ꕤ｡˚⋆ soft mornings, softer you ⋆˚｡ꕤ
✧ a sleepy morning, a clingy boyfriend, and nicholas deciding you’re far too comfortable in his hoodie for him to ever let you leave
✧ nicholas x fem!reader | established relationship, fluff, domestic romance, sleepy cuddles, teasing, soft mornings | wc: 1,500+
✧ author’s note: this is basically just nicholas being obsessed with his girlfriend for 1.5k words ♡
at first, you think you’re dreaming.
warmth pressed against your back, slow breathing near your shoulder, an arm wrapped around your waist like it refuses to let go—
then you feel the slight squeeze when you shift.
you blink sleepily at the wall in front of you, still half asleep.
the room is quiet, pale morning light slipping through the curtains softly enough that everything still feels warm and blurry around the edges.
you try to move a little.
the arm around you tightens immediately.
“don’t,” nicholas mumbles into the back of your shoulder, voice rough with sleep.
“good morning to you too.”
he groans quietly, pressing his face further into your hoodie. “it’s too early for talking.”
“you literally talked first.”
you laugh softly under your breath.
he sounds so sleepy it’s almost unfair.
you turn slightly in his arms so you can look at him properly.
his hair is messy in every direction, eyes barely open, cheeks still soft with sleep, and somehow he still looks devastatingly pretty.
your heart immediately folds in on itself.
nicholas notices you staring after a second.
“…why are you looking at me like that?”
“like you’re having a full internal crisis.”
you let out a soft laugh. “maybe i am.”
you smile a little into the pillow, cheeks warm. “because you look really cute right now.”
nicholas pauses for a second.
then, very quietly, he pulls the blanket up over part of his face like that somehow fixes the situation.
“it’s too early to be perceived.”
you laugh again, brighter this time, and he peeks at you over the blanket like he physically cannot help it.
there’s something so soft about him in the mornings.
you try sitting up again.
before you can get very far, nicholas catches the sleeve of your hoodie lazily between his fingers.
“where are you going?” he mumbles.
he frowns immediately, still half asleep. “again?”
you blink. “i haven’t gone yet.”
he thinks about that for a second.
then tightens his arm around your waist anyway.
you laugh softly. “you’re so clingy in the mornings.”
“only because you’re warm,” he murmurs against the pillow.
“and because i like you a lot.”
his voice is lingering when he says it, like it slips out before he can think too hard about it.
and somehow that makes your heart feel even lighter.
because he says it like it’s nothing new.
like it’s always been true.
like it’s just part of the morning, the same way the sunlight is.
your face warms immediately.
nicholas notices, of course.
a small, drowsy smile tugs at his lips. “there it is.”
“what?” you mumble, already trying to hide behind the pillow.
“you getting all shy again.”
“i’m not shy,” you insist, though your voice comes out softer than you mean it to.
you pull the blanket up a little more anyway, hiding your face.
nicholas lets out a quiet laugh and gently tugs it back down just enough to see you.
“don’t hide,” he says, still smiling. “i like seeing you like this.”
your chest melts a little at that.
you glance down after a second and realize—
“…wait. this is your hoodie.”
nicholas hums softly, still half asleep. “yeah.”
you blink slowly. “when did i steal this?”
“you didn’t steal it,” he says.
“then why am i wearing it?”
he takes a moment, eyes barely open, like he’s searching his sleep-fogged memory for the right explanation.
“because you said yours didn’t smell like me.”
your voice drops immediately. “that’s so embarrassing.”
nicholas just smiles a little against the pillow. “i thought it was cute.”
you make a small noise of protest and hide your face in the pillow right away.
he laughs softly and reaches over, fingers brushing your hair back with slow, careful movements.
“you were half asleep,” he murmurs. “you also called me ‘home’ like it was a personality trait.”
“nicholas,” you whine quietly. “please stop remembering things.”
“and then,” he continues anyway, way too pleased with himself, “you took my hoodie and refused to give it back.”
you peek out slightly. “in my defense… it’s really comfortable.”
you sit up a little, still hiding half your face. “so this is what our relationship has come to?”
nicholas hums thoughtfully, eyes soft.
“apparently,” he says, “i just get robbed and complimented a lot.”
you finally crack a smile.
“and you’re okay with that?”
he reaches for your hand under the blanket, lacing your fingers.
“yeah,” he says simply. “i’m willing to suffer through it."
you peek up at him finally, and he’s already looking at you.
like he always does when you’re not paying attention.
your stomach flips a little.
“what?” you ask quieter this time.
nicholas shrugs slightly against the pillow.
“nothing,” he murmurs. “i just really like waking up next to you.”
your entire brain goes completely still.
he says things like that so gently too.
just honest enough to make your chest ache.
“you’re being suspiciously sweet right now.”
nicholas hums a little, still half-asleep. “maybe i just like you.”
you blink at him, caught off guard for a second.
then you smile anyway, like you can’t really help it.
“that’s not a fair answer,” you mumble softly.
he shifts closer under the blanket, “why not?”
“because now i don’t know what to say.”
that makes him smile—small and drifting, but so fond it’s impossible to miss.
his hand finds yours under the blanket again, fingers slipping into yours easily.
“you don’t have to say anything,” he says quietly. “just stay.”
your chest feels warm immediately.
“…i was going to,” you admit, voice softer now.
“good,” he murmurs. “then we agree.”
you glance at him, still smiling a little.
he’s looking at you like this is exactly where he’s supposed to be.
like he wouldn’t want anywhere else.
and somehow, that makes you relax even more into him.
“i never want mornings like this to end,” you say quietly.
his expression softens instantly.
he’s quiet for a moment, then breathes out a small laugh that isn’t really amused—more like he’s trying to believe you.
“why would it have to?” he asks gently.
and this time, neither of you rush to fill the silence after that.
