Work Text:
Joe had never been a morning person because he loved to sleep. In fact, sleeping was his second-favourite thing in the world, because Nicky was number one on that list.
When Joe woke this morning, he felt a bit groggy. After stretching his long body, he patted the other side of the bed, only to find that Nicky was gone, something he knew very well, because on Mondays Nicky always had an early shift at work.
To fight the loneliness in bed, Joe took Nicky's pillow and held it close as he took in the faint scent of Nicky's hair shampoo with bubblegum that still lingered on the pillow. Often, Joe would lovingly tease Nicky that a grown man shouldn't wash his hair in shampoo that smelled like bubblegum, but if you asked Joe, it was one of the best smells in the entire world.
Joe peeked at the alarm clock on Nicky's bedside table. It said 11.55 AM, so he closed his eyes for a second, hugging the pillow even closer, when he suddenly sat up. If the clock said 11.55 AM, he knew he was late for his 8 AM meeting.
After putting Nicky's pillow back in its place, Joe got up in a hurry, but because he wasn't watching where he was stepping, he stepped on the cat's tail, which hissed before taking a swing at his leg with its talons, and, as usual, the cat hit its mark, and Joe let out a small cry of pain.
"I'm sorry, Rosa," Joe said. "I'll make it up to you later."
Rosa jumped up on the bed and looked over her shoulder at Joe with a look that said: "Idiot!!"
"One day," Joe said. "We need to talk about your murder plans against me."
When Joe started dating Nicky a decade ago in their early twenties, Rosa had already been in Nicky's life for five years. Nicky had rescued Rosa from drowning as a kitten after someone dropped her in a pond. And when Joe came along, Rosa made it very clear to everyone that she only tolerated Joe as long as Nicky was there. The rest of the time, Joe was pretty sure the cat was plotting his murder because of the way she was looking at him. To Joe, that look the cat gave him reminded him of something you would find in a horror movie, and he knew from years of watching horror movies that it was a sure sign that someone would die one day, and that someone would be him.
Joe watched Rosa make herself at home on his side of the bed with a smug look on her face when he suddenly remembered he was late for work.
"If I weren't in a hurry," Joe said. "We would also be talking about that, too."
Because Joe didn't have the time to look in the wardrobe for clean clothes, he picked up a shirt and a pair of jeans from the floor. After taking a sniff at the clothes, which he deemed clean enough, he got dressed while thinking his Mother would be truly impressed if she knew he could get dressed in under a minute. After taking one last look at himself in the mirror, he left the bedroom and stumbled down the hallway because he was trying to put on the socks and shoes at the same time.
When Joe passed the kitchen, he saw Nicky busy baking, which was strange because Nicky usually wouldn't be home on a Monday. But Joe's mind couldn't process what he saw because his stomach was distracted by the yummy baked goods on the table.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Nicky said with a smile. "Sleep well?"
"Yes," Joe replied. "Bedhead?"
Joe took what he suspected was a cinnamon bun, but when he bit into it, he could taste that Nicky had added something very Christmasy in the cream or whatever Nicky called it.
"Nicely tousled as always," Nicky replied with a smile. "Do they taste good?"
"They are so good," Joe replied. "Have you added something new to the mix because they taste very Christmasy?"
"Yes, well spotted," Nicky replied. "I have added some Christmas spices and orange zest to the dough."
Joe ate the rest of the bun before licking his fingers.
"A wonderful creation," Joe praised. "That was why I married you, because of your baking skills."
"And I who thought you married me for my skills in bed," Nicky smirked. "Well, since you married me for my baking skills, I guess that means I have to sleep next to the stove for the rest of my life like Cinderella. I wonder if I can get some mice to make me a dress."
Joe laughed as he pulled Nicky in for a kiss.
"I also married you for your skills in bed," Joe said. "In fact, I married you for all the skills you have."
"Good to know," Nicky replied. "Kiss me again."
Joe was happy to obey and kissed Nicky again. Suddenly, Joe saw that the oven clock read 12.10 PM.
"I'm really sorry that I have to stop kissing you, but I have a meeting that I'm already way too late for," Joe said, looking really sad. "Why didn't you wake me?"
Before Nicky could say something, Joe sprinted towards the front door, and when he opened it, he got hit by a snowstorm.
"To answer your question: Because of the snowstorm," Nicky said as he leaned up against the door frame. "Do you mind closing the front door so Rosa won't get outside?"
"Of course," Joe replied. "How long will the snowstorm last?"
Joe closed the front door and kicked off his shoes while taking off his jacket.
"According to the hot meteorologist on the telly," Nicky replied with a smirk. "Your words, not mine."
On the day they first met, Joe had talked about the new meteorologist on the telly to some of his work colleagues at the exact moment Nicky had walked into the office with a box of doughnuts. It was still something Nicky, lovely, teased Joe with to this day.
"I'm still sorry that I said it out loud and that you heard it," Joe said. "Trust me, I stopped thinking of the meteorologist as hot the moment I saw you because you're way hotter than he ever will be."
Nicky kissed Joe on his nose before returning to the kitchen with Joe in tow.
"Thanks," Nicky replied. "The meteorologist said the snowstorm will last a day or two, which means you're snowed in with me."
"I would rather be snowed in at home with you than at the office," Joe replied. "I don't think I could survive a day without you."
Nicky smiled before taking another tray of baked goods out of the oven.
"I feel the same way," Nicky replied. "Could I ask you to get a jar of strawberry jam from the basement?"
"On it," Joe replied. "Do you need anything else?"
Nicky shook his head, and it took less than a minute to get the jar. Five minutes later, they sat down to eat lunch.
"I'm glad I'm married to a prepper," Joe said. "Because if I had still been single, I would have starved in this snowstorm."
"No, you wouldn't", Nicky replied. "As I recall it, you had an entire wardrobe filled with instant noodles."
"Oh, yeah, that's true," Joe replied. "But I have to say, it's more romantic to sit here eating your baked goods with you during a snowstorm than sitting all by myself and eating those noodles."
"I can only agree," Nicky replied. "And there is something romantic about being snowed in with you."
Joe kissed Nicky.
"Just so you know it," Joe said. "I have big plans to make it even more romantic than it already is."
"I don't doubt it," Nicky replied. "Incurable romantic."
"That's me," Joe replied with a smile. "Do you have any plans of making pierogis?"
"Next on my list," Nicky replied. "While I make them, could I ask you to change the bed linen and start a wash?"
Joe suddenly remembered Rosa lying on his side of the bed.
"Yes, of course," Joe replied. "But could I ask you for a small favour first before I change the bed linen?"
Nicky nodded.
"It's Rosa," Joe said. "Could I ask you to remove her first?"
Nicky chuckled.
"Did you two fight again?" Nicky asked. Joe nodded. "Is it not about time you two became friends?"
"It's a work in progress," Joe replied. "But we do agree about one thing, and that is that we both love you."
They walked into the bedroom and found Rosa sleeping on Joe's pillow.
"You know what, Joe?" Nicky asked. Joe shook his head. "I think Rosa likes you."
"If that's the case," Joe replied. "Why is she still plotting my murder?"
"She isn't doing that, and you know it," Nicky replied. "The way she acts has to do with what happened to her as a kitten."
"I know, Babe," Joe replied. "Still working on earning her trust. Do you think that if I feed her salmon every day, it will help our relationship?"
"You can try," Nicky replied. "Come here, Rosa. It's about time for lunch for you."
Nicky picked up Rosa without a problem, and she started to purr. While being carried out of the bedroom, Rosa looked at Joe with a smug look on her face.
"You win this round, Rosa," Joe said. "Enjoy your lunch."
A few hours later, Nicky walked into the living room to the sight of candles on every surface.
"This is so beautiful, Joe," Nicky said. "I love it."
Nicky kissed Joe.
"Thanks," Joe replied. "Now, sit down on the couch while I get our dinner."
Nicky nodded and sat down on the couch before he took one of the blankets and placed it over him. Seconds later, Rosa crawled under the blanket and settled down on Nicky's legs. Joe looked at the cat under the blanket before handing Nicky a bowl with pierogis.
"Thank you," Nicky said. "I'm glad Rosa was inside when the snowstorm started."
"So am I," Joe replied. "I know she loves her adventures, but she is getting too old to be staying outside in the cold."
"Yeah, I know she is getting old," Nicky replied. "I just hope she will be around for many years to come."
"You don't need to worry about that," Joe replied. "As long as there is still salmon on the menu, the cat will outlive us all."
Yeah, Nicky might spoil Rosa a bit, but he did the same thing with Joe, so he couldn't see the problem, because to him, spoiling was a way to show someone your love for the person.
"Yes, you're right," Nicky replied. "So, what are we watching?"
"One of our favourites," Joe replied. "The Muppets' Christmas Carol."
Nicky smiled and watched Joe turn on the movie before he sat down on the couch next to Nicky. After getting under the blanket, Joe took his bowl of pierogis, and they ate their dinner while watching the movie.
"I need a bathroom," Nicky said. "Should I bring snacks?"
"Nah, leave that to me," Joe replied. "I need to stretch my legs."
When Joe returned to the living room, he found Rosa curled up on his blanket, asleep.
"Rosa," Joe said. "For Nicky's sake, could you please stick around for a bit longer. I promise to feed you all the salmon you can eat if you do it."
Rosa looked briefly at Joe before closing her eyes again, and Joe took that as a yes from her side.
"So," Nicky said. "What are we watching next?"
"I think there is a Christmas baking show on one of the channels," Joe replied. "How does that sound?"
"Perfect," Nicky replied. "Maybe I can get some new inspiration for my bakes."
They curled up on the couch, and just after midnight, they went to bed. After curling up together, they kissed before they fell asleep in each other's arms. Around 5 AM, Joe couldn't ignore his bladder anymore and went to the bathroom. When Joe returned to the bedroom again, he found Rosa sleeping on his pillow.
"Seriously, Rosa?" Joe asked. "And where did you expect me to sleep?"
Rosa looked in the direction of the end of the bed.
"Not going to happen," Joe said. "Enjoy the pillow."
Because Nicky had a habit of sleeping in the middle of the bed, Joe lay down behind him and used Nicky as a wall between Joe and Rosa. It didn't take long before Joe was sleeping again.