forum "You know, you could have just asked for my number instead of ordering twelve coffees..."(Modern Fantasy feat. tired halfdragon Cole Sparks//OneonOne//Closed)

Started February 25, 2021 by @Toxic_Persephone group

tune

"Oh, woe is Cole," Lucky parroted slyly, leaning forward and pressing his chest against the edge of the table. It was nice, seeing Cole act so absurdly dramatic, because it made Lucky feel better about his own absurd dramatics. He'd often been teased by his friends for his habit to exaggerate things, so knowing that Cole most likely wouldn't made him far more optimistic about any future friendship the two may have.
"Then, if you're okay with today, how does 6 PM sound? Or 6:30, if you need time to clean your apartment up. Though I don't really mind messes, so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you." The chair Lucky had been sitting on scooted back as he stood up, his hands tucked flatly into his jeans' pockets. "If you give me your address I could meet you then? Or, actually, that's kinda weird, just asking for someone's address like that, huh?" Lucky mused, rubbing his chin with the joint of his thumb. "Well, whatever you're comfortable with, really. I realize I might be being a little direct, so… sorry if I am."

Lucky was, well, lucky because Cole was the most dramatic person he knew. Granted he didn’t know very many people but that wasn’t the point!
Cole rumbled in amusement and pulled out his phone - which was a rather old thing but it got the job done. “6 is perfect. Are you comfortable giving me your number? I can text it to you. If not, I can just tell you my address. Though it might be nice to keep in touch. I won’t spam you either unless you really want me to.” He teased. His golden eyes twinkled with a light he hadn’t had in a while. Friends were usually a really bad idea especially for Cole’s lifestyle. He moved around a lot to escape the possibility of being caught and slaughtered because he was only partial dragon. Friends were hard to keep in that regard.
But he’d take a chance on Lucky. Maybe he’d be safe and able to chat with Lucky freely about everything eventually? Maybe.
Sounded a little too hopeful sadly.

Pulling a pen out from his shirt's chest pocket and snatching a napkin from one of the dispensers, Lucky began scrawling something on the paper, careful to not rip the delicate material.
"Of course," Lucky murmured, slipping the napkin, which now bore a 10-digit number, to Cole. "Hey, if you can keep yourself from spamming," he started, the smirk on his lips the only thing betraying the jest in his statement, "then the number's all yours. Although, I totally trust you with that."
Lucky began rummaging around in his pockets, swapping the pen he'd been holding out for a few dollars. "For the cheesecake," he explained, the money spilling onto the table from his unfurling fist. "You can keep the change."

The paper was taken with a reverence that rivaled most church-goers. He entered the number quickly into his phone so he couldn’t lose it and glanced back up at Lucky with a bright grin.
“You have nothing to worry about, dear Lucky, I give you a dragon’s honor on that. And that can’t be broken else you’ll have to kill me.” He teased. Though he presented it as a joke, there was much truth in the statement. They were legally binding to his kin and the punishment of breaking one was pretty much a free murder pass. It was a terrifying concept in his mind.
“Don’t worry about paying for that. It’s on the house since I did convince you to try it. Take it as a good deed from a fellow strange being.” He winked, ignoring the coins as they fell.

"Alright then," Lucky murmured, slowly scooping the money back into the palm of his hand. "If you insist." The money had already disappeared back into his pocket by the time he'd finished speaking. "Here's hoping my company will be payment enough, right?"
Lucky stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure of how to begin saying goodbye. He'd grown used to social events around friends and family where he'd discreetly leave without saying a word to anyone. But, that certainly wouldn't be appropriate for the conversation he was having now.
"Welp… I'm gonna start… leaving. To go to my house. To get ready," he said, shuffling back a few inches towards the exit. "I'll see you at 6, then. Yeah? Yeah." He took a few more steps backward, his hand now resting on the doorknob. "Right, right, see you soon, then. Bye. Good luck with the rest of your shift. Let's hope you don't find another devilishly handsome man and make plans with him instead," he joked, a very obviously fake laugh added at the end. "Well, I really oughtta get going. See ya." Finally able to pull himself away from the long-winded goodbye, Lucky nodded at Cole, opened the door, and made his way out. Though, he was obliged to wave goodbye to Cole from outside of the cafe through the window as he left.

Cole chuckled at the drawn-out goodbye, already starting to clear the table they sat at. He kept his eyes trained on Lucky the entire time, completely relaxed and smiling like an idiot.
“Goodbye, Lucky. I’ll see you - and not any other devilishly good-looking men - at 6, alright?” He responded gently.
”How cute. Cole made a friend. What are you planning on doing?” Shihiro drawled as Cole waved back to Lucky and hoped he could see him through the window.
“I’m going to befriend him, that’s what I plan on doing. And maybe introduce him to the magical world. ‘Course I can’t do much to help him as well… I’m a hopeless case when it comes to that, but I can tell him about it.” He rumbled to the other who shared his body, wiping down the table and then moving back behind the counter. The other barista had arrived by then and he didn’t look too pleased to see Cole there. That made sense though. Most other mythical or magical beings disliked him either because he was a halfbreed or because he was human or because he was dragon. There was a lot of reasons to dislike Cole. He largely ignored their strange looks and snide comments. He didn’t have to prove to them that his existence wasn’t wrong. He only had to prove it to his own dragon kind. If he did that then his life would be complete and he could die a happy life.

Lucky's house was a quaint little thing, with dusty, off-white panels lining its exterior walls. The porch steps were muddied and cracked, and as Lucky climbed them, he was surprised to find their porch swing, which had before been suspended in the air by chains, was now sitting lamely on the ground. However, it wasn't unusual for Lucky to return home from work, only to find half the house in shambles. It was more unusual for his roommate to go more than a week without breaking something expensive.
"Darling?" He followed his call into the house, gaze immediately shifting around to search for what other item she may have broken. He expected some shouty reply from her almost immediately upon him opening the door, but instead, he was being met with complete silence. Admittedly, he was so used to Darling's loud, abrasive greetings that the house felt uncanny without them.
Letting a sigh slip past his lips, Lucky began trekking through the house, passing through the living room to get to his room. It was the smallest room in the house, discounting the bathrooms and closets, but he really didn't have a problem with it. Some may call it cramped, but he'd call it cozy.
Before he could engage in the excitement of getting ready for his meetup, Lucky knew he'd have to make a call to his boss explaining his unwarranted absence. But, if he doubted his ability to lie his way out of this type of situation, then he wouldn't have risked missing work in the first place. Picking up his phone and scrolling through his contacts, he paused once the familiar name appeared on his screen. Taking a moment to formulate a lie, he tapped the contact name and waited for the dial tone to finish ringing. "Hello? Hi, this is Luke Stacey."

Cole walked passed the other worker and into the back to grab a new cloth and some more cleaner. He'd let the other work the counter, though admittedly Cole made much better drinks than they did. He was proud about that fact and he was sure he had made many a regular customer out of his coffee in particular. It had nothing to do with the fact that maybe sometimes Cole cheated the system and just used his fire to warm the coffee pots to a more desirable heat. And it definitely had nothing to do with the fact that he often practiced making drinks at home to perfect his technique.
So maybe he enjoyed working here more than he let on but he wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of finding that out. Especially not that dolt of a human known as-
"Atlas, you're late again." Nancy's rumbling voice growled from the office just down the hall from the cleaning station. Cole internally groaned. Atlas, the only human ever to be hired by Nancy. He wasn't a big guy necessarily but he was taller than Cole by like half an inch and always boasted of that fact. His head was always shaved on one side and left somewhat long on the other and his arms were peppered with tattoos of mythic beings including a red dragon that was supposed to represent Cole. Atlas was the only human with enough stupidity and enough skill to rile Cole up to true anger and that was incredibly hard to do.
But the human was also the only one close enough to being Cole's 'friend' of sorts. Atlas called it a friendship. Cole just huffed and allowed the human to buzz around him. It made him less annoying and much less of an issue. Atlas of course knew the identity of all the mythical and magical beings that were hired at the cafe and made sure to question every bit of information he could get out of everyone. Cole was his favorite target. Atlas loved the dragon species. Unfortunately for him, the only 'dragon' he had ever met was Cole. And Cole was partial dragon and ignorant to his own species. He hardly knew anything about his own kind. He was also hated by his own kind. Atlas didn't seem to care though, going with Cole to bookstores and collecting as many books as he could to check with the half breed if they had some sort of truth to them. It was helpful. Cole had to admit he liked the human a little bit.
"Oi! Cole! Was that you!?"
But only a little bit.
"Yeah its me… Why are you here today? That other guy's here. The newer fairy or whatever he is." Cole growled as he turned to see the tattooed human standing in the doorway, grinning like the idiot he was.
"He's fae. He prefers fae, Cole. I'd be careful around him too. You'll end up getting your ass beat one of these days." Atlas returned, looking back into the cafe to make sure the other guy didn't overhear. He was in the clear. So he turned his head to Cole and grinned again when he noticed the smoke curling out of Cole's clenched scowl. "Cool down there, fire lizard. I came in for more time so I can take some off next week. Now, looks like we're both on cleaning duty." Cole swallowed down his fire and groaned as Atlas tossed him an empty dish bin.

The rest of his shift was filled with inquisitive questions and the struggle of hiding the smoke that threatened to burn his insides up with each stupid comment the human made. He was relieved when the clock finally hit his clock-out period and he hurried to leave as fast as he could through the back door. Here he finally let out a small stream of fire and large clouds of smoke as he raved over how much he disliked cleaning duty with the human.

The call went far better than Lucky'd been expecting. He'd been prepared for his boss to call him out on his bullshit, to see straight through the lie he'd haphazardly created. I mean, saying that your roommate was sick and you had to take care of her is hardly a creative lie. But, when his boss finally responded, it was with an "It's fine. Just be in tomorrow," and Lucky immediately started grinning like an idiot. He had to make an effort to keep the smile from creeping into his voice as he spoke. "Of course. See you then, Mick."
The beep signaling the call's end was the most relieving sound he'd heard all week.
Lucky tossed his phone onto his bed and kicked a dirty t-shirt to the side as he surveyed his room. There were, at any given time, at least four spots in his room where he stored clothes. His dresser and closet, obviously, but he also had dirty clothes scattered around the floor and a comically tall pile of clean clothes stacked on a chair. The chair was dedicated to clothes that he couldn't fit in his dresser, which was practically overflowing with t-shirts and jeans he never wore. He tended to stray away from casual clothing, as they usually ended up making him feel sloppy. Tugging one of the drawers open, Lucky yanked the top-most t-shirt out and held it up in front of him, slowly examining it. It was a bright, dusty yellow, with minimal wrinkles and zero stains. He could wear something like this, right? It was a casual meetup, so he could only assume that a casual outfit was expected of him. But, he wanted to look his best, and this plain yellow t-shirt most certainly was not his best. But, he most definitely didn't want to overdress, either—he'd feel ridiculous if he showed up to Cole's apartment in a tuxedo. With a resigned huff, Lucky began changing into the yellow t-shirt.
"There's no reason for you to be stressed over this," he chastised himself once he'd finished dressing, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand. "It's literally just a shirt, dumbass. Nobody's gonna beat you up for wearing it."
Nodding slowly at his own words, Lucky paced out of his room, pausing before the nearby bathroom. "No, no. You don't need to look in the mirror. You look fine, you look fine. You really don't have time to overthink this. Rethink this? …Over-rethink this."
Dragging his fingers through his hair, Lucky forced himself to walk away from the bathroom door and into the living room. He wondered faintly where Darling had disappeared to and when she'd be back. Not before he left, probably. But, for as much as he complained about her, Lucky had to admit that the house would be lonely without her. He'd be lonely without her.
"I guess it's a good thing you're making another friend today, huh?" he muttered to himself, the vague outline of a smile on his face as he stepped outside. Casting one final glance towards the broken porch swing, Lucky began walking.

Once he had cooled down, Cole checked his phone to make sure he had indeed sent Lucky his address and sighed in relief when he had.
It took him only a few minutes to reach his apartment. Nancy had been nice enough to let him use it and was flexible about he paid for the rent. He just took it out of his paycheck and gave it to her. Easy enough. It wasn’t very big but did have enough room for him and, if he ever wanted one, a roommate. For now he was okay living alone. Explaining to another that there was a chance he might end up dead by another dragon’s hand usually didn’t go to well and they usually didn’t want to live with him because then they were targets too.
Oh well.
Cole hurried to tidy up the space, clearing the front room area before moving to the combined kitchen space. They were practically the same space as they weren’t divided by walls or anything of that sort. Just a change from flat carpet to wood flooring.
Once he had finished he looked over his handiwork and grinned. Now it was decent enough for visitors. He had even straightened the books in the three bookcases that rested against the far wall by the tv.

Lucky was only half paying attention to his surroundings during his walk to the apartment complex, with most of the trek spent with him staring down at his phone screen, continuously rereading the address Cole had sent him. He repeated the string of numbers and letters in his mind incessantly, until he'd finally arrived at the apartments.
After walking in and taking the elevator up to the appropriate floor, Lucky let his gaze slide over the gilded numbers plastered to the surface of the doors he passed. His attention was constantly dribbling between the address on his phone screen and the addresses on the doors, wary to not miss the appropriate apartment.
His pace slowed as the numbers on the wall grew closer to the one he was searching for. Just three numbers away and he could feel his heart grow heavier in its beating. Two numbers away, and the hands holding his phone were beginning to shake. One number away—Was it hot in here, or was it just Lucky? And now, standing right in front of Cole's door, never before had Lucky felt such a strong urge to walk away from something. He couldn't explain it, and he most certainly couldn't rationalize it, but the anxiety he felt in that moment was screaming at him to do the exact opposite of what he was doing right then. Even as he pushed through the worry and forced his hand into a fist, which he used to knock on the door, there was still that nagging unease lingering in the back of his mind. Despite this, he forced a tight-lipped smile for when Cole would greet him and waited patiently for his knock to be answered.

Cole had just set out a kettle to warm water for tea or coffee or something when the knock sounded. He scrambled to open the door, grinning brightly at the other male as he came into view.
“Right on time, Lucky.” His voice was warm and inviting. He opened the door wider and stepped aside for the other to enter. The space wasn’t too impressive and resembled a college dorm space really. The walls had been repainted a light creamy shade of white to make it appear a little brighter and larger. There were no decorations and nothing adorning the flat surfaces except for the occasional book Cole had missed or left while cleaning. The only things that seemed to have been put up by Cole were the three bookcases. He never decorated or made a place too homey. He never knew when he’d have to move suddenly to escape his own kind. They had been actively pursuing him since he had been born, though recently it seemed they had started to give up and leave him be until some other creature or being alerted them of his location.
He pushed those thoughts from his mind and gently shut the door behind Lucky. “I hope you’re not too terribly uncomfortable. You’re welcome to sit or do as you please.” He purred, gesturing to the couch and small, matching loveseat.

"Oh, thank you," Lucky said in greeting, slowly advancing into the apartment at Cole's invitation. He spent less than a second absorbing his surroundings, seeing as there was hardly anything for him to absorb. While Lucky wasn't completely off-put by the lack of decor, there'd always been something unsettling about minimalism in his eyes. It felt artificial. Like a house on display, or a room in a museum; Not the type of place someone would call their home.
"Your place is tidy," he said, an impish hint of surprise in his voice. He'd honestly been expecting Cole's place to be… messier. Though, that was most likely his own standards for "tidy" being so low. He hadn't seen an actually clean floor in years. "Certainly not uncomfortable. Very nice, actually. I'd say I'm a little jealous."
Disregarding the offer for him to sit, Lucky remained standing near the edge of the couch, his right hand fidgeting with the phone in his pocket. Despite this hesitancy, he truly hadn't been lying before: he really wasn't uncomfortable. A more fitting word would be awkward, but even that wasn't entirely accurate. It was more so that Lucky didn't feel entitled to sit in one of Cole's chairs, at least, not yet. As such, he continued to stand, with both his hands in his pockets, and a soft smile swept across his face.

(Sorry for the wait! I'm on a vacation of sorts)

Cole watched Lucky with his piercing amber eyes as he himself moved about the apartment, picking up random items and papers and books. He placed them on his table, nice and neat as he really didn't want to hear the Lesser soul he hosted complain about disorderly actions. Shihiro always was really strict when it came to studying dragon culture and literature. Probably because he knew Cole couldn't get it any other way.
"Tea? Coffee? Just a hot drink? I have some warm apple cider mixes around here somewhere. Nonalcoholic apple cider of course. Can't do the alcohol stuff, not good for the days you need something warm for comfort but also a sound and clear mind." Cole mused, tilting his head as he pulled two mugs down regardless of what answer the other gave him.
"Also, how much do you know of the mythical and magical world? Met anyone else who's knowledgeable?" A sly and subtle way to ask if Lucky knew of creatures like Cole. If he knew he wasn't the only one with magical properties.

(No worries! Besides, I've been pretty slow to respond too lol.)

Lucky responded to both questions from Cole in a similar manner. The first, about his choice of beverage, was met with a quiet hum and the scratching of his chin. After less than a few seconds, and a few subtle nods as he weighed his choices, he spoke. "Hot tea sounds good. Shame you don't have any alcoholic options, though. I'd be all over that." His hand almost immediately jumped up to cradle his cheek, an instinctual, unknowing smile shifting onto his lips "Not really, of course. I'm kidding. Alcohol is disgusting."
The second question, about the "mythical and magical world", was also met with a quiet hum and the scratching of his chin. However, he seemed far more stumped by this question, with an almost excruciatingly long silence swaddling his consideration. His expression seemed to constantly transform with his thoughts. His bottom lip would jut out, go back into place, then jut out again, almost like he was mocking a fish. "I mean, a lot of my friends, actually, are pretty smart with that kinda stuff," he began hesitantly. "Like, I have a friend who's into Chinese mythology, a friend who's into… like, European nature mythology, and one who's into Greek mythology. Unfortunately, I'm not super smart with it, 'cause they rarely share that kinda stuff with me. Not like I beg them to or anything, but…" Lucky trailed off for lack of a better finish, letting a slight shrug cap his sentence for him.

(You’re good you’re good!!)

“Alcoholic? No. I don’t keep anything of that sort here unfortunately. Not much of a drinker myself.” More like he couldn’t really drink because none of it ever really affected him in a good way. The hangovers were worse when you were a halfbreed it seemed. Anytime Cole had tried alcohol (mostly those times were with Atlas as the other was ruthless in regards to his drink) he always ended up incredibly sick. He told people he was allergic to it to keep their questions and inquires at bay.
Cole shook the thoughts off once more as he prepared the other a tea, offering him a large variety of herbal and green and black. Cole liked tea when his throat was sore from fire breathing.
“Have you ever seen anything magical?” Cole asked nonchalantly, wondering which way he should take this. He could always just flat out tell the other but would that backfire on him? What if he got caught because someone had squealed on him?
Lucky didn’t seem the type to do that. Maybe he should just outright tell the other he knew? Then what?

Taking a mug of black tea into his cupped hands, Lucky stood quietly for a moment, processing Cole's words. He looked as though he was trying to solve a difficult equation in his head, with harsh lines giving weight to his apparent confusion. "What do you mean, 'magical'?" Lucky asked, his head inclining upwards slightly, a bemused and nonchalant smile having been forced onto his face.
Really, what was he expected to say in response to a question like that? It was a question he managed to find both vague and specific; It was nearly impossible to answer, and the cold suspicion creeping up Lucky's back made him no more receptive to the other's words. They implied a knowledge of something Lucky hadn't mentioned: A knowledge of himself and his own irregularity, or, perhaps more likely, a knowledge of one of his friends and their mythical nature.
"Like, a magic show?" he continued, tapping his fingernail against the side of his cup. "Or…? I dunno. I've never been to a magic show if that's what you're asking about. Or," he paused, fixing Cole with a soft expression that hid his newfound suspicion, "Are you being poetic and using 'magical' to describe something beautiful?"

Cole picked up on the suspicion rather quickly, silently cursing himself. Well then, it'd be best to let the other understand he wasn't a threat either. Seemed Lucky had his own reasons to protect his secrets. Easy enough to strike a deal or a vow of secrecy or something. He turned to take the kettle off of the heat and move it to another burner to cool for a moment.
"No, not one of those silly human magic shows though I guess they're impressive for not really having any sort of magic. And not anything poetic, I'm not the type for the poetic stuff. It's never been my strong suit. I'm asking flat out about mythical and magical beings. You smell of them. Of magic, that is. So I know you at least know of something magic if you don't have something yourself. You happened to walk into a Sphynx's cafe today, you know. Not all of us are completely human." Cole was starting to feel incredibly stupid and dumb at this point. If the other really was human, Cole was going to sound like some sort of psychotic person. Regardless, he continued, flashing the other a toothy grin.
"Did you ever wonder why I know so much about dragons and why I'm so interested in them?" He questioned, undoing the first few buttons on his shirt. He hoped he looked and seemed nonchalant even though he was silently panicking on the inside. It was bad enough Shihiro had to step up and silently calm the other. Once he got the courage to, he revealed the shiny red scales that replaced patches of skin across his throat and neck. They disappeared down his shoulders and back and front, hidden by the rest of his shirt. "You're not the only one with magic, Lucky. Though that's not the entire reason I decided to talk to you. I was curious to what you knew… I'm trying to learn more myself."

Lucky seemed frozen by the heavy words coming from Cole's mouth, with a blankness falling over his delicate expression like a veil. The only part of him that moved was his eye, which slowly traced the path of the scales on Cole's neck as they were displayed, searching for any signs that they may be fake, nothing more than makeup, but coming up empty. He also eventually managed to move his lips in an effort to form the words which were grappling in his head, but the explanations and questions he intended to speak were trapped within his defiant throat. All he managed were a few strained, uncertain mumbles.
He wanted to ask the other more questions: How did you smell the magic on me? Why are you telling me this? How, in the ever-loving fuck, could I ever help you learn more about yourself? Almost nothing Cole said made sense to Lucky, a man who had familiarized himself with the mythic and unusual. He took a long drink from his tea, stalling his response for as long as he could by completely emptying the mug. Then, when he was ready to finally speak, he began with a not-so-revolutionary statement:
"Well, I'm human." He took a moment to set his cup on a nearby end table, using this pause to prepare the next words in his mind. It was clear that Cole knew something was amiss, and that playing it off wasn't an option. Resigning himself to the truth, Lucky slowly continued. "But…" he trailed off, drawing his hand up to his chest and using his other hand to prop up his elbow, letting a long silence hang over both men. "Yeah. I have— Well, shit, it sounds goofy when I say it like this, and it isn't even super accurate anyway, but… I guess I have magic powers?"
At this, Lucky chuckled awkwardly, unsure as to whether or not he should elaborate. He figured that Cole would ask about it if he didn't share, but he continued to hold his tongue. It felt almost presumptuous for him to continue unprompted, and besides, he wasn't eager to elaborate if he didn't have to. He was perfectly content with leaving his connection to the magical world at nothing more than a vague half-answer.

Cole could hardly breath. The crimson splatter of scales felt like they were constricting around his throat each time the other’s eye scrutinized them. Though he always kept his cool and held his expression rather well, the panic that bubbled up into his chest was undeniably one of the worst he had felt. It had been years since he last told another magic being of his species purely out of his own violation. His co-workers were warned by Nancy before they were hired. He never got to explain his own side of the story. And for good reason at that.
Then Lucky was speaking those words he didn’t want to hear. ’I’m human…
Human meant no knowledge of dragon kind. They forbade it regardless of what magical powers any human ever possessed. Well. There was one exception of the witches, but they were their own weird classification and it was hard to define them.
A soft, sad expression flitted across Cole’s face, a soft nod of understanding his only reply for a good chunk of time. Now it was his turn to be curious.
“How so? I can’t tell what it is but it’s almost… metallic in smell? No that’s not right… not metallic in the least…” he went off mumbling to himself for a moment though the words didn’t seem to have any coherent sense to them at all.
Eventually his golden eyes lifted to Lucky as he settled himself back into his chair. He left his shirt unbuttoned, grateful for the air. Long, hot shifts made his scales itch “What can you do then? Is it inherited?”

As Cole sat down, Lucky felt compelled to mimic the movement. He shifted his posture slightly, his knees tensing and his shoulders lowering, as though he were about to sit on the sofa. However, a lingering doubt plucking at his mind kept him standing, staring down at Cole with his best attempt at a neutral frown.
"Uhm, yeah. Yeah, it was inherited," he said cautiously. "From my mom. She could do it. Never told me about it, though. Wanted to 'protect' me from it… I think she thought that I would never discover it if I didn't know about it." He bundled his arms around himself, gripping either arm with his hands, as though he were cold. "She was… uhm," he chuckled, shaking his head, "crazy."
Sensing that he was divulging too much about his personal life, Lucky began drawing it back out. He'd already stalled answering the question of interest for long enough, and he worried that making a dragon needlessly wait might incur some sort of wrath. Scratching at his arms and leaving faint, pale streaks where he did, he quickly began formulating a way of explaining his "power" without making him sound like an unstable nuclear bomb.
"My mom always said that we could… create explosions. And, basically, yeah… I guess so. I mean, it's more like an implosion that then results in an explosion, but that's basically the same thing… Kinda like a supernova, but nowhere near as grand." As he was speaking, Lucky seemed unable to look away from his shoes, his head intentionally inclined away from Cole. After all, Lucky dreaded having to look up and meet the other's scrutinizing stare. "Not sure how the hell that would smell," he mumbled.

If Lucky ever looked up he would realize that Cole wasn’t scrutinizing him in the least. His eyes were wide in curiosity and interest, as if he hadn’t met anyone quite like Lucky. He hadn’t. He had met all sorts of beings but never anyone like Lucky.
“My mother was a little crazy too. She was human, hid me from the world. It was understandable though. I’m not exactly supposed to be alive.” He chuckled half-heartedly at his words, shrugging away the statements to instead focus on what Lucky had to say about his power.
“Sounds grand to me. A miniature version of a super nova is still impressive.” He praised, picking at a loose scale absentmindedly. Shedding season was coming up and he wasn’t excited for it. It was itchy.
“Smells like a supernova would I guess. Whatever that smells like. I can’t explain it myself. I don’t even know how I can smell them though I guess it’s one of the dragon traits I inherited. Useful at times, as I can avoid certain people.”

As Cole's words met Lucky's ears, he seemed to perk up, his gaze traveling from his old, worn shoes up to the eyes of the other. Their striking color suddenly made much more sense to him. The lack of judgment in Cole's gaze allowed Lucky to relax, his tense frown loosening slightly as he allowed himself to finally sit down.
"Wait," he began, sweeping his hair backward out of his face. "Your mom is a… human? But, aren't you a dragon?" he asked, pressing himself against the back of the sofa. Had Cole lied to him about being a dragon? Sure, he'd never said it outright, but it'd been more than implied, and given what Lucky knew, it wasn't absurd for him to make that assumption. He pressed the base of his palm against his forehead, grimacing in thought. However, upon registering the rest of Cole's words, one sentence was brought to the forefront of his mind. I'm not exactly supposed to be alive. "Wait," he repeated slowly, massaging his temples. "I don't… I guess I don't understand. Are you not a dragon?" He drummed his fingers against his forehead, as though trying to coax an explanation out of his own head. "Sorry if this question is impolite, but… what are you?"

Cole's sharp-toothed grin returned when Lucky relaxed enough to sit down, his shoulders sinking into the couch when he wasn't yelled at or looked at in some disgusting way. Lucky didn't think any lower of him, or at least if he did he didn't show it like the others did. It made him feel much much better about this whole 'making friends' business.
A low, rumbling laugh left his throat as he watched the other male try to make sense of it all. He wasn't laughing at Lucky to be mean, though, he was just amused that for once someone didn't know immediately he was some sort of abomination of life. "It's not impolite. You're actually much more polite than others I've met. Yes I'm a dragon. Only partial though. My mother was a human, my father was a dragon. I don't know how much you know about the colony of dragons that live here in the Western Kingdom but let's just say humans are not welcome beings. Halfbreeds like me are even less wanted. So if it's not clear quite yet, I'm half human half dragon in a way. Sounds dumb, doesn't it? Like some sort of stupid children's book except none of my bodily functions work correctly and I'm wanted dead in every place I travel." He snickered at his words like they didn't secretly sting him on the inside. They were truth. He wasn't supposed to be alive, he wasn't wanted, and he was hunted. He hadn't lied about any of it.
Cole let his eyes wander to Lucky, a soft sight leaving his lips. "Sorry, that was unneeded information. I'm still interested in being a friend if you're still willing to be. Or you can leave. I wouldn't mind that either. Happens more often than not." Was he trying to get the other to pity him? Maybe a little. It was the only way he knew how to get someone to stay, as usually most were already gone at this point. It was cruel of him to use manipulative tactics but he was desperate. He understood how awful it was. He made sure to remind himself of that fact daily. He wasn't good in anyway, but he was still partly human and conscious. He was a social creature and needed someone else to talk to. And he liked Lucky so much already he couldn't fathom giving up so soon.

Lucky was, admittedly, taken aback. This is what he considers polite? Fumbling over your words like an idiot while talking to someone you hardly trust? That's polite? Lucky pinched the bridge of his nose, concentrating as he tried making sense of all this information.
"So you're… kinda like one of those ligers. Except with a human and a dragon," he mumbled, saying it mostly for himself to better reason the concept. "No, no, that's not dumb at all. Sounds more like those dragons are dumb for wanting you dead, honestly," he said, nodding steadily, as though agreeing with himself. "And, I'm sorry that I can't really sympathize with you about… like, having an entire species wanting me dead, but I get the bodily functions thing." He rested his shoulder against the arm of the chair, tucking his slight frame further into the corner of the sofa. "It's not what you think. It has nothing to do with the implosion thing. Don't worry, I can control that fine," he fibbed. He, most certainly, could not. "I'm just lactose intolerant." This, however, was true.
"Hey, no worries. I love hearing about other people and their lives. It's super interesting… enriching, even," Lucky said, kicking his shoes off and pulling his legs up onto the sofa, his knees bundled up at his chest. He certainly made himself at home, there. "Besides, no information is unneeded… Except for, maybe, that lactose intolerant comment. Looking back on it, that felt super unneeded," he laughed, dropping his knees and sitting cross-legged.
"Wait, I totally wanna be your friend. Why would I leave?" he asked, leaning his head against the sofa's back cushion. "Because you're a dragon? That's silly. One of my other friends is a dragon, so that's hardly reason to…" Lucky paused, beginning to trail off as he made the connection between what he was saying, what he probably should've said instead, and who he was saying it to. "Dragons… They want you dead… I forgot about that," he muttered, letting the embarrassment he felt out on his lower lip, which he continued to worry at. "Sorry, that was dumb. I shouldn't have said it."