CHAPTER 1 - Not a Pet! Ch.2

He looked away.


“I will stay the night. And I’ll spend it here in your bed. We don’t have a choice there. This,” he gave his penis a flex, still knotted deeply in my ass, “will need time to go down.”


“No, I meant will you st-” I began. That look he had just given me, so completely content and at peace, I wanted to see that look on his face over and over again. At that moment, I wanted him to stay. To stay forever and never leave again.


“I know what you meant,” he cut me off with a finality that shut me up. His tone was firm but neutral. Not angry, or disappointed, or hurt.


He turned his head, ivory horns reflecting the dim light from the streetlights, and his amber eyes met mine again. “I don’t know if this is a good idea. There is just so much against this,” he said firmly.


“I’m sure-” I began again, only to be cut off a second time.


“Well, for one, I don’t want to take advantage of you. I can’t contribute a lot, and you’ve seen how much I eat. Next, we barely know each other, and you’re already asking me to move in.” A look of worry and fear spread over his face. “Besides, I’m so much larger and stronger than you. What if I accidentally hurt you? What will your friends and coworkers say, when they find out you have a dragon sharing your bed? How am I even going to live here? This place is hardly designed for dragons. Even the door was a tight fit. I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have done this. I’m sorry. I should have never-”


“Tiri, stop,” I interrupted him, stunning him out of his spiral. Tentatively, I reached out towards his head, but he pulled it back. His eyes were wide, and his ears folded back while his snout wrinkled in a snarl. With his lips pulled back, I could see how sharp his fangs were; being so close to them so close sent an involuntary shiver down my spine.


“That is not my name,” he said with a derisive snort. “TIRIGANIAQ. I’m not your pet to be given nicknames.”


“Your cock is literally knotted in my ass. I think we’ve reached the point where I can shorten it for convenience,” I retorted, further appealing him into silence. I seized the opportunity. “Look, those problems you’ve listed. We can solve them. Also, you’ve said it yourself, where would you even go? And how would you feed yourself? I’m… I’m not asking you to be my boyfriend. Not right away, anyways. I’m not that naive, and I’ve known you for less than 12 hours. All I’m asking for is… is a… a chance,” I finished lamely, having pulled literally the oldest clichee in the book. Still, the undeniable logic seemed to have an effect on the dragon. Though he didn’t turn his head away, his eyes didn’t quite meet mine anymore.


“If I accept this, and take food and shelter from you without recompense and live with you, I might as well be your pet,” he said quietly, “I’ll be dependent on you. Whether that’s your intent or not. On some level, I’ll be an exotic trophy. And I’m not in a position to refuse either…” He went very still at this, I could feel the emotions warring inside him as tiny, barely perceptible tremors traveled through his body and into mine.


“And at the same time, I can’t help but feel that I’m taking advantage of you, through your attraction towards me. If I had been a human, would you still have offered me shelter here like you did?” he asked. I didn’t answer him, but I couldn’t stop the guilty look that crept onto my face. “I thought so,” he continued, though without anger, “It wouldn’t be right of me to exploit that.”

“Come on, it wouldn’t be so bad. Being exploited for shelter and food by my attractive pet-to-be sounds kinda hot, actually. And if you’re a good boy, I’ll even let you pick the colour of your leash,” I joked, hoping to break him out of his flow. It occurred to me that, despite everything, Tiri hadn’t shifted his embrace one bit. I was still unbelievably snug and comfortably wrapped in silky fur and downy feathers.

A small smile appeared on that muzzle, and I reached out again. This time, the head didn’t pull out of my reach, and I comfortingly stroked his cheek, the fine hairs feeling exquisite beneath my fingers. I knew dragons lived very unrestricted lives in their small enclaves, and valued their independence greatly after the insults they and their scaled and feathered kin had suffered in the past. Even if modern amenities like electricity and central heating had snuck in over time, they mostly kept to themselves and their ancestral neighbours, the Inuit also populating the region. I understood where his reservations were coming from, even if they were misplaced in my opinion.


“Or, if that doesn’t appeal to you, how about ‘live-in domestic servant’. I could get you a maid costume,” I offered, grinning up at him; this even earned a small chuckle. Shifting back to serious, I continued, “I can’t and wouldn’t force you to stay; there would be little point anyways. I’m also not going to pretend that I don’t hope we will fall in love while you stay here. And, lastly, this won’t be a complete freebie, I fully expect you to pull your weight. As much as possible at least. You will have laundry to do, dishes to clean, bathrooms to scrub, and food to cook.”


He chuckled deep in his chest at that, the reverberations of mirth traveling through his ribs into my back. “I guess I won’t be your pet so much as your homemaker boywife then, will I? Alright, I’ll stay. Refusing an offer like this out of pride would be silly and self destructive. Just promise me you’ll stop with the nicknames.” With that, he laid his head down in front of me, his large, liquid eyes full of amusement, but also doubt and indecisiveness, and maybe even a hint of fondness.

“You’ll have to live with me calling you Tiri though, that is non-negotiable. I’m not calling you anything as long as Tiriganiaq, when I want something,” I said while grinning maliciously, knowing from the pouty look this brought to his face that I had already won him over.


“Oh fine. If your vocal tract gets tired from a mere six syllables, I suppose I can make an exception for you,” he retorted, rolling his eyes before regarding me thoughtfully. After a few seconds he slightly shifted his position, carefully avoiding jostling me too much.


Being hugged like this truly was everything I had ever hoped it would be, and the prospect of more now possibly in my future nearly had me crowing for joy, with only the thought of what Tiriganiaq’s reaction might be restraining my enthusiasm. I truly was unbelievably snug in his embrace. His wing covered me nearly perfectly, like a large blanket made entirely of feathers, while his tail and body filled in the gaps. One leg was comfortably hooked over my hips, while the other lay in parallel with my own, stretching down behind me, its soft fur occasionally brushing against my skin.


His frontpaw was also still wrapped around my chest, resting on my sternum. Gently, I peeled it off a bit, to explore it with my own hand, running my fingers over the pads and pure white claws. The backside was covered in the same, if shorter, fluffy fur as the rest of him, but his pads were something else. They were smooth and rough, waxy and rubbery at the same time. Squishy and soft, but I could feel the grip and friction they would have on nearly any surface. Above all, they were warm, and this combined with their texture made them feel beyond divine against my skin.


I moved on to the joints, marveling just how flexible the entire appendage was. The individual fingers felt sturdy in and of themselves, but had a surprising range of motion for something that was meant to be walked on. Tiri would never be a watchmaker, but I didn’t think he would have any trouble navigating a world designed for humans.


A murmured “Having fun?” reached my ears, breaking me out of my revery, and I focused my eyes on the dragon's snout, which was once again graced by a grin. “Be careful with that, if the wrong person sees you do it, you’ll be classed as one of those slimy paw fetishists.”


I let go of his appendage, which he replaced on my chest, and retorted, “Cut me a break. I’ve been fantasizing about this since I first saw a picture of one of you guys.” This seemed to surprise him, though in a pleasant way. Meanwhile, I was still feeling and enjoying the unabating fullness inside me, and gave a small wiggle and clench, drawing a pleased purr from the drake hugging me so intimately. “How long are we stuck like this?” I asked.


A low, rumbling chuckle reverberated through the ribcage pressed against my back and Tiri’s head lifted off the mattress. “For some time. Longer if you keep doing that. Why? Am I boring you?” he countered my question, while tightening his hug around me a little.


“No dragon will ever be boring to me, I promise you that. But, if we can get at my cellphone in my pants, we can watch a movie or something,” I answered, “I thought that might be nice, even if reaching it will be a hassle.”


Wordlessly, he uncoiled his slender tail and, after fishing around on the floor for a moment, brought it back up; its length neatly slotted through one of the jeans legs. I quickly got the device out, and we settled down to watch Howl’s moving castle. We had barely made it through a third of the movie however, when I noticed that the dragon’s breathing had become deep and slow, while still holding me like some oversized plushy.

I was still stuck on his knot (not that I objected), and even if I hadn't been; I could hardly have freed myself from his embrace without waking him. Instead, I merely paused the movie and locked the cellphone’s screen, before settling down and joining my new wacky roommate in the land of dreams.


—


The next morning, I was standing in the kitchen making breakfast; scrambled eggs with cheese, but no bacon, because a greedy dragon had eaten my entire supply yesterday. In a brief conversation, yelled through the bathroom door over the sound of the hairdryer, I had inquired if Tiriganiaq had any issue eating eggs. The question had deeply confused him, and in hindsight, I had felt rather stupid too. Dragons were facultative carnivores, their diets largely consisting of meat they hunt themselves on the wing. Of course he would have no issue eating eggs.

After waking up together with all the awkwardness which was to be expected given the situation, Tiri had vanished straight into the bathroom, leaving me to deal with the mess of the previous evening alone. Not that I particularly minded, I would have endured a lot more for the experience.


Now at the stove, my mind turned towards the future. Even if Tiri decided to stay with me permanently, there would be issues. Particularly due to my own temporary stay in this country, of which only four months remained. That should be enough to apply for a temporary visa for him in Germany, but only if we did so more or less straight away. The fact that he was Canadian, being from Manitoba, would hopefully help too.

The next issue was how to get him across the Atlantic in the first place. I had never heard of a dragon traveling by airplane, and the results google gave me on a quick search were less than encouraging. Tickets were ludicrously expensive, simply due to the amount of space they needed, being equivalent to about 5 regular ones and only available on very select flights.

I did some quick mental calculation. I could get him across, but it would burn an uncomfortable hole into my finances for a year or two. Still, nothing that would kill me.

Just then, I heard the cheap hairdryer stop and the bathroom door finally open again, and turned to see a somewhat frazzled dragon trot out into the living room. It took all my countenance to not immediately burst out laughing. He had very apparently opted to wash only his crotch and surroundings and blow them dry. This had resulted in the fur there puffing up to ridiculous levels, much in contrast to the rest of it, which, while also floofy, lay more or less flat along his body.

Turning away again, to hide the grin on my face, I said, “You took your time. Take a seat, I’ve got breakfast for you. Just finished it up.” I loaded up two plates, a much larger one for him, and turned to see him on the couch. Head tucked under his wing. “Is something wrong?” I asked slightly worried.


“Just my entire life.” Came the muffled response, before he uncoiled and lifted his droopy eared head from under his wing. The expression on his muzzle made me want to drop the food, and comfort him, but I knew that the gesture wouldn’t be welcome right now.


“I’ve left everyone just behind. My sister, my dad, my friends. The entire clan. And I can’t go back to them. Refusing a challenge over a mate is already dishonourable, and an automatic loss. The fact that this challenge arose over an affair only makes it worse for me,” he explained, unprompted.


“I guess it’s because you’re even denying the other party satisfaction or closure?” I asked, curious despite myself.


“Close but not quite,” he answered, “By doing this, I caused an injury to a clan member. That causes tension in the clan, the only way to resolve that is to deal with the issue, to mend the wound. Or at least that’s how we see it. That I didn’t do so is a deliberate insult to the community. That I didn’t do so out of cowardice is an irreversible stain on me. Those two things taken together… People have been banished for less.” He looked down towards the floor.


“I’m sorry for asking, but if you knew all of this, why did you refuse? With how few dragons there are in the world, I can’t imagine you guys would fight to the death?” The expression on his face already told me more than I really wanted to know.


“It might have very well been to the death. The winner of such a challenge has the loser’s life in their hands. She could have done whatever she wanted to me. Take me as a subservient mate, clip my wings, or, yes, put me to death,” Tiriganiaq answered. “And if I go back now, when she has already won by default, I’ll be at her mercy entirely. And I can’t even expect the rest of the clan to try and curb her temper anymore, now that I have run away like this.”


“I’m sorry big guy.” Unsure what else to say to this, I put his food in front down to a muttered ‘thanks’, and took my own seat next to him. Knowing that another difficult talk was coming after the meal, I did my best to master my own now oppressive mood, and focus on other things. Seeing him eat was interesting. Holding the knife and fork I brought him in his dextrous frontpaws, he cut the food into bite sized chunks and then daintily picked them off the plate with his muzzle. Navigating the large bites he took to his muzzle with the fork would likely have been impractical, and this technique left no mess on either the plate or his surroundings.


We finished our meal in silence, apart from a murmured compliment about my cooking from him, and he proceeded to lick his plate clean of any left behind scraps. Then he settled back on the couch, though with a slightly less morose expression. I regretted that I had to break further bad news to him, and decided it would be the kindest to just rip the bandaid off.


“There is another issue, Tiri. As I told you, I’m only here for another four months, and this is a rented flat. You won’t be able to stay here past that,” I started the conversation.


“Yes, I am aware,” he replied flatly, saying nothing further, while his ears droop


“I know this sounds crazy, it kinda does even to me, but the only way I could help you beyond that is if you apply for a visa and come with me. Those take a while to process, so if you wanted to, we would need to get the process started quickly,” I said, knowing I was putting an impossible choice before him. Face homelessness and possibly starvation alone here, or follow a near stranger over the ocean on nothing more than promises and a ‘trust me bro’.


His head shot up and he stared at me with wide, incomprehending eyes, ears as perked as much as I had ever seen them. “Tobi, this is taking ‘give me a chance’ a bit far.”


“I know. I wouldn’t have asked if I could see another way to do this. It’s this or be cut off even from me.”


“And then?” he protested, louder than before. The fur on his shoulders raised and his wings mantling. “Apply for a visa, and come with you and then be stuck over there if I decide I don’t like you? Go to a place where I don’t even speak the local language and do what then? Have you even thought about how I would get over there? How you would support me? What we would even do? You would upend your entire life, and ask me to leave my home continent for good in all likelihood, just on the off chance that I fall in love with you. Why?” Here, he suddenly stopped his rant and left the last question hanging between us.


I looked him straight into his amber eyes, and sincerely said, “You know why. Yesterday was… the best experience I ever had. That look you gave me after, when you looked so at peace with the world; as cheesy as it sounds, but I want to see that every day.” I paused briefly and looked away.


“As for the visa, if it helps, you can still back out, even after it has been granted. You wouldn’t be forced into this. But, like I said, if you wanted to, we would have to start the application process very soon.” I turned my head back towards him, and looked at him. His head wasn’t held as defensively as before, but he still had a wary expression on his snout, with his ears pinned back.


“I know Tobi, but… this still feels like a huge commitment,” Tiri said, his gaze avoiding my eyes. “I… I need to think about this.”


“I know, it’s a lot,” I attempted to comfort him. “But I’m sure that we can figur-”


“Oh don’t give me platitudes,” he interrupted me with a growl. “You’re throwing a gigantic wrench into your own life for a complete stranger, and asking me to take the even greater risk of being stranded in Europe when my visa runs out. I need more than that before I commit to anything.”


“Yeah… I know.” I hung my head and, gripped by a sudden urge to move, I got up and began to pace. Up and down the length of the living room, one step before the other. I was dimly aware that his head was following me, monitoring, the tail softly lashing against the couch cushions.


“It… it felt like fate, meeting you.” I stopped my progress through the room, and turned to look at him. “Since I was a kid, dragons have fascinated me. I’ve been dreaming about an encounter like this for the entirety of my adult life. To meet a dragon, be friends with one, maybe, just maybe, even fall in love with one…”


“To me, this is a once in a lifetime chance, to actually get any of that. And I would try and move heaven and earth to make it work,” I added almost vehemently, causing him to shrink back a bit, but he held my gaze.


“I… I think I see.” Tiri began softly. “I’m not going to pretend this isn’t beyond strange, but I also can’t deny that you’ve been nothing but kind so far.” He paused, and the silence stretched.


“I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life, Tobi. I’m not super keen to immediately throw myself into the next reckless decision based on nothing more than good faith,” his warm baritone broke the silence. “We can do the visa application, but I can’t promise that I will come with you when you return home. There are simply too many unknowns.”


“I know,” I replied in an equally soft tone, and slumped down on the couch next to him. After a few seconds, a warm, heavy weight was placed on my hand, and I looked down to see that he had put his frontpaw on my hand.


“I do appreciate your dedication however,” Tiri said without looking at me. “And that you’re willing to go to these lengths is actually pretty sweet.”


I smiled a very small, private smile at his words, and enjoyed the warmth from his paw. We sat like that for a moment, just enjoying the companionable silence between us, then I pulled my hand out from under his paw and got up. “Alright, you want to get to know me better. Let’s do that,” I announced, moving on from uncomfortable topics. I would have to get to know him better too, for any chance of a relationship.


“What do you have in mind?” he asked, head tilted and ears perked slightly, with an inquisitive expression on his snout. There was still pain in his amber eyes, but I hoped that I could distract him from the loss of everyone he had ever known.


“Whatever you want, really. What do dragons do for fun? We could go watch a movie, or go on a walk and explore the countryside, or stay here and play video games together,” I looked at his front paws and imagined them holding a controller. “Or maybe not that last one.”


“Can we visit a bar?” he asked suddenly, thoroughly taking me by surprise.


“When they open later, sure, yeah?” I answered him.


He nodded sagely, brightening. “That does sound good. Now, video games until then would be ideal, I think. In town, there was an arcade we sometimes went to, and I always enjoyed it. And maybe you could teach me some German, if I am making tentative preparations to go there.”


“You got it buddy.” I quickly went and switched the rented XBox on. I guess now I’d now find out how dextrous those paws of his really were. Grabbing the controller, I turned back, and was surprised when he shifted his body, kicked his back legs out to the side and lifted a wing in invitation. He now laid in a sort of crescent shape, with his soft fur looking more inviting than the softest pillow. For a second, I just stared at him dumbly. At my hesitation, he patted the spot in front of his belly with the tip of his tail, and I eagerly made my way back over.


“Where is this coming from?” I asked, pleasantly surprised at this sudden affection. The prospect of a lazy day on the couch now all the more appealing, that I would get to cuddle against a dragon.


“Just thought you might enjoy it.” Tiri said with a bashful air. “Also, it is awfully cute how hard you try to keep me around, and I’m not ungrateful. And, well, I do actually like you,” he continued, while he looked away, his tail tip twitching. “This is just going too quickly.” If his face hadn’t been covered in fur, I’m sure he would have blushed. In fact, his ears seemed to be slightly rosier than they were before.


“I get that Tiri,” I said, while carefully settling against his side and rubbing his shoulder. Then I realised something, and hesitated. “Is it OK for you if I pet you like that?” I asked, suddenly self conscious. Tiriganiaq’s reservations about anything associated with pets might mean he wouldn’t want me to do so.


“It is. As long as we’re in private, and you keep it to reasonable levels, I don’t mind. It’s actually quite pleasant. Just don’t do it in public, please. And don’t go overboard, or become too paternalistic,” he explained with a softening of his eyes. “Thank you for asking.”


“No head pats in public, got it.” I handed him the controller, which he took into both paws with hypnotic dexterity. He gave it a quick test, making sure he could hit all of the buttons, and slightly adjusted his grip.


—


We played for most of the afternoon. Tiriganiaq was rather picky when it came to games it seemed, and didn’t much like pure violence just for the sake of violence. Any game where he could fly, and which didn’t meet his standards of realism for flight mechanics, got critiqued harshly.


I was more focused on watching him play. After some starting difficulties with the controller, due to the larger digits on his front paws, he quickly found his rhythm. His pads seemed to give him excellent grip on the sticks, negating one of my largest fears which was him slipping off constantly, and his thumbs were dextrous enough to give him full control. The joints in his shoulders and forelegs were also flexible enough to allow him to lie on his belly and hold the controller in front of him without much strain or tiring. Or at least he never complained.


I spent my afternoon largely cuddled up against his side, enjoying the softness of his fur and feathers and the rhythmic expansion of his chest with every breath. Although I was still very surprised that he wanted me this close to him, after our conversations this morning, I was hardly going to complain. He seemed to enjoy the attention and closeness as well, and threw frequent glances over his shoulder. We also talked a lot, about our lives and how different growing up in the suburbs in Germany was, compared to being reared by an entire clan of dragons in Manitoba.


They lived a fully communal lifestyle, with the young being reared, taught and watched over by the entire clan. Expensive or hard to get resources were shared between all of them, as was food, which was also prepared and eaten together. Education was another matter. Living in close proximity to a town, young dragons attended school the same as human children. The institution even had additional language electives to cater to their community.

This caused the conversation to shift, and soon we were talking about language directly, and soon I was teaching him basic phrases and words in German. To say that Tiriganiaq was enthusiastic would be an understatement, he practically soaked up the knowledge like a dry sponge. Very quickly, he had mastered basic introductions and greetings, with surprisingly good pronunciation.

Had we not planned to visit a bar, he would likely have kept me at it all night, but at 7pm, we grabbed our things and headed out.

The short walk there was beautiful. A mid spring sunset painted the sky and few clouds that were out in a fiery array of dazzling colours. The wind was cool, but mild and the birds sang their tunes among the freshly budded, bright green leaves. Everything smelled fresh and green.


The budding plants and first signs of spring captivated the dragon and his reaction in turn captivated me. Every tree needed to be looked at and inspected. He seemed to absorb it with every pore on his being; his ears twitching in different directions, picking out the various birdsongs, while his head swiveled trying to drink in the sights and smells.

“It is odd how early spring is down here. Back home, it has barely begun to thaw properly,” he remarked unprompted, “And it’s mainly coniferous trees. And you wouldn’t hear a single bird sing this time of year.”


He stopped, and reared up on his hind legs next to a cherry tree, to smell the blossoms. Very gently pulling a flower laden branch towards him and snuffling it. Amused, I stopped and let him have the moment. “The smells here are all so very different from home.”

Suddenly, a sour expression came over his face and his ears flicked back before he dropped back down to all fours. “Let’s keep going,” he decided, and set a much brisker pace than before, which quickly had us arriving at the bar.


Stepping through the door, Tiriganiaq immediately turned heads and stopped conversations; something that made him visibly very uncomfortable. Ears pinned back and tail lashing softly, he tried to keep behind me to stay out of sight. Due to the difference in our sizes however, this did not work out as he intended.


Dragons tended to attract attention, not just him. While they weren’t vanishingly rare, their isolationism, and comparatively small numbers did mean that most people only got to see one a few times in their life. Thankfully, most of the crowd left it at a look or two, before turning back to their drinks and conversations. The few people who kept staring, were quickly quelled by their neighbours or the hard looks I was throwing back.


“Don’t pay any attention,” I advised the fidgety dragon next to me. “They’re just curious. That’s all.”


“I know, but… Could we sit in that corner over there?” he asked hesitantly, pointing it out with his snout. The table in question was about as secluded as was possible in a bar like this. It also had a large bench corner, which looked suitable enough for him to rest across. .

“Sure thing,” I answered, hoping to make him more comfortable, and we walked over. Tiriganiaq, as predicted, claimed nearly the entire bench for himself, although he didn’t so much lie down as take cover behind the table.

I hurriedly set about distracting him from it, and signaled the waitstaff. He surprised both me and the waiter who was taking our orders, by ordering an entire bottle of rum, while I settled for a beer and a large portion of cheese curds, which I intended for the both of us. They wouldn’t make much of a meal for Tiri, especially less if he had to share them with me, but they’d hopefully occupy his attention.

Until the food arrived however, my conversation would have to suffice. “Soo, why did you want to visit a bar? ” I asked. Given his obvious stage fright and discomfort, I was curious.

He snorted, which drew a fresh round of stares and made him duck his head, before answering quietly “Well, I could use a drink, after the last few days. It hasn’t been easy.” I shot him an alarmed look, to which he quickly shook his head. “It’s not like that. I’m not an alcoholic, if that’s what you’re worried about. I just… I need to forget for an evening. To not think about what I left behind, or where I’m going to go. Do you know what I mean?”

I did know, and I understood; I understood the desire to run away and hide from your own thoughts for a while. “Yeah. I do.” I answered somberly, “If there is anything I can do… you know? Just let me know.”

“I’ll be fine. I think,” he said somewhat brusquely. “But I appreciate what you’re trying to do. When-” There he was cut off by the waiter coming back to deliver our drinks and inform us that the snacks would take a moment. Instead of continuing, Tiri grabbed his bottle and, after opening it, immediately took a sip of undiluted, warm rum.

“Prost!” I said with a raised eyebrow, pulling my own proffered glass back. “That bad, huh? Or do dragons not clink glasses?” I asked in a somewhat prickly tone at his rudeness. I was paying for the drinks after all.

Tiriganiaq, who had been in the middle of his second sip, suddenly looked at me extremely guiltily and awkwardly raised his bottle. I tapped it gently, and took a sip myself. “‘Prost’ is what you say in German instead of ‘Cheers’ by the way. Remember that, it’ll be important if you do come with me,” I said, winking at him with a cheeky smile.


Tiriganiaq set the already concerningly empty bottle on the table. “Prost! then, I guess? Is not clinking glasses seen as very rude in Germany?” he asked curiously. I had noticed that before, he didn’t just seem to be interested in the language, but also in the culture.

“It’s seen as rude and distant, yes. People who don’t know you well might actually think you’re cold shouldering them or something. It’s kinda an important social ritual in that sense, not doing it comes off as a bit disrespectful, you know?” I explained. “Forgetting it is also supposed to lead to 7 years of bad sex, so I’ll have to reconsider if I actually want to take you along now,” I joked in an undertone.

Nobody would have heard what I said in the crowded bar, but the dragon’s ears went pink anyways. He made a choked sound, and quickly glanced around to see if anyone had heard, before hiding behind his bottle once again. “Not in public!” he hissed at me quietly, after he had set it down, his eyes wide.


—


From there, we discussed a great deal of etiquette for various situations; or at least tried to, as Tiri was rapidly becoming severely drunk. He laughed more, his speech slurred, and his motions became clumsy.


Watching him, who normally moved with effortless grace, struggle to grab the bottle off the table had a certain hilarity to it. Sadly, he seemed to forget about his tail, and while getting up to use the facilities cleared off the neighboring table with a careless swipe.


The patrons seated there thankfully took this without anger, although admittedly, it was very hard to be mad at the sight Tiri made at the time. Sitting back on his haunches, he hid his head buried in both frontpaws, while his furred tail curled about as close to his body as it could. The endearing sight of an embarrassed and drunk dragon had left no room for the usual anger such a thing would provoke. Instead, he had to endure an entire chorus of coos and hilarity at his clumsiness.


“I’m soo sorry, I didn’t mean to,” he assured them over and over again. He then precipitated the next accident, by promptly stepping into the glass shards littering the floor. The yelp and hiss he gave at this ensured that he had the attention of everyone present, including the waiter who had just brought out the fried cheese curds. These were promptly appropriated by the ravenous beast, probably for consolation.


The evening would no doubt quickly become a local legend. The sight of a dragon sprawled on his side on a bench munching fried cheese, while his companion performs first aid on his paw and the neighbouring patrons and waiter comb the floor for missed shards would be a hard one to forget.


At least here Tiriganiaq somewhat rescued his reputation in the town, as he called out missed pieces of glass to the waiter, which he could easily spot with his vision, suited as it was to hunting camouflaged prey in forest from above. That was probably the only thing that prevented us from getting summarily thrown out, as the waiter instead suggested that I take my friend home and let him sleep the alcohol off.


So, after a bit of a shuffle which wasn’t eased by his injured paw and imperfect bandage, we got him out of the bar. It had rained while we were in the bar, making me grimace at the implications for Tiri’s bandaged wound, which would no doubt be soaked by the time we got home.

At least with him being this drunk, he didn’t much complain about the wound hurting, but trudged beside me in silence. Slightly unsteady on his paws.


—


“Come on. Just straight ahead and onto the couch.”


“I knooow…” Tiriganiaq slurred at me. Resetting his wings for about the fifth time. The door was narrow for him, even when he was sober, and his feathers were apparently prone to painfully snapping. “It’s just sho hard to aim like thissh,” he went on.


“Come on, I’ll help you.” I crouched down in front of him, and held his wing joints, the feathers feeling soft and smooth under my fingers. I shuffled back, exerting just the smallest amount of pull on him, and together we made it through the door without snagging.


“There you go. Now up on the couch, I want another look at your paw.” He got up without argument, but I had to reposition him so I could comfortably look at his paw pad. He was surprisingly light, although the muscles, which just barely showed under his pelt, were hard as steel.


When I finally had him positioned as I wanted him, I unwrapped the hasty and improvised bandage we had applied at the bar. Since the streets had been wet, it would need disinfecting again. The sight that greeted me confirmed my worst suspicions there. Grime had found its way under the bandage, and moisture gleamed on the wound.


I quickly fetched the necessary supplies, and got a precautionary bucket as well. I didn’t know if he would have to vomit from the alcohol, but I wasn’t going to risk the rented couch in finding out.


I quickly cleaned out the, thankfully, shallow wound with an antiseptic cloth, and applied some iodine solution to it. Then I wrapped it in a fresh, clean bandage, which I also wrapped around the upper part of his paw, where his small dewclaw sat.


Tiri looked on in uncomprehending silence as I worked on him, only briefly snorting when the antiseptic wipe touched his raw flesh. “There we go. Wide but shallow. We’ll have to take it easy for a day or two, but then you’ll probs be able to walk normally again,” I announced, giving his haunch a firm rub, only to be lightly slapped by his tailtip.


"Thanks Tobi. An' I’m sorry for this... but I needed this... I needed this today." Tiriganiaq said freely.


“I can imagine. It’s all good, big guy. I know you’ve had it rough the last few days.” I answered him, and leant over him to rub his neck, which earned me a purr. “Did it work at least? Do you feel better?”


“Yes. Thank you. I feel good right now.” He took me by surprise when he buried his elegant snout in my chest. “Mmhhh you smell nice.”


Chuckling at the affection, I stroked my hands down his neck. “Alright. The bucket is right in front of the couch, water is in the kitchen. I’m going to my room and let you sleep it off. Do you need anything else?”

“Noooo don’t go,” he wailed into my chest, and pressed into me harder. A clumsy paw pressed into my side and his claws dug in, catching at my clothes and pulling at me. “I’ve been so alone since I left,” he added plaintively, pulling his head back and giving me his puppy stare.

With my hands still on his neck, I tilted his head up, until he was looking straight at me. “Do you actually want me to stay, or is this just drunk Tiri wanting affection?”


From the way his face scrunched, I could tell that the gears were turning in his head. Tiriganiaq liked me, I knew that. I guess I was about to find out just how much.


“Please…” he paused for a second, focusing, the look on his face was almost clear, “please stay. When you’re with me, I’m thinking about you. Not my home and my clan. It’s… it makes the feeling go away… at least a bit.”


Pain, pleading and need were all mixing in his amber eyes, and moisture was forming at the bottom. I hadn’t thought much about it until now, being kind of preoccupied with my new roommate and figuring out the future, but I got it. Leaving everything and everyone he ever knew couldn’t have been easy. I comfortingly stroked his neck. “It’s alright big guy, I’m not going anywhere.” Seeing his eyes lighten up at this almost choked me with feeling.


Without breaking contact, I sat down next to him, leaning deep into the couch cushions. The dragon followed, almost crawling into my lap. His chest pressed down on my thighs, while one of his large front limbs wrapped around my back. My T-Shirt had ridden up while sitting down, so I felt his pawpads directly against my skin. The head, meanwhile, settled comfortably on my chest. Looking down into his eyes, I continued my ministration, offering what comfort I could.

Slowly, the tension drained out of his muscles and tendons, and I could see his eyes clouding over. Warm, boozy breath washed over my face, but I didn’t mind. “You need anything else? Or do you want to do something?” I asked tentatively. In answer, the dragon rubbed his head on my sternum, which I interpreted as a desire to stay just as we were.

My hands had never stopped stroking along his neck as we sat there in silence, just enjoying each other's company. The fine, soft, fluffy fur that covered his entire body was especially silky on the softer parts. Hesitantly, I reached up with a hand towards his ears, and stroked a single finger along the base of his left one. It twitched, and its owner let out a pleased, purring rumble, closing his eyes in obvious enjoyment.


I held him like this until his breathing evened out and he was plainly asleep, then I carefully disentangled myself from him. He had obviously said a lot more than he really meant to, and revealed a surprising depth to his feelings for me. Maybe because of that, I couldn’t resist the temptation to place a soft kiss on his brow, which made his eye twitch. “Sleep well Tiri. I’ll be there in the morning.” I murmured under my breath, before I snuck away, seeking my own bed.