Work Text:
An order of five pounds of raw meat. That got the butcher looking at Jasper oddly. She raised a brow at them and gritted her teeth, and that easily shut them up.
Few people would question one of the city’s finest knights.
“Thanks-” She then said curtly, emptying a couple coins unto the counter, before she then grabbed the order and bundled it up. She wrinkled her nose at the smell, god who knows how Peridot found it appetizing at all.
Peridot.
It had been a while since Jasper last visited her fortress. The dragoness was a recluse, partly because most people would want to kill a dragon on sight and/or run away, and partly because Peri just didn’t like most company. Jasper had been one of those people who had been ordered to kill her.
But she didn’t.
She was bringing Peridot dinner.
“Hoy, Dottie!” Jasper stared at the floor and then walked around one of the laid traps, before she went tiptoe across the unevenly paved bricks. The hallways were always a chore to get across.
Some of the traps still had familiar bits of leather stuck in them. One in the wall had an entire gauntlet in its bite. Jasper frowned at it and leaned over, trying to release the jaws. Hands gripped tight, “God—dammit.”
They were a bit too rusty now.
Jasper pulled her hands back, rough from the friction and smelling of iron- dust and blood. Gross.
At least Peridot liked that kind of stuff. Jasper patted her satchel, and the rich odor of meat wafted back into the air. She scrunched her face again.
Ah, the things she did for love.
“Peridot? …Peridot!” Jasper had long since been ready. The meat was nicely laid out on a wide plate, still raw, the way Peri loved it. That was accompanied by cutlery and smaller plates for each of them. Flies were trying to gather, so Jasper covered it up with one of Peridot’s pilfered dish covers. Then she began searching around the main halls.
Past the trap-laden entryways and tunnels, the abandoned fortress was almost quaint. Most dragons would have brought down an entire galleon ship to reap its glistening contents. Most dragons were also 8 feet tall at a minimum, which Peridot wasn’t. Jasper squinted up and frowned to see a bunch of her old rings and jewelleries hanging from the ceiling on strings, a pretty new display. That was next to some abomination Peridot called a tapestry. Then there were the shelves of scrap metal models, sat on top of books that still had the city library’s seals on them.
Under them and in one edge of the room were some cushions, with stray green scales scattered across them. Normally Peridot was there, tinkering with whatever latest somethings she had stolen. Jasper leaned over and began to turn the piles over- there weren’t any obvious bumps in them, but it was still worth making sure. “Peri, dammit, I got dinner, where are you?“
Silence and no dragons disguised as lumps. Jasper bit her lip and straightened up, before she looked around the room.
Peridot rarely even left the place, and they planned this date well in advance. It wasn’t often that Jasper had a break, after all.
She stomped over to another table, and brushed away the notebooks and parchments. There were no notes left for her, just Peridot’s dumb (if painstakingly illustrated) plans to raid the next pawnshop on her list. Dammit, if you’re such a genius, then I hope you haven’t gotten into trouble again- Jasper gritted her teeth and left the table, looked around, no blood no signs of struggle, god oh please be okay oh—
“Jasper, what the hell are you doing to my room?!? G-get out!”
She froze.
Jasper straightened up, and looked to the direction of the muffled noise. “Peridot?”
There was no answer, but she went ahead towards the edge of the room. That’s where it came from.
“Are you in there, Peridot, where— the hell.” Jasper squinted at the bookshelves, and observed how they were slightly out of position. There was a… burnt smell to them, or rather the odd papery stuff that clung between the shelves and the wall.
There wasn’t just a wall, though. Jasper leaned in and peered through the gap, and saw a pathway—
The opening was definitely narrow enough for Peridot to have squeezed through with ease. Narrow enough that Jasper couldn’t have noticed it before, much less pass through it as it was. She had to bump the shelves further open, grumbling as she did. By the time it was wide enough, Jasper could hear Peridot hissing in the distance. That left the knight to roll her eyes before she then strolled through the dark passageway. The burnt smell grew stronger, and Jasper’s annoyed frown shrunk to one more of concern. She squinted and saw Peridot’s rustling form in the shadows.
“Hey, Peri, what’s wrong?”
“Err, Jas, don’t- look at me.”
“Wha—“ Jasper felt a crackle at her feet. There was more of the weird, flimsy material, if thicker than the ones at the entrance. She picked them up and rubbed her fingertips over, it was rough and very warm to the touch. Jasper’s eyes widened, “Oh, Dottie, you’re-“
“Shedding, I know!” Peridot flicked her tongue out and then pushed herself unto her feet. She dodged around Jasper’s hands (“Peri, I didn’t know you shed!”) and scurried out through the passageway. Peridot squinted at the light of the main room, and her fins flared out wildly when she saw what Jasper had done to her desks.
Jasper followed her and soon was back, stuck between the shelves in time to see the dragoness grinding her claws on the floor. A massive plume of smoke erupted from her throat. Jasper narrowed her eyes and looked over Peridot, she could see the crusty, pale old skin hanging from her body in all sorts of places. Peri shape-shifted into her more humanoid form and back to a lizard, alternating again, until Jasper was dizzy just watching. The high-pitched screeching was lovely, too.
Jasper walked around the cushions and past the tantrum. She sighed, “Uh… I got dinner?”
“Wait, I’m busy.” Peridot growled, before she gnawed at her fingers and chewed up the scales.
“I’m right here, you know.” Jasper raised a hand and halfheartedly shielded her eyes from the view.
“Can our date wait? I’m not… in the mood for it.”
“Hey, I’m going to be back on duty tomorrow!” Jasper approached the dinner table, bowing her head. She then unveiled her gift, and within moments of lifting the cover Peridot jolted and looked at the meat pile. “Is that for me?”
“It was for our date.” Jasper forced a smirk. “What’s gotten into you?”
“I already told you.” Peridot gestured at herself and then crossed her arms. Scales peeling off one’s face never made for fashionable date attire. And even with her arm pinned under the other, she couldn’t help but curl her fingers and scratch at her boob. It was hot and itchy and overall, unpleasant. Jasper simply pouted and blinked at Peri, “Is that it? It’s not a problem for me, actually.”
“It is for me!” She threw her hands into the air, and within moments was picking at her skin again. “I’ve been stuck inside all day and I’m so sensitive to everything and-“
“Stuck inside? You’re hungry.” Jasper rolled her eyes, and shoved a smaller plateful of meat for the dragoness. Peridot’s eyes widened and, try as she might, she couldn’t help but flick her tongue a couple times. She suddenly threw her head forward, and then Peri snarfed down the meal whilst Jasper steadied the plate for her. She chuckled as Peridot finished up and then licked her scaly lips.
“I knew it! You’re always an ass when you’re hungry.” Jasper grinned and then turned back to the main plate. She began to slice some more for Peridot, who patted lightly at her tummy and simply nodded at Jasper.
The food made her settle down, at least. Jasper set aside some of the meat for herself and sat down by the table. Peridot stayed on the floor, scratching still at her loose skin, though more and more of the new scales shined through. It was an obnoxious shade of green, almost a strain on the eyes, yet Jasper couldn’t help but stare sometimes. Peri did meet her gaze in return.
“…Jasper?”
“Uuh! Oh yeah. Cook this for me.” Jas clenched her teeth and held out a chunk. Peridot smiled from below and then stabbed at the beef with her claws. She turned away from the table and then blew out a brilliant flame that burned yellow and then blue whilst fast-cooking the chunk. Jasper held out her plate, mumbling something about whether Peridot washed her claws.
“I don’t need to wash my claws, If you don’t want it, then…“ Peridot opened her maw and began to bring the meat to it-
“That’s mine, dammit!“ Jasper swatted Peridot’s hand, and caught her beef as well. Fuck, those claws were still searing, and Jasper shook the heat off her hand once she retrieved her food. She put herself between her dinner and Peri, and shot the other a massive frown. Peridot sneered in reply.
“I bring you dinner and this is the thanks I get.”
“I was just messing with you…” Peridot wiggled her tail and then got up. She shook off more of the old skin, and pursed her lips when she saw Jasper’s eyes fixed on her once more- at least until Peridot settled next to the knight.
Peridot shifted her claws for proper fingers and then began to cut out more slices. (“Civilized,” Jasper said, watching Peridot’s knife work.)
The dragoness smirked and eventually wrapped her tail loosely around the other. She raised one of the fresh slices and blew kisses of flame unto it, and singed the surface of the meat before she gave it to Jasper. Jasper then glanced between the offering and Peridot, and obliged her by taking a nibble.
A bit rare this time, but it was a fair trade.
They ate in relative silence for a while. Peridot alternated between eating dinner and picking off more skin. There were the bits stuck in the corners, left in between fingers and all the worst places. Jasper watched, partly in awe, partly to make sure Peridot wouldn’t scratch her ass or anything similar. Whenever she was tempted, Jasper’s smile stiffened and Peridot would roll her eyes away. (Mental note: Scratch ass later, after dinner, those were human rules.)
Despite being half her size, Peridot always ate more than Jasper. After a while she had a giant plate to herself, and Jasper was full and content to look over Peridot’s shoulder. She ran her fingertips down Peridot’s spine, over her glistening new scales, snagging any extra shed on the way. Peridot kept shivering whilst she still chewed.
“Does it tickle, Dottie?” Jasper’s eyes lit up.
“Mmph. It’s just sensitive when it’s fresh.”
“So… it does~” Jasper brushed her knuckles under her shoulder blades. Jas bit her lip as she wandered down Peridot’s back, feeling toward the base of Peri’s tail. Peridot’s cheeks flushed with color and her ear-flaps flared again and-
“Jasper!” Peridot whacked her tail unto Jasper’s face, making the other stumble back. Jasper covered her nose, felt the light sting of that spiked tail. Then she broke into a chuckle and winked at Peridot.
Peridot scowled and stood up, and then covered what remained of dinner. “I’m out of here.” She swept her tail over Jasper’s face, and then walked away, scratching her butt as she did. Jasper’s features scrunched up, and she watched Peridot settle in the cushions before she followed shortly.
Dottie picked out the last bits of skin between her toes. And when the other joined her, she shuffled aside to give Jasper space- she took plenty.
“Hey.” Jasper said.
“Hellooo.” Peridot peeled back a long tape of old scales and flicked it aside.
“Are you still hungry?”
“No. I had enough… Thanks for dinner.”
“Heh. Not exactly what I had in mind for a date.”
“Are we still calling this one?” Peridot’s eyes grew wide and she pouted at Jasper. “God, I’d rather not have one at all than have a bad date on the record.” She then glanced towards her now disorganized notebooks. Jasper squinted as well, catching her planners.
“Heh, it wasn’t bad! Even with you like… this.”
“What, is it bad? It’s natural!”
“I already said I didn’t mind! It’s actually interesting.” Jasper pinched Peridot’s nose, clearing another strip from her face. “You missed a spot.” Peri snapped her teeth at Jasper and missed.
“…Hmm, Thanks.” Peridot flicked her fins inward, shielding her cheeks.
“You were having a fit, though… Do I always have to keep you fed?” Jasper chuckled, and then she tapped Peridot’s tummy, making the dragoness stiffen.
“No, I can feed myself!”
“Except when you’re shedding.”
“Yes- no! Well, actually…” It took that long for Peridot to recover from the touches; she threw her hands aside and puffed her cheeks out to beat the prickling blush. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I could leave you alone, but… I missed you, you ass.” Jasper leaned against Peridot and nearly knocked her over into the pillows. Well, at first Peridot held up for a little, glared at Jasper too, but she toppled over anyway after a few moments. Then Peridot began to squeak when Jasper spread her palms over her thighs and knead at her sensitive skin. Peridot clamped down on her lip as hard as she could, but the moment a smile broke through Peri’s face Jasper surged forward and began to tickle her harder.
“S-stooop! Stop~” Peridot kicked Jasper and jabbed at her ribs- next moment she found the breath knocked out of her as Jasper all but crashed her weight unto her skinny body. She hissed, but Jasper seemed content resting on her warm chest. Peridot was effectively trapped.
“Get off me.” Peridot smirked.
“I waited all day and nearly got killed by one of your traps… I don’t think so.”
“I need to piss, right now.”
“Peridot!“
“Well you kept touching me! You know how sometimes, when you’re cold you feel tingly and start feeling like you need to pee-“
“Peridot-“ Jasper was cut off, and shut her eyes as Peridot flicked her claws incessantly at her cheek. With a whine Jasper finally rolled off. “You know what, Dottie, you’re right. This date is terrible. You’re terrible.”
“Aww, I was just starting to enjoy it.” Peridot curled her body close to Jasper, and snorted.
She was her big warm knight. Peridot avoided Jasper’s annoyed look, at least until she felt Jasper’s figure soften. Peri then leaned close, kissing Jasper on the lips.
“What the hell-“ Jasper jolted. Her mouth hung dumbly open, and Peridot was left to stare oddly at her from the cushions. “What?”
“…” Jasper deflated back unto the sheets and shrugged, before she sealed her lips tightly. Peridot blinked a couple times, and then shook her arm. “What?”
“Heh. That’s the first time.”
“I’ve kissed you plenty- well, a couple of times.”
“You keep turning into a lizard to freak me out, though.”
“Oh, sorry. Well, you smell good today, today’s your chance.” Peridot slid herself back into Jasper’s embrace, turned her back to Jasper’s chest, and closed her eyes. Jas was still being dumb and flustered, but with some shoulder shimmying Peridot enticed her girlfriend to kiss her some more.
It felt nice on fresh skin, Jasper’s lips. Peridot heaved, pondered for a split second, and then chuckled into the cushions. Yeah, Jasper didn’t forgive her for days after Peri first tricked her into kissing a lizard face. Good times.
“What is it?” Jasper paused.
“Nothing, it just tickles.”
“You comfortable?” Jasper returned to kissing.
“Yeah.” Peridot pressed her thighs together. She was joking at first but she realized she really did need to piss. She thought, no, that would break the mood. “How about you?”
Jasper quietly spat out a piece of Peridot’s skin and wiped her lips. Eeew. She chuckled back at Peri, though. “Yeah.”