FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

“They said the park would be busy, but this is nuts!” Meegi said loudly in a jolly voice as he looked down his right wingtip towards the young fledgling flying beside him. The rushing wind caused Meegi's short, blond mane to flutter wildly like a flame of pale hair against his tan-brown scales.

To say the airspace above the park was crowded would have been an understatement. Countless flights of dragons were taking off and landing, often needing to bank and turn erratically to avoid colliding with one another. “Anyone would think something big is happening today!” he added, but instead of causing the young orange and white drake to laugh, he instead swallowed deeply. “Hey, you've got this. You've done it a dozen times now and nailed the last ten easily!”

Meegi's encouragement brought a small flicker of self-confidence to the drake's eye while he stared ahead and breathed rapidly through his small mouth. Like all of Meegi's students, Yiirani was not the strongest flier, but he was as eager to take to the skies as anyone else his age. Due to an unusual egg shape, the dragon had hatched with two of his wing fingers fused together. It was not an overly rare defect, but it required the hatchling to be a few years old before surgery could be attempted. This, and the fact that both of his adopted parents were aquatic dragons who couldn't easily teach him, had caused the young dragon to have a delayed start to flying. Although the muscles that wrapped around his chest and powered his wings weren't as strong as those of his classmates, Meegi had quickly learnt that Yiirani wasn't at all afraid of flying. There were a few students he taught who had suffered hard crashes where he needed to help them first battle their mind before the sky.

Flying side by side over the central park in the heart of the city, both dragons looked down and saw that what had once been empty fields of lush grass had been reduced to only small patches of green trapped between countless crowds of people. The air itself seemed to vibrate with the music being played, as each group seemed to have brought its own sound system of varying quality to compete with the others. The result was a disjointed symphony of classical music, jazz, and pop that changed and shifted in volume with every flap of their wings. Cheers and clapping from one of the groups pulled Meegi's focus, and he looked over to see a human holding the front of a dragon while she wrapped a forepaw around their lower back to hold them close.

“I see them!” Yiirani exclaimed and beat his wings in quick succession. In his excitement, he inadvertently climbed, and Meegi had to correct his angle of attack to pull up beside the drake. Turning his head to follow the fledgling’s gaze, Meegi spotted Yiirani's parents and adjusted his wings again to keep pace with the buzzing dragon. Gasping sharply and suddenly, the drake quickly placed a paw over the pouch that hung from his harness and loudly exhaled in relief. The frantic gesture caught Meegi's attention, and when he realised what Yiirani had done, his own paw moved to the front pouch of his harness.

Scanning ahead and to the sides, Meegi spotted a couple taking flight on their western flank, their wings beating in perfect synchronisation as they climbed northwards. Both dragons had their heads turned towards one another and looked completely entranced by each other's presence. After two beats of their wings, Meegi began to fear that they weren't going to notice him and Yiirani. Behind the couple, a large congregation of dragons of all colours launched into the sky in joyful pursuit. A few carried humans on their shoulders, while others lifted off unburdened. At the edge of the group, a dragon launched into the sky with a rider whose saddle sported a complex mechanical arm that supported a camera.

At their current trajectory, they didn't pose a risk. However, judging by the way many took off with lopsided wing beats and wobbled in the air, Meegi guessed that they had already been celebrating hard. Knowing that they were outnumbered dozens to one and that he and Yiirani were now in their blind spot, Meegi kept a close eye on them in case they turned. Calling out the drake's name, Meegi got Yiirani’s attention and nodded towards the flock of dragons. Despite wearing harnesses with bright yellow reflective pouches sewn between the straps, Meegi and Yiirani continued to go completely unnoticed by the group, as he had guessed they would. He waited a few seconds to see if they would change course, but as he feared, the couple leading the group didn't bother to check. They turned eastwards and began to cut across their flight path.

“We go around,” Meegi said firmly and beat his wings once to surge ahead. Twisting his wings, he led Yiirani into a sharp right turn while keeping himself between the new flier and the group of rowdy dragons. Only one called out an apology, and when Meegi was confident they were clear, he banked into a lazy left turn to resume their course across the park. Spreading his wing fingers wide, Meegi created some extra drag and sank back beside Yiirani as the dragon continued to beat his wings. “Good job! It feels like a dragonball stadium with how crowded this place is.”

This made the young drake giggle momentarily before he seemed to remember that he would be landing in front of both of his parents and countless family members and friends. “Are you going to land with me?” Yiirani asked hopefully, which made Meegi's chest tighten. He had initially been hesitant to accept the booking for today, but the drake's parents had been incredibly insistent. He knew that Yiirani and his parents weren't big dragonball fans, but a passing remark from Yiirani's father suggested that there would be guests who were. The thought of drawing attention away from Yiirani's achievements had made his decision for him.

“Land with you? Nah, this is all about you little guy. You don't need your wingman cramping your style. Besides, I am definitely not dressed for the occasion!” he joked and gestured with his snout towards his high-visibility harness. Unlike the single-pouched, slim-strapped harness that the fledgling wore, Meegi's rig was bristling with pouches full of water bottles, first-aid kits, hollow grapefruit-sized balls that caught the air, and a collection of extra tethers and cords for teaching young dragons how to fly. Most of the gear wasn't necessary for today's lesson and escort, but he liked to stay prepared for whatever the day might call for. “I believe in you, though. You've got this! I'll be with you all the way to your final approach. Then you get to impress everyone. Okay?” Meegi offered, and when Yiirani inhaled deeply to calm himself, Meegi nodded ahead.

“Alright. You can see them. But what's the wind telling you?” Meegi asked in a voice that reminded him of the teachers he had at school. When the drake scanned the area ahead but didn't offer an answer, Meegi gave him a clue. “What are those balloons doing? And the treetops? Are they moving?”

The young drake frowned for a moment before cocking his head suddenly. “The wind isn't on the ground. It's only up high!” he exclaimed and looked towards Meegi for validation. When Meegi gave him a wink, the drake became even more emboldened and looked towards his parents with glee. “No wind down low means I can land from any angle.”

“That's right. You always want a headwind. But if there isn't any, you can do what you want. You just have to work harder,” Meegi said and saw that they were only a few seconds away from needing to descend. “Last question, then you're done. Are you landing from the north or east?”

Meegi's question tore the drake's gaze from his parents, and he smiled as the dragon glanced towards the four large spires that rose from the centre of the city. Each one was built in a formation that matched the cardinal points of a compass, and each spire had a slightly different profile and height. They made a perfect navigation aid, and seeing the fledgling remember what he had taught him filled Meegi with pride.

“West!”

“Aye! There you go. Alright, remember, focus on your landing. Look at where you want to go, not where you are going. Okay?” Meegi asked, and when the drake nodded, he fanned his wings out wider and watched as the fledgling glided ahead. “I'll see you next week!” he called out, and when Yiirani glanced back at him, Meegi gave him a reassuring smile. Beating his wings twice to climb, Meegi made sure that he had enough altitude and energy to be able to dive if needed and watched as Yiirani adjusted his wings and began to descend with an awkward wobble in the air.

Only when the new flier was safely on the ground and in the company of his parents did Meegi breathe a sigh of relief. Waving a paw in a wide arc as Yiirani looked up with a proud smile, Meegi then pumped his wings in four swift strokes and quickly gained speed. Twisting his neck quickly to one side, Meegi glanced backwards to make sure that no one was above or behind him and then pitched up suddenly. The transition from casual flying to his accelerated climb was swift, and in the span of two seconds, he was flying faster than any launching dragon. Continuing to pull up into an almost vertical climb, he continued to hammer his wings down and backwards to soar into the heavens. To some, it might have appeared reckless, but with his increased speed he knew he didn't have to worry about other climbing dragons and now only had to keep an eye out for dragons flying across his path. Performing a continual roll as he climbed, he was able to make sure that he wasn't cutting anyone off and shot up to a clear altitude.

Once above most of the crowded airspace, Meegi rolled onto his back and then twisted around to right himself. Glancing briefly towards the spires, Meegi regained his bearings and adjusted his course to aim towards the far edge of the park. At no point did he stop flapping his wings, and with every beat, the metallic clink of the two coffee flasks jostling together joined the leathery whoosh and snapping sound of his membranes catching the air.

Glancing down at his foreleg, he checked the time on his phone, and while he had a few minutes to spare, he couldn't forgive himself if he was late. Reeva was almost always punctual but, above all else, liked everything to happen on time, and delays only meant added stress. It was a common trend amongst event organisers, and when he played for the Cresties, he learnt the importance of being on time.

Feeling the wind at his side, Meegi adjusted his wings to use it rather than fight against it and shot towards the treeline while diving slightly. Framing the park, the dozens of rooftop bars and restaurants were just as busy as the park itself. Each one had become a hive of activity, with dragons and humans alike filling the spaces to absolute capacity. Those that could had hung banners and symbols to show that they were closed for private events or were full in order to deter anyone from landing. Towards the furthest corner of the park, the Grand Imperial Hotel stood erect, with its roof flowered open for a function even though it was only two in the afternoon.

Spotting his destination, Meegi rolled briefly to one side and then banked heavily towards the other. Turning, he bled some speed while aligning himself with the edge of the rooftop. However, as he swooped down over the edge of the building, he was still travelling far too fast to land. With a deliberate heave of his wings and back, Meegi drove his tail downwards, upsetting his centre of gravity and pitching his whole body vertically again while simultaneously angling his wings to catch the air. The thin membranes of his large wings snapped taut, and as the gravitational forces pulled at his limbs, his breakneck speed was quickly converted into another sharp climb. Without beating his wings to maintain the climb, his ascent steadily waned. Once the air passing over his wings slowed to a crawl, Meegi collapsed the outermost segment of his right wingtip to induce a premature stall and wheeled around himself in a midair cartwheel. Falling for a second, his blond mane lifted before he flared his wings wide again and curled them to trap the air below the thin membranes. The motion caused his mane to fall haphazardly and flatten on either side of his neck, but he paid it no mind as he let his hips and tail dangle downwards. Cupping his wings, he trapped the air beneath him and slowly floated downwards like a leaf on the wind.

Once he was only a dozen feet above the rooftop, he straightened his wings and beat them twice in quick succession to slow his descent and align himself with the raised edge of the building’s wide parapet. Like many buildings built in the seventies and eighties, the low building's flat concrete roof sported a collection of large glass skylights, along with a haphazard collection of air conditioners and water tanks. Running around the perimeter of the rooftop was a two-foot-high raised platform that was just large enough for dragons to take off and land. While not technically a landing pad, it seemed that the architects of the time knew that dragons would inevitably try to land on top of the structures. To save costs, it had been far easier to reinforce the edge of the building and make it appealing than it was to reinforce the middle of the roof or provide a pad that overhung the building's exterior.

Absorbing the landing by dropping into a slight crouch, Meegi kept his wings mantled and fully unfurled for a second longer than necessary before folding them to his sides. Dropping his rump while raising his chest, Meegi transitioned into a sitting position on the raised edge of the parapet and absentmindedly flicked his neck to get his mane under control. The small burst of exertion was not the sole cause of his elevated heart rate, and after scanning the sky for Reeva and not seeing her, he began to look for things to distract himself. A flash of red light behind him made him turn his head and look towards the massive digital billboard mounted on the roof of the next building. The familiar Cresties logo spun around itself while bold text advertised the next game. Meegi looked on with detached interest as the primary players swept across the screen, led by their new captain, Looran. For the first time since he could remember, he had missed their last game and hadn't even tried to find time to watch the recording. He still enjoyed the sport, but this season hadn't captivated him, and he had only watched out of habit rather than genuine interest.

The date of the next game lingered on the screen for a full ten seconds before it faded to black and transitioned to a new ad. The scene of a front door opening to reveal a dragon standing on a perfectly manicured lawn filled the screen. He wore a crisp blue and yellow harness with a headset and a chunky-looking tablet strapped to his foreleg. Presenting a prestine parcel in one paw and a smile on his snout, the dragon looked joyful that someone was home and passed the package towards the camera. The clip was so professionally shot, lit and timed, Meegi couldn't help but snort in amusement at how alien it looked. He understood that an ad for the international conglomerate Drag'n'Drop would take liberties to make their delivery dragons appear more presentable, but it was the fact that the actor waited for the door to open made him chuckle. Ignoring the large scannable code and the offer to be their own boss, Meegi watched without really reading the words. The next ad caught his attention again, showing a dragon in either a university or school setting. Their class ended with the ring of a bell, and they began to put their books away in their harness. While they did so, the camera whipped to one side, and the screen changed to show the same dragon amongst a squad of other military personnel, all dressed in heavy armoured harnesses and stowing grenades and radios in their pouches.

With another change of camera angle, the video showed a black dragon preparing to take off, only for the footage to change to show the same dragon launching from the bow of a destroyer at sea while a helicopter hovered beside the ship. Bold text cycled across the screen, motivational drivel that tried to inspire anyone watching to become part of something bigger and enlist today.

Losing interest in watching the rugged dragons working together, Meegi rolled his shoulders and looked back over the skyline. Considering it was mid-afternoon on a Wednesday, the airspace was unnaturally busy, and Meegi wondered if there were actually any dragons working today or if they had all taken the day off. A small flicker of sky-blue scales coming from the east brought a smile to his snout, and he turned to focus on the approaching dragoness. Seeing Reeva with her wings spread wide and gliding lazily in a direction that wouldn't take her over him made it clear that she hadn't seen him yet. Rearing back on his hind legs, Meegi used his tail to brace himself and spread his wings wide before beating them in large, slow flaps. The gesture managed to catch Reeva's attention, and his smile grew when he saw her head snap towards him and her crimson frill flick up in excitement.

“They've done it!” Reeva exclaimed as she dove towards the rooftop. The look of pure joy on her snout was momentarily interrupted by a sharp look of concentration as she flared her wings and focused on her landing. Compared to Meegi's flashy display, Reeva simply flared her wing s to slow down and then folded them completely while still in the air. Landing heavily on all fours, Reeva's legs compressed tightly before one hind leg slipped out from under her. Bouncing up, she rapidly re extended both wings and flapped one harder than the other to stop herself from tumbling off the edge of the building. Regaining her footing, her frill flattened in embarrassment for a moment before she shook herself off. Trotting along the length of the parapet with a bounce in her step, her eyes were wide with excitement as she closed the distance. “We hit the majority! Now everyone is getting on board!” she added gleefully and angled her shoulder to press against him as she turned to face out over the park beside him. Practically yanking her phone out of its holster, her paws trembled with excitement and disbelief, and her body wobbled precariously while she sat on her haunches. Moving on autopilot, Meegi shuffled closer to her and wrapped a large wing around her shoulders to keep her steady. The bulky harness he was wearing robbed him of the feeling of her body against his, but the pressure of her leaning into him was still comforting. Using the taloned digit on his wing wrist, he casually stroked her shoulder to show his affection while she worked her phone.

“I told you everything would go okay,” Meegi mused and craned his neck to look down at the screen with her. Reeva dragged a digit quickly down from the top of the glass touchscreen, and they both waited with anticipation as the screen refreshed. Finally, after what felt like minutes, the screen loaded and showed a single large blue bar next to a small sliver of red. Surrounding the graph was a host of additional data showing which senators were yet to vote, how long the vote had been open, and a ticker showing various stock prices.

“Well... let's not get ahead of ourselves. It will need to be signed off by the big guy, but it would be political suicide to stop it now,” Reeva exclaimed and wiggled her entire body under his wing. The bulky pouches seemed to dig into her, and she shifted restlessly to get comfortable, all while focusing on her phone. After studying the screen again, she refreshed it to see if anything had changed. “Tiizy says we will get an announcement any minute now! He reckons they will say they were always big supporters of the bill all along… fucking typical,”

“I think they all think the same,” Meegi said warmly and gave her a gentle squeeze with his wing to get her attention. She almost didn't seem to hear him for a second, but when she twisted her neck to look at him in confusion, he gestured with his snout towards the park. “Looks like everyone is geared up to either get married or at least engaged today. The courthouses are going to be packed as soon as they make it official.”

“Oh, they are already queuing!” Reeva announced and bobbed her head excitedly. “I had to fly over them on the way here, and at first, I thought they were protesters. But nope! Dragons, humans, fucking everyone! All lining up to make it official,” she added almost breathlessly. In her enthusiasm and excitement, it seemed that breathing had taken a back seat, and she quickly gasped to force air into her lungs. “It's finally happening!”

“All thanks to you,” Meegi cooed and slid his head over the top of hers to affectionately cuddle her. “Without you, legit none of this would be happening right now,” he added proudly and hummed in appreciation as she placed her phone down on the concrete rooftop and leaned into him. With a forepaw, she held onto his closest front leg and pressed the bridge of her snout into the crook of his jaw.

“Not just me... you helped. And as much as I joke about it, Tiizy was the real mastermind behind this. Oh, by the way!” Reeva started and extracted her head from under him so that she could look him in the eyes. “There is going to be a work thing tonight. It was either going to be a celebration or a strategy session, but I'm guessing now it's going to get pretty loose. Did you want to come? It's just at the office—”

“Of course!” Meegi replied quickly. He knew that Reeva understood his hesitation towards those sorts of events, especially when it was very likely that many would end up heavily intoxicated. However, the idea of celebrating her success was more appealing than his own inhibitions. “If it's cool, I'll drop my harness off at home first. Not really dressed for a party—”

Reeva's phone buzzed loudly against the concrete before it dinged cheerfully. The sound caused them both to look down, and then it dinged again, followed by a stream of different alerts, buzzers, and chimes. Snatching the device up, Reeva tapped on her work chats first and saw the team sharing a link to a livestream. The President was about to make a speech, but many people from her workplace were already posting comments about what they knew from inside information. The Marriage Equality Act was going to be amended and its changes signed into law in a matter of minutes.

Tapping on the link, Reeva's phone switched apps and froze momentarily. The app’s servers seemed to be struggling with the sudden influx of logged-in users, and it took a full thirty seconds before elements of the user interface loaded. Overlaid on the footage, the chat was going berserk. Emojis of rings and animated dragons dancing with people made the stream of live comments completely unreadable. Behind the large, imposing podium with the presidential seal, a collection of favoured senators and their partners were lined up alongside countless flags while they waited for the President to come into frame. Meegi instantly spotted the looming presence of Taanith, standing with a smug smile on his snout while wing to wing with the others. Sitting in front of him and occasionally looking up at him longingly was a stunning yellow dragoness who looked half his age. Judging by the other senators and their partners, she was clearly the purple drake's new mate.

A new ding heralded a banner popping up from the top of the screen from their friend Miikalah. A simple line of text reading, “Go, you good girl!!! Thank you!” displayed for a second before a stream of other texts began to flood Reeva's inbox. Seeing the wealth of pride and appreciation coming in from everyone she knew made Meegi's chest burn with admiration for his mate. Shifting his head back and then down, he gave her a small yet tender kiss on the cheek.

The small gesture made her frill flick up to its full height, and she looked at him with a toothy grin before looking back at the phone. Together, they watched and tried to read some of the comments before refocusing on the footage as their leader stepped into frame. Just as Reeva had said, the man claimed he had always been supportive of such a bill and praised the democratic process of their country. He took the opportunity to thank the various senators and lawmakers who had made it possible and rattled on about how this was a bold step for their country and one that was far overdue. However, despite all the words of affirmation, it was only when he signed an ornate piece of paper with a thick pen and held it up as proof that Reeva released a long sigh of relief. Instantly, the chat became an overwhelming blur of comments from countless people cheering and celebrating.

A deafening collection of roars and cheers from the park tugged their focus upwards and brought smiles to both of their snouts. The sound drowned out the volume of Reeva's phone and made listening to what was being said completely impossible. The small giggle of joy that Reeva made was lost in the noise, but Meegi felt it through her body as she vibrated beneath his wing. Renewing his grip, he held her close and nuzzled her happily. When the cheers finally calmed down, Reeva looked back at her phone, and instead of listening to the additional speeches, she tapped back to her work chats. The feed of comments was less chaotic, but they all shared the same message. Everyone was congratulating one another, especially Tiizome for leading the foundation.

Placing the phone down on the concrete parapet, Reeva tapped at the screen to post a GIF of a comical animated dragon collapsing in exhaustion and then muted the app. However, before she had a chance to lock her phone, a message from her mother came in asking her to call when she had a chance and saying that she wanted to know how it went. The message was on the screen for half a second before Reeva swiped it away, and a new notification popped up from her family's group chat. It contained an image and a message from her pseudo-auntie, who lived a few hours' flight from the city.

Tapping on it, the screen changed to show a picture of the silvery-grey dragoness with bright purple paws and tail, smiling in absolute happiness while clutching a man against her chest like a stuffed toy. Curiously, the man was wearing what looked like a suit of armour made from something far too flexible to be metal, complete with a foam sword at his hip. Likewise, the dragoness was wearing a harness that looked as though it had come straight from the Dark Ages and bristled with a bedroll and various other pieces of camping equipment. The text below the image simply read, “He said yes!!!” Meegi snorted with amusement while Reeva made a gleeful whine and let her entire body wiggle with pent-up excitement. Reeva tapped out a reply, and Meegi saw that her parents had already commented in the group chat, congratulating them both.

“Nawww... look what you've done,” Meegi mused happily and kissed her again on the leading edge of her frill. Rumbling a happy, purr-like noise from her throat, Reeva pressed back against him while squeezing the volume button on her phone. Once it was muted, she locked the device and placed it down so she couldn't be distracted. “You've made a lot of people very, very happy today.”

“Ha! And they probably don't even know we were the ones pulling the strings!” she barked with an excitement that made Meegi chuckle. “This work party is gonna be wild! Gods, we need it, though,” she added, and Meegi couldn't agree more. The last few weeks had seen the dragoness working late into the night. On more than one occasion, he had come to fly home with her from work, only to end up staying late and bringing her dinner. Even then, with food on her desk, he would often need to remind her to eat as she spent her time handling emails and meetings for her equally busy boss.

“I know. You have been burning the candle at both ends over this, so this is going to be one to remember,” Meegi replied before a small smirk crept into the corners of his mouth. “I'm guessing your boss is going to get... legless?” Meegi grinned cheekily and laughed when she glared at him with equal parts amusement and disbelief.

“I'm gonna tell him you said that—”

“Oh my gods, please don't!” Meegi replied and went to bury his snout behind her jaw to kiss her again. However, before he could, his mate turned her head and angled her mouth to intercept his. Parting his lips, he opened his maw and locked it with hers. Pressing his tongue against hers, Meegi couldn't help but groan softly into her mouth as she tenderly kissed him back.

This wasn't a hurried or parting kiss, nor was it slow and sensual. Instead, it was somewhere in between, and Meegi could feel the love and affection in his mate's embrace as years of built-up stress melted away. Inhaling through his nose, he deepened the kiss by tilting his head further to one side and running his tongue around hers. Stroking the inside of her teeth, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment while holding her close. Behind him, his tail swept towards her with a mind of its own before finding hers, and together they blindly coiled around one another. The securing grip of both his wing and tail made Reeva lean further into his side, and the feeling of his bulky pouches began to become uncomfortable as they dug into him. The feeling seemed to be mutual, as after a minute, Reeva slowly straightened up and broke their kiss. Inhaling deeply and then swallowing, his mate looked blissfully flustered, with her frill bouncing softly and her warm amber eyes looking at him with affection. “I needed that,” she mused before composing herself further and nodding down towards his harness. “Any more lessons booked today?”

“Nope, Yiirani was my last one. I wanted to spend today with you once we knew how this would go.”

“Nawww...” Reeva mused and curled her neck in a sideways arch. Pressing the top of her head against his neck and Reeva looked out over the park with him. She seemed content to rest against him for a moment, and Meegi enjoyed the feeling of her steady breathing. “I still think it's a silly name,” Reeva remarked softly before nudging her shoulder into his. “Even if what you're doing is pretty cool.”

“Now, now, it's poetic,” Meegi said with amusement in his voice. He would never admit to her that he had forgotten the s in ‘Let's’ when he registered the company name, and ‘Let Go Flying School’ became immortalised as its official name. However, when he proudly showed the registration to Reeva, he found himself having to quickly defend his mistake. “Besides, most of the time, I have to spend longer convincing the parents than the kid that everything is safe. So it makes sense.”

“Uh-huh,” Reeva said unconvincingly and chuckled softly. “Still, I really think you could get more students if it didn't sound like you were going to drop them,” Reeva snickered. Deep down, he suspected she knew he had made a mistake, but she didn't correct him and simply joked about it when she could.

“To be fair, sometimes I do drop them!” Meegi grinned and curled his neck to look down at her. “Only when they are ready, of course, and always from a high enough altitude. You'd be surprised how quickly instincts kick in,” Meegi added before shrugging his wings. “Besides, some of them are nervous or have crashed before, so I teach them to let go of their fears and all that.”

“Uh-huh,” Reeva repeated and looked at him sceptically while giving his tail a playful squeeze. “I still think ‘Let's Go Flying… School’ is better. It shows enthusiasm and excitement, not pure terror. I just imagine you with a crying kid...” she continued before flailing a forepaw out in front of them. “Let go, you little fucker!” she snarled as though shaking loose a clinging hatchling.

Her gesture made Meegi cackle with genuine laughter at the imagery, and he shook his head in disbelief. “I promise you, it is not like that!” Meegi retorted and squeezed her tail tighter. “And anyway, I don't need that many students. I like having some time to take care of you and your fish. That reminds me, I think we've got the pH back to normal again. Bruce's fins are healing up nicely,” he replied and was rewarded with a small kiss on his jaw. With how busy Reeva had become over the past few months, he had naturally taken over caring for her fish and doing chores around the house where he could. It was the very least he could do while he was living with her and she was so busy with work.

Rolling his shoulders slightly, he made some space between them and reached back along his harness with a forepaw. “Also... I got you something,” he said and lifted his wing as she pulled away. Snagging a claw on the buckle that held the two coloured flasks against his rig, he gave them a jiggle to free them and brought them towards her. Most of the paint had become worn from rubbing together over the years, but each container had clearly once been the same colour as their scales. “It's not champagne, but I'm guessing that will be tonight,” he added as she took her flask from him and unscrewed the lid.

“Fuck yes, hot chocolate,” she hissed with glee and tucked herself back under his wing. “You’re the best mate ever,” Reeva added lovingly as she took a sip and leaned against her mate. Curling her foreleg inside his, she placed her paw on top of his and intertwined their digits.

“Nah. Best drake, maybe. But I'm definitely holding the best mate ever,” Meegi mused before lifting his own flask. With her holding his foreleg, he opted to hold the lid of the flask in his mouth and unscrewed it. Spitting out the plastic top, he let the lid dangle by its plastic tether and then took a gulp of the hot coffee. Feeling the hot coffee warm his throat and the cool breeze flutter his mane against his neck, he continued to look out over the park and enjoyed the moment while holding his mate close. Deep in his chest, his heart continued to beat harder than it should, and despite the tranquil moment, his breathing was still tight. Taking another sip before putting the steaming flask down, he swallowed and squeezed her with his wing. “So what happens now?”

“Nothing,” Reeva said simply, her frill lifting slightly as if saying the word solidified everything. “That's it. People can get married. They sign some paperwork and now get all the same benefits as humans,” she added while looking out with unfocused eyes.

“I mean, what happens for you? Your work, the foundation, Tiizy and the rest,” Meegi clarified and turned his head to look at her. She continued to look out over the park and the countless celebrating families. “Does all this mean you are all unemployed?”

Reeva tilted her head from side to side before inhaling deeply. “Yeah, I guess. After tonight, we all go home. Job done,” she replied simply before flicking her eyes towards him and swallowing. “Well... not right away. Some of us might be finishing tonight, but I suspect I'll be helping Tiizome with the pack-up. Gotta sell the furniture, break the lease, cancel our utilities and all that. But then that's it. We are finished, and we all go our separate ways,” Reeva explained with a slight sadness in her voice that didn't go unnoticed by Meegi. He knew that the people she worked with were more than just colleagues, and she had come to call many of them friends. “Tiizy says he wants to spend a year fishing. Says the best crawfish gumbo has yet to be made, and he intends to be the one to do it. Although, he also threatened to ‘take the show on the road’ and head to another country that is in the same situation we are in... I mean, we were in,” she added, smiling with a look of pride as she corrected herself. “Although, we are kinda behind the curve, and so many other countries have already done it or are about to. Then, of the few that remain, there aren't any that speak English, and well... Tiizy barely speaks that!”

Meegi chuckled and nodded in agreement. The drake's thick southern drawl was hard to understand at the best of times. “Is that what you want to do? Travel the world and do this all again?” Meegi asked. Besides the times he had travelled with the Cresties, he had never been outside the country. The idea of spending months or years in a country where he didn't speak the language was daunting, but he would do it if it meant being with Reeva.

“No, no. I'm done,” Reeva said and gripped his paw reassuringly. “I’ve done what I set out to do. I can't be responsible for changing the whole world, now can I?” she added with a playful smirk while her frill flattened against her neck. “Besides, there is probably a Reeva in those countries who is working on it as we speak. She's got this.”

“So, if you're not going to keep changing the world... What is in store for the amazing Reeva?” Meegi asked and looked at her with a raised eyeridge. His question seemed to catch the dragoness partially off guard, and she pulled her head back as if he had asked her something profound.

She didn't answer right away and looked towards the horizon with a thoughtful expression. After a pause, her frill pulsed upwards in a small flick before settling half-erect. “Not gonna lie, I didn't really let myself think this would be over. Sooo... work party. Then probably a sleep-in. Some sex. Close down the foundation... a bit more sex... then we shall see.”

“I like those plans. And I think I might be able to help you with some of those things,” Meegi mused and placed a small kiss on the base of her left horn. When she snickered, he kept a neutral expression and looked at her as if he didn't know what was so funny. “After all, you deserve a proper sleep-in. Maybe some breakfast in bed, maybe some lunch too, depending on whether we want to get up or not.”

“Gods, that sounds good...”

“But if you are ever looking for a job, I could always do with an assistant... You know, I have to turn away so many students these days. It would be good to have a second set of wings,” Meegi said with a growing smile. “Even if I had someone to organise the lessons, that would be a huge help.”

“Nope! I ain't organising shit. That was old Reeva's job. New-job Reeva will do something simple and easy. Something without things that talk back,” she said before her frill flicked up to its full height. “Kids are cute and all, but I don't want to deal with pushy parents or anything like that. I want something simple. Easy. Mundane, even… Something like... Delivering mail. That could be fun. No, wait! Freight dragons! No... that sounds like hard work. Unless... I could always start a company! Yeah! Hire some big, burly dragons to deliver whatever people need to whoever needs it. Gods know the postal system is archaic and could do with some competition.”

Meegi's eyes narrowed, and when she looked at him in confusion, he tried to put it as delicately as possible. “I agree... but isn't starting a company kinda close to, like... organising things?” he started, and when her expression dropped in realisation, he renewed his wing's grip on her. “Like, don't get me wrong, you would be phenomenal at that—”

“No, no. You're right. Fuck that. Maybe painting fences or something. I don't know... Something simple,” she said before looking back at Meegi with a warm expression. Shrugging her wings, Reeva rocked her head from side to side before nodding. “Maybe teaching little ones to fly is the way to go. Can't be too hard, right? It's mostly just making sure they don't kiss the sides of buildings or the ground, right? I feel like I could do that. As long as I get to enjoy my hot chocolate,” Reeva continued before blowing over the mouth of her flask and then taking another sip.

Knowing Reeva and how dutiful she was, the image of the sky-blue dragoness letting a hatchling be in danger was so absurd that it made him chuckle. His heart quickened in his chest as he thought of a segue, and for a moment, he considered changing the topic, but instead trusted his gut. “What if it was our little one?” he asked while avoiding eye contact. It wasn't that he wasn't serious, but he doubted he could speak so easily if he were looking into her brilliant amber eyes. It took the dragoness a second before she realised what he was asking, and her frill practically leapt into the air as she whipped her head around to look at him. Clattering softly, the lid of Reeva's flask trembled against the side of the container as her paw quivered. “I mean... not the kissing the building bit. But, like... you know... ours,” he said, and when he flicked his gaze towards her, he saw that she was looking intently at him with an expression that felt like concern. Backpedalling quickly, Meegi cleared his throat. “I'm not talking about right now, of course. It was just a thought I had. I don't want this to be a me thing, though. Only if you wanted it too. Just floating it out there. Either way is totally fine. I'm not really that keen if you're not—” He could tell he was rambling, and more importantly, he knew that she wasn't buying it.

“You want to have an egg?” Reeva said flatly, and Meegi drew his neck back as his confidence completely evaporated. “I mean... where is this coming from?” she asked and placed her flask down beside her as her gaze faltered. Seemingly unable to look at him, she whipped her head around, looked off into the distance, and pulled her neck back into a tense arch.

Fearing he had pushed her too far, Meegi bobbed his head in apology. “Sorry, I didn't mean to spring that on you. And like I said, if you're not keen, that is totally fine. Honest. It's just been floating around in my head, and I wanted to ask you sometime. I just thought that was the right moment,” he said, his words weakening. Feeling the dragoness inhale deeply, he looked at her briefly and saw a multitude of emotions in her eyes. “Ignore me. Sorry.”

“No, you don't need to apologise,” Reeva said softly and flashed him a reassuring smile. “I had been thinking about it too,” she admitted, sparking a small glimmer of hope in Meegi's mind. “I'm not against it, but this is a bit of a big deal, Meegi. Let's think about it, okay?” she offered, and Meegi nodded enthusiastically. He could tell she was nervous and possibly even scared by the idea. Truth be told, he was too, and he wanted to make sure she knew he wasn't suggesting it on a whim.

“Yeah, it's not a trivial matter. I just figured that we are financially prepared for it, and we could take some time off to raise it. Together! That bit is something I really want to be there for. Kinda like how your dad was,” Meegi said, his voice becoming tight as he spoke the words. Reeva seemed to pick up on his emotions too and cocked her head to one side to listen intently. “You know my dad wasn't around, right? It's just… seeing how you and your dad get along so well... Well, I like that. That's kinda what I would want to be like.”

“Meegi, that's sweet... but I would want to think long and hard about this. This would mean a lot of work, and it's not like it can ever be put on pause,” Reeva replied, and Meegi bobbed his head in understanding. “It's at least an eighteen-year commitment, probably longer, and it never really ends. Plus, there is the whole health thing. No doubt you are probably fit and capable, but I would want to talk to a doctor just to be sure there aren't any issues on my side. It’s just that I hatched pretty early, and that caused all sorts of problems with my wings. So I just want to have all the facts before we do anything, okay?” Reeva rambled, and Meegi nodded along in complete agreement. Finally, though, she seemed to begin to relax, and then a flicker of amusement flashed across her features. “Mom is going to go absolutely nuts if we do this.”

“Oh yeah, she already asked me what our plans were,” Meegi said and held her close when Reeva tensed. “Don't worry, it was all in good humour. But I think she wants grandkids. Hell, my mother has been asking as well, and that means a lot coming from her. Growing up, she was VERY clear about what she would do to me and my bits if I got anyone gravid,” Meegi continued and paused as Reeva snorted and then giggled. “She likes you a lot, by the way.”

Humming in thanks, Reeva continued to lean into him and inhaled a long, deep breath before exhaling in a soft sigh. “Taking some time to raise a little one could be fun... I’m guessing it's probably the opposite of organising, more just controlling the chaos and mitigating risks. But other than what they taught us at school, I don't really know exactly how to do it. There is a big difference between taking home a plaster egg with a thermometer in it and looking after a full-blown egg, then the little one that comes out of it.”

“If I recall correctly, you did pretty well with that assignment,” Meegi said with a hint of pride in his voice. “You would be a great mother. Gods know I wouldn't want to step out of line.” His joke brought a genuine smile to her snout and a small nod. “Plus, they would be adorable as fuck. Can you imagine a little one with your frill and my wings? He’d look ridiculously cute!”

“He? You're looking for a son, are you?”

“Or a girl. Either way, I'm not picky,” Meegi quickly replied and felt her relax against him. A playfulness crept into his mind, and he stroked his wing talon against her shoulder. “Although, I think an even balance would be good. So maybe three of each—”

“Three—SIX!” Reeva exclaimed and pulled away from him as if he had shocked her. When she looked at him, she quickly realised he was joking but still regarded him sternly. “You're trying to make a dragonball team, aren't you?”

Tipping his head back in a joyful laugh, Meegi realised he hadn't made that connection and pulled her close against his side. “Oh, I hadn't thought about that! But that would be something, wouldn't it? What would we call them?”

“Um… Gryphon teeth, 'cause hell no that ain’t gonna happen. No way in hell im having six eggs. Gods!” Reeva retorted defensively but still pressed against him. “Six...”

“Okay, not six. But let's be honest. If we raised them, our kids would always be polite, great at sports, and always on time,” he added with a growing smile. Making his mate smirk, he nuzzled her cheek before giving her a small kiss on the back of her jaw. “You are right, though. This isn't something to rush into. It's probably a bit of a learning curve, but books exist, there are plenty of videos out there, and we aren't the first ones to ever do it, right? Plus, I think our folks raised us pretty well, so getting their help on occasion is probably an option.

“Hell, trying to get them not to help might be more of a challenge.”

“You're not wrong...” Reeva replied, clearly not convinced, but honestly, Meegi liked that. She was thinking the whole thing through, and that level of maturity was something he admired in his mate. The knot of anticipation in his chest tightened, though, as he pulled his head back and looked at her.

Breathing in, Meegi felt as though he was fighting against his body, but he managed to keep his composure. “But maybe we can work up to that. That way, we can kinda ease into it and see if we are ready,” he said, and when she frowned at him, he cocked his head to one side. “I mean, we don't have to dive right into having an egg together. We could get a dog! Or... now that you're not working in the city, we could maybe look at moving somewhere with a bit more space. Don't get me wrong, I like your apartment—”

“No, no, it's tiny. It was great when it was just me or me and Bruce, but for both of us, it's pretty snug,” Reeva added, clearly much more comfortable with the idea of doing something less monumental than having a child together. “Somewhere with a bit of a yard would be nice. I'm not talking about going fully rural like my aunt’s place. As beautiful as her place is, it requires far too much maintenance.”

“Yeah, a yard would be good. Big enough to have a few friends over, eat outside, take off and land from our own spot, and not have to take the stairs all the time. That sorta thing,” Meegi offered, and Reeva nodded in agreement. “A white picket fence might be a bit much, but you know... a proper home.”

“Yeah! I like that,” Reeva cheered before her smile widened and she vibrated with a small giggle. “A yard would be good for a dog too. Not a big macho dog. I'm thinking a little one, something like... this big,” she said and hovered a paw roughly a foot above the concrete edge they sat on. “Like a Yorkie or something.”

This made Meegi frown in confusion. He wasn't sure if it was because Reeva had only grown up in apartments, but he preferred the idea of a dog that was large enough to play with rather than an overgrown rat-like creature. His reaction seemed to amuse Reeva, who nodded enthusiastically and continued. “Yeah, a little yappy thing. It will be great!” she added, and Meegi quickly realised that she was joking, although he still didn't quite get the punchline.

“We could call it Tiiphani!”

“Reeva!” Meegi exclaimed before clamping his jaw shut and closing his eyes. Try as he might, the mental image of a small yapping dog with Tiiphani’s head filled his thoughts, and he found himself vibrating with stifled laughter. Opening his eyes as Reeva giggled maniacally, he shook his head with a wide smile on his snout. “We can't keep naming our pets after our exes. It makes loving them a lot harder—”

“Oh, please, you love Bruce. I saw you copying him the other night,” Reeva teased before going cross-eyed and mimicking how the suckerfish ate. Pulling his head back, Meegi shook his head in a mixture of amusement and embarrassment. “Besides, Tiiphani the dog would be a bitch too!” Reeva giggled and wiggled with silliness against his side.

“Ummm... no,” Meegi replied, and while Reeva cackled with amusement, he simply waited while looking at her with his head cocked to one side. Huffing a laugh through his nose, Meegi tried to keep his composure. “I spent far too long dealing with her shit. I don't want to be cleaning up after another one,” he added, renewing Reeva's fit of laughter. Her wit and her ability to make light of things were some of the qualities he adored in her. They made every day a treat, and he honestly couldn't imagine what it would be like to go without her. The thought solidified what he already knew, and he forced a lungful of air through his nostrils to compose himself. “Let's maybe circle back to the whole dog thing. Besides, there was something else I wanted to ask you.”

“Wait, wait, wait... not a Yorkie, a pug!” Reeva exclaimed, and it took Meegi a great deal of control not to snort with laughter at the image of Tiiphani with bulging eyes and a tongue too large for her stunted snout. “Oh, come on, that would be funny! I'm only joking, though. Those things are really fighting just to stay alive. Kinda cruel, if I'm honest—”

“Reeva...” Meegi said softly and curled his neck around so that he was looking at her squarely. “Can we be serious for a second?” he asked and guessed that she had one more joke to tell, but she swallowed it when she saw the look of conviction in his eyes. “Having kids is big, and a house or dog would be something I'm keen for. But there was something else that I've been meaning to ask you,” he began, and when he couldn't hold her gaze, he focused on her snout. “The last few months have been so busy, and you've been so stressed, I didn't want to add this to the pile. But know that this has been on my mind for ages now. And hell, I thought there was a slight chance that this would all fall apart, and if it did, I wouldn't want you feeling like you had failed us or me or anything...” he continued, his voice becoming tight as he flicked his eyes up again to look into her wide amber eyes. He could tell that she knew where he was going, and by the way her frill slowly crept higher and higher, he guessed the anticipation was getting to her too.

Forcing a swallow through his rapidly drying throat, he inhaled sharply and forced himself to continue. Uncoiling his tail from hers, he lifted his wing from around her shoulders and took a step backwards off the raised parapet so that he could stand on the flat rooftop with her partially elevated. Turning around, Reeva sat on the parapet with her tail hanging off the side of the building and looked at him with a growing, excited smile on her snout. “Reeva, we have been together for a while now. And honestly, you have been the best thing that ever happened to me. If something were to happen to me or you, my... my biggest regret would be not asking you out sooner—” The tension in his voice made it break and morph into a small whimper, but with a quick cough, he cleared his throat and composed himself. “Reeva... my beautiful, sexy, funny, and glorious dragoness. Now that it's official, and now that we can...” he continued while reaching into the pouch on the front of his harness. For the briefest moment, he thought he couldn't feel the circular band of metal, and his heart stopped. However, when he felt the hard metal against his talon, he snagged the band and pulled it out.

Reeva's eyes went wide as she looked down at the simple gold band. No thicker than the girth of a marker, the round band curled around itself while pitching upwards a few degrees to create a half-crescent, half-helix shape. By design, it wasn't a complete loop, and with the two ends almost meeting, one above the other, there was a gap between them to allow for future expansion. It wasn't shaped like the horn rings her parents or friends wore, but its purpose and meaning were crystal clear. Opening his mouth to ask her the question that had been stuck in his mind for the last year, Meegi suddenly couldn't find his voice. Opening and closing his mouth to try again, only a small whine came out as he lifted the ring towards his mate. His snout burned with embarrassment at the fact that he couldn't articulate what he was asking and that his emotions were getting the better of him.

“For fuck's sake, Meegi,” Reeva whined, her eyes glossy with joy. Out of all the responses he had expected, that wasn't one he had counted on. Recoiling his neck, Meegi momentarily thought he had done something wrong, but Reeva’s smile and the way she shook her head while laughing made him pause. “Sorry. It's just that I promised Mom and Dad that if you didn't today, I would!” she explained and leaned to one side to unbuckle the top flap of her side pouch before extracting a similar band. The one she had bought for him was thinner but taller, looking almost as though a flat ribbon had been curled around to form a loop.

“Wait... what?” Meegi stammered before his jaw hung slack as he realised what she had said. “You were going to propose to me?” he asked, his voice rising an octave in surprise.

“Well, who else?” Reeva exclaimed happily and stepped down from the elevated parapet to be at his level. “It was on my to-do list today. Make it legal, and then make it happen!” she continued and stepped closer. Holding out the horn ring she had bought for him, she tapped it against the one he held in his paw, producing a cheerful clink. “So... yeah?”

Looking down at the two bands, Meegi automatically nodded before refocusing and holding her gaze. “Yeah—” he tried to reply, but he was interrupted when Reeva lunged at him and drove her lips against his. Smiling with joy, he let her push his neck back into a tight ‘S’ shape while he sat back on his haunches and lifted a paw to her shoulders. The dragoness didn't seem content with just a kiss and pressed further forwards until Meegi was sitting completely upright, with his tail bracing him from behind, and brought his other forepaw up to hold her. At the last moment, he realised what she was trying to do and swept his tail to one side so they could fall backwards together.

With a giggle from her and a grunt from him, the pair fell onto the hard concrete rooftop in a tangle of wings and legs. Feeling the pressure of the lithe dragoness's body against his chest, Meegi curled his wings around them and, without breaking their kiss, wrapped his forepaws around her shoulders to pull her into a tight embrace. Clutching the horn ring tightly in one paw, he continued to tenderly kiss his mate. Her paws were less idle, and he crooned into their embrace as she combed one paw up through his mane and clutched the back of his neck. She seemed restless and wiggled in his grip as their kiss deepened with a flare of passion. He tried to match her and lifted his head while cocking it to one side so that he could roam his tongue around the other side of her mouth.

He felt her paw shift higher up his neck and could feel the cold metal band against his scales until she fumbled with it against his left horn. Keeping his head still for a moment, he felt her loop the ring over the tip and then slide it down towards the root of his horn. Breaking their kiss with a hiss of success, Reeva pulled her head back to look at him, her amber eyes flicking between his and the new adornment on his horn. “Heh-heh, mine!” she cheered with a playful claim, as though she had finally caught him.

Blurting out a small laugh of his own, Meegi then straightened his expression and nodded thoughtfully. “Yus, yours. But...” Meegi replied and stroked a forepaw along the side of her neck, with his ring held between two digits. “That makes you mine,” he mused and shifted his head to one side so that he could see what he was doing. Without hesitating, Reeva leaned her head down and to the side so that he could slip the band of coiled gold over the tip of her horn. When he slid it down, he quickly discovered that it sank a bit lower than expected and wrapped around the scaled base of her horn. “I maaay have gotten your measurement wrong.”

“It's fine. I plan to grow into it,” Reeva said with a warm smile and turned her head to look down at him with love in her eyes. Sweeping her tail against his, she silently invited him to hold her, and without hesitation, he lifted it partially and coiled it around hers as she mirrored the gesture. Placing both forepaws on his chest, Reeva sat up and looked down at him with her hips pressed against his. To a passer-by, the pose could easily have been mistaken as lewd, but neither cared as they admired one another.

“So that's it, then?” Meegi asked, making the dragoness chuckle. “I mean, do you want to head to the courthouse and do the paperwork?” he asked and flinched as his mate jerked her neck back and her expression suddenly soured. “What?”

“Meegi! We need to have a wedding first!”

“Oh, do we?” Meegi asked and quickly swallowed as Reeva's eyes went wide. “I mean, yes! Of course we do!” he added and curled his neck upwards to bring his head closer to hers. “I was just thinking we could make it official now. Kinda makes sense to be among the first, given that you worked so hard to make it possible—”

“Meegi, sweetie... honey... no,” Reeva said with an exasperated smile. “I did not just spend almost half a decade of my life wining and dining senators, laughing at their shitty jokes, and arranging wank events just so we could sign some documents,” Reeva explained and tilted her head to one side as if curious whether he understood. As if realising what she had said, she tilted her head to the other side as her frill flattened. “Okay, I mean, I did... But no! I want to do this properly. Not a full-blown church thing. Gods, most of them are still against it. But I want this to be special.”

“Got it. Yes, I agree,” Meegi replied quickly, making her smirk in amusement. “So, we call ourselves engaged, right? That's the term?” he asked, and when she nodded, he leaned up to kiss the tip of her snout with a small, loving kiss. “Oh... there might be a problem with having a proper wedding...” he began and pulled his head back to look at her with a feigned serious expression. Seeing her eyes narrow and her expression shift to one of concern made his stomach tighten, but he nodded thoughtfully. “I mean, not a big problem. Something I can handle,” he continued, and when she straightened further to focus on him, he let a playful smirk form on his snout. “If you're not organising anything anymore, I guess it will be up to me to make this happen. No issues, I can handle that! Yeah! It will be fun!”

Seeing Reeva's mouth open and close with a deflated look made it hard not to laugh. Clearly, she wanted to be involved in planning her own wedding, but by twisting her words, he had caught her out. “You like McDonald's, right? They do parties. And a wedding is just a type of party!” Meegi continued. He wasn't serious, and she knew it, but the way her jaw snapped shut and her eyes widened with restrained anger made him giggle. “And I think they clean up afterwards, so it will be super easy—”

“No,” Reeva said flatly before shivering in disgust. “Nope! Uh-uh! Heelllll no!” she exclaimed loudly and then lowered her head until her snout was only an inch away from his. “If you think I'm gonna commit my life to you in front of our friends and family while kids are crashing about in the piss-soaked ball pit...” she hissed, but Meegi's laughter made the corners of her snarling lips twist upwards. “I swear, we will become the first divorced dragons!”

Cackling beneath her, Meegi stroked his forepaws along the sides of her chest to reassure her. “Awww... but their ice cream is soo gooooo—” he continued, his words becoming a gurgle as Reeva latched her jaws onto his throat in a playful but firm bite. Hacking out laughs as best he could while she growled at his joke, Meegi held her tightly with his forepaws and pressed the shoulders of his wings against the concrete roof so he could rock from side to side. Finally, the dragoness relented and gave him a friendly lick where her teeth had pressed against his scales. “Don't worry, Reeva, I'm just joking. A beautiful ‘ness like you needs somewhere special.” His words and the cheeky grin on his snout gave his mate very little confidence, and she pulled her head back to look at him expectantly. “Waffle House it is—”

“Oh my gods.”

“It will be great! No reservation needed, they've got something for everyone. We just rock up, say our vows while the crackheads duke it out in the car park. It will be one to remember!” Meegi teased without any conviction.

“And you expect me to have an egg with you afterwards?” Reeva threatened and glared at him while her frill remained poised. “No. We are going to do it properly, somewhere nice, with friends and family. Not too big, but something memorable. Clearly, you can't be trusted, so I'm going to organise this.” Pouting dramatically, Meegi looked at her imploringly until she rolled her eyes. “Okay, I will let you handle some things. But under my supervision. Okay?”

“Yes, ma'am,” Meegi replied quickly and leaned up to swipe a playful lick across the tip of her snout. “Although, what does a wedding for dragons even look like? I've seen plenty of human ones before, but do you really want a lacy white dress?” he asked, and when she shook her head, he smiled in agreement. “Like, they are pretty, but if you have one of those trains that drapes behind you, flying is going to be rough.”

“No, no, no, I definitely don't want something like that. Like, maybe I'll wear something white, or maybe nothing at all. I don't know,” Reeva replied and lowered herself so that she was lying comfortably on top of him. Curling her neck so that her snout was only a few inches away from his, her gaze softened. “We can really do it however we want. So much of what happens at a wedding is steeped in tradition, so we can kind of take the opportunity to do our own thing. Like the bride's father giving away the bride. It kinda feels like a business deal, if you ask me, so I think we can skip that. Likewise, I don't really like how the guy just stands there and the girl does all the walking. I think we can do something there. Oh! And the flower toss thing. That is just begging to be done from the air!” Reeva continued, her enthusiasm growing with each word. “Gods, we are going to need to work out who we want to invite, the food... the venue is obvious. Not Waffle House! But Mom and Dad are going to come home for this. Also, it's going into winter now, so maybe we aim for spring? Oooh, yeah, and dancing!”

Meegi smiled up at her. Seeing how genuinely full of excitement she was made his heart melt, and he knew that she would enjoy this far more than any other event she had planned. “Spring sounds good, and somewhere outdoors. Sunshine and all that—”

“Yus!” Reeva cheered and pressed the side of her snout against his. “Sunshine and dancing. Family and friends. It will be magical.”

---

Meegi and Reeva will return. With all of their friends.