A little something from the Cooler episode. This is my first foray into New Girl fanfic. After this I will be back in Bones fic, where my comfort level allows me to breathe easier than this ficlet did.
Thanks for the help, Jena.
And to my Nick Miller girls...I want him Sundays and Wednesdays. You can fight amongst yourselves about the rest.
She uses the most ridiculous toothpaste. He's teased her about it before because it's absurd. She's a grown woman and her toothpaste is pink and sparkly and bubblegum flavored. She's always defended herself because she likes her toothpaste and adult toothpaste taste likes mint, and mint is boring and unfun.
Secretly, he's always liked that she uses that stupid toothpaste. The writer in him thinks it describes her perfectly: silly and sweet and whimsical and full of sparkle.
When he thinks back on this moment, this instant, when he lost a trench coat and gained some courage, he will remember the taste of that toothpaste.
It's strawberry, and the minute he has it against his lips he needs more. So he takes it.
They catch fire right away and any fear that she would reject him disappears when she gives as good as she gets.
Strawberry bubblegum.
He wants to lift her, to hold her in his arms completely and back her against the wall. He wants to feel her pinned to him, because this kiss is good, but it's almost not enough. They could be so much more than they've dared to let on. She said she needed him and while he knows this isn't what she was saying, he thinks, maybe, it was a little bit what she meant. So he almost does it. He almost backs her into that wall to go for broke.
Almost.
But there's something stopping him. A tug. A doubt.
So he doesn't do what he really wants, but he can't quite stop what he is doing either, so he keeps kissing her.
Over.
And over.
And over.
Strawberry bubblegum.
Until he remembers.
He's not this guy. He is not Trench Coat Nick. He's just Nick. He's a mess, she's not alone and he should probably stop while he still can.
He pulls away.
But he can't stay away.
Strawberry bubblegum.
Hot and heavy was good, but there is more than that. There is more he wants to tell her.
So he kisses her again.
Soft.
Sweet.
Just one more kiss. One more taste of strawberry bubblegum.
It's better than the first time around. Different. Less fire, more…promise.
He's still got her in his arms, but backs away, just a little, to look at her.
A few seconds pass, just a beat or two and he knows she won't say a word. It's hard to render Jessica Day speechless, but the look on her face tells him he's done exactly that. So he fills the silence for her.
"I meant something like that."
He lets go and walks away. A little because if he stays, he can't be responsible for what he might do. Her lips are swollen, her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are wild and he did that to her. He did that.
And he wants to do it again. Plus more.
But he also leaves her alone in the hall out of fear.
Because he's tasted her now and he can't go back to faking it anymore.
He doesn't even think he wants to.
This means something. They are something.
He's shown his hand now but he can't know what she'll do with it.
But he knows he's addicted to strawberry bubblegum.
And her.