On the outside Iiah looked normal. For this time of night she wasn’t trapped up in her office, stuck in her work clothing and guzzling caffeine to keep herself working to the bone on paperwork. No, her face was scrubbed of her make-up, her hair down, and her uniform replaced with a soft, red chemise. For all intents and purposes, Iiah resembled the average Joe winding down to an eventual restful slumber. If only that was the case. The thing separating her from normality was the time. Without even looking at the clock, Iiah could tell that it was far past midnight. A guess and she’d say 2 AM, maybe 3 AM if she was unlucky.
Insomnia was a h a u n t i n g mistress.
The room was for the most part dark as it had been all night but now there was a single beam of light peering through a cracked doorway from the kitchen down the hall. Teacups clanked as they were placed out on the kitchen counter, water knobs squeaked, a spoon pinged as it was stirred around in the newly brewed tea. Iiah felt guilty. Iroh deserved to be sleeping and yet here he was, half-asleep, carrying a tray of freshly made tea; he had looked so peaceful before she had riled him awake in her mental agony.
She did her best to force a smile at the unfairness of it all before graciously accepting her cup.
“Thank you. You always know just what I need.”
The trip back to the bedroom was an easy one, as he memorized every other step. Retracing them, even with his eyes closed. This was, after all, not the first time he’d woken up to her in the middle of the night to assure her a good night’s sleep for once. She deserved that, at least.
The bed shifted under his weight once he crawled back into place. The lights flickering back on, revealing a mussed up Iroh after hours worth of heavy sleep. His hair parted right on the side, sticking up as if a bison had just come up and licked it until it stood on ends.
“Don’t thank me-- just try to drink it before it gets cold,” he yawned. Neck craning, the muscles in his shoulders contorting as he stretched.