sdmn one sh~i~ts

Uncertainty /kshaw

words: 2417
warnings: sad and fluffy heh⚠️

It was when Jj could feel that his eyes were bloodshot from the sheer effort it took to move them to glance at the clock hanging above the studio door, that he knew he was fucked.

2:37 am. Shit.

He'd promised not to do this today. Saving the progress he'd made on the song displayed on his screen, Jj rushed through his closing routine, making sure everything was in the right place, and everything was properly shut down.

As he trudged down the hall of the studio, Jj felt nothing but dread pooling in the pit of his stomach. Any other night, him losing track of the time and coming home at an ungodly hour wouldn't have been the end of the world.

However, this was not any other night. And, if Jj was being completely honest, it hadn't been fine that he'd been coming home so late recently. Harry had noticed. Jj pressed the button for the lift with slightly more force than he probably had to.

Harry had noticed, and he had, essentially, posed an ultimatum. Tonight Jj had to be home before midnight if he wanted Harry to believe he had full control over his schedule, and could really 'stop at any time' as he claimed. And he could. He was just... bad at checking the time and always got lost in his work too easily.

Harry said he was going to wait up for him. Jj felt a sharp pang of anxiety rush up through his chest and into his throat, tasting the bitter aftertaste of disappointment on his tongue. Harry's disappointment, not his own. Somehow, that was worse.

Jj carefully slotted his key into the keyhole, slowly turning it and opening the door as quietly as he could. He slipped inside, gently closing the door and wincing when the sound practically echoed through the stagnantly quiet apartment.

Silently making his way through the hallway to the living room, Jj realised with an ache in his chest that Harry was curled up on the sofa, asleep with his phone pressed to his chest. Jj hadn't bothered to check his own phone, as usual for him, but if he had he's sure he'd have found a plethora of increasingly irritated and worried texts from the younger.

He slid his bag from his shoulder to the floor, next to the messy pile of shoes that were always at the threshold of the hallway and living room. It had been Harry who had insisted they start taking off their shoes before they entered the room when he moved in with Simon and Jj a few months ago.

Jj swallowed down his anxiety as he grudgingly approached the sleeping boy. Crouching next to the sofa, he sighed, swiping the other's hair away from his forehead delicately.

"Haz?" Jj murmured, watching with bated breath as Harry stirred, whining and trying to push his hand away. "Haz it's me, I'm home."

Harry's eyes flew open as he registered where, when, and who he was, sitting up abruptly and throwing his phone to the ground in the process. He blinked blearily at Jj, who smiled nervously. Once he gained his bearings, Harry sighed exhaustedly and looked Jj in the eyes, his own swimming with a number of emotions that made the older slightly dizzy. Harry made a grabby motion with his hands that Jj loosely interpreted to mean 'come here, idiot', and joined him on the couch, feeling slight relief as Harry immediately laid his head on his shoulder.

"You're home," was all Harry said, voice quiet -fragile enough that Jj felt like he could easily break it. It scared him. Silence washed over the two as they stared at the empty room in front of them. Finally, Harry spoke again.

"You can't keep doing this, and you know it." It wasn't a threat, only a statement, one filled with emotion. He sighed, shifting to face the other man, internally lamenting the fact that Harry had lifted his head from his shoulder.