you wake up early in the morning, way before chris ever does—six o'clock in the morning. the sun has barely woken up, the sky is a pink horizon glittered with hues of blue. you don't bother to put in your contacts or slip your glasses on, only getting out of bed for a glass of water, which means going upstairs to retrieve one. you walk with quiet feet, avoiding every creak in the stairs, eyes squinted tight to see the best you can in the dark house.

when you reach the kitchen, the lights are completely off. you're navigating the large area from memory, feeling around as you go. you finally get ahold of the sink faucet, feeling around for the handle and turning on the cold water to a light trickle. the sound of water tapping against metal fills the empty kitchen, pushing you to move quicker toward the cabinet that holds the boys' cups. you open the cabinet just a crack, grabbing the first cup your fingers touch before slipping it past the door and closing it with a soft tap. 

you don't notice something interrupting the sound of water hitting the metal sink, but it's hard to ignore now. when you turn to face the sink, you see a tall figure standing before it—messy brown hair, a grey tank top that perfectly hugs his frame, black pajama pants hanging just below his waistline—it's your boyfriend chris. he turns around just as you walk toward him, and he doesn't say anything, presumably too tired to fully function.

without a word, you take two steps and give him a good-morning kiss. he doesn't kiss back like he usually does. instead he tenses up and almost pulls away. when you realize he isn't being affectionate back, you question it. "what's wrong?" you ask quietly, squinting your eyes more to see if there's a look on his face to express what he's feeling. "good morning to you too…" he says with a surprised giggle. not chris, but nick.

you gasp, stepping back in shock. "oh my god! i'm so sorry!" you stammer, mortified that you actually just mistook your boyfriend's brother for him. nick just laughs again, wiping his lips casually with the back of his hand. "it's okay, just didn't know you felt that way toward me," he says sarcastically, turning back around to continue filling his own cup with tap water. 

"seriously, i thought you were chris. i'm so, so sorry." you keep babbling on about how embarrassed and guilty you feel, but it's mostly just going in one ear and out the other. your hands are over your face at this point, cheeks warm against your palms. 

chris walks in, slow and groggy, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "what's up?" he asks to both you and nick. nick just chuckles to himself again, sipping his water without turning around. you aren't sure how to address this or even explain the situation, still too caught up in the insanity of it all. chris steps toward you and pulls you into his chest, kissing your hair. "i missed you in bed, wondered where you went," he mumbles, voice rough with sleep. 

"your girlfriend is in love with me," nick finally says sarcastically, turning around and leaning slightly on the counter. chris laughs, lifting his head from your hair. "what, she try to make out with you or somethin'?" nick just looks away with raised eyebrows, taking another sip from his glass. 

you fully brace yourself for chris to pull away and accuse you, but instead, a laugh erupts from his throat involuntarily. it's loud and from the heart, his arms squeezing just a little tighter around your upper torso. "no way!" he says between chuckles, looking down at your pale face. you can't make eye contact with him, too embarrassed to face this situation head-on. 

when you finally look up at him, even with your lack of vision, you can see the skin crinkle at the corners of his eyes, his cheeks turn red from laughing so much. he isn't upset—this is the most amusing thing he's ever seen: his girlfriend kissing his gay brother, thinking it was him. "stay here," chris says, walking back downstairs, then returning a few minutes later with your glasses placed carefully in his hands.

"here, now you can see who your real boyfriend is," he whispers, pushing the arms of the glasses through your hair and over your ears snugly. when your vision settles behind the lenses, chris's face finally becomes clear. his handsome features meet your gaze and make you forget all of the previous embarrassment from just moments ago.

nick stands on the other side of the kitchen silently, staring at the two of you awkwardly. "well, i'm gonna go back to bed. you two lovebirds have fun." and with that, nick is back upstairs in his bed, while chris tugs your hand toward the stairs. you both end up back under his thick covers, the embarrassment of accidentally kissing his brother long gone now that he's finally holding you again.

ᴀ/ɴ: hiii omg first fic on here! i haven't written in so long so i apologize if this isn't very good. i think this is super cute and im honestly very proud of this considering i haven't written in so long. please give me feedback and honest opinions in the comments!

— faintly , sturnswrld