The morning light seeps through the curtains, warm and slow, and Cass stirs before she fully wakes. Her body registered the unusual first, before her mind catches up - a presence beside her, the steady rhythm of breathing close enough to feel. Instinct jolts her awake, even as she blinks drowsily, initial surprise fading into comfortable realization.

She isn’t alone.

Someone lay beside her, still asleep. A familiar body - so much more so now, she thinks fleetingly. The reality of it settles over her, warm as the sunlight. This was new. This was different. This was good.

Cass props herself up on one elbow, careful not to move too much. Slow, methodical. She doesn’t want to wake them. Not yet. The quiet is too nice to ruin. She watches their face - relaxed, unguarded, peaceful - and feel something warm tighten in her chest. It wasn’t just last night. It was every moment leading here. A path walked alongside someone else, a destination found together. 'Friendship' suddenly was no longer the word for the place they had reached. This wasn't planned, but something about it feels inevitable. Feels correct. Somehow, that makes her happy.

She touches their arm lightly, just to be sure they were real. Solid. Safe.

Cass had shared beds before - with teammates, with friends - but never like this. Never with someone who matters this much, in this way. Never with the quiet understanding that they wanted to stay. Had stayed. Were still here. Might continue to be here. The thought that this is the first - a word that implies that there can be more - plays through her mind like a joyful melody.

She smiles, small but certain, and lets herself savor it. The light. The quiet. The trust.

Then she settles back down, just close enough to feel their warmth, and waits for them to wake up.