//------------------------------// // Teacher Planning // Story: Crushing in College // by Freybli //------------------------------// “Ah, now that hit the spot!” Qibli hummed in pleasant enjoyment of the warm sensation that being full brought him. Draco’s home-cooked breakfast didn’t last long against the onslaught of a famished dragon. “Hey, Draco!” Qibli called out to the pony, who was busy putting the used dishes in the sink. “How did you ever learn to cook like that?” Draco went silent for a moment, the sound of his magic fading away as he gently lowered the plate he was holding in his magic onto the kitchen counter. “Well, most of what I know about cooking comes from my mother and father. The rest I know from experience.” He chuckled as he remembered all of the failed attempts he had made just from trying to make a simple casserole. Images of the burnt remains that lay in his first attempt at cooking resurfaced, reminding him of how far he had come in his culinary endeavors. “Anyway,” Draco began, “now that breakfast is out of the way, we can start on the real task at hoof.” His horn radiated with the violet glow of his magic as he summoned a small notebook from somewhere. Qibli could clearly see the words “Lesson Plans” written on the white sticker on the front of the notebook. “Ah, yes!” Qibli rubbed his claws together in anticipation. “ Our teacher’s planning date! We should hurry up and get started so that we’ll have the lesson plan ready for tomorrow, don’t you think?” Draco didn’t hear any of that last bit. His mind was still stuck on the word “date.” That one, single word that Qibli insisted upon calling their time to plan lessons for class. Why was that dragon so determined to turn this simple get-together into a seemingly romantic event? It’s not as if he liked Draco, right? Right? Draco shook himself out of the mess that was his thoughts, only to realize that Qibli was no longer seated at the dining room table. A quick glance towards the living room revealed the dragon in question, who was lounging about on the plush couch. Noticing that Draco was staring at him, Qibli patted the space beside him on the couch, motioning for Draco to come over. “C’mon, Draco!” Qibli said as he continued gesturing for the pony to join him on the couch. “I don’t bite… most of the time, at least.” “Yeah… of course you don’t.” Nevertheless, Draco acquiesced to Qibli’s insistent pleading, trotting over to the couch, the notebook in tow, and sitting down beside the dragon. Draco would have sworn that he felt Qibli shuffle over a few inches to be closer to him, but he decided to play it off as a trick of the mind. What he couldn’t deny, however, was the fact that Qibli decided to wrap a wing around his shoulders, pulling him in even closer. Close enough to where Draco could feel the dragon’s internal fire raging through his scales. Draco felt heat beginning to rise into his cheeks, and it wasn’t because of Qibli’s inner fire. Well, this a little closer than I would have liked, but I have to admit. The heat from his scales does feel lovely… I don’t think he’d mind if I stayed here for a while… Draco smiled as the gentle heat from the dragon’s body suffused him with a pleasant warmth. His eyes slowly began to close as he began drifting off, all previous hesitation about being so close to Qibli forgotten as he started falling asleep. . . . “Getting comfortable, are we?” Draco’s eyes shot open as he realized where he was, snuggled up against the pleasant heat of Qibli’s scales. His body was completely propped against Qibli’s side, making whatever space that separated them nonexistent. He tried to scramble away from the dragon, but the wing that was still wrapped around his shoulders prevented him from moving very far. A furious blush erupted onto his cheeks as he dared to look up at the dragon who had recently just served his living pillow. Said dragon was smiling down at Draco, his smitten expression making the pony flush even worse than before. Qibli began idly running a claw through Draco’s black and white mane, occasionally pausing to play with the messy bun that he had forgotten to take down after fixing breakfast for the both of them. “You know, I really like that hairstyle,” Qibli said as he teased a strand of hair loose from its arrangement. He twirled it around a claw, letting the newly curled strand of hair bounce gently against Draco’s neck. The dragon brought his head closer to the pony’s, his warm breath tickling the back Draco’s neck. “You wouldn’t mind wearing it more often for me, would you?” Draco hated that Qibli’s voice made him shiver ever so slightly. He also despised the fact that despite the fact that the dragon had loosened his grip enough to allow Draco to escape, he found himself staying beside him regardless. After a bit, however, Draco thought about how he must have looked, nestled so firmly against Qibli’s side, that he jolted upright and slid a few inches away from the still-grinning dragon. Qibli seemed to be enjoying the pony’s flustered reaction all too much. The red glow of his magic surrounded the notebook that Draco brought with him to the couch. Qibli began flipping through its pages, taking note of how Draco tended to organize his previous lesson plans. “So, this is going to be a beginner’s class, right?” Qibli asked. He carried on as if the little moment he had with Draco had never even happened. “I think we should start with the basics, don’t you think?” “Y-yeah, the basics will work just fine for the f-first lesson.” Draco cursed silently to himself for his inability to keep his voice from wavering. “I t-think we should stick to something relatively simple for them, like t-teleportation.” The dragon’s flirting was really starting to make him melt. Qibli clapped his claws together in delight. “Wonderful! That didn’t take long at all, did it?” He nudged Draco in the side with his shoulder. “I told you we’d make a great team!” He stood up, stretching himself in a very cat-like manner, even wiggling his rump in the air for extra effect, which did nothing to help Draco from becoming even more flustered. After his brief bit of exercise, Qibli made his way to the door, focusing his magic on the handle and pulling it open. “I’ve got to head into town for a bit to find something,” Qibli said as he started to step outside. Before he left, he noticed the worried frown that was making its way onto Draco’s face. He grinned cheerfully, hoping to assuage some of the pony’s fears. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine… I can just ask for directions if I get lost.” With that, Qibli turned and made his way out the door, closing it firmly behind him. Draco sat there, his mind still racing of the morning’s previous events. His face grew warm as he remembered how soothing it felt to be wrapped up in Qibli’s wings. He was suddenly wrenched out of his thoughts when the front door flew open, revealing the dragon that Draco had just been thinking about. “Oh! I almost forgot!” Qibli exclaimed. Draco was wondering what he could have left in his haste to get out the door when he saw Qibli bringing a claw up to his mouth. Draco watched in blank shock as the dragon slowly and deliberately blew a kiss towards him, making his face burn even hotter than before. Qibli’s smug smile seemed to signify that he had gotten just the response that he had hoped to elicit from him. “Just making sure that you won’t miss me while I’m gone,” he said with a wink, his smile somehow growing even wider. He waved to the dumbstruck pony before making his final exit out the door. Draco remained motionless, willing his heart to stop its rapid cadence. After he finally got himself under control, he took up his notebook from its spot on the sofa and sent it back to his bedside nightstand where he got it from. He sat down where the notebook once was, immersing himself in his thoughts, particularly the ones that involved a certain dragon. It’s… it’s not like I have a crush on him or something, right? He just caught me off guard, is all. Draco tried to justify himself but found that he couldn’t without outright lying to himself. It’s just… It’s just a… Oh, goodness… He sighed inwardly in defeat. I- I have a crush on Qibli… fantastic. Draco flopped onto the sofa’s cushions with a long-winded sigh, hoping that the softness of the pillows could finally silence his thoughts about that dumb, stupid, warm, cute… Oh, come on!