dwtd dragons
Apr. 10th, 2007 06:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maderrWrote this over the weekend, when nothing else would fsking cooperate. I tend to think of it as a sidestory, really, to a much longer story that I will get around to writing one of these days. I'm sure you can guess about whom the longer story will be.
Never did come up with a fsking title for this story.
And hopefully now the fsking smut bunnies Tygs and Nikery set loose will go back into the their damned cage now -_-
On that note - this story is NWS and for you fracking students in the audience, not safe for classroom either and you should be paying attention to your teacher anyway ^_~
Burn
Blaze snarled as he woke, furious as he realized someone was pounding on his door.
More furious still when he realized only one asshole would dare to have him bothered at – he looked at the clock on his nightstand – 2:36 AM.
Fuckers.
From the floor he heard Erie stir, the dragon growling low in annoyance of his own.
“Stay,” Blaze snapped, then flicked on his bedside lamp and retrieved his wife-beater, tugging it over his head before picking up his gun from beside the alarm clock. He stalked across his small studio apartment and threw the bolts, then yanked the door open with a snarl, pointing the gun at the offender’s head. “What?”
The man in the hallway appeared unfazed. “A job for you.”
“What?” Blaze repeated. He heard claws click on hardwood as Erie disobeyed him to draw closer, and he could hear the dragon’s low, suspicious growl. He tightened his grip on the gun.
“There’s a newbie in town, uninvited. With a frost. Find out what he wants and get rid of him. No rush, but don’t waste time.”
Blaze grunted. “Money?”
“Usual already deposited. You know the drill.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Blaze said, and slammed the door in the man’s face as soon as the man had given him an address.
Fucking hell, couldn’t he go one night without being interrupted?
Why the fuck did Kay get so fucking uptight whenever a new dragon showed up without proper permission? He probably just wanted into the Pits. Snorting, Blaze strode away from the door back to his bed.
Erie padded toward him, claws clicking, bright red scales glimmering in the weak light of the bedside lamp. Blaze glared. “I told you to stay.”
Giving a low, contrite growl, the dragon subsided, lying down on the floor at Erie’s feet.
Sighing, Blaze leaned down to stroke the brilliant red scales. “Sorry, Erie, I’m just in a bad mood.”
The dragon rumbled and nuzzled into his hand, and Blaze could not help but smile faintly. His flame was fine as dragons went, loyal and obedient, strong and clever, one of the finest around for miles upon miles – Blaze had been damned lucky to get him.
Then again, some said it was only logical. Tough little street boys who beat the shit out of a handful of goliaths tended to wind up either dead or in the boss man’s favor. Blaze had been smart enough to make sure of the latter.
And lo – tough little street kid got himself a name, a dragon, a gun, and a steady if bloody income. Not the life he wanted, but far better than what he would have otherwise had.
Erie was definitely worth it. Blaze had thought that right from the start. He’d poured his everything into his flame from the day they’d met. Erie was quiet but tough. Together they’d built a reputation of not to be fucked with that had nothing to do with Kay.
Hell, he’d managed to get Erie to change at will, rather than being forced to use Triggers to make the dragon shift between dragon and human forms. A very handy trick.
Especially when they were called out in the middle of the fucking night to go talk to other dragons, the sort of situation where it was hard to predict in which form Erie would be more useful. Blaze heaved another sigh and thought longingly of saying fuck it and going back to bed.
Making a series of low rumbling cheeps, sounds of concern, Erie rose back up to his feet and abruptly shifted, pushing into Blaze, wrapping arms around his waist.
“Stop it!” Blaze snapped, pushing the dragon away. “I’ve told you a thousand times not to do that!” It wasn’t a good idea to let a dragon get all touchy feely, that’s what Kay had always told him. It was…well, he wouldn’t ever let a dog get so fucking personal, would he?
Snarling, Blaze stood up again and strode to the bathroom, turning on the water and sliding beneath it despite the cold, soaping up quickly, scrubbing the short fuzz of his hair, rinsing off beneath water that had finally turned hot.
Turning off the water, he snatched up a towel and roughly dried off as he turned to the corner of the room that contained his bed and dresser, the sole closet in the place, yanking out his favorite jeans, dark denim worn down to perfection, and a clean wife beater. Finally he tugged on a snug fitting sweater, yanking up the zipper that went half-way down the front, adjusting the high neck of the collar.
He grunted a thanks as Erie brought his boots, sitting down to yank on socks and then the sturdy, old dark brown boots.
Running a hand over his head, feeling the sharp fuzz of his dark blond hair, he retrieved his gun, tucking it into the waistband at the small of his back. He wouldn’t need it for general business, but the streets were full of crazies of both the normal and abnormal kind and he’d rather scare off normals with a gun than with a dragon.
“Let’s go,” he said tersely, really wishing he could just go the fuck back to bed. He looked at Erie, deciding the dragon passed inspection in the jeans and black sweater he’d tugged on.
Sometimes, when he’d had a shot or two more of Russia’s finest than he should, his thoughts strayed along paths they shouldn’t, mind conjuring up images that made him feel sick with guilt and shame later.
Erie was good looking as a human, all trim muscle and long hair as red as his scales, eyes an almost reddish gold. Since it was fall, his tan was starting to fade, but even without the sun soak Erie was easily the hottest thing – no pun intended – Blaze had ever seen. He wasn’t much to look at himself, too much of his hard life having etched in lines and scars and an attitude problem that made him…not quite ugly, but not exactly Prince Charming either. He was twenty five going on eighty. Erie though – yeah, in his less than sober moments Blaze easily conceded the dragon was dead fucking sexy.
Luckily he was smart enough to be sober ninety nine percent of the time; being the favorite grunt of the owner of Traction and the resident mob made it not smart to get drunk.
Still, sometimes the only way to deal with his life was to numb it for a bit. Except for the part where it made him want to beg his dragon for a nice hard fuck and that just wouldn’t do. Dragons were no different than bomb dogs or some such, even if a hell of a lot tougher and scarier and shit.
Wishing sorely he could tap the bottle of vodka he’d bought yesterday but hadn’t been able to open as of yet, Blaze grabbed a couple of extra clips from the closet, then retrieved his keys and led the way out, Erie following obediently behind him.
“A frost, Blaze?” he asked, polite and quiet.
“Yeah,” Blaze replied. “We’ll just see what he wants tonight. I don’t give a fuck what the old man says, we’re not killing anything tonight. Not after the shit storm from yesterday.”
Goblins. Only slightly less annoying than vampires, which Blaze detested with a particular passion.
Erie growled low.
They hit the streets of the city, everything eerily dark and calm. Only in the earliest hours of the morning was the city ever like this. It tended to creep Blaze out, not being what he thought a city should be. Erie liked it this way, but his dragon was nothing if not strange. He’d been told more than once that he’d been too goddamn nice to Erie while they were growing up – but something in him could not stand the beatings and cruelty the others inflicted on their dragons.
Hell, the only reason he’d put Erie in the Pits years was that it was pretty much required. You didn’t work for a Pit boss without throwing your dragon in the ring for at least a few years. Luckily, he’d been good enough at other stuff he’d been able to take Erie out of them without causing a fuss.
That, however, led to dangerous thoughts he couldn’t afford to think. Shunting them aside, Blaze focused on the mission at hand.
All sorts of transient Owners and dragons passed through, and those the boss didn’t mind so much. When they showed signs of settling? Then it became a problem. No dragon lived in the city without being under the thumb of Kay – ‘Traction’ to most, as he preferred to be called after his biggest moneymaker.
In no time at all they reached the parking garage two blocks from his apartment building where he kept the bikes that made negotiating city traffic a fuckton easier, and made the country roads they’d be traveling tonight a good deal less boring.
His mood improved slightly as he took in the bikes that waited – one cherry red, the other stark black. Erie moved immediately to the red one, Blaze taking the black, and in mere minutes they were speeding out of the city and to the shitty motel on the far outskirts that was apparently where the potential threat was holing up.
The motel was dark as they reached it, save for a dingy fluorescent that didn’t do a whole hell of a lot to cast light on the place. Rundown and unremarkable, but it didn’t smell like piss and sex and alcohol as Blaze had expected. The only scents on the wind were the thick trees around them, the slightest hint of a coming storm….and something that made Erie growl.
“Dragons!” Erie said, and bolted forward.
“Hey!” Blaze snarled, thoroughly displeased to hear the plural and not the singular of that word.
Before he or Erie could do anything however, he heard a hoarse shout and then a figure came flying through the window of the room right dead center of the u-shaped line of rooms.
A black dragon. Shit.
“Erie!” But even as he spoke, his dragon shifted, scales glinting and shining like a bonfire, as though they’d burn the flesh from hands foolish enough to touch them.
The black scrambled to its feet, roaring in anger as a dragon that looked as though it were carved from ice leaped into the parking lot, followed immediately by two more dragons.
Erie snarled at the black, which immediately turned and ran at him.
“Hey!” Blaze roared angrily, wondering where the fuck the Owners for all these dragons were.
His question was almost immediately answered, as four men came spilling from the ruined window, three in dark clothing bolting after a man dressed in nothing but jeans and a blue t-shirt that was torn to shreds, barely hanging on him.
The man ran toward the frost, which snarled as it realized the two black had him pinned.
Blaze pulled his gun out and fired three shots in the air. Everyone turned to look at him. “Erie. Here. Now. What the fuck is going on?” He demanded.
“They’re savaged,” the man in the ruined t-shirt said, voice filled with a depth of anger Blaze had never heard before. “They’ve savaged their dragons.”
Erie felt a rage to match the stranger’s, looking contemptuously at the Owners of the Blacks. He didn’t give a fuck if the frost was the one he should be taking care of – the fuckers were going to die.
Savaging a dragon was something even Kay didn’t tolerate. He was all about urging them to a bloodlust before a Pit fight…but savaging a dragon meant torturing it, angering it, inflicting all manner of physical, mental, even sexual abuse so that the dragons literally went wild with rage – with hate. It made them far more dangerous than they would be otherwise, and dragons were fucking dangerous enough to begin with.
The kindest thing he could do… “Erie,” he said. “Kill.”
Growling in acknowledgement, Erie threw himself at the nearest black, eyes flashing as he breathed fire hot enough to burn damn near anything. The black, of course, could do a hell of a lot more – but Erie was no pushover.
Blaze left his dragon to the fight, trusting Erie to succeed, and focused his attention instead on the motherfuckers who thought it okay to savage dragons. He didn’t hesitate or waste time with words, simply pointed and fired.
The nearest bastard dropped, making a gurgling, choking sound, blood seeping between his fingers before he collapsed to the ground.
Just in time Blaze ducked behind his bike, all but feeling the bullet that had barely missed him. “Goddamn it! I did not get woken up at this motherfucking hour to put up with this shit!” Really pissed off now, he waited a beat longer and then stood, bolting for the walkway as he fired at the remaining two, swearing as a bullet clipped his right shoulder.
Who the fuck were these bitches? Kay was going to have a shit fit when he found out these bastards were mucking around his turf. To hell with the frost; it at least had been relatively polite.
Shoot first, ask questions later.
He kicked in the door of the first room he came to and bolted inside for cover, dropping to one knee and reloading swiftly, then turned and fired.
Fuck he hoped this place was as mostly deserted as it seemed. All he could see was a couple more motorcycles, and a van that likely belonged to the asshole Owners. He swore as more bullets flew, throwing himself further into the room.
An unearthly roar signaled one dragon down – they only sounded like that in their death throes. “Good Erie,” Blaze muttered, and ducked into the space between the beds, bracing his arms on the edge of one, gun leveled at the door.
He stopped his fingers from pulling the trigger just in time as the Owner of the frost appeared rather than one of the bastards in black. “They’re running,” T-shirt said. “We nailed two of the blacks, you got one of the Owners.” He dropped down on the bed and ran a hand through his white-blond hair, then looked at Blaze – brown eyes going wide. “Man, why didn’t you say you’d been shot?” He scrambled to his feet.
Blaze glared at him. “I was only clipped, not a big fucking deal.” He stood up – and the world gave a nasty lurch. He stumbled, catching himself awkwardly on the edge of the bed, and took a look at his shoulder.
That…wasn’t clipped…actually it was a pretty good shot…and that had been his favorite sweater too…
Fuck.
Blaze blacked out.
“Fuck I hurt,” Blaze said with a groan, sitting up despite the screaming protest of his shoulder.
“Blaze!” He looked up just in time to see Erie all but throw himself on the bed, latching onto him in a way he’d told the dragon a thousand fucking times not to do. It…made him distinctly uncomfortable. But at the moment he couldn’t make himself snarl about it. “Where are we?” he asked instead. A hotel room of some sort, much nicer than Motel Shithole.
“Well away from the city,” a voice said, and Blaze looked toward the bathroom door to see the frost Owner. This time he was dressed only in jeans, pale hair wet, brown eyes holding a focus that only someone who owned a dragon possessed – someone used to reading small signs, noting every little detail…someone who spent every single day with a creature tamed only because it fucking felt like it. His skin was still damp from the shower he must have just taken, chest bare, revealing deep scratches on his shoulders that could only have been put there by dragon claws.
The man smiled faintly. “I figured it was better to get away before they came back for a second round. I owe you big time – without you and Erie, we would have been in a world of hurt. How’s your shoulder?”
Blaze grunted. “Fine. Who the fuck are you? I was sent to see why you were settling into Traction’s territory and got tangled in a nasty fucking fight.”
The man’s face clouded. “You work for Traction?”
“Around here, if you don’t work for Traction you wind up in it.”
“I see,” the man said.
“You still haven’t told me who the fuck you are,” Blaze snapped. “Not that I’m not grateful for the help, but I would like to know who the fuck I got shot for.”
The man laughed. “I am sorry you’re the one who got hurt. My name is Kennedy Cross. Ken, please.”
Cross. Cross. Blaze felt like he should know that name but it wouldn’t click. “Erie –”
The dragon cut him off with a soft rumble. “Called Kay’s man. Told him you were down but problem solved. Back…soon.”
“Good,” Blaze grunted. He switched his attention back to Ken. “Where the hell is your frost?”
Ken chuckled and pointed to the second bed, the one closer to the door of the hotel room.
The frost dragon, rather pretty in human form, was curled up and dead to the world in the other bed. He had dark, curly hair and eyes that were probably some variation of amber, pale skin and a compact, muscular body. “Pretty dragon.”
Erie growled low, sounding…oddly hurt.
Ken frowned. “Thanks, but why are you being so mean to your dragon?”
“I’m not being mean,” Blaze said, confused. “All I fucking said was that your dragon is pretty. What the hell does it matter?”
Fury filled Ken’s face, startling Blaze with the intensity of it. “You bastards are all alike! They’re just fucking pets to you, aren’t they?” His fists clenched. “The way Erie’s been fretting over you, I thought you actually got it – but I guess I was wrong.” He strode over to the frost and woke it. “Come on, Nev, we’re leaving.”
“Leaving?” Nev asked, yawning and stretching. “Is Erie’s Blaze all better?”
“Blaze is a fucking idiot like all the rest.”
“Oh,” Nev said faintly, and sent them a look that was full of sympathy and pain, so much that Blaze could only gawk.
“What the fuck?” he demanded, seeing red when Ken simply tried to walk out. Oh, no. He wasn’t putting up with this shit. He took care of Erie, no one was calling him a lousy Owner. Fuck that shit. Snarling, he threw back the covers and launched himself at Ken, slamming the bastard into the wall, hissing in pain but not relenting. “Where the fuck do you get off, man? What the hell?”
Rage lit Ken’s eyes to a pale cinnamon. “You treat him like a dog, don’t you? All you bastards do. Throw the dragon in the Pit, make a quick buck, then give him scraps before sending him to sleep on the floor.”
“I don’t Pit him,” Blaze hissed. “I had to but got out of it. He eats the best food I can get, and so the fuck what if he sleeps on the floor? I don’t abuse my dragon!”
“You neglect him,” Ken snarled. “You reject him.”
He suddenly swung a punch, sending Blaze reeling back, pain spiking in his shoulder and face bad enough he felt he was going to be sick. “Back, Erie!” he said when the dragon gave an angry rumble. He glared furiously at Ken. “You’re making no fucking sense man. I’ve raised Erie the best way I know how.”
Groaning in pain, he ducked his head until it stopped spinning, gingerly testing his cheek, wincing as that simple movement made pain flare in his shoulder, which to judge by the wet, sticky feeling was bleeding again.
Ken swore softly.
“Look,” Blaze said tiredly. “I don’t know what the fuck I did to piss you off, but I think you need to back off. You’re invading our turf and I was told to get rid of you – but all I wanted to fucking do was talk, man. I don’t like getting woken up at two fucking thirty and told to beat people up, if not kill them. Instead of a nice chat, I got a fucking fire fight and now you’re telling me I abuse my dragon when I have no goddamn idea what you’re talking about.”
Ken swore again, then sighed as Nev pushed into his arms. He pet the dragon absently, and Blaze frowned. “You’re not supposed to do that,” he said.
“Do what?” Ken asked, his own frown just as confused.
“Be like that with them,” Blaze said. “It’s bad.”
Ken rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not. For dragons, it’s natural. In a true Owner-dragon bond, that’s exactly how it should be. You’re the one treating your dragon poorly.”
“I am not!” Blaze snarled, furious. He’d always tried to do what was best for Erie. How dare this stupid bastard say otherwise.
“Blaze…bleeding…” Erie said, coming close, hesitantly laying a hand on his leg, eyes more gold than red as they looked anxiously up at him.
With effort Blaze dredged up a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. S’what I get for losing my temper. I’ll be okay.”
Erie rumbled unhappily but nodded.
Ken heaved a sigh. “Maybe I’m being hasty,” he said begrudgingly. “It’s obvious you care – you just were taught wrong.”
Blaze bristled and shot him a dirty look. “Are you always this fucking rude to people after you get them shot?”
“Never gotten anyone else shot, so I guess the answer is yes,” Ken retorted. “Look – let me patch you up and then go get food. Then, if you want, I’ll tell you what you should know about dragons.”
“What makes you think you’re right and I’m wrong?”
“Because,” Ken said sharply, “I was raised by Owners of Knight Dragons and no one knows them better. I don’t make a dragon that loves me sleep on the floor like a dog, and I wouldn’t tell someone that his dragon is pretty without immediately assuring mine he’s a thousand times better.”
Blaze clenched his hands tightly in the sheets. “Your dragon is pretty. It was a motherfucking observation. I’d much rather stare at Erie all day than your fucking frost, so stop feeding me goddamn lectures and go get some food! Maybe then you’ll tell me why you’re here and hell – if it’ll get you to stop punching me I’ll listen to whatever the fuck you want to tell me about dragons.”
Because he was always honest with himself, if no one else, and if this fucker was telling him that Kay had taught him wrong – well, Kay was a fucking mob boss who Pitted dragons. Blaze was willing to admit he might not be the best instructor.
“Good,” Ken said. “Come on, Nev, let’s go get food.” He stalked to the small dresser and yanked on a shirt, snatched up his wallet and keys, sat long enough to pull on his sneakers, then strode to the door.
“Yes, Ken,” Nev said, and gave them a hesitant smile before the two vanished.
Silence fell thick and heavy, though Blaze could not figure out why the fuck there should be tension.
Well, there was the fact that he felt like shit for possibly having mistreated his dragon all these years. Normally he’d tell anyone as snotty as Ken to go fuck himself…but the intensity to the guy was legit enough. He obviously cared about dragons, not just whether or not they could Pit fight, and that Blaze would respect. He also clearly thought Blaze was fucking things up.
Groaning, wishing he’d stayed unconscious, Blaze stood and dragged himself to the sink, slowly and painfully repairing the damage to his wound.
“Let me help,” Erie said softly. Grunting, Blaze let him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to do his own bandaging properly.
Silence fell again as Erie urged him to sit back down on the bed, then went about cleaning up the blood and bandaging his shoulder back up. Finished, the dragon sat on the floor at his feet.
Blaze let the silence stand, not certain what to say to break it, for the first time feeling awkward around his dragon.
“Do you…” Erie hesitated, uncertainty etched deeply into his face.
“What?” Blaze asked tiredly.
“Do you really think I’m better to look at than Nevada?” he asked, the words coming out in a rush, ducking his head as he finished.
Blaze blinked, the question throwing him.
He never thought about such things except under cover of vodka. Never. It was wrong.
But suddenly he saw again how easily Nev had cuddled up against Ken, how easily the dragon had obeyed – how happily. He’d always been told doing…such things with a dragon made them disobedient. That it was just plain wrong. Dragons weren’t human, even if they could look it.
That tone though…he’d always tried to be good to Erie. Blaze swallowed, wondering why his mouth and throat felt so dry, why he felt so nervous. “Yes,” he said. “I think you’re much better to look at. I—I’m sorry I said that about him.”
Erie smiled in a way Blaze had never seen before, making him stare, and he suspected his mouth was maybe hanging open just the slightest little bit. “Good Erie?”
“What?” Blaze asked, utterly dismayed. “Are you asking if you’re good?” He hesitated, then slowly reached out to stroke Erie’s hair, absently noting the way the wavy strands bounced back when he let them go, wondering how he’d never known the dragon’s hair was so soft. “Of course you’re good, Erie. Don’t you know that?”
The dragon rested his head on Blaze’s thigh. “Good Erie,” he repeated softly, and relaxed against Blaze. If not for the fingers idly stroking the seam of his jeans from knee to ankle, he would have thought Erie had fallen asleep.
For the first time in years, Blaze was suddenly reminded of what he’d accidentally named Erie and his cheeks heated – damn it to hell he was not blushing over his dragon.
He was spared from figuring out what the fuck was going on by the opening of the door, Ken and Nev spilling in bearing things that smelled sinfully delicious.
Erie abruptly jerked away, standing up, nearly tripping – so unlike his usual graceful self.
Ken gave them an inquisitive look, smirking briefly when he figured…something…out.
Blaze scowled. “What?”
“Nothing,” Ken said. “Maybe you’re not as awful as I thought.”
“The minute I’m healed I’m going to knock the shit out of you,” Blaze said sourly. “Now share the eats.”
Ken rolled his eyes but obeyed, handing over a bag that proved to be full of all sorts of delicious, evil things – burgers, chicken strips, tater tots, onion rings. His stomach growled and Blaze wanted nothing more than to swallow everything whole. First thing was first, though. “For Erie?” he asked, and caught the bundle wrapped in butcher’s paper that Ken tossed.
Nearby, Erie gave a low, happy growl. Blaze swiftly unwrapped the paper, then presented the prime cuts of meat to his dragon, who rumbled a thank you before setting to devouring his meal.
Smiling faintly, resisting a strange urge to once again stroke that red hair, he set to his own feast, quickly devouring the unhealthy but seriously yum food. For half an hour the room was filled with the sounds of eating, the crinkle of paper and the low rumble of contented dragons.
Finished, Blaze sighed and finally paid attention to Ken. “So talk.”
Ken rolled his eyes, and ignored him to speak to Nev. “Why don’t you two go play in the pool and sauna?”
Nev’s eyes took on a bright, excited gleam, and he wasted no time accepting the keycard Ken handed him and latching onto Erie to drag him away.
“…Something Erie shouldn’t hear?” Blaze asked dryly.
“Yeah, whatever your stupid mouth might spout off while we’re talking about this,” Ken shot back.
Blaze rolled his eyes and made a face. “So fucking talk, already. Christ, Kay is paying me fucking triple for putting up with not only lousy work hours, getting shot at, but also a goddamn lecture.” He scrubbed a hand over the soft bristles of his hair. “Talk before I decide it’s nap time. I was always told…what you obviously do is wrong. Bad for the dragons.”
Ken snorted. “Dragons are possessive. A dragon with a good Owner wants nothing more than to be constantly with his Owner – in every feasible way.” He abruptly yanked his shirt off, fingers going to the deep claw marks on his chest. “I got these the night Nev and I became lovers. Dragons do it every single time – mark what’s theirs. They do it only to their Owners. Their Masters. Not even their breed mates get half so much attention – dragons live for their Owners.”
“That—” Blaze frowned. “Why the fuck would Kay teach me something so completely fucking different? He said getting that close to dragons was bad for them. Made them hard to control…that it could cause them a world of hurt.”
A bitter, angry look consumed Ken’s face. “It could. How would you like it if you lived and breathed for one person, did everything they asked, wanted nothing but to love them…and they told you to go and fight other dragons in pointless, bloody combat – occasionally to the death. In that case, fuck yeah it’s better if the dragon doesn’t love his Owner.” He shook his head slowly. “But that’s not possible. Once a dragon bonds, it’s over for him. It’s like trying to undo a dragon’s fixation.”
Blaze smiled faintly at the mention of fixations. He hadn’t bought Erie any treats in the past few days –he’d have to do that whenever they returned to planet earth. “What’s Nev’s fixation?”
“Caramel,” Ken said with a smile of his own, filled with affectionate indulgence. “Erie?”
“Mint,” Blaze said, laughing softly. “I guess the fire dragon likes the cool?”
Ken laughed with him. “Could be.”
Blaze shook his head as he turned Ken’s words over and over in his head. “So I’ve really been abusing him?”
“Unintentionally,” Ken said softly. “I can see you care about him, which is a hell of a lot more than I usually see. Stop keeping him at arm’s length.”
Feelings he’d long kept firmly buried began to stir, and Blaze shook his head in a futile effort to clear it. “But—”
“But nothing,” Ken said sharply. “You really shouldn’t be listening to a fucking Pit Boss.”
Blaze grunted. “I preferred living, despite the ugly work, because dead meant Erie would go to someone else…who would put him right back in the Pit.”
Ken shook his head. “No – if he couldn’t save you, Erie would likely have chosen to die with you.”
Cold fear washed through Blaze. “What?” he managed. “No – he shouldn’t –”
“But he would,” Ken said firmly.
Blaze scrubbed his face, feeling weary all the way down to his bones. “How did you say you knew all this?” Because he really, really, wished he could just call Ken a lying bastard and walk back to his aggravating but sense-making life.
“I was raised by a Cross, the family which tames the Knight dragons. I could not have had a finer teacher.”
Cross…Cross…he knew that name, goddamn it.
Then it suddenly clicked.
Years and years ago…that story had circulated forever… “The frost!” he burst out. “Your frost is that one that was busted out of the Pits by a Steel!”
Ken grinned. “Yeah, he was.”
“Holy shit, that Steel bit was true?”
“Yeah, it was,” Ken said, beaming with pride. “Cal is the name of the Steel, his owner is the man who adopted me and raised both Nev and I.”
Blaze grunted. “Fascinating.” He heaved a sigh and raked a hand over his hair again, suddenly feeling restless and twitchy like there was something he should be doing…and he swiftly changed that line of thought because he’d been told for as long as he could remember that it was wrong that it shouldn’t be done and these goddamn thoughts weren’t supposed to plague him when he was sober… “So what the fuck are you doing here, man?”
“Hunting for a couple of backstabbers,” Ken said. “I tend to piss a lot of people off in the process, mostly because they all seem to be related to one mob or another.”
Blaze snorted. “I can see where that would sic three savaged blacks on you.”
“Yeah…thought I’d outrun that crew.” Ken grimaced. “I really am sorry you got tangled up.”
“Whatever, man. Doesn’t matter. If I didn’t get shot there, I’d get shot somewhere else. Been a while since anything tried to shoot me; yesterday a goblin tried to make me lunch. I was due for a bullet.”
Ken threw his head back and laughed, then stood and gathered up all the trash, pitching it before tugging his shirt back on. “You’re alright. I don’t suppose you and Erie would want to tag along with us? We could use the help, and you obviously want to see dragons treated right – that’s my long term goal.”
Blaze blinked. Do something else? That didn’t require being a thug? Erie would be happier… “Ah…Kay – Traction – would be less than pleased if I tried to bail. We’d have things at least as nasty as the savaged blacks to deal with.”
“I’ve dealt with worse – it’s just that usually I’m awake when the shit starts.”
It was Blaze’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, I can sympathize.”
“So are you in?”
“Sure,” Blaze said, shrugging. “Why the hell not?” He’d been wanting out for fucking years. Only the fact that Kay would have him hunted down and killed, Erie dragged back to the Pits…but with Ken and Nevada…it was worth a try. He knew he shouldn’t be trusting the bastard so easily…but anyone who treated his dragon that well…yeah, this might work.
Ken grinned. “Awesome. I’ll leave you in peace for now then. I booked a second room after I got food. We shouldn’t stay here much longer – probably will move somewhere else come morning.”
Blaze nodded. “Fine. Don’t give me a reason to beat the shit out of you.”
“I won’t,” Ken said. “Don’t give me any more reasons to punch you.”
Grunting, feeling the bruise on his face Blaze nodded. “No worries.”
Ken departed, and with a groan Blaze stripped out of the little clothing he was wearing and climbed into bed, grateful to at last be still. His eyes slid shut, the silence around him soothing, lulling him into a light doze.
It was broken by the sound of the door opening, and Blaze slowly opened his eyes to see Erie standing hesitantly near the door, closing it and putting the chain in place. “Blaze okay?” he asked softly.
Blaze wondered when his heart had started trying to pound its way out of his chest.
He really wished he had vodka to blame for what he was about to do. He’d fucked plenty of people…but taking this step with his dragon seemed completely different. Was he seriously going to fucking do this?
But he’d always guiltily thought Erie was the hottest thing alive, and more than that the dragon was always there – always. No matter what. “I’m okay, Erie. I never asked if you were hurt fighting.”
“Not hurt,” Erie said, still hovering by the door, the normally mellow dragon notably nervous.
“Good,” Blaze said softly, slowly sitting up enough to brace himself on his good arm. “Did you have fun downstairs?”
Pure delight flared in the dragon’s red-yellow eyes. “We found a hot tub!”
Blaze laughed. “I’m surprised you left it, silly dragon.”
Erie smiled hesitantly. “Wanted to see Blaze.”
“Come here,” Blaze said, forcing himself to sit all the way up, scooting to the edge of the bed. Erie slowly walked toward him and knelt to twine his arms around Blaze’s waist, nuzzling into his abdomen. The dragon smelled good, like a blazing summer day, and he was nearly just as hot to the touch. Always his flame dragon burned. Blaze stroked his hair, guilt and remorse flooding through him as Erie quietly made clear just how goddamn stupid Blaze had always been. How had he ignored this?
He really was a goddamn fool. What sort of bastard claimed to care for his dragon and let him suffer like this for so long? “I’m sorry, Erie. I’ve been bad to you, haven’t I?”
“Good Blaze,” Erie said softly, not looking up.
Blaze sank a hand into Erie’s hair and gently tugged the dragon’s head back, then leaned down and covered his mouth in a soft, easy kiss.
Erie made a sound that was part gasp, part squeak, and Blaze could not help laughing softly, briefly, before he focused only on the fact that his dragon tasted surprisingly sweet, though he could just barely taste the copper tang of blood from the raw meat he’d eaten earlier. Erie’s mouth fit perfectly with his, the dragon hesitantly kissing him back, fingers flexing against his sides.
How the hell had he not done this sooner? Blaze tightened his grip and made the kiss harder, firmer, voice harsh with self-loathing, rough with sudden, consuming desire as he whispered Erie’s name.
The dragon froze for a moment, clearly startled, then made a low, deep growl and suddenly surged up, pushing Blaze down on the bed, mindful of his shoulder but quite firmly holding him in place. “Blaze…” Need and hunger were plain on Erie’s face, and Blaze found he could no more refuse the dragon this than give up breathing.
He reached up and dragged the dragon down for another kiss, this time finding himself utterly, wonderfully dominated. Claws raked lightly at his arms, and Blaze shivered with the sudden thought that he might possibly have scars to match Ken’s quite soon.
“My Blaze,” Erie rumbled against his skin, and whatever hesitation he’d had earlier was gone, the dragon attacking him with hands and mouth, seeming to stroke or lick every last part of him, making Blaze feel dizzy, drugged, oblivious to the pain in his shoulder. He screamed as Erie focused his devastating attentions on his cock, bathing it with that tongue before swallowing him whole, humming and sucking eagerly, reducing Blaze to babbling.
He couldn’t think, couldn’t focus, but maybe those things were overrated because right now he just wanted more and where the hell had Erie learned to be this goddamn evil and—Blaze shouted hoarsely as he came, spilling to Erie’s mouth, still shuddering in the aftershocks as the dragon crawled back up to take his mouth in another kiss, a rumbling-purring sound vibrating in his chest.
“More,” Blaze finally gasped out when Erie released his mouth.
“Blaze?” Erie asked.
He thumped the dragon lightly on his shoulder, wishing his injury didn’t prevent him from participating as much as he’d like. Grabbing Erie’s head, he yanked the dragon down for another kiss, breaking away only just enough to speak. “Fuck me, dragon.”
Erie’s eyes lit with a level of heat he’d never seen in his dragon before – deep, scorching, and Blaze wondered how he’d lived so long without seeing it. “Blaze…” Erie pushed away, vanishing briefly, returning wonderfully naked, a faint sheen of sweat on his skin, that red hair… Blaze wanted to touch, and did so as Erie once more came close.
Cool, slick fingers were suddenly teasing at his entrance, one rapidly becoming two and Blaze moaned as he writhed on the fingers, riding them, dizzy as he thought of whose fingers they were, who was holding him. Erie was hot to the touch, fingers far too knowing for a dragon he’d always neglected and curiosity tried to become jealousy but he couldn’t think far enough beyond the fingers boldly stretching him, how shamelessly he rode them. He moved restlessly on the bed, begging silently, stunned at his own eagerness after just coming. “Erie!”
The dragon growled and withdrew his fingers, replacing them with a hard, blunt heat that burned and stretched, painful at first but by the time Erie was fully inside him, Blaze knew nothing but heat and a burning desire for more. He rolled his hips, rocked, grinning wolfishly at the gasp that elicited from his dragon. “Now, Erie!”
Needing no more encouragement, the dragon began to move, thrusting hard, pulling out only to thrust even harder, and Blaze could do nothing but meet each thrust, struggle for balance with his one good arm, cursing his bad shoulder.
Starbursts flashed behind his eyes as he came with a hoarse cry, and the only thing he knew as the world whited out was the feel of his dragon inside him, and a brief flash of pain that he thought came from his back.
When he could finally see and more or less think straight again, panting in the suddenly too-warm room, the first thing of which he became aware was the feel of a warm tongue bathing his back. He was on his stomach, then, and he could feel more than hear the soft rumbling of a contented dragon behind him, Erie lapping at his back for some reason.
Then he could feel the sting, and wondered at the small thrill he felt as he realized the dragon was lapping at the blood made by claws. Somewhere in the heat, Erie had staked his claim.
“Silly dragon,” Blaze rumbled sleepily, hoping his shoulder would keep the protests to a minimum.
“Love Blaze,” Erie said softly, setting down behind him once the fresh wounds were properly tended, nuzzling the back of his neck.
Blaze smiled softly. “I love you too, Erie…I’m sorry I was an ass for so long.” He laughed as a hand ran over his short hair. “Where the hell did you get so goddamn skilled, Erie? Do you invite boys over when I’m out?” he teased.
A low, sad growl vibrated against the back of his neck. “Watched. Read. Watched Blaze. Pretended all was with Erie.”
Closing his eyes, Blaze called himself every vile, nasty name he could think of. “I’m sorry, Erie. I don’t deserve you.”
“Love Blaze,” Erie said softly. “Have now. All good.”
Blaze smiled and squeezed the arm wrapped around him. If he were more awake, he might feel more stupid and embarrassed, but right now he could feel only perfectly happy, if a trifle silly. “That’s what your name means, you know…”
He could feel Erie tense slightly behind him, and pressed back against his dragon, wishing he could turn around but that would mean lying on his injured shoulder. He settled for rolling onto his stomach, bracing himself on his good arm. “Yes. Erie. Short for Eros. I named you that because as a kid I somehow thought it meant ‘red’ when really it means ‘love.’
Erie blinked, then smiled.
Blaze stole one last taste of that smile, then settled down to sleep curled up with his dragon.
Never did come up with a fsking title for this story.
And hopefully now the fsking smut bunnies Tygs and Nikery set loose will go back into the their damned cage now -_-
On that note - this story is NWS and for you fracking students in the audience, not safe for classroom either and you should be paying attention to your teacher anyway ^_~
Burn
Blaze snarled as he woke, furious as he realized someone was pounding on his door.
More furious still when he realized only one asshole would dare to have him bothered at – he looked at the clock on his nightstand – 2:36 AM.
Fuckers.
From the floor he heard Erie stir, the dragon growling low in annoyance of his own.
“Stay,” Blaze snapped, then flicked on his bedside lamp and retrieved his wife-beater, tugging it over his head before picking up his gun from beside the alarm clock. He stalked across his small studio apartment and threw the bolts, then yanked the door open with a snarl, pointing the gun at the offender’s head. “What?”
The man in the hallway appeared unfazed. “A job for you.”
“What?” Blaze repeated. He heard claws click on hardwood as Erie disobeyed him to draw closer, and he could hear the dragon’s low, suspicious growl. He tightened his grip on the gun.
“There’s a newbie in town, uninvited. With a frost. Find out what he wants and get rid of him. No rush, but don’t waste time.”
Blaze grunted. “Money?”
“Usual already deposited. You know the drill.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Blaze said, and slammed the door in the man’s face as soon as the man had given him an address.
Fucking hell, couldn’t he go one night without being interrupted?
Why the fuck did Kay get so fucking uptight whenever a new dragon showed up without proper permission? He probably just wanted into the Pits. Snorting, Blaze strode away from the door back to his bed.
Erie padded toward him, claws clicking, bright red scales glimmering in the weak light of the bedside lamp. Blaze glared. “I told you to stay.”
Giving a low, contrite growl, the dragon subsided, lying down on the floor at Erie’s feet.
Sighing, Blaze leaned down to stroke the brilliant red scales. “Sorry, Erie, I’m just in a bad mood.”
The dragon rumbled and nuzzled into his hand, and Blaze could not help but smile faintly. His flame was fine as dragons went, loyal and obedient, strong and clever, one of the finest around for miles upon miles – Blaze had been damned lucky to get him.
Then again, some said it was only logical. Tough little street boys who beat the shit out of a handful of goliaths tended to wind up either dead or in the boss man’s favor. Blaze had been smart enough to make sure of the latter.
And lo – tough little street kid got himself a name, a dragon, a gun, and a steady if bloody income. Not the life he wanted, but far better than what he would have otherwise had.
Erie was definitely worth it. Blaze had thought that right from the start. He’d poured his everything into his flame from the day they’d met. Erie was quiet but tough. Together they’d built a reputation of not to be fucked with that had nothing to do with Kay.
Hell, he’d managed to get Erie to change at will, rather than being forced to use Triggers to make the dragon shift between dragon and human forms. A very handy trick.
Especially when they were called out in the middle of the fucking night to go talk to other dragons, the sort of situation where it was hard to predict in which form Erie would be more useful. Blaze heaved another sigh and thought longingly of saying fuck it and going back to bed.
Making a series of low rumbling cheeps, sounds of concern, Erie rose back up to his feet and abruptly shifted, pushing into Blaze, wrapping arms around his waist.
“Stop it!” Blaze snapped, pushing the dragon away. “I’ve told you a thousand times not to do that!” It wasn’t a good idea to let a dragon get all touchy feely, that’s what Kay had always told him. It was…well, he wouldn’t ever let a dog get so fucking personal, would he?
Snarling, Blaze stood up again and strode to the bathroom, turning on the water and sliding beneath it despite the cold, soaping up quickly, scrubbing the short fuzz of his hair, rinsing off beneath water that had finally turned hot.
Turning off the water, he snatched up a towel and roughly dried off as he turned to the corner of the room that contained his bed and dresser, the sole closet in the place, yanking out his favorite jeans, dark denim worn down to perfection, and a clean wife beater. Finally he tugged on a snug fitting sweater, yanking up the zipper that went half-way down the front, adjusting the high neck of the collar.
He grunted a thanks as Erie brought his boots, sitting down to yank on socks and then the sturdy, old dark brown boots.
Running a hand over his head, feeling the sharp fuzz of his dark blond hair, he retrieved his gun, tucking it into the waistband at the small of his back. He wouldn’t need it for general business, but the streets were full of crazies of both the normal and abnormal kind and he’d rather scare off normals with a gun than with a dragon.
“Let’s go,” he said tersely, really wishing he could just go the fuck back to bed. He looked at Erie, deciding the dragon passed inspection in the jeans and black sweater he’d tugged on.
Sometimes, when he’d had a shot or two more of Russia’s finest than he should, his thoughts strayed along paths they shouldn’t, mind conjuring up images that made him feel sick with guilt and shame later.
Erie was good looking as a human, all trim muscle and long hair as red as his scales, eyes an almost reddish gold. Since it was fall, his tan was starting to fade, but even without the sun soak Erie was easily the hottest thing – no pun intended – Blaze had ever seen. He wasn’t much to look at himself, too much of his hard life having etched in lines and scars and an attitude problem that made him…not quite ugly, but not exactly Prince Charming either. He was twenty five going on eighty. Erie though – yeah, in his less than sober moments Blaze easily conceded the dragon was dead fucking sexy.
Luckily he was smart enough to be sober ninety nine percent of the time; being the favorite grunt of the owner of Traction and the resident mob made it not smart to get drunk.
Still, sometimes the only way to deal with his life was to numb it for a bit. Except for the part where it made him want to beg his dragon for a nice hard fuck and that just wouldn’t do. Dragons were no different than bomb dogs or some such, even if a hell of a lot tougher and scarier and shit.
Wishing sorely he could tap the bottle of vodka he’d bought yesterday but hadn’t been able to open as of yet, Blaze grabbed a couple of extra clips from the closet, then retrieved his keys and led the way out, Erie following obediently behind him.
“A frost, Blaze?” he asked, polite and quiet.
“Yeah,” Blaze replied. “We’ll just see what he wants tonight. I don’t give a fuck what the old man says, we’re not killing anything tonight. Not after the shit storm from yesterday.”
Goblins. Only slightly less annoying than vampires, which Blaze detested with a particular passion.
Erie growled low.
They hit the streets of the city, everything eerily dark and calm. Only in the earliest hours of the morning was the city ever like this. It tended to creep Blaze out, not being what he thought a city should be. Erie liked it this way, but his dragon was nothing if not strange. He’d been told more than once that he’d been too goddamn nice to Erie while they were growing up – but something in him could not stand the beatings and cruelty the others inflicted on their dragons.
Hell, the only reason he’d put Erie in the Pits years was that it was pretty much required. You didn’t work for a Pit boss without throwing your dragon in the ring for at least a few years. Luckily, he’d been good enough at other stuff he’d been able to take Erie out of them without causing a fuss.
That, however, led to dangerous thoughts he couldn’t afford to think. Shunting them aside, Blaze focused on the mission at hand.
All sorts of transient Owners and dragons passed through, and those the boss didn’t mind so much. When they showed signs of settling? Then it became a problem. No dragon lived in the city without being under the thumb of Kay – ‘Traction’ to most, as he preferred to be called after his biggest moneymaker.
In no time at all they reached the parking garage two blocks from his apartment building where he kept the bikes that made negotiating city traffic a fuckton easier, and made the country roads they’d be traveling tonight a good deal less boring.
His mood improved slightly as he took in the bikes that waited – one cherry red, the other stark black. Erie moved immediately to the red one, Blaze taking the black, and in mere minutes they were speeding out of the city and to the shitty motel on the far outskirts that was apparently where the potential threat was holing up.
The motel was dark as they reached it, save for a dingy fluorescent that didn’t do a whole hell of a lot to cast light on the place. Rundown and unremarkable, but it didn’t smell like piss and sex and alcohol as Blaze had expected. The only scents on the wind were the thick trees around them, the slightest hint of a coming storm….and something that made Erie growl.
“Dragons!” Erie said, and bolted forward.
“Hey!” Blaze snarled, thoroughly displeased to hear the plural and not the singular of that word.
Before he or Erie could do anything however, he heard a hoarse shout and then a figure came flying through the window of the room right dead center of the u-shaped line of rooms.
A black dragon. Shit.
“Erie!” But even as he spoke, his dragon shifted, scales glinting and shining like a bonfire, as though they’d burn the flesh from hands foolish enough to touch them.
The black scrambled to its feet, roaring in anger as a dragon that looked as though it were carved from ice leaped into the parking lot, followed immediately by two more dragons.
Erie snarled at the black, which immediately turned and ran at him.
“Hey!” Blaze roared angrily, wondering where the fuck the Owners for all these dragons were.
His question was almost immediately answered, as four men came spilling from the ruined window, three in dark clothing bolting after a man dressed in nothing but jeans and a blue t-shirt that was torn to shreds, barely hanging on him.
The man ran toward the frost, which snarled as it realized the two black had him pinned.
Blaze pulled his gun out and fired three shots in the air. Everyone turned to look at him. “Erie. Here. Now. What the fuck is going on?” He demanded.
“They’re savaged,” the man in the ruined t-shirt said, voice filled with a depth of anger Blaze had never heard before. “They’ve savaged their dragons.”
Erie felt a rage to match the stranger’s, looking contemptuously at the Owners of the Blacks. He didn’t give a fuck if the frost was the one he should be taking care of – the fuckers were going to die.
Savaging a dragon was something even Kay didn’t tolerate. He was all about urging them to a bloodlust before a Pit fight…but savaging a dragon meant torturing it, angering it, inflicting all manner of physical, mental, even sexual abuse so that the dragons literally went wild with rage – with hate. It made them far more dangerous than they would be otherwise, and dragons were fucking dangerous enough to begin with.
The kindest thing he could do… “Erie,” he said. “Kill.”
Growling in acknowledgement, Erie threw himself at the nearest black, eyes flashing as he breathed fire hot enough to burn damn near anything. The black, of course, could do a hell of a lot more – but Erie was no pushover.
Blaze left his dragon to the fight, trusting Erie to succeed, and focused his attention instead on the motherfuckers who thought it okay to savage dragons. He didn’t hesitate or waste time with words, simply pointed and fired.
The nearest bastard dropped, making a gurgling, choking sound, blood seeping between his fingers before he collapsed to the ground.
Just in time Blaze ducked behind his bike, all but feeling the bullet that had barely missed him. “Goddamn it! I did not get woken up at this motherfucking hour to put up with this shit!” Really pissed off now, he waited a beat longer and then stood, bolting for the walkway as he fired at the remaining two, swearing as a bullet clipped his right shoulder.
Who the fuck were these bitches? Kay was going to have a shit fit when he found out these bastards were mucking around his turf. To hell with the frost; it at least had been relatively polite.
Shoot first, ask questions later.
He kicked in the door of the first room he came to and bolted inside for cover, dropping to one knee and reloading swiftly, then turned and fired.
Fuck he hoped this place was as mostly deserted as it seemed. All he could see was a couple more motorcycles, and a van that likely belonged to the asshole Owners. He swore as more bullets flew, throwing himself further into the room.
An unearthly roar signaled one dragon down – they only sounded like that in their death throes. “Good Erie,” Blaze muttered, and ducked into the space between the beds, bracing his arms on the edge of one, gun leveled at the door.
He stopped his fingers from pulling the trigger just in time as the Owner of the frost appeared rather than one of the bastards in black. “They’re running,” T-shirt said. “We nailed two of the blacks, you got one of the Owners.” He dropped down on the bed and ran a hand through his white-blond hair, then looked at Blaze – brown eyes going wide. “Man, why didn’t you say you’d been shot?” He scrambled to his feet.
Blaze glared at him. “I was only clipped, not a big fucking deal.” He stood up – and the world gave a nasty lurch. He stumbled, catching himself awkwardly on the edge of the bed, and took a look at his shoulder.
That…wasn’t clipped…actually it was a pretty good shot…and that had been his favorite sweater too…
Fuck.
Blaze blacked out.
“Fuck I hurt,” Blaze said with a groan, sitting up despite the screaming protest of his shoulder.
“Blaze!” He looked up just in time to see Erie all but throw himself on the bed, latching onto him in a way he’d told the dragon a thousand fucking times not to do. It…made him distinctly uncomfortable. But at the moment he couldn’t make himself snarl about it. “Where are we?” he asked instead. A hotel room of some sort, much nicer than Motel Shithole.
“Well away from the city,” a voice said, and Blaze looked toward the bathroom door to see the frost Owner. This time he was dressed only in jeans, pale hair wet, brown eyes holding a focus that only someone who owned a dragon possessed – someone used to reading small signs, noting every little detail…someone who spent every single day with a creature tamed only because it fucking felt like it. His skin was still damp from the shower he must have just taken, chest bare, revealing deep scratches on his shoulders that could only have been put there by dragon claws.
The man smiled faintly. “I figured it was better to get away before they came back for a second round. I owe you big time – without you and Erie, we would have been in a world of hurt. How’s your shoulder?”
Blaze grunted. “Fine. Who the fuck are you? I was sent to see why you were settling into Traction’s territory and got tangled in a nasty fucking fight.”
The man’s face clouded. “You work for Traction?”
“Around here, if you don’t work for Traction you wind up in it.”
“I see,” the man said.
“You still haven’t told me who the fuck you are,” Blaze snapped. “Not that I’m not grateful for the help, but I would like to know who the fuck I got shot for.”
The man laughed. “I am sorry you’re the one who got hurt. My name is Kennedy Cross. Ken, please.”
Cross. Cross. Blaze felt like he should know that name but it wouldn’t click. “Erie –”
The dragon cut him off with a soft rumble. “Called Kay’s man. Told him you were down but problem solved. Back…soon.”
“Good,” Blaze grunted. He switched his attention back to Ken. “Where the hell is your frost?”
Ken chuckled and pointed to the second bed, the one closer to the door of the hotel room.
The frost dragon, rather pretty in human form, was curled up and dead to the world in the other bed. He had dark, curly hair and eyes that were probably some variation of amber, pale skin and a compact, muscular body. “Pretty dragon.”
Erie growled low, sounding…oddly hurt.
Ken frowned. “Thanks, but why are you being so mean to your dragon?”
“I’m not being mean,” Blaze said, confused. “All I fucking said was that your dragon is pretty. What the hell does it matter?”
Fury filled Ken’s face, startling Blaze with the intensity of it. “You bastards are all alike! They’re just fucking pets to you, aren’t they?” His fists clenched. “The way Erie’s been fretting over you, I thought you actually got it – but I guess I was wrong.” He strode over to the frost and woke it. “Come on, Nev, we’re leaving.”
“Leaving?” Nev asked, yawning and stretching. “Is Erie’s Blaze all better?”
“Blaze is a fucking idiot like all the rest.”
“Oh,” Nev said faintly, and sent them a look that was full of sympathy and pain, so much that Blaze could only gawk.
“What the fuck?” he demanded, seeing red when Ken simply tried to walk out. Oh, no. He wasn’t putting up with this shit. He took care of Erie, no one was calling him a lousy Owner. Fuck that shit. Snarling, he threw back the covers and launched himself at Ken, slamming the bastard into the wall, hissing in pain but not relenting. “Where the fuck do you get off, man? What the hell?”
Rage lit Ken’s eyes to a pale cinnamon. “You treat him like a dog, don’t you? All you bastards do. Throw the dragon in the Pit, make a quick buck, then give him scraps before sending him to sleep on the floor.”
“I don’t Pit him,” Blaze hissed. “I had to but got out of it. He eats the best food I can get, and so the fuck what if he sleeps on the floor? I don’t abuse my dragon!”
“You neglect him,” Ken snarled. “You reject him.”
He suddenly swung a punch, sending Blaze reeling back, pain spiking in his shoulder and face bad enough he felt he was going to be sick. “Back, Erie!” he said when the dragon gave an angry rumble. He glared furiously at Ken. “You’re making no fucking sense man. I’ve raised Erie the best way I know how.”
Groaning in pain, he ducked his head until it stopped spinning, gingerly testing his cheek, wincing as that simple movement made pain flare in his shoulder, which to judge by the wet, sticky feeling was bleeding again.
Ken swore softly.
“Look,” Blaze said tiredly. “I don’t know what the fuck I did to piss you off, but I think you need to back off. You’re invading our turf and I was told to get rid of you – but all I wanted to fucking do was talk, man. I don’t like getting woken up at two fucking thirty and told to beat people up, if not kill them. Instead of a nice chat, I got a fucking fire fight and now you’re telling me I abuse my dragon when I have no goddamn idea what you’re talking about.”
Ken swore again, then sighed as Nev pushed into his arms. He pet the dragon absently, and Blaze frowned. “You’re not supposed to do that,” he said.
“Do what?” Ken asked, his own frown just as confused.
“Be like that with them,” Blaze said. “It’s bad.”
Ken rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not. For dragons, it’s natural. In a true Owner-dragon bond, that’s exactly how it should be. You’re the one treating your dragon poorly.”
“I am not!” Blaze snarled, furious. He’d always tried to do what was best for Erie. How dare this stupid bastard say otherwise.
“Blaze…bleeding…” Erie said, coming close, hesitantly laying a hand on his leg, eyes more gold than red as they looked anxiously up at him.
With effort Blaze dredged up a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. S’what I get for losing my temper. I’ll be okay.”
Erie rumbled unhappily but nodded.
Ken heaved a sigh. “Maybe I’m being hasty,” he said begrudgingly. “It’s obvious you care – you just were taught wrong.”
Blaze bristled and shot him a dirty look. “Are you always this fucking rude to people after you get them shot?”
“Never gotten anyone else shot, so I guess the answer is yes,” Ken retorted. “Look – let me patch you up and then go get food. Then, if you want, I’ll tell you what you should know about dragons.”
“What makes you think you’re right and I’m wrong?”
“Because,” Ken said sharply, “I was raised by Owners of Knight Dragons and no one knows them better. I don’t make a dragon that loves me sleep on the floor like a dog, and I wouldn’t tell someone that his dragon is pretty without immediately assuring mine he’s a thousand times better.”
Blaze clenched his hands tightly in the sheets. “Your dragon is pretty. It was a motherfucking observation. I’d much rather stare at Erie all day than your fucking frost, so stop feeding me goddamn lectures and go get some food! Maybe then you’ll tell me why you’re here and hell – if it’ll get you to stop punching me I’ll listen to whatever the fuck you want to tell me about dragons.”
Because he was always honest with himself, if no one else, and if this fucker was telling him that Kay had taught him wrong – well, Kay was a fucking mob boss who Pitted dragons. Blaze was willing to admit he might not be the best instructor.
“Good,” Ken said. “Come on, Nev, let’s go get food.” He stalked to the small dresser and yanked on a shirt, snatched up his wallet and keys, sat long enough to pull on his sneakers, then strode to the door.
“Yes, Ken,” Nev said, and gave them a hesitant smile before the two vanished.
Silence fell thick and heavy, though Blaze could not figure out why the fuck there should be tension.
Well, there was the fact that he felt like shit for possibly having mistreated his dragon all these years. Normally he’d tell anyone as snotty as Ken to go fuck himself…but the intensity to the guy was legit enough. He obviously cared about dragons, not just whether or not they could Pit fight, and that Blaze would respect. He also clearly thought Blaze was fucking things up.
Groaning, wishing he’d stayed unconscious, Blaze stood and dragged himself to the sink, slowly and painfully repairing the damage to his wound.
“Let me help,” Erie said softly. Grunting, Blaze let him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to do his own bandaging properly.
Silence fell again as Erie urged him to sit back down on the bed, then went about cleaning up the blood and bandaging his shoulder back up. Finished, the dragon sat on the floor at his feet.
Blaze let the silence stand, not certain what to say to break it, for the first time feeling awkward around his dragon.
“Do you…” Erie hesitated, uncertainty etched deeply into his face.
“What?” Blaze asked tiredly.
“Do you really think I’m better to look at than Nevada?” he asked, the words coming out in a rush, ducking his head as he finished.
Blaze blinked, the question throwing him.
He never thought about such things except under cover of vodka. Never. It was wrong.
But suddenly he saw again how easily Nev had cuddled up against Ken, how easily the dragon had obeyed – how happily. He’d always been told doing…such things with a dragon made them disobedient. That it was just plain wrong. Dragons weren’t human, even if they could look it.
That tone though…he’d always tried to be good to Erie. Blaze swallowed, wondering why his mouth and throat felt so dry, why he felt so nervous. “Yes,” he said. “I think you’re much better to look at. I—I’m sorry I said that about him.”
Erie smiled in a way Blaze had never seen before, making him stare, and he suspected his mouth was maybe hanging open just the slightest little bit. “Good Erie?”
“What?” Blaze asked, utterly dismayed. “Are you asking if you’re good?” He hesitated, then slowly reached out to stroke Erie’s hair, absently noting the way the wavy strands bounced back when he let them go, wondering how he’d never known the dragon’s hair was so soft. “Of course you’re good, Erie. Don’t you know that?”
The dragon rested his head on Blaze’s thigh. “Good Erie,” he repeated softly, and relaxed against Blaze. If not for the fingers idly stroking the seam of his jeans from knee to ankle, he would have thought Erie had fallen asleep.
For the first time in years, Blaze was suddenly reminded of what he’d accidentally named Erie and his cheeks heated – damn it to hell he was not blushing over his dragon.
He was spared from figuring out what the fuck was going on by the opening of the door, Ken and Nev spilling in bearing things that smelled sinfully delicious.
Erie abruptly jerked away, standing up, nearly tripping – so unlike his usual graceful self.
Ken gave them an inquisitive look, smirking briefly when he figured…something…out.
Blaze scowled. “What?”
“Nothing,” Ken said. “Maybe you’re not as awful as I thought.”
“The minute I’m healed I’m going to knock the shit out of you,” Blaze said sourly. “Now share the eats.”
Ken rolled his eyes but obeyed, handing over a bag that proved to be full of all sorts of delicious, evil things – burgers, chicken strips, tater tots, onion rings. His stomach growled and Blaze wanted nothing more than to swallow everything whole. First thing was first, though. “For Erie?” he asked, and caught the bundle wrapped in butcher’s paper that Ken tossed.
Nearby, Erie gave a low, happy growl. Blaze swiftly unwrapped the paper, then presented the prime cuts of meat to his dragon, who rumbled a thank you before setting to devouring his meal.
Smiling faintly, resisting a strange urge to once again stroke that red hair, he set to his own feast, quickly devouring the unhealthy but seriously yum food. For half an hour the room was filled with the sounds of eating, the crinkle of paper and the low rumble of contented dragons.
Finished, Blaze sighed and finally paid attention to Ken. “So talk.”
Ken rolled his eyes, and ignored him to speak to Nev. “Why don’t you two go play in the pool and sauna?”
Nev’s eyes took on a bright, excited gleam, and he wasted no time accepting the keycard Ken handed him and latching onto Erie to drag him away.
“…Something Erie shouldn’t hear?” Blaze asked dryly.
“Yeah, whatever your stupid mouth might spout off while we’re talking about this,” Ken shot back.
Blaze rolled his eyes and made a face. “So fucking talk, already. Christ, Kay is paying me fucking triple for putting up with not only lousy work hours, getting shot at, but also a goddamn lecture.” He scrubbed a hand over the soft bristles of his hair. “Talk before I decide it’s nap time. I was always told…what you obviously do is wrong. Bad for the dragons.”
Ken snorted. “Dragons are possessive. A dragon with a good Owner wants nothing more than to be constantly with his Owner – in every feasible way.” He abruptly yanked his shirt off, fingers going to the deep claw marks on his chest. “I got these the night Nev and I became lovers. Dragons do it every single time – mark what’s theirs. They do it only to their Owners. Their Masters. Not even their breed mates get half so much attention – dragons live for their Owners.”
“That—” Blaze frowned. “Why the fuck would Kay teach me something so completely fucking different? He said getting that close to dragons was bad for them. Made them hard to control…that it could cause them a world of hurt.”
A bitter, angry look consumed Ken’s face. “It could. How would you like it if you lived and breathed for one person, did everything they asked, wanted nothing but to love them…and they told you to go and fight other dragons in pointless, bloody combat – occasionally to the death. In that case, fuck yeah it’s better if the dragon doesn’t love his Owner.” He shook his head slowly. “But that’s not possible. Once a dragon bonds, it’s over for him. It’s like trying to undo a dragon’s fixation.”
Blaze smiled faintly at the mention of fixations. He hadn’t bought Erie any treats in the past few days –he’d have to do that whenever they returned to planet earth. “What’s Nev’s fixation?”
“Caramel,” Ken said with a smile of his own, filled with affectionate indulgence. “Erie?”
“Mint,” Blaze said, laughing softly. “I guess the fire dragon likes the cool?”
Ken laughed with him. “Could be.”
Blaze shook his head as he turned Ken’s words over and over in his head. “So I’ve really been abusing him?”
“Unintentionally,” Ken said softly. “I can see you care about him, which is a hell of a lot more than I usually see. Stop keeping him at arm’s length.”
Feelings he’d long kept firmly buried began to stir, and Blaze shook his head in a futile effort to clear it. “But—”
“But nothing,” Ken said sharply. “You really shouldn’t be listening to a fucking Pit Boss.”
Blaze grunted. “I preferred living, despite the ugly work, because dead meant Erie would go to someone else…who would put him right back in the Pit.”
Ken shook his head. “No – if he couldn’t save you, Erie would likely have chosen to die with you.”
Cold fear washed through Blaze. “What?” he managed. “No – he shouldn’t –”
“But he would,” Ken said firmly.
Blaze scrubbed his face, feeling weary all the way down to his bones. “How did you say you knew all this?” Because he really, really, wished he could just call Ken a lying bastard and walk back to his aggravating but sense-making life.
“I was raised by a Cross, the family which tames the Knight dragons. I could not have had a finer teacher.”
Cross…Cross…he knew that name, goddamn it.
Then it suddenly clicked.
Years and years ago…that story had circulated forever… “The frost!” he burst out. “Your frost is that one that was busted out of the Pits by a Steel!”
Ken grinned. “Yeah, he was.”
“Holy shit, that Steel bit was true?”
“Yeah, it was,” Ken said, beaming with pride. “Cal is the name of the Steel, his owner is the man who adopted me and raised both Nev and I.”
Blaze grunted. “Fascinating.” He heaved a sigh and raked a hand over his hair again, suddenly feeling restless and twitchy like there was something he should be doing…and he swiftly changed that line of thought because he’d been told for as long as he could remember that it was wrong that it shouldn’t be done and these goddamn thoughts weren’t supposed to plague him when he was sober… “So what the fuck are you doing here, man?”
“Hunting for a couple of backstabbers,” Ken said. “I tend to piss a lot of people off in the process, mostly because they all seem to be related to one mob or another.”
Blaze snorted. “I can see where that would sic three savaged blacks on you.”
“Yeah…thought I’d outrun that crew.” Ken grimaced. “I really am sorry you got tangled up.”
“Whatever, man. Doesn’t matter. If I didn’t get shot there, I’d get shot somewhere else. Been a while since anything tried to shoot me; yesterday a goblin tried to make me lunch. I was due for a bullet.”
Ken threw his head back and laughed, then stood and gathered up all the trash, pitching it before tugging his shirt back on. “You’re alright. I don’t suppose you and Erie would want to tag along with us? We could use the help, and you obviously want to see dragons treated right – that’s my long term goal.”
Blaze blinked. Do something else? That didn’t require being a thug? Erie would be happier… “Ah…Kay – Traction – would be less than pleased if I tried to bail. We’d have things at least as nasty as the savaged blacks to deal with.”
“I’ve dealt with worse – it’s just that usually I’m awake when the shit starts.”
It was Blaze’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, I can sympathize.”
“So are you in?”
“Sure,” Blaze said, shrugging. “Why the hell not?” He’d been wanting out for fucking years. Only the fact that Kay would have him hunted down and killed, Erie dragged back to the Pits…but with Ken and Nevada…it was worth a try. He knew he shouldn’t be trusting the bastard so easily…but anyone who treated his dragon that well…yeah, this might work.
Ken grinned. “Awesome. I’ll leave you in peace for now then. I booked a second room after I got food. We shouldn’t stay here much longer – probably will move somewhere else come morning.”
Blaze nodded. “Fine. Don’t give me a reason to beat the shit out of you.”
“I won’t,” Ken said. “Don’t give me any more reasons to punch you.”
Grunting, feeling the bruise on his face Blaze nodded. “No worries.”
Ken departed, and with a groan Blaze stripped out of the little clothing he was wearing and climbed into bed, grateful to at last be still. His eyes slid shut, the silence around him soothing, lulling him into a light doze.
It was broken by the sound of the door opening, and Blaze slowly opened his eyes to see Erie standing hesitantly near the door, closing it and putting the chain in place. “Blaze okay?” he asked softly.
Blaze wondered when his heart had started trying to pound its way out of his chest.
He really wished he had vodka to blame for what he was about to do. He’d fucked plenty of people…but taking this step with his dragon seemed completely different. Was he seriously going to fucking do this?
But he’d always guiltily thought Erie was the hottest thing alive, and more than that the dragon was always there – always. No matter what. “I’m okay, Erie. I never asked if you were hurt fighting.”
“Not hurt,” Erie said, still hovering by the door, the normally mellow dragon notably nervous.
“Good,” Blaze said softly, slowly sitting up enough to brace himself on his good arm. “Did you have fun downstairs?”
Pure delight flared in the dragon’s red-yellow eyes. “We found a hot tub!”
Blaze laughed. “I’m surprised you left it, silly dragon.”
Erie smiled hesitantly. “Wanted to see Blaze.”
“Come here,” Blaze said, forcing himself to sit all the way up, scooting to the edge of the bed. Erie slowly walked toward him and knelt to twine his arms around Blaze’s waist, nuzzling into his abdomen. The dragon smelled good, like a blazing summer day, and he was nearly just as hot to the touch. Always his flame dragon burned. Blaze stroked his hair, guilt and remorse flooding through him as Erie quietly made clear just how goddamn stupid Blaze had always been. How had he ignored this?
He really was a goddamn fool. What sort of bastard claimed to care for his dragon and let him suffer like this for so long? “I’m sorry, Erie. I’ve been bad to you, haven’t I?”
“Good Blaze,” Erie said softly, not looking up.
Blaze sank a hand into Erie’s hair and gently tugged the dragon’s head back, then leaned down and covered his mouth in a soft, easy kiss.
Erie made a sound that was part gasp, part squeak, and Blaze could not help laughing softly, briefly, before he focused only on the fact that his dragon tasted surprisingly sweet, though he could just barely taste the copper tang of blood from the raw meat he’d eaten earlier. Erie’s mouth fit perfectly with his, the dragon hesitantly kissing him back, fingers flexing against his sides.
How the hell had he not done this sooner? Blaze tightened his grip and made the kiss harder, firmer, voice harsh with self-loathing, rough with sudden, consuming desire as he whispered Erie’s name.
The dragon froze for a moment, clearly startled, then made a low, deep growl and suddenly surged up, pushing Blaze down on the bed, mindful of his shoulder but quite firmly holding him in place. “Blaze…” Need and hunger were plain on Erie’s face, and Blaze found he could no more refuse the dragon this than give up breathing.
He reached up and dragged the dragon down for another kiss, this time finding himself utterly, wonderfully dominated. Claws raked lightly at his arms, and Blaze shivered with the sudden thought that he might possibly have scars to match Ken’s quite soon.
“My Blaze,” Erie rumbled against his skin, and whatever hesitation he’d had earlier was gone, the dragon attacking him with hands and mouth, seeming to stroke or lick every last part of him, making Blaze feel dizzy, drugged, oblivious to the pain in his shoulder. He screamed as Erie focused his devastating attentions on his cock, bathing it with that tongue before swallowing him whole, humming and sucking eagerly, reducing Blaze to babbling.
He couldn’t think, couldn’t focus, but maybe those things were overrated because right now he just wanted more and where the hell had Erie learned to be this goddamn evil and—Blaze shouted hoarsely as he came, spilling to Erie’s mouth, still shuddering in the aftershocks as the dragon crawled back up to take his mouth in another kiss, a rumbling-purring sound vibrating in his chest.
“More,” Blaze finally gasped out when Erie released his mouth.
“Blaze?” Erie asked.
He thumped the dragon lightly on his shoulder, wishing his injury didn’t prevent him from participating as much as he’d like. Grabbing Erie’s head, he yanked the dragon down for another kiss, breaking away only just enough to speak. “Fuck me, dragon.”
Erie’s eyes lit with a level of heat he’d never seen in his dragon before – deep, scorching, and Blaze wondered how he’d lived so long without seeing it. “Blaze…” Erie pushed away, vanishing briefly, returning wonderfully naked, a faint sheen of sweat on his skin, that red hair… Blaze wanted to touch, and did so as Erie once more came close.
Cool, slick fingers were suddenly teasing at his entrance, one rapidly becoming two and Blaze moaned as he writhed on the fingers, riding them, dizzy as he thought of whose fingers they were, who was holding him. Erie was hot to the touch, fingers far too knowing for a dragon he’d always neglected and curiosity tried to become jealousy but he couldn’t think far enough beyond the fingers boldly stretching him, how shamelessly he rode them. He moved restlessly on the bed, begging silently, stunned at his own eagerness after just coming. “Erie!”
The dragon growled and withdrew his fingers, replacing them with a hard, blunt heat that burned and stretched, painful at first but by the time Erie was fully inside him, Blaze knew nothing but heat and a burning desire for more. He rolled his hips, rocked, grinning wolfishly at the gasp that elicited from his dragon. “Now, Erie!”
Needing no more encouragement, the dragon began to move, thrusting hard, pulling out only to thrust even harder, and Blaze could do nothing but meet each thrust, struggle for balance with his one good arm, cursing his bad shoulder.
Starbursts flashed behind his eyes as he came with a hoarse cry, and the only thing he knew as the world whited out was the feel of his dragon inside him, and a brief flash of pain that he thought came from his back.
When he could finally see and more or less think straight again, panting in the suddenly too-warm room, the first thing of which he became aware was the feel of a warm tongue bathing his back. He was on his stomach, then, and he could feel more than hear the soft rumbling of a contented dragon behind him, Erie lapping at his back for some reason.
Then he could feel the sting, and wondered at the small thrill he felt as he realized the dragon was lapping at the blood made by claws. Somewhere in the heat, Erie had staked his claim.
“Silly dragon,” Blaze rumbled sleepily, hoping his shoulder would keep the protests to a minimum.
“Love Blaze,” Erie said softly, setting down behind him once the fresh wounds were properly tended, nuzzling the back of his neck.
Blaze smiled softly. “I love you too, Erie…I’m sorry I was an ass for so long.” He laughed as a hand ran over his short hair. “Where the hell did you get so goddamn skilled, Erie? Do you invite boys over when I’m out?” he teased.
A low, sad growl vibrated against the back of his neck. “Watched. Read. Watched Blaze. Pretended all was with Erie.”
Closing his eyes, Blaze called himself every vile, nasty name he could think of. “I’m sorry, Erie. I don’t deserve you.”
“Love Blaze,” Erie said softly. “Have now. All good.”
Blaze smiled and squeezed the arm wrapped around him. If he were more awake, he might feel more stupid and embarrassed, but right now he could feel only perfectly happy, if a trifle silly. “That’s what your name means, you know…”
He could feel Erie tense slightly behind him, and pressed back against his dragon, wishing he could turn around but that would mean lying on his injured shoulder. He settled for rolling onto his stomach, bracing himself on his good arm. “Yes. Erie. Short for Eros. I named you that because as a kid I somehow thought it meant ‘red’ when really it means ‘love.’
Erie blinked, then smiled.
Blaze stole one last taste of that smile, then settled down to sleep curled up with his dragon.
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Date: 2007-04-10 11:21 am (UTC)Also wow, see, I told you practice would get you writing smut better and better. ^_~ This Easter has been GOOD for you. ♥ *adores you*
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Date: 2007-04-10 11:27 am (UTC)And I love that Ken got some balls!!!
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Date: 2007-04-10 11:50 am (UTC)Yay for dragons! And so totally fulfilling to see Ken and Nev all matured and earning their place in the world.
The smut was a verrry nice bonus!
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Date: 2007-04-10 12:00 pm (UTC)Hear that sound? That was the sound of my heart breaking. Poor Erie!
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Date: 2007-04-10 12:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 12:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 12:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 12:37 pm (UTC)Blaze. Erie being a fire dragon. The symbolism did not escape me. *g* Plus, gotta love Ken and Nev too. Kids grew up with steel spines, hmm?
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Date: 2007-04-10 01:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 03:24 pm (UTC)Anyway. Adorable little story. I love your dragons!
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Date: 2007-04-10 03:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 04:21 pm (UTC)I can't wait to see more about Ken and Nev!!!
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Date: 2007-04-10 04:29 pm (UTC)Aw, grown-up Ken and Nev are so freaking adorable. And Blaze and Erie! So cute. I <3 your dragons. ^__^
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Date: 2007-04-10 05:24 pm (UTC)I love Erie's name and how it came about. Something about the misunderstanding of the word being perfect with both meanings or something. Makes me happy. ^___^ Sort of like the way Blaze thought he was treating Erie right until he was confronted with Ken and Nev (and damn, I'm curious about their story. I remember Ken being all quiet and upset in the first story, not all badass though he probably picked that up in his training as an Owner.) That Blaze is a mob grunt was perfect, as was the way he picked up his knowledge about the dragons - he knew enough to tell what was really wrong treatment but not enough that he could do perfectly with Erie. I love also, Blaze's reaction to Ken telling him that Erie would probably die with him if he died. ^___^
And the smut? Mmmm. ^_______^ I so expected Blaze to top, because he seemed so dominate the entire story. But it worked so much better this way. Sort of like Erie needs guidance as a dragon, but Blaze needs guidance in the sack? But, yeah, delicous dragon smut. ^______^ Soooo glad the smut bunnies got loose on you. ^____^
I am curious about the dragons though. ::grin:: Do they always have to have a human owner? Or can it be a paranormal or even another dragon? And do they always have to have an owner, period? I love the way the elementals came about, and the classifications
because maybe I'm a geek and went back and re-read all about that too. I think I might've gotten distracted by the pretty in the first story, but can someone with dragon blood go their whole life without ever shifting into dragon form? Or would it eventually come out?Also, your owners are awesome. They've got that tough, rough edge to them, like they're not afraid to get their hands dirty. Like, super-masculine, I guess, though I don't think I'm explaining it properly. It's appealing? ^___^;;
And now I shall stop rambling. ^___^;;
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Date: 2007-04-10 11:40 pm (UTC)<<333 I will get to Ken and Nev's story ^^;;; I really never though to write this one first, it was supposed to be an aside to Ken and Nev.
Do Dragons always have a human owner
Not necessarily, though 9.9/10 since most paranormals have powers and shit enough of their own and either don't feel up to taking in a dragon or don't have the strength. Dragons would never tolerate anyone they considered weaker as an Owner, and anything strong enough wouldn't need them -- like demons or imps and all. They...balance better with humans.
Do they always have an owner, period
No, but like wolves not liking to be alone, dragons are happier with someone. It sort of has to do with their 'fixation' tendency, which itself is based on the idea that dragons hoard treasure.
Though I've never worked it out, I'd also imagine an ownerless dragon is seriously more dangerous - through and through a wild animal. But it almost never happens, since dragons are badly sought for the Pits and stuff. Invariably, they're given owners nearly every time.
can someone with dragon blood go their whole life without ever shifting into dragon form?
Tygs demanded an answer to this one earlier ^^;; apparently IL wasn't answering the questions quickly enough. They can go their whole lives -- as Nev likely would have if his mother and stepfather hadn't royally fucked up and made him pay for it. Most often, those with dragon blood tend to go the route of dragon, but I'm sure there are plenty floating around who will never have that aspect of themselves triggered.
^____^ I guess they must all be similiar, but the rough idea is that dragons would never obey anyone weak, and as dragons are Not To Be Fucked With
Hope I didn't miss a whole in my theories/ideas. I always worry about that when I finally set it out ^^;;
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Date: 2007-04-10 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2007-04-10 08:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 08:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 10:03 pm (UTC)Once more for the people in the back: DORK!!!
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Date: 2007-04-10 09:16 pm (UTC)And more smut! Yey! Easter should happen more often.
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Date: 2007-04-10 11:36 pm (UTC)Am glad Blaze is no longer the Biggest Jerk Ever.
Yay for adult Kennedy and Nevada!
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Date: 2007-04-10 11:36 pm (UTC)I have to say I love this aspect of your world. Dragons!
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Date: 2007-04-11 01:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 04:25 am (UTC)I hope you don't mind if I keep posting on your journal - I don't actually have an LJ account, so I can't ask if you mind friending me, but let me know.
~KD
*_________________________________*!!!! *worships*
Date: 2007-04-11 08:02 pm (UTC)Seriously, you have no idea how happy reading this made me. ^___^ I love Erie and Blaze, and I love how hard Blaze tries without even totally knowing what he's doing. He obviously loves Erie so, so much and how hurt he was when Ken implied that he was abusing Erie? *wibbles* ZOMG! I love this verse. *_________*
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Date: 2007-04-12 08:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-12 12:48 pm (UTC)I think my heart just stopped from love for Erie.
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