For the one-word prompts: 49 ("shake"), with Stan?
You didn’t specify an AU, so I just went with Monster Falls lmao. Also, while the prompt seems to imply some more angsty stuff, I went in a more fluffy direction. I actually didn’t realize the more angsty implications of the word “shake” until after I had decided what this ficlet would be. Whoops.
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There was a whisper into Stan’s ear.
“Ssssssssstanley.” Recognizing the distinctive hiss to his name, Stan opened an eye. Sure enough, Angie was by his side, her long snake body coiled as she watched him sleep. She smiled sweetly at him. “Howdy.” Stan got to his feet and stretched.
“Hey yourself, gorgeous,” he said with a wink. Angie giggled. “Why’s a proper lady like you visiting her dragon boyfriend’s cave at the crack of dawn?”
“Oh, darlin’, it ain’t dawn. It’ssssss almost ten.”
“Huh.” Stan sat back on his haunches. He looked out the cave entrance. The light from the sun was bright but unable to reach his nest in the back of the cave. “Maybe I should get an alarm clock.”
“Hmm, but would ya actually lissssssssten to it?” Angie asked pointedly.
“Probably not, no,” Stan conceded. Angie uncoiled herself to slither directly in front of him. She reared up. Once at the same eye-height as Stan, she leaned forward and daintily kissed his snout. “Seriously, what’s all this about? Is it my birthday or something?”
“Um.” Angie cocked her head. “Isssssss it?”
“Nah, my birthday was ages ago.”
“Oh.” Angie smiled. “I have a ssssssssssurpissssssse fer ya.”
“If I told ya, it’d ruin the sssssssurprissssse.”
“Fair enough. Do we have to go somewhere to get this surprise?”
“The lake? Won’t there be a buncha humans around?” Stan asked. He felt a strange twinge upon reminding himself he wasn’t human anymore.
It’s been seven months since I finished transforming, and it still feels weird to think about.
“No. Arrangementssssssss have been made to keep humansssssss away,” Angie said. “At leasssssst durin’ yer sssssssurprisssssse.”
“Okay, you’ve officially made me curious.” Stan stood up. “Climb aboard.” Angie wrapped her snake body around his torso. Like it usually did, the intensity of her grip made Stan wince slightly, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t manage. Angie embraced Stan’s neck, her arms warm against Stan’s scales. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.” Stan sprinted out of the cave, building up speed, before launching himself off the ground and into the air. His broad, batlike wings snapped open, catching on the wind, beating against the gravity trying to pull him down. He soared through the open sky, so engrossed in the enjoyment of flight that he almost forgot why they were flying until Angie hissed in his ear.
“Right.” Stan reduced his speed as they approached the lake. He began to descend in a slow spiral, the force of his beating wings bending trees. They landed. “Thank you for flying Air Stan.” Angie giggled again and let go of his body, slithering a short distance away. “So, where’s the surprise?” Angie smiled weakly.
“Pleasssssse don’t get too upssssssset,” she said. Stan frowned at her.
“Huh?” He let out a loud groan as Angie slammed into him, putting her entire body behind the force of the shove. Taken off-guard, he didn’t have time to brace for the impact and as a result, found himself getting pushed into the lake. “Angie!”
“Now!” Angie shouted to someone. Webbed hands suddenly grabbed Stan’s legs and dragged him even further into the lake.
“Hey!” Stan shouted. He writhed, but the creatures, which Stan now recognized as nixies, had iron grips. “You fuckers, let me go!” The nixies looked at each other and giggled. “I’ll burn you! I swear, I’ll-” Before he could get out another word, the nixies pulled him underwater. As Stan thrashed desperately, the nixies swarmed him, brushing his scales with handfuls of sand and algae.
After what felt like hours, yet somehow also no time at all, the nixies let go. Stan hurriedly seized the opportunity to escape while he could, surfacing and dogpaddling back to land. Angie, who was coiled up on the shore, watched with amusement as Stan shook off the water and various lake debris. Stan glared at her.
“What. The hell. Was that?” he snarled. Smoke curled from his nostrils. Angie sighed. She brushed off the water and bits of plant that had hit her when Stan shook himself dry.
“Ssssssstanley, I love ya to no end, but ya don’t have the bessssssst hygiene now that you’ve become a dragon.”
“Ya haven’t had a sssssssssingle bath ssssssssincccccce ya transsssssformed!”
“I’m a dragon. I don’t need baths.”
“Oh, hon. Blessssssss yer sssssssssoul,” Angie said, shaking her head.
Okay, by now, I’ve learned enough southern-speak to figure out that’s an insult. Stan growled.
“Look at yer reflection,” Angie insisted. She slithered over to the water’s edge. Stan reluctantly followed, keeping a wary eye on her. “Go on.” Stan rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. He gaped. His scales, which had been a murky, dull reddish-brown mere moments ago, were now a vivid, shimmering maroon. “Sssssssssssee? Ya ain’t been takin’ care of yourssssssssself.”
“I didn’t realize dragons needed to take care of themselves,” Stan muttered. He turned slightly, getting a better view of his scales shining under the mid-morning sun. “Damn, I look sexy.”
“Yesssssss, ya mossssst ccccccertainly do,” Angie purred. She stroked Stan’s side. “I’m ssssssssorry to have fooled ya in thissssss way, but it wasssssss my only option. I keep bringin’ it up, and ya keep disssssssmissssssin’ it. Yer sssssssso ssssssstubborn!”
“Good thing you’re the same way,” Stan retorted. Angie laughed. Stan couldn’t help but smile at her laugh, which hissed just like her voice. “But seriously, nixies?”
“They like me,” Angie said with a shrug. “And they get bored eassssssy. They liked the challenge bathin’ ya presssssssented.” She smirked. “Not to mention, they alssssssso liked the idea of watchin’ ya sssssssssshake yoursssssssself off like a dog after the bath.” Stan nudged her playfully. He looked at the lake. The nixies had surfaced to watch the conversation unfolding on the shore.
“All right, you frog ladies and snake lady made your point!” he called. “I’ll clean my scales more often.” The nixies giggled again and ducked back underwater. Stan turned to Angie. “After all, if I don’t keep myself hot, you might leave me for that other dragon.”
“Is that the name of the guy who kept hitting on you while we were in the Crawlspace?”
“Aw.” Angie kissed his cheek. “Yer the only dragon fer me, darlin’.”
“So I don’t need to keep myself clean then.”
“If ya want to avoid another forccccccced bathin’ sssssssessssssssion, ya mossssssssst definitely will wasssssssssh every now and then,” Angie said firmly.
“You already played your cards, babe. I’ll be expecting something like this again.”
“Honey, I’ve got a thousssssssssand more ideassssss ya won’t sssssssssee comin’ from a mile away,” Angie hissed into his ear. Stan felt a shiver run down his spine.
But in a good way. He grinned at Angie.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Never.” Angie wrapped the tip of her tail around Stan’s leg and leaned against him. “Ssssssssso, what now? To the cabin to ssssssssssee what the nerdsssssss are up to?”
“I was thinking maybe some one-on-one time in my cave,” Stan said slowly. Angie smiled back at him.
“I ain’t oppossssssssed to that. Now that yer clean, that issssssss.”
