Black robe over his body, Grant stepped out of the elevator with his hands in his pockets. As he turned to walk toward Lisle’s office, he noticed a figure standing by room six so he shifted his direction and approached his coworker.

“Is everything alright, Masoud?” he inquired.

“I could ask the same of you, Grant. It’s awful late for you to be wandering around,” Masoud replied.

“I’m trying to find my husband.”

“I wish you the best in finding him, Lisle could literally be anywhere at this hour.”

Grant sighed. “He’s going to end up sick. Why are you standing in front of Ellis’ room at—” he checked his watch, “Two in the morning?”

“Call it a hunch. He reminds me of my boy, always fretting and worried, so I had my door open to listen in case he needed something and I heard him come and go several times so I was going to see if he was alright. The Planet is massive and it can be easy to get lost, so I was afraid he may have needed something and was unable to find it. I was already up, anyway, most of us stayed up to celebrate the New Year with some drinks but I couldn’t help but be worried about him.”

Grant rolled his head to the side. “Normally, I’d tell you you’re overreacting but when it comes to Ellis I’m afraid your caution may be warranted. Did he respond?”

“I haven’t knocked yet, I was interrupted,” Masoud replied with a laugh.

He knocked on the door and waited. Grant stood by for a moment, curious to know what the fidgety newcomer was doing up so late after the long day he had endured. When a few too many seconds rolled on without a response, the men shared glances as they tried to figure out what to do.

“He may have finally gone to sleep, leave him be, Masoud. You need to get some rest, the morning will be a busy one and I’m not sure Ellis will be of much help despite his enthusiasm. I’m off to find Lisle and drag him to bed, with any luck he’ll have fallen asleep in his office and gotten some rest,” Grant said softly.

Masoud merely nodded and bid the doctor goodnight. Grant continued to walk toward Lisle’s office. He was exhausted and it was hard for him to sleep well when his husband wasn’t beside him. It happened more often than he’d prefer, especially during the busier seasons, and he was worried his strong-willed Lisle was pushing himself too hard. He rounded the corner and walked into the foyer. Stopping mid-motion, he leaned back into the hall and called Masoud over before he could disappear into his room.

“What is it?” Masoud inquired.

Grant nodded his head back. “Found him.”

Masoud’s brows furrowed when he saw Ellis standing still as a stone in the brightly lit entryway of the hotel, hands pressed against the chilled windows in a pair of sweats that were much too big for his body and an ill-fitting shirt that hung limp over his shoulders.

“What is he doing?” Masoud inquired.

“Watching the snow?” Grant replied with a shrug. “Mr. Hughes, are you alright?”

Ellis did not respond. He didn’t flinch or waver, he merely stood framed by the large window and gazed out at the landscape that was still lit by the ever-present sunlight that came alongside the dawn of a new January. Grant walked forward through the chilly foyer, stopping only momentarily to peer into Lisle’s office, and approached the young man. He set his hand on Ellis’ shoulder. It felt slack.

“Mr. Hughes, are you alright?” Grant repeated.

“Cold,” Ellis mumbled.

Grant waved his hand in front of Ellis’ face for a moment before he removed his robe and draped it over the young man’s body. The black garment swallowed him, the hem nearly touched the floor. Masoud watched with a curious gaze as he walked toward the front door.

“He’s sleepwalking,” Grant said quietly.

“That would explain why he left the room so many times,” Masoud replied.

“Make sure his fingerprints aren’t registered to the front door when you get him in the system, the last thing we need is him wandering out into the tundras. Let’s get you back to bed, Mr. Hughes,” Grant urged as he set his hands on Ellis’ shoulders.

“M’kay,” Ellis whispered.

“I’ll take him, go find Lisle,” Masoud offered. He gently nudged Ellis back toward the hallway. As they turned him around, they saw his tired, half-opened eyes were watery, as if he were on the verge of tears. He was shivering.

“Get him tucked in and make sure his heater is on, he’s freezing,” Grant ordered before he wandered behind the concierge counter. He stepped through the half-opened door into the office and sighed heavily as he approached the large desk. 

Lisle was sound asleep with his head cradled in his arms and his glasses still upon his nose. Grant set his hand on his husband’s back before he moved it up to his silvery-locks of tousled hair. His skull felt warm to the touch and his nose sounded congested.

With a tender, yet firm grip, he lifted Lisle into his arms and held onto him tight. Lisle’s head laid softly against his shoulder and he made his way back toward the elevator. Masoud was carefully escorting Ellis back toward the staff rooms, moving slowly to ensure he didn’t wake the slumbering newcomer.

“You may as well pick him up, he doesn’t weigh much. It’ll be morning by the time you get him back to bed at this rate,” Grant said quietly.

“It won’t disturb him?” Masoud asked.

“No, he should be fine. In all honesty, he may end up wandering off again so the best course of action would be to get him to bed, get him tucked in and warmed up, and hope he stays put. Check to make sure his blinds are closed, the sunlight might be causing his brain to get confused. You need sleep, so try not to worry about him too much. You can’t stop him from sleepwalking and he can’t get far without being registered in the hotel’s system.”

Masoud carefully lifted Ellis into his arms and nodded. “Fair point. I will see you in the morning, Grant.”

“Goodnight, Masoud.”

Grant parted ways with Masoud at the elevator and stepped inside. He whispered something soft to Lisle and smiled to himself at his husband’s gentle murmuring. As the door closed, he watched his coworker walk down the curved corridor and couldn’t help himself but let out an exasperated sigh. It was only the 1st—barely—and he was already exhausted.