Wake Up, Sunshine - oneshot series

(2) Sleeping In

more merrikat! (i promise there's variety the next one is different) anyways, trigger warnings are pretty light, mostly fluff but i couldn't help myself: brief mentions of self harm (scratching and such) but it's never explained or graphic

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It's ten in the morning when he wakes. He's disappointed when he finds an empty bed, but then again it is ten in the morning and Zack is never one to stay in later than nine thirty. Even when he's hungover. Sometimes Jack seriously questioned the mental stability of his boyfriend.

Getting up, Jack remembers the night previously. Frowning, he throws on a hoodie (one of Zack's from college that he stole a month into their relationship) and makes his way into the kitchen.

Zack is sitting at the kitchen table, a glass of water and coffee beside him (he always drank water with coffee, "The aftertaste is foul," he'd say) while he was reading on his laptop.

Oh, yeah, and he's shirtless.

Jack laughs, covering his mouth with the oversized sleeve of Zack's hoodie. Immediately, Zack looks up, and an irreplaceable smile breaks onto his face.

"Morning, babe." He opens his arms out, and Jack doesn't hesitate to hug him back, even if he has to crouch to do so. 

Zack ruffles his hair before Jack pulls away. "Watcha readin?"

He leans over the table and to Zack's laptop screen.

"Emails," he says with a sigh. "I've got a lot to do at work. Who knew a promotion would add so much paperwork?" He laughs at his own expensive and runs a hand through his hair. It's still damp from what Jack assumes to be his morning shower.

Frowning, Jack walks over, behind his fiancé, and starts massaging his shoulders. Immediately, Zack relaxes into the chair. Jack rests his chin on top of Zack's head and wraps his arm around his stomach. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"No, no it's alright babe." Zack looks up, locks eyes with Jack for a moment before pulling him in for a quick and soft kiss. "I don't want you to worry about me, you've got enough going on. How are you feeling?"

He knew this conversation was going to be brought up, as much as Jack tried to forget. He shrugs and takes a seat across from Zack, pulling it closer to the table so he can rest his elbows on the wood.

"You know I'd like to talk about it," Zack starts, softly, but firm.

"Yeah and- I'm sorry," he whispers, playing with the ring on his finger.

"I never said to apologize. Why would I be angry?" He laughs to himself, as if Jack needing to say sorry was taboo. "I just wanna know what happened."

"Nothing, really, I swear. I know you're stressed and I felt bad for always getting in your way and I ended up doing it more, huh?" Instinctively, his nails go to his left wrist and try to scratch, but Zack doesn't take a second to grab his hands softly and hold them.

"We've talked about this. I'd drop anything just to make sure you're okay, and yeah, I'm a little stressed, but I'm taking breaks and honestly? Calling off that meeting to take care of you helped a lot, minus- you know- you hurting and all that."

Jack hums, but Zack's words to little to comfort him. Zack notices and lifts his hand to hold the right side of Jack's face. "Hey." Jack looks up to his fiancé's eyes. "I love you, and you're always there to help me, so I'm going to do the same, right? Because that's what people do for the ones they love."

Jack giggles. They've been together for, what, four years? But still, every time Zack says it, that he loves him or they love each other, he still gets a teenagers grin and laughs. Four years later and Zack can still give him butterflies.