The next morning, Nell walked into the bullpen feeling surprisingly well-rested. She'd expected to wake up groggy after her late-night chat with Callen, but she'd actually managed to get a few solid hours of sleep afterward.

Of course, the moment she stepped inside, she was met with three expectant grins.

"Well, well, well," Deeks drawled, leaning back in his chair. "Look who survived a night at Casa Callen."

Kensi smirked. "No signs of trauma. Impressive."

Sam, who was sipping his coffee, gave her an approving nod. "I half-expected you to call me for an emergency extraction."

Nell rolled her eyes, dropping her bag on her desk. "You guys act like I was spending the night in a war zone."

"Not a war zone," Deeks corrected. "Just Callen's house—where furniture is a myth, personal space is sacred, and sleep is a suggestion."

"I mean, were you even comfortable?" Kensi asked, curious.

"Did he disappear into the night like a cryptid?" Deeks added.

Sam smirked behind his coffee cup but didn't deny it.

Nell crossed her arms, letting them have their fun before casually saying, "Honestly? It wasn't bad."

All three of them blinked.

Kensi narrowed her eyes. "Wait… what?"

Nell shrugged. "It was quiet, Callen wasn't a bad host, and he even offered me tea when I woke up in the middle of the night."

That only seemed to stun them more.

Sam raised a brow. "You woke up and actually saw him awake?"

Deeks gasped dramatically. "Did he let you witness his mysterious nocturnal habits?"

Nell smirked. "If you're asking if I caught him reading on the couch at two in the morning, then yes."

Kensi's eyes widened. "And you weren't weirded out?"

"Nope."

Deeks turned to Sam, his expression exaggerated. "She's one of them now."

Sam shook his head in mock solemnity. "It's official. She's acclimated."

Nell rolled her eyes. "You guys are ridiculous."

Kensi just shook her head in amusement. "Still, kind of a big deal. Most people don't survive their first Callen sleepover without at least some complaint."

"Well," Nell said, grabbing her tablet, "maybe I'm just built different."

Deeks let out a low whistle. "Ohhh, that's dangerous. You keep talking like that, and Callen might start keeping you around."

Sam smirked knowingly but said nothing.

Nell only chuckled, shaking her head as she got to work.

xxx

By the time the day was winding down, Callen was just finishing up paperwork when Nell wandered over to his desk, casually perching on the edge.

"So," she said, "you have plans after work?"

He glanced up, eyeing her suspiciously. "Why?"

She smirked. "Because I want to make you dinner."

Callen blinked. "You… what?"

"As a thank you," Nell clarified. "For letting me crash at your place. Figured it's the least I could do."

He hesitated. "You know you don't have to do that, right?"

"I know," she said pointedly. "But I want to."

Callen eyed her for a long moment, as if assessing whether he had a say in this at all.

Then, finally, he sighed. "Alright. What's the plan?"

Nell grinned. "First, we go to the market and grab a few things. Then, we head back to your place, and I cook."

"You sure this isn't just an elaborate ploy to introduce me to the concept of a stocked kitchen?"

She smirked. "Would that be such a bad thing?"

Callen exhaled through his nose, shaking his head in mild amusement. "Fine. Let's go."

Nell hopped off his desk, satisfied. "Good choice."

As she walked ahead, Callen found himself trailing after her, shaking his head. He wasn't sure how, but somehow—without even trying—Nell had officially bypassed whatever defenses he thought he had.