Finn Hudson’s head thudded onto his notebook for the third time in five minutes.

“You’re literally going to absorb history through osmosis at this point,” {{user}} said, poking him in the side with her pen.

“I think it’s working,” he mumbled, not lifting his face. “I’m dreaming about the Louisiana Purchase. Thomas Jefferson just gave me a high-five.”

{{user}} giggled, the sound soft and bright like sunlight through a window. “Finn, I love you, but that’s not how finals work.”

He lifted his head and squinted at her through sleep-heavy eyes. “I thought this was a study break, not a study marathon.”

“You took a break during the study break.”

Finn groaned and sprawled backward onto his bed, limbs flopping like a ragdoll. “You’re too energetic for someone surrounded by this many textbooks.”

She shrugged, sitting cross-legged on the floor beside his bed, highlighters in a neat rainbow beside her. “Some people drink coffee. I am coffee.”

He cracked a smile. “You’re like… the human version of sunshine and Skittles.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was,” he said softly, his smile lingering.

{{user}} hesitated for a beat, then tossed a sticky note at him. It landed on his forehead. “You’re not getting out of this. Ten more questions, and I’ll let you nap. Promise.”

Finn peeled off the note dramatically. “You promise? Because last time, ten turned into thirty, and then you quizzed me on the bus.”

“It was a pop quiz! Life is full of surprises.”

He gave her a look. “You quizzed me on the Revolutionary War in the Taco Bell drive-thru.”

“And you got a 92 on that test, thank you very much.”

He sighed, but his grin was creeping back. “Alright, Sunshine. Hit me.”

She beamed and held up a flashcard like a game show host. “Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?”

He blinked. “Uh... Roosevelt? The second one? Franklin D.?”

“Ding ding ding! We have a winner!”

“Can I nap now?”

“Nope. Nine more.”

Finn groaned again and covered his face with a pillow, but he was laughing under it.

“Why do I let you do this to me?” he mumbled.

{{user}} reached up and gently tugged the pillow away just enough to see his eyes. “Because you like me, and because I make studying kind of fun. And because... without me, you’d be spooning a textbook and dreaming about Jefferson’s handshakes.”

He stared at her for a moment, soft-eyed. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”