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Steve had been working tirelessly at the video store for months, and his hours kept getting longer and longer. He was the only worker at the store.

Late nights, stressful deadlines and unforgiving customers were beginning to take their toll on him.

He was exhausted, rarely ate, and was nearing his breaking point.

I was getting worried about him, his each and every day was stressful because of rude customers, too much work and no breaks.

I would make dinner and wait for him until I sleep, he would come late at night. And when I wake up in the morning, he would be already off to work. I barely got to see him because of his shifts.

One evening, I decided to go to the store to meet Steve, I spotted him at the store, slumped over the counter and looking about ready to collapse.

I approached him with a concerned look on my face,

"Hey, Y/N. What brings you by?", he gave me a tired smile.

"Steve, c'mon, it's time to take a break. You can't keep on doing this. You've been working late every night and I'm worried about you", I whispered as I gently hugged him.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he realized that he was struggling more than he had let himself admit.

"I know, it's getting hard but I'm fine. Just a little bit tired.", he mumbled. I take a good look at Steve and I could see the exhaustion in his tired eyes.

"You deserve a break, you can't keep working like this for a month. You look like you haven't slept in days. Have you even eaten anything?"

"Not really. I barely have time to take a break, Y/N. Robin's not here and I know Keith can't even grant a day off because it's the holidays", he admitted.

"That's not healthy. You need to take care of yourself, you need to take breaks", I said, sympathetically.

"I know, but I need to finish up some things", Steve said, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"You need to prioritize your health. Without that, you can't work effectively", I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll try to take it easy, but I'm the only one here", he said, sounding desperate.

"I can help you out. It'll be okay", I reassured him.

"Thanks, Y/N. You're always looking out for me", he sighed, the exhaustion seeping through his voice.

"You're welcome. Let's get to work", I said, rolling up my sleeves and jumping into action with Steve alongside me.

I helped him with his customers, he sat in the break-room and had some fruits.

Later, he joined me and worked until it was the closing time. We closed the shop, I drove the car to our house.

We entered the house, as he slid off his jacket and keys and walked upstairs to our room. As we entered the room, Steve grabbed my hand and pulled me as we both fell on the bed.

He wrapped his arms around me tightly,
"I am so tired"

"I know", I said, as I ran my fingers through his hair.

"Thank you for helping me", he gave me a tired smile.

"Of course, I love you", I said and pulled him closer to me as his head gently rested against the crook of my neck.

"I love you too", he mumbled, as his eyelids got heavier.

"Get some rest, okay?", he nodded.

I wrapped my arm around him and stroked his hair with my other hand. He snored softly as I planted a soft peck on his forehead.

"Sleep tight, love"