by F. L. Jordan
“Not really,” she shrugged, “I was kind of married to the job.”
“Gotcha,” he nodded slowly, “Then you’ll fit in great around here. None of us seem to actually leave when our shifts are over.”
“That’s the nature of the job,” she smiled at him. “So what are the key problems in this precinct?”
“Well, aside from the usual drugs, gangs, and illegal trading of mythicals, we seem to have a rising issue with black magic infused goods showing up in the impoverished parts of our district,” he explained.
“Damn, that seems to be happening everywhere,” Natalie bit her thumbnail. “I’d been dealing with the black market ring in the 2nd Precinct before I put in my transfer.”
“Have any useful information?” he looked so hopeful. It must be a really big issue in this area too.
“No,” she lied, “I hit at least a thousand dead ends. Whoever is initiating the sales is practically unknown. Any leads I got always came back as falsified names.”
He sighed, “That’s what we’ve run into as well.”
They walked in silence for a moment before Natalie decided to ask a question, “What’s the deal with Hail’s dragon?”
“Copper?” Laws was clearly wondering what rock she’d been living under. “He’s had him since he was a kid. Since Hail was blinded, the little guy has been acting as his eyes. Hail doesn’t make a move without Copper’s guidance. That’s why he’s allowed to have him in the office, not that it mattered much before. I heard Hail used to sneak him in under his uniform all the time.”
“I’ve just never seen a dragon so close to their owner before,” she admitted. “It’s nice.”
“Yeah, they’re not very loving creatures,” he agreed. “I used to have one; my mom sold it after it lit the house on fire.”
“That seems to be a common complaint,” she chuckled. “People really should do the research before getting such beasts. Hell, most can’t even handle a dog, let alone a fire breathing lizard.”
“I heard there was a way to remove their flint,” he gently touched his throat. “But I imagine that can’t be comfortable for them. Either way, don’t get too close to Copper. He has a tendency to be as grouchy as his owner.”
“They must be cut from the same cloth,” Natalie was already determined to talk to the creature. “Any chance you know what his favorite snack is?”
“Are you seriously going to try and bribe the man’s pet?” Laws looked her over apprehensively.
“I may have to slap Hail one day,” she smiled. “I want to make sure I don’t get singed in the process.”
Laws laughed, “Well in that case, I think he likes fish. I know Hail always takes him to the market for lunch and lets him pick out whatever he wants. The man seriously spoils him.”
“As he should,” Natalie may have thought the man a prick, but she admired him for taking care of his companion. “Dragons are insanely particular. One as loyal as that should be pampered.”
“I suppose. Anyway, here’s Betty,” Laws pointed to an older woman that sat behind a sterile steel desk sifting through paperwork. “I need to head home. The misses is probably wondering where I’m at.”
“Oh God,” Natalie felt bad for taking up his time, “I didn’t know your shift had ended. I’m sorry.”
“No biggie,” he waved her off. “Have a good day, Miss Lock.”
“You too,” she waved goodbye and stepped up to the desk, introducing herself to Betty.
“You were supposed to be here an hour ago,” the older woman scowled at Natalie over her glasses. “Showing up to work late isn’t a good practice, Miss Lock.”
“Unfortunately,” Natalie corrected her, “I’ve been here for an hour and fifteen minutes. Sergeant Hail was reluctant to show me around, so I had to improvise.”
The woman snorted, “They saddled you with that mess of a man? You’re basically on your own, honey. He doesn’t help anyone.”
“I noticed,” she took her daily assignment from the woman and groaned. Parking violations.
~*~
Zach set his keys down in the bowl beside his door and shucked his coat as Copper took off to check on his hoard. It was just a small pile of shiny things the little dragon had collected over the years; some of value, most worthless fragments of glittery God knows what, but it meant a lot to the little creature. Zach could hear him rolling around in it. Normally the sound made him smile, but not today. Today he’d met someone that could potentially take Copper from him, and that was terrifying. Copper was Zach’s lifeline. He needed him to survive.
He sighed and headed for the kitchen, carefully counting out the steps he took in each direction. Zach had his entire apartment memorized. He’d tried to memorize the station, but it was too versatile. People always moved their waste baskets into walkways or forgot to push in their chairs.
He set his freshly purchased groceries down on the kitchen table and reached into the fridge for a beer, popping the tab and knocking it back. As the can emptied he crushed it and grabbed another, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He hated feeling insecure, weak. He needed a distraction.
Zach pressed the home button, “Call John.” He heard Copper instantly stop rolling around as he held the phone up to his ear.
The man’s voice crackled through the speaker after the third ring, “Hey, Handsome. What’s up?”
“Come over,” Zach pulled the tab on his new can.
“Can I bring a friend?” the man sounded hopeful.
Zach usually didn’t want strangers in his home, or his mouth for that matter, but tonight he welcomed the additional attention. “Just make sure he’s clean.”
“You got it, Babe,” John chuckled. “Be there in twenty.”
Zach smoothed his thumb over the hard plastic cover of his phone, finding the hole that was located over the “End Call” button and tossed it onto the counter. He’d regret that later when he couldn’t find it, but then again, he was likely going to regret this entire night.
Why do you do this? Zach heard his dragon land on the kitchen table beside him.
“I’m allowed to have sex, Copper,” he chugged the second beer and reached for a third.
I won’t disagree with you, Copper sounded exhausted, they’d only had this conversation a million times, but it’s Monday, Zach. Is the hangover and soreness going to be worth it? You have your test tomorrow.
Zach’s fingers paused on the can’s tab. He’d forgotten about the proficiency test. Captain Levit insisted on testing him three times a year, just to ensure that his blindness didn’t affect his field work. Not that he was ever allowed in the field anymore. The man kept Zach chained to his desk with a short leash. He thought for a moment before popping open the beer and knocking it back. He’d already called John, no going back now.
You’re an idiot, he could almost picture Copper’s eye roll, almost. Every day he seemed to forget a little more of what the tiny creature looked like. He hated his mind for that.
“I know,” he chugged the third beer and made his way to his bedroom, slowly making sure everything was clean. Just because Zach couldn’t see didn’t mean he wanted others to think he was a slob. By the time the knock on the door came, he was feeling the full effects of the alcohol. Being a lightweight had its advantages. Zach pulled his shirt over his head and unbuttoned his jeans as he walked out into his living room. No need for pretenses, he’d invited the men over for a quick fuck, not a date.
“Come in,” he heard Copper growl as the door opened. Knock it off.
“Hey, Handsome,” John’s voice came first.
“Holy shit,” a man he didn’t know came next. “John said you were hot, but damn.”
He heard them approach, and a hand gently cupped his jaw before someone’s lips met his. It was John; Zach knew his aftershave well. He kissed him back before taking the man’s hand, leading them into the bedroom. The stranger closed the door behind them. Zach could hear them removing their clothes so he took off
his remaining garments and stepped towards John. A pair of strange hands were suddenly on him, firmly grasping his hips as an equally unfamiliar mouth crashed into his. The man tasted like stale cigarettes. Zach instantly regretted saying yes to the friend. John knew what he liked and disliked; this guy only seemed to care about his own needs.
An hour later the pair left him sore, swollen, sticky, and unsatisfied. The stranger had been too rough for Zach to actually enjoy what was happening. John had tried several times to get the man to be gentle, or not to grab at Zach, but he hadn’t listened. The last straw that had caused Zach to end the ‘fun’ was when the man forced himself into Zach’s mouth without his permission.
He pulled John aside as they left, “I don’t want him coming back here.”
“I didn’t know he was going to be that aggressive, Zach,” the man sounded genuinely sorry. “I’ve never seen him act like that.”
“Don’t ask to bring others over again,” Zach let go of John’s arm and headed for the shower. “Get him out of my home before I stick Copper on him.”
“Sure thing,” John sighed and Zach heard him walk away. “Come on, that dragon of his is lethal.”
“Hang on,” Zach heard the strange man approaching him. “You can’t seriously tell me you didn’t enjoy that?”
“Dude, don't!” John warned him.
“To be honest, I would have rather fucked a rhino,” Zach scoffed. “At least it would have smelled better.”
“What did you just say to me? A freak like you should be grateful anyone would want to fuck you,” Zach felt the man roughly grab his forearm.
He’d had enough of this guy acting like he was entitled to his body. Zach delivered a swift kick to the stranger’s abdomen, kneeing him in the face as he doubled over. “I said you’re a lousy lay. As for being grateful, I'm grateful for the fact that I don’t know what you look like, though I imagine the sight of you is just as disappointing. Now get the fuck out.”
“You son of a bitch! You broke my nose!” the man came up swinging. Zach heard the swish of his jacket’s fabric and dodged the oncoming fist, forcing his own directly into the man’s throat.
“And now I broke your larynx,” Zach grabbed him by the hair as he crumpled, hoping his eyes were glaring at the offending stranger. “Don't make me break your neck, too.”
The man coughed several times as John hauled him to his feet, “I’m sorry about this, Zach. I’ll see you around, ‘kay?”
“Whatever,” Zach turned his back to them. “Copper, lock the door when they’re gone.”
I should have locked it before they ever came in, Copper sounded annoyed. He was always annoyed when Zach invited John over, though. The lizard should just be happy he hadn’t called Steffani.
Zach headed towards the shower. He wanted to wash the evidence of his most recent mistake from his skin. The hot water burned, but he didn’t care, at least not until he tried to clean himself. That ended up being far more painful than he’d anticipated. He was going to be incredibly sore tomorrow.
He stayed under the stream for at least an hour, trying his damndest not to think about anything. Unfortunately, the dissatisfaction of his escapade left Zach desiring release. He hated having to take care of this issue on his own. He always ended up thinking about his ex. Zach eventually gave in and just did it, angry that he couldn’t get the man’s image out of his mind. Out of all the things he’d forgotten over the years, that bastard’s face wasn’t one of them. The way the sun shone off water, his sister’s smile, the color of Copper’s scales. He’d kill to have those things back. Those were pleasant things, things that brought him joy, but he couldn’t have those. No, his stupid brain tossed those memories out like garbage and kept around the images that caused him the most pain.
When Zach got out of the shower he hated himself. This self loathing was doubled when he remembered that he had a mess to clean up. Copper was right, this shit wasn’t worth it. Why did he keep doing this? Why couldn’t he stop? He knew it was wrong. He knew how it always made him feel, but he kept doing it. Just like he kept taking the drugs that were in his nightstand. He reached for the drawer, stopping himself. Not tonight, he couldn’t afford to get high tonight, not with a proficiency test tomorrow.
He sighed and set about cleaning up his room. Zach found a pair of sweatpants and stripped his bed, stuffing the manky sheets into his hamper before retrieving new ones from the closet. Everything in his home had its place. It had to. Variation led to delays or injuries. Zach was a fan of neither.
He opened his bedroom window to get rid of the smell of sex and carefully redressed the bed. When he was satisfied it was made properly, he opened the bedroom door and climbed between the sheets. Copper came in a few minutes later and curled up on the pillow beside him.
So, no dinner tonight? Copper asked, gently nudging his human’s cheek. He hated having to remind Zach of such a thing, knowing that he could have taken care of himself, but the little dragon was afraid the man would fall into a habit of forgetting about him. Such a thought was terrifying.
Zach groaned and lifted himself out of the bed. He wasn’t going to eat, but Copper needed to be fed. He carefully made his way to the kitchen and reached into the fridge. Confusion washed over him when he didn’t feel the salmon he’d bought on the way home. He felt the rest of the shelves, more confusion.
“Copper,” he called, “why is the fridge empty?”
Because you were too busy getting drunk and dialing your booty call to put the groceries away, Copper’s response set him off.
“Fuck!” Zach slammed the refrigerator’s door and spun, feeling the table behind him for the paper bag. He knew the fish was bad by now; it had been sitting out without refrigeration for at least three hours. He found the bag and dug around inside. All of it was warm. Eggs, steak, chicken, fish. He questioned if the veggies would even be safe. This was the straw that broke his emotional resolve. Zach grabbed the bag and threw it, scattering the groceries across the kitchen, letting out a frustrated scream as he tossed a chair and a few other smaller things that he couldn’t identify.
After a few moments Zach ran a shaky hand through his hair and leaned on the table, hanging his head as he tried to calm his temper, “I’m sorry, Copper.”
Sardines it is, Zach heard him land on the kitchen counter and push open the drawer where they were kept. The little dragon’s sharp teeth clinked against the metal of a can as he picked it up. A second later, Copper landed on the table, his sharp talons scraping against the wood as he dropped the can before him, Open it. I’ll pick up the mess.
Zach grabbed the tin, feeling for the key to pry the top back. His first tear hit the back of his hand as his fingers brushed against the small metal loop. He tried to ignore it, opening the sardines and setting them aside. He was going to start picking up the groceries, but as he turned to do so an intense wave of emotion washed over him. Zach quickly found one of the chairs that were still at the table and sat down, burying his face in his hands as the frustrated sobs wracked his body. He hadn’t cried like this in a long time.
Seeing his human's distress, Copper hastily skittered across the linoleum to be by his side. The creature quickly climbed into his lap and stretched up, careful not to scratch Zach as he pushed on his chest.
Zach, breathe, Copper nuzzled his face into his human’s neck. We need to find someone to help you. This is getting out of hand.
“And what happens when I lose my job, Copper?” Zach sniffed, hugging his companion gently. “The police department isn’t going to let me stay when they find out I’m completely insane. They damn near fired me after I lost my sight. Lord knows the demotion I received was embarrassing enough.”
Stop, Copper tried his best to comfort him. You and I both know you’re not insane, you just need guidance. You can’t keep living like this. I can’t keep living like this. I hate seeing you in pain, but I can’t help you. I’ve tried, Zach. This is beyond what I’m capable of. It’s beyond what any genera
l human is capable of. Please, call the department’s therapist.
“You’re right. God, you’re always right, Copper. After my test tomorrow,” Zach promised, swiping at his face as he sniffed back tears. “But I’m not using the department’s shrink. I’ll call a private practice.”
Copper looked him over. His human was a mess, and he blamed himself for it daily. If he hadn’t fallen asleep that day things would have been different. He could have stopped everything that led up to Zach’s blinding. Copper nuzzled Zach’s tear stained face and snuggled back into him. He was hungry, but he would stay there as long as his human needed him to. Copper really hoped that Zach would go through with his promise this time. He was getting worse every day. The little dragon was scared of losing him.
Zach groaned and sat up, slowly releasing the lizard from his embrace, “I’ll clean the mess. You eat.”
Copper hesitated before leaving his lap. He wasn’t excited about the sardine dinner, especially when he’d been expecting salmon, but it was food. He knew Zach would make it up to him tomorrow. His human was good about things like that.
Copper climbed onto the table as Zach stood and walked over to the small pile of groceries the dragon had managed to gather before he’d started crying. His bare foot touched the styrofoam packed meat and he lowered himself to the floor, feeling around for more items.
As he ate, Copper watched his human slowly clean up the mess he’d made. The dragon thought about the woman they’d met that morning. He’d never met anyone other than Zach that could hear him before. He knew he should wait to see if she was trustworthy, but Copper wanted to talk to her. He wanted to see if he could use her to help Zach. The little dragon didn’t care about the man’s job, he cared about his life. Zach was his whole world.
When they settled into bed, Zach reached into his nightstand, pulling a small plastic baggie out. Copper watched intently as his human felt the item, groaning in frustration when he realised it was empty. The dragon would never tell him that he’d thrown the pills out while Zach was in the shower. He gazed at the man sadly, watching him toss the baggie into the bedside trash can before angrily pulling the quilt up over his head.