Chapter Text
Out of the corner of your eye, you can feel Darkstalker staring at you. Putting down your phone with a sigh, you ask, "Yes? What is it?"
"You've hardly touched your food," he says gently. "Do you want something different to eat?"
"No, no, it's fine. I'm just not hungry."
Darkstalker lashes his tail behind him in annoyance. "Most precious gem, I could help you more easily if you would let me read your mind. All you must do is remove the stone on your arm--"
"No." You are not having this conversation again. "You can help me the regular way that relationships work. Through verbal communication and trust that persists even when you don't know what they're thinking." You stare him directly in his eyes as you add, "I am not taking off the skyfire, and that is final."
He can't help himself. At your words, the energy in him deflates, and his warm scales press against your side as he lets out a little laugh. "Alright, alright. I won't ask again." After a moment, he says, "If the food is not the problem, then what is?"
Grinning coyly, you nudge him in the ribs with an elbow. "I guess you're just going to have to trust that I mean it when I say I'm not hungry."
Darkstalker growls at this, but it was a playful growl, a growl that acknowledged that while he was unhappy that this was so difficult for him, he was grateful you were helping to teach him how to be a better dragon all the time. You laugh along with his growl, and snuggle deeper into the crook of his belly, feeling more warm and cozy than any meal could ever make you.