"Um, hello, do you know where the-"

"Hi, sorry, but do you know where I can find-"

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but do have the directions for-"

No answer, every time. But of course, you couldn't really blame any of the people you asked, It was rather hectic at the moment.

A battle had just concluded, and it wasn't one that would be so easily forgotten anytime soon.

What had started out as a skirmish became progressively more violent as either side refused to back down, instead deciding to call for more reinforcements to help them. What a mess that turned out to be.

Everywhere you looked, there was either blood, weapons, or a crying soldier with they're face to the ground, helpless.

The battle ended in a victory for your own nation, but very few seemed to be celebrating, in fact, you were sure you didn't even spot a single smile. But why would they? The dark clouds which loomed over made the war torn field look outright depressing. The mood of the hour seemed to have been chosen by the gods themselves, and it wasn't a happy one.

You were called to aid one of the injured soldiers, but no one told you where to find them, so you simply wondered the battlefield, asking everyone you could for directions, but no one even gave you a look.

Upon reaching what seemed to be the infantry camps, you spotted a woman.

She was a dragoness, and she looked important. More important than the average soldier, at the very least.

She wore a uniform that looked more decorated then the standard attire, and on her jacket there were three medals. Two silver and one bronze.

You walked over to her. "Um, hello."

You waved at her, timidly. You thought it might be a good way to break the ice, but her stone faced scowl showed you it probably didn't matter what you did.

You snapped your hand back to your side and continued talking. "Do you uh, do you think you can help me find directions to where I need to go?"

She raised a brow, but her face remained stern "Depends, who's asking?"

"I'm here to help a soldier, but I don't know where they are. I would keep looking on my own, but if this person is hurt then they need help right away."

After you finished speaking, she pursed her lips and began squinting at you.

"What d'ya mean you need to help "a" soilder? Just one? We all need help out here! Can't ya see!"

She took her hand and gestured to the various soldiers on the battlefield. Some who were still carrying their squadmates on their shoulders, trying to bring them to the tents.

"I can see that, and while I would love to help them, the letter I got from the army telling me to come here only told me to treat one of them."

You pulled out the letter from your pack and handed to her.

She took the paper and examined it carefully.

"See? And it says right at the bottom I need to go to tent number eighty eight, but I have no clue where it is."

She looked at you, and for the first time, her face had emotion in it.

It looked like shock, but it also had some realization mixed in, like she had just found something she had been looking for and it was right in plain sight.

"Tent number eighty eight..." she looked at you and measured you up, scanning you from the bottom of your mud covered boots to the top of your white and red headband that signified you were had skills in medicine.

"You the herbalist?" She asked, plainly.

"Well, I am an herbalist. Whether or not I'm the one you're looking for though, I don't know."

She scoffed, giving you a half smile.

"Nah, you're definitely him. They don't call you fellas over for medical assistance unless you got a real specific case."

She looked behind her and to the distance, where countless tents stood side by side.

"And I'm pretty sure we got a case like that with us here right now."

She said, rolling up the letter and handing it back to you. "Follow me"

You followed the dragoness and she guided you through the camp. You tried to keep quiet for the entire time, but the part about this being a "specific case" peaked your curiosity too much to just let it go.

"So... what did you mean by what you said earlier?"

"Hmm? Wadd'ya mean?"

"About this being a "special case" or something. Do they need special care or...?"

She smirked, blowing smoke out of her snout "Nah, he's just stubborn. Doesn't really like any of the modern medicine we got now, prefers things to be done the ol' fashioned way."

You nodded. It was a situation you had been in before given the past year or so. Medicine was slowly moving away from using plants as it's main tool. Some people still favoured the more traditional method, however.

"He wouldn't even let anyone touch him with a needle." She continued.

"Said he wanted to see an herbalist and no one else. Man, he can be such a pain sometimes."

You raised a brow "Well, why does this guy get special treatment?"

She looked back at you with a side glance, stopping in place "Do you… know who you're treating?"

You shook your head "Not a clue. Sounds like a real piece of work though."

She laughs, loudly, throwing her left arm around your shoulder and pulling you in. At this point, some of the other soldiers were giving the two of you some mean looks.

She pats your back, a toothy grin on her face. "Ya got that right!" She said, still barely able to control her laughter.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After about a half hour of walking through tents and avoiding eye contact with the wandering soldiers, she stopped and pointed to one of the tents.

"Well, here we are. You got everything ya need with ya in there?" She asked, pointing to the bag on your back.

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks."

She gave you a thumbs up before turning to the tent and screaming at the entrance.

"General Xiao! Your doctor's here!"

Your heart skipped a beat the second you heard that name.

Your head snapped back to the dragoness with a terrified look.

"General?!" You repeated, fear laced in your voice.

She looked at you with a smile. You were unsure if it was mean spirited or not.

"Well what did ya expect? You said it yourself, no regular soldier is gonna get their own doctor at a request"

You turned in place frantically, trying to find the words to express yourself.

"Yeah but, General? I thought he was gonna be like, well, I don't know what I thought but General was definitely not on my mind!" You said, nearly running out of breath.

You brought your hands to your face and pushed your hair back, taking another deep breath.

"Shouldn't there be a professional handling this?" You asked, but it was really more of a plea.

"Ain't you a professional?"

"Well… yes in the sense of it's my job, but… I'm just like every other herbalist! I've never worked on anyone so important, someone better than me should be handling this!"

Before you could continue on your hysterical rant, you heard a deep voice from inside the tent.

"Let him in. And only him."

You both looked at each other.

Her eyes we calm and reassuring while yours were scared and wild.

"Look, I gotta go do something but don't worry! You'll be fine! He ain't that scary once you get to know him. Promise!"

And just like that, she left, leaving only you and a famed war General behind a tent that you had to treat.

How fun.

You walked to the entrance of the tent and took a deep breath.

You had been called here to treat him as an herbalist, so regardless of how anxious you were, you just had to get over it. It was your job. So once you were done pumping yourself up, you took a step into the tent to look at your patient.

The second you laid eyes on him, you could Immediately tell he deserved the position he held.

He was a behemoth of a man.

He was already taller than you while he was sitting down, but even when you didn't count his height you couldn't deny just how… large he was.

His hands were bigger than your face, his muscles were so refined they look like sculpted rock, his tail was so huge it looked like it was a great snake that was simply stuck to his person.

His body, from what you could see of it, was covered in cool azure scales which shifted into a dark violet around other parts.

You could see his horns as well. They looked like tree branches they were so big, and they had an intricate gold design that seemed to run all the way up to his bright orange tips.

You had heard stories of Xiao from your town before. Everyone had said he looked like a myth come to life, but you also believed those were just exaggerations.

Well they clearly weren't.

His back was turned to you, but from what you could tell it looked as if he was inspecting his own wounds, which was very unsafe. Especially with fresh injuries gotten from a war struggle.

You cleared your throat and spoke.

"Uh… Y-You shouldn't really be doing that you know…" you said, nervously.

The great Dragon man in front of you stopped his prodding and turned his head to look at you. His long white hair moving gracefully with him.

"I suppose you, are the herbalist they sent?" He said, putting emphasis on the "you" for reasons you could only assume came from a place of judgment.

"Y-Yeah… sorry it took me so long, I, uhm… had trouble finding this tent…" you explained, your eyes fixated on the ground, not daring to make eye contact with the Dragon.

"Well, you're here now, that's better than nothing." He was now completely turned around, facing you with his large hands on his knees.

You made eye contact with him for a good few seconds. You couldn't tell it was more appropriate to stare at his one good eye, look at both, or not to stare at his eyes at all.

"Well? Are you going to get started or are you just gonna stare at me?" He asked, snapping you out of whatever trance you were in.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, just uh, give me a second."

You spent the next couple minutes taking all the plants and herbs you needed for his treatment out of your medical bag. All the while you could feel him staring down at you.

"Okay so, could you just hold out your hand for me?"

He did as you asked of him, and extended his arm out in front of you.

"Thank you". You said, applying a Yarrow spread to his arm.

His arm was… strong, to say the least.  Combined with his scales… it felt like you touching a piece of stone .

"Hey, kid? You hearing me?"

You stopped messaging his arm and snapped your head up at him.

"Huh? Sorry, I wasn't listening, did you say something?"

You put down his arm and pointed to his other one. He did as you asked.

"I asked you how long you've been doing this. You seem pretty young compared to all the other's they usually send to me."

You applied Yarrow to his other arm as you answered his question.

"Well, I just got approved for my licence like a couple years ago… I'm still new, compared to most of the other more experienced herbalists out there. Sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. You're not terrible."

"No, no. They should've gotten someone with more knowledge in this field… instead you got me. And for that I'm sorry."

He gave you a blank stare. "If you were really that bad, I would've kicked you out already. Trust me, I don't have patience with things unless they meet my standard." He said bluntly.

You couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at his comment. The great Dragon General Xiao was complimenting your work. Or at the very least, he was saying it wasn't bad. That felt good.

"Thank you, General Xiao." You said, still keeping great focus on his arm. He responded with a snort, pushing smoke out of his snout.

After finishing with his arm, you moved over to his face, which was covered in small cuts. You brought out the Gotu Kola from your bag and and mashed it until it took a slime like texture.

You took the concoction and applied it to his scarred face to hopefully stop any new ones from showing up.

It was important to be thorough with this type of treatment. If the slime didn't get into every crevice of the cut, it wouldn't properly heal.

But it was also important not to upset the patient, so when you saw a large cut just above his bad eye, you slowed down to think whether or not you should take care of it.

It was probably better to have him upset now rather than mad later though, so you moved your finger over, and proceeded to treat it.

"I think it might be too late for that one, don't you think?" Said Xiao, breaking the silence.

You immediately pulled back. "Oh, sorry. My bad."

"That was a joke." He said dryly. "You can continue, I didn't mean to make you stop."

You nodded, and continued your treatment, despite the slight awkwardness that was now in the air.

After finally finishing with all the easy to treat wounds. It was time to move on to the more serious injuries, which of course meant, getting "close" with the patient.

You gulped at the prospect of seeing someone like Xiao undressed, but it was your job, and you had a duty to your patient.

"Okay, so now I'm gonna ask you to get up and uh… undress for me? If you could?"

With a sigh, Xiao got up and stood in front of you, his large body towering you in the process.

As he began to take off the first few parts of his intricate armor, you looked away. There was already a rush of heat coming to your face and you wanted to stop it from getting any more noticeable.

"Am I that hideous to look at?" You heard a deep voice ask.

"N-No you're fine, I just don't wanna, uh, you know…"

"It's fine, really. I don't mind at all."

"Oh, ok. And uh, just so you know, I don't find you hideous." You said, saying the last part a bit rushed.

"Alright then. Thanks for telling me." He said, continuing to undress.

It didn't take long before all of his armor was removed and every inch of his massive body was completely exposed to you.

He was… impressive.

If it was possible, he looked even bigger without the armor on.

Despite your earlier attempt at stopping it, you felt your cheeks heat up once again as you stared at him.

"Are you gonna start soon, or is this a part of the treatment?"

Once again, he snapped you out of your thoughts and you quickly rushed in your bag to get the bandages ready.

"Sorry. I've just never really worked on a Dragon before… You look different from what I'm used to is all."

"Really? You've never seen a Dragon before?"

"Well I have, just not… like how are you are now, you know?"

"Hope I meet your expectations then."

A smile cracks your lips "You more than meet them." You say in a low tone, letting your eyes travel over his body. You notice one of his eyebrows raise and you Immediately stop your gazing and go back to setting up the bandages.

"Could you please raise your arms for me?" You ask, mimicking the way you needed him to do it yourself.


He followed your example and you began applying the wrapping to his stomach area. It was hard to ignore just how close you were to him at the moment. You tried not to stare at his body too much. But even if he did say something, you could probably play it off as just being thorough. Then again, what if-

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"What?" You responded, lost in thought.

"Hobbies. Do you have anything you like to do on your free time?"

There was a pause, but before you could say anything he spoke up again.

"I'm just trying to make conversation. If you would prefer to work in silence, I could just be quiet."

You shake your head, nearly instantly. Were you making him feel weird? You didn't mean too, it's just he seemed like the type of person who wouldn't want any conversation, yet here he was trying to talk to you, and if it would make this less awkward, you we're all for it.

"No no. It’s fine. I was just thinking about how to answer. See, I don't have really much to do but practice this. My home town's pretty modest."

"Ah, so you're focused on your work?"

You nod, and finish up wrapping up his midsection, moving over to his chest.

A slight smile appears on his lips. "I'm glad to see the herbalist profession is still as passionate as ever."

You respond with an even brighter smile. "Thank you, we try to stay as reliable as we've always been."

You look up for a moment, and as chance would have it, he was looking down at you at the same time. So you both stood there, just starting at each other with smiles on your faces.

A voice in your head told you that you were staring too long, and you listened.

Clearing your throat, you then asked Xiao to lie down on his front so you could work on his back. He laid out a mat on the floor and got into position.

The first thing you noticed, aside from his incredibly defined back, was that he had barely any wounds.

"Looks like I won't need to do much here. Just a bit of Calendula extract should be all you need, actually."

"That's good. I make it a goal of mine not to get many scars on my back."

You dip your hands in the extract and get ready. "Why is that?"

"So when I tell my soldiers I'll never turn my back on them, I have proof."

"How poetic." You say, followed by a laugh. "The rumors about you are right, you're a great General."

You hands touch his back and you start treating the few existing wounds that he has there, massaging around them to open the wound and then applying it directly.

"I try my best. And for what it's worth, you're a great herbalist. One of the best I've ever had."

You felt your breath get caught in your throat for a moment. "That's… really nice to hear. Thank you, General Xiao, that means a lot coming from you."

"No thanks needed, it's the truth. And might I also say, you're very good with your hands. Do you have any experience as a masseur or are you just a natural?"

You feel your face heat up and thank the stars he was looking at the floor.

"W-What was that?" You say, cursing yourself for sounding so clearly flustered.

Xiao lets out a low, deep sounding laugh from the floor. "Sorry, that question was rather inappropriate, just forget I said anything."

You laugh with him, but it's purpose was more to set the mood back to normal then for anything else.

After finishing with his back, the final thing to treat was his tail, so you asked him stand up again and just sit in his original position. You placed yourself on the floor and asked him to bend his tail over to you. A Dragon's tail was very important to them, so you made a mental note to be even more careful than you usually were while working on it.

"So, I've got a question for you, if I may." You asked, still giving a great amount of focus to his tail.

He waved his arm. "Not at all, ask away."

"Why did you only want to see herbalists? I mean, not that I'm complaining, I don't mind, but why don't you like the new medicine that's being produced? It's really efficient you know."

He sighs for a moment, closing his one eye. When he opens it, you could feel him looking directly at you.

"Well for one, I'd like to know for sure I'm not just being poisoned or some other nasty trick. It'd be so easy to just add a little bit of venom to one of those vials. But that’s mostly my superstitious side"

His hands clench a bit before he continues "The second is... I just prefer things to be done this way. I like having someone treating me, it feels more personal than just giving me a syringe and leaving."

You look up at him, meeting his one good eye. "What do you mean more personal? There are still people who have to come in and administer the shot, it's not like you can do it yourself."

He takes another deep breath. "But they leave quickly."

You shoot him a sympathetic stare, and he continues.

"I don't really get to talk to many people, my work keeps me too busy to have any meaningful conversations. Having someone to talk to is nice, even if it is just for a few hours."

You flash him another grin "Well then, I'm all ears. Even if it is just for a few hours."

He smiles back. "Thank you. You're very kind. Almost makes me wish the battle out there has been even worse, just so you could stay awhile longer."

Upon hearing that, you felt your heart sink, for two reasons. The first was the dismal realization that Xiao seemed to be very much longing for some type of meaningful connection. The second was that you were almost done with his tail, and thus, almost done with the treatment. "Let's just be happy you come out this just fine, yeah?" You said, adding a forced smile at the end.

After finishing up, you gave his tail one final rub and watched as it coiled gracefully back to Xiao's back. You start packing your things and cleaning up any extra materials that were left laying around.

"Okay. You're all patched up, and you should be ready for action in a couple days. The medicine should already be mostly in your system right now." You wave at him for a goodbye, but he doesn't say anything back, he doesn't even wave. Instead, he gives you an oddly serious stare, as if he was mulling something over in his head.

You were about to say something, but before you could, Xiao opened his mouth. "Would you like to come with me to the hot springs? It's supposed to be for the soldiers, but I'm sure I could get you in regardless. Not now of course, I still have to let these bandages to they're work, but maybe in about three hours?"

You could hardly believe it. You had no words for him, so you just nodded excitedly.

"Wonderful." He said, a grin forming on his draconic lips." Consider this a thanks for the great work you did. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, I'll see you there. Thanks!" You exclaimed, walking out of the tent with a bright grin on your face, nearly skipping your way through the opening.

Once outside, you took a deep breath and had a quick rundown with yourself about something you had only just now come to terms with.

Yes, it was unprofessional, yes, it was most likely one sided, and yes, it was probably the most impossible thing that ever could happen, but is was a fact.

You had a crush on Xiao.

Of all the people you could've have a crush on, it had to be with the super huge, insanely attractive top Dragon General of your nation. What are the odds?

But you had to face reality and calm yourself down. He invited you to go him because he wanted to thank you for your work and nothing more. Would it be nice if there was something more? Of course. Is there? Probably not.

It was just an invitation. An invitation to bathe, naked, with the most handsome Dragon you had ever seen, yes. But still, it was better not to wish for something that could never happen, that would just lead to sadness.

Now, what were you gonna do for three hours?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The time went by agonizingly slowly. You could've swore time itself was moving twice as slow today.

But that didn't matter anymore. All that mattered now was that you had a blue Dragon waiting for you at the hot springs, and you couldn't wait.

It was much easier to find the bathhouse then Xiao’s tent. Part of that was because there was only one bathhouse compared to hundreds of tents, the other was that it seemed like all the soldiers were coming here, so all you really had to do was follow them.

Once inside, you didn't know where to go. It was much bigger than you thought it would be. You assumed there would be a couple of springs, but there were considerably more than that.

How were you supposed to find Xiao in all of this? It would take hours, even if he did stand out from most of the other soldiers here.

Just then, you felt something poking you, so you turned around to see what it was.

It was Xiao. He wasn't wearing his armor, but instead just a plain white shirt and pair of army issue pants. He still looked just a good though.

"I'm glad to see you came." It might have just been your imagination, but his voice sounded a bit happier than it did before.

"I wouldn't want to miss it. I've only been to a hot spring maybe one or two times before, but I remember it being very relaxing. I can't wait to dip into the water and just unwind."

Xiao nods and points to one of the doors to the left of you "The changing rooms are this way. Let's make haste, I want to find a good spring."

You followed him closely behind into the rooms, trying your best to ignore some of the stares you were getting on the way there. Once you entered, you only felt weirder.

All the loud chatter you had heard from the outside was quickly reduced to low whispers once Xiao made walked in. He didn't seem to react to it however, so you did the same and just looked in front of you. Was it like this for him everyday? No wonder he wanted company.

Finally, the both of you had made your way to the changing rooms, and you couldn't help but feel embarrassed the second you walked in.

There was almost no privacy. No rooms, no stalls, there weren't even dividers to separate people, just boxes to put your clothes in. It probably wasn't a big deal to anybody here since they either didn't care or had already seen each other nude before. But the situation was much different for you, since you had to change next to a person you found to be extremely attractive.

And yeah, it's not like it was anything you haven't seen before, but that was for work. This was much different.

Once you had both walked over to start changing, you started talking, hoping it would distract from the fact that Xiao was undressing right next to you

"Guess you weren't kidding when you said people are intimidated by you." You said, taking off your shirt while glancing at the floor.

"I'd like to think I've gotten used to it, but I can't say it doesn't bother me from time to time." He responded, beginning to take off his shirt.

Although you weren't looking at him directly, you could tell there was something strange about the way he was taking it off. It was much slower then when he had taken his armor off. It almost seemed to be slow on purpose.

"Did you ever try talking to them yourself? Maybe they think you're not much of a talker."

"Believe me, I've tried." You heard the sound of a buckle coming loose. "They always seem uncomfortable whenever I make small talk with them, so it's not enjoyable for either of us. Eventually, I just stopped trying all together."

And again, while taking off his pants, he was sluggish. And unlike his shirt which could be explained by his horns, his pants should've been no issue.

"Don't be sad. At least you got me now right? I'm not much but hey, it's something right?" You said, taking off the pants and undergarments you had on and trying not to freak out too much since you were now exposed to Xiao.

He didn't seem to even pay attention to you though, as he grabbed two of the towels that hung from the top of the storage boxes and handed one to you.

"Don't cut yourself short like that. I like talking to you, I'm really glad you decided to come here with me. Honest." He ruffled your hair, shooting you a quick smile. "Now let's get to those springs, I’d really to rest my scales."

You were about to tie the towel to your waist when Xiao stepped in front of you grabbed the towel himself.

"Here, let me."

After all that hard work you put into not looking at him, here you were. Staring directly at his broad chest as his hands fiddling with a towel around your waist. Being this close to him also made his scent much more profound. He smelled nice. Kind of like… green tea? Or maybe some other type, you didn't really drink tea, so couldn't tell for sure.

After finishing with your towel, he wrapped his own and you both walked out to find a good spring.

You both agreed to one that was a little ways farther then most of the other ones, mostly so no one would feel weird with Xiao being there. You secretly enjoyed the idea of being alone with him, so it was no problem.

Xiao asked if he could get some drinks from one of the bars just outside of the spring. You agreed of course, everything was better with drinks.

You dipped in first while he was gone, and Immediately felt your body relax under the heat of the water. After getting accustomed to the temperature, you let yourself sink even deeper into the water.

"Getting started without me? How rude of you." Said a deep voice, which you knew could only belong to Xiao's.

He carried two large bottles in his hands. One of them you knew was for him, since you recognized the brand as one of the heavier types of booze, usually only consumed by Dragons since they could take more alcohol than most other species. The other was just a plain wine, maybe a little more expensive then what you’re used to, but similar nonetheless.

"Sorry, did you want me to wait?"

He shook his head "No, it's fine. It would be silly of me to expect you to wait in the cold when there's such a tempting spring right before you." He handed you the weaker of the drinks. "Is this to your taste?"

You gave him a nod as you took the bottle. "It's just fine, thank you General Xiao."

"You can just call me Xiao, you know. No need to be so formal anymore. For now, let us make ourselves at home." He said, taking his towel off and dipping into the spring with you.

"Oh yeah, for sure. Good point, Xiao." You could see a smile on the Dragons lips as soon as you called him by his name. He must not get that a lot.

Even as Xiao sat down beside you, he still completely dwarfed you in terms of… well, everything. He was a big guy.

"Hey, Xiao. I'm sure you don't get this often but did anyone ever tell you you're huge?"

He let out a deep, boisterous laugh at that, and you could feel butterflies in your stomach as he did. It was nice to see him laugh.

"No actually. Would you believe you're the first person to ever tell me?" He said, opening the drink that was at his side, taking a swig.

"Wait, really?" You responded, genuinely surprised.

He shook his head, snorting at your comment. "Of course not. I've been asked about my height ever since I was a young adult. I assume it's one of the reasons why people are so hesitant to approach me." He says, taking another drink.

"Well I think it makes you look cool. You look like real life legend, and it suits you. I don't think I could see you as anything but a General."

"Your flattery is appreciated, young herbalist. And for what it's worth, I think your visage suits you as well."

"What do you mean?" You asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You look very kind, as that has an effect on people when you're treating them, I believe. Makes then feel more at ease I think. Or at least, that was the case for me."

You felt something warm in your chest when he said that, and you were certain it wasn't the hot springs.

An hour passed and you both continued talking, and enjoying the sensation the springs were gifting you two. Every time you learned more about Xiao, you fell in love with him a little more. It really was a shame everyone was so scared of him, he was great.

While you were in the moment of explaining to him how you remembered each different herb for every purpose, you heard yells in the distance, followed by people nearly jumping out of the springs and running out. Some in just they're towels.

"Is something happening? Why is everyone leaving?" You asked, looking at all the soldiers rushing around.

"If I had to guess, I'd say the dancers are here." Said Xiao, glancing at his soldiers.

"You mean like… exotic dancers?"

Xiao shook his head. "Precisely. I always ask for them to come in after a heavy battle. It helps boost morale and keep then happy. Plus, some of these horndogs always think they can lucky with one of them. That's always funny to see."

"Wow, really?" You ask, suppressing a laugh.

"Yep. Those are some of the most beautiful woman in this region, the thought that some of my own soldiers think they have a chance with them tickles me pink."

"You gotta admire their courage at least." You say, looking at Xiao who was now staring thoughtfully at his drink.

"I guess." He turns to you. "Do you want to go too? They really are enchanting once you see them in person."

You shake your head, declining his request. "As nice as that would be, I'm fine being right here with you." You say joyfully, placing your hand on his bicep and giving it a pat.

There's a pause as Xiao turns away, looking straight ahead at nothing in particular.

"You don't like woman, do you?"

It was more of a statement than a question, but it caught you off guard all the same. You removed your hand from his arm and began shifting in the water awkwardly, searching your mind for something to say.

"U-Uh, not really, no." You finally say, in a shuddering tone reminiscent of the first time you met Xiao.

"Mmm." Xiao responds, taking another swig of his drink.

There's another pause as Xiao continues to look forward. The seconds feel like minutes as time passes without you or Xiao saying anything.

"Me neither." Says Xiao, breaking the silence and leaving you speechless.

"What?! So you, you like-"

"I like men, yes."

You laid back and let what Xiao just told you sink in. If Xiao liked men, that brought a whole meaning to what this was, and an opportunity.

After tonight, you probably wouldn't see Xiao ever again, he would go off to wherever he had orders to go and that would be that. But right here, you had a chance to have something special with him. He was just a lonely Dragon who wanted some type of companionship, and you were all to willing to give it to him, so you took a chance.

You leaned back, but this time, it was into the crook of Xiao's arm, right at his side.

"Wow, that's… I mean, just wow. I never would've expected it from just looking at you."

He snorted. "We can't all be as obvious as you, young herbalist."

You turned your head up at him and shot him an incredulous look. "What's that supposed to mean? I don't make it obvious…"

"Come now, did you really expect me to believe you were just shy when you kept trying to keep your eyes off me?"

"Hey, I could've just been nervous. You said it yourself, most people are intimidated by you."

"Hmm, you're right. And that's actually what I was thinking as well, but then, you started talking to me as if I was just one of your friends. That's when I knew it wasn't a case of bashfulness or nerves, but something else entirely."

"Oh come on, that's-" before you could get in a word edgewise, Xiao lifted his pointer finger up, making you stop.

"What really cemented it for me though, was when you started tripping on your own words when I asked you if you were good with your hands."

After hearing that, you conceded. You saw Xiao smirk, clearly happy that his deductive skills had proved to be just on the mark.

"Don't be sad, I think nothing different of you. After all I'm the same." You didn't say anything because you were pretending to be mad at him, but the fake frown on your face was immediately taken away when you felt Xiao's arm drape across your shoulder and pull you closer to him. "Why don't we just enjoy the rest of the night?"

All at once, you felt your mind explode with happiness. There was something that just felt so incredibly right when Xiao's arm was around you like this. It didn't make you nervous, it didn't make you blush, it just felt… comfortable. So much so that it gave you the courage to begin flirting with him, after all, there had to be something more to this right?

Two adults, one with an arm hanging over the others shoulders, pulling them together, and with a very obvious spark going on between the two of them? The set up was perfect, and you were never going to get another chance like this again, so you decided to just go for it.

"Hey Xiao, I got a question for you."

He turned to look at you. "What is it?"

"If you knew I liked men when we were in your tent, why were you taking off your clothes so slowly when we were in the changing room?"

His eyes wide for a moment and you could tell by the way his mouth opened without saying anything that he was trying to find something to say. Eventually, after clearing his throat, he found something.

"That was… for something else entirely…"

You raised a brow at his tone. Did he sound… embarrassed?

"Really? What was it for then?"

"It was for…" He stops, shaking his head. "It's a bit silly now that I think about it."

You scoot just a bit closer to him, placing the side of your head on his chest. "C'mon, you can tell me."

He sighs, then takes another look at you with his good eye. "It was just to see if maybe, you were attracted to me. I didn't want to be too obvious, but I thought maybe if I just showed myself off a little, you would glance at me." He looks away, his eye taking on slightly sad shine to it. "You didn't. But that's fine, I've never really considered myself to be very pleasing to look at regardless. I'm a bit too rugged, don't you think?"

You shook your head calmly, trying not to freak out. "No, not at all. And Xiao?"

"Hmm?"

"I do think you're attractive. Very much so."

"Oh please, you don't have to do that with me. I can handle the truth, I'm not a child."

"No, really! I do! I've always kinda had a thing for bigger men and well, you’re the biggest I've ever seen, so you kinda already had me sold. The reason I didn't look was because I thought you'd find it strange. Knowing that you have a thing for me too it… it has my heart beating at one million per minute, I don't even know what to say."

Just then, Xiao pulled you even closer to him and lowered his head to you, leaving your face inches away from his.

"Do you truly mean those words?" He asks, and while his tone sounds serious, you could tell there was some fear in it, like his soul would shatter if you said no.

"Yeah, I mean it. All of it." You respond, your words as solid as steel.

"Guess I don't have to ask to do this then."

Before even a single thought came to your mind as to what it could be, Xiao pressed his hand to the back of your head and pushed your lips into his.

It felt… strange. But mostly in a good way. He was gentle, making sure his fangs didn't scratch your lips or anything of the sort. His facial hair did tickle a little, but it didn't bother you.

You felt him shift in the water. Shortly after you then felt another hand on your skin, this time, it was on your back. The way he caressed you was so delightfully tender you could've swore he thought you were made of glass. The way the tip of his claws glided across your skin made you shudder.

You pulled in even deeper, Xiao took this as permission to become wilder, as he began to start biting at your lip, but not with any real force, only enough so you could feel his fangs closing. You could even feel his tail beginning to nudge against your foot, which eventually lead to him coiling it around your leg.

It was the most passionate kiss you had ever had. Xiao made you feel like the most important person in the world with the way he was treating you, so you couldn't help but begin to get a little excited.

As if on cue, you felt Xiao's hand travel down your back, eventually landing on your outer thigh. You had expected him to begin stroking you right there, but his hand was too big for that, so instead he took your manhood in between his index and middle finger and began pushing towards the base.

The feeling of his rough scales rubbing up and down on you was nice, but it would be bliss if it just had a bit more friction. You took it upon yourself to fulfill this need on your own by thrusting your hips into his fingers, taking great pleasure in the way his large hands felt when it reached the base of your cock.

It all felt so good, which is why you could only whimper when you felt Xiao pull away.

"Hey, why'd you stop? It was just getting good…" you said, your lips already trembling from the lack of touch.

"I know. And believe me, I want to continue, but just not here."

You frowned at first, but quickly felt overjoyed when two large scaled hands grabbed your face as the large Dragon pressed his lips to your forehead.

"Would it be too much for me to ask you to come back to my tent with me? I would like nothing more then to have you in my bed tonight."

He looked at you directly when he asked, and something about the way he was looking at you that just made you melt. It was a look that could only be compared to an art critic when he finds the most gorgeous piece in the room, rendering them captivated by its emanance.

"Not at all. I would love to go back to your bed."

He smiled. "Let's hurry then, while the night is still young."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You both rushed out the hot springs in record time. You went into the changing room, got your clothes on, and rushed out again.

You were sure there were some soldiers wondering why their General was running around so frantically at this time of night, but neither of you cared.

When you were both fully inside the tent, Xiao wasted no time in getting his hands on you again. Picking you up from the floor and pushing your body against his as he smashed his mouth against yours.

"What do you want to do?" He asked, already panting.

"How about you" you stop, trying to catch your breath "Take your cock." you pause again, pressing your head into the crook of his neck and whispering into his ear. "And fuck me until I can't even move."

He laughs at that, causing a deep rumble to erupt from his chest, making your whole body quiver. When he was done, he pushed his snout into your neck and began dragging his tongue across it. It was hot, but he was a Dragon, so you weren't surprised.

When he had reached your ear, he retracted his tongue and began talking into your ear, his voice was low and manly, making you eager to hear every word that came from him.

"As much as I would like to bury myself inside you and make you scream my name until the sun comes up, you're going to have to wait for some other time."

"But whyyyyy…" you ask, whining at his response.

He plants two kisses down your neck and returns back to your ear. "I'm sorry, but I fear I'm too big for you. At least for right now, maybe if you prepare yourself in the future, we could try, but I want this to be as enjoyable for me as it is for you."

You planted a kiss on his snout and stroked one of his whiskers. Judging from the way he responded, he liked it. "Okay then, you got anything in mind?"

He ran one of his hands through your hair, pushing it back and giving you another sensual stare. "I wouldn't mind receiving."

The second those words left his mouth, you could feel your manhood nearly jump from its cloth prison. The image of Xiao, famed General of your nation, raising his tail for you as you plunged your cock into him was an arousing one.

So was the thought of him on his back, legs spread wide as you thrust into him, making him moan until you let your load loose into his huge body.

Even if it was nice to think about, you doubted with his size he would even feel you enter him.

"Don't you think you're a little too big for something like that. Don't get me wrong, I would love too, but like you said, this needs to be enjoyable for both of us."

He huffs, blowing smoke of his nose in annoyance. "This is one of those few times my stature is actually a detriment to me."

You took a moment to mull it over in your mind while Xiao began to gingerly nib at your ear with one of his bigger fangs. He seemed really into it.

It was about the second after the fourth "bite" when an idea hit you, causing you to rip your ear away from Xiao's teeth. You heard him grumble when you did. Cute.

"So Xiao…" you said ominously, beginning to trail a finger over his solid chest.

"Yes?" He answered, pushing back a bit so you could get a better feel.

"Have you ever… done anything with your slit before?"

He raised an eyebrow and gave you a curious look. "Not ever on purpose, really. Sometimes, on those particularly lonely nights, I would stick one of my fingers inside. But that's usually just so I can get my member out, I don't do it for pleasure."

You let one of your fingers pull and twist on the hair just below his chin, playing with the metal that held his hair together. "But did it feel good when you did it?"

He paused for a moment, pondering about what you asked him. "It wasn't unpleasant."

"Good. So how you would feel about me… you know, fucking you there?"

His eye opens wide for a moment and his mouth twists in an indecipherable expression. "That's about the last place I would ever think to do that. But if you really want too, I guess I could give a try."

Upon hearing his answer, you Immediately reach up and wrap your arms around his neck. "Thanks Xiao! Now, where's your bed?"

"It's this way." He says, walking over into the only other room in his tent while you hung from him like an incredibly foreign necklace.

When you looked at the bed, you saw that it was really just a mattress on the floor. There wasn't even a blanket. At least it was big. But then again, it practically had to be to fit Xiao's massive frame.

"My apologies. I know it's not much but I make sure not to have anything better than what my soldiers have. It helps build trust."

You dropped down from him and waved your hand. "It'll do. Now first I think we should-"

Before you could finish your thought, Xiao had pushed you into the bed and pinned you to the mattress. "I've never heard of someone making plans for what to do during sex." He brought his head down towards yours, until he was close enough to where you could feel his breath. "How adorable." He said, before planting a kiss right on your nose.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we take our clothes off now?"

"Let me handle that."

The thought of protest hasn't even formed in your mind before Xiao had scooted down and began taking off your pants. Your member practically sprang up when he them off and threw them to the side of the room.

"Well aren't you eager." He teased, lowering his head toward the head of your cock.

"Whoa, what do you think your doing?" You exclaimed, a slight terror in your voice.

Xiao only gave you a deadpan stare in response. "What do you think I'm doing? Really, take a guess."

You rolled your eyes. "No, I know that it's just… I've never done it with someone that has so many large teeth before. Seems unsafe."

He snickered at your response. "I don't bite, I promise. Now relax, this is going to be nothing but enjoyable, you have my word."

You gave him a nod, and sat yourself down flat on the bed, trying to do as Xiao told you. It was working for a second. Then you felt your cock enter Xiao's mouth, and your whole world got turned on its side.

His mouth was warm. Unbelievably warm. It felt like you just wrapped your cock in a warm towel.

Once he had fit your entire length into your mouth, he began dragging his long tongue around it, making sure to pay special attention to the tip once he heard you moaning. You could feel the tip of his teeth on the skin of your shaft, but it wasn't enough to hurt. If anything, the gentle nubbing you were getting from them only made it feel better.

It went on for a good while until Xiao finally pulled back, eliciting a shudder from you as he worked his mouth on your length until it was completely out of his mouth, leaving a strand of saliva connecting your cock, to his mouth. It went away when he licked his lips.

"That was… whoa…." You said in between heavy breaths. Xiao smirked at looked at you, his expression downright predatory.

"My pleasure. Now, onto the main event." He responded, standing up and beginning to undress himself. "Look inside one of the bottom cabinets, there's some lubricant in there."

You followed his orders and sure enough, you found a bottle with a clear liquid in it. You could tell from the way it moved inside the container that it's the thing you were looking for. You placed it at your side and waited patiently for Xiao to finish.

Just like in the changing rooms, Xiao discarded his clothing with such lethargy you could only assume it was on purpose.

"You're a tease" you remarked.

"Who? Me? Never." He retorted, his voice carrying the very obvious tone of sarcasm."

Once he finished, you got up from the bed to let Xiao position himself properly. He took the single pillow on the bed had and positioned it against the wall so he lay against it. When he sat down, he spread his legs and patted the area in front of him, signalling you to come forward.

You bent down on your knees in front of him, staring at his wet slit. There was a purple nub that was just barely sticking out of it.

"Are you just gonna stare or are you going rut me?" He asked, breaking you out of your thoughts.

"Oh yeah, right." You grabbed the lube and popped that cap, letting the cool liquid slowly drip of your fingers. "Just uh, tell me if it hurts, okay?"

He nodded, and placed on his hands on his vent, spreading the opening just for you.

While you were hesitant to actually put your hand inside, you eventually did, shoving in one finger which evoked a low hissing sound from Xiao.

You looked at him with a look of concern. "I'm fine. Go deeper."

Going along with what he said, you slipped in another finger inside his slit, and pushed even deeper. This time his reaction seemed more positive. He closed his eye and let out a satisfied gasp, letting his head move back against the wall.

Taking this an admission to keep going, you began to move your fingers around inside him, letting them explore the tight space inside his slit.

You were glad to see Xiao was enjoying himself, judging by the sounds he was making. It was then you decided to shake things up a bit, so you pushed both your fingers together and began pushing them in and out at a leisurely pace, making sure your knuckles were rubbing against the bottom of his sheathed cock.

Xiao let out a moan, making his mouth separate and his tongue hang loose. He was in a state of pure bliss, which made him all the more upset when you didn't push your fingers back in.

His shaft was half out now, and it was already longer and thicker than yours. What a beast.

You picked up the lube again and dripped a bit on your own length, before getting lined up in front of Xiao's vent, which was now dripping wet.

With cock in the way, it was a little hard to really find a good place to enter. Noticing this, Xiao pushed his shaft up with his right hand and spread his slit with his left.

"Get that thing inside me already, I'm aching over here." He said, desperation all too clear in his voice.

It was really quite the site, watching a Dragon as big as Xiao laid back on his bed, panting for air, nearly begging you to penetrate his him. The thought alone would be enough to get you off for the night, so now that it was actually happening, you couldn't disappoint.

You angled your length so it was just below his, and thrust forward slowly into his opening. The second you entered him, you knew this was a good idea.

The feeling of his both his sleek insides combined with the friction against his cock made you feel like you had reached heaven with every move.

"Mmm… go faster…" Exclaimed Xiao, letting his hands go from himself and placing them behind him, giving you a very flattering view of the huge Dragon.

"Whatever you say." You reply, letting yourself sink even deeper into the warm folds on his slit. Xiao moaned loudly when you did, making him heave and take repeated deep breaths.

"That's good. You're so good…" he praised, making your cock twitch. Seeing Xiao's normally serious face turned into one filled with need was indescribable. Everything about this moment, everything about him just felt so right.

You moved forward, pushing your weight on top of him and plunging yourself even deeper. Not only were you basically straddling his tail, his enormous length was also pushed up against your stomach, leaving white drips on across your chest.

You felt one of his scaled hands grab yours and firmly take hold of it. He stared at you, his eye now fully opened and giving you a look that could only be compared to a lover looking at his match. It was all too much. You were already close.

"Xiao… I think I'm gonna-" you were cut off by Xiao's other hand pushing against your flank, making you bury your complete length inside him all at once. He savagely kissed your neck before bringing his mouth to hear and whispering to in a hushed tone.

"Do it inside. If you’re going to cum, do it inside, please..."

Hearing his deep tone against your ear was all you needed to push you over the edge and release yourself inside his vent. When you did, Xiao brought both his arms to your back and hugged you tightly against him, smothering you against his strong chest.

Xiao then lowered his mouth to meet yours and began kissing you. It was much sloppier than the first time, but somehow, you still thought it was better. You pinned that on that fact that you were currently pumping your seed into him.

He broke the kiss and looked down at you. His expression was hazy, unfocused, but he still had a lazy grin across his face. "I don't know about you." He began, fixing your hair until the messy strands were back in place. "But I think that was the best sex I've ever had."

You smiled and landed a smooch on the side of his face. "Same here. But it's not over yet, you still need to get off. Do you want me to suck you off, or do something else?"

"I have something in mind already." He said, pointing his hand down to your crotch. "Not that it doesn't feel good of course, but could you perhaps take yourself out?"

"Right, sorry about that." You replied, your face heating up while you pulled your sensitive member from Xiao's warm insides. As you did, you saw your seed drip slowly from his vent.

"You really ruined me didn't you? Don't think I'll me shoving any fingers in there anytime soon."

"Heh… sorry about that. But to be fair, you did tell me come inside…" you replied, looking at the floor in embarrassment.

"I didn't say I didn't enjoy it. Now if you would, please lie down on your back for me."

You did as he asked, and fell back on the soft mattress beneath you. You noticed Xiao grabbing his shirt that he had thrown off before he moved over to you and sat on your waist.

He wasn't as heavy as you expected a Dragon his size to be, probably because he supporting himself with his legs, but it was still enough that you couldn't get up even if you wanted to.

"Don't worry, this won't take long. I'm rather close to release myself, I just need a little more."

"If you're just gonna jerk off, why do I need to be on my back?" You asked.

"Because I like this position." He answered bluntly. "And, I want to look at your face when I cum." He continued.

You smiled lazily. "Go ahead then."

And with that, he began stroking his member. One good thing you found about this position, was that it allowed you to get a good look at his manhood. It was a deep purple color, with bumps continued down to the base. It was also fucking huge. It doesn't matter what Xiao said, no amount of preparation could prepare you for that.

It only took a couple of seconds for Xiao to start panting. And only a couple seconds after that before he actually came. You closed your eyes, expecting a wave of hot seed to explode across your face, but it never did. The second after he reached his peak, Xiao took his shirt and covered his entire length with the fabric, soaking the shirt with his release.

"Not gonna do it on my face huh? Can't say I'm too disappointed." You teased.

"I was thinking about it, but I don't I could forgive myself if I did something like that to such a handsome face." He replied, tossing the soiled shirt aside and falling back onto the mattress, arms spread wide.

You did the same, resting at the spot right to his side. You took a moment to admire Xiao. Everything about him was perfect in your eyes. His size, his voice, the way he acted. You wouldn't change any of it. The chance of finding someone like him again was probably like one in a million.

Which only made the fact that you had to leave him tomorrow all the more depressing. You knew you couldn't stay, this was just a temporary trip. You had to go back your own town. It would be better for the both of you if you just left now, that way, at least you wouldn't have to say goodbye to him in the morning.

With a somber sigh, you got up from the bed and began walking outside his small bedroom. Before you could take another step, you felt a large hand envelop your much smaller one and pull back towards the bed.

"Where were you going?" Xiao asked tiredly.

"I was just about to leave. You probably have to get going pretty early tomorrow, so I just thought It would be better if I left now."

As if he didn't even listen to a word you said, Xiao pulled you closer to him until your back was pressed up against his chest. He then wrapped each of his strong arms around you and rested his chin at the top of your head.

"I don't think so. You're sleeping with me tonight." With the way he said it, it sounded more like a fact then a request.

"But Xiao I-"

"Shhh…" he interrupted, pulling you in even closer. "Don't worry about anything right now. We'll figure it out in the morning. Just sleep for now. Everything's going to be okay."

There was a voice in the back of your head that told you to keep protesting, that dragging out your time with him would only make the next day harder, but you happily ignored it and let the slow, rhythmic breathing of the large Dragon lull you into sleep.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning came by like an unwanted guest. The sunlight pierced through the tent, making you shield your eyes from it's hurtful rays.

Your mind was groggy, but you were still awake enough to know there should've been a Dragon at your back when you woke up.

Fear seeped into your mind. "Had he already left?" You thought to yourself, panicking.

But when you turned around to go look for him, you saw that he sitting just right at the foot of your bed, putting his armor on.

"Morning." He said, keeping his eyes on his current task. "Sleep well?"

"Uh… yeah, it was fine, I guess."

He nodded. "Good."

After he had put on what looked to be his final piece of armor, he stood up from the bed, at his full height, and walked over to you.

"Where will you return to after you leave from here?" He asked with that same deadly serious expression he had on when you first met.

You told him the name of your hometown. The same one you had lived in since birth. There was then a silence between the two of you as he mulled over your answer.

When he was done thinking, he grabbed one of your hands and brought it into his. His other hand was then placed on top of your palms as he began to kneel down on one knee.

"I have a favor to ask of you. Will you hear it?"

You nod in approval, feeling intrigued by where this was going.

"I need you to do everything in your power not to move from there. No matter what happens, please stay in that town."

His hands were now clutching yours with great intensity, like he believed if he let go you would slip away into the sky.

"Why?"

There was another pause. He began to gently rub circles over the top of your hand with his claw tip.

"Because I… I think there's something more to this. Something that I don't want to lose after just one night." He was now looking directly at you. His eye burning with purpose. "This war shouldn't last much longer, the enemy doesn't have many troops left, this I know."

He takes his top hand off of yours and places it on his heart. "I swear on my honor as a Dragon, I will come for you after this war is finished. But I can only do that if you stay in place. Can you do that for me?"

You didn't even hesitate when he asked.

"Yes."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It has been three years since you made that promise to Xiao, the war had ended just recently and things were going well for you.

Just last year you had opened up your own shop out of your house. You sold herb mixes and medical formulas that were ready to use out of the jar. It was less time consuming than treating everyone individually and much more profitable. Of course, you still gave out the rare traditional treatment for those patient enough to wait.

Xiao had begun sending letters to you one year after the both of you parted ways. They were pretty basic for the most part. Some were about how much he missed you, others told of the battles he had and of the new scars he had gotten.

Some were rather fun to read however. Like the one where he told you about the voluptuous elf who tried desperately to get him into her bed, but how he stayed strong just for you. Regardless of the content, you kept every single one in one of your drawers so you could read them whenever you started to miss him. Although that habit was about to end soon.

In his latest letter, he told you that he would be arriving soon. You could barely contain your excitement. Every time the door opened and that little bell on top would ring, you could feel your heart pound out of your chest. Unfortunately for you, it was just another customer every time.

It was reaching noon, the slow hours of the day where everyone was off running errands or doing something else, which meant you had little to do but to clean the store and reorganize your products.

You had just finished cleaning the storage room when you heard the bell ring once more. This was particularly strange since no one came inside at this time. That could only mean one thing.

You rushed outside and headed toward the door, and just as you thought, standing there in the door was the all too welcoming sight of that azure Dragon you had spent the night with three years ago.

He locked eyes with you and grinned happily, spreading his arms out. You obliged his invitation and jumped straight into his arms.

"Xiao!" You exclaimed joyously, planting kisses all along his neck and moving upward toward his snout.

He let out a deep rumble from his throat. "Well, well. It looks like my little human missed me." He leaned in, pressing his mouth to your cheek and giving you that slow kiss you missed so much. "I missed you too."

Jumping off him, you began guiding Xiao around you house slash store, showing him how you've been living the past few years. Somewhere along the line, you ended up pulling him around by his thumb.

After you were done, he took a final look around, then placed his hand on your head and started ruffling your hair.

"Looks like you got quite the nice little shop going on here. Too bad it's gonna be closed for a while."

You shot him a worried stare. "What do you mean? I'm not planning on closing anytime soon."

He brought his arm around you and pulled you close to his side. "Are you sure? Because I think you have some things to take care of before you can start doing business again."

"Oh yeah? Things like what?"

His hand moved lower, beginning to slightly squeeze your rear. "Well first, I think you need to handle the horny Dragon that's in your store. No one's going to want to buy anything if all they see is me trying to get you in the bedroom."

You playfully punched Xiao on the arm. "If anything, they'll just feel uncomfortable that an old man is trying to flirt with the store clerk."

Xiao snorted. "Don't you start with that, I'm only thirty-nine, you hear me? That's still prime for a Dragon."

"Pshhh, yeah, whatever. Sex can wait Xiao, the slow hours are about to end. Customers could be coming in at any second."

He raised an eyebrow and directed a devilish smirk at you. "It can wait huh? Are you sure about that?" He leaned down and began whispering in your ear. "Are you really sure you don't want to just close down for the day, get in that bedroom and stick your shaft deep into my-"

"Xiao!" You exclaimed, your face nearly burning from his comment.

"Awww… look at how embarrassed you got. I knew all it would take was a little tease."

You tried to shoot a dirty look, but with the current color of your face, it didn't look very convincing.

"All right look." He began. "I'm gonna go up to your bedroom. If you would like to stay here and work, that's fine. But if you would like to join me upstairs for more… intimate activities, just know I'll be ready for you."

You watched as he turned around and walked away from you, his tail flowing behind him as it's tip brushed across the bottom of your chin, provoking you to follow.

You tried to stand your ground and be a good shop owner, but as you saw that hunking Dragon walk up the stairs and into your own bedroom, you knew you couldn't resist.

Flipping over the "open" sign to it's "closed" side, you followed Xiao up the stairs.

"Finally come to our senses have we?" He remarked.

"Is it always gonna be like this with you?" You replied jokingly.

"Heavens no. I promise to be a gentleman for many years to come. But for now, I'd like to indulge in my boyfriend for a bit."

You felt your cheeks heat up when he called you that. You wanted to reply with something clever, but Xiao had swept your legs with his tail, and was now carrying you in his arms, bridal style.

"I'm gonna make up for those three years in no time." He whispered into your ear before busting open your bedroom door and doing just that.

To this day, the townsfolk still don't know why you closed your shop for ten days so suddenly. And they never would find out.