It was 1:03 AM, and you still hadn’t managed to fall asleep. You’d tried everything—scrolling through your feed, letting background YouTube videos play low on the TV, even ASMR, which you didn’t even like. All while curled up against Claire’s side, her arm around your waist, quiet and warm and steady.

She hadn't fallen asleep either. Not really. You could tell by how her thumb would trace slow, absent-minded patterns on your side. She didn’t say much—never made it a big deal when your brain got restless like this. Just stayed there with you.

Eventually, she shifted a little, propping herself up. You barely noticed until she gently slid the phone from your hand.

“Okay,” she whispered, her voice a little raspy with sleep. “That’s enough doomscrolling.”

Then she carefully moved out from under you, brushing your hair back before standing.

“I’ll go make you some tea… it’s past the hour already.”