Well, that was it. Tinni was lost.

You'd think that someone who's lived in the bustling sprawl of Miami for a year would know his way around at least most of the districts, but the opposite couldn't be more true for the barely legal Axolotl. After a simple meetup with his friend at a cafe, Tinni was lost in thought and ended up wandering far further than he should have. Now he was stuck in a sea of back alleys and run-down buildings on the other side of the city with his phone reminding him that it was on low battery.

"Crap..." Tinni mumbled, unable to do anything other than stuff the phone into the pocket of his nylon jacket. He had no idea where he was or which way was north, so he picked a random direction and started walking, hoping that he'd find his way. The thought of asking someone for help was a little nerve-racking-- Tinni was, after all, quite the shy guy. He was the type of person who couldn't even muster up the courage to tell a waiter his order was wrong as a restaurant, let alone ask a complete stranger for directions. Instead, he'd rely on his own independence-- whatever that was worth.

All the courage in the world, however, would not save him. Even as he wandered the streets, his surroundings continued to be unfamiliar. He tried to follow the smell of the sea in the hopes he could walk up the coast, but his nostrils were assaulted by garbage and pollution, making that more or less impossible. Stuck wedged between several residential districts with the sun hanging high overhead in the peak of a Miami summer, Tinni was growing dehydrated. That wasn't ideal for a Salamander-like him, whose skin was moist to the touch and could easily dry out, making his smooth, skin-like scales sensitive and fragile. There seemed to be no commercial store in sight, not even a little convenience store to purchase a water bottle at. The growing concern of how parched he was combined with how lost he felt was growing ever more intense, and he was beginning to wonder if he'd have to bite the bullet and ask someone for help.

Walking down a quiet street that sat along a series of tall apartment complexes, Tinni hesitated. Before him was nothing but a sea of houses that never seemed to end and he had no idea where to go. To his left, however, sat a small gang of thugs, people he'd never seen before perched on the steps leading up into one of the apartment buildings. The reason for his hesitation was simple: he hadn't seen anyone for quite some time and asking one of these thugs for help seemed ideal, but he was ultimately scared. Tinni was 19, not used to the world, and easily intimidated. A couple of them looked his way and Tinni froze on the spot.

"Eyo, Mag. Check this puppy out." One of the thugs, a Rottweiler with his hood up over his head, reached out and slapped the back of his hand against the shoulder of another, who was sitting on a creaking plastic crate near the steps that looked like it should have been thrown away a long time ago. The man, a dragon, rose to his feet, stretching to 6 feet in height. He raised a two-toned hand with yellow-clawed black fingertips and red palms covered in fingerless biker gloves, smoothing the spiky mohawk of black hair that sat nestled between two yellow lava-like horns atop his head.

"Don't call me that, fuckwad," He muttered with an attitude, taking one look at Tinni and taking in his form, before scoffing. "He's just a kid. Leave 'im."

"You fuckin' blind, eh?" Tinni watched as the Rottweiler slapped his shoulder again as the other thugs, two of them to be exact, watched. "See that wet suit? My cousin got one off amazon the other day. Shit's fuckin' 60 dollars, homes. Kid must be flush."

The dragon glanced to the canine before looking back over to the Axolotl, taking him in again and looking a little closer this time, despite the several metre distance between them. Tinni could feel the man's eyes looking past his jacket and shorts, presumably eyeing him up. Tinni knew that the wet suit he was wearing was expensive-- he ordered them online and they didn't come cheap, but he didn't have the money for designer clothes otherwise. His jacket was several years old and his shorts were from the cheapest store he could find. Even the sandals on his feet were hand-me-downs, and he only wore them so he didn't get gross gravel and other things on the soles of his feet.

"Fine. Wait here, assholes, or you'll scare 'im off." The dragon suddenly grunted, and slowly began to approach. Tinni hesitated and took a step back as he analysed the man approaching him: his eyes were intimidating for sure, but the scariest part about him was his getup. He was dressed like the main character from the musical Grease, sporting a leather jacket, loose T-Shirt underneath and ripped jeans that definitely all gave off the vibe of 'thug', through and through. Tinni practically trembled on the spot as he approached, and as the dragon stretched his maw into a grin, Tinni came face to face with the man's rows of sharp, pointy teeth.

"What're you doin' here, kid?" Despite the dragon's intimidating demeanour, his voice was quiet and careful, barely above a whisper. Tinni was confused.

"I-I--" He began to speak, but the man raised a hand, quickly and abruptly bringing it to his chin. Despite the molten colours of his scales, the thug was strangely cool to the touch. He made a quiet shushing sound and lowered his gaze, lowering his hand when he saw how much Tinni was trembling.

"Keep your voice down, else they'll hear you," He murmured again. "This part of town's no good. Plenty of crooks here kid. What, are you lost?"

Tinni didn't know if he could control himself to be quiet, so he instead nodded, eyes wide to the point of bulging. The dragon sighed through his nose and turned to his crew, jerking his head in a quick and simple gesture. None of them moved or even acknowledged as he turned back to face the Axolotl, reaching out to touch his shoulder and gently encourage him to turn.

"Let's go for a walk." He spoke rather nonchalantly, now raising his voice as he led Tinni from the group and towards the corner of the street, which Tinni had planned to go to anyway were it not for his hesitation. Tinni didn't know what to do-- too scared to move on his own, he allowed himself to be manhandled, his anxiety getting the better of him in the face of such an imposing figure.

They turned the corner and walked for a minute or so in complete silence before the man beside him, hand still hovering near the small of Tinni's back, sighed and lowered his arm. He slowed his walk and Tinni slowed to match him. This would have been the perfect time to escape or run, but Tinni knew that he didn't really have another option but to ask this man for directions. But even as he parted his lips to speak, the dragon spoke before him.

"Man, you must be really naive to approach some thugs like that. Do you even know where this is?" The dragon sighed, before grimacing. "Right, you don't. Where do you normally stay?"

"Um...Coral Way?" Tinni smiled and the dragon stopped in his tracks to stare at him, flabbergasted.

"Coral fuckin'-- kid, that's like a 4-hour walk from here. You're in Model City. Y'know, just a short hop to Miami Beach?" The dragon raised his arms in sheer surprise and Tinni couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly, realising that he'd been walking for longer than necessary, especially in the sweltering heat. With a sigh, the dragon started to walk again, and Tinni quickly followed suit.

"Sorry...I didn't know it was so far," Tinni admitted, feeling a little embarrassed. "I kinda just started walking and got lost..."

"You always this stupid, kid?" The man snorted and Tinni pursed his lips.

"Hey! I'm not a kid. I'm 19 years old...and I have a name. It's Tinni. Tinni Gil."

"A little on the nose, ain't it? Gil?" The dragon grinned, teasing the Axolotl, but when he saw Tinni's serious expression his smile faded. "...Alright, alright. Sorry...Tinni."

A silence fell between them as they walked, the tension in the air growing a little thicker. Tinni didn't really have a temper, but being called a kid was something that stemmed from his sheltered childhood. More than anything he wanted to be considered independent, so being called a child all the time only stirred up anger he didn't normally have. He let it go, feeling it dissipated from his tense muscles before he spoke again.

"You...you got a name then, Mr. Dragon?" Tinni continued, and the man looked at him out the corner of his eye, observing the several inches shorter Axolotl. Tinni was only 5 foot and 5 inches, so the difference in their height was obvious-- hell, Tinni's eyeline pretty much met with the dragon's shoulders.

"Magnus Igvein," The dragon introduced himself rather bluntly. "But most just call me Magnus. Never 'Mag'."

"Okay, Magnus," Tinni greeted him loosely, happy to have made someone's acquaintance, especially now that he realised that Magnus wasn't as mean as he first looked. "Could you help me get back to Coral Way?"

"I could," He began. "But first, aren't you thirsty? Your skin's looking a little dry."

"I mean...yeah...but I have water at home." Tinni explained, stuffing his hands in his nylon jacket's pockets. Magnus tutted, shaking his head as they turned a corner and he gestured to a store across the street. Tinni quickly read the sign and looked surprised: what was a Dunkin' Donuts doing in the middle of nowhere like this?

"Let's pop in and get you some water, then you can call an uber." Magnus was already crossing the road before Tinni had a chance to speak. With a groan, the Axolotl quickly followed him before any cars came barreling down the road, stammering to try and find his words. By that time, however, Magnus was already in the store, getting him a bottle of water from the cool fridge at the front.

He plopped it on the counter for the cashier and then turned to Tinni expectantly, gesturing for him to cough up the money. Tinni hesitated, parting his lips to speak and then closing them again. Magnus could only frown.

"What's up?" The dragon pressed, and Tinni nervously chuckled.

"I, uh, didn't bring my wallet with me." He admitted with a bashful blush. Magnus groaned under his breath and stuffed a hand into his own leather jacket, pulling out a few bills and slapping them on the table. He took the bottle and pressed it into Tinni's hands, paying for his drink before ushering him out of the store, realising that his initial plans to get Tinni home were dashed.

"So...no money, no uber," Magnus began with a sigh. "And I ain't got the cash to pay for that, so we're gonna have to walk. That bottle of water gonna last you?"

Magnus watched as Tinni uncapped the lid and drank half of it in one go, glugging it down as if his life depended on it. They stood there for a good half a minute whilst Tinni drank before the Axolotl finally stopped, sucking in a breath and sighing with relief. In a matter of moments, his skin began to shine in the bright sunlight, already creating moisture on his skin. Magnus curiously reached out to touch along his neck and was surprised to find that the wet exterior was just not: it was neither slimy nor did it have a colour or any viscosity. He hummed in thought and Tinni took a step back, looking both uncomfortable and embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry," Magnus shrugged it off. "Was just curious. Come on, then. If we can't call you a cab we might as well walk."

"You're...going to walk with me?" Tinni hesitated on the spot, both full of gratitude and guilt-- Magnus could see it in his eyes.

"Well, if I let you walk it on your own, I think you'd probably just get lost again-- and I can't teleport all around Miami to save you from more thugs," He smirked and gestured with a hand. "Better to just lead you myself."

Tinni beamed and followed suit, and his heart swelled at the thought of making another friend. He was too naive for his own good.

They walked in silence for a little while, heading predominantly south-west. If anyone had heard Tinni's predicament before, they could have called him an idiot for trusting a complete stranger to lead him home. For all Tinni knew, he could be going somewhere else entirely-- an abandoned warehouse, to be cut up and sold as parts, or even kidnapped and used for drug smuggling. They were perhaps wild fantasies for a 19-year-old to have, but he'd ultimately watched way too many crime shows to think any differently. In the end, he had to place the entirety of his trust in Magnus, who for the most part seemed to be nice despite his intimidating appearance; though even that thought was slowly wearing off as Tinni took him in. Magnus was...handsome, in a way. His hair suited him, the clothes clung to his every manly curve, he had a strangely charming demeanour that TInni secretly found attractive-- but his interests were not the point of their walk. It was to get Tinni home, nothing more.

"So," Magnus began rather out of the blue, making Tinni jump on the spot, having been lost in thought the entire time. "I can only guess, from the fact you're as lost as a kid at a Walmart, that you haven't lived in Miami long?"

"Only a year. I moved out of my parent's house last summer." Tinni explained, and Magnus hummed his approval.

"Where did you live previously?"

"South Carolina, though I was born in Mexico City. They have this big house because my mom's a Marine Biologist and my dad's an Architect."

"Wow, so...like, a whole other state huh? And away from your rich parents too. It's gonna sound harsh but you seem kinda immature," Magnus remarked, before raising his hands in surrender. "No offence. Just didn't think someone like you'd jump across a whole other state all on your own. Why Miami?"

"You don't even know me," Tinni pointed out, feeling almost wounded...but Magnus wasn't wrong. "But you're right, I kinda grew up a little sheltered. I was homeschooled so I didn't get out of a lot, but every year we came to Florida for a little vacation. They took me a Disneyland once as a kid and we went all the way down to Miami for a weekend during our vacation. That's how I got into surfing."

"Sentimentality then..." Magnus hummed. "I mean, it's a good an excuse as any I guess."

"What about you? You seem like you've lived in Miami all your life."

"Oh do I?" Magnus smirked. "Well you're not wrong, I've lived in this shithole since I was a kid. I hate it here, but eh. Don't got a job, don't got a house..."

"Wait, you don't have a home?" Tinni exclaimed and Magnus side-eyed him, uncomfortable with that Axolotl's gooey-eyed pitying expression. The dragon rolled his eyes.

"Not since my asshole parents kicked me out," He continued. "Just been couch surfing since then. It works."

"I'm sorry." Tinni felt bad for bringing it up and realised that Magnus wasn't really in a good position himself. Now it seemed weird that Tinni had talked about his rich parents, almost as if he was boasting. The Axolotl lowered his head, but a light shove to his shoulder caught his attention. He glanced over at Magnus, who simply scoffed, grinning at him with his pointy teeth.

"Don't sweat it, little lizard," He teased. "I can take care of myself."

Tinni had to admire his independence, something that Tinni himself so desperately craved for himself. Maybe it was a bad idea to look up to Magnus, but Tinni found himself a little enthralled. He'd been couch-surfing for however long, maybe even years-- that took a great deal of commitment and courage; Tinni wanted that. It was possible, he decided, that he had something to learn from him.

As they walked, the two spoke. Magnus had a lot of questions about Tinni's childhood and his personal life and Tinni found himself easily opening up, growing more and more comfortable around Magnus. Maybe it was his charming grin or the fact he was helping him, but either way, Tinni spilt the beans easily. Tinni talked in great deal about his parents, how they had homeschooled him and kept him by their side since he was a kid. When Magnus pressed as to why, Tinni explained abruptly that his body and species made him a point of ridicule for others. Adults understood, but kids didn't yet understand how words can hurt. They wanted to shelter him from the potential pain and so, by extension, Tinni never had much of a social life and became isolated.

But that changed when he got started sending out college applications. In the 2 years prior shortly after he'd turned 16, Tinni had grown rebellious and resentful, and wanted to experience the world for himself. For his parents, his enrolment into the University of Miami was a good opportunity for him to spread his wings, metaphorically speaking. Tinni hadn't realised until they'd done it, but they'd put down a deposit on a house in his name in a nice neighbourhood in Miami and then offered him a deal: they would pay half of his bills for 2 years so long as he kept in contact, but after that, they would stop. Magnus couldn't understand their intentions, and neither could Tinni, but the Axolotl guessed that it was to push him to find a job or roommates who he'd feel comfortable living with. When pressed for his major, Tinni admitted he was following in his father's footsteps to becoming an Architect, and that he'd already tried to be more independent and had a job-- albeit part-time, due to his studies. It was enough to pay his half of the bills, however.

The topic eventually shifted to Magnus, but unlike Tinni the dragon didn't feel inclined to open up about himself. Tinni tried to press and ask about relatives or even how he'd come to be kicked out of his parent's place, but Magnus barely budged. It became clear that isn't necessarily a sensitive topic, but it was more that Magnus didn't care enough to even think about it. He did at least say that he wasn't a good guy when he was a teen, and that he didn't have any siblings to look up to. Tinni couldn't tell if his parents were bad people or not-- Magnus was a stranger, so it was hard to judge beyond how he viewed the dragon now.

The sun slowly began to set as they walked. It took then 3-4 hours to go from Model City all the way to Coral Way, but neither of them grew that tired. Tinni had the water to keep himself cool in the sweltering heat, and Magnus was naturally cold-blooded and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. As it quickly cooled the sundown and the sky eventually darkened, it was cool enough for Tinni not to worry about being dehydrated, and Magnus had his jacket to keep him warm.

The difference in their neighbourhoods was obvious-- Model City had run-down little bungalows and apartment complexes that had drunken piss stains in the corners, but Coral Way was contrastingly quaint and quiet the model residential area. It wasn't glamorous like Hollywood but the houses weren't cheap either-- perhaps part of that pricing had to do with the low crime rates.

"Finally, we're here!" Tinni sighed with relief as he stopped outside a house halfway down a quaint little street. The exterior of the house was simple: it had only one floor and its walls were painted a plain and simple white. The lawn was kept short and neat in the summer heat and an overhand sat over the front door to keep people waiting at the door out of the rain. Tinn turned to Magnus and smiled, placing one hand on the metal gate that opened up the path to the front door.

"Thanks, Magnus, for bringing me home. I don't know what I would have done if it had gotten dark..." Tinni trailed off as Magnus stood there, hands in his pockets. "...Do you want to come in?"

"What, me?" Magnus scoffed. "I'm just some stranger, you know."

"I know. But most strangers wouldn't walk 4 hours with me to get home," Tinni continued. "At least, I don't think so...besides, I should pay you back."

"Then give me money." Magnus extended a hand and Tinni looked flustered, a grin spreading across his face.

"I-I mean, I could!" The Axolotl spluttered, which only made Magnus grin wider. "B-But I was thinking...dinner? I could order take out."

A silence fell between them, and Tinni stood there awkwardly, feeling more and more embarrassed. Did he just basically ask a man to have dinner with him? What was wrong with him? The longer the silence went on, the more flushed he felt, to the point where he was almost squirming on the spot. He parted his lips to speak, but...

"Okay," Magnus beamed. "But you've got to show me the menus."

Tinni raised his head and his eyes widened as he beamed from cheek to cheek. Turning on one sandal, Tinni pushed the gate open and bounded up to the door, with Magnus slowly following suit. With one key-turn later and they were inside.

"Let me find the menus, one second." Tinni shimmied himself out of his jacket as Magnus swung the front door shut behind them, surveying the hallway he'd stepped into as Tinni kicked off his sandals and quickly made his way down it, ducking into a room on the left. Magnus twisted his pointy external ears, listening to the sounds of the Axolotl rummaging through drawers and clattering metal about, mumbling to himself.

"Oh, uh," He called from the room. "First on your right, have a seat. Make yourself at home!"

An awkward chuckle followed and with a roll of his eyes, Magnus stepped forwards, peeking briefly into the room Tinni was in, realising it was a kitchen before he followed the Axolotl's instructions and stepped into the first door on his right. It looked to be a quaint little living room that was all but barren of the typical signs of a well-loved home: it bore a couch, a coffee table, a TV stand complete with the object of its purpose and a few shelves on the wall, but there were no ornaments, no delightful knick-knacks...it felt very sterile. Magnus didn't mind it, though. He slipped into a seat on the couch and Tinni appeared a few moments later.

"Here's what I've got..." He strode forwards across the plush carpet and handed an array of menu leaflets over, plopping himself down into a seat beside Magnus. The dragon flicked through idly, grimacing at home simply because he wasn't in the mood for what they were offering.

"Pizza's good," He raised one particular menu and then handed it back over, tossing the rest to the coffee table. "You've...lived here a year, huh?"

"Just about," Tinni raised his head and glanced around the room. "It kind of looks a little empty, doesn't it? I don't really sit in here often, I usually just sit in my bedroom. My desk and computer are in there."

"I suppose that makes sense then, if you don't use it much." Magnus twisted on his seat, tucking a leg under himself and pressing his elbow to the back of the couch, propping his head up with his hand. He watched as Tinni looked down to the menu and scanned its contents, occasionally flipping the menu over to see the back.

"So what kind of pizza do you like...?" Tinni raised his head to face him and paused, lips briefly parted. He realised the reality of the situation: that he'd brought a man into his house, effectively a hot stranger, and was now treating him to dinner, almost like a date. The colour rose to his amphibious cheeks and he cleared his throat, looking back down at the menu. It suddenly became very difficult to look Magnus in the eyes.

"Spicy is good, but I'm down for most things if you want to split a pizza." Magnus suggested, a smirk playing across his maw at Tinni's nerves.

"W-Well, we could get one each...I can afford it, and since I am offering the pay..." He trailed off, shifting in his seat a little. He didn't feel uncomfortable, but definitely shy. 

"Sure." Magnus didn't argue with him about it, and instead continued to watch. Tinni anxiously handed over the menu and Magnus reached out, very deliberately grazing his fingers across the moist exterior of the back of Tinni's hand before taking the menu. Now that he thought about it, Tinni's hands were strange: his arms were thick around the forearm and his hands had wide palms and narrow digits, specifically 3 fingers and a thumb. His feet were the same, the base flat and wide but the toes narrow and long. It was strangely exotic, though it was nothing to mention. Magnus took one glance at the menu in his hands, scanning down the main list of pizzas, before setting it down.

"Meat Feast sounds fine." He confirmed, and Tinni shyly smiled in response, keeping his head down. The dragon tilted his head and subtly scooted a little closer, though Tinni obviously noticed.

"Are you nervous?" Magnus asked, barely above a whisper. He had done this before, but this time it had different connotations. It felt...strange. Tinni could feel his cheeks burning.

"Um, you are a little close..." The Axolotl admitted, and he tensed when he felt a hand on his shoulder, sliding across his wet up and up to his cheek. He raised his hand to Tinni's external gills, grazing his fingers across three of them, and Tinni visibly shuddered and shook his head.

"T-That tickles." The Axolotl mumbled, both giggling and sound considerably nervous. Magnus lowered his hand and tucked a finger under Tinni's chin, gently encouraging him to raise his head. Tinni he turned to look at Magnus, his breath hitching in his throat. The dragon slowly drew his head closer and closer, until he was mere inches from Tinni's own.

"I could tell you were checking me out, Tinni," Magnus muttered, eyes dancing between Tinni's rounded Salamander lips and his wide blue eyes. "...Can I kiss you?"

"I-I...Um..." Tinni spluttered, lost in those smouldering yellow eyes. Magnus didn't wait for a response, and closed the distance between them, sealing the tension with a deep, penetrating kiss.

Tinni's stomach did a flip and his whole body erupted in a sea of tingles from head to toe. He trembled like a newborn lamb and reached out to nervously clutch Magnus's forearms, drawn into what was basically his first-ever kiss. Magnus shifted and hooked a hand around Tinni's back, pulling him closer on the couch as his other hand roamed to the Axolotl's thigh. Tinni's lips were a little wet, but Magnus didn't mind it at all-- he deepened the kiss even more, going so far as to stick out his tongue a little, grazing it against Tinni's pursed lips.

Their lips parted for just a moment, and Tinni let out a quiet, barely audible squeak amidst a shaky gasp, his fingers curling around Magnus's jacket. The dragon's hand on Tinni's thigh shifted and moved, curling inwards to the Axolotl's inner thigh. Tinni instinctively reached down and clasped his wrist, pulling him away.

"No, I..." He trailed off, almost paling a little. "I'm still a...um..."

"Do you want to take it slow?" Magnus suggested, his smile not even skipping a beat as he withdrew his hand, raising it and placing it somewhere a little more safer. Tinni felt a bit more comfortable now that Magnus's hand was near his arm instead. A giggle escaped his lips, shaky and unstable.

"I really want to kiss you again," Tinni breathed, before pulling back. "But we should really order the pizza first."

Magnus paused, surprised, before he chuckled under his breath, pulling back so that Tinni could do what he needed to do. He settled back on the couch and watched the Axolotl fumble over his phone, hands a little too shaky. Inside, Tinni was screaming with happiness. Never in his life did he think he'd find someone who was attracted to him.

At first he thought he might have made a friend, but now he was excited for something more.