So you know that old adage that says that guys don't get nervous before first dates?
Well, it's bullshit.
This might be the first time that it's ever happened to him personally but he can now tell you without a shadow of a doubt that it's all a big, fat lie. A morbid untruth that he wishes he would have taken closer to heart before tonight.
Because tonight? Tonight is his first real, official, terrifying date with Lindy Sampson.
And why is that so terrifying, you ask? It's because Lindy has always been something of a fantasy to Tommy Calligan. Not so much a perverted fantasy (although he'd be lying if he told you that he'd never thought of her in that way) but more like a fairy tale type fantasy. He's always wanted her, a chance to be with her, for as long as he can remember. He just never expected to actually get that chance.
He thinks about this as he straightens up the throw pillows on his couch (yes, he has throw pillows on his couch, he's a grown man not a heathen), about how he never thought a girl like Lindy would ever give him the time a day. A smart, beautiful girl that's funny, clever and capable of doing the most amazing things. On the other hand he, a man that has dated an honest to god neurosurgeon, never thought in a million years that the girl of his dreams would be a street smart, crime committing hacktivist.
Funny how life turns out sometimes.
She's set to show up any minute and this seemingly clever first date idea that he came up with a few days ago is looking a little lame at the moment. Cooking together at his place? What in the hell was he thinking?
Boris hears her coming up the stairs before Tommy does, and he's just finished setting the table when the Husky barks once, loudly, and then another quieter bark that only Tommy can hear. It's a trick he taught the dog early, an advance warning bell of sorts before someone comes to the door. Sure enough the doorbell rings seconds later and Tommy gives his apartment a quick once over before going to the door and pulling it open.
"Hey." He's trying to act casual but he feels like his heart is going to jump out of his chest at any minute.
Lindy looks gorgeous, not that she doesn't always, but tonight her hair is half pinned back and she has on this little black dress that he thinks might actually give him a heart attack.
"Hey," she says before leaning up on her toes to kiss him on his cheek. Even in heels he still towers over her and it's definitely not his fault that his eyes fall closed when her lips touch his skin. "Can I come in?"
"What?" he asks dumbly. "Oh yeah. Yeah, of course. Please."
He rolls his eyes after she's passed him and her back is turned. Jesus Christ, Tommy. Pull your shit together.
"So, your place is great." Lindy is walking past his couch, her hand coming out to smooth along the black leather, and he makes sure the door is locked before following her into his living room. "I still can't believe I've never been here before."
"Thanks. And yeah, I know." Honestly...could he be acting any more ridiculous right now? It's then that Boris creeps into the room quietly until he's sitting at Tommy's side. "Umm..this is Boris. He's sort of shy around new people."
Lindy turns around then and grins as she carefully drops down to the dog's level. "Hi there, Boris," she says in a sweet, quiet tone. "You're a pretty boy, aren't you?"
Damn him if he doesn't think that Lindy trying to win over his dog is the sexiest thing ever.
What really shocks the hell out of him is when Boris gets up and walks over to Lindy, his eyes closing as she scratches him behind his ears.
"Wow," Tommy says with a quiet laugh. "It usually takes him weeks to warm up to someone. I remember right after I rescued him, when Ben came over for the first time..." Lindy looks up quickly then and Tommy immediately wishes he would have thought before opening his mouth. "Shit...sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry, Tommy." Lindy gives Boris another pat on the head before moving so she's standing in front of him. "Ben was a big part of both of our lives. It would be silly to never talk about him again."
All nervousness leaves his mind when he leans down to brush his lips softly across hers, just once, and she's smiling when he pulls away.
"I was wondering when you were going to do that."
"I pretty much always want to do that," he admits. She's gives him a gorgeous grin before glancing around his apartment.
"So, what's on the agenda tonight?"
Tommy doesn't say anything, just motions towards the kitchen with his chin, and Lindy looks back at him with an unamused look on her face.
"Seriously? Tommy...you know I can't cook!"
He just laughs as he reaches for her hand and pulls her into his kitchen. "Trust me. I didn't forget. And that's exactly why I'm going to teach you."
Lindy scoffs . "You're going to teach me how to cook?"
"Yep."
He watches in amusement as Lindy takes in his kitchen and the countertop that is currently full of various cooking utensils and cookware.
"And what exactly are we making?"
Tommy grins as he grabs a tray out of his fridge, using his knee to shut it closed. "Chicken Parmigiana."
The look on her face makes him want to laugh out loud, a cross between fright and disbelief, and he shakes his head a little as he sets the tray of raw chicken on the counter between them.
"Don't worry. I've made this a thousand times. It'll be fine."
"No," Lindy insists. "You won't be. Because I'm sure I'm going to give you salmonella or something way worse. Honestly, Tommy. Chicken? Couldn't you have picked a safer meat?"
Now he does laugh out loud. "Come on, Lindy. You just have to make sure you cook it all the way through. Now come here."
He walks her through breading the chicken first and watches her as she carefully dredges each piece first in flour, then egg, and then finally the bread crumbs.
"Good, that's good." He's standing behind her now, his tall frame allowing him to see everything she's doing as she coats the last piece of chicken and places it onto a plate with the finished pieces.
"Now what?"
She leans so her back is to his chest and he breathes in deeply. The smell of her completely intoxicates him, lemon and honey he thinks, and he places his hands on her hips before dropping a kiss on her shoulder.
"Now we cook them for the first time," he explains as he reluctantly moves away from her.
"The first time? How many times do they cook?"
Tommy laughs as he moves the breaded chicken breasts to a pan. "Twice. First here, on the stove. And then again in the oven to melt the mozzarella on top."
"Where did you learn how to cook?" she asks as he finishes the tomato sauce he started while she was breading the chicken, bringing the wooden spoon up to taste before adding a small pinch of sugar to balance the acidity. Another quick taste and it's perfect.
"My Italian grandmother," he explains as he holds the spoon up to her lips. "Taste."
His brain basically stops working when her lips wrap around the edge of the spoon and she lets out an appreciative hum as she closes her eyes.
"Jesus, that's good."
He licks his lips as he watches her lick her own. "Thanks," he says thickly before clearing his throat. "Anyway, that's how pasta sauce is supposed to taste."
"And how would you know how my pasta sauce tastes?" The look on her face goes from surprised to pissed. "You asshole! You tried my sauce that night?"
He laughs and dodges when she reaches out to smack his arm. "I couldn't help it! It was right there." She smacks his arm a little harder and he almost drops the fork he's holding. "Hey! Stop! You're going to make me burn the chicken."
They are still laughing as he flips the chicken over and when they are done cooking he transfers them onto the baking sheet that he set out earlier.
"Now," he says as he hands Lindy the mozzarella slices. "First you want to drizzle the chicken with the sauce, then put the cheese on top that, some salt and pepper and then a little Parmesan cheese."
"Like this?" She dips a spoon into the sauce and starts to drizzle it over each piece. "Am I doing okay?"
Tommy chuckles as he starts buttering one side of a French bread loaf. "Yeah, you're doing great."
Once the chicken is in the oven he puts her to work cutting vegetables for a salad while he finishes up the bread.
"This is fun," Lindy says as she quarters a cucumber slice. "Definitely a first for a first date."
"Is that a good thing?" He hates how unsure he sounds but Lindy just smiles warmly at him and nods.
"Definitely."
The chicken is minutes away from being done when they finish up the salad so he pours them glasses of wine and she thanks him when he hands her one.
"I'm glad we're doing this," she says after a quiet moment. "I know things have been crazy..."
"Yeah," he laughs darkly. "Yeah, crazy is one word to describe it."
Lindy sets her glass down on the counter before moving in front of him, her hands coming up to rest on his hips over his shirt.
"I'm really glad we're doing this," she repeats and he nods once before his lips are on hers. She lets out a tiny moan when he presses her back against the counter and for a second he's worried that he's hurt her but then she's deepening the kiss and moving her hands to the back of his head.
"Careful," he says playfully when her fingertips start to tangle in his hair. "It takes a long time to get my hair to look this good."
Lindy laughs as she leans up to kiss him again. "You're ridiculous." She mumbles the words across his lips and he's seconds from forgetting about dinner and just lifting her onto the counter when the oven timer beeps loudly to interrupt them.
"Saved by the bell," she says with a smirk and he rolls his eyes, dropping a kiss on her forehead before pulling dinner out of the oven.
"Three minutes for the bread and we're ready to eat," he tells her and motions for her to sit at his dining room table. "Table's already set. Have a seat."
He can feel her eyes on him as he moves around the kitchen. His grandmother's favorite thing about cooking was plating the food and he learned at a very young age that presentation is everything. He's careful as he sets a piece of chicken down on each plate, cracking a joke about how he didn't forget the basil and stopping only to grab the bread out of the broiler before it burns. He cuts it quickly and tosses the pieces into a bowl and brings it to the table with the salad.
"You're really a pro at this," Lindy muses when he brings over their plates, setting hers down first.
"It's never a bad thing to be good at a few things," he says with a laugh as he takes the seat across from hers. "Thank you for having dinner with me." He holds up his glass of wine and Lindy grins as she does the same, clinking it against his.
"My pleasure," she says as she cuts into her chicken, moaning a little when she tastes it. "And thank you for cooking me dinner. It's so amazing."
Tommy chuckles as he takes a bite of his own. "Hey, we made it together, remember?"
She insists on helping him clean up after dinner, even though he told her that she really didn't have to, and when all of the dishes are put away she hops up on the counter and motions for him to walk closer.
"I might not be able to cook," she says lowly, her knees parting slightly so he can stand between her legs. "But I think I can handle dessert."
"Oh yeah?" He slides his palms up her thighs, his fingertips resting just under the hem of her dress. "What did you have in mind?"
She's smirking when she kisses him, her tongue darting out to tease his bottom lip, and he groans when he lets go of her thighs to move his arms around her waist. She's so tiny that it's nothing to pick her up swiftly, her legs wrapping around his waist as he walks them into his living room.
"What about your bedroom?" she asks breathlessly as he lays her down on his couch.
"Lindy," he says with a grin as he lowers himself down so he's resting one knee in between hers. "I don't do that on a first date."
"What a tease." He laughs loudly, reaching behind him to pull his shirt over his head before capturing her lips with his. Her fingertips dance over his ribs as he locates the zipper of her dress, pulling it down painfully slow.
"Maybe I can make an exception," he says as he leans her up to tug the dress off of her. "Just this once."
Notes: Prompts: Tindy first date. Lindy meeting Boris for the first time. Lindy messing with Tommy's hair. Tindy cooking together. Managed to fit them all into one fic!