"This is it," Sissi snaps. "I told you if you woke me up one more night—"

"I'm sorry," Aelita says, hand held up to block out the light Sissi flicked on. Her voice is shaky enough that Sissi recoils, suddenly uncomfortable and unsure how to react, "I didn't mean— it shouldn't be this bad—"

"If it's so bad—" then why don't you have a roommate to deal with this instead of me, Sissi wants to ask, but the thought hits against old wounds she pretends don't exist, because she convinced everyone that she'd gotten a single because she was the principal's daughter and she wouldn't stand for anything less, that she was proud of the extra space, of not having to share anyone obnoxious, when the truth is — no one wanted to room with her.

Aelita's blinking against the light, still trembling slightly, and Sissi scowls and finishes with, "oh, nevermind, stay there." She stomps back to her room, yanks her favorite pillow off the bed and her blanket from where she'd tossed it aside to storm over to Aelita's room in the first place. Aelita gives her a look of consternation when she comes back, that grungy doll of hers still clutched in her hands.

"If I'm not going to get any sleep in my own room, what with your screaming every night, I might as well stay here."

Aelita relaxes against her sheets, the soft hint of a smile on her lips making Sissi frown. "I'm not being nice," she huffs, "this way I might actually get some sleep." If she's noticed that Aelita's nightmares have gotten worse steadily over the past week as she looks paler and paler in class, she's not going to admit anything. "Also, move over, I'm not going to sleep on the floor."

Aelita shifts toward the wall, pulling her blanket with her until she's cocooned in the corner. Sissi turns off the light and gets in next to her, feeling awkward and out of place next to Aelita's small frame, but Aelita smiles at her again and then tucks her head down and curls her hand around her doll. "Good night," she says, all good manners.

Sissi punches her pillow into position and lies down. When she looks up at the ceiling, it's just like being in her own room, until there's rustling beside her and the accidental bump of knees against her side.

"Thank you, Sissi," Aelita adds, quietly, close to her ear. Sissi feels her face heat up, turns her cheek to the cool side of her pillow and replies, "go to sleep."

She can feel Aelita's soft exhale of breath, can practically hear her smiling that infuriatingly sweet smile again, and she clutches her blanket tighter and closes her eyes. The tight, angry knot in her chest that she's gotten so used to, that aches every time she sees all five of them together and wants so badly to be a part of it, loosens slightly.

She fall asleep to the even pattern of Aelita's breathing against her ear.