Sleepless Nights

Falling Asleep

"Zach?" Keith said quietly, gently shaking the shoulder of his best friend. 

Zach's arms were folded and laying on the table, his head on top, fast asleep. 

"Zach," Keith tried again, a little louder this time. 

"Hm?" Zach mumbled, lifting his head and adjusting his glasses which had become crooked. 

"This is the third time this week you've fallen asleep at work," Eugene said behind him. 

"Sorry, my AS has been keeping me up," Zach replied, removing his glasses to rub sleepily at his eyes. 

"Have you been taking your meds? Keeping up with your diet and exercise routine?" Eugene asked, folding his arms. 

"Yeah," Zach muttered, his shoulders slouched as he fiddled with a thread on his shirt sleeve. 

Eugene frowned, gazing down quizically at his best friend. 

Keith looked down at his phone. "We've got a meeting about Squad Wars in 10 minutes," he said, glancing worriedly at Zach. 

"You two go ahead," Eugene said to Keith and Ned. "I'm taking you home," he said to Zach seriously, though his tone wasn't harsh. 

"Thanks man," Ned said, heading out the door with Keith. 

While Eugene was uncomfortable expressing his emotions and often appeared aloof, he had a deep level of care for those close to him and he was loyal to a fault. 

Zach waved him off. "It's fine. Just needed a little cat nap." He stood up to follow Keith and Ned, but Eugene stepped in front of him, blocking the doorway. 

"I need to get by," Zach said, attempting to step around Eugene who merely blocked him again. 

"No, you're going home. And when we get there you're going to tell me the truth about what's really going on," Eugene said firmly. 

"What are you talking about?" Zach inquired, his speech punctuated by a yawn. 

"You always pick at your clothes when you're lying" Eugene returned. 

Zach blushed. "Do not," he defended. 

Eugene sighed, placing a hand on Zach's shoulder. "Come on," he said, pushing him lightly out of the room and towards where he had parked. 

Defeated and utterly exhausted, Zach relented and followed Eugene out to his car. They both got in and Eugene began driving towards Zach's apartment. Zach's eyelids slowly began to grow heavy, his head dropping towards his chest as he started to nod off. Eugene glanced at him at a red light, feeling worried. When they arrived, Eugene gently jostled Zach's shoulder. Zach blinked his eyes wide, looking over at Eugene. 

"Ready to tell me what's really going on?" Eugene asked.