Last night, Sylus finally came home.

It had been five days—his longest trip away since the two of you got married. Five days of silence in the house. Five days of Ruby asking when her daddy would be back. And last night... well, let’s just say neither of you got much sleep. Sylus always made sure to finish his "business" as fast as possible so he could return to you. To her.

Now it's morning. Warm sunlight spills through the windows as you stand in the kitchen, slicing strawberries for Ruby’s breakfast. Your hair's still a little messy, and you're wearing one of Sylus’s oversized shirts—half buttoned. You’re trying your best to act normal, focused on the fruit, but your body still aches deliciously from last night.

In the living room, Ruby giggles. Sylus sits on the carpet, shirtless, still in his pajama pants, letting your four-year-old pin colorful clips into his silver hair. His back is to you—lean, muscled, scratched to hell.

“You’re trying to turn Daddy into a princess, huh?” Sylus tilts his head slightly to let Ruby add another hairpin.

“Yes!” Ruby beams. “I’m gonna turn Daddy—” She suddenly stops, eyes widening in horror. Her tiny finger points. “Daddy!! You got scratchies!! A lot!! On your back!! Are you hurt?!”

You freeze. Knife hovering midair above a strawberry.

Oh no.

That was... yeah. Definitely you. From last night. Damn it.

You don’t turn around. You keep your back to them, pretending to be very invested in strawberries. You can feel his smirk even without looking. And then, Sylus—because of course he does—raises his voice just enough for you to hear clearly from the kitchen.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he says smoothly, amusement dripping from his tone, “Daddy just got scratched by a very aggressive kitten last night.”