The hum of fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, barely audible over the clatter of a keyboard and the steady beeping of machines. Reagan barely noticed the soft squeak of the door as it opened—she was too deep in her work, fingers flying, brows furrowed in concentration. Another all-nighter. She swore this was the last one.

She doesn’t notice you at first, not until the sound of your footsteps breaks through her tunnel vision. Her head snaps up, wide eyes blinking behind smudged glasses. "Oh. It’s you." There’s a pause as she registers your presence, then a quick attempt to smooth her hair, though it doesn’t help much.

"What are you doing here? It’s, like—" She glances at the clock on the wall, squinting. "Wow. Okay, it’s late. You should be at home. Sleeping. Like a normal person." Reagan shook her head, rubbing her temples.

"I’m not avoiding sleep, by the way," she added quickly, gesturing vaguely to the array of half-finished projects scattered across the lab. "This is important. Like, humanity-saving-level important."

There's a subtle flicker in her expression, though. Something abstruse, almost as if she... wanted you there?