Chapter Text
She knows she isn't dreaming.
And yet the darkness of the bedroom, the slight rustling sounds of the sheets, and the unbelievably soft sensation of warm lips on hers - together, they feel surreal, far too good to be true.
Whenever Cassia had thought about kissing him, her mind had gone in a decidedly different direction. From the moment they first met, there was this pull between them. Steadily growing tension that always felt like the only natural solution to it would be an explosion. Something wild and unpredictable.
This is the opposite of wild. It's slow, languid, and soothing, and it feels like nothing Cassia imagined.
It is better.
Emet's tongue pushes past her lips, and Cassia lets out a needy moan against his mouth as a shiver of heat runs through her at the open-mouthed kiss.
Cassia always assumed that the moment she would actually kiss him, she'd be inevitably lost, but it's the opposite instead. His arm wraps around her, a large hand rests between her shoulder blades, nudging her a little closer. And when she gives in, Cassia knows her mind has never been clearer.
Last week she suggested this date as a means to find out if there is something more, to get some clarity about what either of them actually wants. Right at this moment, she knows exactly what that is, and it's neither a quick and passionate tumble nor a casual opportunity for some undoubtedly good sex. Right at this moment, she wants nothing more than to lie in Emet's arms and keep kissing him, to fall asleep with his arms tightly around her, and to wake up in the morning to the warmth of not being alone. And then...
It's ridiculous to her by now that she ever thought what's between them could be something casual with no further strings attached, but what surprises her most is how much she actually yearns for those strings specifically. Cassia is used to being on her own. She wasn't lying when telling him she didn't need anyone else in her life. What she wants, though, is a whole different story.
What she wants is to spend more evenings like this, to sit and talk and get to know each other. What she wants is to tell him all about her husband and hear all he would like to share about his son. What she wants is to talk about how their days went over dinner and maybe...
Cassia has to rein herself back in, has to keep her mind from running ahead. One of her arms has slipped around Emet's neck, holding him close as they just keep kissing each other, lips moving slowly, as if they have all the time in the world.
Maybe they do.
For now, she is happy to push the thoughts about all this aside for a bit longer and just be in the moment. Emet is still kissing her, and Cassia still kisses back, but despite being pressed closely together, it doesn't feel like a prelude for something else. Not right now, at least. The pleasant haze of the wine from earlier makes it even easier to simply let go and be in the moment. Cassia doesn't even think about stopping the soft noises of contentment she makes against his lips, and Emet's hand keeps roaming gently across her back, but even that doesn't feel like it's pushing for something more.
When they finally part, Cassia doesn't know how much time has passed, and she doesn't care. All she does is let out a pleased sigh as she shifts to rest her head against the crook of his neck, and right away, his arm around her tightens and holds her close.
"I guess that definitely answers my biggest question," Cassia says quietly. The question that prompted the whole idea of a date, asking if what is between them would be worth the risk of pursuing it. She can feel the soft vibrations of Emet's chest when he lets out a deep chuckle.
"Indeed it does, and rather exhaustively at that, I would say." He moves a little, pressing another soft kiss onto her temple. "It comes with a whole slew of brand new questions, though."
She knows exactly what he means, of course. If they want whatever is between them to continue, that means they need to figure out just how to go from here, what to be mindful of, and how to approach the issues that will undoubtedly come with it. But those are not questions she wants to try and answer in the middle of the night when she may or may not be still slightly tipsy on top of that.
"They will be there tomorrow," she murmurs, letting her eyes fall close and reaching for the sheets to pull them up close to their necks. "If I remember correctly, you insisted on actually sleeping, professor."
The small snort that escapes Emet is endearing, and a moment later, she can feel him relax against her.
"I absolutely did, and I stand by that decision." His forehead rests against her, and Cassia just basks in the feeling of closeness when he adds in a thoughtful voice, "Sometimes daylight can change things, my dear."
For a brief second, Cassia hesitates, worry rising until she realizes that his hold on her has become a little tighter even, and it dawns on her that he is not talking about himself. Emet isn't worried that he will change his mind about this, he is more concerned that she might, and under the blanket, her hand finds his, intertwining their fingers.
"Sometimes they do, but not this time."
Her voice is barely more than a whisper, but his fingers wrap tightly around her hand, and Cassia knows that she doesn't need to say more. Neither of them does. For tonight every important question has been answered, and the rest can wait.
It doesn't take her long to fall asleep like this. It's another thing Cassia wouldn't have expected. She's become so used to sleeping alone for most of her nights, only occasionally having Bethany stay in her room after a bad dream or when she is sick, that Cassia would have expected having someone with her would need some adjustment. It's not the case at all. She sleeps deeply and soundly, only waking up lightly at the first light of morning to find herself still wrapped up tightly in Emet's embrace before she drifts back to sleep.
When Cassia wakes up for the second time, the sun is fully up. Her bedroom is flooded with light, and for the first few seconds, she just gives into the impulse of stretching until she freezes.
It is fully light outside, which means she has most likely overslept. With a start, she sits up, only to realize something else - she is alone. The other side of the bed is empty, and Cassia blinks a few times to get rid of the remains of sleep on her mind as she takes a look around. Emet's clothes are gone as well, she notices right away. They are no longer where he had put them the night before, and her heart sinks at the sight. She doesn't know what exactly she had expected, but...
A confused frown settles on her face as she hears noises from somewhere else in the flat, and it finally gives her the kick needed to get up and out of bed. Cassia doesn't bother with putting on anything additionally as she leaves her bedroom in her sleeping shirt and with bare feet, following the noise until a very distinctive smell hits her nose. With confusion running through her, she pushes open the kitchen door, and the sight that greets her has her stunned into silence.
Emet stands with his back to her at the stove as the smell of breakfast is in the air. He is fully dressed and, on top of it, wearing her blue and pink frilly apron she usually uses for cooking as he flips a pancake in a pan to excited applause. A little further away, out of reach of any splatter, Bethany sits on the counter, still in her pajamas, holding a rolled-up pancake in her hand. She tries to clap around it anyway when her eyes land on Cassia.
"Mama, we have pancakes!"
She almost shouts in her enthusiasm, and Emet turns half around, looking at Cassia over his shoulder.
"Ah, you are awake. Good morning."
The whole situation feels so surreal Cassia doesn't know what to do or say for a moment before she decides to go with the rather obvious.
"I see you have met..."
She trails off in a questioning tone as she steps further inside the kitchen.
"She introduced herself this morning when she came to wake you up for breakfast, and I offered an alternative solution."
"Emet said I get to be the taste-tester. It's very important!"
"Oh, it absolutely is," Cassia agrees, still trying to make sense of all this as she looks from Bethany to Emet. "You are making pancakes in my kitchen..."
The look he gives her is almost a bit sheepish.
"You were still deeply asleep, and I thought-"
"I am not complaining," Cassia hurries to assure him. "It's just a bit unexpected."
Emet nods slowly before he focuses on the stove again. A moment later, he puts the last of the pancakes onto an already waiting plate and turns off the heat.
"Unexpected could mean a lot of things, both good and bad," he points out, and at the careful look he gives her, Cassia relaxes, and a smile spreads across her face.
"Absolutely not a bad thing," she says quietly, but he hears her well enough. There is no time to get lost in the fond look he gives her when Bethany waves the half-eaten pancake at her.
"You have to try, mama, they are so tasty. Nayan will love them!"
Nayan.
Cassia's eyes widen as she looks at the clock and realizes what time it is. Just at that moment, she already hears a key turning in the lock of her front door, followed by an enthusiastic voice.
"Good morning, my favorite people. Are we ready to go?"
Cassia blinks once, looking at Emet as all sorts of emergency scenarios run through her mind that range from shoving him behind a cupboard to plainly locking her kitchen door, but it's too late for any of them when said kitchen door opens, and Nayan's head pops in.
"Hi, is Bethany ready to g-"
He, too, stops dead in his tracks as he takes in the view, his eyes stuck on Emet.
"Uhm, good morning professor?" he murmurs, confusion all over his face.
"A good morning to you, too, Mr. Dotharl," Emet replies smoothly, and for a second, Cassia almost wants to laugh about the sheer absurdity of the situation.
Here she has managed to keep her involvement with her professor under wraps, even from he closest friend, and the very moment she realizes that this might get a lot more complicated, she already has three times as many people knowing about this than before.
"Nayan," Bethany beams and waves again. "You need to have a pancake!"
"A pancake," Nayan murmurs, as his eyes go back and forth between Cassia and Emet, and before things can go even further off the rails, Cassia clears her throat.
"A great idea, Beth, but you need to get ready for daycare." With a smile, she walks over to the counter and picks her daughter up to help her get down. "You have to get dressed really quickly. Can you do that, or do you want help?"
Bethany gives her a dead serious look before she answers, "I am going to be super fast, just watch!" And with a happy squeak, she is already running to her room, the door to it falling shut rather loudly in her enthusiasm. Cassia takes a deep breath before she straightens back up and takes one of the plates.
"Powdered sugar or syrup?" she asks Nayan casually, and it seems to pull him out of his stupor.
"Syrup," he mutters, shaking his head a little. "Uhm, Cassia, a word?"
Nayan makes a rather obvious gesture toward the living room, and Cassia nods as she finishes his plate. Through it all, Emet has held himself back from saying anything, but as she passes by him, she feels an assuring hand on her shoulder for a short moment, and it helps calm her nerves at least a little.
"I'll be right back," she says quietly before following Nayan into the living room, where he already lets himself fall onto the sofa with a sigh. Wordlessly, Cassia puts the plate down in front of him before she sits.
"So," she starts, a little unsure of how to actually talk about this before she decides on simply going with the truth. "Remember that man I told you about from the club a few weeks back?"
Nayan's eyes widen as sudden understanding rushes through him, and Cassia can see him combining all the pieces in his head.
"Out of all the people you could have chosen to date," Nayan murmurs with a disbelieving shake of his head. "And after you give me so much flak about that TA I like!"
There is a frown on his forehead. Cassia knows he isn't truly mad at her, but it doesn't mean she has an easy time dealing with the face he makes.
"Oh, stop pouting," she murmurs before swatting his shoulder. "I am not giving you shit about that guy because he is a TA, I couldn't care less about that," she says in a stern voice. "I am mercilessly making fun of you because it's Raha, for fuck's sake. And he's been asking you out at least three different times now while you are being incredibly oblivious!"
Nayan looks ready to argue when he suddenly pauses.
"Wait, what? He asked me out? When?"
The confused look on his face makes Cassia chuckle as she shakes her head.
"'Oh, Nayan, I found this special film festival about that topic you like,'" Cassia says in her best imitation of the TA in question, and Nayan blanches.
"I thought he just wanted to tell me about it," he says slowly before his eyes widen even further. "Oh no, do you think that when he told us about the nighttime zoo events…" Nayan trails off, and Cassia nods gravely.
"Yeah…"
"And when he talked about that empty stretch of beach…"
"That, too," Cassia confirms.
Nayan looks stricken enough that Cassia decides to have mercy on him. She scoots closer and puts an arm around her friend's shoulder.
"Well, now that you finally know, you can hopefully do something about it," she suggests. "After you eat your damn pancake!"
"Eat my pancake," Nayan repeats with a slight frown towards the kitchen door. "The pancake made by our professor. In your kitchen. Wearing your apron…"
"Yes, that pancake, I don't really have another one," Cassia says with a roll of her eyes. "Eat, and then you are going to leave and forget you ever saw this!"
Nayan is already chewing down a large bit of his breakfast when he gives her a skeptical look.
"I think this is burned into my mind now," he murmurs between bites.
"Well, go ask Raha out then. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to help you forget this and much more!"
Nayan gives her a sheepish look, but his shoulders look a lot more relaxed by now, and a grin forms on his face.
"So, how long has this been going on?" he asks, giving Cassia a conspiratory look. "Since that night in the club?"
She vehemently shakes her head.
"No, not at all. In fact, I tried very hard to pretend nothing ever happened for a couple of weeks. We both did."
"Well, you're obviously not trying anymore," he quips, dipping the last pit of pancake into syrup before finishing his plate, and Cassia lets out a little laugh.
"Can you believe it? Last night was actually our first official date."
With a mock gasp, Nayan clutches his chest.
"You put out on your very first date? I am shocked, Cassia, I would never have believed you to be such a-"
She swats his shoulder with another laugh.
"Oh, shut up!" she murmurs. "I didn't actually... He just spent the night, but we haven't... whatever!"
Cassia stands up quickly, grabbing the empty plate and turning away to hide her flustered face while Nayan breaks into laughter.
"Oh dear, you've got it so bad," he gets out between huffs before he sobers up when Bethany bursts back into the room, already in her coat and shoes. Cassia spies a pair of mismatched socks, but when Nayan glances at his watch, she knows there is not enough time to fix something that ultimately matters very little.
"Alright, we should be off, I'll see you in class later, and I want to know everything," Nayan insists, only to flinch slightly when he hears someone clearing their throat.
"I hope you are not talking about my class, Mr. Dotharl. I have very little patience for students chatting during my lectures."
Emet stands in the doorway to the kitchen, by now no longer wearing the filly apron over his clothes and looking every bit the professor they usually know.
"I wouldn't dream of it, professor," Nayan replies without hesitation before he gives Cassia a knowing look. "So, no extra leniency, huh?"
Cassia chuckles again as she crouches down to straighten Bethany's jacket and slightly ruffles her hair.
"No special treatment, I'm afraid," she replies with a shrug, and Nayan scoffs slightly as his eyes go to the empty pancake plate.
"Somehow, I highly doubt that."
His voice is so dry that it causes Emet's stern look to disappear as he visibly suppresses a chuckle of his own.
"No special treatment when it comes to academics might be more accurate," he agrees before his eyes land on Cassia. "Do you need me to leave if you have to go?"
Having him leave is the last thing she wants right now, and Cassia shakes her head as she stands back up.
"I don't have to go yet. Like I said yesterday, I only have one class this afternoon. Nayan is just taking Bethany along to daycare on his way to class on Tuesdays, usually giving me some time to actually study," she explains. Not that she thinks a lot of coursework is going to happen today. They obviously need to talk about all this, but at least they don't have to do so under time pressure.
"Speaking of, we really need to be on our way, ready Beth?" Nayan asks, and Cassia takes care to give her daughter a firm hug before she is off for the day.
Bethany waves a cheerful goodbye to Emet, and when she leaves with Nayan, Cassia thinks she can hear her whisper about how Emet's pancakes are tastier than the ones Cassia tends to make. The door closes behind them, and Cassia turns back to Emet with laughter in her eyes.
"I think you may have raised the bar for breakfast in this house."
With no one else around anymore, she crosses the distance between them, slides her arms around his neck, and gently pulls him down into a kiss.
"Good morning," she murmurs against his lips, shivering a little when his hands come to rest on her back and her hips. "I must admit, when I woke up alone, I thought for a moment you had left."
Emet tenses slightly before he pulls her a little closer.
"My most sincere apologies. That was not the impression I wanted you to wake up to at all." He draws a strand of hair away from her face. "How about you have some breakfast while I clean up, and then I believe we should talk."
She knows they have to, and not much later, she sits at her kitchen table, drinking coffee and having to admit that Bethany isn't wrong when it comes to the quality of the pancakes.
"Thank you for this." Her eyes follow him as he tidies up the pace used for cooking while she has another bite and adds apologetically, "I hadn't planned on springing my family and my best friend at you like this."
Emet doesn't turn around as he simply shrugs.
"I assume your friend knows how and when to keep a secret, given how you didn't seem to panic," he simply says before his voice gets a little softer. "And your daughter is very sweet."
"He can, and yes, she is."
Cassia can't help but smile into her cup as she takes another sip.
"And very goal-oriented as well, it seems. She proposed that I should marry you after the first pancake."
Chocking, Cassia nearly spits out her coffee, trying her best to swallow before she makes a mess.
"She did what? "
When Emet finally turns around, dish towel still in hand, his eyes are brimming with amusement.
"I told her we would try a couple of more dates first, and she asked for more syrup, so I'm taking that as her approval."
Hastily, Cassia brings the cup back up, hiding her slightly flustered smile behind it before she finishes her coffee.
"A couple more dates, huh?" she finally asks when she sets the cup back down and manages to catch Emet's eyes.
"Well, I'd say the results of your little experiment became rather obvious last night around..." He pauses to think for a moment before he tilts his head. "Close to three am, I'd say, don't you agree?"
He sounds so very matter-of-factly about it that Cassia is almost a little thrown off before she realizes that this is just par for the course when it comes to what she knows of him so far. From the moment they first met, Emet had approached certain things with a sense of great care and hesitation, but once he had decided to commit to something, his whole demeanor had changed.
Wordlessly, Cassia stands up, ignoring the dishes still on the table as she walks over and pulls him into a much fiercer kiss.
There is nothing slow or languid about this one anymore. Cassia lets out a sigh against him before she opens her mouth and nips on his lower lip, letting her teeth press down just enough to get her message across, and Emet receives it loud and clear. Without looking, he throws the dish towel aside, and his hands fly to her hips as he starts to move until he crowds her against the door. One hand wanders up, cupping one of her breasts through her sleeping shirt, squeezing through the fabric. When Cassia presses her hips against him, she can feel his hard cock pressed against her, and it coaxes another moan from her.
"Oh, thank god," Cassia breathes out. "I was almost beginning to think you were genuinely not interested in certain things." There is a hint of teasing in her voice, making it clear she is not entirely serious, but Emet draws back for a second to shoot her a droll look.
"What on earth gave you that impression?"
For a moment, she is unsure if his reaction is entirely serious or not until she notices the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth that accompanies his raised brow.
"Your general avoidance of some things, and well, you've had me in your arms, in bed, in the middle of the night," Cassia purrs with a knowing grin letting one of her hands slide into his hair as Emet shakes his head with a slight scoff.
"And here I thought that was a mutual choice."
Cassia lets out a breathy chuckle, adding with a playful pout, "It was, but you didn't even try anything..."
When she bites her own lip on purpose and shifts her hips against him, something in his eyes changes, and with a low groan, he takes both her hands and brings her arms up above her head, pinning her wrists to the door easily with one of his hands.
"Did I hurt your feelings by not blatantly crossing pre-set boundaries, my dear?" Emet murmurs, taking her chin in hand and tilting her head back.
"A little!"
A shiver runs down Cassia's back at the intensity in his eyes, and she gasps as Emet leans in close and lets his lips brush over hers.
"We finished two bottles of wine between the two of us," he murmurs against her lips. "That's hardly a base for well thought through decisions, nor for awe-inspiring bedroom performances."
He is completely right, of course, and Cassia appreciates his thoughtfulness. This is more the prelude to something else than any actual complaint about last night. A night that had been thoroughly enjoyable on its own terms.
"Well, I'm feeling very sober right now," Cassia points out, looking up at him and voicing something else she can't help but wonder. "My question is, does your first rule apply to more than your office or the university?"
' In here, you do what I say and when I say it.'
Heat churns in her when she remembers that moment in his office, and from the way his breathing changes and his eyes narrow, Emet doesn't feel all that different.
"That's up to you," he says slowly, and Cassia doesn't need to think about it, her decision is already made.
Slowly, licks her lips, looking straight into his eyes, and she knows she doesn't have to say it for him to get her meaning when his hold on her tightens for a second before Emet abruptly lets go and takes a step back.
"Bedroom, now!" he orders with a low growl in his voice. "And lose the clothes, I think some things have been drawn out long enough."