warnings: none! description: with Nez away on tour again, Reader is left alone but not without a special gift a/n: happy october! more seasonal-related content coming your way soon 🍂
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It was only a white knitted turtleneck sweater. To any other person, it would've looked like a regular choice of fashion as the fall had officially begun creeping in and the seasons almost imperceivably transitioned. To you, though, it was much more.
You were wearing love when you wore Mike's sweater. A comforting symbol of all your shared experiences woven directly into the cable knit stitching. A reminder that he was always with you even when he wasn't; even when he was miles upon miles away from physically being near you.
Mike gave you the sweater before embarking on another tour across the country. A tangible parting gift for the girl he loved the most. With the sweater and the promise that he would call you each night, he made the fact that you would be separated from one another a little less painful. Maybe, just maybe, you thought, this time around would be different. You wouldn't be an emotional wreck without him and you would be able to go about life without seeing the orangey setting sun or hearing the overpowering roar of a motorcycle and being instantly reminded of him. It was, of course, proving impossible — his charming laugh, that radiant smile of his was embedded in everything you did. You couldn't even bring yourself to turn on the radio for fear that the station would play your song.
Nothing else on earth could come close to comparing to the security of his embrace, or the feel of his warm, tender lips on yours at the end of every long day. What you ached for the most were the tiniest, most insignificant things. The constant sound of having his Texan voice flood the air around you and fill your heart with childish love. The disarming, protective presence he oozed when his arms held you. No longer did you have Mike there to turn to whenever a joke crossed your mind. No one to join in on your obscure references and sayings that only you and he could ever understand. You were truly without your other half.
As the crisp autumn air hit your skin, your hands retreated further into the sleeves of the sweater for warmth. Running errands around town felt painfully mundane, knowing that Mike was off exploring new cities and singing to a crowd of new faces nearly every day. Raging feelings of frustration built up inside you, threatening to escape in the form of tears. However, one inhale of the soft fabric was enough to put a smile on your face and bring you right back to the feeling of home.
The white sweater smelled of his spicy cologne mixed with the faint essence of cigarette smoke hidden deep within the very fibers covering your body, but the scent did not bother you. The sweater smelled of Mike above all else. He left you with this particular sweater because it had been the one he wore during his first tour. It was the one he frequently sported on stage, and that thought alone filled your heart with giddy contentment. "A little reminder that I'm yours wherever I go," he told you when he gave the sweater to you with a tight-lipped smile. It was a bittersweet, compassionate smile that had spoken more than he could try to articulate with words.
Touring had always felt like a test of your relationship. It tested your trust in one another, but most importantly your love. While joining Mike on tour might've had its advantages, you felt as if you'd be a distraction to his work. He spoke of tour as a grueling and draining period, where his body and mind were constantly tired from adjusting to time zones, being interviewed, and performing on stage. It felt wrong to potentially interfere with what little rest he could grab, already visualizing how chaotic his daily schedule might be, filled with the continual screams of fans, and how little of him you would actually see. Staying here, in the quiet comfort of your home, penning letters to your love, felt more your speed anyway. He was always just a phone call away.
Being faced with the first cool change in temperature also filled you with a renewed sense of hope and optimism for what was to come when he would eventually return home. The biting air subsided against the thick knit barrier of the warm sweater. It felt like a weighted blanket on you, even though it was clearly meant for a larger body and it reached down just past your hips. Still, the sleeves were wide and your arms could hide in the coziness of them.
You kept yourself busy by devoting yourself to your work, doing tasks around the house, going out shopping, and watching television — all to divert your attention from the fact that Mike was not by your side. As a result, it also made the time pass by faster, making the time he called seem not so far away.
Just as you were getting comfortable in front of the television, the phone rang: a familiar trigger that you had begun to associate with happiness. You quickly jumped out of your seat, dashing over to answer it in a heartbeat. Your hand crept out from the recesses of his sweater that you still wore to pick up the phone.
"Hello?" you spoke into the receiver, your heart racing out of sheer, uncontrollable excitement from the thought that your Mike was on the other end of the phone.
"Hey darlin', how are ya?" Mike's suave voice came through the phone perfectly. You knew he was smiling just as much as you were, you could hear it up in his eager inflection.
"Just fine," you gushed as your finger absentmindedly began wrapping itself around the curly telephone cord. It was true — now that you were talking to Mike, all seemed perfectly fine in the world.
"And here I thought you were missing me like crazy," he teased with a small chuckle leaving his lips.
A grin grew on your face upon hearing his words; it was a mischievous grin that only ever appeared on your face when a witty comeback was on the tip of your tongue. "Don't flatter yourself, Nesmith. I'm getting more done now than I ever have," you deadpanned, all out of lighthearted endearment.
You heard him let out a big laugh on the other end and you internally rejoiced, knowing you had put a smile on his face. Only every so often was your quick wit tantamount to Mike's; it was moments like these when you realized just how much his humor had rubbed off on you.
"Maybe I should go on tour more often. That way you'd accomplish everything and then some," he joked.
"No, because you see I'd miss you too much," you meekly admitted.
There was a small moment of silence as he recognized the genuine sincerity in your voice. His heart skipped a beat at the sound of your delicate voice. "I think I'd miss you more," he started before wistfully sighing and continuing, "oh, and your hands, and your lips, and your face, and your smile, and your laugh."
You felt the blood rush to your cheeks, blushing profusely at his soft-spoken words. Just like that, Mike had managed to bring out your sarcasm and affection within a matter of seconds. How could someone as jocular as him manage to pull on your heartstrings like this? All it took was the sound of his voice meeting your ears, confessing his love for you, and you were falling. Falling all over again for the man that you loved with your entire being.
That familiar, overwhelming feeling of enthusiasm bubbling up in your stomach as it did every time Mike spoke to you like this. It was enough to take your breath away and leave you at a loss for words. All you could manage was a gigantic smile and something of a light laugh, though he couldn't see your dumbfounded reaction.
With his sweater caressing your skin and his voice drifting through the phone in your ear, it almost felt as if he was right there next to you. The sweater highlighted the scent of Mike's warm skin. All you ever had to do was lift the inside of the high collar above your nose and he was there. Instantly, you were enveloped in him, resembling the devotedly, loving full-bodied hugs he liked to give as often as he gave you pieces from his wardrobe to wear.
Your Mike was always around you, stuck on you like his scent on fabric. You wrapped both your arms around your body, hugging yourself tightly, grateful to your boyfriend for loaning you something so personal, and eternally falling more in love with only him.
