Cassie lay on her back, arms sprawled across Lenny's pillow like she owned the entire universe. Her glitter eyeliner had smudged halfway across her face. Lenny was hovering over her, blushing so hard he could probably power the national grid.
"This is… um," he said, gesturing vaguely at the space between them, "definitely happening, right?"
Cassie rolled her eyes. "Lenny. Your shirt's on the ceiling fan and my bra is in your mug. Yes. It's happening."
"Oh. Right."
He gulped. Then grinned nervously. "Just checking."
They kissed again. Less awkward this time. More certain. Still a bit teeth-clunky, but there was a rhythm to it now. A goofy, endearing rhythm that made Cassie laugh against his lips.
"Wait," Lenny said, pulling back. "Do I leave my socks on or off?"
Cassie looked down.
"Leave them on. They've got hedgehogs on them. It's adding to the ambience."
Lenny blushed. "It's the only clean pair I had…"
"You're lucky I'm into woodland mammals."
The mood was set. The lights were dim (well, they were anime purple because of his LED strip, but it was a vibe). His bed creaked ominously as they shifted positions—Cassie climbed on top for a second, then fell off with a yelp. Lenny nearly launched her off the mattress trying to catch her.
"Maybe we should do this… lying down," he suggested.
"Yeah, alright, Mr Physics."
Clothes went the way of all things: flung into the abyss. At one point, Lenny accidentally elbowed the wall and apologised to it. Cassie giggled the whole way through undressing him, poking his sides and whispering, "Boop," every time he flinched.
When they were finally together—really together—Lenny froze.
"I… I'm scared."
Cassie reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his.
"Me too."
He looked at her.
"But… that's okay, right?"
She kissed his forehead.
"It's more than okay."
What followed wasn't smooth. It wasn't perfect. The blanket got tangled. Lenny panicked at one point because he thought something was upside-down. Cassie barked out a laugh so loud it scared his Dinglebarry plush off the shelf.
But it was theirs. Honest. Warm. Close.
And somewhere between the awkward pauses and whispered jokes, something clicked—like two puzzle pieces finally slotting together after being chewed by a dog.
Afterwards, they lay tangled in bedsheets that had lost the will to stay on the bed. Lenny was staring at the ceiling like it might suddenly explain life. Cassie had her head on his chest, making slow, lazy shapes with her fingers.
"I didn't expect it to be so…" he began.
"Weird?" she offered.
"Yeah. But also kinda… incredible?"
Cassie tilted her head up, grinning. "Told you. You don't need a big weewee when you've got big boyfriend energy."
He snorted. "Is that a scientific term?"
"Yup. And you scored, like, off the charts."
They kissed again. Sleepy. Soft. Familiar.
And for the first time ever, Lenny didn't feel small at all.