My heart squeezed with affection.
It was time to tell him.
“Muzo,” I murmured. “I—”
He gasped, loud and sudden, as if hit by a revelation. He sputtered and pointed over my shoulder with unbridled enthusiasm. “Cobalt!”
“Huh?”
“The snail! There’s another one!” Muzo cried.
I released him as he wriggled out of the hug and ran over to a different section of the tank. He glanced down at the snail in his bucket, then at the snail inside the aquarium.
“It’s the same kind,” Muzo exclaimed. “Did you know?”
I let out an amused huff as I joined him. “Are you asking if I know exactly what lives in my hoard?”
Muzo looked sheepish. “Oh, yeah. I guess that’s a dumb question to ask a dragon.”
I smiled, putting my hand on his shoulder. “I was only teasing. You’re right. It’s a Chromatimaeus brackish river snail—the same one as in your bucket.”
“Chromatimaeus brackish river snail,” Muzo repeated, slow and deliberate. “Try sayingthatten times fast... So wait, what exactly is your hoard, Cobalt? Is it everything in this room?”
“Not quite. It’s difficult to describe.” I nodded towards the nondescript brown and gray snail inside the tank. “My hoard is this specific creature’s natural environment. A miniature ecosystem, you could say. A brackish river on our home island, complete with the same substrate, the same plants and animals. I’ve done my best to recreate it and make the most comfortable home possible.”
Muzo cocked his head curiously. “Hold on. This whole gigantic chamber... is for a single little snail?”
I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. “It’s not flashy, or interesting to most people. But it’s my passion.”
“Cobalt,” Muzo murmured.
I turned my head to avoid his gaze. “I’m sorry if you expected a fascinating hoard.”
Muzo’s laugh was unexpectedly warm. “What? No way, dude. This issoyou!”
I blinked, looking back at him in confusion. “It is?”
“Cobalt, nobody else in the world is as kind as you. You went out of your way to make a super comfortable home for a plain little creature.” Muzo blushed. “Kinda like what you did for me.”
My alpha instincts blazed. “You are not plain. You’re special to me, Muzo,” I growled.
He grinned. “Just like the snail, right?”
I huffed, crossing my arms. “You’re even more special to me than the snail. But yes, I understand your point.”
Muzo glanced into the bucket. “Hey, you think this tank has enough space for two? I bet that guy would like a friend.”
Hope blossomed within me. The snailneededa friend—a mate.
“It’s interesting you say that. My original goal was to breed the snail and reintroduce them back to their natural habitat,” I explained. “But this isn’t an asexual species. I needed two snails, but for ages, I only had one. A single, lonely snail.” I smiled at Muzo. “Not anymore. Thanks to you, the species has a fighting chance.”
Muzo beamed with pure happiness. “Wow. That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what he’d said. His cheeks flushed a deep color and he stammered, “I mean, I don’t mean like—well, I did, but—”
I leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss.
Muzo let out a tiny squeak of surprise before giving in to it. He sighed, kissing me back. I wrapped my arms around his small back, holding him close.
