The author of this story, Ornate_Padlocks from Archive of our own, has given me permission to upload both chapters of Sisu and You, a wholesome fluff of Sisu the dragon from Raya and the Last Dragon and reader. archive-of-our-own-.-org/works/31116461/chapters/76883651#workskin
Summary:
You were about to fall asleep, when someone came knocking on your door! Who could it be? Why disturb you of all people? And what does Bruce Lee have to do with this?
(You already know, your light was still on, and Bruce Lee does not appear in this story.)
Chapter 1: The Pipe Cleaner
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Sisu and You (a.k.a. Be Like Water)
Frigid winter air fills your house as you make your way to your bedroom to retire for the night. Everything that needed to be done, has and your reward is a half and one hour of the pre-sleep train of thought, shovelling semi-coherent thoughts and ramblings into the boiler until the smoke and labour fogs your brain enough that you pass out. You replace your day clothes with sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt, and throw the old garments into the laundry basket for tomorrow. You uncover your queen-size and drop yourself in the middle, relishing a bit in the cool feeling of your room. All windows are open – the cold air motivates you into staying under the covers and makes breathing effortless. It would help if you switched the desk lamp off, but the train doesn't allow operators a few seconds to ensure all non-railway-related details are accounted for. The open curtains don't count either. Hop aboard, son. You don't wanna miss work. You'll deal with them eventually, but for now, start shovelling. And shovel you did, and quite vigorously at that. It wasn't long before your eyelids start letting gravity take hold of them, before you remember that you still had to cross those T's. You have to pull those curtains shut and turn the lamp off, but that means getting out of bed and off the train, just to start the whole ritual all over again. Ultimately, the forces of nature prevailed, and your tired, fading, groggy self concedes. Not long after, you succumb to your natural cycle, the atmosphere filling your ears with the still suburban sounds of rustling leaves, an eventual car, the wind flowing quietly across each gap and crevasse and into your room…
BANGBANGBANGBANG
That's not the wind. You make your best meerkat impression and dart up from your position. "What was that?" Probably just the roof struts. Ehh, nothing important. You sigh and slump back down into bed, shovelling some more thoughts. You almost thought that someone was at the door, but this late? Who, with nothing important to do, goes and knocks on your door in this weather? Certainly not thieves; they wouldn't even bother with that. It's not like your neighbourhood is a hotspot for hooligans to just ding-dong random people's houses and book it. Hold on, that makes this even weirder.
You really need to turn off that l-
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG
Okay. That was the door, and someone is knocking on it. Wait, but if someone is at my door, at this time of night and in this weather, what sort of business could they possibly ha-
"Hello?"
A low, hushed, and slightly raspy voice propagated through the atmosphere and hit your eardrums, and that's all it took for you to vault out of your bed, your room, and into the hallway to deal with the situation. With foot after cold, slow, naked foot, you tread your way through the darkness to the entrance portal. You grab the house keys from the hanger, and thumb through the set until you singled out the ones for the front door and gate. You unlock the front door, fighting through the cold touch that all the metals are inflicting upon your hands. You grab the door handle, twist it down, and pull towards you. The first thing that comes to attention is the blast of winter draining what little heat you still had in your face. Right afterwards, you look upon who is apparently the source of the knocking. It's definitely someone, but you couldn't make out a single detail in the figure standing opposite you. Better find out more, then.
"What are you doing here?" You have to start somewhere.
"Hey, can I stay here for a bit?" A question to answer yours. We're off to a great start.
"Wait, why here? Isn't there some other place-" You pray that another question doesn't come out of the figure's mouth - you don't want to pile confusion on top of all the inconvenience you've just put yourself through.
"Well, your light was still on, so I figured that you're still awake, so I went to your house." You deduce from the voice that the figure is a woman. She gave some motivation for showing up at your doorstep, and answered your prayer at least, but you weren't satisfied with the information just yet.
"You were certainly making a small fuss out here."
"Yeah, that was in case you were asleep. Always be prepared, they say. You know, I did want to find a cozy place where I could escape the cold and settle for a while. Your neighbourhood was close enough, but everyone's asleep, apparently. Well, except for you, of course, but you knew that, didn't you?"
Well, that explains her disturbing me. But I still don't know enough. I should probably ask for a na-
"So anyway, can I stay with you? Please?" You could barely make out a large, goofy smile on the dark figure, probably made in the hope that it would win you over – a bit too big of a smile, actually ridiculously so. Hold on, who even is this? Well, guess I'm gonna find out soon enough. That sure is one winner of a grinner.
You close your eyes and take a deep breath. Upon opening them, you see the figure swaying in quiet anticipation, probably getting ready to potentially hear a resounding "No" from you.
"…okay."
"What? O-oh, thanks, man! Heh, I knew I could count on you!" From what you could hear, she was practically beaming. You open the gate and clear yourself from the door to make room for easy ingress, gesturing at your invitee to enter your homestead. She passes by and makes her way into your house, followed by the rest of her.
And the rest of her.
And the rest of her.
And the rest of her.
…alright, sitrep.
No one on earth has that big a smile, no matter how hard they try. What you've just let in without any resistance at all is a humungous 20 foot long something! You have absolutely no idea what its plans are, so you better find out the who's who and what's what right now, or you could be turned into people fricassee!
You promptly shut the entryway and shake your head, thinking that your mind is playing tricks on you. Fine. I'll play along. You head for the lounge's light switches, the long dark silhouette of your mystery guest dominating the corner of your eyesight. "Eh, 's not much warmer, but hey. Still better than outside at least, am I right," you heard from the vague shape. It's time to unveil your own guest to you. Trick or not, you feel your insides contracting from the sheer pressure of a potentially terrible situation. You crack your neck and psych yourself up. Come on now, do it! Turn it on! What're you waiting for!?
You flip the light switch, and the living room bathes in a bright yellow glow. Upon peeking into the room, you finally get to see what exactly you invited in. It was a long, blue-
You abort and duck straight into the hallway. All the tension that has been building up in the past minute explodes, and your brain launches into orbit with the force of a dragster. NO. WAY. Do you know who that is?
Obviously yeah, but-
You have any idea why she came to your house?
You don't mean- no, no. This can't be real. It can't be.
Hold on, you sure you didn't fall asleep? You could be dreaming right now!
How should I know? All I know is I woke up, heard a voice, and I just let that pool noodle in-
…I better make sure if this is real or not.
You immediately dash for your bedroom. Upon entering, you went looking for signs of dreaming. Is everything where they're supposed to be? The lamp is still on, the curtains still open, your laptop and phone are still on the table, and your watch is still on the floor next to the bed. Inside your wardrobe nest all the same clothes you usually see, hanging above the crates of old magazines. You pick your watch up from the floor. Every second you count in your head, the watch counts the same. The hour didn't suddenly change, and the watch itself is still the same model. Either this is real, or I just cracked the code on how to have extremely convincing dreams. Only one more way to find out. You climb back into your bed, the accumulated heat in the mattress now lost in the wind from being uncovered. After covering yourself up and laying your head down, you close your eyes and…
By the time you open them, you see that nothing has apparently changed. You notice the bed is still cold, as if you had just jumped into it. It must really be that cold outside. You grabbed your watch again. Not much time has passed. Lamp's still on, curtains are still open and billowing. Realizing that you still need to check the living room, you get out of bed, and slip on some winter socks to appease the ice cubes that your feet have become. You inch your way down the hall, and- the light is still on? Here comes all that tension again. I swear I turned it off before going to bed. But wait. If it's still on, and everything I just did proves that I'm not dreaming, then… You agonizingly tilt forward from the hallway, and look once more into the living room.
There she stood, a- no, the long, blue dragon with an embellishment at the tail-end, touring your living room and taking up quite a bit of space. It's quite impressive to see her stand both in front of and behind one of the couches, with her tail occupying the carpet in the middle. You note the familiar fainted stripe patterns across your famous guest, decorating that long, flexible shape and all that fur. You didn't bother moving, focusing, or even responding at all. You wish you could look into a mirror and see the confounded face you're pulling. Your entire self is now numb, the muscles relaxing, the heart and lungs unwinding, and all the excess tension escapes from your lips in the form of a long, disbelieving "No" gliding out into the air.
"What? Oh, come on, you gotta have something in here!"
Eyes up, man. She just asked you something. The dragon is now facing towards the kitchen counter, so you infer that she was asking if she could raid your cupboards for something to chew on while you were stuck in your little trance.
"Oh, I mean, sure, knock yourself out." You instantly regretted saying that. With all that dragon, your pantry will never stand a chance.
"Oh, sweet! Thanks, man!" She was polite, at least. Your guest bounces her front half over the counter, planting her midsection on the table, and starts opening cupboards until she found two brown paper bags. After grabbing both with one swipe of a very sizable paw, she bounces back over and worms her way back into the lounge. You take this opportunity to have a good stare and contemplate the sheer length of the oversized pipe cleaner. She fits quite nicely on both couches facing each other, though her midsection is resting on the floor and her latter tail-end drapes over an armrest. The dragon pulls out one cabanossi from a full bag, and takes a bite out of it. To the surprise of no one who ever experienced cabanossi, she delights at the taste and lets out a squeak before finishing it off. There goes another one. And another. Aaaand it's all gone. What an appetite. A giant dragon emptying out an entire bag of seasoned sausages is the least surprising thing you've seen tonight. She starts geeking out, "Oh, delish! You got some real killer," pausing to read the label on the empty bag, "cabbanosees! Ugh, how can you go a day without these?" She looks at you with wide eyes and that smile from earlier, and you fish desperately for a response. "We make do if there isn't," is the best you could come up with.
As she opens up the second bag, you realize that the two of you haven't even exchanged names yet. Not that you don't know your guest's name – or her escapades, for that matter - it's just something everyone has to do. "Hey, you haven't even told me yet. Who are you, anyway?"
"Oh yeah," she looks at you again, "it's Sisu. And you're…"
You gave Sisu your name.
"Well, now that we got that out of the way, I need to ask you something."
Knowing your guest, it shouldn't be anything too uncouth. You worry about the "uncouth" part though; after being so accommodating, you're really not in the mood for a mood killer at this point.
"You want some of this?" Sisu holds up the biltong bag. Oh, thank goodness. There's a numb excitement causing yourself to shake, though you do your best to hide it. You let out a slightly botched "Yeah, sure" and head for the couch she's sitting on. Oh my word, she's looking straight at you with those big, soulful eyes. Don't screw up now, son. It's just a small offering. Just grab some biltong and sit down. You reach inside the bag, carefully held up by those imposingly large talons, and try to not look up at her snout that is just a foot away from your head, and that grin. Bless it, that's so cute. A handful of biltong slices for you, and it's off to sit at the tail-end; even though that couch is now the property of Sisu's tail, there was at least enough room for yourself due to her tapering build. You plonk yourself down, making physical contact with the dragon for the first time. Ooohohohohohoho.
There is silence as you snack on your biltong, and Sisu empties her second bag before crumpling it up and leaving it on the couch. Just feeling the part of her tail that your back is leaning on puts you at ease. There's no more fear and suspicion, just small bouts of internal excitement playing around in your chest. You want to throw away the empty bags out of principle of being a good host, but the rest of the biltong in your hand – not to mention that supple tail you're leaning on – is pretty good reasoning otherwise. You still had to, though. Reluctantly, you placed your food on the armrest to your left and got up. "I'll take those," you said as you grabbed the paper bags nestling on the corner of the couch and below Sisu's chin. "Aww, thanks," she responded with a smile. Turning around, you headed for the kitchen, though not without feeling Sisu's tailfin lightly batting your legs on the way.
Now that you're in the kitchen, you chuck the bags- You try to prevent yourself from exploding first. Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod, she just slapped me why is she so freaking cute? You just had to shrink down into yourself and blush profusely; as long as Sisu doesn't notice, you should get away with it. You disguise your hunching by opening the dustbin and throwing the bags away. If you were going to keep your nerves in check, then you need to come up with something now. You wash up in the sink and take some deep, slow breaths to put yourself at ease. Come on, she's not going to bite you or anything. It's just Sisu. Yeah, just Sisu. Everyone in the world and it just had to be Sisu. You need to be like water now; not tense, but flowing. When water runs over your head, it becomes the head. When water flows over your hands, it becomes the hands. Be like water.
Be like water.
With your newfound gameplan, you head to the fridge – not only for your sake, but Sisu could use something to wash down the meat. "You need anything to drink?"
She puts on a smug face. You just asked a water dragon if she needs a drink. Smooth. "What, you don't think I have that covered?"
"Well, I'm just trying to be a good host." You retrieve your water bottle from the fridge and open it up. "You don't have to get up or anything. I can get you some juice if you want."
A small laugh erupts from Sisu. "Oh, I don't need to." She lifts up a foreleg. "You're gonna love this. You could say I'm dragging some droplets. I'm bending the ebb." She pulls some familiar gestures. "Down with the flow, yo. It's like there's an invisible bucket hanging in the air, and I'm gonna pull some invisible string. You know what, just watch."
Sisu opens up her paw, and a faint pink mist slowly surrounds your bottle. Clenching her paw, the dragon pulls the water straight out and rushes it toward a spot above her fist. A clear ball now floats in front of Sisu, who's now looking at you. "Told you I got it covered." She floats the ball nearer her mouth and starts slurping on it.
Be like water. When water fills the cup, it becomes the cup. When water gets dragged out of your grasp by someone who's having a ball, it becomes the ball. You knew she could do that, but you were a bit annoyed since it's your water she's drinking. "You know that's mine." You look inside the bottle. At least she left some behind. "You know what, never mind." You raise your intonation. "That's actually pretty impressive."
"Well you should see me in a lake. I just mince everything that moves in the waves." Sisu finishes the ball off and settles back down on the couch, resting her head on the armrest. "Nice place you got here, by the way."
"Thanks. It's not exactly fit for non-humans like you, but for me, plenty cozy." Yep, plenty cozy indeed. Like that mane, though.
You sit back down and finish the rest of your biltong and drink as silence fills the air once more. This night has turned out quite well considering that anyone else could've been at your door. You let your mind wander off again. Oh, the curtains. And the lamp. Ehh, what do I care. You think back to when you turned the light on and first saw Sisu in full. What was I even worried about? You look at Sisu's tailfin hanging from the armrest to your left, noting the small ventral fins and the patterns adorning the set, and you can't help but smile as it calmly sways. No, seriously. You think back to your little episode in the kitchen, when you geeked out from that very fin slapping you. You think back to when you washed up and told yourself to "be like water." Be like water. She's a water dragon, how fitting is that. I'm being like water, and she can control water, so she can control me.
Be like water.
Heh, bee like water.
A small chuckle escapes you. "Oh, that's a good one." Bee like water. That small chuckle evolves into a breathy laugh. Oh that's funny as- Now it has become a Muttley snicker. You stop yourself and quickly regain your composure. You wheeze again. Normally you would've stopped laughing and carry on with whatever it is you were busy with, but you're being like water now. And Sisu's here, it's not like there's anything to be ashamed of.
Sisu lifts her head. "What're you thinking about?"
"Oh," you seize control again, "you wouldn't get it." You lock your gaze with her, and you forget about that small joke of yours. Be like water. When water fills the dam, it becomes the dam.
No.
It bursts that dam.
"…BEE!" You unleash the atomic bomb of laughs, and Sisu, either not wanting to be left out or it's that contagious, drops one as well. Sisu rolls off the couch and doesn't relent, and you stand up to breathe, only for you to hunch over and explode again.
Sisu is in hysterics. "Why are we laughing?"
You're not exactly helping. "I don't know!"
After a good minute, your massive bout starts slowly fizzling out. You get back on the couch and support yourself against the armrest, trying your best to reclaim your composure, and Sisu clambers back on hers. "Okay, okay," you spout out in between fits, and the fest slowly dies down to a collection of small giggles. "Oh, okay, okay, that took a lot out of me. You good?"
"Hehe, heh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Sisu sighs and collapses back down. "Hooooooo."
Now tired, you lean against the armrest. You feel like closing your eyes and calling it a night. You are perfectly fine with sleeping on the couch. You don't worry about the lamp or the curtains, or even getting yourself a blanket. The only thing you need to do now is turn off the light and hit the couch.
But you didn't.
You didn't close your eyes, you didn't turn anything off, you didn't move at all. You're staring at that dragon settling down, how the fur on her chest is shuffled as she adjusts herself, how her thick and delicate mane waves around as she does so, and how her chin nuzzles the armrest. Her eyelids are weighing down, and she has but the most miniscule of smiles right now. You hear Sisu breathing softly and peacefully, with her body slightly, hypnotically, moving in unison. You couldn't lie to yourself; there couldn't possibly be a more adorable, heartmelting sight in the world right now. You breathe in, wanting to say your goodnights to Sisu, but it fades away. You try to keep your eyes closed, thinking that you would finally fall asleep, but you failed at that too. Moreso, you feel something trace a damp line down the corner of your cheek. You remember each of those precious smiles you saw firsthand, every time you locked gazes with her, and how she playfully batted you with her tail. As depleted as you were, you simply couldn't fall asleep right now, not without…
Come on now, do it. Only you are stopping you.
Almost every chance you had to experience what Sisu felt like, you missed out. Every time you thought that Sisu was being cute, you didn't let her know. And now you hoped she realized what you did in the kitchen. Why do you hold yourself back so much? Just do what you have always wanted to with her. You just noticed your back is pressed against her tail. What you have imagined doing with her the moment she was first summoned. And now, you're upright and looking straight at it.
You have to start somewhere.
You reach out and run one hand down Sisu's tail. The smooth feeling of her blue hair against your palm already enthralls you. Using the tips of your fingers, you comb with the grain, gently stroking her thin pelt. Outside your vision, you heard Sisu smirking in content – she knows exactly what you're doing. You pick her tail up, still hanging, still swaying, and pull it lightly to your right until her tailfin rests on your lap. You go through her delicate, leaflike adornment, running it between your fingers, picking up the fins and blowing softly on them, and you lightly pinch the very tips. Sisu lets out a small giggle – of course she's letting you get away with it. "Aww, you like my tail?"
You blushed instantly upon her saying that. You keep on petting her tail, now using both hands. That giggle you heard just made you want to bring it out of her as much as possible. You lean to your right this time, and place your neck over Sisu's tail. Slowly, that part starts warming up, adding on to the feeling of smooth hair. You can't even begin to imagine what it's like at the top. Sisu shifts her tail over your back, causing you to let out an "Ooooooooohhh," not just from feeling its weight, but from the fact that she's now making a move. You reach out in front of you and tickle the parts of her tail you could reach. Mark your words, you're gonna give yourself diabetes. Sisu is ecstatic now; you hear her catching short breaths in between fits of happy little laughs, and you even manage to get a couple of squeaks out of her. Sisu tries to keep herself on the couch, but alas, that poor adorable noodle, her tail falls onto the ground, taking you with it.
You get your feet under you and assume a crouch. As you stare up at Sisu, she scrunches her face and locks gazes with you. There's an air of anticipation as both of you wait for the other to potentially pounce. You're not tense, but ready. Not thinking, but not dreaming. Not set, but flexible. Finally liberated from the uneasy sense of confinement. You're wholly and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come.
Except for Sisu swiping your feet from underneath you. "Oh, it's on now!" You attempt to grab onto her tail, but she dodges every attempt you make. You jump over Sisu's tail every time she swipes again. Bob and weave, bob and weave, you try to fake a grab, but not only do you fail, she sweeps you up again. Now on the ground, you roll to get that tail back in your sights. Your target is twitching, practically egging you on. "Come and get me, if you're good enough." You lash out again, making that tailfin kick up some cold winds. Sisu is tunnelled into your bout and making each correct move, getting slightly closer and closer to you out of confidence. You graze her tail with your palm and that, apparently, is as close to holding it again as you'll ever be. Little does she know that this is all part of your plan. Without warning, you throw a leg over the middle of Sisu's tail. With her distracted by the surprising turn of events, you quickly wrap your arms around that lanky noodle, finally locking it down as you tighten your grip. "I win."
Sisu bats you over the head with her still-free fin. "You earned it, tough boy."
All you do is shrink down into her tail and admire her warmth. You couldn't help but bring a small part of it to your cheek to nuzzle. That irresistibly smooth pelt and your cheek were inseparable. You look up to the couch to see Sisu, with her far, far fluffier chest, half-lidding her way into your heart. It's like she knows exactly how to caramelize you. After holding her gaze for that precious little moment, Sisu promptly shuts her eyes and puts on one winner of a grinner with a little giggle. She does know.
You eventually release your grip on Sisu's tail and head to her belly. You sit down near her hind legs, curled in to escape from the cold, and resume your petting session. Her velvety fur is now long enough for your fingers to comb through. Your hand absorbs the warmth emanating from her body which lulls you into resting your head on the dragoness's side. You slowly trace your finger down Sisu's stripes, revelling in all the comfort and warmth you haven't even fully explored yet. Smiling, you look up to Sisu again and whisper a few little words that have been building up this entire time.
"You're really cute."
Sisu is clearly flattered by what you just said. "T'aww, shucks. But I'm way too big to be cute."
"Since when do cute things need to be small? There's a whole lot of Sisu to go around. If anything, that just makes you cuter."
A few silent beats go by before Sisu asks you something. "Why?"
"Hmm?"
"…why am I cute?"
You sigh. What you are about to say will probably embarrass you. "You're really warm. And fluffy. And you have the sweetest little face. But it's not just that, there's something that actually makes all that worthwhile."
"And that is?"
You close your eyes. "You let me play with you." That's all you say, which should be enough to satisfy Sisu.
You were right. "Oh, so that's why you were all flustered back there."
She does know about the kitchen. You let out a small grunt. "Heh, yeah, I was just trying to keep myself under control when I really shouldn't have."
"Well, who's gonna find out that you went all gaga inside? Me? Ghosts?"
You just laugh and settle down.
The atmosphere dies down once more as you lean onto Sisu. You weren't ready to fall asleep just yet. If anything, the silence in the room is more a nuisance than a luxury now. You not having any ideas for small talk would seem like a roadblock, but you have something else planned. Sisu just has the cutest little laugh. I wanna hear it some more. You raise an index finger and eye up your target – a soft, velvety water dragon belly. Sisu doesn't know what's gonna hit her. Without warning, you poke her.
Sisu jolts up from the couch. "What did you do?"
"Nothing."
A short nothing passes. You poke her again. Sisu lets out a snort as she quickly realizes what's happening. "Come on, stop that."
Obviously, no one who says "Stop that" to someone not annoying them actually wants them to stop, so you make a third jab.
"Hey," complained Sisu behind a chuckle. "That tickles, you know!"
"Alright, alright." You raise your hands and concede. A few seconds pass, just enough for Sisu to relax again. Using this opportunity, you ready your hand in secret. Just shortly after Sisu rests her head on the couch, you reach out and gently place it on her belly. You curl your fingers in and out, gently massaging Sisu's soft musculature hiding beneath her stomach fluff. "Aww, thanks," Sisu cooed as she curls her tail over your legs. "You're such a-" She gets cut into a short laugh by you making your fingers dance on the same spot you were rubbing. "You're really sweet."
You go over more of Sisu's belly with longer strokes, now adding your forearm into the mix. You couldn't get enough of that soft fur gliding across your skin, heating you up as it gets tussled. You feel your heart just boil over as your cheeks flush red again. I'm actually rubbing her belly. You sniff.
"Hey," Sisu interrupted your trance. She pats her thigh with her tailfin, guiding your attention to it. "Can-" She gets cut short by her own chortle. Even she's getting flustered. "Can you do my thigh?"
You turn over to start scratching Sisu's outer thigh as she resets her tail over your legs. Her legs slowly curl in, allowing you to reach more of her thigh. Sisu lets you know where to go. "A bit higher. Yeah, just at the- Ohhhh, that's the spot." You are completely enamoured by how relaxed her thigh is, by her tail weighing down on your legs, by- Okay, by everything. You thanked yourself for making sure that your inviting Sisu inside was indeed real. It is at this point that you slowly realize something. You may have been halfway asleep when you first saw her at your door , but during that moment, something at the very back of your head, buried beneath all the grogginess and cold, was a small sunbeam of excitement that knew exactly who knocked. A small beam that subconsciously made you open the door and let her inside your house. The one that took over the moment you turned on the light. You thank that small manifest of your feelings, because without it, you wouldn't be doing what you are right now. Petting Sisu's thigh, which is now stretched out. Her tail is now beside your legs, not on them. Wait, what's this now? She pulls her belly away from your back. What's Sisu doing? She didn't say anything. You're puzzled as to what's going on. Why, after everything I did, is she moving away? A small bit of self-doubt suddenly explodes. What did I do? You hear Sisu exerting herself behind you. Slowly, you turn your head to the couch she is sitting on.
Not anymore, she's standing now.
You get up from the floor and look around where Sisu is. The atmosphere quickly takes all the heat in your face, and short breaths dominate your mouth as you try to get a grip. "W- Where are you going?"
Sisu is perplexed at your question. "What do you mean? I'm still here."
You look down upon Sisu's body, uttering soft no's. You hear her call your name in a concerning intonation.
But she's still here… isn't she? "No, no…" It can't end like this. You look up at Sisu's worried face. She calls your name again. No, I wanted all this. This can't possibly be- With no other choice, you shut your eyes, hearing Sisu name you once more. You expect to wake up in your bed, sweating and flushed cold. You never petted her, you never sat down with her, you never even left your bed. Blackness consumes your entirety, and nothing could possibly cast a sunbeam upo-
"Are you okay?"
A slight wind blew on your face as you heard that. Slowly, you pry your eyes open. You're still standing in the lounge. As your clouded vision slowly clears up, you make out a large silhouette standing directly-
"I'm still here."
Sisu is looking directly at you. Even more softly, she asks, "Are you okay?"
You struggle to find the words. "Yeah, I just…" You wanted to tell her how you feel, but you didn't. She's right there, that's all you need to defuse yourself. Almost. You simply look up into Sisu's eyes, feeling your emotions slowly build up. You're not fooling yourself. She never left. She won't. You look back to her chest, now closer to you than ever before. The levee inside you finally collapses. With that, you fall forward with open arms and embrace Sisu.
"Please don't leave me…" Your tears stain her unimaginably soft chest as you quietly sob. "Hey, hey," Sisu comforts you, "I'm not gonna leave you, okay?" You let out a timid "Mhm" into her chest. You just felt so pathetic and miniscule, but Sisu was so incredibly warm and tender that you didn't care at all. "Shhhhhhhh," she whispered as she wraps a foreleg around your back. "Shhhhhhhh. It's okay." You sink your head deeper into her fluff. There is no more doubt, no need to be sad – Sisu is here. "It's okay. You can trust me." She said that word. Trust. Oh, that brings back so much. You start smiling again as you heard Sisu say that. "I should've trusted myself," you said. "Got myself worked up for nothing." You are calm again, your breathing is back to normal, and you've got your arms wrapped around a big fluffy noodle. "Are you alright now," you hear her ask. You just nuzzle Sisu in response, making her let out a small giggle. Sisu moves her paw to your side and starts gently massaging your ribcage, mimicking the same technique you used when you rubbed her belly. She then dances her claws lightly across your side. If that couldn't make you laugh – which it did – then nothing can. You get goosebumps from feeling Sisu's claws lightly tracing patterns over your back. "Thanks." You couldn't thank her enough.
You eventually let go of Sisu, making no attempt to hide your cheek-melting blush from her. Sisu tilts her head and lets out a small "Aww," knowing that her little session worked. You press your fingers together and- What are you doing? Don't tell me you're actually making the- You are. You raise your hands and form a diamond with them – the classic Kumandran sign of respect.
Sisu is apparently suspicious. "Hold on, how do you know that?"
"Know what," you lied. "I make this all the time with-"
Suddenly, the empty space between your hands is filled with bright blue dragon muzzle. You recoil in surprise, but are quite amused at seeing Sisu's snout this close to your face. "Okay. I can understand," her mouth said.
You slide your hands underneath Sisu's chin and guide it down so you could mount yours on the bridge of her nose. You gently grace her chin with your soft touch, making small detours to trace her fluffy cheeks. Sisu sighs softly and closes her eyes in content. Of course she enjoys this. Just look at her. You whisper to her: "You like this, don't you?"
Sisu lets out a small "Mhm" in response.
You just snort at that little noise. "So adorable…"
Some time passes, during which you start slowly swaying with Sisu's head in your grasp, lulling the two of you into a peace of mind that nothing could interfere with. You look down upon the dragon's face and witness the very incarnation of comfiness, as manifested upon her visage. As much as you didn't want to disturb your sweet little noodle, you just had to ask her something. "Sisu?"
She lazily opens her eyes. "Yeah?"
You ask your question. "When you stood up… what were you going to do?"
Sisu makes a chortle before answering. "I was going to give you a gift - a hug. You know, for being such a good sport and all." A beat and she continues. "You shouldn't scare yourself like that; it's really bad for your health."
Now doesn't that clear your conscience. "Oh," you reply in ease, now knowing fully what her intent was. You could only imagine what that missing hug would've felt like – you chastise yourself for spooking that moment away, before you come up with a brilliant idea. If she was going to surprise me with that, then I suppose it's only fair if I…
You wait a short anxious moment for the perfect time to strike. Upon reaching it, you inhale and brace yourself for the nerve-shattering thing you're about to do. "Hey."
As soon as Sisu reacts, you plant a small kiss right on the bridge of her nose. Immediately, your entire nervous system unleashes the shock of a million lightning bolts upon your very soul, and your cheeks blow out their gaskets, all in response to what you just did. Such an extreme reaction, and yet somehow Sisu outperforms that, looking like a child who has just seen Santa come out of the chimney, scarf down all the cookies and milk, dump a bag full of presents underneath the tree, and leave a calling card in her hands. Utter shock and disbelief, hopefully in a good way. She recoils out from your grasp and looks at you. "Did you just…"
You can't even form a complete sentence. "Well, you were open, and… I just had to… You were going to- so, I jus-"
Sisu launches right into your chest and nearly knocks the wind out of you. "Aaaaaaawww!" She nuzzles you so deeply that it feels like she went straight into your heart – not that she wasn't there already. "Oh, you're just so lovable!" She eases up on her nuzzling, letting her soft cheeks and infinitely softer mane take over. She cuts loose with an affectionate laugh, interspersed with even more "Aww's," that just melts you, melts you again, and for good measure, melts you some more. She finally settles down with a sigh, followed by her looking up at you. "Could it do it again?"
You chortle. You guide Sisu's chin back up and get distracted by her soulful, soulful eyes, and a hint of timidness crosses your face as you try to look away. "Come on, don't be shy," she said teasingly. "You know you wanna."
You pause briefly, then you lowered your head and kiss Sisu at the same spot as before – this time, you did so more slowly and gently, allowing yourself to relax. Small sparks of excitement and joy bounce around your chest, before mellowing out into a heap of soft, fuzzy mush. Sisu seems virtually asleep, but it's really just her enjoying all your small affections. You part from the dragon's nose and let her head gently lean into your chest. Most of your vision is obstructed by Sisu's horns, but you don't mind at all. "Hmm." She's just the sweetest little thing, isn't she? "Kissu the Sisu." So that's what happens.
Where are your arms? Don't worry – they're just buried inside that gigantic mane of hers. Those incredibly long and silky locks do wonders to you as you run your hands down them. You stroke the hair behind Sisu's head, absorbing all her fluffiness and warmth, letting some locks run between your fingers, and digging down to the head itself and kneading it. If only I had a brush… what, and leave my hands out of it? You reach down to work your magic on Sisu's neck. "Here, let me," she said as she stands up to bring the neck to you instead. You start running your hands down the length of her neck, delicately grooming her luxurious fur. You even bring out an occasional tickle so that Sisu could release that sickeningly cute giggle of hers. Sisu lets out a sigh as she looks down on you. "Ol' sweetie." Caramelized. You continue going through the side of her neck, going closer so you could soak in the detail of her aqua and purplish locks, pinching them between your fingers to feel that smoothness- Yeah, you just straight up went and buried your face in the back of her neck. The scent of a freshwater stream mixed in with aloe vera fills your nostrils as you nuzzle deeper into that forest. You gleefully let out an "Ooooooohhh" that gets muffled by Sisu's mane – your mind is just putty at this point. "Floofy..."
Sisu turns her head around. "Yeah?" She knows you're in heaven.
"You're so floofy…" You start tearing up again.
"N'taww," Sisu purrs. "You really love petting me, don't you?"
All you can muster is a small "Mmm."
You eventually move out of Sisu's mane to take a small break and catch some fresh air. You crash back onto the couch, tired and almost ready to shut your eyes. Sisu stands in front of you; tall, proud, and with a tender expression on her face. "Thanks."
You just stare lazily at the dragon before letting out a chortle. "You really made my day, Sisu."
"I was about to say the same thing. Never thought I was gonna bother someone who's that cuddly. "
You blush at her saying you're cuddly. "Yeah, I cut real loose on you. You were so sweet just letting me play around, and when you held me after I spooked myself-" You shrink down. "Such an angel."
A short moment passes before Sisu breaks the silence. "So," she draws out, "it's just you living here?"
"No; actually, my folks are coming around next weekend. 'Till then, it's just me, making sure everything's in order." You look up at her. "Why do you ask?"
"Well," Sisu rolls her eyes, "I could use a place to stay 'till the family can pick me up."
"Family?" You know, but you pretend not to.
"Yeah, we're actually on a tour now – going 'round, seeing the world, all that jazz. I can't wait to tell them about you."
You are a bit embarrassed about that last part, though you did want to meet the rest of Sisu's family. I'll work something out in the future.
"So you're okay with me staying here?"
Now, isn't that a blessing. Sisu wants to live with you for a while. You put on a smug face. "You know I'm not gonna say no to that."
Sisu laughed.
There is now an awkward stillness between the two of you. You lower your head, hoping for something to break the ice since you don't really have anything to add at this point. Sisu does, though. She lowers her head down to your eye level and cracks a small grin, catching your attention. "You know…"
"Know what?"
"You know," Sisu lids her eyes and moves closer to your ear to whisper. "I did say I was going to hug you earlier."
You prick up. Actually, you don't feel like sleeping just yet. Sisu retracts back in front of the couch. She lifts her head and puffs her neck and chest out, proudly displaying her fluff, before raising a paw to pat her neck. You groan – not from not wanting to exert yourself, but because you really, really want to hug Sisu and have Sisu hug you. "I have to get up first." You lean forward and put weight on your ankles. With the added leverage, you shove yourself up from the couch, followed by you straightening yourself out. As if your heart didn't already melt enough from all the cuteness, you are greeted with Sisu tilting her head. "C'mere."
Just like that, you open your arms and dive right in to hug Sisu. Her neck is amazingly soft, and her warmth is unending. Her gentle, soothing hairs brush lightly against your nose, and encompass your cheek with the delicacy and care of a mother looking after her child. You can hear the faint, rhythmic sound of her heart steadily beating, and you feel how she slowly expands and contract as she breathes. Once again, your arms are lost inside Sisu's wonderfully soft mane, surrounding your limbs with its light, smooth luxury. Sisu, meanwhile, has her forelegs wrapped upwards around your back, with you now supporting her weight. Her embrace was close, yet tender, with her legs pulling you even closer to the core of her warmth. Sisu has one paw trace patterns on your upper back, sending tingles down your spine. Her other paw is petting your head, slowly running through your hair and gently pressing down on it to hold you closer to her neck. You have never felt so safe, so secure, so warm. You couldn't help but let out a small squeak and allow a joyful tear to escape.
"Yeah," you sniff as you tighten your hug slightly. "This is better than the couch."
Sisu laughs, bouncing your head. You shut your eyes and nuzzle into her neck – it cannot possibly get any more comfy than this. Sisu starts gently swaying. Okay, it definitely can. You nearly doze off to the feeling of being rocked back and forth, like lying weightless on a cloud in the summer afternoon sky. You pet the back of Sisu's neck again, before finally looking up to her. "You know," you yawn, "I think it's time we fall asleep."
Slowly, you let go of Sisu, taking in as much of her warmth as you can and dragging your fingers across her neck, before the two of you are separate. "Just wait here." You head down the hallway and back to your bedroom – but tonight, it's not going to be your bedroom. At long last, you finally drag the curtains shut before starting work on your bed. You remove the duvet, blanket and pillows, and drag your bedstuffs back to the living room where Sisu is waiting in eagerness. "Catch." You throw your pillows, wrapped up in the duvet, at the dragon, who fumbles the catch before looking at you. "Oh, is this what I think it is," she asked affectionately.
You barely hold back your excitement. "It's bed stuff. For you." You head to your bedroom for the last time and wedge your fingers between the queen-size and the base. With one mighty exertion, you flip the bed up to its side and drop it on the floor. Afterwards, you drag it towards the bedroom door, before heading to your desk lamp to turn it off. Now you just need to carry your bed to the living room – it's too cramped in here for Sisu. You look into the hallway…
.
.
.
.
No way, and you sink into yourself from the sheer volume of marbles bouncing in your chest. I'm actually going to do it. You get overwhelmed just thinking about it. I'm actually going to-
"Hey, you need some help back there?" Hearing Sisu's voice snaps you back to reality.
"No, I'm fine. I can handle it." You can handle the bed, yes, but knowing what you're going to do once you're done setting the bed up? You wrangle that energy and shove your bed down the hallway like it was nothing. When you reach the living room, you are taken agasp by the sight of Sisu with your duvet – your duvet! – wrapped around herself. Again, caramelized. "Hehe, I was just warming it up." She shuffles inside her little cocoon. You manoeuvre your bed to between the couches, all the while looking at Sisu's exposed head. She now stands opposite you, separated by the still-upright bed, and leans closer to your resting head. You are completely enamoured by her gorgeous half-lidded gaze, that small heart-wrenching smile, that soft and inviting snout… You raise a finger in front of Sisu, drawing her attention towards it. You wave it around and conduct her eyesight, making her move her head ever slightly, before you stop dead-centre. The noodle starts crossing her eyes to maintain her focus as you move your finger in and-
"Boop."
Sisu takes a while to register, but when she does, she has the most bashful look on her face. "Aww, snookums." She raises her paw and flicks a digit down your nose in kind. "Boop."
"Alright, just make some space," you said as you prepare to let go of your bed. Sisu clears herself from the carpet before you shove the bed onto the ground with a weighty thud. You grab your pillows that Sisu placed on the couch, fluff them, and place them on the bed. You don't bother containing yourself as you turn your head toward Sisu and proudly display your quiet excitement. "Hop on." Sisu immediately billows your duvet out and mounts the bed, facing her right, then spreads the covering so that the whole bed is shrouded. "Ah, just the best," she said as she makes herself comfortable. You take the blanket and unravel it, settling it down on the rest of Sisu's body that couldn't fit in the bed, and then crouch down to tuck the rest of her tail under the blanket. "You comfy in there, Sisu," you ask, still holding some of her tail.
Sisu drapes her tail over your shoulder. "Mhm." She nuzzles into the pillow. "Very comfy."
After packing the remainder underneath your blanket, you mould the soft covering around Sisu's tail. It's not a conventional feeling sculpting around that ropelike appendage, but it's that feeling and hearing its owner's soft reactions that puts you in a fuzzy, drowsy state, much like she is right now. "Thanks." Aww, she's all tuckered out.
Working hard all this time to turn night into day, the living room light is your last target. You walk towards the switch. "Sleep tight," Sisu calls your name. "I'll bother you in the morning." "Night, Sisu," you reply. You pause with your hand still on the switch. She knows, doesn't she? Gone is the bright yellow glow that has given you clarity the whole night. Your eyes take time to adjust to the darkness. The first thing you notice is that big precious dragon, in your bed, under your duvet, using your pillow, with her eyes closed. You take your first step back to the living room. Every second the frigid atmosphere pierces your clothing and drains you of heat, the more alluring her near-sleeping form becomes. You slowly make your way toward the right side of your bed. Sheer anticipation causes your entire self to shiver. Now standing right next to the bed, your hairs stand on end as you look down. Another pillow, right next to the one Sisu is sleeping on. You never planned to let Sisu have the bed for herself. The dragon is laying slightly away from the middle, not dead centre or firmly occupying one half. She does know. You are like boiling water right now, and now you must remove yourself from the heat. You take a full breath, allowing the winter air in your lungs to completely absorb your tensions and steam. After your water finally stops boiling, you blow away all your stress in one elongated depressurisation.
"Are you done stalling yet?" Her left eye is open now – she was aware the whole time.
You smile. "Yes." You pull a corner of the duvet up and expose your destination. Sisu pats the one spot you always wanted to sleep at – right beside her. Carefully, you slip into your bed and lay on your side. You waste no time to shuffle closer to your precious noodle, and you finally embrace Sisu.
"You're so cuddly…" Nothing could possibly be as soothing or heartwarming as burying yourself into Sisu's luxuriant neck and tightening your own hug around it. Her chin brushes against your hair as you tenderly nuzzle the warm fluffy valleys of her neck. You start tearing up again – there's no point in holding your bliss back at all.
"D'aww." Sisu's voice was so tender. "I knew you were gonna sleep with me." She wraps her forelegs around your waist to bring you closer. "My little cuddle bug."
You shut your eyes and lean your head into Sisu as your press your joyful tears inside her fluff. You let out small whimpers that you would've been embarrassed by any other day. Your sobs are more controlled, each successive one becoming less pronounced, but that didn't stop that fluffy noodle from quietly hushing you again.
"Shhhhhhh." Her voice just envelopes your heart and tucks it into bed. She chortles. "Come on, I'm not that- You know what," Sisu realizes. She starts stroking your back before she finishes her thought. "I am. I am that comfy."
You comb through the back of Sisu's mane. Her profound softness and intoxicating warmth sends waves across your body, and you could never become tired of it. She is so comfortable and dear, that your thoughts just spill over into fragments muffled out by your state of content. "Floofy noodle…" You turn your head to allow for some fresh air. "You floofy widdle…" You start tickling Sisu on her neck, eliciting her most adorable laugh yet. "Awwww, who's the cutest widdle noodle? Hmm?" You playfully gobble Sisu's neck fuzz to keep that giggle going. "Whosa foofy?" Dragon fuzz – it does strange things to the mind. "Who's the cutest widdle dwagon?" The cutest little dragon cannot answer; she's in minor hysterics now. "You are! Yes you are!" You serve all that caramel right back. "You're the sweetest lil' cuddle noo- AH!" Sisu, still laughing, has her knuckles go over your ribs. She's in command now. You curl up as Sisu dances her digits across your right side and back. It doesn't help that you are especially sensitive towards being tickled yourself. You laugh as much as you wince and make short yells out of excitement. "Oh, you're even worse than me," Sisu teases you as she advances up your back. You desperately try to get her to stop – you cannot handle that onslaught any more. "Okay! Alright, right! You win!" You scramble for your breath as Sisu finally lets up. "You win." Small fits of laughter interject your breathing while you cool off. "Look, I'm- I probably shouldn't have started. You're just too darn big." Sisu places a paw on the back of your head. "Hey, it's okay. Guess I was being way rougher than you. Relatively, of course." She goes back to hugging you closely. "Are you fine?" You nodded your head inside her soft neck.
As you snuggle into the tranquil embrace of Sisu, you become enthralled by how softly she is breathing. That quiet, serene noise serves as a reminder of how close the dragon is to you, and of how friendlily and affectionately she has treated you the entire night. Her chest slowly expanding and contracting against your form soothes your recently-invigorated nerves. If her hug from earlier was like laying weightless on a cloud in the summer afternoon, then sharing her embrace in bed is more akin to burying yourself inside said cloud and nodding off in the heat it absorbed from all the sunbeams it had crossed. Now was not the time for more high-strung acts of playfulness; you wanted to do something more comforting. "Hey, Sisu?"
"Hmm?"
You take a while to respond. "You're really ticklish."
She snorts at that thought. "Well obviously, and coming from you. Why do you say that?"
You pull your head out from below her chin to look up. "You wanna know something about ticklish people?"
"What, they speak ten languages?"
You let your fingers speak for themselves. They start rolling around the back of Sisu's neck again, once more making her reveal her most precious laugh. Now, you slowly ease up on your tickling, slowing down just enough so that the noodle's laugh is as quiet as can be. The most content sigh glides out of Sisu as she is spellbound to your most effective petting technique. "You're just the most adorable thing, aren't you?"
She presses her chin against the top of your head and continues sighing. In turn, you reposition your right arm to the front of her neck, and pet that area in the same manner. You blush as you comb through Sisu's luscious pelt. She was such a sweet, lovable, affectionate, comfy, adorable, huggable and cuddly little big sunbeam, you thought. Sisu is now purring softly as she nuzzles your hair. You know those words to be true.
Suddenly, you notice a shuffling noise stemming from the blanket you tucked Sisu's tail under. That noise is steadily heading closer to where you are positioned. What could Sisu be doing now? You feel something creep up behind you, before it presses down on your upper back – her fin! Its very tips brush lightly against your neck while its body daintily pats you on the back, all of which sets off fireworks in the back of your neck. You shake to release all that energy across your back in the form of goosebumps. "Ooohohohohoho." Your little vocalization causes Sisu to chortle. "Aww, you like this, cuddle buddy?"
You sink into her fluff – She just called me her cuddle buddy – and just let her keep on petting you. Sisu runs her claws very lightly across your back as you did hers, making you feel drowsy, and drapes her tail over your body so that she can trace her tailfin over you exposed head. You wrap your free arm back over the dragon's neck and squeeze her tenderly. "Cuddle buddies," you ask her. Sisu draws a line down your cheek with her tailfin. "Any day."
The atmosphere grows still as Sisu continues to perform her other magic on your back as you lay in silence. All the coldness that plagued you has finally dispelled inside the opulent cocoon of your dreams. Her delicate fur is the perfect resting place for your tired self, her freshwater scent works its way into your senses, and her paws stroke your back only slightly – though it's that minimal effort in which she is able to lull you to the point that you close your eyes and let yourself sink into her fuzz.
"Hey."
If Sisu is trying to wake you up, she's clearly failing. Her whisper wafts into your ears and caresses your heart. Fortunately, she wasn't done yet.
"Hey." She shuffles away from your head, which does the trick. "Hey." You tilt your head upwards, prepare to ask what the trouble is, and bring her rapidly-moving snout into focu-
"Muah!"
…On. The. Nose.
"Thanks." Her wide almond eyes, her upturned lashes, her sharp brow pattern and miniscule grin, all angled slightly downwards and looking at you. Barely, she nods her head. Barely, she flares her gaze. Barely, she raises her eyebrows. Barely, her smile grows. But it all couldn't possibly be more adorable.
"D'aaaaawwwwwww." You shrink down out of euphoria from the smooch you just received, but you don't avert your gaze at all. "Sisu," you raise your intonation, "that's so cute!"
Sisu lets out that heartwarming sigh again. "Glad you loved it." She leans her head closer and places another kiss – a longer, gentler kiss – on your nose again. So much care and affection was put into it that you ignore everything else. The soft feeling of her snout against your brow, the tender sensation of her lips pressed against the bridge of your nose – you love all of it. Eventually, Sisu releases her smooch and guides your head back into her fluff, before cupping her paw behind it. "You gave me two."
The frigid winter air could never displace the comfort and warmth inside that living room. There was nothing that could trouble you at this time, nothing else that needed to be done. It's just you and Sisu, in bed and snuggling with each other. The only thing breaking the silence is an occasional sweet nothing. "It's so peaceful," you whispered. Sisu just exhales and leans her head down against your hair – she's clearly dozing off. "Need anything?" Why does she even bother asking? You tighten your hug slightly and nuzzle your fluff angel, then sneak a little smooch in. Sisu glides her snout over your hair and presses down upon it with a kiss of her own. "So cute." You bury another kiss on her neck, inside her heavenly fluff. "My little cuddle noodle." After all that has transpired in the late hours of this unexpected, but blessed day, it was finally time to call it a night. You close your eyes. "Goodnight, Sisu."
"Goodnight," the dragon lazily replied with your name.
You turn your head so that your nose could receive cool air to help you sleep. Inside the embrace of the long, blue dragon, you begin to slumber, though not before uttering one final thought.
"I love you."
Finally, you fall asleep. Sisu lifts her head. You feel small jets of breath escape her nostrils and reach your ear. She leans in closer, the heat from her snout flowing into the side of your head, and plants her softest, most soothing kiss on your cheek, before settling back down and letting sleep take her over.
"I love you too."
Notes:
Apparently, no one else was going to write something like this with Sisu, so I made like Riaan Venter and did it myself.
And hoo boy, did this turn out to be long. My initial prediction, considering I'm not the creative type and have never done creative writing on my free time, was about 3k words, which quickly got adjusted to 5k. Then 6. Then 7-7.5 when I announced it on /co/. Ultimately, it became the word count you see right now (just for comparison, The Most Dangerous Game is 8013 words.) It does seem a bit fast-paced at times (though I'm a fast reader,) but I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this. Feel free to point out any mistakes. If you live in Arizona, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
(UPDATED 2021-05-19)
