ă closed starter ă cassian and calypso. @howmcnythings
CASSIAN HADNâT MEANT TO STOP. he had stopped by to pick up something. was halfway down the hall, keys in hand, already thinking about heading out when something in calyâs doorway caught his eye. it wasnât unusual for her door to be open â or for pieces of fabric, thread, something creative to spill out into the hall. that was just⌠her. but thisâ
    the measuring tape on the floor.     the sticky note beside it.
that made him pause. his brow furrowed as he stepped closer, slower now, like his body already knew this wasnât something to brush past. he crouched, picking them up carefully, eyes scanning the numbers onceâjust onceâbut it was enough to make something in his chest pull tight.
â âŚshit. â he breathed, barely audible. for a second, he just stood there. staring at the note like if he looked long enough it might mean something else. s o m e t h i n g easier.
    it didnât.
his jaw tightened, but he didnât storm out, didnât go looking for her right away. instead, he stepped fully into her room, setting his keys down on the nearest surface without thinking. the tape and note stayed in his hand. cassian exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over the back of his neck before he moved to sit on the edge of her bed.
and waited.
he didnât rehearse what he was going to say. didnât let himself spiral too far ahead. he just sat there, quiet, the weight of it settling in his chest â heavy, protective, worried. by the time she came back, heâd be ready. or at least⌠as ready as he could be.
when she finally reappeared in the doorway, his gaze lifted to her immediately â not sharp, not angry, just there. steady. â âŚhey, caly. â his voice was gentle, but there was something underneath it now. something more serious than usual. he held up the measuring tape slightly, not accusing â just honest.     â you wanna talk to me about this? â
