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“Whatever you do, don’t look,” Kylo warned Hux.
“But ….” Hux protested, starting to turn.
Kylo grabbed him by the shoulders. “No. Stay strong.”
“But Kylo ….”
“Shush. We’re going to be late.”
“But we can’t leave Millicent all alone. What if something happens?”
“Hux, she’s a cat. She’s more than capable of amusing herself for a few hours. I made these reservations weeks ago.”
“Well, you should have thought of that before you gave me a cat for Valentine’s Day.”
A small meow sounded from behind them and Hux started to turn around. Kylo grabbed him by the elbow and marched him towards the door.
“Come on. Dinner. Then cat.” Kylo paused, then added. “Well, sex first, then cat.”
“We’ll negotiate on that latter part when we get home.”
When the door closed behind them, the pile of orange fluff on the sofa gave a small meep, then tightened in on herself, tucking her nose into her paws. Her plume of a tail hung off the edge of the sofa, swaying gently back and forth. Within a few minutes, a contented purr echoed off the walls.
When Kylo and Hux returned from dinner, they found her where they’d left her.
“See! I told you she’d be fine.”
It wasn’t until the next morning that they started to notice the missing things.
“Kylo, where’s my watch?”
“I don’t know. By my car keys, wherever they are?”
“Why is there one sock in the middle of the spare bed?” Kylo called down the hall to Hux, who had knelt down to look under the bed. No watch here. He’d left it on his nightstand before they’d headed out last night. Standing up, he frowned when he saw a bare patch on the dresser.
“Kylo, your class ring is missing too!”
Millicent ignored them both from her place on the sofa.
It wasn’t until several days later, after seeing Hux off on a business trip, that Kylo discovered Millicent’s secret stash. He’d flopped down on the sofa, preparing to spend the evening watching mindless television shows, but couldn’t get comfortable. Something was poking him in the hip.
i think its time for a new sofa, he texted Hux, knowing Hux wouldn’t get it until his plane landed. They’d been arguing over replacing the sofa for months. He wanted something homier, that you could sprawl on. Hux thought it fit in with their décor and didn’t want to let it go.
it feels like something sprung, he continued.
Shifting around, trying to get comfortable, he frowned, then sank his hand in between the cushion and the back of the sofa. “What the …?”
Shortly, he’d unearthed a pile of shiny treasures.
“You little magpie!” he exclaimed. Snapping a picture of the cat’s hoard, he sent that off too. Hux, your cat is a thief!
“Magpie or dragon?” Millicent ignored the question, sitting in the middle of the living room floor, grooming her paws.
“Okay, beast, I’ve got my eyes on you now. No more stealing our shinies, okay?” The cat blinked at him, then jumped up on his chest. Tears pricked at Kylo’s eyes as she began kneading his chest. “We’re going to trim your claws tomorrow, okay, sweetheart?”
It had been a long day, and with a purring cat under his chin, Kylo soon drifted off. The furry orange mass on his chest cracked open one eye, then stretched, reaching out and patting at Kylo’s chin with one paw. When Kylo didn’t stir, Millicent jumped off the sofa. The treasures Kylo had unearthed from behind the sofa cushions still sat on the coffee table. Eyeing them, she reached out and snagged the large black and gold ring, knocking it onto the floor. She stared at it, then up at Kylo, who slept on all unaware of her antics. He was also blocking access to her hiding place. Shaking her head, she picked up the ring in her mouth and trotted down the hall towards the spare bedroom. She batted it across the carpet for a bit before nosing the closet door open. Weaving her way in between the boxes on the floor until she reached the corner, she deposited the start of her new hoard there. Satisfied, she retreated, nosing the door closed behind her until it was only open a crack.
When Kylo woke in the wee hours, he found Millicent asleep on his chest, seemingly in the same position she’d been in before he fell asleep. She murmured a sleepy protest as he got up and he cuddled her as he walked in to the bedroom. When he deposited her on Hux’s pillow, she circled twice before curling up again and promptly going back to sleep.
Not too long after, Millicent’s paws started twitching. In her dreams, shiny things beckoned.