#chronolockcd

         The sound of water hitting the plastic floor of the tub came through the wall just moments after his feet touched the floor, and Leo let out a sigh while rubbing his eyes. So maybe questions would have to wait until Grant is done with his shower, but he would make sure the conversation happened instead of letting himself put it off until the next incident and hoping things got better.

         While he waited, he prepared a cup of tea for himself and put on a pair of sweat pants so that he wasn’t just wandering around the apartment in a shirt and boxers. No matter how much sugar he put into his cup, he was sure he’d end up falling asleep on the couch considering the fact that all of his energy seemed to have left him when he was woken up far earlier than he was emotionally prepared for. A part of him wanted to go back to bed, wanted to get the rest he’d been anticipating getting when he got home late from the lab, but this was the third weekend in a row that he had been woken up by the weirdest work schedule he’d ever witnessed, and he wanted to know why.

         It took almost half an hour for his mysterious roommate to wander out in the general direction of the kitchen, and, by then, Leo was curled up with his head on the arm of the couch, his tea practically untouched, and a sleepy expression that conveyed both his annoyance and the fact that he was seconds away from completely passing out again. As much as he wanted answers, only getting a couple hours of sleep because he’d been working on a new project wasn’t exactly helping him with his mission to get them, and that much was made obvious when he was shaken awake by a gentle hand on his shoulder and he opened his eyes to see the concerned expression of his roommate just inches in front of his face. If he wasn’t mistaken, even Grant’s tone was filled with worry, but he was almost sure that was his own exhaustion misinterpreting it.

         "Hey… you weren’t here when I got in. If you’re tired, you should be in bed, not on the couch.“ The only response he could manage was a groan, and the sigh he heard immediately after that meant it didn’t get him anywhere. "Come on, let’s get you somewhere more comfortable. You can have your tea later, and then you can tell me why you’re up right now. Leo? Come on, I’m strong, but if I carry you, my towel will fall off, and that would just be embarrassing for the both of us.”

         The words made the Scot lift his head curiously, looking down at the towel barely holding onto his roommate’s hips while he was squatted close to the floor to be at the same level, and he let out a quiet sound. He blamed his sleepy state for his lack of filter, not that he was awake enough to really be bashful at the idea of potentially seeing more of his roommate than he usually did - and there had been more than one instance where he’d returned to the apartment only to be greeted by the sight of Grant barely clothed and working out, so there wasn’t much left that he hadn’t gotten at least a brief glimpse of. If he could properly memorize the sight of his American friend’s abs, he could die a happy man, he was sure of it.

         Without thinking, he extended his arm out without a single second of hesitation, and if was asked about it later, he would definitely blame his fuzzy state of mind for it. Almost immediately, his wrist was caught by a firm grasp, and another sigh was the only sound in the living room for a few moments. “Are you even awake right now? Because I’m fairly certain that’s something you would only do while completely out of it and unconscious. Give me a minute, I’m going to go get dressed.”

         The entire room was still and quiet for a few minutes, and Leo failed to keep his eyes open even when the sound of footsteps threatened to wake him up again. If even the feeling of having his head lifted off the cushioned arm of the couch and moved into someone’s lap didn’t wake him up the rest of the way, then maybe his questions could wait just a little while.

         When he woke up again, the first thing Leo registered was the feeling of cotton under his cheek and the lingering smell of the vanilla scented body wash he occasionally borrowed when he was sure it wouldn’t be noticed. His head was still on Grant’s lap, and he had no idea how long it had been there, but he did know that he would pretend to be asleep for a little while longer if it meant he got to stay right where he was. It was possibly the most comfortable place he’d ever taken a nap, and he didn’t want it to end.

         But, of course, he didn’t have that luxury, not when his roommate was so observant of every single thing that happened around them. It could have been anything that tipped him off to the fact that the scientist he shared an apartment with was awake, a shift in his breathing, some minuscule movement of his head, just some twitch in his fingers he couldn’t stop because he was still practically unconscious when it happened. Whatever it was, it was obvious that he’d been caught before he was fully aware himself by the fact that there was movement over him and then a hand came to rest in his hair.

         "Did you have a nice nap?“

         The American accent was something he’d grown used to, especially after the first month of initial awkwardness when they’d barely said a word to each other with the fear of it being the wrong thing, and Leo took a slow breath before making himself sit up. He may have fallen asleep again, but he hadn’t forgotten the goal he’d had before exhaustion overtook him, and he was still determined to get at least a few answers before giving in to the next need his body presented - knowing him, that would most likely be food. Though, until his stomach was eating itself from the inside out, he was going to put it off.

         He hated having to pull away the way he did, having to put space between them when they’d gotten so used to being in each other’s space whenever they were both in the apartment, but he wasn’t going to just sit around and hope that he was eventually trusted enough to be told the answers he wanted in that moment. "That’s not the first time you’ve done that. You left here Friday night, said you were just going to spend a few hours at the office, and then I heard nothing all day yesterday. You didn’t even read my texts. And then you just… roll in on Sunday morning? Like it’s no big deal and I wasn’t worrying all through work yesterday? I consider you a friend, Grant, a good friend, and I’m honestly just tired of feeling like you try to avoid me with work as an excuse.”

         Something flickered in his roommate’s eyes, and he was sure he was going to get yelled at or get some lecture about his words, but instead, that something went away, and Grant watched him with that casual, carefree look that he’d grown used to seeing almost every day. “I’m not avoiding you. I have a government job, remember? I have to go in whenever they call me, and sometimes I stay longer so that they don’t call me in again because of unfinished work. It was late by the time I considered coming home last night, so I fell asleep on one of the couches so that I wouldn’t wake you up at four in the morning. As for your texts, my phone died yesterday morning and I didn’t have any way to charge it. Next time, I’ll try to remember to call you from the office phone to let you know what my plans are.”

         "Oh…“ Leo was quiet for a moment before moving slowly and laying his head down in his friend’s lap again. There was a reasonable explanation for all of it, and while he wasn’t sure he believed every detail, he couldn’t push back without a good reason. "You didn’t get much sleep, then…? If you were asleep around four and somehow still got here by nine?”

         The body he was so comfortably close to moved just enough that the Scot knew he’d shrugged his shoulders, and he let out a slow breath while relaxing further. “I had a lot of work to do. Those who snooze, lose. I’m after a pretty big promotion, you know.”