[Honestly, even now he still can't quite believe Concord is trusting him. This is just sex to Ali- admittedly really good sex, and his lack of experience is making him get attached when he would otherwise be good about separating actions from feelings- and he still doesn't quite 'get' the concept of lifemates. Of having only one. Of attaching romantic feelings to sexual ones.
It might be the dragon in him that's making it difficult to understand.]
I...you see...
[He bites his lip and glances away. He's got to give Concord the truth, even if it might drive him away.]
It's not that I'm not interested in the whole thing, it's just...complicated. While I doubt other dragons see me as a good mating partner, if one did appear and make a challenge then we would have to answer it. And if we both failed our respective fights, then...well, you know.
[Combat IS how dragons choose their mates each breeding cycle.]
And if I said no after that, then it would invite a reckoning. I don't want to destroy this kingdom because I refused to follow the rules and it made a bunch of dragons come burn down the city. And I don't want to hurt you in the process either.
[The tone is clear: he doesn't want to hurt Concord, even if the choice to hurt or not hurt is taken out of his hands entirely. Dragon mating rituals honestly don't bother him, it's just a way of life for solitary creatures like them, but he knows it can seem horrifying to people not used to it. It's why he doesn't talk about it much, along with everything else about being a dragon.]
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timeasmymeasure
cw: mentions of coercive breeding practices
Date: 2023-04-11 10:28 pm (UTC)It might be the dragon in him that's making it difficult to understand.]
I...you see...
[He bites his lip and glances away. He's got to give Concord the truth, even if it might drive him away.]
It's not that I'm not interested in the whole thing, it's just...complicated. While I doubt other dragons see me as a good mating partner, if one did appear and make a challenge then we would have to answer it. And if we both failed our respective fights, then...well, you know.
[Combat IS how dragons choose their mates each breeding cycle.]
And if I said no after that, then it would invite a reckoning. I don't want to destroy this kingdom because I refused to follow the rules and it made a bunch of dragons come burn down the city. And I don't want to hurt you in the process either.
[The tone is clear: he doesn't want to hurt Concord, even if the choice to hurt or not hurt is taken out of his hands entirely. Dragon mating rituals honestly don't bother him, it's just a way of life for solitary creatures like them, but he knows it can seem horrifying to people not used to it. It's why he doesn't talk about it much, along with everything else about being a dragon.]