THE BEAST

The deal

As soon as the wings expanded to its full size, Eddy's wings slowly folded back inside him, leaving no trace. Eddy sighed in shame. It has been so many years since he was able to stretch his wings like this and he wanted the moment to last longer. However...

Eddy looked down at Brett, still crouching on the floor.

"Hey little one, are you alright?" Eddy asked.

Brett didn't look up, still heaving on the floor.

"Hey-" Eddy shook Brett's shoulder with concern and was startled back when he met Brett's teary eyes.

Brett sniffled, ready to blow into full tears.

"Um, little one...don't...cry...? please...?" Eddy stammered, restless. He has rarely seen humans cry and the possibility that Brett is crying because of him made Eddy uneasy.

"...you...monster!" Brett cried, pushing Eddy away.

I mean, that is a fact.

"What's your problem? You should have learned in class that the transfer of mavis between familiar is better in intimate physical touches!" Eddy shrugged, trying to defend himself.

"But...but...." Brett stuttered, wiping away his tears in embarrassment.

"...that was my first kiss!" Brett shouted finally, running outside the room.

Eddy stood in the balcony, dumbfounded.

Wow, he has fucked up big time.

Eddy realized he was too old for this teenage drama.

.

.

Eddy paced back and forth restlessly in the corridor, waiting for Brett. Brett was in the classroom, ignoring Eddy entirely after the morning incident.

What a mess he has gotten himself into, Eddy crossed his arms in annoyance.

He was a little happy that he was out of his nest after all those years. Being locked up against his will and forced to sleep for 500 years wasn't exactly on his bucket list. However, it was also true that he felt more secure staying in his cave. He had all the mess he could get himself into 500 years ago and as an old beast, he wanted peace for once. Living as a dragon, he knew what he could do if he was blind from hunger and this was all the more reasons why he only accepted a familiar contract with a magician who can handle his craving for mavis.

He had no problems like this with other summoners he had in the past. Especially, with the last summoner, he had 500 years ago.

"You will never be hungry if you're with me," she used to laugh when Eddy snuggled beside her, sleepy and happy, full of content.

And now, this frail young chicken comes along and name him, and he can't even produce enough mavis to get a simple potion to work. Shouldn't the boy be more understandable to Eddy, who was just trying not to eat his summoner alive?

Eddy sighed, ruffling his hair in frustration. He peeked up the window for the hundredth times, stealing a glimpse of how Brett is doing. Brett was sitting at the far corner, taking notes. Brett was deliberately not trying to glance at the window that Eddy was kept peeping his head upon.

"Brett, take care of your familiar," the professor sighed as Eddy bumped his head on the window for the sixth time.

Brett slammed his book shut and went out of the corridor. The students looked at Brett with quizzical eyes.

As a teenager, Brett had some idea of how he wanted his first kiss should be - but it was not with a male, not with a beast, and definitely not with a thousand years old dragon. No, this was way off his list of people he wanted to kiss in his entire life.