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Both dragon and rider looked exhausted, Arcking because he had to be around 120 kids who all demanded they touch him and Benji because he had spent an hour and a half explaining every little thing about dragons that the kids asked and the sport he participated in. It didn't help that it was the middle of summer and they were back in their home country of Australia with the scorching sun blasting them. Arcking might have been made for it but Benji certainly wasn't, travelling abroad and getting used to the colder conditions squashed whatever resistance to the heat he'd built up.

Now, that the show and tell of his friend and secret lover was done, both were back the van Benji owned, the Air-conditioning cranked up as high as it could go. Benji was sitting in the driver's seat practically panting and Arcking lying belly up and tongue out with his large head resting on the folded down passenger seat. A few minutes of panting later and the van had cooled considerably, the small dragon's breath steaming up in the air before it too disappeared into nothingness. Petting his friend, Benji put the car into gear, snapped on his seatbelt and took off.

He had some alone time for himself for once, the car rides usually able to do that with Arcking knowing not to bother him too much while driving and so it was here Benji did most of his musing. He had originally thought that, while life would be easier after nearly winning the race, he still thought he'd have to do things to continue earning money to pay for expenses. Apparently, that wasn't something he should have worried about. Hotels, especially ones that were dragon friendly, wanted him to stay there, something about a world famous dragon ridder living there and upping the reputation it held. He didn't care much for the details, they offered apartment's leagues above the small house he used to rent and as such he was able to pick and choose what he wanted. And so, that's what he did, same went for the van he owned, the food he fed Arcking (and yet truthfully he still mostly fed him human food) and as such what expenses the dragon trainer thought he'd have to pay suddenly disappeared. He wondered if this was what the car racers felt like, being almost walking advertisements. He didn't mind though, it just meant he could spend more time worrying about things that were more important, like how he'd beat the heat.

And just like that he was driving into the underground parking of the hotel, his thinking having passed more time than he'd like to admit, Arcking asleep with his large head resting on the seat to his left. Smiling at his friend he petted him softly on the sensitive scales under his chin, the large dragon rumbling something in his sleep before trying to lean into the scratches, his head moving a few inches before he woke up. Benji stifled a laugh as Arcking seemed dazed before sheepish due to the methods from which he was woken. Benji just pat him on the head before closing the driver's door, walking around to the back and pulling open the large doors, the dragon almost plopping out of the van like wet noodles as he still woke up.

After exiting the vehicle Arcking decided now was the best time to stretch, his large wings opening as his back and tail hiked, every muscle flexing on his powerful body and some giving off a few snaps as bones popped. And boy, did Benji see every muscle Arcking had, the dragon not having moved out of the way as Benji closed the doors. Coughing and pushing the dragon butt out of his face and starting to walk away Benji swore he heard the dragon give off a low rumble, something akin to a laugh or a giggle which all but confirmed when Arcking bounded up to him and gave him a playful lick on the side of his face. Something, while cute, was not much appreciated with how much his breath smelt like fish.

“Look buddy, I know you don't feel it as much but I need to cool down and I don't exactly want to sit inside all day and look out onto the beach that's practically calling my name. Except, I don't want to go down to the beach, gawking tourists be dammed I just don't want to have to spend 3 hours brushing out every last dot of sand out of your scales before you start complaining." Benji said out loud, Arcking having long since matched his pace with a tail curled around his leg. Arcking responded with... something. Benji didn't know what exactly but he knew roughly what he would have said, he could imagine it now. He even said it out loud for Arcking to hear.

“Oh dear trainer I'd have to agree with what you said, that sand irritates my sensitive scales to no end. I'd much rather just laze around on the rooftop with other dragons and raise my tail for any strapping young-" He mocked before getting smacked lightly over the back of his head by a certain yellow tail by a certain yellow dragon who regally held his head up as he walked to the elevator. Benji laughed to himself as Arcking snuck a look back with one eye before realising his trainer was still watching. Grabbing his tail and slowing down the dragon Benji caught back up and continued with something less mocking.

“That aside there are some places still to go; a public pool wouldn't be bad or better yet a stream! I haven't been to a natural one for aaages!" Benji said, working himself up and by extension Arcking. “Man, we just gotta find one! It'll be a hell of a lot easier than dealing with people staring at us all day." Benji finished with, the last sentence alone convincing the shy dragon to do just that.

“I gotta grab some sunscreen though, I know you don't need it but I'm not as durable as you. Oh and a towel, and change into something I can swim in... you know what I think we're going to spend a little while in the apartment." Benji said out loud as they walked into the elevator, Arcking going to the back before turning around, his large tail helped in by Benji. “You can come into the apartment or you can go to the roof and wait, I know you like to hang out with other dragons from time to time." Benji said, scratching the dragon head that rested on his shoulder. Arcking's respond was a low rumble and a few whines before liking Benji's face, the trainer not knowing exactly what that meant. It was clear though when Benji stepped out and Arcking stayed in, lifting up a paw the best he could and waving at his trainer. Benji didn't teach him that. With a press of his muzzle the elevator doors closed and the dragon ascended to the roof top.

Turning around Benji walked down the barren hall a bit before opening his door and locking it behind him, having a stretch of his own before getting ready for their outing. Finding his swimmers and taking a short shower Benji got ready quickly, finding his sunscreen and towel after he spent some time digging under things. Getting a small bag he chucked the sunscreen in there, his phone, another set of clothes and some snacks. He thought it would have taken longer to get ready but looking at his watch it told him it had only been 20 minutes; he wondered how Arcking was fairing with the other dragons.

Throwing his bag over his shoulder and walking back out of his room Benji made it back to the elevators, pressing up and waiting a few seconds before a ding was heard, one of the other elevators opening for him to go up. Walking over to it he noticed it was already occupied by a trainer and her dragon. Stepping in Benji gave a quick nod before going to press the rooftop button. Realising it had already been pressed he let his arm drop, looking at his phone for a few seconds before receiving a tap on the shoulder. Turning around the once stoic pair looked excited.

“Benji right?!" The girl asked, her large eyes looking into him, her purple dragon doing the same along with a wagging tail.

“Yes?" Benji replied with, noticing a small dragon statue in her hands, a permanent marker in the other. He'd already pieced together what she wanted.

“You don't mind if I... if I get an autograph do you?!" She asked, handing him the statue and the pen. Smiling, Benji signed the small metal statue as well as putting a few words of wisdom on it too. Giving it back to her he swore he saw her eyes sparkle with delight, holding the statue as if it were a newborn babe.

“Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou." She said, putting both items back in her bag. Behind Benji the doors opened, the girl looking shy as Benji said some final words before exiting, looking around for Arcking. He wasn't hard to find, hanging out with a few other dragons as he bounced around the rooftop playing a game of tag.

Benji watched for a moment before making one monotonous low pitch whistle and watched as all of the dragon's ears perked up at the sound, most looking at him and Arcking bounding over to him. He once again gave Benji a wet lick, undoing whatever the shower had accomplished before curling around him, all of the other dragons now uninterested in the pair. Petting him on his soft scales he lightly pushed Arcking down, the dragon getting the message as he lowered himself and allowed Benji to mount him.

“Okay buddy, we just need to look for a stream or something, obviously away from the ocean so fly in that direction okay?" Benji clarified, pointing to the horizon where there were more trees then houses. Nodding Arcking stood back up, his size still smaller than most of the other dragons. Size didn't much matter though as the somewhat small dragon's wings unfurled, almost perfectly shaped wings that were meticulously cared for. It all paid off to when all eyes were back on the pair, Arcking taking a small running start before leaping into the air, two flaps of his powerful wings blasting the two off with unrivalled speed. It was obvious Arcking was showing off as both trainers and dragons alike watched the pair soar into the sky faster than most there could ever hope for. It was to be expected though as the par were, for all intents and purposes, were the fastest duo in the southern hemisphere.

---

Finding the stream didn't take too long, Benji communicating with Arcking through different ways of pressing on his scales with his hands and feet, directing the large reptile to a lazy stream that created a pool of water before continuing on its way. Circling above it Benji checked to see if there were any houses or roads nearby and when there were none the pair landed, loose bits of sticks and leaves flying over the place.

Hopping off Arcking and stumbling on the loose rocks for a second Benji took his bag off and pulled out the small towel. Placing it on the one place that didn't have rocks, meant Benji had to place it on the dirt a ways back from the pool, not that he minded. After that he took off his clothes to reveal his togs, loose board shorts that had tiny red dragons on them. While he did this Arcking walked over to the water and sniffed it, putting his large head in and checking for any dangers, not that there would be any this close to the city. Arcking, satisfied with his check looked back at Benji who sat on the towel in the sun, applying sunscreen to his arms with some already on his face. He noticed Arcking staring and called out to him.

“If you like what you see so much come over here and help out, I can't get the sunscreen on my back." Benji clearly joked, putting more of the white stuff into his hand to put onto his chest and belly, determined not to let the sun get the better of their fun. After watching for a few moments Arcking started walking over to Benji who was engrossed with his sunscreen, not noticing the large yellow dragon until he was practically on top of him. Benji barely had time to look up when Arcking lent down and laid a sloppy lick right up his back and into to his hair, the viscous dragon saliva practically sticking to his skin with his hair worse for wear.

“A-Arcking! Uck what'd you do that for?" Benji half accused, smiling to himself as he did his best to look at his back, one hand diving around to scoop up some of the slobber still rolling down his back. “Now it's going to be even harder to put the sunscreen there..." Benji told Arcking, his voice sounding semi defeated after having lost to the dragon. “Well, let's hope the shade stays above the creek, I need to wash this off. I can put more on when I want to sunbathe."

Having won their small game Arcking chortled, a sound unnatural for a dragon and yet all seemed to pick it up over time after trying to imitate human laughter. Arcking enjoyed the little things like this, while it was a daily struggle for Benji to put up with, Arcking found it was a great way to break up a day dominated by training or something else just as monotonous.

Having wiped enough of the dragon saliva off his back Benji looked up at the dragon head above him, said dragon looking down only moments later, his tongue poking out of his maw to tease Benji further. Batting at the tongue Benji put a hand on either side of the dragons maw, holding onto the thick scaled lips as Arcking pulled his trainer up, the flesh wobbling back into place after being let go.

With both back and hands coated in dragon spit never had a serene river looked so appetising to jump into. Arcking looked just as ready and he wasn't even a water drake. Both knew what was about to happen, both cracking a glance at each other before bolting off towards the natural pool only some ten meters away. Arcking could have won, easily, but that wasn't fun. What was fun was going slower then Benji and just before the water using his large head to push the human much further out then what he'd intended to jump to, a large yellow dragon diving in a moment later and causing a small tidal wave in the rocky pool.

Benji surfaced a moment later, taking a deep breath as he treaded water in the deeper part of the pool, spitting out a bit of the fresh water that had gotten into his mouth before shaking his head to clear away the hair in his eyes. Looking to his left where the dragon was Benji was surprised to see nothing there, confusion turning to fear as something brushed against his foot. He didn't have time to move, time to prepare for what was about to happen as the large dragon head pushed upwards from the bottom of the pool, forcing Benji up and out of the water to only go flying a few meters into the air before crash landing back in the pool in front of the dragon.

Benji resurfaced once again, pushing the hair out of his eyes once again only to look up at Arcking who looked like an innocent puppy who did nothing wrong, he couldn't stay mad at that face. Instead he splashed the larger dragon in the face with some water before pushing away, Arcking shaking his head before bounding after him the best he could.

The pair swam for a few hours, their playfulness slowly dying down as both grew more tired over the first 30 minutes, their play fighting eventually growing into Benji lying on the dragon's stomach as he floated around the small pool. Once their energy was back Benji climbed the nearby tree and tried to see how big of a splash he could make, Arcking a little concerned with his safety and checking his owner after every jump. After that Benji climbed out of the pool, letting Arcking have his own fun in the pool as he made his way to the soft grass where his towel laid, careful to not get dirt on his feet before stepping on the warm fabric.

Benji sat down on the towel, turning around and watching Arcking play in the water, it was rare for him to get out often, and Benji felt bad for it. Their days were mostly spent training, sleeping or, in today's case, going around and talking to schools and universities. It was times like this as he watched the small yellow dragon frolic around in the water that he wished he could simply just stop training and let him do what he wanted. But both knew, Benji more than Arcking that such a thing wouldn't be possible for the longest of times. They'd have to go back to that competition to continue living like they were, their fame wouldn't last a lifetime. For now though, he was content. The balance of work to play was horribly skewed but Arcking didn't seem to mind, in fact it was hard for Benji to have a moment alone to himself nowadays; the yellow lizard seemed to need attention to live.

Sighing he looked away from the happy dragon, grabbing his sunscreen he left lying next to his bag. Benji squirted a large glob of the white stuff onto his hand before doing his best to wipe it onto his back. He half succeeded, missing some spots but knowing it was the best he was going to get. Besides, since they had played in the water tree's had shaded his towel spot quite nicely, the sun just a few meters away. At any other time of the year he would have considered moving into it, in summer however Benji thanked his lucky stars he didn't have to move at all. With peace of mind knowing he wouldn't get sunburnt the human laid down, his back facing the sky as he got a well deserved rest.

---

Arcking played in the water, he'd noticed Benji staring but didn't want the human to know that he knew; the dragons face flushed as his mind went to pervy thoughts on what Benji was looking at. He wondered if he had seen his chub. Looking back he realised he probably hadn't the large beast growing disappointed that Benji had laid down and, by the looks of it, was currently trying to sleep.

The dragon sunk into the water, still staring at the human as his mind wandered. He wondered if Benji still felt the same way since that night many moons ago, that night his human took all of him...

Since then they had not done such a thing again, Benji clearly nervous about the situation, something about not being ready for it or cleaned out. Arcking didn't know what that meant, but since then Benji having only given him two what Benji had called 'handjobs'; the first was out of persistence from himself, the second Benji had approached him.

Moving forward so only his head poked out of the water Arcking laid down in the pool so he didn't drown. Once that was done he continued his train of thought. Benji, before that date, treated Arcking much like how the other trainers did, somewhat strictly with a whole load of respect. It was all work, training and sometimes play. When it was home time, time Arcking could spend with Benji often he'd find his door locked or the human not wanting to spend time with him. He'd grown accustomed to this, and would sometimes come in after Benji had unlocked his door, a heavy musk in the air and Benji looking slightly out of breath.

When he was a young dragon he didn't know what this meant, neurons firing in his brain he didn't know how to understand. As he got older, and experimented with himself a bit more he figured out what Benji did so often, why he wanted his alone time. It was then, as both Benji's partner and friend that Arcking felt the need to help him, a spark inside him lighting upon that realisation and want. The next time Benji had his alone time Arcking tried to get in, his insistent pawing at the door making Benji forgo his pleasure to open the door for the apparent emergency. What he got was a dragon sniffing at his junk and trying to pull down those pesky pants with his sharp teeth. Arcking knew now why that wasn't a good idea and why Benji had acted the way he had, pushing him out of the room and locking the door once again. It wasn't the best way to tell Benji he had feelings for him.

It was awkward for a few days after that but once training restarted Benji seemed to quickly forget and Arcking wondered if he still remembered. With feelings running loose and no one to turn too Arcking did his best to suppress how he felt, focusing solely on their training and competitions, and by proxy his own goal. It was after these competitions that he got to interact with the other dragons, most of them close to their trainers and sometimes _exceedingly _close to them. It was obvious who was, the dragon looked more relaxed and, more obviously, smelt a lot more like their trainer than other dragons did. Almost all the of age dragons knew this, Arcking too after smelling a mated pair of dragons for the first time where he couldn't tell one apart from the other by smell alone.

Luckily dragons didn't have the capacity for prejudice like humans did; some of the more... forward dragons almost wore the fact like a trophy. It was after talking to such dragons that he figured out ways to get Benji to realise his advances, techniques his instinct already knew but he had ignored for now. The problem was he wasn't as forward as other dragons, he was already shy as it was and his mind wondered what would happen if it turned out Benji didn't like him like that. Such thoughts were too much to bear but Arcking came to a compromise with himself. If he were to get Benji into the final match that year then that would be enough. They didn't have to win, or to place, he just wanted to get him there.

And that was what he did; Arcking pushed himself more than Benji knew just to get there, training when he had free time off and pushing himself to his limit when it was time to compete. Benji noticed this and he too did all he could, playing specialized games with a funny headset to better hone his reaction times and decision making. Doing his homework and buying the best food and nutrients he could get into Arcking. For a few months leading up to the final competition they won all the required competitions, quickly rising up the ranks until they secured a spot in the finals. He'd never seen Benji more excited, the cheap food he ate to pay for his dragons expenses finally paying off. He'd hugged Arcking after finding out the news, harder than he'd ever done and in that moment Arcking's promise to himself floated back into his mind. His heart beat faster while the hug lasted, something he didn't know he wanted so much until now. And yet he put it off, until after it was all done to confess how he felt, just so Benji wouldn't have other things to worry about.

Arcking blinked, the trees looking different than before, looking around he lifted his head out of the cool water, yawning before realising it was now the late afternoon. He stood up and walked out of the water, the cool liquid quickly falling off him as he looked around once more. He had day dreamed for quite the while.

Looking back to the main character of his dreams he saw Benji still lying on his towel, this time belly up and clearly asleep. It was time to get back home, back to sleep so they could start training again early or go to some place to show off Arcking like a roundabout version of show and tell. But, maybe they didn't have to leave, Arcking was the one who got them there and just as easily could he strand them here until he was satisfied... that was if Benji wanted to play along.