Page 27 of The Dragon, the Bear, and Their Sugar Glider Omega

“I love the idea of sorting by color,” Clay said. “It will look like a rainbow in here when you’re done.”

“We can help,” Armel said.

I hesitated. A weird sort of panic rose up.

Clay, who was tuned in strongest to me emotionally through our bond, said, “Hey, we won’t touch anything you don’t want us to.” He put his hand on my shoulder.

“No, it’s okay. I just need to take a few breaths for a minute.”

“Take your time,” Armel said.

I filled my lungs then began to speak. “I need to explain to you both. This hoard is for my mates, too. I’m compelled to share it. Of course you can both touch them. But I’ve always known it’s worthless. People in my flight told me no one would want me because I had what some meaner dragons called a trash hoard, and that I could never attract a mate with something that could not be monetized.”

“What? They said stuff like that to you?”

“I left because of that toxicity. But I still have those feelings inside me. That it really is just a trash hoard. Sometimes I’m embarrassed.”

Clay made a dramatic frown. “Fuck them. I think pens are awesome.”

“Me, too.” Armel came to my other side. “You can use them for more than writing, too.”

“Like what?”

“Like you could tape them to a sign and there you go; you have a sign with a handle.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

“You can pop a balloon with them,” Clay said.

“Not helpful,” I muttered.

“No, really.” Armel was determined. “There are other things, too. Think about it. Everyone’s always losing pens or looking for a pen. But, here in this house, we have them. And they’re all going to go in a special place, so they’ll never get lost.”

Clay raised his hand. “I thought of something else. Pens can be used as pointers. You know. When you want to get your point across.”

“You guys are teasing me.”

“No, we’re not. They’re great for pen fights, too,” Clay said.

“What’s a pen fight?” I asked.

“Like a sword fight. Just smaller swords.”

“That sounds fun.” Armel made a swishing motion with his forefinger.

“You can throw pens at your friends,” Clay offered.

“What? No,” I said. “No throwing pens.”

“They’re also good for putting behind your ear. The perfect place to carry a pen,” Armel said.

“If you’re bored, you can spin them on a table like a top,” Clay said.

“And you can put them in your front shirt pocket when you want to look professional,” Armel said.

“Any other suggestions, guys?” I was smiling now.

“Yeah.” Clay gave a little jump. “If you have long hair, you can use the pen to put it up and hold it in place.”

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