{"sf1_id":null,"sf2_id":"nAMOyJvn","title":"Ash and Song Chapter Eight","author":"Mithrilix","words":1871,"posted_at":"2026-05-28T02:30:03.000Z","tags":["Anthro","Dragon","Dragonborn","Fantasy","Gay","Human","Love","Romance","Sweet"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/nAMOyJvn-ash-and-song-chapter-eight","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/nAMOyJvn","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"In the quiet village of Grovehollow, a dragonborn warrior named Toryn is trying to learn what it means to stay.  \n  \n Scarred from a life of battle and burdened by the belief that he is meant only for steel and solitude, Toryn never expects kindness—least of all from a soft-spoken human healer with golden hair and hands gentle enough to steady the fiercest flame. Cassius Ordo is shy, earnest, and quietly brave, tending wounds both seen and unseen. When he fusses over Toryn’s injuries with tender insistence, something long locked in the dragonborn’s chest begins to loosen.  \n  \n --  \n  \n My first story on here!  \n  \n I'm mostly aiming for something sweet and fluffy. Perhaps expect spicier stuff in later chapters.","content":"Toryn forgot every word he\u0026nbsp;had ever\u0026nbsp;learned.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe river kept moving softly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nA bird called somewhere distant in the trees.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass, meanwhile, looked increasingly embarrassed by the silence.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You do not have to,” he said quickly. “I only thought since you were already here and you looked overheated from the forge and—”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Yes.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe answer\u0026nbsp;came out\u0026nbsp;far too fast.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass blinked.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn closed his eyes briefly in self-inflicted suffering.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I mean,” he said, trying for dignity and failing utterly, “yes. I would.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass’s expression softened\u0026nbsp;immediately\u0026nbsp;into something shy and pleased.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn pointed one clawed finger toward him before he could lose control of the conversation entirely.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“But next time,” he growled, “you tell someone where you’re going.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass pressed his lips together, very clearly fighting another smile.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Yes, Toryn.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“And do not leave your door open.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Yes, Toryn.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“And not this close to dark.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass’s eyes sparkled now outright.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Yes, Toryn.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn narrowed his eyes.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass looked entirely unrepentant.\u0026nbsp;\n\nGods help him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWith a low muttered curse under his breath, Toryn set the\u0026nbsp;moonbells\u0026nbsp;carefully on a nearby stone before beginning to remove his weapons.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThen his gloves.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThen the heavy forge-worn layers beneath.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass very bravely\u0026nbsp;attempted\u0026nbsp;not to stare.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe failed almost\u0026nbsp;immediately.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn noticed because of course he did.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe healer’s gaze flicked once across the broad expanse of scarred muscle and dark red-and-black scales revealed beneath the loosened clothing before snapping guiltily away again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nPink spread all the way to Cass’s ears.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn nearly smiled.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNearly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe stepped into the river carefully.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCold water\u0026nbsp;curled instantly around his legs, soothing sore\u0026nbsp;muscles\u0026nbsp;and forge-burned skin alike. Toryn exhaled slowly as he moved deeper, until the river reached his waist beside Cass.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe current flowed cool and steady around them.\u0026nbsp;\n\nQuiet settled again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nDifferent\u0026nbsp;this time.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCloser.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass watched him carefully from nearby. “See?”\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn glanced sideways at him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass smiled faintly.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Not so bad.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn snorted softly despite himself.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“The river isn’t the part causing problems.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass blinked once.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThen realization dawned all at once across his face.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Oh.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn immediately looked away toward the dark\u0026nbsp;treeline\u0026nbsp;before the healer could see the heat burning beneath his scales.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass made the tiniest choking sound beside him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWhich only made things worse.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe river suddenly felt much too small.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn scrubbed one hand down his face. “Gods.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass laughed\u0026nbsp;again—quiet\u0026nbsp;and flustered and utterly incapable of hiding his embarrassment now.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I did not think you would actually say yes.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You invited me.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I know, but I did not think—”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You should stop being surprised\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;I want to be near you.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe words slipped out before Toryn could stop them.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSilence followed.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass went completely still in the water beside him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn cursed himself instantly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToo much.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToo honest.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut when he finally risked looking back—\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass was staring at him with that same soft expression he always wore during lute songs and fireflies and quiet evenings on the cottage steps.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSomething warm.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSomething\u0026nbsp;growing.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe healer lowered his gaze shyly to the water between them.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I’m glad you came looking for me,” he admitted softly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn’s chest tightened painfully.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You scared me.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass looked up again at that.\u0026nbsp;\n\nReal understanding crossed his face this time.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot teasing.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot\u0026nbsp;embarrassment.\u0026nbsp;\n\nJust\u0026nbsp;quiet\u0026nbsp;realization of how frightened Toryn must have been finding the cottage empty.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I’m sorry,” Cass said gently.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn shook his head once.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThen, after a moment:\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Just… tell me next time.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe words came low and rough.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot a command.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSomething far more vulnerable than that.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass\u0026nbsp;studied him\u0026nbsp;for a long second before nodding softly.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“…Alright.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nFor a while\u0026nbsp;after, neither of them moved much.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe river flowed quietly around them beneath the rising moon while night insects hummed softly from the trees. Cool water eased the ache from Toryn’s muscles, though not the unbearable tension sitting beneath his ribs.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBecause Cass was still beside him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nClose.\u0026nbsp;\n\nFar too close for Toryn’s peace of mind.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe healer floated lazily near a smooth river stone, golden hair damp against pale shoulders, moonlight silvering his skin every time he shifted through the water.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn was trying very hard not to\u0026nbsp;stare.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTrying and failing.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass noticed eventually.\u0026nbsp;\n\nA tiny smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You’re still\u0026nbsp;so\u0026nbsp;tense,” he\u0026nbsp;observed\u0026nbsp;softly.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I\u0026nbsp;am\u0026nbsp;not.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Toryn.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I’m perfectly calm.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass snorted.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThen, before Toryn could question the suspicious look entering his eyes—\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass splashed water directly at him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCold river\u0026nbsp;water smacked against Toryn’s chest and jaw.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe Dragonborn froze in complete disbelief.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass\u0026nbsp;immediately\u0026nbsp;looked delighted with himself.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“There,” the healer said smugly. “Better.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn stared at him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass tried—and failed—not to laugh.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSomething dangerous sparked warmly beneath Toryn’s scales.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Oh,” he rumbled low in his chest. “That was a mistake.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass’s eyes widened slightly. “Toryn—”\u0026nbsp;\n\nToo late.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn splashed him back hard enough to make Cass yelp.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWater sprayed everywhere as the healer sputtered in outrage.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You brute!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You started it.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass launched another splash toward him\u0026nbsp;immediately.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn blocked most of it with one broad arm before retaliating again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nVery quickly, the quiet river dissolved into chaos.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass laughed breathlessly every time Toryn splashed him, trying desperately to dodge through the water while Toryn\u0026nbsp;pursued with\u0026nbsp;growing amusement. The healer was quicker than expected, darting away with surprising agility whenever Toryn lunged toward him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Toryn, stop—”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You seem to misunderstand,” Toryn said, stalking forward through the river. “I’m winning.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You are cheating!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“How does one cheat at splashing?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You’re enormous!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“That sounds like a\u0026nbsp;you\u0026nbsp;problem.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass made an indignant sound and splashed him directly\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;the face.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn blinked water from his eyes slowly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThen\u0026nbsp;smiled.\u0026nbsp;\n\nA real smile this time.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSharp-toothed and dangerous and suddenly very unfair.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass’s breath visibly caught.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Oh no,” the healer whispered.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn lunged.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass shrieked laughing and tried to dart away, but the Dragonborn caught him easily in the deeper water.\u0026nbsp;\n\nOne hand closed carefully around Cass’s wrist.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe other settled instinctively at his waist to steady him before he slipped.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe motion carried them both off balance for a moment until Cass collided lightly against Toryn’s chest with a startled gasp.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWater rippled around them.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThen\u0026nbsp;stilled.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn straightened slowly, still holding him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Caught you,” he murmured.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass was breathless from laughing.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSo was Toryn.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe healer tipped his head back slightly to look up at him, wet hair clinging to his cheeks while moonlight turned his blue eyes impossibly bright.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Oh,” Cass whispered.\u0026nbsp;\n\nGods.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn suddenly became acutely aware of\u0026nbsp;everything all\u0026nbsp;at once.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe warmth of Cass beneath his hand.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe slender curve of his waist.\u0026nbsp;\n\nTheir bare skin pressed close beneath the river water.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHow little space\u0026nbsp;remained\u0026nbsp;between them now.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass\u0026nbsp;seemed to realize\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;too.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis laughter faded slowly into something softer.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSomething quieter.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn’s heart hammered painfully against his ribs.\u0026nbsp;\n\nEvery instinct in him\u0026nbsp;screamed\u0026nbsp;two different things at once.\u0026nbsp;\n\nMove away.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCloser.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe should let go.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe should absolutely let go.\u0026nbsp;\n\nInstead\u0026nbsp;his thumb shifted unconsciously against Cass’s side.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass inhaled softly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn’s gaze dropped briefly to Cass’s mouth before he could stop himself.\u0026nbsp;\n\nGods.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe healer did not pull away.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThat nearly undid him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn lifted one trembling hand slowly from Cass’s wrist.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCarefully.\u0026nbsp;\n\nGiving him every chance to retreat.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut Cass stayed perfectly still as Toryn’s rough thumb brushed gently along his cheekbone, sweeping away a lingering droplet of water.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass’s eyes fluttered slightly at the touch.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn thought he might die from the tenderness of it.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You are…” His voice roughened badly. “Gods, Cass.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe healer looked at him with quiet uncertainty now, vulnerable in a way that made Toryn ache.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn stroked his thumb softly along Cass’s cheek once more.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You’re beautiful,” he said quietly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe words settled between them like something sacred.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass went completely still.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo teasing now.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNo embarrassment.\u0026nbsp;\n\nJust stunned, breathless softness.\u0026nbsp;\n\nColor bloomed slowly across his face beneath the moonlight.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“Toryn…”\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe Dragonborn had never meant anything more in his life.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot battle oaths.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot contracts.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot\u0026nbsp;promises sworn in blood.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBeautiful did not even begin to cover it.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass looked like moonlight and\u0026nbsp;music\u0026nbsp;and every gentle thing Toryn had once believed the world incapable of holding.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn should have let go.\u0026nbsp;\n\nEvery remaining scrap of discipline told him to step back now while he still could.\u0026nbsp;\n\nInstead, his hand at Cass’s waist tightened ever so slightly.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass made the softest sound in response.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThat was all it took.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn drew him closer.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCarefully at first, as though still half-afraid\u0026nbsp;the moment might shatter if he moved too quickly. Water shifted around them as Cass drifted nearer until their bodies pressed fully together beneath the river’s cool current.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe\u0026nbsp;Dragonborn’s\u0026nbsp;tail curled instinctively around Cass’s leg and waist, protective and possessive all at once before Toryn even realized he was doing it.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass’s breath caught sharply.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn froze for one panicked heartbeat. “Sorry—”\u0026nbsp;\n\n“No,” Cass whispered\u0026nbsp;immediately.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis hands had somehow found Toryn’s\u0026nbsp;chest,\u0026nbsp;fingers spread lightly against dark scales as if grounding himself there.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I don’t mind.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nGods.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe human looked up at him with flushed cheeks and wide blue eyes and complete trust shining openly across his face.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn was lost.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCompletely.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis thumb brushed once more along Cass’s cheek.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThen, before fear could stop him, he bent his head and kissed him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe first touch was awkward.\u0026nbsp;\n\nUncertain.\u0026nbsp;\n\nDragonborn muzzles were not\u0026nbsp;shaped\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;elegant\u0026nbsp;human kisses, and Toryn\u0026nbsp;immediately\u0026nbsp;worried he had misjudged everything. His snout bumped clumsily against Cass’s mouth, and he started to pull back at once with a quiet, mortified curse.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut Cass made a tiny protesting sound and leaned upward after him.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot perfect.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot graceful.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWanting him anyway.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThat nearly stopped Toryn’s heart.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSo\u0026nbsp;he tried again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nSlower this time.\u0026nbsp;\n\nGentler.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe tilted his head carefully and guided Cass softly into the kiss, one hand cradling the side of his face while the other steadied his waist beneath the water.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass trembled.\u0026nbsp;\n\nNot with fear.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWith nerves.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn realized suddenly—with a rush of aching tenderness—that Cass truly had no idea what he was doing.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe healer\u0026nbsp;kissed like he approached everything else in life: careful, hesitant,\u0026nbsp;but\u0026nbsp;earnest to the point of heartbreak.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn softened\u0026nbsp;immediately.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe slowed further, giving Cass time to adjust to the unfamiliar shape of his mouth, the press of scales against soft skin. Little by little the awkwardness eased as Cass relaxed against him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“There,” Toryn murmured softly against his lips. “That’s it.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass shivered visibly at\u0026nbsp;the praise.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis fingers tightened faintly against Toryn’s chest as he kissed him back more confidently this time.\u0026nbsp;\n\nStill shy.\u0026nbsp;\n\nStill\u0026nbsp;learning.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBut gods, Toryn had never experienced anything that felt half so precious.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe river drifted quietly around them while moonlight silvered the water and trees whispered softly overhead.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn kissed him again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nAnd again.\u0026nbsp;\n\nEach one\u0026nbsp;gentle.\u0026nbsp;\n\nUnhurried.\u0026nbsp;\n\nLike he was trying to memorize the feeling of Cass beneath his hands.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass eventually made a small breathless sound against his mouth that almost destroyed what remained of Toryn’s self-control.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe Dragonborn pulled back slightly with visible effort, forehead\u0026nbsp;resting carefully against Cass’s.\u0026nbsp;\n\nBoth of them\u0026nbsp;breathing\u0026nbsp;harder now.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass’s lips were pink from\u0026nbsp;now, his golden hair damp and tangled around his flushed face. He looked dazed.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHappy.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn stared at him like a man\u0026nbsp;witnessing\u0026nbsp;something holy.\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass\u0026nbsp;blinked up\u0026nbsp;at him slowly.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“I…” He laughed once softly, embarrassed and overwhelmed all at once. “I don’t think I was very good at that.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn\u0026nbsp;actually smiled.\u0026nbsp;\n\nA real one.\u0026nbsp;\n\nWarm this time instead of sharp.\u0026nbsp;\n\n“You were perfect.”\u0026nbsp;\n\nCass turned red enough to rival sunset.\u0026nbsp;\n\nToryn felt his own chest tighten painfully at the sight.\u0026nbsp;\n\nGods.\u0026nbsp;\n\nHe was done\u0026nbsp;for.","series":{"name":"Ash and Song","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1YA2jO01-ash-and-song-chapter-seven.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/nKr29NPm-ash-and-song-chapter-nine.json"}}