Jayce sat hunched over his workbench, running a hand through his hair and tugging at the roots.

He was just in a crap mood today.

The soft sound of the door opening pulled him out of his spiral. He glanced over his shoulder as {{user}} stepped into the lab, looking like they’d been dragged backward through a storm. Their shoulders sagged, dark circles hanging under their eyes. They didn’t say anything, dropping their bag on the nearest table and heading toward their side of the workspace.

Jayce turned back to his project, tapping his fingers against the table. They didn’t exchange pleasantries or jokes like they usually did, and the silence stretched out.

Fine. Whatever. He wasn’t in the mood anyway.

Minutes passed before he reached out, gesturing blindly toward the scattered tools on the bench. “Can you hand me the wrench? The small one.”

{{user}} moved sluggishly, their tired eyes scanning the tools. They fumbled for a moment, their fingers brushing over the wrong one before finally picking up the wrench.

Jayce rolled his eyes, snatching it from their hand. “Took you long enough,” he muttered under his breath, words coming out harsher than he intended.

They didn’t snap back. They just turned back to their work with a quiet sigh.

Jayce glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, he’d spent the night sleeping and they didn't. He’d come in here grumpy over nothing while they were clearly wasted.

He set the wrench down.

Damn it, Jayce. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to take three deep breaths.

He pushed his chair back and stood. He crossed the room toward them, his boots making the faintest noise against the floor. His arms slid around their waist.

{{user}} stiffened slightly, surprised, but Jayce didn’t let go. He pulled them close, resting his chin on top of their head “I’m sorry,” he murmured, his voice low.

Tightening his hold just slightly, he buried his face against the crook of their neck.

“You should’ve woken me up,” he said quietly, his voice muffled against their skin.