smile. Sure, one could still find room for doubt if wishing so, but that would be dumb as hell; there was no way Nikolai would have phrased his response like that if he didn’t mean to give his words a romantic connotation. And so, the only question coming out of Sigma’s mouth in response was very simple:

“Can I kiss you?” Accompanying those words, there was also Sigma getting on their tiptoes to save the height difference between them. Wearing heels would have worked too, but who did that on their own home?

Also, the answer was crystal clear even before Nikolai replied verbally, given how quickly he started leaning in to meet him halfway.

“Oh, of course.”

Both their hands moved to hold each other’s as their lips met, something that turned out to be either a strike of good luck or good judgement, given how neither’s were completely clean and it would have stained their clothes (or faces, but that had an easier solution by far).

There were more kisses after their first, sweet and tender but a bit heated too; right after, once the cake was in the oven, during kitchen clean-up and when they resettled at the table now to share Nikolai’s gift for him.

A cake too, decorated in a way that resembled Sigma.

“I have to text Atsushi and Lucy to tell them I’m no longer single.” They said, smirking. “And I hope they reply saying the exact same thing, or--”

“Oh, so you kiss and tell, Sig.” Nikolai swiftly remarked, causing him to laugh in an instant. “Don’t worry, I’m up to go around with the news too.” Maybe he was kidding, maybe not. But, anyway, the idea of him being as excited as they were made him giddy. Even if it wasn’t exactly a surprise.

Sigma, though, didn’t get a reply per se. Instead, when he placed the fork they were eating with by the plate and took their phone, texts from both his friends already awaited to be read.

Either if they had written those independently or had ‘staged’ their ways to tell him so they would somewhat combine, the result was adorable.

“Aw, I’m so happy for them.” He said, holding up their phone so Nikolai could see the notifications too.

“And you’re super excited to finally tell them you knew they were both planning to confess to each other too, right.” Sigma laughed again, even louder than he had done before.

“Can’t you blame me? It felt like ages, and it hasn’t been that long!”

“Hi! Lucy-chan asked me if we want to--”

Walking in on Nikolai while he was in front of the camera had already happened a few times, because apparently he didn’t mind Sigma interrupting. In fact, he had taken a habit of leaving their appearances on the respective videos instead of editing them out, something he could and knew how to do.

That was, though, the first time Sigma had found himself on camera instead of as a voice coming from behind or beside it.

“Say hi to Sigma, my gorgeous assistant.” Nikolai, of course, continued as usual; he even introduced them with a bow and winked in his direction. And, even when they had been dating for months now and he would tell him that to anyone, said introduction got Sigma blushing.

“I’m not your assistant!” Such a protest was born more due to not knowing how else to act than actual annoyance. If that was his reaction when appearing on a video that wouldn’t be uploaded till a bit later on, they didn’t want to think how it could have gone were Nikolai on live. Luckily, their boyfriend had mercy and paused the recording before turning towards him.

“You’re going to edit this one, right? Please?” Sigma wasn’t literally begging, sure, but he wasn’t discarding doing so either.

“But you look very cute! And that’d be an also cute way to get people to put a face to your precious voice.” They would love to tell him flattery wasn’t going to work… but it might, so Sigma changed strategies quickly. Or rather, he moved onto negotiating for a compromise.

“I’ll show my face if you edit that part, then I get to prepare myself to be in the spotlight so I don’t look and act like a mess.”

“Pleasure doing business with you, pookie.” Nikolai said, sealing the deal with a peck on their lips. “Now, what did Lucy-chan ask you?”

“Oh, right.” Sigma nodded, smiling. “What do you think about double dates?”

“I think…” Was the immediate response he got. “When and where?”

“I’ve got something for you!!!” Nikolai said, in a tone that was actually close to singing, as he left a box that seemed to contain a cake of more or less the same size as the one he had gifted them for Valentine’s Day.

And the smirk on his face already told Sigma he was in for quite the ride, too.

“Oh?” Sigma’s own voice had more excitement than surprise in it; at that point, they were more than used to Nikolai’s ways of proceeding, therefore he knew said metaphorical ride could mean mainly two things. 

And those were either a gesture as sweet as the cake itself or something funny.

Sometimes it was kind of scandalous or as well, but also funny. In fact, their boyfriend had learned how to push Sigma’s buttons enough to get a reaction out of him without taking the fun away as well… which was exactly what was coming then, actually: opening the box revealed how the cake inside was a chocolate one, decorated with M&M’s which formed a very specific message.

‘BEST PUSSY EVER.’

Bursting into laughter, Sigma still managed to hit Nikolai in the arm with the back of their hand, without actual intent to harm.