Nick had something to make up for.

When it came to Blake, it seemed Nick always had something to make up for. Though, it was more a feeling than a knowing this time. Last night, Blake had happily shared his reasons for choosing Chemistry in college. And Nick had repaid him by completely clamping up and making things uncomfortable, turning a nice conversation into a stilted one that didn't quite recover. Blake hadn't called him out for it, but Nick was sure he had noticed. For one, Blake hadn't kissed him again before retreating into his room to study after dinner.

Maybe Nick was just overthinking this... probably he was overthinking this, but when in doubt there was one thing he could always do: buy and cook more food. At least cooking allowed Nick to show himself from his best side; competent and capable. Not a sad loser who got tense about everything that reminded him of his failures.

The timing to prepare an elaborate breakfast was perfect, too. Blake had mentioned he had an important exam, and who wouldn't be happy about receiving a surprise-breakfast on an exam day? Nick didn't allow himself to really ask that question. Thoughts like that could easily start up the anxiety train, which could come up with at least ten reasons why someone wouldn't be happy to be surprised. He couldn't afford to hesitate because he'd already gone out to the store again and bought all the ingredients needed for whole-wheat pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, and maple syrup. And bread. Because last night Nick had realised he'd forgotten to buy bread due to the creep in the store.

The loaf of bread had disappeared into the cupboard, while the rest of the ingredients immediately ended up in the batter or sprawled out across the counter. Nick wasn't sure how many pancakes Blake wanted, so he decided it was better to have too many rather than too few. Any leftovers could just be kept in the fridge, after all. Nick was working on pancake number five when his phone buzzed. Since he was waiting for the batter to solidify anyway, Nick checked who was texting him this early, fully expecting it to be his phone provider or something. His brows raised when he saw Alex' name.

Hi! Want to play games tonight?

Hi. You're up early. And sure.

: Hah, could say the same about you. my 7 your 8 tonight okay?

Okay!

Nick and Alex chatted for a little longer. Alex explained how he was up early because the neighbour's new dog always decided to throw a fit and bark at six in the morning for some reason. Nick replied he was making pancakes for breakfast, and shared some pictures. During the entire text conversation Nick wondered why he couldn't just talk to Blake as easily as he did to Alex. Then, Alex had to go and Nick kept making pancakes until the batter ran out. The pile was so large it started to look like it could feed an entire family.

Making sure there was enough food wasn't the most important part, however. Food was also all about the presentation. How the plates were set up could make the difference between really impressing someone or having them appreciate the gesture but think it was nothing special.

Nick could roll up one of the pancake into a penis shape, put blueberries on the side as 'balls', and drizzle it all in syrup. It seemed Blake enjoyed that kind of humour if his joke with the dough was any indication. The problem was that Nick already felt his face turn beet-red at the thought of presenting a pancake-penis. Blake could pull stuff like that off confidently, but Nick was afraid he would come off as weird because he was clearly shy about it. It was too risky. After a few moments of of hesitation, Nick settled on dividing the pancakes over two plates with the regular fruit on the side set-up.

By the time he was done, it was around eight. Usually, Blake woke up earlier than Nick did and he would've already been in the living room by now. Nick fought the impulse to just bring breakfast to Blake's bedroom, because that would involve entering Blake's bedroom. While he was in there. In bed. Breakfast in bed was an even nicer gesture he supposed, but Nick wasn't mentally prepared at all.

Five nerve-wrecking minutes later, Nick finally heard a door opening in the hall and Blake came into the living room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Nick already sitting at the table. His gaze shifted to the ridiculous piles of pancakes on the table. A second passed, and then he started laughing.

"Wow, what?" Blake chuckled as he slowly walked closer to the table without ever taking his eyes off the pancakes. "Were you, like, up making pancakes all night or something?"

"No, I, uh, just this morning," Nick replied, not sure where to look himself while Blake took a seat and inspected his work.

"You really put a lot of effort into this," Blake eventually concluded. "This looks like it was made in a restaurant. What did I do to deserve this?"

Blake smiled when Nick darted a glance at him and Nick's heart skipped a beat. "Nothing. You just said you had an exam today. I wanted to surprise you with breakfast."

"Well, you succeeded. I haven't even had a boyfriend who put this much effort into making me breakfast."

It was too much.

Clearly, it was too much. He'd put too much effort into it, and now Blake looked all taken aback and confused. Anxiety swirled in Nick's stomach and all he wanted to do was grab the pancakes, stuff them in the fridge where nobody could see them, and quickly exchange it for bread, egg and sausages or something. That would've been more than enough. Alternatively, drowning in syrup sounded good too.

Nick made a poor attempt to seem casual by shrugging. "I just like to cook. And it's more fun to do it for other people."

"Especially for people as cute as me, I understand," Blake joked. He grabbed the knife and fork next to his plate. "Well, thank you anyway. Now I feel like I should put more effort into the breakfasts I make you."

"No, no, you don't have to do that. That's not why I—"

Blake's smile broadened. "Oh? You're doing it for other reasons then? You want something else from me?"

"No, nothing!" Nick called out. "I just wanted to make breakfast for a change since you always do it."

Blake's smile stayed plastered on his face. He ignored the last part of Nick's nervous rambling. "You want nothing from me? That's kind of disappointing."

"Well, not nothing, but..." Nick trailed off. His head felt about twice as heavy due to all the blood flowing there.

Blake raised a brow and smirked, seemingly waiting for Nick to finish his sentence. But when Nick didn't, Blake turned his attention to the pancakes in front of him. "Don't mind if I do then. Bon appétit."

Blake cut off a piece and took a bite. His eyes lit up as he looked at Nick. "Oh my God, are you kidding me? Why are great at every single thing you cook?"

"Oh, I don't know about that," Nick murmured. He bit his tongue to prevent himself from downplaying his cooking and cite a list of every single recipe he'd botched at some point. Sem said it was annoying when he self-deprecated, and Nick wanted to impress Blake. "But I can show you some time how I make pancakes too."

Blake smiled. "Sure."

While Nick worried he'd made far too many pancakes, Blake tore through the entire stack on his plate in a record time. Nick was only halfway and already getting full when Blake was done. Blake resolutely placed his fork and knife on the table and let out a deep, content sigh. "That was good."

"Geez, where do you leave it?" Nick asked as he watched Blake rub his stomach. "How does that all fit in there?"

Blake's lips twitched. Nick recognised that look on his face and knew Blake wanted to make a dirty joke. But in the end, he refrained and said nothing. He simply stood, and walked over to Nick's side of the table. Before Nick had the time to get nervous, Blake had already leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Anyway, I've got to run; I hate hurrying for an exam. Thanks again, babe. See you after school."

Blake didn't wait for Nick's reply. He marched out of the room and disappeared into the hall after closing the door behind him. Nick brushed his fingers against the spot where Blake had kissed him, his skin hot and flushed. It wasn't even making out, but somehow, a tender kiss on the cheek made Nick's heart pound even harder.

"You're welcome," he murmured to the closed door.