A/N: Inspired by that Camsten photo, but unrelated to the Halloween episode promo.
Bonus points for anyone that gets the reference ;) (couldn't help it, it was the best description I could think of lol).
"You know, you should really take a break," Cameron said, pointing at her laptop. He glanced at the clock in his kitchen, 12:53am. They had been looking into their latest stitch case, trying to figure out if the victim had any enemies. The first stitch didn't give them much to go off of, so until the refractory period was up the next morning, Kirsten was furiously researching his life and didn't have much to show for it.
"I'm good," she replied without looking up from the laptop. She had taken over his dining room table ever since they got back from work. If he didn't send her to bed, she would probably stay up half the night working.
"Well I'm not. I'm tired," he said with a yawn. "Do you want me to give you a ride home?" He wasn't looking forward to the thirty minute round trip, but he didn't want her to wait for a cab this late.
"No, I'll just stay here," she shrugged.
Cameron's heart raced. This didn't mean anything. It was late, Kirsten was just being logical. He mentally calmed himself down, thankful that Kirsten didn't notice the time passing.
"I'll uh- take the couch." He was already heading for his bedroom for an extra set of sheets, when she interrupted him.
"Why?," she asked finally looking away from the screen and directly into his green eyes.
"Well Princess, I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch." He chuckled nervously.
"And why would either of us sleep on your couch? Your bed is big enough." She closed the laptop, figuring that she wasn't making much progress anyway, and waltzed past Cameron into his bedroom.
He trailed behind her. "It's just that I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I can sleep on the couch," he insisted.
"Cameron, we've slept in the same bed before." She was helping herself to a change of clothes, while Cameron excused himself to the bathroom. At least she hadn't asked why it would be different this time, sleeping in the same bed. He was exhausted, and wasn't sure if he had enough energy to deflect that question. The first time, he had just met her, just started to have feelings for her. This time, he had months to fall even more in love with her.
He took out his contacts, and put on his glasses. He had already changed earlier, so he waited a few minutes so she could change. He inhaled deeply, opening the door a crack. He saw Kirsten laying on her side, facing the middle of his bed. He walked over to the bed and exhaled quietly. She looked peaceful, her golden hair sprawled out around her. He set his glasses on the nightstand, and was about to lay on top of the sheets when she opened her eyes wide. The gaze from her hazel eyes took his breath away. She simply pulled back his sheets and pat her hand on his bed, inviting him to join.
She continued to stare, seeing him nervously fidgeting with his hands and shifting his weight to his other leg. She was wondering what was taking him so long. "Cameron?," she asked.
"I uh-," he looked down, away from her, anywhere but in her eyes. "I was just going to sleep on top of the sheets."
"Don't be silly." She patted the spot next to her. "I know you won't try anything."
He wasn't sure what was worse- that she knew he wouldn't try anything, or that she thought he wasn't interested in her. He was fairly certain that everyone at the lab knew how he felt about her, but she was oblivious. Either way, he was a chicken... and she was right.
She saw the conflict on his face. A devilish smile spread across her face before she spoke. "Or do I have to worry about you trying something?," lowering her voice to the best sultry tone she could convey. She hoped that changing her approach with Cameron would lighten the mood, relax him even. It worked.
He laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Of course not Stretch. I'm a perfect gentleman." He climbed into bed, pulling the sheets back up to their necks. He took one last look at her, before laying on his back. "Goodnight Princess."
"Goodnight Prince Charming," she whispered, already half asleep.
…
Cameron woke up to an unfamiliar faint floral scent, and a weight on his chest. His eyes fluttered open, seeing Kirsten snuggled into his side, her arm wrapped around his shoulder. Her leg was tangled in his. He breathed deeply, it was her shampoo that he smelled. He was never really this close to her face before, and the scent was very faint. He identified it as lilies mixed with the lightest hint of... vanilla. On Kirsten, the scent was intoxicating.
For some reason, he didn't think that Kirsten was big on cuddling. Clearly, he was wrong. And she wasn't just cuddling with anyone, it was with him. He wasn't sure if she was even aware that she was cuddling with him.
Before giving it a second thought, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and took two quick pictures of them on his bed. He couldn't help himself, to pass up the opportunity. After all, she probably wouldn't believe him if he told her. He looked at them. She was absolutely gorgeous, completely put together after sleeping all night. He was another story- hair sticking out every which way, eyes slightly puffy and red.
She sighed in her sleep, hugging her body closer to his. He chose to set down his phone and enjoy the moment, while it lasted. He estimated about ten or fifteen minutes had passed, and then she rolled over on her other side, facing away from him. The loss of contact immediately chilled his skin, every inch of where she had pressed against him was now cold without her there.
He glared at his clock, figuring he might as well wake up now and start breakfast. It was almost time for them to wake up and get ready for work anyways.
He was just finishing the veggie omelettes with toast, when Kirsten groaned as she walked into his kitchen. "Where's the coffee?," she asked, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.
"Well good morning to you too. There's a fresh pot, help yourself," he replied, pointing to the other end of the counter.
She made a grunt of acknowledgment, and poured herself a large mug full of coffee and sat down at his kitchen island.
"Good morning Cameron. Why thank you for the breakfast and coffee. How are you doing this morning?," he joked as he brought the plates over to her.
"Thanks Cam," she mumbled, taking a forkful of the omelette before he even had a chance to sit down.
"Oh come on, you could try to be a little bit cheery." He was mostly a morning person, except for days when he hit snooze too many times. His usual smile was plastered on his face, hoping that maybe smiling was contagious and she would return the gesture.
"I don't do cheery, remember?" She glared at him for a second, then stared at her plate while devouring the last piece of toast.
"Right." He took the hint that she wanted to eat in silence, and didn't mention anything until they finished. She just finished her giant mug of coffee. She was usually in a better mood after she was caffeinated. "So uh, do you make a habit of cuddling with everyone? Or do you just like cuddling with me?," he teased.
"Cuddling?," she questioned. Her eyebrows furrowed at his implication. "I don't do cuddling."
He laughed. "I hate to break it to you, Princess, but you do."
"No, I don't," she insisted as she walked over to his sink to rinse her dishes, before putting them in his dishwasher. She turned to him, "Are you sure you didn't dream up this cuddle session?"
"I most definitely did not." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, opened his gallery, and showed her the picture of them. "See," he retorted.
"Really Cameron? What are you, five years old?"
"For your information, I am not. I just figured you wouldn't believe me. And I was right."
"Well, now that you've confirmed that, can you please delete it?" She put her hands on her hip and gave him the best death glare she could muster at this early hour.
He just smiled in response. "No can do. It's irrefutable proof that you, Kirsten Clark, are just a fluffy marshmallow that loves to cuddle."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she retorted.
"Yes you do. Face it, you're a marshmallow," he smirked. "A twinkie," he elaborated.
She sighed and rolled her eyes at him. She went to go get dressed for work, knowing that there wasn't anything she could say to change his mind.
For good measure, Cameron quickly set a password on his phone, just in case she tried to delete it when he wasn't paying attention. He even changed her contact picture, to the two of them cuddling. Perhaps he should change the name for her contact, but left it for now.
…
As he suspected, later that day he caught her trying to access his phone. He snuck up behind her, which wasn't hard to do since she was focused on trying to guess his password. She just sighed and handed the phone back to him. He knew that if it really bothered her, that she would hack into his phone to delete it. But she never did.