My feet were slipping on algae. I knew this place. It was the sewer. Muddy, full of garbage and refuse. Why was I so afraid? Why was I running so fast? Why couldn't I shift? My dragon form would be so much faster. All of a sudden, there was a sting on my back. Right between my shoulder blades, a piercing pain. It spread, turning anything it touched numb. I couldn't look back, couldn't slow down to see what was wrong.
Something underneath my foot. I slipped, tripped, went sprawling. Before I could even touch the water, if it could be called that, I was awake.
Stupid nightmares. I'd done it again, fallen asleep on the job. My eyes darted around. Tau had turned off the lights overhead, in their little wire cages, but he was still awake. He seemed to have gutted the entire computer by now, and was happily plugging new parts in seemingly wherever he thought they should go. I knew there was a lot more to it than that, but since I didn't have any experience with technology, it was almost magical to watch.
A single droplet hung from my eyelashes. I blinked fiercely. Nope, that definitely wasn't a tear. Totally just sweat. Those damn nightmares. I heaved myself off the couch, allowing the bright, fuzzy lights drifting over my vision to pass before taking a deep breath and continuing toward the kitchen. My most prized appliance, the trusty coffee maker, awaited. I dragged it out from behind the mini fridge (closest thing to cabinet space I had), startling Tau in the process. He spun around, eyes hidden behind some kind of goggles, a mechanical arm attached to his shoulder. It whirred softly and set the bag of tiny screws it had been holding on the desk behind him. He pushed the goggles up his forehead, tucking a detachable lens back into the display.
"What time is it?" I asked, rummaging around for the tin of coffee grounds.
"Almost morning, by my estimate." He glanced down at his wrist, where an entirely-too-large watch was perched. "Yeah, five A.M."
"Why are you awake?" I wondered. Now all I needed was a filter.
"I could ask the same of you."
"Wanted coffee. Did you even sleep?"
He shook his head. "Nope! But I made great progress. I'll be done in a few hours, I think. Still needs a few software updates. Your wi-fi down here is terrible."
"Don't fix it. My excuse for not having Facebook."
He cringed. "Stalkers, every last one of them. You don't need an excuse not to download that trash."
I smiled, hoping he wouldn't notice in the dim light. Didn't need to be ruining my reputation as a soulless bastard.
Our back-and-forth banter really was something. I didn't think either of us talked to other people much, which made for a more enlightened conversation. Neither had been dragged down by outside opinions and struggles, so we each had a unique take on ongoing events. It was refreshing, that's for sure.
Most of my contact with other people came in the form of long talks with my manager about how to market my form, how to make more money, and how the betting ring was going. That was the only reason I used the name Dragon. Since it was a popular name, a number of lower level fighters also went by it, making it easier for me to blend in, and once a bet was made, it couldn't be withdrawn. As such, people would bet on the fighter they knew to be a mid or high tier before even seeing the other, since my manager had several hired goons spreading lies around in the audience about how weak I was. It worked best when both of us made ourselves scarce directly after the match.
I shook myself slightly. I was up; might as well work out. After a cup or two of coffee, that is. It poured hot and brown and oh so heavenly. I hadn't known I was tensing up until I took a long draft of the scalding liquid and relaxed my shoulders. Bitter, pure, strong. Now I could be awake.
"Coffee?" I asked, noticing that Tau seemed rather curious.
"That's not coffee." He scoured the new ingredients he'd bought until he came up with a bag of sugar, then grabbed the carton of milk from the fridge. I handed him a mug depicting some ancient cartoon character from before my time, letting him destroy a perfectly good cup of coffee with his excessive quantities of sugar and milk.
After three or so cups of caffeine, I felt thoroughly awake and ready for a bit of training. The punching bag was prone to swinging wildly because of how far up it was suspended from, despite some support ropes I'd attached, which gave me a decent amount of exercise running after it to hit it again. It was a little odd, but a more accurate depiction of my fights than if it had just held still, or swung a little bit.
My wings formed faster today, after a few hour's rest. They were a bit sore, but ready for action, so I soared through the room, dodging my homemade obstacles and swooping when I needed. It was times like this the large space seemed entirely too small.
I decided to forego the treadmill that morning in favor of a few pullups. I was still having trouble doing more than one from a complete hang, at least in human form. In total, I could manage three at a time, but it wasn't easy. I was a little worse at chin-ups, but I figured part of it might be a mental thing. I was always stronger shifted, so that might have left a stigma that normal me needed to shift to be strong.
Regardless, my arms did need work, so I pressured through about five pullups before deciding to give up and just do curls. The only set of barbells I had were twenty pounds, which was pretty much perfect for a lot of what I did, but could use some variation. I made a mental note to get some more next time I was on the surface.
As a final step, I walked over to my small mirror on the wall, propped up between two bricks that stuck out just a little too far, and flexed my biceps. "Won't grow if you don't look at 'em," I muttered, remembering the advice I'd received a long time ago. Wonderful advice. Couldn't remember who'd told me that, but it was definitely true.
I was unused to exercising with another person present, but thankfully, Tau was completely absorbed with fixing the computer. His earbuds were in, playing some old 2000s band. Probably Fall Out Boy, by the sound of it.
I pulled on a pair of wading boots and set off toward the sewer. I wasn't planning on leaving, just needed a bit of time alone. After some consideration, I decided Tau didn't need to be notified of this, and left. Odds were good he wouldn't even realize I was gone, not if me literally flying around the room hadn't gotten much out of him.