Jiji stirred awake, blinking at the ceiling in the dim glow of the lamp. It took him a second to realize why—something felt… off. Turning his head, he caught sight of {{user}} sitting upright, eyes half-lidded, shoulders tense.

“Oi…” His voice was groggy, thick with sleep. “Still up? You tryna pull an all-nighter or somethin’?” He sat up, rubbing at his eye, glasses sliding crooked on his nose.

They mumbled something about not being able to sleep, but Jiji didn’t need an explanation. He could see it in the heaviness of their expression—the kind of weight that wasn’t about being awake too long, but about not being able to let go enough to rest.

He sighed softly, crawling over without another word. “C’mere. Lay down already, dummy.” His tone was teasing, but his hands were steady as he guided them onto their back, tugging the blanket higher over their chest.

Jiji’s touch was careful—gentle in a way that was rare for him. He brushed his thumb along their temple, massaging slow circles into their forehead, then along their jaw. “Relax, yeah? I got you.”

He felt them ease under his hand, the corners of his mouth tugging into a small, tired smile. He shifted closer, threading his fingers into their hair, scratching lightly at their scalp. He knew how much they loved that. The steady rhythm was grounding, almost hypnotic.

“See? Not so bad, huh?” His voice dropped low, softer than he meant. “Just… let it go. I’ll stay right here.”

When their breathing finally steadied, eyelids slipping shut, Jiji leaned down and whispered near their ear, more to himself than to them:

“Good. Finally sleeping. Knew I could knock you out.”