Sasha fidgeted.

Oh boy, did he fidget.

He tried so hard to act casual — carefully tucking his precious box of truffles into his tote bag like it was a baby, then smoothing his sweater over his hips with little pats. Totally normal. Totally calm. Not at all sweating under the weight of this giant, scary, shiny man’s death glare.

Except… why was this guy looking at him like Sasha had just walked into his kitchen at 2 a.m. and eaten the last slice of lasagna?

Sasha peeked up at him through his lashes and squeaked out the most harmless thing he could think of:

“Um… do I… know you?”

For the briefest moment, the man’s nostrils flared, and Sasha swore he saw smoke.

“No,” the scary man growled, his voice so low it sounded like it came from the earth’s core. Then, after a dramatic pause, he added darkly:

“…But you will.”

Sasha’s brain short-circuited.
I will what? Know you? Learn karate? Die?! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!

He tilted his head the other way, hair fluffing over his cheek as he blinked up at him like a confused bunny. “…Oh. Okay…?”

Scary Man’s eyes dropped to Sasha’s thumb, which was tragically still smudged with chocolate.

And Sasha — bless his sweet, oblivious heart — noticed the look, panicked, and quickly stuffed his thumb into his mouth to clean it off with a sheepish slurp.

That earned him an actual scoff. Like the kind rich people make when their caviar is lukewarm.

“Unbelievable,” the man muttered under his breath, clearly to himself.

Wow. Rude, Sasha thought, cheeks pinking.

He tried to sit up straighter — but since his idea of “straight” still looked like a wilting daisy, it didn’t help much. He crossed his ankles, let his sneakers swing idly, and started fiddling with his fork as the air got thicker and thicker.

Then Scary Man struck again, his voice rough enough to give Sasha chills.

“How old are you?”

Sasha blinked, startled. “Uh… twenty-one?”

That earned him a scoff-humph thing that clearly translated to: Pathetic.

“Figures. Still a kid.”

Sasha pouted instantly, his cheeks puffing out. “Um. Okay? Rude. Why’s that important?”

Scary Man ignored him and jabbed his next question like a knife.

“You do this often? Sit here. Alone. In the corner.”

Sasha huffed and hugged himself. “I like it here, thank you very much.”

The man’s lip curled in faint disgust. “Figures. Typical.”

That one stung — though Sasha wasn’t sure why. He fidgeted and looked at his cake like it held all the answers to life’s mysteries.

And then.

Then he did the unthinkable.

He looked up at Scary Shiny Grumpy Bear Man and chirped:

“…Do you wanna try some?”

For one glorious moment, time stood still.

The man’s glare dropped to the plate like it was a pile of garbage.

“…What the hell is that?”

Sasha gawked at him like he was the weirdo here. “It’s CAKE! Chocolate cake! THE BEST cake!”

Scary Grumpy Bear Man actually looked offended. “I don’t eat that. Looks like diabetes on a plate.”

Sasha blinked. Then laughed. Then SNORTED.

“What do you MEAN you don’t eat cake?!”

“I mean what I said,” the man deadpanned, his scowl deepening.

Sasha just shook his head in disbelief, still giggling. “Wow. You’re grumpy and boring. Impressive.”

The air in the café dropped by ten degrees.

The man’s head cocked to the side like a predator about to pounce, and Sasha immediately backpedaled — though still smiling cheekily.

“Uh—I mean! Everyone’s boring sometimes! It’s fine! You’re fine!”

Scary Man’s jaw clenched. “Are you done?”

Sasha tilted his head and gave him his cutest, most innocent bunny smile. “…Not really.”

And that… was the moment Dominic decided he might actually lose his mind over this ridiculous boy.

---

And then—

RILEY ARRIVED.

The front door jangled. The air shifted.

And there he was.

Petite, polished, neat as a pin. Riley, with his shy little smile and his perfect pale blue shirt tucked into his crisp, tailored pants. The kind of man who probably alphabetized his spices and ironed his socks.

“Uh… hi?” Riley said, stepping forward uncertainly. “I’m… Riley? Collins said—”

Sasha blinked owlishly. Dominic didn’t even glance at Riley.

Collins came barreling in behind him, looking about three seconds away from a heart attack.
“Dom! Hey! Uh—look, sorry! We had a little—heh—a mix-up...”

Collins trailed off as his eyes fell on the scene: Dominic sitting there like an angry king on his throne, and Sasha sitting cross-legged in his booth, happily licking frosting off his fingers.

“That’s Riley,” Collins finished weakly. “Your… actual date.”

Dominic finally looked at Riley, giving him one of those bone-chilling, up-and-down looks that could shatter self-esteem in a single pass.

“Is it?” His tone sharp as his eyes flickered to Collins who nodded with a sheepish look.

“Yeah...”

Dominic’s eyes flickered back to Riley, who liked he was trying to catch his breath.

Then he promptly dismissed Riley like an annoying fly and turned his gaze right back to Sasha.

Dominic picked up his coffee cup and said coolly to Collins:

“Cancel him.”

Dead silence.

Collins nearly choked on his own spit. “You—you’re joking?! You can’t just—”

Dominic didn’t even blink. His smirk was faint, but lethal.

“I’ll keep this one,” he said simply.

Riley’s mouth fell open. “Wha—I… what?” he stammered.

Sasha froze, fork halfway to his mouth, staring at Dominic in shock. “HUH?!”

Poor Riley looked like he’d just been personally victimized by Regina George. “You… you’re keeping him?!”

Dominic arched a brow, finally deigning to glance at Riley again. “Problem?”

Riley’s lip wobbled. “W-well, I—”

“Bye,” Dominic cut in, already dismissing him again.

Collins buried his face in his hands and groaned. Riley just stood there, deflated, before finally turning and shuffling out the door with the tragic energy of a wet paper towel.

“…Guess… good luck with… that,” Riley mumbled on his way out.

Sasha’s head whipped back to Dominic, cheeks bright pink. “WHAT was THAT about?!”

Dominic smirked faintly, his dark eyes glinting like this was all going according to plan.

“Doesn’t matter,” he murmured.

Sasha huffed, crossing his arms. “You’re RUDE, you know that?!”

Dominic finally met his gaze, calm and unbothered.

And there, right in the middle of the café, with his ridiculous little chocolate-smeared cheeks and puffy pout, Sasha muttered under his breath:

“…grumpy shiny bear…”

And for the first time that night, Dominic felt something dangerous, something unfamiliar curl in his chest.

This was already a mistake.

And yet… he couldn’t look away.

Author’s Note:

✨ This scene was so much fun to write — a perfect mix of fluff, sass, and the delicious beginnings of chaos between our grumpy bear and this oblivious little sugar. Sasha’s animated sweetness vs Dominic’s cold, sharp edges? A recipe for disaster… or something much sweeter. 🤍

We all know this isn’t the last time Sasha’s going to ruffle his feathers — and I can’t wait for you all to see how Dominic keeps choosing him anyway. 🖤

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned, because these two are only just getting started. 🍼🐻

— with love, ✨