i lost the ask somewhere @nikiforovstiel ❤
Jack is always first in bed. He has his routine of washing his face and teeth and peeing down to a science, a habit grown from constantly sharing hotel rooms and bathrooms, and, after making the decision to go to bed, Jack can be under the blankets in five minutes, tucked in and ready to sleep in seven.
Bittle is the opposite.
He has to be convinced to go to bed. There’s always something to watch or read on the internet, or he’s just found a new recipe that he needs to try out right this second for his viewers, Jack, they asked about vodka in pie crust and they need answers now. There’s never enough hours in the day for Bittle so his waking hours usually bleed into everyone else’s sleeping hours.
Jack worries sometimes, that Bittle doesn’t get enough sleep on the nights they’re in separate beds, so when they are together, he uses every dirty trick he can to get Bittle into bed at a decent hour. On nights when they lose their clothing on their way to the bed, Jack thinks Bittle has caught onto his tricks and is distracting Jack back in turn, but Jack rationalizes, they’re in bed so it’s basically a win.
Anyways, once Bittle has been convinced that going to bed is a good idea, he needs to get ready for bed. And if Jack has his bedtime routine down to a science, Bittle’s can be an art form.
First, he runs the water to get it to the perfect temperature, and pre-washes his face with a prepackaged wipe while he waits. The wipes he favours smell fresh and Jack likes holding them if he’s still in the bathroom while Bittle uses them, will even use one himself sometimes. When the water is just right, Bittle uses a sugar scrub and rubs it all over his face until it’s more foamy than grainy before he rinses it off. He pats his face dry and then using what he called a ‘toner’ the time he explained everything he does to Jack on a cotton pad, he rubs that all over his face. The smell of that stings Jack’s eyes, but Bittle insists that it’s an important step to make sure all the sunscreen he uses in the mornings is completely out of his pores.
Bittle flosses while he waits for the toner to dry, maintaining that he’d rather brush away all the bits of food when Jack argues for brushing then flossing. Bittle finishes his skincare routine by moisturizing his face, something that Jack can actually feel the benefit of everytime he touches Bittle’s face and then Bittle brushes his teeth for a full two minutes. Jack counts every time because at that point, he’s usually in their bed, blankets pulled back and waiting to be pulled over both him and Bittle.
The toilet in the ensuite flushes and the water turns on and off for the last time and Bittle appears in the connecting doorway. He pulls the t-shirt he’d been lounging in all day over his head and throws it in the direction of their shared laundry basket. It lands on top of the shirt that Jack discarded in a similar manner. Jack smiles.
“Finished?” he asks.
“Don’t you dare chirp me Jack Zimmermann,” Bittle says, as he plugs his phone into the charger on his side table. He climbs into bed dramatically. “Let me live.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Jack protests, wiggling into the middle so he can tuck himself against Bittle. He rests his cheek on Bittle’s chest and swings an arm across his stomach, pulling the blankets up so that his bare shoulder is covered.
“You were thinking it. You had your chirping face on.”
“I do not have a chirping face,” Jack mumbles, pressing his face into Bittle’s side. He’s warm and comfortable and ready to sleep, but even after all the time spent in the bathroom, Bittle will still scroll through his phone, checking through his apps before he shuts it off to sleep.
“You do sweetpea,” Bittle says, absently scratching his hand through Jack’s hair. Jack’s insides sing like they always do at the nicknames Bittle uses on a near-daily basis and uses Bittle’s hip to prop himself up so he can stretch for a minty goodnight kiss.
“Love you Bits,” Jack says.
“Oof, love you too,” Bittle groans. He pushes at Jack’s elbow so it collapses and he’s just sprawled across Bittle. Jack gets a forehead kiss for his troubles and he snuggles in to get comfortable.
Bittle will eventually get sleepy and put his phone aside to curl into Jack, but for now Jack is content to just lay against him and feel him breath. Even though Jack can usually convince his body to sleep soundly for six hours or so when he sleeps alone, nothing compares to how well he sleeps when Bittle’s there with him.
It’s a practiced art form.
i mean, using three words of a five word prompt counts, yeah? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
also on ao3
