"What's wrong, little egg?" Neebis asked, while sliding a bowl of fruit across the counter towards the sky-blue dragoness who trudged towards him and sat on her haunches. He could tell that his daughter hadn't slept much by the way her wings drooped low and her tail dragged along the ground behind her.

"Nothing." Reeva murmured, picking at the food before her. Glancing towards her father, she saw his jaw clench as he busied himself cleaning the old knife he had used to prepare her food. She knew he could tell something was wrong. As she drove a slice of melon around her bowl with a claw, she tried to distract herself from the memory of seeing Meegi fly off with Tiiphani, as well as Kaarif being stranded on the Dragonball field.

Running the water in the sink, Neebis tried to create background noise to fill the awkwardness that hung in the air like a thick fog. "Still excited for London?" He asked, turning his neck to look back at her. When she only nodded weakly, he felt his stomach tighten. Only a few weeks ago he thought she shared his enthusiasm, but now something was clearly eating away at his daughter. "How did your assignment go?" He asked, hoping desperately that it was the cause of her glum mood and he would be able to help.

"It went well." She answered and saw his neck frill dip slightly. "Meegi was a good partner, it's just..." Her words drifted off and she looked back down at her breakfast, only to find what little appetite she had disappear. "I don't want to talk about it."

Neebis turned off the tap and turned around to face her, before sitting down on his haunches as well. "So, it's a Meegi thing?" He asked and saw her crimson frill flatten further against her neck. "Ah... well, drake problems are probably more of your mother's speciality." He said, while scratching his forearm with his other paw. "She is a bit more experienced in that department. Unless you want me to awkwardly stand around at his work again—" The snort of amusement from his daughter made him smile. "What did he do?" He asked softly and lowered his head to her level.

"Nothing, it's stupid." She said and began to slice a chunk of pear with her talon, its soft flesh slowly becoming mush under her repeated cuts. Glancing up towards her father, she could see he was still waiting for an answer and sighed. "I'm stupid—"

"No, you're not." Neebis said quickly, his sudden reaction startling her. "You're brilliant." He added with a warm smile. "Funny and clever. The absolute best bits of your mother and me."

Reeva’s chest warmed at his words and her frill perked up slightly while she focused down on her bowl. "Thanks. But I don't think Meegi is after funny and clever." She said sadly and continued to play with her breakfast. "It seems he likes this pretty, big-horned, Tiiphani bitch—"

"Hey." Neebis said firmly and shook his head. "We don't call people that—"

“But dad! She is a total b... bad egg." Reeva exclaimed before stabbing a piece of watermelon with a talon, imagining its red flesh was that of a dragon's. “She thinks she is sooo pretty, with her fake horns and red scales. It's gryphon shit.”

Neebis' lip twitched, and his tail curled around his feet as he tried to find the right words. “Weird, I thought Meegi was a smart drake." He said and smiled when Reeva cocked her head in confusion. “He came across as smart. But he must be pretty thick to not see how brilliant you are." He added and was rewarded with a small smile. “Are you sure he is with this ‘ness?”

“They looked super friendly after school.” Reeva shrugged. “She was all over him. And he seemed okay about it.”

“Have you spoken to him?” Neebis asked, watching as she looked away. “Are you two still friends?”

“I don't know. I don't know if we ever were." She replied with a sad sigh. That very question had kept Reeva awake all night, replaying the conversations she had with him while working on the assignment to see what she had done wrong or if she had just hoped for something that was never there. She remembered Kaarif's comments about how Tiiphani had been flirting with Meegi weeks ago and clenched her jaw at the thought that maybe they were together all along. The idea of being used the whole time made her stomach turn.

Neebis could tell his daughter was hurting and made his way around the kitchen counter to wrap a wing around the dragoness. “Come here." He murmured as he extended a wing and was relieved when she leaned into him. “Us drakes are pretty dumb sometimes." He added and smiled, when she sniffed back a small chuckle.

“Yup." She said softly and enjoyed the sheltered embrace of her father for a moment longer before glancing at the clock on the wall. “I need to get going.”

Neebis nodded and retracted his wing. “Do you want to buy lunch today? Special treat?” He offered and was rewarded with another smile.

“Thanks, dad.”

As the dragoness nodded farewell from the balcony and took to the sky, Neebis' mind raced with ways to cheer up his only child. His mate's words of caution about organizing a vacation in Reeva's final year began to haunt him. Reevian had warned that seperating her from her friends during this critical moment of her life was always going to be a challenge and now he began to have second thoughts. Once Reeva had disappeared from view, he trotted towards his harness and began to get ready to seek guidance from Reevian. If anyone knew how to help a dragoness with a broken heart, it would be her.

“So, rumor has it that our lead claimer has entered the nest zone." Teased Riikal, as he sat down next to Meegi, balancing a tray of food between his wing wrists and shoulders. The larger red drake used his mouth to lower the two plates from each of his wings to the ground, before sliding one over to his friend.

“What?” Meegi asked in confusion, as his packed lunch was pushed aside by the plate of freshly cooked meats. Years ago, Meegi had lied that his parents disagreed with the school's chefs, which was why he brought his own food, but Riikal knew that Meegi was always envious of the school's roasted meats.

With a firm nudge of his wing into the smaller drake, Riikal laughed. “Don't play dumb. I'm talking about you and Tiiphani, bro." He explained with a wide smile. “Jaalaphin told me that Miikalah told him that you and Tiiphani went on a date yesterday. You sly drake, why didn't you tell me?”

“'Cos we didn't?” Meegi said in confusion, looking him in the eye. “I was working yesterday, remember?”

“Working your way into the A league, more like it.” Riikal chuckled, but saw the tan drake cock his head further. “Oh come on, didn't you invite her back to that café you work at? Coffee, cake, chats? Sounds like a date, dude. Congrats!”

Meegi's eyes widened and he quickly looked around under each of the oak trees he could see to find Tiiphani. Pausing when he spotted Reeva and Kaarif sitting away from them, the dragoness with her back to him. “Wait, do you think that was a date-date?” He asked, unable to keep his voice from wavering in uncertainty. “I didn't ask her out though.”

“Oh Meegi, you're great on the field but damn man, you suck at this." Riikal teased, stabbing a chunk of meat with a talon and lifting it up to inspect with a critical eye. Seeing his friend looking stunned, he nudged him with a wing to shake him from his stupor. “I told you, she's had eyes for you all year. It's about time you came to your senses.”

“But…” Meegi started, but closed his mouth as he thought back on yesterday's events, how she had practically invited herself back to his work, watched him tend to customers, laughed at his friendly jokes with the patrons and had been unable to finish a muffin only to then offer it to him to share. “It wasn't a date. We just hung out and talked.”

“Uh-huh.” Riikal chuckled and nudged the plate in front of Meegi to entice him to eat. “Get some meat in you. You're gonna need it for this afternoon.”

Frowning, Meegi looked down at the delicious food, its scent wafting up to his nostrils and making his mouth water. “What's happening this afternoon?” he asked, plucking a piece of meat off his plate with a claw. “'Cos I've got another shift at the café.”

Smiling at his ignorance, Riikal chuckled and lowered his snout close to Meegi’s ear so he wouldn't be overheard. “It's Thursday, Tiiphani has a spare period at the end of the day. Which means… should you not feel well, you could probably dip and ‘hang out and talk’ with Tiiphani." He explained. “C’mon, it's only art class. You ain't gonna need that once you are flying for the Cresties-”

“No." Meegi said shortly. “I need my grades to pass and, knowing my luck, today would be the day that we all do self-portraits for the yearbook or something.”

“Pfft, don't worry. I could paint your sexy mug." Riikal retorted, his deep chuckle sounding like boulders rolling as he nudged his friend with a wing again. “You're basically a twig with a collection of triangles anyway.”

Meegi glared at the larger drake and sighed as Riikal grinned, compared to the large brooder, he was a lot more athletic looking and he shooked away in defeat. As he scanned across the school gardens, his gaze lingered on Reeva and her friend Kaarif. Her crimson frill drooped low against her neck while she talked to her friend and he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for not thanking her for being his partner on their assignment. He had enjoyed his time with her greatly and a part of him regretted not learning more about her. But as she sat with Kaarif, he found himself wondering if he was making a mistake. Meegi frowned as he noticed the scales of the aquatic dragon, his pearly silver scales seemed duller than he remembered. As his eyes scanned over the new harness Kaarif wore he dismissed the thought and assumed it was just the contrast or light that was tricking his eyes.

Noticing his friend becoming fixated on Reeva and her wingless friend, Riikal rolled his eyes. “Dude, really?” He asked and smiled when Meegi shook his head as he interrupted his thoughts. “Is Tiiphani not enough for you? You want to have the nerdy girl on the side too?” He teased and laughed when Meegi's eyes went wide.

“What!? No!” Meegi retorted quickly and became focused on his food. “I was just thinking-”

“Thinking about how you could date both at the same time?” Riikal giggled and stabbed another piece of meat. “You have Tiiphani on the hook, save some ‘nesses for the rest of us.”

“I don't have Tiiphani on the hook. We were just hanging out as friends." Meegi snapped back, but even as he said the words he didn't believe himself. “I mean… I don't know. She is nice and all-”

“Nice? Tiiphani is perfect for you. She is hot, her dad owns the Cresties, she wants you…” Riikal said while extending a digit for each reason before pausing. “And she is hot." He repeated and extended his last digit. “What more do you want?”

Meegi shook his head but couldn't hide the smirk that pulled at his snout. “Yeah, I guess she is alright." He said and moved his wing to intercept Riikal’s as the larger drake went to smack him again. “Okay, yeah… she is pretty hot." He admitted with a smile. “And she invited me to watch the game tomorrow night.”

"Fuck you, dude." Riikal exclaimed with a smile. "Cresties v Nixies? At the stadium?" He asked, grinning wider when Meegi nodded. He waited until the tan drake had his mouth full before continuing. "So, she does want you in her private box then." He added with a smug smile at his innuendo.

Meegi snorted before choking on his food, while his large friend roared with laughter. He swallowed as best he could, feeling the lump of marinated meat slide down his throat and turned to Riikal. "You're a dick, you know that, right?"

"Oh, I'm a dick?" Riikal asked with a look of offense. "I ain't the one stringing Tiiphani along, pretending we ain't dating while secretly agreeing to go to the ball with her." he explained with a cheeky grin. "Get it, ball?" He added with a nudge of his wing and chuckled when Meegi rolled his eyes. "You get to go there, make friends with her father and probably meet the team. Hell, if one of their players gets hurt, you are right there to help." The red drake said playfully before adopting a scratchy announcer's voice. "This just in, new rising star Meegi has stepped up to the plate to fill in for the Cresties' fallen claimer. Big things are going to come from this drake, I can feel it. Lots of eggs this season—"

"Oh, come on, now you are being ridiculous." Meegi said with a bashful smirk, that revealed he had fantasized about that exact scenario. "There ain't no way that I am good enough to be on their team—"

"I don't know, Meegi, you are flying circles around us out there. Like, you practically carry us every game. I know it, the team knows it and so does Coach Daanic. You know he went from this school to the Cresties too, right?" Riikal explained and saw the wheels turning in Meegi's mind. "I'm just saying, he was good, but I think you are better. He made the Cresties and he didn't even try to hook up with the owner's daughter—"

"Oh my god." Meegi exclaimed with a grin. "Tiiphani is her own person. I don't want to be getting with her because of her father or something."

Riikal shrugged and saw Tiiphani walking towards them, with Miikalah dutifully by her side. "Oh, so you DO want to get with her." He mused and nodded towards the two dragonesses. "I could think of worse dragonesses to be dating."

"I'm not—" Meegi said loudly, before seeing the pair walking towards them. "Dating her." He added, just loud enough for Riikal to hear. "At least I don't think so." He said through clenched teeth, smiling in greeting as Tiiphani smiled at him from across the school’s gardens.

Leaning closer, Riikal lowered his voice so only Meegi could hear while pretending to inspect the tan drake's food. “Well, you better work it out with her pretty quick. Apparently her father drove off the last drake cos he wasn't into Dragonball. So she is going to be daddy's little egg if she is bringing home the next big Dragonball star.” he whispered and looked Meegi in the eye. “Just saying, you don't want to piss off the owners of the Cresties by playing with one of his daughter’s hearts.” He warned.

Reeva saw the red dragoness walking toward them, with Miikalah in tow like an indentured bodyguard and clenched her jaw. “I'm going to say something—”

“Don't!” hissed Kaarif desperately. He followed her gaze before shrinking down further and pretending to adjust the straps on his new harness. “You will only make it worse.”

Reeva shook her head and tensed further as the red bully walked closer. “She hurt you. What would have happened if I wasn't—” She paused as Kaarif waved a paw to dismiss her. Clearly, the small drake was afraid of Tiiphani's wrath. When she glanced back towards the red dragoness, she knew it would be foolish to try anything with Miikalah right beside her and her own wings still burning from carrying Kaarif the day before. “What did your parents say?”

“I didn't tell them." He said sheepishly, but when he saw Reeva's eyes flick down to his new harness, he knew she had further questions. “I told them I outgrew it and all the cool kids were getting new ones before graduation.” He added and nodded toward her own harness.

Reeva saw the still broken phone strapped to Kaarif's wrist, its screen shattered in a spiderweb of cracks and now sporting a clear tape holding it together. Her blood boiled, as she saw the dozens of cracked scales across his chest and sides. Although most were covered by his harness straps, she knew he had been hurt badly.

Tiiphani smiled from horn to horn as she walked past the pair before squealing in glee. “Meegi!” With a happy bound and trot, she skipped over toward the tan drake and his friend, leaving Miikalah next to Reeva and Kaarif with two meals carried on her wings.

Towering above the pair, the dark blue dragoness waited until Tiiphani was out of earshot before looking down at Kaarif. “You made it down okay?” She asked with a look of concern. When the small aquatic drake nodded toward Reeva, Miikalah smiled. “You good though? Nothing broken?” She asked, confusing Reeva deeply.

“No bones." Kaarif said with a meek smile. “Just some scales and my phone." He explained and looked up at the large dragoness. “Thanks for... you know." He added cryptically.

Reeva looked between the pair in confusion, but the larger dragoness clearly understood. While balancing the meals between her wing wrists and her sides, she lifted one paw and reached into her harness to produce a white rectangular box. “I think you dropped this yesterday." She said and placed it before Kaarif, while making sure Tiiphani was engrossed in a conversation with Meegi. With a curt nod, she strolled away from the pair and made her way towards the more popular dragons.

“What... just happened?” Reeva asked, glancing over her shoulder to see the dark blue dragoness retake her place beside Tiiphani and slide a meal in front of the red dragoness.

"Ooo, it's the new one! And it's got Wireflow 2.0! About time they updated that!" Kaarif said, flipping the white box over and smiling. Using a claw from each forepaw, he gently pulled at the lid of the box.

Reeva watched as the interior half of the box slid down, the suction inside and friction of the box walls against one another providing a satisfying display until the lid came off, revealing the new phone within. "Kaarif, did she just buy you a phone? Because she beat you up?"

Kaarif shook his head and leaned to the side to look past Reeva, giving the dark blue dragoness a small nod of appreciation. "No, she didn't beat me up. She even tried to stop Tiiphani." Kaarif explained, unsheathing his old phone from its holster and beginning the process of transferring his data. "Okay, sure, she put me on the nest, but only because Tiiphani said she might drop me on the way up. She also kinda told me she would get help and she sent you, didn't she?"

Reeva's eyes narrowed at the phone, then she glanced over her shoulder at the group of dragons, focusing on Miikalah, who was beginning to eat while Tiiphani laughed loudly at something Meegi had said. "I just thought she was like Tiiphani." Reeva muttered, looking away before feeling sick.

"Miikalah? No, well… maybe, I don't know, maybe she wants me or something." He said, distracting himself with his new phone to try and stop his frill from perking outwards.

Reeva's snort of amusement did little to dampen his mood, but her quick apology made him smile. "Sorry, but like… isn't she a bit big?" She asked, seeing his eye ridge raise. "I mean, like… I ain't judging, I'm just curious on the… um… logistics." She said, relieved when he smiled.

He was about to reply when Tiiphani's shrill remark about how funny Meegi was echoed loudly across the gardens, causing Reeva to tense and grind her teeth. Putting his phone aside, the silver drake looked Reeva in the eyes and nodded towards the dragons behind her. "How are you doing, with… you know… Meephani?" He asked warmly, seeing the muscles in her neck clench under her scales.

Reeva let out a deep breath slowly in a sad sigh and shook her head subtly. "I really thought we had something. But I think I was just hopeful." She said softly.

"That being said, he was looking at you a fair bit before Tiiphani rocked up." Kaarif said, glancing over her shoulder. "Geez, she is really laying it on thick, but he isn't doing anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, she's kinda all over him. But he's just... like... being weird." Kaarif said with a shrug. "You sure your boy knows how a 'ness works?" He added with a chuckle before plucking a piece of meat off his plate and looking past the confused Reeva to watch the display unfolding behind her. "Don't look!" He added quickly when she tried to turn around. "She's like, touching his paw and stuff, but he's being kinda cold. Do you think they're really together?"

"I saw them leave together yesterday, and they seemed really... close." Reeva replied, the image of her cozying up to him as they left school still making her stomach tighten. "You think they aren't?" She asked, feeling her frill lift hopefully.

"I don't know... I just thought he'd be smoother than... that." Kaarif said while continuing to eat, his amethyst eyes flicking between Tiiphani's body language and Meegi's. Without a doubt, she was trying to get his attention by leaning against him and occasionally touching her paw against his, yet he seemed to only smile politely at her jokes. Whenever he picked up food with his claws, he'd use the paw she was holding to eat, only to place it back just away from hers. "He's just not getting it, is he?" Kaarif remarked, seeing Reeva's frill perk up higher. "Dumb idea, have you thought of just asking him out, so he knows that you're interested? It's forward, but it seems like he ain't getting the hints Tiiphani's giving and maybe he needs it spelled out."

"Ask him out?" Reeva exclaimed louder than she expected and quickly lowered her voice. "Um, no... That's kinda the drake's job, isn't it?"

Kaarif chuckled and looked at her with a grin. "Oh Reeva, I thought you were all about equality and all that." He teased before shrugging and picking apart more of his meal. "Some drakes like it when the 'ness takes charge. Just sayin'."

"Really?" Reeva asked, tilting her head to look back at Meegi, despite Kaarif's protest. As she glanced back, she saw Meegi suddenly become focused on his food, and she felt a small spark of hope that she had caught him staring at her.

"Some of us do." Kaarif said, clearing his throat to bring her attention back towards him. "Not all, though. Some love the whole big strong alpha mindset, you know, the 'all your 'nesses belong to me' type, and others like the chase of trying to get the 'ness, but some like it when the 'ness chases them. I'm just saying, if you asked him, worst case we find out for sure if he's with Tiiphani."

"What if he finds it weird that a 'ness asks him out?"

"Would he? You know him better, you went on dates with him, not me." Kaarif said with a smirk, a mouthful of meat.

"It wasn't-"

"Like that, yeah. So you keep saying." Kaarif interrupted before swallowing. "I'm just trying to say, you spent a lot of time with him. Do you really think he would reject you because you asked him out?"

"But what if he does find it weird, wouldn't that ruin my chances?" Reeva asked and deliberately licked the side of her snout, giving him a subtle nod to indicate he had something on his own snout.

Kaarif licked his lips with his pink tongue, tasting the sweet marinade that the school's meats were soaked in, and nodded in thanks. "If he rejects you, then congrats. You just experience what every drake experiences, when asking a 'ness out who ain't into them. But, you will also know for sure how he feels." He could see the uncertainty in his friend's eyes and glanced over her shoulder again to see Tiiphani giggling at something Meegi had said. "So the way I see it. If you don't find out where you stand with him, there is a good chance he might just end up with her. Are you really going to be okay with that?"

"Maybe." She lied and could tell by Kaarif's raised eyeridge that he didn't believe her. "I don't know." She added in defeat.

"Well, she is definitely into him so if your gonna try and steal him out from under her narrow snout, you better be sure it's what you want. Talking from someone who has been on the wrong side of Tiiphani, she probably won't be a bitch to you while Meegi is watching, but at least you can fly down from a nest if she puts you there." Kaarif warned.

Reeva's anxiety spiked at the thought of crossing the red dragoness, thoughts of how she would make her life a living hell. "What are they doing now?" She asked and waited, as Kaarif pretended to stretch his tail and neck while he secretly stole another glance.

"Honestly, she is probably pretty close to just pinning him down and forcing him to kiss her. She knows what she is doing, but he is just so... polite!" Kaarif replied with a hint of frustration in his voice. "She is still trying to get his attention, it's pretty sad to watch really. Shy of a giant 'kiss me sign' she is giving him all the signals."

Reeva clenched her jaw and wanted to look back. "What is she doing?" She asked and pretended to adjust a strap on her harness to give the couple a stealthy look.

"See how she keeps adjusting her wings? Brushing them against his. Either the bitch has something stuck in her eyes, or she keeps batting them at him. Oh!" Kaarif exclaimed softly as Tiiphani reached and took a piece of meat from Meegi's plate, only to smile cheekily when the tan drake turned to her. "That's a signal."

"What? Stealing his food?" Reeva asked and turned back to face Kaarif, who nodded meekly. "Do drakes like that?" The memories of the times they shared meals together came back and she tried to remember if there were any signals she may have given him.

"Do we like it? Um... if done right. Stealing a drake's food can be annoying, but it gets their attention, that's for sure." Kaarif chuckled.

"Since when were you an expert on all this?" Reeva asked and tilted her head in confusion. She had known him from the first day that he had moved to the school and had never seen him with a 'ness.

Kaarif shrugged before smiling knowingly at her. “You didn't know me at my last school. I used to have a different 'ness each week, romance for recess and heartbreak for homework-”

Reeva’s snort cut him off and she waved a paw dismissively. “Sorry, but a new 'ness every week? Couldn't you make the relationship last?” She teased and smiled, as he lifted a paw against his chest as if he had been wounded and put on a show of falling to his side.

“Reeva, you monster. You wound me with your sharp tongue, hasn't little Kaarif suffered enough?” He said while rolling back and forth dramatically.

“Oh, get up, I'm only joking." Reeva said through her clenched jaw, hoping that his antics hadn't drawn the attention of Meegi and Tiiphani. “We both know you are quite the… catch.” She joked and grinned as he glared at her.

“That's it! I'm going to tell Meegi how you really feel-”

“Don't!” Begged Reeva and pinned his front paws under hers. “Please, I'm only joking.” She added, as he pretended to stand up.

“It's gonna solve a lot of problems if I just ask him." He teased, before looking at Meegi and Tiiphani with their friends and, even though he tried not to show it, he could still feel the bruises under his scales from where she had pulled him around and stomped on his prone body. “Though, on second thoughts. Maybe I'll ask him when Tiiphani isn't there.” He said with a weak smile.

“Please don't, I'll ask him… just not right now." Reeva said and glanced over her shoulder to see Meegi talking to the red dragoness. She was too far away to make out what he was saying, but whatever it was had Tiiphani entranced.

“I'm pretty sure she has a spare period at the end of the day, so maybe after school?” Kaarif offered.

Reeva turned back to face him with a frown. “How do you know her schedule?” she asked, only for him to shrug.

“I know a lot of things." Kaarif retorted, “Maybe not math or science or any of that boring stuff. But when you are little like me, ya gotta know when the cat's away.” He added and looked past Reeva at the large blue dragoness who had stopped Tiiphani's beating.

"Oh my god, just freaking ask him!" implored Kaarif as they walked towards the front of the school while the rest of the students prepared to leave. "Look, he is over there. Just ask him, Tiiphani ain't around." He added and looked back at the nervous dragoness.

Reeva's frill was pinned back against her neck as she slowly plodded forwards, the memories of the last few classes were nothing more than a fuzzy haze of self-doubt and fragments of what she would say to Meegi. Looking across the concrete area the students used to take off and leave the school, she spotted the familiar tan drake scanning the crowd and waiting for something or someone. "I can't." she said weakly, "I mean, what would you say?"

Kaarif sighed and trotted back to her only to sit down proudly in front of her and lower his head to then look up at her drooping face to make eye contact. "Just walk up to him and say, 'Hey, Meegi, um. I really enjoyed working on that assignment together, could I buy you a drink to say thanks?'"

"He works at a coffee shop, I don't think he has to buy—"

"That's not the point!" Kaarif corrected her and used his snout to lift hers up. "Just say you want to hang out, or ask if it's okay to do your homework at the café or something. He will know what you mean."

Reeva looked across the students to see Meegi sitting on his haunches with a forepaw raised to look at his phone. She watched as a flicker of a smile pulled at his snout and started to think about what he could be looking at until a buzz from her own phone startled her. A part of her hoping that somehow he had her number, but she was quickly disappointed by seeing a message from her mother. Without even reading more than the first line of text, she put her paw down and turned to Kaarif. "Maybe we are just classmates, I don't want to make it awkward if we get paired again. You know what I mean?"

"Oh, sure. Okay." Kaarif said in an overly supportive voice. "So, you are going to be okay with him having his throat licked by that red bitch?"

Reeva recoiled back like she had been stung and looked down at her friend. "Please don't ever call it that—"

"You know what I mean. She wants him and a drake like him ain't going to stay single for long. So, my point stands, are you going to be okay, knowing that you could have asked him out while he is making out with her?" He said firmly and could see her becoming riled up.

"No—"

"That's what I thought." Kaarif said proudly. "So, march your pretty scaled tail over there and tell him you want to buy him a drink, or hang out with him this afternoon."

Reeva nodded, but her eyes widened as Kaarif stepped out of the way; somehow, she felt more exposed with no one between her and Meegi. "I mean, maybe I could just—OWWW!" She yelped as Kaarif nipped her wing. "What was that for?"

"I'll do it again if you don't talk to him." Kaarif threatened with a smirk. "Now."

"I'm starting to see why you were put on the Dragonball nest." Reeva said in a harsher voice than she expected and flexed her wing. A buzz came from her phone to remind her of her unread message, and she looked down while pulling her wing close to her body and away from Kaarif.

Tapping at the screen, she read the message, and her heart began to beat faster. A long message from her mother simply read, "Hey, your father and I were talking. Did you want to invite a friend to London? They will need to get a passport sorted quickly if they don't have one. We can pay if that's an issue. Don't think of this as buying friends, but maybe Meegi would want to see the world a bit? Just an idea."

"Fuck it, I'll do it." Kaarif said and began to walk towards Meegi, only to feel paws latch onto his tail and pull him back.

"Don't you dare!" Reeva snapped and let go of his tail. "I have an idea; wait here." She added and trotted forwards, her heart beating in her chest like a war drum as she tried to make her way through the throngs of students towards Meegi. Between the gaps in the students, she could see him lock his phone and look around the crowd before taking a deep breath and mantling his wings. "Meegi!" She called out, but knew that he hadn't heard her when he turned away and hunkered down.

Squirming past a dragon from the grade below, Reeva's heart sank as Meegi took to the sky. With all of the students around her, she was unable to get her wings out and pushed firmly past another student to try and find a clear space to take off.

With a powerful beat of his wings, Meegi soared into the sky, unaware of the dragoness behind him, who was trying her hardest to catch up. The wind rushed past his horns as he began the rapid flight towards his work, having already stayed behind longer than he should have. He concluded that Reeva must have left before him; his jaw clenched at the idea of not thanking her for her work on the assignment yet again, but he focused on the sky ahead. Every beat of his wings carried him closer to work and he pushed himself to not be late for his shift.

"Meegi, wait!" Reeva cried out from behind him, his athletic body becoming smaller and smaller as her feeble wings failed to keep pace with him. Her lungs burned and chest heaved with every wing beat; the soreness from carrying Kaarif sapped away at her strength, but she clenched her jaw and pushed on through the pain. The mocking smile of the Tiiphani filled her mind; the way she moved and flew so effortlessly brought dark and destructive thoughts to the surface from its depths. As the wind blew against her, she tried to remember her physio's instructions, breathing deep with every upstroke of her wings and breathing out with every flap to let her chest muscles work together in keeping her aloft and fueling her blood with oxygen. "Mee-gii!" She called out hopelessly, before forcing herself to slow down as her vision became blurry.

Landing on the pavement at a canter, Meegi apologized to the humans he startled and pressed his shoulder against the café door to swing it open. His breaths came in pants as he smiled at his boss. “I’m here, sorry I'm late.”

Mike chuckled at the drake and waved a hand to dismiss the drake's concern. “It's okay Meegi, I remember you saying you were going to be late.” He said and gave the drake a subtle nod towards one of the patrons in the café.

“I did?” Meegi said in confusion, but when he followed Mike's nod, his eyes widened as he spotted the familiar red dragoness lounging elegantly across one of the store's cushions. “Tiiphani! Hi, what are you doing here?”

The dragoness stretched her hind legs slowly and deliberately. “Well, I was struggling with this silly assignment for Siigma's class and needed a coffee. So I thought to myself, where is someone that could help and who makes the best coffees.” She said and held his gaze with a smile.

Meegi swallowed and noticed she was missing her school harness, instead opting to wear nothing but her phone strapped to her wrist and a small black leather pouch around her neck. “Oh. Well, um… Sure! I can help.” He said cheerfully and trotted around the counter to take refuge. “How do you like your coffee?”

Tiiphani tilted her head from side to side before she simply shrugged. “Surprise me!”

Mike focused on wiping the counter down as the tan drake slipped his apron on and began making a coffee for the dragoness. He waited until the drake had tapped out the old coffee grinds and locked in the portafilter before turning to the drake. “Hey, so Meegi. You can fly, right?” He asked and smiled at the drake's look of confusion.

“Um.. yeah?” Meegi answered quizzically and glanced at the man before lowering his snout to watch the espresso pour through the machine and into the ceramic mug for Tiiphani. “Why?”

Mike folded the cloth in his hands and shrugged. “So, the other day, Siidah has discovered that they can climb and now it’s getting impossible to stop them from climbing bookshelves and throwing themselves off. I was wondering, like… how do you know they are ready to fly?” Mike asked and saw the look of confusion on the drake's face. “I mean, when you were growing up, how did you learn to fly or is it just something that happens?”

“Oh!” Meegi exclaimed with a smile, as he realized the dilemma that the man was in. “Well, um… see, growing up, we kinda ride on our parents' shoulders and glide here and there until we can fly on our own.” He explained and smiled as Tiiphani chuckled from the other end of the café.

"Right... So it's not really something that just happens, is it?" Mike mused and frowned as Meegi shook his head. "Hmm, okay. Thanks." He added and, from the corner of his eye, he could see her watching the drake intently as he worked. He could tell by her tight focus on Meegi that there was something between them. Not wanting to become a third wheel and get in the way, he folded the cloth over itself and nudged the drake with an elbow. "I'm going to head off early. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He said just loud enough so Meegi could hear.

Pulling his own apron over his head, Mike hung it on the wall and ran his hands together nervously. "Alright, you have the shop, Meegi. Try not to let it burn down." He joked and was rewarded with a smile from the tan drake.

The bell rang as the door closed behind Mike and the café became cozier and quieter with just the two young dragons in the store. As he finished pouring the cup of coffee, Meegi was surprised when Tiiphani stood up and approached the counter. The warm amber glow of the café’s pendant lights made the dragoness' scales shimmer and he couldn't help but see her in a different light now that she wasn't in her school harness. Something about her made her appear more mature and regal as she sauntered over with a smile, a deliberate sway of her hips and her amber eyes locked with his. "I think it's kinda sweet that you help out here. Is he a family friend or something?" Tiiphani asked warmly and sat on her haunches across the counter from Meegi.

"Um... something like that, yeah." Meegi said, as he slid the mug out from under the coffee machine and across the counter to the crimson dragoness.

"You're a good drake, Meegi." Tiiphani said and tilted her head slightly to the side to look at him with a coy smirk. "And I've got a present for a good drake." She added.

Meegi swallowed in anticipation as the dragoness reached into her leather pouch to retrieve a red and gold lanyard with a hard plastic card attached to it. The golden logo of the Cresties team was printed in metallic across the back of it and his eyes went wide as she slid it across the table to him.

"For tomorrow night." She said softly and held his gaze, her bright amber eyes locked with his as she moved closer. "Do you like?"

Meegi's paw trembled slightly as he turned the pass over to see the front. Printed in bold was his name and a photo of himself taken from afar. "When did you take that?" He asked with a raised eyeridge and ran a digit over the print. It wasn't a bad photo, but had captured him flying during a Dragonball game and, as he looked closer at the pads he was wearing, he realized it was from the presentation game.

"Oh, daddy took that when you played the Wyverns." She lied, but placed her paws on the counter to reach out for the pass. "Or should I say, beat the Wyverns." She added, as she took the pass back from him. The subtle twitch of his lip wasn't missed by her and she could tell he wanted to hold onto the pass for longer. "I hope that was okay, him taking your picture. He was really amazed by how you flew."

Meegi's pulse sped up with this information and his chest puffed out slightly at the hope that he was being scouted. However his enthusiasm was tempered by a flicker of guilt pulled at his mind, at the thought of unintentionally using her to get into her father's good graces. He smiled however as she shuffled closer; she was by far the most attractive dragoness in the school and he began to berate himself for second guessing. 

"Oh, and look! They print your name as a hologram!" She exclaimed and angled the card for him, keeping it close to her so he had to lean further forward. She could smell his warm scent as he did, a mixture of masculinity and coffee that made her heart flutter. After a moment she watched his eyes shift from the pass to her own and she looked deep into them.

“That's pretty cool.” Meegi chuckled nervously as he became lost in her gaze, any misgivings about her using him or vice versa quickly evaporated. With a beautiful dragoness in front of him, with a literal pass for his future in her paws, he couldn't help but lean even closer. His nostrils twitched as he instinctively took in her scent, the flowery perfume she always wore mixed with a hint of a scent that stirred more primal instincts. He felt like there was nowhere he would rather be.

"Daddy told me these sorts of tickets don't come cheap. So, it's gonna cost you." She said smoothly, with a playful glint in her eye. For Tiiphani, the chase was always half the fun, knowing that withdrawing the pass just a fraction of an inch away from him would cause his eyes to flick down at the pass and heart rate to increase.

Meegi's mind raced for an excuse to give her as to why he couldn't afford the tickets. He had no idea how much they would cost, but knew that the game was set to be a brutal clash between the two best teams. With the season only starting, there was a high risk of injury and many would give their wings for the opportunity to watch the game, let alone in the luxury of a private box. He contemplated how much money could be in the register but immediately rejected the idea of stealing from his boss. Glancing back down at the plastic card longingly, he swallowed again and tried to appear relaxed. “Um… Well, what do I owe you?”

"Meegi!" Reeva exclaimed loudly. "I need to talk to you!" She panted between labored breaths, trying hard to focus on the words she had rehearsed. "That assignment, we did well, right? Like, I mean, I had a lot of fun—well, as much as we can with an assignment from Mr. Siigma. But, enough about that." She gasped and forced herself to take a deep breath. "What I wanted to say is… my folks are heading to London, and I'm going too, but we have a spare ticket. Did you want to come?" She asked, flicking her head from side to side. "I don't want to be buying your friendship or anything. I just thought it could be fun. It's totally up to you." She added before beating her tired wings as hard as she could, finding herself still falling slowly below the city skyline. "Come on, Reeva, pull yourself together. You sound desperate." She berated herself and adjusted her wings to counter a turbulence from one of the buildings she passed. "But you are desperate." Laughed a sinister voice from the depths of her consciousness.

Spotting the café ahead, she tried to bury her doubts and focus on landing safely. With a plethora of cars driving on the black asphalt road beneath her, she angled her wings and twisted her tail to swerve towards the marked landing zone outside the café. "Just ask him, if he says no, then at least you can say you tried." She reminded herself and flared her wings for a landing. The muscles that wrapped her chest protested as the thin membranes of her wings caught the air and slowed to a halt just above the landing area. With a final ragged beat of her wings, she fell the last foot to the ground and caught herself clumsily on all fours. Grimacing in a mixture of pain and fatigue, she tensed her flight muscles to try to retract her wings, trotting towards the glass café door. Her eyes lit up and a wide smile pulled at her snout as she looked in and saw Meegi behind the counter, helping a customer like the good drake he was. Reaching for the handle with a paw, she paused as she watched the interaction inside. Without her school harness, it took Reeva too long to realize who the customer was. Her stomach sank at the scene inside; Meegi stood behind the counter while Tiiphani sat eagerly across from him. Reeva’s chest froze as she realized that their snouts were only inches away, way closer than they would be if they were just friends and she couldn't look away as he leaned closer. Her heart shattered as Meegi's head tilted one way while Tiiphani's tilted the other, and their maws met in a tender kiss.