Caudle fidgeted in place, the bat's tall ears lightly flushed in tune with his cheeks. The slender bookseller cleared his throat. "Are you sure about this, Hershey?"

       Hershel was laying on his back in the center of the floor of the book nook, after closing time. He had moved the furniture around to fit, with good reason. The dragon stood a good extra four feet taller than his bookish beau, and three of his five limbs were broader than said bat at their broadest. Though one could argue that all of his limbs were, considering just what Caudle knew about his draconic nature... just, currently his thighs and his tail could each outclass the chiropteran's everything.

       And all three were in the bat's direction in the dragon's current position. He craned his neck up to look down towards Caudle enough for his natural-worn locs to come into view over the broad curve of his smiling snout.  "It wouldn't be the first or the last time I held my sweet with my tail alone." His voice sang in normal speech, vowels belying his light Swahili accent. He lifted his hands from the floor, holding his palms parallel to frame his midsection. Resting atop his sweater-clad midsection was a heart-shaped box, already unlidded to show the beautiful array of handmade chocolates that Hershel had made for just this occasion. 

       Blushing still, the bat nodded. "Alright then..."

       Hershel shifted and propped his elbows up under his shoulders. The action caused the sweater to tug tauter across his chest, revealing the definition there, not that it was ever truly hidden even by the fluffiest top. The new posture allowed him better eye-tail coordination. His fifth appendage flexed, starting in a tensing of the core muscles beneath the box of chocolates, followed by the scaled length growing more properly ovular in cross-section than the relaxed state had given as the powerful muscles beneath the surface engaged. The dragon pursed his lips to one side in a moment of thought, before he adjusted to plant his feet against the floor, raising one knee, then the other.

       The bat momentarily worried about the chocolates tumbling to one side or other of his boyfriend's relatively narrow waist due to the rolling of Hershel's hips this caused. Caudle didn't have much time to think on this, as the added leverage coaxed the spade at the tip of the dragon's tail around the small of the bookseller's back. 

       Just when the tip had nearly met the underside of the oncoming coil, the larger male halted, his pensive look returning.

       "Is something wrong?" Caudle asked, concerned at the sudden freeze.

       "Oh, no." The caramel-colored surge beneath Hershel's facial scales told the bat he was a bit embarrassed by his own hesitancy. "I just realized that if I wrapped you up the normal way you'd be facing away when I lifted you up..." He fidgeted, his spade twisting to rise and press its underside against Caudle's chest. Another shift of his legs and flex of his hidden abdomen preceded its next movement, which pressed the spade up higher. 

       Its soft candy texture mooshed across Caudle's snout for a moment before heading to the right, bringing another length of coil in its wake. 

       The bat sputtered, his face nearly radiating with the power of his blush from how sudden the contact had come and gone, leaving him off-balance.

       Tensing one thigh, Hershel sent a light ripple down the length of his tail. When the wave reached the bat, he was toppled backwards, the broad spade already cradling the back of his head. 

       Surprise from his near-flooring caused Caudle to squeak so sharply that he quite suddenly had a very good idea of where he'd left one of his errant reshelving carts at the other end of the shop. 

       The dragon chuckled affectionately. "Sorry about that... Arranging for this position is a bit like trying to judge depth in your reflection, I think." As he spoke, his tail twisted, rolling the bat a full rotisserie rotation to get his midsection nicely bound. Hershel then tensed his core again. Like an octopus doing an arm-curl, the caudal appendage rose in an arc, lifting the chiropteran at the end into an upright position near the high ceiling of the shop. 

       Another moment of adjustment took place, making the bat feel like that video he'd seen of seals rotating while bobbing vertically on still water. His legs were now bound in the warm muscular hold, the spade having slipped forward to fold away and rest on one of the other lengths of coil, as if to keep it from unravelling. 

       Caudle now had his head lightly supported like with an airline pillow, a bit of the surrounding loop pinning his cap in place. Suspended as he was, the situation was familiar, able to feel the light ripple along the loops compressing gently onto him from all sides that corresponded with each beat of his boyfriend's big heart.

       Once sure the position was right, Hershel resumed the curl, bringing the bat forward like an inverted scorpion stinger. Very soon, the book clerk was suspended in such a way that to make eye contact, he would have to crane his neck back to something more similar to appropriate for the current pull of gravity. More importantly, he was directly above the box of chocolates, and within arm's reach.

       At this realization, the bat's lips compressed in a manner that made their lines on either side of his muzzle look positively squiggly, ears radiating enough heat for his boyfriend to use in tempering chocolate. "Th-this is a new position." Caudle understated, trying to work past his fluster.

       "A lovely one, I think." The dragon rumbled affectionately. Lifting one elbow from the floor, Hershel carefully picked up one of the confections from the box on his belly. "Now, the main event. These are a new recipe." Deftly, he raised up the chocolate to the dangling bat's muzzle. 

       Caudle was still blushing, but he had mostly gotten it under control. As he had no hands to work with, he helpfully opened his mouth, lips hugging his fangs slightly out of habit.

       Hershel placed the candy directly onto the bat's tongue, a gentle twist of his wrist bringing his ring finger and pinky to lightly coax Caudle's mouth shut. 

       The taste-tester in question brought his teeth back together obediently, then pressed his tongue to one side to bring the enrobed confection between his teeth again with his lips lightly pursed. The shell yielded to a burst of flavor far surpassing the lovely milk chocolate coating, leaving Caudle chewing and rolling the taste all around his mouth. He let out a happy sigh, indulging in the treat.

       Beaming with pride, Hershel lowered his elbow back down for the moment, watching his boyfriend's expression. "Happy Valentine's Day."