Nick and Jess.
It gradually becomes less Nick and Jess and more Nick-and-Jess and finally NickandJess.
It's somewhere around the time that it becomes Nick-and-Jess (and after uncalling it for the second time) that they stop sweating the small things. Instead of worrying about Nick seeing her while she's sick, Jess thinks he better take care of her and bring her soup (granted, he'd done that since before they were even dating). She's not intimidated by him seeing her less sexy undergarmets anymore. He doesn't fret not being good enough for her anymore, even in his moments of doubt.
And somehow all this just makes their relationship even better. They're comfortable and connected in a way neither of them have really been with anyone else before.
It's been over a year and sure, there have been some bumps in the road (some pebbles and even a pothole of a breakup), but here they are, eighteen months later, together.
Jess knows this is serious. She's also well aware that despite the fact that Sadie told her she has a ridiculous amount of eggs, she's getting older. She knows that she and Nick can't spend forever stuck in a stalemate, here. They either go forward, or if moving forward isn't in the future, they better cut their ties now.
Unfortunately, neither making decisions like this or taking action are not Nick's strong suits. She's come to deal with this, work around it.
She's well aware she's probably going to have to be the one to give them that push. However, part of her fears that she might just push him right out the door if she does it the wrong way.
Gradually, Nick finds himself living out of Jess's room. She usually wakes before he does, especially when he works the night shifts. Even when he doesn't, his days don't have to start as early as hers. Sometimes he wakes to eat breakfast with her, but not always (sometimes she doesn't even eat breakfast herself) and therefore, they begin to spend their nights together in Jess's room so that in the morning she's able to get up and find her things when getting ready for work. Eventually, Nick's things start showing up in her room: his cell phone charger, his deodorant, his pajamas, a hoodie, an extra t-shirt or two. Then their laundry starts mixing together and one day Jess just washes some of his shirts with her clothes and when she folds the laundry, she simply brings his stuff into her room and stores it there and then it never seems to leave again.
Eventually they're a couple, living together, with two roommates.
Though they never really speak about it, they both know that the idea of leaving Schmidt and Winston is a little painful.
Nick almost moved out with Caroline once, but somehow that was different. That was him, moving in with his girlfriend. In this case he and Jess, both of them, are part of this weird sort of family and they know they're going to break it up. And since both of them understand this family dynamic, are a part of it, neither of them really push the other into leaving like an outsider might do.
Nick is taking management courses now. Jess, Winston and Schmidt had all supported him right away. Schmidt immediately began talking to him about the perks of owning his own bar and that he could help him scout locations and find reliable employees. Instead of panicking, Nick just told him "One step at a time!"
It's summer, when it happens.
Jess is in the loft. She's teaching summer school, but summer school is only half days so she finds herself home early, having the loft to herself for a few hours, most days.
She'd been clicking around on Facebook, looking at yet another of her childhood friends' wedding photos and baby pics of the second child of one of her high school classmates. I'm not going to push him, she reminds herself. At the same time, though, she wonders if that means he'll never make a move.
She resists the urge to look at wedding dresses, something she indulges in from time to time. She knows the dress she wants already – well, the style, at least – and what dresses she wants her bridesmaids to wear. And it's not just any wedding dress, it's her wedding dress for her wedding to Nick. She knows that because she chooses one that she knows is one Nick will like.
Just then, Nick comes bounding into the loft, seemingly excited about something. He grins at her and then glances around to see who else is there.
"Hey –" she begins, amused by his appearance, but he cuts her off right away.
"Shane is leaving," he tells her breathlessly. Well, she thinks, this is good news for her, but she's surprised he's so happy about it. See ya, Shane! She's feeling a little stupid for some petty jealousy, but then again she has to pat herself on the back for letting Nick go to work with freaking Shane for the past year and a half they've been together without an issue. Even though she hates Shane.
And okay, maybe there was that one issue, but –
"I'm the new manager!" he interrupts her thoughts and she's shaken because she's been so in her own head she hadn't really had a chance to process what he was saying.
"What? Nick! That's amazing!" she squeals and throws her arms around him in a hug. He hugs her back, but it almost seems half-hearted and then he's gone, heading towards – his room? When the heck does he ever go in there anymore?
She's so confused now, she really doesn't see the next thing coming. He comes back into the living room and tells her, "I couldn't have done it without you. You inspire me to be better."
"I don't need you to be better," she reminds him.
"I know. But I want to be. Because you make me realize I have potential. And I've put more effort into our relationship than I ever have any other because you inspire me. You make me happy. You make me want to get the most out of life."
"Nick… " she says softly, touched by his words, and then the real shocker comes.
"Marry me?" he asks her and for the first time she notices he's pulled a ring out of his pocket (no box, of course… this is Nick Miller, after all!) and her head is spinning and she's really taken by surprise at all of this. I was just thinking about my wedding dress. And now I actually need one and then she realizes that she's thinking as if this is a done deal but she's yet to say anything.
"Yes!" she exclaims, and it surprises her how relieved she is – relieved that he's ready for this, too.
He puts the ring on her finger and she's still not sure this is really happening. When the hell did he get a ring? How long has he been thinking about this? What is going on?
Nick is laughing, and she frowns, then he says, "It was my grandmother's. I've had it for a year." Suddenly she realizes she has said her last thoughts aloud. Get a grip, Jess. You're acting nuts.
He kisses her and she kisses him back, furiously. He breaks the kiss suddenly and she whines a little bit.
"Sorry… this is not how I meant to do this," he tells her. "I was just… so ready for it."
"Me too," she tells him and kisses him again.
They finally face the music: they have to move out.
Schmidt and Winston have seen it coming, so they're not so surprised. In fact, Schmidt is in pretty deep with Cece himself, so it's only a matter of time before he makes the same choice. But it's still hard on all of them to know their little foursome is coming to an end.
Nick and Jess move into their own apartment a few months later.
They find it hilarious to joke about living together. "I hope we can hack it," Nick says.
"I'm worried I'm going to find you obnoxious when you're around all the time," Jess jokes.
"I wonder if you have any annoying habits," Nick teases.
"It's better we live together before we get married so we can try it out," Jess reasons and they both cackle at that one.
The biggest adjusting they have to do is learn how to live without Schmidt keeping things running smoothly, not how to live with each other.
Jess isn't surprised that Nick isn't the neatest. Nick isn't surprised that Jess is a morning person and sings all throughout the apartment before the sun is even up. Jess isn't annoyed to find things fancy fixed. Nick doesn't take offense to the arts and crafts projects Jess tries out at home before doing a lesson with her class. Jess knows Nick can't cook. Nick knows Jess snores. They already know that it's her job to load the dishwasher and his to empty it.
Instead, the adjustments they have to make are realizing they have the entire place to themselves. They can make out without getting caught. They can have sex with their bedroom door open. They can have sex on the couch! if they want to (which, they do). Hell, they can even have sex in the kitchen without getting caught or feeling guilty that their roommates have to use that space, too.
"Hey, when we have kids," Jess says one day, "It'll just be like going back to having roommates." He laughs.
Schmidt makes the best man toast at their wedding (Winston is a best man, too. But Schmidt thinks he's the best man, since Cece is Maid of Honor and how perfect is that! We're going to hook up anyway!). Winston gladly gives Schmidt the privilege of making the first, main speech. Ever since Walt's funeral Winston hasn't really had a desire to get up and speak in front of a crowd.
On this day, everything is less NickandJess and it's all Nicholas and Jessica, and even Schmidt's toast follows this pattern.
"Nicholas and Jessica," he says. "What a couple. You know, Nick, if I recall, I was the one that pushed for Jess to move in. You're welcome." The crowd laughs at this and Schmidt continues. "What I think is amazing about these two is that they've lived together for as long as they've known each other. They've never known each other a day without living together. And they will never know each other without living together. From the moment Jessica Day moved in with us, she and Nick would never live apart again. I think that's a true testament to how strong their love is. They had every chance in the world to get sick of each other and instead they fell in love. I have no doubt they will be living together, happily, for the rest of their lives."
It's a nice speech, especially given that Schmidt is the one giving it – they can't even ask for any money in the jar today.
They are happy. Things are smooth sailing for their first year of marriage.
They have a little girl in their second year of marriage.
Oddly enough, as Jess had joked, living together as a couple with roommates had prepared them for this. The struggle to get private time together, other people's needs for their attention, the constant chaos around them.
They want to have two kids. "A Schmidt and a Winston," Jess had said, and Nick made a definite turtle face at that.
"Please, do not refer to any of our kids as a Schmidt, ever. Existent or not."
Two years later, they have twins.
It's just enough of a kink in their plans to keep their life from getting too easy.