Zak exhaled sharply as he took in the wall of options. He knew this was going to be no easy task. But the doctor had insisted he work glasses into his rotation. All those long hours investigating had finally caught up with his eyes. Peeling contacts off your corneas after being awake for a 24 hour stretch was no picnic. Not to mention the hours spent squinting into small screens and editing endless amounts of footage. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he was getting older. In his mid-twenties something like eye strain would not have even been on his radar. And now here he was, admittedly a few years older, staring at a wall full of glasses he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. He still had his standards though. He'd worked hard to establish his look and he wasn't willing to compromise it. Not even for the sake of his eyes. He definitely wasn't going to wear anything that made him look older. He didn't need a daily reminder of that. Especially not when it seemed like Nick woke up looking younger every day. No. He still wanted to look good.
He stepped back, surveying the wall. Right off the bat he knew he could easily eliminate anything round. He definitely wasn't feeling the Harry Potter vibe. A lot of the options had small frames. Those were easy to eliminate too. Nothing makes your head look bigger than too small glasses. He made his way over to the rectangular options. There was a chance he could make something work. He tried on a few pairs, unable to find something subtle enough that he still looked like himself when he looked in the mirror. And then he wondered if maybe that was the problem. Instead of trying to hide the fact that he was wearing glasses, he needed to choose something bold enough to match his personality. He reached for a pair of black glasses with a chunky frame. The lenses were a lot larger than he expected, making it easy to see without being constantly aware of the frames in his periphery. He looked in the mirror, expecting to look ridiculous. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised. He didn't look half-bad. It was definitely a change, but he still felt like himself. He wondered if Nick would like them. Not that it mattered, they were for his health. But that didn't stop him from skimming the exchange policy pamphlet just in case.
Zak stood at the stove, stirring the sauce for their spaghetti. He had decided to just have the glasses on when Nick got home. It was the only way to get a sincere reaction out of him. A pot of water boiled away next to him. He opened the lid to pour the noodles in and cursed as his glasses fogged over. "Shit." he said, temporarily blinded. He had forgotten about this part of having glasses. He thought about how annoying they were in the rain with all the droplets collecting in his vision. And how when he would walk into a warm house after being out in the cold, he'd be assaulted by the same fog he was currently wiping from his lenses. Definitely not sexy. He couldn't help but think maybe this was a bad idea and he should just go put in his contacts. But he heard keys jingling in the door and figured it was too late to turn back.
"Honey, I'm home!" Nick called. Zak couldn't help but smile. Nick used to say that ironically, but at some point he'd settled into it.
"In the kitchen!" Zak called back, suddenly nervous. He knew it was dumb. They were just glasses. But he half expected Nick to bust out laughing at the sight of him. He kept his back turned to the doorway, stirring the noodles as they cooked.
"mmm…" Nick said, hanging his coat over the kitchen chair, "Smells so good in here."
"Oh good. It'll be done in a few minutes." Zak said continuing to stir diligently. He could feel Nick's eyes on his back. Probably wondering why Zak wouldn't look him in the eye.
"Hey?" Nick said. And Zak could hear him walking over. "Don't I get a kiss?" He felt Nick's hands grab either side of his waist before wrapping his arms around Zak's middle. Nick paused as his head came to rest on Zak's shoulder. "What the fuck?" He said, surprised. Zak could have died in that moment. He felt his face flush red with self-consciousness as he waited for Nick to laugh. Instead, he felt strong hands spin him around. A strange look washed over Nick's face as he took in the sight.
"Zak...wow." Nick managed.
"Do you hate them?" Zak asked, feeling a new wave of redness crawl up his neck at Nick's stare.
"Are you kidding? You look hot, babe." Nick said, bringing a hand to brush the older man's cheek. "I think I'm just now realizing I have a thing for librarians." Zak cracked a smile, slightly embarrassed but happy with Nick's reaction.
"You really like them? Because according to the exchange policy, I have a week to decide." Zak said quickly. He had hardly finished his sentence when Nick grabbed his face with both hands, slamming their lips together forcefully. He pushed Zak backward, smashing them both into the stove. Water from the boiling pot splashed out, making contact with the fire below, sizzling loudly. He continued to kiss Zak needily, running his tongue along the roof of his mouth as his hands raked up Zak's back. Breathing heavily, he pulled away.
"Do not return those glasses." Nick practically growled. Although he would never admit it, Zak was quite literally weak in the knees. Whether it was from the kiss, the tone of Nick's voice or some combination of the two, he wasn't sure. But he was grateful for Nick's arms around him, giving him something to lean on. Nick gave a quick slap to Zak's ass before releasing him. "I'm gonna go wash up before dinner." He said, casually walking out of the kitchen.
Oh, these glasses were staying.