FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

“Ooooh, new harness?” Meegi's mother cooed as she began to transfer a collection of cardboard fold containers from her harness to the fridge. Despite reassuring her that they were more than good for grocery money, his mother still insisted on bringing home food from the restaurant for them both. He wasn't sure if it was because she didn't like to see things going to waste, if she genuinely enjoyed eating the same style of food, or if this was just a way that she was trying to take care of him.

Blinking to refocus his vision, he hummed in acknowledgement through his full mouth and continued to chew. Growing up, Breakfast was often a time when he would share a meal with his mother, even if it was often her dinner after working through the night and his first of the day. Swallowing, he nodded and ran a paw across the light brown straps that ran across his chest. “Yeah, new harness,” he replied. Compared to the sleek designer rig that had been made with custom red stitching and rose gold-plated buckles, his new harness was considerably more plain. Ordered online to avoid crowds, Meegi had it delivered to the door the day prior and genuinely didn't care that it was mass-produced. He had spent almost an hour searching for one he liked and had made sure that it was made out of real leather and that the straps weren't too thick for the few pouches he owned. Durability and adjustability had been the focus of his search, and now he wore a peanut butter-coloured harness with a single pouch just behind his left foreleg.

“It matches your scales well, didn't notice you were wearing one for a second,” she mused while checking her pouches for any other food she had brought home. “Looks good on you, did it cost much?” Her tone lacked any judgmental edge and, when her eyes flicked towards him, she looked at him with genuine warmth.

“No, nothing like the last one. But I figured it was time for a change.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” his mother replied before sitting on her haunches at the sink and beginning to sort the various plates and bowls that had been washed and had dried on the rack. “Between you and me, I didn't like the old one. Too much going on. Too busy. Wasn't you,” she added this while carefully stacking the plates, pausing only to inspect a bowl and then add it back to the sink to be washed again.

Smirking at his mother's poor attempt to hide her discontent, he played along. “Yeah, it was pretty but not comfortable. This is way less tight in the chest and doesn't dig under my tail,” he replied, earning a knowing smile from his mother. They both knew that they weren't talking about harnesses, but didn't devolve the conversation into directly complaining about his ex. “Way easier to look after it too. That old one was high maintenance.”

“Nothing wrong with a bit of product to take care of things, but it shouldn't need so much that it actively smells,” she added with a small chuckle that made Meegi smirk. It was true, Tiiphani’s scent had always been evolving depending on what perfume was in season, and he genuinely had no idea what her true scent had been.

Unable to think of anything to continue their banter, Meegi took another bite of his breakfast. It wasn't anything flashy, just cantaloupe, rockmelon, and a couple of peaches cut into bite-sized pieces with a healthy dose of lite yoghurt.

“But I'm glad it fits you better, no point being in something that's restrictive and makes you miserable,” she continued and opened a cupboard to put away the dishware. “Got much planned for today?”

Meegi was aware that he had spent too much time on the couch over the last few days, but didn't think his mother was implying anything more than what she was asking. “Yeah, catching up with a friend from high school,” he replied and felt his snout burn unexpectedly. It wasn't a lie, but he still felt awkward about discussing these plans with his mother.

“Oh? Riikal? How is he going? I haven't heard you talking about him in years.” His mother's guess was a good one, but the mention of the drake's name made his stomach tighten. When he had his phone returned to him and had taken the time to charge it, Meegi had looked through the messages and had seen how the Cresties media team had fielded messages from his old friends. The messages since graduating had become sparse very quickly, and the few that the drake had sent had always been compliments veiling requests for tickets to games or asking to be introduced to Looran and other ‘nesses on the team. Each time, the media team had responded with something polite and curated, pretending to be him in a way that didn't tarnish their brand. It had pained him to see that every message from his old friend was just asking for something and there hadn't been any messages since the crash. Meegi knew that he was partially to blame, after all, he hadn't reached out to the drake but it was clear now that their friendship wasn't what it had been.

“Not Riikal,” Meegi mused and stabbed a talon into a slice of fruit, then drove it through the yoghurt. “No, someone else,” he added and looked up as his mother turned her head to look at him with a raised eyeridge.

“Oh yeah? Anyone I know?”

Pulling his wings against his sides, Meegi felt childish dancing around the subject and being coy with his mother. After all, he was a fully grown drake and not some school-aged fledgling who didn't know how to talk to girls. Yet he still briefly contemplated telling her he was meeting up with someone else. It would be easier, any number of his former classmates would satisfy his mother's curiosity. After all, he wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting by meeting up with Reeva. Instead, though, he forced his voice to stay calm and picked out a chunk of fruit from his bowl. “No, I don't think you've met her. Her name is Reeva,” Meegi replied as casually as he could.

His mother continued to stack the dishes before suddenly pulling her neck back as if she had been shocked. Whipping her head around, she looked at him with a look of surprise before practically bounding over from the sink to the table. Pulling up a cushion from against the wall, she dropped it onto the ground and quickly sat down with a childish grin on her snout. Looking at her with a lop-sided smirk, Meegi remained quiet, even as his mother's folded wings partially lifted from her sides in excitement and she eagerly bobbed her head for him to continue. “Just a friend, don't get your hopes up–”

“Is she cute?” his mother asked, making Meegi glare at her in disbelief. “What? I'm curious, is all. Wait… she isn't some spoiled brat like Tiiphani was, is she?” she added, but didn't wait for him to get a word in. “‘Cos I swear, they were all kind of stuck up at that school, and if you're going to throw yourself back into another situation–”

“No, Mom, I'm not,” Meegi replied firmly, for his benefit as much as hers. “I'm not looking for anything serious, it's just a catch-up. And besides, she isn’t like the others,” he added and held her gaze until she nodded in approval. “We shared a couple of classes together, but… I don't know… she was kind of normal.”

“Normal, huh?” his mother asked and relaxed back on her haunches. “What made her feel normal?” she asked, and when Meegi shook his head at her probing, her wings tucked against her sides defensively. “What? If my little egg is going to hang out with someone he thinks is ‘normal’, I'd at least like to know what he means by that!” she claimed happily before cocking her head to one side. “Was she on a scholarship too?”

Shaking his head as he picked up the last chunk of fruit, Meegi carefully tilted it to stop the yoghurt from dripping off. “Oh no, her family was pretty well off. She lived in the Spires back then,” he replied and noticed his mother's expression fade. “But her parents worked for it, or… made some business deal or something, I can't remember. Either way, they weren't from old money, if that makes sense. She wasn't stuck up like the others,” he added and took the piece of fruit into his mouth.

His mother nodded reassuringly before tilting her head to one side. “Did you like her? You know, like her like her?” she asked and Meegi couldn't help but feel like he was a fledgling once again. Given that he hadn't exactly spent much time trying to date before he met Tiiphani, he understood her enthusiasm and curiosity.

Using his mouthful as an excuse not to answer right away, he used the time to think about how to answer. He didn't like to keep secrets from his mother, and as he thought back to the warnings she had given him about Tiiphani, he knew better than to ignore her advice. “Kinda… yeah, in a way,” he replied finally, earning a proud smirk from his mother.

“Well, if that's the case… I’m not going to stop you. But just know that no one ‘normal’ lives in the Spires and goes to that school, okay? No one would consider that sort of wealth normal,” she warned and reached across the table to collect his now empty bowl. He had secretly been planning to lick it clean off the streaks of yoghurt, despite how rude it might have been, but didn't protest as his mother carried it to the sink in one paw. “Also, a girl doesn't like to be called ‘normal’. We are all magical creatures of uniqueness and rainbows. You'd best remember that if you're going to be hitting the dating scene again.”

Scoffing a small chuckle, Meegi shook his head and spoke up as she turned on the tap to wash his bowl. “It's not a date, just a catch-up. Hell, she probably has a mate or something.” Mentally, he had committed to the possibility of her being with someone. It helped temper his expectations, but also explained why she had sounded so distant in her texts. He wasn't sure exactly what he had expected when he had started chatting with her, but Reeva had come across distant and almost cold, often taking hours to reply back to him and even then keeping her answers short while staying polite. Not that he could blame her; he hadn't spoken to her since school, and even then he felt that they hadn't parted on good terms.

“And if she doesn't?” his mother asked once she had wiped down the bowl and picked up a cloth to dry it. “You have to remember, Meegi, you're still a big deal. And I know you aren't the kind to use that fame, but you have to realise that some girls will want to be close to you just because of who you are, right?” she continued, and Meegi nodded automatically. “Even if she comes from money, I don't want you getting tangled with another girl that wants you for the wrong reasons, alright?”

“No, Mom, she ain't like that,” Meegi replied quickly, but felt a small pang of guilt in the back of his mind. He was aware that Reeva had a crush on him while he was at school, as Riikal had told him as much, and the rumours were all but confirmed when she started acting distant as he began to date Tiiphani. Now he was beginning to wonder if he was inadvertently taking advantage of her crush to meet up with her. The small doubt conflicted with how she had reacted to him texting her. After all, if she was still infatuated with him, she wouldn't have been so standoffish. Shaking his head, Meegi assured himself of his resolve. “No, that's not what this is. It's just a catch-up. Nothing more. We are going for a flight around the city. Just a hangout and chat.”

“Uh-huh,” his mother said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Just a nice flight as a couple around the city on a Saturday morning. Stopping for ice cream afterwards?” she asked and tilted her head to look at him with a knowing and somewhat judgmental look.

“No, that wasn't the plan. I'm just heading to her place and then heading out. I'll be back by lunchtime, I reckon.”

“Her place…” his mother said as she put away the now dried bowl in the cupboards with a rushed clatter. “You're heading to her place–”

“Hey, I offered to meet her somewhere chill, but she insisted!” Meegi retorted, but knew his argument was weak. He had proposed they meet on the outskirts of the city, or even the school grounds so as not to sound too forward, but she had been very reluctant about his proposals and offered her place instead. “Okay, now it kind of does sound a bit sus, doesn't it?”

“I swear, Meegi, if you get there and she invites you inside…” she started before shaking her head in disbelief. “Listen, you're an adult, and I trust you. But just for the love of all things holy, don't get her knocked up or anything, okay?” his mother implored and looked back at him with a genuine plea in her eyes.

“Mom, no. I promise. We hung out once or twice at school and she was nice to talk to. This isn't a booty call, and I swear, if that's what she is after, then I'll leave. I promise,” Meegi replied quickly and firmly, not raising his voice but making his stance clear. “I don't really want to meet new people just yet, and many of my old friends are doing their own thing now. So… Reeva… well… she is doing this thing with a charity or something, it sounds interesting. I kinda want to talk to someone who isn't after something in return.”

His mother chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment before finally giving him a single nod. “You can always talk to me,” she mused with a small smile. Meegi could tell that she knew what he meant and was only trying to make light of his remark. “A good flight with a friend sounds fun. How is your wing?”

“It's getting better each day. My cast is more annoying, can't wait to get it off,” Meegi replied and subconsciously adjusted his rigid hind leg. Each day since returning home, he had begun to take small experimental flights around the neighbourhood, first starting with a short lap of the closest streets and gradually increasing the distance each time. It had become a routine for him. Every time he got bored, he would do a lap. Any time he found himself staring into the fridge while not being hungry, he would do a lap. After spending time alone with himself and his paw, he would do a lap. He still refrained from performing any aerobatic manoeuvres, but was now at the point where he could sustain a constant beat of his wings for a full half hour without needing to resort to gliding. “I should be okay for today. Worst case, we will stop and go make out in a cinema or something,” he added, just to get a snort of amusement from his mother.

“Well, make sure it's a good movie then. You don't want your first date to be going to see something boring.”

---

Rolling his hips in a wide arc, Meegi pulled his locked hind leg up onto the top step of the wide staircase. It was common, of course, for dragons to come and go from their apartments via their own personal balconies; however, for flightless dragons, humans, and first-time visitors, the stairs that bisected the apartment complex were the main approach. The flight from his house to Reeva's hadn't taken long, partially due to Meegi's giddiness and also a gentle tailwind, and now he had arrived almost fifteen minutes early. Even after confirming he was definitely at the address she had sent him and taking a moment to adjust the straps on his harness, he was still awkwardly early.

Pausing on the landing of the stairs to look at the numbers on the apartment doors, Meegi quickly realised which direction he needed to go and turned right. Hugging the wall and keeping his wings tight against his sides, he made room for three humans to pass by in the opposite direction. Smiling awkwardly while they laughed at something one of them said, Meegi averted his gaze when one of them tracked him as he walked by. He knew the look well, the one a fan would give whenever he was seen in public. In the past, he had often had Tiiphani by his side to help manage the interaction, but now he felt more exposed than ever. Turning his head ever so slightly after he had passed, Meegi looked backwards and his heart began pounding in his chest as one of the group had stopped. The man looked at him in confusion before one of his friends called out to him.

Looking back ahead, Meegi continued to walk with his uneven stride and tried to act casual. Only when he was halfway down the hallway did he chance a second look backwards and breathe a sigh of relief when he saw the group begin to descend the stairs.

“Nah man, his mane is way shorter…” one of the men exclaimed, his voice echoing up the staircase. “As if someone like him would be here….” Their conversation became muffled as they continued down the flights of stairs, and Meegi swallowed to moisten his dry throat. He didn't think he would ever get used to moments like this, the strange stares, the looks of partial recognition, but he tried to bury the moment and refocus on meeting Reeva.

Wobbling slightly, Meegi gently rested his cast bound leg on the ground as he shifted his weight to stand on one hind and foreleg. Checking his phone, Meegi confirmed the address once more and that he was still a few minutes early, and continued towards number 311. Despite what the passing men had said, the apartment complex Reeva lived in was quite tidy and modern. Not the cold, sterile luxury of the Spires, where every inch was marble, gold, or a mirror. Instead, it had a humble, clean aesthetic that felt lived-in without being messy. The hallway floors were tiled with large faux stone and bore the occasional chip from a rogue talon, and the walls were decorated with the occasional picture of abstract flowers or shapes. It looked as though it had been designed with dragons in mind, with the hallway being large enough for two dragons to pass by one another, and the bottom third of the walls continuing the same floor tiles to protect them from an errant sweep of a tail.

Coming to a halt outside the apartment, Meegi reset his wings restlessly and noticed the peephole and a flat brass panel in the middle of the door. It wasn't too dissimilar to the knockers of old-fashioned homes, albeit missing the swinging piece of metal that was often challenging for a dragon's paws. Instead, it was just a small diamond-shaped pad with countless small scratches from dragons that had knocked too hard. Stretching his good wing forwards, he tapped at the brass with the talon on his wing’s wrist, making a deep but clear knocking sound. Shuffling back to a polite distance, Meegi stared at the peephole and listened for any sounds of movement from the other side.

Nothing.

Chewing the inside of his cheek, Meegi contemplated knocking again, but refrained for fear of appearing rude. She might be busy doing something, and after all, he was early. Glancing up and down the hallway, Meegi confirmed he was alone and noticed how far the apartments were spaced out. ‘Definitely designed for dragons,’ he mused to himself and checked his phone again. Glancing back at the apartment number, he triple-checked that he was in the right spot and hadn't stuffed up the day. Not wanting to knock if she was busy, he tapped a quick message to say that he was in the hallway and hit send. After a second, a small icon appeared on the message to say that it had been seen, and he alternated between looking at his phone and then at the door. He still couldn't hear any movement from inside her apartment, but didn't want to press his ear against the door just in case she looked through the peephole.

A small thought drifted into his mind that maybe he was being stood up. Although the fact that she had given him her address didn't make sense; if she wanted to get back at him in some way, she wouldn't have divulged this information. Now that she had seen the message, he felt as though he shouldn't knock on the door and continued to wait awkwardly in the hallway. He was looking down the corridor when a click and movement behind him made him turn his head all the way around. Before the door behind him had fully opened, Meegi had turned so that his side hugged the door of Reeva's apartment to make room for her neighbour.

“So, it really was you!” Reeva exclaimed, standing in the doorway of the apartment across the hallway. “I for sure thought that you were a scammer,” she added, her crimson frill flat against her neck as she looked at the dumbfounded Meegi.

“Um… no?” Meegi replied with uncertainty as he glanced between the dragoness and the closed door of the apartment she had told him was hers. “Scammer?” he added while cocking his head. “No, it's me. Hi,” he continued awkwardly, earning a flash of a smile from the dragoness. Looking at her now, she looked so different from how he remembered her. Gone was the lanky fledgeling who could hardly hold his gaze, and instead there stood a confident dragoness who looked him in the eyes. Her scales were still the same shade of blue that reminded him of a clear midday sky, with the exception of the larger cream-coloured plate scales that lined her throat and chest and, of course, her striking crimson frill that ran between her two ivory horns.

“Well, I guess I owe Kaarif lunch, come on in,” she invited and jerked her head in to gesture inside. Turning around on himself, Meegi was still very confused as to which apartment was actually hers before suddenly realising she had given him her neighbour’s address. “I really didn't think it was you, so I'll need a minute to get ready. Make yourself comfortable,” she called back to him as he began to follow her inside.

His mother's words lingered in his mind and he averted his gaze from her rump as he followed Reeva into her living room. “Why wouldn't it be me?” Meegi asked in genuine confusion and pulled his wings close to his sides as he looked around and took in the details of the room. The dragoness had decorated each wall with countless floating shelves, each one littered with framed pictures, small potted plants, or trinkets. However, the rippling light coming from the large fish tank that ran the length of one wall caught his attention. His nostrils flared briefly as he automatically took in the scents of the room. Other than the smell of damp from the fish tank, the apartment smelt of spices, home cooking, and, of course, the dragoness.

“Oh come on, out of the blue, the Cresties star claimer starts chatting to me? They want to go flying, even after a major injury, and always reply within a few seconds, even late at night?” Reeva said over her shoulder as she walked. “I was pretty sure you were a bot. I was waiting for the classic ‘I need some money and will totes pay you back double, so I'm reaching out to my bestest fans’ or something,” she added before shrugging her wings. “Kaarif thought you were legit, and he gets all sorts of scams. VIPs looking to come out, but just need some money for customs or something. Give me a second, I'll just get ready and then we can go.”

“Kaarif?” Meegi asked. He knew that Reeva and the small aquatic drake were close, and now he was wondering if they were an item or not. He hadn't detected the scent of anyone else living in the apartment, but that didn't mean that they weren't together. “You're still in contact with him?” he inquired as she padded her way down the hallway.

“Oh yeah, I'm catching up with him and Miikalah for lunch. You should join us!” she called back as she entered what Meegi assumed was her bedroom. Glancing down the hallway, he could only make out one room and guessed the bathroom was somehow attached, confirming his suspicion that it was a one-bedroom apartment. He hadn't planned on meeting anyone else from school, and he hadn't really interacted with Kaarif, but the mention of Miikalah perked his interest. She had once been Tiiphani's friend and had played alongside him for their school's Dragonball team, but her friendship with his ex had taken an abrupt end during prom.

“Are they still together?” he asked and slowly walked towards the large fish tank while contemplating the proposition. When he heard Reeva call back that Kaarif and Miikalah were mates, he couldn't help but smile at the image of the smaller drake with such a large and powerful dragoness. Ultimately, he wasn't sure where he stood with Miikalah, given he had dated Tiiphani, and then realised it would look like a double date if he arrived with Reeva. “I… um… I don't know,” he called back while watching the swarm of fish inside the tank as they all came to the glass. “So hold up, you thought I was a scammer, but you invited me to your place?” he asked in an attempt to change the subject.

His question made the dragoness giggle from her room, and when he saw movement down the hallway, he looked to see her leaning to one side from her doorway. Seeing her frill swept back sheepishly, Meegi couldn't help himself from returning her smile. “I honestly didn't think it was you, and when you suggested meeting up at some random park, I thought it was dodgy. So, between wanting to see if it was you but not wanting to get jumped by some gang, I figured I would screen you here.”

“So you gave me your neighbour's address?”

“Oh, it's been empty for weeks,” Reeva replied as she pulled her head back into her room and continued to get ready. Meegi wasn't sure exactly what she was doing, but heard the telltale squirt of some sort of lotion or cream being dispensed. “How's your wing? That crash looked pretty horrific.”

Refocusing on the aquarium, Meegi became fascinated by the swarm of tropical fish. “Honestly, it's not too bad. I'm not meant to be doing anything stressful with it, but normal flying is fine. My leg hurts from now and again, but I have some pills for that,” he explained and recoiled back slightly when a large, dark-coloured sucker fish skimmed across the bottom of the tank like some sort of stealth aircraft. Compared to the other brilliantly coloured ones, it looked completely out of place and, as it swished its tail to attach itself to the glass, Meegi looked into its round circular mouth in concern. Framing the fish’s lips ran rows of abrasive-looking nubs, and as it continued to feast on invisible scum on the glass, Meegi was treated to a view of the pulsating sucker undulating grotesquely.

“Really? When they said you were retiring ‘cos of the injuries, I didn't think you would be flying any time soon,” Reeva called out from her room before poking her head into the doorway once more. “We can do something else if you don't want to stress your wings or leg.”

“Nah, I'm okay. Really,” Meegi replied automatically before wondering if she was implying something more intimate. He dismissed the idea quickly, afterall, this was meant to be a friendly catch-up, and he would hate to ruin what little they had by leaping to conclusions. “Doctor says some gentle flying is okay at this point, and as long as I don't overdo it, I'll be back to full strength in a few more months.”

“Really? That quick?” she asked and looked at him in confusion when he nodded. “So why did you retire?” Reeva continued, and Meegi was glad when she retracted her head as it meant she didn't see the look of concern in his eyes. He was being honest with her, without thinking of how his lie hinged on the fact that he shouldn't be capable of playing Dragonball.

“Oh, well… it was complicated,” he replied carefully and turned away from the ugly fish to look around the room. “Anyway, I’m not sure if the doctors were just being optimistic. The Cresties are the best, and they only take the best,” he continued, hoping to build some semblance of believability into his lie. Even as he said the words, it still felt hollow and he cleared his throat before trying to change the subject. “How about you, though? Marriage for all, right? That's pretty cool.”

“Yeah, it's challenging. But I'm just an assistant, though, not really anything meaningful.”

Looking at a row of photographs, Meegi smiled as he saw pictures of a younger Reeva smiling in a graduation gown with both of her parents by her side. “Hey, you're assisting change, sounds pretty meaningful to me,” Meegi mused loudly enough for her to hear and cringed at how corny he sounded. However, to his relief, Reeva laughed. Further along the shelf, he spotted a curious photo and hobbled over to get a closer look. It was a classic black frame like many of the other photos and showed a picture of Reeva at night with friends; however, the entire left-hand half of the photo had been covered by another smaller photo of a sunset. It didn't make sense as to why two photos would share the same frame until he caught a glimpse of a hand holding her folded wing, with the rest of the person hidden by the second photo. Someone she had a falling out with? An ex, perhaps? One thing was clear: they were human, and now Meegi began to wonder if her choice of career was due to her preference in mates. “It will be cool when marriage becomes legal. Being a part of a change like that is still pretty awesome.”

“Ha, you say that like it's destined to happen!” Reeva called out. “Between lawmakers only getting motivated by what's in it for them, religious groups kicking up a stink, and that scale supremacy lot coming out of the woodwork to drag us back a few decades… let's just say we've got a bit of a strong headwind.”

“Nah, it will get passed, I know it. After all, they've got you assisting!” Meegi replied, earning a groan from the ness and chuckling at his own corniness. “But I really think it's cool that you're doing something meaningful, and I meant what I sent in that email.”

“Yeah, about that, what was blocking me all about?” Reeva replied, making Meegi gulp while pulling his wings closer to his sides. “I was starting to wonder if it was really you, or if it was someone spoofing you and they got shut down.”

“No… it was me,” Meegi said with a slight sadness in his voice. “I probably shouldn't have sent it from my work account. Tiiphani… Well, she thought I was trying to do a sponsorship thing or something. That was kind of her job, and it became a whole thing,” Meegi explained, and when a silence hung in the air, he looked in the direction of the hallway.

“Does she know you're hanging out with me? I don't want to cause drama–”

“Oh no, we aren't a thing anymore–” Meegi corrected and stopped when he heard a clatter of something from the dragoness' room. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine!” Her response came quicker and possibly more enthusiastically than she had expected, making Meegi's lips curl into a smile. “I just didn't know! I saw some clickbait article about you and her breaking up, but I didn't think it was real.”

“Yeah, it's real. Things weren't really working out before the crash, and well… it was better for both of us to go separate ways.” Meegi's words came out rehearsed, and the small scoff from the dragoness' bedroom suggested she didn't quite believe him.

“You don't need to sugarcoat it, Meegi. Everyone knew she was a piece of shit. She was an absolute bitch to me, and Miikalah has tons of stories about how diabolical she was to her. Legit, if her father hadn't basically bought the school’s sports program, she would have gotten kicked out by middle school.” This made Meegi snort in amusement and bob his head in agreement. Tiiphani's grades had never been great, and he had always suspected she had received special treatment from their teachers. “Just so we are clear though, I ain't the rebound, am I?”

“No!” Meegi replied quickly, possibly too quickly. After all, he didn't want to offend the dragoness, and was relieved when she laughed a genuine cackle. Picking up a small plastic horse-shaped toy from one of the shelves, he looked it over as he turned it over in his paw. Whatever paint it had once had was long since rubbed off, and its rubbery plastic body was marred with countless small scratches from young talons. “No, I'm not looking for a hook-up or anything. Just wanting to get out of the house. I was going stir-crazy at home.”

“Oh, so I'm just entertainment, am I?” Reeva replied, her voice quieter and more direct. Turning his head, he quickly put the small toy back on the shelf when he saw the dragoness standing before him. Despite having just seen her when she let him in, his words still failed him. She hadn't been spending the last few minutes trying to cover herself in gold glitter balm like Tiiphani had, nor bleaching her horns with just one more coat of horrid-smelling cream that required further perfumes to mask. Instead, Reeva stood and looked just like herself, albeit with scales so glossy that they sparkled under her apartment’s downlights with a depth he hadn't noticed before. Whatever products she had used were subtle and didn't drown her scent with harsh chemicals, and as his gaze drifted from her eyes to her harness, he was reminded why they were here. “Only just better than daytime TV, am I?” she added smoothly, making him swallow nervously.

“N-no…” Meegi murmured, his voice failing for a moment, which made the dragoness' frill flick up in amusement. He felt ridiculous, sounding so unsure of himself. After all, he had performed at a top level in front of hundreds of thousands of screaming fans, been interviewed afterwards while panting for breath, and still sounded more confident than he did now, in front of a friend in a quiet apartment. However, before he could say something more convincing, the dragoness stepped forwards and searched his soul with her amber eyes.

“Good, because my mate would be very displeased if you were looking for something else,” Reeva added with a small smirk that grew into a wide smile when Meegi’s eyes widened in surprise. The tone in her voice sounded half playful, but also so confidently and so matter-of-fact, that he wasn’t completely sure if she was playing with him. Traitorous thoughts ran through his head at the idea of being alone with the dragoness behind her mate's back. This wasn't what he wanted. Yet as his mind raced, he found himself conflicted. He had told himself that he didn't want anything more than just a chance to talk to the ‘ness, but now, faced with the knowledge that she was taken, he almost felt… jealous.

“You have a mate?” he stammered before scrunching his eyes closed at how surprised he sounded. “I mean, of course you would. Look at you! I mean, not like that– but how could you not? You look great– I mean… They are very lucky…” he continued, but his words drifted off. His jaw tightened, not with any frustration towards the dragoness, but at himself. Despite telling himself that he wasn’t interested in anything more than a friendship, now knowing that she was taken made his heart sink. Until… Reeva looked him square in the eyes before tipping her head down and giggled. Her frill bounced slightly in the process before she flicked her eyes to him again and then laughed a cheeky laugh that made his snout burn in embarrassment. “You're joking… aren't you?” he asked as she laughed and felt his blood drain from his head when she nodded without stopping. “You’re single?” he asked gingerly and was met with a broad grin from the dragoness as she wiped a digit under her eye.

“Maybe…” she started before shaking her head. “I'm not seeing anyone at the moment. But if you're looking for a way to get back at Tiiphani, I ain't it.” Reeva said with a certainty that made Meegi swallow.

“No, I'm not trying to get her back. Gods no!” Meegi cried out at the idea and shook his head vehemently. He wasn't sure why he had expected Reeva to be the same shy and timid dragoness from school. She had grown up immensely and carried herself with the confidence of someone who didn’t need anyone else in her life. “I legit just wanted to fly with you… that time we flew together at school, I liked it, and I'm thinking of doing more of that. Like offer lessons or something.” he added with sincerity and adjusted his wings to sit closer to his sides.

“What? Flying with schoolgirls?” Reeva teased, making Meegi's expression drop, which in turn made her frill lift as high as it could while her smile broadened and her tail swished restlessly. “I hope this wasn't going to be a long-term plan, ‘cos it's gonna get creepy in a few years–”

“No! I mean… teaching,” Meegi started but shook his head to dismiss the idea. “Never mind… can we just go flying?” he asked, unable to formulate exactly what he meant. Not because he was speechless, but because he genuinely didn't know. He knew he enjoyed teaching Reeva how to do a barrel roll and his old boss's son how to fly, but wasn't sure how he could make that a career.

“Teaching? Like Dragonball? Sort of what Coach Daanic was doing?”

Meegi shrugged his wings before eventually shaking his head to dismiss the idea. He had promised not to play Dragonball again, and while he was still trying to understand how he now felt about the game, teaching others how to play wasn't what he was looking for. “I was thinking maybe something else… but I don't know what yet,” he clarified and failed to stop the sadness creeping into his voice. It still felt wrong to be sad in his situation, and he shrugged his wings to renew his confidence. “I’m just exploring options at the moment, just looking to do something other than Dragonball.”

“Really?” Reeva asked while pulling her head back and tilting it to one side. “But I thought you loved that game. Back at school, you would have done anything to be on the team–”

“That was then,” Meegi countered with a firmness that caught him by surprise. He hadn't raised his voice, but his tone was layered with frustration that didn't go unnoticed by the dragoness. “Sorry, you're right. Old Meegi would have done anything and everything to be on the team, and… well… he did. But now it's time for something different,” he tried to explain and caught a hint of sympathetic pain in the dragoness's eyes.

A silence hung between them for a moment before the dragoness bobbed her head slightly. “So, teaching, huh? I think you would be good at that,” she offered, but despite the sincerity in her voice, Meegi couldn't help but feel that she was just saying what he wanted to hear. His thoughts weren't missed by the dragoness, who seemed to be able to read his face like an open book. “I still remember everything you taught me about doing a barrel roll. Finding something to fix my eyes on, flicking my tail around. All of it!” she continued. A small smile tugged at the corners of Meegi's lips as he remembered the day and how quickly she had learnt. The fact that she still remembered what he had taught her warmed his heart. “Scared the shit out of a guy I was dating. The poor thing wouldn't let go of my harness even after we had landed. I probably should have warned him…”

Snorting in amusement, Meegi then cocked his head and looked at the dragoness quizzically to see if she was joking but saw nothing but genuine humour in her eyes. “You dated a guy?” he asked and once again hated how blunt he sounded. Thankfully, the dragoness didn't seem to take offence and simply shrugged her wings.

“Yeah, through college. I thought we had something…” she said and nodded towards the front door. “Shall we get going? The balcony is kinda shit to take off from, so it's mostly out the way you came,” she explained, and Meegi nodded in understanding. With his broken leg, he didn't want to risk launching from only the third storey up, but his mind was still stuck on the fact that she had once dated a human. It wasn't that he held any prejudice against those who preferred people from the other species, but he hadn't picked her as one of them, although now her stance on mixed marriages began to make more sense.

Nodding, he waited for her to turn and step aside to let him pass and before he began to hobble across the room. “Do you mind if I ask what happened?” Meegi asked as he passed her and made his way to the door. He caught the look of amusement from the dragoness in the corner of his eye and shrugged his wings. “Hey, I'm just curious, is all. You thought you had something. Was he not serious or something?” he offered and used a paw to open the front door. Stepping out and across the hallway, he gave her room to exit and waited as she pulled the door closed.

“Eh… he started off fine, but he got real weird when I told him about my parents' money. Kinda got really clingy and wouldn't pay for anything,” she replied and used her shoulder to test the door. Satisfied that the door was locked, she nodded towards the hallway. “He got really upset when I named a fish after him,” Reeva added with a cheeky grin.

“Bruce… sucker fish… I get it now,” Meegi replied and chuckled alongside Reeva. Walking side by side, they began to make their way down the hallway, and while Meegi wasn't as fast as her, she didn't seem to be in any rush.

“Bottom feeder is more appropriate. But either way, I had to break it off before graduation. It was getting really distracting. Also, my dad was super weird about it all,” Reeva explained, and Meegi remembered just how protective her father could be. “Not like, in a bad way, don't get me wrong. But just… overly supportive to the point that it feels forced? You know what I mean?”

“Um… not really?” he replied. The only parallel he could think of was how his mother had encouraged him to train and play, but it had always come from a place of sincerity and had never felt like an act. She had recognised how much he had liked the game and opened every door she could to let him grow into who he was now. “Was your mum cool with… Bruce? I'm sorry, but that feels like a really old-fashioned name. Like a sort of middle-manager sort of guy,” he continued and glanced at the dragoness as she laughed. Coming to the top of the stairs, he slowed and gestured with his folded wing for her to lead, as he would be much slower.

“Oh, don't get me started!” Reeva exclaimed before shaking her head in disbelief and trotting down the first flight of stairs before looking back at him. “But no, Mum was fine with it all. She can be pretty protective sometimes… Well, they both can be. And I guess she didn't think much could go wrong with a guy,” she continued and watched carefully as Meegi began to half hop, half step down the stairs. Going up them hadn't been an issue, but now heading down he found it easier to just lift his broken leg and shift most of his weight over his forelegs. Then, after a small bounce of his hips, he could skip down two steps with his hind leg and then walk forwards with his front. “Are you okay?”

“Yup!” Meegi said with a small grunt as he mantled his wings for balance. “Going up is fine, down is kinda awkward, but it's better than being bedbound,” he mused once he had made it to the first landing. The knowledge that he still had many flights left to go wasn't missed on the drake, and he was surprised when Reeva squeezed around him to come to the same side as his broken leg.

Ducking under his mantled wing, she pressed herself close to him and nodded towards the next flight. “Let me help,” she offered warmly and leaned into him so her side was pressed against his. The sensation of her smooth scales against his was impossible to ignore. They were smoother and softer than his own, and the contact sent a small flutter through his stomach. He knew it was just a friendly gesture, but it was a small contact that he hadn't known he had been missing until now.

“Thanks,” he murmured and gingerly lowered his wing around her to hold himself close. With her supporting him, they turned on the landing and began to descend the next series of steps. This time, he didn't need to hop and bounce as much, instead leveraging his good wing to support himself on her and take each step more gracefully. “Sorry,” he murmured on autopilot as they turned on the next landing and his tail brushed against hers.

“It's okay. You sure I can't tempt you with lunch? Kaarif got us a table at Aria's,” Reeva asked and turned to look at him as they walked. The mention of the restaurant made his lips twitch in displeasure and he quickly shook his head. He knew the restaurant well, and the first time he had visited it was when he had been presented with his first contract. It was a lavish restaurant with delicious food in far too small portions, and far too ostentatious for a simple lunch between friends.

“No, I'm good. It's a nice place though. It's just Tiiphani and I used to go there a lot and, well… not really my scene,” Meegi explained and jerked his head back towards his rear. “Also, with the leg, kinda feels weird to be in public like that, and people are gonna notice me with you.”

“You say that like it's a bad thing,” Reeva retorted with a smirk. “Don't tell me, Meegi, the star of the Cresties, is embarrassed to be seen with basic Reeva?” she added teasingly, making him smirk as he shook his head.

“Basic?” Meegi started with a snort as they turned on the next landing. “Please, you are anything but. Working hard for actual change… far from basic,” he added and wasn't sure if it was just in his imagination, but he swore he felt her lean further into him. Despite her reassuring touch, he still felt a tightness in his chest at the idea of visiting such a prestigious venue with Reeva and friends. While he was confident that it would be just a friendly catch-up, he knew others might see them meeting as some kind of double date. He hated the idea of dragging the dragoness into possible gossip, she was just too grounded to have her image dragged through the trashy magazines that would speculate more than ask. However, at the same time he didn't want to push her away and the idea of catching up with others from school had a certain appeal.

Walking slowly, they made it down the next two flights of stairs before Meegi took a deep breath and sighed a long exhale. “Fuck it… alright. Count me in,” he muttered and looked at her when her frill flicked up suddenly in clear excitement. “But I'm paying for me. I don't want you to name a fish after me,” he continued and smiled a wide smile when the dragoness laughed joyously.

---

With his wings outstretched and the wind rushing over his tan, membranous wings, Meegi soared through the skies. Banking slightly to the right as he entered a thermal, he looked back over his left wing and tracked Reeva as she copied his movements just behind him. Together they rose up high over the city, far higher than the altitude most dragons flew while commuting. Even the four impossibly tall buildings that made up the Spires lingered below them as they continued to climb. The relaxed pace of their climb was intoxicating. It lacked the rushed and strenuous speed he would have flown if he was training, and was far more aimless than what they would have done if they were commuting to somewhere they needed to be. It was refreshing, just flying for the sake of flying and letting the wind carry them wherever it wanted to take them.

“I don't think I've ever flown this high before,” Reeva called out as she beat her wings twice to advance to his wingtip. Keeping their wings locked out to full extension, both of them lazily rode the thermal higher and higher. “Like I remember trying when I was little, but I never cleared the Spires,” she added and tipped her head down to enjoy the vast distance between them and the ground.

“It feels good, doesn't it?” Meegi remarked as he followed her gaze. Unlike many ground-bound creatures, the sensation of having so much space below them had a curiously calming effect on a flying dragon. While skimming close to the ground and pulling high-G turns around buildings was one way to get the heart pumping, the simple fact that they had plenty of time to correct a mistake was reassuring to both Reeva and Meegi. Likewise, at their altitude, the wind was more predictable and couldn't be made turbulent by squeezing through the countless tall buildings and alleyways. The sounds of the city too were completely absent, leaving both of them alone with the quiet and the sound of the wind across their wings.

Reeva nodded in agreement without taking her eyes off the buildings below them. “I've never really had a reason to come up this high. Even when I was dating Bruce, we only flew a bit above the buildings,” she added before flicking her focus back to Meegi. “This is far nicer,” she added genuinely before a grin tugged at her snout. “Also, I'm not having to carry you. Have you ever flown with a human? They are not aerodynamic at all.”

Shaking his head with a small laugh, Meegi felt the subtle sink as they drifted out of the thermal. “No, I can't say I have. Want to go higher?” His question was met with an enthusiastic nod and, with a series of swift wing beats, they turned around and re-entered the thermal. Feeling the renewed lift under his wings, he began a tighter turn to ride the middle of the column of air where the effect was strongest. Reeva hung back briefly to let him get ahead, before beating her wings to manually climb up to his altitude. In doing so, she brought herself in line with his wingtip but facing the opposite direction. Continuing their tight left-hand turn, they climbed together in a tight spiral.

“Can I ask what actually happened?” Reeva asked after a few minutes of gliding in silence. “Leaving the Cresties, I mean,” she clarified, and Meegi found himself unable to look at her. “I get that they said it was for your health, but give it a few months and your leg will be fine. And it doesn't look like there is anything wrong with your wings. So what gives?”

He wanted to tell her. He remembered how easy she had been to talk to when they were at school, and even when he had confided that he was on a scholarship, she never made fun of him or told anyone. Even when he had started dating Tiiphani, the dragoness had kept his secret despite how embarrassing it would have been for his friends to learn he didn’t come from the same level of wealth as them. He ran through the lies he could tell her, the easiest and most believable being that he and Tiiphani broke up and she pulled his contract. It would be something she would likely want to believe, but it wouldn't explain why he wasn’t looking at signing with another team. Likewise, he didn't want to lie to her. If he was going to try and build a friendship, starting off with a lie was less than ideal.

“It’s a long story,” he said, hopeful that he could dismiss her easier than lying to her. It pained him to not be honest with her, and when he glanced across at her, he saw her looking back at him expectantly.

“We are a long way up,” she countered and banked to bring herself closer to him. “If it's something embarrassing, I won't tell anyone. I'm just curious, is all. Did you cheat on Tiiphani or something?” she offered, making Meegi scoff. “Hey, I don't know what happens in the showers. You and Looran always worked well together until she got attacked. Was there anything between you two?”

“No!” Meegi exclaimed vehemently and looked back at her in surprise for suggesting such a thing. “She has a mate, and I am definitely not her type!”

“Hey, I don't know. I've met plenty of ‘nesses that fly for both teams!” Reeva said before angling her wings to drop a few inches back to his level. Due to a combination of her lighter weight and his cast dragging through the air, the dragoness was able to climb ever so slightly faster than him. “And you have to admit, something weird happened after she played against the Warblers.”

“Magic will do that,” Meegi mused and tried to gauge her reaction. Her eyes narrowed briefly and her frill flattened slightly before she gently shook her head.

“Not all magic. Like, that Warbler was way out of line and straight up tried to kill her. But that was one dropped egg who had it in for you guys,” she explained before her expression softened and she shrugged her shoulders. “I ain't gonna paint all magic users with that brush. The vast majority of them are super cool, and when I was little I wished so hard that I could do it,” Reeva continued before letting out a little chuckle. “I wasn't exactly laid like a normal egg, and magic is the only reason me and Mum are still here. So I kinda thought that maybe some of it would have rubbed off on me and I would have the gift.”

“Really?” Meegi asked hopefully and tried to control his enthusiasm. Tiiphani’s rant about magic users and how they should be registered still lingered in the back of his mind like a cold shadow, and it was warming to hear Reeva talk about people like him in such high regard. “I mean, what happened?”

“It's a long story,” Reeva replied and flashed him a knowing look. “Ask me again some day,” she added quickly to prove her point. He found it difficult to hold her gaze as she looked at him with her bright amber eyes. At the altitude they were flying, they were completely alone and secluded. No one on the ground would even know they were here, and it offered a strange sense of privacy despite being exposed from all angles.

“Fine…” Meegi said softly and closed his eyes. He knew it was risky. Even if she was trustworthy now, there was still a chance that their relationship may sour and then she would have leverage over him. Yet… he wanted to be honest with her, to develop their friendship and see where it went. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he opened his eyes and turned his head to focus on her. “I will tell you. But I need you to promise not to tell anyone. Okay?” he asked, and when she nodded quickly, he shook his head. “I mean it. I signed things that mean I can't tell you, and shit would go bad quick if word got out. Even your parents.” This wiped the last remnants of humour off her expression and instead she looked at him with certainty as she nodded.

“What happened, Meegi?” she asked before turning tighter to move so close that her wingtip was mere inches away from his as they spiralled. “What did you do?”

“Nothing…” Meegi started before taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. “You know that Warblers player, Maalkorm? All the shit it caused when they found out he could do magic?” he asked and waited as she nodded in confusion. “Well… he wasn't the only player that could do magic,” he added and tried to gauge her reaction.

Her expression shifted from confusion to uncertainty. She looked away briefly before refocusing back on him in realisation. “Wait?!”

“Yeah.”

“You can do…?” Reeva asked in surprise and, when Meegi nodded, her jaw parted and her eyes went wide. “Really?” she continued in disbelief. “But that's not allowed…” Then it seemed to dawn on the dragoness as she closed her mouth and shook her head. “So wait… they found out? Or did you quit?”

“They found out. I can't do anything as crazy as what Maalkorm did, but once they found out… I was too much of a risk,” he explained and was relieved when the dragoness didn't pull away from him and instead continued to glide beside him. “So yeah… can't really play for another team, and to be honest, I probably shouldn't have been playing for the Cresties anyway.”

“Nah…” Reeva replied, making Meegi cock his head. “Nah, the rules are bullshit. Like yeah, choking a player out or using magic to influence the game isn't exactly fair. But you weren't doing that, were you?” The dragoness paused for only long enough for Meegi to shake his head and then pulled her head back as if she had tasted something bad. “Well then that's gryphonshit. You are by far the best player on the team.”

“Thanks…”

“No, I mean it!” Reeva exclaimed with an enthusiasm that couldn't be faked. “Between Fiital being unable to take a turn and Looran basically just being a wrecking ball, you were what made the Cresties good!” she added, and Meegi allowed himself a small smile. “Like sure, some people would say that you were a bit too cautious and avoided a scrap. But that's why I liked watching you. You fly like you are dancing, so smooth, elegant, and graceful. To drop you just because you can do magic is ridiculous!”

“Yeah… Well those are the rules. I knew them when I signed on, but I fucked up and got caught,” Meegi said with a hint of distance in his voice. “But seriously, this needs to stay between us. They would bring down all levels of hell if they knew I told you. Brand reputation is everything for them, and if word got out that I could do magic… well–” A small vibration from his paw pulled Meegi's focus away from the dragoness, and when he looked down he saw that his phone was giving him an altitude alert. Glancing towards the north, he could make out the lights of the city's international airport and understood the warning. They still had just under a hundred feet to go before they came close to a restricted flight corridor, but it wasn't worth the risk.

“Too high?” Reeva asked as she too looked down at her phone and read a similar message. When Meegi nodded, the pair of them adjusted course and exited the thermal. Glancing down at the Spires to orient himself, Meegi rolled to his other side and turned around to face the same direction Reeva was heading. “It's okay though, I won't tell anyone. I'm pretty used to NDAs, and although I work with lawyers, I sure as hell don't want to deal with that,” she said, offering Meegi some relief. “So what happened with Tiiphani?”

“She had a thing against magic users, and even if she was cool with it, if word got out, it would look bad if we were still dating,” Meegi explained and watched as the dragoness rolled her eyes.

“Nah, fuck that bitch! People can't help that they hatch with those abilities. Just like the colour of your scales or breathing fire. But unlike those, it isn't genetic. It just kind of happens. People just get so twisted over shit that doesn't concern them,” she ranted, and Meegi felt as if she was now starting to talk about her work. “Like legit… who cares?”

“Thank you,” Meegi said warmly and felt as though a small pressure had been lifted from his soul. “I liked playing, I really did. I just kind of hoped that I could keep it a secret until the rules would change, or something. But it's not changing any time soon, and that's that,” he said with finality and shook his head to dismiss the bitterness that had crept into his tone. “Now I'm free to do my own thing. Which is why I kind of want to try teaching or something. Helping people fly better or whatever.” He explained and when he looked over to her again he saw her listening with genuine interest. “Like… With mixed couples and stuff, teaching their kid to fly has to be pretty hard right? My old boss at the cafe was in that sort of situation, but his mate didn’t have wings either. So.. I don't know, teaching their kid to fly was really… Cool. I get that books can help and all that, but it's really not quite the same. You know what I mean?”

Reeva hummed in acknowledgement before gliding closer and brushing her wingtip against his. “I meant it, by the way. You would be a good teacher, and I think people would come from all over to learn under Meegi, the greatest claimer that ever flew,” she announced, spreading her forepaws in front of her as if it was a title. Her antics made him smirk and shake his head in disbelief, but he knew she was right. Even if he didn't want to teach Dragonball, he would forever be known as the Cresties claimer and people would expect him to coach them. However, before he could try to change the subject, the dragoness tapped her wingtip against his to get his attention once more. “Can I be your first student?”

This made Meegi scoff and flick his wingtip up to tap his tip against hers. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think you need my help. You are flying brilliantly,” he said honestly, before realising that she might have been asking for another meet-up. “I mean, if you wanted to, sure! I did really enjoy that flight after school. I don't know why, but it really stuck with me,” he hastily added and saw her frill flick up in excitement.

“Me too,” Reeva replied softly and rocked her head from side to side as if deciding how to phrase something. “Not gonna lie, there was a trick you did on that day that really stuck with me, and I haven’t been able to do it. Could you show me how you did it sometime?” she continued, making Meegi frown and try to recall what they had done during their flight.

It had been so very long ago. He only really remembered the feeling, and teaching her how to do a barrel roll without going off course. “Sure! Which one was it?”

“I don't know what you would call it. But you started on my wingtip…” she began and darted her snout in his direction before curling her neck to gesture over to her opposite wing. “Then you kind of rolled over me and ended up over there.” Reeva added, and Meegi’s eyes lit up in recognition. Now he remembered the manoeuvre, and he smiled at how flashy he had been to try and impress her back then.

“Hmmm... was it this one?” he said and beat his wings twice in quick succession to gain some speed, then banked away briefly before sweeping his tail and careening towards her. With a final pump of his wings as he came within a foot of her large, delicate wing, he closed one of them and rolled inverted before flaring both wings wide once more. Rolling his wing shoulders to angle his wings for inverted flight, Meegi turned his head to look at her upside down as he passed over her. The look of wonder on her face brought a smile to his snout and he held her gaze as he arched his back and the muscles in his wings strained. The tension of his recovering flight muscles pulled at his chest as they now worked opposite to normal flying. Ignoring the strain, he angled his trailing wing towards the ground and let the tip stroke across Reeva’s wing. Passing over her, he kept the touch just more than that of a feather and continued to sweep his wingtip along her flight surfaces and then across her back. Only once he had continued to stroke halfway across her other wing did he whip his tail around and right himself on her other wingtip. In the roll to correct himself, his damaged wing faltered slightly, causing him to drop a few feet and drift further away than he had intended. Pushing through the pain, Meegi’s body undulated as he gave three large beats of his wings, pulled back up onto her side, and resumed his glide.

“Yeah–” Reeva started, her voice breaking slightly and her frill flattening in embarrassment. “Yeah… that's the one. How do you do that? Or like… how did you even learn how to do that?”

“Well…” Meegi began, feeling self-conscious about admitting he had learnt it from one of his mother's flying lessons. However, when he looked at her and saw the genuine look of intrigue on Reeva's face, he allowed his guard to drop. “Mum is a pretty avid dancer, so flying lessons were never really dull,” he explained before clearing his throat. “But I can show you. How comfortable are you flying upside down?”

Thankfully, the sky-blue dragoness didn't question what kind of dancing his mother did and cocked her head in thought. “I’ve tried a few times, but I just feel like I'm falling way too much to do that. Like, how do your wings even keep you up when you're inverted?”

“Honestly?” he started, and when she nodded, he smirked knowingly. “They really don't do much. That move is half illusion and half misdirection. Here…” he said and beat his wings while pulling away. With a sharp bank, he swept back towards her and repeated the move; however, this time he didn't roll inverted and simply pulled his wings close to his sides. Using his speed and momentum, he soared over the top of her in a shallow arc before flaring his wings once he had made it all the way over her. “Can you do that?”

Nodding, Reeva inhaled a deep lungful of air and pulled away while beating her wings. She started slightly higher than him and when she turned into him she carried far more speed than he had, but Meegi didn’t say anything and kept his course. Turning his head, he watched as she flapped her wings once before tucking them close to her body and sailed over the top of him with a few yards' gap between them.

“Good!” Meegi called out as she flared her wings and settled on his other wingtip. “It's basically that, but with a barrel roll thrown in,” he explained and saw that she didn't look convinced. “I would say don't extend your wings while upside down just yet until you get the hang of it, but that's pretty much it.”

“But hold on, I kind of fall while doing it. You don't, you kind of glide across really flat,” she explained while using a forepaw to draw his trajectory. “How do you do that?”

Meegi nodded in understanding before flashing her a cheeky smile. “Gliding is just falling, albeit… slowly,” he countered, earning a small chuckle from the dragoness. “I'm serious, it's not really possible to stay completely horizontal while upside down, so I am falling. But angling your wings will help slow the sink rate, and the whole wing-touch thing really sells the illusion,” he continued, but she looked at him with a hint of scepticism. “Here… I'll do it again, but don't look at my wings. Watch how high I am when I pass your wing versus how low I am when I get to your other.”

When she nodded, he pulled away and gained speed while he shot towards her. This time he exaggerated the trajectory as he rolled inverted and stretched his wing down towards her. A sharp twinge of pain shot through his wing shoulder and chest as he lifted his injured wing further than usual to keep contact with her, but as he swept over her he saw that she was focused solely on him, and her eyes widened in surprise when he righted himself on her furthest wingtip.

“Oh!” she exclaimed in surprise and turned her head around to the wingtip he had started at. Curling her neck, she traced his arc before snapping her head around to then continue tracing an imaginary line to where he now flew. “You really do fall. It's just the angle you take that makes it look flat!”

“Yup! That's it! Half illusion, half misdirection! Not much to it,” Meegi repeated cheerfully and rolled his wing shoulders to test for the pain he had felt. Now that he was flying the right way up, the pain was almost gone and only throbbed dully as if warning him. “The hardest part is brushing your wing across your partner. You don't want to smack them, but if you don't touch… it kind of defeats the point.”

“Yeah, absolutely!” Reeva replied and looked deep in concentration before giving him a firm and decisive nod. Banking away from him, the sky-blue dragoness repeated the maneuver, but this time looked ahead and rolled inverted. She didn't try to extend her wings while upside down, and her roll was far too quick, but Meegi didn't care as he watched her shoot over him.

“There you go!” he cried out as she righted herself beside him. “Just like that! Well done!” he added, making the dragoness beam with pride. “Did you want to try opening your wings?” Meegi offered and gestured with a paw in front of him. “If you go in ahead, less chance of things going wrong.”

He could see the concentration in the dragoness's eyes as she nodded and surged ahead with a few good beats of her wings. Nodding reassuringly as she looked back at him, he waited and watched as she got into position. Just like before, she pulled away before swinging back into his path and pitching up. However, as she rolled inverted, she hesitantly half-opened her wings but had angled them wrong. Instead of angling them backwards to catch the air on the top surface, she angled them both forwards. One moment she was inverted, and the next she had pitched towards the ground, shooting straight through where he would have been. Cropping his wings slightly, Meegi closed the gap as Reeva righted herself and pulled back up to level off.

“Yeah, that went well,” Reeva said flatly, her frill flattened with embarrassment as Meegi came alongside her. “That's kind of what always happens. I don't get how you can open your wings and not do that.”

“You almost had it. You just have to angle your wings the opposite to what feels normal,” Meegi replied before watching as the dragoness pulled ahead and tried again. This time was no different, and she fell away sharply before correcting herself and climbing back to his height. She was still angling her wings wrong, and her instincts were forcing her to hold her wings in what would have caused lift if she was the right way up. “I… I have an idea,” Meegi started before beating his wings and climbing until he was just above her. “Do you trust me?” he asked and waited as she looked up at him and finally nodded. “Stay where you are, but do a roll and spread your wings. I'll help you.”

She hesitated for a moment before nodding and, with a series of small flaps, Reeva climbed closer to him before folding one wing and rolling onto her back. Once inverted, she partially opened her wings and the membranes caught the air, pulling her away from him. However, Meegi didn't stay idle and heaved his wings backwards while curling his spine to dive down with her. Tucking both of his wings tight to his sides, he kept himself streamlined and caught up with her in a second. “Don't pull up!” Meegi yelled above the rush of wind and chuckled at the dragoness's startled expression.

Using his tail as a rudder, Meegi guided himself alongside her and matched her trajectory before reaching out and hooking a paw around the shoulder straps of her harness. Pulling himself closer to her underside, Meegi reached forwards with his other paw and placed it on the root of her wing. “Twist it like this! Both of them!” he called out and guided her wing joint to roll in the opposite direction. Instinctively, both of her forepaws pressed against his chest, not to push him away but to keep him steady, and once he was sure they wouldn't drift apart, he used his other paw to hold her other wing joint. His cast bumped against her hip as the buffeting wind rocked them, and his tail brushed against hers, but he paid it no attention as he held both of her wings and began to apply gentle pressure to rotate them. He could feel the tension in her wing muscles as she fought against the rushing wind and her instincts, but after a few seconds her wings were at a neutral angle and together they continued to fall.

Falling vertically down towards the city, Meegi looked ahead towards the ground as he continued to help her move her wings. They still had plenty of altitude and could stay like this for almost a minute if they had to before needing to pull up. Being so close to the dragoness, and with his chest a few inches away from hers, it felt far more intimate than he had expected. His tail lashed in protest behind him as he forced it not to curl and find hers, even when her hind legs gripped his hips for stability.

Meegi wasn't ignorant of the concept of sky sex, but hadn't given it much thought. The combination of his knot and inability to finish without a tie made the idea more daunting than enjoyable. Additionally, he and Tiiphani had never been the type to enjoy something so public and athletic. However, now Meegi was beginning to understand the appeal. Despite being exposed, he knew no one would be looking up this high, and the rush of wind and inevitable pull-up did create a sense of urgency that he could see someone enjoying. He pushed away the thoughts and tried to keep his composure while he fell alongside Reeva. This was a lesson, after all, just a lesson between friends.

He felt her muscles shift under his paws as she began to rotate her wings in the direction he needed, and her body began to press up against him. It wasn't a forced press, but a gentle closeness that she could have avoided by pushing against him with her paws. But she didn't. Extending his own wings slightly, he helped her pull up further while keeping her back towards the ground. With a sharp flap, the wind was caught in the membranes of her wings and surged her up towards him, but instead of pulling away, she extended them both further to create more lift. The keel of her chest pressed against his, and her hips slipped up between his hind legs, causing Meegi to break his distant stare at the ground, curl his neck, and look down at her.

She was looking back at him, with a look in her eyes that spoke louder than the rushing wind. It wasn't awkwardness or uncertainty; instead, she held his gaze with a soft longing that made his heart skip a beat. Her brilliant amber eyes caught the midday light and burned with a warmth he hadn't noticed before. A swell of emotions surged up in Meegi as he held her gaze while they fell together. Time held no meaning to them both as they hurtled towards the earth, and without asking, the dragoness leaned up to him and held her snout a few inches away from his.

Meegi hesitated and his heart pounded in his chest. He knew what she was offering, and all it would take would be for him to lean into it. This wasn't how he had expected their flight to go, and he felt as though it was happening too quickly. The professional thing to do would be to let go and apologise for any misunderstandings, especially if she was to be a student and he was the teacher. Yet… when it came to Reeva, he felt as though there was something more between them. He remembered looking across from Tiiphani's home to Reeva's, watching her leave as she went to uni. How he had felt when he noticed the many plants disappearing from her balcony when they moved out, thinking he wouldn't see her again. Now she was with him, close to him, holding him as he held her and offering something more than just friendship.

Her eyes flicked between his and his snout as they fell, and when Meegi didn't make a move, her expression saddened. The small look broke the last of Meegi’s reservations, and with a small dip of his neck, he closed the distance and pressed his snout against hers. Shutting his eyes as his lips made contact with hers. The small happy whine she made into his mouth made his heart soar, and her paws shifted from bracing herself against him, to hugging him close against her body. Deepening the kiss, Meegi moved his forepaws from her wings to around her shoulders and, as much as his cast would allow, hooked his hind legs around her tail base to hold her close. Feeling her body pressed against him just felt right, like two puzzle pieces fitting together, and as she pressed her tongue against his, he knew she felt the same. Between the rush of wind, the warmth of her embrace, and her maw moving with his, the moment was intoxicating.

However, he knew that it would eventually end. They were still falling, and they would be forced to part. Opening his eyes briefly, he looked past her to gauge their height before opening his wings to create drag and adjust their angle so they were falling more horizontally. Reeva seemed to understand and mirrored his movements, this time angling her wings so that she stayed close to him and wasn't pulling away.

---

“So… are we gonna tell them?” Meegi asked self-consciously as he sat on the cushion beside Reeva. Their table was situated next to a floor-to-ceiling window, and from where they were sitting, Meegi had a good view of the patrons coming and going. Despite how tempting it had been to cancel their meet-up and spend more time flying together, Meegi's wing had begun to protest more than he felt comfortable with, so they had agreed to land and continue with lunch as planned. However, while they had arrived on time and had been seated, Kaarif and Miikalah were still nowhere to be seen.

“Tell them what?” Reeva asked in an attempt to be coy, despite her frill being fully flicked up. Meegi wasn't going to say anything, but the crimson sail hadn't dropped since they had kissed and now seemed stuck at full height. Not that he blamed her, he still felt giddy from their embrace and was now torn between extending a wing around her or refraining from such a public display.

“Well… I don't know about you, but I kind of liked… that. And I would like to do it again.” Meegi started and drifted his head closer towards hers so that he could speak quietly. “So, I'm guessing they are gonna work it out eventually. But I don't want to overstep on this. So what should we tell them?” he added and partially lifted his wing closest to her in invitation.

“Oh, they will know,” Reeva said and shuffled on her cushion to lean against his side. “But if they ask, we are seeing how things go. I don't want to rush to put a label on things just yet. Okay?” she offered, and Meegi hummed in acknowledgement while pulling his wing around her. “Let’s just take some time to ease into it, okay?”

Meegi nodded in understanding and gently settled his folded wing around her shoulders. “I’m with you. This wasn’t what I was expecting today, but I liked it. And I don't want to ruin it…” His words drifted off as the sound of distorted music played from outside. He glanced out the window briefly, expecting to see a car blaring its stereo, but paused when he saw a familiar dark blue dragoness beating her wings for a landing.

“Oh, they’re here,” Reeva mused as she followed his gaze but didn't make a move to shift from under his wing. Miikalah's wings beat heavily as she slowed to almost a standstill above the designated landing area and carefully descended. From where he was sitting, Meegi could only see the dragoness’s back as she lowered her hind end towards the ground and kept her tail arched and out of the way. The way she was landing didn't make sense at first, as it was by far the most taxing way to touch down. Most dragons would drop their legs and flare their wings to slow themselves right before landing, but she kept her hind legs tucked up against her belly as she hovered. The powerful muscles across the dragoness’s back shifted and contorted with each stroke, and once she lowered down to only a few feet off the ground, Meegi understood why. While maintaining her hover, the much smaller dragon, Kaarif, was dropped by the dragoness. Landing like a cat, the wingless aquatic drake absorbed the small fall with his legs before springing off to the side so that Miikalah could land.

The music continued to blare from outside the restaurant, causing many of the guests to look on in disgust while Meegi's lips curled into a smile. Touching down on her hind legs first, Miikalah then dropped to all fours and folded her wings in one movement. The dragoness had always been large, even when she was at school. By no means fat, she had always been muscular, but not overly sculpted. Instead, she had been powerfully built and a perfect brooder for the school's Dragonball team. Now, however, what little fat she had was completely absent, causing the powerful muscles to shift under her scales. Next to Kaarif, she looked even bigger and continued to scan the street as her mate came to adjust the large cylindrical speaker that dangled from the base of her neck.

If Meegi hadn't known them both, he would have thought she was his personal bodyguard. Between her physique, the way she carried herself, and the black utilitarian harness she wore, she looked formidable—until her gaze swept across the restaurant and spotted Meegi. Her stern expression changed instantly to a broad smile of acknowledgement before she said something to Kaarif. Whatever she said made the smaller drake laugh as he pressed a button on their speaker and suddenly the loud music stopped. Even though many of the patrons of the prestigious restaurant were still glaring at them, neither seemed to care as they approached.

The imagery made Meegi shake his head with a stifled chuckle as the smaller drake led the way, walking with purpose while his much larger mate loomed behind him. Without even stopping for the waiter lingering near the door, Kaarif continued through the restaurant as if he owned the place and flashed both Reeva and Meegi a broad, toothy smile while the frill that framed his head like a collar briefly flared out.

The drake looked exactly as Meegi remembered him, with an ever-cheerful bounce in his step, vibrant purple frill, and silvery iridescent scales that reflected every colour of the rainbow like an opal mixed with a pearl. However, unlike the harnesses he wore at school that always seemed to have comically large brand names, he now wore a sleek and minimalistic navy-blue harness. Despite its lack of pouches and black anodised buckles, which made it look simple at first glance, Meegi couldn't help but notice that it had no provisions for adjustment and was likely a very expensive rig tailored just for him. Additionally, the wingless drake now balanced a pair of wire-thin circular spectacles on the bridge of his snout, but as he walked toward them, Meegi couldn't notice any signs of magnification.

“Reeva! With added Meegi! Great to see you!” Kaarif announced as he trotted up to the table and moved to sit opposite Reeva. Meegi couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious with his wing around Reeva, especially when Kaarif gave her a subtle look that telegraphed his own excitement.

“So, it's true? You and the princess broke up?” Miikalah asked as she settled beside Kaarif and curled her tail around her mate. Sitting side by side, The drake’s shoulders only came up to her chest and her long, thick tail made it look as though he was sitting in a padded nest like bed. “About goddamn time. I'm proud of you.” She added with a small wink as she shifted her gaze toward Reeva. Meegi wasn't sure if she was talking about him breaking up with Tiiphani or about being with Reeva, but either way he agreed and dipped his head. “I get why you wanted to hang out with that tart, it got you on the team afterall, but holy fuck was she a manipulative bitch.”

“I wasn’t with her just because of dragonball… Not at first anyway,” Meegi replied politely. It made him slightly uncomfortable to be trash talking an ex in public while his wing was resting around Reeva, but no one at the table seemed to mind and looked at him with knowing smirks.

“You can be honest Meegi, If she wasn’t the heir to the Cresties, I would have knocked some sense into you. Some bad eggs are not meant to hatch, hey,” Miikalah chuckled before shaking her head. “You know she only had me hanging around her because I made her look good? She told me that. Apparently having ‘fatty Miikalah’ standing beside her made her look thin.. God’s why did I put up with that bitch for that long,” she continued before shivering her whole body to try and dismiss the memory. “Took my therapist years to undo all that. But what about you? How are you doing? How is your wing after that crash? Looked nasty.”

“Yeah, it's good. Broke my leg on the ground though, and that's more annoying,” Meegi mused before nodding towards the large dragoness. “But what's up with you? I haven't seen you since school,” he added, trying to change the subject away from himself. “Keeping busy?”

In the corner of his eye, he saw Reeva glance toward him before she spoke up. “Yeah, you said your folks were stepping down or something? How did that go?” she added while shifting her forepaw so that it was right beside his. It was a subtle gesture, but one that told Meegi she understood. The simple reassurance made his smile soften to something more genuine as Miikalah rolled her eyes at the question.

“Oh yeah. They have pretty much completely stepped down now, and my oldest brother is taking over. Which I'm totally okay with,” Miikalah started before looking down at Kaarif with a loving smile. “Means I've got more time to do the things I love.”

“And I'm not complaining,” Kaarif laughed before seeing the look of curiosity on Meegi's face. “Miikalah's folks are in the pharmaceutical game. Everything from hemorrhoid cream to horn bleach—”

“And you might be surprised how similar they are,” Miikalah chimed in with a snort and a broad, knowing grin that made Meegi seriously wonder if she was joking. “So now I work for this little guy,” she added while extending a wing to completely encapsulate Kaarif.

“Hey!” Kaarif protested as he popped his head up through the gap between her wing wrist and shoulder. “Don't make me write you up… again,” he added without any malice in his voice. “You naughty girl,” he added, making the dragoness tilt her head back with a joyous laugh and retract her wing. While Meegi and Reeva chuckled politely, Kaarif stood up briefly to shake his whole body before sitting down beside his mate again. “Miikalah is my ‘security’, not that it's needed, but you would be surprised how many doors open when you arrive with an entourage.”

“Yeah? What sort of doors?” Meegi asked and held the drake's gaze intently. He vaguely remembered Miikalah talking about her parents' work, but he couldn't recall what Kaarif's parents did for work. Other than the fact that Kaarif had transferred to the school halfway through the school year and that he had annoyed a few of the teachers by not joining the swim team, Meegi didn't know much about the drake. “Clients, I take it, but for what?”

“Oh, Reeva didn't tell you? Penis compensators,” Kaarif started with a smirk that made Miikalah chuckle and Reeva snort in amusement. Meegi pulled his head back in confusion and looked between the pair in disbelief, but thankfully Kaarif clarified. “My father is Luurssen. As in Luurssen yachts. Big boats for rich fuckers who want to show off. We specialise in superyachts, but if it's over two hundred feet and floats, we can make it for you.”

“Kaarif is one of the designers, mainly the beach clubs at the back of the boat,” Miikalah added and nudged Kaarif while giving him a knowing look. “It's where all the fun stuff happens. We were actually just in Monaco last weekend, tell them about it,” Miikalah continued and lifted her head to look around the restaurant to catch the attention of a waiter.

“Oh, that was a doozy. We had just finished this beautiful three-hundred-footer for this tech billionaire, probably shouldn't say their name. He wanted it delivered to Monaco for his birthday, and well… this guy was on the younger side and liked his toys, so it was my job to do the handover. But then apparently they got hacked or something and he had to dip,” Kaarif explained before looking up at Miikalah with a sheepish grin. “So we had a few days to kill until he sent his people to collect it from us.”

“Good thing you brought your security with you. Some people would have seen a young drake on a superyacht and thought it was their ticket to proper money,” Miikalah added, as if completing some sort of inside joke between them.

Seeing the two look at one another made Meegi feel like he was somehow intruding and he adjusted his wing around Reeva. “Mixing pleasure and business? Are you sure that's a good idea?” Meegi teased and noticed Reeva's frill drop ever so slightly. He hadn't meant it as actual advice, simply an offhand remark, but something about it had clearly landed differently with Reeva. Remembering her conversation about dating while at university, he wondered if she had thought he was talking about her and her ex.

“Like you are one to judge!” Miikalah retorted loudly while tilting her head to one side. Knowing that he had left himself open to the jab made Meegi laugh and shake his head, but he didn't correct her.

“But it's good to see you've come to your senses and found someone with a brain between her horns,” Miikalah added warmly and looked between him and Reeva. “Just do us a favour, okay? Try not to distract her from work. It took me a year to get a ring out of Kaarif, but I want it to be official. Any word on that?” she continued, looking toward Reeva for an answer.

“No… I want to say soon. But this stuff takes time,” Reeva replied, a hint of defeat in her voice. “You'd be surprised how reluctant lawmakers are when they know they can stall until they get a kickback from us. We have had to fork out almost half a mil just to get a dinner with these old waspy shits. But it will be worth it… we will get there.”

Hearing the strain in her voice made Meegi want to tighten his wing around her and pull her closer, but he wasn't sure if that would be too forward. Instead, he gave her a gentle squeeze with his wing and was rewarded with a small smile of thanks. It dawned on him that he really had no knowledge of how the organisation Reeva worked for actually influenced change.

“How does a dinner cost that much? This place does a good feed and doesn't cost anywhere near that,” he offered, only to feel ignorant when all three laughed as if he had told a joke. Chuckling as if he had meant it as one, Meegi tried to blend in, but Reeva saw through it.

“Oh, the catering and venue are the cheapest parts. But every elected official wants to be paid for their time. Then there are the special guests, people of note who will sit next to them and sell our mission. Those vary greatly; some do it for free, others want their share of the money. Throw in some live music, bags of gifts to take home and remember the event. It all adds up,” Reeva explained, giving a small shrug. “Basically bribes—just legal. But elections are coming up soon, so we can really put some pressure on them and their opposition. Opinion polls are well in our favour, so we just need to convince the right people to put it in their agenda, and then make sure they stick to that. That's always the hardest bit. Then we can get it there…”

Meegi asked a few follow-up questions to try and gain a better understanding of what it was she actually did within the organisation, slowly building a picture of her day-to-day life. By the time their drinks had arrived, it was clear to him that the dragoness’s work differed greatly from the life he knew, and he could feel the passion she had for the cause.

Unlike Tiiphani, where every decision made had been for the team—and by extension her own benefit—Reeva was working hard for a change that wouldn't have directly affected her. Nor was she doing it for money or recognition, simply because it was the right thing to do. It was refreshing, and Meegi couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of pride for the dragoness sitting tucked beneath his wing.