Cannoli
Pairing: Luca x female reader Word Count: 1700 Summary: You come to The Bear after hours looking for a snack and you get more than you bargained for when you're introduced to the newest addition to the staff. Tags: Fluff, cursing, established friendships with Carmy and Natalie (and Richie) shown, brief use of Y/N, friends to lovers speedrun? A/N: I wasn't planning on writing a longer fic like this in the second person/you x reader voice, but I actually enjoyed writing this a lot! It took more time because I'm used to using to referencing specific details with a particular OC in mind, but I wanted this to be for a wider audience. I'm still toying with the idea of writing a dedicated fic with a fleshed out OC, but I have some more of these I want to do for the time being. Disclaimer: Though this content uses elements of an existing IP, I request that my original content not be plagiarized or used to train AI or generate AI content.
When you gently tapped your knuckles against the door of The Bear right after the close of business, you were happy to see Carmy coming to let you in while the others were still milling around in the kitchen.
“Yo,” Carmy said.
“Carm, so glad to see you. One cannoli, please.”
“Sorry, we’re out and as you can see, we’re closing up shop.”
“No…”
“I’ll make sure to save you one tomorrow.”
You slumped against the wall, defeated. Your mouth was set on that cannoli. The idea of having it had been the motivation that got you through the numerous struggles of your day.
“Hey, are you good?” Carmy asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just being a little dramatic. Thank you, I’ll come back tomorrow.”
He gave you a skeptical look and before he could press further, another chef walked up to him. You glanced at him momentarily before doing a double take. He easily towered over both of you, but he had a gentleness about him. He had a spread of tattoos going up his muscular arms, which were folded over his broad chest. His blond hair was tousled perfectly and his bright eyes were focused as he approached.
“Hey, I think we need a few more lemons than what we have on hand for the next menu. I can go by the shop on the way in tomorrow.” he said.
“Yeah, that sounds great. Y/N, this is Luca, our new pastry chef. Luca, Y/N.”
He reached for your hand as you extended it out to him and shook it firmly. He lingered for a few moments longer than necessary, holding eye contact.
“It’s a pleasure.” he said.
“Likewise.”
You felt the shy, nervous smile starting to crack through the neutral look you were fighting to maintain when Natalie came in the room, smiling at the sight of you.
“Hey!”
“Hi, Nat”
You gave Luca a polite nod, then went over and gave her a hug. You two sat down at the nearest table and the boys disappeared into the kitchen. Though she had set down an intimidatingly tall stack of papers, she insisted that she still wanted to catch up. She went through the paperwork while you vented about your various frustrations with your job and the string of nuisances that were thrown at you throughout the day. She also filled you in about some of the internal struggles with the restaurant and her experience being a new mom so far. When she finished up her work, you helped her collect it and take it back to the office. As you walked with her, you couldn’t help but lament once again.
“I had a shit day and all I wanted was a fucking cannoli and I can’t even have that.” you groaned.
“Sorry, honey. I have to get this stuff organized, but you know you can hang around here as long as you need.” Nat said.
You huffed out a sigh and went back into the dining room to sit back down. You paused as you noticed the dish on the table. A cannoli, beautifully plated with a chocolate drizzle and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. You looked around to see who left it, but everyone you could spot through the window into the kitchen was preoccupied. You sat and picked it up, taking a careful bite. The moan escaped your lips before you finished a full chew. It was the best cannoli you had ever tasted by far. After a few bites, you glanced up again and met the eyes of the pastry chef you met earlier. He looked away when you caught him, but you rose to your feet and crossed over to him with your plate in hand.
“Thank you for this, it is delicious.”
“I was happy to, you looked like you needed it.”
“Oh, well thanks.”
He blanched and stammered as he tried to rephrase his statement and you giggled.
“I’m kidding, I know you didn’t mean it like that.”
You leaned against the wall and took another careful bite when you were comfortable.
“So, how did you become a pastry chef?“
***
You stopped by the restaurant pretty regularly, but now you came by even more often, taking every opportunity you could to spend time with the pastry chef who made you a cannoli on a rough day. He was easy to talk to and made you laugh hard and often. You were drawn to him and he seemed to enjoy your company just as much as you did his.
You were watching him wipe down a counter one day and took notice of his hands. You knew it was the oldest trick in the book, but you couldn’t resist.
“Wow, your hands are so big.” you said.
He shrugged, not even looking up.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“No, look at them compared to mine. Come here.”
You held your hand out expectantly and he gently placed his in yours. You held his wrist still as you positioned his hand straight up and lined yours up to it. His hand seemed massive against your own, his palm easily eclipsing yours and his fingers stretching out quite a bit further beyond where yours ended. His ‘A’ tattoo was on full display and you took the opportunity to study it closely.
When you looked up, you saw he had been gazing at you as you examined your hands. Suddenly, the air felt charged and you stalled, looking for any indication of his next move. When Richie barreled in, you sprung apart and he gave you a suspicious look.
“You know what, don’t care. You two do whatever you want.”
“We’re not-“
“We didn’t”
“Dooooon’t caaaaaare” Richie called as he walked away.
You looked at Luca and you both laughed, then fell back into your regular flow of conversation. You were careful not to spend too much time revisiting that moment until Natalie approached you one day.
“We need to talk.” Nat said.
“About?”
“Luca.”
Your breath caught and your eyes went wide for a moment before you trained your face back to normal.
“What about him?”
“Do you like him?”
“Natalie!” you screeched, looking around.
“Sweetie, we’re not kids anymore. You can say out loud that you like a guy.”
“I mean… yeah, I like him, but-“
“But what?”
“I was actually about to tell you right then.”
She scowled and you gave her an expectant look until she huffed and nodded.
“Sorry, go ahead.”
“Thank you. But, I don’t know what he’s feeling and I don’t want to make things weird between us or for anybody else in the restaurant and-“
“Why are you thinking about any of that? You know how you feel so you should go for it, or at least be open to what comes.”
You nodded slowly, considering.
“I can do that. I can be open.”
“Good, because everybody can see it and I’m not the only one who’s starting to get impatient. I’m pretty sure they’ve got a pool going.”
“I thought you just said don’t think about what you guys think.”
“Don’t! Don’t think, just act.”
You sighed, but couldn’t help the smile spreading on your face.
“I can always count on you for guidance, Nat.”
“Happy to help!”
***
The next time you were in the restaurant, you were hanging out after hours, content to be there until you looked at the time. You needed to go if you were going to catch the next train home.
“Alright guys, I’m heading out.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Luca said.
You gave him a grateful smile and he trailed behind you as you walked to the door. It was pouring down rain and you hesitated, trying to figure out if it would be best to wait it out or sprint through it.
“Do you want to come back in for now?” he asked.
“I’m not sure… maybe I can make it?”
“Not without getting completely soaked.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Maybe I will-“
You started back inside mid-sentence, but Luca was still facing the door. You nearly ran straight into him, but you stumbled as you realized and he reached out to steady you.
“Hey, I-“
“Oh, I’m-“
You ended up pressed against him, your faces inches apart. Your eyes were locked until his flicked down to your lips. His hands were still on you and you suddenly became aware that yours were resting on his chest. That’s how you knew that his breathing had picked up, just like yours had.
You didn’t know who moved first, but your lips came together in a kiss, brief, careful, exploratory. There was a pause, then you were kissing each other with no holds barred, hungry for more. You slid one hand up behind his head and his grip on your waist tightened. He nipped at your bottom lip and you groaned into him, allowing his tongue to slide against yours. You were completely caught up in him when he pulled back, pressing his fingers to his mouth.
“I’m sorry.” he said, shaking his head.
“Sorry? Oh, don’t tell me you’re going to say 'this was a mistake.'”
“No, no, not at all. I just had a different timeline in mind. I wanted to ask you out on a proper date and give it some time before I tried to kiss you, but I wasn’t sure-“
You grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down so you could kiss him again. He eagerly kissed you back, the rest of his response forgotten for the moment. You essentially had to pry yourself away from him, not wanting to stop but knowing you needed to speak.
“How about we kiss some more now, then we figure out when you can take me on a date, and we kiss some more after that?” you said.
“Yeah, brilliant, fucking A.”
His lips found yours again and he took his time, the urgency from earlier replaced with a tenderness that made you smile into the kiss. As you held him to you, you took in every part of this moment. However, you had a feeling there would be many more like it to come.
