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Max was limping, bruised up his entire left side, and hadn’t slept a wink the previous night, but above all the pain and discomfort, he felt a new energy guiding him today.

By all rights, he should have been bedridden and calling Dr. Froitte to say he was in no shape to run the first-year labs he taught this morning. More than one of the researchers in his group gave suspicious looks and asked what had happened when the most junior member came in looking like a boxer after a bad loss.

Max Hein wasn’t fooling anyone when he tried to explain that he fell down a flight of stairs the previous day. Even the freshmen he taught giggled to themselves that their teaching assistant “got smacked”. However, his positive energy gave people no reason to pry further.

As far as they were concerned, he was still grading their experiments and wouldn’t be going any easier because he was a little (a lot) hurt.

The day went by mostly as usual, with Max being a bit late to most of his appointments since his walking speed was effectively halved. But he felt a lot better than the previous night. He recalled nearly getting knocked out when Eassic and Scurr, two dragons, crashed into him in pursuit of Kal, Max’s newest acquaintance (also a dragon). He wondered what had happened to get the smaller dragon in their sights.

That question, and many others, would be answered later tonight since the black dragon had promised to meet him again to explain why Max’s help was such a big deal.

He didn’t know why, but Max was really excited to talk with Kal again. His colleagues might peg Max to be an introvert, but that was just because he enjoyed studying more than the Friday night research group parties. He considered himself a consistent ambivert, happy to be both alone and with company. Kal just happened to be really great company.

His supervisor’s words brought his attention back to the present. “Are you sure you didn’t get knocked in the head? You’re spacing out Max.”

The young man shook his head, realizing there’d be lots of time to think about what he wanted to ask his new friend later. “Sorry, Dr. Froitte. I was just thinking I’d need to do some catch-up if I’m going to start listening in to those lectures next week.”

His supervisor had just given him blanket permission to stand at the back of one of the courses he taught for freshman dragons, or freshdrakes as Max liked to think. DMED 101 (Introduction to Dragon Medical History) was the first course any student interested in dragon biology or medicine needed to take at Krall-Andersson Tech. Dr. Froitte said that the majority of students taking the course were dragons, but there was a limited number of human seats for the most curious, but those were all full.

“You know that dragons don’t experience formal education the way that we do before coming to KA Tech, right? The first few weeks are really nothing more than getting dragons used to the way we teach here. You’ll be well ahead of the curve by showing up as you are, the real material starts Monday.”

That was a relief, as excited as he was, Max didn’t know if he had the capacity for even more study, given that he was already taking a dozen more credits than what was required for his graduate program.

Dr. Froitte crossed his arms and tried to get a read on his star pupil. “But what I’m more interested in is why you had the sudden shift to the draconic side of our institute’s curriculum. Your entire undergrad and grad studies up until now have been in human medicine. And I hate to toot your horn, but you have been one of the best we’ve seen in that space.”

Max smiled warmly at the compliment. “I’ve just been thinking about what you told me yesterday.”

“Thinking so hard you fell down a flight of stairs?” He raised an eyebrow.

“That’s more believable than any other reason I could give you.” Max chuckled. He had great rapport with his supervisor, and felt no reason to lie outright to the man. He wasn’t sharing the exact details of how his injuries came to be, but felt comfortable knowing the professor was content as long as he was.

“What am I going to do with you? I just hope you didn’t knock your original goal off the shelf with this new pursuit.”

“I appreciate your concern, and all of your advice Dr. Froitte.” Max spoke in a more honest tone than his usual sarcastic manner. “I haven’t forgotten my dream, but I really do think I needed to branch out a bit more. I’m not the type to go out and party or join clubs. But what I can do is study, and study hard. So, I wanted to live the spirit of this university and learn more about dragons the way I know how.”

His supervisor leant back in his chair, impressed at his answer. “As long as one of my students isn’t beating you to do their homework for them, I’m glad you’re trying something new.”

Max laughed.

“Oh God. One of my students didn’t do this to you, right? Now that I’ve said it, I can’t clear it from my mind.” He worried.

Max waved the worry away. “I don’t even know a single dragon on campus other than Xalva.” Xalva was the sole dragon researcher in the Froitte group. She was exceptionally talented and Max had already learned a great deal from her extensive experience with medical imaging. But outside of research work, they had never really spoken.

The man sighed, not fully believing the student in front of him. “I’ll have to take your word for it then. Do you need anything else from me today? I’ve received your research updates, but I won’t be able to give you feedback until the weekend.”

“Nope, that’s all. Just a heads up that I have an exam tomorrow, so I won’t be coming in.”

“I assume you’re not coming to the Friday social either?”

“Not this week, sorry.” The same answer as almost every week.

“It’s always something with you. Well, your results speak for themselves, what do I know?” He threw his arms up in mock indignation.

Max was already halfway out the door. “See you in lecture on Monday Dr. F!”

The tenured professor shook his head and returned to the paper he was reviewing. He picked unique students to join his motley crew of a research cluster, that’s for sure.

---

The young grad student walked with renewed energy after meeting with Dr. Froitte. Max knew that the professor was approving of his choices, if not a little worried for how he came to them. His supervisor was one of the most respected academics globally, so a vote of confidence meant a great deal to the aspiring student. The only thing he had left to do before heading back home was to check the ‘crime scene’ from last night.

He wasn’t sure if he would follow through on his threat to the two dragons he caught chasing Kal, but he was curious if they took his warning seriously.

Taking the scenic route to the admin office, he saw that the gouges in the floor now had a “Slippery When Wet” sign strategically placed over them so humans wouldn’t trip on the deep grooves. He felt his muscles pulse with a dull pain at the memory of last night.

Max took a moment in passing to look at them more carefully. These massive halls were built with dragons in mind, but he really hadn’t seen too much damage to the buildings when dragons much larger than Kal moved around. Maybe it was just because he was in such a crazed hurry, but his claws must be incredibly hard to cause damage like this to the stone tiles.

Max decided to make the rest of his trip quick since he hadn’t actually checked the chair where the same dragon was perched last night. He hoped it hadn’t suffered a similar fate.

He poked his head into the admin offices and asked (cluelessly, of course) what had happened to the floor in the hallway. The secretary said a pair of dragons had come in the morning apologizing profusely that they had accidentally tripped one another and damaged the stone tile trying to regain their balance. They had apparently come with a more-than-enough sum of money to pay for the repairs. Max noticed the shards of a shattered vase swept neatly against the wall and chuckled to himself. Who knew pottery was natural prey for apologizing dragons?

The day was going as well as it could, Max thought to himself. All loose ends were tied up, and now he could get some answers from that little black dragon. Thinking back, they never really set a time to meet, but he assumed since Kal had tracked him down yesterday that he would somehow do it again today. He did know where Max lived after all.

Striding awkwardly with his injuries, Max left the Medical Sciences building hours earlier than usual and was greeted with a bustling campus. The sun was shining with a warm light that soothed his aches and seemed to invigorate hundreds of Wingdrakes he’d never seen. Max had to give Dr. Froitte some credit, the professor was right about his over-the-top study habits getting in the way of socializing.

The campus energy was infectious; students chatting in groups on the well-tended grass, club reps passing out recruitment flyers, there was even what seemed to be a human vs. dragon dance off outside the student hub.

The latter actually caught his attention and Max stopped to watch as the different bodied dancers competed against each other. A few dozen onlookers, human and dragon alike, cheered and roared as the students dared to do increasingly complex moves. Max grinned in pride when dragon jaws dropped when a particularly agile flip caught them off guard. That was matched by the same maws grinning as the human students were left in awe by the rhythmic acrobatics their scaled counterparts could do.

Neither had the ability (or arrangement of limbs) to do what the other could, but each was uniquely amazing to both sides of the enraptured audience. Max didn’t even notice the time flying by until the two groups bowed to each other and the audience stood and clapped or stomped the ground. He joined in the applause as the captains of each side met in the middle and butted heads lightly. It was a gesture he hadn’t seen before, but it seemed to carry weight as the other watched silently while the two held the moment together before breaking free and celebrating with their own teams.

Another question for Kal, he thought to himself.

Max pulled himself up as the crowd dispersed. He was still amazed at the quality of performance he got to see for free (unless you counted the tuition required to be here). Beyond that, he was surprised that the students here had those kinds of skills. KA Tech was known for two things: research and volleyball, he had assumed most students would be like himself to a lesser degree. Academics, nerds, weirdos, and the like.

It was clear that he was a bit naïve in that regard. The students here had interests and skills well beyond just books and tests. “Maybe I should join the improv club…” He grumbled, a little envious of the campus life he could be enjoying more.

It was a short walk back to his townhome and he was half expecting Kal to be seated by the front door waiting politely for his return. The dragon was crafty enough, maybe he had broken in to replace that chair after all…

Walking as fast as his pained legs could muster, Max turned the corner onto Andersson Lane and saw that his door wasn’t broken into, nor was a black dragon waiting for him outside.

That would’ve been silly, he realized. Kal seemed to have personal servants or something along those lines. They were probably watching and would inform the dragon that Max had returned so he wouldn’t be waiting in vain.

That gave Max time to set up his new computer, courtesy of said dragon, and check out its specs.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.” He announced to the sleek laptop that booted twice as fast as its predecessor.

The computer had much more powerful hardware than he’d be able to afford in normal circumstances. He spent the next hour running benchmarks and installing various programs and games that he had never been able to run.

Max was about to boot up the newest physics-based fishing simulator, Galdur’s Bait 3, when a crisp knock rapped his front door. “Damn, I really wanted to experience the latest and greatest realistic fishing mechanics™.” He mimicked the game’s advertisement to himself as he stood.

“Just a sec!” He called to the door as he shuffled to answer the knock.

The lock opened with a satisfying ‘clack’ and Max pulled the door open.

“Hey, nice to-” He began to say, expecting Kal to be at the door. Well, Kal was there, but the black dragon was flanked by two much larger drakes. The first he recognized as the green dragon who had carried him here last night. The other was a bulky dark blue dragon with a nasty looking scar across its entire face that made it look angry and imposing. They all looked at him expectantly.

“Um. Hello.”

“Greetings, Max Hein. I have returned once again for a second round of negotiations regarding my debt.” Kal spoke formally, but his body language was tense, like really tense. Max didn’t think he’d ever get used to hearing someone talk to him like that, let alone when the person was flanked by two assistants who bowed alongside them.

He tried his best to match the narrative and energy. “Thank you for coming back. I appreciate you agreeing to continue the- Um… negotiations in my home.”

Max was lost when the dragons remained bowed. He had hoped they’d respond and give him more to work with, but there was probably some dragon procedure he had no clue about that would allow for them to stop. It didn’t look very comfortable, so he knew they would probably get annoyed if he didn’t end it either.

Max also didn’t want to say the wrong thing when Kal was on such a high guard around his attendants. He could see the black dragon’s wings subtly twitching. A million thoughts went through his head but he decided to try something.

“I never got your name, but thank you for carrying me home last night.” He spoke to the green dragon, before lowering his own head and touching his forehead against the much larger draconic one, trying his best to match what he had seen earlier.

After a few seconds, he pulled back and breathed in relief when the three raised their heads with him.

Kal’s eyes were stressed, but the tension seemed to drain from the group. The green dragon chuckled. “Heh, smarter than pickle.”

Max hoped that was a compliment since he’d been upgraded from food in the green dragon’s mind. The blue dragon just glared at him. Max felt a shiver climb his spine, its eyes felt like they were piercing his very soul, just waiting for him to make a bad move. He needed an out.

“Well, I have much to discuss with this one.” He motioned to Kal, “I would invite you inside, but I’m afraid my door does not reach the standard of the rest of this institution.” Which is to say, it’s way too small for them to fit through.

The blue dragon squinted at Max before grumbling some draconic at Kal. Its eyes never left Max’s until the black dragon snapped back a frustrated burst of draconic back. Kal spoke in English once again, “Shall we?”

Max moved to allow the smaller dragon entry as the two attendants backed off and took flight. Kal walked carefully inside, subtly rubbing his tail up against Max’s leg as he passed.

A communal sigh of relief was shared between them as the door closed. Max slid down the hard wood as the strength holding him waned.

“What the fuck was that!?” They both exclaimed at each other in sync before stuttering and looking tilting their heads in the same rhythm.

With both the young males miming each other’s confusion, Max shook his hands. “Hold up, you first.”

Kal stamped a paw pad on the floor. “How did you know what to do? That was amazing! I thought I was in deep grahk.”

“That seems to be a recurring thing for you.”

“Tell me about it. But also tell me how you knew that gesture, you said you knew nothing about dragons!” He spoke forcefully and stepped closer; this clearly meant a lot.

“If you mean the headbutt thing, full honesty, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I just saw someone do it earlier today, and thought it might work.”

Kal froze, then opened and closed his maw several times, unsure of what to say. After a minute of being unable to find the words he wanted, Kal turned and paced around the corner into the kitchen. Max could hear his fridge open as the dragon seemed to help himself to something.

He followed a moment later. “Hey I don’t know about dragon customs, but it’s typically not cool to help yourself to someone’s food. You better not be eating my good-” It was his turn to freeze.

The black dragon was curled at the foot of the freezer around a small tub of ice cream, snout buried deep in the container. Tears flowed freely from his wide eyes down the ridges of his maw into the frozen dairy.

Kal raised his head, vanilla smeared messily across his mouth. “I was so fucking scared, Max. I already got you involved in this, and I screwed up so badly again.” His voice had lost all of its formality, it felt frightened and desperate.

Max was lost in a sea of emotion flowing from the distressed drake. Just like last time, he had no idea what had happened. He wanted to comfort Kal, but didn’t know how. This was beyond anything he’d experienced, human or dragon in nature.

“I always mess things up, grahk, and this one was going to be bad.” Kal paused to take an emotionally charged chomp of ice cream. “But somehow. Some. Fucking. How. You got me out of it again.” The dragon cried between each word and bite.

He assumed the dragon was talking about the headbutt. It seemed like a simple gesture, but now he realized he might have done something much more substantial. He hoped in a positive direction.

“And it was a fluke! Just something you saw today! That doesn’t even- GRAHK! Brain freeze!”

Kal was spiraling. Max realized he needed to do something quick. Following the first thought that came to his mind, he moved to the dragon, pulled him close, and squeezed around his body in the best hug he could manage.

The dragon flinched and pushed his wings against the touch. “What are you-”

Max hushed him and squeezed harder. “Just let it out, we can talk later.”

Kal processed the words silently, then the flood gates opened and the dragon cried hard with someone seeing for the first time in his life.

---

Max shook off the nerves as he soaked a towel for Kal. He had never been close to that level of emotion in his adult life and he felt shaky seeing the witty and regal dragon reduced to such a state. He tossed the wet rag at Kal. “Here, your face is a mess.”

The dragon saw it coming but made no attempt to catch it, letting the soaked towel land on his head with a wet smack. He looked up at the human, sniffling through clogged nares and eyes still leaking salty tears. Kal looked awful, but Max knew the dragon probably felt even worse.

“I’m not going to wipe your maw for you. You’ll feel better once you’re cleaned up, then you can explain what’s got you feeling like this, eh?”

Kal grumbled pathetically, but released his grip on the ice cream tub and wiped the mix of dessert and tears that had dried onto his scales. Max watched as the dragon finished with his face and started to wipe the drips that had fallen from his head with the same towel.

“Now you’re just smearing it on the floor.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry about the mess, I’ll clean up later. Let’s move to the other room so we can talk.”

The dragon shook its head stubbornly, clearly not wanting to move.

Max kneeled next to Kal and looked him in the eyes. “Is it okay if I pick you up?”

Kal quickly broke eye contact and grumbled something imperceptible.

“I’m like a foot away from you and I couldn’t hear that. Come on Kal, you can talk to me.”

The dragon met his gaze again and paused. His eyes were still wet, but he was showing a hint of a smile as he spoke quietly. “I said, you are not strong enough to pick me up.”

Max emoted surprise. “Was that a joke? Here I thought you were feeling too bad to even talk.”

Kal huffed a cloud of hot air in Max’s face. “I am feeling awful, but that does not change the fact of your inferior human strength.”

“Oh, I see how it is. Come here, you!” Max grabbed hold of the husky-sized dragon and heaved with all his might (probably not the best idea given the prior day’s injuries). Kal didn’t squirm or fight back as the human tried to get a good grip to carry his weight.

Max got about halfway up from a squat before his legs gave out and he tipped over, dragon landing squarely on his chest as he fell to his back. He wheezed as the heavier-than-expected Kal pressed the air right out of his lungs. “Oof, you eat a pint of ice cream every day or something?”

Max was joking, but he knew from the close contact they now shared that Kal’s weight had little contribution from fat. The dragon’s body was dense with large bones and considerable muscle for his size. The thick black scales made seeing that from the outside difficult, but upon touching those strong limbs, there was no doubt in Max’s mind that this dragon was a beast. Just a small one.

“You are an idiot, Max Hein.” Kal curled his head towards his chest and Max did the same. The two young males of different species shared a moment in silence as their foreheads touched gently.

Kal eventually broke the peace by teasing, “Ves Ven, I cannot believe I owe such a grand debt to an oaf like you. For someone of your accomplishments, I just assumed better of your intelligence.”

“You do, do you? And what’s this about my accomplishments, have you been snooping in my records?”

“I had my attendants do some research to know how much respect you are owed. A considerable amount was the answer, if you wished to know. As far as humans go at least.” The dragon grinned.

Max blew hot air onto Kal’s face. “Well, if I’m to receive such respect, a dragon important enough to have personal scary-ass attendants can walk on his own then.”

Before the dragon could respond, Max rolled his body, catching him off guard as he was tossed lightly on his side.

“Up with you! I’m happy you’re feeling better, so now it’s time to bring me into the loop.”

Kal was shocked that the human had caught him by surprise so easily. He wasn’t used to having his guard down around others, and it seemed to just come naturally when he was here. That should be a bad thing, but no matter how his instincts protested, his mind was at peace.

“Very well. You deserve as much and beyond, but I can start with some answers.” The dragon followed behind Max as he plopped himself lazily on the couch. Kal was tempted to hop onto the couch with him, but decided against it. An errant thought, he convinced himself.

Kal sniffed at the chair he previously sat upon and detected his own scent. He was still ashamed to have marked the chair on accident, but he felt a warm relaxation flow to the end of his tail knowing that Max hadn’t cleaned the fabric or trashed the chair. He was safe to be himself here.

Max watched as Kal quietly settled onto the comfortable cushion. The dragon circled a few times like a dog before resting with his claws (thankfully) over the edge of the seat. “I don’t really know where to start, since there’s so much I don’t know. Why don’t you explain from what you think is the beginning? Assume I know nothing.”

Kal nodded. “Very well.”

The dragon had Max’s complete and rapt attention as he explained everything for the next few hours. He began by revealing the reason his emotions crashed today was because he was scared it would have seemed like he lied about making reparations with the human. His attendants, who report directly to Kal’s sire, didn’t believe he had followed the proper procedures for negotiating the debt owed the previous night, and chose to accompany him today to check personally.

While they had a great time talking to each other yesterday, Kal was supposed to be solemnly discussing the ways that Max demanded the debt be repaid. This would have included a short brief on how dragons “shake hands” with humans so both parties acknowledge the negotiation was done with respect. The little headbutt that Max had picked up and performed by chance was called Nat Neri, a signal that he had been shown respect previously and was open to further discussions.

Kal explained that if Max hadn’t done the Nat Neri, it would mean that Kal had explicitly disrespected him the previous night. This would have reflected poorly on Kal and his Slate by association, and given Max’s position in the Froitte Group, it would have become a nasty scandal.

“It would have been preferable for you to have done the Nat Neri with me, but since my attendants represent me by proxy, it showed a sense of generosity that you would also thank Grend for his assistance. I think you left a good impression on him.”

“That’s good, but your other attendant looked like he wanted to kill me.”

“Kuvik is a dragoness, and she likely did. She’s been my attendant since I hatched and is very protective. She can be… hard at times, but she truly wants the best for my future. She would never actually hurt you, probably, but was in a bad mood since neither of them believed my story of yesterday. Speaking of which-”

Kal went on to explain how personal debts worked in dragon society, from how they are determined and the “plus one” rule that repayments typically followed. Since Max had been fairly badly injured, the typical repayment would have been an equal amount of pain inflicted on Kal plus one additional ‘injury’ as negotiated between parties. It was the same reason that they had replaced Max’s broken things with better versions. Max couldn’t believe how barbaric it seemed, he never would have wanted to be paid back like that.

Kal went deep into history of why dragons had to change their ways when human society integrated with them a century ago. Even though the two mostly stayed separate, the great wars dragons and humans fought would no longer be tolerated. Dragons typically suffered no insult and would violently rebuke in retaliation against any injustice against them. The “plus one” rule was agreed upon between the most powerful Slates so dragons could still resolve conflicts in a way more familiar to them.

Max shook his head. “Even if I was intent on getting payback, which I’m only even humoring for your sake, it’d be against those other two dragons.”

“That was my doing, since I insisted you had taken that blow in my stead, which is not untrue, I have created a debt with you. Those two should additionally resolve their own.”

“It’s also not very true, but we can’t change that now. And, we’d have never met otherwise, so there’s a silver lining.”

The dragon smiled warmly, gaze softly lingering on Max. “I believe that covers my worries from this evening. I apologize for consuming your frozen treats.”

“You’ll just have to get me an even tastier flavour as a plus one, right? I don’t mind sharing either, just maybe without you sticking your whole maw in it this time.” He winked.

“There is no more an efficient way to consume such a thing, but I suppose that I’ll abide by your conditions.”

The two laughed together before Max remembered the promises they made yesterday.

“I almost forgot, but I think you said yesterday that you’d have some answers for me today about your ‘situation,’ as you called it.”

Kal tilted his head in confusion then stiffened as he recalled. “Ah, yes. In the height of my emotions the thought escaped my mind’s claw.”

Max could see the dragon curled himself tighter, it was clear that Kal didn’t enjoy speaking of himself. “If you don’t want-”

Kal spread his wings and shook his head to quash Max’s suggestion. “No, no. I requested time to gather my thoughts, and I have done so. My discomfort is not of concern.”

“I’ve told you your discomfort is of concern to me. And you call me the brainless one.”

Kal smiled at the quip, but his soul unwound at the words. It was exactly for that reason that he was able to speak of this at all.

“First, I have a question. Please answer honestly.” Max nodded.

“Do you notice anything strange about me?” Kal hopped off the chair and trotted softly back and forth to allow the human to examine him.

“Well, you’re a lot smaller than the rest of the dragons I’ve seen, but I’ve also not seen that many.”

“Correct, this is an important facet of my shame.”

Max looked in disbelief. “All that grief because you’re short?”

Kal walked closer and shook his head. “Dragons do not grow in the same way humans do. Where you would have puberty, if my knowledge of your kind is correct, dragons have two separate stages of great growth beyond the gradual effects of age. Only some will ever face Korristra Kal late into their lives, but every dragon begins approximately my size, then faces Katra Kal around the age of twenty. During the month-long period, we grow substantially to the size you’ve seen with my attendants or the many of the other dragons studying here. It is also when dragons gain the ability to breathe fire.”

Kal opened his maw and chomped his teeth together, as if to exemplify he couldn’t produce flame. Seeing how sharp those teeth were, Max wasn’t going to tease him on that.

“That sounds painful. I have stretch marks and a little back pain left over since I grew more than most humans, and puberty takes over a year!”

“It is, and also the most vulnerable time in a dragon’s life.”

“Makes sense. But what’s there to worry about, won’t you just get your own once you turn twenty?”

Kal slapped his tail against the floor in annoyance. “Max. I am thirty-three as of this month.”

“Oh. Happy belated at least?”

Kal rolled his ruby eyes. “How charming. But you should know that this biological failure is not lost by my kin, particularly not by my Slate.”

“So, you being here at KA Tech… Scurr and Eassic probably got annoyed that you performed better than them when they’re bigger and stronger and you’re so tiny.”

Kal opened his mouth to correct him, but realized that Max was probably right. “You could have used kinder words, but that would explain their demeanour towards me.”

“Did you go flaunting your grades? I wouldn’t even suggest doing that around friends, it can ruin relationships pretty fast.”

The dragon returned to the chair and settled in. “An oversight on my part then. Human ways of education are strange, yet effective.” Kal shook his head. “But it goes beyond that-” He gulped, unable to find the will to speak the rest of the point. He changed the topic. “How much do you know of dragon names?”

“Not much, other than the fact I can’t pronounce most of ‘em.” He pressed his index fingers into his head and stuck out his tongue.

Kal huffed an amused gust of air. “That is something you will struggle with if you continue studies in dragon medicine.”

“I’ve always had a tough time with speaking exams…”

“You should know that names hold information for dragons. The sounds at the beginning signify one’s Slate, and the rest give further meaning to that. My name starting with “Ka” is a big deal.”

Max scratched his chin, curious about how much information was held in such short names. “That’s a lot of information. I don’t think I’d be able to understand unless I can get a tutor. But I’d only accept one with a good sense of humour and black scales.”

“To teach such a basic subject as pronunciation would be below me.” He joked.

The two ruminated in silence, gears turning in their heads at matching speeds. Their eyes met with a cunning gleam.

“Would others see it that way?” Max asked.

“Of course.” Kal replied.

“Maybe as some kind of punishment then?”

“Absolutely.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Well, that solves the debt! And thank goodness, because I don’t think I could bruise you if I really tried.” Max shook his injured hand.

“As strong as dragons are, you should not sell yourself short or highlight your weaknesses. Others will think less of you!” Kal spoke pointedly, this was something often on his mind.

“Well, I don’t really care what most people, or dragons, have to say about me. Do you think less of me?” Max replied casually.

“Of course not! You are one of the most talented pupils at this institution, you have the respect of renowned academics who are acknowledged by both human and dragon leaders, and you have an impressive record that rivals even the greatest!” Kal hopped off the chair and trotted closer.

“Max Hein, you have a tremendous wealth of wisdom, a great sense of humour, a- and-” he paused to breathe, “you are the kindest soul I have-” Max was staring, mouth lightly agape. “Oh, grahk, forget I said anything.”

“Kal, no. I didn’t mean to throw you off.” He righted himself and looked down at the dragon. “I just wasn’t expecting you to say such nice things. You’ve been more of a sarcastic insult kind of guy for the day I’ve known you.”

Kal looked away. “And for the short hours I’ve known you, I’ve found a peace that I’d lost since my coming here. You deserve much more than those words.”

Max couldn’t help but smile. He often received praise for his academics and research, but had really hadn’t had any kind of compliment to his person. His heart had warmed but he couldn’t let himself get sappy or it would melt, which defaulted him back to sarcasm.

“Well, do you have any compliments about how good I look then?” He laid sideways; arm propped under his head in a humorous take of a model’s pose.

Kal caught his jaw dropping in disbelief before righting it to prevent the human from getting any more ammunition for his jokes, the black dragon couldn’t believe the audacity.

“Pah, perhaps by human standards I would consider you above average in looks. But any dragon with an ounce of effort into their looks would surpass you.”

Max recognized the dragon’s tail swishing nervously when he tried to act tough. He grinned wickedly.

“But you think I look better than most humans, eh? If I knew any better, I’d say you really like me.”

Kal shot daggers from his slitted eyes; he knew the human was trying to skew his scales.

“For your information, I plan on being the sire of a large clutch of eggs. Even with the research Dr. Froitte has completed, you don’t have the capacity to lay such a clutch. Thus, we are incompatible and I am simply stating fact.”

“You were thinking of having children with me? Kal, I’m honoured!” He played dramatically.

“You are insufferable, Max Hein. I- You-” He stuttered repeatedly. “I… can’t best you in this game of words, I admit defeat.” The dragon’s posture dropped, but a smile remained.

Max watched the dragon hesitate to step closer before turning to the chair.

“That’s twice now I’ve seen you wanting to sit with me. Come on, I don’t bite.”

Kal froze, caught in what he’d hoped to be a private thought.

“Such an arrangement wouldn’t be proper.”

“Talking about your feelings with someone you owe a debt of pain to sounds improper to me too, but does it look like I give a damn?”

Kal sighed. “No, I suppose you don’t care in the slightest for any of my culture, do you?”

“Not if the culture is what’s weighing you down. Come on, hop up!” He patted the sofa in front of him.

The dragon moved slowly, but the decision was already made in his mind. Gracefully, Kal jumped on to the sofa in front of the prone human. He flinched when Max pulled him in close to his chest, not used to being in contact with others.

Kal could feel a dull warmth from the young man seeping into his tucked wings. Max’s heart pulsed rhythmically against his own making a simple beat that soothed his worries. He could feel the human’s dextrous hands on his chest scales holding him firmly, comfortably, in place. Kal’s tail ran along the man’s leg, curling subconsciously around his ankle. Their eyes were perfectly aligned, Kal being nearly as long as Max was tall, and they exchanged a silent gaze.

The two tilted heads together in Nat Neri and held as the dragon gave gratitude for the honesty, the understanding, and the kind touch from the young researcher.

---

The two cuddled platonically as Max flicked on a show to fill the audio space, allowing them to simply enjoy each other’s presence.

Max hadn’t ever really cuddled before, but it had just felt like the right thing to do for Kal in the moment. He was worried it would be too strange, or carry some hidden meaning for dragons, but his fears allayed when the dragon relaxed against him some time through the first episode of The Slaughterdroid Journals.

As the Sci-Fi comedy played in the background, Max’s mind drifted to his earlier curiosities. “Hey Kal?”

The dragon craned his head backwards to look at him. “Yes, Max?”

“Sorry to bring up the chase from yesterday, but how did your claws do so much damage to the floor? I haven’t even seen bigger dragons so much as scratch the tiles when moving around.”

“What do you mean?” His head tilted.

“When you passed by me, when Scurr and Eassic were chasing you, your claws chewed a chunk out of the hallway floors.”

“I did?! Another debt I will have to pay.” He moped.

“You won’t have to worry about that, I convinced those two to take the blame, they’ve already paid up in fact!”

Kal pushed his back firmly into Max’s chest. “Thank you. I shall have funds transferred to your account in reparation then.”

“I thought dragon debts were supposed to be a negotiation, you can’t just decide on your own.” He tapped the dragon on the nose.

“I thought you would be incapable of learning dragon culture, I’m impressed. What would you have me do?”

“As I was trying to ask, I just want to know how it happened. You haven’t torn up my good chair or this couch, but carved through that tile like it was clay.”

“Feel for yourself, if you wish.” Kal raised a front paw, shaking the wicked claws before Max’s face.

Max reached out slowly, but stopped himself before grabbing the paw.

“Why the hesitation? Please do not let this be the moment I find out that the memes of humans embarrassed to hold hands are true.”

Max’s cheeks flushed red, and Kal burst out laughing inches from his face.

The man looked away. “It’s just a bit awkward, okay?”

“You’ve held me close to your chest for the greater fraction of an hour, yet find it shameful to feel my paw?”

“In my defense, I feel awkward with the cuddling too.”

“Ves Ven, I knew you were an idiot deep down.” The dragon grinned. “Just grab my damn paw.”

Max did so, not wanting to be made more the fool than he already was.

He was amazed at how soft the dragon’s paw pads felt, yet how firm they became under pressure. The pads were a dull grey, just a few shades lighter than his midnight black scales. Max spent a minute just exploring the scaled flesh, feeling the hard bones lining the top and the muscle surrounding the joints.

Kal grumbled pleasantly. “I should find a way that you’ve wronged me so I can demand this massage more often.”

“You could also just ask.” Max grinned. “But then I could say no.”

He moved his attention then to the claws. They protruded from the tips of Kal’s three “fingers,” with a fourth, smaller one, further up the rear of his foreleg. They were black as night, matching Kal’s dark scales, but with less shine to them. Twisting the dragon’s paw in the light, he could see the glint at the tip warn just how sharp these natural weapons were.

“Squeeze the sides of a claw and hold.” Kal suggested.

Max followed the instruction, pressing on the sides on the dragon’s middle digit. It was hard, but surprisingly had some flex to it. He explored the roughness, feeling grooves with his own (much less deadly) nails.

He was going to comment on the texture when Kal flexed his foreleg and he gasped instead.

In an instant, Kal’s claws pushed his fingers as they grew an inch in length and half an inch in width and changed colour to a faint red matching the dragon’s eyes. The texture changed too, with all roughness vanishing to a smoothness that rivaled a polished gem. He would never risk feeling them, he just knew that the tips got even sharper too.

Max stared in awe even as Kal released his held breath and the claws returned to their previous black state.

“That was so cool, it was like magic!” Max couldn’t take his eyes, or hands, off the claws. “Can all dragons do that?”

Kal withdrew his paw from Max’s hand leaped gracefully off the couch to look up at the man’s face. “No. And this relates to the last secret I’ve been unable to speak of.”

The dragon shifted nervously before steeling himself and bowing gracefully, looking carefully to the side to avoid hitting any errant vases with his outstretched wing.

“My true name is not Kal, but Kalore. I am the son and sole living offspring of the patriarch of the most powerful Slate on this continent.” He closed the bow and sat stiffly before Max.

“My genetics are special, to say the least. My sire spent close to a millennium curating and breeding the perfect offspring to be superior to the rest of dragonkind. I am the last result of those efforts, and yet I am a failure, unable to face my Katra Kal. Thus, I was sent to this university, so I may be forgotten by the eyes set on my Slate.”

“Wow.” Max had guessed the dragon was somewhat important, given his access to funds and assistants at the beck and call, but this was absurd. “That’s a lot of weight on your shoulders.”

“An immense sum.” Kal jumped back onto the couch with Max, quickly settling in against the man’s body. “I have never spoken of this to anyone. It is frightening to say the words.”

Max pulled the dragon in close once again in a tight hug. “Your secret is safe with me Kal.”

“Thank you.” He enjoyed the embrace but broke free from the human’s grasp sooner than he would have liked. “While I would enjoy cuddling and watching more of this human entertainment, which I will admit has hooked my attention, I must be on my way or Kuvic may actually kill you.”

Max stood, understanding the urgency. “Yeah, let’s not make that happen. But we’ll see each other again soon I hope.”

Kal trotted to the door and cracked it open. “Your lessons in draconic begin tomorrow.” The dragon winked and, without another word, disappeared into the night as the door closed behind him.

Max pressed himself to the window, hoping to catch a glance as Kal flew away. But the dragon was too quick, and he was left wondering.

What had he just gotten himself into? Why couldn’t Kal face his Katra_ Kal_? How bad was his draconic pronunciation actually? And what else would he learn from that quirky black dragon?

Well, those would be questions for tomorrow. For now, Max needed to get some sleep or those bruises would never go away.

---

Glossary of Terms

Slate – A formal term for a dragon’s ‘family.’ This term dates back to when dragon clans would track their lineage on massive slates of obsidian.

Grahk – A simple exclamation for dragons, akin to “Shit!”_ or “_Damn it!”.

Katra Kal – The “puberty” of dragons where they grow from the size of a large dog to that of a car. This process takes place over the course of a month and leaves the dragon vulnerable. It usually begins around the age of 20, typically around one’s Slate or close confidants to ensure safe growth. The process increases a dragon’s strength and grants them the ability to breathe fire. It does not align with a dragon’s sexual maturity, which develops independently.

Korristra Kal** **– The second major growth for dragons where they grow from the size of a car to that of a house. This process is rare and only comes to dragons who possess great power, resources, and desire to undergo the change. Typically, only the heads of influential Slates will undergo the process as it requires constant feeding and protection for close to a year where the dragon lies catatonic. The completion of this process yields immense power at the cost of mobility and allows the dragon to live for thousands of years.

Nat Neri** **– A headbutt ‘handshake’ dragons do to signify mutual respect.

Ves Ven – The formal dragon address towards a human.

Wingdrake – The name for students and sports teams at Krall-Andersson Tech.