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“Hold still.”
Your pointed ears flickered back at the sound of Dan Feng’s voice drifting over your shoulder. You placed your hands in your lap, doing your best to follow Dan Feng’s instructions as you sat directly in front of him. Your fingers twitched, the tips numb and itching with impatience as your gaze flickered around the room. You pressed the plump seam of your lips into a thin line, chewing on the dry and flaking skin clinging to the corners of your mouth as a way to distract yourself. Your toes wriggled when you tried to remain still, the pursed line of your mouth wobbling as your eyebrow twitched.
“Hold still” Dan Feng gently reprimanded again when you squirmed.
You couldn’t take it anymore. More cracks started to show in your facade and you just couldn’t pretend to sit still any longer.
“I can’t” you whined with an indignant huff. “It’s just so itchy!”
A small puff of air breezed past Dan Feng’s lips as your golden tail started to wriggle around in his lap, making him lose his focus as it squirmed like it had a mind of its own. Small, golden flakes of your scales peeled off the more you struggled, small specks flicking around the bathroom and sticking to the tiles when they softly fell to the ground. You were currently in the midst of shedding your golden scales, the old skin dull and flaking away to reveal the fresh golden scales beneath itching to be free. Dan Feng was currently trying to help you shed your old scales but your tail refused to stay still and wriggled about with how much you needed to scratch that insatiable itch.
You covered your hot face with your hands, palms pressed into the swell of your flaming cheeks as a flustered noise tickled the back of your throat. A knot of embarrassment twisted in the pit of your stomach at your shameful actions, little noises clawing at the back of your throat as you became desperate to try and scratch the itch. It felt like it was burning like wildfire, a thousand little bugs biting you all at once that made your nerves itch and the base of your skull to tingle with numbness. Dan Feng refused to let you do it yourself, trying to help you shed your scales in a proper manner to save your poor spine from the constant twisting of your body. The thought of your scales not being removed properly irked him most of all. He shuddered to think about the flaking skin stuck beneath your nails or dead skin clinging to the crevices of your scales.
Dan Feng leaned forward on his knees as he tried to get a proper grip on your tail. He placed his hands near the base, his fingers nowhere near touching as he grabbed the bulk of your tail in order to keep you still. Your tail had always been thicker than Dan Feng’s and thus, it was always a little more difficult for him to wrangle. Your back was strung as tight as a bow when you felt his fingers brush against the sensitive underside and it made you pause in your movements.
“I’m trying to help you, little dragon” Dan Feng said. “I know, it itches. But you must keep still.”
Tears pricked the corners of your wet eyes and you softly sniffled in response. He knew you were already trying your best. Shedding scales was not a fun aspect of being a Vidyadhara. The maintenance was high to keep your scales in good condition and to ensure that when shedding occurred, there would be no complications. Your scales were not coming off in big chunks like his normally would. Instead, yours mostly flaked, individual pieces slowly chipping off and falling away. It made a bit of a mess, which was why the two of you were currently tucked away in the bathroom, to ensure that the mess of scales did not spread.
Dan Feng picked up the long handled brush by his side, attempting once again to help peel your old scales off. You jittered impatiently on the floor as you continued to try and sit still. The base of your spine tingled when you felt the bristles of the brush pass over your scales. It was a strange feeling at first, almost like the sensation of the bristles were too much on your sensitive scales. But you swallowed the squeak with a small bob of your throat, fingers digging into the skirt of your traditional grab as you dug your sharp canines into the pocket of your cheek. It took a long moment, but once you got used to the feeling, it actually started to feel good. A little too good perhaps as your shoulders relaxed and you let your eyes slip close for a brief moment. It finally felt like that insatiable itch was being scratched as the bristles of the brush were able to dig into the crevices of your scales and rub against the itch tingling all over your tail. The feathered tip of your tail flicked with content, a soft hum bubbling up your throat as you relaxed into the feeling. Dan Feng was careful with the press of his hand as he continued to brush down the length of your tail. Soft enough not to hurt you but just firm enough to help satiate the itch of your scales.
A small smile tilted his lips when he noticed your tail stop squirming around as much, your back stretching more as your tail eagerly sought the touch of the brush. A soft noise of amusement stirred in his throat at the subtle hint he was receiving.
“Where does it itch most?” he inquired.
You hummed in thought, tipping your head back a fraction as the brush continued to rub against your golden scales.
“A little to the left.”
Dan Feng followed your instructions and moved the brush further down your tail.
“Here?” he asked as he rubbed the brush at the spot you indicated.
You hummed loudly, your voice bouncing off the tiled walls of the bathroom as you nodded along. Most of the dead skin had been brushed off now, leaving your new scales to shimmer bright with a golden gleam that was as dazzling as the sun itself. Dan Feng silently enjoyed pressing his bare hands against the silky smooth scales, the touch almost as soft as velvet as his fingers strayed towards your golden tufts of fur. He intended to brush any loose scales out of the puffed up strands but as soon as his fingers hovered closer, he got a static shock. The sound crackled through the air so loud it made his shoulders jump in mild surprise, his eyes wide and the tips of his fingers tingling from the shock. It didn’t actually hurt him. He was more surprised than hurt. And he was quite used to accidentally getting a shock. Mostly in the colder weather or whenever you had been out in the wind for a little too long.
He stared at the brush in his hand for a long moment, realising that all the rubbing must have gotten a good circulation of blood flowing in your tail, enough to have your fur store up enough electricity to give him a good zap. It couldn’t be helped. Being linked so closely to the element of lightning, having it practically coursing through your veins much like Dan Feng’s affinity for water, there were some…peculiar by-products because of the circumstances.
You twisted around when you heard the shock, the tips of your ears burning red hot out of embarrassment as you looked at Dan Feng with large, doe eyes. An apologetic look flashed across your face as your tail naturally coiled closer to your body out of remorse.
“I’m sorry” you immediately apologised. “I didn’t mean to shock you.”
A small chuckle rumbled in Dan Feng’s chest as he leaned closer. He placed a hand on your head, gently ruffling your hair as he leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss to your temple. You could feel his warm breath stirring through your hair as he smoothed down the long strands.
“Fret not, little dragon” he replied. “I am quite used to your shocking surprises by now.”
A small huff puffed up your cheeks. Even if he was used to them, you still apologised every time it happened. The small pout tugging at the plush seam of your lips made him brush his lips against your temple again to soothe your worries. Wordlessly he took up his previous position to brush your tail. You slowly turned around, grasping at the bulk of your golden tail and lifting it for a closer inspection. Your golden scales were brighter than you had ever seen them, almost glowing like warm, golden honey as you rubbed your fingers over the smooth texture. Dan Feng had helped you take better care of it, helping to apply a special oil to it every night to keep the scales looking healthy.
A thoughtful noise tickled the back of your throat as you continued to examine your tail. It was the heaviest it had ever felt. You rubbed your fingers along it, silently measuring it as you tried to wrap your fingers around the thickest part of your bulky tail. It felt a bit harder than it usually was. It felt heavy and plump.
“Has my tail gotten bigger?” you idly mused aloud.
Dan Feng paused in his ministrations as his gaze travelled to where your hands were wrapped around your tail. Now that you mentioned it, it did feel a little heavier coiled in his lap. Your hands travelled from your tail to your stomach as you suddenly started to grab the pudge clinging to your soft belly. Have you put on weight recently? It certainly felt like your stomach and hips were doughier than usual.
“I think I’ve put on weight” you mentioned.
“Good” was Dan Feng’s automatic reply.
Heat consumed your face as you sputtered, your head whipping around as your gaze landed on Dan Feng once more. Your mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. You weren’t saying it to complain, you had never really felt ashamed of your body, but the hot flush that consumed your body at Dan Feng’s response made you blush like mad and your stomach to do giddy flips. He continued to smile as you grew more flustered, your tail wriggling and coiling around his thigh as Dan Feng became coy. He shuffled closer to you.
“It means you're healthy” he said. “Or perhaps, its because of all those sweet treats you have been indulging in~”
“And whose fault is that?” you replied with a soft hiss, unable to fight off the heat eating away at your chubby cheeks. “You keep spoiling me rotten.”
“And I’ll continue to do it, given the splendid results” Dan Feng playful bit back.
He playfully nipped along the curve of your ear and you couldn’t take it anymore. You buried your face in your hands and let out a squeal of flustered frustration. His playful banter was starting to make your head spin in a delightful tizzy and you couldn’t keep up for much longer. He was much too good at being able to fluster you, almost like it was a professional sport and he was its number one player. Thankfully, he eased off on the teasing once he noticed that you were too bashful to be able to talk with a coherent response. You still had yet to thank him properly for helping you shed your scales and he was making the task increasingly difficult.
He trailed his fingers along your tail as it squeezed around his leg, tapping against the limb with the tip of his blackened nails.
“Release my thigh, my dear, I still haven’t finished brushing your tail.”
Your throat bobbed as you swallowed and you nodded your head. Your tail slowly untangled itself as you let go of his leg, your hands still splayed over your hot cheeks as you peeked at Dan Feng through the gaps of your fingers. Silence enveloped you as Dan Feng brushed the golden fur on your tail, twisting the soft strands around his fingers. You gently cleared your throat.
“Thank you” you mumbled.
Dan Feng’s lips twitched upwards with a soft smile. “You’re welcome, little dragon.”