Work Text:
Morgan stepped into the room tentatively, taking in the windows and enormous tables and shelves filled with books. It was beautiful, Morgan realized, and - for a while, as long as they didn’t fuck this up - it would be home. And then they noticed the person staring out of the windows, a person with eyes that almost looked yellow, a person with donning a wry smirk and laughing to themselves.
They were pretty beautiful, too.
“Morgan, meet Alex. They’ll be doing the writing and most of the scripting, but we thought it would be better if you two worked in the same room so that your ideas could intersect more easily and we don’t run into any complications. Alex, meet Morgan! They’re the incredible illustrator that you’ll be working on this project with! Both of you, welcome to Sand Publishing Co. It’s a pleasure to have you. We think that this graphic novel of yours really has a bright future, so we want to promote it as best as we can! This will be your working space, where you too can write and draw and talk things through!” The woman - Ann, Morgan thought her name was? - had been giving Morgan a lengthy tour and was aggressively enthusiastic, but charming enough that they didn’t mind. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it. Enjoy!”
“Hey.” Alex spoke only after the door swung shut behind Ann. “So you’re Morgan, huh?”
“That’s me! Budding illustrator and all that. And you’re-”
“Alex.”
“-the most famous writer of our century.”
“ Alex .”
Morgan paused, awkwardly, then slumped into a chair at one of the many tables (it was excessive, really. How many tables did two people need?) and fished their tablet out of their bag.
“Sorry, what’s that?” Alex was staring at Morgan, eyes wide.
“My tablet. To draw. For the graphic novel we’re working on?”
“Motherfucker, that thing is like twelve years old! What, you thought that the people who were paying you to draw for them didn’t get you equipment?” There was mirth in Alex’s voice, but Morgan’s cheeks burned all the same. Looking around, they finally noticed the enormous monitors and fancy new computers and - yep, Alex was right - a brand new tablet.
“Fuck. You must think I’m-”
“Incompetent?” Alex sounded like they could barely contain their laughter.
“ Ouch .”
“It’s fine. Everyone’s first day is like this.”
“Really?” Morgan perked up, hopeful.
“I mean, my first day went pretty smoothly - I kept getting compliments on that one little award-winning novel I wrote when I was like, six - and everyone did seem pretty impressed, but a lot of other people have had shitty first days!” As if that was supposed to be encouraging.
“Right.” Morgan hid a bit of a smile - Alex wasn’t exactly socially gifted, were they? Even if that made them all the more incredible. Like they were so completely above, so separate from everyone, that they were just on a different level. But Morgan’s pounding heart wasn’t worth worrying about right now. There was a project and a hefty paycheck. That’s what they needed to focus on. “So, what were you thinking?”
Alex and Morgan fell into an easy rhythm. They would shoot ideas back and forth, bickering a bit (well, Alex tried to bicker. But Morgan, for some silly reason, kept looking at them like they were some god incarnate), teasing one another, having fun. For a newbie - for any illustrator, really - Morgan was incredible . Alex was… impressed.
Or completely and utterly lovestruck. It depended on who you asked.
Regardless of any (totally not repressed) romantic feelings, Alex was concerned. Very concerned. That concern probably had something to do with the email Morgan had sent last night; a very good rough sketch of the first chapter, sent at three a.m . Or the size of those dark circles under their eyes, or the copious amounts of coffee they drank.
“You okay, Alex?”
“Huh?” Alex blinked, realizing that there was, in fact, a world beyond their thoughts. “Right. Sorry, Morgan.”
“You look a bit worried. Did I mess up? I can totally fix it-”
“Morgan,” Alex interrupted before Morgan went down a worry spiral as they were prone to do, “I was wondering - can I ask you a question?”
“Anything!” Morgan bounced on their toes like a proud child, grinning from ear to ear.
“Do you know what sleep is?”
“Very funny.”
“I’m serious. You’re severely sleep deprived.”
“I’m fiiiine,” Morgan grinned, gulping down the last of their (seventh) cup of coffee. “I slept a full half hour last night!”
Jesus fucking christ.
Morgan was still drawing as the clock ticked to 4 a.m, downing the energy drink before crumpling the can and tossing it into the bin with all the others. Their eyelids were growing heavier by the moment, but there was this one little detail that they needed to fix. It would only take another 30 minutes, then they could sleep.
Then they could sleep.
Then they could…
The alarm woke Morgan to find themselves slumped over their desk, face buried in sketches. Wonderful. Not only were they still fucking exhausted, but now their entire body ached like hell. Just what they needed.
Alex came into the office an hour later than Morgan because of an autograph signing . A fucking autograph signing! Yeah, yeah, Alex was some hotshot writer, but Morgan had gotten used to that fact within days. Now, Alex was just some socially awkward idiot who everyone - everyone - adored and who managed to both be incredibly threatening and completely chill all at the same time. They were strange, sure, but who cared? They were Alex.
And people drove 15 hours to get their fucking autograph.
But Morgan didn’t have too much time to think about that, because the first thing Alex did once they arrived was steal their coffee, glare at them good-naturedly, and practically shove them into a pile of blankets and pillows. Now, Morgan wasn’t going to sleep - of course not, that would be silly and it was the middle of a work day and they had so much work to do.
But the blankets were very warm. And the pillows were very soft.
And Morgan was very sleepy.
The sight of Morgan sleeping was a sight that Alex never wanted to forget. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like a sight they would ever see again. As days went on, those dark circles grew ever bigger, the coffee cans filled the trash to the brim, and Morgan was barely sentient half of the time. But they, of course, insisted that they were fine. A long night (or twenty), that was all, but they were definitely able to work! They’d just finished this sketch, which they would promptly shove into Alex’s hands and run off before Alex could scold them any more.
“You could die from sleep deprivation, you know.”
“And you could die from not minding your own fucking business.”
Well, Morgan was in a bad mood today. They were drawing intently, producing some of the most incredible artwork Alex had ever seen, but they also were yawning every other second, half-nodding off every time their pencil paused, and snapped at Alex every time the question of sleep came up.
“Why don’t you take today off? We’re almost done with this chapter and we’re really far ahead of the expectation! You can take a break.”
“I-” Morgan slumped over, face first, into their desk. Alex sprinted toward them, heart racing, only for Morgan to drowsily raise their head, rubbing a newly formed bruise on their forehead. “Ouch.”
“Seriously. You need a break.”
“What?” Morgan’s words were slurred, their eyelids barely open.
“Morgan, you need to take a fucking break.”
“Bet you’d like to see that, huh?” Morgan did finger guns and laughed hysterically. “Well, I’m gonna be here ‘til I die. You leave. I’m not going tooooooo.”
It was going to be a long day.
It had been a very long night. There was no more coffee, Morgan was fucking exhausted, and Alex’s stupid, concerned face kept showing up in their mind. “Go to sleep, Morgan,” Morgan mocked, “Or you’ll die, Morgan. Take a break, Morgan. Go ahead, Morgan, stop doing your work. Disappoint everyone, Morgan, because your circadian rhythm is more important than affording rent. Just go to sleep, Morgan.”
“I don’t sound like that.” Alex’s voice was reproachful, if slightly teasing.
“Jesus fucking christ! Did you- you just- I- here? Why?”
“Your door was open, Morgan. And I don’t mean unlocked. I mean open . You’re exhausted. This- why can’t you see that this is bad? You’re hurting yourself. I know there’s pressure, okay but-”
“Pressure? Oh sure, pressure. Like it’s some little thing.”
“I didn’t say that-”
“You know, my parents didn’t speak to me for three fucking weeks after I told them I wasn’t going to college. The first time they did was to scream at me for being a fucking disappointment. Do you know what that type of anger looks like? It’s terrifying. This- this is my one chance, Alex. If I fuck it up-”
“You won’t. You’re doing so well, Morgan. Your artwork is incredible, you’re great at thinking of ideas. I wouldn’t want to work with anyone else.”
“But-”
“Shhhhh. We can talk about this in the morning. You’re tired, I know that much for a fact. You need sleep. When it’s 8 o’clock and you’re slightly less exhausted, then I can tell you how incredible you are. But for now? Go the fuck to sleep.”
Morgan laughed giddily, then their face turned somber for a moment. “I’m really tired.”
“You think?”
“I think- I think you’re right. I’m going to go to sleep, ‘kay? For today. Just for today.”
The sight of Morgan sleeping was a sight that Alex never wanted to forget. And they wouldn’t, not ever.
After all, Alex would be seeing that sight for a while longer.
Maybe, if some things worked out, if that pounding heart of theirs was something worth trusting, Alex would be seeing that sight forever.
But they didn’t need to worry about that right now. It was getting late, and everyone was asleep.