AU: You're Sleeping On The Couch Tonight

Lars didn't put much faith into the power of prayers, but at that moment he was begging to whatever angel watched over him that the printer would not break down again. He needed that document on paper and ready to be delivered, urgently. He stacked the already printed sheets on his desk in an orderly fashion, counting them silently. Three more to go.

Another sheet slid out of the printer and into his eager hands. He couldn't wait to breathe something else than the stale air of the office. Two.

The printer fell silent for a moment, and a rid formed between his blond brows. This is the last one. Don't crash now, he thought. Perhaps he shouldn't have. As if it had heard him, moved by a devilish intention to contradict him, the device wheezed to a stop and beeped twice; on its small display, an error message blinked insistently. The last page was unceremoniously spat out, still blank.

Lars cursed and slammed his hand onto the useless piece of hardware a little harder than necessary, making the cleaning woman on the other side of the room look up in alarm. He ignored her, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples, where he could feel a headache start to form. The office closed in less than five minutes, so there was no way he could manage to print and deliver the document within the deadline.

Out of a reflex, his eyes fled to the top drawer of his desk, where he'd left his last pack of cigarettes untouched after Rayen made him promise he'd quit. His fingers twitched with the temptation to open the drawer. He knew how just one cigarette could soothe his frustration; he also knew that his headache came, in part, from deprivation.

Hesitantly, he opened the drawer in question and pulled out the half-empty pack of cigarettes. He hastily collected his belongings into his briefcase and slung his overcoat over one shoulder. As soon as he stepped outside the office door and into the cold air of the street, he lit the cigarette, angry at himself for the pang of guilt he couldn't avoid feeling.

--
Rayen had heard his keys clinking at the front door; she looked up from her laptop, setting it aside on the coffee table when he walked in.

"Hey. How did your day go?"

Lars shifted uncomfortably when she stood up and approached him with a smile on her face. He feared she might detect the smell of smoke in his clothes or his hair, despite his attempts to disguise it. Most of all, he was afraid she'd be really mad at him. Smoking was, hands down, one of her most hated things.

"Not so great." He hoped that this vague answer would suffice. "I'm really tired."

He saw her expression shift to concern as she studied his face, the deep dark circles beneath his eyes, his disheveled dirty blond hair, usually so tidy in its vertical style.

"Office jobs suck," she said, finally, the hint of a smile tugging at her lips again. "Do you need my help with anything?"

"Not really. I… just need to rest," he tried to head upstairs, but froze on his tracks when he felt Rayen's hand on his shoulder.

"Not so fast there!"

I'm done for, Lars thought. He met her gaze with difficulty.

"Where's my goodnight kiss?" There was a gleam in her eyes that unsettled him. Without waiting for his reply, she cupped his chin with her hand and brought his lips to hers.

Lars kissed back reluctantly, certain that she could taste the breath mints, and, beneath that, the acrid smoke in his breath. When they pulled apart, he flinched at the reproach he saw in her eyes.

At last, she spoke, in a gruff voice.

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight."
--
She was woken up by knocking on the bedroom door.

"Hey. Let me in." His voice was low and husky.

"No," she mumbled back sleepily.

"Please. Look, I'm sorry."

"Don't care," Rayen managed to say, with less conviction than before. There was a silence, then a sigh from the other side of the door.

"You really aren't letting me in?" It was half a question, half an incredulous statement.

Rayen half-sat up, leaning back on her elbows, and rubbed the drowsiness off her eyes.

"Depends on your arguments."