FSE

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The moon shone down from above as the carriage finally pulled up to entrance of the house. The young man's pounding heart finally slowed as he let out a sigh of relief; he and his charge were almost home free. He stepped out into the cool, moist night air just as the city bell began to toll, holding the door open for a few moments longer for his guest to slip out after him. After handing a few more coins than necessary to the driver, along with a few whispered words to forget everything he had seen that night, the young man began to lead his charge to the front door. The house was dark as they stepped inside; he had sent someone ahead to send the servants home for the night. Only a few candles offered their meager light as he slipped his overcoat off with a long, relieved sigh. Then he turned to his companion with a tired smile.

"Well... here we are."

Aleaster sniffed the air, holding his head up haughtily.

"I see that your servants have failed to procure snacks for your guest. That means me."

His voice was high and clear, the pleasant tenor of a wood instrument. He flicked his long, sinuous tail and shook his wings a little, tingling the multitude of small jewels and talismans hanging from them. Without further pause he padded deeper into the dimly-lit house, his silvery scales scintillating in all the colors of a babbling brook as he swam past his human host.

"Lights, please!", he barked from the living room.

"Forgive my rudeness, but I felt it was best not to involve them in this matter for the time being."

James Woodgate IV, young noble and scion of the Woodgate family, let out another long sigh as the dragon slipped past him. He followed behind his strange guest, taking a candle from the entrance hall and quickly lighting the lamps in the living room. He suppressed a grimace as he saw a few muddy prints left behind on the plush carpet as Aleaster had passed. However, the price of a new rug was one he would gladly pay for the discovery he had made in those old ruins. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing back the auburn locks.

"If there is anything you require, I shall be happy to procure it for you. Within my power", he quickly added; he could tell the haughty creature would be more than eager to take advantage of too open an offer.

Aleaster walked around the room with a springy step, rubbing his butt against the sofa, ottoman, coffee table, the chess table--any furniture he could reach--while mumbling under his breath.

"Mm. Yes. This will do. Quite. No. That's gotta go."

Eventually he settled in front of the fireplace, tucking his limbs neatly underneath him and holding his neck high, his head at the human's crotch level. He seemed very satisfied with himself, his green emerald eyes glittering in the reflected light.

"I have a perfect night vision, mind you, all this light is purely to make me look better."

He scanned the room again, his gaze not even stopping at his host.

"These accommodations are satisfactory. Much warmer than the cave, at least, and you have good taste in modern art." He paused to think "...although form your point of view it's antiquities. What's for dinner!?"

"Will it be...you?" The dragon smirked. "A joke, of course. You will find me an easy master to please."

The human didn't even blink at the sudden shifts in the dragon's tone; he had grown used to Aleaster's mannerisms on the journey home. He let out a polite laugh, and gestured to the doorway to the dining hall.

"Luckily, I had sent ahead to have the servants prepare dinner for us before they left, so devouring me will not be necessary this night. If you will follow me, please."

For a moment, he idly wondered how a four-legged creature such as Aleaster would sit at the table and eat. He doubted the dragon would want his meal set on the floor like a dog.

The dragon's claws clicked on the tiling as it padded around the well equipped kitchen. It was clear that James's social gatherings would not be threatened by ill prepared souffles! The smell of roast chicken made his face lit up, and he licked his chops, his long pink tongue darting across his narrow jaw. He settled unhurriedly on the floor, curling up his body and only holding his head up.

"Good boy, sit next to me. Feed me the choice morsels! Also fetch me a pillow, a soft one! I am a tender creature!"

This time, James did blink as Aleaster set himself down halfway through their journey. On the floor it would be, then.

"Of course. I will be only a moment."

First, he returned to the living room to procure a few throw pillows from the sofa. He set them down next to Aleaster, and then picked the twin plates off of the counter. Roasted chicken with potatoes and greens, topped off with a savory sauce; a simple meal, but one that would fill their bellies after such a long journey. James finally settled himself on the tile floor beside Aleaster, keeping his face carefully blank at the strange arrangement. However, he could not stop his stomach from rumbling as he set his plate in his lap and offered the dragon his own.

"Please excuse me."

Aleaster went 'aaaah', opening his pink maw. His head was about the size of a large dog's but had a much sharper, pike-like shape. Inside his mouth he had long rows of tiny, sharp teeth. With agility he pecked a piece of food between James's fingers, gulping it down with great gusto. After a couple more pieces of chicken he sniffed James's hand, and licked the savory sauce off his fingers. His tongue was long and thin, wrapping around his forefinger and thumb like a living whip. It tickled.

James could feel his cheeks grow warm at the... strangely intimate gesture. He coughed politely and used his other hand to feed himself. The meal was quite delicious; he would have to commend his servants for preparing it so quickly. His fingers twitched as Aleaster's tongue ran along them, and jerked a bit to brush against one of the dragon's long whiskers. He pulled back as the dragon stiffened and quickly murmured his apologies.

"I allow only my trusted servants touch my whiskers." He stared at the young man growing ever more awkward by the passing moment. "I guess this means that I trust you", he stated matter-of-factly.

Aleaster plopped his head in James's lap and rolled his body a bit, exposing his pale colored neck and throat.

"Carry on, I insist." He half closed his eyes and relaxed, lost in his thoughts over the passing of time. "While you are it keep me updated on world events. Does the Tholarian empire exist any more..?", the dragon murmured his questions about places and beings long since gone.

James winced as his plate clattered to the floor, replaced by the dragon's head, but didn't say anything. His companion could be very strange sometimes, treating him like a dog one moment and then performing an intimate act such this another. Although he had spent so long--centuries, it seemed--trapped alone in those ruins. James couldn't help letting out a soft smile as he carefully stroked Aleaster's head and neck, occasionally rubbing along the dragon's whiskers as he answered the dragon's questions.

"The Tholarian empire only exists in history books today; they fell sometime in the Fifth century..."

History. That was a subject that James knew well, and he was eager to relay Aleaster with the events that had occurred since the dragon's time. The rise and fall of kingdoms and empires. Wars and advancements. The redrawing of country boundaries.

Suddenly the dragon rose up and shook itself like a dog, sending a tintinnabulation of tiny chimes ringing through the air.

"The service you provide has proved adequate. Seeing that you are knowledgeable, I have decided to promote you from a hand servant to my personal aide. You may thank me now."

He extended his paw and held his delicate, scaled paw in front of James's face.

"Ah! Ah, I... thank you?", James stammered.

He took the dragon's paw into his own hand, feeling the soft, dry scales against his palm, as well as the thick rings that adorned each claw. He shook the dragon's paw, and when Aleaster didn't seem satisfied with that, pressed his lips briefly against the back of it. It was strange to perform this gesture with a male, much less one that was a completely different species, but James didn't spend too long thinking about it.

"Thank you. It is indeed an honor to welcome one such as yourself into my home."

Experience with the other nobles of the city had taught him that a little flattery went a long way.

"Ahah, aren't you a clever little thing! Using flattery to get to my good graces. I like it."

James gave Aleaster a smile. "Flattery will get you everywhere, as they say. However, what I say is true. I am glad that I found you in those ruins, Aleaster."

Aleaster sat on his haunches like a dog and glanced sideways to James in a surprisingly coy fashion.

"Tell me more about what you like in me."

James settled back a bit, looking the dragon over.

"You are... strange. Please do not take that as insult, I merely mean that I have never seen one such as you in my life. You are knowledgeable about the ancient world, the lost civilizations, and I am glad to have the opportunity both to learn from you and to learn about you."

"However", the man continued, “that is only the surface. Over these past weeks you have proven to be... quite interesting company."

The dragon smiled and nodded. "True, true, I am great wealth of knowledge, and my winning personality is perhaps one of my best qualities--I don't like to brag, but it's true. Anything else?"

James looked the dragon over once more, idly rubbing at his chin. "As I said, you are quite an interesting creature. The way you adorn yourself in fine jewelry and trinkets..."

The dragon was practically dripping with golden chains, studs, and fine stones of every color. He could hardly imagine the dragon without them, but a moment he wondered what Aleaster would look like underneath all that finery.

Aleaster lifted his paw to cover his chest mocking a gesture of a demure lady, smiling with his eyes closed. "Each and every one of these is a gift from a lover. How does that make you feel, human?" He shook his wings a little, the folds creaking slightly under the cascade of silvery tinkling.

Lovers? "Well, I..." For a moment James wondered at the implications, and then quickly pushed them aside. "I am glad that you have been so loved, I suppose. Is it customary among dragons to exchange such gifts?" He couldn't deny a spark of interest at learning any tidbit about Aleaster's species.

The dragon's neck snaked as he lowered his head to James's level. "It is customary to me. I love nothing more than a nice gift!"

"I... see."

The dragon tilted his head "And speaking of which...isn't it time you too gave something to me?"

James blinked. "I... I thought you only received gifts from your lovers. But if you desire something from me, then..."

He thought of what the dragon would like. He had a few cufflinks he could part with, perhaps a ring… The dragon circled around the sitting man, bumping a kitchen table aside with his shoulder to do so.

"It is only fitting, for you to please me." He prodded James with his hard snout in his sides, making him flinch. "You seem to be a fit specimen of your species."

He flicked James's earlobe with his tongue. It felt surprisingly dry.

All thought ground to a halt at the dragon's touches. Please him? "I... I thank you. My area of interest has kept me quite physically active. But, and forgive me if I insult your intelligence, but you realize that I am male, do you not?"

It was true that James had entertained thoughts about some of his male colleagues. But something like this was beyond anything he had imagined.

"And so am I, what's your point?"

"Well, two males, that is not exactly..."

He gulped, trying to wet his suddenly-dry throat as the dragon's tongue flickered over his ear once more. He ignored the heat in his cheeks, and the closeness of the other's body. Or at least, he tried; at least he could ignore the shameful effect the other was having on him.

"That is sodomy. Which is wrong." James' voice was small, and pathetic even to his ears.

"Hah!" the dragon barked. "Aren't you the most adorable thing! I am not used to being turned down."

Aleaster walked past James and towards the kitchen door, flicking his tail and strutting haughtily, his sleek rump bobbing up and down.

"There used to be a multitude who would have given up anything for a piece of this." He sniffed. "But if there's one thing that I cannot cure it is bad judgement. Show me my resting place then, I require sleep!"

James could only stare silently at the dragon's bouncing backside for a few moments, his eyes strangely bound as Aleaster's tail flicked up to offer just the slightest peek of what lay beneath.

"Yes... yes I... Just a moment."

He shook his head, shoving the strange thoughts that had invaded his mind aside as he scrambled to his feet. However, that quickly made another problem abundantly clear. James's cheeks burned as he reached down to shamefully adjust himself, hoping that Aleaster could not see with his back turned like that

"Please follow me", he said, ignoring the crack in his voice as he moved past the dragon to lead him through the halls--and tried to desperately ignore the fact that the dragon behind him was eye-level with his own buttocks.

"I prefer a room with a view giving to East. I like sunrises. Also, breakfasts in bed." A sly tone creeped into the dragon's voice "Also, a warm bed."

James' room faced the East. He shuddered and shook his head. "Ah, well, I shall try to accommodate you as I can. Though I am afraid our situation limits the available options..."

He led the dragon up the stairs to the second floor, and then down the hall to another, smaller staircase. The floorboards creaked under the dragon, his lithe frame masking his considerable mass. When James fumbled with keys Aleaster prodded him in his butt with his snout, a quick, hard jab.

"Do I make you nervous, human?" the dragon chuckled under his breath.

James stiffened, in more ways than one. "Ah, well..."

He cleared his throat, finally finding the right key and unlocking the door to the attic. Various old pieces of furniture and other knickknacks were scattered here and there, and the occasional window in the slanted walls let silvery moonlight in to light the vast space. It was relatively clean, only a very fine coating of dust on the floorboards.

"Ah, here we are! It does not look like much, I know, but I can accommodate any request you have that is within my power."

He moved quickly away from the dragon, his eyes looking at the old bed that was stashed in one of the corners. He hovered in the doorway nervously.

"Rest easy, I am well above forcing myself on you", the dragon said with an amused voice, “one of my best traits is a superior sense of justice, after all."

Aleaster looked around the attic, seemingly having forgotten the human's existence already. He tutted at the dustiness of the place, but soon found some ridiculous trinket to capture his interest while James puttered around preparing the bed. It was an old, gaudy piece of work, a canopy bed with ornate bedposts and dark mahogany frame. When Aleaster hopped on it it creaked once, but the sturdy wood held. He settled down like a sphinx in the middle of desert of folded cotton.

"A thought occurred to me." He cocked his head and addressed the flustered man standing next to his dais. "You might have a spouse already, and being worried about infidelity made you turn down my offer. It is not problem for me: they may join in on too."

James entertained the thought of just turning around and exiting the attic at that point, leaving the dragon to his own devices. However, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I am unmarried", he admitted.

In truth, he found no interest in the various possible matches his family had set him up with. Though he did not want to admit that lest the dragon use it as a bargaining point against him. It was not that he was uninterested in women, he told himself. He cleared his throat once more.

"If that is all, then I shall take my leave for tonight. I will return in the morning with your breakfast." Heart still pounding a bit, James turned to leave.

However, he paused as a thought occurred to him. "Do you... sleep in all that?"

The dragon glanced at his wings. "Absolutely, I wouldn't want to be seen without-" he paused mid sentence, narrowed his eyes and tried not to look scheming. "...on the second thought, they can make a lot of noise. Be a good sport and help me take them off."

Aleaster smiled, feeling like a clever bastard. He extended his wing a bit, not enough to make it unfold, but enough to show that they were leathery things, like an elephant's ears, pinned on long, slender bones.

James could see the look on Aleaster's face, and felt like kicking himself for giving the dragon an opening. However, he nodded and made his way over to his guest, trying to slow his racing breath. This meant nothing. He gently took the wing in his hand, and began to undo the various piercings upon it. A nearby stand provided an adequate place to set the dragon's jewelry. The dragon shook his muscular neck, sending a ripple through the forest of jewelry hanging from his wings, then rest his head on his paws, dozing and letting James work. For a while they sat in the silence only broken by the tinkling of precious stones laid to rest.

"Your hands are soft, human", the dragon spoke, "that is my first memory after you released me from my tomb. That's why I like you."

He opened one eye to peer at the human. It was emerald green, deep with crystalline shapes swirling around his pitch black pupil, like a cold, crisp fountain in a hidden valley.

James's own pale-blue eyes meet that strangely soft gaze, and he paused in his work for a moment.

"Aleaster...", he breathed, fingers fumbling slightly. He quickly looked away as he felt his cheeks burn once more. "I could not leave you in there, all alone..."

The dragon nudged at the human's thigh, softly now. "My heat vision is considerably better than yours, you know. I can see clearly where your blood rushes when you speak with me."

He turned away and sighed. "Which is why I was very surprised to be turned down. Tsk tsk tsk..."

James's frame trembled once more, and he gulped. "I... it is not that I..." He tripped over his words as his hands idly stroked over the dragon's wing. "L-let's get the rest of this off..."

He quickly set back to work, finally taking off the last few pieces of jewelry from Aleaster's one wing. Aleaster tried to stretch it, but it hardly budged. The effort made him wince.

"Ah, it's stuck...would you kindly?"

"Very well..."

James took hold of the wing and gently massaged the muscles and tendons as he slowly extended it. They felt... soft, underused. The dragon inhaled sharply, then let out a long, warbling sigh as the knuckles of his wings popped, the knotted muscles starting to loosen up.

"Ah yess, that hits the spot..."

James found himself chuckling quietly as he watched the dragon. He placed his hand on Aleaster's back, gently rubbing at the shoulder joint as he carefully rotated the limb a few times. Then he helped Aleaster to fold it back up against his side.

"Would you like me to help with the other one as well?"

"Yes, do the other one too! They're pretty but also a handful to drag around...sometimes I wonder if being wingless would be better."

As James started working on the other wing Aleaster settled down, relaxing.

"I have known many men and women in my time. Are you afraid of not measuring up to my standards, human?"

The human first relieved the dragon's limb of its glittering burden, and then began gently massaging a stroking it as he had done with the other. His concentration on his work made him feel that he could be a bit more open.

"I will admit that the fact you have had so many lovers is... daunting."

The dragon's skin felt slippery like polished silver, with thick solid musculature underneath. James needed to use considerable force to knead his back and his fingers soon started feeling wooden. However, the dragon sighing and purring under his attention encouraged him to carry on until he felt Aleaster shift under him. The dragon rested on his flank, legs pulled up to his side, neck arching up like a marble railing so he could meet James's eyes with his own. The tip of his tail flopped lazily.

"They all came to me of their own will, we had our fun, and then we parted ways. I do not remember even a single one of them afterwards." He looked at the pile of jewelry on the nightstand. "That's what my memories look like, sparkling gems and cold metal."

"That's awful..." James's eyes widened as he began to stammer out. "I mean, the fact that... if you don't... then..."

He looked at the dragon, suddenly feeling very sad for the creature. He pulled away a bit, looking down at the slightly musty bedspread beneath them.

The dragon shrugged. "What do mayflies mean to someone as long-lived as myself?"

He looked at the stammering human. "You may go now, I wish to reminisce alone. I won't require your services until morning." There was a resigned air to his voice, not sadness but a feeling of...inevitability.

James fingered the cotton bedspread, caught between staying and leaving. He had not wanted to leave the dragon alone in the ruins of his lost civilization, and now he found himself hesitating to leave the dragon alone to the chill and dust of the attic.

"If you do require anything, my room is just down the hall. Call for me if you..." He left the sentence unfinished.

"Require a warm bed? We'll see." *He gazed through the skylight at the freezing night sky. The stars had moved, again. "I do not get cold easily, human."

A sphinx on his attic, watching the skies, passed a sudden thought in James's mind.

"That's not what I..." James sighed, and finally rested a hand on the dragon's back, in between his wings. He could feel the dragon flinch under him, but kept his hand there for a long moment. "...Goodnight, Aleaster."

He finally rose, reluctantly making his way over to the door of the attic.

"Goodnight James Woodgate. And...thank you."

James paused, looking back at the dragon for just a moment. Then he nodded, exiting the attic and gently shutting the door behind him. He made his way to his own room, undressing himself and trying not to think of what had nearly occured. His thoughts quickly faded out as he flopped bonelessly onto the bed, and he quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED...