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The image of Zayne with an armful of colourful plush bears and penguins came into sight as she turned the corner of the pediatric wing.
“Zayne?” she called out softly with a slight giggle.
His name in her voice had always cut through any other distraction to capture his attention. He turned to face her, causing a plush polar bear to slip from his arm.
“Ah, I wasn't expecting you here so early. Is there a blue moon tonight?” he asked, neatly placing a plush penguin on the wall display.
There was a large cutsey sign in pastel colours in the middle of a pyramid of plushies, all of which the doctor and the hunter had in their own plushie display at home. It seemed to be a plushie donation drive sponsored by Twinkle Toys.
“If you're going to be snarky every time I'm not late, I'll drink your latte,” she threatened, taking a sip from one of the two coffee cups in her hands.
Zayne chuckled at her response, his lips curling into a smile as he turned away from her to pick up the fallen bear. He placed it in an empty seat on the wall display before patting it on the head.
“If you drink two cups of coffee at the same time, you'll be on the toilet all night. I’ve stocked up on Pepto Bismol, so there's no need to worry. If you want to give yourself a stomach ache, I'll take care of you.”
She beamed at him, watching him straighten out the crooked plushies on the display as his words warmed her with a soft and fuzzy feeling that may or may not have been from the coffee.
“But I reserve the right to say 'I told you so',” he added with his usual nonchalance.
Her smile dropped. She tucked one cup of coffee into her arm to free up a hand and swat him on the ass in retaliation, the sound of the impact echoing through the hospital halls.
His body stilled, his hand nearly crushing a penguin’s face in.
“...There are children here,” he reminded her, his voice steady as he pushed his glasses up with a finger. “Apparently, there’s a child here with me as well.”
“Just take your coffee,” she huffed, a smile threatening to break through her annoyance at him.
Zayne took the cup from her and stood back to admire the now-neatly organized plushie display. His hand settled on top of her head, much like how he had patted each plushie on the head when he placed them in their slots on the wall.
She didn't react, merely staying close to him as the warm sunlight poured through the hall to surround them. The bustle of doctors and nurses rushing through the hospital seemed a whole world away in their secluded hallway of soft plushies and the sweet scent of vanilla lattes.
“Why are you in charge of the plushie display?” she asked in earnest, her voice softer now.
“I’m not,” he answered simply. “I was just passing by when I saw a penguin about to fall off. I thought it looked like you when you get hungry—” He was cut off by the incredulous look she gave him, but he continued with a smile. “So I put her back in her seat and made sure her friends wouldn't fall off either.”
His hand trailed down to her shoulder, moving slowly to the small of her back as he led her down the hall. “Let's go. You'll be late for the appointment if you stay here any longer.”
She looked up to meet his gaze, confused, but her body responded out of habit, her feet carrying her in the direction Zayne had set. “I don't have an appointment today.”
“We do.”
As they walked back to his office, Zayne nodded to a passing nurse, who did a double take once she saw his arm around the hunter's waist.
“All-you-can-eat desserts. Our reservation is in an hour.”
Zayne didn't have to look at her to know that her eyes were sparkling at the surprise promise of sweets. It was always so easy to make her happy. And whenever he felt her squeeze his arm just a little tighter, it always flooded his chest with a warmth that he quickly grew addicted to.