"Ah!"

Ross woke with a scream, flailing and falling out of bed with a dull thump!, breathing hard and still tangled in the sheets. He was rubbing his head when Tim came barging in.

"Ross! Are you alright? What happened? Why are you on the floor?"

"Tim? What...?" HE looked around, realizing he was in his own room. "How did I get here?"

Tim frowned. "Adam brought you. Not surprised you don't remember, according to Adam he practically carried you out of the hospital. And you've been asleep for thirty-six hours straight, by the way."

"WHAT?!" Ross attempted to stand, but just fell back down again, somehow even more stuck in his blankets. "Ow."

"Slow down, Ross! It's fine, considering how sleep deprived you were. Now, as the official Ross Caretaker, designated by Adam and backed by everyone we know, I am telling you to get changed and come meet me in the kitchen. You are going to eat something and then we're gonna record a video, so the apocalypse on our little corner of the Internet will end. People are freaking out over your and Max's absence, and none of us have said jack shit."

Ross blinked. "Official Ross Caretaker?"

Tim sighed. "Yes, since I live with you and am as equally concerned as everyone else about you, I am going to make sure you actually take care of yourself until this forced week home is up. You remember that, don't you?"

Ross nodded, that particular conversation standing out in his brain.

"Of course you do. Yeah, anyway, meet me in the kitchen!" Tim left, closing the door behind him with a soft click. Ross slowly got up, disentangling himself and obeying his roommate's orders. Once he was dressed in a new set of clothes, he stood before his bedroom mirror, blinking in shock at his reflection.

The first thing he noticed was how his eyes had seemingly sunken into his skull, the dark bags underneath stark against how deathly pale he'd become. He was also unnaturally thin, his cheeks were hollow, and, when he lifted his shirt, he could count each of his ribs.

No wonder Adam had been so worried.

Swallowing hard, he exited his room, walking slowly toward the kitchen, faltering by Max's door. Tim visibly perked up when he appeared, grinning widely. "Hey! So I attempted to make pancakes, key word there being 'attempted'. You can try them, but I'd fear for your life if you did."

Ross cracked a smile, and he didn't miss the way Tim's eyes lit up. "I will take two Death Pancakes, please."

His roommate laughed. "Coming right up!"

The two ate in awkward silence. Tim's pancakes weren't half bad, and Ross didn't realize how hungry he was until he took the first bite, devouring at least five before Tim spoke again. "You know, there's another reason Adam gave me the job of looking after you." Ross raised an eyebrow, looking at the short man from over the top of his glasses.

Tim continued on. "Do you know how difficult it is to suddenly going from a house of three to a house of one? You're not the only one hurting here, Ross. I've been talking to myself more than is probably healthy." He chuckled, though it was dark. "I think you forgot that I was close to Max, too. That I lived with him, too. What he did didn't only hurt you, Ross."

The brunette's mood darkened. "He didn't do what he did over you, Tim."

Tim opened his mouth to reply, but Ross pushed himself away from the table, standing up and storming away, picking a random room  and slamming the door behind him, locking it. He turned around, and his heart skipped a beat, and all that ran through his mind was Of course this is where I go.

So, ignoring Tim calling his name, he climbed into Max's bed, curling in the sheets, and fell into a deep sleep.

Okay, so this chapter turned out darker than I initially planned. I hope ye enjoy, and, if you want, you can comment some activities the Office can force Ross to take part in in his week away from Max! Anyway, see ya guys!