(more dragon price x reader)
It happens on a quiet evening.
The kind of evening where the base feels more like a den than a military compound, heaters humming faintly, the air tinged with smoke and steel and the faint earthy musk that youāve learnt is simply Price and his everburning fire.
The others are gone for the night, off on their own tasks or sleeping, leaving only the low, steady sound of Priceās breathing and the faint ruffle of his wings as he reads through reports.
Youāre lying across the couch, half under one of his wings. The scales along the inner ridge are warm enough to make you drowsy, and you find yourself watching him over the curve of your arm; how his hand moves when he turns a page, how the glow of the lamp outlines the faint, reptilian scales in his skin at the wrists, how his tail flicks when something in the report irritates him.
Thereās a sound youāve grown used to by now; that low, rumbling growl that sits deep in his chest, not angry, not warning. Just content. Itās the sound he makes when everything is where it should be: his team safe, the room quiet, you nearby. His hoard perfect.
The first time youād heard it, months ago, youād nearly jumped out of your skin. Now itās almost soothing in its consistency.
Tonight, though, youāre bored and restless. You watch the slow curl of smoke from the cigar at his side and the steady rise and fall of his shoulders. You hear that quiet, rumbling sound again and before you can think better of it- you try to mimic it.
It comes out small, a soft chuff thatās more air than sound, almost questioning.
For a heartbeat, thereās nothing but silence. Then the low growl stops entirely, replaced by a sound youāve never heard from him before, a startled huff thatās almost a laugh. He sets his papers down with slow, deliberate care, and when he turns his head toward you, his pupils are wide, gleaming gold in the lamplight.
āWhat was that, love?ā His voice is low, rasped around smoke the curls overhead.
You blink, half embarrassed now. āJust- thought Iād try it.ā
Something flickers behind his eyes. Something fond, somthing heavier - older and instinctive, the kind of emotion thatās bone-deep in creatures like him. His throat rumbles again, softer this time, and you can feel it through the couch.
And because youāre you- and because you donāt know when to quit- you do it again: A quiet, tentative chuff in response.
John exhales, slow and sharp, the movement almost like a sigh but too heavy for that. His cigar hits the ashtray without a sound. When he stands, itās fluid and unhurried, the kind of movement that says heās already decided what happens next.
Before you can ask, one hand slides under your knees, the other behind your shoulders. The heat of him is immediate, overwhelming. You squeak something halfway between a protest and surprise, but he just rumbles again, a pleased, deep sound that vibrates through your ribs.
āCāmere, love.ā He murmurs, and youāre already there, curled in his lap by the time your mind catches up. His wings fold in close, wrapping around you like heavy, living blankets.
The world shrinks down to warmth and heartbeat and the faint smell of smoke and iron. You can hear him, feel him, that deep resonant growl now fully awake in his chest and answered by your own quiet chuff, smaller, higher, but still there.
He laughs under his breath. Not mockingly, but something soft and fond again. āThat what youāve been learninā behind my back, hm?ā
You shrug against the warmth of him, slowly already. āJust thought itād make you happy.ā
He noses into your hair, the heat of his breath coiling against your neck. The next growl is low and drawn out, and this time you donāt even think, you just answer. Another tiny chuff, followed by a quiet noise that sounds suspiciously like a purr when he presses you closer.
āGood girl,ā he murmurs, barely above a whisper. āDidnāt think youād ever pick that up.ā
āI listen.ā you mumble, words almost lost against his collar.
He hums. āAye. You do.ā
Itās quiet again after that; the kind of silence that feels full. Every few minutes he growls lazily, and every time you answer without thinking, soft and sleepy. Each sound he makes draws you closer, until youāre half-dozing, the rhythm of his breathing pulling you under.
āSleep, lovie,ā John hums one last time, wings adjusting around you. His tail curls around your thigh. āIāll keep yāsafe.ā