Chapter 54: Flirtatious days
Felix Sythias’ POV:
The class continued until midday, and so did the fights. We sparred some more with the same group, but after I stopped holding back, it wasn’t much of a fight anymore. They didn’t have much combat experience, and had way less strength than me, so I crushed them with disturbing ease. One swipe of my talon was all it took to knock one of them out of the fight. Even if they tried to block a strike, or dodge away, I just knocked their swords and shields out of their hands, or lunged towards them as they rolled to the side. And the few times they managed to land a hit, their blades just bounced off my scales, only leaving a shallow scratch at most.
I knew, though, that if they had been of a higher level, it wouldn’t have gone as easy. My guess was that by the time we returned from the excursion, they’d be able to put up more of a challenge. Some of the people in our class might even be able to beat me. Well, in a straight fight like this, anyway. That didn’t account for my innate magic and ability to fly. There was nothing they could do against me lunging for them and dragging them into the air.
These quick and easy fights weren’t very useful for Tiki or Alex, though, and the assistant noticed that too, so she assigned us to a different group to spar with. And so the class went on. We fought, beat the group a few times, then moved to a different one. I did end up holding back more, letting Tiki and Alex take control of the fight, sometimes even letting them fight without me. They wouldn’t learn anything if I ended all the fights within a minute, after all.
In the end, we all ended up learning quite a few useful things. After forgetting about it for several fights, Alex finally remembered he had his daggers on him as well. Tiki learned that it wasn’t always possible to stay at a distance. And I learned how to better account for Alex’s movements in a fight. Unlike our practice, Alex was busy with his own battles as well, and I had to take those movements into consideration. There were more lessons of course, but I felt like these three were the most important for each of us.
After the class, Alex and I went back to the dorms to shower like usual. Neither of us wanted to shower with the group again after that first time. We didn’t want to be stared at while we changed. Plus, the shower in our room was so much better anyway. There I didn’t need to use several showers at once to get full coverage.
We sadly didn’t have time for a long relaxing shower since we had a class in just half an hour and still needed to eat. To save some time, I made us some food while Alex showered. I was back before he was done and put the food down on the table.
I sat down and waited for Alex to come out of the bathroom. My mind wandered while I waited and eventually reached the topic of the head start potion. It was useless to me. I knew that. I’d read about how these kinds of potions worked. Like most potions, it didn’t actually do anything by itself. It was just a bunch of useless ingredients prepared in a very specific way, and mixed into water—or some other solvent. A bunch of rare ingredients, sure, but useless nonetheless. The concoction was totally and completely inert and all it would do was leave a bad taste in your mouth.
At least, that was without the System. With the System, it was suddenly useful. It made it so that when you drank the potion, it turned into an effect. Like healing, fire resistance, or permanent bonus Attributes.
How they tested all this was a fascinating topic by itself, and required very, very expensive equipment, but it wasn’t relevant right now. What was relevant was what I was going to do with the potion I had, since it would be wasted on me.
I still didn’t want to sell it. For one, it would be unforgivably disrespectful to dad to just sell the gift he had spent literal years making. Secondly, where would I even sell it? Auctions almost certainly wouldn’t take, not that I had many contacts with any auctions or merchants—Hugo didn’t count. Besides, even if I did, I’d never get something of equal value in return. This potion was priceless.
No, I wanted it to go to someone who could use it. I glanced at the door to the showers. That person was Alex. I’d gladly give it to him. But I was worried whether he would accept the gift at all, and if he did, that he would feel indebted to me. I really didn’t want that. I’d never stop worrying if he was friends with me because he wanted to, or if he felt like he had to. Nevermind the fact that if we started dating. I wanted him to be with me because he wanted to, because he liked me. Not because of the potion.
There was the possibility I could lie to him and try to undersell the value, but that didn’t feel right either. Though, I suppose I wouldn’t exactly be lying if I said it was worthless to me. I’d need to think about this some more.
Soon, Alex came out of the shower. We quickly scarfed down the food together, but before I could go into the shower, Alex stopped me.
“Is your wing doing alright? You’ve been scratching at it all morning.”
I blinked. I hadn’t even noticed I was doing so. I glanced back at my wing. It was almost completely regrown. The membrane between the last two ‘fingers’ of the wing was still filling out, and some scales were still regrowing. But at this rate, it would be completely regrown by tomorrow. Or maybe Wednesday. I really, really hoped that I’d get an all-clear when I went to the healers this week. I craved the sensation of the air rushing beneath my wings and the freedom of the endless open sky.
Why was it itching so much, though? Well, it didn’t actually itch all that much. Only enough to warrant the occasional scratch. It was hardly anything compared to when the anti-itching cream had run out previously. It shouldn’t itch at all, however. The cream almost completely erased the itching, so why—oh. I’d forgotten to put it on this morning. That was stupid of me. Then the realization of what that meant hit me.
I turned back to Alex, who was looking at me with concern now. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I just forgot to put on the cream this morning, that’s all. Don’t worry, though, it’s actually not itching all that much anymore.”
“Ah, ok. That’s a relief, I was worried some—wait, doesn’t that mean your wing is almost healed?” I nodded at him, and he grinned the widest grin. “That's awesome! You’ll be able to fly again soon! That’ll make the excursion so much easier!”
I grinned with him. “Yeah, I really hope they’ll give me the all-clear when I go see Elena on Wednesday. It won’t be of much use for the excursion, though. We’ll be in a cave system, remember? Well, when we’re fighting anyway, I think the camp is on the surface, actually. Anyway, there will be very few caves where I’ll be able to use my wings without making things worse.”
“Oh, right. Still great, though!”
“Yeah it is,” I said, and glanced at the clock. “We need to leave soon, or we’ll be late. Would you mind cleaning the dishes while I take a quick shower? I want to get the dirt out from between my scales before we leave.”
He nodded. “Sure. I’ll wait for you here when I’m done.”
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After dropping Alex off at the main school building—we could move much faster when he was riding on my back—I rushed towards the training fields. I ended up arriving a few minutes late, but professor Marchie didn’t mind. It wasn’t like I could actively participate in the class, anyway. Especially not today, since we were doing a mock-competition. The price was a secret, but knowing Marchie, it was a one-on-one session with her for some extra training. I felt sad for missing out, but then again, if I really wanted a one-on-one session, I could just ask.
Like usual, I sat at the sidelines. This time I didn’t sit with Marchie, though. The fights were done one at a time, which meant people had to wait for their turn. So I sat with Viggi while he waited. For a few fights we commented to each other about what was done well and what could be done better, but eventually we got bored with that, so we just started chatting about other stuff. We talked about how his father’s restaurant was going, and how glad he was that Alex would soon come to work with them. Apparently, they had a shortage of workers on Wednesday and during the weekend. Their previous worker had gone back home, so they had a gap in their workforce they hadn’t been able to fill. Talking about Alex reminded me of something, though, so I switched the topic to that.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Thank you, by the way, for leaving early last Saturday,” I said.
He smiled and waved his hand. “It’s fine. I had something to do, anyway. Did you guys have fun?”
I opened my maw to speak, but closed it again, considering how much I should tell. It ended up being rather romantic, after all, even if that wasn’t the intention. And Viggi also liked Alex. Would he be upset if I told him?
Viggi rolled his eyes. “Just spit it out.”
“Alright. We had fun, yeah,” I said, then described our evening. “And then we went home. You could’ve folded some of the towels up, you know. Even if you couldn’t have taken them back with you.”
“Yeah, sorry. I remembered on my way back, but by then I was halfway to my dorm already.”
“It’s fine.”
“Good to hear you had fun, though,” he said with a smile. “It also sounds like you’re finally starting to believe me about him liking you instead of me.”
“I think I do, yeah. I’ve thought about it some more, and even talked to Hugo about it, and I think you’re probably right,” I said, then realized what that meant for Viggi. “Sorry.”
He waved his hand again. “It’s fine. It sucks a little, but it’s fine. Have you asked him out yet?”
I shook my head, and he sagged a little in relief. It was almost imperceptible, but it was definitely there.
“Do you think you could wait until he gives me his answer?” he asked. “I know it won’t really make a difference at the end of the day, but… it just feels less sucky this way.”
“Of course,” I said, making the decision on the spot. I hadn’t even thought about it before, but it would be pretty rude to ask Alex out when he hasn’t even given Viggi his answer yet. “It’s not like I’ve figured out how to do it yet, anyway.”
“It’s really simple,” he said, nudging my shoulder. “You walk up to him and say ‘Hey Alex, wanna go on a date sometime?’ It’s that easy.”
“I know, I know. It’s just… I don’t want to fuck it up. I need the moment to be right.”
He shook his head. “I get that, but don’t forget that the moment will never be quite perfect. Just make the best of what you get.”
I averted my eyes. “I know. I just need some time to work up the courage.”
It sounded like a weak excuse, even to my own ears.
He smiled. “You’re good with your words. I’m sure you’ll be just fine.” He looked at the field. “Well, it’s my turn. I plan on winning all my fights, so I’m not sure if we’ll see each other again before the end of the class. I’ll see you on Thursday, in any case.”
Viggi ended up being right. He won fight after fight until the end of the class. Then I had to rush to make it to the next class in time, so I didn’t get to talk with him again today. When I got to the classroom, I was barely on time, only to learn it was still canceled. Now indefinitely as the emergency was proving very difficult to solve. Something about rare materials going missing. The given details were vague at best.
It also once again reminded me I still had to do the assigned homework for that class. We were quite busy with the extra combat practice, though, so it would have to wait until after the excursion. I’d make time for it then.
After that, I went back to the dorms and did homework until Alex came back. We made dinner together, and he complimented my cooking in a way that I couldn’t help but think was flirty.
“If that food tastes as great as you look, I’m sure dinner will be great,” he had said, leaving me flustered.
While I thought of a response, others came in to make their own food. I got a few hopeful stares, but I had already decided to keep all our food to ourselves this time. I couldn’t go around sharing our food constantly.
I turned back to Alex. “If dinner’s great, it’ll be because of the company,” I said. I almost emphasized my point with a kiss to his forehead but realized in time how terrible of an idea that would’ve been. Still, Alex smiled at me with that sweet, knowing smile of his.
We continued like this for a bit, occasionally sharing a bit of flirty banter, until the food was ready, after which we headed back to our room to eat.
Dinner was good, and afterwards, we finished our homework and then split off to read our books. The otter-kin in my book was now living by himself after his mom kicked him out. It was sad, but he’d turn out alright by the end of the book.
Finishing my chapter, I glanced at the edge of the ledge, though I didn’t walk over to look down at Alex. I was curious what story he was reading right now, but it would be rude to take a peek. We split off like this for a reason, after all. He didn’t like the feeling of being watched while reading Scales in the Night, and I couldn’t blame him.
I might just ask him later. Maybe he’d want to talk about it? The idea of talking about sex with Alex made me as nervous as it excited me. What kind of things did he like? Would he like buttstuff, or was he the type who preferred to use his hands? And if he did like it, what role did he want to play in it? The logistics if he wanted to bottom would be challenging. I’d be up for it either way. I enjoyed receiving as much as I’d probably enjoy giving.
I shook my head. What Alex wanted was a mystery, and theorizing about it would only lead to disappointment. I should just ask him sometime—after I asked him out and only if he said yes. What I wanted was much less of a mystery, though. Images of his maw, butt, and slit in various situations flashed through my mind as I thought about the fantasies I’d had, and the ones that popped up just now.
With effort, I stopped the thoughts before they could get too far out of talon and went back to reading. Not much later, I fell asleep mid-sentence.
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The next day started just like the previous. I woke Alex and averted my gaze as he got dressed. We ate, then went to class. There, we sparred again. This time with groups from a different class. The change of pace was nice, even if it wasn’t that much more difficult. This time Alex had a second spear with him, and he focused his practice on his grip. I followed that idea and made motions that would force the spear to hit the targets harder, like lunging in quickly, or jerking forward with force in the direction he was stabbing. Not only was it neat practice, it was also useful for real combat. If he could consistently hit harder because of me, it would make fights easier.
After combat class, we changed and showered back at the dorms. I made a flirty joke there about undressing him while I helped get the combat suit off. He smiled shyly and promised to ‘return the favor’. He then helped me get the enchanted panels, and the harness holding them, off. It was weird flirting with someone about taking their clothes off, as I’d never done it before, but also fun.
My next two classes were super boring, sadly, and I fidgeted the whole time as I had nothing to do. Advanced Elementalism was still not proving all that useful to me, and was starting to get more and more System focused with each class. And Unconventional Casting Media wasn’t something I could do. The only reason I was there at all was because Alex was, and I wanted to be there with him. Not only to support him and cuddle him, but also because I would’ve sat around doing nothing anyway, so I might as well sit around doing nothing while Alex leaned against my side. In the end, I spent most of the class reading Rivers. And to my dismay, I finished it ten minutes before the end of class. Somehow, time passed at least twice as slow when you had nothing to do at all.
The next day went exactly like today, too. Wake up, food, school, more flirting, and combat class. And after that, it was time to visit the healers. My wing felt great, so I couldn’t wait to hear the good news.
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Here's the fragment I promised. It's from the sidestory 'Friends with benefits' I uploaded to patreon yesterday. Without spoilers, it's about Viggi hooking up with a friend. Obviously, there's a NSFW warning for the spoiler.
> Jasper glanced at me. “Can I?” he asked.
>
> “Only if I can, too,” I said.
>
> He grinned and pulled my underwear down. I kicked it away off the bed. I wouldn’t be needing it anymore, anyway. Then I did the same with his and his dick flopped down and hit me on the snout.
>
> I yelped in surprise and Jasper looked up, then snickered. He didn’t let himself be distracted for long, though, and turned back to my slit. He leaned forward and pressed his nose to it, breathing in. “You smell nice,” he told me, then ran a finger over his nose, “and you’re wet. And you called me excited.”
>
> I flicked my tail at him, a bit embarrassed. “Instead of quipping, why don’t you put that mouth to good use?”
You can read the rest on patreon, together with the other smutty sidestory about Felix's time with a dildo and of course the 12 chapters ahead of the public. I recommend you read those chapters before this smutty story.