6. Diego #2
“You got two resumes and fifteen people inquired about applications,” Obie commented while Diego miscounted his stack of twenty-dollar bills, again.
The first time he’d been distracted by Frankie bending over to place something on the bottom shelf of the oven.
Obie had just rolled his eyes and waved the next stack of bills waiting to be counted in Diego’s face.
“That’s incredible, but I don’t even know when we’ll be able to consider hiring people.”
Obie put down the laptop he was using to review their credit card sales.
“There is no way you would have survived today without us, Diego. I don’t mean that in a negative way; it’s incredible how much business you had.
You’re going to need staff if you continue bringing in even a quarter of the number of customers you had today. ”
Diego sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had a massive stress and caffeine headache, and all he wanted to do was hold his boyfriend. This honeymoon period was brutal.
As if he’d been summoned, Frankie appeared in front of him.
Diego only vaguely heard Obie say he was going to go check on Penelope and Seth because suddenly Frankie was straddling his lap.
Diego wrapped his arms around him and let out an inappropriately loud groan, considering their friends and family were in the other room.
“ Mon chou ,” Frankie murmured in a teasing voice, but when his lips met Diego’s, his kiss was anything but teasing. It was hot and needy and filled with so much affection Diego thought he might burst.
“ Mi querido ,” he whispered back.
Frankie let out a bubbly laugh. “Yeah, good save earlier.”
Diego rolled his eyes. Frankie looped a finger through the lanyard Diego had forgotten to take off. After a few moments passed, Frankie began to fidget, and he looked a little nervous. Diego caught his wrist and brought his hand up to his mouth to kiss his palm.
“I… uh… sort of got you something to put on your lanyard, which I guess means Lopi and I have some sort of psychic sibling connection, but you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.”
Diego cocked his head to the side, and Frankie squirmed on his lap for a moment before hopping up and walking over to his desk. He rummaged around for a moment and then stood and stared down at whatever he was holding.
“Franklin, you don’t have to give me whatever it is, if you don’t want to, but I need you back in my arms immediately.”
That seemed to break Frankie out of his indecision because he quickly rounded the desk and dropped back into Diego’s lap.
Diego was wearing his forgotten packer today, using it a bit like how a knight would don his armor and shield.
It had the added bonus of rubbing quite nicely against his dick when Frankie sat on it, and he did his best to stifle another moan.
He knew Frankie was nervous when he didn’t try to wiggle or tease at all.
He just sat anxiously looking down at his closed fist for another full minute.
When Frankie finally opened his hand revealing a pin of the trans pride flag, Diego’s breath caught somewhere in the bottom of his rib cage.
Frankie quickly closed his hand again. “Sorry… it’s stupid. I’ll just—”
He tried to climb out of Diego’s lap, but Diego locked his hand around his opposite wrist, trapping Frankie in his arms.
“Franklin.”
“Diego, they’re going to come back any second. Let me just put this away—”
“Frankie.”
“D, seriously, just let go, I’ll—”
“ ?Querido! ”
Frankie immediately stopped struggling and looked guiltily up at Diego.
“I love it. Thank you for thinking of me, and supporting me, and wanting to stand by my side as I wear this pin, in this beautifully inclusive space you helped create. It means the world to me. Will you put it on for me?”
Frankie’s eyes filled with tears, and he ducked his head, fingers trembling as he reached for Diego’s lanyard.
He pinned the pink and blue flag right above the rainbow one Penelope had given him.
Diego felt the tears from earlier return and this time he let them come.
They held each other for several minutes and when Obie popped his head back in, Diego waved him away.
He spent the next twenty minutes finally holding his boyfriend.
The next day Diego got several positive reactions to the pin, and the day after that, when Penelope returned for her next shift, they shared a brief moment at the coffee station.
Diego swore he saw gears turning in Penelope’s mind as she stared at the pin, but in the end, she just nodded and smiled at him, and he smiled back.
By the end of the following week, Diego was in total agreement with Obie that they needed to hire more staff, and quickly.
It had only been two weeks, but their sales numbers hadn’t dwindled.
Apparently, they’d been added to some sort of queer newsletter, making Diego feel like he literally hadn’t gotten the memo, but the news had spread, and it seemed like the entire queer community showed up in droves to support the cafe.
Seth and Frankie began planning theme nights while Diego and Obie poured over resumes and cover letters and scheduled several interviews. They decided to hire two additional staff, whom they would train on everything cafe related, keeping the business aspects reserved for Frankie, Diego, and Obie.
By the beginning of April, they were fully staffed, and only had to rely on their friends for theme nights, which became a Wednesday night tradition. Both Penelope and Seth made a point to show up every Wednesday, either as staff or as customers.
By May they had begun rotating coffees and suddenly they had an entirely new customer base of coffee enthusiasts who favored one brand over another.
Frankie, always one to follow through on a plan, had erected an “Inclusive Businesses” bulletin board at the front of the cafe and a replica online.
Diego often saw customers perusing the board in person but the online one was such a hit, they had people clambering for a newsletter.
While Diego knew next to nothing about marketing, Obie did and so did Emilio. One night in mid-June, Diego hesitantly brought this up.
“I think he might have some really useful tips for us. I know your first meeting was… uncomfortable, but I actually think you two would really get along,” Diego hedged, and Frankie gave him a contemplative look.
“I hear you, D, it’s just kind of fucking difficult to like the guy when I know he’s been inside you,” Frankie growled. His protective side that very rarely showed its face seemed to be coming out in spades tonight.
“You already know you’re the only person who will ever be inside me like that , Franklin, so please don’t start,” Diego said in annoyance.
Frankie’s eyes flashed with surprise and then embarrassment and he looked away.
Diego couldn’t understand what was stopping him from giving this intimacy to Frankie, because in the grand scheme of things, it did seem pretty small.
Diego played with dildos all the time now, trying to make sure he stayed used to having something inside him.
He truly did like it, he was just… worried.
Frankie knew Diego had been pretty versatile with anal sex with both Collin and Emilio.
What Diego couldn’t say to Frankie was that Emilio had almost been inside his front hole once.
It had been near the end of their time together, right before graduation, and Emilio had been teasing what was left of his folds of skin.
Diego had whimpered and pressed against his hand.
Emilio had offered, but at the last moment, Diego had lost his nerve.
While he knew and trusted, and honestly probably loved Frankie, the fact that he was omni and Emilio was gay held Diego back.
Emilio had never been with women, so Diego hadn’t worried that he would look at his parts and somehow mistake them for female anatomy.
Frankie had been with women, though. What if he got his fingers or dick inside Diego and felt differently about him and his gender.
Diego must have been quiet for far too long because Frankie walked over and hugged him tightly. They didn’t say anything else on the matter, and in the end, Frankie asked if he could be the one to call Emilio.
Frankie and Emilio talked for an alarmingly long time. By the two-hour mark, Diego was practically crawling out of his skin. Were they talking about him? Was Frankie bemoaning how long it was taking for them to switch roles in the bedroom and Emilio was confirming?
Strong arms wrapped around him from behind and he gratefully sank back against Frankie’s warm chest.
“You know… he’s really not that bad. Maybe next time he visits, we can invite him to stay in the guest bedroom.”
Frankie had pretty much moved into Diego’s room, a fact that pleased Diego greatly but also made changing out his packer when he used it more difficult. It was still something he didn’t feel comfortable sharing with Frankie. Thankfully, he wasn’t wearing it very often, and usually only for work.
“Well, he is important to me, so I’m glad you two can get along.”
“Anyone who likes you as much as he does is okay in my book,” Frankie murmured. He kissed his way down Diego’s neck, licked at his pulse point, and nipped at his collarbone.
They tangled together, arms and legs entwining as they stumbled into the bedroom. Diego got very close to asking Frankie to fuck him, but something held him back. Instead, he used the vibrating, two-sided dildo Frankie had bought for him and it was almost like having Frankie inside him. Almost.