Who: Alex and Ezio. What: First dates! When: Backdated to 11/22. Where: A bar near his office. Rating: PG-13 for FTB sexual scenarios. Status: Complete!
Alex thought she was going to barf. All things considered, it wouldn’t have been the hottest thing to do right before a first date, but hopefully if she did, she’d aim it away from his shoes. They were meeting at a bar after his last patient, and as such, she was standing outside, pretending to text on her phone. She and Isabela had shopped for a pretty red shirt, high cut and almost turtleneck in nature in the front, but without a back (thank god for not having huge tits). That and a pair of nice jeans with her old familiar biker boots, she thought she looked nice.
Ezio was nervous in his own right; he’d immediately liked her as soon as they’d gotten to talking, and he’d done his best to be professional. But he liked her style, and he liked her wit. He hoped their chemistry kept up outside of the office.
He’d gone home and changed after his last patient, ditching his suit in favor of casual trousers and a button-down. Kicking on Italian loafers - in this climate, many wore flip-flops, but he’d rather be dead - he headed down to the bar. He hoped not to be late, but it all depended on the traffic.
When Alex saw him approach, she raised an eyebrow and whistled. “Hey, Doc, you look nice.” He did. He always did. Was her throat dry? Fuck, so was her mouth.
He actually might have blushed at the whistle. She looked very nice herself, very put together. “Hello, Alex.” He smiled, taking her hand and going to kiss her on both cheeks. “You look very pretty; have you been waiting long?”
Blushing brightly at his kisses, she bit her lower lip. “No, only about five minutes or so. Come on, they actually have a decent wine list I hear. You can teach me about it, because I usually just order the cheapest.”
“You do not have to order wine if you do not wish,” Ezio said, amused. “I will not think less of you.” Most Americans he’d met tended to prefer things like bourbon, anyway. He held the door for her as they went inside. “How are things going? Have you been re-licensed?”
“I’m good to go, thanks to this awesome doctor I know.” She grinned up at him, walking a little bit ahead of him. It was easy to forget her shirt was backless in the mild outdoors, but inside the air conditioning made her gooseflesh. She hoped he didn’t notice, and at the same time prayed he did.
He did. It was hard not to. She was casual and elegant from the front, but the back was very sexy. Ezio did look, smiling. He wasn’t so crass as to whistle, but he did appreciate. Out loud, he said, “Are you cold?”
“They’re just blasting the AC in here, I’ll get used to it.” She smiled up at him, trying not to do a jig that he’d noticed her. “And yeah, I’m kind of a whiskey connoisseur, but I want you to teach me about wine while I have you.”
“Ah. Well, in that case, I would be happy to. I just did not want you to assume I would grow uninterested if you were not a wine connoisseur.” Ezio teased.
“Well, what would make you uninterested?” She smirked as she sat down, leaning forward a little. “You know, so I can disappoint you now and just get it out of the way.”
“Molding oneself to fit what they perceive to be my personality.” Ezio smirked right back, sitting opposite her. “I do rather like strong people. I have not the patience to direct someone else’s life, only to suggest.”
“I don’t think I could change for anyone. Mom tried and failed for nineteen years. That’s a commitment.” Alex chuckled, leaning back in her seat and scanning the wine menu. “Yeah, this is all Greek.”
“The most important thing to remember is that white is sweet, and red is bitter. Beyond that, there are countless flavors. Or you could be one of those who cannot taste anything beyond sweet or bitter.” Ezio said cheerfully.
“Oh, let’s go with a red then. I’m a bourbon and whiskey girl, and most of those have bitter notes on top. But I understand the other notes thing. Like this whiskey?” She pointed out her favorite, Maker’s Mark. “This one has caramel underneath, and a tiny bit of tobacco.”
Ezio nodded. “Si, it is the same thing. I can sometimes taste notes of citrus in red wines, or pine - yes, I still think it tastes good, believe it or not.” He smiled. “I am not very much for bourbon and such - you will laugh, but whisky is too British for me. I like wine, or grappa. On occasion I will have ouzo.” Ouzo was solely for getting drunk, in his opinion.
“I have no idea what you just said, but it’s pretty. I think I had grappa once, it tastes like gasoline, right?” She was enjoying teasing him; shit talking was kind of her way of saying she cared.
“That would be ouzo,” Ezio joked. “It is painful, but good for being very drunk.”
“Here, may I order you a scotch, and you order me a wine? If we don’t like it, we drink what we ordered for the other, easy.” Alex smiled, feeling almost shy now that she was on a date with the object of her affection.
“I think this is a capital idea.” Ezio nodded, smiling. “I am willing to try, though I admit my instinctive dislike of things British.” He ordered Alex a nice sharp red, on the bitter side.
“Scotch is Scottish, so it’s barely British,” she grinned. She ordered him a nice vintage, with only a little water in it.
“Still British.” Ezio grumbled playfully, turning back to her. “So. You are well, though? You certainly look it.”
“I’m feeling pretty good, yeah. I get to go back to work, and that’s ... going to be really welcome, actually.” She sighed happily, letting her hand rest on his. “I should thank you.”
“And what have I done, signorina?” Ezio smiled. “Only my job.”
“You did your job well. Normally when I’m a smartass, shrinks make me come a couple more visits.” She appreciated that he’d just found her funny.
“That would have ended most improperly.” Was that a joke? Maybe. Her sassiness and intelligence had made her more attractive, not less. And he hadn’t gone to bed with anyone on his couch yet.
“Your workday still might,” she smirked. Hey, she was supposed to flirt more now, right? They were on a date, and he’d only gotten better and better the more she’d gotten to know him.
“You have a point!” Ezio laughed, winking. “I concede. Though now it would be less improper - we are simply two people at this point, not patient and doctor.”
“Nope. But something tells me it’s probably hard for you to turn off the psychoanalysis, same way it’s hard for me not to watch the room for people not on the level.” She couldn’t help it - probably would never be able to.
“This is likely so. Though I admit I do not notice it.” Ezio turned to look at her. “What age did you become a ... is it bounty hunter, or hunter of bounties? I am sorry, every so often I find something in English I have not yet encountered.”
“A bounty hunter, but I kind of like hunter of bounties better.” She moved her chair closer to his, grinning. “Twenty-four. I spent a lot of time learning how to fight, a lot of time learning to shoot. I didn’t want to go into something half cocked.” Unlike the people in her stupid dreams.
“Smart. I mean, I know that firearms are much more common here than in my country, but I cannot assume you grew up with one. You do not fit that mold.” She would be louder and brassier.
“Not at all. My mother’s a paralegal, she’d have fainted. Kind of mousey, not super into being a mom, but absolutely not a gun nut.” Alex wrinkled her nose. “Hell, I don’t even like carrying a piece.” She wasn’t chasing people who were armed half the time, just people who didn’t feel like going to court.
“But you must, from what I understand. It is an interesting career choice, really. One might say it is thankless.” He tried not to psychoanalyze; it was rude. “I am glad you enjoy it, though.”
“It gives me autonomy, which is weird. I like having it even though I had too much as a kid. For what it’s worth.” She looked down, then gently poked him in the shoulder. “Thought we weren’t doctor patient anymore?”
“We are not. As you said, old habits die hard.” He had the grace to feel embarrassed, looking down. “Autonomy, if I may say so in a non-analyzing manner, is a wonderful thing.” Freedom meant everything. More so to him now after the dreams.
“It’s my favorite thing,” Alex smiled. “I don’t know, it’s important to me.” She looked at Ezio, reaching up to tuck some long hair behind his ear. “You sound sad.”
“The dreams of mine, they speak to that.” Ezio explained, getting his Scotch and eyeing it curiously. “The Assassini, they fight for freedom in its most literal sense.”
Instead of taking her glass and immediately sipping it, Alex reached out to stroke Ezio’s cheek. “I think I’d like to have your dreams instead of mine. Maybe I could shoulder the bad parts for you.” He hadn’t deserved to dream about his family dying, and anything she could do to make those worry lines around his eyes soften was a good thing.
Which was why she leaned forward to gently kiss him.
Ezio hadn’t expected that, and froze slightly, but he wasn’t upset by a long shot. Indeed, once he’d stopped being surprised, he laughed, resting one hand on hers. “Ah, Alex. You are so nicely direct.”
“Hey, I figured you knew I kinda liked you a little,” Alex teased. She held up her thumb and index finger, holding them close together. “Just a smidge, though.”
“It is refreshing; I do not want you to misconstrue.” Ezio laughed as well. “No, I like you as well. And so many women double and triple-guess themselves. It grows tiring.”
“If you’d pushed me away, I’d have gotten my answer.” Alex smiled lopsidedly, leaning back. “Honestly, I think people are just scared of being pushed away. But hell, if you hadn’t liked me, I figure you wouldn’t have said yes when I asked you.”
“Well reasoned.” Ezio grinned. “So many women play the mind games. It is exhausting, I must say.”
“Well, so many men expect them to. It’s a never ending, awful cycle. Don’t get me wrong, some girls buy into bullshit alleged gender roles, but some guys do too and perpetuate them by treating women like they’re already doing them.” Taking her wineglass in hand, Alex swirled the red liquid and sniffed it carefully.
“I will not.” It was a promise, no matter what they wound up as. Friend or more, he would not be silly. He looked over at his glass, eyeing it with wariness. “This is scotch, or whisky?”
“Oh, I won’t either, even if you did. I don’t buy into that bullshit.” She took a sip of her wine, eyebrows raising when she found she enjoyed it. “That? That’s scotch. They’re basically the same thing, but scotch is made in one specific place. Kinda how champagne is only from one place.”
“Ah, I see.” Ezio sniffed the mixture. “It does smell better than what I had tried before.” He took a small pull, letting it sit for a while. “I do appreciate the malted flavor. The other times I have tried this, I think it was whisky - it did not taste so ... sharp.”
“Did you have water in it?” Alex leaned over, their arms touching. “Not much, even just half a teaspoon of water breaks up the aromatic oils, so you get a totally different smell, which means you get a totally different taste. I love it.”
“Is this so? I was unfamiliar with that.” Ezio sipped again, nodding. “I do not know if I can taste any water, but this does taste infinitely better than what I once tried. How is the wine?”
“The wine’s lovely, actually.” Alex smiled, looking down. “There’s cherries in it somehow, either that or my tongue just doesn’t work.” Beat. Blush. She started to laugh at herself. “Walked right into that one,” she muttered.
Ezio laughed loudly, grinning in spite of myself. “Ah, Alex. It takes so much to make you blush.”
“Not much, really. But I make myself blush more than anyone else does, so that’s something, right?” She took another sip of wine, then offered him the glass. “Seriously, cherries.”
“If I wanted to make you blush, I would make a joke involving that idiom about losing cherries. I think that is how it goes in English?” Ezio tried the wine, nodding. “You are right about the flavour, though.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t blush at that, mine’s been gone for ages. You’d have to work hard to find a girl in the OC who has one to give you, Doc.” Alex winked at him, finding it adorable when he spoke English phrases he didn’t know very well.
“Oh, dear.” Ezio laughed. “Experience is no sin, but I would hope there is still a bit of innocence to go around for others!” Not for him. He had been born without much innocence. Mama still called him birichino, or imp.
“Just minors,” Alex sighed. “I mean, I’m in my thirties, so I’ve been around the block once or twice. Never really dated, though, this is only my third or fourth.”
“Truly?” Ezio raised an eyebrow. “No time? Or no patience? If I can ask.” He was more curious as a man than as a doctor. She was charming and very attractive; she could have had half the county on a string.
“Yes.” She laughed a little, glad she’d moved her chair closer to him. It meant that she could lean back in her seat and still have her leg touch his. “I’m busy with work, and when I’m not, I’ve had an unlucky string of first dates until now.”
“Truly, a pity.” Ezio meant it, not just trying to kiss up. “I am glad that this one has seemed to deviate from that for you!” He smiled, kissing her free hand.
They kept talking and drinking for a while longer, until the clock read an hour that meant Ezio ought to get back and plan for tomorrow. He’d insisted on taking Alex home, though, so now they were standing in front of her building. Or at least he thought so. “This is it?”
Alex nodded, smiling and reaching out for Ezio’s hand. “Want a cup of coffee?”
He only had to debate for a moment. “All right.” Coffee might help him be more alert on the drive home. Just in case. “Grazie.” He held the door open for her, letting her direct him.
When they arrived at her flat, she looked over her shoulder at him as she took off her boots. “You know coffee is code for sex, right?” If he didn’t, he’d know now.
Ezio blinked once, then again, then laughed. “I did not! But I do not object!” A woman like her was a rare find, truly. He found himself thinking she would have done well in his dreamscape.
“Just promise it won’t blow my chances at a second date, because this was really nice.” She stood up again, moving closer to him.
“No, it will not. I like you, Alex.” He’d liked her almost immediately.
“Good,” she murmured, tiptoeing up the few inches to kiss him again. He was a very good kisser, and she wondered if he knew that.
He didn’t, but he knew she liked it, and that was fine with him. Ezio wrapped his arms around her trim body, not putting hands anywhere rude yet, but making sure she was nice and close.
Sighing into his mouth, she couldn’t help but sneak a hand into his thick hair, tugging gently. She’d thought about doing that for weeks, and she was big into fulfilling fantasies when it was appropriate and healthy.
Didn’t bother him. Ezio sighed right back, enjoying himself and liking that she took initiative. “You can do it more,” he told her, hoping the English was right.
Tugging his head back a bit more, Alex gently nibbled Ezio’s neck. “You’re sure?”
“Si, yes. Go ahead.” Ezio knew he was now wearing something like a smirk.
“And what’re you smiling at, Doc?” Alex was working the clasp that held her shirt shut, but she couldn’t help grinning at him. He looked so smug, yet somehow it made him hotter.
“An idle dream becoming reality.” Ezio had thought about it; sure - he was male and she was beautiful. “You take what you want. I approve.”
Tossing her shirt at him, Alex grinned. “I’m glad you approve. Pants off, we’re taking a tour of the bedroom.”
It really was time to stop talking. Ezio just grinned and followed her in.