Roadtrip Oneshots

Mindy, Overworking

Andy

I blinked tiredly, stretching as I felt my body wake up, the heavy fog lifting.
Sitting up, my eyes immediately zoned in on Mikey, and I sighed.

He literally hadn't moved since I'd gone to bed nine hours ago, or so it seemed. Purple bags growing beneath his eyes, eyes trained on his laptop, headphones on.

But as my eyes travelled downwards I breathed heavily when I saw six empty mugs dotted around the floor. He hadn't slept.
Again.
This was the fourth time this week I'd woken up to see him still awake, another sleepless night as he edited video after video.

But no matter how hard I tried to get him to stop, he'd refuse. He always did. Mikey Cobban never knew when to stop. He just carried on, or ignored me whenever I proceeded to pester him about it.

But there's not a lot more I can do except watch, because I don't want to get into a fight. I know that if I ask him one more time he'll snap, and when he does he'll yell. Simply because he's extra crabby from his lack of sleep that he doesn't acknowledge.

I just ignored him this morning, getting up, making my bed. At the moment the flat was silent, the boys all still being asleep, so the only noise was Mikey tapping away on his laptop, frantically typing and clicking. The occasional grunt made me jump while I ate my breakfast, and the incessant curses and mutterings made me laugh weakly.

But the worry for him lingered at the front of my thoughts. He looked exhausted, and only continued to get worse and worse. One of my best friends was physically declining, and I knew it wouldn't be long before he passed out from this exhaustion.

It wasn't healthy to force yourself to stay awake at night, I knew that. But on top of that he wasn't eating or drinking (Except for coffee), he was isolating himself from us all, barely speaking a word unless one of us spoke to him first.
He'd ruined his sleeping schedule too, because he would go to the gym at three in the morning, and the second he got back he would go straight back to editing, a cup of coffee in hand.

I only knew that because I'd wake up to see his bed empty, and then didn't go back to sleep until he got back home. Just to make sure he was safe.
I was so so worried, but there wasn't anything more I could do, or anything more the boys could do for him. Not until he admitted defeat finally. After all, he was an adult, but it still hurt to watch him.

Watching him now, rubbing his eyes tiredly, eyes watering... A dull ache hit me in my chest, and I had to leave the room. I couldn't watch him like this.

***

I jolted awake, and instantly knew that it wasn't morning. It was far too dark. Sitting up, I saw the culprit. One Mikey Cobban, rummaging around his belongings for something, his laptop hap hazardously left on the floor, his light still on.

"Mike?" I cleared my throat, and he turned around with wide eyes. Another four mugs of coffee joined those already on the floor. I sighed again, heart sinking. He looked even worse than earlier that day...

"Go back to sleep Fovvs." Mikey whispered, already turning back and carrying on his search.

I ignored him, stretching like I had done the previous morning.
"What time is it?"

"About three in the morning? I'm not sure... Oh here it is!" He retrieved what looked like a bag, and I felt my heart stop.

"Are you going to the gym? Mike! It's three in the morning... When was the last time you slept?" My voice shook.

"Yeah... I forgot what the time was, so I'm going now before I make a start on the next video."
Mikey said this as though it was obvious, completely ignoring my last question. Maybe because he didn't think it was necessary... But it was for me.