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Tossing and turning in their bed, Paintbrush physically could not go to sleep. They glared up at the ceiling, about ready to fight their own body. They just wanted to sleep god dammit.
Their eyes were sore and their body ached. Despite that, their brain would not shut off and let sleep overtake them. So, to ease the tiredness a little, they got up as quietly as possible so as not to wake up their roommate and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
The hotel was quiet as anything as they stepped foot into the kitchen, careful to avoid any creaky floorboards as they made their way to the fridge to grab the milk. As they turned around, they nearly dropped the liquid on the floor as they jumped at a figure in the doorway. They placed the milk on the counter as they caught their breath. “Dear God, Test Tube..”
“O-Oh, gosh, sorry Paintbrush!” Test Tube rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. She stepped further into the kitchen, sitting at the island in the centre and watching as Paintbrush made their coffee. “What are you doing up so late?” She questions, crossing her arms over the island and resting her head on top of them.
“Can’t sleep.” Paintbrush responds casually, “like actually, I’ve tried.” They placed their mug on the island before they turned around to put the milk back in the fridge, pausing in the process. “Do you want one?”
Test Tube glances up. “Hm?”
“A coffee.”
“Oh, no thank you.” She says with a wave of her hand. She watches as they shrug and place the milk on the shelf in the fridge, closing the door afterward. They sit across from Test Tube and pick up their mug, taking a quick sip before they look up at her. “I’m gonna assume you can’t sleep either?”
“Eheh.. nope.” The scientist admits, now resting her elbows on the island as her chin sat in her hands. “Honestly, I heard you leave your room and decided to come and check. Of course, I didn’t know it was you specifically, but company is company..”
“Aw, I thought I was being quiet!” Paintbrush whined with a short laugh, taking another sip of their coffee. They heard a floorboard creak which admittedly made them jump, turning to look at the doorway where Lightbulb stood with their arms in a t-rex position, her lips pursed.
“Uh- hi guys!” She waved, straightening her posture and placing one hand behind her back. She headed over and seated herself at the island, specifically beside Paintbrush. “Y’all in the same boat as lil’ old me?”
They both fell silent.
Lightbulb rolled her eyes. “Y’all can’t sleep too?”
Oh. Thought Paintbrush, chuckling sheepishly. “Yeah, we’re.. tired, I can see, but sleep just doesn’t want us.” They hummed, holding onto their mug. The warmth of the coffee was oddly comforting to them as they held it close to their face. The smell was strong, it grounded them and kept their thoughts collected as they side-eyed the blonde beside them when she began to ramble about one thing or another. Test Tube simply listened, gazing at her with nothing but adoration.
It was cute, Paintbrush thought, as they finished the last of their coffee and got up to place their mug in the sink. The tap would make too much noise for them to wash their cup now, so they’d worry about it later (if Soap didn’t get to it first of course; they kinda hoped she didn’t, they weren’t looking to get an earful about ‘bad habits’..)
As they sat back down, they concluded they would not be going to sleep anytime soon. As physically tired as they were, they felt as though they could run a marathon. They couldn’t, but it’s the thought that counts.
They were pulled out of their thoughts as Lightbulb wrapped her arms around their waist in a tight hug, letting out the tiniest of gasps at the sudden contact. Test Tube gave a giggle at this, covering her mouth with her hand as Paintbrush squinted at her with a playful scowl.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that! Your reaction was endearing.” Test Tube winked at them, causing their face to flush as they averted their gaze. “Okay, whatever.” They laughed softly as Lightbulb tightened her grip on them just a little bit. As rough as she could be, she was careful not to hurt the artist as she kept them in that same embrace.
Test Tube rolled her eyes with a smile. “It was! Come on, let me join this hug.” She got up from her chair, sitting on the other side of Paintbrush as she wrapped her own arms around them. Now they were stuck in a hug from the two people who could make their heart flutter with something as simple as a smile.
It was nice.
Paintbrush let themselves be held, now wrapping their arms around the two practically clinging to them. Although the kitchen island wasn’t the most comfortable cuddle spot, they couldn’t be bothered to get up and move somewhere else.
But they didn’t need to, as Lightbulb pulled away from the embrace and effortlessly picked up both Paintbrush and Test Tube, ignoring their startled protests and taking them to the living room, dropping them on the couch shortly after.
Both were flustered by this action. Neither of them realised how strong this girl was, and she seemed to enjoy showing it off. Or maybe she didn’t realise she was, but yknow. She was a girl full of pride regardless!
Lightbulb plopped herself down beside Paintbrush, trapping them in the middle for the second time and clinging to their side once again. Test Tube rolled her eyes fondly as she wrapped her arms around them from the other side, and they were once again trapped in a hug. At least this one was more comfortable.
..Maybe Paintbrush shouldn’t have had that coffee. Test Tube had fallen asleep snuggled into Paintbrush’s side. Lightbulb sat motionless, yet Paintbrush couldn’t tell if she was asleep or not. She could be extremely difficult to read sometimes.
They leaned their head back and stared at the ceiling. Back to square fuckin one I guess. They sighed, and movement beside them told them that the blonde was still awake. They tilted their head down at her as she looked up at them with a curious smile. “Everythin’ okay, Painty?”
“Kinda regretting having that coffee right about now.” They answered, glancing back up at the ceiling. Lightbulb giggled quietly. “Didn’t help your case like you thought it would, huh?” She teased, grinning. Paintbrush rolled their eyes. “In my defence, I didn’t know you and Test Tube were having the same issue.”
“You two are awfully loud.” Test Tube spoke up, startling the other two. Paintbrush gave a small ‘heh’ followed by an apology as Lightbulb said nothing, snuggling further into the artist, ignoring the way they flinched slightly.
Paintbrush sighed as the two had slipped into unconsciousness. They blinked a couple times before they closed their own eyes in an attempt to sleep. Although it took a while, they eventually managed.
They’d probably hate themselves in the morning for staying up so late, but that was an issue they didn’t want to bother thinking about right now.