Zippers or laces?

Sarah tilted her head as she contemplated her wardrobe. Her boots would be cute with her jeans and top, but her converse would be more comfortable. Boots were quicker to put on though... She heard the shower turn off and knew Connor would be out to get dressed in a minute. Despite the fact that he had gotten home forty minutes after she had, he would still somehow manage to get ready before her.

Boots.

Boots were quicker.

Then she just needed to fix her hair.

The door to the bathroom clicked open just as Sarah finished zipping her boots in place. She could actually beat him this time. She glanced up in time to see Connor rotate his shoulder as if it were stiff, a pained grimace skewing his features before he ambled toward the dresser.

Sarah frowned, "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Connor hummed before meeting her gaze. His brow was furrowed faintly. His eyes doing a squint that she knew well, "'M fine. What time's the movie?"

"Starts in an hour," Sarah murmured.

She moved to his side, briefly ignoring his curious gaze as she smoothed a hand over his belly. The bristle strands of his happy trail tickled her palm, but she barely noticed as she studied his chest and arms, "What's wrong with your shoulder?"

Connor smiled in a way that was supposed to be reassuring, but merely put Sarah on alert, "It's just a little tight. I'll take some aspirin and be fine."

"And you've had your headache for how long?" Sarah pressed, crossing her arms.

Connor blinked, "How -?"

"You have headache face." Sarah answered before he could finish, "How long?"

"I don't know. Since lunch." He answered as he silently pondered what headache face looked like, "Aspirin. I'll be fine."

His response only made Sarah scoff, "How many aspirin have you taken already?"

Connor stifled a sigh as he tried to avoid her knowing gaze, "More than two less than ten."

"Yeah, okay. I suppose that you also ate something besides that danish from breakfast?" Sarah asked dryly, not really expecting an answer. She knew he had back-to-back operations that day. When Connor got busy he usually only scrounged from the vending machines if he had the time. He accused her of not taking care of herself, but really... he was just as bad.

Connor wisely kept silent as he arched a weary brow at her, "As fun as this is, I would like to get dressed. We can grab a quick dinner before the movie."

Yeah... that wasn't going to happen.

Sarah had made the mistake of letting Connor power through one of his headaches once, believing him when had said he'd be fine once he took some Tylenol and had gotten something to eat. He had proceeded to become more withdrawn and snappish before eventually, his headache had evolved into a migraine that had him abed for several days. She had no desire to witness a repeat of that again. Especially since his grumpiness tended to trigger hers.

She reached behind her and deftly pulled open the dresser drawer that contained his underwear and, without looking, snagged a pair and pressed it to his chest before moving back to the bed.

Connor watched her suspiciously, leery of how easily she was letting this go. Except she wasn't, he realized. Sarah sat down on the corner and began removing her boots, "Babe?"

"Hmm?" Sarah hummed.

"What're you doing?"

"Changing." She answered lightly, gently placing her boots at the foot of the bed. She came back to his side and grabbed a pair of her sleep shorts from her side of the dresser. Connor still stood in his towel, watching her.

"Sarah, it's date night." Connor said tiredly, "We made plans."

She shrugged, "And I'm changing them. I'll heat up the leftovers in the fridge while you lie down."

"The movie..." He lamented. They hadn't been able to go out in almost two months. He hadn't wanted to ruin that and yet...

"Wasn't anything special," Sarah said. She gave him a small smile, "Besides I like cuddling up to you on our couch and watching movies more. You're my favorite pillow."

"Sarah..." Connor sighed, though he couldn't deny the subtle warmth that filled his chest.

"You're tired. Your head hurts. Your arm's stiff – probably from hunching over the surgery table all day. Tell me, do you really want to sit in a theatre with a hundred strangers watching a movie with a deafening soundtrack and craning your neck at the screen?" Sarah asked gently.

Connor chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment as he felt the dull throb of his headache and the irritating twinge of shoulder travel up his neck. He could muscle through it... His head throbbed harder at the thought of the theatre, "Sounds like Hell, honestly."

"See." Sarah said as she finished changing, "Go lay down. I'll bring you a plate."

She disappeared down the hall as Connor huffed affectionately. An odd mix of disappointment and relief welled in him as he threw on a pair of sweats. He had been looking forward to date night, but Sarah was right – he really wasn't up for it.

His bed felt like a cloud as he finally lay down, and he swore his muscles groaned in contentment. He toyed with the idea of turning on the tv, but he couldn't be bothered to reach for the remote. Maybe he was more tired than he had thought.

The clink of a glass being placed on his nightstand startled him. Connor's eyes flew open, not realizing he had started to doze.

Sarah winced, smiling regretfully at him, "Sorry, I was trying not to disturb you."

"How long was I out?" Connor asked. He blinked at the plate of food resting on the table.

"Just a few minutes. If you're that tired, Babe, go back to sleep." Sarah cajoled as she moved to her side, but Connor was already shifting to sit up.

"I ruined date night. The least I can do is eat dinner with you." He murmured, swallowing a yawn.

Sarah could only shake her head at him, "You didn't ruin anything. Date night is just an excuse for us to get out of the apartment. As long as, I get to spend time with you, I'm happy."

Connor shot her a doleful look, "You sound like a greeting card."

Sarah flushed faintly and shrugged, "I watched the Hallmark channel with one of my patients today. Some of the sappiness might have rubbed off."

He snorted, taking a bite from his plate as he sent her a teasing glance.

Sarah was tempted to throw her pillow at him, but she took a bite from her plate instead, hiding a smile as she did so.

A comfortable silence fell between them, but Sarah could see the muted signs of his discomfort. He was slow in eating, almost disinterested in his food despite the fact that Sarah knew he hadn't had much to eat that day. He kept rotating his neck and shoulder, though he was trying to do it as subtly as possible. Honestly, she didn't know why he couldn't just admit he wasn't feeling well.

Sarah held in a sigh and finished off her plate before reaching for the drawer of her nightstand. She kept an analgesic lotion inside. She shifted, catching Connor's curious gaze as she gestured with her finger for him to turn, "Let me see your back."

"Baby, I'm fine." Connor murmured, "Just tired now."

"Then humor me." She implored, waving her hand at him.

Connor sighed but shifted so he was sitting with his back to her. Sarah smirked before uncapping the lotion. His sharp inhale when the cold of her hands touched his back made her giggle, but it wasn't long until a more pleasurable groan unfurled from her guy. Connor leaned back into her touch as she carefully massaged his shoulders. He was knotted and tense, unconsciously fighting the press of her fingers as she slowly worked to loosen muscles. She pressed into a particularly sensitive area and Connor flinched.

"Sorry, did that hurt?" Sarah asked quietly.

"In a good way. Can you press a little harder there?" Connor murmured back. She did and he flinched again, but also leaned in when she rubbed a hard circle into the knot, "Oh my God, how did I not know you're so good at this?"

Sarah grinned, "Because this was actually going to be a surprise for you, but you're so pitiful when you're in pain I couldn't resist helping you now."

Connor peered over his shoulder, his amusement gleaming at her, "I feel so special... What would the surprise be for?"

Sarah bit her lip to suppress a smile, but admitted, "Your birthday's coming up. I've been spending time with the physical therapy department to pick up some... tension relieving massage techniques."

Connor shifted toward her intrigued, "Why Dr. Reese..."

"Stop it." She laughed, pushing him back around, "You're not getting any tonight. You still have headache face."

He merely fell back against her, making her laugh harder before she placed a sweet kiss to the crook of his neck. Connor tilted his head toward her and she answered his unasked request for a kiss before easing his head into her lap and continuing her massage.

She drew her fingers through his soft locks and gently kneaded the base of his skull before gradually easing up. She traced the sensitive skin behind his ears and watched as he practically melted as she caressed the plush of his lobes.

"How's your head feeling?" Sarah whispered.

"Better," Connor murmured sleepily as she pressed along his temples. The throbbing was subsiding, and an aching weariness was setting in.

He turned, surprising Sarah, pressing her to lay back as he rested his head on her belly. Her legs came to cradle his waist and it was only a few minutes before her touch returned to his hair and the back of his neck.

Sarah smiled fondly, "You're such a cuddle bug."

It wasn't the first time she had made this observation and Connor merely grunted in reply, "Let me know if I get too heavy."

"I like you as my blanket."

Connor smiled into her stomach as he slowly nodded off under her care. He much preferred this to going out anyway.