Jeans, Glitter, and 5 A.M. Kisses
Summary: Reader finally ditches the hoodie-and-sweatpants combo for a girls’ night out, leaving Theo at home to entertain himself. He waits up (mostly by building a questionably stable Minecraft castle), and when Reader stumbles home at 5 a.m.—drunk, glittery, and full of too many “I love you’s”—Theo is all patience, soft smiles, and gentle hands.
a/n: Theo being soft at 5 a.m. >>> everything else. I’m still playing around with different vibes, so if there’s something you wanna read, requests are open!
You tugged at the hem of your top one last time in the mirror, turning side to side as if the angle might magically change your mind. Jeans that actually fit, a cropped little number that was just enough without being too much, and—shockingly—no hoodie in sight. You hardly recognized yourself.
Behind you, Theo lounged on the edge of the bed, chin in his hand as he watched you fuss. “You know,” he said slowly, “if you stare at yourself any longer, you’re gonna burn a hole through the mirror.”
You shot him a look. “I just want it to look… right.”
His lips quirked into that half-smile, the one that was equal parts smug and annoyingly soft. “It looks right. More than right. You look incredible.”
Your cheeks warmed despite yourself, and you quickly bent down to grab your shoes. “You’re biased.”
“Yeah,” he admitted easily, still watching you. “But I’m also right.”
By the time you had your shoes laced and jacket in hand, your friends were already blowing up your phone with where are you texts. But Theo wasn’t done.
“Hold on,” he said, hopping up from the bed. He plucked your phone out of your hand before you could protest and held it up. “Stand there.”
“What?”
“For your Instagram story,” he explained, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re not about to waste this fit on blurry bathroom selfies.”
You laughed, but humored him, shifting awkwardly as he adjusted the lighting.
“No, no—angle your shoulder like this. Chin down. Perfect.” He snapped a few photos, then frowned down at your phone. “One more. Hair over this side. Yeah, that’s it. Now spin. Show off the whole thing.”
You groaned but spun, and he actually whistled. “That’s it. That’s the one.”
When you reached for your phone, he pulled it back just out of reach. “Wait. Gotta pick the right song. Don’t you dare post this with something tragic like Taylor Swift. This deserves… hmm…” He scrolled for a moment before holding it up triumphantly. “Levitating. You can thank me later.”
You rolled your eyes, snatching the phone back. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously helpful,” he corrected, grinning. “Now go. Before your friends show up at the door and drag you out by force.”
You were halfway to the door when his voice softened, losing the teasing edge. “Hey.”
You turned.
Theo was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smile tugging at his mouth. “Have fun tonight. And… you look amazing. Really.”
Something in your chest fluttered, and for a second, you almost forgot you had somewhere to be. But then your phone buzzed again—we’re outside!!—and you forced yourself to grin.
“Don’t wait up,” you said, even though you knew he would.
He smirked. “Oh, I’m definitely waiting up. Can’t wait to see you stumble back in your jeans at 2 a.m., complaining about your feet.”
You laughed, rolling your eyes as you slipped out the door—but his words stayed with you all the way to the car.
Theo lasted about thirty minutes on his phone before boredom got the better of him. With a sigh, he dragged himself over to your desk and plopped down into your chair, staring at your dual monitor setup like it was a spaceship.
“Alright,” he muttered, cracking his knuckles. “How hard can this be?”
It turned out… not very. At least not when he booted up Minecraft in Creative mode. Twenty minutes later, he was proud architect of what he described out loud as a structurally questionable castle. He spent another ten building a garden of flowers around it. But by the time midnight rolled past, even that lost its charm.
By two a.m., Theo was sprawled on the couch, scrolling aimlessly through Instagram and resisting the urge to stalk your tagged photos. He wasn’t worried. He hadn’t once texted you to check in, hadn’t tried to call. You were out with your friends—exactly where you should be. He trusted you.
So he waited.
And when the front door creaked open at nearly five in the morning, he sat up, blinking against the sudden burst of noise.
“Baaaabe!”
You stumbled in, hair a little messy, cheeks flushed, shoes dangling from your hand as you grinned wide at him.
Theo’s mouth twitched. “Well, well, well. Look who finally remembered she has a house.”
You practically launched yourself onto the couch, nearly knocking the phone out of his hands as you showered his face with kisses. “I missed you sooo much.”
He laughed, catching your wrists gently. “You saw me five hours ago.”
“Too long,” you whined, nuzzling into his chest like a cat. “Do you know… do you know how much I love you? I love you. I love you. Like, a million times.”
Theo smirked, brushing a strand of hair out of your face. “You’ve mentioned it. About seven times already.”
“Not enough,” you insisted, clinging to him like your life depended on it. Your words slurred, but your sincerity was sharp. “You’re, like… my favorite person in the whole world.”
“Good thing,” he teased softly, “since you’re mine.”
Helping you to your feet was a comedy routine in itself, your knees wobbling and your arms wrapped around him so tightly he could barely move. He guided you to the bedroom, carefully tugging off your jeans and slipping you into your comfiest pajamas.
When you tried to protest with a half-hearted, “I can do it,” he only shook his head. “Not when you’re about to topple over like a newborn deer.”
He sat you down, grabbed your makeup wipes, and began gently removing your mascara smudges and glitter eyeshadow while you rambled about your night—half complaints about the music being too loud, half tangents about how good the fries at 3 a.m. tasted.
By the time you collapsed against the pillows, you were still mumbling. “Theo, my head’s spinning. Everything’s spinning. Even you’re spinning. Stop spinning.”
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to your temple. “Close your eyes. I’ll make it stop.”
But you didn’t—at least not for another thirty minutes. You talked and talked, your words slowing only when exhaustion finally claimed you.
Theo lay beside you, listening to your soft breathing, shaking his head with a smile.
Not angry. Not jealous. Just hopelessly in love with the girl who clung to him at 5 a.m., glitter still clinging to her hair, and whispered love like it was a secret she couldn’t keep inside.