I internally winced at this thought. I would never begrudge my friend her pleasures, especially in a place like this where they may well be few and far between, but while the walls didn’t seem at all thin, lying in bed all night hearing her get it while I lay next to Flea... I looked up hesitantly, jerking my eyes back down when I saw him watching me. That was going to be beyond awkward.
Sometimes I wish I was a dragon too, I said.
You are, Miazydar replied.
“So, you going to tell me what happened?” Flea said. His words were almost an accusation, though the rasp in his voice belied this. He moved closer, scanning my body for signs of injury, his hands balling into fists and then relaxing.
“I went to breakfast, which was fine. Went to history, where Miazydar decided to contradict the teacher. That was both embarrassing and painful.” He nodded but I could see him wanting me to get to the incident. “On my way down to the ground floor, someone pushed me down the stairs.” His breath came in a hiss. “I took a tumble, it hurt, my pride as much as my body and then I toddled off to class. I spilt my guts to the tutor, thinking Merlin was here as some kind of spirit guide, only to find out he has a doppelganger in this world.”
Flea settled down beside me on the couch and pulled me into the crook of his arm. I felt stiff and awkward for a moment, for most of today really. My mind helpfully played back this morning’s little naked fest, complete with a slow-mo, play-by-play loop of the memory of Flea’s erect cock pulled up hard against his lean abdomen, but it seemed he wasn’t going to let that stop him. His arm circled my shoulders and I was drawn closer until my head rested on his chest.
For a moment, I closed my eyes, listened to the sound of his heart beating, his lungs filling and emptying, feeling the weight of his body against mine, the pressure of his arm pinning me to him. I let my breath come out in long slow exhales, focussing on the shift of air. I settled my head against his chest, letting go of some small remainder of muscle tension and felt something that had been sitting hard and unyielding inside me release.
I don’t know how long I stayed there. It felt like I’d slid sideways into some kind of space where time didn’t matter, there was only now. I couldn’t tell if it was ten minutes or ten hours when his hand went to my chin, gently tilting it up so my mouth hovered near his, his palm shifting to cup my jaw, his weird browny-green eyes staring into mine, communicating everything and nothing. They dropped to my lips, seeming to study each detail before meeting mine again. His tongue flicked out, the tip running along that plush bottom lip, bringing my gaze with it before he shifted on the couch, moving ever so slightly closer, his arm tightening around my shoulders before…
We both jumped as a loud shriek came from Jez’s room. Flea was almost to his feet, hand reaching for the gun sitting on the coffee table before the sound of a low giggle followed Jez’s outburst. Something muted was said, I couldn’t make out the words, but the tone said, ‘Come here, big boy’ all the way. And so it begins, I thought, pulling a book towards me.
“I—.”
“Could—.”
We both started to talk at the same time, then laughed. I gestured to Flea to go, but he shook his head, “No, you go.”
“I better do some study. Do we have much food left in the place?”
Something flickered across his face for a moment but he just smiled and nodded. “I can make you a couple of cheese sandwiches, if that’s OK?”
“You don’t have to,” I said.
“I know.”
The rest of the evening went by pretty quietly. Flea had a couple of Shays and flicked through tattoo magazines while I read and took notes until my fingers ached and my eyes felt like they were burning holes in my head. I could feel exhaustion creeping in. I had to blink hard to keep reading; the words beginning to blur together. I jammed my hand under my chin, propping it up and forced my eyes wide. ‘Thothen II was responsible for the centralisation of the Aravisian government, moving the country from a series of small duchies to one…’
I felt someone take the pencil from me. “Need to keep going,” I mumbled.
“That’s enough for tonight,” a voice said. I didn’t get to argue, being swept up into someone’s arms and moved, until finally I was lying on the soft cool surface of the bed. Sleep descended moments later.
It felt like the alarm went off after only a few minutes. My head jerked up and I blinked blearily before snatching up my phone and turning it off. What was I going to do when the battery ran out? While they had a form of electricity here, outlets were quite different in design. Stop borrowing trouble, I told myself. Your first problem is to get out of bed and get ready.
Can you make sure there are no spiders in the bathroom? I said to Miazydar.
I’ve checked several times, he said with a grumble.
Yeah, but I appear to be the spider queen. The fuckers jump out to pay obeisance at any given opportunity.
Fine, I’ll be there in moments.
I rolled into a sitting position, scrubbing my face before looking out the picture window to the fields below. I saw the animals scatter as a large bluey-green dragon descended, snatching a tau up in his claws before neatly snapping its neck. A low groan came from the bed. I glanced down to see a still sleeping Flea shift restively.
I should’ve looked away. He was asleep and I should’ve respected his privacy. Instead, my eyes travelled over the flesh bared by a sheet only just covering his groin. A mass of tattoos spread across his ribs: pinup girls wrestled for space with wild animals, spirals of Japanese cherry blossoms and abstract arabesques. I mentally traced one that twisted down his abdomen and disappeared under the bedcovers. Then he moved.
The fabric pulled tight as his body flexed. He moaned as he shifted; the fabric slipped lower revealing more of his tattoos and his hard length. I swallowed. This is wrong. How would you feel if he was doing this to you? I thought, but it made no difference. Instead, my mind was filled with the scenario, me lying there, barely covered, his eyes raking down my body, his fingers moving involuntarily to do the same thing…
His eyes flicked open, blinking a bit before clearing. “Hey,” he said, reaching out and putting a hand on my arm. “You about to wake me up?”
“Just waiting for Miazydar to make sure the shower’s clear. I can’t deal with those goddamn spiders.” Don’t look at his dick, don’t look at his dick, I told myself over and over.
“They’re persistent bastards. They seem to be coming into the house every time we get rid of one. The dragon and I caught a few yesterday. Gonna ask around the village if there’s any poison we can use that won’t kill us all, get some more food as well. Anything in particular you fancy?”