Page 13 of Gladiator's Bite
“Uncertainty,” he said. “I’ve been doing my best to let you think on your own but I’m bad at that. We all grow up knowing that everyone and their carrier listens in on each other. First times, uncertainty, wanting something a lot – all those things can cause anxiety.”
My dragon pressed himself against my spine trying to reach Laken’s inner beast. Setting aside the sponge, Laken wrapped his arms around me from behind and I leaned against him reveling in his strength.
Shouldn’t this be the other way around? The thought flashed through my mind for the briefest second but it lingered long enough for Laken to pick it up. His muscles stiffened behind me and his scent turned to irritated.
“Here, rinse off and get out so I can clean up. You can wait in the office, if you want.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“I’m not arguing with you inside a tiny glass coffin, Sunny. If you want to stay in, I’ll get out.”
“I don’t want anyone to get out and I don’t want to argue!” I said, struggling and failing to keep my voice level.
“Don’t do that. Don’t creep that volume up at me. We can yell somewhere else but we’re not doing it like that. You’re not my damn daddy. You’re not some teenage idiot who can use age as an excuse for ignorance.”
I rinsed off and got out of the shower. If I had brought my bag from the locker room with me, I might’ve left. I could’ve gone and argued with Teddy. Picked a fight with him or something.
“We’re not picking a fight with Teddy!”my dragon huffed inside my thoughts.“This doesn’t have anything to do with him! You had to go and sound like Clarence FUCKING Moonscale!”
Great!
I tossed my hands up.
Even my Frost-damned dragon was angry with me.
Crossing my arms, I paced the length of Laken’s office. There wasn’t anywhere I was willing to go without my clothes. Half the flight here walked around with their balls flapping in the breeze, but it seemed so undignified. It was half an hour before the bathroom door finally opened.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I said.
“Some of the time,” he said.
We blinked at each other through the steam rolling out of the open bathroom door. Laken wore only his towel too. His wet hair was combed back leaving his face naked and vulnerable.
“Do you want to sit down?” he asked.
“Okay,” I nodded but didn’t move.
“Come on,” Laken sighed, sat down on the sofa, and patted the spot next to him.
I sat down unsure of what to say or do.
“I’ve heard a lot about Earthside and I don’t know whether to word vomit my internal monologue all over this situation orjust leave it alone. I’ve never been good at leaving stuff alone, though. Leaving stuff alone leaves it to fester. We’re not like Earthside. You know that. Our leaders aren’t always alphas and rights are divided up by anything. My rights end when I step on yours and vice versa. That’s rights at a flight level.”
I turned sideways on the sofa so he knew I was listening to what he said. I knew how I meant what I thought but Laken was new to being inside my head. It was a trick I picked up from some of the older guys back in Heartville. You faced the person speaking and kept your arms down. Sometimes it was posturizing but most of the time it meant someone was actually listening.
He paused and I wasn’t sure what to say or if he wanted me to say anything. Maybe he was just gathering his thoughts.
“I have questions for you eventually,” he said, “because I want to know who made you doubt so much of what you actually think.”
“I’m not like Selt. That’s all I was going to say.”
“I know you’re not. I’d not choose a fuck face like him in any lifetime,” Laken laughed. “What I meant, though, was that Selt and people like him do exist here. I don’t need perfect equality. Equality doesn’t help us. Equity does but that’s on a society level. I won’t argue with you or anyone in a tight space. We’re dragons. At the end of the day, we’re all instinct and what we can do with that.”
“I don’t want to argue,” I said, desperation gripping me.
“I know but this conversation could turn into one. We’re going to disagree on shit, Sunny. I know this is a hard conversation to have an hour after we just met. Maybe two hours. I don’t know. I’m not a clock. What I meant by some of the time it should be the other way around is that yeah, there will totally be times, where I need or want emotional comfort orcloseness or whatever. Maybe I’ll just want you to fuck my brains out in the shower. Maybe not that shower, though.”
We both laughed despite the tension clinging to the office air.