#nick lardis fluff

“Hey, baby,” his smile faltered when he saw your expression, “you okay?”

“Yeah,” you said, your exhaustion clear in your voice, “just had a bad day.”

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked, because of course he would. He was always so sweet and attentive like that.

You shook your head, knowing yourself well enough to know that discussing these kinds of things wouldn’t help.

“Okay,” there was still a slightly concerned look on his face, “can I just hold you? Would that help?”

You couldn’t even bring yourself to answer, you just moved to him and collapsed into his arms. He caught you easily, wrapping his arms tight around you.

“I got you, babe,” he pressed a kiss to the top of your head, “do you need anything else before we go lay down?”

“Advil,” you mumbled, still desperate to get rid of your headache.

Nick kept a secure arm around you as he led you into the kitchen. He retrieved two pills and refilled your water bottle. You couldn’t help but smile a little when he helped you take the pills and held the water bottle up to your lips so you could take a drink.

“Thank you,” you whispered.

He smiled down at you, “you’re welcome.”

Another kiss was planted to the top of your head and then he was leading you down the hallway and into the bedroom.

“I love you,” the words slipped from your mouth easily as your boyfriend pulled you under the warm sheets with him.

His lips met yours in a soft kiss, “I love you too.”

You tucked your head into his chest and let your eyes slip closed. He tightened his hold on you, rubbing your back in soothing circles.

You didn’t even realize that you fell asleep until you woke up to a dark room and an empty bed. After stretching out your limbs, you looked over at the clock and realized two hours had passed. Just then, the smell of food hit you, a smell so wonderful that your mouth started watering. You immediately got up from the bed and headed for the kitchen to investigate.

The sight you found stopped you dead in your tracks.

Your boyfriend, who you’d never actually seen cook before, was plating what appeared to be your favorite meal. It took him a few seconds to notice your presence, but once he did, his face broke out into a smile.

“Hey, sleepyhead. You hungry? I made your favorite.”

For a second, all you could do was stare at the plates of food on the counter in front of him. Your favorite dish sat there, seemingly perfectly prepared.

You finally looked up at him, your eyes wide and teary, “Nick,” you whispered his name in complete awe.

His face fell, “what? Is this not your favorite anymore?”

“No, it’s-” you laughed tearfully, “it looks perfect, it’s just… you’re so sweet. You really did this just for me.”

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “of course I did. It really wasn’t even that hard, you have the recipe bookmarked in your cookbook.”

You smiled, “I love you so much.”

“Come here,” he pulled you into his arms, “I love you too,” the kiss he gave you was deep and tender, “let’s eat, yeah? You can tell me if I did a good job cooking.”

The two of you sat down at the table and Nick set a plate in front of each of you.

“Try it,” he encouraged.

You could tell by the way he was sitting there that he was eager to get your reaction to his cooking. So, with a smile, you picked up your fork and took a bite. His eyes stayed glued to your face as you chewed, watching for any hint of what you were thinking.

He saw the exact moment your eyes lit up and your smile transformed from curious to excited, “you like it?” he asked curiously.

You nodded, swallowing the bite, “it’s perfect, babe,” you licked your lips, “thank you so much for this. You’re so thoughtful.”

“You’re welcome,” he shook his head a little, “but it’s really nothing.”

You leaned across the table to plant a wet kiss on his cheek before you both continued eating.

After dinner, he insisted on doing the dishes himself, even after you offered to help. So while he cleaned, you moved to sit on the couch and wait for him.

He had that sweet smile on his face when he finally came to sit next to you, “you feeling any better?” He slung an arm around you and pulled your legs across his lap.

“Yeah,” you answered softly, leaning into his touch.

“Good,” he kissed your forehead, “I love you.”

“I love you too, so much,” you pulled him in for a real kiss, “will you hold me all night?”

“Of course I will.”