#sheb

It was one of the few off-days and there were no fights scheduled, so many of the fighters were training individually or sparring with each other informally. Many of them stopped for a moment to salute Sheng or yell out greetings, which Sheng returned. Sheb looked around at the other fighters with an open, unguarded look of excitement. 

“Now,” Sheng said, bending to put a hand on Sheb’s shoulder. “You know why we’re here?” 

“To take my training to the next level?” Sheb said. 

“That, and to make a name for yourself,” Sheng said. “It’ll be far easier to make the cut when everyone knows your name, and the best way to do that is to show the entire city that your skill is undeniable. This place is designed to do just that. It’s sad to say, but the tournament is as much a popularity contest as it is a competition.” 

“Yeah, I’m well aware of that,” Sheb said darkly, recalling his many defeats. “Did you train knights as well as pit fighters?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Sheng replied. “Half of the younger fighters leave the arena to join the knight’s corps after gaining fame and recognition in the ring. Although, I will say, pit fighters are trained to be showy with their maneuvers, drawing a fight out to make it entertaining, whereas knights are trained to defend and kill quickly, since showboating on the battlefield could swiftly be the end of them. The styles are completely different, but a fighter can benefit from experiencing both.”

“Were you ever a knight, sir?” Sheb asked curiously. 

“No, no, I’ve always been a pit fighter from the beginning to the end. Sometimes, though, when the crown is in dire need of swords to repel an enemy or invasion, they’ll hire pit fighters as mercenaries to pad out their fighting force’s numbers. I fought in two such events.”

“Whoa!” Sheb breathed. “That’s amazing!” 

Sheng shrugged. “I much preferred the pits. Killing folks who didn’t even know what they were fighting for didn’t suit me at all.” Sheng cleared his throat and looked at Sheb sheepishly. “Not that I’m saying anything bad about the knights, of course, they do a necessary job. It’s just not something I’m built for, is all I meant.” 

Sheb nodded sagely. “I understand.” 

“Now, today I’ll be introducing you to some of the fighters here. Some of them have agreed to teach you a few tricks, and some of the others will be potential opponents. For the next few weeks, you and I will watch some of the fights, paying attention to the fighters’ movements and footwork. Got that, son?” 

Sheb nodded, his long ears flapping. 

“There’s someone in particular that I want to introduce you to,” Sheng said, looking through the fighters and gave an unintelligible shout, motioning at someone to come over. “I think you can learn a lot from her.” 

Trotting over toward the pair was a kobold with shining red scales that glittered in the sunlight, scattering motes of light on the ground around her as she moved. She was barely taller than Sheb and was much skinnier, and that was certainly saying something since Sheb was as lean as a whip. Her large, wide, emerald green eyes took up half of her face, and she had two pairs of ivory horns jutting up from her head. She wore only simple-cut training trousers made of muslin and no top, but since reptilian races did not possess mammary glands, wearing tops wasn't necessary.

“Tokai!” Sheng said, opening his arms. The small kobold launched her tiny body at Sheng, and he gave her a bone-crushing hug. “How have you been? Whipping the lads into shape?”

She laughed heartily as well, her voice deeper than Sheb would have assumed based on her size. “Of course! Just like you taught me, old man!”

“Good, good!” Sheng put the woman back on her three-taloned feet and introduced Sheb. “This is my protege, Sheb. Sheb, this is a youngun’ I trained before I retired, Tokai.” 

“Ah, yes, is this the lad you wrote to me about, right?” Tokai said, looking Sheb up and down appraisingly. “He seems fit. Your training still seems effective, despite being retired.”

“I’m still a professional,” Sheng said in mock offense. 

Tokai held out her hand, which consisted of only two fingers and a thumb, for Sheb to shake. “Nice to meet you, hatchling.” 

Sheb took her hand in both of his and shook it vigorously. “A pleasure, ma’am.” 

“Tokai is a vicious fighter,” Sheng said. “Her specialty is taking down opponents even bigger than me. She’s knocked the stuffing out of me on several occasions.” 

“Really?!” Sheb exclaimed, staring at Tokai in awe.

Tokai laughed. “Yeah, it’s no sweat. I’ve taken down bigger fish than this lug.” She smacked Sheng’s belly with the back of her hand, something that both mortified and fascinated Sheb.

“How did you do it?” Sheb asked in astonishment.

“That’s why you’re here, eh? I’m going to teach you how. Ready to get started?” 

“I came here ready!” Sheb replied with excitement.

“Hold your horses, you two,” Sheng said, prying the two of them apart. “We’re only here to observe for now. Basic training only until I say otherwise.” 

Both of the shorter fighters groaned in disappointment in much the same way, deflating.

“Can I at least train with Tokai during my basic exercises?” Sheb pleaded.

“Oho, I see how it is,” Sheng said. “Replacing me, are you?”

“No, no, I just–” Sheb stuttered. 

“He’s just teasing you, kid,” Tokai said, chuckling, and turned to address Sheng. “My goodness, he’s earnest, isn’t he?” 

Sheng nodded and laughed. “He’s much like you were when you started.” 

“Hopefully less foolhardy,” Tokai replied. 

They set about doing basic exercises, and Tokai corrected a few of Sheb’s habits that Sheng couldn’t given their differences in size, since what works for a big fellow couldn’t possibly be effective for a small fellow, but there’s no way for the big fellow to know that. Tokai then started showing Sheb a few evasion tactics while Sheng watched the pair of them proudly. By the end of the day, Sheb had dropped some bad habits and picked up some good ones, and the two small fighters walked away with high hopes for the next day. 

Sheng walked back home with Sheb riding on his shoulder to the middle ring of the city, which was the nice-ish neighborhood for the kind-of-rich-but-not-wealthy types, a category into which Sheng and Mrs. Tillman squarely fell. Sheng had saved an extraordinary amount during his pit fighting days, and according to Meetak, Mrs. Tillman had amassed a small fortune during a few years of working trade routes on the sea and maybe a little bit of piracy, though Sheb wasn’t sure he believed the second part.

“So, we’ll actually get to watch bouts tomorrow, right?” Sheb asked, bouncing around. 

“Oi, sit still, minnow!” Sheng said, poking him. “Yes, we’ll be at the arena bright and early tomorrow.” 

“I’m excited,” Sheb said.

“I can tell,” Sheng replied. He picked up Sheb by the scruff and put him back on his feet as they walked up to a nice single-level terraced house with a red roof and a small-but-well-kept herb and vegetable garden surrounding it. “But temper your expectations, lad. We won’t be there the whole day; tomorrow afternoon is when this week’s round of death matches are lined up, and I’m not exposing you to that mess. My missus is working on legislation to have those banned, but there’s been a lot of pushback from wealthy higher-ups who enjoy that sort of thing.”

Sheb had heard some horror stories about the death matches: even people who survived weren’t the same afterward and the money they earned did little to assuage their guilt. Sheb shuddered. 

“Will I get to see Tokai fight?” Sheb asked eagerly.

“Oh, yeah,” Sheng said. “She’s currently the top of her weight class, so she’ll fight the bulk of the featherweight bouts. The only way you’d avoid a fight with her is if she lost three bouts in a row and was pulled from the rotation, and that’s not possible.”

“Awesome,” Sheb said.

Sheng opened the door and walked into the antechamber, whistling. A small brindle-colored dog skipped from around the corner and yapped at Sheng’s heels. Sheng bent and scooped up the dog, holding it like a baby. 

“Sheng, is that you?” Mrs Tillman called as the two of them came into the main chamber. She came into view with Chu-Hua on her hip.

The main chamber was made up of a kitchen, dining table, and a small sitting area. On either side of the main chamber were two doors, one of which was the family’s bedchamber and the other was a library and office space, where Sheb and Meetak would be sleeping. The fact that their house was made of wood and had more than a single room was a testament to their status: peasants in the country, if they weren’t renting from someone who owned land, had single-room huts made of mud and straw. Peasants in the city typically rented a single room in a dormitory-style building. Sometimes a family of six or more would be crammed into a ten-by-ten foot room. Having any sort of structure that someone personally owned with more than a single room was highly unusual for peasants, especially in a city as overcrowded as Dunmountain.

A maid hired to work while the small family was in the city, another symbol of their wealth, bustled behind Mrs. Tillman, laying out the evening meal onto the large table. 

“Welcome home, my love,” Mrs. Tillman said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss Sheng’s cheek, who still had to bend down a bit for her to do it. He took a giggling Chu-Hua from her arms and kissed her little chubby cheeks. 

“Thank you. Where’s Chen?” 

“He’s in the garden, asleep. He climbed up and down the oak for about two hours before knocking out.”

“Sounds about right,” Sheng said, nodding. “Meetak out there with him?” 

“Yes,” Mrs. Tillman said. “He’s a good helper. Sheb, will you go and fetch the lads for dinner?” 

“Yes, ma’am!” Sheb said, darting out of the door just off the kitchen. 

Meetak was indeed under the large oak in the back garden, weaving grass rings with Chen sleeping starfished next to him. He looked up as Sheb trotted toward him. 

“Oh, hey!” He said, brushing the grass out of his lap. “How was your first day at the arena?” 

“Great!” Sheb said, poking Chen’s bare tummy to wake him. “I met one of Sheng’s old students! She’s amazing! She’s almost smaller than me and she can take down big guys like Sheng! I can’t wait to start training with her.” 

“I think I’ve heard her name in passing,” Meetak said, standing as Chen ran for the kitchen door on all fours. “Is she really good?” 

“I haven’t seen her fight yet, but she did my basic exercises with me, and I can already tell she’s incredible. She showed me some things that even Sheng doesn’t know, because he’s too big to do them.” 

“That sounds really promising,” Meetak said. “Hopefully you’ll learn a lot from her.” 

“I’m sure I will,” Sheb said, running ahead. “I really like her.” 

Sheb couldn’t help but notice that Meetak’s face went a little blank, and a frown set his eyebrows downward momentarily.

“What’s the matter?” Sheb asked.

Meetak shook his shaggy head and smiled, standing up and dusting off his hands. “It’s nothing. Let’s go get cleaned up to eat.”

Six months passed in the blink of an eye. Sheb, now eighteen, had gained exceptional techniques by training with Tokai, and today would be his first bout in front of paying spectators. He was starting small: he would be fighting amateur people from the common populace in his weight class who had paid to compete, betting on their victory. If they won, they would earn double their bets, but if Sheb won, he would keep the money they paid, with a fifty percent cut taken out for the arena. 

There was extra pressure to succeed on that fact alone. If he got too deep into debt to the arena, he would become an indentured fighter and wouldn’t be able to leave. It was a gamble, but it was the only way.

Meetak had decided to come out to watch Sheb’s bouts. It was the first time he’d ever set foot inside the arena, and though it wasn’t his taste, he wanted to be supportive of Sheb. Meetak knew Sheb couldn’t see him in the stands from where he was in the ring, but Sheb had told Meetak before going to the holding area that knowing he was there was really comforting.

His first bout was between Sheb and a human man; short, middle-aged, and unhealthily skinny. He seemed like a person who had once been quite strong but had lost all his strength for whatever reason, perhaps through a long disease or simple mismanagement of his lifestyle. He carried himself with the countenance of a far larger man, as perhaps he may have once been, swaggering and smirking snidely. It was this false bravado that made Sheb’s instant defeat of him that much more satisfying.

The next fight was with another goblin, one who was a bit older than Sheb and seemed quite drunk, perhaps put up to the fight by his friends, who were in the stands loudly cheering him on. Sheb smirked slightly, recognizing an easy win, and dispatched this one as quickly as the last. 

“Why are they only letting him fight those people?” Meetak asked Sheng. “They’re not exactly a challenge. I could knock those fellows out.”

“‘Flogging the fools,’” Sheng said. “That’s what we call these bouts. It’s an easy way to gain notoriety, and it’s completely fine to finish these quickly and without much showmanship, since a new fool will show up right away to replace the old one. There’s honestly no end to the stooges who’ll show up with no prior training, trying to win some money. The ones you see in the ring are only a tenth of the ones who show up. We have to weed out the ones who are sick or being coerced, otherwise there could be a huge legal mess. As much as people like the death matches, it’s another thing entirely for some kids to watch their grandpa get stomped to death.” 

“So the ones Sheb is fighting are the ones who make it through?”

Sheng nodded. “Since Sheb still ranks as an amateur, fool bouts are all he’s qualified to fight, but if he’s undefeated by the end of the week, he’ll move into the official line-up as an amateur champion. He’ll be somewhere between amateur and professional, which is right where he needs to be if he wants to be a knight. Going pro would be detrimental to his plans.” 

“Why?”

“The knight’s order rarely takes on squires who were professional ring fighters. By professional I don’t mean their reputation, I mean it’s how they make most of their money. I’m not sure why that’s the case, but it was a law that was passed a few decades ago. It’s probably because of money. Most laws exist because of money, in some way or another.” 

“Huh,” Meetak said. “I didn’t realize the ring hierarchy is so complicated.” 

“Ah, yes,” Sheng mused. “And it changes constantly. Whoever’s the champion today may not be the champion tomorrow.”

“Weren’t you the champion of your weight class for decades, though?” 

Sheng grinned. “I was a special case.” 

Sheb won another seven fights against the “fools,” as Sheng had referred to them, before exiting the ring for the next weight class. By the end of his bouts, it was clear even to Meetak’s untrained eye that Sheb was in a far higher league than any of the people he’d fought that day, so much so that it seemed asinine to make him wait a full week before moving up the ranks. 

Even still, the next week played out in the exact same way, and when it was announced that Sheb had been moved into the champion’s line up, it was a huge triumph. When Sheb heard it, he jumped into Tokai’s arms, joyfully hugging her tight. 

Meetak felt a sudden cold sting of jealousy wash over his neck and shoulders from where he sat in the stands, watching. He was sure Sheb meant it innocently; he had always been a bubbly, enthusiastic person. But still… it bothered Meetak. 

It didn’t help that Sheb talked about Tokai constantly, to the point that Meetak was sick of hearing about her. Meetak had met her briefly before, and she seemed like a perfectly decent person, but… Meetak couldn’t bring himself to like her. He knew it was petty jealousy, but it didn’t change anything. 

It also didn’t help that since Sheb’s transition to being completely physically male, they hadn’t explored their feelings for each other any further, putting anything related to their relationship on hold so that Sheb could focus on training. Meetak didn’t want to be selfish and insist that Sheb define their relationship formally, since he was so close to achieving his goal, but… they were both adults now, and what Meetak felt for Sheb was more than just teenage infatuation. He was genuinely in love with Sheb. 

And now this other person was in the way, and it just made Meetak anxious and insecure. It felt like Sheb was getting farther and farther away from Meetak, and he didn’t know what to do to stop it, if he even could, and Meetak felt as though Tokai was his biggest obstacle.

The night Sheb was accepted into the champion’s line-up, Meetak and the family had a congratulatory dinner in Sheb’s honor, where Sheb’s favorite food, fire-roasted trout, was served with a variety of vegetables and some rare dried fruits. After the dinner, Sheb decided to turn in early, since he’d be starting in the champion bouts the following morning. Meetak followed him.

“I actually get to fight Tokai in the ring tomorrow!” Sheb said, instantly putting Meetak on edge. “I know I won’t win against her yet, but she says it’s only a matter of time before I surpass her!” 

“Oh, well, if that's what Tokai says,” Meetak said sarcastically before he could stop himself.

Sheb narrowed his eyes at Meetak. “What’s your problem? I thought you liked Tokai.” 

Meetak sighed. “Do you… like Tokai?” 

“Well, yeah,” Sheb said, confused. “She’s a great fighter, I’m learning a lot from her.” 

“No,” Meetak said, scrubbing his face. “I mean, do you like her? Are you attracted to her?”

Sheb’s mouth dropped open and he didn’t answer for a full minute. 

“So you do?” Meetak asked, defeated. 

“No!” Sheb insisted, jumping to his feet and launching himself at Meetak. “I don’t like her like that! I love you!” 

“You promise?” Meetak asked, squeezing him tight. “You really do love me?”

“Of course! I told you I did!” Sheb pulled back and looked at Meetak with a grin. “Are you jealous?” 

Meetak frowned. “Don’t make fun of me.” 

“I’m not! I’m happy! You never said anything after I became male, so I thought you didn’t like me anymore now that my body was different!” 

“What?” Meetak said, aghast. “That’s not true at all! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I don’t know,” Sheb admitted shyly. “I was scared you didn’t want to be with me anymore.”

“That’s nonsense! Everything I’ve done, I did for you! Honestly, I’ve been really curious about it,” Meetak said, blushing under his fur. “Your new body, I mean. I’ve wanted to… see it… and… touch it… I’ve wondered… if… touching it feels good. If you’d like it if I touched it.”

Sheb gulped and he leaned forward to kiss Meetak slowly, deeply, before pulling back and saying in a trembling voice, “You can touch it. If you want to.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah.”

Meetak set Sheb back on his feet, and Sheb slowly began to undress, blushing furiously. Once done, Meetak could see his body fully, including the organ sitting half-hard in between his legs. Sheb was visibly shaking, and as Meetak lay his hand on Sheb’s flat, mildly muscled chest, raking his fingertips over his nipples, Sheb shuddered, his legs quivering. Meetak made slow progress downward, and Sheb’s cock continued to get bigger and harder. Finally, Meetak’s fingers brushed the base of the cock, and Sheb nearly dropped to his knees, gasping. 

“Did that feel bad?” Meetak asked, stopping but not removing his hand. 

“No,” Sheb breathed. “It was good. Really good.”

“Do you want me to keep going?” 

“Please. ”

Meetak closed his hand around Sheb’s cock, squeezing gently and slowly pumping it up and down, and Sheb moaned. Due to the height difference, it was a little awkward to reach down, even while Meetak was kneeling, so he picked Sheb up and sat him on the reading desk and sat at the chair. Now, he was able to see and feel better, though Sheb’s blush crept down his chest. 

Sheb’s cock wasn’t long at all; it fit into Meetak’s large hand completely with room to spare, but it was thick and bulbous in the middle, and it jumped in time with Sheb’s heartbeat, which was going pretty fast. The thought that Meetak wanted to taste it stuck in his mind and wouldn’t come out, so he bent his head and licked the tip, making Sheb yelp.

“What are you doing?!” Sheb screeched. 

“Did it feel bad?” 

Sheb huffed and considered it. “...no, but… isn’t it gross?”

“No,” Meetak said. “It feels nice.”

He leaned forward again and licked the shaft, making Sheb throw back his head and groan. After circling the head with his tongue, Meetak sucked Shebs member fully into his mouth. Sheb hissed and bucked against Meetak's mouth, grabbing his horns to steady himself. Meetak gripped Sheb’s hips and held him in place.

Sheb lay back on the desk with his legs dangling over the side, his head thumping slightly on the wood, allowing Meetak to do as he pleased, clearly enjoying it. His breathing was heavy and uneven, and he thrust upwards a little as Meetak continued to suck. 

“Meetak, stop, I’m–!” Sheb wheezed just as warm, thick fluid shot into Meetak’s mouth. Sheb moaned over and over until he was spent, and then laid limply on the desk. Meetak released Sheb’s cock from his mouth and wiped his lips. He lifted Sheb off of the desk and laid him back in his bedroll completely nude. After a moment, though, he sat up, looking at Meetak with misty eyes. 

“That was… really nice,” Sheb said. “I really enjoyed it. I’ve touched it a few times myself, but it didn’t feel as good as that. Do you… want me to… play with you?” 

Meetak shook his head. “I’m still… not alright with my own body just yet,” He said, shrugging. “I’m too self-conscious for it to feel good.” 

“Are you sure?” 

Meetak nodded. “It’s alright, really.” 

“If you say so,” Sheb said. “Wanna make out a little?” 

Meetak grinned. “Yeah.”

Another three months later, Sheb decided to enter the knight’s tournament. Sadly, the tryouts were not open to the public, so Meetak wasn’t able to watch, but he paced in front of the knight’s square gates, waiting for news. 

It seemed like it took all day, but eventually Sheb came out of the doors, looking beat up. 

“Well?” Meetak asked. 

“Meetak…” Sheb said, jumping up on Meetak and kissing him. “I made it!” 

“You did?!” Meetak squished Sheb against his body. “Congratulations! I knew you could!” He set Sheb back on his feet. “When do you start training?” 

“Tomorrow!” Sheb said excitedly. “I have to report bright and early to get my assigned knight and start work as a man-at-arms.” 

“I knew you could do it,” Meetak said, hoisting Sheb onto his shoulder. “Let’s go tell Sheng and Mrs. Tillman the good news!” 

There was a celebratory dinner that night, and Sheb and Meetak stayed up late, talking about the future. The next day, Sheb returned in the afternoon from being assigned far more subdued. 

“What is it?” Meetak asked in alarm. 

“Let’s… go to the library. I have to tell you something.” 

Feeling his blood run cold, Meetak followed Sheb to the library and closed the door behind him.

“What’s going on, Sheb?” 

“I’ve been assigned to a knight,” Sheb said, sighing. 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Meetak asked. 

“The knight I’ve been assigned to isn’t stationed here. He’s at the kingdom capitol, Holdwater.” 

Meetak’s heart stopped, then sped up. “But… that’s months of travel away.”

“Yeah,” Sheb said shakily. “They’re sending me out in a week.”

“A week?!” Meetak yelped. “Why so soon?” 

“Actually, they wanted me to leave today, but I asked to have a week to say goodbyes.” 

“So…” Meetak felt like he couldn’t breathe. “You’re leaving?” 

Sheb looked at the ground for a moment, then looked up at Meetak. “Do you want me to stay? You’ve done so much for me, this is only possible because of you. But you’re my best friend and my lover, and I love you. If you tell me not to go, I’ll stay.” 

“You’ll stay and resent me,” Meetak said sourly. 

Sheb shook his head. “No, I always knew me becoming a knight was a long shot, so I was always sort of prepared to fail. The only reason I succeeded is because of you. I don’t want to lose you.” 

“Should I come with you?” Meetak asked. 

“You can’t,” Sheb replied. “You promised to be Mrs. Tillman’s assistant for helping me achieve my goal. You wouldn’t be happy coming with me knowing you didn’t fulfill your promise. You know that.” 

“I know,” Meetak said fretfully. 

“Do you want me to stay, Meetak?” Sheb asked. 

Meetak took a big, big breath and released it slowly. “No. You have to go. I have to stay. For both of us to have our dreams… we have to say goodbye.” 

Sheb pulled Meetak into a hug from where he was sitting on the desk. “I’ll always love you, Meetak. Always. And I’ll write you letters as often as I can. And it may not be forever.” 

Meetak frowned. To him, it certainly felt like this would be a long farewell.

The week passed by far too fast, and before Meetak knew it, Sheb was packed and ready to board the cart bound for Holdwater. Meetak squeezed Sheb tightly, willing himself not to cry. 

“You have to become a great knight, Sheb,” Meetak said, his voice unsteady. “You have to be known all across the country. So that I can tell everyone that that wonderful, brave knight is my very best friend.” 

“I will,” Sheb said, his face buried in Meetak’s neck. “I swear.” 

Sheng gabe Sheb a bone-crushing hug, and Mrs. Tillman kissed Sheb on the cheek. Meetak picked Sheb up, placed him on the cart, and took a step back. 

“Goodbye, Sheb.” 

Sheb’s returning smile was quivering and watery. 

“Goodbye, Meetak.” 

The coachman snapped the reins and the cart took off. Meetak stood there, staring down the road, long after Sheb left his sight.

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