Workinβ Day and Night
Pairing: Egon Spengler x F!Reader
Tags: Fluff, Sleep Deprivation, Egon being hardheaded
Rating: G
Summary: Egon's been in the lab all day and night. You really don't want to have to go drag him out, but it's getting to a point.
Notes: Iβm in Chicago rn, so it only felt right to pay homage to my manπ
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You, along with everyone else, knew how hard of a worker Egon was when it came to their paranormal research. All of the boys were, but him especially. The only one who came close was Ray, the difference was Ray actually knew how to take care of himself.
It has now been approximately 14 hours since Egon disappeared into the lab, and hasnβt shown any signs of leaving any time soon. Of course heβs been in there for longer on other occasions, but considering he had already been out on calls late the previous night, again all this morning, and he went straight to the 3rd floor upon returning to the firehouse, this was ridiculous. Ray had been up there with him for a significant portion of the time, but (like any sensible person would do by now) had gone to bed hours ago.
This just happened to be one of the nights you slept over at the firehouse. You had your own place and stayed there when you had to be at work early for the sake of your commute, but on your more flexible nights you like to come stay with the boys. It was fun, almost like sleepaway camp, especially if Janine or Dana stayed too, but the best part was being with Egon. The two of you were so busy as is, so it was nice to have some time together when you could. Which is why it sucked when he locked himself upstairs.
The alarm clock on the bedside table flashes 3 am in bright red pixelated numbers, but you still find yourself unable to fall asleep. Itβs not like you arenβt tired, because you are, but something else entirely is keeping you from rest. You didnβt think you were one of those girls who canβt sleep without their boyfriend, after all you live alone and sleep just fine, but itβs like your body knows heβs nearby. You love Egon and how dedicated he is to his research, but you love when he pays attention to his needs more.
After around another 30 minutes of tossing and turning you sit up. For both of your sakes, this has to end. You get out of bed and make your way to the 3rd floor, the only light visible being from the moonlight shining through the windows and the sliver of light bleeding from under the laboratory door.
You knock, as is polite, before pushing the door open and entering. The room, as you expected given the amount of time itβs been used, is kind of a mess, papers scattered everywhere, test tubes left abandoned on random surfaces, various screens showing frequencies that you have no idea what they pertain to. At the center of this is Egon, looking quite a mess himself. Heβs at the desk hunched over a microscope, curls sticking out every which way, glasses askew, black t-shirt slightly stained withβ¦ something, and his coveralls bunched around his waist as he hadnβt even bothered to take them off. This uncharacteristically rough appearance would probably be incredibly sexy if it werenβt for the fact that he looked like shit.
You doubt he evenΒ heard you come in, so you try to make a little noise as you walk over so as not to startle him. He doesnβt look up from the microscope as you lean on the desk, trying to make sense of the clutter surrounding him. β...Egon?β
He doesnβt show any visible signs that he heard you, so youβre surprised when he speaks, βGood evening, honey.β
βDo you know what time it is?β
He shakes his head slightly, but not enough to disrupt his line of sight from whatever it is heβs examining, βNo, I havenβt checked in a while.β
You look around for a clock to no avail, itβs probably somewhere under one of these seeming infinite papers. βIβd say it's around half past 3.β
βReally? I guess I havenβt been working as long as Iβd thought.β
β...AM, Egon.β
β...Oh.β Heβs seemingly caught off guard at the time,as he should be, but he snaps back quickly. βShouldnβt you be asleep?β
You have to refrain from rolling your eyes, but itβs not like heβd see if you didnβt. βWell yeah babe, and so should you. Youβve been in here since this- well, yesterday, morning.β
Egon sighs, scribbling something on a sheet nearby, eyes not leaving the scope lenses for even a second, βI know, honey, but I really need to finish with this.β He pats your hand blindly, βGo to sleep, Iβll try to be down soon.β
Yeah, right. βCanβt sleep, otherwise I wouldnβt be up here.β You move to stand behind his chair, resting your hands on his shoulders. βWhatβs so important anyway?β
He adjusts something with the scope before writing something else down. βWeβve found some pattern residue left by different subjects on a few busts, so weβre trying to check for any correlation.Β Ray left a while ago and I want to get these samples logged before any more show up.β He frowns, adjusting the lens again, βItβs just, all the other specimens were normal, but Iβm having some trouble with this one in particularβ¦β
You look over his shoulder in an attempt to see what heβs talking about, and you find the problem almost immediately. βUm, Egon, youβre not exactly looking at anything right nowβ¦β
His frown deepens, and he looks closer into the lens. βWhat are you talking about, itβs right here?β
You frown, youβve seen him tired but not usually this out of it. βBabe, Iβve used a microscope before, and Iβm pretty sure thereβs nothing in the tray.β
For the first time since youβve been in the room he leans back, squinting at the change in light. He pulls back the magnifiers to find that youβre right, the tray is empty, meaning heβs basically been staring at dust particles for God knows how long. βOhβ¦ I guess I forgot to put it in.β
βEgon,β you sigh. You suddenly wish you hadnβt told him , because now his eyes are right back glued to those damn lenses. βPlease come to bed, youβre not even being productive anymore.β
He sighs, shaking his head. He knows youβre right, but heβd rather not admit it. βIt was a mistake, it was unlike me, but Iβve fixed it. Thank you for making me aware, now Iβm being plenty productive.β
βReally?β You reach over his shoulder, picking up the sheet heβs been scribbling on. Calling it chicken scratch would be generous, as it is entirely illegible. βAll youβve written is literal nonsense, and Iβm not saying that because I donβt have your PhD.β
He smirks, apparently thinking youβre joking. βI know my handwriting can be bad, sweetheart, but I think youβre exaggerating.β
βHm, ok.β You drag your finger down the page to a long line of what looks to just be connected pen marks, βEgon, can you read what this section says for me?β
He looks up from the microscope and sighs frustratedly, taking the paper from you. Heβs about to do that smug thing he sometimes unintentionally does when explaining something science related that you donβt understand, until he looks at the sheet and his expression takes on the same look of confusion you had when looking at it. βWhatβ¦β He takes his glasses off and cleans them before sitting them back properly on his face, βIβve been taking notes here for hours, I swear I documented everything properlyβ¦β
The genuine distress on his face makes you feel sorry for him, so you hold back the βI told you soβs for later. βNow will you go to bed? You canβt keep working like this E, itβs not healthy.β
He looks up at you for the first time all day, and you notice how much worse he looks than you initially had thought. His eyes were damn near bloodshot from looking in that microscope so long, surrounded by circles so dark he almost looked like a raccoon, and his nose had slightly red indents from the awkward angles his glasses were sitting at for so long. The soft look on your face breaks his resolve and he caves, the energy seeming to visibly drain out of him. βAlrightβ¦β
You smile softly, grateful for the small victory. As he gets up he only manages to look even worse, as if the exhaustion didnβt hit him until you brought it to his attention. You help him clean up, attempt to that is, as the state the room is in will require extensive effort that neither of you care to exert right now. Leaving the rest for tomorrow, you turn off the light and the two of you head downstairs.
Egon really does look awful. Like, you didnβt think he could look worse than how he did when you found him, but you stand corrected. Whatever residual energy and adrenaline he was running on in the lab had vanished completely, and now he wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and not move for the foreseeable future. While you hoped this would teach him a lesson about pushing himself too hard, you both knew it wouldnβt, but at least heβd get some rest now.
You help him out of his clothes, and as much as the both of you are sticklers for good hygiene, you decide the shower can wait for a more reasonable hour. Besides, you can always change the sheets.
You get under the covers, both of your sets of arms coming to wrap around the other almost immediately. Even just having him here, knowing he isnβt somewhere trying to work himself to death, makes you feel more relaxed. Egon lays with his head on your chest, your fingers coming up to absentmindedly play with his hair. βYou know, I love your commitment to your research, I just wished youβd do it in a healthier way.β
Youβd said this partially because you thought he was asleep and hadnβt heard you, which is why you were surprised when he responded. β...I know. Iβm sorry.β You can hear the tiredness in his voice, and you feel bad for bringing it up, but you donβt get to apologize before he speaks again, βThank you.β
You frown, confused, βFor what, Egie?β
He takes so long to answer that you think heβd finally fallen asleep, but he hadnβt, βIβm aware my methods of self preservation areβ¦ poor, but you handle them when I wonβt, even by force if necessary. I appreciate that.β
You smile, your heart warming at the expression. You often worry that your nagging will only drive him away, so youβre happy to know that that isnβt the case. You lean down and he meets your lips in a soft kiss, further expressing his gratitude for you. He settles back on your chest and his eyes slip shut, a content smile now gracing his features. You press another soft kiss to his forehead, your own eyes falling shut, β βnight babe.β
He smirks, mumbling tiredly, βItβs morning, honey.β
Rolling your eyes while theyβre shut isnβt something that seems logical to do, but you find yourself unable to hold back. That smart ass mouth never gets tired , huh?Β βFine. Good morning, Egon, now go to sleep.β
