A big shout out to read-it-out-loud-read-it-out-loud on Tumblr and the B-roll for "Fluffer" for this amazing idea!

The first time it happened innocently.

Completely by accident.

Jess had been perched in the corner of the sectional, one leg tucked in front of her and the other stretched out towards the windows. Nick had walked into the living room with a tub of ice cream and she had made that face of hers. All pouty and sweet, batting her eyes while her curls framed her face. He rolled his eyes and walked towards her, just as she threw her magazine to the side and made little grabby motions with her hands. Sitting down by her outstretched knee, he handed her the spoon and scooted closer to her.

Just for better access to the container, he reasoned.

Before they knew it, they had laughed their way through the entire carton and he leaned over to place it on the coffee table. Just as he was about to stand up, she slid her ice cold hands up under his shirt and he let out a loud scream.

"GAH. Oh my God, STOP!"

He jerked around toward her giggling face and placed his hands on her cheeks. Squealing loudly, she started laughing and attempted to squirm away from his grasp. Pinned into the corner of the couch, she held up her hands and started breathing heavily.

"You win, you win! I surrender!"

Nick's hands trailed onto her shoulders and down her arms as they caught their breath and their laughter died down. She flashed him a smile and her eyes lit up.

"Hey, want to watch something?"

"Sure. Need a blanket?"

She nodded and he looked around, spying one draped on the back of the couch. He grabbed it and started to spread it out. "Mind if I share with ya?"

"Nope. Here..." She grabbed a pillow to her left and placed it in front of her bent leg. "Just lay here, then we can fit."

Shrugging, he pulled the blanket over top of himself, making sure to cover her leg behind his back. He was laying across her entire lap, so that part of the blanket could pool across her body. As he relaxed onto the pillow, he nestled further into her lap and without even realizing it, her fingers found their way into his hair. Gently scraping his scalp, she watched the screen as Nick flicked through the channels, finally settling on an episode of "The Walking Dead".

Nick rolled onto his back, his eyes looking directly up into her face. "Ya gonna be okay, Day?"

She slapped his shoulder and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I can handle it."

He just laughed, pounding his head down on the pillow a few times to get comfortable and drumming his fingers on his chest as he stared at the tv.

A few minutes passed until a scene startled Jess and she jumped.

"Ow!" Nick reached up to grab her wrist, her fingers tightly coiled around his hair. She immediately relaxed her fingers and rubbed his head with the other hand.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!"

He let out a small laugh. "It's okay." Rubbing his fingers along the top of her hand, she relaxed her arm and his fingers wrapped around into her palm. She bit her lip and glanced down at their clasped hands, now resting on his shoulder. Her thumb continued massaging small circles where she had tugged at his hair.

Nick squeezed the hand he was holding as he let out a laugh. "Oh come on. Are they serious?"

Jess swallowed hard, taking shallow breaths, afraid to move too much and have him realize he was still holding on. It felt so...nice. So safe. She felt her fingers relaxing slowly and his hand molded even more to hers.

They stayed that way until the end of the episode.

The second time it happened, it seemed even more natural.

Schmidt and Winston were both out, not to be seen until morning and Nick was sprawled out on the couch. He had actually made an effort to do laundry that day, but got bored right around the time it all started to accumulate in piles on the entire length of one side of the couch. Jess came over smiling, until she saw the clothes covering the only seating left in the room.

"Really, Nick?"

"What?" He glanced at her quickly, before returning his eyes to the tv. "It's laundry day."

"It only counts if it ends up in your drawers at the end."

"No way." He raised his shoulder, leaning on his elbow to look at her. "I check it off the to do list when it comes out clean and dry. Folding is optional."

She scrunched her face. "You have a to-do list?"

He pointed to his head. "It's all up here. I have a fantastic memory. Saves trees."

Jess just rolled her eyes, her voice coming out in that slight whine that for whatever reason had started to have a strange effect on him. Especially when they were alone. Like now. She threw up her arms. "Well, where am I supposed to sit?"

He rubbed the two inches of couch in front of him. "You're tiny. We could totally make this work."

"Yeah," Frustrated, she crossed her arms in front of her, giving him an incredulous look. "Not that tiny."

"Fine then." He just shrugged, spreading out along the cushion with shake of his head. "Your choice."

"Nuh uh. Forget it." She stomped toward the couch and sat down at his waist, pushing her lower back against his stomach. "Squish over. I'm totally laying here too."

"JESS! Quit pushing!"

She gave him another shove and he had to bite the side of his mouth, because her hip grazed his crotch and this was not going to end well. "Move it, mister. Now you have to share." She turned around just long enough to stick out her tongue at him.

"Ugh, fine." Shifting backwards against the cushion, he breath hitched in his throat and she stretched out in front of him. The room went silent and his arm danced back and forth in mid air several times, trying to figure out where to place his hand, until Jess made the decision for him.

"I'm cold. Come here." Reaching behind her, she grappled for his hand and threw it over her waist, settling herself against his chest. Taking a deep breath, he did his best to angle himself away from her. He had to close his eyes and think about everything he could to not completely embarrass himself. Finally, he felt himself start to be in control of his lower half and relaxed.

His voice came out in a strange crackle. "Comfortable?"

"Hmmm. You're so warm and soft, Miller."

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he'd take it. Secretly, he loved spooning, although he'd never admit to it. He could smell her honeysuckle and lavender shampoo as her hair tickled his chin and he tucked his hand just a little tighter under her waist.

To pull her close.

For safety reasons.

So she wouldn't roll off the couch when she fell asleep in a few minutes.

He totally knew how this worked.

After that, they almost got in a regular habit of curling up together. They didn't even care if Winston or Schmidt was in the room with them, it just didn't phase them anymore.

Why would it? It didn't mean anything.

There was only so much comfortable seating at the perfect viewing angle of the television you know.

Platonic spooning was a totally acceptable thing for two friends, two roommates to do, despite Winston's raised eyebrows every time the subject came up.

One night though, it lasted a little longer than either of them had intended.

"Jess." Nick whispered in Jess' ear, the tv screen a bright blue. He tried for about the tenth time to pull his arm out from under her head, but it was half asleep and the way his shoulder was locked into place, he couldn't move without completely dumping her onto the floor. He grabbed her arm a little harder, shaking her gently. "Jess, wake up."

She started to shift and he saw his window to slide his elbow up and straighten his arm above their heads. Unfortunately, the relief he felt distracted him for a second too long. He was about to sit up when Jess just flipped over to face him and clasped her hands at her chest. Snuggling her head against his sweater, right under his chin, she mumbled something about calling dibs on the first shower in the morning and drifted back to sleep.

He could have woken her up.

His arm was free now, so he could have slid out from behind her and gone back to his room.

But he didn't.

He brushed her hair off her face and over her shoulder before laying a quick kiss on her forehead. Resting his hand over hers, he laid his head back down on his arm and drifted off to sleep.

She had told him that she wasn't sleeping well the past few nights and she could use a peaceful night's rest.

She deserved that.

She did.

Maybe he had let it go too far. Maybe he had gotten too used to certain things. He could admit that...to himself.

He hadn't really paid attention to Winston's disapproval until the night he realized that maybe he did enjoy being close to Jess just a little too much. Too much for being just a roommate-slash-friend.

Jess was sitting cross legged on the floor between the coffee table and the couch, a pile of paperwork in front of her. Every once and awhile, she'd grab a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl to her left, and go back to work. Nick had been sitting on the couch behind her, watching a basketball game, when he leaned over top of her and grabbed a handful.

"Nick!" She picked up a few pieces that had fallen on her paperwork and threw it back in the bowl.

"Sorry."

Shaking her head, she went back to work, Nick munching behind her.

After a few more minutes, Nick slid onto the floor behind her and pulled the bowl closer to the edge of the table, within easy reach. "Ya gonna eat all this?"

Shaking her head, he reached out to take the bowl, when her hand snapped across the table and grabbed his wrist. She turned toward him with her stern teacher look, her eyes glaring at him from behind her glasses. "Don't even think about it, Miller."

Laughing, he just shook his head, dropping his hand into the bowl for another handful as she let go and continued with her work. They munched in silence, with Nick wedged on the floor behind her and his back against the couch.

He stayed there for the popcorn.

So he could reach the food.

Jess let out a long sigh, dropping her pen. She brought her right hand to her shoulder, gently pulling at her tense muscles as she craned her neck to the side. Nick glanced over and saw her struggling, so he scooted a few inches to his right, positioning himself within reach of her shoulders and still able to see the game. Brushing the salt off his fingers and onto his jeans, he placed a hand on either shoulder and began to rub firm circles into her muscles with his thumbs. Jess moaned, gradually leaning into him.

His breath was warm on her neck. "Better?"

"Mmmmm, much. Thank you." She replied in blissful whisper. She closed her eyes and relaxed into his touch. "This feels amazing."

His tired fingers slowly ceased their movement and he scratched them up and down her back. "Any time, Day."

As his fingers lingered along the side of her waist, his eyes fell to her neck, exposed by her ponytail. Her left arm was bent so that her fingers lazily played with the whispy strands of hair at the nape of her neck, her collarbone exposed by the wide scooping neckline of her shirt. Her skin looked so soft and smooth that it took all his willpower to not reach out and touch her.

Well, almost.

Without thinking, he reached up and brushed his fingers along her neck, gently sweeping the soft pieces of loose hair as he went. She shuddered under his touch and spun around.

Bright blue eyes wide, she tilted her head and he caught the slightest glimmer of a smile across her lips. He swallowed hard and cleared his throat. "You had a crumb...in your hair."

"Oh." She smiled. "Thanks."

When she turned back around he inhaled a shaky breath and averted his gaze back to the game.

She was just a friend.

Just a roommate.

An incredibly beautiful one that he would kiss at any moment if he could.

Eventually, when he finally took a good, long look at his life and where it was headed, he didn't needed to worry about this sort of thing anymore.

Now it was different.

Jess wandered into the living room in a pair of navy blue pajamas, her hair in a messy bun and glasses high on the bridge of her nose. Nick's face lit up and he smiled.

"Hey, beautiful. What're we watching?"

Flopping down next to him, under the protective curve of his arm now around her shoulders, she curled her legs underneath her and settled into his side. "You choose. I picked last time."

Leaning forward to place his beer on the coffee table, he raised his eyebrows at her as he turned to cup her cheek in his hand and pulled her lips to his for a soft kiss. Falling back against the cushion once again, they smiled at each other and she wrapped her arm tightly around his waist. Flipping the channel to "The Walking Dead", Nick dropped the remote at his side and brought his hand to her arm, gently rubbing his palm against her skin inside her sleeve. Sinking further into his chest, Jess sighed heavily, unable to stifle a yawn.

Nick kissed the top of her head and let out a little laugh. "Guess I'm recording this then?"

Jess rolled her eyes, but squeezed her arm against him. "You know it."

Nick just shook his head and smiled, affection bleeding through every sincere word. "'night Jess. I love you."

"I love you too."