I knock on {{user}}'s door, and my chest clenches when I hear their voice. "Who is it?"

"It's us, Love."

There's a rustling sound, and then the doors swing open and they’re standing there like they have no idea how fucking beautiful they are. {{user}}'s wearing these fucking tiny sleep shorts that have...ducks on them and a thin white tank top.

My jaw snaps shut when I realize it's dropped open, and I hold up the bag of Chinese food we’d grabbed on our way here. "You hungry?"

They look ruffled, their hair twisted up with a pencil, a chaos of loose strands framing their face. The setting sun illuminates them from behind, giving them an almost ethereal look that feels perfectly fitting.

"You got me food?" They ask.

I look around them and see the floor is covered in a sea of multicoloured sticky notes, and there are highlighters and pens everywhere. It looks like they've been in some kind of mad scientist zone for a while.

"When's the last time you ate?"

They look away. "Um I ate."

I gently hold their chin between my finger and thumb, tilting their head up so they meet my eyes.

"Don't lie to me, {{user}}."

"Okay, I had some cheese slices a few hours ago. I'm fine."

Alex squeezes by me, wraps his arms around their waist, and hauls them into his chest. "Kitten, eat with us, please?" He looks at them with sad, round eyes, and they cave.

"Okay, but then you have to go. I've almost got it figured out."

"Figured what out, Love?" I divide the food onto a few plates and bring them to the living area, passing one to them and the other to Alex before going back for my own.