Sprocket the Bronze Dragon
12 years ago… (Age 10)
“Momma!” I rushed into the apartment’s living room to find her lying in front of a book. The book's pages propped it up in front of her, so she lifted her head to look at me. Her bronze scales gleamed in the late afternoon sun.
We lived in a mixed community, but had dragon - and I guess gryphon - specific accommodations. The furniture and tables were all low, and pillows took the place of chairs or larger furniture. My mother loved our shared scale color, so she decorated the house with bronze fixtures, naturally stained wood, and yellow pillows.
“Yes, bug?” She said, her voice sweet with patience and interest.
“What happens to all the eggs we give to the temple? I heard that's where baby dragons come from. Is that where all the priests come from?”
She chuckled and pat the ground beside her.
“No, love. Come here.” I plopped down next to her, and she covered me with a wing. “Not all eggs have dragons in them. So we give those ones to the temple so they can sell them as food. Just like how we eat bird eggs.”
“Ooh” I said, astonished. “How can you tell if an egg has a dragon in it?”
“At night, you can hold it between you and a bright fire. If the inside is cloudy, it will hatch, if not, then we can give it away to feed someone in need.”
“Why do some eggs have dragons and some not?”
“That, my little bug, is a question for when you are older.” She kissed the top of my head. “Your dad is going to be home in a few minutes, why don't you go to welcome him, so I can start making us dinner.”
“Okay, mama! Love you!” I dove from under her wing and was airborne as soon as my wings passed the door frame.
***
10 years ago…
“Of course it wasn't an accident.” My mother screamed at auntie, talon raised, pointing accusingly. “He must have fallen for 20 seconds.”
She broke down crying then, and my aunt held her. From a little heap on the floor, I watched - confused and upset.
***
Eight years ago…
We started spending a lot more time at the temple. Ma pursued a priestess appointment with a, pardon me, religious devotion and fervor.
Though it was a temple dedicated to the dragon mother, it was not dragon specific. We had guest parishioners who were gryphons, humans, and elves. They all followed their own deities, but it was technically all the same religion, so they served together just as often as they squabbled.
It featured high limestone walls and pillars carved from the same white stone. It was so unlike the warm town it intruded upon, and its regular lines and edges blatantly defied the natural environment it existed in.
I lounged around in the temple president’s office, having grown bored with the religious books surrounding me. It, like the rest of the temple, was overbearingly white. The office was lit by a large window that I forlornly stared out of. He’d banished me to such a boring room in such a boring place for the simple sin of… dozing off during prayer. Mom fervently agreed.
I'm a growing dragon. What do they expect?
The sound of the door interrupted my rueful thoughts. I turned my head over and looked back with my head upside down, refusing to take the “go to my office” punishment seriously.
Instead of a large grumpy rust red dragon, I saw a gryphon, right about my age, peaking around the door. His sharp features were full of mischief. We locked eyes, and in that instant, I had a realization about myself.
I would never be a “normal dragon”. Despite the time I spent inside the walls of the temple, I knew I could never keep our supposed mother's tenants. Before me stood living, breathing proof, I saw beauty in far more than just dragons.
“Why are you in here?” He asked.
“Got in trouble.”
“Awesome.” He said, finally stepping all the way into the room.
He was beautiful. His bird half was a golden eagle, and his feline half had the large distinctive patterns of a leopard. The browns, tans, and black accents were seamless, and he strode with the confidence of well-known beauty.
“I know, I'm gorgeous.” He said. “Let's get out of here ‘fore our folks get done. I'm Theo, by the way.”
I grinned at him and followed. We quietly flew from the stuffy management area of the temple to the wonderful greens and blues outside.
His father was a guest parishioner from a nearby temple. Our president wanted to form a relationship with Theo’s father’s temple, so I started seeing the troublemaking gryphon a lot after that.
Mischief, skullduggery, and mayhem walked with us when we were together. He was a bright spot in my rapidly darkening life.
***
Seven years ago…
We'd gotten quite proficient in escaping the temple. Likely because of the sheer amount of time we spent there. Theo's father was a professional, so his duties could keep him there for days at a time.
My mother, on the other claw, had hardly risen above the level of volunteer, despite the hours she spent there day after day. She was a different dragon inside those walls. She was intense, off-puttingly so, and she hung on every word spoken by anyone even resembling religious authority. It disturbed me, seeing this change, and even though Theo considered our daring escapes a game, I had an actual reason to leave that building. The metamorphosis I was witnessing, from inside the cocoon no less, horrified me.
While I stood looking at the bubbling water of a small creek and considering these things, a small, fierce bird of prey blindsided me. Dazed, I looked up and saw the grin that split Theo's face from ear to ear.
“Run, or I'm going to peck you.”
“What if I like being pecked?” I retorted, subtly moving my claws to a better position.
“Then you better really like it.”
He dove, meaning to grab my ear in his sharp beak. I dodged, however, and used my prepared position to wrestle him to submission. Well, maybe not to total submission, but enough that his beak faced away from me, and I had the rest of his sharp bits in my control.
“Oh,” he said, “I bet you think you're so clever.”
“I do.” I said and licked from his cheek to his ear.
“Sprocket!” He gasped, and all at once slipped my grasp.
Looking at the space where a gryphon used to be distracted me enough that the next swooping tackle brought me low with minimal effort. Our wrestling became something akin to aggressive cuddling, and that turned into making out.
Even back then, we knew we weren't meant to have a relationship. Curiosity and the trust of a comparatively long friendship drove us. We didn't talk about it. Whenever it happened, it just happened, and we'd resume exactly what we were afterwards.
***
6 Years Ago…
I awoke to wailing.
My mother's piercing shrieks accompanied her dreams. Dreams of dad. Dreams of the fate of an unbeliever. I grit my teeth. I shouldn't be so callous about this. I thought, as I stood to creep towards my bedroom door.
With practiced deftness, I engaged the lock on the door and slunk back over to my bed. As expected, a few moments later, the door knob jingled. I held my breath. Claws, running contemplatively over the rough wood grain of the door, further stilled my movements. She'll go away on her own. I reassured myself. She'll try the knob a few more times, then go back to bed.
And so it was. Several minutes later, I heard her talons ticking along the floor, going back to her bedroom. It had gotten worse since they denied her the priesthood. Before I'd learned that locking the door did actually stop her sleep-addled mind, she'd wander in after waking up screaming and babble on and on about “The Great Mother's plans” and how “I needed to follow Her ways to not end up like my father.”
It was hardly ever coherent enough to even catch those ideas, but through all the language she parroted back from the temple, those two ideas stood out.
During the day, I'd find her curled up around one of “The Speaker's“ books. She'd sing the poetic passages in Draconic, wasting her beautiful voice on the hymns sung just to herself and The Mother over and over and over again.
I remember her last lucid day. It was just after one of her nighttime episodes.
She held me, like I was much younger than I was, with me cradled in her arms. She stared off for a long time as I nuzzled into her chest and just felt the warmth of her embrace. She said nothing, but I could tell a piece of her had come back for a moment. It was in her eyes. I finally saw grief.
***
Five years ago…
Theo and I were, in effect, homeless. We still weren't in a relationship, but his father had caught us together. Old priests don't take “Oh, it's just a casual thing.” as it being any less of a sin. Especially since traditionalist gryphons had prohibitions against homosexuality, unlike dragons.
I also got kicked out of my mother’s house. In my case, it was rightly so. The last thing I said to her was the cruelest thing I've ever done. She was on one of her rants again, and I snapped.
“...otherwise, you'll end up like your father.” she said, speaking like she knew I wasn't listening.
I turned on her and looked her dead in the eyes.
“I'm starting to think he had the right idea.” I spat. “I'd fold my wings to get away from you too.”
I’m wasn’t sure if there was enough of her left to apologize to. I have to live with driving the last bit of her out of herself. She chased me from the decaying apartment. Shouting curses and calling me a changeling and a cuckoo.
I shuddered, trying to shake the memory.
We watched a merchant as he tidied his wares. Simple root vegetable produce. This would be easier if he were a piece of shit, but this simple potato farmer was a kind gryphon. I grimaced, and made eye contact with Theo, who was standing on the other side of the vendor stall. With a nod, we began.
I had no intention of taking money. Just food for us to stow away and cook. Theo’s eyes, however, they lingered.
We stayed in the shantytown district of the city. Everything we did, we did to finish secondary school. That was the sole goal. Even though we basically hated each other at that point, we still supported one another. I'd learned that his love of trouble wasn't rooted in being playful, like me. He was just mean. Our close relationship shielded me from that, but his callous cruelty often shocked me.
So, when I'd said to distract the merchant, I didn't mean to punch him square in the face. That was on me, due to lack of specificity.
Panicking, I bagged as many potatoes as I dared and flew off in the commotion.
***
Four years ago…
Shortly after graduating, me and Theo split. We had no interest in speaking ever again. I went to trade school and learned how to machine parts for Artificer devices. That ended up involving a fair bit of welding, and I took to using the unwieldy ruby and brass contraption well.
I dragged the sharp facet of the fire mana gemstone over the corner of the brass box before me. The bead on this one looked fantastic, and I grinned triumphantly as I took my goggles off.
“Whatcha making?” a voice to my right made me jump.
“Oh, Dylan. You about made me jump out of my scales. It's just a clock.”
Dylan was a medium tone human with dark brown head fur. Hair, maybe? I couldn't recall the Common term for it. We were in the student shop we used for assignments. It was rudimentary, but it served its purpose of being an instructional setting well enough.
“That'd be a sight to see.” He grinned. “What do you got under those scales anyway?”
“Skin, just the same as you I'd suppose.”
“Fair enough.” He said, standing. “You looking for work?”
Cautious hope bloomed in me. The last of the coins Theo left me with were growing thin. If I didn't want to return to my old ways, I would have to find work.
“As long as it's honest.” I said. He then squatted to look at me eye to eye, and I brought my head down to be level with his.
“It's about as honest of work as I've ever heard of. My father owns the big Artificer shop downtown, and he is looking for apprentices.”
“If your father is an Artificer, then why are you here?” I asked.
“He said, and I quote, ‘I don't have time to teach you simple shit like welding and using a drill press. Go learn that at the schoolhouse and then I'll give you an apprenticeship.’”
“Sounds like a busy man. I'm in, if he'll have me.”
And thus began my first actual relationship, and the job that eventually got me a spot at a school as prestigious as Silver Talon.
***
Now…
Moonstone looked at the ground, listening, but drawing little circles in the dirt with his talon. He sat under me, pressing into my chest and belly with his back. We'd walked to the edge of town and found a wooded area to sit and chat in the moonlight.
“I'm so sorry, Sprocket.” he said somberly. “That is just awful.”
“Moral of the story is, it turns out sleeping with the temple president doesn't actually guarantee you a spot in the priesthood.”
The joke fell flat in the somber aire. I wanted to kick myself. I sometimes couldn't help the cynical and dark things that fell from my maw. Moonstone had known me long enough to see through it, but I was just then seeing it in myself.
“Sorry to focus on such a specific detail, but why did your mom call you bug?”
I laughed earnestly, and a small smile cracked through Moonstone's solemn expression.
“When I was really young, I found some cicada molts on the trees outside. I attached them to the edges of my ears and went to show my dad. I said something like ‘Look pa, I've got earrings!’. He about dropped dead from the initial fright, but soon enough he was laughing and calling my mom over to see. He's the one who called me bug first, and it stuck.”
“That's really sweet.” He said.
Moonstone stood and put his foreclaws on my shoulders. He pushed down, gently, gesturing that I should lie down. I did. He curled up beside me and put his head on top of mine.
“I won't hurt you, Sprocket. I won't use you letting me in to trick or control you.”
He nuzzled the top of my head.
“I know you wouldn't, Moon. Of course I know that.” I almost scoffed at the assertion.
“Okay, I also promise I won't hurt you. I promise that I won't use your heart to control you.”
“Yeah, I… I know. You - you ain't like that.” A weak, performative chuckle escaped my maw. Choking emotion chased it.
“I love you, Sprocket. You're safe with me. I won't hurt you, and I won't use love to control you. You deserve a safe person.”
Then I buried my head in his chest again, weeping. Moonstone stroked my neck as I felt. I felt so much. Hate for the Temple President, disgust at myself for letting him manipulate her. Hatred for all the ways she tried to manipulate me. I felt the loss of a love I didn't let myself feel, and all the hurt of how that relationship soured, then grew bitter. But most of all, the helpless rage of being unable to fix anything was a burning, stinging wound.
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Mom was most likely institutionalized or homeless. She'd flown off without warning a few days after our fight and didn't tell anyone where she was going. Theo was probably in prison, and that old temple president was either mostly or fully in the grave already.
Moonstone just kept stroking my head and neck, whispering reassurances in my ear. He was the only one who ever heard my whole story. His reward for getting through all my walls? A scared kid - ugly crying all over his chest. I'm not beautiful inside. My protection was not hiding away some gemstone, it was an ugly utilitarian fortress for an ugly utilitarian soul.
Then paranoia crept back in.
“What does he get from making me feel this way?”
“He didn't, though. He just gave me a safe place to feel this on my own.”
“I'm being awfully self-deprecating right now. Is he eroding my confidence to make me dependent on him?”
“All he said was, ‘I won't hurt you’. How do you go from that to deep emotional manipulation?”
“He's clever.”
“So am I.”
As the Socratic dialogue raged back and forth, the real Moonstone, not the imagined one on trial in my mind, continued to comfort me. The tears had stopped, but the pain and racking waves of emotions had not. I clenched my eyes shut and just waited to calm down.
***
Moonstone, the Opal Dragon
Sprocket eventually calmed, but kept his head where it was - pressed into my chest. His weight pressing into me let me hold on to him without keeping a claw on the ground. He tried to wrap his forelegs around his chest, but I moved them to hold on to me, and I embraced him where he intended to self soothe.
I kissed the top of his head, then spoke.
“You're safe, Sprocket. Lay your head on my side.”
He complied, and I curled up to become something of a pillow for him. After a moment of adjustment, I found a comfortable position that put us snout to snout.
Sprocket's breathing had already deepened, and I watched for a moment as he slept. Then I kissed his snout and closed my own eyes.
***
Three years ago…
I crumpled the “official correspondence” in my claws. My father could not even be bothered to drop his formal tone or use anything less than his proper stationery for his own son. The ostentatious letterhead was still visible despite my efforts, so I tossed it in the unlit fire pit of my den as I walked by.
I casually mentioned achieving 12th place in the mage program during my first year. It was an unheard-of feat. His response was:
“You have my sincere commendations for your performance. However, do not let early success sully your progress…”
What followed was nearly two pages of wordy elaboration on that simple premise. Okay, but do better. It was infuriating. I, obviously, did not expect him to be shouting my praises from the rooftops, but a single line in a letter that bordered on scolding stung deeply.
The letter I truly cared about was the one that still lay on my desk. It was my mom's response. She was proud and told me so. Her words were sincere and warmed my heart, but then a chill came through me as I reminded myself that, despite only caring about what my mom thinks, my father's opinion was what mattered. He is the one paying my way, so I had to continue putting on whatever song and dance he required until I could save up enough to pay for the program myself.
These thoughts circled my mind, nipping and biting at one another like angry dogs. I walked into the amateur theater club’s designated meeting room. It was our first day back for the school year, and I was excited to meet the new prospects.
Glancing around the room, I saw many familiar faces chatting amicably about their summer breaks. As I scanned the bare, borrowed classroom, my eyes stopped, and I stared. A beautiful bronze dragon stood in the room, waiting patiently to be approached by someone from the club.
He was somewhere between a medium and a large dragon, and he was lean, muscular, and sturdy. He clearly took care of himself because his scales looked exactly like polished bronze. As he looked at me, I noticed he had an unusual feature for metallic dragons. He had strikingly clear blue eyes. One of his parents must have been a gem. I thought.
Catching my gaze, he smiled and approached me, extending a claw as he sat before me.
“Hello, my name is - “
***
Now…
“Moonstone.” I heard as I opened my eyes. We were in a clearing. I blinked and looked around. We slept on soft grass with a beautiful view of the morning sun. It warned my scales as I stretched out. At once, two issues became known to me. One, I had apparently greeted the morning… immodestly. Two, we were outside.
“Oh, gods.” I said, rolling over to my belly.
I looked up at Sprocket. He was dealing with the same issue.
“Um… love, can you do the spell?”
“Right - right, of course.”
My eyes lingered on what Sprocket was failing to hide. He actually blushed for once, and I swooned at seeing him so timid. I brought up my spell selection matrix; it was a minor spell of its own that let me store the spells I learned instead of memorizing every single one.
Sprocket watched as I flipped through the menus, movements growing more and more halfhearted with each flick of my talon. I closed my claw, dismissing the spell. I hungered for him, and I knew this week was affecting my judgment. I didn’t care.
“Or we could, uh…” his eyes went wide, “...just go a little deeper in the forest.” I said.
Sprocket grinned.
***
Sprocket the Bronze Dragon
I carried my opalescent treasure to another clearing, much further from the road. After finding a suitable spot, I laid him beneath me and looked him in the eyes.
“Thank you, Moon. For not judging me.”
He reached up and touched my face.
“You never judged me, and you were always there to whisk me away from all my troubles. It's the least I could do.”
I leaned down and kissed him tenderly. Fire burned in my belly, and the skin under my scales tingled with the desire for touch. After savoring the moment together, a smirk appeared on my face as I plopped down on Moonstone, keeping him in place.
“Now, if I recall correctly… you have, what was that word? Indiscretions? To pay for.”
Moonstone was in character immediately.
“Oh, you mean to extract your reprisal now? While we are in such a state as this? Your cruelty knows no bounds.”
I slid off of him and used my forelegs to keep him “pinned”. I trailed my snout over his chest as I lay down perpendicular to him. Then I continued with slow licks down his belly. Finally, I arrived at my prize, and stared for a moment, transfixed by it. I held him by keeping my claws on his belly and his tail.
His cock was incredibly warm against my tongue as I licked him from base to tip. He braced his own foreclaws against the ground and cooed.
“This…” I took him into my maw and he groaned as he continued speaking. “... doesn't seem like much of a punishment.”
My mouth was full, so I couldn't say oh, just you wait. So, I simply continued, drawing out all the little sounds I loved hearing him make, one by one. I could feel the tension in him with my claw resting on his core. He was close.
“Oh, Sprocket - “ he said, but I already let him out of my mouth. He pushed his hips up, but didn't come. “... gah! Ugh, gods.” He started reaching for himself, but I gently intercepted his wrist.
“Oh, no, no, no. For this, you don't get to touch yourself.” I purred.
“I was so close.” He gasped.
“Now, let's take a moment to discuss what exactly it is that you are sorry for.”
He brought his head up to look at me, defiance in his eyes.
“Never, you- you fiend!”
“Very well then.”
I took him back into my mouth, using my tongue as much as possible. He arrived at the brink much quicker this time.
He whined and growled softly as he spoke. “Okay, okay! I'm sor - “.
I hushed him. “Never seems to have arrived so quickly. Hush now. Once more before we can resume negotiations.”
I watched him as he throbbed, twitched, and twisted his hips. All to find relief. He growled as he “fought against his restraints”. My claw on his belly made small circles, and the thumb of my claw holding his tail brushed against his tailhole. His breathing slowed, and I resumed. My self control slipped, but for our game, I managed to keep a hold of my scenes.
I dragged his tip against the roof of my maw, and he squirmed in delight. At the same time, I used my thumb and stretched his entrance slightly. He groaned deeply. Once again, after his core was as tight as a bowstring, I stopped, dragging my head away as my extra need drove me to continue.
This time he cried aloud and thrust upward, again failing to complete.
“I'm sorry for teasing you at my father's house!” He almost shouted.
“Good, good.” I said. Turning to look Moonstone in the eye, I saw his need melt into relief. “Now beg, please.”
His eyes went wide again.
“Please, Sprocket. Please let me finish!”
“I'm going to need a moment to think about it.”
I dragged my tongue up his length, back down, and over his tailhole. He groaned and restrained his own forelegs from reaching to himself. In my maw, I was gentle, slowly stroking him with my tongue, and sucking. He tasted strongly of pre, and I was running out of rounds before he would cum at the faintest touch. I, again, pulled him from the edge and grinned at him.
“Please, Sprocket, please let me cum.” He mewed.
“I will, but I'm going to need some… what is the Common word? Incentive? Sweeten the deal for me, love.”
“Anything, I'll do anything.” He gasped.
I dropped my voice to a husky tone.
“Good boy, now enjoy.”
I hardly had him in my mouth before he came. He groaned, twisting in my claws, and thrusting upwards. His taste drove me wild. It was savory, and all I could smell was him. The wash of sensations almost pushed me over the edge, and I lifted my hips so as to not grind into the ground.
I swallowed, after pausing for a moment, then cleaned up a little that I missed from his belly. Then I met his eyes, and they were wide.
“I didn't know if you'd… uh- “
“Swallow?”
“Yeah.” He scratched behind his head. “I - I liked watching you do that.”
“Good, because I enjoyed doing it.”
I winked at him, and his eyes went wide once more.
“Wait, what did I just agree to?”
An easy smile crossed my face. “Nothing, love. I wouldn't ever make you do something you didn't want to.”
He let out a breath.
I sat up. His eyes trailed down my chest, and the blush on his face warmed my belly just as much as it warmed his cheeks.
A cynical ember remained despite the conversation last night. Despite crying myself to sleep in his embrace. There was still something prickly in my mind. I felt I needed to just stretch my neck out and take the blow. I needed to see if he'd mock me. Something in me needed to lay myself bare and just take that kick to the jaw. I was going to ask for what I’d always fantasized about.
Then he'd laugh or call me gross, and I'd fly home.
“Moonstone. Can I ask you to do something for me?”
He rolled over onto his belly and looked up at me.
“I did agree to anything.” He smirked. “And I've started growing fond of the idea.”
“Can you - I mean, once I…”
My jaw clicked shut, and I shook my head and started again.
“Can I cum in your mouth, then, instead of spitting or swallowing, can you kiss me?”
I said it all at once. Like a long, filthy word. I burned inside, and I knew the coming blow was going to hurt, but the hard, cynical part of me asserted itself on my will.
“Gods, yes.”
My eyes snapped up to Moonstone's. He sat up while I was staring at my claws and wore an earnest, eager expression.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes. It sounds… is lovely the wrong word? The taste, and sharing with you… it's… it feels primally intimate.”
He dropped to his chest and scooted himself the rest of the way under me.
Moonstone was not experienced at performing oral, but caution and enthusiasm alone gets you to a B+. I let out the breath I took when he surprised me, and my escaping sigh turned to a groan. He was careful with his teeth, and clumsy with his tongue. He experimented, gauging my responses, and repeating things that drew grunts and moans from me. I put my claws on his hips and nuzzled his lower back. The pearlescent scales danced with little rainbows in the light of the rising sun. My eyes didn't only focus on the color, though; His figure enraptured me, and my claws slid to touch the curve of his waist and his lithe but shapely thighs. I wanted to drag my tongue all over him, and bite, and hear all his little cries.
My cheek rested on where his back met his tail, and I cooed and moaned at all his machinations. It wasn't long before I called his name in warning. He responded by backing his head up a little and resting my cock on his tongue. Time fell away from me as I finished, and I held him forever for a few moments.
When he rose, I saw some of my cum drip from his chin. He grinned and stuck his tongue out, showing me the mess I made. I dragged him to me. We sat upright, but our chests pressed together as I kissed him deeply. A few heartbeats later, I licked around his maw, helping clean him up. I tasted us together, and it drove me mad for him.
Then, after taking in a shuddering breath, he grabbed my jaw and kissed me again. My tongue explored his mouth, returning as he pushed back, giving me back what I had offered. His claws curled against my shoulders, and he groaned into my mouth as he pressed his chest against mine. My forelegs went further around him, and my own claws curled against his sides as the intensity of the moment took us.
He playfully bit my tongue and pulled away for a moment. I pushed him to his back and licked his face, continuing the cleaning I had started before. He gasped in short sharp breaths, and his claws continued trying to pull me closer. I brought my head up, taking in my own quick breaths, and spoke.
“Gods, I love you so much.”
I put my cheek to his, rolled us to our sides, and held his head to mine as I nuzzled into him. My snout was right by his ear, so I whispered when I next spoke.
“Thank you Moon, I - I've been so alone.”