Common

Now that they'd got past their initial conflict, Abraxas's confidence had returned. Thus, Mercy's gentle telling-off did not phase him; rather, it bounced off him like a bee sting off a turtle shell. In fact, it even amused him slightly. His lips pulled up at the corners, and he blew gently through his nostrils in what could have passed for a laugh. His hazel eyes danced with merriment.

"Noted," he said, and let a moment pass between them in which he did exactly what she'd asked him not to do: he looked at her, that good-humored smile still on his face like they shared some kind of secret joke. His gaze briefly dropped to trace the russet curve of her jaw, then lifted back up to meet her eyes.

"I think I like it when you tell me off, Mercy," he said, his voice gentling till it was soft as velvet. He reached out, closing the space between them and lipping playfully at the skin of her shoulder. Though outwardly he was cool as the autumn air they breathed, his silver tail whisked back and forth against his hindquarters, betraying his eagerness.

"Will you do it again?"