𝔟𝔢 𝔩𝔬v𝔢𝔡, 𝔟e𝔩𝔬v𝔢d.

he buys her the nicest treats. she begs for ham from the lunchmeat drawer of the fridge instead.

he buys her the flashiest toys. she bats around cotton swabs and tin foil balls instead.

he buys her the softest cat bed. she likes to sleep on whatever clothes are laying on the floor instead.

he buys- and assembles!- the best cat tree on the market, only for her to be fascinated by its box instead.

"just the check, please."

sylus's low voice makes you perk up from where you're eating the last bites of your dessert. mischief bubbles in your chest. you set down your fork and start rummaging through your bag.

"what are you doing?" sylus asks, eyebrow arching.

you can practically hear his thoughts. he's definitely wondering why you've decided to look through your bag after he asked for the check. the two of you have had this conversation many times before. he'll pay for any and all of your dates, regardless if you're planning to use the card he had given you.

you give him an innocuous smile. "just looking for my phone." you casually excuse yourself. sylus easily lets his suspicions go, especially since the waiter has arrived with the check.

you've seen videos of people handing their partner's cash or their card to see their reactions. even though you know how sylus would react, you would never pass up the chance to prank him. so, as you grab your phone, you also grab your personal credit card, keeping the card hidden in your hand.

taking out his wallet, sylus gives a cursory glance at the receipt, and you make your move.

with the low lights of the restaurant, all you can see is sylus's amused smirk as your hand scoots over towards him. you lift your hand and beneath it is your credit card. you watch, amused, as sylus's smirk falls. without even looking away from the receipt book, he flicks the card back towards you. you let out a gasping laugh at his actions.

sylus places his card in the book, closes it, and hands it to the waiter. he turns back towards you and playfully tsks at you.

"you know better, darling." his low drawl combined with the amusement in his red eyes makes you laugh a little harder.

"do i?" you crone out, fluttering your eyelashes playfully.

"even if don't—" sylus's eyes go half-lidded a bit. "—i can certainly teach you once more."

But in the middle of the night, while dressed in your pajamas and clearly upset? He's only worried.

"What's wrong?" He locks the door, walking over to gently cup your face. Your eyelashes flutter as you almost immediately relax at his touch, leaning into his warmth.

"I can't sleep. How long until your shift is over?" Your arms wrap around him, melting into his hold. He rests his chin on your head, rocking you side to side.

"Not till the morning. You should go home and rest." You make a noise of disappointment, pulling away from the hug with reluctance.

"I can't sleep at home. Can I just sleep here?" He glances over at the couch that he's slept on quite a few nights. It's comfortable enough, especially for your height, and he keeps a blanket on it for this very reason.

"Okay. Come on." He guides you over, probably hovering more than he needs to as you lay down, covering you with the blanket. He adjusts the decorative pillow under your head, but it's really just to admire the way your face has relaxed, no longer exhausted.

When your breathing evens, he presses a soft kiss to the top of your head before reluctantly pulling away to go back to his desk.

But first, he shuts the big light off, instead using the lamp next to his laptop. He'll be called away soon, likely for a consult or an emergency surgery or something like that.