Post by Declan Tribal on May 3, 2009 17:57:36 GMT
This is a Declan/Serylis oriented story that I've been working on and off for several months now. After much heavy editing and re-writing several sections, I believe I've now finished this and thus I'm posting it for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
This fic contains some very strong language and suggestive content - if you don't like the idea of a rat and a dragon getting hot and steamy, I suggest you hit the back button. Don't start complaining for reading material you're not comfortable with.
And now, on with the show!
The moonlight shined across Declan’s form, making his fur shimmer, as he lay awake in his bed. It was past midnight, but the nezumi couldn’t sleep. Even if he just laid his head down, Declan couldn’t feel himself getting tired one bit. He peered outside the window for a moment.
It was a clear night alright; the moon and stars were visible, and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. The town he was staying in glowed a faint gold as the street lanterns covered the near empty streets, as romantic couples and helpless drunks trawled through them.
Declan sighed deeply as he looked outside, as a single thought crossed his mind:
Serylis…
His train of thought had been drifting off towards her lately, even more than usual. Declan sat up in his bed, the covers falling from his chest as he thought back on everything they had done together up until now. It had only been a short while, but in the back of his mind, they’d had already grown close to one another, ever since he saved her life back at the Slaver’s camp. But Serylis had taken to keeping more and more to herself recently, as evident by their sleeping in separate rooms at inns. It was apparent that her ordeal had left a huge scar on her psyche that had yet to heal fully.
Shaking his head to himself, Declan slowly got out of bed and threw on his leather pants and t-shirt, and made his way out into the corridor. Lucky for him, all the other occupants who were staying were already asleep, and the loud ruckus coming downstairs had quieted down a bit. Declan then crept over to the next room where Serylis was staying. The young nezumi knocked a couple of times, waiting a few minutes for an answer.
Nothing.
He then knocked again, this time calling out to her through the door.
“Hey, Serylis? You awake in there?”
No answer.
He considered barging in, but then there’s the risk of missing some pieces of his body if he’d ever woke Serylis up abruptly. But at this point, Declan really didn’t care much for his own safety, as his grip soon found it’s way on the door handle and turned. Quickly peering into the room, he saw that Serylis was sound asleep in her bed. It was very rare for her, as normally she’d be laying on her back, one eye half open and her axe gripped firmly in her hands. This time around, Serylis was sleeping on her belly, the dragoness’ eyes were fully closed, and her large frame rose and fell each time she breathed, her rather loud snoring filled the room as she slept. Declan also noticed that she was hugging a pillow while she slept, which was odd considering that she didn’t seem very affectionate. Well, to him, at least.
Declan closed the door behind him and quietly stepped over to her bed, treading lightly on the wooden floorboards so they wouldn’t creek so suddenly. He looked over her as she slept – Serylis had taken to sleeping nude and under the covers, the small of her back barely covered by her sheets. The nezumi was enticed by the sight of her. Without thinking, he reached out to stroke at Serylis’ shoulder, his fingertips pressed into the taut muscle without breaking the scales with his claws.
The dragoness moaned underneath his touch as he massaged her shoulder, shifting around in her bed as she stirred light, murmuring something in her sleep. “Mmm… Rex…” Declan recoiled and retracted his hand quickly, as Serylis slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to face the shocked nezumi, her blurry vision soon adjusted to her now awake state.
Her body now awake and senses on high alert, Serylis jumped as soon as she spotted Declan standing right in front of her, reaching down the side of her bed for her axe and picked it up, ready to swing it at Declan, now completely petrified at how his little intrusion act had turned out.
“Wa-wa-wa-wa-wait, wait, wait! It’s me! It’s me, Serylis!”
She stopped dead in her tracks, the edge of her axe just inches away from Declan’s face, taking a few minutes to realize who it was she was about to strike just now.
“…De… Declan?”
Snorting angrily, she dropped the weapon down on the floor with a loud clanking noise and tried covering herself up with the bed sheets. “I thought I…” she paused for a moment to turn her head to one side, breaking eye contact with Declan before speaking again. “I thought I locked that damn door.”
“Sorry,” Declan responded quietly. “Just wanted to check on you, that’s all.”
“Well, I’m fine, alright? Now if you’ve got nothing else to do, get the hell out and back into your own bed.”
Declan clenched his jaws together at that last line. He’d always been pushed out of the way by her like that, but this time, he decided it was time to share a piece of his mind with the dragoness.
“No, you’re not fine. You haven’t spoken to me properly in a while.”
Serylis maintained her silence. Her eyes were still trained to a certain spot on the floor, not even looking up at Declan for a split second. The nezumi got down on one knee, and bringing his hand to her chin, he slowly brought it up to his level.
“Talk to me, Serylis. Please. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Don’t fucking touch me,” Serylis snapped, snatching his hand away from her chin. “Just what do you think you’re doing barging into my personal space?! Again!”
“Hey, I was only trying to help,” Declan responded. “But it’s so hard to do whenever you try to push me away every time I think you and me are getting closer.”
Serylis’ eyes widened at those last words. “Getting… closer? And just what do you mean by that?”
Declan let out a heavy sigh at this point and stood back up on his feet. “You know what I mean, Serylis. Ever since we first met, you thought of me as nothing but a burglar that tried to rob your farm. But as we traveled together these past few weeks, I’ve been feeling that we’ve been a real team together. And when I saved your life back at the slaver’s camp, you were happy that I came for you. I could see it in your eyes. And ever since that day, I thought that things would be different for us, but it hasn’t – not a damn thing has changed between us.”
He could feel his arms tingle as the adrenaline coursed throughout his veins, as he clenched his fists in anger. “I don’t understand you sometimes – you hold me close when you need me, and you push me away when you don’t. What more do you want from me, Serylis? What more can I give you?”
Serylis looked down at the floorboards again. She couldn’t forget that day, being trapped in that water tank for god knows how long, her wings shredded and body beaten senseless. And she was glad that her friends had come to save her, especially Declan in particular. Even though she could never admit to it. Those memories had obviously struck a nerve, and she tried to hide her face behind her own bangs, trying not to let Declan see her on the verge of tears.
“I… I don’t know. Maybe something that you can’t give…”
“Like what, perhaps?” Declan asked.
“I just don’t know, Declan! You can’t do anything for me. My whole life’s been one colossal fuck up after another. I lost my parents, my husband, my friends, my farm, and my position in the Lindblum army… I’ve got nothing worthwhile anymore.”
Declan sighed again. “Now, that’s not true – you still have friends, right? Tristan, Frato, Silas, Terry… Even me.” He reached out to grab her chin once more and tilted it to his level, but this time, she didn’t resist. He could see that Serylis’ scale cheeks shimmered slightly with the tracks of her tears.
“I… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”
“Don’t be, Declan. I’m just not worth it. Ever since Rex died, things have been falling apart at the seams. Nothing’s been right for me, but I don’t expect that to change so soon. Heh. Guess this is what they mean by being cursed.”
“Why do you say that?”
“What do you think, Declan? I’m a dragon. We kill things for shits and giggles; we don’t need a logical reason for it. We’re not meant to mingle with normal everyday folk here. Why else did me and Rex live out in the wilderness when we were married? Do you think the townsfolk back at his home village would blindly accept us, given our differences in race?”
Declan sighed again, this time he took a seat next to Serylis on the bed. An awkward silence filled the room as Declan looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, trying to think of something to say; he couldn’t find the words to express his feelings.
“So anyway, why did you come in here? Besides playing peeping tom?”
“I-I wasn’t,” Declan stammered, his face turning a deep shade of red. “I was just… You know that I care about you, right? I just wanted to keep an eye on you, since you haven’t been opening up to me lately.”
“And why would I want to do that?” Serylis responded. “Do I need to spill every single miniscule detail about my personal life to a stranger, one that I’ve only known for a short while?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… Well, you’ve been increasingly cold towards me these past few weeks. Why? I thought you cared about me at least somewhat. So why won’t you show it?”
Serylis furrowed her scaled brows. He was certainly being very intrusive tonight.
“Now you’re just pushing it, Declan,” Serylis responded. “What does it matter to you, anyway? You saved my life a few times, and I appreciate that, at least. Why should I care for you more than that?”
“Because I feel that you do care for me more than you think. Remember South Gate? You could’ve gone back home a hermit after you killed Big Roy and his crew, but you didn’t. You could’ve gone home after I rescued you from Yaesu, but you didn’t. So why did you tag along with me after all this time, anyway?”
Serylis sighed once again. “Look, just because I chose to stay with you doesn’t mean that I… I love you or anything like that. That would be dumb. I mean, I’m probably old enough to be your grandma! I’m looking for Jecht, too, just like you are. He’s an old comrade from back in the day, so I’m just doing him a favor.”
Declan turned his head to look at Serylis as she said that. “Oh, really? Why my old man, then? You could’ve held a reunion for your other pals back in the 8th legion.”
Serylis was silent for a few moments. Why did she really follow Declan around after all this time? Did she really want to see her old friend one more time? Or maybe she really did harbor some feelings for Declan?
“I don’t really know, Declan. Who do I care about, really? I don’t really have any real friends but you and Jecht. Mom and Dad didn’t understand me very well when I was just a kid. Maybe my grandma did, maybe Rex too. But he’s gone, because I wasn’t there when he really needed me. And that’s the story of my life, Declan. I’m just better off being alone than getting involved with somebody, then ruining their life.”
“What do you mean, Serylis?”
“I told you, I’m cursed. If I have to care for someone, I’d have to give a part of myself to him or her. And if they died, I’d never be able to recover. But… you’re more than just a comrade, or a friend, Declan. You mean more than that – you saved my life. But I can’t allow myself to go further than that. If you’d died, I-I wouldn’t know what I would do!”
Serylis stared at the floor again, her fists clenched tightly as she tried to fight back more tears. Damn you for making me feel this way, you freakin’ bastard…
Declan just looked over at the dragoness as she lowered her head again, placing a hand on her shoulder as he spoke. “Serylis… You worry too much about what will happen in the future. Isn’t it enough to be content with what you’ve got right now? You still have me by your side, and that’s important, right?”
Serylis looked up at Declan for a moment, and then looked back down again. “That’s not the point! I… I mean, we dragons, we… we mate for life, y’know? So if I were to pick out a boyfriend or a husband, I’m stuck with him forever. So I just can’t handle another heartache like I did with Rex. And…” She fell silent for a moment as she took a deep breath. “…I do care about you, in some way. You’re the only guy I’ve met in a long time that hasn’t treated me like crap. All the other men I’ve met over the years were just drunken horny bastards wanting to get into my pants.”
The nezumi was taken back just then, his heart racing like made as he heard those words. She… likes me?! “I… Well, see… I-I- No, I’m not…I mean, I’m not that special, really,” Declan stammered as he spoke, his cheeks showed up a deep shade of crimson as he blushed. “But I’m flattered…” His next few words carried a rather serious tone. “You say that you do care, but you haven’t been showing it to me. What’s stopping you from showing me the ounce of affection and respect that you say you have for me?”
Serylis sniffled at that point, then grunted so she could pass it off as a throat irritation, determined not to look weak and vulnerable in front of him. “I guess I’m not the tough, sturdy woman that you thought I am,” she said in a quiet tone. “It’s because I’m afraid - afraid of losing you. That’s why I haven’t been so straight with you all this time. I was afraid to care about anyone – or anyone care about me – after Rex died. I kept everyone away from me, even isolating myself from the outside world. That’s why I’ve been living alone like a hermit after all this time. And then…” She stammered as she spoke. “You showed up, on that day. I guess this is what’s called fate, huh?”
“I… guess I really don’t really believe in fate.”
“Neither do I. At least, that’s what I’ve wanted to believe. But I couldn’t shake the fact that you’d come into my life and change everything about me within two weeks like that.” Serylis took a breather to lean back a bit, her head tilted back slightly as she stared up at the ceiling. “I tried so hard not to change back to my old ways before I met Rex, but each day I spent with you hurt a little bit more, as those old wounds started opening up again. I just wish… I just wish it was so easy for me to say I love you, Declan…”
Declan was smitten by her words just then, as he crawled behind the dragoness and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her. “Then just say those words, Serylis, if that’s what you want.”
She looked down in surprise as Declan’s arms surrounded her mid section, placing her hand atop of Declan’s as she spoke. “I… I can’t. Not until I have a guarantee that you won’t be stupid enough to get yourself killed before your time.”
“You know I can’t afford to die yet, Serylis. I’ve still got to find my old man and the truth about my amnesia,” Declan spoke. “But… I can’t make a promise about something as unrealistic as that.”
She sighed once again. “Just promise me, please!”
Declan shook his head. She really is playing hard to get, isn’t she? He brought his hand up to her cheek and turned her head around to face him. “Serylis… I… Alright. I promise, for you. I promise I won’t get myself killed or anything.”
Serylis turned around on that spot, almost on the verge of tears as she threw her arms around Declan, almost crushing him in her embrace as she forgets about the bed sheets wrapped around her as they fall off her body to cuddle up to her Burmecian teddy bear. He was slow to reciprocate, taking in Serylis’ sudden actions just them as he slowly wrapped his arms around her in return, the dragoness sobbing quietly into his shoulder as he comforted her.
“Thank you…” she said to him softly. “Thank you…”
The two remained that way for a while, but they didn’t care. Serylis remained holding onto Declan before she decided to pull away, quickly realizing that her bare chest was showing as she quickly grabbed the bed sheet and covered herself up again. They sat on the bed in awkward silence for a moment before Declan finally broke the silence.
“So what made you take up sleeping in the nude, anyway? It’s not like you to…”
Serylis looked down at herself as she spoke, still feeling somewhat embarrassed from her accidental exposure. “Well, see… I was getting the feel of what it was like when I was living with Rex,” she said with a soft smile on her face. “I remember all those nights he used to make love to me, then we just lay in bed and stared at the stars. Sometimes, he drew all the constellations with his finger. Before we drifted off to sleep, that is.”
“So Rex was a good guy, then?”
“Yeah. He was everything a woman could ask for in a guy – strong, handsome, sweet, caring, and a damn sight better at household chores than I could be.” Serylis turned her head to the side as she stared down at the floor again, taking a deep breath as she sighed heavily. “I probably haven’t told you this, but… you remind me of him, in a lot of ways.”
“I… do?”
Turning back round, Serylis faced Declan once more, reaching for the back of his head and grabbing a large pile of hair in her palm, leaving his bangs to hang in front of his face. “Hey, what are yo-”
But before he could finish that sentence, he saw himself in the mirror placed on top of the drawer next to the bed. The dragoness had made a ponytail with his hair. Declan was never one to have his hair tied back, preferring it to have it worn down. But seeing himself like this made the nezumi wonder why she’d have his hair tied back.
“Y’know, if you wore your hair like this and grew yourself a goatee, you’d just look like him,” Serylis said in a quiet voice. Looking down on the bed again, she had released her grip on his hair, allowing the nezumi a chance to sort his locks out, running his fingers through it and straightening it with his hands.
“When I first saw you, I was really surprised as to how you two were both alike. Not just with looks, either – the way you walked, your gestures, how you acted… It was really bugging me at first, but after traveling with you for so long… It was as if I started seeing Rex in you again.”
Declan looked back at Serylis again, raising his knee up as he rested his arm on top of it. “Who knows? Maybe I’m Rex reincarnated, or something like that,” he said with a grin.
“If only…” Serylis gave a soft smile, something she wouldn’t normally do, before her expression dropped again. “But, in spite of all that, you’re different somehow. Not because of the difference in race or anything. But I just can’t put my finger on it… Maybe… Oh, I don’t know…”
The dragoness turned her face as she spoke, as a soft red hue appeared on her cheeks as she was blushing. She still remembered Declan being the one performing mouth-to-mouth on her when she was rescued from that water tank. She never really did acknowledge him for it, but deep down in her heart, she knew that if it weren’t for his intervention, she wouldn’t be sitting there right now.
“Serylis?” Declan spoke out as he reached out to grab her shoulder. Feeling the taut muscle underneath her smooth scales, the nezumi looked on in awe as to how well built she was. Wow… She must’ve spent years working out to get a body like that, he thought to himself.
Serylis turned around, the dragoness not recoiling away from him this time as he touched; instead she leaned in close to him, placing a scaled palm on his back and getting a good feel of the muscles on his body through his shirt. Obviously Declan wasn’t as well muscled as she was, but he certainly did have a better build than the average Burmecian, even for his age. Her other hand let go of the bed sheets wrapped around her, the material falling off her body as she placed it around the back of his head, fingers brushing through those brown locks as she held his head, with Declan reaching out to hold Serylis’ waist in return.
They soon closed in on one another, their breathing gradually growing heavy and labored as their muzzles drew close to each other. Both of them held deep feelings for each other – For Serylis, he was her benefactor and savoir, and probably the only reason she had left for living. For Declan, she was a reliable partner and a solid shoulder to lean on. Their jaws parted as they leaned in for the inevitable kiss, both partners closed their eyes as they can feel their warm breaths blowing against each other’s mouths, just literally less than an inch away from each other.
This is it… This is really happening, Declan thought to himself, just about to plant a passionate kiss on those scaled lips right in front of him. The nezumi leaned in and jerked his head forward, finally taking the initiative as he sealed his lips around hers. That one kiss lasted for as long as they could hold it, both of them savoring that one moment.
Finally, after god knows how long, they parted from the kiss, both Declan and Serylis looked at each other for a moment or two, their breaths still shakey. “Wow…” Declan muttered to himself quietly, turning his head to one side as his cheeks flushed a soft hue of pink. Serylis smirked at him, picking up the discarded bed sheet to cover herself back up again.
“What’s the matter? You never kissed a girl before?” She asked in her usual smug mocking tone.
“N-No! Well, not like that before…” Declan spoke softly, his voice trailed off as he can feel the heat rise in his cheeks. “Can’t say I’ve made it that far in any relationship.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m the same way. Or rather, didn’t bother to make any progress. Everyone who tried to make a move on me ended up with broken glass in their face, a broken nose, or their face scorched to hell,” Serylis said, as she gave a sly smirk during that last part. “And there was this group of about three guys who tried to have their way with me… Well, let’s just say that anyone who knew ‘em won’t be able to recognize them anymore.”
Declan looked at her in shock, which Serylis simply smirked at. The dragoness looked to one side and sighed softly. “Listen, Declan. I just wanted to thank you again. For… tonight, y’know?”
“Oh, um… It-it was nothing, really,” the nezumi responded with another slight blush.
“Don’t say it’s nothing! I’m just glad you came, and got me thinking about a lot of things – About Rex, about us. I know I can be a bitch to stand up to, but you came when I needed you the most again, and I appreciate it. So thanks.”
Declan just simply nodded in affirmation. It was true that he started to become much bolder the more he hung around Serylis, and she starting to show a much softer side. She leant back onto her bed, smiling at the nezumi. “I’ll let you share my bed for tonight. Just don’t go and backdoor assault me with your genitals or anything like that.”
“W-what?! I’d never…” Declan just simply shook his head and was about to crawl in when she stopped him. “Nuh-uh! Shirt off! I want to feel you against me.” The nezumi reluctantly shed his top, revealing his toned torso. Serylis was right about one thing – he certainly wasn’t too scrawny, and had been taking good care of himself. Slowly, he pulled the covers off Serylis and laid on the dragoness, an almost quiet gast escaped his lips as he felt just how warm she really was. Serylis simply finished up as she pulled the sheet back over the two, with Declan laying his head on her. The dragoness curled his brown locks around between her fingers, those silky smooth strands bristling over her sensitive scales.
“Hey, Serylis?” Declan asked once more. “When you were trapped in that interrogation room, what was it that you wished for?”
“To get out of there. Duh! You say it like I was fantasizing about winning the lottery while getting the shit kicked out of me, or something.”
Declan rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. But what I mean is… Did you wish for anything in particular?”
Serylis looked down at the nezumi again, and stopped playing with his hair. "Yeah... I did." It was apparent from her voice that she was staring to get sleepy, her eyelids gradually becoming heavy as she almost fell asleep. “I wanted… to see you again.”
Declan was stunned. His face lit up as he took a moment to find an appropriate response. “R-really?! You mean it?”
But there was no response from the dragoness as she was already sound asleep, her body rose and fell with each breath she took. “Serylis?” Declan asked again.
No response.
The nezumi just shrugged and laid back down on the dragoness again as he too drifted off to sleep, curling his fingers around that taut frame of hers. Perhaps now, they can both sleep peacefully for once.
This fic contains some very strong language and suggestive content - if you don't like the idea of a rat and a dragon getting hot and steamy, I suggest you hit the back button. Don't start complaining for reading material you're not comfortable with.
And now, on with the show!
The moonlight shined across Declan’s form, making his fur shimmer, as he lay awake in his bed. It was past midnight, but the nezumi couldn’t sleep. Even if he just laid his head down, Declan couldn’t feel himself getting tired one bit. He peered outside the window for a moment.
It was a clear night alright; the moon and stars were visible, and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. The town he was staying in glowed a faint gold as the street lanterns covered the near empty streets, as romantic couples and helpless drunks trawled through them.
Declan sighed deeply as he looked outside, as a single thought crossed his mind:
Serylis…
His train of thought had been drifting off towards her lately, even more than usual. Declan sat up in his bed, the covers falling from his chest as he thought back on everything they had done together up until now. It had only been a short while, but in the back of his mind, they’d had already grown close to one another, ever since he saved her life back at the Slaver’s camp. But Serylis had taken to keeping more and more to herself recently, as evident by their sleeping in separate rooms at inns. It was apparent that her ordeal had left a huge scar on her psyche that had yet to heal fully.
Shaking his head to himself, Declan slowly got out of bed and threw on his leather pants and t-shirt, and made his way out into the corridor. Lucky for him, all the other occupants who were staying were already asleep, and the loud ruckus coming downstairs had quieted down a bit. Declan then crept over to the next room where Serylis was staying. The young nezumi knocked a couple of times, waiting a few minutes for an answer.
Nothing.
He then knocked again, this time calling out to her through the door.
“Hey, Serylis? You awake in there?”
No answer.
He considered barging in, but then there’s the risk of missing some pieces of his body if he’d ever woke Serylis up abruptly. But at this point, Declan really didn’t care much for his own safety, as his grip soon found it’s way on the door handle and turned. Quickly peering into the room, he saw that Serylis was sound asleep in her bed. It was very rare for her, as normally she’d be laying on her back, one eye half open and her axe gripped firmly in her hands. This time around, Serylis was sleeping on her belly, the dragoness’ eyes were fully closed, and her large frame rose and fell each time she breathed, her rather loud snoring filled the room as she slept. Declan also noticed that she was hugging a pillow while she slept, which was odd considering that she didn’t seem very affectionate. Well, to him, at least.
Declan closed the door behind him and quietly stepped over to her bed, treading lightly on the wooden floorboards so they wouldn’t creek so suddenly. He looked over her as she slept – Serylis had taken to sleeping nude and under the covers, the small of her back barely covered by her sheets. The nezumi was enticed by the sight of her. Without thinking, he reached out to stroke at Serylis’ shoulder, his fingertips pressed into the taut muscle without breaking the scales with his claws.
The dragoness moaned underneath his touch as he massaged her shoulder, shifting around in her bed as she stirred light, murmuring something in her sleep. “Mmm… Rex…” Declan recoiled and retracted his hand quickly, as Serylis slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to face the shocked nezumi, her blurry vision soon adjusted to her now awake state.
Her body now awake and senses on high alert, Serylis jumped as soon as she spotted Declan standing right in front of her, reaching down the side of her bed for her axe and picked it up, ready to swing it at Declan, now completely petrified at how his little intrusion act had turned out.
“Wa-wa-wa-wa-wait, wait, wait! It’s me! It’s me, Serylis!”
She stopped dead in her tracks, the edge of her axe just inches away from Declan’s face, taking a few minutes to realize who it was she was about to strike just now.
“…De… Declan?”
Snorting angrily, she dropped the weapon down on the floor with a loud clanking noise and tried covering herself up with the bed sheets. “I thought I…” she paused for a moment to turn her head to one side, breaking eye contact with Declan before speaking again. “I thought I locked that damn door.”
“Sorry,” Declan responded quietly. “Just wanted to check on you, that’s all.”
“Well, I’m fine, alright? Now if you’ve got nothing else to do, get the hell out and back into your own bed.”
Declan clenched his jaws together at that last line. He’d always been pushed out of the way by her like that, but this time, he decided it was time to share a piece of his mind with the dragoness.
“No, you’re not fine. You haven’t spoken to me properly in a while.”
Serylis maintained her silence. Her eyes were still trained to a certain spot on the floor, not even looking up at Declan for a split second. The nezumi got down on one knee, and bringing his hand to her chin, he slowly brought it up to his level.
“Talk to me, Serylis. Please. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Don’t fucking touch me,” Serylis snapped, snatching his hand away from her chin. “Just what do you think you’re doing barging into my personal space?! Again!”
“Hey, I was only trying to help,” Declan responded. “But it’s so hard to do whenever you try to push me away every time I think you and me are getting closer.”
Serylis’ eyes widened at those last words. “Getting… closer? And just what do you mean by that?”
Declan let out a heavy sigh at this point and stood back up on his feet. “You know what I mean, Serylis. Ever since we first met, you thought of me as nothing but a burglar that tried to rob your farm. But as we traveled together these past few weeks, I’ve been feeling that we’ve been a real team together. And when I saved your life back at the slaver’s camp, you were happy that I came for you. I could see it in your eyes. And ever since that day, I thought that things would be different for us, but it hasn’t – not a damn thing has changed between us.”
He could feel his arms tingle as the adrenaline coursed throughout his veins, as he clenched his fists in anger. “I don’t understand you sometimes – you hold me close when you need me, and you push me away when you don’t. What more do you want from me, Serylis? What more can I give you?”
Serylis looked down at the floorboards again. She couldn’t forget that day, being trapped in that water tank for god knows how long, her wings shredded and body beaten senseless. And she was glad that her friends had come to save her, especially Declan in particular. Even though she could never admit to it. Those memories had obviously struck a nerve, and she tried to hide her face behind her own bangs, trying not to let Declan see her on the verge of tears.
“I… I don’t know. Maybe something that you can’t give…”
“Like what, perhaps?” Declan asked.
“I just don’t know, Declan! You can’t do anything for me. My whole life’s been one colossal fuck up after another. I lost my parents, my husband, my friends, my farm, and my position in the Lindblum army… I’ve got nothing worthwhile anymore.”
Declan sighed again. “Now, that’s not true – you still have friends, right? Tristan, Frato, Silas, Terry… Even me.” He reached out to grab her chin once more and tilted it to his level, but this time, she didn’t resist. He could see that Serylis’ scale cheeks shimmered slightly with the tracks of her tears.
“I… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”
“Don’t be, Declan. I’m just not worth it. Ever since Rex died, things have been falling apart at the seams. Nothing’s been right for me, but I don’t expect that to change so soon. Heh. Guess this is what they mean by being cursed.”
“Why do you say that?”
“What do you think, Declan? I’m a dragon. We kill things for shits and giggles; we don’t need a logical reason for it. We’re not meant to mingle with normal everyday folk here. Why else did me and Rex live out in the wilderness when we were married? Do you think the townsfolk back at his home village would blindly accept us, given our differences in race?”
Declan sighed again, this time he took a seat next to Serylis on the bed. An awkward silence filled the room as Declan looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, trying to think of something to say; he couldn’t find the words to express his feelings.
“So anyway, why did you come in here? Besides playing peeping tom?”
“I-I wasn’t,” Declan stammered, his face turning a deep shade of red. “I was just… You know that I care about you, right? I just wanted to keep an eye on you, since you haven’t been opening up to me lately.”
“And why would I want to do that?” Serylis responded. “Do I need to spill every single miniscule detail about my personal life to a stranger, one that I’ve only known for a short while?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… Well, you’ve been increasingly cold towards me these past few weeks. Why? I thought you cared about me at least somewhat. So why won’t you show it?”
Serylis furrowed her scaled brows. He was certainly being very intrusive tonight.
“Now you’re just pushing it, Declan,” Serylis responded. “What does it matter to you, anyway? You saved my life a few times, and I appreciate that, at least. Why should I care for you more than that?”
“Because I feel that you do care for me more than you think. Remember South Gate? You could’ve gone back home a hermit after you killed Big Roy and his crew, but you didn’t. You could’ve gone home after I rescued you from Yaesu, but you didn’t. So why did you tag along with me after all this time, anyway?”
Serylis sighed once again. “Look, just because I chose to stay with you doesn’t mean that I… I love you or anything like that. That would be dumb. I mean, I’m probably old enough to be your grandma! I’m looking for Jecht, too, just like you are. He’s an old comrade from back in the day, so I’m just doing him a favor.”
Declan turned his head to look at Serylis as she said that. “Oh, really? Why my old man, then? You could’ve held a reunion for your other pals back in the 8th legion.”
Serylis was silent for a few moments. Why did she really follow Declan around after all this time? Did she really want to see her old friend one more time? Or maybe she really did harbor some feelings for Declan?
“I don’t really know, Declan. Who do I care about, really? I don’t really have any real friends but you and Jecht. Mom and Dad didn’t understand me very well when I was just a kid. Maybe my grandma did, maybe Rex too. But he’s gone, because I wasn’t there when he really needed me. And that’s the story of my life, Declan. I’m just better off being alone than getting involved with somebody, then ruining their life.”
“What do you mean, Serylis?”
“I told you, I’m cursed. If I have to care for someone, I’d have to give a part of myself to him or her. And if they died, I’d never be able to recover. But… you’re more than just a comrade, or a friend, Declan. You mean more than that – you saved my life. But I can’t allow myself to go further than that. If you’d died, I-I wouldn’t know what I would do!”
Serylis stared at the floor again, her fists clenched tightly as she tried to fight back more tears. Damn you for making me feel this way, you freakin’ bastard…
Declan just looked over at the dragoness as she lowered her head again, placing a hand on her shoulder as he spoke. “Serylis… You worry too much about what will happen in the future. Isn’t it enough to be content with what you’ve got right now? You still have me by your side, and that’s important, right?”
Serylis looked up at Declan for a moment, and then looked back down again. “That’s not the point! I… I mean, we dragons, we… we mate for life, y’know? So if I were to pick out a boyfriend or a husband, I’m stuck with him forever. So I just can’t handle another heartache like I did with Rex. And…” She fell silent for a moment as she took a deep breath. “…I do care about you, in some way. You’re the only guy I’ve met in a long time that hasn’t treated me like crap. All the other men I’ve met over the years were just drunken horny bastards wanting to get into my pants.”
The nezumi was taken back just then, his heart racing like made as he heard those words. She… likes me?! “I… Well, see… I-I- No, I’m not…I mean, I’m not that special, really,” Declan stammered as he spoke, his cheeks showed up a deep shade of crimson as he blushed. “But I’m flattered…” His next few words carried a rather serious tone. “You say that you do care, but you haven’t been showing it to me. What’s stopping you from showing me the ounce of affection and respect that you say you have for me?”
Serylis sniffled at that point, then grunted so she could pass it off as a throat irritation, determined not to look weak and vulnerable in front of him. “I guess I’m not the tough, sturdy woman that you thought I am,” she said in a quiet tone. “It’s because I’m afraid - afraid of losing you. That’s why I haven’t been so straight with you all this time. I was afraid to care about anyone – or anyone care about me – after Rex died. I kept everyone away from me, even isolating myself from the outside world. That’s why I’ve been living alone like a hermit after all this time. And then…” She stammered as she spoke. “You showed up, on that day. I guess this is what’s called fate, huh?”
“I… guess I really don’t really believe in fate.”
“Neither do I. At least, that’s what I’ve wanted to believe. But I couldn’t shake the fact that you’d come into my life and change everything about me within two weeks like that.” Serylis took a breather to lean back a bit, her head tilted back slightly as she stared up at the ceiling. “I tried so hard not to change back to my old ways before I met Rex, but each day I spent with you hurt a little bit more, as those old wounds started opening up again. I just wish… I just wish it was so easy for me to say I love you, Declan…”
Declan was smitten by her words just then, as he crawled behind the dragoness and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her. “Then just say those words, Serylis, if that’s what you want.”
She looked down in surprise as Declan’s arms surrounded her mid section, placing her hand atop of Declan’s as she spoke. “I… I can’t. Not until I have a guarantee that you won’t be stupid enough to get yourself killed before your time.”
“You know I can’t afford to die yet, Serylis. I’ve still got to find my old man and the truth about my amnesia,” Declan spoke. “But… I can’t make a promise about something as unrealistic as that.”
She sighed once again. “Just promise me, please!”
Declan shook his head. She really is playing hard to get, isn’t she? He brought his hand up to her cheek and turned her head around to face him. “Serylis… I… Alright. I promise, for you. I promise I won’t get myself killed or anything.”
Serylis turned around on that spot, almost on the verge of tears as she threw her arms around Declan, almost crushing him in her embrace as she forgets about the bed sheets wrapped around her as they fall off her body to cuddle up to her Burmecian teddy bear. He was slow to reciprocate, taking in Serylis’ sudden actions just them as he slowly wrapped his arms around her in return, the dragoness sobbing quietly into his shoulder as he comforted her.
“Thank you…” she said to him softly. “Thank you…”
The two remained that way for a while, but they didn’t care. Serylis remained holding onto Declan before she decided to pull away, quickly realizing that her bare chest was showing as she quickly grabbed the bed sheet and covered herself up again. They sat on the bed in awkward silence for a moment before Declan finally broke the silence.
“So what made you take up sleeping in the nude, anyway? It’s not like you to…”
Serylis looked down at herself as she spoke, still feeling somewhat embarrassed from her accidental exposure. “Well, see… I was getting the feel of what it was like when I was living with Rex,” she said with a soft smile on her face. “I remember all those nights he used to make love to me, then we just lay in bed and stared at the stars. Sometimes, he drew all the constellations with his finger. Before we drifted off to sleep, that is.”
“So Rex was a good guy, then?”
“Yeah. He was everything a woman could ask for in a guy – strong, handsome, sweet, caring, and a damn sight better at household chores than I could be.” Serylis turned her head to the side as she stared down at the floor again, taking a deep breath as she sighed heavily. “I probably haven’t told you this, but… you remind me of him, in a lot of ways.”
“I… do?”
Turning back round, Serylis faced Declan once more, reaching for the back of his head and grabbing a large pile of hair in her palm, leaving his bangs to hang in front of his face. “Hey, what are yo-”
But before he could finish that sentence, he saw himself in the mirror placed on top of the drawer next to the bed. The dragoness had made a ponytail with his hair. Declan was never one to have his hair tied back, preferring it to have it worn down. But seeing himself like this made the nezumi wonder why she’d have his hair tied back.
“Y’know, if you wore your hair like this and grew yourself a goatee, you’d just look like him,” Serylis said in a quiet voice. Looking down on the bed again, she had released her grip on his hair, allowing the nezumi a chance to sort his locks out, running his fingers through it and straightening it with his hands.
“When I first saw you, I was really surprised as to how you two were both alike. Not just with looks, either – the way you walked, your gestures, how you acted… It was really bugging me at first, but after traveling with you for so long… It was as if I started seeing Rex in you again.”
Declan looked back at Serylis again, raising his knee up as he rested his arm on top of it. “Who knows? Maybe I’m Rex reincarnated, or something like that,” he said with a grin.
“If only…” Serylis gave a soft smile, something she wouldn’t normally do, before her expression dropped again. “But, in spite of all that, you’re different somehow. Not because of the difference in race or anything. But I just can’t put my finger on it… Maybe… Oh, I don’t know…”
The dragoness turned her face as she spoke, as a soft red hue appeared on her cheeks as she was blushing. She still remembered Declan being the one performing mouth-to-mouth on her when she was rescued from that water tank. She never really did acknowledge him for it, but deep down in her heart, she knew that if it weren’t for his intervention, she wouldn’t be sitting there right now.
“Serylis?” Declan spoke out as he reached out to grab her shoulder. Feeling the taut muscle underneath her smooth scales, the nezumi looked on in awe as to how well built she was. Wow… She must’ve spent years working out to get a body like that, he thought to himself.
Serylis turned around, the dragoness not recoiling away from him this time as he touched; instead she leaned in close to him, placing a scaled palm on his back and getting a good feel of the muscles on his body through his shirt. Obviously Declan wasn’t as well muscled as she was, but he certainly did have a better build than the average Burmecian, even for his age. Her other hand let go of the bed sheets wrapped around her, the material falling off her body as she placed it around the back of his head, fingers brushing through those brown locks as she held his head, with Declan reaching out to hold Serylis’ waist in return.
They soon closed in on one another, their breathing gradually growing heavy and labored as their muzzles drew close to each other. Both of them held deep feelings for each other – For Serylis, he was her benefactor and savoir, and probably the only reason she had left for living. For Declan, she was a reliable partner and a solid shoulder to lean on. Their jaws parted as they leaned in for the inevitable kiss, both partners closed their eyes as they can feel their warm breaths blowing against each other’s mouths, just literally less than an inch away from each other.
This is it… This is really happening, Declan thought to himself, just about to plant a passionate kiss on those scaled lips right in front of him. The nezumi leaned in and jerked his head forward, finally taking the initiative as he sealed his lips around hers. That one kiss lasted for as long as they could hold it, both of them savoring that one moment.
Finally, after god knows how long, they parted from the kiss, both Declan and Serylis looked at each other for a moment or two, their breaths still shakey. “Wow…” Declan muttered to himself quietly, turning his head to one side as his cheeks flushed a soft hue of pink. Serylis smirked at him, picking up the discarded bed sheet to cover herself back up again.
“What’s the matter? You never kissed a girl before?” She asked in her usual smug mocking tone.
“N-No! Well, not like that before…” Declan spoke softly, his voice trailed off as he can feel the heat rise in his cheeks. “Can’t say I’ve made it that far in any relationship.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m the same way. Or rather, didn’t bother to make any progress. Everyone who tried to make a move on me ended up with broken glass in their face, a broken nose, or their face scorched to hell,” Serylis said, as she gave a sly smirk during that last part. “And there was this group of about three guys who tried to have their way with me… Well, let’s just say that anyone who knew ‘em won’t be able to recognize them anymore.”
Declan looked at her in shock, which Serylis simply smirked at. The dragoness looked to one side and sighed softly. “Listen, Declan. I just wanted to thank you again. For… tonight, y’know?”
“Oh, um… It-it was nothing, really,” the nezumi responded with another slight blush.
“Don’t say it’s nothing! I’m just glad you came, and got me thinking about a lot of things – About Rex, about us. I know I can be a bitch to stand up to, but you came when I needed you the most again, and I appreciate it. So thanks.”
Declan just simply nodded in affirmation. It was true that he started to become much bolder the more he hung around Serylis, and she starting to show a much softer side. She leant back onto her bed, smiling at the nezumi. “I’ll let you share my bed for tonight. Just don’t go and backdoor assault me with your genitals or anything like that.”
“W-what?! I’d never…” Declan just simply shook his head and was about to crawl in when she stopped him. “Nuh-uh! Shirt off! I want to feel you against me.” The nezumi reluctantly shed his top, revealing his toned torso. Serylis was right about one thing – he certainly wasn’t too scrawny, and had been taking good care of himself. Slowly, he pulled the covers off Serylis and laid on the dragoness, an almost quiet gast escaped his lips as he felt just how warm she really was. Serylis simply finished up as she pulled the sheet back over the two, with Declan laying his head on her. The dragoness curled his brown locks around between her fingers, those silky smooth strands bristling over her sensitive scales.
“Hey, Serylis?” Declan asked once more. “When you were trapped in that interrogation room, what was it that you wished for?”
“To get out of there. Duh! You say it like I was fantasizing about winning the lottery while getting the shit kicked out of me, or something.”
Declan rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. But what I mean is… Did you wish for anything in particular?”
Serylis looked down at the nezumi again, and stopped playing with his hair. "Yeah... I did." It was apparent from her voice that she was staring to get sleepy, her eyelids gradually becoming heavy as she almost fell asleep. “I wanted… to see you again.”
Declan was stunned. His face lit up as he took a moment to find an appropriate response. “R-really?! You mean it?”
But there was no response from the dragoness as she was already sound asleep, her body rose and fell with each breath she took. “Serylis?” Declan asked again.
No response.
The nezumi just shrugged and laid back down on the dragoness again as he too drifted off to sleep, curling his fingers around that taut frame of hers. Perhaps now, they can both sleep peacefully for once.