Chapter Text
Perry knew with certainty that it was Wednesday when he left. He was about to take his coffee break when he was rushed to the airship hanger and shipped off for an emergency mission. As he was flown off to Andorra he was informed of the world's newest threat, a nuclear physicist with some interesting ideas about justice.
Sleep isn't really an option when all life on earth is in mortal peril, so the agent stayed awake for as long as it took to neutralize the threat. It worked out okay, Perry thought to himself as he sat through debriefing with his head cradled in his arms. The world still had its biodiversity, and he still had all 10 fingers.
When he returned to Danville it was late, past midnight. The streets were deserted except for a few stragglers who were finding their way home after a long night of partying. Perry assumed he looked as bad as they did.
He showered at headquarters because he could smell himself, and he was self-conscious about that, before letting himself be dropped off at his- their place. They shared it nowadays. And despite the fatigue, Perry couldn't help but smile giddily at that thought.
When he unlocked the front door he was met with a dark and still apartment, which was both a blessing and a curse. Heinz had the habit of working long into the early hours, so for the lab to be deserted now meant that it must be early. Really early.
He yawned and trudged towards the bedroom taking off items of clothing as he went so that when he softly opened the door, all he had to do was plop down his clothes on an empty chair.
Dead-center in the middle of the bed was his (former) nemesis, sleeping soundly. Both his arms and legs were spread luxuriously as if he was attempting to claim the whole bed for himself; Heinz never was very good at sharing. Luckily for Perry, he had no need of the comforter tonight, it was the middle of summer, and sleeping in just his boxer would do.
He resisted the urge to fall face down into the bed- that would surely jostle the other man awake, and though Perry was so, SO happy to see him, he was far too tired to be interrogated about his mission. So instead he slid onto the mattress soundlessly.
This close, he could hear the other man's rhythmic breathing. Even without touching, he could tell the other man was warm and relaxed.
Perry's eyelids were as heavy as Heinz's titanium arms, but still, he had to take a moment to admire the careful stillness of his usually energetic partner.
He hadn't taken the time to turn on any of the lights, just because he didn't want to bother having to turn them off again. But even in the low light, Perry knew where Heinz's features were, after this many years he could conjure his face in an instant. He would kiss him, right now. But he could not. Instead, Perry adjusted one lanky arm carefully to the side to make space for himself and laid himself down. His forehead settled nicely against Heinz's shoulder and he closed his eyes.
He carefully breathed in, and when Heinz exhaled, so did he. Within a moment their breathing was synchronised. The wooly fog that Perry'd been carrying around in his head faded with each breath. With his last vestiges of consciousness, he reached out one arm and placed it over Heinz's heart. The steady drum lulled him to sleep quickly.
***
The sun was up. Through the insufficient barrier of his eyelids, Perry was aware that the sun was bright and waking him from maybe the deepest sleep he'd experienced all year. With tremendous effort, he shifted his head on the pillow. A sleepy squeak escaped him.
For a while, he just existed. A man sleeping on his tummy with one leg pulled up and one leg dangling just barely off the edge of the bed.
The sounds of birdsong didn't reach this high up, and even the noises of cars and trucks passing below were like a distant hum.
The door creaked a little as it opened. Something was put down, and then the mattress dipped beside him.
"I know you're awake, Perry the Platypus," Heinz said kindly.
Perry exhaled in reply.
"I know because you stopped snoring." The little smile that stretched his lips was audible in his voice.
Perry rolled over again, his side now pressed up against the other man. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked as he adjusted to the brightness of the room. He wasn't going to apologize to Heinz for snoring, he'd known about that particular flaw long before their nemesis-ship ended.
"I think you slept for thirteen hours," Heinz calculated, and he smiled down at Perry. His slowly graying hair was attempting to block Perry's view of those midsummer sky eyes. "Did you sleep at all since I last saw you?"
The horizontal man shook his head.
Heinz whistled. "Did you sleep well?" And one finger carefully trailed a line across Perry's cheek that was left by the bedding.
Perry stretched until his back popped and nodded lazily. Heinz's hand was still on his cheek.
"I can tell," He said as if it was a secret they shared.
Long fingers slid away, and the mattress wobbled as Heinz left it. "I made lunch Perry the Platypus. Come and eat with us before Vanessa has to leave for her mother's house. She's missed you too." Gone was the softness in Heinz's voice as he forced Perry back into the reality of the conscious world. The man left the room, not bothering to stop speaking to him, even as he got too far away to be heard clearly.
A T-shirt landed on Perry's face. He debated rolling over and sleeping another 13 hours, but the siren call of lunch and his husband's enthused conversation won.