PRETTY BOY - sapnap.

V. REAL LIFE.

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MORNING LIGHT STREAMED IN through the windows, making the kitchen even brighter than it was before. The sunlight made the plants look healthier then they actually were, and the sunlight illuminated Morgan's soft features as he stood in the kitchen. 

He silently thought over the recipe, trying to decide where the ingredients would be found within the pantry and fridge. Even though he might've bought and put away the groceries, it didn't mean he knew where they were. Which was slightly annoying, considering that Nick would be waking up in approximately forty-five minutes. 

Which wasn't a particularly long time considering how slow Morgan was at cooking. Which also reflected how bad he was at cooking. He still had burn marks from the last time he tried cooking at his mom's house, which he examined almost every day in order to make sure they hadn't miraculously gotten infected. But that didn't matter- he needed make breakfast, and he needed to do it now. How else was he supposed to apologize for interrupting Nick's stream, and then causing speculation on whether a very straight man had a boyfriend or not. 

Morgan opened the pantry and looked through it, avoiding moving the five boxes of cereal lined up against the side of it. Eventually he found the pancake mix, and when he checked the instructions written on the side of the box, he decided it couldn't be that hard to make. 

Right?

The first part of the recipe went well, for all of it was mixing and measuring stuff, which he was pretty good at. The biggest mistake he made was accidentally letting an eggshell piece drop into the mixture, and he easily fished it out. 

Then came the actual cooking part of it. 

It's safe to say that Morgan was terrible at cooking on stoves. Absolutely fucking terrible when it came to cooking on stoves. But he had to try. For Nick. And for his own reassurance. 

He hesitantly poured the mixture onto the buttered pan which he'd left on the stove heating for a good four minutes or so. He quickly fixed the position of it so it stopped pouring once he thought enough had gotten onto it. He watched carefully as it spread, and once the edges turned golden brown, he decided he needed to flip it so the other side became just as cooked. 

He grabbed the spatula and carefully put it under, silently muttering prayers that it wouldn't be burned on the other side. Once he did manage to flip it, he found some relief in finding out that only a tiny portion was burned. Finally he finished it, and carefully slid it off the pan onto a plate, satisfied and perfectly fine.

That is until the side of his hand skimmed the rim of the pan, burning him. Morgan hissed in pain before running towards the sink and running his hand under the cold tap water. He kept it under there for the next few moments until Nick finally came out of his room, hair combed neatly and looking more awake than ever. 

"You're up early," Nick mumbled, before making eye contact with the plate that had a pancake on it. He eyed it suspiciously. "You made that? You sure you didn't sneak Daniel in so he could cook it for you?"

"I cooked it myself, without burning the building down," Morgan said proudly, moving his hand so he could lean against the countertop, but wincing when the burn made contact with it. 

Nick nodded. "I'm proud of you. Could I see you hand really quickly though? I just want to make sure that there were no accidents."

Morgan's stomach dropped. He laughed nervously, hoping to ease the slight tension that had filled the air. Nick made eye contact with him, demanding that he stop avoiding the inevitable. Morgan allowed Nick to inspect it while he avoided making more eye contact, and with every soft touch from Nick's slightly calloused fingers, a small buzz of something warm ran through his body. 

Carefully, his roommate's fingers circled around one specific burn. The new one. 

"Did you get this today?" Nick asked, even though he already knew. It was bright red and not as faded as the other ones which decorated his hand. 

Morgan nodded. Yes.

The brunette sighed. "See, this is why I don't trust you around a stove. Or cooking at all, for that matter." Nick looked up at his roommate. "We can go to the pharmacy and get Neosporin. And we also need groceries. Just a few though, since we're pretty much alway getting takeout."

Both hesitantly pulled away from each other, and they quickly went around the apartment grabbing what they would need when they went out. 

Soon enough, they were in the car driving towards the grocery store, other vehicles passing by them as they drove. They sat calmly, music playing in the background. It was peaceful, quiet. 

Nick suddenly spoke interrupting the quiet. "I'm sorry if the past few days have been hectic for you. I know that sometimes my followers can be a little bit crazy, and I can't imagine what it's been like with them suspecting that we're- you know- dating."

"It's fine," Morgan smiled. "I enjoy the few extra followers that I've gained from it."

"Are you using me for clout?" Nick asked jokingly, making Morgan pout. The brunette looked over at him and chuckled a little bit. "You're cute."

And for whatever reason, Morgan felt butterflies in his stomach. But he decided to ignore it. Because it was nothing. Absolutely nothing

(As per usual, Morgan was wrong.)

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
i had myself convinced this chapter
was 2000 words but it's actually 929 😔