Based loosely off of personal experience, not gonna lie.
I step off the elevator and start down the hallway to my office, yawning hugely. I really need to start getting more sleep at night, it's not a good idea for an auror to show up to work half asleep. I'll just grab some coffee before I settle in, that should do it.
I set down my purse and take a second to lean against my desk and yawn again. Tonight. Tonight I'll go to bed at a human time.
"Another sleepless night, Maslany?" I look up and see Graves leaning against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets. How can someone look that casual while being that attractive? It's like he doesn't even know.
"What gave it away?" I straighten up and crack my back a little. "I just need some coffee, I'll be fine."
"Well, I suggest you get that taken care of. We're expecting to hear from my informant any day now about Grindelwald." I nod in understanding.
"Yes, sir." I suppress another yawn and follow him out of the room in search of a decent cup of coffee.
Next Morning
Another sleepless night. My insomnia really picked a time to rear its head. Dark wizards on the loose, it's imperative for me to be aware and alert of everything and I can't get more than an hour and a half of sleep.
I sit behind my desk and my face in my hands, sighing. "Damn it," I whisper to myself. I lift my head in time to see Graves passing by. He slows down slightly and looks in on me, shaking his head.
"Get some sleep tonight, Maslany. Go home early if you need to." I nod and wait for him to continue walking before I plunk my head on my desk with a soft groan. This is not good. I can't afford to be this exhausted right now.
Tonight, swear to god, I'll make myself sleep. This is ridiculous.
Next Morning
"No, I didn't get any sleep last night, I'm very aware of that fact," I inform Graves irritably when I bump into him on the elevator. He raises his eyebrows subtly. "Sorry." I sigh. "That was uncalled for." He half nods in a kind of downplayed "duh" gesture. "It's a seasonal thing, when it starts getting cold out my insomnia kicks in." I yawn. "But this year seems to be kicking my ass a little more than usual this year if you'll pardon the expression."
"I'll let it go, but only if you promise me to try and get more sleep tonight. And go home early. I don't want someone getting the jump on you because you haven't gotten enough sleep." I nod.
"Thank you." I can't even try to pretend that I don't find Graves attractive and that his apparent concern doesn't make my legs numb. Plenty of women at MCUSA find him attractive, it's not that weird. And as for his concern, I'm one of his best aurors when I'm fully awake. An important member of his team. That's all.
The elevator door opens and I thank Red before heading down the hall to my office a few feet behind Graves. I don't have anything that I need to do right away, so the plan is to take a nap on my couch. Hopefully, all goes accordingly.
I set my purse by the door and step out of my shoes, not even bothering to close the door all the way and make a beeline for the squishy sofa. As I settle down on it I'm more grateful than ever that I didn't decide on the leather couch I was considering when I bought this one. I close my eyes and try to relax enough to fall asleep when I hear footsteps stop outside the door. I open an eye and see Tina looking at me bemusedly.
"Oh, shut up about it." I sigh and close my eye again. "Are you gonna come in or keep stalking me?"
"Just passing by." She says lightly, the undertones of her voice making it clear that she'll be teasing me about this later. "Would you like me to take care of some of your paperwork until you wake up?" God bless Tina. My hero, my savior, Tina Goldstein.
"Yes please."
"Okay honey." She's trying to hide the laugh in her voice as she steps in to get the papers from my desk, but she not trying hard enough. Oh well, no one's perfect. I'm too tired to care anymore. "Sleep well." She calls cheerfully as she leaves the room. I make a small 'mph' noise in response, not wanting to waste the energy it'll take to open my mouth. Next thing I know, I'm finally, finally, drifting off to sleep.
***
"Maslany?" I wake up with a start. Who's calling me? How long have I been asleep? I open my eyes and see the backrest of my couch. Thank god I'm not facing the room because I drooled a little bit. Gross.
"Yes?" I respond, doing my best to sound awake but my voice comes out a bit raspy. Damn. I wipe my face with the back of my hand before sitting up and seeing Graves leaning against my doorframe again, a bemused expression on his face.
"Good morning." I give him a look and stretch my back out, not missing the way his eyes seem to follow the arch of my back when I do so.
"You nag me about getting sleep and then tease me about it?" I raise an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't call it teasing, per se."
"Of course you wouldn't, you're the one doing the teasing." I yawn. "Is there anything you need me to do?"
"No, I thought I'd check on you, maybe chat for a bit. It's a slow day." I nod and brush my hair out of my face, getting comfy against the corner of the couch where the armrest meets the backrest.
"I'm sure I could move some things around to make time for a chat with Percival Graves." He chuckles and comes into the room, casually swinging the door closed behind him and sitting on the other side of the sofa. "So why are you so concerned about my sleeping habits again?"
"Is it a crime to be concerned about your wellbeing?" He asks, draping one arm over the back of the sofa. Does he realize how inviting and comfortable his side looks?
"I guess not, but it is getting tedious." I laugh off casually. "Have you tried caring a little less?"
"I did. It felt wrong." He shakes his head and his words make my heart skip a beat. "If anything happened to any one of you on my watch I don't know that I could forgive myself." Oh. Of course. He thinks of his team as his family. Well, he'd never say anything like that, but it's implied in every one of his speeches.
"Well I appreciate the thought, but I'm okay, really."
"Is that why Tina is doing all of your work?"
"Technically," I shift awkwardly. "I didn't ask her to do that, she offered. I just didn't decline." He chuckles quietly.
"It's fine. But I want you to take a personal day tomorrow and get some rest." He says firmly. I know that tone, there's no arguing with him.
Then again, when has that ever stopped me?
"Sir, I really don't need it. This will pass in a couple days, I can still work."
"I'm not taking no for an answer. And I'm going to stop by your house tomorrow to make sure you aren't doing anything. I'm serious, Maslany."
"Fine," I say after a few seconds. "But I won't be happy about it."
"You don't have to be, so long as you're resting. I don't want you getting hurt on my watch." He stands and straightens his jacket. "I'm glad we settled this." He walks out of my office without another word.
One thing is certain. I'll have to clean my apartment before tomorrow. Oh well, it's not like I'll be getting any sleep anyway.
I'm (kinda) back! I decided to make this a two parter because I don't really remember where it was going, but I like where it's going now. Stay tuned ;)
