Sunny sighed, rubbing his face aggressively as he sat up in bed.
Pushing the embarrassment aside, he stood up and focused on something more important…preparing the bed.
He pulled back the sheets, adjusted the pillows, and made sure there was enough space for two.
A small part of him was still struggling to believe this was actually happening.
Cassie.
Sleeping in his bed.
With him.
His hands twitched at the thought, but he shook it off.
Right as he finished, a soft knock came at the door.
He froze for a second, then exhaled, straightening his posture before walking over.
As his fingers touched the handle, a stray thought crossed his mind.
Wait. Where the hell is Effie?
The genius mastermind behind all this was nowhere to be seen.
She had invited Cassie over, practically thrown them together, and then suddenly vanished.
For a second, he considered the possibility that she had planned this from the start.
…
Nah.
Shrugging, he dismissed the thought and turned the handle, opening the door.
——-
Effie grinned as she rolled onto his couch, stretching her arms behind her head.
"Thanks for letting me stay over."
…
…
"Kai."
Kai, standing in the kitchen, raised an eyebrow. "You say that like I had a choice."
"You didn't." She smirked.
Kai rolled his eyes, muttering something about 'scheming demons' before walking off.
Effie simply grinned wider.
—
Sunny pulled the door open, revealing Cassie standing there in soft pajamas.
The sight of her made something in his chest tighten.
She was… really beautiful.
He cleared his throat and quickly stepped aside. "Come in."
Cassie stepped inside, and without thinking, he reached out and gently grabbed her hand.
Her fingers curled slightly in his, warm and soft.
"This way," he murmured, leading her towards the bed.
He guided her to one side, brushing his thumb against her skin before releasing her hand.
"This is your side," he said.
Cassie tilted her head. "And yours?"
Sunny hesitated before moving to the opposite side. "Right here."
A moment of silence passed between them.
This was real.
'I'm really doing this, huh?'
And for some reason, the thought made Sunny's heart pound just a little faster.
Just a little.
Sunny exhaled slowly as he slid under the covers, shifting to his side with his back facing Cassie.
The bed was warm, the sheets soft, but none of that mattered.
His mind was occupied with her.
Cassie.
His heart thumped a little harder at the thought.
He had shared rooms with her before, in the dark city when he had to.
He had fought alongside her, well it was him just fighting and her hiding.
And, he had risked his life for her countless times.
Which was his own decision.
But this felt… different.
Maybe it was because there were no looming threats. No battles waiting for them. Or a nightmare they have to escape.
It was just the two of them. Alone. Sharing the same bed.
Sunny clenched his jaw, willing himself to stop thinking too much.
But it was impossible.
Every shift of movement, every soft inhale Cassie made, was painfully obvious to him.
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force himself into sleep.
And yet, he couldn't.
After a long moment of silence, something in him gave up.
With a quiet sigh, he turned over.
Cassie was right there.
Sleeping peacefully, without her blindfold.
For a second, he just stared.
She looked… different like this.
Vulnerable, in a way he wasn't used to seeing.
Her golden hair spread out against the pillow, and the soft glow of the nightlight reflected in her delicate features.
Her breathing was slow, even.
And before he even realized it, a single thought slipped out of his mouth.
"…Cute."
His own voice startled him.
Sunny's eyes widened slightly, his breath catching.
'Did I just say that out loud?'
His mind scrambled for a way to cover it up, but before he could-
Cassie stirred.
Her head shifted slightly, brows furrowing.
"…What's wrong?" she murmured sleepily.
Sunny tensed. "Nothing's wrong."
Silence stretched between them.
Then, Cassie shifted again.
This time, moving closer.
Before he could react, her left hand lifted, reaching forward in an attempt to find where his face was.
Sunny let out a soft chuckle, watching as her fingers lightly brushed against his shoulder instead.
With an amused shake of his head, he reached out and gently took her hand.
Then, carefully, he guided it to his face.
Cassie's fingertips brushed against his cheek first, then his jaw.
He felt her still slightly.
A second later, a small blush dusted her cheeks.
"…You called me cute, didn't you?" she asked softly.
Sunny swallowed hard.
'Damnation, she heard it.'
And so, before he could stop himself, the truth spilled from his lips-
"Yes, I did."
Silence.
Cassie's blush deepened, her fingers twitching against his skin.
Sunny, on the other hand, wanted to sink into the mattress and disappear.
Till he asked.
"…You don't mind, do you?" he asked, his voice quieter than before.
Cassie didn't answer right away.
Instead, she moved.
Before he could react, she shifted even closer and buried her face in his chest, nuzzling against him like a cat.
A rush of warmth spread through him.
'What the hell?'
Cassie's voice was muffled against his shirt.
"Shut up."
Sunny blinked.
Then, he smirked.
'Oh, so that's how you wanted to play it?'
…
'Well, two could play that game.'
Lowering his head slightly, he leaned in until his lips were just above her ear.
Then, with a smirk, he whispered:
"Cute."
Cassie stiffened.
Then, with a small huff, she nuzzled into him even harder.
Sunny chuckled. "So that's how it is, huh?"
Cassie said nothing, but he could feel the warmth radiating from her face, even through the fabric of his shirt.
She was embarrassed.
It was adorable.
He let out another amused breath, his hand hesitating before resting lightly on her back.
For a moment, they simply stayed like that.
They just stayed close.
Then, Cassie moved again.
This time, she tilted her head up, her golden eyes searching for his face.
Sunny looked down, and suddenly-
They were staring at each other.
His breath caught.
Cassie's lips were slightly parted, her expression soft, unreadable.
His eyes flickered to her lips before he could stop himself.
A dangerous thought crept into his mind.
'Do it.'
'Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it.'
'Do itDo itDo itDo itDo itDo itDo itDo itDo itDo it.'
Before he could stop himself.
He leaned in.
Their lips met.
Cassie inhaled sharply against him, but she didn't pull away.
…
Instead, she kissed him back.
Sunny felt his body react instinctively, his arm wrapping around her waist as he pulled her closer.
Cassie's fingers curled into his shirt, gripping onto him as their kiss deepened.
Warmth.
Softness.
A slow, burning sensation that spread from his chest to every inch of his body.
Neither of them pulled away.
Neither of them wanted to.
For the first time in a long, long while-
Sunny didn't think.
He just felt.