Warnings: None

Word Count: 1513

Request: can you do one where one of them (cough, tyler) doesn't like animals but after spending more and more time with the pet they grow to love it? #justiceforgeorgie

Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this one! :)

*     *     *

"What is he doing?" Tyler asked.

You followed his gaze to where your cat was playing on the rug, tossing a toy around for himself. A smile graced your lips at the sight of it.

"He's playing, Ty."

"Is that what that is?"

You sighed. It was no secret that Tyler wasn't particularly fond of your newly adopted cat, despite the numerous times he had been over to your apartment since you had adopted him. Not even the fact that the cat was named after one of his songs - Nico - was enough to make him warm up even the tiniest bit. Tonight was the first night that Tyler was spending at your apartment since you had gotten him, and you were hoping that this might finally be the breakthrough that the two of them needed to bond.

"He's really sweet, you just need to warm up to him."

Tyler leaned back into the couch and crossed his arms, sticking out his bottom lip for added show. It was the adult equivalent of a toddler's temper tantrum.

"I don't have to warm up to anyone, even if that someone is a cat."

"Ty, he's going to be around for another thirteen years. If you don't like him, we may as well break up now," you said, making sure to add a joking tone to your voice.

"No, please," Tyler leaned towards you and rested his head on your upright knees. "I love you."

You leaned in to meet him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. His hair tickled your nose. "You need to learn to love Nico too."

"But you deserve all of my love."

Tyler gently started to push your knees apart so he could move in and hover over you, wasting no time in planting his lips properly against yours. You smiled and grabbed onto him, pulling his body closer to yours. His lips tasted like chapstick.

His hand had just started to fiddle with the bottom of your shirt when he suddenly stopped and pulled away, muttering profanities. He whipped around to look at his feet, eyebrows furrowed. Confused, you leaned around him only to see Nico had gotten up on the couch and started playing with Tyler's foot, batting his paws against it and giving it tiny little bites.

"Nico," he whispered, gently wiggling his foot. "I'm in the middle of something."

"He's just trying to play with you!"

"He won't get off my foot!"

With a sigh, you slowly slid out from under Tyler - much to his dismay - and grabbed Nico, double checking that he didn't still have one claw sunk into Tyler's skin before you pulled him away. You wrapped him up in your arms like a baby and kissed his soft little forehead.

"I think he's jealous that I get all of your love and he doesn't get any," you cooed.

"It's hard to love him when he attacks my foot."

"That's part of owning a cat, Ty."

You let go of Nico and he hopped back down onto the couch. Tyler instinctively pulled his feet up under him, a place where the cat wouldn't be able to reach them.

"I know that deep down in your heart somewhere, you want to love him," you said as you sat back down on the couch. Tyler held an arm out and you curled up next to him, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder before leaning on it.

"I don't know about that."

You both looked at Nico, who had gone back to playing with his own toys on the carpet now that there was no interrupting to be done. It was frustrating that Tyler was so resistant about trying to like him.

"Is it alright if I go shower?" Tyler asked.

"Go for it, and enjoy my coconut shampoo."

"I will."

Tyler gave you a lingering kiss before finally getting up and walking down the hall towards your bedroom. With him gone, you stretched out on the couch and grabbed your phone from the coffee table to kill the time until he got back. Nico, upon realizing that Tyler had left, followed him down the hall to investigate.

"Y/N!" Tyler called out, obviously panicked. The shower hadn't even started running yet.

"What?"

"Help!"

You kicked your legs off the couch and quickly walked down the hall to your bedroom, wondering what trouble Nico or Tyler had managed to get into. When you arrived in the bedroom, you immediately took notice of the problem. Nico was running between the bathroom and your bedroom door, occasionally swatting at Tyler's feet as he went. Tyler, who was standing just inside the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his hips, wasn't letting his eyes leave Nico's little body.

"What is he doing?" he said, flinching a little as he ran past again.

"He does this whenever I get in the shower," you shrugged. "He just gets excited by the bathroom, for whatever reason. At night, he sits on my bed and watches me brush my teeth."

"Every night?"

"Yeah, it's kind of like a little routine we have."

"It doesn't freak you out?" Tyler finally looked at you and raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's kind of comforting to have him there. It's kind of like when you sit on the bathroom counter when I get ready for bed."

For the first time all night, Tyler seemed the tiniest bit open to the idea of trying to like Nico. His expression had softened considerably from when you had first walked in the room.

"I don't want him in here when I shower though."

"I'll take him back out to the living room, don't worry."

"Thank you."

After giving Tyler a quick kiss - and maybe taking a moment or two to admire him - you finally scooped Nico up and carried him back out to the living room. You also made sure to close the bedroom door so he wouldn't go running back in there to terrorize Tyler as soon as he had the chance. The goal was to get Tyler to like Nico, not be even more scared of him.

*     *     *

After the whole shower incident between Nico and Tyler was cleared up, the rest of the night went by pretty smoothly. Nico cuddled in your lap while you and Tyler watched movies, and Tyler was even brave enough to reach over and give Nico a couple pets while he slept. In your eyes, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

"Where does Nico sleep?" Tyler asked as he slid under the covers on your bed.

"With me," you answered, doing the same. "He likes to curl up near my legs at first, but he moves around."

"So I shouldn't be concerned if I feel something walking over my stomach in the middle of the night?"

"As long as it only has four legs, then you're fine."

"Noted."

You scooted over and rested your head on Tyler's shoulder, adjusting a few times until you felt comfortable enough to fall asleep. Tyler's arm curled around you and rested comfortably on your hip. As for Nico, he was still sitting on your dresser and waiting for everyone to get settled, as he did every night.

"You know, it was kind of nice to have Nico sitting on the bed while we brushed our teeth," Tyler said quietly.

You leaned back to get a better look at him, even though it was hard in the dim light of your bedroom.

"Did those words really just come out of your mouth?" you gasped.

He laughed, "Yes, but I won't be repeating them."

"That's ok, I've already committed them to memory."

"I like him a lot better when he's not running around and biting my feet."

As if he knew you were talking about him, Nico finally jumped down from the dresser and made his way across the room to your bed. He explored the covers for a little while until eventually settling in the space between you and Tyler.

"And he's warm too," Tyler whispered.

"Like a little space heater."

You could have sworn that you saw Tyler reach out and give Nico a couple scratches, but you decided not to comment on it. It was enough for you to know that the bond between your cat and your boyfriend was growing.

"He'll take some getting used to, but he's not so bad."

"Just like you," you laughed.

"Hey! You were in to me from the start."

"But you did take some getting used to."

"Alright, fine," Tyler sighed. "I can understand that."

"So, does Nico get a little bit of your love now?"

"I don't think we're there yet. I still love you too much."

"I love you too, Ty."

He pressed a gentle kiss to your head and you finally went back to your original sleeping position, already feeling the exhaustion of the day starting to set in. With Nico and Tyler right next to you, it felt like the safest place in the world.

You were asleep within minutes.