Oppressive yellow light weighed down on Gru's forehead, pulling his eyelids open like spring locked clamps. The electronic humming of the fluorescent lights above was now but a white noise, comforting as it broke up what would otherwise be complete dead silence. Gru's mind however was far from silent, as he was working tirelessly on the blueprints for his year end university assignment.

A sinister looking rocket, similar in design to those used by classic James Bond villains, is drawn isometrically only with pencil lines on blue paper, with incomprehensible calculations scribbled all over the page. On the rocket was drawn his original "G" logo, the same one he drew on his cardboard astronaut costume back when he watched the Moon Landing.

His V-Neck sweater was tainted with smudges of charcoal and pencil shavings, and his sleeves were black from pencil markings too, looking like a British Victorian Chimney sweeper, cleaning a chimney that had been using pencils for fuel. His pencil was very short, barely able to hold it with his fingers, having sharpened it so many times. His beige chinos had dark charcoal fingerprints, and his hands were ashy.

He stood there alone in the middle of the lab, moving and adjusting his ruler from place to place, drawing lines, doing calculations, scribbling away, lost in his own world.

Then, there was the sound of the door opening, and shortly after the sound of it closing.

"Are you going to be here all night?"

Gru's eyes remained on his blueprint, still drawing and scribbling away. He seemed unbothered, and paid her no attention. Val awaited a response, but did not manage to break his focus. She made another attempt.

"Well if you're going to be up all night the least I could do is get some coffee. How does that sound?"

Gru stopped his work and stood up still, still looking down at his desk, his head down and back straight.

"I'm sorry Val. This assignment is due in 3 weeks and I haven't even started on the prototype. I don't have time to talk. This needs to be perfect."

Gru spoke with a vicious tone. Val looked at the floor, like a child being scolded by her teacher. Gru loosened his stance and took a breath. He turned around and looked at her briefly, with an apologetic look, calmer in demeanor and tone.

"But yes, some coffee would be nice." Gru had baggy eyes, and looked drained of energy. His back slouched under all the pressure in his mind, arching as if he was the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"Great, I'll go get us both a cup!"

By contrast, Val was energetic and upbeat, and looked to get Gru back to himself. He had been in this lab since the sun came up after all, and by now the sun had left the sky already.

"You're getting a cup for yourself? Are you late on your assignments too?"

Val gave a quick chuckle.

"No, I finished my finals today! Handed in my project early and everything."

"Oh, that's great!" Gru found it hard to relate, still stuck on his project.

"So… that means I now have time to help you out. If you're working through the night then so am I!"

Gru seemed offended at the proposition.

"Val, you should really get some sleep. I'll be fine, I promise."

"No, I'm helping and you can't stop me." Val starts by playfully scraping the pencil shavings off the table, and putting them in the bin.

"See? I'm helping."

Gru gave a small smile though his exhausted face, and played along. He couldn't resist her charm, and takes his mind off his work for a rare moment.

"I can stop you from helping, just watch!" Gru grabs the bin back and playfulyl throws the pencil shavings back on the table.

Val giggles and throws some pencil shaving at Gru. They play for a while, running around and laughing, until the room is a mess. Too tired to care, Gru leaves the mess. He looks at Val, smiling but only semi-lucid.

"Forget the coffee, let's go home." Gru said.

Gru's heavy head weighs down on him as he walks towards Val, causing his back to slouch even more. His posture tends to suffer after late nights and overworking himself. He would be sitting at a desk hours at a time, and since he is a freakish 7ft tall he has to slouch like the Grinch just to work at any average desk. Still, his posture is not permanently affected, and his default posture is quite normal.

Now, however, his posture has been strained, as Gru drags his weighted head along, walking back home with Val. She props up Gru as they walk home, her right shoulder under her left supporting him like he was a wounded soldier. Gru's legs are fully functional, but his neck needs relief. His arm reaches around to her left shoulder, hooking himself onto her for structural integrity.

His ashy hands and clothes left black marks on Val's light blue jacket and jeans. She had already gotten her clothes messy from playing around earlier with pencil shavings, so this wasn't a problem. Nothing a trip to the laundromat couldn't solve.

As they walk home, leaving the campus, Gru rests his head on her right shoulder, closing his baggy, worn out eyelids.

"Come on. We're almost there" Val says, grunting as she drags Gru along.

Val carried Gru across this final leg of the journey, with Gru walking but leaning into her. Being only 5'10, she had to support his body weight as he leaned into her. It was as if David and Goliath were roommates and David had to drag Goliath home after a night of heavy drinking. Gru leaned on her, seemingly expecting her to be able to support his weight, comfortably resting.

They made it to the door. Val struggled to get her keys out of her pockets as she is still supporting Gru.

"You alright?" Gru whispered faintly, with the last of his energy.

"Yes, I'm fine. I got it!"

Val grabbed the keys, took them out her pocket and then unlocked the house door on the first try.

"We're here, finally!" Val whispers, attempting not to wake up her roommates.

"..."

Gru fell asleep. He lay there on Val's shoulder as she was still standing, his head up against hers. She gave an annoyed look, but still couldn't help but find him endearing. For a rare moment, Gru looks like his mind is at peace.

Val drags him across the hallway, leaving him laid out on the couch. Gru slept like a rock 10,000 feet under the sea, but as gracefully as an orangutan overdosing on bananas. Val stood up and watched the ape in his slumber, smiling at him in his peaceful state. Beneath that hard working, stress filled, obsessive student was a child, a passionate child with a dream.

Val left Gru to sleep, and went back to her room to sleep too.

She knew all about Gru's crazy master plan to become an astronaut and NASA but could not help but be intrigued by it, a plan with so much ambition, and one he made when he was just 11 years old. Still, she understood him until she didn't.

The reason Gru only had 3 weeks to complete his project was because he completely scrapped his last one.

Gru designed and made a working rocket, although only 10 feet tall, it managed a maximum altitude of 32,000ft and even had a two stage launch system. It was successful, and would have easily given him the highest distinction in the course, as well as an offer from NASA right away. However, he was displeased with the altitude, and wanted to make a rocket with a three stage launch system, just like the rockets used in the Apollo 11 mission. This proved to be very difficult, requiring a complete redesign.

Gru's master plan also required him to join the airforce for two years, and a few years work experience, just so he could qualify for the position of astronaut. Val found it hard to understand this plan, and it seems that Gru could have simply just become the lead rocket scientist at NASA. When asking him this very question, Gru answered:

"So I design the rocket but never get to go to space? No, that won't do."

It was this tunnel vision focus that made Gru so obsessive and stubborn. Val was nothing like this, and let her whims and feelings inform her decisions. She was still disiplined of course, handing in her astrophysics research paper in early, but was never so close minded.

The next morning, Val came down to see Gru. As she made breakfast, Gru continued to lie on the couch, in the exact same position she left him in.

She was making pancakes. The sweet buttery smell made its way to Gru's nostrils, up his long pointed nose. He slowly opened up his eyes.

"Morning Gru. You want pancakes?"

Gru looked at her with his eyes half open, moving his head up a half inch.

"I'm fine, thanks though."

"How about coffee?"

"Yes, that sounds good."