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"I didn't fuck your son!" Teeba bellowed, her whole body quivering like a leaf as the old man pointed his shotgun directly at her. Try as she might, her feet felt like they were made of lead, anchoring her in place and making it impossible to flee. "I promise-"

"This ain't no time for spewing lies with that forked tongue of yours, demon." Snarled the old man. Despite the rage and hatred filling his frail body, he had the sense to stay out of swiping range of the dragoness.

"I swear, nothing-"

"Jenny told me what she saw. Are you calling my wife a liar?!" He barked, pulling his weapon into his shoulder with firm, weathered hands. His eyes gleamed with murderous intent as he held the weapon level with her chest. One small twitch of his finger would be all that was needed to end her quickly and they both knew that her scales would do little to stop the hot lead from ripping through her body.

"No-"

"So you admit it!" Snapped the old man through clenched jaws. "You did sleep with my boy-"

"No! I mean, I'm not saying your wife is a liar. I don't know. But I didn't sleep with Luke!" Teeba exclaimed rapidly, her gaze flicking between the dark metal barrel and the man's worn, wrinkled face. "He is a friend, nothing more! I promise." Seeing that the old man was hesitating, she quickly continued. "He was coming over to put some pipes for my garden—irrigation! Irrigation, that's the word! He did the job and that's it!" Her words tumbling together, as she tried to explain herself. Her wings dropped down to the ground as her shoulders joined her paws in being useless. The whole world felt swirly, and her stomach turned, but she tried to focus.

"Don't listen to her, Harold!" A voice came from the house. "I saw that wench with Luke in her barn!" Called Jenny from just behind the broken fly screen door. Reaffirming his grip on his shotgun, Harold stared Teeba in the eyes. Having grown up on the farm, he was used to dealing with vermin, and this would be no different.

"That's not what… gah!" Teeba snarled, mostly at herself. "Nothing happened! I promise. We were playing games—computer games!" She quickly corrected herself. "Riderfall, it's a game we play online." She quickly added, the small logical part of her brain latching onto the hope that he wouldn't shoot if she was talking. So, if she kept talking, she could try to get away, if only her paws would cooperate. "We had some lunch, sandwiches, talked for a bit, and then he left! That's all!" She exclaimed and saw the old man's eyes narrow as if he had heard this story before. "Where is Luke? He can explain this better."

"That tail chaser ain't welcome here no more-"

"He isn't, though! Geez! It's like you want him to be guilty!" Teeba retorted and instantly regretted it as the man's lip twitched into a snarl. "I mean, he isn't one, trust me! I've met a few guys that are, and he isn't anything like them! I swear-"

"I saw you, though, coming out of that barn all sweaty with smiles on your face like you just did the deed." Jenny piped in from the safety of the house, her words making Harold grip the shotgun harder.

"What?" Teeba said with a frown. "No! My barn is just warm." She added and immediately found the excuse flimsy herself. "I promise, on my wings, nothing happened between us. This has just been a big misunderstanding." She begged and stopped as she heard a honk from behind her. She saw the old man's eyes flick down the long driveway behind her and slowly turned her head. Her heart soared when she saw the plume of dust rise from the dry ground behind Luke's truck, the old vehicle bouncing and rocking wildly as it sped towards them, honking its horn rapidly.

Harold kept his shotgun firmly aimed at Teeba's chest as Luke slammed on the brakes, gravel crunching and flying as the whole truck pitched forward and skidded to a halt near Teeba. In an instant, the driver's door was flung open and Luke had stepped out, rapidly closing the distance with the dragon and not his father. "Put it down!" Luke snapped, as he moved between his father and his friend.

Teeba was shocked not only at the gesture of moving between them, but also the stern expression on Luke's face. While she seemed grounded on the spot with the shotgun pointed at her, he had no reservation in being in harm's way. "Luke-"

"I told you not to come back here, Luke!" Bellowed his father, while lifting the shotgun higher towards the dragoness’ neck and head.

Without skipping a beat, Luke charged forward at the old man causing him to instinctively step back and lose his aim. Teeba recoiled back as Luke's hand closed around the barrel and shoved it upwards, the resounding boom of the cartridge being fired made Teeba stumble backward in shock. As she fell back onto the gravel ground, she watched as Luke wrestled the gun out of his father's hands and pulled the stock into his own shoulder. Teeba's eyes went wide as Luke expertly leveled the gun at his old man and pumped the hand grip, the still smoking shell ejecting over his shoulder and loading a fresh round into the chamber.

Harold quickly took a step backwards but was met by Luke stepping forwards, causing the old man to stumble backward and lose his footing. Falling to the ground, he tried to scramble backwards but his son kept pace. When Harold's hand slapped against the bottom step of the porch, he knew he had nowhere to go and looked at the shotgun he once bought, now pointed down at him.

"Whoa, Luke." Teeba stammered, her body feeling cold as the excess adrenaline made her nerves go into overdrive. Her stomach seemed to flip and the sounds became muffled as she watched on.

"Oh gods! Stop, Luke, stop!" Begged Jenny, flinging the fly screen door open so her son could see her. "I made a mistake-"

"Don't you ever point a gun at her! You hear me?" Bellowed Luke, while jabbing the gun into his father's chest. "Say you understand!" He added while gripping the shotgun tightly.

"Don't do anything you're going to regr-"

"Say it!" Shouted Luke, leaning into the shotgun more while it pressed firmly against the man's ribs.

"Luke, stop!"

"Ow-okay!" Retorted Harold. "Now put that awa-"

"She is just a friend! You hear me?" Luke asked loudly, while maintaining his aim. "Say it, tell me you understand."

"Just a- a friend." Stammered the pinned man, his hands trembling as he held them with palms out. "I understand, Luke, son. I was just looking out for-" His words were cut short as Luke jabbed the tip of the barrel into his ribs hard.

"Luke, stop it!" Yelled Teeba, her eyes glossy and voice strained as she watched her friend stand over his father. Taking a small step forwards, she quickly took another and dragged her heavy limbs closer to Luke. "Please." She squeaked softly and saw his jaw clench.

With his jaw clenched, Luke adjusted his grip on the weapon and racked the shotgun again, the metallic sound of the action cycling made her body tense, but she watched as he racked it again and again. One by one the cartridges were ejected from the chamber and sent skipping across the gravel driveway; even once they stopped ejecting, he gave it a few more pumps to be sure before lifting the weapon from his father's chest. "You can thank her." He said flatly, while staring into his father's eyes. With a grunt, he hurled the weapon across the driveway but deliberately away from the ejected shells.

Pointing to Teeba, Luke glanced between his father on the ground and his mother in the doorway. "She is a friend, okay?! And it's none of your goddamn business. Understand?!" Sighing at their stunned silence he turned to Teeba, "You should go, I'll talk to you later."

"What... I don't know." Teeba stammered, the tips of her wings still shaking with the adrenaline pumping through her body. Her words failed her, as her racing mind tried to rationalize what she had just witnessed; the horizon seemed to bend, and her stomach felt like it was going to turn into a black hole from how tight it felt.

Luke had seen the same fear that was now in her eyes many times before in his life and knew that she was still too stunned to listen. He shook his head, before coming closer to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be okay. You need to get out of here. Can you do that? Can you still fly?” He asked, breaking down his instructions to their core elements for her. “Just take off, head home. You are okay.” He added while lowering his voice. “Just do that, and everything will be okay.”

“What about you?” Teeba asked, the old man beginning to prop himself up and she found herself instinctively taking a step backwards.

“I'll be fine. This is my problem, okay?” Luke said and patted her on the shoulder to bring her attention back to him. He could see her chest rising and falling rapidly as she began to hyperventilate. “Just turn around, spread those big wings of yours, and go home. It will all be okay.”

Following his instructions after a firm push against her shoulder, she turned away from the scene and tried to focus on anything else. The rolling countryside and fields of crops distracted her adrenaline filled mind just long enough for her to force her wings to co-operate and mantle; and when Luke's hand swatted her firmly on the shoulder, she lunged into the air, trusting her instincts and wings to take flight.

As the afternoon air rushed over her wings, she began flapping them rapidly, climbing hard and fast to try to put as much distance between them and herself. Once at a safe height, she stole a glance back under her and saw Luke striding past his father, to push past his mother, and enter his family home. Beating her wings and tilting her tail, she banked and adjusted course to head home, wanting nothing more than to feel safe again.

---

Beams of light from the setting sun streamed through the remaining branches of the trees at Windsoar Farm. The amber glow would be relaxing for most, but did little to soothe the nerves of the dragoness perched atop her barn. Upon arriving home, she had first locked herself in her barn and the mental image of a barrel pointed at her, had made her pace laps around her living area. The way her body had frozen, at the mercy of the old man, haunted her. She had briefly tried to rest, but couldn't shake the thought of Luke's father visiting her while she slept. Every creak and groan of her barn haunted her thoughts until she had given up on resting and moved to the roof of her barn to scan her property for approached danger, like a gargoyle she sat and waited.

Tilting her wrist, she checked her phone, even unlocking it to see if she had any messages from Luke, but all she saw was her wallpaper. The same silly photo of her godchild and herself grinning cheekily. Her lip twitched at the memory of playing with young Reeva, before she moved out to Crestmead in an attempt at moving away from drama. Although try as she might, dark thoughts began to eat away at her, her demons wrestling with her, teasing her that maybe she was the problem.

With a sniff, she looked up from her phone and gazed across her domain. The pool was clearing up, the chemicals and pump doing their job to make it suitable for swimming. Perhaps tomorrow she would test it out, she thought to herself. A gentle breeze brushed against her wing membranes, causing her to shuffle them tighter against her body. Her attention shifted to a strand of cut grass that had made its way up onto the roof and onto her solar panels. She watched it slowly roll its way across the glassy surface, before becoming stuck in the bezel of the panel. Lowering her long neck, she inhaled deeply before she blew behind the blade of grass and watched it flutter off the panel and away from her barn.

She lifted her head and rolled her shoulders from side to side, trying to ease the tension that had built in her body from the day's drama. Before today, she had always imagined how she would fight back when faced with danger, like the heroes in the many action films she had watched with her friends, but now she felt weak and ashamed of herself for just standing rooted in place. She shuddered to think what would have happened if Luke hadn't arrived when he did. Looking out at her mown lawn and garden, she mused that she didn’t know what she would have done if she hadn't met him, but felt a wave of guilt press down on her mind as she realized how much damage she had caused by simply meeting him.

A familiar honk of a car horn caused her head to snap toward the top of the hill and she quickly leaped into the sky. Beating her wings, she rose well above the old house and oak tree and breathed a sigh of relief when it was indeed Luke's truck driving up her driveway. She circled above and waited for him to pull up next to the house; only once she had confirmed it was him stepping out of the cab did she tuck her wings in and descend. Landing at a canter, she folded her wings and approached the man; his eyes were bloodshot and he stood stiffly with one hand still on the door of his truck.

“Luke, hey-um…” Teeba said softly, but suddenly found her words failing her.

“Hey." He said softly before leaning against the side of his truck. It was clear that the nights of poor sleep were catching up to him, but he knew that he still had a long one ahead.

Teeba's gaze lingered on the truck bed, bristling with tools and pipes. It looked like it had been packed quickly and when she saw his computer on the passenger seat with the seatbelt around it, her lip trembled. “Hey, look, I am so sorry. I didn't know I would stuff things up so bad by having you over-”

Luke held up a hand and shook his head. “Don't be, it's not your fault, it's theirs." He said softly. “Trust me, my folks are messed up.”

A hint of a smile graced Teeba's lips before she nodded toward the truck bed full of gear. “You working?” She asked and felt her stomach drop as he shook his head.

"Nah, I’m heading off." He said cryptically. "I'm leaving town; God knows this place is going to be talking about what happened." He added, seeing the concern on her face. "It's okay, one of my buddy's mom has got a place a few towns over. She is going to take me in until I can get set up there."

"So, that's it? You're leaving?" Teeba said, her hind legs becoming weak and she quickly sat before she fell. "But this is your home? What about your work?" She asked in disbelief.

"They will need work too, just like this shithole does." Luke said, glancing down the hill toward the surrounding farmland. All of the evidence he had used to debate with himself slowly started to come back and make him question his decision to leave.

Teeba tucked her wings closer to her body and lowered her head to his height. "Please, don't go. You shouldn't have to leave because of me-"

"It's not you. It's…" Luke said, smiling weakly when her eyes narrowed, "It's them. They are how they are, always were and always will be." He added, taking a deep breath. "I'm just sorry you got dragged into all of this; you're a good 'ness."

"You're a good dude." Teeba replied, seeing him shake his head slowly. "No, you are! You aren't like them at all!" She explained.

"Thanks, but I think it's better if I stay away from here. Trust me, this town… it's going to be weird for me now." He said, as if that explained his actions.

Teeba’s wings drooped as she looked at the man. Despite his attempts at maintaining his strong demeanor, she could tell he was hurting. "How far away is your new place?"

Luke drummed his fingers on the door to his truck as he did the math in his head. "If I leave now, I should make it just after midnight." He said, before waving a hand to dismiss her concerned look. "But if I get tired, I'll just sleep in my truck."

Teeba frowned and lifted her head to scan the contents of his truck. "Looks comfy." She said sarcastically, seeing a hint of a smile pull at his lips.

"I've slept rougher." He replied, knowing full well that he would have a bad night’s sleep ahead of him.

Teeba shook her head and lifted a wing to point towards the old house. "Stay, I insist. You can do what you need to do in the morning. You shouldn't drive after what you did today." She suggested, seeing him turn his head to follow her gesture. "It may not have a bed per se, but I've got some spare nest cushions in the barn." She added, when he didn’t refuse right away.

"Spending time with a dragoness is kinda what got me into this mess." Luke chuckled. "let alone sharing a nest."

"I meant, I can bring them to the..." Her words drifted off, as she realized he knew what she meant. "Come on, you know you are tired. What's going to happen if you stay one more night here?" When he shrugged stubbornly, she could tell he was not convinced and she swept her tail around her feet to stop it twitching in frustration. "Your folks can't complain; I'll sleep in my barn like a good little 'ness and you can have the house like the master you are." She joked, her lips curling into a forced smile. But when his expression didn't change, she knew it had fallen flat. "Don't go just yet, I was going to invite you to help with the bonfire. But we could do it tonight, please? You can show a dragon how to make a fire." She asked and smiled when his eyes met hers. "Please? I really don't want to torch the place." As he paused in contemplation, she gestured with a wing towards her barn and sweetened the deal. "Please, Luke. I really don't want to be alone. I’ve got food and some beer.” She added and shuffled closer to the man.

He could hear the vulnerability in her voice and reminded himself that not everyone was used to having a weapon pointed at them. "What kind of beer?" He asked and looked at the pile of dried branches that they could be burning tonight.

"Same as before." She said and quickly added. "But I've got some stronger stuff too, vodka, rum and coke, just rum? Whisky? I think there is some leftover gas for the mower if you want to get really fucked up."

Luke took a deep breath before tilting his head in thought. "Maybe." He finally said and closed his truck’s door. "Maybe I'll stay, but just for tonight, just so the dragon doesn't burn down her castle." He added with a smile.

"Good!" Teeba said before rising to her feet. "Because otherwise I was going to slash your tires." She said and, despite her sweet smile, he wasn't really sure if she was joking.

---

Amber flames crackled from the mound of semi-dried branches and dead leaves, creating a tall plume of smoke that disappeared into the night sky. Despite the late hour, the pair were warm as they sat watching the blaze, while staying upwind of the eye-watering smoke. With a large picnic blanket across the ground to keep any curious insects off of them, a scattering of cans and empty spirit bottles around them and the contents of the welcome basket that his mother had delivered to Teeba, they watched the logs slowly turn to ash.

Teeba lay with her wings semi-spread and hind legs to one side, while Luke politely sat on a corner of the picnic blanket with a can of premixed spirits he nursed in his hands. As a log deep in the pyre gave out, the mass of burning wood shifted and released a cascade of sparks into the air. She watched as Luke stared at some ash that had landed on his arm, before gently brushing it off of him while he was deep in thought. “You know…” Teeba said, while leaning to one side and rummaging a paw around in the basket of gifts until she retrieved a pack of muffins. “If you wanted to stay in the house for more than tonight, you totally can.” She said while opening the pack assessing the muffin’s firmness with a gentle prod of her paw.

Luke took a sip from his can while looking at the dragoness, smiling as she sniffed the muffin and recoiled. “They are organic." He explained, chuckling as she flicked her tongue out repeatedly in disgust.

“They smell like compost." Teeba retorted, offering it to him. When he shook his head, she tossed one into the fire and slid the pack closer to him. “Well, they burn, so they are good for something." She chuckled, watching as he picked one up, rolling it in his hand as if unsure whether to toss it or taste it. “I mean it though, I know it's a bit rough, but I'm not using it.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I don't know if this town is for me anymore." Luke said, placing his can beside him, then plucking the edges of the crust off the muffin and flicking the chunks into the fire. “This town loves their gossip, and I really don't want to be a part of it.”

Teeba nodded in understanding and gently picked up a small, keg-like can of vodka and sickly sweet fruit juice. Using a talon, she punctured the top and lifted it up in her jaws to scull the contents in one go. Luke watched, as her throat pulsated with each gulp of the almost flammable liquid, until she finished. Spitting the can out, she let it fall with a clatter into the pile of empty cans she had beside her and licked her lips. “Other than being asses, why are your parents so pissy about dragons?” She asked, the alcohol starting to affect her, after having drunk so many. “I mean, like…” She paused to swallow a burp before continuing. “Did we do something to them or something?”

Shaking his head, Luke tossed the last of his muffin into the bonfire and took a deep breath. “No, that would make sense. But it's in their blood, they are Clippers after all and proud of it." He said, before finishing the last of his can and looking around for another.

Passing him a few more cans with her purple paw, Teeba cocked her head. “You say that like it's an excuse, but you're a Clipper and you are…” She paused for him to turn and raise an eyebrow before playfully adding, “normal.”

“Thanks." Luke said with a smirk, before opening another can and turning back to the fire. “You know what a Clipper is though, right?” Glancing back behind him, he saw her shake her head and sighed. “A Clipper isn't just a last name, it was a job. Like Smith, or Fletcher, but a Clipper were the ones you hired if your dragon didn't want to pull a plough anymore." He said, finding himself unable to look at the dragoness. “They used to do some pretty horrible things to people like you. But the world changed, and some people didn't.”

"Clipped..." Teeba said, her wings instinctively twitching at the thought. "That... really?"

Luke nodded. "Unfortunately, yeah. A misbehaving dragon doesn't need wings to pull a plow or plant a crop."

"That's horrible."

"Oh yeah, nasty stuff. It was a different time back then. Wings, horns, teeth, anything nice could be taken from a dragon. And us Clippers would happily charge for the service." He explained, looking back to see her gaze focused on the fire. "So, when a clipper gets caught coming out of a barn with a dragoness... I'll never hear the end of it, even if it's not true."

Teeba nodded in understanding. The enthusiasm of the two elderly dragonesses was likely just a taste of how the rest of the town would react. "So, what about you? You don't mind hanging out with me. Do you?"

"By dragon standards..." Luke shrugged. "I think you're okay." He said, taking a sip while smiling. Seeing her not smiling, he clarified. "In all honesty though, it's kinda different growing up out here. Everyone and everything is so local and I guess... in a vacuum. Like… What's your favorite food?”

“Noodles, spicy noodles.”

“Right, so like. Imagine growing up and all the noodles in your area are crappy, bland and always give you an upset stomach. You wouldn't like noodles, follow me?” Luke explained and saw her nod, “So when your folks teach you that all dragons are greedy, lazy and violent creatures, that they are the work of the devil, could kill you with a swipe of their paws and shouldn't be trusted, it's all you believe."

Teeba fidgeted with her claws, while staring into the bonfire, her head softly swaying with the alcohol. "But you don't think that now... right?" She asked and when he didn't answer, she turned her head and focused on him.

Luke smirked as he shrugged again before waving a hand to dismiss her question. "Nah, I know some dragons are lazy and greedy. Hell, the ones that live here can be pretty hostile too. But once I left home, I saw that wasn't always the case."

Recoiling back as if stung, she shook her head. "So wait, you're saying that everyone who lives here is a bad egg? What about me?" She asked with a hint of a smile.

Finishing his sip, he held a hand up and shook it to indicate he was misunderstood. "No, you're alright. In fact, you're probs the first dragon in this town that hasn't given me dark looks. There is a lot of bad blood between my family and the dragons that live here."

"I wonder why." Teeba said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she pushed a talon through the top of another can and lifted it up to drink, this time only taking a small sip to pace herself.

Luke smirked and nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty deserved. But again, different time, different people." He said, before taking another swig from his can. "It was weird coming back home. When I was deployed, nobody cared who I was or what my family had done. It was just me, it was good. But coming back... it feels like I never left."

Teeba paused with the can in her mouth, while she comprehended what he was saying before placing it back down. “Wait… deployed? Like an army man?”

“Marine." he clarified firmly, “with a capital M." He added while looking deep into the fire. “Just like my grandfather, although he was a rider in recon.”

Teeba grinned and lowered her head closer to him. “That's cool, every gal likes a dude in uniform." She said and chuckled, as he glared at her with a smirk. “Ooo, am I meant to salute you or something?”

“Pfft, no." He retorted and smiled as he took another sip. “Unless you want to look silly." He added and glanced back at her, the playful and slightly unfocused look in her eyes told him she had many questions. Lifting his can up to his lips he sighed. “Alright, ask away.”

“Did you like it?” Teeba asked before shaking her head. “I mean, was it fun? No, wait! Did you get a cool nickname?”

“Yes, most of the time, and yes." He answered in order and watched as she pieced together his response. “My callsign?” he asked as she opened her mouth and then smiled sheepishly. “It's silly—”

“Oh come on!” Teeba exclaimed and shuffled on the picnic blanket so she was closer to the man. When he didn't respond, she moved the unopened drinks from beside him back into her hoard of cans while smirking at him.

“You're not going to drop it, are you?” He asked and found her smile infectious as she comically shook her head. “Fine." he said, before reaching out to the cans she had taken from him, he was able to get his fingers around one but her paw held it firmly against the ground. “Raider." He said finally and snatched the drink from her when she lifted her paw. “Like Tomb Raider, the guys found out I liked the games.”

Teeba tried to stifle a snort of amusement but when she failed, she burst into laughter at her attempt at keeping a straight face. Seeing him shake his head and take another big swig, she quickly tried to compose herself and nodded coolly. “That's not bad." She said and grinned sheepishly when he glared at her. “Were you um… a Marine for very long?”

Swallowing his mouthful, he tilted his head from side to side. The motto of ‘always a Marine’ surfaced in his mind, but he knew what she meant. “A few years. I did a couple tours and, yes, saw some action." He explained and answered before she could ask the same follow-up question that everyone had asked. “But my dad hurt his back around the same time as I was thinking of re-signing, so when the vultures at the bank started circling, I had to come… back." He said, catching himself as he almost said home, the word now seemed too warm for the building he grew up in.

“What happens to their house now?” She asked, leaning further to her side to get more comfortable.

Luke sipped his drink as he thought, the decision having run through his head many times since he was first accused of sleeping with the dragoness beside him. A part of him wanted to cut all ties with them and hang them out to dry financially; after all, it wasn't his fault they refinanced the home to pay for the tools and supplies needed for their irrigation business. But the rational part of his mind hated the idea of his family losing the home they had lived in for generations over a misunderstanding. “I'm not sure yet." He said softly, before taking another sip.

A loud crash came from the bonfire as a burning log fell off of the pyre and tumbled to the ground. But as Teeba went to roll to her feet, Luke stood up. “I've got it." He said and finished the last of his drink before he slowly stumbled towards the branch; clearly, the alcohol was affecting him just as much as her.

“You sure?” She asked and looked at the log; one end was covered in fiery embers but the other was only slightly charred.

“You just sit pretty." Luke said, before he bent over and touched the log with the back of his hand to test how hot it was. “After having a gun pointed at you, I don't want you getting hurt over a log." He explained, before he quickly grabbed the unburnt end and tossed it into the fire.

She watched as the branch fell against the others and lifted her head to track the shower of sparks flying into the dark sky. As the man stumbled back towards her, she retracted a wing to give him more space with a smirk on her snout. Only once he was midway sitting down did she shuffle closer. “So, you think'm pretty, eh? I don't think your parents would approve." She giggled and saw his eyes go wide. “How else could I sit pretty, if you didn't think I’m pretty?” She explained, her words slightly slurring together.

Luke knew she was trying to get a rise out of him and chuckled. “Teeba, we both know you are the prettiest dragon in town." He said and smiled as her mouth opened in surprise. “And you will make a drake very happy one day.”

Teeba giggled and curled her tail, forming a crescent shape around him without touching him. “You’re just being silly now." She said and stretched her forelegs sleepily, her talons extending as she did so. “What about me is pretty? Tell me." She added playfully.

“You're drunk." Luke said flatly and began to finish his can.

“No-no-no, you said I was pretty!”

“Pretty drunk?” He chuckled and contemplated opening another drink. He was well past being able to safely drive and with the fire still burning hot, he knew he shouldn't leave it in the care of an intoxicated dragon.

“Meanie, Captain Meanie… That should have been your soldier name." Teeba pouted, but her lips curled into a smile when he laughed. “Come on! You said I was pretty, what about little Teeba is pretty?”

“Everything." He said sarcastically and tried to change the subject by gesturing for the welcome basket of snacks. Without holding it hostage, she slid it over and he began rummaging through it to try and find something she might like. “Jerky?”

“Ooo! Yes!” Teeba giggled and curled her neck to bring her open mouth close to him so he could feed her some. Noticing how he flinched, she closed her mouth and retracted it slightly. “Sorry, I won't bite you. Promise.”

Luke took a deep breath and pulled out the largest chunks from the packet. “I know you won't. It's just… I've never been this close to the biting end of a dragon." he said and gingerly held the chunk of dried meat out for her to take.

With a gentleness that betrayed her size and sharp teeth, she slowly opened her mouth and bit into the meat only to hold still until he had taken his hand away. As she tasted the sweetened meat, she moaned and lifted her head up to chew. “Well… we both know you ain't been near the fun end either." She chuckled with her mouthful and was relieved when he laughed with her. Swallowing the delicious meat, she continued, “So, riddle me this. You were a Marine, went to war, have no issues getting in front of your dad's gun and wrestling it off of him. But booping a dragon is too scary for widdle ol’ Luke?” She said with a baby voice.

“I ain't booping a dragon." Luke laughed and shrugged, while he began picking at the smallest pieces of jerky in the bag so she could have the larger ones. His body jolted when he felt her snout gently jab against his cheek.

“Boop!” Teeba giggled and moved her head into his personal space again for a second nudge, only for his hand to deflect her questing snout. “Aww.”

“You're drunk." Luke repeated and patted her snout before jostling the bag to find a piece for her.

“I'm pretty! That's right!” She announced loudly and shimmied closer to the man. “You said I was pretty, what about me is pretty to little Luke. Come on… I promise I won't tell anyone.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he shook his head, knowing full well that she wouldn't drop the subject. “Fine…” He announced before taking a big sip to keep her waiting. Swallowing his drink, he turned halfway around so he could see her better. “You have very pretty scales.”

“Ooo, really?” Teeba giggled and brought her head closer to him. “But what about my scales?” She added with a cheeky grin.

Looking over her resting body, he found himself drawn to the way they reflected the light from the fire. While she was mostly a silvery-graphite grey color, each one of the scales seemed to twinkle as they caught the light of the bonfire. “They look smooth, like… really smooth." He said and could tell from her expectant look that she wanted him to elaborate. “Like, all the dragons I've met are often dusty, dirty brutes that glare at me from across the street. Even the ones I served with were never as sleek and clean as you." He admitted before lifting his can to his lips. “I don't know. Whatever you do to keep them shiny is working; they look good.”

“Naww, thanks!” Teeba said happily, her chest puffing slightly with pride. After years of caring for her scales meticulously, it was nice to see that they were noticed and appreciated. “You can touch them if you want." She announced and brought her head closer to him, smiling as he didn't recoil away.

“That's not necessary-”

“Oh relax, we both know you want to." She added with a grin, seeing him shake his head. She tried a different approach. Pulling her neck back into an elegant 'S' shape, she adjusted her position so she could extend a paw towards him. When his eyes darted between hers and her paw, she wiggled her digits to invite him to explore.

Luke stayed cross-legged and looked at her paw but shook his head, only to flinch when she quickly moved it into his lap. Instinctively, his right hand went to intercept it but was too slow, resulting in his hand holding her paw. Her delicate smooth scales felt like the finest silk under his calloused hands, and, as he tried to remove her paw, she simply held it still and grinned as he gripped it.

“See? Was that so hard?” Teeba giggled, as he gave up and patted her purple paw. “Now, do you want to fuck or what?” She added and roared laughing as he snatched his hand away from her paw. “See! You're not a tail chaser." She exclaimed with a broad smile. “You can touch a dragon without wanting to sleep with them; it ain't like a curse or anything. Touch a dragon, and be damned to a lifetime’s worth of good time cuddles." She smiled and giggled when he started to smile.

“I never said it was." He said and rested his hand on her paw to prove his point. “...Good time cuddles…” He chuckled and took another sip.

With one paw still extended, she started to feel a strain in her shoulder, but instead of removing it, she kept her paw in his lap and rolled over to her side. With a shuffle, she curled around him tighter while lowering her head to rest it on the picnic blanket. “So… why did little Luke decide to be a badass?” She asked and rocked her head from side to side to get more comfortable on the blanket.

“What?” Luke asked, with the added weight of her paw in his lap, his crossed legs began to protest. Lifting her paw, so he could stretch out his legs, he surprised them both when he placed the paw back in his lap. “I'm not a badass.”

“What do you mean? Jumping in front of a gun, standing up to your dad." Teeba protested and smirked when he waved a hand to dismiss her complement. “Sure sounds like a badass to me. But what I mean is, why did you become an army man?”

Luke took a deep breath before taking another sip, knowing full well that she was trying to get a rise out of him by not calling him a Marine. “There ain't a lot to do out here." He said simply before he elaborated. “It's either follow in my father's footsteps and do irrigation, or leave. Easiest way to leave was to enlist.”

Teeba snorted in amusement before smiling up at him. “How did that go?” She asked playfully.

Luke chuckled and nodded before lifting his drink to take another sip. “It was going great. Then I came back.” He retorted with a touch of sarcasm. Drinking from his can, he contemplated the irony of the situation. He remembered the difficult decision he had made to leave home and pursue change, but had ended up back where he started, thinking of leaving again. Ever since he had returned home, he and his father had never quite seen eye to eye. After he had participated in training and served alongside dragons, his father's offhand remarks about them as a species never sat right with him. Looking into the fire, he remembered the day he lost one of his squad mates in a traffic stop and how quickly the situation had gone from bad to worse. After the ordeal, his squad had been on light duties until the end of their tour, because their captain knew that their loss had affected all of the team.

“Do you miss it? The military, I mean. Like, would you go back?” She asked softly, while watching the man stare into the flames, his tanned face cast in an amber glow while he softly dented and undented the almost-empty can in his hand.

“I don't know." He said finally after thinking for a moment. “The food was okay and my squadmates were pretty tight. But after we lost one of our deltas, Taalli…” He felt goosebumps run up his arms as he said the name of the first dragon who had been kind to him, the orange dragoness had always talked to him like a friend, which was refreshing from the sneers and accidental tail swipes he would receive at home. In the days following the fateful traffic stop, he had been surprised at how hard her absence affected him. His father's words of dragons being nothing but tools and his remarks about how her body should have been left in the desert like spent brass had been like a knife through his heart. Swallowing, he buried his emotions and his father's countless remarks before he continued. “Things kinda fell apart after that, our doc pulled out, poor dude had only done one tour and he was a wreck. Then, when I was about to redeploy, I got the news from home and had to leave. The boys still keep in touch, but there was talk of the squad being absorbed by another unit and it was just all changing so quick." He explained, while swirling his can, before finishing it off. “I don't think I would go back to the military. But, as much as I hate them, I don't want my family home to be bought by some faceless company." He added and shuffled to try to get more comfortable.

Teeba could see the pain in his eyes and nodded, “That’s very noble of you." She murmured and retracted her paw from his lap. “Here, let me help.” Using the wrist of her wing, she pulled the man against her side so he could lean against her. Despite his hand on her wing to stop her, she held him warmly in an attempt at a hug. “Better?”

Luke was going to deny it, but feeling her warmth against his back and the pressure of her wing arm holding him, he found himself unable to complain. After sleeping in the bed of his truck for most of the week, it was nice to have something comfortable to rest against. “Thanks." He murmured begrudgingly.

“Now, don't you get any ideas, young man." Teeba chastised with a grin and a gentle squeeze of her wing. “We give the best hugs, but there are boundaries.”

Luke chuckled and shook his head. “Don't worry, being held against my will by a drunk dragoness. Not my idea of good foreplay.”

"Oh shh, I'm not drunk." Teeba said, while forcing her eyes to stay focused on him. "I'm pretty, remember? And besides! Dragons kidnapping fair princesses is like half of our DNA." She said and smiled broadly when he laughed. "Princess Luke, I like that."

"Well, I'll take ‘princess’ over ‘virgin sacrifice’." Luke retorted playfully. "Cause I'm not exactly qualified." he boasted.

"Aww, I wouldn't say that." Teeba retorted and wiggled her head on the ground so it was closer to him. "There is still your first time with a dragon. So unless you have secretly switched teams at some point… you could kinda be a virgin sacrifice." She said and smiled at his unimpressed look.

"Pass." Luke said flatly before smirking and tipping his can up to try and drink the final drips hiding under the lip.

"What about… knight in shining armor then?" Teeba offered and lifted her head to pick up another of his cans from the pile with her mouth and offer it to him, smiling, as he took it from her and wiped it on his shirt. "Although, your truck isn't really that shiny. Sir Luke, rides into battle to stop the evil dragon slayer from hurting the pretty dragoness!" She added with glee.

"I think you have been reading too many fantasy stories." Luke said, while cracking the fresh can open. "I’m just glad I got there when I did. I was only there to grab my stuff and tell them where to get fucked, but when I saw you on the driveway…" His words drifted off before he shrugged and took another big sip.

"Well thank you. I kinda just… froze." Teeba said sadly and curled tighter around him, her head now resting against her tail tip as she encircled the man. The bonfire was still burning merrily and she knew that she should be awake in case something happened. But between the radiating warmth and the man leaning against her, she felt safe and sleepy.

"It's okay, not everyone is a fighter." Luke said while noticing her eyelids drooping lower. "Do you want to head back to your bed? I can stand watch on this." He said with a vague gesture towards the fire.

"Mmmnngh, no." Teeba grumbled. "I'll stay, this princess needs her knight to guard her." She murmured and shuffled her head closer until her snout was inches from his legs. "Unless you want to come back to the barn with me?" She added with a smirk.

"Sorry T, you are pretty and all, but I'm not like that." He said and looked down at her face, smiling as her nostrils flared and contracted with each deep breath.

"Eh, that's fine." She mumbled while shuffling her wings to keep him pressed against her side. "Contrary to popular belief, we are not all sex-crazed lizards. And it's good to have a friend." She murmured sleepily. "And if you do leave town, you know I'm going to check in on you." She added before taking a deep breath. "You will be in a paddock somewhere and I'll just swoop down and pick you up." She giggled softly with her eyes closed.

"Thanks." he chuckled and took another sip of his drink. Reaching out with an arm, he focused on keeping his index finger steady as he pressed it between her nostrils. "Boop!" He said with a smile.

Teeba's eyes slowly opened as she realized what he had done. "You call me pretty, let me hug you and then boop me. You sure you don't want to fuck?" She said and grinned as he blushed red.

"Oh, I'm sure… you sex-crazed lizard." He retorted and patted her snout gently.

Closing her eyes as his hands gently stroked her nose, she curled her neck tighter and moved her head under her wing and into his lap so he could continue his gentle pets. "Fine, but don't leave before breakfast. I still want to thank you for today."

With her head in his lap and her wing wrist on top of that, he looked around to see if he could escape her clutches before continuing to run his hands across her scales. "I won't." He assured her.

Teeba crooned sleepily as he continued to comfort her, the memories of his father aiming a gun at her drifting away as she began to fall asleep with her friend. The corner of her lip quivered as she thought of a pet name for her only friend in this wild town.

Luke looked down when she snorted in amusement and cocked his head. "What?" He asked gently while pausing his fingers mid-stroke.

Teeba whined softly until he continued and smiled. "Thank you… Sir Raider." She mumbled.