“I can’t believe you were shot,” you said, your voice trembling with concern as you looked at Sylus. His dragon skin armor lay discarded on the floor beside him, revealing faint bruises forming where the bullet had struck.

“I got shot in my dragon skin, sweetie,” he smirked, trying to ease your worries. His long, scaled tail curled lazily behind him. “It’s just a couple of bruises. I’m okay.”

You gasped, hand flying to your mouth. “Why don’t they make better armor? That’s not bulletproof! It’s like when you fall in the pool and your watch stops working—that’s water-resistant, not bulletproof! They should—”

Before you could spiral further, his tail suddenly wrapped around your waist and lifted you off the ground. You let out a startled yelp, gripping onto his shoulders as he smirked up at you.

“See? Just a couple bruises,” he teased.

You huffed, but your fingers instinctively traced over the bruises on his chest. His skin was warm, and beneath the patches of scales, you could feel the steady beat of his heart. His teasing smirk faded slightly as his golden eyes locked onto yours.

“How long do you have to be taped up like this?” you asked softly, your touch lingering on the edge of his injury.

“A couple of days, maybe,” he murmured, his voice deeper now.

“Oh… okay,” you whispered. Then, without thinking, you leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Sylus tensed for half a second before his arms wrapped around you, his tail tightening around your waist as he lifted you effortlessly. You clung to him, hugging him tight, feeling the steady warmth of his body against yours.

His wings twitched slightly as he pulled back just enough to look at you, his golden eyes darkening with something unreadable. “You shouldn’t do things like that, kitten,” he murmured, his voice low and rough.

But the way his grip tightened told you he didn’t want to let go.