"Do I have to?" I ask. We ate a yummy dinner and I had water with it, so I don'tthinkI have bad breath.
"Yes, Ty. You always need to brush your teeth before you go to bed. Get all the bad germs out of your mouth and teeth."
A flirty response pops into my head and I'm saying it before I can fully think it through. "I could go to sleep with a different taste in my mouth."
The apartment fills with laughter and I feel a swelling of pride bubble up inside me.
"That was too funny to get on you for being so crass," Daddy says when he composes himself again. "But no, you need to brush your teeth with toothpaste. Then we'll cuddle in bed and you can get up and take your medicine before I leave for work. Then go back to sleeping. Feel free to stay here as long as you want tomorrow."
I let Daddy pull me up from the couch and to the bathroom. We stand side-by-side at the sink and brush our teeth. I pull down my big boy pants and underwear and use the bathroom. Daddy's been good at asking me when I need to potty today. I haven't gone so far in Little space that I forgot to listen to my body, but I'm happy that Daddy is on top of it.
Fluff lifts his head when we walk into the bedroom. He's stretched out at the foot of the bed and I stop to pet him while Daddy folds down the blankets. He gives me a long meow and then purrs loud enough to hear across the room.
"I'm pretty sure my cat loves you more than me now, Ty."
I scoop him up and cuddle him to my chest. I give him a kiss before letting him squirm out of my hold and I lay down next to Daddy. Neither of us are wearing shirts now. I have on my training pants and green shorts, since I was only planning on staying one night instead of two. He's wearing a pair of sweats like usual. They're soft against my legs as he cuddles me from behind.
"Goodnight, my Prince. Sweet dreams."
Chapter Ten
Myalarmgoesofftoo early the next morning. I'm still cuddled close behind Tyler. I don't think we even moved throughout the night. My arm is wrapped around his stomach, our legs tangled together, my nose against the back of his head. He fits so well against my body.
As much as I want to stay in bed with Tyler, I have to get ready for work. I pull my arm back, smiling when Tyler lets out some semblance of a protest and tries to grab for me to stop. I'm pretty sure he's not even awake, which makes it all the more adorable. I shut the alarm off and sit up in bed. Tyler is definitely still asleep. He's rolled over onto his back and I see his sinfully soft lips parted just slightly.
I move slowly to get out of bed. I have an hour before I need to leave, but I plan on making us breakfast and I have to shower.Working on Sundays is a drag, but I know I'll have Tuesday off this week so I'm hoping that Tyler will stay again Monday night.
Sir Fluffikins is already waiting by his empty food bowl. I pick it up on my way into the kitchen. He immediately follows me and jumps up on the counter next to where I usually prepare his food. His head butts against mine and I shoo him away.
"You're not going to get anything if you don't wait," I tell him sternly. He looks up at me, blinks slowly in his little creepy orange demon cat way, and lets out a demanding meow. I'm most certain he's telling me off with all the colorful cat language words. I stop making his food and stare at him. "I'm not going to continue making your food if you're going to be like that, Fluff."
We're locked in a stare down. Usually he just tries to get to his food before I'm done mixing it together, but today he's being a pain. I don't let up though. He can have just the dry food if he doesn't behave. It might also be that despite waking up next to Tyler in bed and having the best day with him yesterday, I'm in a bit of a mood that I have to leave him for a twelve hour shift.
After a moment, Fluff licks his lips and then hops down and sits at my feet. He gives a soft meow but nothing else.
"Thank you. Was that so hard?"
I startle when there's a noise behind me. I turn to see Tyler with his hand over his mouth, suppressing a laugh. I finish mixing Fluff's food and put it back on the mat next to his water bowl. I turn my attention back to Tyler and see the amusement in his eyes.
"What?"
"You just treated your cat like you did me yesterday when I didn't want to eat lunch." I look from Tyler to Fluff and back. I did, didn't I? I shrug and wrap my arms around Tyler to hug him against my chest. He's not much shorter than me. He's smaller than me, though, and fits perfectly in my arms.
"Guess I'm just getting into this whole Daddy thing."
"You already have that in the bag," Tyler says against my chest. I loosen my hold and he looks at me with a soft morning smile. "I had a lot of fun yesterday."
"Me too," I whisper. I give him a quick peck before pulling away and washing my hands to start our breakfast. I'm making a protein shake for myself and an omelet for each of us. I add in peppers, onions, and some fresh greens. "What are your plans for today?"
"I have to go back home and do some laundry and get ready for the week. I also have to finish filling out my college stuff."
"Did you decide what classes you want to take?" I ask. I slide his food onto a plate and join him at the table. I know I'm cutting time short, but I'd rather be a couple of minutes late than miss a morning like this. Has it only been two weeks since that first time he came over? Sure. Do I care? Not a bit.
"Not entirely," Tyler says. He sounds sad, but continues. "I wanted to be able to take at least a few credited classes a semester, but with a full time job and all the medical stuff, I don't think I'll be able to handle it. Safely, at least. I tend to get stressed out on tests and deadlines. So I'm maxing out at two classes a semester. It'll take me an extra year to get the degree and I'm already a year behind, but I know it's what I can do, so I'm trying not to feel bummed about it."
"That's great, Ty." I reach over and take his hand in mine. "I'm proud of you for not pushing yourself and learning your own limits. I know it can suck, but you're still going to have that degree in the end."
He gives me a tight smile, but I can see the pride growing in his eyes that he's doing the right thing. I squeeze his hand once more before letting it go and taking another bite of my breakfast. I keep the conversation going, wanting to hear him talk about anything.
