You had done it again.

Lost your keys.

For the third time this month.

And this time, Alhaitham had had enough.

He didn’t scold you—he didn’t need to. The sharp look he gave you and the way he tucked the spare key into his pocket said everything: “You’re not getting another copy.”

But you weren’t giving up that easily.

You knew Alhaitham. Logical, precise… annoyingly perceptive. So stealing back the key would require more than stealth—it would require distraction. The kind that messed with even his iron-clad composure.

That evening, as he sat reading in his usual spot by the window, you approached slowly. He barely glanced up.

“Need something?” he asked dryly, not looking away from his book.

“Mm… maybe,” you replied innocently, stepping closer.

Too close.

He stiffened slightly when you didn’t stop, his sharp eyes flicking up to meet yours just as you closed the space between you. Your breath brushed his collarbone, your fingers grazing his arm.

And then, gently—almost teasing—you pressed your lips against his neck.

He froze.

“…What are you—”

Another kiss. This time slower, more deliberate. You felt his pulse shift beneath your lips, the muscles in his neck tense as he tried to keep himself still, composed.

Perfect.

Because in that exact moment, your hand slid down to where he loosely held the spare key between his fingers, stolen from his desk only moments before. He hadn’t locked it away yet. Rookie mistake.

And just as your fingertips curled around the metal—

Bite.

Not hard enough to injure him, but enough to make him gasp and instinctively drop the key. It clattered to the floor, and in one smooth motion, you scooped it up, took a few quick steps backward, and held it up with a triumphant grin.

Alhaitham sat there, stunned—shoulders stiff, expression unreadable, his book forgotten in his lap.

“…You bit me,” he said slowly, disbelief laced in his voice.

You winked, dangling the key between two fingers. “You left me no choice.”

For a long moment, he just stared at you—until the corner of his mouth twitched in what might’ve been the beginning of a smirk.

“You really are impossible.”

“And yet, you still haven’t locked your drawers,” you teased, already making your getaway.