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You’re not entirely certain when this thought began to cross your mind but Sylus reminded you a lot of a cat.
Sure there was his whole… Thing that argued the contrary but with that out of mind, he was very feline coded! For as often as he calls you ‘kitten’ you could argue that he’s the real kitten between the two of you.
The slow, slippery slope of tearing and indulging in his more feline instincts was rather endearing. How he always reaches for your hands in search of affection or how he somehow always nudges himself into your arms or curling himself into your side for cuddles. You’ve never met a cat so affectionate and needy as a Sylus that needed to decompress from a heavy day.
And that is the Sylus you’ve been gifted with today.
You heard him before you saw him. Sitting at your desk to finish up whatever business you had to settle for the day when there was a heavy sigh following the front door closing to your home. It had essentially become a primary base for him instead of his own home. Little remnants of him lingered everywhere you looked by now.
The muffled patter of feet on the floor leads up until he comes up behind you and minimizes the browser, effectively stopping you from doing everything. You chuckle, already moving to steal the mouse back from him but he quickly hides it behind the screen. Well. There goes that plan.
“Alright, grumpy. What’s got your panties in a twist-? Oh. Hey..? Sy, what’s going on?”
Perhaps asking him so blatantly was a wrong call since he immediately fixed the sour expression on his face. Instead, he averted his eyes and made a very visible effort to regulate his emotions. His chest that had been rising and falling quickly yet unsteadily attempted to slow down. It seemed to have the opposite effect since now you could hear the barely hidden stutters in how he sharply inhaled through his nose, exhaling just as shakily.
That wasn’t even mentioning how frighteningly pale his face had become. The usual bags under his eyes had become all the more pronounced, leaving him to look like a skeleton abandoned at the side of the road. For someone who always seemed to put together.. This change was very worrying.
But of course nothing is ever simple with him. Not with your man sized kitty-boyfriend-dragon thing.
Sylus finally meets your eyes to smirk that dumb smirk like he always does, seemingly trying to quell your worries. He spins you around in your chair so you’re forced to look up at him. Maybe he thinks you’ll get distracted by his good looks but it was far too late for that this time.
This was his other feline trait: Pretend as if he hadn’t been caught red handed.
You could practically see how his non existent cat ears are pulled back and how his tail would curl around himself. It would be cute if he wasn’t clearly in distress and trying to hide from you.
“Don’t look at me with those pretty eyes. I won’t be able to control myself, especially with you being so close to a certain area.” That melodic purr of his still had butterflies fluttering about in your chest but you can’t even find it in yourself to care right now.
You gently tug him down by the hands until he gets the memo and sighs, sinking down into one knee to meet your level. His head tilting ever so slightly to look up at you, that same reverence in his ruby gaze. So intense yet holding so much unsaid emotion.
“Answer the question, please.” A gentle reminder on your part.
“As much as I enjoy indulging in your mindless questions day in and out, that one in particular is especially senseless. There’s nothing wrong with me, sweetheart.”
There goes your eyes rolling as he continues to dance around the subject. Even when he’s kneeled in front of you, he still finds a way to be stubborn and give you those damn eyes. Had you not already built a tolerance for it, it might have worked.
“We don’t have to talk about it,” You finally say, taking his hands into your own as you press kisses over each and every knuckle of his. “Today… You get to be kitten, okay? I’ll take care of you like you take care of me.”
Hah! Now you’ve gotten his attention!
Crimson eyes widen in surprise as his back straightens out, clearly not expecting this and really you can’t blame him at all. You don’t exactly have the chances to take a little bit of charge like this often. The dynamic had almost always been that Sylus was the caregiver, not the reverse.
You smile fondly at him and it causes him to scoff, looking away from you, laughing softly against his skin and letting your lips trail down to his wrists and just over his pulse point. Beating so fast…
“Is that okay? I was thinking about you a lot today and how much of a cat you are so… This is perfect. You can be my spoiled kitty and you don’t have to think about whatever ruined today.”
To his credit, he does seem to at least be thinking it over. For as long as you’ve known Sylus you can’t remember a time when he did something purely for himself. Perhaps he was selfish with others but it was never in true malice to anyone that was dear to him. Never had he put himself first when it came to you. In the back of your mind, you couldn’t help but worry that perhaps he thought he didn’t deserve even a simple day off to take care of his mental health.
What else do you need to spur you on to take care of him but the knowledge that he won’t allow himself to take the day to tend to himself?
You gently pull him in closer to urge him to look at you and thankfully, he does. Sylus certainly looks more shy than usual and it’s clear there’s a fight going on in his head.
“It feels as though this is some sort of payback for calling you kitten…”
“Well it isn’t so take that out of your pretty head.”
“Then the next reason is to bully me. I never would have expected my spouse to be a bully, what a turn of events.”
“Bzzt! Wrong again! One more strike and I take back my offer and I let you rot in a corner.”
“Such terrifying words. I thought you were going to take care of me?” A sharply pointed brow arches at you, smiling playfully. “You’ll have to try a bit harder than that to make me budge.”
“C’mon, kitty. I’ve got a heated blanket with your name on it waiting for us to get cozy under it. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
“. . . Would it be alright to bring in wine and chocolate?”
A bright laugh slips out of you as you nod and wrap your arms around him, pulling him in for a loving kiss like he deserves. A quiet, almost relieved sigh escapes him before he grasps your affection as his hands hesitate before heading onto your waist. Holding you as if his life depended on it and refusing to part from you for even a little bit.
For as strong and brave he may be, it was these quiet moments when you could look behind that suave mask of his and see how vulnerable he was. It’s beautiful in its own way and all yours to treasure.
One or two more kisses are stolen from you before you have to part from his embrace. A low whine rumbles out from him, allowing you to part as he stays in your bubble. Cute kitty.
“How about this? I’ll go get us some snacks while you go and get comfortable. You can set up my bed however you like, you know where my extra pillow and blankets are.”
Sylus nods automatically, those broad shoulders of his relaxing, a shaky exhale that he tried so hard to hide. You plant one more kiss to his temple before easing him up onto his feet with you following soon after.
Your work can wait another day. The captain will probably understand and if anything give you a mild scolding for putting it off. Oh well, your man needs you!
With his mission in mind he, rather reluctantly, departs from your side and heads off into your room. You can only hope that your kitty-dragon won’t claw up your plushies. The jealousy of a dragon mixed with the territorial nature of a cat was probably not a good mix when you regularly sleep with many stuffed animals.
Now it’s your turn to get things ready.
In the end, you may have gotten a bit overboard. You had cut up two sandwiches into neat triangles, an assortment of fruits and lovingly shredded chocolate on top, the rest of that bar set aside if he wanted to nibble on it, then there’s the chilled wine he had brought over once. A vintage with a price tag you didn’t even want to think about.
That’s not even to mention the other sugary trash snacks that you swiped up as well. Sugar on sugar on sugar! Let’s hope you don’t pass out from a sugar coma before you can really pamper him.
You delicately place all the goodies on a tray to carry it all to your bed. Thank God that Zayne had gotten you this when he found out you would stack up things when you haul stuff to and from.
When you nudge the door open to your bedroom you find a very relaxing atmosphere.
Secondary lighting was on to make a lovely ambience along with the quiet sounds coming from your TV, some show playing but what was really center focus to you was how delicately Sylus was arranging your bed.
He had taken some of your blankets and arranged… A nest? It wasn’t too dissimilar to a pet bed with the outer ring being more raised than the center, most likely some blankets or poor plushies being used to stabilize it. It looked damn comfortable though.
You whistle your appreciation as you set the tray down onto a clear spot on the bed, feeling over the softness of the blankets set down which could only be compared to heaven on Earth. How had you never come up with this.
And there was your darling boyfriend looking like a very pleased cat. He perks up from hearing your voice, smirking faintly as he gestures to his hard work.
“We may be able to turn you into a homemaker, Sy,” You tease gently. “Forget being a terrifying mafia boss, you’ve got the makings of a house husband!”
“Am I only eye candy to you? I’m a little disappointed.” He purrs, holding his hand out to you to bring you in close.
You grin right back at him. “For tonight? Yes. You did a really good job, kitty. I’m proud.”
His smirk fizzles out into a faint scowl, a blush appearing over his cheeks. His jaw tightening as he swallows which has you in stitches. You really need to praise him more often if this is how he reacts.
”You… Ugh, you’re rather dangerous tonight. Now I understand why you always get so fidgety whenever I call you by that name.”
“Oh hush. You like it so there’s no harm in using it. You’re my kitty forever and always.”
And just like that… He’s putty in your hands.
Maybe it’s the draconic blood in him that has him actually purring like a cat for you but off he goes rumbling like crazy. When you’re this close to him you could almost feel how deeply it resonates in him, lovingly running your hand up and down his back to let him indulge even deeper in this side of himself.
It seems to be working! There he goes fluttering his eyes until they close and he begins to lean some of his weight against you, conscious enough to not crush you but it’s clear that the fight would be lost if you kept this up. Hushed little groans of his contentment mixed in with his purrs, whispering your name every so often.
There’s a warmth that begins to build somewhere embarrassing but you tuck that away for a lonely night. You’re here to pamper him, not pound him into the mattress. Not today, at least.
“Kitty,” You gently call to him, getting only a low dazed hum in response. “Let’s get into bed. I got your favorites ready and we can watch one of those old fashion movies.”
“Mm… Mhm.” Half lidded crimson eyes look to you as he continues to press into your warmth, seemingly so far away yet so close it feels as though their hearts are touching.
Even in this dazed state that he had found himself in, Sylus still guided you into the bed and underneath the covers though there was some sluggishness to his movements. His limbs seemingly went through the motions as he gently pulled you in with him, his hands traveling along your body as the blanket draped over the two of you.
There’s a short pause when the two of you are settled where you wish you knew what was happening in that head of his. His brows are furrowed as he looks through you while his lips open and close slightly, biting his tongue as if to stop himself from saying his true thoughts.
Well, no point in trying to push him further when he’s beginning to slip into a deeper headspace like this. You doubt he understands what a more submissive headspace feels like — that was your area of expertise most nights — so you’ll be here to guide him.
It was endearing, however, to see how he gently paws at your body and lets out quiet little whines as he wraps his arms around you, his nose pressing at your collar and exhaling shakily. Each time he tries to say even a word it would get caught in his throat, trying his hardest to even vocalize himself but to no avail. That seemed to have frustrated him the most.
“Mmn… Ugh..”
You can’t help but laugh over the pout you feel ghosting over your skin.
Your fingers tangle through his hair while the other slips underneath his shirt and trails along his skin. Each little bump from his spine has him shivering as your touch lowers to the very base, a very noticeable purr like moan escaping him as he pushes his hips back into your touch. A low grumble rumbles in his chest as he grips at your waist with his fingers flexing to not dig his fingers into your skin.
“Shh… You’re safe with me, kitty,” You reassure softly. Sylus clearly craved the touch and security that you were willing to give but that mental block he had imposed on himself was getting in the way. He spared you a glance, a glossy look to his eyes as you smiled at him, kissing his forehead. “I love you. You know that, right?”
Sylus nods damn near immediately, grasping at your waist tighter. “Mmhm- Love you. So much…”
His words were slurred and far softer than usual. It was a startling switch but you found that you adored it.
“Then you know I wouldn’t judge you if you gave into this headspace you’re in. If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. If you want to stay like this, curled up and warm together, then you can.”
The blankets are pulled up higher and snug as your legs tangle with his, letting your thigh press between his own as you gently pull him in close by his thighs. The slight shift in the dynamic made his cheeks flush, perhaps embarrassed that he had given in so readily to you. Ever the loving boyfriend that could never fight against your desires.
Taking care of him is the least you can do for him considering all he has done to take care of you. You loved this man more than the air that flows through your body — It would be an honor to take care of him while he’s like this.
When you think back to the few times when you yourself had gotten into a similar headspace… You knew you could rely on Sylus to take care of you. How he took his time with your even if you could be temperamental or more emotional than usual, even the bouts of being nonverbal with him having to rely on the tone of your whines for how he should proceed next. He never complained or made a fuss, always gentle with you as can be as if you were made out of porcelain.
And yes, of course, the occasional tease or two that he must always do.
Sylus is your everything and you’ll be damned if you treat him with anything less than the love he deserves. After everything he’s been through and had suffered silently with things far beyond your understanding… You want to give back to him and give him a space to be comfortable in.
In the piece of you that is intermingled with him, you hope he can feel how much you love him. As you cup his face and gently rub just under his eyes, you hope with everything in you that he knows how precious he is to you. Your beautiful dragon, your wonderful boyfriend.
Those normally sharp and playful eyes meet yours as he leans his head into your hand, purring up a cute storm as he nuzzles you, swallowing thickly. “Want you. Just you. That’s all I need.”
His voice is raspy and choked out as if he was trying to hold back tears which pained you to the core. You could never understand or fully believe why he was so content with just you as you are but if that’s what he wants then that’s what he’ll get. Tears would cloud your vision as you pulled him further onto your grasp, laughing softly and peppering kisses wherever you could reach.
“I love you, kitty, I love you so much,” Laughter is mixed with soft whines of your own by virtue of crying. Holding your entire world in your arms is a bliss unlike anything else you’ve ever felt.
“Mmrp… Love you, sweetie…” Sylus kisses away your tears with the tiniest hints of his tongue like he was trying to clean you up. Like a real cat. Fuck, he’s so cute.
You giggle, kissing over his eyes to rid him of his own unshed tears. “My precious kitty… No more crying from either of us, okay? Tonight is for you. I’ll take care of everything.”
“But-
“Nope,” A kiss to his sweet nose. “None of that. I want to take care of you. Let yourself go and I’ll carry your weight. Give me a cute meow if you want to slip into that headspace.”
Despite the teasing tone to your voice it was certainly not to bully him in any way. You smile at him. He matches it with a fierce blush that reaches all the way down to his chest that matches his eyes.
“Mm…” Sylus’ eyes flutter before closing as a delicate, hesitant ‘mrrp’ can be heard deep in his chest.
“Guess that answers that! My pretty kitty boy that can do no wrong. The evil mittens of yours are definitely more grabby than usual.” Said mittens are brought up to you can place kisses over his hands, smiling at him.
Sylus offers a dazed smile, chuckling overly and playfully flexing his paws at you. You could so easily see his claws unsheathing if he truly had kitty paws.
“Mmm… Soft and warm.” His simple response, making little grabby hands at you in search of more kisses and love. Ever the greedy dragon, your Sylus.
“Yeah? All for you, kitty.”
One or two more kisses later and you were finally going to be able to follow through on your diabolical plans. Pampering Sylus!
The movie was settled on being an animated movie marathon. They varied from the older classics to some new ones that were a bit iffy in their quality. Whenever a romantic scene was on screen you would hear tiny purrs at your side, a small smirk pressed to your skin as the devilish cat was trying to telepathically say, ‘that’s us’.
Hand feeding him chocolate squares or clinking glasses with him turned out to be one of your new favorite memories. Sylus turning down the wine in favor of juice was pretty cute — You might never let him live that down.
One of your favorite parts of his indulgence in this regression had to be how little whines. While Sylus was always very forthcoming in wanting affection and intimacy, this new side of him was far more truthful about it. Constant pawing at your hands to interlace your fingers or how his nose would brush at your jaw, a silent yearning for kisses that you would just chuckle and tilt your head up to let him go wild.
There was a certain innocence and freedom that rolled off of him. No longer was he bound by his duties and the strife that followed him on a daily basis. The oh so terrifying leader of Onychinus could be here, in your bed cuddled up with fluffy blankets, as he made biscuits at your stomach and gave out cute ‘mrrps’ from your questions or stories.
Occasionally he would speak to you. Short sentences when the intricate feline language didn’t cut it. It was clear he didn’t particularly want to speak properly but he would, his voice more of a croak than the velvet gold you were used to but even that had its charm.
His reward always came in the form of kisses or chocolates. Getting some extra babying was another very welcome form of payment, though. You almost wished that he really was a cat so you could see how his ears perk up from your kisses.
By the time the third movie rolled around he had gone essentially nonverbal. Quiet chirps and rumbles that were purr adjacent all you mainly got out of him when you spoke to him. An adoring, soft smile on his normally sly lips never failed to melt your heart.
It came as no surprise when the weight on your side had gotten heavier and the faint sound of snores filled the air. Looking over led you to a sight too precious for words.
Sylus curled up at your side in every sense of the word. One arm slung over you while the other was placed between you both, his head rested just over your heart as if he wanted to be lulled to sleep by the beating thumps. It wouldn’t shock you if that’s what had done him in.
Somewhere far, far, far back in the past the two of you must have been tangled together much like this. Deep in your heart you wonder if that past you would occasionally be witness to this side of Sylus. No longer the terrifying beast that humans thought him to be but the gentle, loving creature that he is. When he presses a kiss to your exposed skin… All you can think about is how much you love him.
“I’ll protect you until my dying breath.” A promise that you’re willing to put everything on the line to keep.
The next day starts with the sun shining through the window, its warmth adding onto the weight of an oversized feline splaying himself over you. A welcome weight to be sure but you’d also like to breathe.
“Sy… Syyyylus… Wakie wakie…~”
To your shock, Sylus was still a light sleeper even after recovering from being in such a headspace for the entire night. The slight movement from you had him blinking awake, arms reflexively squeezing around you as if you were attempting to run away.
Wide red eyes find your own, his heartbeat going rampant, before he settled down and smiled at you. It really wasn’t fair for him to look so gorgeous first thing in the morning.
Or was it early afternoon? Your phone was too far away to check the time but something told you that you must have slept in.
You laugh at his soggy cat disposition as you wrap your arms around him and kiss his cheek, hushing him quietly to settle his nerves. There was the near silent buzz of his evol being activated just at the tips of his fingers from what you can only assume to be instinct. Life for him in the N109 zone hasn’t been easy, after all.
It would fizzle out and you could see the recognition flood his eyes when you ease him back into a more calm state of mind. Sylus exhaling and slumping against you, cracking a smile as he mumbles a quick ‘good morning’. Just waking up voice in full effect… Fuck, you could marry that raspy voice.
“Heh…~ Welcome to the living world, kitty.”
“Ugh- There is no need for that name anymore.” A defeated grumble escapes him while he buries his face in your neck only this time he was much more assertive than he had been last night. No longer the passive little kitten, it seems.
Sylus would forever be an enigma to you despite you quite literally having half of him in your body. One second he would be complicated beyond mortal comprehension then the next he’s as easy to read as the weather. The only thing that’s for sure is that he is your pain in the ass.
You grin. “You’re right, I’ll save it for special occasions.” A gentle tease as you squeeze him tight and laugh.
A warm blush crosses his cheeks up to his ears, huffing softy. “I… Apologize for showing my weakness to you last night. You must think little of me now to have regressed into such a state.”
“Eh-? Sylus, baby, no.”
You sit up suddenly from his words and furrow your brows, head tilted. No more teasing, no more playing around.
“Answer me this: Do you feel better compared to how you felt when you came home last night?”
Sylus went quiet for a brief second before he nods. Was he embarrassed? Ashamed? You’re not sure how to feel about that other than anger at yourself for letting him even think he should feel like that.
“Then you have absolutely nothing to apologize for,” There’s little room left for argument in your tones “We’re partners, Sylus. The day I abandon you because you needed to cope is the day the universe implodes on itself. In fact, I should have gone out there and beat up whoever made you feel so terrible yesterday!”
And it’s something you very well might go out and do. Later though. You still have a very good boy to tend to before he begins to have even more self doubt. Sylus must have sensed your own boiling anger if his touch to your hands was any indicator, giving you a light squeeze as he chuckles and shakes his head.
There was a silent disbelief to his expression, smiling at you. “The only one who may need to face the brunt of your bullets would be myself, sweetie. Perhaps later today I can divulge the details but not now.”
He swallows down whatever words he couldn’t get out and you have to remind yourself to not pry for answers so quickly. In time he would tell you, that you knew to be true. You nod quickly and pull him in for a soft kiss, those gentle hands of his cupping your face and holding you close, refusing to leave you for even a second.
The remnants of his regression still remained in some small ways. One being how he kept purring and purring from affection or any sort of touch. It must have been accidental on his part since he didn’t seem to notice it to be embarrassed — You definitely weren’t going to bring it up or else he’d try and stop it.
The rest of the day was set in stone to be one of decompression. Some texts to your captain, clipped announcement of his absence as everything was settled. If your own sub drops was anything to go by then you knew he would require all the attention and care that came in the aftermath.
With a heavy heart you did part from him, kissing his forehead and slipping out from the wonderful nest he had made. His hand held onto your own despite it all. There was a poorly hidden look of panic on him that melted your heart.
“I’m going to make us some breakfast, okay? I’ll be back.”
Sylus gave a single nod, raising your hand to give a kiss to your knuckles. “Promise..?”
“I promise, kitty.”
A bashful yet fond smile creeps onto his lips. “I eagerly await your return.”