Page 23 of The Naga

I wouldn't be going over to Dustin's until after lunch, so I let Jacinta drag me to the kitchen, happy to spend some time with them and other members of the Sanctuary.

Dustin

Usually, I didn't wear my chest binder when I was home, instead opting for comfy clothes. Even outside, most days, I only wore it so others wouldn't misgender me. It'd taken me a while, but I'drealized I was okay with my body the way it was. The fact that I couldn't afford the surgeries had obviously played a role in it, but I knew my experience and feelings were different than a lot of other trans people, though not any less valid.

Quest, for example, had gotten top surgery as soon as he could. He'd offered to pay for mine too, but I didn't really mind having a bigger chest, as long as no one thought of them as bbs. Yes, I censored myself. No, I don't regret it.

I'd gone off topic. Again.

Usually, I didn't wear my chest binder at home, but today I'd put it on because Khush would be visiting. I didn't want him to look at me differently. Hell, I didn't even know if he even found biologically female people attractive. Then again, the whole 'perfect match' thing implied that he did, right?

Or was I taking the soulmate thing too far? Everyone had to change at least a little to be with someone, right? To make compromises, to adjust their lives a little to fit in a new person?

My phone buzzed as my mind whirled with the philosophical questions, and I grabbed it from the coffee table, Scrappy giving a warning hiss as I almost dislodged her from my lap.

Khush: Hey, can I come over?

Wow, how long had I been lost in thought?

Me: Yeah!

I ran my fingers through my hair, then glanced around the room to make sure it wasn't too messy. I'd spent the whole morning cleaning up and spacing out the furniture so Khush wouldn't have trouble moving around, but I still felt like I should've done more. My place was nothing as impressive as Khush's—I doubted many places in the human world could be—but I still wanted him to feel at home here.

Scrappy growled loudly and leaped off my lap, her tail going straight up as she glared at the front door. My eyes widened as Iglanced from her to the entrance, wondering what had her fur all straight like that.

A moment passed, and the front door flickered a little before it opened. Like, the door itself didn't open, but it looked like another door opened through it, and Khush slid through, the door closing silently behind him.

"Hey," he greeted a touch hesitantly, glancing at Scrappy, who stood between us, still on high alert. "Shit, did I scare her?"

"She'll be fine. Don't worry." I leaned down and scooped Scrappy up, cuddling her close. "It's okay, Scrappy. Khush is not an enemy."

"Not an enemy, huh? Have many of those?" Khush teased as he moved closer to me. Scrappy peered up at him with her big black eyes, the yellow barely more than a ring around her pupils.

"I have a few," I answered with a lofty shrug, making him chuckle. Scrappy leaned forward and sniffed at Khush, then started struggling in my grip. When I loosened my hold, she immediately leaped, landing on a surprised Khush's shoulder.

"Uh, looks like she likes you."

Khush's deer-in-the-headlights face made me chuckle, and I raised a brow at him. "Want me to take her back?"

"No, no. It's okay," he said, reaching up hesitantly to run his fingers through her fur.

Scrappy, the slutty traitor, started purring like a motorboat. I'd been worried she wouldn't get along with Khush, but clearly, I shouldn't have, because suddenly I felt like the newcomer on the scene instead of Khush.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked, ignoring my cat for now. I was sure she'd get bored of hogging him soon enough.

"I'm okay," Khush answered with a small smile, his eyes scanning the living room. "I really like your place. It feels like you."

I blinked, surprised by the compliment. My place really wasn't much. A rental that I paid in cash for, with a living room, a bedroom, and a small bathroom that had hot water for only five minutes every day, but I'd tried my best to make it home.

"Thanks. So, video games?" I asked, and Khush nodded excitedly.

"I'll admit I have absolutely no experience, so you'll have to go easy on me."

I shot him a grin. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of you." I added a flirty wink, and hid my smile when it made his ears turn pink.

I set up the console, picking a classic racing game to start with since it didn't have too many controls and was pretty intuitive.

Khush didn't really need a chair to sit, but what was really fun was when he curled his tail under him in such a way that there was a perfectly comfy spot for me on the second ring—from the top—of his tail. Apparently, my weight was nothing to him, so I settled on his tail, loving the way his scales felt under and behind me. It felt nice to sit so close to him, and as I started our first game, I decided this was now my favorite spot in the world.

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