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The Restaurant at the Center of a Sun

The ship tumbled on through space at a smooth cruising speed, its "vintage" engines humming along without much complaint.

Inside the plainly colored silver box, Anthony was doing something he and his half-Alorkin companion had recently started doing more of: reading. The human had brought a bunch of old books with him, dusty paperbacks which he couldn't really sell before he'd been whisked away into the stars, along with a set of the newest tabloids and magazines he'd managed to buy before he'd left that wispy blue planet he'd called home so many months ago, but with all the excitement, exploration, and, well, things only two biological organisms could do together (and sometimes didn't require one, if one possessed a machine which had that particular capability, but that they did not have), they hadn't really gotten to browsing through the library of stuff besides a few movies they hadn't already watched together on Earth.

Anthony was reading a really old paperback aloud, and Zack listened with an amused curve on his muzzle. The dragon alien had wanted him to read things to him so they could both pass the time, and he rather liked hearing the human's voice even if it was slightly altered by their translators.

Anthony hadn't really wanted to touch the bombastic magazines he'd purchased for him to peruse right before they'd departed Earth, especially the one with a person named Justin Bieber on it, and the human had outright told him he was not particularly willing to show him that part of his society, so he'd been reading novels to him instead. This particular novel was, remarkably, both funny and at some points stunningly accurate to reality, in particular, its description of the proliferation of stupidity throughout the universe. It was part of an inaccurately labeled trilogy titled The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. They were in the second part of the "trilogy," and Anthony was reading about a talking cow asking the main characters which parts they'd like to eat at a restaurant which was located temporally at the literal end of the universe.

Midway through the reading, Anthony paused and looked at the listening dragon. "I don't suppose there are any cool restaurants like Milliways, is there?"

Zack shifted his eyes upward as if he were in deep thought. "No," he said after a short while, "not anything as crazy as a time traveling." He lowered his head and flicked his head around a bit. "Although there are still cool places, like ones that spin slowly through nebulas. Oh, there's another one that passes through the center of a sun, heard that one's pretty cool, err, hot, but that's rather expensive."

Anthony understood that they were becoming more strapped for cash since they had started ferrying more cargo and people between planets, especially after the artificial gravity generator had gone kapoot, and unless one of Zack's investments tripled overnight, they were probably going to work more as time went on. "Oh, okay," he said.

The dragon flicked his head upward again. This was the epiphany he was looking for, a memorable setting to their first anniversary in space together. "That doesn't mean we can't go to one," he said.

"Oh?" the human said, hopeful.

The dragon raised his voice. "Mary, can you scan through the usual lists and look for a transport job that goes close to a sun with one of those fancy sun penetrating restaurants?"

"You really ought to invest that money in dividend stocks or something," the ship's AI replied, "not on a meal that's going to end up as carbon scrap."

"It's the experience," Zack said. "You wouldn't understand."

"No, I suppose not."

"Just do it."

Mary didn't make any sounds as she worked, but the pair of organics looked up as if they were expecting some. About ten seconds later, they were blessed with her reply.

"Found a good one," she said. "An hour's flight away for a cargo pick-up with a handler. Delivered straight to Solirin's, one of those restaurants, actually."

"Wow," Anthony said, "that's lucky."

"Maybe we could get a free meal out of it," Zack said. "That would be even luckier."

"I don't think you two can blow out a tip like that this time," Mary said. "The handler is a Vulfurnian."

"What's that?" Anthony said reflexively.

Zack frowned and glared at one of Mary's sensors. "Do I look like an encyclopedia to you?"

"You're a sociologist," the ship's AI responded. "I expect you to know a lot of societies. Vulfurnian society is pretty unique, you should know."

The dragon flicked his tongue out for a second. "Oi, just tell us what a Vulfurnian is!"

"Well, since you asked so kindly," she said in a mocking way, "a Vulfurnian is from the planet Vulfurn."

Zack was getting close to balling up a fist. "No, really?"

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

"About what?"

"What the hell a Vulfurnian is!"

"Oh, why didn't you state your question as such? Well, a Vulfurnian is pretty much analogous to you, except the opposite."

"What do you mean?"

"You, both of you, are sacks of mostly water. A Vulfurnian is the same, just a sack of fire instead."

"So..."

"No sexual reproduction."

"Oh."

"Err," Anthony said, "would we need to take any, uhh, fire protection preparations?"

"No," Mary said. "I'll just keep the temperature inside the ship around 80 degrees so he doesn't sweat flames to keep up his body temperature."

"Sounds fine," Zack said. "Fly us there, excessively well-compensated thorn in my tail!"

"Will do," the AI said.

---

As it had turned out, Vulfurnians were actually humanoid (from Anthony's point of view) in shape. It's just that there was nothing in between their legs besides a little patch of flame, and there was no way he was putting his lips near that to see if there was anything substantial underneath. Besides that, the only real difference was that the fire alien had red skin and had small patches of fire on his head where his hair should've been.

He helped the alien cart his cargo into the ship with Zack. The boxes had smelled rather funky, like raw seafood, but that was to be expected given their destination. A few of them were making noises that he swore sounded like speech, however. He actually pressed his ear against one of the boxes and heard something rather eye-opening.

Don't eat me!

The human flinched back and let out a loud yip. "Something's inside the box! Something's talking!"

The Vulfurnian didn't stop carrying another crate into the ship. "Don't listen to them," he said. "They're Triffles. A delicacy in the Alfaionas galaxy. They've actually evolved to make sounds that trick most universal translators and emulate speech, but don't be fooled. They're not actually sapient."

"Heard of them before," Zack confirmed while helping to dump another box of what was presumably more raw food. "How's that compared to a talking cow, eh?"

"Just as unsettling," the man said, but he went and finished helping them move everything into the ship.

Once the crates and boxes were all in, the Vulfurnian let out a sigh and smiled. "Phew, thanks for picking up my lift request, boys. Most people don't like having a fire hazard on their ship. Even taxis will charge exorbitant fees for extra insurance."

"Hey hey, no problem," Zack said. "We were actually headed out to Solirin's anyway for a nice dinner."

"Really? You two have dates or something? I don't know why you'd go there, they charge through the nose because of the experience of going through a sun, you know. I mean, I'm a great cook and all, but even my food's not worth what they want to charge!"

"No, not really," Zack said. "We thought it would be a unique thing to see once."

"Yeah, it sounds really neat," Anthony said.

"Plus," the dragon added, "it's to celebrate Anthony's first year since he was exposed to the universe at large."

"Eh?" The Vulfurnian gave the human a look-over. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's not Alorkin," Zack said. "He's from a civilization that hasn't invented space travel yet."

"Oh. Wow, that must be exciting from your point-of-view then, huh?"

"Yep," Anthony said, smiling.

"Well, hope you've enjoyed the craziness of the universe, Anthony! My name's Orodrin, by the way, or just Oro."

"Thanks," the human said.

Zack clapped his hands together. "Well, Oro, if you've got everything loaded, then sit back, relax, and we'll be at Solirin's in a few hours."

"Good stuff," the flamed humanoid said. "By the way, could you turn up the thermostat about another five degrees?" He pointed at the fire building up on top of his head. "Just to be safe, you know? I'm starting to blaze up here."

"Sure," Zack said. "Mary, turn it up to eighty-five, please."

"Yes, Master Zackary," the AI replied. She sounded sincere to most guests who'd ever ridden in the ship, but Zack could always pick up the tiny bit of mockery in her otherwise digitally perfect voice.

"Thank you," the dragon said, resisting the urge to call her a demeaning name.

Oro sat down on one of the metallic crates. Zack didn't offer the couch because he was sure they both didn't want to light his sofa up, so he apologized for their lack of fireproof furniture which the Vulfurnian assured was not necessary--he was used to being a hazard in most parts of the universe.

"Right," Zack said, "I'll be in the cockpit for a bit, then. Let my ship's AI know if you need it a bit hotter."

Oro nodded and thanked him again.

Anthony started to follow the dragon into the front of the ship, but then he sat back down onto the sofa and leaned closer to Oro. "I can stay and chat, if you'd like."

"That would be great," Oro said. "I haven't got anything else to pass the time."

The human set himself down onto the sofa and gave his guest a friendly smile. "Great! May I ask how it's like to be, you know, hazardous to like half the universe?"

Oro brought his feet, which were incased in some kind of plastic, up so he was lying on the crate. "It's not too shabby, most of the time. I'm luckier than some, really. Infulmins are practically sentient flames, so they don't really like to interact with the rest of the universe."

"Living fire? That sounds intense."

"Oh, it is. You can understand how they feel by going to the Rashivalgnin system. Carbon dioxide is poisonous to most life over there. For me, it's a lot easier. There's a few places where water is deadly, so you gotta do the opposite of me and keep cool and don't sweat!"

"Infinite variety," Anthony said. "And a lot of people on my world thought we were alone in the universe."

"That's a pretty primitive world you've come from then. Didn't even understand the scope of the universe, did you?"

The human shook his head. "We had estimates of how large it was. I always believed there was something out there, but a lot of people from my world are hard to persuade."

"Sounds like a pretty bad class-three world you're from, then. How'd you manage to catch a ride out of there?"

"Zack crashed over in my neck of the woods. Literally. I was living by myself away from civilization when he came down as a shooting star."

"Ah, makes sense then. Also explains why you're not quite what I expected for a class-three individual."

Anthony smirked. "Heh, I get that a lot."

"Undoubtedly. The rest of the universe thinks you're a lot of war-mongering idiots ever teetering on the edge of destroying themselves."

The human actually chuckled a bit. "They're really not that far off base then, actually. Glad to know my species isn't the only one that's messed up."

Oro leaned forward a bit. "Do tell specifics. I'd love to hear all about your homeworld, good, bad, and ugly."

Anthony started recalling faces of people who had no desire to aid him when he'd most needed help. "Well," he said, "I've personally been at the butt end of a lot of bad..."

After touring through a course of history gathered from Anthony's stream of consciousness, along with the sad story of his personal life, Oro stood up and let a ball of fire envelop his right hand. "Well damn," he said, "you've probably lived through more loss than most residents of the universe."

"Well," the human said, "if Zack is the norm, then probably, yes."

"Aye. People keep their friends and family for the vast majority of their lives, barring horrific accidents."

Anthony lay back on the sofa and sighed. "I wish fate had been just a bit kinder to me."

Oro nodded politely. "On the bright side, fate's turned her face now, hasn't she?"

"Yeah. I just, you know, it was so damned close. My mom could've been saved if Zack had crashed just a little earlier. I've got nobody to turn to, no friends, no family, just a snarky AI and a crazy dragon from outer space." He smiled a little, thinking about how absurd that line would've sounded a year and a half ago. "They're like my family now, don't get me wrong, I love them both, but life is really unfair sometimes."

"More often than some, I think." Oro tried to form an infectious smile. "Cheer up! At least you can walk through the vast majority of civilized places without worrying about killing everyone around you or being poisoned if you take a protective suit off."

"Heh, I guess there's that."

Oro tapped his chin with his finger and let a few embers sprout onto his belly. "You know, I'm not just a cook. I'm the literal fire that cooks your food. I'm gonna pull some strings and get you a free meal, how's that? Consider it a tip from me for forcing you to tell me your heart-wrenching story."

Anthony's first thought was that Zack would be happy, and he imagined the dragon doing a little joyful dance. The thought of it made him genuinely smile, a grin which Oro mistook as him being happy for the free meal. "That would be great," the human said. "Thank you."

---

Solirin's had been exactly what Zack had imagined it to be. It was a two-star, three at best, restaurant trying really hard to use its gimmick to appear as if it were worthy of charging five-star prices. Oro had pretty much told them outright it was that way, but Anthony didn't mind the fake velvet curtains, the plastic chairs which pretended to be made from sparkling crystals, or the hollow tables which tried really hard to be heavy pieces of rich furniture.

No, the human was already awestruck the moment he'd walked into the place. He'd never actually been in a sit-down restaurant with Zack before, having always been patronizing the equivalent of fast food joints since he'd left Earth, and his attention was stolen away by the aliens dining all around them.

The sight was difficult to describe. It was sort of like when he was on the beaches of Nakira Prime, except everyone here was dressed in what appeared to be fancy clothing for whatever form they possessed. There were weird tubular suits for legless creatures, multi-armed tuxedos, and all sorts of strange dress for what were presumably females. It was the sort of image his father would've tried to create for his Disney projects, and now he was living his dad's imagination.

Zack was wearing slacks, though he still wore no shirt as most winged beings did in the vast majority of places in the universe. The dragon, however, was wearing something else that was rather odd. He had a backpack on, a crazy-looking thing with huge loops for his wings, and when he was questioned about it, he said it was to smuggle in drinks so they wouldn't have to buy overpriced water or anything. Anthony shrugged it off, but he could tell his friend was lying--Zack had been honest to him for everything, and he could tell there was something about the backpack that was making him nervous, though it was probably just a little white lie sort of deal.

Anthony set down his special solar glasses which had been given out to everyone who didn't have class beta protective shielding in their optical implants. They were meant to be worn when they entered the sun so that everything didn't just appear as an overwhelming white light which could actually permanently blind people without protection, and there was a whole box of them at the front greeting area in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There were a few which were just dark spheres with a small hole in them, but Anthony could now see a few aliens with eyes on thin stalks which they were obviously made for.

The man was fidgeting in his seat. He was excited, really damn excited. He'd never even dreamed he'd ever fly in space, let alone fly through a sun! And yet here he was now, surrounded by aliens in the familiar setting of a fancy restaurant.

They'd gotten a nice seat too, really close to the kitchen so they could see through the clear glass what the chefs were up to. Oro had set them up really well, though there really would be no bad seat in the house when the restaurant's curtains would be pulled down and the clear dome above them would be revealed.

"Heh, look at the giant pot in the kitchen," Zack said, pointing through the glass. "Oro's making the soup of the day."

Inside the kitchen, the chefs had all cleared the space beneath the giant pot, and the Vulfurnian stood right under it. He held his hands in front of him, and then he shoved them upwards, and suddenly he was engulfed in flames erupting from his body. The torrent of fire swam under the pot and quickly brought the broth within to a boil.

"Like a wizard," Anthony said. "That's awesome."

A lovely Alorkin woman appeared at their table, redirecting their attention, and she bowed courteously. "Hello," she said, "I'm Elana, I'll be your waitress tonight! I've been informed by the staff that your checks have been taken care of, and our head chef would like to present to you a glass each of wine, on the house. How much alcohol would you like in your drinks?"

Zack glanced at his backpack but kept a friendly smile on his face. "No alcohol in mine, please, my dragon half has no tolerance for it."

"I'll have a bit," Anthony said. "Err, I'm not sure exactly how much is fine for me. Uhh, I think point zero eight percent blood alcohol content was the legal limit on my planet?"

"Not a problem," the waitress said. "May I scan you real quickly?"

The human shrugged. "Uhh, sure."

Elana pulled out a device similar in appearance to Zack's UID from one of her waistcoat's pockets and gave it a sweep up and down Anthony. "Okay," she said, tucking it back into her pocket, "you're good at medium, got it! Now what would you like for your entrees?"

"I'll just have the pasta special," Zack said. He was trying to be modest by picking something not very expensive, but the truth was he wasn't really sure what most of the more expensive things on the menu were.

Anthony, of course, knew even less and just picked a random item that was moderately priced using the good old fashioned technique of eeny meeny miny mo. After the waiter took down their orders and shuffled over to her next table, Zack leaned over the table and chuckled.

The man eyed him suspiciously. "What?"

"You just ordered bread bits, mashed volms, and a prime cut of Triffle."

"Wait, what? I didn't see Triffle anywhere on the menu!"

"That's because they're called something else in meat form."

The human rubbed his cheeks. "Wow. Beef and cow. I guess I'm having Triffle tonight." He tried hard not to imagine a little fluffy animal begging at him not to be eaten.

---

After taking a bite out of his entrée, Anthony had completely abandoned any apprehension he had about eating something that could emulate speech. The meal had reminded him of his local steakhouse back when he was living when his parents, though comparatively Solirin's really skimped on the portions.

"Not bad for free," Zack remarked. "I wouldn't have paid for it though, seriously one dollar pasta with some meats and spices in it should not allow them to charge fifteen, especially for a bowl the size of your hand."

Anthony swallowed down the last of his bread bits. "The wine was good, at least."

"Yes, that I can compliment truthfully."

"So when are we going into the sun?"

The dragon scanned around the restaurant. "Pretty soon, I should think. Everyone's just about done with their food."

Sure enough, a male announcer blurted out through the speakers a minute later. "Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else, we hope you've enjoyed your meals! In just a few moments, we'll provide a feast for the eyes in conjunction with the feast in your bellies! Solar shielding is at maximum, we're about to enter the Solirin Sun! Please affix appropriate eye shielding equipment within ten seconds, and enjoy the burning light of life for this entire star system!"

Zack tried to hold back a giggle. "Very dramatic," he said, activating the protective mode on his ocular implants.

Anthony put on his glasses and waited with great anticipation. He was, after all, going to be the first human to travel through a star! Then again, that really did add little to all the firsts he already was for humanity.

The red curtains, pressed against the dome of the restaurant by some unseen force, pulled downwards until all the stars in the universe above it were shining through the clear glass. There was a slight shift in movement barely detectable through the inertial dampeners, and soon the sun drifted into view from one of the sides, slowly appearing like a leviathan rising to face a sailing ship.

And then it grew. The glasses dimmed the light from the sun to something his eyes could comprehend, a mellow yellow with bright orange sunspots. Flares and little wisps of flames shot off the burning star, some of it impacting the restaurant's shields and appearing intensely dangerous, though he'd been assured it was not a big deal and that the restaurant went through the Solirin sun about four times a week without ever having any hiccups.

They drifted closer and closer towards the star until at last the entire glass dome was enveloped in blazing yellow, the fury of a blazing star crashing upon the shields. The restaurant's inertial dampeners purposefully allowed the guests to experience a little bit of shaking to add to the visual of the violent entry into the broiling sun, and the clattering of dinnerware was only barely able to be distinguishable amongst the heavily muffled sounds of their collision. Yet even dialed down to a tolerable range, the roar of the star was deafening and overwhelming.

The light grew whiter and brighter as they flew towards the core, and the very fact that he was just casually strolling on through one of the hottest places in the universe sent shivers up Anthony's spine. The excitement never faded, not even as the light dimmed back to a pale orange and the dark patterned spots of the chromosphere laid itself out to his vision once more.

Blackness appeared at the very top of the dome. Slowly, the coronas and solar flames drew lower upon the glass, being pulled down like the curtains had been, until they were clear of the sun and back to staring at other stars far far away in a sea of darkness, the blackness Anthony had only ever been familiar with as the night sky.

"And there you have it!" the announcer blasted out again. "You've all just survived a trip through a place no life can ever grow in, a place nobody can ever complain about being too cold!"

Anthony took off his glasses and bore the face of a teen who'd gotten a new car as his high school graduation gift. "Wow," he muttered, otherwise speechless.

Zack had seen many amazing things through his travels, but Anthony thought he should've looked at least a little bit happy after the spectacle. Instead, the dragon seemed to be frowning and appeared rather strange, like something was wrong with the color of his scales.

"Come on," the man said, "it wasn't that boring to you, was it?"

"No, it's not that." Zack rubbed his forehead and rolled his hand over his hair. "Oh boy, I'm starting to feel a bit off."

The human shook off his wonderment and switched right to being worried. "What? Why? What's wrong?"

"I don't know," the dragon said and placed another claw on top of his forehead. "Ech, something's making me real dizzy."

The announcer spoke again. "Alright, congratulations everyone, we're back in standard orbit! We thank you for dining out with us tonight, and we hope you'll come back soon! We'll be taking orders for dessert to round out the evening!"

As soon as the cheery announcement ended, the waitress for Zack and Anthony's table rushed over to them, her eyes bulging with worry.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!" When the waitress made it to their table, she bowed several times. "I'm so sorry! I mixed up the alcohol content on the drinks, we're going to give you vouchers for another free meal, oh my gosh his scales are turning all pale, is he okay, oh dear, do you need an ambulance?"

"Ack," Zack stammered, "no, I'll be, ick, alright. The dragon stood up, stumbled, knocked over is wine glass, wobbled a bit, and tried to walk.

Anthony rushed over to keep him from toppling over his tail. "Whoa, whoa, steady now. You sure you don't need medical aid?"

Zack's eyes started twitching as he tried to figure out which of the three Anthonies in front of him was the real one. "Wha? Oh no, night, bed, please, I be okay, just get me bed."

The waitress helped Anthony carry the drunken dragon back to their ship, her profuse apologies turning into worried silence when Zack had gone limp three-fourths of the way. Mary saw them carry him into the ship and into his bedroom, but she elected not to say anything yet.

When they'd gotten him onto the bed, the waitress let out a heavy sigh and apologized again. "Oh my gosh," she said, "is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know," Anthony replied. "As long as he's breathing, he's fine, right?"

The woman hesitantly nodded. "P-please call us if there's any trouble," she said, and then she bowed respectfully before retreating from the ship.

Anthony sat by the slumbering dragon for about half an hour before the waitress appeared again.

"Umm," she stammered, "sorry, but you forgot your pack under the table." She showed it to him and pointed backwards. "I'll just leave it on your couch, okay?"

The man nodded at her.

"Also, the AI, umm, she says he'll be perfectly alright tomorrow."

Most of the apprehension that had coiled up in Anthony's muscles dissipated, and it felt as if he'd taken off a heavy blanket. "Thank you," he said.

The lady left, leaving Anthony to give himself a facepalm in privacy. He realized he could've asked Mary the moment he came in what his condition was, but at least now he could rest easy.

---

"Zack."

"Murr?"

"Zack."

"Huh?"

"Zack! You're awake?"

The dragon groaned and rubbed his hair. "Oww, my head, what?"

Anthony's face relaxed and released all the tension he'd been carrying the entire time his companion had been asleep. "Are you okay? You scared the crap out of me last night."

Zack sat up, rubbed his eyes, and realized he was on his bed in his ship. "Aye, damn, haven't been screwed over like that since my freshman year in college, ick, head's still hurting a bit." The dragon's eyes bulged as the last part of what Anthony had just said processed through his rebooting brain. "Wait, last night? What!"

The man's face kept a fragment of worry on it despite the dragon's return to consciousness. "Yeah, you were knocked out for a scarily long time."

Zack shut his eyes and rubbed the top of his snout. "Damn, damn, damn, I hate my stupid lame liver. I didn't break anything while I was drunk, did I?"

"No. How much do you remember?"

The dragon started rubbing both sides of his muzzle. "Umm, there was the sun and all the stuff before that. Then there was that Alorkin girl trying to apologize. And, uhh, nothing else after that."

Anthony's face started tightening up again. "You said there was something important you had to tell me. Do you need a special medication to clear the alcohol, or something like that?"

"Huh? Oh. Oh! No, no, no!" Zack opened his eyes. "It's not like that, no. I have no tolerance for alcohol and it knocks me out like sleeping gas, but my body can get rid of it no problem. It just takes a stupid long time to do it."

The human relaxed again. "Okay. So you're good, then?"

Zack shook his head like a dog whisking off water. "Yeah, I should be good."

Anthony sat down and heaved out a deep sigh. "You had me worried for a while," he said, "but Mary kept telling me you'd be okay."

"That was suspiciously nice of her." Zack pulled his legs over so that they were hanging off the edge of the side of the bed his companion was sitting on. "But anyway, listen. I still do have something important to tell you."

Anthony felt warmer as the dragon's body inched closer and transferred over its heat, a warmth he'd always relished. But he seemed nervous right now, and that made him nervous too. "Something good? Or something bad?"

Zack kept on creeping closer and closer until their thighs touched. Disappointingly, he was still in his pants from last night and Anthony was wearing his casual shorts, and there wasn't any flesh to flesh contact.

Not yet, anyway.

"Something good," Zack said, now leaning his upper body closer. "Something very very good."

Anthony started pulling away on instinct, but a scaly hand on his shoulder held him in place. "Err," the human stuttered, "yes, what?"

The dragon's grinning muzzle hovered ever nearer to the man's face. "You're cute when you're nervous. You always have been."

Anthony's brain lit up as the pieces fell into place. Zack's odd behavior right now was not a side-effect of the alcohol, no, but rather it was the culmination of a change he'd been slowly turning over the past several weeks. He suddenly understood that this was more than likely the moment. He figured out what the dragon had wanted to do and to say to him, at the restaurant. Unless he was absolutely wrong and reaching way too much, but the way Zack was talking to him was indisputable. Anthony's throat tried to mutter something, but nothing came out. The blush on his face said what he needed to say, though.

Before either of them knew it, the tip of Zack's muzzle was right over the human's ear.

The grey dragon hesitated for one single drawn out second.

Now or never.

Now.

"Anthony," he whispered, "I love you."

Anthony felt as if his heart had stopped for a moment. This was what he'd been waiting so long for, his greatest desire now fulfilled, and he was overwhelmed with a concoction of heavy emotions. His vision blurred, and his throat wasn't responding to his brain. "I-I-I..."

Zack helped him out by removing the burden of forming a proper reply. The dragon pressed the tip of his snout against the man's mouth and tried to seal it as well as his muzzle could allow, giving him an adoring kiss. Their mouths stayed locked together for many minutes, and both of them savored every second of it.

Anthony especially drank as much of the dragon's affection as he could to make up for all the time he'd wanted him so badly. Now was his time to be rewarded for his patience.

When at last Zack broke the kiss, he closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry I took so long to sort out my feelings."

"I-It's okay," Anthony said, his mind still euphoric and wanting more. "I get it. It's a Really Big Commitment."

Evidently, Zack wanted it now just as badly as his companion, and he mashed his snout against the human's lips again, though this time he was a bit more aggressive with his tongue, and his hands went exploring the man's backside until they grew tired and gently pushed him down to the bed where they continued exploring each others mouths.

It wasn't long before they were both feeling hot. The warmth of their bodies raged like fire, and much of it was directed to a particular area between their legs. Pretty soon, there were two big problems lying between them.

Their hips naturally tried to alleviate the situation, and their lower bodies melded together to try and touch as much as possible while their heads remained locked tight, skin against scale.

Anthony broke the connection first, his patience already having been tested far beyond the limit. "Zack," he whispered lustfully, "I need you."

"I know," the dragon replied. "I've kept you waiting for far too long."

"But it was all worth it. Take me, you sexy beast."

Zack growled playfully and rolled his companion onto his back. He quickly pulled off the man's shorts and threw off his fancy slacks, letting them tumble to a corner somewhere. He went on top, hovered over his mate, and looked down at him. The man's eyes stared back at him now with love and fulfillment, his sorrow forgotten, his hopes achieved at last. It made the dragon feel gratified beyond measure, and his own eyes responded with their own message.

I will always be there for you.

Anthony lifted his legs up to grant his mate access to his rear, and the dragon wasted no time moving into position. As Zack's tapered tip prodded the man's taint, however, the dragon realized he'd forgotten something rather important.

"Oof," Zack said, leaning over his body to reach for his bed's side table's drawer, "hang on just another couple of seconds, sorry." His claws dug through the deepest parts of the drawer until they felt the bottle of lube he'd bought for this potential occasion a year ago. It was still sealed, but his nail-claws made short work of the plastic.

He didn't want to spoil the moment too much, so he squirted a whole bunch of the water-based lube into his hand, tossed the bottle back into the drawer, and rubbed the slipper liquid onto the entire length of his thick black cock.

"Okay," he said once he was satisfied with how slick he was, "sorry about that. Are you ready?"

Anthony let out a needy whimper and nodded. "Yes."

The man waited. He felt flesh prod around his back end. This was it. He'd seen the person he'd fallen in love with fuck others a few times before, but this was different. He was slow, gentle, loving, and affectionate, not rough and just looking for a nice hole to dump his cum in. He could feel his ass stretch slowly, opening to accept his mate into him, his year-long companion who could now finally love him back.

He could feel those ridges, those textures he'd become familiar with feeling on his tongue and in his mouth, wiggle their way into his insides. His rear burned slightly, but he knew there would be nothing but pleasure and bliss after the initial pain. The only thing he feared was the dragon's knot, but he'd deal with that when it was time.

Scales rubbed against his butt, two apparent mounds in particular pressing against his cheeks. His mate was fully in, and there was a constant stream of pleasure spreading from his rear, the pain dialing down to nothing while the dragon leaned down to give him more loving licks and kisses. All the worries in the universe seemed to melt away with the pain, and there was nothing but bliss.

Zack gave the man a few more licks ending at his ear. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No," Anthony whispered slowly. "That lube is great stuff. Go, make love with me."

Another low growl echoed into the human's ears. Gods, knowing how pleased his mate was made him even hotter, and his cock constantly jumped and jolted in anticipation, the fat member harder than ever, reaching to touch the dragon's belly scales.

The dragon pulled back, allowing the man to feel every ridge as it slid past his tight muscle. Anthony's legs involuntarily seized behind him to try and keep him inside, and the dragon was more than happy to comply with his wishes.

The duet started slow, a soft dance to an imaginary tune. It was sex as Zack had never experienced it, and it was sex that Anthony had once believed he had before but found later to be false. But there was no doubt in the man now. This being, not even a human, loved him like no other person had ever done before. And he loved him right back with all his heart.

He was the first human to travel beyond his solar system. The first to see the inside of a sun. He was the first human to fall in love with an alien.

It was damned fantastic.

Anthony tried to make the dragon rock his hips faster, applying more and more force on his winged back through his legs, but he only went fast enough to be tender and sweet, and that was really all it took to make the man writhe in euphoria. The heavy scent of male permeated throughout the bedroom, though true love was also in the air, and it made both of them intoxicated with passion.

After a while, Anthony could feel the bulge start to bump against his cheeks. His lover tried to push it into him slowly, taking several pumps to help him stretch over even part of the huge bulb. But the pain returned, and the more the dragon tried to force it in, the more his face scrunched up.

Zack noticed the discomfort and backed off, but the man's legs kept on trying to make him push forward.

"Anthony," the dragon muttered, "I can't. You're crying, you know."

"I want you," the man said, hammering for breath. "All of you."

Zack hesitated but complied. He forced more of his knot into him, but he could see the man's hands grip onto his bed sheets like he was holding on for dear life.

And then the dragon heard a gasp. He looked at his partner's face and saw him huffing for breath, his eyes wide open. "I'm sorry," the man said. "I can't do it. It hurts too much."

Zack tenderly nuzzled his cheeks with his snout. "Don't worry about it. You're gonna make me cum either way, love."

"But--"

"Shh." Zack reached down to toy with the human's nipples while pulling his hips back. "We have all the time we want to practice stretching you out."

"Ah, but, now, no time, I'm so close."

"I know." Zack thrust forward, eliciting a loud moan from below. "I am too."

"Make me yours."

"You already are."

"Mmm..."

It didn't take much longer, just a few more deliberate thrusts, for the man to reach his peak.

Zack felt it coming. He sensed the man's shudder as pleasure filled his body, and he craned his neck and lifted his body slightly upwards so that he could see the fruit of their lovemaking.

The sight of his lover squirming and spilling his seed all over himself was too much for the dragon, and he teetered on the very edge, holding back his climax as long as he could. But his mate's contractions were too strong, and even without his knot buried in him, Zack poured forth all his willpower not to roar at the top of his lungs and managed something gentle and lustful, and then he came harder than he'd ever had his entire life.

Everything after that was pure blinding joy. The next thing they knew, they were on the bed entwined with their arms wrapped around each other. Zack's tail was coiled around one of his mate's legs, and his wings were draped over them like an extra blanket.

The dragon rested his head across the man's chest. This was love, then. The thing he'd tried to get away from for so long. No more.

"Mine," the dragon said. "My Anthony. I love you, I really do."

"I'm glad," the human replied, petting the dragon's soft white hair. "I love you too, forever and ever."

Zack traced a finger over his mate's belly and picked up a glob of his seed. He licked it up and savored the flavor. "No more loneliness. For either of us."

The man nodded and started to drift off towards sleep, but then a passing thought interrupted him. "So what was in that backpack?" he asked.

Zack's eyes shot wide open. "Oh, right! I forgot! That was supposed to be your anniversary gift!"

"Not drinks," the man said teasingly, "thought so."

The dragon tugged against his lover's arms and tried to sit up. "Oh, err, can I go get it? It's not in the restaurant still, is it?"

Anthony let him go and instantly felt rather empty and cold. "Nope," he said, "it's on the couch."

"Okay!" The dragon rushed out and came back in with the bag. He unzipped it and pulled out what seemed like a smaller backpack made of silver metal several shades lighter than his scales.

"Err, what is it?" Anthony asked.

Zack flashed him a cheery grin. "It's an anti-gravity pack! Brand new, but it has a low top speed."

"Anti-gravity?"

"Ah, I mean, it's like a jetpack, only much safer. I want to teach you to fly, Anthony. So you won't be afraid of falling anymore."

Anthony stared at the device and tried to sort out what he thought about the thing.

Zack spread his wings, though he recoiled a bit from his mate's lack of instant approval. "Err, what do you say? Will you fly with me?"

Anthony stared a little longer at the pack than Zack would've liked, but the man did nod eventually. "Yes."

The dragon moved the pack onto a dresser and went back to cuddle with his mate. "Don't worry. I'll be with you every second in the sky."

The man nuzzled his scaly muzzle and held him tight. "I know."