He'd been hoping to avoid such a conversation until at least tomorrow morning, but there was no way he could get around it now.

I can't say yes, though.

Three days might have been enough for both of them to fall in love, and quite madly, at that, but it wasn't enough to bring two very different lives suddenly together. At least, not in a permanent sense.

"How about we back up just a few steps and talk about what each of us have been planning for our lives, first?" he said as he hugged Ash a little tighter, trying to keep him calm and send an immediate signal that he wasn't completely against a relationship.

Ash looked up at him with worried, puppy-like eyes as he processed what he was saying.

"I... I just like cooking. I don't really have any other plans right now," he answered after a moment as Ru lifted a hand to gently play with Ash's hair.

"I thought that I wanted to just go to work and maybe have a fling every now and then to make me feel a little more alive, but those plans were never set in stone to begin with," Ru said, making Ash look a little more hopeful.

The young man wiggled in his arms until he was able to nuzzle his face right into his neck, clearly enjoying the cuddles now.

"Ruru, I really like you. I love you, even after only having known you for a few days," Ash said, his voice sounding the slightest bit sleepy.

My sweet dragon ate very well.

He gently began rubbing his hand along Ash's warm back, enjoying the closeness they could share with each other.

"I like you, too. And I think that I could say that I love you, as well, but we need to talk some more," Ru said, then continued.

"I live in South Carolina right now, but I know right off the bat that that's going to be too warm for you. I'm open to moving, but I'd like to secure a job first before I do so."

Sure, he had plenty of savings, but the goal in life was to not burn through them if you could avoid it.

Ash wiggled a little, seemingly trying to get closer even though that was no longer possible.

"Do you have somewhere in mind?" he eventually asked as he blew out a little puff of steam from his nose, unintentionally hinting that Ashy was likely right beneath the surface.

Ru smiled and nuzzled his nose into his love's soft hair, then scooted down a bit in the beanbag so that they would both be more comfortable. He didn't really catch it, but he intentionally lifted Ash a bit higher onto his body, allowing the man to technically settle mostly over him. He was just too warm. It was addicting to a normally-cold bird.

"I was thinking maybe Colorado? It can get really cold, but it can also be pretty warm. I'm sure there's a location that is reasonably cool most of the year but doesn't freeze me to death besides in winter," Ru said, drawing Ash's attention immediately as the guy lifted himself up a little on his arms so that he could meet his gaze.

Oh, that messy hair... I want to pull it.

If Ash would be okay with it, of course. He would totally understand if he didn't like it, though, since he, himself, had a strict no hair-pulling policy.

I did pull his hair a bit the other day, though...

He'd seemed to not mind.

"I don't mind, but before we get distracted and I break my newly created code about not giving the guy you really like a blowjob while in the kitchen, I think Colorado could definitely work. My mom lived there when she was younger so I can definitely get some insider information. I also have a few cooling vests for whenever I get overheated, so some warm days won't be bad," Ash said, his enthusiasm making Ru unable to help but grin.

He so damn cute. How is a dragon this cute!

He was just about to agree that he should speak with his mom and let him know what she thinks when Ash was suddenly no longer Ash, but Ashy!

"My baby!" Ru squealed, surprised but also incredibly delighted that he was able to meet the sweet dragon again so soon!

Ashy, it seemed, was also quite enthusiastic in his greeting and huffed and puffed as he wiggled about nuzzling him and licking his face like the most hyper of snake-dogs.

Ru didn't hesitate to goad the dragon on, yelling "who's a good boy?! You're such a good boy!" more than a few times as he pat its head, rubbed its belly, and just played with the crazy little dragon until they were both worn out and needing a break.

"Whew, I wasn't expecting to have that much exercise while lying in a beanbag chair," Ru sighed out, honestly quite a bit tired now.

Ashy, who had practically settled overtop him and wound his upper body around and beneath Ru's head huffed from where his head was settled nuzzled comfortably against Ru's shoulder and cheek.

Closing his eyes, Ru stretched out a tiny bit, then yawned before tilting his head the slightest bit against Ashy's.

"I could totally fall asleep right here," he mumbled, then paused for a moment before he realized something and quickly took out his cell phone.

"Ashy, can I take a picture with you?" he asked, trying not to startle the dozing dragon with his excitement.

He had taken one with Ash when they'd gone to town the other day, but he didn't have one with Ashy yet, and to be honest, his phone's camera roll was depressingly lacking. He only had about thirty photos on it in total, and most of them were just work related documents he'd downloaded from his email to look over closer while at home.

Ashy snorted out a puff of steam and gave a quiet, rumbly grumble before nuzzling playfully against Ru's cheek.

"Heh, I'll take that as a yes, sweetheart," he said as he set his phone to selfie mode... a setting he'd never used before, and lifted it awkwardly upward.

Then promptly dropped it on his face, startling Ashy into a rather smoky snort!

"O-ow, sorry, sorry," he mumbled as he rubbed his now-sore nose and lower lip.

I'm really not cut out for this kind of thing.

He'd never really been like other kids when he was young. Heck, even when he was Ash's age he was already pounding the books and burning the midnight oil studying to get the best paying, most boring job he could find.

It's paid off, hasn't it? He thought sarcastically as he lifted the phone back up, being sure to hold it much more carefully this time.

His job had, in fact, paid off, but only in terms of money. He had absolutely no life and no real friends back home.

Snapping himself out of his growing depression, Ru tilted his head against Ashy at the same time the adorable dragon licked his hair, then clicked the button to take the picture.

Once he was done he lowered the phone to check it, then pursed his lips as Ashy blew a puff of smoke at the horrible image he had captured. It was blurred, only had half of his face, and it was absolutely not centered. Or even close to being.

"Maybe... another try?" he said as he glanced at a slightly disgruntled-looking Ashy.

Is he upset that I took such a bad picture of him? Can dragons be that vain?

The answer, he quickly learned, was yes, they absolutely could be that vain!

After nearly twenty selfies, Ashy finally seemed content with their most recent one and settled down again, giving Ru's poor arm a much needed break from holding the darn device above their heads!

That... was exhausting! How do kids do that all day long?

Well, since Ashy was already drifting off to sleep, Ru decided to just take the chance to nap, too. And that was how he spent his afternoon, cuddled up with a dragon that was not the calmest sleeper... by far.

He was woken up more than a few times as Ashy switched positions, moved around him, then eventually settled partially on top of him with his back against the fabric and his bum and back legs in the air like a plucked chicken on his chest.

By the time he moved for the seventh time Ru gave out a tired groan and hugged the frustrating beast to his chest.

"I love you... sweet Ashy, but can I... please have your daddy back for a little while?" he mumbled, truly just wanting to rest for a bit without the beautiful dragon doing yoga all over his body.

In the blink of one blurry eye Ashy was suddenly gone, replaced by a warm hug and gentle kiss.

"Sorry baby, he can be a little troublesome sometimes," Ash whispered, his deep voice clearly a bit rough with his own need for rest.

Ru couldn't help himself, he sleepily nuzzled into the naked man before him, humming a little here and there as he got even more comfortable. And, after a little more snuggling, he was out cold.

He wasn't sure how long he slept for, but by the time he began to stir his body was aching from being curled up in the beanbag for so long.

There was also a rather suspicious hand in his pants, its fingers gently resting against one of his butt cheeks...

Blinking open one eye, he looked at the clearly-sleeping man right in front of him, then glanced away, then back to him. This scenario was played out several more times before he eventually mentally shrugged, then reached around and promptly grabbed himself a handful of Ash's backside, too.

All's fair, yeah?

A deep chuckle slowly started up as Ash's gorgeous eyes opened mere inches from his own.

"Babe, you can grab anything you want on me," he replied to his thought, making Ru awkwardly release his butt... only to grab it again with a scowl.

Why should I be embarrassed about being caught touching him? He still has his hand down my pants!

"You shouldn't be embarrassed, love. At least, never with me. As much as I love to see you blush, I love seeing, and feeling, you touch me, more," Ash said, making Ru's face turn brighter red.

He was just about to tuck his chin and avert his eyes anyways, but two warm hands easily stopped him in his tracks, then equally warm lips took over his every thought.

They might have made out for an hour after that, though he was pretty sure that it was only about five minutes before Ash finally let him breathe again, only to begin talking about serious stuff immediately!

"So, Colorado? I can start packing this weekend..."

This guy... is half kid and half adult.

Pack this weekend? He still needed to get himself a job, or at least a few good interviews lined up, and then they needed to get some information on the local housing market, which would likely be an apartment... at least until they got their feet under them.

I also signed a lease, so I'm going to have to break that, and—his worries were cut off by another kiss, though this one only lasted long enough to wipe his mind.

"Ruru, let's take things one step at a time, okay? I'll get my things ready to go, and if we don't go soon, I'll still have my job here and I'll still have your phone number," he said, sounding much more mature than he had a moment ago.

Internally sighing out his frustration, because he honestly didn't want it to weigh him down, Ru lifted his hand a bit until his arms were wrapped around Ash's back, then slowly rolled over until the man was settled mostly overtop of him.

His crow was calm and quiet in his mind, and even he, himself, didn't really realize that he was allowing someone else to partially pin him down.

It was probably because Ash wasn't really behaving like how most others would in such a situation. The guy was clearly hard between his legs, there was definitely no doubt about that since he could easily feel it pressing against him, but instead of trying to escalate the situation for his own benefit, he simply crossed his arms over Ru's chest and settled his chin atop them, grinning like a big doofus.

"What's that face for?" he eventually asked as he lifted a hand to gently grasp the man's cheek and pull lightly, stretching his face just enough to make Ru huff a little laugh and smile.

"'ou!" Ash replied, slurring the word you without a care.

My heart is melting just being around this cheeky dragon.

His coworkers were going to torment him endlessly about his obsession with Ash, but at the same time, he was beginning to not give a single shit about what anyone else thought.

"'ey 'rerer? 'anna oh fying?" Ash asked, his words an absolute mess since Ru had forgotten to release his cheek.

Oh, right! We were going to do that after breakfast!

And then they got distracted by each other, again.

"Um, sure. Let—Ashy? Ashy are you in there?"

Uh oh.

Ash immediately turned bright pink and, in a blur, was suddenly a dragon again!

Ru was about to ask why he'd shifted so suddenly, but then he remembered that the guy had had an erection while lying on top of him!

His dragon was evidently much calmer than himself, and as soon as it regained control it hurriedly bounced toward door, then looked back at him with an excited huff.

"Ah, right. I'm coming," Ru said as he quickly climbed out of the beanbag chair and walked over to the door, straightening out his clothing along the way.

By the time he opened it he felt like he was somewhat presentable. Except, when he saw Ash's mom standing on the other side, staring at his neck with a slight blush on her face, he realized that Ash had managed to get in a mark or two without him realizing it.

"U-um, h-hello ma'am. Ash was just teaching me how to cook..." he said as he gestured toward Ashy, who was now running around his mother, clearly excited that she'd come to visit him in his kitchen.

"I just wanted to give you this, since I know that Ash wanted to take you flying later," she said, pushing her surprised expression away as she held up the cutest little knitted sweater that was perfectly designed for a stubborn crow with wonky feathers.

Not just the son, but the mom is also melting my heart.

Holding back tears, he gently took the little sweater with an honored smile.

"Thank you so much, ma'am! This is absolutely adorable and will definitely help me keep warm," he said honestly, truly grateful for the second gift.

The woman's face lit up with his praise, but he wasn't done yet.

"The stitching is also amazing. I don't think I've ever seen such a nice sweater, and with not a single thread out of place!" he noted, then just about dropped the item when he noticed what she'd sewed onto the front of it!

"Oh my god, look Ashy! There's a little you on the chest part!" he said as he knelt down to show the dragon, that immediately swerved into position right in front of him to get a good look at its portrait.

A snort of approval was given within seconds, making the woman even more overjoyed!

"It was actually a really fun pattern," she said as she began to walk with Ru falling right into step beside her. "The little dragon is something I tend to put on most of the things I make for Ash, but you two seem so close and it's quite a cute design so I thought your crow might like it, too."

Ru nodded his agreement as he walked along with her, continuing their chat even as she went to check on her employees here and there, inside and outside. She was an incredibly smart women, and a fantastic businesswomen, too.

She also had quite the story to tell about how she'd lost her husband just mere months after having given birth to Ash. Then, instead of letting herself become overwhelmed with grief, she pushed herself to make sure that her child would be cared for to the best of her ability and began the resort business while working two other jobs.

The first year took up a lot of her time, but by the second one she was able to quit her extra jobs and made sure to have at least half of her week free to take Ash flying, swimming, hiking, and just about anything a little boy could want to do.

He actually hadn't been able to regulate his own body temperature well until about the sixth grade, too, so his mother had learned quite a bit about sewing and crocheting in order to keep him well clothed in the cold.

I'd love to see him wearing something so cute.

Of course, he kept that thought to himself, along with a few others that came to mind during their time together, but he couldn't deny that by the time she dropped him back off at his and Ash's room, that he'd had quite a nice time chatting with her and learning about her son.

She also invited them to sit with her at dinner later that evening and, of course, he gladly accepted.

Now, finally back in their room with the door shut, Ru leaned back against it and pressed his head to the hardwood.

"Your mom is quite something, Ashy," he said, then tilted his head against the door to look down at the dragon, except, there was no dragon anymore. Instead, Ash was now kneeling right between his legs!

The guy's hands were already reaching up to undo his belt, and while the sudden situation startled him a bit, he had absolutely no qualms about letting himself be sucked off.

Ash seemed to be able to read his mind at that moment, too, because a smirk soon found its way onto his face as he finally slipped his hands inside Ru's pants and pulled out their target.

Right before he was about to slip it between his lips, however, Ash lifted his gaze up to his and winked.

"A little preflight fun, hmm?"

Ru swallowed down the saliva pooling in his mouth, trying to figure out how to words, but he was given no more time. Ash only waited five full seconds before he took him into his mouth!

The guy might have said fun, but Ru wasn't sure how much fun he was supposed to be having as the guy nearly sucked him raw!

By the time he'd cum a second time his legs were shaking and he was forced to slide down the door to the floor. Somehow, someway, Ash was still going, now leaning over in order to keep access to his target.

Ru couldn't do anything about it as he panted and gripped at Ash's hair, likely causing some bruising with his shaking hands.

One more, babe. For me?

The thought sounded sweet, except that it's context was beyond dirty!

Ru wanted to tell the guy that he was literally spent, and probably going to be too exhausted to fly with him if he kept it up, but before he could form any of those words into even the simplest of thoughts to project to him, Ash took him in all the way to the back of his throat, startling him into a loud moan as he hunched over the man's shoulders slightly and clawed at his back!

Ruru sounds so hot right now.

That's because he was hot!

Ash must have felt his frustration with his last sentence because he could hear, and more importantly, feel him laughing lightly around the length he still had in his mouth!

I'm too old for this much playing.

Or, at least, he hadn't done it in so long that three rounds, one right after the other, had really drained him.

Just as he finished processing that thought Ash squeezed him gently but firmly as he carefully let his teeth slide along his length, mixing in just the right amount of pain to his already raging pleasure!

And just like that, Ru came a third time, then collapsed against Ash, who was more than ready to catch him and hug him to his chest. Then the gentle sensation of his hair being pet slowly eased his tense muscles, and the sweet whispers that soon followed calmed his racing heart.

They stayed like that until he managed to calm down, then Ru was suddenly helped up to his feet, then up into Ash's arms before being carried into the shower and settled on the cool tile floor.

He realized after the man began to help him remove his damp clothing that Ash was still perfectly hard, but when he tried to reach for him with shaky hands, they were simply grabbed, then gently lifted up to his lips for a kiss.

"I'm perfectly fine, love, and I'm sorry that I overdid it. I'll be more careful next time," he said, making Ru frown as he slowly took back his hands.

He wanted to say that he hadn't overdone it, but he really was exhausted now, even after their nap earlier.

Smiling a little nervously, Ash held up the specialty soaps they'd bought in town and a clean washcloth.

"May I take care of my Ruru?" he asked, clearly a little worried that he might actually be upset.

You... crazy dragon.

Leaning forward, Ru pressed his lips to Ash's for a brief moment before leaning away and picking up the shower sprayer to offer to him.

Once Ash took it, Ru carefully turned around where he sat, then scooted back until he was situated between Ash's long legs. Then, he leaned back, closing his eyes and resting against his warm chest with a content sigh.

"...please," was his simple, one-worded, whispered response.

It was the only word that needed to be said.