Taking the potion from her hand, Ernie smiled when she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, before watching her head upstairs. It was entirely psychological, he knew, but having Hazel around made him feel at least a little bit closer to sanity.
Maybe the potion helped too, he thought as he drank it slowly. He closed his eyes again, shifting just slightly on the couch and almost thought he might be able to fall asleep when he heard Hazel come back down. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw Hazel and the blanket and wanted nothing more than to cuddle and sleep. Which wasn't, perhaps, the most manly course of action, but he really didn't care.
"I'm glad you're here," he said after a moment. "I really...I'm glad you're here."