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Zoe and her dragon are just ahead of Mio and hers, so Mio doesn’t immediately see what makes Zoe squeal loudly.
“Oh! Mio, look!” Zoe calls out and turns back to beam at Mio before she and her dragon roll off.
“Look at what?” Mio asks her dragon who chuffs at her. Mio smiles and shrugs. “I know. But hey, let's follow them okay?”
They follow the other pair around a curve and Mio's eyes widen. The first thing she sees is multiple large ponds containing crystal clear water. She hears the rumble of waterfalls as well, but then her attention focuses on the shimmering, floating fish idly swimming above the water.
“What the hell Zoe…” She whispers to herself and smiles. “That is so cliché.” She looks to the side as she hears laughter. Zoe and her dragon charge through the water with the dragon playfully attempting to eat the fish while Zoe cheers it on.
Mio watches them quietly for a moment and feels her heart flutter in her chest. Then her dragon shifts underneath her and she puts a hand between its shoulderblades.
“Alright, alright. Let's go play.” She says and leans forward as her dragon joins its sister in chasing the fish. She catches Zoe's eyes and the blonde beams at her. Mio rolls her eyes but smiles back.
It's easy to forget they’re being hunted by a massive dragon as they’re playing in the water like this. Especially as Zoe keeps on smiling and laughing. Mio can also see the quiet tension drain out of her shoulders, a tension Zoe hasn't mentioned but has been there since they first entered this story. Mio likes that.
She starts to feel better herself. About everything. It's strange to think about really. She pretty much bared her innermost fears to Zoe, bared her heart really. But Zoe just… accepted everything that was tenatively offered. Mio likes that. She likes Zoe a lot actually.
“Oh, look at that one!” Zoe calls out and points up ahead where a particularly big fish floats downstream.
Zoe's dragon hunkers down, wiggles its butt like a cat on the prowl, and jumps towards it. Zoe falls off with a startled yelp and hits the water with a tiny splash. Her dragon immediately turns over and looks appropriately guilty. But Zoe just sits up, chest deep in the pool and throws her head back and laughs. Shimmering trails of water run down her face and her eyes are glowing with happiness when she turns to face Mio and her dragon as they walk up to her.
“Enjoying yourself?” Mio asks and leans to the side as her dragon hunkers down so she can reach for Zoe with a hand. She notices the mischief flashing through the blonde's eyes all too late.
Zoe takes her hand with a cheerful thank you, and then she tugs .
“No, no, wait - “ Mio tries even as she hits the water and splashes into Zoe's arms. The temperature of it is actually quite pleasant, but she sputters and flails for a moment just for the principle. Zoe just laughs and pulls Mio in for a proper hug.
She wraps her arms around Mio's waist and tugs gently and Mio has no choice but to crawl into her lap (she does, but she really just wants to).
“I can’t believe you would betray me like this.” She grumbles. Zoe just laughs again and runs her fingers through Mio's hair and Mio feels pleased goosebumps run down her spine before she leans forward and rests her chin on top of Zoe's head.
“See? This is actually quite nice.” Zoe teases.
“I got water in my boots. Do you know how long it'll take for my socks to dry?” Mio grumbles again, but mostly to hear and feel Zoe giggle against her.
“Your grumpiness would be more believable of you weren’t smiling.”
“You can’t even see my face, you don’t know.”
“I can hear it in your voice.” Zoe shifts slightly and Mio pulls back so she can look at her. Zoe's eyes meet hers and the blonde has such a fond smile Mio's heart flutters in her chest again.
“See?” Zoe asks quietly and reaches up to slowly trace Mio's cheek and run her thumb over the corner of Mio's mouth. “You are smiling.”
She is. Mio turns her face, chasing Zoe's hand as it starts to leave her face, and presses a quick kiss to the blonde's palm without looking away from her. Zoe's eyes widen slightly and her ears turn red. Mio hears her breath catch and the confidence she feels from the sight gives her the courage to kiss Zoe's palm again. This time she lingers and watches as the redness spreads from Zoe's ears to her cheeks.
“You’re flustered.” Mio says and smiles.
“I… yeah.” Zoe answers very softly and runs her thumb along Mio's bottom lip. And surely Mio can’t be misreading the signs this badly, so she slowly leans in and kisses her.
Zoe lets out a soft little noise against Mio's mouth and then she tilts her head to the side to deepen the kiss. Their lips move slowly over each other, exploring the other's warmth and softness.
Zoe's lips are soft and tastes faintly of the fruit they fed their dragons and tried themselves earlier. Mio drags her tongue along Zoe's lower lip and Zoe makes a noise that sends a coil of heat down Mio's stomach. Zoe opens her mouth and their tongues gently intertwine.
Zoe's mouth is warm and the taste of the fruit and something that is uniquely Zoe is addicting. Mio presses herself closer and Zoe leans back until she's bracing herself on her arms. They pull apart for a moment to just look at each other. Zoe's face is flushed and her pupils are wide and dark. Mio leans in again and kisses her fiercely, biting at her lower lip until Zoe opens her mouth again with a small moan. Mio deepens the kiss and puts a hand over Zoe's neck to both brace her and hold her close. She kisses her again, and again, and makes it her mission to find out what Zoe likes.
She figures out that Zoe really likes having her tongue gently sucked, and that she prefers long and deep kisses compared to fast and messy ones.
Mio pulls back only to trail her lips along Zoe's jaw and down towards her neck. Zoe arches into her and Mio feels like she's in front of the exploding sun again with the heat threatening to consume her.
And that's when they both get splashed.
Mio's dragon lets out a loud chuff, stands up and slams its front paws down. The wave hits Mio from behind and she and Zoe gets dunked. They both yelp and sputter before they manage to gather themselves and get up. Mio turns and glares at her dragon that looks innocently back at her.
“Hey!” She growls and gets a playful growl back. She feels Zoe shift closer and turns just in time to get pulled into another soft kiss.
“I suppose it is time we got moving.” Zoe whispers when they separate. Mio blinks dazedly and nods. She keeps her eyes on Zoe as the blonde walks over to and mounts her dragon again. Only then does Mio turn back to her own dragon that is absolutely smirking at her. What a little shit.
“Oh, shut up.” She grumbles as they take to the skies. Zoe waves at her from down below and when Mio meets her eyes Zoe blows her a kiss before she and her dragon rolls off. Mio will forever deny the happy little sigh she lets out before she and her dragon follows.