FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Disclaimer: This story should only be viewed by people of the ages of 18 and above due to its strong and heavy scenes that are M/M in nature. If you do meet the requirements and enjoy this sort of content, then by all means please, take off your pants, relax, and fap to your heart's content.

Blessing in Disguise Part 2 by RVasil

"Relax, Wess..."

The dragon remained quiet. It was about the only thing he could do after he got back wearing his everyday clothes. He couldn't even look Quartz in the eye.

"Stop being ashamed of yourself." Quartz reached over and patted the dragon on the shoulder. Wessbite was beet red in the face. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought he was a tomato.

The dragon whimpered. "I-I promise you I didn't mean to do that."

"Even if you did, I wouldn't have mind otherwise," the bull calmly said, "We're both men here. I'm used to seeing people naked. Why do you think I'm so comfortable sleeping naked myself?"

Wess bite sighed, unable to even look the bull in the eye.

"I take it you're not used to being naked? There's nothing to be ashamed of Wess. I'm surprised you're actually acting like this."

"Huh?"

"I thought a dragon like you would take every chance he can get to flaunt his goods." The dragon blinked, surprised at the statement. The bull then smirked at him saying, "I've seen a lot of men in my time. You're definitely far better off. And from the way I saw things," he cleared his throat and for a brief moment, Wess swore he saw a twinkle in the bull's eyes as they made eye contact. "You would make a lot of ladies very happy."

Wess scoffed, feeling flattered. "You're just saying that."

"You're making ME feel self-conscious." The bull stood up and flexed in front of Wess.

The dragon's eyes became the size of dinner plates as he got a brief show from the bull. The fact that Quartz was still in his skimpy looking underwear didn't help either. He swore the guy who came up with that clothing idea must have been a perverted bastard himself.

"And I'm ripped myself," Quartz continued, "so you have nothing to be ashamed off." He sat back down the chair. "Be proud of what you have and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He gave a brief chuckle. "If I was sporting that sort of equipment, I'd be very contented with myself, and I'm already set myself!"

"Yeah," Wess laughed along with him, desperately trying not to think about the bull's hung dick, "Yeah..."

Thankfully though, Quartz steered the subject away. The sexual tension that clung to the air was beginning to suffocate Wess. "How are you finding breakfast?" he asked. "I don't cook as much you do, since you know, we have someone to cook for us at the barracks," he smiled at him sincerely, "but I wanted to do something for you."

"It's great!" Wess spoke, finally finding his voice again. "I forgot how it feels like to have someone's cooking again."

"Thank you. I had to make do with what you had, but I'm glad you liked what I made for you."

"You shouldn't have." Wess then looked at him seriously. "In your condition you shouldn't even be moving."

"I feel much better now. Though, don't expect me to do cartwheels just yet." He groaned, stretching his arm. "Besides, from the way I heard things, you sounded like you were having a great dream."

The knowing smile on Quartz's face put the dragon on edge. "You...heard things?"

"It was muffled, but you were kind of moaning."

The blood came back rushing to Wessbite's face.

"I envy you." Quartz sighed. "I wish I had dreams like that." He looked away, completely ignoring the embarrassed dragon in front of him. "I mostly just have nightmares."

Wess snapped to attention, shaking his head to forget what the bull just told him. "What do you mean?" he asked instead.

"You remember what happened yesterday, right?"

The dragon nodded. Quartz woke up screaming and was drenched in sweat like he had been running in a marathon. He had dismissed it as a onetime thing. "Yeah," he answered.

"I'm guessing it's not the first time?" Wess' heart sank seeing the crestfallen expression on the bull's face as he nodded.

"It's tough, being in this war, Wess. I'm kind of beginning to wonder whether being here is actually a blessing in disguise."

The dragon cocked his head to the side and smiled. "I know I'm a good host and all, but you don't have to compliment me to justify you staying here. I'm not going to kick you out." If anything, Quartz was the object of his desires. Having him leave is the last thing he wanted.

Quartz chuckled lightly. "I know." He then looked at the dragon sincerely and said, "I owe you my life, Wess. I don't think I can ever repay that." He placed his hands on the table and his expression shifted to uneasiness. Wess could tell that, whatever he was going to say next, was deeply troubling him. "But to explain my point, it's just...having been in this war for so long, I think I already forgot the reason why we were fighting in the first place."

"I could say the same thing. The orders for weapons never seem to end even though I hear news of victorious skirmishes. Can't complain though, its money for my pocket nonetheless."

"At least you're not on the front lines," Quartz replied, feeling thankful his friend was safe from the horrors. "When you're there...that's why I have nightmares."

Wess could see the pain that Quartz felt. He braved himself to voice his question, "What happened, Quartz? What traumatized you?"

Quartz thought for a moment. "I suppose if you understood the 'why' before the 'what', then would it only make sense. My father was a general before he passed away, so you could say that his technical prowess was something I inherited. It made it easier to get into the ranks of the army. But I got to where I am now through my own merits, mind you. I always wanted to be like him. To be a defender of the people and fight for what's right." He stopped in his words and his expression turned serious. "Before we came to this village, we passed by other towns that were under the Garson's control. Naturally, since it's a war, capturing the town is something you would normally expect; to increase your control on the land, and lessen the opposing enemy's chances of fighting back. But...I saw... things...the atrocities my own people had committed..." he trailed. Wess could tell that the bull was somewhat lost in his memories. He could see from his eyes that what had happened was deeply troubling for him.

He let a few moments pass before he decided to ask the burning question in his mind. "What happened?"

Quartz looked up at him with a flat look. "We were ordered to kill them."

Wess was visibly stunned.

Quarz continued, "All of them; men, women...and even the children. You don't kill defenseless villagers who clearly don't stand a chance against you."

Wess was left speechless. His mouth was slightly agape and he looked at Quartz as if seeing him in a new light for the first time. He managed to regain his composure and ask the question, "But why?"

"I ask myself that question everyday whenever the thought passes into my head. I ask myself if things could have gone differently. There was no need to kill them. It was pointless. I still remember arguing against our general in regards to that decision. He was that one that made the call. I couldn't do anything. If I did, it would have been insubordination."

"That's horrible. Your hands were tied."

Quartz closed his eyes and nodded, "Ever since that event, I began to wonder if what I was doing was right anymore." The bull shook his head, lost in his own thoughts. "I was supposed to be protecting people, not killing innocent ones that aren't even part of this stupid war. I can still hear their voices as I watched from the distance. I didn't dare partake in that massacre."

Wess hesitated for a bit but decided to just go for it and gently reach over and rub Quartz's shoulder. The bull opened his eyes and looked at him gratefully. The dragon gave him the warmest smile he could muster and said, "I suppose we have a lot more in common than I thought."

"That we do," Quartz replied. "That's why I said I'm beginning to wonder if this is all a blessing in disguise."

Wess looked at him curiously. "What makes you say that?"

"People think I'm dead, Wess," Quartz answered. "I have no family, and as far as I know, my entire battalion died in that skirmish. We were ambushed. I saw some of my men fall down without them even knowing what hit them. Given how brutal it was, it's a miracle that I found myself drifting in that river and you finding me when you did."

"I see what you mean. What happens now then? What do you plan to do?" Wessbite himself felt a bit scared asking the question. But honestly, it was far better that he knew now, now when it was still early and it wouldn't hurt him later on when it was far too late.

"I'm a fugitive, Wess. People here want me dead, or at most, the people that recognize who I am. The fact that bulls aren't common people around these parts means I can't blend in as easy as I'd like. It's easy for people to jump to the conclusion that I'm from the Solaris Kingdom and think that I'm spying on them."

"And they'd most likely sick the Royal Guard on your ass," Wess finished for him.

"Exactly. Unless they're people like you."

"I'm one of a kind."

"I'm glad I found you then."

That goes both ways, Wess thought to himself but didn't say out loud. "You're welcome," was what he said instead. "Does that mean you're leaving then?" Wess managed to ask the question without any hint of sadness in his tone. He didn't want to make things awkward.

"And leave you here all by yourself? You'd probably miss me!" Quartz replied jokingly.

"Well..." Wessbite rolled his eyes and did his best to hide the happiness that was welling up inside him. Did Quartz actually mean what he was trying to imply in his words?

"I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon. My wounds have closed but I think I still have a few days of recovery left in me. And even then, where am I going to go? I have nothing to go back for in Solaris, and I sure as hell don't want to go back to being a Knight. Not that kind of Knight, anyways."

"I'm not exactly kicking you out," Wess said, smiling at him. "You're always free to stay here, you know."

"And I am grateful for that. I guess this is a chance for me to start over...a clean slate."

"Maybe it is a blessing in disguise."

Quartz looked at him and smirked. "If you had told me before that a charming blue dragon would be my blessing, I probably would have laughed at you like a madman, but now..." Quartz looked at the dragon who was caught off guard at by the statement, "not so much."

Wessbite rolled his eyes, but did his best to hide his blush, "Flattery won't get you far you know."

"I just call it how I see it, Wess."

The dragon just shrugged and stood up. "Anyways, I enjoyed our breakfast and the company." His expression then soured. "I have work to do though. Those swords won't make themselves you know."

Quartz stood up as well. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

A thought raced through Wess' mind. "Do you have any idea how to smith?"

The bull sheepishly shook his head. "Uh, no, actually."

Wess then smirked. "Perfect."

"When you said you needed help," Quartz looked at what he was doing in comparison to Wessbite, "this isn't what I actually had in mind."

"What did you have in mind?" Wess asked, smiling at the bull.

"I don't know? I guess...smithy...stuff?"

The dragon momentarily stopped banging the glowing red metal on the anvil and let out light chuckle. "Quartz, it seems you keep forgetting the fact that you really shouldn't be physically exerting yourself too much." The dropped gripped his hammer again tightly. "I can't have you doing anything too harmful for you lest you want one of your wounds to open again."

"So you'd rather have me just making sure the fire in the furnace won't die then?" True, one of the bull's feet was standing on the large mechanism that blew air into the furnace to make sure the burning coal inside didn't lose heat. It wasn't exactly the most strenuous of jobs.

"Yes, I do," the dragon replied before proceeding to smack the living metal out of the blade he was working with on the anvil with his hammer.

"I'm touched, but you don't have to worry about me. I can handle myself."

The dragon smirked. "In your current condition, I can't have you handling anything." The dragon then looked at the hot piece of metal that was now beginning to cool. "Here, grab this with the tongs and have it bake in the furnace."

"Alright," Quartz then walked over and did as he was told whilst the dragon grabbed another piece of metal to work on. The bull placed the cooling metal inside the furnace before stepping on the mechanism to have it heat back up again. "I have a question."

"Go ahead?"

"Why do you have to heat it up inside the furnace when you can just blow fire on it directly with your fire breath?"

"Good question," Wessbite smiled at him before continuing, "simple really. I only do that when I want to achieve a certain effect on the metal. Too much direct fire in a short amount of time--when using my fire breath--can make the metal too soft, too fast. When I'm baking it--like what you're doing right now--you're letting it heat up but not too fast to undo what I just did to it."

"I never knew it had a lot of intricacies like that."

"Not a lot of people do, mainly because they're not smithies."

Quartz smirked saying, "True, I'm just a person that swings swords around so..."

"Hey, at least you're good at what you do."

Wess nodded and proceeded to continue working on the metal that was now beginning to take shape into another sword. Quartz watched as the dragon's muscles worked the heavy metal, each hit sending a ripple through the dragon's body. It accentuated each feature he had on him. The dragon's face was somewhat blank, his eyes focused on his work but years of experience showed that he didn't need to have his brain turned on to even know what he was doing anymore. His task almost looked like robotic. That was when a thought crossed Quartz mind.

"So Wess," the dragon looked at him as he heard his name, "is this all you ever do?"

The dragon didn't stop working but did answer his question. "What do you mean?" he asked in between the strikes of his hammer.

"Is this what you do every day? Just...work?"

"Isn't that what we all do?"

"Yeah, but...you know, don't you ever have, company I guess?"

"I live alone, Quartz, company doesn't really come in spades."

Then a concerning thought entered the bull's mind. "Before I came along, did you have anyone else to talk to?"

The dragon stopped his work at the question, and Quartz knew for a fact that he was right on the dot. "I..." Wess began, trying to find the words. "I do, though, they're mostly at the village not far from here."

"So you only get to mingle with people when you're on a trip to town then?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I don't mind being by myself. If anything, it's the best I can do."

Quartz noticed the tone that Wess used even though the dragon said it as nonchalant as possible. "What makes you say that?"

"Not a lot of people...feel comfortable around me," Wess continued working again, focusing on the metal on the anvil. "They're intimidated."

"How can people find someone as adorable as you intimidating?"

Wess stopped working and looked at Quartz seriously. "I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment."

"What do you think?"

"Hmph," Wess just smirked. "The fact is, the townspeople find me as the big scary dragon that lives by himself in that house by the river. Granted, the adults are fine with me, but really, who wouldn't be intimidated when they stand next to a big body like me?"

Quartz smirked. "I wouldn't. You're like a big pillow that you can just keep on hugging! A very big, buff, pillow!"

Wessbite shook his head and looked at Quartz who had a mischievous grin on his face. "Are you mocking me?" he asked, half serious, half joking.

The bull rolled his eyes and pretended to be innocent. "No, of course not," he said sarcastically.

"Oh shut up and put this in the furnace."

"Oh, I'm getting scared now." The bull stuck his tongue out at him as he took the sword from the dragon.

"Don't push your luck."

Quartz smiled smugly as he placed the sword in the furnace. "Or you'll do what?"

Wessbite did his best to give the bull an intimidating gesture by crossing his arms across his chest. "I can take you down you know."

"Is that a challenge?"

The two glared strongly at each other, both knowing that the other was just playing with them but nonetheless went along with it. Neither didn't want to lose the staring game but it was inevitably Wess who looked away. "Nah," he waved a dismissive hand at Quartz saying, "I'd rather not hurt you more than you already are."

The bull lightly chuckled. "And here I was actually looking forward to us wrestling with each other."

The dragon then started going back to work. "You talk about it like it's a past time of yours."

Quartz nodded then said, "It is, actually. It was a great way to pass the time when you were at the barracks during your downtime. When you're not at the front lines worrying about your life, you're at your tent with boredom as your company and it slowly eats away at your sanity."

"It's not all blood and guts then?"

"That's something they will never tell you when you're signing up, that's for sure. The action rarely happens and what mostly does happen is you just sitting around, staring and waiting for nothing with no one but your squad and maybe your dick as your entertainment."

Wess chuckled. "You just masturbate your problems away then?"

"Yes and having a very vivid imagination helps. That and blue balls is a pain and I don't ever want that to happen to me." Quartz shivered to emphasize his point. "Last time that happened, I was groaning in pain."

"How do you do it then? Go find a tree and do the deed or at the comfort of your tent?"

"Sometimes the former when you're out in patrol and you have time to spare," Quartz answered. "Most of the time it's just in the tent."

"What about your squad?"

The bull looked at Wess for a brief moment. "I have a personal tent. I don't share it with anyone, thus the privacy."

Wess chuckled at his own thoughts. "And here I thought you were giving a show to your bunkmates."

Quartz let out a hearty chuckle. "Ha! No, of course not." The bull pressed down the mechanism again and it blew air into the furnace once more.

Wess' eyes twinkled. "Should I remind you to close the door when I happen to see you then?"

Quartz smiled mischievously. "Don't bother. I'll probably invite you to join me just to mess with you."

Wess' heart skipped a beat. He smiled back at the bull, finding it amusing at how playful and coy their conversation was getting. "Good to know then," he answered. "That said, I have a curious question, Quartz." He decided to change the topic for now.

"Sure, what is it?"

"I know that you told me that you don't have anyone anymore--family or romantic relationships--but do you ever miss your squad?" The dragon stopped banging his hammer at the sword on the anvil to look at Quartz. "Did you ever had any friends?"

"I have friends," the bull however stopped to momentarily think before correcting himself, "or in this case, had friends." His expression changed to that of thoughtful sorrow before continuing to talk, "I'm not sure if any of them ever made it out alive. They were tough bastards, that's for sure. And before you ask, they did participate in the massacre I told you about. I can't fault them for that. Their hands were tied as well."

"Well judging from how nice you are, they must have been good company as well."

"They had their moments."

"Do you ever miss them?"

Quartz was silent for a bit. He thought about the question as he idly pumped the mechanism to heat up the furnace. "I miss them just like how I miss anybody who makes an impact in my life. Think what you will, but those knights saved my back on more than one occasion and I wouldn't be standing here if they weren't there." The bull then looked at Wess and said, "kind of like you."

Wess chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, don't worry. I don't plan on it either."

"Good, because I still owe you."

"For what?"

Quartz looked at him sincerely. "For saving my life."

Wessbite averted his gaze from Quartz, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "You know you don't have to, right?"

"But I want to." The bull returned back to pumping the machine beneath his feet. "It feels right that way. It makes me feel better, knowing that I did something good for a change."

Wess nodded, understanding where the bull was coming from. "Well, you're doing enough of a good job for it." The dragon looked at the scroll that was pinned to the wall that had the list of items he needed to make to reach the quota for the next shipment. "Though, if you're really serious in helping me, we have a lot of work ahead of us."

"I'm down, as long as you're down in teaching me." The bull smiled wryly. "It's high time I found a different job anyway. The last one nearly had me killed."

Wess just smirked at the bull's remark.

The rest of the evening had the two working together and Wess was surprised to find that Quartz was a fast learner. Since the bull couldn't do the hard stuff, the dragon decided to just let him work the grinder--a far easier physical task--focusing on sharpening the blades that were fresh from the furnace. Together, they managed to finish a large chunk of Wess's supposed workload for the day.

"Are you sure this is sharp enough?" Wess asked, inspecting one of Quartz's work.

The bull looked at him. "I'm sure. I learn from you didn't I? Besides, do you notice anything wrong?"

The dragon was silent for a moment. Then after a thoughtful hum, he then said "That's the thing, there aren't."

Wess didn't have to look at Quartz to hear his reply. He could practically hear the smug grin on the bull's face. The dragon just huffed before putting it to the side. "Beginner's luck," he mumbled to himself.

"I heard that."

And although Wess didn't want to admit it outright, Quartz was showing far more promise than the dragon had originally thought. It was looking like he was a natural. "Are you sure you haven't done this sort of thing before?" Wess asked, inspecting a sword that Quartz had just finished sharpening.

"No, I have not," Quartz replied, focusing on sharping the blade he had with the rolling whetstone. "I wish I did. I didn't know it was this relaxing!" He stopped for a bit to look at Wess who had a surprised look on his face. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

The dragon shook his head. "That's the thing! You didn't! When I did the first time, I couldn't even sharpen the sword right. How is that fair?"

Quartz stopped working and smiled at the dragon. "I think you're looking at this the wrong way." He walked over to Wess and then placed his hand around Wessbite's shoulders pulling the dragon close to him. "I think I'm good because you," he gently jabbed a finger into the dragon's chest, "taught me. You're a good teacher. I learned from the best, wouldn't you agree?"

The dragon blinked, completely surprised at how he found himself so close to Quartz all of a sudden and staring into the bull's face. "I-I, uh, I t-think you meant..." It was no use. His mind had turn to mush and his body was acting on its own accord. Naturally, blood rushed to his face and just about every other part of his body, including his extra limb down below. Quartz on the other hand didn't seem to notice the effect he was having on the dragon, or if he did, didn't drew attention to it at all. "So don't feel bad too bad, okay? I just happened to be a fast learner, and you, a great teacher," and with that, he let go of the hold he had on Wessbite and turned around. The sudden lack of contact snapped Wess into reality. He quickly shook his head to try and frantically clear the blush that was now beginning to be evident against his blue scaled cheeks.

"Y-yeah! Yeah, that," he said, trying to have his brain catch up to how fast things just transpired.

Quartz sat back down the grinder and started working again. "Why is that, Wess?

The dragon had now turned his back on the bull in an attempt to hide the erection he was sporting which was tenting his pants. "Why is what?" he asked, wanting to sound natural. His mind was ablaze, desperately trying to think of way to bring his arousal down. He mentally cursed Quartz for having such an effect on him like that. It was like the bull was purposefully making him squirm like this.

"You have all this work. How come you never ask for help?"

"Because I don't need it." The dragon then checked himself before correcting his words. "Well no, but rather, good help is hard to come by. You don't exactly see other able bodied people around that can be good help for a blacksmith now do you?" He was thankful that the bull was asking him questions, enough to divert his mind and bring his arousal down to half-mast. "That and well, you know, they're kind of scared of me so..."

"Why not train one?"

The question lingered in the air as Wessbite thought about the prospect. The idea of having an apprentice never really entered his mind until now. "I...never thought of it honestly."

"What do you think about it now then?"

Wess thought about the idea of training someone to help him with the work. It wasn't uncommon for blacksmiths to take on apprentices. If anything, that was by far the only way for someone to become one. It wasn't exactly taught in an academic setting like being a knight or a mage since there wasn't really a high demand for them. Dragons taking apprentice was even something that was heavily sought after, due to the innate skills they had. "I suppose I could. Though, I don't think you'd make a good apprentice however."

Quartz looked insulted. "What makes you say that? I'm doing well aren't I?"

"Give credit where it's due, yes. You're a fast learner, something that would come in handy in being a blacksmith. However," Wess turned around to face Quartz, "I'm sure you would like to leave as soon as you're fully healed so..." The dragon felt like he was stabbing himself in the heart as the words went out of his lips. But true enough, he had to face reality. As much as it was fun to have Quartz around, both the companionship and most likely the eye candy he had been receiving, deep down, he knew well enough to not get too invested in the bull since he would most likely leave at the second he could. The idea of living on the dangerous side of things was something that Quartz would obviously be against. If only reality was as kind as Wess' fantasies, granting him the notion of being with the bull.

Quartz remained quiet for a few moments, before going back to working the grinder, his mind deep in thought. "True..." he mumbled to himself.

"Thank you though," Wess said, breaking the sudden dip in the conversation between the two of them.

The bull blinked. He saw the dragon looking back at him over his shoulder. "For what?"

"For giving me the idea. I never really thought about it until now and also for helping me with the work. You just made my life a whole lot easier."

Quartz smiled at him, traces of whatever it was troubling his mind earlier seemingly fading from existence. "You're welcome, Wess. It's the least I can do."

The remaining time they spent together flew faster than Wess could even realize. Having Quartz around made all the work the dragon needed to do seem like a fleeting task. What would normally take about three days of work was shortened to a miraculous one day. The dragon and the bull worked in unison, like one well-oiled machine. Wess focused on hammering the swords, daggers and other necessary equipment into shape, while Quartz focused on getting them as sharp as possible with the grinder. The bull being a fast learner helped tremendously. Quartz looked like he was a natural blacksmith. By the time lunch came, the work was nearly completely finished. Rows upon rows of finished swords was placed in a bin, alongside other various weapons that were ordered from Wess.

The dragon wiped the sweat off his brow as he took off his apron and hung it up. It felt weird to him. He had never finished this early before with his work, but he definitely wasn't complaining. Quartz walked up to him, a question evident on his face. "Is that all of them?" he asked, to which Wess replied with a nod and a smile.

"We make a pretty good team," Quartz commented.

"Can't argue with that." The dragon stretched, feeling his muscles ache from all the hard work they've been doing. True enough, the clothes on his body clung to him like a second skin, drenched in his sweat. "I need to shower..." he mumbled to himself.

"Me too," Quartz added, proceeding to nonchalantly take off his shirt. The poor dragon was once again subjected to the bull's majestic body. Wess' did his best to not ogle the bull, but it was proving hard to ignore the fine example of a male next to him. The way the sweat glistened off his chiseled chest was tantalizing to his eyes, and the fact that the bull's musk was tickling his nostrils didn't help either. "I take it you want to go first then?"

Wess was so preoccupied in trying to control himself, the question sailed literally right over his head. The bull however, by some miracle, didn't notice the lapse in reply as an idea crossed his mind instead. "Why don't we take a bath in the river?"

The words 'we' and 'bath' was what snapped Wess back to reality. "What?"

"It's not far from here right?"

"What?" the dragon repeated, his mind trying to catch up.

"The river."

"What?!"

Quartz's looked irritated. "Are you paying attention?"

"Sorry!" The dragon shook his head. "You want us to take a bath in the river?"

"Yeah! It's not far from here right? I don't think anyone would see me there either..."

For a brief moment, Wess contemplated the proposal. Sure, it would have made things easier for them. The dragon had taken baths before in the river so the idea wasn't foreign to him. There was also a path near his house that perfectly went through the forest, away from prying eyes that may see Quartz, so there was no worry of the bull getting seen by people that shouldn't see him. On top of that, the notion he would be in such close proximity of the bull, naked at that, excited him more than he wanted to admit. Just the mere thought of it began to bring blood to his lower half.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. And before he knew it, he already had an answer.

The two men walked down the trail next to Wess' house. The sound of the river getting nearer told them they were on the right path as they ventured into the forest. A towel was slung on Wess' shoulder, as well as an extra set of clothes tucked under his arms.

"Have you done this before?" Quartz asked, following close behind him.

"What? Taking a bath in the river?"

The bull nodded, matching his pace so they walked next to each other. "Yeah, that."

"I have. It's easier that way. I don't have to worry about cleaning up."

"Man, being alone must have kept you really backed up then, huh?"

The comment struck Wess as odd. "Huh?" he glanced back at Quartz who had a mischievous smile. "What do you..." That was when he realized what Quartz actually meant. Red immediately covered his face. "No! That's not what I meant! I mean--"

The bull cut him off with a hearty chuckle. "It's okay, Wessbite. I was just teasing you."

"I didn't mean it like that," Wess replied sheepishly.

"I know."

There was a moment of silence. The only sound audible was the sound of the ground crunching under their feet, and the flowing river getting louder. But the silence was broken when Quartz spoke up. "Are you though?"

"Am I what?" Wess asked, still trying to recover from his mistake earlier.

"Do you ever get backed up that badly?"

Just when the red was disappearing, it immediately went back again to his face. "I, uh, I...why are we talking about this?"

Quartz just smiled, seemingly enjoying the sight of the big dragon being embarrassed by such a mature subject. Wess truly was a prude. "We're both adults here. It's an honest question."

"Well..." Wessbite gritted his teeth. He never felt comfortable talking about subjects like these. "...sometimes..." His answer was almost a whisper, and Quartz had to strain his ears to hear it.

"It's obvious you need to masturbate more often! It's healthy for you."

"I, uh...well...yeah, I do. Though, it's proving to be hard--"

"Hard like your cock?"

"Stop it!" Wess was grinning and yet at the same time feeling embarrassed. It was obvious to him now that Quartz was just messing with him. "TO DO," he continued, looking at Quartz who was beaming at him, "when there are people around."

"Oh? I should apologize for blue balling you then!" He then added, "Though, your balls are always blue from what I've seen."

"Can we please stop talking about my balls?!"

The bull laughed at Wess' reaction, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You are probably one of the most prude persons I've ever met."

"Really now? How did you know?"

Quartz smiled warmly at him. "If it makes you feel better, I'll stop with the quips already."

"Thank you."

"Though, I am genuinely curious, why are you so prude?"

The dragon wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. "I don't know. I just don't like to talk about stuff like that. I don't feel comfortable."

"You never had people to talk about stuff like this did you?"

The dragon nodded as an answer. Quartz thought for a moment but then decided to ask the question that popped into his head. "Tell me something." Wess looked up with a brow raised. "Wess, are you a virgin?"

Wessbite nearly tripped on a root of a tree that happened to be in the path. "W-what?!"

The bull looked at him with a smirk. "Are you?"

"Isn't that a bit of a personal question?" Wess asked defensively.

Quartz nodded to himself. That response pretty much answered his question. "There's nothing to be ashamed of Wess. There's nothing wrong with not having any sexual experience."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You didn't have to. It's written all over your face."

"It is?"

Quartz just answered him back with a knowing stare. The dragon sighed, defeated. He looked away then said, "Yes, I am. You can laugh at all you want."

"Why would I laugh?" Quartz asked. "There's nothing remotely funny about it. If you're thinking of me mocking you, again, why would I?"

"I don't know. I thought you'd think less of me for it."

Quartz walked up and placed a comforting hand on the dragon's shoulder. "Being a virgin isn't that bad." The bull saw the dragon glance at him with a forlorn look. "Though, I wouldn't be lying if I said I was surprised to hear that you are. You're a good looking dragon and have a great personality! What gives?"

The dragon remained quiet for a short bit before answering in an almost hushed whisper. Quartz had to strain his ear to even hear him.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I said, I get nervous around people."

Quartz had to cock his head to the side. "Are you lying to me?"

Wess looked like he had been caught doing a crime. "What? No! Of course not!"

"Then how come we're talking to each other right now then?"

The dragon bit his lip confused with his thoughts. "It's...I don't know. I get nervous around people, yes. It's the main reason why I'm such a loner. You on the other hand? I don't know myself. You seemed like a nice guy who needed someone to help him, and so, here I am."

"You should believe in yourself more. Confidence can take you to places you never thought you could."

"I'm just scared of messing up in front of people."

"And being scared is normal, Wess. We all have it. But it's using that fear is what makes us better people. If you weren't brave the way you were, I wouldn't be standing in front of you right now."

The dragon digested the bull's words as they walked. Quartz was right. He just needed to be more confident. The fact that he was talking so casually with Quartz right now proved that he was on the right track. As if on cue, the trail they were following ended with them standing at the riverside. The fresh, blue water was running freely, glistening with purity. Wess always admired how clean the river was. You could literally see through the bottom which was filled with nothing but dull rocks. The way the moon and the stars shined down at the water almost gave the atmosphere a romantic feeling to it. He recounted the times he spent just laying here, enjoying the privacy and serenity that came with the place after a tiring workday. His focus was snapped back into attention when he heard the sound of items rustling nearby. He turned his head and saw Quartz bending over to place his set of clothes near a dry pile of rocks, and began to undress.

The dragon immediately turned around to give the bull what little privacy he could and casually walked over to his side. A few moments later, he heard the gentle splash of water followed by a relaxed groan.

"Come on, Wess! The water's fine!"

"Okay!" he replied, hoping his voice didn't crack at all from the sheer nervousness. He knelt down and began to undress. He started with his shirt, then his pants and lastly his underwear. He stopped midway as he was met with a catcall that came from Quartz who had a mischievous smile on his face.

"I didn't know it was a full moon tonight!"

"Ha ha," Wessbite replied flatly, annoyed and feeling very embarrassed by the constant teasing the bull was doing. However, he had to admit it was rather charming.

"Alright, princess, I'll turn around so you won't melt. At this rate, I'm beginning to think you may pass out from how much blood you're losing." It was then followed by the sloshing of water. Wess turned around and sure enough, the bull was facing the other direction, keeping his word in giving him some much needed privacy.

The dragon uttered a silent thanks before dipping into the water and wading towards the bull.

"I miss this," Quartz said, turning back around to face the dragon swimming towards him.

"You never got to relax throughout the time you were on duty?"

The bull shook his head. He sat himself on a flat rock and rested his back on one of the sunken boulders. "Never could. We were all too busy preparing for the next skirmish. You understand right?"

"I kind of do." Wess propped himself next to the bull, laying back as well. He was thankful that the water was deep enough to submerge his lower half, hiding it from view. "I don't normally do this sort of thing; only reserve it for those extra hard days."

"I'd say you earned it today then!"

The dragon let out a light laugh. "We were like men possessed. I have never accomplished so much work in such a short amount of time."

"Hey, glad to be of help."

"Still, thank you."

Quartz reached around and pulled Wess close, slinging his arms over his shoulder. Wess was surprised at the sudden act but found himself enjoying it more than he should. He was very grateful that it was dark and the water was murky enough, lest Quartz would see his lower half standing in attention. He looked to his left and saw Quartz smiling sincerely at him. Wess smiled back.

"You're welcome."

The two shared a quiet moment just letting the cool water rinse away and relax their aching muscles from all the hard work they accomplished. Wess closed his eyes and let the sound of his and Quartz's gentle breathing along with the calm rushing water fill his ears.

It was hours later when the two headed back inside and grabbed something to eat for dinner. They enjoyed a quiet meal with one another, sharing tales and stories, funny anecdotes and recollections. They both shared laughs with each other and overall just having a blast of a time enjoying each other's company.

Wess smiled that night like he had never smiled before. He had never felt so happy, to have company that he genuinely appreciated to have around. It was everything he could ask for. But deep down inside, he knew it was too good to be true. As they both retreated to their rooms and said their goodnights, Wess lied on the bed, feeling full of dread.

On one hand, he was happy to see that Quartz was well on his way to recovery. He would even hazard a guess that in two days' time, the bull would be in tip top shape. He finished reapplying his bandages earlier and so far his wounds were closing up entirely, only leaving scars in the process.

On the other hand however, he felt horrible. The dread of Quartz leaving him was becoming all too real. In a sad way of comforting himself, he imagined in his head the different scenarios where the bull would stay with him. But they only felt hollow. Staying with him was a bad idea. Quartz could not literally stay with him. He was a man on the run and any Garson Knight that would spot him would inevitably arrest him and eventually lead to certain death. Quartz needed to leave the area as soon as possible. The notion only made Wess feel horrible inside. He closed his eyes and the image of Quartz smiling at him entered the forefront of his mind.

Wessbite went to sleep with tears in his eyes.