Shadow Slave: Kindness

The morning found Sunny annoyed.

Not because he forgot to flip the shower dial from hot to cold and scalded himself awake.

Not because he'd spent ten minutes looking for a missing sock only to find it hanging from the doorknob.

Not even because he'd rolled off his bed again — for the third time this week — and cursed it like it had personally betrayed him.

And definitely not because he'd spent the past several days getting repeatedly slammed into the ground by his Teacher all while a certain blind girl practiced "rock climbing drills," and which mostly involved her using him as a crash mat.

No.

It had now been a full week since Cassie had met Avi and Juliet. Two weeks since their induction ceremony. Six weeks remained before they'd be thrown into the Dream Realm.

But Sunny wasn't thinking about any of that.

He was thinking about last night.

He had been too tired the past week to call, so today, finding a good opportunity, he finally dialed the cool and calm Ascended's number.

It started normally. He'd called Juliet to check in, maybe ask a question about training schedules or scrounge a tiny shred of life advice before lights-out.

What he got instead?

Juliet's amused face, calmly turning her communicator around to show off her dorm.

Which was… different now.

Once a dingy, half-abandoned military cell with bland walls and rusting hinges, Juliet's room had apparently undergone a full transformation. Fairy lights, clean bedding, even a soft rug near the foot of the bed.

"It's like I stepped into a brochure," Sunny had muttered.

Juliet had nodded, deadpan. "Turns out basic hygiene and effort can do wonders."

And okay, yeah. Sunny felt weirdly proud of her. He'd seen what her room looked like before.

But then came the moment.

Juliet had angled the communicator to the side, where Avi was lounging upside-down on the bed, legs kicked up against the wall, giggling. Like, actual full-bellied laughter.

It wasn't just the laughter that caught Sunny off guard. It was who she was laughing with.

Cassie.

The very same Cassie who had once told him she never stayed up past ten.The very same Cassie who had refused late-night walks because she "had a routine."

And yet, there she was — past her bedtime, smiling and laughing and whispering with Avi like they'd been best friends for years.

And when Sunny had said her name?

Avi hadn't even looked up. She just waved the communicator away and muttered something like,"Go away, I'm spending quality time with my adorable big sis Cass."

Sunny had stared at the screen.

Cass?

Since when did Cassie become Cass?

He'd stood there for a long second, communicator buzzing in his hand, watching them talk and laugh about god-knows-what. Probably mocking him. Or planning how to kill him with cuteness.

And for the record: he wasn't jealous.

Not at all.

Avi hadn't stolen Cassie from him.

That would be ridiculous.

Because — and he reminded himself firmly — it's not like Cassie was his to steal in the first place.

Nope.

Totally fine.

He wasn't sulking. He was just… deep in reflection.

On life. And betrayal. And the fragility of friendships in a cruel, pink-haired world.

Sighing and questioning his life choices, Sunny dragged himself out of bed and got ready for the morning walk.

With Cassie, of course.

It had become something of a ritual now — their daily quiet loop around the Academy courtyard before training kicked in. Not too long, not too short. Just enough to enjoy the crisp air and the silence.

But today… well, things were different.

From the moment he saw her, he could tell.

Cassie was yawning. Her steps were slow, movements a little off-beat, like her body hadn't quite remembered how to be awake yet.

Right. Late-night bonding with Avi, he thought, suppressing a scowl.

Well. At least she still showed up.

She greeted him as usual, her voice soft and a little sluggish. "Morning, Sunny."

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Hmph. Morning," he replied coolly. "Had fun last night? Chatting with Avi? Must've been great, huh?"

The words came out sharper than intended. Ice-tinged. Defensive.

She deserves it, Sunny told himself. Probably.

He didn't have a clear answer for what exactly she'd done wrong — but he felt wronged nonetheless.

Cassie blinked at his tone, pausing. There was a quiet second where she seemed to study him — or maybe sense something beneath his clipped words.

Then she smiled. Brightly. Too brightly.

Which only made Sunny feel more exposed.

Uh-oh. He knew that smile. That meant she was about to say something warm and disarming — and then he'd feel like an idiot.

So he panicked.

"Whatever," he blurted. "I'm going ahead. You can join whenever. Or, you know, stay back. Chat with Avi. Or… I don't know, make friends with the rest of the Sleeper population too while you're at it."

And with that, he spun on his heel and started walking at a speed that was definitely not a sulk.

Nope. Not jealous.

Not petty.

Just… walking. Briskly. And with dignity.

Absolutely.

Totally.

Fine.

Cassie stood still for a few seconds, watching — or rather, listening — as Sunny stormed off in what could only be described as the world's most dramatic attempt at an indifferent walk.

She sighed.

Then smiled.

Oh Sunny…

Still yawning softly, she adjusted her coat, tapped the edge of her boot against the stone path to orient herself, and followed at a relaxed pace.

She caught up to him quickly, which wasn't hard — especially since he'd paused a little farther ahead, pretending to inspect a patch of bushes while very much hoping she would follow.

"Sunny."

He flinched.

Busted.

Cassie walked up beside him and tilted her head, lips curling in amusement.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," he muttered.

"You sure?"

"Totally fine."

"Uh-huh."

There was a short silence. Then, with perfect timing and a hint of mischief in her voice, Cassie added:

"You know, if you wanted my attention so badly, all you had to do was ask."

Sunny choked on his own air. "W-What?! I did not—"

"Mm-hm."

"And I definitely wasn't jealous of Avi."

"Oh? I never said you were."

He froze.

Cassie smiled again — a quiet, victorious little expression he couldn't see, but somehow felt like a punch to the gut anyway.

Then, to make things worse — or better, depending on who you asked — she looped her arm around his.

Gently.

Like it was no big deal.

And yet somehow made it the biggest deal in the world.

"For the record," she said softly, "I still prefer walking with you in the morning."

Sunny didn't respond.

Mainly because his brain had just completely shut down.

Cassie leaned a little closer and whispered, barely above a breath:

"...Even if you sulk like a kid sometimes."

And with that, she kept walking — calm, poised, unfazed.

Sunny, meanwhile, trailed beside her, heart pounding, ears red, and expression frozen somewhere between what just happened and did I win or lose that exchange?

The answer, as always, was: both.