“It was hardly a bucket.” He chuckled to himself. I continued to feed my dragon the food until it was gone.
While I was spoiling my dragon, Aaron gathered up the leftovers and put them on the kitchen counter. My body hurt, I put my feet on the coffee table, and Charlie lay on my chest and stomach. We were both very content. I lazily stroked him, his eyes closed. How lucky was I to have this sweet dragon with me forever? I closed my eyes while I continued to pet him.
***
Waking up, I looked around. Charlie had settled against my collarbone, and his tail wrapped around my neck. Aaron sat on the otherend of the couch with his feet up, head back, eyes closed, looking relaxed.
I needed to get up but didn’t want to disturb Charlie.
“You’re awake,” Aaron said without opening his eyes. I don’t know how he knew. I hadn’t moved a muscle.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Having Charlie happy and full laying on me felt so nice.” I sounded ridiculous, and I’m sure the pain pills weren’t helping. “How long was I out for?”
“Not a problem. It was only three hours.” His eyes remained closed. I looked at his profile and the smooth skin of his neck. I wondered what it would feel like under my tongue.
I reached up, removing Charlie from around my neck. He chirped as I went to put him down next to me.
“Harness. We don’t want a repeat of this morning.” He chuckled. “That would be even more embarrassing, having your ass kicked twice the same day by a four-pound dragon?”
“Can you hold him while I go get the harness?”
“Sure.” I stood up, expecting him to move. He remained still, so I set Charlie down on his chest, and he immediately started to pet him.
I went into the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror, and then grimaced. I had a massive bruise above my right eyebrow, and in the middle of it was a sizable lump. I looked tired, but I felt more refreshed after my nap. I picked a piece of pie crust from my hair and ran my fingers through it. A guy must have self-respect when a hot man is on his couch.
I looked at the clock, and it was already 5 p.m. This day went quickly. Was it only this morning when I was being introduced to Charlie? I got the harness and pouch I had purchased when I got approved. I custom-ordered both items. The inside of the bag had rainbow colors with long fluffy fur, while the exterior was black velvetwith a small rainbow stitched into it. I didn’t advertise I was gay, but I did support the LBGTQ+ community and liked to purchase from queer shop owners when possible. The harness was soft, well-worked leather; you could resize it as he grew. It had fleece on the underside of the leather, so it was smooth against his body. I figured if I wore a harness, I would want it as comfortable as possible.
I went through the kitchen, figuring I could grab more of that meat and give it to Charlie. The leftovers were no longer on my table. When I opened the fridge, everything was stacked neatly with the item and date written on them. I looked at the Chinese food container from the other day. I had labeled it similarly. Aaron saw what I had done and duplicated it. It was a ridiculously thoughtful thing to do, and there was no way he could realize how this gesture made me more comfortable in general.
While looking in the refrigerator, I realized I was standing in my clean kitchen. The floor sparkled, but there was nothing in my sink. I had fewer spices than this morning, but what remained was back on the counter. My coffee maker sat in its spot, and a fresh roll of paper towels was on the holder. The only sign of this morning’s disaster was the black marks on the cabinets, which seemed lighter than earlier. I would have to have those replaced; I guess I needed to contact the owner of the building.
I walked into the living room and then looked at the wet bar. The decanter sat upright, and one lonely glass sat next to it. The floor was spotless, with no sign of glass or blood. I didn’t even see any trash bags.
“Aaron?” His hand moved slowly down Charlie's smooth body. “You didn’t have to do all that.”
“I’m aware.” He said nothing more. I had hoped this would have been more of a conversation. It looked like that was all I was going to get.
“I have a few things to cover with you before I head home to Daisy.” I sat down next to him as he sat up. Charlie was now on his thighs, sitting upright. Unsure what to do, I lamely held up the harness.
He took the harness from my hand. “Hey, that's nice. You did well.” My heart did an extra little thump at the compliment, and I could feel my face go red. It was a weird reaction. I got complimented all the time; never have I blushed.
He handed me the harness back. “What else do you have there?” I gave him the pouch. “I like this. Charlie will be fine in it for a few days,” he handed it back.
Now that I was holding both items again, I wasn’t sure what to do. I decided to lean over Aaron to put the harness on awkwardly. I lifted Charlie’s legs into the holes. Heat radiated off his thighs, and I was sure my hand brushed his bulge more than once. I didn’t take a good look, but I was sure the shape changed behind his zipper while I secured the little belly strap and snapped the leash on. Once I finished, Charlie remained on his lap.
“Well, that’s one way to get it on him.” He smirked at me. I don’t know why I didn’t move him to the cushion, table, floor, or even on my legs. Why did I do that on his lap? Could I get more awkward?
“Um, yeah,” I said rather lamely.
“Give it a gentle tug, and say, ‘Charlie come.’” He told me while looking directly at me. I did as described, and Charlie walked off his lap and over to me. “You will need to know a few things to get through tonight.
“You’re leaving me?” My voice came out high-pitched. Terror at being alone with him again gripped me.
“You’re going to be fine.” He patted my thigh, and my entire body lit on fire. “First, don’t let him off his harness. Wrap the leash around your wrist and let him sleep on the bed in his bag, at least tonight.Second, don’t overfeed him. Dragon vomit is disgusting; dragons eat anything that tastes good, and if they get too full, they gag it up. The smell is atrocious. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is wake up with a wad of dragon vomit stuck to your face. I know this from experience. Finally, do not leave this apartment. Unless there are flames.” He stopped and chuckled, “Unless you see big flames you can’t put out, stay in this apartment.”
“When will you be back?” I asked, sounding desperate.
“I should be back tomorrow morning.” I was relieved to know that it wouldn’t be that long. I realized I wanted him back here for myself as much as for Charlie. Smiling broadly, I knew it would be a long night as I thought about those emerald eyes and muscles for days. I couldn’t wait until I learned more about CharlieandAaron tomorrow.
