A pinch of anxiety over Impostor Factory's plot + 2 pints of sadness from replaying TTM + a heaping spoonful of loving the chaos quartet = pointless established relationship hurt/comfort.

The third time Roxie dreamed she was choking on lavender, she woke on the floor in the dark, tangled in the bedsheets. When she finally got free and found a light to turn on, there was a huge rip right down the middle of them. She sat, staring at it, while her heartbeat slowed down and her temperature dropped. Too far, she thought dimly as she began to shiver. Then, how did Rob sleep through all that?

His bed was empty. Anxious nausea settled in. She stumbled up, lurched her way to the door connecting their suite, tried to open it with shaking hands. "Fuck..."

"Fuck!" She jumped— her phone, buzzing in her PJ pocket. She hadn't remembered grabbing it.

A text from Neil. Who goes there?

Me. Can't open this stupid thing

gotcha

A few moments later, the door slid open. "You look like hell," Neil said as he reached to pat her head.

"Dumb nightmares." But a lump was rising in her throat anyway, just seeing him, and seeing the outlines of Rob and Eva on the giant sofa bed.

"Welcome to the shitty sleep club, then." He looped an arm around her waist (god, he was so warm, she wanted to melt into him), and pulled her along to the bed. "Working on a cure right now."

She fidgeted, looking between Rob and Eva and feeling embarrassed about her need, despite the evidence in front of her that she wasn't the only one with it.

Eva looked quite asleep, curled up on her side within arms' reach of Rob, who was now (mostly) awake, pushing himself upright. "You okay?" he asked quietly, and— dammit.

She shrugged, tears building, and climbed onto the bed, and into Rob's lap. "S-Sorry," she hiccupped.

He shushed her, taking her hand and kissing her cheek. "Your hands are freezing, sweetheart."

She felt Neil grab her other hand and knew he'd claimed the small space by Eva. "Jeez, you're not kidding," he said, and held it tighter instead of flinching away.

"Sorry," she said again, crying into Rob's shirt. "I-I, I missed you..."

Neil leaned over her then, and against Rob. "Look at me, Rox."

She did, through blurred eyes that cleared from his surprisingly gentle touch.

"Sorry ain't necessary, okay?" Then he touched her chin, slowly enough that she could pull away, and then he kissed her.

She sighed against his lips, felt herself falling into the warmth on all sides. When he pulled away she felt herself smiling.

"There's a 'cuddle Roxie' party happening and no one woke me up?" Eva, hoarse and not totally understandable from sleep. "I'm wounded."

"My bad, dumpling."

"Wh— hey!"

Laughter and a flurry of movement later, Eva was pressed up against Roxie instead ("You're welcome," Neil said).

"Hey," she said a puff of air against Roxie's cheek as she snorted.

"Hi. Missed you."

"So I've gathered." A kiss to her shoulder and, "How are we all getting back to sleep?"

"That's simple," said Rob, and suddenly Roxie found herself horizontal with him, lying on his chest.

Feeling boneless, she rolled off of him just enough so he could breathe, so she was wedged pleasantly between him and Eva.

"Not squashed, are you?" Neil said, from... somewhere.

She shook her head. "I wanna be. Feels safe."

Eva made some kind of groan-squeal and said, "God, you're adorable." She rolled to her side, put an arm over Roxie's waist. "I love you."

Roxie blushed furiously, hiding her face against Rob's neck as he echoed Eva.

"Same." Neil's leg landed across hers, and Roxie was even more grateful for the darkness; the mental image of Neil and Eva spooning tightly enough for him to touch her too was almost enough to make her combust.

"Love you too," she whispered, wiggling further into the bed. "Love you so much..."

The nightmares didn't return.