Gold and dragon feathers

My, what sharp teeth I have.

Tommy watches his best friend leave the old wooden table to go to his room, his hooves clicking softly on the ground and a sudden change of mood worn on the curve of his lips.

He can't say he didn't think the gift might end up going this way, as much as Tubbo loves to watch dragon riding competitions he wants to be a dragon rider even more.

The problem lying in the fact that, dragons are a rare occurrence in general and even if you're to meet one (and go through all the steps mapped out since the first dragon riders) a dragon could easily deny (or even kill) a potential rider if they feel disrespected.

Meaning Tubbo being able to finding his own is unlikely which only leaves one possibility for the goat hybrid (that he doesn't even know about).

The possible option that has been eating Tommy up ever since Tubbo very first expressed his dream the same day they found the abandoned house that they would eventually use odd jobs to make into the house they live in today.

He hasn't seriously considered it in a little over three months but, honestly, this must be the most serious he's considered it for much, much, longer than that.

He sets the remainder of his bagel back down, the lack of appetite from his firstplace form combining with the feeling like he needs to do something about his indecisiveness to make him feel almost nauseous.

He lets out a loud sigh, catching the attention of the enderman hybrid beside him as he realizes that he can't think properly in this house, as much as he loves it, and stands with a small flick of his tail.

"I'm going to go for a walk, that ok Ranboo?"

He feels a little bad about leaving the enderman hybrid on his own with concern at the sudden shift in mood written all over his black and white face but he walks towards the door ,anyway.

"Oh, uh, ok?"

The blond nods in acknowledgment and goes through the creaky old door, closing it gently behind him and following a familiar path only he would recognize.

He's had this plan for a while now, stewing in the back of his head, but honestly he's always been too scared of possible consequences to even think about actually trying... but he thinks it's finally time.

Perhaps it was the way Tubbo deflated before walking to his room that changed his mind, or it was the way his friend glowed with awe as he watched the dragons even just walk on stage, or maybe there's a part of him that wants to bask in the attention and energy of competing too.

No matter the reasoning, something feels like it's changed.

Something that might be enough to let him get past his fears.

He reaches an abandoned house into the very outskirts of the town and slips through the gate to the backyard, so completely overrun with plant life that the afternoon sun barely grazes the boy as he makes his way to the large patch of cool stone in the center. It's his safe place, the place he can finally leave behind the restless enderman-like firstplace form he so often traps himself in.

He sits on the stone center, listening to the buzz of insects and the flow of water that he has yet to find the source of and releases the internal magic he's squashed down for three days now. He closes his eyes and feels the familiar tug at his gut and the slight dizzy sensation that accompanies changing form.

It's only a few seconds before the added weight on his head and back assure him that it worked.

He opens his eyes and runs his fingers along new, dark purple feathers lining his arms and jaw, opening and closing the feathered appendages on his back to make sure they still work and lifting his tail up in relief when they move without any more than an ache. He stands again, reveling in the new brightness of the room and the way his horns graze the low hanging branches.

This is his true form, his commonplace, his home. He curses the fear instilled in him by the navy blue feathers of his dad, curses that even though hybrids are far more common than humans his features are rare enough that they might put a target on his (and any other dragon hybrid's) back if seen by a single untrustworthy person.

Though he's not even sure if that's true. All of his fear might be for nothing...The thought makes lying to his friend's feel even more sickening.

It's not that he doesn't trust them, he's not sure why he hasn't at least told them.

Not that that realization is enough to make him tell them. It's too late for that.

He shakes his head as if to empty it of the thought and instead climbs out of the backyard with hesitant steps. He's never even dared leave the yard and shift into his secondplace form in broad daylight before, unsure how dragon he really appears and unable to properly make his limbs do more than carefully walk along the border of Snowchester.

As soon as the sun beats steadily down on him again the dragon features and feathers retreat with practiced ease and he tries to look for a bigger safe spot, painfully aware of how his dark colors will stand out against the rolling fields or green sprinkled brown mountains in broad daylight but unwilling to test just how much bigger his secondplace form is by testing it inside the garden.

But he does need to test it.

His feet begin to ache as he searches, how good transforming into his common form even for a moment felt acting as the final nail in the coffin on whether or not he's willing to push himself and risk the years of hiding going wrong for his friend ( and for himself a little bit too). Hey, maybe if they are any good they can even let Ranboo shed his third job.

That would justify leaving his friends so early to do this... maybe it would even justify lying to them for so long.

Maybe...Honestly, he should have gone back after refreshing his magic instead of starting to look for a larger spot by scaling the mountain.

Or he should turn back now (but then this climb would be a waste of time and energy and the great Tommyinnit doesn't waste time).

With that reminder he quickens his scouting until ,finally, something promising catches his eye; a crack in the mountainside he can easily slip through that opens into a giant cave, filled with cool air and only lit by a gap in the ceiling that is hopefully larger than it appears.

He doesn't waste time, as said before Tommyinnit doesn't waste time- not ever. If Ranboo or Tubbo ever tell you otherwise they are simply lying.

Changing to his secondplace form is nauseating, the tug so much stronger than for commonplace and it honestly burns but luckily in a few seconds almost all the pain and the tug stop abruptly. He groans but it doesn't sound like his voice, more of a low rumble of annoyance. He opens his eyes and sees the world from a lot higher than he normally can. It's a little disorientating but he supposes he should have expected it, after all he's a dragon not a 6'3 blond boy now.

He moves experientially and luckily the shift feels natural, his tail swaying nervously like a cat and his wings closing gracefully. He turns his head, the much longer neck than he's used to feeling a little strange, in order to look at himself. He gasps (more like barks) in excitement as he realizes how fucking big his wings and tail are compared to when they are scaled down to fit on his more human body. His feathers are even darker and his underscales glitter like stars more than they used to.

It's not that he's never been fully dragon before but it's been at least a year and he didn't remember how much like a dragon his slender body looks. Didn't remember the claws or the size or the way his tail sways as if it has a mind of its own.

It's exhilarating and as long as his face looks the part too he probably really can do this!

He makes a sound he's never heard before, a pleased warble similar to Ranboo's but more.... Cat like?

He shakes his head and feels his whole body follow suit before taking a step and...promptly falling with a thud.

Ok.... maybe he needs to practice before seeing Tubbo like this.

He can do that.

He doesn't even have work until tomorrow afternoon.

He can do this.

(Whoop whoop! Second chapter poggers! I was worried I would have to rewrite this thing because of self consciousness but I forgot I'm amazing so here you go)