“I… I love Tohru.” Koybayashi said, letting a weight off her chest.

Lucoa and Elma gave the redhead a very neutral stare. “You’re finally coming to terms with that?” Lucoa asked.

“What do you mean?” Kobayashi asked the ex-goddess.

“For the past three months, every time we see you two together you’re staring at her like someone would stare at a beautiful painting.” Elma told her.

“Yeah, and when we had dinner at your place the other day, she told you she put her tail meat in your food again and you scarfed it down like it was your first meal in a year.” Lucoa added on.

Kobayashi was slack jawed, “You guys didn’t tell me I looked like a lovesick puppy?” She said angrily.

“We tried but you kept saying we were crazy.” Elma pouted.

“Yeah girl, we had to wait for you to sort this out yourself.”

Kobayashi sighed and took a big swig of her drink. “Well, I’ve sorted it out now…”

“So is that the only reason you called us here?” Lucoa asked.

“No… I actually wanted to ask you guys…” Kobayashi began to say before she mumbled the rest of her statement.

“What was that? We couldn’t hear you.” Elma told her.

“I was wondering if… there was anything like an engagement ritual for dragons?” Kobayashi said, a blush lighting her face on fire.

Elma and Lucoa were shocked this time. “Kobayashi! That’s a serious commitment! Are you sure about this?” Elma asked.

Kobayashi thought about it for a second before nodding curtly. “I am, whenever I’m with Tohru I’m happier then ever. I actually look forward to coming home, knowing she’s waiting there for me.” She smiled. “I wanna show her that I love her just as much as she loves me.”

Elma and Lucoa smile, happy that Kobayashi genuinely feels that way about their friend. “Well, I might have something in mind, though it would involve skipping to the wedding night in a sense.” Lucoa said.

Elma nearly spat out her drink when Lucoa said that. “You don’t mean that ritual?!? That’s only for dragons who intend to mate for life, and even stay faithful after one mate’s death!” Elma explained.

“That’s why it’s perfect! I have a feeling Tohru would do that even if they didn’t do this ritual.” Lucoa said, defending herself.

“Mate for life… I think I’m okay with that.” Kobayashi said with conviction. “What would I have to do?”

Lucoa’s smile broadened on her face, she opened her eyes and showed off their intricate patterns. She was being serious. “I have to go and look for one but it’ll give you some time to set up a night where Kanna and Ilulu will be out of the house, you don’t want them there for this.” She told her, Kobayashi nodding as she followed along. “I will give you a special item that will turn you into a dragon for one night. It won’t be enough to make you an actual full fledged dragon but you’ll have dragon features like we do sometimes. Horns, wings, a tail, all that good stuff.” Lucoa continued.

“What next? It can’t be as simple as that.” Kobayashi said.

“The next part is up to you and Tohru. Since you know about and want to participate in this ritual, your dragon body is gonna start emitting a pheromone. You won’t be able to smell it but Tohru will, and she’ll let off her own version of it if she accepts your proposal which we know she will. From that moment on, you two will be bonded in heart and soul. You’ll feel everything the other feels, your thoughts will be heard together.”

“Is that it? Why would Kanna and Ilulu need to be out of the house for that? So they don’t get blasted with the pheromone?” Kobayashi asked.

“Well… it has to do with what comes after that.” Elma said, a blush coating her entire face. “In dragon culture, one mate tends to be more dominant than the other. These pheromones help the mates… solidify those roles.” Elma said, thinking her words through.

Kobayashi looked confused, not exactly putting two and two together. “One of you is gonna grow a dick and fuck the other senselessly.” Lucoa said with no hesitation.

It was Kobayashi’s turn to spit out her drink. “Are you kidding me?!? That’s so lewd and incredibly underhanded! So at that point I’m just asking for Tohru to fuck me?” She shouted, causing some people to turn their heads.

“Keep it down!” Lucoa said, giving the redhead a small tap on head to calm her down. “It’s mainly to stop the pheromones and cement your love for each other. Besides, you’ll probably be the one plowing her since Tohru gets really submissive around you.”

Kobayashi was a flustered mess as she thought this through. Though, her love for Tohru kept her determined. “I still wanna do this, I wanna show Tohru how much I love her!” Kobayashi said with determination.

Lucoa nodded and stood up, “Then I better get going! I’ll let you know when I find what I need.” She said before leaving the apartment.

“I should go too, you’ve got a lot to think about. I would also take some time off for the day of and after.” Elma said, heading for the door. She stopped for a second, “I’m happy for you Kobayashi, I know you two will be happy together.” She said before leaving.

Kobayashi sighed as she finished her beer, she didn’t grab another one, she had work to do.

____________________________________________________________________________

Kobayashi let out a huff, she had just cleared the main room of her apartment to give herself some space. It took Lucoa about a week to find the item that she was looking for, and it took about another weekend for Kobayashi to get everything set up. Kanna was spending the night at her friend’s house, and Ilulu understood what was happening since she was a little older and was staying with Lucoa.

Tohru was currently finishing a shift at the maid cafe and wouldn’t be home for about another hour, which would give her time to change and adjust to her new body, another tip from Lucoa.

Kobayashi stared at the small scale in her hands, this was her last chance to back out. Did she really want to do this? Did she really want Tohru to stay in her life forever? Before she could overthink anymore, she shoved the scale into her mouth and swallowed it. “I’m not talking myself out of this. Not like everything else.” Kobayashi said to herself.

Kobayashi waited and waited, desperate for the changes to start before Tohru got home. She began to wander around the apartment, wondering why the heat was turned up so high. She went over to the thermostat to find that it was actually turned down pretty low, then why did she feel like she was on fire?

Kobayashi started rubbing her temples, a headache starting to rack her brain. Her thumbs grazed two large bulged on her forehead that were very sensitive. Kobayashi started to peel off her clothes, the heat within her was to much and she needed to cool off. As she peeled the shirt off her back, two large bumps on her back were free to breath. She next took of her pants, allowing another bump near the base of her spine to breath as well. Kobayashi stood there, drenched in sweat, enjoying the cool breeze on her bare skin. That’s when everything kicked into overdrive.

Kobayashi’s hair broke free of the usual ponytail it was trapped in, growing down to just above her ass. Her back cracked as her spine’s strength went through the roof, any back problems she had were now nonexistent. Her legs grew in size and length, her thighs swelled with new meat, her hips snapped side to side as they grew in seconds. She grew slightly taller, only by a foot though. Next, her small chest began to blossom and grow, swelling to a size that conquered Tohru’s but still fell short of Lucoa’s. Though her human changes were finish, that’s when the beast was unleashed.

Horns burst out of the bumps on Kobayashi’s forehead, they were ridged and quickly turned upward and pointed to the sky. Long and beautiful yellow scale covered wings emerged from the bumps on her back, their wingspan was so long that Kobayashi could probably wrap them around herself. Her spine began to add onto itself, pushing against the bump on Kobayashi’s lower back and making it grow outward. This growth soon reached a length of five feet, it was obviously supposed to be her tail. The tip of her tail began to bubble up and take on a round shape, turning black and clashing with the yellow scales of her tail. The sphere on the tip of Kobayashi’s tail lost it’s perfect round shape as metallic spikes grew out all over it. The final details on Kobayashi’s body then took form, scales covered her hands as fingers became sharp claws, her teeth became razor sharp, and her pupils became more detailed.

Kobayashi huffed and puffed, little licks of flames escaping from her mouth with each breath. Kobayashi finally calmed down, her headache finally subsiding. Kobayashi was in awe at how good she felt, no back pain from sitting in her chair all day, no eye strain for staring at a screen all day. In fact, she didn’t even need the glasses! The overwhelming heat that was burning Kobayashi’s body was gone, replaced by a warmth reminiscent of staying under a toasty kotatsu all day. Kobayashi shudder as the cool breeze of the night brushed her new body, feeling heavenly.

“It feels like just I shedded my skin.” Kobayashi said, getting a better look at her new body. “Not bad looking either, like I finally hit a growth spurt.” She said with a smile. Kobayashi actually liked this a lot more than she thought she would. She liked the new height she had, she liked the new curves she had, she even surprisingly like the weight of all her new dragon parts. She turned to get a good look at her wings in the reflection of the sliding door, accidentally whipping her spike ball tail into the couch and making a large hole in it. “Uhhh, I’ll just ask Tohru to fix it.” Kobayashi reassured herself.

“Tohru! That’s right! She’s on her way home! I need to light the candles.” She said, looking at all the candles she set up. She reached for the matches she left out and accidentally pierced them with her new claws. Kobayashi let out a puff of air, which was followed by a small flicker of fire. This gave her an idea, she picked up one of the candles and held it close to her mouth, huffing again to light the candle. She took the lit candle and began to light the other candles. She was startled when wax dripped onto her hand, forgetting that they were covered in scales now. After lighting all the candles and creating a sexy mood, Kobayashi was ready for Tohru.

Tohru, that was the reason why Kobayashi was doing this. She closed her eyes and began to think about her dragon maid. She thought of her bright orange hair, how it looked good in any style wether it was in her normal twin tails or just flowing down her back. Her smile, the one that was always there to greet her in the mornings and when Kobayashi would return from work. Kobayashi smiled again, unknowingly releasing the pheromone that Lucoa had told her about.

____________________________________________________________________________

Tohru sighed as she climbed the stairs to her apartment. She was so excited to spend Miss Kobayashi’s day off with her but the maid cafe needed her! She was so exhausted, she didn’t even fly home. “I hope Miss Kobayashi ate something because I don’t wanna look at another frying pan again… who am I kidding, of course I’ll cook for Miss Kobayashi if she asks me too!” Tohru thought to herself as she reached the floor she lived on. She reached out to open the door when she smelt something heavenly. She knew this scent! Back when Tohru lived in her world, she would always be approached by dragons who wanted to be her mate, blasting this pheromone at her. She would always turn them down but that didn’t explain why it was currently coming from inside her house.

“There’s no other explanation! There’s another dragon in there trying to seduce Kobayashi! I won’t let them!” Tohru thought, ripping the door off its hinges and storming inside. She found her target, standing in her living room with their back turned towards her. “Who are you and what are you trying to do to my Kobayashi!” Tohru shouted.

The figure slowly turned, revealing herself to be Kobayashi. Tohru was stunned, what happened to her? Why was she a dragon now? Why was she emanating this pheromone? “Miss Kobayashi? Is it really you?” Tohru asked.

She slowly nodded. “I uh… I… damn it I should’ve practiced what I was gonna say!” Kobayashi said, stomping her foot and cracking the floor. “Look Tohru… I appreciate everything that you do around here and how you brighten up my day. I finally got it through my thick head how I feel about and got scared that you might leave one day. I want you to stay by my side as long as possible… so I asked Lucoa and Elma to help me out with this.” Kobayashi said, gesturing to her body.

Tears began to well up in Tohru’s eyes, “Do you really mean that Miss Kobayashi?” She asked.

“I do, I love you Tohru, I want you to stay by my side until the end of time. Will you be my wife?” Kobayashi asked, extending her arms to Tohru.

Tohru unleashed a torrent of tear as she nodded vigorously. “Yes! Absolutely I will!”She shouted, jumping into the arms of her wife.

That’s when Kobayashi caught of whiff of Tohru, when she first burst in Tohru smelled of the many meals that the maid cafe cooked up. Now, Kobayashi’s mind was flooded with the pheromone that Tohru was giving of in response to her own. It was intoxicating to say the least! Kobayashi looked deep into Tohru’s eyes before kissing her deep and passionately on the lips.

Tohru returned the kiss with an equal amount of passion. She did a quick spell to fix the door, she didn’t want anyone bothering the two of them. With the door fixed, she took another deep whiff of Kobayashi’s scent and became puddy in her hands, making her clothes vanish off her body as they started to celebrate their proposal.

***

“Wow Miss Kobayashi, you sure know how to propose.” Tohru said while catching her breath, lying on back against the cold floor.

“Well, Mrs.Kobayashi, I’m glad you accepted.” Kobayashi said, brushing a lock of hair out of Tohru’s face. “Now I’d say we should actually move to the bedroom but I don’t think the swelling has gone down.”

“Oh yeah, we’re stuck like this for a bit. But I’d wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.” Tohru said.

Kobayashi smiled, “Well, at least I thought ahead.” She said, pulling a large blanket from under their couch. “Goodnight Tohru, I love you.”

“I love you too… Kobayashi.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Sun shining through the glass of the sliding door caused Kobayashi to rouse from her slumber. She groaned as she pushed herself off the floor, being careful as to not wake Tohru. Sometime during the night, Kobayashi’s new equipment had not only dislodged itself from her wife but also retreated back into her. As she stood up, she stretched her arms, and in conjunction her wings and tail. “Huh, Lucoa did say I’d be a dragon for a day. Maybe I could learn some of Tohru’s tricks while I still can.” She thought.

She looked at the clock, Ilulu and Kana would be home soon. Since she was still asleep, Kobayashi lifted Tohru off the floor and carried her into the bedroom. “I guess I should get a bed that fits two people now, there’s no reason to make her sleep in another room.” She thought aloud as she set the maid on the bed. She tucked the maid into bed before stealing the blanket to cover herself up, since she didn’t have any clothes that could fit her new frame. After securing her outfit, reminding her of when she first met Tohru, Kobayashi started breakfast for the two of them.

As she was finishing up, a knock at the door broke Kobayashi out of her rhythm. She opened the door to find Ilulu and Lucoa. “Morning Miss Kobayashi… woah! You really did it!” Ilulu said, immediately noticing the horns and tail sticking out of Kobayashi’s cape.

“I sure did, but try and keep it down. Tohru’s still sleeping.” Kobayashi said, stepping to the side to let the younger dragon in. “Thanks for letting Ilulu stay the night Lucoa, you didn’t need to walk her home though.”

“Well… it was mainly so I could check on you two and prove myself wrong.” Lucoa said meekly, like she always did when trying to hide something.

Kobayashi narrowed her eyes at the ex-goddess. “Ilulu, can you keep an eye on breakfast while I speak to Lucoa?” She asked. After Ilulu took over the cooking, Kobayashi and Lucoa slipped into the main bedroom where Tohru was just waking up. “So, what’s the problem?” Kobayashi asked, cutting straight to the point.

“So… you might be a dragon… permanently.” Lucoa muttered.

“…what?”

“So yesterday I didn’t have time to call you before you did it but I realized that the scale only turned you into a dragon temporarily, however it can be extended if you make a deal or contract.” Lucoa started to explain.

“And our engagement says that we’ll stay together until we die, and long after as well!” Tohru said, figuring out what happened.

“So… let me get this straight. I took that scale to make me a dragon, and it would’ve lasted only for a little while. But since I proposed to Tohru and we technically made a deal to stay together until death essentially… im gonna be a dragon forever?” Kobayashi said, putting all the pieces in place. The other two girls in the room nodded.

Kobayashi let out a loud sigh and flopped onto her back. “Well, it could be worse.” She said, causing Lucoa to calm down a bit. “At least I get to spend more time with you.” Kobayashi said, taking Tohru’s hand.

“I’m happy too. Now, let’s get going. After breakfast we have a lot to do now.” Tohru said, standing up and changing her scales into her normal outfit.

“What do you mean?” Kobayashi asked.

“You’ve got a lot of learning to do! We need to teach you magic to hide your horns and tail, how to make your scales into clothes, we’ll even fly once you get the hang of the other stuff.” Tohru said, getting excited. “But for now, we need to tell Kanna and Ilulu the good news.”

Kobayashi felt overwhelmed by what Tohru listed off, but felt deep within her that everything would be alright, especially with Tohru by her side. “Yeah, we’ll figure this out. One step at a time.” She said, taking her wife’s hand.