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The green lizard wrapped his arms around his body, regretting not bringing a jacket on his way out. He hadn't realized how cold it was, it had been such a warm day but the night had brought the chill with it.

Jairus cursed his friend, he liked Sheren but the weasel could be overbearing at times. When he called up, demanding Jairus to come to his place and meet with their group of friends, saying no was basically out of the question - he would browbeat anyone into submission, begging and pleading and demanding until someone gave in. Jairus didn't want to go through all that tonight...just doing it was easier.

He was pretty sure they didn't need to meet like this, they could have done it at school like they usually did, but Sheren had insisted, and it sounded like everyone else was going to be there Jairus didn't want to be left out of that. Apparently something big was going to go down, and he was pretty sure he knew that their target, as it always was, was a white dragon named Price Ragano.

Price seemed to have it all. It seemed like almost everyone else in the school adored him, teachers and students alike, and he constantly had friends flocking around him. He excelled in both mind and body, playing on several sports teams while maintaining the best grades in school - and he made it seem effortless at that. And through it all, he never got a big head or bad attitude - in fact he never shoved his success in anyone's face, he was endlessly supportive of everyone no matter what they were trying to achieve.

There was really no question that jealousy was a motivating factor in Jairus' feelings and the feelings of his friends. They wanted what he had, and they couldn't have it, and that made them go after him. But so far Price had been untouchable - even when the plans worked as intended, such as getting a bucket of paint dumped on him, he laughed it off and made the best of it, like letting his body be painted more and having pictures be taken as art. The fact that they couldn't rattle him had Jairus wondering why they continued to bother - he didn't want to face further humiliation when one of their plans inevitably led back to them. But he didn't have a hope of convincing the others, so he went along with it anyway.

Finally he arrived at Sheren's house, and he didn't even have to knock before the weasel had pulled open the door and eagerly greeted him. "C'mon in, dude! Hurry up, everyone's waiting!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Jairus grumbled a bit, letting his displeasure be known without putting too much on it. Still, the house was nice and warm, and he was happier to be in there than out in the cold again.

The living room, true to Sheren's word, had everyone else: Bruce, a boar who Jairus didn't really get along with much, Grant, a leopard who had a habit of dyeing his spots, Travis, a fox who was the dry wit of the group, and Ken, a wolverine that Jairus had spent more time with than anyone else bar Sheren. Most of them seemed more eager to be here than he was, though still in varying stages of discontent.

"So, now are you gonna tell us what this is all about?" Grant asked as Sheren get them all seated.

"Only the best idea I've ever had!" Sheren's eagerness was a little disconcerting. "This is gold, guys, we couldn't ask for more. It's confirmed - Price is into dudes."

This wasn't exactly met with resounding shock. Travis was the first to speak up. "That's it? Doesn't everyone already know that?"

"Everyone thinks that, Travis, but he doesn't talk about it so they're all just wondering. But I got real insider info, talked to a couple people who were interviewing him for an article in the school paper, and they swore up and down that it was the truth. So NOW we can say with certainty that he's gay! And, even better, he's not seeing anyone!"

Ken rolled his eyes. "What, are we taking this to the tabloids or something? Come on, man, this is-"

"No, guys, think! He's not in a relationship...we know he likes dudes...this is our chance! We can get him for real, take him down a peg!"

It took a moment, but Bruce was first to catch on. "We're gonna get someone to date him and then break up with him?"

"Exactly! Show him that just because he's so special doesn't mean he's gonna be able to have everything he wants! And we gotta make it big and public, too, so that everyone sees it! That'll be the best part!"

Bruce and Grant seemed to be on Sheren's page now, their eyes lit up at the thought of dethroning the dragon in that fashion. On the other side, Travis, Ken, and Jairus seemed no less dubious than before. "Seriously? Dating him and then breaking up with him? That sounds stupid as hell."

"It's not stupid," Grant said defensively. "What messes with people more than love? Or whatever you want to call this. Everything we've done has just been simple, it hasn't actually gotten to him...this is definitely gonna, and even better, it's almost certainly not gonna get us in trouble. I mean, who's gonna be able to prove it?"

"And I suppose you just think he's magically gonna be attracted to someone who you can convince to humble him?" Jairus countered. "Seriously, this is a dumb idea and it's not gonna end well. Anyone who digs him enough to want to go out with him isn't gonna break it off just because you want to see him squirm. They adore him! They'd jump at the chance to go out with him!"

"That's true..." Sheren said contemplatively, though there was a hint of something in there that sounded odd. "We couldn't just ask anyone to do this, it'd have to be someone who doesn't like him."

"Exactly." Jairus folded his arms and turned away; this had been a waste of time, and he had half a mind to just leave and be done with it. "You'd have to find someone Price would be interested in, who didn't like him, but would be willing to pretend he did for long enough to make him suffer. That's gonna be impossible."

"Actually, Jai, that's gonna be you."

The lizard whipped his head around, almost smacking Sheren in the nose. "What?! Dude, you know I'm-"

"Yeah, dude, I know you're straight. That's the point! It's not like you're gonna be into him, so you'll be the perfect decoy! And you fit everything else, you don't like him any more than we do!"

"That doesn't even...weren't you listening? It doesn't even matter if Price isn't gonna bite, and there's no way he's gonna think I'm hot! I'm not gonna waste my time with something that won't work!"

"Actually...he might." Five sets of eyes turned towards Ken. "You know, I've seen him look at you before...not like, staring and drooling, but just, you know, that little sideways glance that says that you've got his attention."

"Oh, bullshit!"

"I'm serious. I think he digs you. And that means that you might actually be able to pull this off."

"Come on, this isn't funny!" Jairus could feel the tide turning, though; all five friends had their eyes on him now, and all of them bar possibly Ken seemed to be now intrigued by the potential their little plot had. "You know I'm not just gonna agree to this, right? I can't fake being in a relationship, what makes you think I'll agree to this?"

"Because..." Suddenly Sheren pulled out a wad of money and put it into Jairus' hand. "I'm paying you five thousand bucks to do it."

Jairus could do nothing but stare at the cash. It was a low blow, Sheren knew Jairus' family wasn't well off and he rarely had money to spend, and this was a sum he knew Jairus wouldn't be able to pass up. But those thoughts wouldn't occur to him until later, overridden by the shock of having it and the possibilities of what it could do.

"...Okay. I'm in. But no promises, if he's not into me then there's nothing I can do about that, so don't be giving me shit if that's the case."

"Sure, sure," Sheren said, grinning widely, clearly not concerned about that. "You're gonna be part of a legend, buddy...savor it."

---

Sheren had left the details of the approach up to him. It hadn't been easy; Jairus didn't know how he could just walk up to someone like Price and strike up a conversation. The dragon was practically a deity, he'd have people approaching him all the time. He'd have to do something that was worth Price taking his time to be around him.

The answer came to him in the middle of math class. He was staring at the homework he had been given...it might as well have been in a different language. Math was never his strongest subject...not that he was that strong a student to start with, he tried but a lot of things seemed like they just never took. _How the hell do I figure this out? I need an interpreter or something...

...or a homework buddy._

It made perfect sense. Price was brilliant, he'd be able to help for sure, and his friendly nature would be easy to take advantage of. With that in mind, he felt a lot more at ease as he headed off to lunch.

The lunch room may have been crowded, but it was easy to spot Price. Jairus shared a couple of classes with him, so he knew what he looked like pretty well, and he was always at one of the most populated tables. Once his eyes landed on the pearly dragon, cheerily talking and laughing with a dozen others, he felt his heartbeat accelerate. This was crazy, this was stupid, there was no way this was gonna work...why was he even doing this?

He did it anyway. Walking up to the table, he swallowed and put his hand on Price's shoulder. The dragon turned, seeming a bit surprised, probably because Jairus had never approached him before. "Oh, hey! Jairus, right?"

"Er, yeah...Um, I wanted to ask...I'm having a lot of trouble with my math homework...I just...I don't get it at all. You seem to know all this stuff, and I thought...well, if you're not too busy, do you think you could help me figure it out?"

"Yeah! I'd be happy to!" Jairus was almost startled. Price hadn't even hesitated in the slightest, and his enthusiasm was beyond what he would have expected. He caught himself a moment later, returning a smile as best he could. "We'll meet in the study hall after school, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can!"

"Y-yeah, okay! I'll see you then!" He turned and got back into the lunch line, heart racing. That went better than he thought...but what the hell was gonna be next? He didn't really have a plan, and he was sure that it was going to fall apart at some point with something he had no control over. Shaking his head, he tried to focus on not panicking...that would only get him found out quicker.

---

The first study session went off smoothly - in fact, well to Jairus's benefit, as Price had explained a math concept to him in a way that he actually understood. That had helped him greatly on the pop quiz that the teacher had sprung the next day, enough that the teacher had called him to the desk to make sure he hadn't cheated. With that, it was all too easy to request more of them, and Price seemed all too eager to oblige.

They'd been meeting three times a week, going over various issues Jairus was having with the material. There was no shortage of them; Jairus wasn't the best student, he made more effort than some students who got bad grades but wasn't very good at keeping his head in the game. The teachers didn't seem to be that much help, but Price's explanations were doing him a world of good, even if they weren't a universal cure.

On Friday, at the end of the third week of his tutoring, he was a bit distracted. He was trying to think of a way to get things moving a little bit further...sure, he owed Price for all his time, but he couldn't really afford to take him out anywhere...well, he did have the money that Sheren had given him, but he wasn't ready to put that out there and have his parents wonder where he got it.

"Jairus? Hey, you all right?"

Jairus started and looked back at Price. The dragon was looking at him curiously. "Ah, yeah, sorry...just kinda information overload. I'm having trouble keeping it all straight in my head."

"Sorry. Chemistry's kinda complicated...there's a lot of stuff to remember. Maybe we should knock off for the day, pick this up again on Monday. You got any plans for tonight?"

"Nah...just probably gonna hang out at home."

"Ah, okay..." Price went quiet for a moment. "Hey, d'you...wanna go out for dinner or something?"

"Dinner?" Jairus's mind went blank momentarily. Here he was trying to figure out how to advance things further, and Price was doing all the work for him.

The lack of clear reaction made Price's face fall a bit. "Yeah, I mean...oh, jeez, I hope I didn't...if you're not into that, I mean, that's fine, I just...figured I'd give it a shot."

"Oh...uh, oh, sorry, I just...I was surprised, is all! Um, yeah, I...I would like that. Thanks." He cursed himself for being slow on the uptake, but Price's relief may have gotten him a break.

"Awesome! Hey, there's a nice little café just a couple blocks from here, it'll definitely still be open, you wanna try it?"

"Sure, yeah!" Jairus tried to show enthusiasm, to shake off the surprise. He didn't want to get Price's suspicions up now. As the eager dragon gathered up his books, he did the same and followed him out of the school, and they traveled along the streets to a place called Fari's. Jairus had been by it but never in it; he didn't really have the money to be eating out at places.

It had turned out to be quite the experience. Not for the setting - Fari's was quiet, quaint even, and the food was good for sure, but it was more for the fact that Price and he were talking, and for the first time it had nothing to do with school. Price peppered him with questions about himself, his friends, what he liked to do, casual small-talk stuff, and it was all Jairus could do to go with the flow and keep up with it. He usually just returned the questions, his head spinning too much to make much of an independent contribution, but Price didn't seem to mind at all, eagerly chatting with him about anything and everything. It was amazing how much he could say, and once again Jairus found himself lost in information overload, picking up on just enough details to remember for future meetings.

After nearly an hour, the check came, and Jairus suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He reached for it, only to be stopped by Price. "Uh...I really should pay-"

"No no! I invited you, it'd only be fair for me to pay!"

"Y-yeah, but you...I mean, you've been giving up your time to help me like this, it wouldn't really be fair for me not to give anything in return..."

"No, really, it's all right! I'm glad to be able to help, and you don't have to feel obligated to do anything in return!" He nabbed the check before Jairus could put up any more argument. To the lizard, this was probably for the best - it wasn't a big check but it still would have been more than he was expecting to pay. Still, the slight feeling of guilt wouldn't go away as he watched Price lay out the cash for it.

Why are you feeling guilty? You're doing this to get back at him, for your friends. Don't worry about it, just let him pay out for it.

That didn't really end up helping, and the guilt stuck with him as they left the café. After a couple more blocks they came to the point where they needed to go opposite directions. Price turned to Jairus, smiling widely. "I guess I'll see you Monday, then, huh?"

"Y-yeah...thanks for everything tonight, Price. I'm not really used to it all...I hope I didn't offend you or anything, it's just kind of new to me."

"Not at all, I thought you were great. Thanks for accepting." Price held his hand out for him, and after a moment Jairus nodded, taking the offered hand. Then, unexpectedly, Price leaned in and gave him a kiss of the cheek. His face flushed, and he almost lost it in shock. "Ah!"

"Oh!" Price took a step back. "Ah...sorry, that was...I shouldn't've done that, sorry. I just...kinda got caught up in the moment..."

"It's fine! Fine!" Jairus once again had to cool himself down. "Just...sudden is all. Erm...thanks, I...I'm glad you liked it that much."

"O-okay...right, then, uh, see you Monday!" Price broke away and headed off, looking to be a bit more hurried than before. Jairus stared after him for a bit; the kiss had come out of nowhere, and so had his response to it. He'd never had THAT kind of kiss before, and it had felt...really good...

Shaking his head, he rushed home himself, not saying anything to his parents beyond the visit to the café, and getting off to his room for the rest of the night, trying to put it out of his head. But there was nowhere left to hide when he went to bed, confusing thoughts swirling through his head. This was supposed to be an act, just something he was doing to get he and his friends one up on the dragon...but Price really seemed to care for him. And...that kiss...it had sent such a thrill through him...but he wasn't like that. Was he?

---

"Dude, I told you to keep me in the loop!" Sheren was getting antsy again, and it was making Jairus uncomfortable. It had been over a week since the kiss, and he and Price had plans to study at his house today after school, rather than hanging out in the school building as usual. Sheren was just now hearing about it.

"We just decided it earlier at lunch, stop badgering me."

"I would if you'd actually report in! So is he really getting into you then?"

"How should I know? I mean, he's definitely interested, but it's only been a few weeks. This kinda thing doesn't happen overnight!" He refused to tell Sheren about the kiss, or his response to it. That wasn't something he was ready to talk about yet, if he ever would be.

"Well, keep him engaged! If he thinks you're digging it that'll keep him invested! And hey, keep getting free dinners out of him as much as you can! He's loaded as it is, can't hurt to relieve him of a bit of that!"

"Seriously, Sheren? I don't want you bringing that kind of stuff up, it's not funny and you know it."

"Dude, chill. I'm not poking fun at you or anything, I'd take every opportunity at free food I could get. Whoop, gotta go, talk to you later!" Sheren ran off before Jairus could reply, and the frustrated lizard let out a sigh. If the weasel wanted all the information so quickly, why couldn't he do this himself? Then again, if he did, Jairus wouldn't have gotten that kiss...he shook his head fiercely. The hell is going on in my head?

"Jairus? You all right?" Price's voice shook him out of his trance, and he quickly turned and put on his best smile for the dragon. He'd gotten here way faster than expected...hopefully he hadn't heard anything that Sheren had said.

"Fine! Just, um, thinking about things! Anyway, you, uh, wanna head out now?"

"Sure! Let's go!" Price didn't push the issue, a fact which Jairus was quite grateful for. The last thing he wanted was to have to come up with excuses on the fly.

The walk to Jairus's place gave them ample opportunity to talk, and Jairus found himself really getting into the conversation this time. Whereas the café had been an avalanche that he hadn't been able to keep up with, he found he could deal with it a lot better when he was controlling the pace, keeping things slower. And now that Price had satisfied a lot of his curiosities, it was easier for Jairus to do that. It was similar to the conversations he had with his friends, yet somehow different...they felt more important, more meaningful. Not that he didn't appreciate talking with his friends, but somehow this just had more weight.

But the conversation came to a halt as they reached Jairus's house. He cringed inwardly as he saw Price's eyes widen; the house wasn't in very good shape, dingy, somewhat run-down, and fairly small, and he knew the outside was going to look better than the inside. Maybe Price was judging him...then again, he didn't seem to be that judgmental. But it was still a bit embarrassing...no doubt he was used to a much more classy living situation. "Um...yeah, we should head inside. It'll be a bit messy, um, just so you know."

"Oh, uh, yeah, that's fine..." He could hear a bit of guilt in the dragon's voice, like he knew he'd been caught reacting. He followed Jairus inside without another word.

Things didn't get much better for Jairus inside. It was messier than usual, the kitchen was in chaos as his mother was busy making something, and he didn't want to know what the other rooms looked like. Speaking of his mother, she had their attention almost immediately. "Oh? Who's this? I didn't realize you were bringing someone home."

"He's a friend from school, Mom. His name's Price. He's helping me study, that's why I've been coming home late, like I told you a couple weeks ago."

"Oh, right, that. Well, all right, but try not to make too much noise for any of us here. I'm not gonna have to make snacks for you two, am I? We don't really have anything in the house. Is he staying for dinner? We don't really have enough for another place..."

Jairus cringed. "No, Mom...we're not hungry, and he'll probably have to leave before dinner anyway."

"All right, good. Sorry, hon, nothing against you but it's just been a tough time around here lately, we don't really have a lot."

"Mom..."

"Hush, Jairus. He deserves to know that it's not about him." This didn't seem to be helping Price's feelings of awkwardness, but he did his best not to show it. "Go and say hello to your father before hiding away up in your room, now."

As if things needed to get worse. "Okay, Mom..." Jairus swallowed hard and led Price into the living room, where more mess and clutter awaited them, as well as an older lizard sitting in a chair and watching television. He barely turned his head as Jairus stepped up beside him.

"Hey, Dad...I brought a friend home. He's helping me study."

"I'll believe it when I see it." The sharp tone jolted Price visibly, but he quickly tried to get back to neutral as Jairus's father finally broke his gaze from the TV. The older reptile looked him over, as if sizing him up for something. "You're the kid who's been hanging out with my boy at school, then?"

"Yes, sir. Price Ragano. It's good to meet you."

"Ragano, eh? Name sounds familiar..." He looked over Price a bit more, but apparently found nothing offensive nor cared to pursue the name angle. "Hmph. Well, you look like you've got your head on straight. Maybe you can get my worthless boy to do something with himself."

Jairus could see Price's features tense, and his stomach sank. Goddamn it, Dad...why now...

"Been trying to smack some sense into him for a while, get him to do his work and do it right, can't seem to make it sink in...well, maybe if he sees how a good student does it, he'll realize what a waste he's been so far and actually try to make something of himself. But I guess I'm wasting your time, so go on and do it, see if you can get it through his head better than I can."

Price swallowed back a response, and contended himself with a nod. That was all the more motivation Jairus needed, as he practically pulled the dragon up the stairs to his room. Never in his life had he wanted more to just study, and not have to worry about any other subject matter.

Of course, now that he really wanted to, he knew that he wasn't going to get it. Price was looking at him almost in horror. "Did he...really say that? My god..."

"I'm sorry about that...Dad's...not the nicest guy."

"He doesn't...hit you, does he?"

"Not anymore. Used to smack me every now and then...not a beating, just one of those hits when he said I was being stupid. Mom would go off on him when he did, though, and he seemed to realize that he shouldn't be doing that and stopped...but he doesn't think a lot of me. Not that he's wrong."

"What? No! Don't say that...he doesn't have the right to be nasty about that!"

"Thanks, but you don't have to say that. You've seen my grades, I'm not that good a student, I work way too hard just to get to average. And I don't have anything else...not on a sports team, don't do anything after school, don't really have any talents. I'm just trying to muddle through...he's right that it won't get me far if I don't do better, I just don't know whether I can. I'm only seeing any progress thanks to our study sessions, but I can't keep making you do this forever."

"No! Jairus, you're a really good person, and you're getting better because of your own work! All I'm doing is just giving a bit of a, a roadmap, you're the one taking the trip! And maybe you'd already have been motivated if he didn't act like that towards you!"

"Well...he's definitely not a good motivator, I can tell you that. I don't like how he thinks I don't have any hope...I wish he'd be like other dads sometimes and try to guide me towards some career path or something, so that I got the feeling like he thought I had some kind of future."

"I...I don't know if you really want that," Price said quietly. "That isn't always an improvement."

"I guess...well, can we just get to studying? I'd kinda like to just forget that you ever went through that."

"Okay..." the dragon said quietly, pulling out his books. Jairus could see that he wasn't satisfied with that, but hoped that he'd let it pass. Having to have Price see the worst of his home life like that was embarrassing enough...if he tried to do something about it, it would only make things worse, he was sure of it.

Why do you care so much? Aren't you trying to take him down a peg? Maybe him messing up like that would help humiliate him...give you an easy reason to break his heart.

It was true...so why did it sound like such an awful idea?

---

The feelings from the unfortunate home visit lasted for the next couple days, though he did his best not to let it show. He could tell it was on Price's mind as well, he wouldn't say anything about it but there was a clear sense that he was thinking about it. Jairus didn't probe him, he didn't really want to bring it up at all, but he got the sense that the dragon was planning something...it made him a bit nervous, what was he going to do? Was it going to involve his family?

It turned out that it didn't. But he didn't find it to be any more comfortable.

They had their regular study section at school again on Friday, but Price was clearly distracted, and studying seemed to be the last thing on his mind. It was weird enough that Jairus was the one trying to keep them on track, but he could see Price checking his watch and acting more nervous than ever...it was hard not to be curious and ask what was going on. He already knew they were going on another date...was that what it was?

As 5:00 rolled around, Price suddenly snapped his book shut. "I think that's enough for today! Come on, let's get out of here and have some fun!"

"Okay?" It was definitely a departure from Price's usual, but he wasn't about to argue with that, it was exhausting trying to learn all this stuff.

They bagged up their books and headed out, and Price seemed to get a lot more focused. Jairus had a bit of a tough time keeping up with him as they headed downtown, through the busy traffic and towards whatever their destination was. The dragon wasn't even talking that much to him, mostly just keeping up his accelerated pace and staying in front of Jairus to lead him on. Finally, after over a half hour of walking, Price stopped in front of a restaurant and turned to Jairus, grinning. "Phew...sorry for the rush, I wasn't sure we'd make our reservation! I think you'll really like this place!"

Jairus cast his glance up at it. "Mazcal's...wait...isn't this place supposed to be kinda expensive?"

"Yeah, it's a bit pricy, but the food's really good! And don't you worry about the cost, I'll take care of that! Come on, let's go!" Price ushered him in without allowing any sort of protest, not that Jairus could have put up much of one at that point. They were already there, after all.

He'd worried that it would be kind of a hoity-toity place, that he'd stand out in his casual, slightly grubby clothing, though Price wasn't exactly dressed to the nines himself. Thankfully, other patrons seemed to be pretty casual themselves, so he didn't feel that out of place, though it was hard not to feel a little out of place for a restaurant he'd never expected to be able to afford being inside. The menus only reinforced that, with entrees in the $30-40 range making up most of the list. He felt a twinge of discomfort, one that wasn't alleviated by Price's insistence that he get anything he want regardless of cost...a lot of it looked really good but he was worried that he wouldn't be able to enjoy it without feeling like he was taking advantage.

Isn't that what you're supposed to be doing? Why are you so unnerved? You're getting free food.

He knew Sheren would tell him to milk it for all it was worth, but that felt somehow...wrong. He managed to swallow it enough to order one of the more modest items on the menu, still pricy but on the lower end...he could tell himself he was taking it easy if he could look at other dishes and see a higher number next to them. That did help a bit, though the twinges didn't go away fully.

The dinner ended up being a strange affair overall. The food was as good as he had hoped for the price, but then there was Price...it seemed like every word out of the dragon's mouth was endless praise for him. He couldn't stop talking Jairus up, talking about how much progress he'd made in such a short amount of time and how much potential he had. It started to become a bit uncomfortable after a while, over the top, undeserved...he didn't think that much of himself, for sure, but to say anything against it just seemed wrong somehow. He mostly just tried to deflect the conversation to something other than himself, but Price seemed to bring it back around to him every time.

And so it went for close to an hour, before they finished with their dinner and Price paid the bill. He adamantly refused to let Jairus see it, not letting him know how much he was shelling out...could he even afford something like that? He knew Price's family was rich but that didn't mean HE was himself. Maybe he was putting more than he had on this...those questions kept nagging at him as they left the restaurant, distracting him as he tried to make conversation with Price and tried to keep him from getting too gushy over him.

They walked around for a long time afterwards, Price taking him around the city to places that he hadn't really been able to get to before. It was actually a bit more restful than the dinner, especially as Price seemed to get the hint and steer away from overly praising him. Perhaps things were gonna go pretty well after all...

And then Price showed him the box.

It was sudden, unexpected. They were walking and talking, and then there was a box being pushed into his hands, a gift wrapped with a bow, small and innocent. Jairus was frozen for a moment, looking between the gift and the eager gleam in Price's eyes...hesitantly he opened it, revealing a small jewelry box, which contained a necklace inside. A simple yet sturdy chain with a ruby charm set in gold at the end, in the shape of a crab. His eyes widened, and he found himself struck quite dumb.

"I know your birthday's early in July...so you're a ruby birthstone, and your sign's a Cancer...I guess there's not that much meaning to it but I thought it would be a cute thing for you. Do you like it?"

"I...I do...but..." He could feel himself reeling inside. It was an uncomfortable feeling, he didn't know how to stop it.

"Is...is something wrong?"

"I just...it's...the dinner, and all the compliments, and then this, and...I, I know you went to a lot of work for all this, but Price...this is too much."

"Huh?" The dragon looked stricken.

"I mean, all of this...this is...I don't even know what to say, really. I...I'm just not used to this kind of thing. And having it all thrown at me at once, I just...it feels like way too much, like...I don't even know how to...describe it, but it's...I can't..."

He could see Price deflate visibly, and that hurt more than anything. It wasn't his intention to wreck things, but he couldn't have lied to him...the dragon would have noticed sooner or later. "I made you uncomfortable, didn't I?"

"...I mean...I appreciate it..."

"No, I understand." Price slumped forward, head in his hands. "I should've backed off...listened to my head rather than my heart. I just...I saw how they treated you, and I...I guess I wanted to try to convince you that you were worth it...but I guess I just came off as another obnoxious rich kid shoving his wealth in everyone's face. You didn't deserve that...I'm sorry."

Jairus barely knew how to respond to that. If Sheren was here, he'd be relishing the dejection on Price's face, something people rarely got a chance to see...but Jairus didn't feel any of that. On the contrary, it bothered him. "Listen, Price...I appreciate that you care so much. I don't get a lot of that, and...and it feels good that someone does. It's just...too much, too soon. I, I wasn't ready for this much. I just...I don't want you to worry about me. I've made it this far, and I'm gonna keep going, no matter what happens. It means more to me that you spend time with me than to try to make big gestures and all."

"Yeah...I'm sorry, I should've done that from the start. Sometimes...I guess I let my emotions have a little too much effect on me. I feel like it's, like, my duty to...well, it's hard to explain. But I know I shouldn't be going overboard like that. I won't do this again, though...I'll keep it low-key, and just try to make sure you're happy."

"Thanks...I'd like that." Hearing that was making the twisting go away, getting him back to stability. He put on the necklace, still feeling a bit unhappy about making Price feel bad about it. "It's...it's definitely a cute necklace. I'm...glad you thought of it. I just..."

"I know. It's okay...I'll make sure to talk with you before any other gifts." Price seemed to be relieved a bit as well, that Jairus wasn't laying into him. "I guess I got a bit carried away...I, uh, don't usually get to spend on other people. I...well, I'm kinda new to this, too."

That hadn't occurred to Jairus, but it made sense...it had taken people long enough to figure out Price's sexuality, because he never dated or showed much clear interest, partly because he was already so busy. Of course he would be as new to dating as Jairus was. "That's true...I guess you don't really know what you should do for something like this. I sure don't."

"Yeah. I, uh...I did want to give you...one other thing, I hope, if it's all right. It's not...not something to buy or anything..."

Price suddenly looked nervous and hesitant again. Jairus wasn't sure what he was angling at this time, but if it wasn't something lavish it would probably be a lot easier to deal with. "Yeah...okay, what is it?"

Slowly, a bit awkwardly, Price stepped up to him, putting his arms around him. He figured it out just a bit before the dragon did it, but he still found himself unprepared for when he leaned in and started to kiss him - really kiss him, not just some peck on the cheek or snout, but full-on tongue. The fact that it was happening threw him for a loop...and he was thrown for a second when he realized he was kissing back. He hadn't even thought about it, just started, tightening the embrace and working back against Price, losing himself in it.

Jairus couldn't believe how it felt...just a simple close embrace, a tying of tongues, but it was like a lightning bolt through him, a sensation of such intense happiness and contentment that his mind didn't know what to do with it. Part of him felt like he should have responded the same way as before, panic and uncertainty...after all, he wasn't supposed to be gay, wasn't supposed to be into this. Yet, it was the opposite, it soothed him, made him feel so much better, like everything that had been bothering him was gone in an instant. It felt almost tragic when they parted, so much did he want it again. The look on his face must have been obvious about it, as he heard Price's snicker through the haze.

"I guess you liked that one, huh?"

"...Wow...y-yeah, I really...really did." Now he heard himself clearly, and the admission was probably more of a surprise to him than to the dragon. He did? It was the truth...so what did that mean? "See...that itself was better than everything else."

"I guess sometimes the simple stuff is better...and probably won't make you feel inadequate. I'll be more thoughtful, I promise."

"Thanks, Price...and I really do appreciate you trying."

---

The next week saw things return to a fair bit of normal, which was a good thing because it was just about the end of the semester and Jairus needed all the study time he could get. The final exams for his classes had him incredibly nervous, not like ever before...he didn't get that nervous about those tests before because of his low expectations, but now he found himself anxious beyond belief. Price seemed to notice and put in extra study time with him, trying to help keep him calm and collected.

The end payoff was incredible - he scored high marks on all of his finals, enough to give put his term grades up to the best they'd ever been. Even he couldn't believe it, which made it a bit of a trick to get his parents believing that it wasn't the result of cheating. Seeing the look in his father's eyes, the tiny notion that perhaps there was a future for him after all, was rewarding to a degree he'd never thought possible.

He and Price had a couple of dates over the winter break, whenever Price's schedule allowed - it was incredible how busy the dragon was even without school being in session. He was keeping to his promise and keeping it low-key, though he did get Jairus a slightly less-than-modest Christmas gift of a new handheld gaming system. He insisted Jairus not give a gift in return, saying he already had more than enough and that being with him was a better gift than anything else; it was still a bit rough for him, feeling that he should reciprocate with something more, but on the other hand, it really seemed like Price meant it when he said it, and that had him feeling a bit warm and fuzzy inside as well.

Which did, on one hand, add to the confusion. He'd always thought of himself as totally straight, even if he'd never actually had any dates or romantic relationships before. Now, he was starting to question that...no way a straight guy would get that fired up over kissing another man. But it meant that he wasn't as immune from the charm of Price as Sheren had hoped...the weasel kept probing him about what he was doing with the dragon, and Jairus was finding it more and more difficult to come up with ways of hiding how far it was going. Part of him wanted to tell Sheren to call it off, give him back the money and end it...until Ken brought it up at one of their meetings and Sheren had hit the roof, proving to Jairus that it was in no way safe to suggest that. More and more, though, he found himself not wanting there to be any fake-out...he was starting to suspect that Ken had noticed, that that was why he'd floated the idea, though he hadn't said anything one way or the other.

The break came and went, too fast as always, and the first week back in class was less than wonderful for Jairus. He'd ended up with some of the least popular teachers for a couple of his classes and they'd wasted little time proving why that was. A couple of mishaps through the days had netted him some bruises and messes, and he'd ended up having a row with Bruce over something silly that given him a couple more bruises. By the time Friday rolled around, it was clear to anyone that he was in no mood to stick around.

He almost forgot about the study session, until Price hurried up to his locker just as he was about to close it. The dragon seemed a bit frazzled himself; basketball season had started in earnest and he was being kept busy by his duties on the team. "Hey, sorry I'm late...you look awful, is everything all right?"

"Yeah...fine. Just...hasn't been a good week, I'm ready to put it behind me."

"I'm sorry...is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nah, I mean...I've just gotta get away from it for a bit. That's all..."

"Er, right...um, does that mean you're leaving? I...I was actually kinda hoping to have our study session, I need something to get a break from basketball."

"Ugh...I just want out of this place. I don't wanna cancel our study section but could we do it somewhere else?"

"Sure...um, where should we go?"

Jairus sighed. "I don't really have any preference outside of not going back to my place. Wherever you think we'd be best off...I know you're not a fan of cafés or places like that..."

"I guess...we could go to my house..." Even as he said it, Price sounded extremely uncomfortable. Jairus really wasn't sure why...he knew that the dragon wasn't exactly quick to talk about his own parents, but after seeing what Jairus's were like he thought that the dragon might be more at ease with talking about such things. It couldn't be worse than what he'd seen there, could it?

"Yeah, I think that'll be fine. As good as you are, I'll bet it's really good for studying."

"Er...y-yeah...maybe..." Price didn't sound convinced of that, but he didn't argue it.

The walk to Price's house was quieter than usual between them. Price wasn't as animated as normal, in fact he seemed almost as nervous as he had before that night out at Mazcal's. It wasn't entirely unwelcome - Jairus felt like quiet helped him get his own mind in order, helped him get in the mood for studying - but it did stick out, and it made him wonder if there was something wrong with this course of action. Surely it couldn't be as bad as his parents...right?

It wasn't too long before they arrived. It was a nice, big house, looked very pleasant and upscale. Jairus expected no less, of course, knowing that Price came from money...what he didn't expect was the lack of jealousy he felt. He'd figured that envy would be all over him when he saw the dragon's living arrangements, but what he felt was pretty subdued. Maybe he just couldn't really appreciate a house so much...it would be years before he thought about that himself. What was inside might trigger his envy a bit more, though he hoped not; he didn't like that sort of temptation, it was the kind of thing that could get him in trouble.

The inside of the house seemed very similar, quite nice and upscale, and very clean, too clean to not be professional. They must have had maids doing the housework, something that Jairus was sure his mother would have killed to have. As they entered, Jairus could hear a man and woman engaged in a fairly vigorous discussion. He wasn't able to follow what it was, but it sounded like it had something to do with business. They turned towards the two as they passed through a spacious living room heading towards the stairs.

"Price Ragano!" Jairus almost jumped at the sharp tone, and he noticed Price cringing. "I haven't seen your grade report for this week. Is there something you're hiding from us?"

"There haven't been any reports, Mom...it's just the first week." The dragon sounded uncharacteristically tense. "I told you, I'll bring them in when I get them."

"Well, you'd better. I don't want a repeat of last semester, with that 98% in history you showed us. You can do better than that, Price, and you know you should be showing it. If you aren't getting 100% or better you're not doing enough work. And I still haven't seen your plan for how you intend to keep that from happening again, I expect you to have a plan soon."

"Yes, mom." Price just bowed his head. Jairus couldn't believe what he was hearing - 98% and they still weren't satisfied? His parents would have been either thrilled or accused him of shenanigans. Or both.

"That should go for your other classes, too. Just because you've got 100% doesn't mean you're doing everything you can," his father said, in a surprisingly (to Jairus) admonishing tone. "There are always ways to improve, and I expect you to find them and make those changes. And if you're leaving work behind, you're not working hard enough."

"Your father's absolutely right," agreed his mother, no less coldly. "I expect to hear your teachers tell us that you couldn't possibly do anything more in the class. Even then, I'm sure there's more you can do, but we expect you to exceed their ceilings, not their standards. And who is this? He looks awfully shabby."

"This is Jairus. I'm helping him with his homework." The tightness in Price's voice was something unfamiliar to Jairus, but he understood it right away; Price was just as uncomfortable as he had been when he'd brought the dragon to his place. And now he was starting to get an idea of why.

"Right, well, if you're doing a charity case, you'd better not let it get in the way of anything else. Distractions are the biggest impediment to your success."

"Are you sure this is the best way to be spending your time?" his father asked skeptically. "You could be practicing or studying on your own, I'm sure he's not helping you learn anything that's relevant to your knowledge gaps."

"You'd be surprised." The coldness in Price's response was a bit scary for someone who always seemed so happy. "We'll be upstairs."

He walked off towards the stairs, Jairus following close behind. His mother's voice trailed after them: "Think about it, son. You know we're right." Price didn't make any reply to that, but the tension was thick enough that Jairus could almost see it wrapped around him as they climbed the stairs.

Price's room was surprisingly sterile. There was almost nothing in there in terms of decoration, it was mostly books and school-related materials. He expected Price to have more stuff that was reflective of himself...but it seemed very limited, almost controlled. In fact, it felt like a library...not too bad a place for studying, but it didn't seem like a place where someone lived. As soon as they were inside, Price went to his books, seemingly determined to not talk about what had happened, and Jairus wasn't about to force him.

They spent two hours on their materials, productive hours for him, though it was clear the whole time that Price had other things on his mind. Finally, he didn't feel like he could handle any more knowledge for the day, and started to pack up. "It's getting pretty late...I guess I should probably head out..."

"Wait, Jairus...I want to-"

"Apologize, I'm sure," Jairus finished. "Don't worry about it...it's just parents being embarrassing as usual. Mine weren't any better."

"But I can't believe how rude they were! Well...okay, that's not true...but to your face! Mom calling you a charity case...ugh...I can't believe she said that..."

"It's okay...I'm just glad to know that parents are the same everywhere. Mine embarrassed the hell outta me, too."

"Yeah...but still, that was so rude. I thought she was better than that. And they way Dad acted..." Price shook his head. "I guess it's best if we just study at school. And they wonder why I never bring friends home..."

"You don't? Huh, I would've thought you'd be having people over all the time."

"No, almost never...because I don't want what just happened to happen to them. I mean, I've rarely heard them be like that to someone's face, but they do it all the time behind their backs...and I don't want to have to hear all the time about how I'm not surrounding myself with the 'right people.' They're already on me enough about how I wanted to attend public school rather than a private academy..."

"Oh, boy...that type, huh?"

"And worse. That's part of the reason I wanted to...I worry that I'll end up behaving like them. And...oh, jeez, Jairus, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be lumping this on you. Let's just...I'll help you get home, all right?"

Jairus was tempted to ask him to go on, but the tone of Price's voice suggested he really didn't want to, and Jairus didn't want to push it. "Okay. Thanks, Price."

---

More days passed, another couple study sessions, all kept at school again, and another weekend where the two of them went out on their own. Jairus was starting to get a feel for it all, and he could no longer deny that he really did feel like he had something with Price. Something about being around him sent his body into a flurry...which he knew he couldn't tell anyone else about, lest it get back to Sheren or the others. If they knew he was starting to become the person he was supposed to be pretending to be, they'd let him have it in an instant. But he was starting to wonder if it was really worth it...again he was wondering, maybe he was better off breaking away from it, and coming clean about everything.

If he could. Sheren was liable to end the friendship over it...and what of the others? Would abandoning them all be worth it? Even now, he wasn't sure...

As he walked to school, he mulled the question over in his head. Maybe there was a way to get out of it without pissing off the others. Sheren was likely to be a lost cause, but the others were more reasonable. Travis and Ken especially...maybe he could convince him that this was a stupid thing and not worth pursuing. And they could help with everyone else...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy breathing. He stopped dead, wondering if someone was watching him, looking around to try to figure out where it was coming from...then he realized it sounded like someone was dry heaving, like they were sick...he got an ear on the spot where it was coming from, in the bushes next to the path. He cautiously made his way over to them, preparing for it to be some drunk or maybe someone not in their right mind...he certainly hadn't expected it to be Price, bent over on the ground, looking for all the world like he was about to have a panic attack.

"Price? What's the matter?"

"Jairus!" Price turned an straightened up, trying to hide his state, but Jairus could see right through him. "E-everything's fine! Just...trying to get ready for the day is all!"

"Is that usually how you do it? Looking like you're about to throw up on the ground?" Price was a bit shell-shocked by the tone that Jairus struck, unable to respond. "If something's wrong, please, tell me. I don't want you hiding something that's bothering you that badly...that's not gonna help you at all."

It took a moment for Price to regain enough composure to respond. "I...I'm sorry...I didn't mean for you to see me like that...sometimes I have to...just...kinda take a moment to get a hold of myself..."

"What happened?"

"It's...my parents. They...they got angry with me. It was about the basketball game yesterday. They were watching the game, and...afterwards, they just...laid into me."

"What? Why?"

"Because...I wasn't the leading scorer." Now it was Jairus' turn to be in stunned silence. "I wanted to pass the ball around and get people involved, and there are stronger shooters than I am...they told me I was making a fool of myself, that I should have blown everyone away and shown off what I was capable of. They said if I wasn't committed to basketball then I shouldn't embarrass myself, and they'd be watching me a lot more closely to make sure I was doing as well as I should be. It's just...it's so hard, to please them...I gotta do everything and I don't even know if that'll be enough...I mean, I know they're right, I could be so much better at everything, but, it's still so much, and I don't wanna be seen as selfish or big-headed or something..."

"Okay, settle down...it's okay, Price..." Jairus held him tight, trying to soothe the dragon. He could swear he felt the heartbeat under his hand, so frenzied was his state. It wasn't just the verge, this seemed to him like a full-on panic attack...how often had Price been doing this before school, then coming in pretending everything was all right? Maybe the idea that he had it all going for him was just a front he put up to hide what his struggles were...

Jairus made a decision right there. He stood up, pulling Price to his feet, away from the direction of the school. "C'mon, let's go."

"Go? Wha-Jairus, wait! That's...that's not the way to-"

"I know. We're not going."

Price's eyes couldn't have gone wider if they'd been pulled out of his head. "But...but we can't! We'll-"

"Price!" Jairus stopped and turned, looking straight into Price's eyes. "You're a mess. You're so stressed you can barely think straight. School's only gonna make that worse for you, and I'm not gonna let you put yourself through that, not today. We're ditching, and we're going to get you relaxed."

"But...where can we even go? Someone'll see us and know we're not supposed to be-"

"C'mon, Price, you think this is the first time I've ever done this? I've got a couple spots in mind...but there's one that's really sticking out. Let's go!" He pulled at the dragon's arm, and eventually Price started to comply, following him on his unusual whim. He still looked very out of sorts, and Jairus knew he was pushing Price well out of his element...which, he felt, might end up being good for him.

A couple people looked at them strangely as they ran by, no doubt wondering what two clearly school-age students were doing running away from the direction of the school. There were brief moments of worry within Jairus that one of them would call them out, or try to notify some authority that would stop them, but it seemed that they didn't care enough to do so, as looks were the worst they received. Perhaps people just weren't all that concerned about what they were up to...which was just what Jairus was banking on. It wasn't his first time skipping, though it had been a while since he'd done it, but he usually found it pretty easy, at least until he had to face the music later. But right now, that "later" was the last thing on his mind.

They slowed as they reached the park, quite a distance from the school and fairly empty given that it was the middle of the morning, when most were at school or work. It was a familiar haunt for Jairus, he knew some great places to hide there and he used them even when he wasn't ditching class. He expected, though, that Price had never really been there before; it wasn't really near where his family lived and he probably didn't have a lot of chances to get to explore around here. And sure enough, the dragon seemed rather engrossed by the scenery around - it was a nice park, nothing that special, but novel nonetheless.

"This is...a really nice place. I didn't know there was a park like this so close by..."

"It's awesome, I come here to hang out a lot. Especially nice when I really don't feel like hanging around the house with my parents...sometimes I just need to get away from them for a bit, either let them cool off or let me cool off. Do you have a place like that?"

Price hesitated before shaking his head. "I...never thought about it. I always...I dunno, figured they'd come hunt me down or something, and I was too scared to actually hide from them...I thought that'd make it worse. My room's really my only refuge, and that's not really much of one."

"In the house isn't a refuge at all. No, you need a place farther away...like here. Come on." Jairus pulled Price off the path, into a rather thick grove of trees. They clambered through a bit until they came to a small stream with a patch of empty grass next to it, a nice little hiding spot away from prying eyes. It was here that he flopped down onto his back on the ground, grinning up at Price. "Here we are! Relax, take a rest, settle down a bit..."

"Are you sure?"

"Dude, this is why I brought us out here. You need this, so take it!"

Hesitantly, Price nodded and sat down. "Okay...um...what are we...gonna do here?"

"Just rest. I mean, you have your bag, so you can read a book if you have one, but I don't really do much of anything here. It's just my place to free myself from the stresses of the world, and I don't need anything for that."

"Oh...um, okay...I guess I'll try that..." Slowly Price made his way next to Jairus and laid down next to him, staring up at the sky blankly. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do from there, so he just tried to copy the lizard, looking over at him every now and then to see if there was any change. But no...apart from occasionally closing his eyes or opening them to gaze upwards, nothing was going on that he could see. It was pure quiet and peace...he'd never known something like that before, his life was always busy and active, his parents always said that if you had time to do nothing you had time to do something, and they did more that just encourage the something. Sleep was the only rest he ever got, and even that wasn't exactly as restful as he hoped.

At the start it was troublesome...he couldn't get his anxieties out of his head, they swirled around like a tornado inside him, whipping his thoughts around and making him start to feel ill again. As the minutes ticked by, he wondered if he wasn't going to start heaving again...but he didn't want to, didn't want to soil this peaceful place with his worries. Jairus had brought him here, after all, it was a place that meant something to him...it felt like it would be a betrayal to leave a mark like that there. So he laid there, holding it in, stewing in his fears and worries...

And then, almost like a switch flipped in his head, he stopped. Too frustrated to keep letting it bother him when he could do nothing about it, he simply...forced himself to stop thinking. He looked up, focusing his eyes on the clouds passing through the slight gaps in the trees that he could see, and the swaying of the leaves in the branches. Any time something entered his head, he cast it out, refusing to let himself dwell on it. And...it was working. His body was relaxing, his heart calming, the sick feeling in his stomach leaving him. His breathing slowed, and he finally started to feel at ease with life...maybe it would only last for a little while, but he already found it a precious gift.

It wasn't clear how much time passed before Jairus leaned up and looked over at him. "How're you feeling?"

"...Okay. Rested...relaxed...like I don't ever remember feeling before..."

"Ever? That's just wrong. You should have the chance to feel like this at least every now and then. But I'm glad you're feeling it now, at least...you're not gonna throw up or anything if you feel this relaxed. It's nice, isn't it?"

"It is...you do this a lot?"

"A fair bit. It's a place people don't look, so a good place to go if I'm ditching class, but I don't do that as much these days...still, I come here after school sometimes, just to rest and put myself in the right mindset to deal with whatever I need to deal with. Never been here when I wasn't alone before, though, otherwise I'd...er, that's not important, though..."

"Hm? What is it?" Price looked over at Jairus, whose face had darkened a bit.

"Ah...it's nothing...just...no, nothing..."

"Come on, you can tell me. There's nothing wrong."

Jairus swallowed uncomfortably. "Uh...w-well...sometimes I'll try to get, um...more comfortable by t-taking off my clothes. It's...I wouldn't do it anywhere else, but this is...my safe place, you know?"

"Oh, uh..." Now Price was blushing. "W-well...y-you can, I mean...you don't have to not do it on my account. I mean, it's...it's your place, you can do what you want."

"Ah, no, I...I wouldn't, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I mean, that would be weird, wouldn't it?"

"M-maybe...but, um..." The dragon took a deep breath. "I...d-don't think I would mind...if I...saw you without them..."

All Jairus could do was stare as Price looked away, going a deep red. He...he didn't just...say that? Did he...does he actually...

"Sorry...I shouldn't have said anything...I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, I just...I guess I didn't really know how else to...um, tell you how I felt...y-you can just ignore me."

No, no I can't just fucking ignore that. You WANT me. You want ME...no one's ever wanted me before. You...I... Jairus cut off his brain before things could go any further. This wasn't a time for thinking, this was a time for acting, and his body was giving him plenty of signals for how to act. No need to dwell on it when he had a chance at something special right here.

"Price..." The dragon looked over at him shyly, and went even redder as he caught sight of Jairus just as he was pulling off his shirt, baring his scaled chest to him. There was definite uncertainty in his eyes, but he wasn't looking away, quite the opposite he almost seemed to be locked onto the lizard's body...it was odd, Jairus thought he'd be more self-conscious towards being ogled like that, but that wasn't happening. He grinned just the tiniest bit as he unbuckled his shorts, scooting them down his legs and kicking them off. He'd gone commando today, he'd thought it was a pain in the ass finding that his last clean pair of underwear had a big hole in them, but now he was rather glad for the lack of extra stuff to attend to. "Do you like the way I look?"

The dragon's nod was absent, automatic. Jairus wasn't physically fit, he was average in frame, thin in body, not out of shape but a long way from athletic. And yet, Price couldn't imagine wanting anything else. He was suddenly aware of a hunger...one he'd never really felt before, sure he'd felt attraction, sure he'd felt lust, but nothing quite like this. It was the want of a body, the want to really, truly get close, to get intimate...and now it took precedence over everything else, any fear or worry had no space left to barge in.

Now it was Jairus's turn to ogle as Price started to disrobe in front of him, completely unprompted. His eyes drank in the sight of that white-scaled body being bared to him, the shirt coming off to reveal a well-toned, healthy and fit chest and stomach, heaving slightly under the dragon's deep breaths. There was a brief moment of hesitation as his hands went to his own shorts, face reddening even more before he drew his hands down, stripping off his shorts and underwear in one fell swoop. The reason for his hesitation was instantly clear, as his cock was already starting to rise out of his slit.

"Oh, wow...Price, you're fucking hot..." Jairus wasn't far behind the dragon in his own erection, the slick piece rising in reaction to the sight of Price's physique. He stepped forward a bit, his hand reaching up to the dragon's body and running over his abs. "Fuck...I wish I had more of a body like this..."

"Y-yours is just...fine the way it is." Price's hands started wandering over the lizard's body, rubbing over him and just trying to make him feel good. Slowly, gradually, they moved towards his groin, wanting and yet uncertain, not sure if they were allowed to make contact...he looked up at Jairus's face hopefully, and got an eager nod in return. His fingers wrapped around the lizard's shaft, stroking it tenderly and coaxing it to its full size. Quiet, panting moans arose from Jairus's throat, and soon enough he was returning the favor, one hand encircling the dragon's thick shaft and the other teasing his slit, making Price shudder and cry out softly.

A bit more rub and tug, and they finally pulled themselves away, looking down at each other. Immediately the size of Price's red dick stood out, a couple inches longer and noticeably thicker than Jairus's...a perfect fit for his body, in the lizard's eyes. It had more of a head to it, with a textured ring just in inch from the tip, and then slight ridges along the upper surface down the rest of it...a contrast to Jairus, whose endowment was smooth, purplish, and fully tapered, not as long or thick down most of it, though reaching about the same width at the very base.

"Gods, so big..." Tough as it was, Jairus pulled his eyes away from it and looked up into Price's. "You have no idea how much I want that."

"Likewise. I...can I...can we..."

"Yeah...let's..." Jairus gently pushed, and Price got the hint, sinking back onto the ground on his back, his erection jutting up into the air, a vivid contrast to everything around it. Jairus turned himself around, positioning himself with head above Price's tool and his own pointing down towards the dragon's muzzle. "When...whenever you're ready...you don't...have to rush. And, uh...you can...stop if I'm...not doing it right..."

"Don't worry, it'll be fine..." Price took a deep breath and then opened his mouth, his tongue rising up to lick as his hand took hold of the base of Jairus's cock. Immediately the taste of the lizard hit him, an odd but not unpleasant flavor...he wasn't entirely sure how to describe it, but it left a favorable impression in his mind, it was the taste of sex and he wanted it, almost needed it.

The first contact made Jairus shiver and gasp quietly; it was just a slight touch, but it felt incredibly good already. And Price wasn't slow about getting into it either, the first few moments were tentative but he was starting to get more bold. He had to return the favor...his head ducked down, and his long tongue began to slurp along the sizable dick, escalating faster than the dragon had and making him cry out yet again. Like Price, he found it at once unusual and enticing...a strong flavor that was unlike anything he'd ever imagined, masculine and heavy, robust like a fit male should have. The force of it made his head swim, in the best possible way.

The two of them slowly worked each other harder, losing themselves in the pleasures of each other, eyes lidding and shutting out unnecessary distractions to the taste. Price was starting to suck a bit, his mouth closing down around the tip to provide a nice tight pressure and take in some of Jairus's leaking pre. Jairus's technique was different, he was curling his tongue around the dragon's dick, pumping it slowly as much as he could while maintaining the tight coiling. His breath washed over the tip, giving it extra stimulation while the hot, wet bath poured over the rest of it. It also had the added benefit of giving him the maximum taste of the dragon, which he couldn't get enough of.

There was something else he wanted, though, something more. And as much as he wanted to taste more of Price, he didn't want to blow his chance at feeling that...with reluctance, he pulled off of the dragon's cock and extracted his own from Price's mouth. He heard a slight moan of disappointment below him. "Jairus? Why..."

"It's...Price, I want...I want you to...take me."

"You...oh! Are...are you sure?"

"Never been more sure of anything." The lizard turned over onto his back, spreading his legs a bit and beckoning to Price. "Please...I want to feel you...make me feel amazing, Price."

"Y-yes...I promise I will." Price rose up and got over Jairus, a bit awkwardly as he tried to put himself in the right place. His dripping, saliva-coated cock pointed at the lizard's tailhole, tentatively poking at it. He'd never done anything like this before, and was only passingly familiar with the idea... "Are...are you sure you're okay with this? I...shouldn't we...prep or something?"

"I don't want to wait...I know it's gonna be hard at first, but I'll be fine, I'm sure of it. Just...go slow, okay?"

"Okay. I will..." With a deep breath, Price pushed his tip against Jairus's hole...his very tight hole, as it turned out. A long hiss escaped the lizard's maw as he was stretched open quite hard, the dragon's girth exceeding anything he could have expected...it was good that it was as wet as it was, but his own passage was dry and not easily handling the entry. Despite this, he tried to relax as best he could, as well as distract himself from the ache by bringing a hand down to stroke as his erection. That combo seemed to be working, as it was dulling the unpleasantness, allowing Price to get in further. Slowly, painstakingly, he progressed, inching deeper and deeper inside as Jairus's body relaxed and became accustomed to the distended state...the unpleasantness slowly fading and being replaced by something much more wonderful.

Finally, after a seeming eternity, the dragon pressed flush with his rear, his slit rubbing against scale. Price was breathing almost as hard as Jairus was; his cock was being hugged way tighter than it ever had been, and in such a hot and live passage. It had never felt so good before, almost too much for him to handle...he was fighting to hold back his climax already, and they'd only just started. The pause to let Jairus get used to feeling him was more than welcome, allowing him to step back from the precipice a bit and rest until he felt the pressure ease a bit. "You...okay, Jairus?"

The lizard nodded; he was still a bit tense but the worst of it was past, and he was enjoying it now. "Yeah...go ahead. Not too fast, but...I can take it."

A gentle nod, and then Price began to move. He pulled out, not too much, just enough, and then pushed back in with a little more haste than before. He couldn't stop himself from letting out a shaky moan at the feeling - if just being there was incredible, actually moving was several times better. He didn't hesitate to repeat the action, and it only took another thrust or two for him to start pushing the limit a bit more, extracting more from his partner's ass and pushing back in with a bit more vigor, ears constantly checking in on his vocalizations to make sure he wasn't in distress.

But that was about the last word Jairus would have used. His back was arched a bit, head reared back and moans starting to emerge from him as well. It was getting really good, the feeling of Price pushing in was better than he'd ever predicted, and on top of that the dragon was rubbing against a spot inside him that felt really good, better than anything else ever had. He'd heard about it a little bit, but never really imagined it ever mattering to him...now he was glad to be proven wrong. And with his hand stroking his own cock more vigorously as Price picked up the pace, he was feeling everything start to bubble up as well, bringing him closer to a climax he already knew would be the best ever.

Soon Price was pumping in at a pretty steady pace, pulling out most of the way before delving back in. Ample precum eased the passage, making sure he could move at will, though it still felt wonderfully tight every time the dragon pressed in. "F-fuck...Jairus, you're so...tight, it's awesome..."

"Ngh...you're just that big...I-I'm really close, Price..."

"M-me too..." He wished it could last longer, so much longer, but it wouldn't be possible, he'd been too close to start with and the end was rapidly approaching. His fingers curled into the ground as his body shuddered, right on the verge...his hips rocked back and pounded in harder than he intended, driving himself in for the last few seconds before his orgasm hit like a truck. Beneath him, Jairus cried out in surprise at the sudden intense pounding, the dragon dick nailing his prostate hard each time and driving him over the edge even more rapidly than he'd thought.

Both of them were almost in time with each other as they blew. Thick spurts of lizard cum pumped out hard from the tip of Jairus's tapered cock, splattering onto his ventral scales, warm gooey lines plastered against his body. It was a healthy load, probably his biggest ever, but it sure felt like it couldn't compare with Price's - the dragon felt like a hose flooding him, each spurt rushing along his walls and making him feel fuller than ever. Some of it was dribbling back out around his cock, easing the little strain his was still feeling, and he couldn't stop himself from clenching down around him, trying to draw more of that wonderful dragon seed out of Price and into his body. They were both seeing stars at the intensity of the pleasure, far beyond anything their hands had ever brought, making them rock back and forth, bodies tense and unyielding as they emptied themselves on and in each other.

All too soon, that pleasure peak faded away from each of them...reality returned, and with it the overpowering exhaustion from the unexpected exertion. Price almost fell down onto Jairus, his limbs buckling beneath him before he caught himself...slowly he pulled out, his seed coating his cock and leaving another mess around the lizard's tailhole to match the one on his body. Tiredly, he scooted up to Jairus's level, his arms finding their way around his body and holding him close, unconcerned about the squish against his scales.

Neither of them said a word for a while, just panting and recovering their breaths, and enjoying the warmth of each other's bodies as they held tight. Finally, Price spoke. "I...I can't believe we actually did that."

"Me either...that wasn't what I was aiming for when I brought you here...but...I'm kinda glad we did."

"Me too." He leaned in and engaged Jairus in another deep kiss, their breathlessness not stopping them from a nice, long snogging. When they broke, Price looked at him in the eyes, the spark of passion clear in his own. "You're amazing, Jairus...thank you so much. I needed this more than I ever could've known...I'm so glad you were the one to give it to me."

"I think I needed it too...thanks for being the one to share it with me." He rested his head against Price, losing himself in the warmth of the dragon's body as they laid together, the gentle trickle of water soothing their almost to the point of sleep. Who cared if he'd missed out on some classes, this was something a lot more desirable...maybe they'd have another chance at this sometime soon. He hoped so, at least...

---

"I thought you were over this, Jairus! You can't be skipping school like this, truancy will get you in a lot of trouble!"

"I haven't skipped at all this year, Mom, I'm not gonna get marked delinquent for one day." Jairus's attitude was cool but accepting - he knew he'd have to face the music for the day off, but it was so worth it.

"Watch your tongue, boy!" His father was angrier than his mother was, and he looked as if he wanted to badly belt his son. "Always causing trouble, you should be ashamed! You'd better shape up and do as you should! I'd better not hear you doing this again!"

"Oh, why do you even care?" Jairus suddenly shouted. "You don't think I'll amount to anything anyway, so what does it matter if I go to school or not? Obviously there's no point to it!"

It caught his father off-guard - he'd never really talked back like that before, not with something like that. "Now...now that's no excuse! You're supposed to...you know you have to go to school!"

"Why? It's a waste of time, isn't it? I'm so worthless that I'll never be anything, so why even try?"

His mother now jumped in. "N-now, Jairus...you know we don't think that-"

"Oh, please. He says it to me every day, and you don't ever disagree with him! Doesn't matter whether I'm trying or not, it's the same shit day in and day out!" He realized a bit too late that he'd gone too far with his language, but his parents seemed a bit too preoccupied to raise a fuss about it. "What's the point in getting bent out of shape over me missing a day of school when it isn't gonna change anything? Not like that one day was gonna not make me a failure to you both!"

The two adults exchanged uncertain looks; somehow this had turned into an argument they couldn't win by simply laying down the law. There was a lingering uncomfortable silence for a bit, before his father sighed. "I...suppose I should have been more...encouraging when I saw you making an effort. It's just...very frustrating, watching you squander your potential, acting like you don't care."

"Yeah, well, you haven't given me much reason to care. Trying never seemed to get me anything better than not trying."

"And we shouldn't ever have made you feel that way." His mother shot a look as his father, who swallowed a bit and looked defiant yet chastened. "Jairus...you're a good boy, and I know you're smarter than your grades show...and I've seen your grades recently, when you've been applying yourself and working with this Price boy, they're a lot better. If you can keep doing this, then...we can be more encouraging, and try to help you. And we'll find better ways to try to motivate you...isn't that right, dear?"

"...I suppose it is." It was probably the best Jairus could hope for, he was not an easy man to change, but now there was at least some real pressure.

"Okay...if you can do that...I'll...I'll do my best, and I'll keep trying hard. I guess...if you guys believe in me, then it's easier for me to believe in myself, too."

"And we do believe in you...and we'll show it better."

Jairus nodded solemnly. "Th...thank you. Um...I should probably go call up someone, find out what I missed today...see what I can do to make up for it."

"That's a good idea. Go on and do that." He nodded, and made for the stairs; something told him that she and Dad weren't done talking, and that he should be scarce. It was hard to believe that he'd actually gotten a response on that, something he hadn't really been able to say before and hadn't expected to cause anything more than another row.

I guess I should've spoken up earlier...

Once in his room, he grabbed his phone and dialed Sheren. The weasel wasn't exactly the most reliable person but he shared the most classes with Jairus, if not the same periods, so he would know what he'd missed. No doubt it would be a weird thing to talk about, but he felt obligated to actually hold up his end of the deal...it would be worth the extra work and effort to not have them making him feel like garbage.

Sheren picked up so fast that Jairus was sure he'd been waiting for him. "DUDE! Why the hell haven't you been keeping up?"

"Huh?"

"The plot! Price! You haven't said shit to me in days!"

"Oh! Uh, look, Sheren, this isn't the best time, I kinda...missed today and wanted to ask about what we'd been assigned today-"

"Forget that! I'm getting really pissed about this, the guys have been badgering me about what's going on and what's going to happen and I can't even tell them anything because you won't keep me up to date! I have to hear everything second or thirdhand! I'm fucking paying you to keep me in the loop about this, Jairus, you're not holding up your end!"

It was a bit stomach-churning to hear that, more because he didn't want to tell Sheren anything. Especially not about what had happened earlier today...he knew Sheren didn't know about that, but if he found out, it would be devastating. "Sorry, man...I, uh, should've said something. I just wasn't sure how you'd feel about it..."

"Well, if you would actually keep me updated like I've told you several times already, you'd know about how I felt! Like, you two have been going off doing your own thing, but you don't give us any info! You have to have found some weaknesses! And another thing, you're spending more time with him than anyone else, this is a bit too much 'getting into it' you know!"

"Well, it's just been kind of a thing that's been going on. I mean, you know we've been on dates, and it's pretty clear that he's interested-"

"Look, I know he's smitten for you already, that doesn't help me with anything! I need to know details, what we can use against him! Ugh, well, fuck it, right now it doesn't matter. I'll be grilling you later, but for now, we're moving to the endgame."

"...What?"

"The Valentine's Day festivities. Next week. When lots of students are gathered and you're there, you're going to publicly dump him in front of all of them."

Jairus's eyes widened. Next week? They were going to make him do that so soon? "What? Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! What's more perfect than showing Price he doesn't get to have love on the day when love is everyone's focus? He'll be devastated, a laughingstock in front of the whole school!"

"Or maybe they'll just lynch me! Did you even think this through? There's no way he won't have everyone's sympathy, especially if I'm as mean about it as you want me to be!"

"Oh, come off it! You know everyone's just waiting for that fucker to be taken down a peg! And I'm not gonna argue with you about it, everyone's in agreement with me about it!"

"Everyone?"

"Well, enough that majority rules. You'd better do it, or you're in big trouble!"

Sheren hung up, leaving Jairus just looking at his phone. Next week...and at this point, he didn't want to do it at all. Not after he'd gotten so close to Price...even having his first sexual experience with him...he really did love the dragon, he knew that to be true. He couldn't betray that now...but he'd taken money from Sheren for this purpose, and Sheren was not going to be kind about not getting what he was expecting for his money. And he'd gotten so caught up in that that he hadn't been able to get any info from Sheren about his homework...not that he could think clearly about that now anyway.

"Now what do I do?"

---

His issues with Price and Sheren weighed deeply on his mind all night, and sleep came only fitfully, leaving him rather worn out the next morning. He tried not to let it on, though, not wanting to draw attention to himself; they might have asked if something was wrong, and he wasn't sure he trusted himself not to reveal everything. And the last thing he wanted was anyone knowing what was going on with him.

He was on his way to school a fair bit earlier than usual, telling his parents he needed to pick up some worksheets for his missed classes. In truth, he just didn't want them suspecting anything, they'd want to know if something was up right away and he wasn't sure he could evade them without sounding too suspicious. Maybe their advice would've been helpful, but he just wasn't sure he wanted them to know about this particular part of him right now.

He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice Price walking in front of him until he almost ran into the dragon. "Whoa! S-sorry..."

"It's fine..." came the exhausted reply. It turned out that Price didn't look much better off than Jairus was; his eyes were bleary, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep himself.

"Gosh, Price...you look tired. Are you okay?"

"Fine...just..." He looked around a bit, uncertain. "Can we, uh, talk a bit? Just off the path, I...I just wanna chat quick."

"Yeah, sure." That wasn't the most settling thought, but it was better than awkwardly hanging around while they walked together. The two of them jumped off the path and behind the bushes, settling in the grass mostly out of sight of the road. "You look as tired as I feel. I'm guess you didn't get a lot of sleep?"

Price nodded. "Yeah, I think so...last night was rough. I don't regret it at all, though. One of my teachers called my parents, wondering if I was all right...because I don't usually not show up without warning, right?"

Jairus's heart sank. "Oh no...and they weren't happy about that, I know it..."

"That's putting it lightly. It was the biggest blow-up ever. But...it wasn't just them...I was shouting, too. Just, everything that was building up, it all went over. I almost thought someone was gonna call the cops on us."

"Wow, that bad?"

"Yeah...but, I think it needed to happen...it's been needing to happen for a while. You were right...I was keeping everything bottled up, they never even knew what it was doing to me. It was a lot of hours we spent...after all the yelling was done, I think they woke up to it all. They actually apologized."

"They did?"

"Yeah...dad even said if his own father had pushed him that hard he'd've broken a lot faster. They got so caught up in their image that they forgot what it was they were asking of me...they said they want me to be happy, and they'll stop pressing so much, and let me go at my own pace. I know they still want me to work hard and do what they know I can do, but now I don't have to be everything at once, I don't have to be perfect, I can just kind of...be myself." Price laughed quietly and shook his head. "I should've talked to them ages ago...I could've made my life a whole lot easier."

It sounded not unlike his fight with his parents, though things didn't get nearly that intense. "Good...I'm really glad to hear that, Price. Seeing you having that panic attack scared me...maybe you won't have to have any more of those now."

"Yeah, I'm hoping that's the case. Those were never fun...I owe it all to you, Jairus. If it weren't for you, I'd never have had the courage to do that. You've been a bigger blessing than I could ever repay...I know you've felt like you've been taking advantage, but helping tutor you doesn't feel like enough for all you've done for me." Suddenly Price's eyes started to fill with tears. "Jairus...I've been so scared to say it...but...I can't keep it any longer. I...I love you."

The words were like a thunderbolt to him. Price...loved him? Really? Him? It seemed improbable, sure they'd spent a lot of time together, they'd had sex together, and he certainly had feelings for the dragon...but Price could do so much better than him. He couldn't really...but Price wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. And... "Price...I...I love you too..."

The moment he said it, it all came crashing down. It was the truth...but all the other truths around him created a bigger mess than he could hope to get out of. He broke down, sobbing loudly into his hands, startling Price. "Jairus? What's wrong?"

"Too much, too...I'm so stupid. I can't believe I did this...I can't believe I fucked everything up like this..."

"What? Jairus, you don't have to-"

"No, you don't understand! This...this was all supposed to be part of some dumb plot. It wasn't supposed to be like this...they wanted me to, to get you to fall in love with me, so you'd be humiliated when I broke up with you! I...I didn't like it, but I...I didn't think it'd ever happen...and...but it all...it all did...and now...now I feel like the biggest shit ever because I, I actually do love you, and I ruined the best thing that ever happened to me because of some idiots who couldn't stand you being you!"

He wanted to run, just jump up and fling himself into oncoming traffic or something, do something to escape the pain and the humiliation...but before he could go anywhere, Price had pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him and holding him gently, trying to comfort him. Almost on reflex, he returned the embrace, sniffling and sobbing. "I'm s-so sorry...I didn't want to tell you, I knew you'd h-hate me for it...it was awful, I should never have..."

"Shh, shh...Jairus, I don't hate you. I just said I loved you, that hasn't changed...and it hasn't changed for you, either, isn't that right?"

"N-no...I love you...that's why I'm so..."

"It's okay. I...I kind of thought something was up, to be honest."

Jairus was so shocked to hear that that it stopped his sobbing. He looked up at Price in shock, his eyes still quite watery. "You...what?"

"I mean...not anything specific...but, I knew you, and I knew your friends...you know, I know there are people who don't really like me that much...I don't really blame them, I always had to act like the perfect guy, best student, best athlete, and even if I didn't want a big head, there'd be people who'd see me that way. So when one of the guys who was part of that group comes up to me after staying away for so long...well, I thought maybe there might be something going on."

"You...you did? Then...why?"

Price's face flushed a bit. "Because...I...well, I...I always kinda fancied you. I never felt like I had the ability to approach you, because of who you hung out with, and because of what my life was like...it was just, I was so glad to have a reason to be with you that I couldn't say no. And I guess...I wanted to believe it was real, not something else. I said...sometimes I let my heart get the better of me...that's what happened here, too, I...I got so invested in it, because I wanted it to be true, even though my head said I should be careful. And all this time...I was so scared, deep down, terrified that it wasn't real, that I was only imagining things, that the dream would end and I'd be miserable...that with everything else, it was just so much..."

"That's why...the panic attack...oh, god, Price, I'm so sorry...I...I made you almost sick because of this..."

"But it's all right, Jairus. Because it is real...you just said it was. And it doesn't matter how it started out, because it is what it is right now. So you don't have to worry, okay? I'm not angry...in fact, I'm as happy as could be."

Jairus sniffed a bit, choking back his tears, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing. "You...you're okay? I...I didn't ruin everything?"

"Not even close...I love you so much, Jairus, and just knowing that you love me too...it warms my heart, it makes everything all right. How could I be mad about that?"

"Gods...Price, you're..." The tears were flowing again, but this time it wasn't sadness. "Thank you...I love you so much, thank you...for understanding...I'm sorry that I ever made you scared about it..."

"You're more than forgiven. I should apologize, too...I'm probably going to put you in a tough spot with your friends..."

"To hell with them...it was a stupid idea anyway, even if it did bring us together. And if they're gonna get on me for it, well, then they're not my friends. But...I do have to do something...maybe...can you help me with it?"

"Absolutely. Anything I can do..."

---

Valentine's Day at the school was a bit of an event; there were specials going on all day, Valentine exchanges and interruptions during class for gifts and serenades and proclamations of love, a special end-of-the-day assembly, and a dance in the evening. It was a good day to embarrass a special someone, or make them feel really good, depending on what they were like. Jairus had done little but roll his eyes last year, but this year he was feeling far more nervous. After all, he was about to do something rather risky...

It was tough to concentrate throughout the morning, his mind was preoccupied with other things. Fortunately, no one seemed as engaged that day, so his lack of attention wasn't as obvious, and the occasional interruption didn't hurt. Especially the third period one, which had involved a student acting as a singing strip-o-gram and making the girl he was singing to half-die from utter embarrassment. Thankfully, he didn't get more than bare-chested before finishing, otherwise that probably would have been the end of the Valentine's Day event in its entirety.

All too soon, lunch time rolled around. That was the key moment...lots of students but not during anything formal, so he wouldn't be an interruption to anything that anyone else would frown on. But that meant all eyes would soon be on him...a daunting prospect in the best of times.

"Jairus!" And it wasn't helping that several of those eyes were his friends. They ran up behind him as he was about to enter, swarming him eagerly as he held his shirt tightly to him, trying to hide the bulge beneath.

"It's the big day! About ready to be done with this, aint'cha?" Sheren snickered, clapping him in the back.

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Hey man, it'll all be worth it in the end, to see the look on his face!" Grant looked like he was about to bust out into an evil laugh at any moment, but seemed to settle for a quiet cackle. "It's gonna be priceless, that's for sure!"

"I still say this is a bad idea," Ken grunted. "They're gonna turn on Jairus, not Price."

"Like hell they are, everyone wants to see Price get knocked on his ass!"

"Yeah, that's why they're constantly fawning all over him," Travis jibed. "Jai, you know you can back outta this if you want, Ken and I'll back you up."

Jairus shook his head. "Thanks, Travis, but...I'm good. I can do this."

"Hah, see? Told you he'd come around! Let's get this show on the road!" Sheren marched them into the cafeteria, his swagger grandiose and annoying to Jairus. He had to make such a big deal out of it...he had to focus, though, thinking about that wouldn't make things easier.

It wasn't difficult to find Price - there was a rather huge crowd around him, all clamoring at him with Valentines in their hands. "Did you see mine, Price?" "Price, here's one for you!" "Be my Valentine, Price!" "No, mine!"

"Jeez, you all want to be my Valentine?" Price looked genuinely embarrassed and even a bit uncomfortable with all the attention. "I, uh...gosh, I don't like disappointing, but, uh, I've actually got a boyfriend."

A chorus of groans rang out. "Aw, man, you do?"

"Wait, it's that lizard you're with a lot, isn't it?" one of the girls piped up. "Where is he now? He should be here if he's your Valentine for today!"

"Well, actually!" Sheren's voice boomed out, startling the group. "He's right here, and he's got something he wants to say to you, Price! Isn't that right, Jairus? You've got a message for your boyfriend?"

The death glare Jairus gave the weasel was almost physically painful. "Yes...I do have something...if you'd shut up about it already..."

"Oh, go on and get it done with. All over but the crying now."

"Yeah, it is." The lizard turned away and walked up to Price, keenly aware of the looks he was getting, anxious and confused. They knew something was up, it wasn't like Sheren hadn't made it a bit obvious...but only Jairus knew the full score. Price looked dutifully confused as Jairus reached him; he thought he knew what was going on, but even he wasn't all the way informed.

"Um...Price. We've been going out for a few months now...and I really, really appreciate what you've done for me, you've helped me a lot with my schoolwork, and made me feel a lot more confident. I gotta say...when I see that look in your eyes, it gives me a really...amazing feeling. Like nothing I've ever felt before." His voice was a bit unsteady, he was flying by the seat of his pants...trying to rehearse yesterday had only make him more uncertain, so he'd simply done away with it and tried to speak from the heart. "At first, I never thought it would mean that much to me...but, you know, after a while, it was really gratifying, seeing you so happy around me and that you thought so much of me."

He paused briefly, sneaking a furtive glance towards his friends. Sheren was starting to look a little impatient, mouthing something like get on with it over and over. Travis and Ken, meanwhile, were starting to grin slightly; they must've known some kind of curve was coming. At least the two of them would probably have his back, that would make this easier.

"I'm not really...this sort of thing isn't what I'm used to here. It's hard to figure out the words, so...I guess I just want to keep it short and simple." He took a deep breath, then drew out the secret hidden under his shirt. "I love you, Price Ragano. And I don't really have a lot of money for a big gift or anything, but I hope...that this, from the heart, is enough."

The dragon's eyes widened at the offering - a clay figurine, a pair of little statues, one lizard and one dragon, holding hands and touching noses, their tails intertwined with each other, standing on a heart-shaped base. It was a bit crude, no work of an experienced sculptor, but good enough that it was unmistakably supposed to represent the two of them. "My god, Jairus...I love it! I...I never knew you did stuff like this!"

"I...well, I don't, really...but I kinda liked all the clay stuff I did back in art classes a while back...so I wanted to try it."

"Wow...thank you so much!" He held he sculpture in his hands gently, examining it with a gleaming eye. "I can see how much you put into it...it's really wonderful!"

Jairus blushed hard; he hadn't thought it was that good himself, but if Price loved it that was all that mattered. He watched as Price set it down gently on the table, then stepped back over to him, smiling warmly. "I love you too, Jairus...more than anything. Thank you for loving me too." Their faces drew close, and their eyes closed as they started kissing each other, deeply and sensually. The presence of the crowd became less and less meaningful as Jairus lost himself in the feeling, the closeness with his dragon.

Not that the crowd noticed or cared. There was a solid round of applause from many of the onlookers, barring a few disappointed ones who might've been hoping they would have a shot. And then there were Sheren, Grant, and Bruce, whose jaws were pretty much on the floor at the sight of Jairus making out rather than breaking up with the dragon. The shock had rendered them speechless, a fortunate thing as there was a distinct risk of a scene otherwise.

Finally the two broke away, smiling at each other in happiness and relief. "You didn't mention a gift," Price whispered to him.

"I gotta have some surprises."

"It's a wonderful surprise. You should show me how you made that...I'd like to try."

"Ah...well, I'm not an expert, I just know basic stuff. I've still got a lot to learn."

"Well, maybe we can learn together."

The crowd was starting to disperse now, most of the students getting back to their own thing now that the show had ended. As Price and Jairus separated, though, they found that the attention wasn't completely gone - Sheren was up in the lizard's face in an instant. "What the hell is the matter with you? You were supposed to dump him!"

"Yeah? Well, I decided not to. I liked my way of doing things better."

"You...what the hell was this all about then?" Bruce exclaimed.

"I thought he made it pretty clear," Ken said casually.

"I can't believe you'd do this to us!" Sheren howled. "It was the most perfect moment, the best chance we'll ever have to bring him down, and you spoiled it!"

"Actually, I just made it a perfect moment," Jairus said with a smile. "I wasn't going to give up love for your satisfaction, Sheren. Besides, I've seen a lot more of Price than you have, and he doesn't need to be brought down. He's got troubles just like the rest of us, just because he doesn't show them to everyone doesn't mean they're not there."

"This is bullshit, man. I paid you a lot of money, Jairus! I bought you!"

"Yeah, about that..." Jairus walked up to Sheren and took hold of his hand, placing something into it. Sheren looked down at it...the wad of money he'd given to Jairus at the start of the whole thing. "I wouldn't have felt right taking your money for something I couldn't deliver, so consider this my out. I've got something more important now."

The weasel's eyes darted between Jairus and the money in his hand, sputtering incoherently for several seconds before something seemed to snap. "Gah! Fuck you, man! I'm not gonna forget this!" He turned on his heel and stormed off, hurling epithets at no one in particular; Bruce and Grant followed shortly after, giving parting glares to the lizard and dragon as they retreated. Only Travis and Ken remained behind, and they didn't look at all bothered by what had transpired.

"That...could've gone better," Price said, a bit uncertainly.

"Ah, don't worry about him, he'll get over it," Ken said with a dismissive wave. "He's just learned the hard lesson that you can't assume you can just buy a guy and do whatever you want."

"I'm glad you guys are behind me at least," Jairus said gratefully.

Travis shrugged. "Eh, it was a stupid idea anyway. But you could've told us you were gay, man, we'd've been fine with it."

"Well, if I'd known...I guess I might be bi, but I don't think any girl's made me feel the way Price does. It was a surprise to me, though, too."

"Oh...fair enough, then. Well, I got no problem with it, maybe Sheren'll settle down with his vendetta and we can get back to doing stuff like we used to."

"And you're okay with this too, Ken?" Jairus asked. "I know you weren't really with Sheren, but..."

"Hey, man, I'm the one who noticed Price eying you in the first place," Ken replied with a grin. "I'd be kind of an asshole to be acting bitchy about it now, wouldn't I? Enjoy it, have fun with it, we'll be right here anytime."

"Thanks...I know we will." Jairus's eyes met Price's again, and the two blushed slightly. They'd already had more fun with it than anyone else knew...and with all affairs settled, they both were looking forward to their next chance at it.