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Chapter Text

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1003 After Ilroass, first full moon of spring,

Todays witnesses have come together at dawn to watch the new king and the kings guard get chosen by their dragons. A ritual that just once in a lifetime can be watched in a collective and festive way like we witnessed it today. 
Getting chosen by the current dragon king the omens for a blooming live of the king and kingdom are as good as they haven’t been in centuries.

First writer of King Ynur the third 

~~~

“Shhh! Thats it.” Jeongguk mumbles, his voice as quiet as possible while he rocks the baby dragon, that just hatched a couple of days ago, in his arms. Its almost too big already to be hold like that, but the creature, now its nose pressed snuggly against Jeongguks chest, just wouldn’t calm down otherwise. 

He walks around the room in small circles, humming a melody that is stuck in his head since morning, calming the dragon further, until it purrs, the sound higher than it would be from an older dragon, but it has the vibrations from it stuck in his bones anyway.

Somewhere in the hallway outside the room an alarm goes off, which stirs the dragon awake, almost, wouldn’t Jeongguk be fast enough to distract the baby with another soothing melody, it has the dragon blink at him irritated, a puff of smoke escaping its nostrils before it snuggles close again, sensing that it is safe for it to do so. 

When the alarm stops again, probably just a sensitive sensor that made itself known, and the commotion that it caused in the hallways goes back to its usual quiet shuffling, Jeongguks humming evolves into a whispered song. 

The circles he walks getting smaller around the crib, when you want to call the sleek white and sterile underground that is closed of by metal so that the baby dragon wouldn’t roll around too much or create unobserved chaos, anything that comes close to the official term. 

Jeongguk never is the least surprised when a newly hatched dragon doesn’t want to sleep in their “cribs” and are fussing as much as possible, he is honest, he would just do the same. 

Normally every kind of fabric is forbidden in these rooms, the risk too high that they catch fire or are drowned by any other element the dragon might be able to bend to their will. It has caused a lot of issues in the past, at least thats what they told Jeongguk when he begun working at the clinic near the academy that he goes to school at, that not just tends to abandoned dragon eggs but also to those who have gotten injured in any kind and form during their training or their free time. 

Which results in plain white rooms, with nothing that could even spend a thought of comfort to anyone in it with way too bright and cold lights which Jeongguk (without the knowledge of the authorities) swapped out to adjustable once, at least in the rooms the newly hatched dragons reside in for the first few months of their lives. 

While there are usually maybe one or two abandoned dragon eggs per year there are a lot more injured dragons. Its common and usually nothing that needs a lot of worry. Especially Dragons under fifty years old are a lot more boisterous, you could say then they are in their teenage years, with a lot of energy and just not quite the right amount of knowledge how to use their strength yet, even those who have a trainer are lost to their boisterous side more often than not. 

Jeongguk struggles a bit when he tries to put the dragon down again, his arms heavy and tired from holding it for this long, but with some soothing and reassuring words he manages to get it to curl down in its crib, reluctantly, yawning at him, blinking with its big eyes grudgingly, which causes Jeongguk to apologize to the baby, promising it to look into the storage room if he can find something that would at least provide the baby dragon some sort of comfort.  

Just a minute later he closes the door behind himself with a silent click, sighing into the constantly buzzing air of the bright white walls of the clinics hallways. He doesn’t really think he would be able to find something in their storage that wouldn’t be directly taken away from the baby dragon as soon as someone else would discover it, but he makes his way over a couple of hallways down anyway, to at least take a look like he promised he would, heart too soft to not to. 

“Jeongguk?” 

He whirls around, his spine silently cracking from the fast movement echoing unpleasantly through his body, his eyes widening, his hands behind his back, trying to hide the patterned blanked he just found, on instinct.

“Relax, its just me.” The high giggle of his friend echoes around them, his friends eyes, forming crescents due to him laughing, has Jeongguk cursing him under his breath. 

“You scared me for a second.” He mumbles, shaking his head, he had never been able to find out how Jimin does it, the silently walking up to him whenever he can, when, with everyone else, these floors are a choir of squeak sounds wherever one has to go.

“I thought you wouldn’t be here the next few days?” 

“Ari called, because she couldn’t calm Mango down.” 

“Who’s Mango?” 

“No one!” Jeongguk is quick to turn around again, to not have to face his friend, but his voice sure gave him away, they know and have worked together for three years now, Jimin doesn’t have to see his face anymore to be able to tell when Jeongguk tries to hide something. 

There is a beat of silence, two, three that he just stares into the storage room, at the hand sanitizer right in front of his nose, he is sure could the bottle speak it would mock him, before he almost is able to hear it make click in Jimin’s mind. 

“You gave the newly hatched dragon a name!” He whispers, Jeongguk is glad he does, even gasping exasperated, probably having put a hand over his mouth in his shock. 

Technically (not just technically) its forbidden to give a dragon a name when you’re not its trainer (even then its frowned upon), which Jeongguk in this case obviously isn’t. They have to strictly call them by the numbers they are assigned when they hatch, no matter how old, its a form of respect, the people say, but Jeongguk always thought its just cruel, especially when a dragon hatches in the confines of a clinic and not within its family, who would name it then, for whatever the reason might be that the egg had gotten abandoned in the first place. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He mumbles, trying to come off as innocent, which he fails miserably at, when he gets whirled around by his shoulder. 

“You know thats forbidden! What when someone else catches you!” 

“They won’t” 

“You just spilled it out in front of me!” 

“Because I know you wouldn’t call the authorities on me!” There have been many instances in these past three years where Jeongguk didn’t act like the protocol told him to and where Jimin could have run to the higher ups, but his friend never did, for whatever reason he always had Jeongguks back, right from the start.

“Maybe I should for once.” Its just faint words that could be mistaken to be a sharp intake of air instead, but Jeongguk heard him anyway. Now he is the one who chuckles knowing that his friend wouldn’t do that, his words an empty threat. 

“Have you met her yet?” He glances over his shoulder, fiddling with the blanket in his hands. Jimin hadn’t been here the past week, he went home to meet up with his family, just like Jeongguk Jimin grew up in a small town on the outskirts of their country and traveling always requires at least a day, even with the newest and fastest trains, which is why they take off at least a week when they go home. 

“I haven’t, I just arrived in fact.” The older says, looking curious anyway, his blond hair with these typical rainbow coloured highlights Jeongguk never has seen him without, bouncing slightly when he moves back and forth on his feet. 

Jeongguk steps back, closes the door to the storage and, with the blanked in one hand he grabs Jimins hand with the other, before he drags him the couple of hallways back until they slip again into Mangos room, where the baby dragon sits in its crib, green eyes wide while blinking at them innocently and questioningly.       

Seems like sleep hadn’t wanted to stay with it. Her yellow-y orange scales shining almost glittery in the dimly lit room, her wings, which she flaps lazily, are still feathered while her tail, not yet sporting the thorns that usually adorn a dragons tail when they are older, is curled around her legs, reminding him of how a cat would do it.

“I can see why you called her Mango.” Jimin says next to him, before he carefully steps close to the baby dragon, holding a hand out for it to see how it would response, like there even would be a bad reaction to him, never did Jeongguk see a dragon of any kind or form react anywhere near badly towards his friend, its always the opposite, Jimin is always adored, instantly respected, when Jeongguk wouldn’t know it better, he would have assumed Jimin himself to be a dragon. 

Once Jeongguk asked him how he does it, but all he received was a chuckle and a shrug, telling him he doesn’t know as well, he just has talent or so. 
Its just the same now, with Mango sniffing his hand, before she snuggles into it just a second later, even purring loud enough for Jeongguk to hear it from his place next to the door. 

His shoulders sack, “I see, I see.” He pouts, even when he doesn’t want to. He wasn’t really jealous of Jimin even though he finds himself frustrated with himself sometimes, when he sees how dragons are always responding to his friend so positively. 

“Come here you big baby.” Jimin waves him over with his free hand and Jeongguk goes easily, finding his place next to Jimin with a baby dragon blinking up at him innocently. “You’re a traitor.” He whispers at it, just to get jumped at. 

The unexpected action and the weight that gets swung at him has him stumbling back, the blanket falls out of his hands, so that he is able to catch the dragon that presses itself against his chest like it did just half an hour ago the nose buried in Jeongguks chest, purring, like it wants to apologize to him, it has him chuckling.  

Jimin next to him tumbles over laughing, hands around the metal of the crib, “I guess this won’t do much.” 

“Yeah, she will have everyone on their feet all around the clock.” Jeongguk sighs, holding her a bit closer than needed. 

“She seems to like you though, guess we have to call you a lot more often then.” Jimin winks at him exasperated, picking up the blanked that he looks at with a frown before he puts it into the crib, “you better doesn’t burn it little one,”  Jeongguk doesn’t have high hopes with that, but he doesn’t say something. 

“I hope I will still have enough time to come by.” Jeongguk now, walking in small circles again, feeling it putting his mind at ease like it does the baby dragons. 

“You will, I’m sure.” 

“Yeah, because I won’t get chosen anyway.” 

“Don’t say that, I’m sure there will be some dragon that would love to have you as their trainer.” 

Jeongguk just sighs, there has to be, but all of that doesn’t really is in his own hands, and while he loves to care for dragons like he did the last three years and around here they react relatively positive towards him, he will probably not find a dragon that would be willing to have him as their trainer. 

“Your aura is barely visible!” 
“You’re too weak to be a dragon trainer!” 
“Too soft to handle a dragon!” 
“Stupid to think you could make it!” 
“Stay behind!” 
“This isn’t a playground for weaklings like you!”  

Its not like he has that big of a choice, he would love to stay back and become a full time caretaker at the clinic, putting his medical degree to its full potential, it has always been his dream after all, but…

“How is she doing?” 

“She is hanging in there I guess.” The last time he spoke with his sister she had sounded stable, her voice mostly void of the pain streaks she usually can’t hide. 
But his parents hadn’t been able to hide that her condition is everything but stable.

"You’re doing your best Jeonggukie.”

“I try.” But sometimes, it doesn’t feel like his best is already good enough, not when his sisters life depends on it.

Mango shoves her nose into his chest when his thoughts threaten to wander, pulling his attention back to her and his arms, that become heavy already. 

“You know little one,” he sighs when he stops next to Jimin and her crib, “its time for you to take a nap.”  He puts her down, onto the blanked which she sniffs at, before she finally settles, curling herself on it, shoving her nose into the soft material. Mango is asleep before they can do more than leave her room on quiet feet.

“Are you going back to your dorm now?” Jimin asks when they are stopping by the small staff room, its empty except for a small table and some chairs and a sofa pushed to a wall, on one of the chairs Jeongguk had left his bag when he arrived in a hurry a couple of hours ago. 

“I guess. I don’t really have much to do, so I could help out as well?” When he is being honest he doesn’t really know what to do with himself, since he has nothing left that he could distract himself with. 

He has done all the assignments that have been left until the choosing day that would be the start of the program of the new school year.

The past three years he has spend at the academy have been almost strictly for his and his classmates to learn as much about dragons that can a book provide them with as possible. Divided into different courses Jeongguk has learned about all sorts of things, Dragons language, bodily and vocally, learned how to approach a dragon best in as many scenarios as the author of their books could imagine. He learned in theory how to earn a dragons trust and which attributes they find important and are responding to the best, he also learned that he doesn’t fit in the theoretical sense to any of the examples that they have been provided with. 

Whenever they went to the dragon side, near where the local dragon clan has their caves, but not near enough to be perceived as threatening (its highly forbidden to come close to a dragons cave especially when one wans to life another day since dragons are highly territorial and not even spare their chosen trainer), it had been clear as day that neither of the dragons, no matter which age, will likely choose him in the end, the looks that had been casted in his direction always fleeting, disinterested, his aura, a glimmering yellowish, way too soft to be interesting to any of them. A bright aura means a strong trainer after all. 

So, whenever they had been out which is once a week during the school year for those approaching their choosing, he had brought books and notes with him to sit in the grass and make the best out of his time there, learning about dragons history, the clan that is home here and others, he originally had wanted to sign up for a historical course but he wasn’t accepted for whatever reason, instead he tried to stay on top of medical topics, because even with his degree there are always new improvements in medicine that need to be studied and understood to be as effective as possible, which has also helped a lot with his work in the clinic.

“You should relax some more Jeonggukie, its still your summer break.” 

“When I relax even more I think I need to run into a wall or two.” He shakes his head, opening a bottle of water to pour some into two glasses. “I have read every book, have made and went through all my notes of the past three years, which I know of are irrelevant for the choosing, which is why I have the feeling I go crazy and I have nothing else to do than worry and stare at my dorm room ceiling and listen to Namjoon fawning over his dragon Heaven and his new boyfriend that he apparently finally asked out over the summer, which is a win I guess.” 

He loves his best friend, Namjoon is one of the few that isn’t talking bad behind Jeongguks back or in front of his face, and, over the last years he has become Jeongguks rock in some situations and while he is genuinely happy for the older he can become sappy pretty often and he has a liking for rambling about absolutely everything for hours on end, which, since the two are sharing a dorm room, has caused short nights not just once. 

“He finally asked Jin out?” Jimin nips at his water with wide eyes, equally invested in their friends love life. 

“I think Jin asked Namjoon out, but I haven’t gotten to that part of the story yet.” He chuckles, having his best friends pouting face in front of his inner eyes when Jeongguk received this call earlier, cutting them catching up short. 

The older had been away for the summer, a camp somewhere on the country side where the dragon trainers can deepen the bond with their dragon when both of them want to, mostly those who are new trainers are choosing to go at the end of their first year together with their dragons. 

“I’m happy for them both, it has been about damn time.” Jimin chuckles, his glass landing on the table between them, emptied. 

“How…?” The door to the staff room being opened interrupts Jeongguks question, when he turns slightly to see who it is, Aris grinning face comes into his vision. “You’re still here!” She says, falling into another empty chair, seemingly exhausted. 

“I am.” He nods, “Zero Six One Three should be asleep for a few hours at least.” 

“Oh finally. That little one had me in despair.” She says, some strands of her hair falling out of her ponytail when she shakes her head. 

“How did you know Jeonggukie could calm her?” Jimin asks, smiling at Jeongguk, who feels warmth seep into his cheeks suddenly. 

“She seemed to be comfortable enough with him, he had been the first one to be there when she hatched, just took a wild guess.” She grins at him and than at Jimin, luckily not telling the older that Jeongguk had slept in that same room for a night or two, too excited and also worried when the egg showed the first cracks.

“Does the report say where the egg had been found?” Jimin asks after a few moments of silence, his smile just faintly reflecting on his face anymore, instead a small frown tugs at his handsome features. 

“No, the last few eggs that had been found didn’t have a location attached to their files either.” Ari shakes her head again. Its true, Mango hadn’t been the only dragon egg that had been found unattended and seemingly given up by the parents this year, it had been already a handful, more than the last few years together.  

A blaring alarm interrupts either of their thoughts about the matter, and has them jumping up when multiple pings echo through the room. The devices they always carry with them showing a few concerning details. 

It has all of them out of the door and running down the hallway in mere seconds. “You still have time?” Ari asks, binding her ponytail again, Jimin and him disinfecting their hands. 

“Sure.” 

“We will need all help we can get I guess.” Jimin mumbles shooting him a quick smile, some fleeting emotion Jeongguk can’t quite pin point in his widened eyes, before he opens the door to the emergency area where multiple dragons and, what Jeongguk assumes must be their trainers, have landed. All of them injured, bleeding and roaring in pain. The details in the rushed first report stating that the injures had been caused by a small revolt or something, a conflict maybe. Jeongguk was just glad that he wouldn’t have to write the end report, because it really wasn’t looking like wounds caused by the first named causes. 

~~~

“You’ll see everything will be fine!” 

At this point Jeongguk has heard those words a tad bit too often to belief them, especially since they always and exclusively come from his friends who naturally have his back and are believing in him and abilities he himself isn’t too sure he actually possesses. These past couple of days it have been just Jimin and Namjoon who tried to talk him down from the nervous pedestal he is standing on, always threatening to fall down the void of his own mind.

Now, when hearing those words again, Jeongguk just nods, staring at the coffee mugs sitting on his desk, in between his books and notes and sketches, normally a calculated chaos, today just a chaos that resembles his with nervousness and when he is honest, fear, shaking insides, trying (and failing) to calm himself down. 

He hasn’t been able to sleep that past night, his nerves wouldn’t allow him to close his eyes for more than just a minute, before providing him with all the horror scenarios it can come up with, which have accumulated into an impressive number at this point, but are in no way helping his cause of finding much needed rest. 

Instead he had been up and ready even before Namjoons alarm went off, the dragon rider clothes he picked out of his closet, an old set that once belonged to his father, sitting snuggly against his skin. The leather, a dark colour, was silently buzzing with the old technology that makes it first and foremost resistant against the elements, which is crucial when around dragons even more when planning to spend it on a dragons back for the majority of the day. Which Jeongguk doesn’t plan to do in the slightest, just knowing that these clothes once belonged to his father had brought him much needed comfort. 

The fabric is thicker than it would be for the uniform dragon trainers normally wear, it also has a lot less pockets or fixtures that are able to hold some of the whips that are coming with the uniform, long and thick enough to hurt dragons even through their thick and usually shielding scales, apparently they are used to and he quotes “to apply just the right amount of tough love everyone needs sometimes” which he understand as “use these to hurt the dragons that should trust you on their own to violently discipline them and form them in an unnatural way that is solely build on fear and violence”. He is still disgusted to have not just one teacher heard saying it, disgusted that they willingly hurt who they claim they care about. In these three years, he has seen a lot, especially hurt dragons, scarred by those whips reaching deeper than just their skin.

Which is why he would never wear those tools, even when the uniform that he signed up to receive would have been delivered to him and not somehow gotten lost (Jeongguk wouldn’t be the least surprised when his teacher, who had collected the applications for it, had thrown it in the bin, hoping to discourage him to not even show up and try, he had not just once overheard them talking about him badly in the past). Luckily for him it wasn’t required to wear one to participate in the choosing.

Namjoon, the best friend he is, had offered Jeongguk his spare one, that, since both of them are build similar, would probably just sit a little bit loose on him, but he had declined the offer thankfully, explaining that he rather wears his fathers old clothes than something the academy, for whatever reason, doesn’t want to provide him with anyway.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t contemplated taking Namjoon up on the offer anyway, and when it would just be to not stand out even more than he usually already does, but the fabric had him shudder in disgust the second he had touched it. All the technology that is worked into the set of clothes had been feel-able, had his skin crawling uncomfortably while it buzzed with the constant seemingly never ending whirr the technology creates.

He gets that it was somewhat important for the teachers to monitor their vitals and such and get to analyze the situation through his bodily reactions so that they can stay ahead of things and react accordingly should something go badly, which is always a possibility with newly chosen trainers and the usually young dragons that have chosen them.

Now he risks appearing even weaker in front of his classmates and teachers, but actually he can’t really find it in him to care about it at all, especially when it prevents his teachers to see just how anxious he really is. Let it be an error from the academy that he hasn’t gotten his dragon trainer uniform yet, even though he passed every test they had to take previously (all of them purely theoretically), should they treat him as the outsider he is in his department, he guesses he will worry about what will happen next when he got chosen (not that he really believes in himself, but nobody needs to know just how small he feels right now). 

He catches the concerned look that Namjoon regards him with, through the mirror Jeongguk stands in front of now, overlooking his appearance one last time, putting his shoulder long hair up into a bun. “You’ll see, everything will be fine.” He says, letting his brows wander up suggestively, pulling a laugh out of his friend. 

“You know it still isn’t too late to change into my old uniform?” 

“Actually,” his eyes cast out of the small window, their room on the highest floor of the old building, providing a wide view over the fields and the mountains far in the distance, “we are already late”  

It is still loud out in the hallways, indicating that they by far aren’t the only ones that are running late. 

“They never start punctual.” Namjoon shrugs, a crooked grin on his lips.

“Yeah, but I’m comfortable,” at least as comfortable as he can be right now. “Like you said, it’ll be fine, let them think what they want.” 

He reminds his friend of his own often spoken words, that Jeongguk gets to hear whenever he had an encounter that was leaving him feel like a failure, which sadly happens way too regularly. And while he often fails to actually not think about what other people might think off him, especially when they make a point in always reminding him of it anyway, he can always stand up and try again to ignore them. 

He gets a sigh as an answer, reluctant and full of unsaid but already heard words. Jeongguk would like to sigh over his own stubbornness and his fathers words in his ears that are playing on repeat for hours now as well, telling him that he should just do what his heart tells him to, that it would know what to do, that all he needs to do is trust himself and in his abilities, like it would just be this easy.    

Instead of doing so he grabs the small notebook that he clips onto his belt hoops, everything that is written into it he has already memorized but having it softly collide with his thigh with every step, has him a little bit less antsy feeling. 

“Do you have everything?” Namjoon asks when they are already out of their dorm room and in the still bustling hallways, searching their way through the people standing and running around with loud anticipation. 

The day of the choosing has every student and teacher and everyone who comes to watch the event, like its some sports thing where the players are expected to play dirty to go home with the biggest win of their career, bustling around in preparation and anticipation, transforming the usually relatively quiet hallways into a nightmare of different not really well going together voices, creating an uncomfortable pounding behind Jeongguks forehead. 

Even though the actual choosing was a matter of maybe an hour, it has a lot of people coming by, actual students, former students, their families and the families of those who are getting chosen, teachers, politicians, press, the whole town even, not that they all have a place on the terrace, but they don’t need to since it gets streamed on all important TV channels. But not just the choosing but also the secluded moments that usually happen between the dragon and their new trainer away on a field where the general public hasn’t any access to is getting streamed, transforming a process that once, according to the history books Jeongguk has read, has been a private and even intimate affair, into a spectacle. 

Every academy goes on about the matter differently, but almost all of them have in some form or way found their way to the public, into the TV showing off more than they probably should, and while Jeongguk hates it, its nothing he can change.

Their academy named Dwell, by their place near the mountains and the dragons that are living within them, gives their students three major fields to graduate in, and each of them are mostly staying secluded from each other, since not just their dorms are secluded but also where they are assigned to sit in the dining hall, their courses, even though the different majors are often required to take the same. 

It is kind off frowned upon should in rare cases students of different majors somehow build friendships, for whatever reason it isn’t liked when a trainer, a dragon rider (most of them are getting trained for military purposes) and a caretaker are getting along. 

Jeongguk already misses the quiet that had been around over the summer, just a handful of people had stayed back in the academy, most of them went home or to a camp, gone are now the slow mornings and dripping like honey sunsets he loves to watch so much.

Holding his head high, ignoring the mocking glances he already receives, stirring off not really mumbled mockery by the people around he nods at Namjoon, “yeah.”   

He watching one of his classmates run down the hallways, head seemingly all over the place, pockets filled with a lot more stuff than needed, even spilling some of them onto the deep purple carpet lining the dragon trainers dorms hallways. 

They have to step aside when a handful of students almost run them over, fast on their feet out of the building and over the wide field leading to the tribune, probably in the hopes they are still early enough to secure some good seats (which they won’t be). 

“Hey Jeon!” 

“Just ignore them.” Namjoon next to him whispers, urging him to walk faster, but to no avail, when Jeongguk, who hadn’t planed on reacting anyway, gets grabbed by his shoulder, stopped in his steps without his consent and spun around.

“What do you want?” He asks, barely giving the group in front of him a look. All of them dragon trainers already chosen or about to be. A small part of Jeongguk had hoped he wouldn’t have to face them, but even before the day really begun his luck seems to have run out. 

The hand that had made him stop falls from his shoulder, replaced by mocking laugher. “We just wanted to ask if you have finally given up, not that either of us thinks you would be accepted as a dragon rider instead.” He gets a regarding look over his attire, feels it more than he sees it, but it pisses him off anyway.

Jeongguk just rolls his eyes before he turns around again and walks towards their destination again. This group of handful of students, not all his classmates, some are older which have gone through the whole process of getting chosen already, had taken a liking to harass Jeongguk whenever they can, which is almost every day, since there aren’t many opportunities to bolt in the confined space of the academy, which is still large, but sadly not large enough not to run into them. 

At first Jeongguk had been bothered whenever they said something even more than he still is today, especially in the first months of his first year here. He had been even quieter back then, had been even shier and secluded because of his softness and the nervousness everyone could sense in him whenever they visited the dragon side, to early on get a feeling for how it would be a few years down their training. 

But he realized pretty early, that the group around Isagi, the loudest of them all, always seeking Jeongguk out to tell him how much of a loser he is in his eyes, are just talk rather than actions, at least until now, Jeongguk can’t quite predict how they will evolve after today, when the few without a dragon by their side are assigned their new roles, but he guesses that it won’t be for the better. 

He can hear them laugh in his back, can hear them curse him, can hear them make up stupid things that mostly involve him getting injured, can hear them mock him with every step he takes, but he ignores them to his best ability.

 Putting, his beginning to get clammy, hands into the pockets of his jacket, grabbing and twisting the inside material when he feels them begin to shake first before realising that most likely he is starting trembling with his whole body, earning another concerned look from his friend, the nearer they get to the tribune. 

His eyes are trained on the platform he and his other nine classmates would have to climb up to for the choosing. It stands in the middle of the place, just a few meters wide, not leaving enough space for the dragons to actually land, creating just enough space for maybe two dragons at the time. The platform is surrounded by the tribune on one side and huge screens on the other, providing just the best view to the people that came to watch in person.

Its a few levels up in the air, probably as high up as his and Namjoons dorm room, which means on approximately the fourth level, just reachable by stairs that have always looked way to narrow and wobbly to Jeongguk, but today he has no choice but to climb them up. 

The air is already filled with the roaring of the dragons, fifty, when he counted them right, flying above the humans heads. Half of them are dragons that are open to get a trainer today, the others are way older already most of them having a trainer maybe even an assigned rider to their own, but are here to overlook the process and that it wouldn’t be violated by anyone. 

“Good luck.” Namjoon mumbles next to him, his hand briefly colliding with Jeongguks shoulder, they are near enough for Miss Choi, his teacher for Dragon language, to wave him over hastily and with a deep frown. He wonders why she was collecting them when usually this was the academy directors job.

“Thanks.” He mumbles back, nodding at his friend, trying himself at a smile that he just knows he doesn’t succeed at. Taking a deep breath and then taking another one for good measure, in the not met hopes of his heart possibly calming down so that he doesn’t continue mistaking his heartbeat in his ears with thunder that possibly can’t come from the weather, since its the bluest sky above them that Jeongguk has seen in a while. 

“Why am I even surprised by your antics?” Miss Choi sighs exasperated, like she wouldn’t know that he never received a trainer uniform, when he finally steps close enough to hear her do so. “Your clothes are highly inappropriate but since you most likely won’t get chosen anyway I guess its alright.” She rolls her eyes, a hefty wind blowing her her gray hair into the face. 

“Go get yourself registered and then go up, you know the procedure.” 

He doesn’t say a word (not sure if he even could form some with his tongue feeling as heavy as it does right now), instead he slips away to scan his chip card and watch his details pop up on a screen before it goes blank again, waiting for the next person to do the same. 

His eyes land on the table with bands, collars that would adjust to the dragons size when it gets connected with its scales after one had gotten chosen. Its made to hold any needed and provided informations. Size, name, age, mating status, who the dragon trainer is and/ or the rider, if these are two different people.  

When he is about to grab one, just for good measure, he gets tackled so hard that he looses his balance and actually tumbles into the grass, his hands taking the brunt of it, a stone pulling off some skin, when he turns around, slightly dizzy from the impact and the fast change of tumbling vision, he sees a grinning Isagi who, instead of just one collar grabs the two remaining ones, leaving none for Jeongguk. 
“You won’t need it anyway.” He laughs, leaving Jeongguk with that to run up the stairs to the platform. 

“What are you doing there in the grass, go up Jeon, we don’t have all day.” Miss Choi, probably having seen what happened, looking at him with anger, like he purposefully fell, but sure, why not.  

He has no clue how he made it up the stairs, which are even wobblier than they look, leading onto the platform that was slightly swinging with the surprisingly strong wind. 

His heartbeat has become unbearably loud in his ears, mixing with the wind that is blowing harder up here and the voices coming from all the people around, he has no clue what Miss Choi is saying, but he guesses its just the same opening speech they hold every year. Jeongguk is shaking, he knows he is, his hands are trembling inside his pockets, not even grabbing the fabric tight enough to almost tear it up helps and he is sure his jacket doesn’t do a good job to conceal it either. 

He tries to let his gaze swap over the people, maybe he will be able to catch a familiar face or two, but all he sees is a blur of colours and not even blinking rapidly was helping in any way. 

His breath is short lived, his lungs not complying with their task of getting air to keep him up on his legs, barely doing the minimum which makes him dizzy. Counting and concentrating on his breathing wasn’t working, neither was him thinking about his sister, who he is doing this for, because with the extra money he will make as a dragon trainer his family could pay the therapy expanses which aren’t covered by the country, since its still not approved and they need to hire someone and order the medicine from out of the country.

He tries to focus on the memory of his parents words when the first dragon, shortly followed by the second, just flies to the next person beside him, not even sparing a glance at him.   

“You should always follow your heart.” His father would say, “don’t give up your dream.” 

“You are right just how you are.” His mother would tell him whenever he was shaking with doubts. “Dragons might choose their trainer by the intensity of the humans aura, but just because yours is soft and clear like your heart, doesn’t mean that the right dragon wouldn’t see your potential, dear.”  

“You idiot shouldn’t give yourself up, just because you want to try to do the impossible.” He hears his sister in his ear when the fifth or sixth dragon ignores him, their wings creating even more wind pushing against his chest uncomfortably, but he wasn’t allowed to move too much, not that he thinks he could without tumbling from the platform. 

His sister, Jian, had always declared him an idiot, even before he came forward to his family that he had changed his plans in regards of his future. She hadn’t bought it when he told her that he just had a change of heart, had wanted him to reconsider, but how could he when he then would have to live with the knowledge that he might have been able to help somehow when he doesn’t become a caretaker and doctor fulltime. 

Somewhere to his left someone gets chosen, he can’t see who of his classmates it is, all he sees when he looks to the side is a dragon with scales in all kinds of gray tones and stormy, mocking eyes, its body is already massive, even when there still is a lot they will have to grow into in the years coming until they are considered an adult dragon. The scale colour typical for this part of the country, for this typical clan even more, normally here the dragons colour scale is all the way up to the greens, whites, grays and sometimes but rather rarely even in the blues.

Jeongguk watches how the collar expands around the dragons neck until it is locked in place and the dragon turns around to fly towards a secluded and wide open field where they will wait for their new trainer, who is leaving the platform almost running down the stairs, laughing and screaming out of joy. 

After that its like a dam broke, one dragon after the other, Jeongguk had subconsciously counted them, comes down to claim who they think will suit them until its just Jeongguk and a girl on the platform and the twenty fifth dragon in front of her, it hasn’t even so much as glanced at Jeongguk, whose senses are drowning themselves in numbing silence instead of the overwhelming noises he has experienced before. 

He watches in slow motion how the dragon bows its head enough for the girl to attach the collar on its scales and how it expands, it punches the last glimmer of hope he had tried to hold onto out of him. 

A laugh cuts into the silence his body created for him, followed by many others, laughing out of shock, because it has been a long while since something like this happened the last time, laughing out of mockery sprinkling it with some insults, just because they can, laughing because they find it genuinely funny how he stands on this damned platform alone, staring ahead of him, trying to process that he just made a fool out of himself in believing that, even though he knows its different, dragons just care about the aura of a human. 

His eyes drift to where all the dragons have left to, followed by his (now former) classmates, before they drift above his head to see that even the older dragons have already left. Its over before it has even really begun. 

A sigh leaves him but he wills himself to do one step after the other, moving towards the stairs and down the platform, the laugher not once stopping, not even when his teachers voice begins to echo over the place, over the peoples heads and out in the open, congratulating everyone who have gotten chosen, ignoring his name, which probably is for the better. 

He contemplates to stay back and watch the first steps the chosen would go now on the big screens like all the people around are about to do, to find Namjoon and Jin on the tribune, but actually all he wants, is to go back to bed and stay there for an unreasonable amount of time. 

His legs, still feeling wobbly, have already carried him halfway over the field that lays between him and his bed. In his back the masses are still loud, but not loud enough anymore to overly bother him. Glancing up just briefly he catches sight of the dorm building he escaped just merely an hour ago, he will probably have to change dormitories in the next few days, when they even let him continue studying here, shifting into another major. At this point he wouldn’t be surprised if they would kick him out completely. Which maybe wasn’t as bad as it currently sounded to him either.

For ruining their image, possibly. For being a shame not just for the academy but also for his family. He is just glad that they aren’t here, his family. But he knows they have seen him not getting chosen anyway. His mother, just last evening, had told him enthusiastically that they would watch the whole thing in front of their TV together with some neighbors coming over. She would have stood in the kitchen the whole night just for him to reveal what a fool and embarrassment he is.

“Now you can finally pursue what you really want!” He can his sister almost hear in his ears, “you have at least tried. But you don’t need to play the hero.” She probably will say, like she did so often before. Even though Jeongguk never wanted to play the hero anyway, all he wants is for his sister to have the chance of living life as normally as possible and not from her bed, because she is too weak to even stand up and a screen that provides her with views Jeongguk knows she is dying to see in real life.  

Jeongguk wills his body to keep moving forward, wills himself to ignore his shaking frame, his ragged breathing, the tears that build up in his eyes and slither down his cheeks, leaving a wet trail, he gives his best to not acknowledge the hollow feeling in his chest.

He is so focused on himself and not breaking down completely, that he doesn’t hear how the people on the tribune are going completely quiet behind him, doesn’t see the massive dragon circling above his head before landing just a few meters in front of him, blocking his path, that is until a soft roar sounding around him, has him stumbling back in surprise and slight fear, heart almost tumbling out of his chest, his head whipping up so fast he, for a split second, fears to have strained his spine and nerves enough for him to hallucinate when he comes eye to eye with the dragon. 

But no matter how hard and fast he blinks, not even rubbing his eyes lets the dragon in front of him vanish back into his imagination again. It stands still in front of him, head slightly inclined and eyes, snowy white ones with some sparkles of gray in them that could be stars as well, blinking back at him, seemingly waiting for something. 

Just that Jeongguk has no clue what that something could be, his mind had stumbled to a halt altogether (more like crashed) while he stares at it, at the beautifully white and grayish scales that, with any small movement, sparkle in all colours of the rainbow, at its eyes that, with a small change of light, resemble more the white of the full moon, soft and patient, reflecting the faintly yellow aura that flickers around Jeongguk. 

Its head is adored with two horns, sharp enough to impale someone or something on them easily. Its wings leathery with a span Jeongguk guesses to be at least thirty meters (when not more) and thorns adorning its swooshing tail that, just because of their transparency Jeongguk thinks are poisonous. 

Someone doesn’t need much knowledge about dragons to know that the one in front of him is long out of its teenage years, unclaimed and with probably a high position in its clan. A clan that can’t possibly be from around here, no dragon Jeongguk has ever see had just slightly looked like this one. It makes him even more nervous. His hands, that have fallen out of their pockets, now hanging uselessly by his sides, becoming clammy in mere seconds.  

Not that it matters much right now, where this Dragon has its origins and why it is here, in the mountains, right now. Jeongguk wonders more what it could want from him, just out of habit, he lets his eyes wander over the dragon again, this time to see if it has any injuries it needs care for, at least that could be a reason why it stopped in front of him, just that he isn’t able to detect any nor any signs of pain.  

It seems to sense his confusion, because it softly, with its snoot, shuffles close enough to push against Jeongguks chest (he is sure it is meant to be nothing more than a gentle nudge, but its size and the strength that comes with it has him tumbling back another step or two) his hand comes up, against the cool scales around his snoot, more to hold onto something to not tumble into the grass than anything else, eyes widening when he realises what he has done. 

You never, never, not even under life threatening circumstances, should touch a dragon without its explicit consent because its an immediate death when you do, no matter if there already is a bond established between a dragon and its human or not (especially when not). 

“I’m so so sorry.” He scrambles to say hoping the dragon has mercy, his hand instantly falling to his side again, but the dragon just nudges his chest again, as like to say that it is alright. 
 
It makes Jeongguk scramble again, his mouth falling open, “I think I don’t understand.” He mumbles, sure that the dragon hasn’t understood him, but not even a second later its mouth pulls up, like it was laughing at him before its head looks to the side, pointing to the field where the other dragons and their new trainers must be right now. 

Jeongguk stares in the same direction, one second, two, three before he mentally hits every break available, “are you…” 

“Do you…?” 
“You must have made a mistake.” Is what he mumbles, shaking his head vigorously but seeing clearly the offended expression. 

“You really want…?” He points at himself, feeling like an idiot, his head swimming from everything that was happening, the range of emotions he has experienced since he woke up, just to be stuck in utter disbelieve.   

The dragon though nods, at least Jeongguk thinks it does when its head whips up and down continuously. Without thinking about it too much, still flabbergasted to openly stare at the dragon looking like a fish on land, he pats his pockets until… “I don’t have a collar, I mean…” He sighs observing the dragon more closely, sees that it was looking rather relieved with his words and not offended. 

“You don’t want one.” He says receiving another what he interprets as a grin and a slight nod, which has himself nodding as well. “Thats fine with me.” 

It would just have him learning and memorizing a lot more like that, which he isn’t against doing, but it will also have the academy on his toes, since never had a dragon trainer gone without one, since they have been invented at least. Not that the academy and its authorities won’t already be breathing down his neck because, apparently, he had gotten chosen in the first place after escaping the platform and robbing the cameras off something they could have caught but also because it wasn’t a dragon that is from the clan around, and that nobody has a clue what it is even doing around here. 

“Jeon Jeongguk!” A voice behind him howls before Jeongguk can admit that he has no clue what to do next, “You fool step away from that dragon immediately!” Another voice gets loud behind him, full of anger, clearly the last minutes have gotten their attention.

But before he can turn around and eventually tell them off or at least explain the situation to them, the dragon steps forward, his snoot pushing Jeongguk aside, his wing coming up, almost curling around him, almost like to protect him, a deep roar shaking the floor and making the people approaching them stop in their tracks immediately hands up in the air to show that they seemingly are no thread, but temporarily stunned to silence, just like Jeongguk. 

He, in his surprise, can see the director of his school and Miss Choi just a few meters in front of them, exchanging a look he can’t quite pin point the meaning of. 

“Explain yourself,” The director demands after a few seconds, hands have fallen to their sides again, their eyes wandering from the dragon to Jeongguk, who still is half way hidden by the wing, and back. 

“I just got chosen,” He says, stating what should be somewhat obvious with the dragons reaction (not really) and what they must have observed the last few minutes.

“Then where is its collar?” 

“I don’t have one and it doesn’t want one.” Jeongguk shrugs, really not knowing what to make of it all, but adamant to not do something that the dragon doesn’t want. 

“Don’t be a fool Jeon Jeongguk.” Miss Choi now stats, staring onto the device in her hands. “This dragon isn’t in our system, its not from the clan we support, you can’t be chosen by a dragon that isn’t in our system!” 

“But that isn’t written down in the schools policy!” He stutters, fiddling with the hem of his jacket, which luckily the wing was still hiding from their eyes, it somehow gives him the bravery to speak up and claim that he has gotten chosen, it gives him the chance to do what he hoped for, and he is glad that he, in its anxious state of the past summer, has read the schools policy not just once but thrice, almost memorizing every word, just in case. 

“He is right Miss Choi, there is no such rule, even though I understand where your concern is coming from.” The director looks even unhappier than Miss Choi does, the two exchanging a constipated look. 

“It needs a collar! Get one from the table!” 

“There are none on the table, and the policy also doesn’t say something about the dragon needing a collar when it doesn’t want one.” 

Luckily for him and the dragon by his side the policy last has been updated a year or two after the first collars have been invented and used, stating, since back then the people still have been wary about them, that when either the dragon or its trainer/ rider doesn’t want to use one it is forbidden to force the pair to use one. 

“It at least needs a number, we can’t have nothing in our system under your name.” The director almost growls, both looking utterly constipated by the whole situation, and Jeongguk has literally no clue what to do with the last events or himself anymore. 

“I will think of some?” He asks, which earns him a small growl from the dragon, “or not, we will see I guess.” 

He can feel his bravery succumb slowly to the heated gazes that are thrown at him and he is sure wouldn’t the dragon be by his side right now and would have chosen to let Jeongguk alone to deal with all this, he wouldn’t have been as brave in the first place and would have probably succumbed to whatever they would have told him, he can see in their faces that they hate that, in the end, they have gotten proven wrong and that they can’t control the situation no matter how much they want to. 

“Since we can’t legally forbid you or the dragon to work together, whatever reasons it might had to chose you,” Miss Choi says, stepping a small step forward with her words, “we can and will forbid you to train with the others that have gotten chosen today, we can’t quite predict how violent or feral this one will be, and we won’t risk any of our students.” 

“But I can still stay at the academy?” He asks, because, really, it doesn’t sound like it.

“Yeah, you are still expected to visit your classes, just not with your dragon when we are all out on the field!” 

“And when should I train with my dragon then?” 

“You have some free time, use it. We won’t accept slacking just because your circumstances are slightly different.” 

More complicated than they should be, Jeongguk corrects them in his head, but all he does is nodding, determined to find a solution. 

“You are dismissed.” The director says, eying the both of them with skepticism and contempt, looking like Jeongguk has just ruined his evil plans in a hero movie before both, he and Miss Choi, turn around on their heels and leave them alone, maybe to announce that not just nine of the ten students got chosen but all of them but with their reaction he almost is convinced they will ignore it. 

Does it confuse him? Hell yeah, but what is he supposed to do? He won’t back down now even when his stomach swoops with a bad feeling when he watches them until they are out of ear shot and sight. He is just glad they didn’t kick him out he guesses, glad that he is going to be paid anyway, glad that he can finally help his sister getting the therapy she needs. 

The wing that had been softly laying around him now is lifting itself from him again and the dragon turns enough to again face Jeongguk, pushing its snout against his chest reminding him of Mango (just a little bit). 

“I’m sorry.” He says, feeling the need to do so. “I actually have no clue what to do, since I didn’t really think something like this would even happen.” His hands who have just temporarily stopped their fiddling are resuming to the hem of his jacket to continue. 

“Thank you, for choosing me, you probably can’t know how much that means to me, it means a lot.” The snout gets shoved against him again, makes him stumble a bit, just to after get blessed with yet another crooked grin. 

Its untypical for dragons to be like that with people they don’t know, when Jeongguk is honest he has never seen a dragon act like this with a human even when they have a bond that runs down decades deep. 

Feral, he chuckles in his head, sure! But he probably shouldn’t get too comfortable just yet just because the dragon seems to have a playful nature and is a lot more trustful than he expected, normally one would still have to go around them on eggshells as long as one hasn’t yet earned their trust which usually takes up months which is why the first year after the choosing is purely dedicated for simple things that helps them build up trust and establish a bond. 

“I’m not comfortable with those numbers they give your kind,” He finds himself saying out loud, it should have been just a thought, “I find them quite disrespectful, but it would also be disrespectful to give you a name when you clearly already have one.” The dragon nods, eying him with what he thinks is a bit of suspicions paired with wonder and curiosity. “But I can’t just call you a dragon, which technically is the correct term but,” He sighs, “I bet you’re intelligent enough to get what I mean. We should maybe work something out when you’re up to it.” He receives a nod for that. 

“Do you have an accommodation? A place to sleep? When you’re from another clan..” But he doesn’t get to finish when the dragon pointedly moves its head in another direction, probably pointing out where he found a place to stay, which is nothing within the other dragon clans territory, but rather pointing at the city and the skyscrapers reaching for places that not really belong to them. The Dragon probably has found a cave on the other side of the city, not really a distance for a dragon to fly, and Jeongguk knows (because of the train rides home) that around that direction a rather rough landscape can provide for the dragon, at least a somewhat safe shelter.   

“You sure? Is it safe there? Not that I think you can’t protect yourself.” But the dragon nods still grinning, “alright.” He sighs. 

Above their heads a loud roar pulls their attention, just to make another dragon visible, looking down on Jeongguk and the dragon still in front of him, maybe waiting. Seems like it hasn’t come alone, which makes Jeongguks heart a little lighter. 

The dragon in front of him roars back, flapping its wings frustrated maybe irritated. “You can go to your friend, thats alright. When I’m being honest I actually have no clue where to start anyway, this should have been lead.” He gets a skeptical look from the dragon, like it wants to say something, like it wasn’t sure if he could leave Jeongguk alone. 

“I’m sure, just…” He starts, feeling like an idiot which seems to become a new normal today, “how do I find you?” Without the collar he has no way of tracking the dragon when he wants or needs to for maybe training with him or something and since he obviously isn’t residing with the clan he can’t just go there and look for him. 

The wing flapping stops for a moment before it resumes, a small roar answering him before the dragon is in the air, the wind it is producing almost has Jeongguk sitting in the grass. “Looks like you have to find me for now.” He says into the air when he watches it flying away. 

Chapter Text

~~~

Bonds between Dragons and Humans are just as diverse as bonds between humans and humans or dragons and dragons are. The usual depth of a bond between a human and a dragon doesn’t reach further than acquaintances (especially with a dragon and trainer duo), or friends. 
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other types of bonds that reach deeper and are stronger, like a bond between lovers or even mates, and while it is untypical to archive, it does happen often enough to be a topic in your education(…). 

Book of Dragon bonds (Volume 1)
Written by unknown, year 1306 after Ilroass

~~~

“What the fuck did you just do?” 

“Its good to see you too TaeTae.” 

“Don’t TaeTae me right now!” 

“Don’t be like that.”

“You mean I shouldn’t freak out because you just gave yourself up to choose a human to be your trainer! In this economy?” 

Jimin sighs, there is no denying that he fucked up, but it doesn’t mean that he regrets what he has done.

He knows how important this was and is for Jeongguk, and seeing him leave that damned platform without getting chosen or even glanced at by one of those stupid dragons had his heart breaking. Jimin just had wanted to help his friend.

“It could help our cause.” He tries to argue anyway, even when he knows that it most likely will have no use right now. 

“And how do you think it will do that? When you’re found out by anyone around the academy then there is a lot more at stake, not to tell you that these shitty academy authorities must already suspect something!“ Taehyung throws his arms into the air, his walk around Jimin’s living room almost frantic. When his friend isn’t careful he will burn a hole into the ground and fall into the apartment beneath them. 

“The past three years haven’t really brought any insights either. Working at the clinic doesn’t get one many informations. And with getting chosen we are way nearer at the center of the whole thing.” 

“We just don’t have many informations because you rather be whipped for that boy than doing what you are here for.” 

“Thats unfair and not the case.” Jimins voice right now could cut through steal. Their eyes meet and Taehyungs shoulders slump down, defeated. 

“I know.” He sighs, a hand pushing through his locks, probably in a failed attempt to get some of the strands from falling into his eyes. “But you are still whipped for that boy.” 

“I’m not whipped.” Jimin pushes his head into the fridge searching for something they could eat, and maybe to escape his friends laugh, he doesn’t succeed with both since his fridge is as empty as it has been the day he moved into the apartment, and because Taehyungs laugh is loud enough to wake up an entire village. 

“Sure, and Santa clause isn’t just a myth.” 

“I’m not whipped.” He sighs, closing the fridge and instead gets his phone, scrolling through the hologram like thing appearing on his display, to search for his favorite take out place. 

“Sure, so telling me, every time we call, about what that boy has done yet again, and how cute and soft he is, is just normal behavior?” 

“It is.” Jimin nods, thrusting the device into Taehyungs hands, for him to choose something to eat for himself. “I do the same when I talk about my friends back home.” 

“You call me cute in front of the people you’re around here?” His friend squints at him, not buying it, which is fair, because Jimin doesn’t talk about his family and friends, since he is afraid to reveal too much. 

“Sure, I also tell them all of your embarrassing stories.” 

“You don’t!” 

“I do!” 

“Liar.” A pillow gets thrown at Jimin just a second later, has him giggling, while he catches it easily. 

“You are still whipped, why on earth would you send me this photo!” Taehyung has pulled his own phone out of the side pocket of the bag he brought, showing a photo that Jimin in fact did send him just yesterday. 

“To see if you could possibly locate the little ones parents.” 

“A picture of the baby dragon would have been enough, but you had to send me this one, where this boy is cuddling, snoozing off, with the dragon in his arms!” 

“Its adorable.” Jimin whispers. He had just wanted to look after Mango when he hasn’t heard any ruckus coming from her room yesterday, he hadn’t been prepared to see Jeongguk there, sitting leaned against the crib, snuggling with Mango, who must have climbed into his arms. She had purred so contently and it had been way too adorable to not click a photo of the two together.

“It shouldn’t be adorable! He is a human, not a dragon mother!” Taehyungs voice is fierce, his eyes looking at Jimin grimly. 

“Have you been able to locate the little ones parents?” Jimin asks instead of throwing himself into an argument he wouldn’t be able to win. 

“No.” The younger shakes his head, “nobody has seen them, apparently they vanished weeks ago, around the time you said the egg had been brought to the clinic for further care.” 

Jimin had thought that that would be the answer he would be getting, it had been the same with the other eggs and baby dragons they have welcomed in the clinic in the last few months as well and neither of them can say where it is that the parents are vanishing to every time, just that it isn’t normal at all. 

No dragon would leave their egg without any care, without at least one around to have an eye on it. Having an off spring is their biggest achievement after all, their biggest treasure if you will. 

“He should take a few steps back.” Taehyungs almost growled words pull Jimin out of his thoughts. “He’s getting attached.” 

Its probably too late for both, Jeongguk and Mango, to take a step back. For whatever reason is the little one the calmest when Jeongguk is around. Jimin suspects that it isn’t just because he had been the first around when she hatched but because she senses that he is safe to be around and would do everything he can to keep it like that. 

Its precious in Jimins eyes, even when he doesn’t fail to see where his friend is coming from. Often those (very rare) connections have gotten abused in the past, not just by the humans the dragons have gotten attached to, but also and foremost by the people around them who were too greedy and didn’t think twice about what they are doing, destroying two lives at once. 

“He’s a professional, he knows that he has no right to become attached to her.” Jimin sighs, glad that the doorbell rings, announcing the arrival of their food. 

“Its him, isn’t it?” Taehyung hasn’t stopped staring at the picture yet, when Jimin, with their food in his hands, comes back into the living room. 

“Huh?” 

“The boy you chose.” Taehyung points at Jeongguk, a wild look in his eyes, like he would try to reach through the photo any moment to shred Jeongguk into tiny pieces. “Its him, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah,” Jimin takes his time when getting their cutlery, “its him.” It earns him a look he can’t quite pin point, too many emotions rushing through his friends eyes. 

“You’re even stupider than I thought.” 

“I’m flattered that I can still surprise you.” Jimin says, his tone flat. He sits down next to Taehyung on his sofa, digging into his food. 

“I mean that.” 

“I know. I have understood that the first time. I’m stupid, because I chose a human to “train” me, a person I know for three years already.”

“He doesn’t even have it in him to be a dragon trainer.” 

“And what is it that tells you that? His aura?” Jimin squints at his friend, “aren’t you always the one who calls the whole aura thing bullshit?”

“I do! But it has its points!”

“Oh, so what you’re telling me is that with everyone else you call the whole thing out as what it is, a thing humans use to explain to themselves why it is someone gets chosen in the first place, but when its about me you suddenly change your whole opinion about it and claim that it has its points? Pick your side Taehyung.” 

Its silent for a few minutes, neither of them eats what is on their plates and Jimin is glad that he threw the clock, he once bought, out in the trash, the ticking of its arms would have him raging right now. His temper way too short to sit it out. 

“I’m on your side. I will always be on your side.” Taehyung whispers. “I’m just worried. We both vowed to never go through the whole ordeal, after what happened. And now here you are, choosing a human just because what, you’re whipped? Its insane and I’m anxious for you.” 

“I’m not whipped!” But Jimin nods anyway, pulling his friend into his arms. “I made my decision because I know how important this is for Jeongguk. I just wanted to help him. I can protect myself, the whole thing won’t happen again.” He whispers into Taehyungs hair. 

“Why you?” 

“Because neither of these dragons would even so much as glance at Jeongguk!” Jimin can’t quite hide the rage about it that steals itself into his voice, getting him another heavy look from his friend. 

“He just does this because he gets paid the best as a dragon trainer.” 

“Why would he even need the additional money? You said he is in his element when working at the clinic, hasn’t he a medical degree already?” 

“You listen to me when I talk about him?” 

“I always listen to your unreasonable ramblings, don’t ask me why, even I don’t know why anymore.” 

“Sure.” Jimin rolls his eyes, slightly smiling again. “His sister is ill, bedridden ill, and the needed therapy needs to come from outside the country, which he and his family do not have the funds for when he wouldn’t have been chosen.” 

“Which illness?” 

“Dragonbreath.” Jimin doesn’t quite get why the humans would call a disease that would have a body raging from pain so brutally at times that it has the person bed ridden for most of the time when it doesn't get curred after something that usually, when the bond and the intentions on doing so have healing effects. Today it isn’t needed anymore, an actual dragon, to cure the disease but medications the humans had been able to invent and some physical therapy to rebuild the muscles that had been deeply affected.

“Thats easily curable, I mean easy is still not that easy but you get what I mean. The medicine and therapy altogether have great results.”

“Yeah, just that they have been approved everywhere but here. I didn’t even know about that, before I got to know Jeongguk.” 

“It doesn’t make sense.” 

“It doesn’t. I called our contact at the government but all they could tell me was that the funds had gotten withdrawn.” 

“Why would they do that?” 

“How should I know that?”    

“I’ll try to get to the bottom of that.” 

“You really don’t need to.” 

“But I’m curious and also maybe it helps us all.” 

Jimin wasn’t going to argue about it further with Taehyung, at least not now, knowing that it would have no use, and that the younger needs to see and experience with his own being that Jeongguk is trustworthy. Jimin wouldn’t have done what he did would he be anything other than that.

“Now tell me, why are you here?” 

“Am I not allowed to visit my best friend? I miss you!” Taehyung pouts, pulling out his best puppy eyes, that have no effect on Jimin (they have, but he tries to fight it anyway). 

“You’re always allowed to visit me, but you usually do not bring a bag when you do so.” Jimin, with his chopsticks, points at the bag sitting on his armchair like it belongs there. 

“Thought I could stay a few days more than usual.” 

Jimin just looks at Taehyung, his eyebrows have wandered up. He loves having his best friend around, but he also knows him good and long enough to get that him missing Jimin isn’t the whole reason for him sitting on his sofa.

“Fine.” Taehyung grumbles, taking another bite of his food. “Yoongi predicted that you would do something stupid. He should have specified that one.” 

“Since when does he specify his visions?” 

“He doesn’t but he should!” 

Jimin just chuckles, their friend is known for his visions, because they always seem to become true, like visions of a true seer should, but he doesn’t specify what he sees, since it can always turn out different and there are always different ways for the same outcome. 

“But thats not the only thing.” 

“You’re right its not.” 

“Will you also tell me the other thing or do I need to guess?” Jimin asks when it keeps being quiet between them for a couple of minutes, making the younger groan. 

“We got the information that the academy, with agreement and excitement of the government, plans a tournament, for all years of dragon trainers and dragon riders they employ.” 

“Even the newly chosen ones?” 

“Even them. I should just be here to warn you that the next time will be a bit more turbulent and that maybe this is our way to get to know more for once. I guess they have been right about the turbulent thing, just not in the way we initially thought.”

“Did you receive the information why they suddenly are wanting to do a tournament? With all years on top of that? Don’t they grasp how dangerous that can and probably will be?” 

“No, we are just as much in the dark.” Taehyung shakes his head, “has your Jeongguk said something?” 

“He isn’t my Jeongguk,” Jimin rolls his eyes, “but no, I don’t think the information is out yet, they must have wanted to wait until the choosing is over. Maybe in a week or two.” Jimin guesses. 

“Then I guess you will have me as your guest for the foreseeable future.”    
     

~~~

He leaves the room of an older severally injured dragon. Leaning against the closed door for a moment, taking a deep breath. 

This dragon has been here for weeks now without getting any better, instead his condition seems to worsen, the wounds not wanting to close and the medicine they give him all have seemingly no effect. Its exhausting and worrying at the same time. 

When he arrived, the dragon, it had looked like any other wounds dragons can get when getting into a fight with another, nothing untypical, since dragons by nature are possessive and also usually have a short temper. It doesn’t need much for them to get into a fight, which often results in a visit in their clinic to quickly get patched up again.  

Not this one though, who came without a trainer or a rider, seemingly out of nowhere. They had great difficulty getting him into a big enough room, the dragon almost not able to fly another meter after it landed in their emergency area. It had cost Jimin a lot of convincing and gentleness to get the dragon up again, heart shattering seeing him like that. 

Sadly, the dragon hadn’t been able to tell him what it is that injured him this badly, a reason why Jimin is here in the first place. Dragons have no voice anymore. Literally. Since these collars get used there have been strange things going on every now and then, it had to be expected, but at this academy its especially bad. For three years now Jimin tries to figure out what is going on, but without any real lead he had run from one wall right into another. 

Jimin now stares down the hallway not really focusing on anything but having to smile when he sees Jeongguk slip through a door. Probably Mangos door. He hadn’t thought to see Jeongguk again today, not after what happened this morning, but he should have probably prepared for the possibility, the younger had never been good at staying away for long, especially now with Mango being around. 

He smiles, shaking his head before making his way down the hallway, he had wanted to check on Mango anyway. When opening the door he is greeted by two pairs of wide eyes, feeling caught but releasing a deep breath when they see it has just been Jimin who slipped through the door. 

“Jimin! What are you doing here?” Jeongguk almost stumbles over his words, eyes still big, looking adorable as ever. 

“I work here and wanted to look after Mango.” He gestures towards the baby dragon, just for good measure, seeing that she had already found her place against Jeongguks chest. 

“Shouldn’t you be on leave?” 

“I am, but I’m not really good at sitting around.” Jeongguk pouts. 

“Isn’t the time after the choosing for making first bonding steps with your dragon and partying with your classmates after?” Jimin sits down beside Jeongguk, maybe nearer than actually needed, but Mango uses it to stretch out over both their laps, and neither of them cares anyway, since it is kind of normal between them. 

“You heard about the choosing.” 

“I did. Namjoon kept me updated. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.” 

“Its alright.” Jeongguk nods, a small smile on his lips, eyes averting Jimins for a second before they come back to him, Jeongguks cheeks dusted in a rosy hue. “It has been embarrassing at first so…”

“But you have gotten chosen.” Jimin whispers, eyes searching for any sign of emotion on Jeongguks face, in his expressive eyes that always seem so full of stars and wonder. 

“I did.” Another nod, the hue on his cheeks deepening and Jimin just has to smile himself. 
“But I’m worrying.” 
  
“Why is that? Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It is, it is.” Jeongguk shifts, his upper body twisting towards Jimin, not reducing their bodily contact, but increasing it instead. The motion has Mango stirring who yawns at them before shuffling herself around until her nose is pressed into Jeongguks tummy and her tail holds Jimin close while circling his waist. 

“I just…” Jeongguk begins, gnawing at his bottom lip, “the dragon that chose me isn’t from around here, the director of the academy looked absolutely pissed and I’m sure the last word isn’t spoken about it, since I’m not allowed to train with my class, which, thinking about it, probably is for the better.” 

It still has Jimin raging when he just thinks about the “conversation” that had been held on that field. He had never liked that director, or any of the authorities that is. Jeongguk wasn’t big on telling what was going on in his life when he wasn’t around in the clinic, but sometimes he would say something that has Jimins stomach twist in anger. He had known that Jeongguk mostly wasn’t respected, but he hadn’t thought the mistreatment would reach this far and deep and Jimin is almost sure he hasn’t even seen half of it this morning. 

“But I worry about the dragon more.” 

“Why is that?”

“Like I said, he isn’t from here and it didn’t seem like he was with the clan, I mean sure he implied that he had a place to stay and I guess a friend of the dragon showed also up, so he at least isn’t alone, but…” Jeongguks eyes flicker up again, locking with Jimins, “I don’t know, I guess I just worry about their well being. What when they need help? Or something happens? Or the place they found is too small or uncomfortable or not protected enough. Not that I don’t think a dragon can’t protect itself!” 

Jimins heart pings, almost burst with a multitude of emotions, but first and foremost he wants to melt, sweet, sweet Jeongguk, who is looking at him with such big doe eyes, but he also is tightly hugged by the guilt he feels ever since he acted without thinking about it twice this morning. 

Jeongguk doesn’t know that he is a dragon, Jeongguk has no clue that he got chosen by someone that he considers a friend, a colleague, someone he confides in when feeling nervous and anxious and worried and Jimin feels bad. The truth on the tip of his tongue, but instead of spilling it he swallows, trying to push it down and hoping that should Jeongguk ever find out the truth, Jimin wasn’t about to destroy it all. But he probably is, isn’t he?

He pulls Jeongguk against himself more, which the younger gladly goes after, resting his head on Jimins shoulder. 

“I’m sure the dragon is fine.” Jimin mumbles against Jeongguks hair, “you said a friend is with him. You will see they are alright when you see him the next time.” 

“I hope I will.” Jeongguk mumbles, his eyes closed, eyelashes so delicately fluttering over the apple of his cheeks. “I still can’t believe that happened.” 

“You underestimate yourself Jeonggukie.” Jimins hand comes up, fingers softly trading through Jeongguks locks. “Even a blind one can see how good you are.” 

Jeongguk giggles, “you’re cheesy!” 

“Why am I cheesy. Its the truth!” 

“You have to say that, we are friends.” 

“I don’t just say that because we are friends. I say that because its the truth. This whole aura thing does nothing to define yourself and who you can be with just the right dragon by your side.”   

Jeongguk has moved enough for their eyes to lock yet again, a blush high on his cheeks, before he glances away, shy and Jimin is ready to melt yet again. 

“Still cheesy.” He hears the younger mumble and the chuckle that had been bubbling in the pits of his stomach finally breaks free. 

“Then I guess I’m cheesy.” Jimin sighs, trying to come off as displeased and failing miserably at it, having them both shaking from silent laughter. 

They slowly drift into comfortable silence, just sitting side by side, content in how things are and Jimin hopes it will never change, that Jeongguk, should he find out not turn his back towards him, which he would have every right to do. 

“Do you have an idea how to contact a dragon you have only met once?” Jeongguk asks after some time. 

“Why?”

“I don’t want to rush things but I will have to bond with the dragon in some way, and thats just possible when we are spending time together, but I have no clue how to find him.” 

“I’m sure for the first few weeks he will seek you out and everything else you two surely will figure out together.” 

“I hope you’re right Jiminie.” Jeongguk sighs and Jimin feels even guiltier. He could just tell the younger to ping him, sent him a message when needed, but instead he douses them in a new wave of silence, not less comfortable but crawling for Jimin, with fear and his own stupidity. Not that he regrets to have done what he did, but he regrets that he hasn’t confided in Jeongguk earlier, always thinking it would have more time, because how do you even tell someone that you are a dragon on a mission? 

Now it comes back to bite him, he fears, but his thoughts are disrupted by an unpleasant annoying tone coming from the device clipped to his belt, telling him that his work hasn’t stopped existing and that it is time for a check up on one of the dragons they currently tend to. 

“I need to make a round.” Jimin says softly not wanting to disrupt Jeongguk or Mango too much who are looking so soft and relaxed right now. 

“Then I go and find something for little Mango to eat. She is gnawing on my shirt for way too long now.” Jeongguk scoops the baby dragon into his arms, huffing a little under the weight and the offended huff and puff that he is greeted with when the said shirt slips out of the baby dragons mouth, revealing an uncomfortably big wet looking patch. 

“I think I have a spare shirt in my bag, when you want it?” Jimin asks, watching Jeongguk putting Mango into her crib, where she shuffles on the blanket that surprisingly still was in a good condition, before pinching the fabric of the shirt between his fingers, holding it away from his body with an unhappy look in his face, but his round eyes glinting at Jimin, when he walks over to where Jimin already waits at the door. 

“That’d be nice. Thank you.” Jeongguk gifts him a small shy smile before they split up, having to walk into two different directions. 

When Jimin sees the younger the next time about a couple of hours later when he goes to check on Mango a last time before he leaves for the day, he is surprised to see Jeongguk still with her. At this point Jimin thought the younger would have gone home. 

Instead he leans against a wall watching Mango who runs through the room, letting all the pent up energy out, making the younger laugh every now and then with her antics that all but grow quieter and tired by the minutes. As much as baby dragons have an almost unmatched energy level, they are also sleeping most of the day. 

Jeongguk has changed out of his shirt into the one Jimin had told him he could have. It sits a bit more snuggly on Jeongguks frame that is a bit broader than Jimins, even though the younger often appears smaller than he actually is. 

Seeing it span around Jeongguks chest when he grips Mango out of the air, spinning her around, eliciting gurgling sounds that are laughter, has Jimin blushing, hard, he is glad that the dim light in the room wouldn’t show it.

“You’re still here.” He says when their eyes meet a couple of minutes later, having Jeongguk and Mango squeak in surprise at the same time. 

In all of Jimins time in this world and around humans and dragons alike he has never seen a pair like the one in front of him. Its so untypical, how deep the bond and trust already reaches between them even though the baby hasn’t hatched long ago, barely a few weeks and its like they have been around for at least half of Jeongguks life. Jimin, when he is honest, has no clue what to make of it, but he worries that it will end badly and in heartbreak for them both. 

“I actually wanted to leave half an hour ago. Joonie called and said he and Jin would like to go eat out and are treating me, but this little one wouldn’t let me leave.” Mango looks not in the least guilty when she blinks up at Jimin. 

He steps over to them both and gently takes her out of Jeongguks arms and puts her down into the crib, “you need to sleep little one, and we need to be on our way. We will look after you tomorrow again.” He whispers as gently but firm as he can, earning a displeased hum, before Mango pats around on the blanked and settles down her nose digging into some dark fabric that Jimin identifies as the shirt Jeongguk wore earlier. 

“She can have it.” Jeongguk mumbles from behind him and Jimin turns around to tell him that she really shouldn’t because that would just strengthen a bond that shouldn’t exist in the first place. But meeting Jeongguks innocent eyes the words die on his tongue and he figures that it can’t be that bad.  
“I know she shouldn’t but…” 

“Its alright Jeonggukie,” Jimin says even if he really shouldn’t, instead he grabs Jeongguks hand and tugs him out of the baby dragons room, trying to not focus too much on how their hands fit together and how his own scent, even when fainted and not detectable for a humans nose, still clings to the very shirt that Jeongguk wears, and what it could imply should he walk around in it the whole evening. 

“Are you going back to your dorm to change first?” He asks when they stop in front of the staff room. 

“I think I have no time, Joonie already called twice. But when you’re uncomfortable to see me wear it…”

“No no no, I wouldn’t have offered it to you would I be uncomfortable with it in any way.” Jimin is fast to interrupt Jeongguk, feeling and ignoring to his best ability how his cheeks grow warm. “I just thought you would be more comfortable. It sits a lot tighter on you.” 

Now, why would Jimin point that out? Drawing his own eyes towards Jeongguks chest, the heat in his cheeks growing unbearable when Jeongguk does the same, the own cheeks becoming rosy. 

“Ah yeah.” Jeongguks rubs his own neck, seemingly embarrassed, “I’m not really feeling uncomfortable, the fabric is pretty soft.” Jeongguk mumbles, fingers fiddling with the hem of Jimins shirt now. 

Jimin hums, knowing just how soft the fabric is, since this kind just gets exclusively manufactured in his hometown, carefully woven by skillful hands that have years of practice with this kind of wool.

He searches for something to say, sees Jeongguk do the same, eyes hopping around the hallway but always drifting back towards Jimin, he opens his mouth but the moment gets destroyed by two doors getting opened simultaneously. 

Jimins eyes snap briefly over Jeongguks shoulder, just to see Namjoon and Jin enter the clinic, before he slightly turns around to see who just escaped the staff room. 

“What are you doing here?” The words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them, but seeing Taehyung around here hasn’t been the plan and nothing he anticipated. Ari, who stands slightly behind Taehyung chuckles. 

“I wanted to surprise my best friend!” Taehyung puts his hands in his hips, coming off as offended, but Jimin sees the mischief clearly in his eyes. He is not here to surprise Jimin, he most likely came over to take a look at Jeongguk, who he told him wouldn’t be here today. 

“Consider me surprised then.” Jimin sighs defeated with a small shake of his head.

He is just rewarded by a boxy grin before both are turning around towards Jeongguk, who looks even shier now, eyes hopping from Jimin to Taehyung and back. 

“You must be Jeongguk! I’m Taehyung, Jiminies best friend.” Jimin watches the time expand when Jeongguk nods slightly, taking Taehyungs offered hand for him to briefly shake. The contact is minimal, fleeting, but Jimins dragon, most of the time a calm presence in the back of his mind, the two sides usually on the same page and not to tell apart from each other, surges forward possessively anyway and it costs Jimin a lot to just take a deep breath instead of growling at his best friend. 

He distracts himself with looking over Jeongguks shoulder to where Namjoon and Jin stand, smiling at the small group waving at Jimin, who waves just back.
“Jeongguk, are you ready to go?” Namjoon pulls the attention of the others towards him and Jin. The relieved look crossing Jeongguks face isn’t something that slips through Jimins attention and he has to slowly smile, getting that the interaction probably is overwhelming for the younger.

“Yeah I was just about to say goodbye.” The younger mumbles, and Jimins heart stumbles unhealthily, he should probably make an appointment with his doctor. 

He scoops the younger into his arms for a brief hug, “don’t worry too much.” He mumbles into his ear, before he lets him go again, his dragon side roars in the back of his mind, displeased about having to do so. 

“I try.” And with a smile and a small wave into the round the three are on their way. 

“Don’t ever try and say you’re not whipped for him ever again!” Taehyung says as soon as the three are out of earshot, leaning against Jimins side.

“His crush is always showing. These heart eyes make me sick.” Ari chuckles on his other side. 

“I’m not whipped!” Jimin sighs when he can’t see Jeongguk anymore, “and I also don’t have a crush on Jeongguk!” 

“Sure, whatever you say.” Aris hand lands on his shoulder. “Just know you’re not the only one, just today I found Jeongguk gushing to the baby dragon about you.” 

“You must have imagined that.” Jimin shakes his head, leaving to go grab his bag from the staff room. 

“As much as I must have imagined the blanked in the little ones crib?” 

“Yeah, just as much.” Jimin nods trying to hold his facial expression as innocent as possible. 

“You two will have me going gray haired in no time.” 

“Don’t pretend like you couldn’t pull it of.” 

“Its not about me being able to pull it off, but about you two getting into trouble when this continues.” She shakes her head, walking Taehyung and him to the door. Jimin probably should tell her about the shirt that had gotten added to Mangos crib but his lips are sealed. 

“You worry too much.” 

“Hmh, sure.” She nods now, “its my job to worry.” 

A small part would like to ask her why she hadn’t taken away the blanked yet but he figures that Mango must have protested enough when Ari tried to do just that. 

“See you tomorrow.” She waves at them, “it was nice to get to know you Taehyung.” 

“That, I can just reciprocate.” His best friend smiles his brightest boxy smile, that doesn't even vanish fully when they are already two blocks away. 

“You really gave him your shirt?” 

“His got wet and I had a spare one, don’t make this into a bigger deal than it actually is!” 

“But..” 

“No, I won’t listen to you!” Jimin, demonstratively and maybe childishly holds his hands over his ears, it doesn't really block out any sound, his senses way too heightened than for that to have an effect, but it brings the message across anyway. 

“Fine, I won’t say anything about it.” Taehyung grumbles. “For now.” 

With that Jimin can live, for now. 

“While you were working, I got you his timetable, luckily it seems like your schedules align good enough for you two to work this out.” Taehyung rolls his eyes, visibly still not pleased. 

“Thank you.” Jimin sighs, pulling out the key card to the building he lives in. “But I need to ask you for a favor.” 

“And this favor is..?” 

“We need to go and search for a cave.” 

“A cave?” Luckily they stand in the elevator and not in the middle of the street when Taehyung turns around so fast and flabbergasted that he stumbles over his own feet. “What do you mean we need to search for a cave?” 

“You have an apartment! Two when we want to be precise! We don’t live in caves anymore in case you have forgotten about that.”

“I don’t have forgotten about that! Just Jeongguk doesn’t know about…” Jimin lets his bag fall onto the floor, spins around with his arms open to gesture about what he isn’t able to say out loud. 

“You haven’t told him?” Taehyung stand a few meters away, “I thought at least now you would tell him! Actually I thought he already knew about you being a dragon, after all the heart eyes you two threw at each other!” 

“Wasn’t it obvious?” 

“NO! It wasn’t obvious.” Taehyung pulls at his own hair, eyes rolled to the ceiling in frustration.
“I didn’t sign up for this.”   

 “You know this will probably break his heart when you continue leading him on.” 

“I don’t plan on leading him on. I just didn’t know how to confess to him that I’m a dragon on a secret mission. Everyone told me to not tell anyone, and being here long enough showed me why, not that I don’t trust Jeongguk, I just didn’t want to endanger him with that knowledge! And then I acted just…” 

“Your dragon acted.” 

“Yeah.” 

“And you still want to tell me there is nothing going on between you and Jeongguk?” 

“Because there isn’t and there never will be something going on, we are just friends!” 

“Just friends?” 

“Do I need to spell it for you?” 

“You’re in denial!” 

“I’m not!”

“Ugh!” They stare at each other for a moment until Taehyungs arms fall to his sides in defeat.

“Fine I help you find a cave!” 
“Guess you have to commit to the bit” 

“I heard that.” 

“Good!” 

“Now come here and let me hug you and tell you that everything is alright even though I think that you should tell Jeongguk the truth.” 

“I thought you didn’t like him?” 

“I don’t, doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve the truth, even though I understand why you haven’t told him yet. You’re not in an easy position.” His best friend grabs him as soon as he is near enough to be gabbed and be pulled into a hug and Jimin goes willingly, almost pliant. 

“When you don’t want this to go badly, you and your dragon need to step back.” 

“I know.” 

“I’m not so sure about that.” 

“Just be quiet for now.” Jimin’s words are muffled in the youngers shoulder, his worry and guilt flaring up, holding him in a tight grip of anxiety. Taehyung is right, he should tell Jeongguk the truth in the next possible situation, moment, the next time he sees him.

“I try my best.”   

~~~

Letting his dragon side take the reins, at least one half of it, is a feeling that is hard to describe for Jimin. 

Its surging and brimming with strength, with a certain wildness that just has its full potential coming out when his body expands, when he gets wings that are able to carry him high and far and long enough to cross country boarders in just a day when he would want to. 

Riding high on the wind, letting it guide him, quiets his often raging mind, always rumbling and tumbling with all sorts of thoughts. Giving up half of the reins to his dragon, whose usually already content in the back of his mind, often a pleasant buzz and an approving hum, since Jimin always is on the same page as the dragon within him. 

After all he is a dragon, and the dragon is he. Would they run off into two different directions it probably would have him rip into two at some point, an unhealthy and unnatural thing that happens way too often, especially in the last few decades.

At least it has always been like that, for all his life, no matter if as a child, when he would cause all kinds of mischief, having his parents lose their minds over his antics multiple times a day. As a teenager, when he would stay out longer than allowed, putting his nose into things that were none of his business, just because the newest gossip sounded like clinking pearls and he, after all, is a dragon, no matter which form he walks on earth with, in the end he will always search for those pearls, in these cases words. 

Or as an adult, choosing a path for himself, after going through a hard and challenging time, that had him questioning a lot more than just what he experienced in life until then and had his parents sigh deeply, yet again at a loss, but still supportive of him even when they don’t understand why he chose what he chose. 

No matter when, he and his dragon, his dragon and he, they have always been on the same page, so much so, that outsiders claimed that they have never seen someone so at peace with their other side, with themselves. 

Because usually, especially during the teenage years, a lot of shifters, of dragons and humans, they all experience some struggles within themselves, with who they are and who they want to be, and having a part of the mind in a lot more primal and aggressive and possessive state apparently doesn’t do anything to better the struggles most of the people have. 

Jimin had never experienced that, he has found himself lucky, has been glad that he and his dragon side go along so well and that he found it rather easy to accept all the quirks and additional instincts that are coming with it, the intensity and the urges. 

At least that had been until three years ago, when he stepped a foot into the clinic and stumbled into Jeongguk, or rather Jeongguk had stumbled into him. 

Big doe eyes, sparkling so innocently and full of galaxies worth of stars, the most beautiful sight how his dragon would call it, not much different than today, but with a lot more fear. His face then had still been rounder, void of most of these handsome lines and edges it sports today, but not less magnificent. 

Jimin had found himself starstruck one can say, he had just been able to stare at the boy in front of him, who was avoiding his eyes after a few long seconds, fumbling with the papers in his hands, shoulders hunched and body shaking, like he was anticipating Jimin to yell at him any moment now. 

Which Jimin didn’t do, he even wouldn’t have done so when he would have been able to form words and not just hear the dragon in his mind roar and rumble and grumble and trying to take the reins to do whatever. All he had been able to do was concentrating on those round eyes, holding so much more than just the ability to see. 

When he later, after coming back home, went over the brief interaction over and over and over and over again, no one has to know. 

Today, he is still on the same page as his dragon, maybe even more than he has ever been, that is until the topic is shifted towards Jeon Jeongguk. 

This sweet sweet boy that still, three years later, is so gentle and caring and soft with everything he does. Its delightful for his dragon to watch the human go about his day, rambling about the food he ate, the dragons in the clinic, their colleagues, his classmates and teachers of whom Jimin didn’t know just how bad they are treating the younger, about their friends Namjoon and Jin, and these days Mango. 

It has Jimin running against walls with his dragon whenever they are in the same room or vicinity as the younger and it has Jimin slowly thinking he is going mad, because his dragon wouldn’t just leave it alone and act like he does with everyone else around them. 

Not that he can deny that he, his human side, isn’t endeared by the younger as well, he clearly is, just as friends are (at least that he tries to convince himself of).

Now, having the reins slipping and giving more power to the dragon within him than he should have, his anger had just been rising at that point, his temper having a short fuse not helping, his dragon had chosen the younger as its trainer, not even thinking twice about it, or thinking about it all, just all caution thrown to the wind, not able to stomach the sad and devastating look Jeongguk had sported and while Jimin knows about the situation the younger is in, he likes to think it has been easier for him to comply and not fight his dragon even a little bit. 

That it would have to result in him and Taehyung flying around since dawn, around the city, always high enough to not be detected by unwanted eyes, their heightened senses helping with it very much, searching for a cave, big enough for two dragons, and also being livable in, holding out too much heat and too much cold, while having easy access while also being hidden enough to just be detected by eyes allowed to see, had been a task leaving the two exhausted.

When they did find a cave both of them but primarily Jimin approved of, they shortly had been at a loss of what to do next. It has been so long since their kind lived in caves like these, not even their parents or grandparents could talk about those times since they have been long gone when they were children. 

Dragons have always been able to shift, which was easy for housing and at some point they left the caves for good, began building houses just like the humans around them did, mingled with their kind and learned. At least that had been the cause everywhere until it wasn’t. 

These days the dragon shifters back at home have secluded themselves more or less from the humans around, sensing more danger than they would like, the big cities with their skyscrapers and all the technology that always buzzes like hyperactive bees messing with their minds, their dragons that are drawn and deeply intertwined with nature, something that continues to be pushed away in those cities and the human minds. 

In other parts of the country, or the world, it doesn’t look much different. Dragon shifters draw back, just some clans offering their youngest for choosing purposes mostly out of the hope life could become better like that again, when they show that they are willing to reconnect with the humans, but mostly they all get disappointed when humans rather want to control instead of becoming a team.

And around here they have purely stopped shifting, drawing back so much that they went back to living in caves, but they also seem some sort of happy working together with the humans, even when the scars and wounds Jimin has seen in the clinic should talk in a different language.

Now, after they deemed it a good idea, they shifted some stuff into the cave that Jimin had scattered around in different storage room, thinking that he hasn’t yet found the right place to display them, not that he thinks this cave is the right place either, but he possibly can’t shift his whole apartment in here, even when the cave offers way more space than his apartment could. 

Shifting some of his stuff into the cave and its different parts that are all divided by walls and smaller and bigger corridors, deceiving whoever might want to look into it, getting some personal stuff into it, things that hold value, a meaning, that he considers treasures has pulled up a wall of magic, protecting his things and him, letting no one through until he approves of the ones asking for permission.    

“Just imagine having to do all this without this practical device.” Taehyung lets himself fall into a chair Jimin doesn’t quite remember adding to his collection, but it is here so he must have done so someday in the past. The device, a small tablet with which it is easy to move stuff from one place to another, often in a matter of minutes, and because of some atom cutting and reproducing it does (to be honest Jimin never understood how these things work, which he hasn’t to do to use them anyway), lands on a small table next to the chair.

Its just midday, but both of them are already exhausted, all the flying around eating more energy when they shift often, which they did and even though they didn’t really had to carry all this furniture, they did shuffle it around until it felt as right as it does now.

They are currently in the biggest part of the cave, which also has a secret entrance, giving way to the other side, where the forest is deep and dark and dense, offering a way out should it become necessary for whatever reason. 

Jimin and his dragon equally feel bad for going these extra steps to keep the secret in front of Jeongguk. He pondered over it the whole night and morning, trying to see which would be the better option, the safest. And talking about it with Taehyung, they came to the conclusion that it would be the best to pretend, at least for now, he can’t and won’t risk Jeongguks safety, not with what might stands in the room with them and all these other things they can’t quite predict to happen some time into the future, which doesn’t mean that he doesn’t feel guilty and bad.  

“Does that mean I have the apartment for me alone for a while?” 

“No! Its my home!” 

“But when you’re not here after Jeongguk knows of this place, then why have we spend all morning searching for this cave?” Taehyung gestures through the cave and Jimin follows the motion with his eyes.

The walls are littered with moss and flowers and ivy and a special type of plant that spends natural light, dousing the “room” already in a comfortable lightning, with the lanterns Jimin hung from the ceiling wherever he deemed them beautiful and useful, it is enough to clearly see and do stuff around (luckily the lanterns don’t need electricity or gas and are running on humidity alone, which this cave provides enough of, one of the newest inventions from home). 

Some of his things are still piled up against the walls, but he already mapped out where he wants his temporarily bed to go and there even is a corner where it will be save to get a fire going without having to fear to suffocate from it. And on the clearing outside there is a pond (almost a small lake) filled with clear water. It also isn’t that far away from the academy and its dorms, where he knows Jeongguk lives, which gives him some peace of mind, more that you would catch him admitting to.

“I guess with a little bit of work this can become comfortable? I guess?” Taehyung says when Jimin doesn’t answer for some long moments, their eyes meeting. “Or you come clean to Jeongguk.” 

“We just agreed that I don’t. For his safety.” Jimin mumbles, looking away, instead he tries to distract himself with going through a pile, trying to find the things he has in mind to build his bed out of, but the sigh in his throat, that was stuck before, now escapes him, the dragon in his mind stomping around. 

“That, we did.” Taehyung nods firmly. He had stated around a thousand times again that he doesn’t like all this going on in the slightest, but Jimin has to deal with it now, the consequences of his own actions, he is just glad that Taehyung didn’t turn around and went back home. 

“Do you plan to fly over to the academy and see him?” 

“I don’t know.” Jimin says, closing his eyes when he senses the dragon opening its eyes, fully alert with just the perspective of seeing the younger. Really, Jimin feels at a loss here. “Probably. We should start this training” Jimin huffs the word more than he says it, “as soon as possible, when those rumors about the tournament are true I don’t want to risk his safety.”

“Yeah having to go through a multitude of however looking games is an ordeal of itself, not to talk about having to do that when dragon and trainer aren’t on the same page.”

“Its absolutely dangerous that they plan to have even newly chosen ones amongst those that are competing.”

“It is and I wonder why they would risk students to get injured or even dying, however these games are coming out.”

“We will have to wait and see, I guess.” But that doesn’t sit right with any of the two, but in the end they couldn’t do more than wait with tied hands. 

“I earlier, when we split up for a bit, flew over the clans territory, at least the side where they allow the humans to be at.” 

“And?” 

“And I saw your boy there.” 

“He isn’t my boy.”

“Sure, whatever you say.” Taehyung rolls his eyes, “but what I wanted to say is that he looked lost, like he absolutely had no clue what to do with himself. I mean sure he wasn’t able to do anything because his dragon wasn’t with him, but I mean aside from that too. I didn’t even really had been able to spot his aura, not even last evening it had done more than flicker.” 

“What do you want to imply?” 

“That it isn’t too late yet to break this whole thing off.” Taehyung sighs. 

“You don’t know Jeongguk, he is able to be a dragon trainer!”

“He first and foremost seems to be the laughing stock of his whole class and I’m sure of all the dragons around as well, probably for the better that they can’t talk or shift these days.” 

His dragon surges forward way faster than Jimin would be able to stop him, ready to rip Taehyung to shreds for underestimating Jeongguk and saying all that about him, but overpowering the rage that is fueling him so suddenly is the determination to prove them all wrong. Just because Jeongguks aura is barely visible, just because he has a soft and caring heart it doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be good or even better than all those wannabe dragon trainers out there who do not even understand half of a dragons nature. 

“Jimin!” Taehyung yells after him when Jimin spins around after staring at his best friend for a moment, “wait! At least tell me where you’re going!” 

But Jimin doesn’t stop, instead he becomes faster in his steps, until there is enough space for him to shift and jump into the air, taking of towards the academy, at this point of the day Jeongguk should at least be on his way back from the clans territory side.       

Chapter Text

~~~

(…) since dragon shifters have revealed themselves, the old assumptions have redeemed themselves. Where it said that dragons emotions would not range far away from possessiveness and rage and a common stupidity, Professors of todays age can say with confidence that the emotional range of a dragon is a lot wider than assumed and almost resembles a humans ability of emotion in a rawer nature.  

 Dragons emotions, a guide (Volume 3)
 First Scholar of Queen Yunai, year 1312

~~~

Jeongguk groans hearing the squelching sound of his uncomfortable muddy clothes smacking against his skin with every single one of his steps. To say that his day until now has been a whirlwind of bad emotions and things and situations in general, would still be an understatement. And even though the sun has just reached the highest point on the horizon, Jeongguk was already ready to end the day early, preferably after a hot and cleaning shower.

A much needed thing after Isagi deemed it necessary and funny to push Jeongguk into a puddle of mud that the rain, that must have fallen sometime last night or in the early morning, created. After the morning he just had it was just the tip of the iceberg. The laughter it has brought forward from everyone around them is still echoing in Jeongguks mind, even though all of his classmates and teachers must be at the academy again, Jeongguk is just glad that he has no other class left for the day. 

He should probably be faster as well, but he still hopes that, when he just lets enough time pass, he can avoid having to run into any of his classmates or teachers for the rest of the day. 

Huffing out another breath, Jeongguk stops in his tracks, grimacing when he feels his trousers cling to his legs even more like that, his head falls back, blinking at the sky through the opening in the trees, looking at the blue, he would prefer gray clouds and rain, but whatever.

From far away, these forests that the mountains are littered with, always look densely, thickly, like nothing else than some beams of sunlight can find a way through the tree crowns, but once you stand in the middle of it, then there are paths, clearly wounded through the ground with all the feet that are walking the same route over and over and over. 

Whenever Jeongguk is on his way to or from the dragon side, he is able to see fallen trees, may it be that they fell because of storms or through dragons that either crashed into them because of a fight or the simple fun of it. There are smaller paths than the ones he usually walks on, sometimes there are none at all, but there are a decent amount of clearings, most of the times leading up to a potential dragon cave.

Right now he stands on the usual path, a small strip, just enough for a dragon or two to land without a tree scratching them, of the trees giving way to look at the sky. The dragon side too far behind him to still be able to hear any of the dragons roaring but also still too far away from the academy, to see the bright red shingles break through all the different shades of green that have yet to make space and transform into all the colours that, in a few weeks when autumn arrives, will dominate these mountain sides.

Jeongguk just stands there for a moment, continuing to stare at the sky through the opening of the trees, catching his breath, hands trying to get rid of some of the already crusty mud clinging to his arms. 

A deep, almost raging, roar rips the silence around him to shreds causing him to look around in shock, jumping slightly when he sees a dragon approaching fast, clearly headed in Jeongguks direction and not the dragon sides. It needs a moment until he realises that it is the dragon that chose him and another moment to realise that it was probably on the search for Jeongguk who, on one hand is happy to see the dragon again and on the other hand wishes he wouldn’t look as dirty as he does right now. 

He watches the dragon land just a handful of meters in front of him, the free space just enough for it to not stand with half its body in the trees, just now it seems to dawn on Jeongguk just how massive the dragon, that glimmers in the sun in all rainbow colours so beautifully, is and how it makes Jeongguk giddy in the nervous manner, not the anxious one. 

They stare at each other and Jeongguk, seeing how the dragon takes in Jeongguks rather roughed up state, is able to observe how the grayish specks that just yesterday had resembled a multitude of stars, now have transformed into stormy clouds, that seem to get darker with every second that the dragons eyes are trained on Jeongguks form. 

He pulls up his hand, almost as like in a defensive matter, but really all he tries to do is to calm the dragon down, not able to contemplate what might will happen when the fuse that clearly has already been lit before for whatever reason, runs out. 

“I’m fine.” He stumbles to say, not moving a muscle more, “I just fell into a puddle of mud. I can be pretty clumsy at times.” Jeongguk really hopes that it does something to get the dragon to at least take a deep breath, even when right now, it doesn't really look like it believes Jeongguk. 

Jeongguk shuffles forward on a whim, hands still up in the air he tries to not think of how stupid and lost he must look, even when he feels exactly like that. The dragon lowers itself further, belly almost laying on the forest grounds. Its head holds still, eyes watchful of Jeongguks every move, who comes to a halt just a couple of meters in front of its snoot, getting hit with warm breath, which makes him shudder. 

Jeongguk sighs, searching for words, the right ones to not possibly offend the dragon. “Thank you for coming by.” He decides on, “that means a lot to me.” He smiles genuinely bright. 

He receives a small roar, appreciatively how he interprets it. The dragon shuffles closer, its nose softly colliding with Jeongguks chest and when he draws back again there is a small mud patch on its usually white scales which has Jeongguks eyes widening in shock and dread. 

“Oh no, I’m so sorry.” His eyes flit around to search for something that isn’t muddy like he and that he could use to offer the dragon to clean its snoot with. “I’m so sorry,” His eyes land on the dragons who are looking more confused than anything else. 

“Your beautiful scales got dirty because of me,” Jeongguk explains, eyes darting down ready for more rage, but instead he is met with silence and when he blinks up again there is something in the dragons eyes that he can’t quite pinpoint, not that he receives much time to try, because the dragon surges forward, sharp teeth showing when he pushes against Jeongguks chest hard enough to have him stumble and whirl around to be able to catch himself, but before he can meet the ground like he expects to do, he looses his footing for a solely different reason. 

He can’t hold in the small scream that leaves his throat without his permission, eyes wide open when he sees how meters get put between himself and the ground and he, in a matter of seconds, is above the trees and not in between them anymore, hanging from the dragons mouth who has clamped its teeth into his clothes to apparently carry him to whatever place it has in mind to do whatever, Jeongguk just hopes it wasn’t his last day on earth. 

He is scared enough to not focus on how beautiful the view is from above, something he hasn’t experienced yet (not that he thought he would and surely not dangling from a dragons mouth instead of a dragons back), all he can think of is that he hopefully doesn’t die any moment now, because his clothes rip, the fabric not strong enough, or because the dragon just waits to reach the right high to let Jeongguk fall (he doesn’t really think the dragon would do that, but he can’t quite be sure yet).

The dragon flies them to a place Jeongguk hasn’t seen yet, but when they get down again, at least a little bit he can make out a clearing with some rock formations that maybe could even provide a cave or something and a pond, almost a lake, big enough to swim in.

Jeongguk doesn’t concentrate on the water, which he might should have done, because in the next moment he finds himself flying through the air, too shocked to press the air out of his lungs like it wants, screaming, before he already hits the water and falls even deeper cool liquid all around him. 

When he breaks through the surface again, Jeongguk has some difficulty of getting enough air into his lungs and also free his eyes from the strands of hair that are now plastered all over his face, his hair tie nowhere to be seen, but when he finally manages to do so, still paddling in the middle of the pond, he sees the dragon sitting at the edge, its snoot white again, glistening in all rainbow colours just like the rest, big eyes staring at him, grinning brightly, clearly amused about its own antics. 

Jeongguk huffs, swimming over to the edge and pulling himself out of the water, grimacing at his soaking and heavy clothes, he sees the dragon shuffle around in his peripheral vision but he ignores it for the favor of getting rid of his jacket and shirt throwing them into the grass, at least most of the mud has been washed away. 

He pulls all devices he had with him today, which is just his phone and the schools pad that provides him with all the books and materials he might need for his classes, and throws them into the grass as well, luckily these devices are water proof by default. And, for a second he contemplates if he should get rid of his trousers as well, since they are already sitting deep on his hips, but since the dragon still is with him, he decides against it, and instead just gets rid of his shoes, hoping that his clothes will at least dry a little bit under the suns warmth. 

Putting his hands in his hips, he finally turns around just to be confronted with a dragon that gives him puppy eyes (at least they have gotten bigger than they have been before, while staring at him). 

“That was pretty rude.” Jeongguk pouts (he doesn’t want to, but it just naturally comes out), “you could have at least warned me.” He huffs, squinting at the dragon for good measure.   

It lowers itself onto the ground, belly fully touching the grass when it lays down, head tugged between his front legs, tail curling around its frame, like this the dragon in front of him could also be a way too big of a cat. 

Jeongguk huffs again, trying to hold in the endeared chuckle that bubbles up within him, instead he lets himself sink into the grass, trying to ignore the uncomfortable clinging of soaked fabric to his skin.

They look at each other, equally confused and lost, which has Jeongguk grinning stupidly which the dragon just reciprocates, eyes never leaving him, the corners of its mouth pulled upwards, like the dragon was grinning back at him, the raging clouds in its eyes slowly going back to the multitude of stars they have been before. 

“I spoke with my best friend, Namjoon and his Boyfriend Jin, they both already bonded with a dragon.” Jeongguk says after some time, glad that the sun was strong enough to dry his skin. 

“I wanted to know how they did it. All the books I have read about it are always telling the reader to have the upper hand, to establish the dynamic between trainer and dragon early, to prove that one is capable of handling situations and having the reins in their hands, like it is more a power question than a will to build a bond that is mutually beneficial, a team, you know. I don’t like the idea of ruling over you instead of with you.” 

Jeongguk shakes his head, averts his eyes towards the sky before he draws them back towards the dragon, its head not really resting anymore, but it wasn’t hovering above him either, its eyes still wide, focused on whatever Jeongguk has to say.

“The both of them weren’t really much of a help, they try to have as much of a balanced bond with their dragons as possible, but they still are students of the academy, and have to do what they are told during the classes. Which often is all about telling the dragon what to do and, when it doesn’t, reprimand it with whatever method they deem necessary, I can’t even count anymore how many dragons I have patched up in the last three years, because of wounds that have been caused by their trainers and their inability to create a bond that is build on trust rather than fear.” Jeongguk huffs frustrated. 

“I guess its like a friendship, its created through spending time together, getting to know each other. And I guess its the thing I have in mind right now, spending time with each other, existing in the same space whenever we can. When thats not enough for you, you are free to leave whenever you feel like it. I’m not a fan of making you stay or do something that you don’t want to do, when you couldn’t figure yet.” 

Half of him expects to see the dragon get up and fly away without a glance back, deciding that Jeongguk in the end isn’t worth it, but it doesn’t, instead it roars softly, the tone just loud enough to reach Jeongguks ears, before the head whips up and down slowly, before it rests on the ground again, eyes inviting Jeongguk to stay a little while longer, which he gladly accepts.   
     

~~~

“Where have you been?” 

Its a few hours later when Jeongguk finally opens the door to his and Namjoons room, greeted by the visual of his best friend and Jin cuddling (and probably kissing before Jeongguk threw open the door) on the elders bed, now looking disheveled, with their hair standing up in all directions and the shirts ridden up, and thrown off-guard, blinking at him with wide eyes. 

“Out, with my dragon. Long story but I need a shower first!” Jeongguk, with a quick wave in their direction charges into the bathroom, the sun did a good job drying his clothes, at least to some degree, but they are still highly uncomfortable, and the sensation on his skin that the fabric creates right now, has him cringing and uncomfortable at best.

He doesn’t lose any time of getting rid of the fabric, grimacing at the sound of it falling onto the tiles in a wet thud. 

“What do you mean you spend the whole afternoon with your dragon?” Namjoons voice is muffled through the door and the water that Jeongguk put on, “your time with it was this morning!” 

“Have you forgotten that I am not allowed to be with my dragon during class?” Jeongguk sighs when the warm water finally hits his skin, lulling him into a comfortable hug. 

“But..!” 
“Leave it babe, you have shown me the letter Jeongguk received just this morning, what else should he do?” Jins naturally louder voice cuts easily through the barrier that the door creates.

“How did you find your dragon, and why did you look like a wet dog?” It cuts the silence again a few seconds later, Namjoon not having much more to say how it seems.

“My dragon found me.” Jeongguk, his hands massaging shampoo into his hair, having to sigh when he feels the last patches of mud and knots leaving his hair and body. He doesn’t deem it necessary to inform them that he just now has a vague conception as where to find the dragon, should he have to search for it. 
“And first Isagi found it funny to push me into a puddle of mud and after that, when my dragon found me, I accidentally smeared some mud on his scales which he found not that funny which resulted in him throwing me into a pond like lake.”

“Your dragon threw you into a pond?” 

“Yep.” Holding a towel around his waist, he steps out of the bathroom. Namjoon and Jin still lie on Namjoons bed, but this time not as much intertwined as before just their wide, this time shocked, eyes have remained. 

“How do I have to imagine your dragon do that? There is no pond anywhere near the path from the dragon side.”

Bundling a few clothes in his arms he contemplates if he should stay with the truth.
“It picked me up with his teeth in the neck of my shirt and flew me over one before he dropped me around ten meters above the water surface.”

He shrugs and watches his friends eyes grow even wider, their skins paling, wanting to just slip back into the bathroom to get clothed he turns around, not anticipating for Jin to flash like jump up from the bed and grab him. Inspecting Jeongguks skin for any injuries or even scratches which he clearly doesn’t have. 

“What..!” 

“It didn’t hurt you?” 

“Why should it? It was more playful than anything else, you should have seen him, laying in the grass like a cat.” Jeongguk chuckles, cheeks heating up under his friends flabbergasted looks. 

“Playful?” 

“No one ever came close to a dragons mouth and lived to tell the tale!” Namjoon now too, jumps up from his place on the bed, coming over, worried clearly. 

“I think we have to revisit that one.” Jeongguk mumbles, Jin still holds him by his shoulders so he can’t just flee into the bathroom like he wants to do. 

“Are you sure you didn’t, perhaps, hit your head when Isagi shoved you?” 

“Are you implying I would lie to you?” 

“NO!” 

“You have to say that it sounded like it babe.” Jin whispers still loud enough for everyone to hear, but at least he steps back, now sure that Jeongguk isn’t injured in any form or way.

“I won’t ever assume you’re lying, I just wanted to make sure!” 

“I know Joonie, don’t panic.” Jeongguk chuckles, patting his best friends arm kind off awkwardly with the clothes still bundled up in it and the other holding the towel secure around his hips. He slips into the bathroom, telling his friends about his afternoon and when he walks out of the tiled room again, falling onto his own bed, opposite from Namjoons, he chuckles about their still bewildered faces. 

“I can’t even say why I’m so surprised.” Jin shakes his head, a small laugh escaping him.

“What do you mean?”

“Our dragons chose us because we have things in common, so why should it be that much different for Jeongguk?” 

“You’re not wrong.”

“I’m never wrong!”

“Its just I never heard about a dragon being this open and playful after just a couple of hours spend together. Dragons are naturally skeptic creatures, and here Jeongguks dragon is, acting like these two are knowing each other for years instead of days.” 

Jeongguk can’t say anything to that, neither can Jin, both of them have probably thought about that before, Jeongguk had thought about it the whole morning and then the whole afternoon while he talked to his dragon, telling him story after story about himself and his work and his life in the academy, trying to give the dragon something it can work with, knowing fairly well, through his work and his studies, how important it is, or should be. 

“Wouldn’t I know better, I would say your dragon is a shifter.” 

“There are no shifters around here.” Jin shakes his head and Jeongguk finds himself doing the same. Sure, the thought already crossed his mind as well, but there hasn’t been a shifter be seen around here since what feels like forever. The closest to where some life, away from any human civilizations, are on the other side of the country.  

“But, and we can all see that, Jeongguks dragon isn’t from around here either.” Namjoon shrugs, slightly disturbing Jin whose head lays against his shoulder. 

“Have you ever heard about a shifter wanting a trainer? Even choosing one?” Jeongguk, for his part, hasn’t, but then Namjoon reads a lot more than Jeongguk does and sometimes it seems like his best friend is a walking library, having an answer for almost everything.

“It didn’t happen that often, but I did read about it one or two times. The most reports about those are from a time where there were more shifters around and less dragons that aren’t able to shift, a time where academies haven’t been a thing yet.” 

“In those reports, are they saying what made a shifter choose a human?” 

Namjoon hums, nodding, “Mostly because they already knew the human they chose, close friends that they either grew up with and already bonded with or the human had been a lover that they wanted by their side all the time. It has always been someone they already knew and trusted.”

“I don’t know a dragon like that.” Jeongguk sighs, turning to lie on his back, staring at the ceiling for a brief moment, before turning his head towards his friends again.

“Yeah, when he would know a dragon shifter, why wouldn’t they have just told him?” 

“I don’t know either.” Namjoon now sighs, looking almost apologetic, but something in his eyes glimmers, something he dismisses. “It has just been a thought.”

“So, we can say his dragon just came by randomly, saw Jeongguk and thought, yeah thats my human?” 

“I guess we can.” 

Jeongguk just chuckles, with these two it sounds so unbearably easy.

“Have you given it a name yet?”

“We aren’t at that point yet.” Jeongguk shakes his head softly, pulling his blanket over his legs, just to feel the weight of it. 

“But you have thought about one?”

“Sure I have. How couldn’t I, but like I said, we aren’t there yet, it would be way too disrespectful to ask to name him so soon already.”

Namjoon hums, “with your level of, comfortableness, I wouldn’t be surprised when it would let you do so, but its good anyway, for you to not make too many steps too fast.” 

“Its been just a couple of days.” Jeongguk chuckles. Even a week would be way too fast, and a month or a few would already press it, its a thing, he thinks, where he just has to go with the flow. 

“Do you want to tell us what you want to call your dragon?” 

“Are you even already sure about a name?” 

“I am sure about the name.” Jeongguk nods, its a thing that came to him the moment he was sure he got chosen. Then it has been just a glimmer of a thought, vanishing quickly in the moment but later on and the whole day today, he had barely been able to think about something else when he saw the dragon. Like it has told him his name and Jeongguks tongue doesn’t want to do something else than form it and let it spill, bring it out into the world.

He thinks about it, feels himself smile, feels the comfortable weight of it on his lips, but before he can actually spill it, a harsh knock interrupts them, has them all looking onto the clock on Namjoons nightstand, its still too early for dinner and normally there wouldn’t be someone reminding them of it either, they aren’t around here experiencing their first week. 

“Kim! Jeon! All students are to be seen in the hall in five minutes!” Miss Chois unpleasant voice echoes through the door, has the friends looking at each other with deep frowns. 

Normally, when they get ordered into the hall, it is for announcements of all sorts, small ones and big ones, but would it be normally, they would have been informed about something coming up prior, usually with a paper note, in a letter or an email, not like this, with an urgent knock against their doors.

~~~

The Hall, is the only part of the academy that still looks like it had when the academy first got build, sure, the facade of the whole academy still is the same too, but all rooms, the dormitories, the classrooms and everything else, over the time, has always gotten renovated, refreshed to go with time, follow the path technology has taken as well, always up to date, resulting in often plain and characterless rooms. 

Here though it is like the time got somehow frozen. Its a wide room, almost half the size of the whole building. Instead of white walls it has dark wood lining up, some names carved into them, symbols and dragons of all sorts, telling stories of bored students that have been around over the years. 

Where usually windows are that, on this side of the building, would show the wide green fields and the mountains in the background, there is stained glass instead. The pictures it is so colorfully portraying showing where the academies origins are laying, telling stories about the dragons of this area, all while giving the room a soft, rainbow-y atmosphere. 

There is a podium at the front, sometimes for graduations and other celebrations, housing a band and their instruments, today though there is just a microphone and a small table holding some papers. 

The benches, just as old and original as the wood lining the walls, sometimes pushed away to make enough space for formal and informal dances of all sorts, are already filled to the brim when Jeongguk, Namjoon and Jin arrive, being uncomfortably pushed through the wide wing like doors.     

The sound of around hundred students and the teachers mumbling with each other, trying to figure out what is happening, has Jeongguks head swimming in mere seconds, has him overwhelmed. 

“Come, over here.” He hears Namjoon say and is dragged away from the doors and the middle of the room where he is automatically pushed at, just to find himself leaning against one of the wooden panels near enough to the door but not too much to be in the midst of the few more people flowing into the room before the doors get shut with force. 

He exchanges another look with his friends, who are looking as skeptic as he feels, sometimes when teachers look in their direction, eyes feeling like they want to burn through Jeongguks back (he hopes he just imagines the intensity due to the situation), they would nod, but neither of them says anything at all. 

Instead they wait until it becomes purely quiet as soon as the director of the academy steps away from where he stood before to take the two small steps onto the podium. He looks pleased with himself and the silence that now has them all in a tight hold, anticipating whatever it might be they are here for. 

The directors eyes wanders over all the students heads, over the teachers that are standing lined up against the wall next to the podium, most of them having their hands behind their backs, their posture straight and unwavering.

“I want to say hello and thank you for you all to follow my order and rather spontaneous wish to make the announcement, so willingly and fast. I also hope all of you could start the new semester calmly and my best wishes to those who finally got chosen a couple of days ago.” Applause erupts in the hall, echoing from the room just like the directors voice does it with ease thanks to the microphone in front of him.

Jeongguk claps softly himself, stuttering in his movements though when he meets the directors gaze, burning, disapproving, pissed, which just changes as soon as he looks away again.

“You all may wonder what has me so excited today and I am finally able to tell you all what we were planing for the past few months since I just got the final green light to proceed. 

“You all know that other academies around our country usually hold a tournament in reasonable time frames to bring the bonding between humans and dragons forward in a way that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.” Agreeing mumbling rises, which the director has to clear his throat for it to vanish again. 

“Today I’m happy to announce that this year, we are the ones who will hold one such tournament. An event that hasn’t been held here for over two decades.” 

The director has his chest puffed out with what Jeongguk assumes must be pride, a sentiment that he personally does not share upon hearing the news, a few other students seem to also have their reservations, the majority though seems to be excited though when their loud clapping and the immediately starting talks are anything to go by. 

“Since it has been over two decades since we had the honor,” The director begins again when it quiets down finally, “we are preparing for an event bigger than the usual tournaments you have seen until today, we do not just want to celebrate the bonds between humans and dragons, but also our prestigious academy and for what it stands, strength and persistence.”

Jeongguk and his friends are exchanging a look, eyebrows risen with surprise and even more shock, probably all three of them aren’t having that much of a good feeling.   
 
“We will be preparing to accommodate a lot of guests, politicians, celebrities, the press, parents and siblings. And to be able to house them we all will have to get a bit closer in the coming year.   

“We, after a lot of thinking, came to the conclusion that it would be the most reasonable to have parts of the caretaker and the dragon rider department to split up and be assigned new rooms and roommates. Please let me talk first,” The directors voice echoes over the heads of the students, so loud that it makes an unpleasant noise shutting everyone up effectively.  

“All of us are well aware that this means a tight squeeze and a lot of changes we all have to adjust to, but I also can guarantee you that this is a one in a lifetime event and I am sure that, what you now think of as an unpleasant change, will be, in a year from now, something that you have grown with and learned a lesson you probably will need for the life that lies ahead of you.” 

The director and some of the teachers are grimacing through his speech, given the rivalry and the usually secluding of the different departments, they aren’t fully on board with what they just proposed to their students, but they probably do not see another possibility of making so much room in just weeks, even with their enhanced technology it would take months to build new buildings that would solely be used for those purposes of holding guests that naturally are rare around here.

“We also, since it has been so long since the last tournament hosted within our academy took place, agreed and got the permission of the government, to change some things up. Which means, that for the first of the three trials that will take place during the tournament, all of our students, with a dragon by their side, will have to participate.”

Jeongguks stomach swoops with dread, his head whips around towards his friends, who are looking as shocked as he feels, every colour drained of their faces.

“Which is a fairly large number of participants, but we can assure you that we have and will take any safety measure there is to ensure your and your dragons well being during all of it. This will also just be for the first trial, after it there will be just the first ten that will be going forward with the second round. But we wanted to give all of you the opportunity to participate.” 

The information needs a second or two to fully seep into the peoples minds, but when it does voices of concern and shock and excitement are getting loud and for the first time since the doors closed and the director went up onto the podium no one interferes with the noise immediately, instead they seem to soak the reactions to the news right up.
 
“What does he mean?” Jeongguk hears Namjoon asking, his voice barely a whisper, eyes round with shock and dread with the prospect of how their year will probably be going on. Neither of them would have chosen to participate in one of those tournaments would they have the right to choose, which here it does not at all seem to be an option. 

Jeongguks own stomach swoops in dread. It has been barely a week since the choosing and in his opinion neither of them was anywhere near ready to participate in a tournament, no matter if they are anticipated to not make it into the list of the first ten or not, the amount of people and dragons that will get injured are having him shaking his head, full of worry. 

Whenever these tournaments are held, no matter where it is, there are always a dozen of people and dragons that are getting injured with every round that is held, and that even when they aren’t putting newbies into the chase. Jeongguk is almost sure that neither of the teachers are caring about these kinds of concerns would they be brought up. These types of events, after all, are making good money, with that alone it doesn’t seem to matter that at the last tournament that had been held in their academy there had been multiple deaths, which is the sole reason why there hadn’t been a tournament in the past two decades, after all. 

“Please, we will answer your questions in just a minute.” Miss Choi speaks up after a couple of minutes, hands hold up, trying to get the students to calm down again, which she succeeds in after a minute or two, but the atmosphere keeps getting thicker, or at least Jeongguk thinks it does. 

“We know that it is a big jump to let even the newly chosen ones participate, but we made sure to design the first trial as save as possible, so that everyone with a dragon by their side can participate and use the given opportunity to bond further than they would be able to under normal circumstances.” 

“The preparation for the tournament will take a few weeks, we are expected to be able to hold the first trial at the end of October at the latest, but because of the arrangements that need to be made, we can’t tell you more than that.” 

“What kind of trials will there be?” A girl asks loud enough to cut through the silence of the seconds the director needs to take a breather. His face pulls into a displeased one, but he answers anyway, “we can’t tell you this, because we do not want you to get to know how to make it through the trial even before the first one began. All I can tell you, is that you will get all the information you need when it is time.” 

“So basically we are left in the dark until we have to jump of a cliff?” 

“This is a very drastic metaphor.” The director shakes his head, sighing loudly into the microphone, “like I already said, we won’t let anything happen to our students, all the trials we chose are save and are risking none of our students at either point.”

“Keeping you in the dark about what each trial is about, will prevent you from cheating on one way or the other and ensure the fairness of it all. We, at no point, condone such a behavior especially since we are making sure that the trials are easy to understand for everyone and also are able to find solutions for in all the different ways there will be. Please understand that we are just wanting fair games and fun for everyone.” 

Jeongguk looks around, sees that the directors words and all the teachers nodding heads are barely doing anything to take off the worry in some students faces, but they do make the atmosphere lighter, in a sense of making space for less worried students to jump onto those who do see a problem. 

“The changes that will be made to accompany our guests for the next months will be brought to you in the next days and executed in the way we intended. We hope that you all will be accommodating and showing yourselves from the best side, as to not bring our academies and your own reputation down.” 

Jeongguk exchanges an eye roll with his friends and before he can mumble something along the lines of “sure, everything that is important is the academies reputation,” the device in his jeans pockets begins to aggressively vibrate with an incoming call. 

Frowning, he pulls it out to see who is calling him, his stomach swooping when he sees that it is Aris number, not her private one but the one from the clinic. Something must have happened for her to call him, technically he is still on leave for the rest of the week. 

“What is it?” Jin wants to know, his voice barely above a whisper when he looks onto the device in Jeongguks hands as well. 

“Don’t know, clinic is calling me.”

“Aren’t you still on leave?” The vibrating stops for a second, before it starts again, urging him to finally take the call.

“Must be an emergency.” 

“Then go, we cover for you.” Namjoon urges him and while Jeongguk doesn’t want to leave this announcement thing, he slips out of the door anyway, nodding gratefully towards them, counting on his friends to fill him in on whatever might happen next, when it really is an emergency that would draw him away immediately. 

“Ari?” He paces in the hallway in front of the hall, hoping that it is nothing.

“Thank the goddess you answered.” His friend sounds stressed, somewhere in the background he can hear the faint alarm bell of the emergency area as well as multiple pained roars that have to come from more than just one dragon. 

“What happened?” Without thinking of stopping by his dorm room to get his bag, he instead heads for the exit of the building as soon as the information he is yet about to verbally receive sets in. 

“I know you’re still on leave and wouldn’t we be so god damned understaffed I wouldn’t need to call you,” Ari rants when Jeongguk is already out of the building, running over the wide field towards the clinics direction. 

“Jimin should be here in thirty, tried to call him to ask if he can come earlier, but he wouldn’t answer.”

“Ari, its alright, just tell me what happened, I’m almost there.”

“You really are a godsend.” Jeongguk wouldn’t agree with that one, but in the favor of them not seeming to have the time to bicker about that, he makes a note for some time later in the back of his mind about it, when he jumps on a scooter like thing. He hates these, but he will reach the clinic a lot faster when riding one anyway. 

“The dragon one-thirteen had a seizure, I and Jung are not able to tell what caused it and at the same time two dragons landed in the emergency area, looking like an animal tried to attack them and almost being successful.” 

“Alright, I’m almost there. I will go right through to the two dragons in emergency, will also leave a message to Jimin to follow when he arrives in a few, so you and Jung have your hands free.” 

“The dragons in the emergency are pretty fuzzy and defensive.”

“It will be alright Ari.” Especially when Jimin hopefully arrives rather sooner than later today. 

Jeongguk jumps of from the scooter, letting it fall into the grass in front of the clinic without a care, the call ends a second later and his fingers fly over the screen of his device, he hopes Jimin reads the message in time. 

Chapter Text

~~~

Dragon clans, an introduction of the shapes and forms and the importance of them for our landscapes and culture.

Dragon clans are a picture of the landscapes they live in, or the landscapes are a picture of the Dragon clans living within it, whatever you prefer it to be. In the mountains they are a collage of grey to white over light blue, at the coast a glimmering picture of all tones of blue and yellow, orange and red, just the clans, hidden between grassy landscapes and the desert we share with another country, are of colours that vary in those of all kinds and variations. But, just their colourful scales isn’t what makes a dragon clan a dragon clan(…)

~~~

When Jimin finally arrives at the clinic there is chaos everywhere. Alarm bells are still ringing, making the dragons nervous which Jimin can hear more than feel in the atmosphere around, the roaring coming from behind closed doors and the outside parts are loud, uncoordinated, restless. 

It has multiple additional alarm bells ringing in Jimins head, they already went off when he received Jeongguks message, urging him on, silently pleading for him to arrive sooner even when it was mostly to inform him about what is going on.  

He had probably broken several traffic rules on his way here after reading it, silently cursing at himself that he went home after Jeongguk left the clearing in the afternoon, to change into his work clothes and hopefully being able to talk with Taehyung again. 

Just that Taehyung was nowhere to be found and wouldn’t pick up his damn phone either and then Jimin had to also discover that he seemingly had forgotten to throw his work clothes into the dryer the night before. Which caused them to still be clammy when he went to change, setting off a whole chain of events causing him to now walk around in clothes that are still within the regulations but by far not as comfortable.

Now Jimin walks through the hallways on quick feet, almost running towards the staff room where he disposes of his bag, eyes scanning over the protocols on the clinics device, to check if there are more emergencies. A breath escaping him when he sees that there are none, fingers flying over the keyboard to stop the bells from chiming, then he is out of the staff room and further down the hallways before he burst into the emergency area, the mild evening air hitting him like a train.    

In a matter of seconds he has his hands sanitized, eyes wandering and analyzing the picture that is the scene in front of him.

Jeongguk stands in front of two dragons, that seem like they are ready to attack, anxious and in pain. The younger must be talking to them, trying to calm them down, to make them understand that he means no harm but wants to help, lessen their pain. But the dragons, especially the bigger of the two, slightly standing in front of the other, was hissing and roaring at Jeongguk as soon as he shuffles forward even a centimeter.  

Whatever it is that injured these two dragons, it definitely got them good, its a wonder that they even made it here, bleeding like that with a dozen of wounds, the biggest of them on their bellies at least thats what Jimin is able to see right now. 

Slowly he gets close to the younger, hands hold up to symbolize to the dragons that he, as well, does not mean any harm.

Jimin exchanges a quick look with Jeongguk, whose eyes fill with relief as soon as he sees Jimin, but where usually lies a smile or a pout on his lips, is just a thin, stressed out and worried line, a deep frown wrinkling his forehead, which Jimin would love to ease with his fingers. Another time, another place, maybe. 

Now, after a quick nod, he turns his attention fully towards the two dragons, examining what is visible of their injuries a bit more closely. 

There are multiple places on their bodies where scales seem to have forcefully been ripped out, next to some stab wounds that are slowly bleeding onto the floor, their fast healing abilities trying its best to close the wounds, but probably overwhelmed with the amount of wounds it has to tend to, especially the biggest one, looking like it has been caused by claws just that, with another look, there is something wrong with it, nothing that Jimin could think of would leave a trail just like this, no animal or weapon. 

“Its alright, we are just here to help you.” He says sending a please afterwards, hoping they would at least understand him even when they aren’t able to answer and tell them what happened and caused their injuries. To know the what isn’t quite as important right now than to finally stop the bleeding. 

For a moment nothing happens, Jimin just stares at the dragon that is closest to them, meeting its eyes that are scrutinizing Jimin and Jeongguk suspiciously, but then, after another second, he shuffles forward with a pained growl, freeing the way towards the other dragon, that collapses onto the floor almost immediately, like it has just hold up so long until their mate approved that they would get the help they looked for here.

Without waiting a second longer Jimin and Jeongguk shuffle forward as well, Jeongguk going straight to the dragon that collapsed and Jimin a few steps forward, eyes still focused on the dragons ones.

“I need to stop your bleeding.” Jimin says loud enough to be heard, voice hold in a steady but firm tone, waiting until the dragon nods slightly, approving of Jimin coming even closer.

“You can lay down if you want, on your side, so that I still have access to the wound.” 

A small roar answers him, the dragon shuffling around, until it plops down on its side, exposing its belly for Jimin, who has to bite his tongue to not react badly to the wound, its a sheer wonder that it had been able to stand up so long, let alone fly from wherever that is they are coming from. There must be a ton of adrenaline rushing through their veins to still be breathing like this, awake. 

“Oh fuck.” He can hear Jeongguk swear even though he is sure that it were barely mumbled words, something he just couldn’t hold in, even though he was a professional.

Jimin makes his way over to where there are multiple carts, prepared with utensil for all sorts of things to patch up the dragons that are visiting their emergency area, and pulls it over to where the dragon lays, pain now even more filling up the expression in its eyes.

Like he could see before, there are multiple places where grayish scales are missing, some of the skin patches that are visible instead bleeding or showing scars, indicating that it, by far, wasn’t the first time that they had forcefully gotten some of them removed, harvested from whoever, probably some bastards that thought they could make good money with them. 

The wound on the belly, three more or less zig zag lines, indicating that they had been deep enough to maybe even hurt some of the dragons organs, which has Jimin swearing in his head. The self healing abilities though, after an even closer look, seem to have prevented worse and also repaired what it could. Its deep though anyway, Jimin is practically  standing in a small puddle of blood by now that seeps out of the dragon, and whatever caused this, had done good in injuring, breaking of the scales around, which now causes them to stab right into the wounds as soon as the dragon moves too much. 

“I will have to get rid of the injured scales to be able to stop the bleeding effectively, when I don’t you will be probably reopening the stitches with every movement.” Jimin explains, turning around slightly to gather the tools he will need to do exactly what he said. 

“I can sedate you, when you want that, since it will get a bit more painful before it will get better.” Jimin warns, but is met with a rapid shake of the dragons head, a clear no to the sedatives, which Jimin sees why, the dragon still is on alert, wants to be ready to flee if it has to. 

“Alright.” Jimins eyes flit over to Jeongguk, who is tending to the slightly smaller Dragon, from what Jimin can see, the injuries are similar to the ones the dragon before him has. 

He can’t quite hear what Jeongguk is saying to the dragon, the painful roaring still too loud around them to let the words fill the room between them, but whatever it is, it seems to get the other dragon to lie still enough for Jeongguk to prepare to remove the first injured scales, digging into the dragons wounds. 

Jimin shakes himself out of it quickly, he will have enough time later to ask the younger about it, but for now he concentrates of mumbling quiet nothings as well, when he removes one scale after the other, just going for those that are injuring the dragon further or are not to be saved. He makes quick work of it, even seeing the edges of the wounds trying to close on their own already, the bleeding becoming less and less with every scale he removes, and with the last scale that falls to his feet, even the dragon becomes quiet, just a small thankful roar leaving its throat before its body relaxes for the first time. 

Cleaning the wounds with the special cloth and serum, something that will help the healing abilities to do its job while also being sanitizing, is an almost easy task afterwards. When that is done, because of the dragons state and to not risk anything more, he grabs some medical yarn to set some stitches.  

They will have to make an X-ray later, to be perfectly sure that there aren’t any inner bleedings that they have overlooked, as well as they will have to hook these two dragons onto some blood transfusions, after the liters they have just lost its pretty much needed. The self healing abilities of dragons are high and pretty good, but a bit of help has never done bad. 

“What do you think happened to them?” Jeongguks voice startles him. It had become quiet in the past few minutes, so much so that he has almost forgotten that the younger was still around, tending to the other dragon. 

“I have no clue.” Jimin sighs, casting a glance towards the younger, who looks lost, eyes focused onto one of the walls circling the emergency area of the clinic, his casual clothes are seeped through with blood and Jimin is sure he himself doesn’t look any better, luckily there are always a change of clothes around in the clinic. 

“I’ve hooked their blood samples into the machine, we should have the information of their blood type any moment.” 

“Thank you.” Jimin whispers, knotting the thread and cutting it, before turning around, having to restrict himself of getting closer to Jeongguk and pulling him into his arms, giving the comfort the younger seems to need right now. 

Whenever things like these happen, Jeongguk seems to pull away mentally for a bit, he becomes quiet, deep in thought. Jimin has never asked about it, figuring that they all have different ways of coping with what they have to see sometimes. 

“What are you doing?” He tries to ask as softly as he can, when he sees Jeongguk approach the dragon, Jimin tends to, further. It is dozing off now, probably exhausted to the bones, both dragons needing as much sleep as they possibly can catch now. 

“Just checking something.” The younger mumbles, eyes trained onto something on the dragons ankles, Jimin sees just what it is when he gets closer to the younger, stopping next to him. His breath gets stuck in his throat, almost choking him. 

“She has the same. I checked twice.” Jeongguk whispers. “They must have lived years like this for it to leave these kind of scars.”

“Did you check if they have any kind of mark?” Jimin hasn’t seen a collar around of any of their necks, but sometimes dragons aren’t just marked by those but by other things, tiny chips placed beneath any of their scales, just detectable by some of the devices they have around here too, to be able to identify and maybe even contact the trainer in cases such as these, when the dragons are arrive at their emergency alone.

“No, at least nothing is able to pick something up, but..” Jeongguk just points at the neck of the dragon in front of them. 

When Jimin sees what he is made to look at, his blood runs cold, he is sure all colour drains from his face. 

Where scales should be, indicating to whom this dragon is mated, when it has a mate, dousing them in the scale colour of the mate, are none left, the skin thick and scarred, like someone tried, multiple times, to get to the bottom of what makes the scales change colour after someone mated.

Like it is something bodily that could give, whoever did this, any kind of advantage, for whatever it might be, this cruel creature tried to accomplish by robbing these dragons of those scales specifically. 

While it is a bodily reaction, the scales turning into the colour of their mate, it isn’t something bodily at all, its just an indicator of something that happens on a level that is barely to grasp and describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it. Not even Jimin grasps that level of bonding with someone yet, having ever just heard about it. 

A hand on his shoulder startles him, “you look like you need a second.” Jeongguk next to him mumbles, visibly concerned, and Jimin can’t say that he isn’t rightfully concerned about his well being. His own dragon howling in his mind at the prospect of this insane cruelty.

“Come on, we need to get cleaned up and also hook these two onto some blood.” The younger shakes the device in his hand, showing off the blood type of the two dragons. 

The next few minutes are spend in newly found silence, in which Jimin tries to concentrate on his breathing and the task at hand solely. He patches the stitched wounds before hooking the dragon, who barely stirs through it all, onto the blood bag. When he finished it all he steps away with Jeongguk, back into the sterile white hallways of the clinic, now laying relatively quiet in front of them when they walk towards the showers to get rid of the blood on them and burn the clothes they are currently wearing. 

~~~

“How are the two dragons doing?” Ari sits, hunched over a steaming coffee mug, at the small table in the staff room, Jung leans against a wall, looking still too hooked on adrenaline to calmly sit down when Jimin and Jeongguk finally enter the staff room. 

“Sleeping. We were able to stop the bleeding and patch them up, they are hooked on blood also. But we need to make an X-ray later. I don’t think there are any inner bleedings but we should make sure anyway.” 

“Sure, we should let them rest for now though, since it doesn’t seem urgent anymore.” 

“How is one-thirteen doing?” Jimin collapses on the chair opposite from Ari, his eyes swapping through the room, realising that his bag, that he before carelessly left behind somewhere on the floor, now dangles from the hooks lined on the wall.

“He’ll make it. Looked a lot worse than it seems to be.” 

“An idea what caused the seizure?” Jeongguk asks from behind him, a mug appearing in front of Jimin, steaming tea in it, he turns around slightly, smiling thankful at Jeongguk who sips at his own mug, probably filled with coffee, the younger is almost obsessed with the caffeine liquid. 

“No, like everything else around that dragon, this too seems like a mystery of its own. Tests are running though, but I don’t have much faith that they will be able to detect what is wrong yet again.” 

“Every time I think one-thirteen is finally getting better another thing hits it, like the universe doesn’t want the dragon to do better.” Jung shakes his head. The man is always to be found hovering over and around the dragon that is with them for weeks now, whenever the time is allowing it, determined to find what is causing all these problems or just wanting to spend time with the dragon. 

They all can see the bond that is forming between him and the dragon, but neither of them says something, not entirely sure if Jung has realized it on his own yet, and figuring that it maybe isn’t the worst when the dragon has someone it trusts this deeply until they get to the bottom of it all. It would be so much easier wouldn’t all these dragons be robbed of their voices. 

“We will get to the bottom of it, I’m sure.” Jeongguk says with a slow, small smile, while his eyes are cast out of the window quickly after, pulling him back into his thoughts. 

“The two dragons we just patched up,” Jimin begins after a heartbeat of silence.

“Whats with them?” 

“They look like they just escaped a custody they shouldn’t have been held in. They wear scars that are a lot older than these wounds, like they have been hold in shackles for years, as well as their scales have gotten forcefully removed in some places.” 

“Harvesting?” 

“Looks like it, yeah.” 

“Do they have a mark or something? I haven’t seen a collar.” 

“No, none, at least none that any of our devices could catch.”

“Their mating scales are also gone.” Jeongguk whispers, his eyes coming back into the room, but looking at neither of them.

“Gone?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Fuck.” 

The silence that envelops them after that is heavy, all of them hanging around their own thoughts of the situation. All of what they discovered the two dragons to have gone through, not even able to grasp the full picture just because of the wounds, is highly illegal. But from situations and cases like these before, all of them know that the government and the departments that should care and are assigned to bring justice will most likely do nothing and just try to sweep all of it under a rug. 

Something else Jimin and his kind try to fight against for what feels like ages now. But since the new government took their seats ten years ago all of it has just gotten worse instead of the promised better. 

“What are we doing now?” Its Jung who speaks first.

“We should inform the authorities.” 

“They won’t do anything.” Jeongguk sighs, clearly upset, his hands balled into fists next to his coffee mug.

“I know.” Ari sighs. Its on her after all, as the head of the clinic she has to make all those calls or face the consequences when she doesn’t, even though everyone in this field knows that the authorities won’t do anything. “I will wait a day or two before I make the call, look how the two are doing under our care.” She shakes her head and Jimins heart becomes lighter, not much, but at least a little bit. 

It gives himself time to talk to Taehyung and the council when he comes home from his shift in the morning, that is when Taehyung comes back from wherever he went to.    

He hasn’t yet reached the bottom of his mug, the fruit tea still lingering on his tongue, while all of them hang in their own thoughts, when an alarm blares through the room, setting everyone of them up to sit straight their eyes falling onto the device covering one of the walls, just to relax soon after. 

“I will go look after her, she’s probably bored.” Jeongguk is out of the door before anyone else can react, and Jimins heart clenches uncomfortably. 

“Go after him.” Jung urges him, making a shooing gesture with his hands, but Jimin looks at Ari instead, who is frowning at him, but still approves of it with a small nod. 

“Go, we will be alright, and when not we know where to find you two.”  

He gets jumped at even before he has sat a foot into Mangos room, the baby dragon, who flung itself against Jimin’s chest has him stumbling back, into the hallways, where he knows the cameras are catching sight of it, not that he cares all too much about that, not when the cameras inside the room have already far more interesting footage to go through should someone want to do that for whatever possible reason. 

Supporting her heavy frame by looping his arms around her, he quickly, as soon as he finds his footing again, steps into her room, kicking the door closed behind him, his eyes fixated on Jeongguk, who smiles a tired smile, leaning against one of the white walls looking handsome as ever. 

“What was the alarm about?” Jimin asks, stepping closer to the younger, who just sighs, “like I thought, Mango had been bored.” A hand gestures towards the crib and with one look inside, Jimin sees what had the sensors going of. The blanked now has a charred corner less. 

“Guess we need to get her some fire resistant toys.” 

“She should slowly get to go outside as well.” Jimin hums, Jeongguk is right. Normally they are always waiting the appropriate time of at least three months, since dragon babies, after hatching, are still growing in the mothers nest, mostly sleeping and eating before the want and need to get out and see the world (with supervision) drags them out of their nest. With Mango, it seems like they will have to go a lot faster already. 

Mango, against his chest, roars softly, big green eyes blinking up at him, before she escapes his hold, jumps to the floor, and starting to run through the room with happy noises, wings flapping around like she wants to try and fly, which it really is way too soon for, since she has yet to begin to shed the feathers adorning her wings. 

Jimin gets to lean next to Jeongguk against the wall, both of them watching Mango letting out as much energy as she possibly can. 

“I met with my dragon this morning.” Jeongguk whispers at some point, eyes still trained on mango when Jimin moves his head to be able to look at him, his stomach twisting with guilt. 

“I didn’t think I would see him again so soon, especially after the morning I just had. I was so embarrassed.” 

“Why?” 

“Isagi had pushed me into a puddle of mud right before we were on our way down from the dragon side, which resulted in me being covered in it from head to toe, I must have looked like the biggest fool and loser out there.” 

“You could never look like a fool or a loser or like whatever else you want to frame yourself. Covered in mud or not, not even when you would have fallen into it on your own, we are all clumsy sometimes, shit happens.” And Jimin is sure, should he ever cross paths with this Isagi he will rip him to shreds for treating Jeongguk like this. 

“You’re biased.” 

“Sure I am but so is your dragon, he wouldn’t have chosen you otherwise.” 

“He let me fall into a pond, luckily it had been deep enough. He seemed pretty proud of himself after that.” 

Jimin feels his cheeks growing warm with the (still fresh) memory of what happened afterwards. It hasn’t been his best thought over decision, because he didn’t, like at all, thought about the possibility of Jeongguk getting rid of his clothes, at least jacket and shirt, to get them as dry as possible with the sun burning down on them. He and his dragon just had wanted to be playful and wanted to lift Jeongguks mood, they both didn’t take into consideration the amount of skin they have seen instead, flustering his dragon more than Jimin, (not really but whatever). 

“We spend the afternoon together,” Jeongguk says, his own cheeks slightly covered in red, his teeth gnawing at his bottom lip. 

“Have you thought of a name yet?” 

“I did, it was pretty easy, but it is still way too soon.” 

“Do you want to tell it someone anyway?” 

“I’d love to, but really I think he should hear it first, it would be shitty when he doesn’t approve of it and I have grown attached to it anyway.” 

Always so considerate. Jimin sighs internally, not letting his eyes stray away from Jeongguk while also curiosity gnaws at him, urging him to ask further, but he swats it down. The younger is right, this isn’t the right time nor the right place. 

They say nothing for a while, Jimin sensing that there is something more on Jeongguks mind, probably getting rolled around until he finally finds the suiting words to express the matter, instead he watches, after a few minutes, how Mango attempts to climb the highest point in he room, which is the edge of a cupboard that she reaches climbing over the edge of her crib, which she does with ease indicating that she probably has done that before. 

Jeongguk and he share a look, eyebrows risen but not doing anything to stop her, figuring that she would do it anyway when they are not around, and like this they can at least do something immediately should it be needed. 

“Maybe we should even begin socializing her.” Jeongguk whispers, leaning more into Jimins space, which he appreciates silently, taking a deep breath when Jeongguks faint scent of citrus and forest hits him, a somewhat strange combination Jimin has no clue of how it comes together. 

“Yeah, it would be safer for her to play in the playroom.”  Jimin nods. They do have a playroom, even if it isn’t as big as ones that Clinics have that are usually tending to more baby dragons or dragons that are in child like ages. Its not the biggest room, but it is big enough for the few baby dragons they usually tend to throughout the year until they get relocated. For now though it would probably be enough for Mango to get all the energy out of her system, but he will have to talk with Ari before, since there are one or two dragons around that Mango would have to socialize with and at the moment she really had just contact with humans. 

“I will talk with Ari about that later.” 

“I will have to talk with her too, warn her.” 

“Warn her, about what?” 

A long drawn out sigh greets Jimins questions, which has worry run through his system, his palms becoming sweaty. 

“Before Ari called me, the whole academy got ordered to the hall for an announcement. Apparently the authorities together with the government decided that it is a good idea to hold a tournament. But not just those who are willing and in a trusted stage with their dragons have to participate, but all students with a dragon by their side.” Jeongguk rubs a hand over his face, looking stressed. 

“All students with a dragon by their side?” Jimin really hopes he has blacked out somewhere and just miss heard that particular information. 

“Yeah, all of us, which, unfortunately, includes me.” 

“The choosing has just been a couple of days ago!” Jimin, not able to stand still, his thoughts forming trains in his mind, starts to walk in small circles through the room. This makes it even worse. 

“Yes, but they don’t care. The director claimed that they have planned the first trial as safe for everyone participating as they possibly could, but whatever this first trial might be, there are always some that get injured, so many dragons and their humans around, practically bundled up, is never a good idea.” 

Oh how right Jeongguk is with that, even when the dragon clan is solely with just their dragons, there are always fights between them, not to mention which dimensions it could take under such circumstances with humans around that are competitive and humans that are cheering loudly, probably getting a microphone on the tribune to make them appear even louder for the TV.   

Since Jimin can’t see how this could be a possible silent affair, the academy authorities and a lot of the politicians are always hungry for such things, to entertain the society that will equally hungrily sit in front of their TVs, not caring about any of the circumstances their entertainment get made under.

“They claim that after that just the first ten will participate in the next trial, which means that at least forty will be out by then, but it doesn’t make it any better.” 

“Are there really so many?” Jimin hasn’t the accurate number of dragon trainers employed in the academy in his head, a lot of the older ones, those with a few years experience are always coming and going, he just never thought it could be this many when counted together. 

“They want to have everyone with a dragon by their side at this first trial, which includes not just the trainers but also the normal dragon riders also.”

“Aren’t those trained for military purposes?”

“Yeah, but most of them start out as dragon trainers, guess a lot has to happen to choose the way that they chose.” 

“I guess.” Jimin mumbles, he has never quite understood if there is more to the divination between dragon trainer and rider than what they do later on, he always just thought that there are more similarities than not and didn’t even try to understand the differences, he hasn’t needed to and his curiosity about that topic has been almost non-existent. 

“Even when they promise that it is safe for all these dragons and their chosen humans, there definitely will be injured ones in the end, when nothing worse happens.” 

“I know, we will have our hands full as soon as that shit starts, but no one seems really to care much, I mean I’m not surprised.” 

Neither is Jimin, maybe a little though. Its known that academies all over the country are regularly holding these tournaments, to which they claim, that they would strengthen the bond between a dragon and their human in a natural way, just that nothing about that is really natural. And everyone who tries to tell them exactly that, gets dismissed almost aggressively and, after all, the council still gets hit with the request of why they are distancing themselves from the humans. 

But even with all this, it is unheard of an tournament of this size, even when just the first ten will continue on with the second trial, it is huge anyway, and risky. And all the while Jimin thought this academy is at least doing something right.

It has him nervous, more than he already was when hearing it from Taehyung. 

“Did your director say something about a timespan?” He doesn’t really want to think about the possibility of starting it just in a couple of weeks, that would be insane (but he figures, after all, he has to take that into consideration). 

“Six weeks. He said something from end of October at the latest and that the preparation will take some time.” 

Jimin groans internally about hearing that, Jeongguks shoulders look tense, understandingly so. The choosing has just been days ago when you want to put it like that and six weeks are absolutely nothing when working with a dragon, not that Jimin will make it hard for them to bond as much as they can, but that is just his side, he can’t speak for Jeongguk, who always is so reserved around him when he is in his dragon form, like he constantly is afraid of doing something wrong. 

“That is no time.” 

“It isn’t, but the city and the academy will be bustling with all sorts of people and officials soon.” Jeongguk shakes his head, frowning deeply, and other than before Jimin does put his hand up, softly cradling Jeongguks cheek, easing the frown with his thumb, heartbeat in his chest going wild when Jeongguk leans into the touch, almost relaxes into it. 

“I have a bad feeling about it all.” Jeongguk whispers, shifting until his body is fully turned towards Jimin. 

“I’m sure you will do just fine. You’re not alone.” 

“I wish I had as much faith in me as you seem to have.” Jeongguks small smile has Jimins stomach doing cartwheels while he feels his cheeks warm up, his brain not fast enough to create some words that he could say.

Instead he just seems to be able to stare at Jeongguk, their eyes locking into each other, while silence engulfs them, which, wouldn’t they be so focused on each other would have been alarming, his hand, still cradling Jeongguks face, thumb now softly stroking the apple of his cheek, isn’t willing to come down again, not that Jeongguk even indicates that he doesn’t want it, instead he still leans into the touch, encourages Jimin with it to not stop. 

He simultaneously tries to come up with something to say, while the dragon in the back of his mind stomps around with a puffed out chest, happy that Jeongguk seems to be so comfortable with them, while his human side reprimands him for it half heartedly, criticizing his action without being able to make him stop.

A small roar pulls him out of his head and away from Jeongguks eyes, not even having a choice when the younger, out of nowhere, stumbles forward with a force that knocks him completely into Jimins arms, which he is fast to circle around the younger to steady him, ignoring the warmth coming from the body in his arms, the scent that is so much headier like this and his heart that almost explodes out of his chest, ignoring that it shouldn’t beat that fast at all. 

A small squeak escapes the younger’s lungs, his arms circling Jimins waist, searching for something to hold on to to not fall over, hands fisting the material of the clinic uniform he wears, face suddenly pressed against Jimins neck. Its just for a second, but it is enough to make his head spin, even his dragon stops his parading flabbergasted and alerted.

Another roar, not so tiny this time and clearly amused, comes from Jeongguks back before another face, a dragon one, scales warm and smooth, presses into the other side of his neck, a tail effectively circling around his and Jeongguks waist, holding them close like this. 

“I’m so sorry.” Jeongguks face is aflame when he looks at Jimin, eyes bigger than usual, adorably so. 

“Don’t be, you did nothing wrong.” He reassures, the hand holding the younger’s waist grabbing it a bit harder, trying to bring his point across (maybe, and failing miserably, to uphold himself not just physically), “you on the other hand,” He turns his head around, the hand that isn’t holding Jeongguks waist coming up to (gently but with force) push the baby dragons snoot away from his neck to be able to look at her as sternly as he can. 

“You do not jump on peoples backs without warning them!” The tails end twitches in his back, the green eyes are casting down, “you can easily hurt people like that. I’m sure that is not your intention, but you have to take that into consideration anyway.” 

A quick glance at Jeongguk tells him that the younger, even while grimacing through it, nods with his words, knowing that the little one has to learn this. 

An apologetic roar is the answer and when Jimins hand leaves Mangos head she pushes her snoot softly against Jeongguks cheek, her tongue peeking out as if she tries to make out if the younger really is alright and as a clumsy attempt at an apology, Mango, after all, still has a whole lot to learn.

“Its alright little one, Jimin had been here to catch me, but don’t do it again when I’m distracted like this, I don’t want you to get hurt either.”  

Jimin is just able to stare at the younger, dumbfounded maybe, but knowing very well that he and his own dragon side need to have a serious chat once again, with all that is going on with their heart and feelings and the bond between them and Jeongguk that grows impossible to ignore with every passing day.

Chapter Text

~~~

Dragonbreath is an illness, that isn’t all too common, but that also isn’t as rare as one could think. While our medicine and researches progress positively all the time, we have yet to find out what exactly triggers the illness, that feeds away, or rather burns all energy of the patient until they are unable to move much without having to endure unfathomable pain, which over a longer time-line without proper medicine can cause all muscles to decline and the patient to wither away awfully. (…)  

~~~

Jeongguk sits hunched over his desk, head hold in one of his hands, the other tapping lightly, with the pen he is holding with the other hand, against the smooth surface of the learning device in front of him. A book pulled up on the upper half, trying to teach him about some advanced signs that he eventually could use to communicate better with his dragon, but the notes page beneath it, is still blank except for the headline that he has written a couple of hours ago.

He just can’t seem to concentrate properly, his head swimming with the blur of the last days he just experienced, has it already been a week, more? He can’t quite tell, just that he feels exhausted and ready to sleep for the next few days wouldn’t there be this almost surprise test one of his teachers wants to put his class through tomorrow. 

Its not that he wouldn’t have studied these things before, they by far have talked a lot about all kinds of different dragon signs and what to use them for, practiced some of them while with their dragons even in the last days, or Jeongguk watched his classmates do so.

Nevertheless, its not a bad idea to revisit the different lectures on it since Jeongguk can’t quite say which signs the teacher want them to elaborate and so on, that is when he could concentrate on his task.

But instead of writing down notes and go through all the lectures he had on the topic, he now sits at his desk for who knows how long, staring at the wall in front of him, while he tries to grasp a thought of his and ignore the stiff pain in his neck, coming from the new bunk beds they got for their room. 

The letter they received a day ago was stating that they would get just one new roommate, but they were adamant of changing out their beds anyway instead of just putting a new bed into the space, they still have unoccupied that would easily fit another one. 

Neither of them knows when this new roommate of theirs would arrive or who it even is and from which department, just that from now on it could knock every minute. Since there are no informations available, and since many already got shuffled around and had to spend the past few days in their new room constellation, Namjoon and he figured it must be someone of the older students, one of those that are coming and going, their education already so far that they can work outside of the academy with their dragons. 

“How is your learning going?” Namjoon asks, breaking the silence that has been around them for at least the past hour.

Jeongguk sighs, lets his head finally land fully on the wooden table.

“That bad, huh?” 

Jeongguk groans, hears Namjoon shuffle where he lies on his bed, he doesn’t have to look at his best friend to know that he must have closed the book he read in since Jeongguk came back from his class this morning, and put it away. 

“Whats going on?” There is more shuffling behind him, before he hears Namjoon carefully treading through the chaos on his side of the room, covering most of the floor. “You have been all over the place for days now.”

Jeongguk huffs out another breath before he finds enough strength to pull himself up again to look at Namjoon.

“I’m just tired I guess.” A hand rubbing over his face he stands up, stretching, hearing his bones pop but it does nothing to get rid of the tension in his muscles. 

“You have spend a lot of time in the clinic or outside when you’re not in class.” 

“We are chronically understaffed and we have a lot of dragons to care for.” Jeongguk shrugs, not wanting to elaborate on the two dragons that have them running in circles. Where they first looked like they were on a good path to recovery after they patched them up, they quickly took a detour, their self-healing abilities failing to do anything, like something had them get rid of it, which had caused a lot more difficulties and even seizures, than there would have been otherwise, and nothing that they test for can tell them what it is that is going wrong.

“And since I am strictly forbidden to have my dragon around while in class, I have to go see him during the small parts of free time that I have.” Jeongguk shrugs, not elaborating further since Namjoon had been around when a few days ago his dragon showed up to the dragon side while their classes had been visiting too. 

It hadn’t been the dragons that were against his presence, they even didn’t seem to care that much, but their teachers went absolutely crazy, like his dragon was a feral monster that was risking to infect the others with its sheer presence. 

It had been a spectacle to say the least, when they tried to get Jeongguks dragon to leave the side with their whips and whatnots, trying to hit it before doing anything else, shouting reprimanding things, not caring about Jeongguk who tried to go between them in sheer horror, just to land behind his dragons wing, being the one getting protected instead.

To say that it hadn’t been received well by his dragon would still be an understatement, because he broke the teachers whips and even had them gone up in flames (they are fine, thanks to their clothes and their technologies), it definitely left a lasting impression. 

After that Jeongguk expected to get kicked out, it was what he got threaten with after all, when his teachers saw that they couldn’t do anything else, his dragon protective of itself and Jeongguk, but to his surprise all he received was a warning. Actually he wonders what it is exactly that puts them off from kicking him out for the behavior of his dragon. 

Its obvious that the majority of the teachers want him gone, out of their class, even the director, whenever they would walk across each other, which is way too often for Jeongguks liking, scowls at him.

He had wanted to look into it more, if there somewhere was a clause that could give them the green light they are searching for, but after the days he just had he hadn’t been able to and right now he wonders if he even should at all. He could use that time way better to sleep some more. 

When he met his dragon around the clearing it seems to always be at when Jeongguk searches for it, he tried to explain that they have to follow the rules, at least to some extend, not because Jeongguk would fear for himself, he would always find a way to help his family, but because he doesn’t want the dragon to get hurt because of Jeongguk. 

It hadn’t really seemed to like that, but at least Jeongguk now has the feeling it wouldn’t risk itself getting hurt as easily anymore, at least not in the next time. Maybe Jeongguk had to whip out some sweet cakes the dragon seems to love, having a sweet tooth. 

Jeongguk had discovered that detail just accidentally. He had some of those cakes with him the other day, meaning to give them to Jimin since the older loves them so much, usually not having a sweet tooth but being an absolute goner for those cakes. One or two had tumbled out of the bag he had with him, and when he wasn’t looking for a second, the dragon had buried its face in them, eating almost all of them.

Namjoon looks at him worried, the dark circles beneath Jeongguks eyes that he himself spotted in the mirror just this morning, must be even darker now than they have already been.

“Do you really need to go over all these again?” Namjoon gestures towards the desk and Jeongguks non-existing notes.

“It would be better, I guess?” 

“It would be better when you get enough sleep for once.”

Jeongguk sighs, knowing that Namjoon wasn’t wrong at all, but it wasn’t easy to say it and give up, even when the last hour was proof enough that he wasn’t able to do nor revisit anything. 

His shoulders drop after a second, and he nods. 

“Guess you’re right.” 

“That I am. You have the room to yourself for a bit. Jin and I are going on a date in a today.” The instant change from worry to literal heart eyes of Namjoon had Jeongguk chuckle tiredly while he was turning off his devices, shuffling them around until they lay tidily on his desk. 

“It seems like it is working out between you two.” After Jeongguk had to listen to Namjoon helplessly pinning over Seokjin the past few years, he is genuinely happy that they found to each other like that and that they seem happy and healthy and fitting for each other perfectly.

“It is.” Namjoon blushes deeply, but his smile is big, beyond smitten and his dimples pop.

“I’m happy for you two.” Jeongguk grabs Namjoons arm, squeezing it. 

Then he shuffles through the room until he stands in front of his bed, he discards his hoodie and simply plops down, missing his old mattress immediately when this one wasn’t giving in in the slightest, even the floor would be softer at this point.

“Thank you.” 

Its not long after that that Namjoon excuses himself into the bathroom to get ready for his date and Jeongguk finds a somewhat comfortable spot in his bed to relax into, and as soon as his eyelids fall close, he drifts into sleep, not even stirring awake when Namjoon stumbles out of the bathroom and over the stuff on the floor cursing under his breath and holding one of his feet in pain.

~~~

Bang!

Jeongguk sits upright in his bed immediately, blinking against the sleep that still hugs him tight and the darkness that fills into the room, shadows of the night claiming the space.

“Joonie?” He croaks, hand searching for the small lamp somewhere on his nightstand. 

But before anyone answers him, or his hand finds the lamp the bright overhead light lets the shadows disappear, draw back outside the window where not even the moon was shining tonight. 

He blinks against the light that invades his senses with a groan, a hand shielding his eyes, just to spot someone at the door, that definitely isn’t his best friend but rather someone he has never seen before, a big bag slung over his shoulder.

“Who are you?” Jeongguk would prefer if his voice wouldn’t sound like a yawn, but he was still too tired, his self-preservation instinct yet to wake up as well. His eyes briefly drift over to Namjoons bed, that is still unoccupied, looking like he wasn’t back yet, he probably stayed with Jin for the night, given that it must already be after midnight. 

When he pulls his attention back to the man, who still hasn’t moved a muscle, he was smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry. I thought no one would be here since you didn’t answer to my knocks.” 

“How did you even come in here?” Every dorm room has a code that just those who are living in it can access and use to open their door, just the secretary has a code that would open all doors by default, but the man in front of him wasn’t looking anything like the old Mrs Lee.

The bag lands to the mans feet, that are clad in combat boots, just now Jeongguks slowly waking up brain registers the brown trousers and the shirt the man wears. Military clothes. The badges (multiple) on the mans chest are just confirmations. Jeongguk wonders what they mean. 

“I just came back from a mission and found this in my room, or what used to be my room.” The man had pulled out a piece of paper from somewhere that glitters in the overhead light. Its one of the newest inventions, paper that wasn’t really paper, Jeongguk has no clue how to describe it differently, its just that, it feels like paper, and even looks like it, at least when the light wasn’t wandering, but it wasn’t paper, but a thing that could be used as often as one wanted while using way less resources than anything before, it was even a lot better than the learning devices every student gets provided with, which are already the best of the best. 

“They say that this is my new room for the foreseeable future.” He looks around, his face openly showing his displeased feelings, especially when they land on Namjoons usual chaos adorning the room. 
“Are you the only one living in this room?” 

“No, Namjoon is probably with his boyfriend right now. You can choose one of the beds.” He points at the one above his own head and the one on Namjoons side before he pulls his blankets aside to stand up. 

“I assume this isn’t your chaos then?” 

“It isn’t, but I guess you will get used to it pretty quickly.” He comes to a halt in front of the man, reaching out a hand for the man to shake, who just takes a second to do the same, the shake firm and quick. “Jeon Jeongguk.” He introduces himself, thinking with the mans military background he might prefer this type of introducing rather than the names thrown around method. 

“Jung Hoseok.” The man, Jung Hoseok, nods. 

“Nice to meet you.” Jeongguk steps back again, hiding another yawn, ready to fall back into his bed. 

“We made space for your things in the closet and the bathroom.” He points first at one door than at the other, feeling a little bit stupid doing so, but ignoring it just fine. 

“Thank you.” Jung Hoseok makes quick work of placing whatever contents he has in his bag into the closet, where he must see Jeongguks clinic uniform neatly folded on one of the shelves, “is this Namjoon a worker at the clinic?” 

The question is kind of muffled when it reaches Jeongguks ears who has gone back to sit on his bed and scroll through his phone, where he finds a few messages from Namjoon, telling him that he will stay with Jin until the morning, and from Jimin who send him multiple photos of Mango, having taken up yet another night shift. 

“No, I work at the clinic.” 

“So you’re a caretaker then? Thought they aren’t allowed to work at the clinic?” Hoseok appears in the room again, looking at him questioningly and Jeongguk feels his cheeks warm up. 

“They aren’t allowed to work there, but I have a medical degree.” He shrugs.

“A medical degree?” Hoseok shuffles through the chaos on Namjoons side to lean against the bed, he probably hasn’t yet decided on which top bed he wants to sleep. 

“Yeah, I graduated from Yunai University around three years ago.” He shrugs again, avoiding the other mans eyes, figuring that the information was small enough to not really care about giving it away. 

“Thats the best university around that specialized in Dragon care and anatomy. What are you doing here?” Hoseok sounds genuinely confused and surprised. 

“Becoming a dragon trainer.” Jeongguk chuckles. 

“Wow. I didn’t expect that.” When Jeongguk looks back at the other he meets an intense gaze, giving him the feeling like the other was very well able to see his aura, which shouldn’t be possible for a human, at least not without a special devise. 

“Whats with you?” 

“Me?” Hoseok points at himself, looking like he rather wants to keep talking about Jeongguk, curious and nosy, but relenting to Jeongguks question anyway. 

“I’m just a dragon rider. Have been around the academy for quite some time by now but since I already am able to fly with my devision at the military I often am on some missions and rather rarely around the academy grounds personally.” Now its Hoseok that shrugs like it isn’t really a big deal. 

“Seems like that has to change for the foreseeable future.” The man sighs, looking rather displeased with it all. 

“I guess you’re not a fan of tournaments?” 

“No, I find them barbaric, but I don’t have the power to change reality. What about you, are you excited?”

“No. I hate these things. Too many get injured, too many risks for dragons and humans alike.” He shakes his head, his phone, which he still holds in one of his hands, pings with an incoming message, pulling his attention away for a brief moment. 

Why are you still awake? Accompanied with another picture of Mango, this time the little one climbing over some posts in the playroom. Looks like Jimin could convince Ari to let Mango explore some more.  

“I guess there is the doctor talking.” 

Jeongguk would like to say that he, in fact, isn’t a doctor, but it would technically be a lie, given the diploma that hangs on the living room wall in his parents house. But he thinks its something different if he is a doctor on paper and one while operating in his chosen field. Its the experience that makes a doctor he thinks, and he hasn’t much of that yet, especially when he, amongst others, isn’t able to figure out what the hell is happening with the injured and ill dragons in their clinic. 

“I guess.” Jeongguk mumbles, really not wanting to go deeper into the topic, its still damn late, and he still is tired and he has a class early in the morning. Luckily Hoseok seems to be able to catch his thoughts somehow. 

“Guess we should go to sleep.” The man mumbles, “is it alright when I take the bed above you?” 

“Sure, feel free.” Jeongguk shuffles back under his blankets, putting on the lamp on his nightstand so that Hoseok is able to see something after shutting the overhead light.

Got woken up 
Why is Mango still awake?

She isn’t, just took the photo earlier. Another picture follows, this time with Jimin in it and a Mango that cuddles against the other mans chest, visibly deep asleep. It has Jeongguks heart (that stupid thing) doing cartwheels. 

Looks like she had been able to get out some of her energy

She did, took some videos.
You free in the morning to get breakfast or something?

A couple of videos arrive on his device, while he hears Hoseok shuffle around above him, he even swears, the mattress probably just as uncomfortable as Jeongguks.

Sadly I’m not, have a class, some dragon training thing on the academy grounds. 

Jeongguk would prefer breakfast with Jimin every time, especially since he has absolutely nothing to do while the others in his and other classes are around with their dragons. 

We will do it another time then, now go back to sleep <3

Yes sir! Jeongguk chuckles at his phone, shuffling around after shutting off the lamp on his nightstand until he finds a somewhat comfortable position. 

You’re an idiot<3

~~~ 

The sun is barely up when Jeongguk, with Hoseok who seems to have the same destination, Namjoon and Jin with whom he met up in the Mensa for a quick breakfast, walks out on the wide field in the back of the academy, their classes have gotten mixed which resulted in them all having this one together. 

The majority of their classes have already assembled, buzzing like bees, sleepy ones, but still enough to have Jeongguks senses a tad bit overwhelmed while still trying to comprehend that he, in fact, isn’t still sleeping. He always needs an extra hour after waking up to be ready to comprehend and do things. 

Most of the teachers standing around are also looking tired, ignoring some of the ruckus some students create in favor of sipping on the coffee mugs they hold in their hands. 

Except for Mrs Choi who seems to be glaring at Jeongguk as soon as he steps onto the field. He really has no clue what it is that gave him the full attention of her hatred, just that it is getting kind of annoying at this point. 

“Does Mrs Choi always glare at you like you are the biggest traitor of your generation?” Hoseok, just a step behind him, asks. 

“Especially since the choosing, must have taken it personally or something, that in the end she had been wrong with her assumptions.” Namjoon answers for Jeongguk. 

“What do you mean?” 

At this point Jeongguk can’t quite say how he should go about the dragon rider, he is friendly and polite, sure, but he also seems a lot more nosy than Jeongguk expected someone to be that is foremost employed by the military. 

Namjoon and Hoseok seem to go along just fine, ever since they got introduced to each other an hour ago, it has Jeongguk awry for reasons he can’t quite pin point. Sure, its good that they seem to click, they all have a room to share for at least the next school year, it just doesn’t quite feel right, like there is a puzzle piece that Jeongguk does not have, like these aren’t the first conversations these two share. 

His eyes find Jin, who looks equally surprised, but a lot more relaxed than Jeongguk feels, and as much as he wants to ask, he doesn’t get the chance. Neither does Namjoon get the chance to answer Hoseoks questions, when multiple roars get loud above their heads.

The dragons are arriving loud and proud, landing just about fifty meters away from them, where the about fifteen dragons have enough space to do so. Jeongguks eyes flit over them, searching for his own dragon, even though he knows it won’t be around. 

He finds Heaven instead, Namjoons dragon, with her sparkling white and blue scales and the soft but fierce eyes, roaring in greeting as soon as Namjoon walks up to her. 

Next to Heaven he sees Abyss with her deep blue, almost looking black, scales, jumping around playfully when she spots Jin. 

Everyone is quick to greet their dragon, ending the buzzing that was created before, to exchange it with a more mellow tone. 
“Where is your dragon?” Hoseok hasn’t moved yet, and with another quick look over all the dragons, he can see that there is none that seems to not have a human greeting it yet, means that Hoseoks dragon wasn’t around them at all. 

“Isn’t allowed to be around. Guess they fear that he is feral or something.” 

“He isn’t from this clan then?” 

“He isn’t” 

“I know how that feels. When I came here for the first time, I have already gotten chosen, but my dragon isn’t from this clan either and I had to squeeze every training I did with her into my free time. I didn’t like it, its stupid, but their rules.” Hoseok shrugs, looking pained at the memory of it all. 

“Are you still not allowed to bring her around?” Jeongguk asks, looking back to where the teachers ask for attention. He can’t quite hear what they are saying. 

“Since I began going on missions they had to allow her to be around me, she is just late as always. Can tell they hate it though.” 

“Do you know why they hate having dragons of other clans around?” 

“No, they never wanted to open up about it. All I can give you for advice is to just keep going.” 

Another roar, slightly different from the others, rips through the air before Jeongguk can answer. When he looks up to where the sound was coming from, he could see another dragon approaching. Eyes focused on the man beside him, but Jeongguk couldn’t care less, while being in awe with the beauty of the dragon, with how its scales look like an ocean in itself, glistening in the sun like a calm shore. 

When it lands in front of them (more like in front of Hoseok) Jeongguk was able to see that the scales on her neck have a slightly different colour, a mix of purple, indicating that the dragon is mated. 

Jeongguk watches the bright, genuine smile on Hoseoks face appear and how the pair approaches the group without looking back. 

He should probably use the time to finally take a look into his notes for the test later, and maybe even open some of his old university books, who knows, maybe they hold a few answers. And while he does so, leaning against the facade of the academy building, he can’t stop eying the group doing whatever was being taught today, and the sky in hopes that his dragon would appear anyway, which it sadly doesn’t, leaving Jeongguk with a longing that he tries to get over for the duration of the morning.   

~~~

“You took your sweet time to finally call, little one.” 

“I’m older than you.” 

“Since when do I care little one?” 

Jian is right, he did take his time to finally call. Its not like he hasn’t talked to his family but the last time has been a few days ago, which is longer than usual between his calls.

“How are you doing?” 

“I’m fine, you always worry too much.”

Jeongguk doesn’t think he worries too much, sometimes he even thinks he worries not enough, especially when the pain strain in her voice, that she tries to conceal, is hear-able anyway. 

Somewhere in her background tumbles something to the ground. 

“Where are you?” 

“That was just my book, little one.” 

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Jeongguk sighs, but the corner of his mouth tugs up anyway.

“In front of the house. Its nice weather.” 

Jeongguk can see it, can see her sitting on this old bench that stands in front of their house, looking over the small street and the field behind it. The bench, probably as old as the house itself, had to be patched up multiple times throughout their childhood and teenage years. 

A task their father and Jian together, loved to fulfill. They did all sorts of crafts together, building cabinets and bookshelves every time Jians collection became too much to be hold by the shelves she already had.

Jian had always wanted to step in their fathers foot steps, had wanted to wear the same jacket that Jeongguk now wears whenever he goes to find his dragon. At least that was until she fell ill.

“Now that you know where I am, whats with you?” She chuckles, the wood she is sitting on silently cracking. 

“I’m in my dorm room.” 

“Uhh someone is doing nothing for once.” 

Jeongguk wasn’t really doing nothing, he just finished revisiting some papers and packed a bag. He was going to get coffee with Jimin and then head to the clinic for the evening shift.

“You’re between two things aren’t you?” Jian sighs when Jeongguk needs a second too long to answer. 

“Have an evening shift and go grab a coffee with Jimin before that.” 

“Oh! How is he?” His sisters voice picks up in excitement. The two never met in person, but Jeongguk had been on the phone with Jian often enough when around Jimin at the same time, that they have talked plenty of times.

“He is alright, maybe a bit stressed out.” 

“Working at the clinic like that just has to be stressful.” She tuts, “when he just would have someone to make him relax in his down time.” She tops her words with a dreamy sigh. 

“I didn’t know you had a crush on him?” He tries to tease, ignoring the ugly twist in his stomach, when Jeongguk is honest he didn’t ever experienced his sister to have a crush on anyone, not even when she had been in high school. 

“I don’t have a crush on him, but you have.” 

Jeongguk chokes on the sip of water he just took, evolving in a coughing fit, his face growing hot while he hears Jian burst into a full fit of laughter over his misery. 

“I don’t have a crush on Jimin!” He splutters when he finally gets enough air back into his lungs. He had to put the phone on speaker, now it lays on the windowsill while Jeongguk holds his chest with one hand and the bottle of water with the other. 

“You totally do!” Jian, still giggling about him almost dying, squeals.

“I don’t!” 

“You do!”

“I don’t” 

“You totally do!” 

“Ugh!” Jeongguk groans, they could go on like this for hours, when not days, its not like they didn’t do that already in the past, just to forget what they were arguing about in the first place. He just guesses this is a matter that Jian wasn’t going to forget any time soon though.

“Bet you’re blushing while just thinking about him!” 

“I am not!” He totally is.

“You totally are!” 

“He totally is.” Jeongguk jumps into the air hearing Namjoons voice coming out of nowhere like that. The older shouldn’t even be here. 

“I’m not!”

“You are!” Hoseok, who kicks the door to their room shut looks at Jeongguk, eyebrows pulled up, arms crossed over his chest.

“Is this ‘gang up on Jeongguk’ day?” He mutters, feels how warm his face is while he turns back towards his phone. 

“Its always fun to poke at you.” 

“Why am I even offended.” 

“Thats a good question little one.” She giggles and Jeongguk rolls his eyes, hears the other two shuffle around the room behind him. 

“I have to go now, say mom and dad that I’ll call them some time tomorrow.”

“Sure. Have fun on your coffee date with Jimin!”

“Its not a date!”

“But you wish it was!” 

Jeongguk didn’t answer, instead he ends the call with a huff. 

“I thought you were finally admitting that you have a crush?” Namjoon asks behind him, probably remembering a conversation they had some months ago while drinking a bottle too many of wine. 

Jeongguk turns around, but doesn’t look directly at his best friend. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” 

“So you have forgotten how you ranted about Jimin being so cute and hot and intelligent and whatever adjectives you used to describe him? Which were a lot.” 

“I was wine drunk. You shouldn’t put so much weight on my words.” Jeongguks face was flaming when he finally grabbed his bag from his bed. 

“Sure. Then we will pretend further that you aren’t a total goner for Jimin.” Namjoon pokes, grinning brightly at him, even Hoseok was smiling at him visibly having a lot of fun following their conversation.

Jeongguk had hoped of some form of help from the other, but there seems to be none. 

“I have no clue who this Jimin guy is, but you do seem to like him.” Hoseok shrugs, hands pushed into his jeans pockets.

Jeongguk can just gape at him. 

“You talk in your sleep and his name is mostly what I can catch.” 

Two weeks, Hoseok is their room mate for two weeks and Namjoon, who he lives with for three years now didn’t ever think it would be helpful to tell Jeongguk that he talks in his sleep?

“I thought you knew!” 

“I didn’t.” Jeongguk sighs, walking over to the door, better to get out of here sooner than later. 

“I have the evening shift in the clinic, probably will stay over night though.” He informs them without turning around again and slips out of the door right after, his face still flaming red. At this point he would probably score the first place in a battle with a tomato. 

He will have to walk around for quite a bit now, since he still is an hour too early, but it was better than staying and discussing his crush (which he does not have!) like that further. 

Chapter Text

~~~

The dragon council contains a number of thirteen seats. Thirteen, for the gods and goddesses, the number of months and the planets in the solar system, thirteen as a humble way to show respect, even though the thirteenth chair around the table will always be empty. Its the councils duty to observe and advertise and regulate the dragons and dragon shifters rights and do everything they can to ensure their safety, always compelled to have their best interest in mind. Every member who goes against this core of morals has to, upon learning about it, step down from their position. 

~~~

“How was it with your lover boy?” Taehyung asks as soon as Jimin stumbles through the door into his apartment.

“He isn’t my lover boy.” Jimin kicks off his shoes without any care before he jogs through the living room into his bedroom, not really looking at Taehyung who lounges on his sofa, one of his beloved sitcoms playing on the TV. 

“Did something happen between you and him?” 

“No!” 

Jimin has just spend the majority of his morning with Jeongguk, around the clearing near his cave, listening to the younger rant about the tournament that comes closer with every passing day, over his classes and classmates and the dragons at the clinic. It had genuinely been a good morning, he even had been able to connect a bit further with Jeongguk, at least that is how he feels, how he things this fragile bond that was connecting them since the choosing was progressing. How it manifests itself a lot clearer then it did in the beginning when he goes around his mind looking at it. 

“Why are you running around then like you got stung by not just one bee?”

“Ari called just a minute after Jeongguk went back to the academy and asked if I could come earlier, she is alone right now and she didn’t want to ask Jeongguk again since he is practically living in the clinic at this point.”

“Ah, maybe you should think about leaving some of your work clothes in your cave, then you don’t have to make all these ways.” Taehyung, now leaning in the doorway, waves his hands around.

“Maybe I should.” Jimin pushes all the things he needs into a bag and slings it over his shoulders.

“So, your training or whatever is going well? The tournament seems to be just right around the corner.” 

Jimin would like to push the conversation towards tonight but he comes to a halt anyway. Taehyung isn’t wrong. 

The tournament will most likely start rather sooner than later, the side with the tribunes looks fully ready at this point and even the rooms around the academies dorms have filled with all or at least most of the important personalities that signed up for being around for the tournament and since there are a few politicians around as well, Jimin became even more weary than before when walking close to the clinic. 

Not that the city itself was a lot different, it was buzzing with even more people than normal since the informations to the tournament went up in the evening news sometime last week, not yet announcing a specific date but telling everyone who might listens that it could be starting every moment now.  

Jeongguk hadn’t heard about a specific date either, his director and teachers seem to have fun with leaving all of the students in the dark until apparently the day of the first tournament. 

Not even Taehyung had been able to get to know what the first trial will be about, no one who had a hand in planning this tournament seems to want to talk.

“Jeonggukie is still careful when around me,” to not say shy, because he sure rants a lot about everything that is going on in his life in an attempt of connecting with his dragon, and sometimes he uses these stupid signs just to laugh about himself when he gets that they aren’t as effective for the both of them than they probably are with other pairs, “but we make progress.” 

“I still think this all has been a stupid idea.”

“I know, you do not let a moment pass to vocalize that.” Jimin huffs squeezing himself through the small gap Taehyung left open, into his living room.

“Has he sat on your back yet?” 

“No, we aren’t at that point yet.” 

“Then you better get to that point, it will be come in handy for the both of you, when he learns how to navigate himself on a dragons back.” 

Jimin just sighs not yet glancing over his shoulders while he sifts though his almost empty fridge for something he could eat on his way to the clinic. 

Having a human sit on a dragons back is something that has a lot to do with trust, its an accomplishment, a huge one at that, the fundament for a lot of other things, a milestone if you will and while Jimin thinks that they both trust each other, he also thinks that they aren’t at that point yet. 

Most new dragon riders or trainers aren’t sitting on their dragons back let alone fly with them in a matter of weeks, they often need a year or more to strengthen the bond between each other enough to even play with the thought alone.

“What do you know?” 

“Not much, but I have a hunch.” Taehyung sighs, leaning against the backrest of the sofa now, arms crossed over his chest. “I have no confirmation, but on my morning rounds I have seen things that make me think that the first trial could be a race of some sorts, it would make sense with that safe for everyone talking.”

“A race?”

“Yeah, no clue about the rules though, it also doesn’t look like it’s just a go from point a to point b thing, at least not without hopping through some rings.” 

“Why would they make it easy with fifty dragons around.” Jimin rolls his eyes, this shit is far from save but they have already known that. 

“Maybe we will be lucky and they don’t let all of you start at the same time?” 

Jimin just stares at his best friend, blinking with the clock ticking in the back of his mind.

“Yeah, you’re right, they won’t do that.” 

Jimin nods, putting his shoes back on, patting the pockets of his jeans to make sure he has everything that he might need. 

“Before I forget it, I spoke with Ari.” 

“You did?” 

“Yeah, I asked her if you guys need some help in the foreseeable future.”

“Why would you do that, you don’t even have a medical degree?” 

“And? I studied long enough to know the basics. You can do the hard work but that doesn’t mean you can’t use the help I offer.”

“Did she accept?” 

“She said she would think about it.” 

He hums, Ari probably won’t take Taehyung up on the offer, she is pretty strict when it comes to such things just wanting the best of the best for the clinic and the dragons even when it means that she herself has to move into the clinic when it means that the dragons are cared for.  

Maybe he should…

“Maybe you could get a word in for me? It would help you greatly during the tournament.” 

“Would it now?” Taehyung looks way too innocent for Jimin to not get suspicious of his best friends intentions.

“Or maybe I could call your lover boy and ask him for a favor.” 

“You don’t even have his number!” 

“Don’t I?” Taehyung blinks innocently, a wide grin on his face, knowing very well that he has won.

“Fine! I will talk to her but I promise nothing.” 

“Thank you, love you.” 

“Yeah sure.” 

Jimin opens the door, ready to be on his way, but being stopped again. 

“Say it back.” 

“Why should I you’re blackmailing me.”

“Don’t pout.”

“I’m not pouting and I’m already running late.” 

Jimin slips out of the door before Taehyung can stop him this time, very much pouting. He makes a run for the elevator and just when the doors close behind him he pulls out his phone, opening his chat with Taehyung. 

Stop blackmailing me
Love you too you brat<3 

~~~

Jimin can see Jeongguk sitting by the pond when he arrives, today the water wasn’t glittering with the sun beams hitting its surface, since the whole morning it had been gray and the breeze coming with it had been cooler, smelling like rain.

Normally Jimin would have gone home immediately after his shift, but on a hunch, and because he needed to fly some to clear his head, he decided to at least fly over the clearing by his cave before he really goes home. 

Because, usually Jeongguk would tell him when he would be back whenever he leaves the clearing, or he texts Jimin about his plans, just not today. All that had him fly in this direction was a soft, easy to overlook, pull at this still fragile bond between them, that even when it grows, it does so slowly, delicately. Sometimes Jimin wonders if Jeongguk is able to see and feel it as well. 

He lands in front of Jeongguk, who just looks up from the device he has placed on his lap, when he gives off a small roar. 

“Oh.” Jeongguk breathes the word like he hasn’t thought Jimin would be around today and wouldn’t be back in the time he thought he could spend here. The circles beneath the younger’s eyes are darker than yesterday afternoon when Jimin has seen him the last time. 

Jeongguk was looking exceptionally tired, his form slightly hunched, skin paler than usual, even his hair has lost its sparkle. 

Another small roar escapes Jimin, this time full of worry, he shuffles closer, lowers himself to the ground, brings his head as close towards Jeongguk as possible, even nudging his shoulder. 

Jeongguk laughs at that, softly, breathy, but it is a laugh after all. 
“I’m alright, you don’t need to worry.” Jeongguks hands come up, suddenly holding Jimins dragon head, cradling it, fingers almost cold against his hot running scales. 

The hold is fragile, even though it seems to be just instinctual, especially when Jeongguks eyes grow even wider than they already are, his hands stutter to scramble away from Jimin. 

“I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” The younger closes his eyes, like he was fearing Jimins wreath, which was nothing of the emotions he was really feeling, nothing that the unbelievable warmth would describe that was rushing through his body, making it tingle just because of this small gesture, the softness of it.

Jimin, who understands why Jeongguk fears Jimins wreath, given that Jimin, his dragon, hasn’t given a verbal confirmation for Jeongguk that it was okay to touch him (Jimin even wonders how that would go, since he wasn’t really able to talk in this form, at least not how it would be considered normal), even though Jimin tried from the beginning to show that it was alright, with how often he nudged the younger. 

That Jeongguk anyway never hold on to him, rather falling back into the grass or a puddle, not because he was disgusted by Jimin but he was respecting the long long long ago established Dragon customs, was equally filling him with warmth and adoration for the younger as it was frustrating him before he remembers that like this they aren’t Jimin and Jeongguk but rather dragon and Jeongguk, a whole other duo with another type of dynamic both of them have to adapt to and learn where these new boundaries lay.

Now, wanting to feel more of this touch, the softness and (hopefully) giving back some of the comfort to the younger, he kicks the device from Jeongguks lap into the grass beside him and replaces it with his head instead, even though it is way too big to lie on Jeongguks lap, ignoring that he has to strain his neck because his head alone would be too heavy for the younger and Jimin all but wants to crush him like this. 

“What are you doing?” Jeongguk breathes, blinking at him with shock, but Jimin doesn’t let himself get irritated, instead he huffs out some of his warm breath before, just slightly, nudging Jeongguks tummy. 

“You want…?” Another huff escapes Jimin, glad that Jeongguk seems to become better with every interaction in reading Jimins antics that are even new for the dragon. 

The younger laughs, not mockingly, but rather surprised, pleasantly so (it could very well be that Jimin just wishes for this one, but his dragon has always been good at pretending), then there are his hands again, holding the dragon head like it was something fragile, cradling it like the hot running scales were made of silk instead of something even harder than stone.

It has Jimins eyes flutter shut in bliss, fulfilling a need that he didn’t know he was even craving surely is an experience, and feeling Jeongguk sigh and relax into it too was making it even better, the bond between them practically vibrating. 

They spend some time like this, until Jimin has to shuffle a little bit, to be able to halfway lay his head into the grass and on Jeongguks legs, which he hopes he wasn’t crushing, but Jeongguk wasn’t seeming to be in pain at all, instead he was leaning more into the touch, a little over Jimins dragons nose, almost resting his head on his scales.

“Thank you.” Its just a whisper, as light as the wind around them, a sound that Jimin almost mistook for the soft swaying of leaves. 

“I didn’t know if you would be around, normally I tell you when I plan to come back, but,” Jeongguk sighs into the silence between them, the comfortableness shifting to something deeper, something heavier. 

“I just wanted to see you and I didn’t know where to go instead.” 

Jimin hums, encouraging, eyes wide, looking around, muscles getting tense, assuming that somewhere was a threat, something that has caused Jeongguks distress, sleepless nights, the worry so deeply etched into his voice. Its purely instinctual, a reaction he can’t stop, doesn’t even realize until he feels Jeongguks hands move in a soothing action, fingers drawing slow circles where they touch his scales. 

“Its nothing you can protect me from, just my naturally worrying nature.” 

And Isagi and his gang. The words aren’t his own, but they echo in his mind as like they would be, jumping off of the bond between them, because Jeongguk hasn’t said them out loud at all, probably worrying that Jimin would make this Isagi go up in flames like he did a few weeks ago with his teachers. Jeongguk isn’t wrong with that assumption since he needs to pull every string of restrain he can possibly grab, to not fly around in search to, in the end, do exactly that. 

He can barely make the roar stay in his throat, where it fights him to let be free. 

“Typically I can handle it well, but I guess I’m just exhausted today.” It sounds so much like there was something more than just Jeongguks worrying nature and this Isagi bothering him, but like this he couldn’t just ask, he can just wait for the younger to eventually open up to him, at least it feels nice to know that Jeongguk was searching for comfort with Jimin or his dragon to be precise.
  
Jeongguk sighs but snuggles closer in the next second finally relaxing into the need and the comfort it might bring him, the hold he might not even know he needs to accompany his soft heart, the yellow-y aura pulsing around him, growing quieter by the minutes, his breath evening out, and eventually Jimin realises that Jeongguk just drifted into sleep. 

He can’t help it, but chuckles about it, trying to hold as still as possible to not disturb the younger, even closing his own eyes, but not stopping his other senses to stay on high alert, his instincts and his protective nature surging forward with the need to ensure that Jeongguk is save with them, so that he can get all the rest he needs without having to fear for anything. 

Just when something cold and wet hits his back, sliding down his scales repeatedly, he blinks his eyes open, Jeongguk hasn’t so much as stirred, instead his soft puffs of air have transferred into soft snores that make Jimin giddy with adoration and wonder of how trusting Jeongguk must be, or exhausted to the bones. 

When the rain becomes heavier, threatening to at least soak Jeongguk to the bones when they keep laying here like that, he makes a rash decision, he softly escapes Jeongguks hold, which he dislikes to do and which has Jeongguk stir but not yet waking up, not even when Jimin clasps Jeongguks clothes (he really is glad that the younger wears his clothes typically two sizes bigger) between his teeth to be able to carry him into the cave, where the wind was nothing more than a soothing lullaby, accompanied be the soft tickle of rain.

Its untypical to invite a human into a dragons cave like that, but then there really wasn’t anything typical about his and Jeongguks however looking relationship.

He shuffles around until he finds a, what he thinks, is a soft spot for Jeongguk to lie him down onto, then he shuffles some more, this first part of the cave just barely wide enough for him to do so, and in the end, he curls his body around Jeongguks still sleeping form, resting a wing above Jeongguks frame, like a blanket, his head coming around, being on almost the same hight, resting on the cave floor, but not caring much, his tail curling around Jeongguk as well, transforming Jimin into a circle, which he finds oddly comfortable, especially when Jeongguk after a few minutes shuffles around. 

It has him on high alert, his instincts flaring up, just to come to a stuttering halt when Jeongguk moves so much that he halfway lays on Jimin, against him, like his scales are the most fluffy pillow he ever has rested his head on, accompanying his moving with a dreamy sigh.

After some time Jeongguks snoring picks up again and Jimin curls around him even tighter, needing to at least try to shield the younger from all possible bad coming his way in which form it may be.

He himself was drifting off after some time, the exhaustion catching up to him, that is until he hears Jeongguk mumble his name, obviously talking in his sleep, it has his heart doing cartwheels, until it is another name that curses through his body, bouncing off the bond in the same instant as it leaves Jeongguks lips in a whisper that still rings in his ears, causing his instincts to go haywire with the need to protect at all cost. 

Moondust

~~~

“How is it going Jimin?” The voice drifting out of his phone is static enough to let the hair on his arms stand up. 

In all his life he has never experienced any type of emotion coming from the old dragon on the other end, even now, without being able to look at the old dragon Jimin just knows that he is looking ahead of him with a stoic expression, the calm almost more frightening than any outrage could ever be. 

And Jimin, who can’t escape this call any longer, since he has avoided having to really speak with any of them for weeks now, has expected to be confronted with any form of outrage there possibly could be.

“Its stressful but manageable.” 

“Thats good to hear. I just call because of your last report, some things have been unclear.” 

Jimin frowns, he always tries to write his reports as detailed as possible, that avoids unclarity and possible confusion throughout the inspection, the mission and everything that comes afterwards. People around him tell him he is a perfectionist in that regard, Jimin says he just likes to do his work as tidy as possible.

“Unclear?”

“Yes, you have written something about dragons whose self heal abilities decline after you have treated them, we do not fully understand what you mean with that.” Somewhere in the background Jimin can hear papers getting shuffled around, knowing fairly well that the most of the council members still hang on in their old ways, preferring paper over almost any kind of technologies, especially the new ones that have gotten invented in the last couple of decades.  

Frowning, because Jimin could swear he did describe the situation to his best abilities, he answers: “A couple of weeks ago we treated two dragons that were searching for help in our emergency room, they looked terrible, they had multiple wounds, their scales looked like they got harvested, they had visible scars of shackles they must have worn for multiple years, also their mating scales have been forcefully removed.” 

Every movement on the other side stops for a moment, leaves the two in utter silence that makes Jimins skin crawl uncomfortably. He stands up from his place at the desk in his bedroom, where he has just begun writing the newest report when the call came in, and walks over to the small window on one of the walls, overlooking the city. 

“We were able to stop their bleeding and treat them as best as possible, most of the wounds even began closing like they were supposed to do. The first twenty-four hours it looked like they were doing well for the condition they were in, but then their self healing abilities stopped working altogether and most of the medicines they were given stopped having any effect on them that was positive. We had to stop any treatment to not make it even worse, since then they are monitored even more closely until we figure out what it is that causes their declining health, until now though, all tests we were running were coming back negative though.” 

“Are these dragons hold together?” 

“Yes, they don’t want to be separated and we concluded that it wouldn’t be a good idea to do so anyway.”

“You said their mating scales got removed but are there any indicators that these two are indeed mates, or if they have a mate somewhere out there possibly?” 

Its a good question that could provide some answers, because mating between dragons or with a dragon is not just something simple, its a complex thing that brings the bond to completion, overflowing with the love they share and any other emotion, positive but also negative. Means when one is ill, the other feels it as well, mates often aren’t able to be separate for long until it has negative effects on both of them, not that they would make the conscious choice to be away from the other for long either. 

Its unlikely and mostly just happens when they are separated forcefully. Not being able to go far from the other is also a reason that when one mate dies the other follows willingly shortly after, until then they had a hopefully very long life though. 

“We assumed that they are mates, since they behave as such, but I will look more into it and try to confirm it.” 

“Good. You wrote that you think whoever did this horrendous thing could maybe have tried to get to the bottom of dragons mating behaviors and customs.”

“Harvesting the mating scales specifically is unheard of, at least I have never experienced a case like this, and the skin that has gotten uncovered shows scares, like someone tried to pull open the skin to see if there is a physical way to the bond between mates.” 

Silence is his only answer for a few seconds, seconds enough to hear the shuffling in the living room behind his closed bedroom door, and the soft music accompanying it. Jimin hasn’t heard Taehyung coming back from wherever he sometimes escapes to, but he figured that the younger must have gotten them some food at least, his stomach already grumbling.

“I see,” the old dragon on the other side mumbles, a pen scratching over paper, writing something down that brings Jimin back to their conversation. “I will communicate this with the other council members and see if they have heard of recent cases such as this and report back to you with possible solutions, I also will talk to someone who might has some more knowledge about this all. All I want you to do is keep them alive and figure this out. Its better when we get behind this rather sooner than later.” 

Jimin nods, even though the old dragon can’t see it, hoping that the call is about to end, leaving the elephant in the room to stand around a little longer, it seems comfortable where it is right now. 

“And Jimin!” Ah fuck, the elephant in front of his inner eye becomes more and more translucent, “don’t think you are off the hook. We know of you choosing that boy. We hoped Taehyung would arrive on time to stop you, but our seer had been right yet again. Hopefully you know that a bonding like this isn’t to be broken lightly after it has gotten established.”

“I know, sir.” 

“Then I hope you have chosen wisely.” The old dragon hums, “does that boy know of your origin and your mission?” 

“No sir.”

“Then keep it like that. The less he knows the better. You still have a duty to fulfill and we assume it will just get more difficult from now on. Prepare well. It would be a shame to lose you to the cruel ways of the humans around us.”

“I will be careful sir.”

“I expect nothing less. The tournament will start in approximately a week. We all will watch and try to provide you with as much information as possible but you still have to go through this on your own. And don’t expect this to be the last word spoken about the matter. We will anticipate your arrival back home, after the tournament is over. Your boy has to proof himself in front of us.” 

And before Jimin can respond the line goes dead, leaving him to grimace at the world behind his window alone. It did go better than he expected it would, even though he knows they can’t do much about the fact that he has chosen Jeongguk but that doesn’t mean they would make it easy for them either. 

Their eyes have always been on Jimin, its their job in some way and it is his to report back to them, but it has always been with a lot of air in between, now he probably has to expect a lot more of these calls and eyes in his back, that are observing him.

He sighs deeply, pushing a hand through his hair, grimacing even more at the knots he has to tangle through, at least he now has a somewhat time line for the start of the tournament. It doesn’t make his heart beat more calmly, still there is this nagging feeling of approaching danger in the back of his mind, something that naturally comes with these tournaments, the knowledge about it doesn’t make it better though.     

“That bad huh?” 

Jimin whirls around hearing Taehyung speak, he has been so deep in his thoughts that he hasn’t heard how the door got opened.

“Could be worse.”

“Come on, I got us food and our guest should be also here any moment.” 

“Guest?” Jimin follows Taehyung into the living room, where the dining table was almost overflowing with food that the younger must have gotten at Jimins favorite restaurant, at least it smells like their food, he doesn’t remember inviting someone over though, since he never does, this is his home, his den, a new form of a cave, something he doesn’t invite just anyone into.

Taehyung doesn’t deem it necessary to answer, especially when the ring tone of the doorbell goes off, announcing that whoever it is has arrived. 

“He is punctual, I have to give him that.” 

Jimin watches his best friend who literally skips towards the door, happy and delighted and it has his heart plumed with dread. 

“Taehyung, who did you invite over?” 

“Your lover boy, who else? Its about damn time that I get to know him better, don’t you think?” 

Jimin feels all colour drain from his face, leaving him as white as his living room walls, while he stumbles forward, way too late to stop what was about to go down, watching in slow-motion, how Taehyung opens the door to an already flustered Jeongguk shuffling around in front of it. 

Their eyes meet instantly, and Jimin almost growls, the dragon that has slept within his mind, surging forward almost violently.   

There are a few simple reasons as to why Jimin never, in all those years he knows Jeongguk, has ever invited him over.

At the beginning it was because he didn’t know him that well, his dragon naturally weary at who they even think of letting into their territory, then he had slowly become giddy with just the thought but there has never quite been the opportunity to invite the younger over, which he became glad over, because Jimin lost the grip on his dragon whenever Jeongguk comes into sight. 

Not a particular shitty thing, but something he hasn’t experienced before, hence why he never invited the younger over after making that discovery. Jimin had always believed that it all would just go away, and be like he is around all his friends, which he has no problem with being around in his territory.  

Seeing Jeongguk now waving at him shyly, a blush high on his cheeks, while Taehyung gestures for him to come in, saying something that Jimin can’t decipher over the rushing sound in his ears, but his eyes never leave his form. He can feel his own hands shake visibly, has to push them deep into the pockets of his sweatpants, he tries to smile back, but feels like he is failing miserably, while also trying to get enough air into his lungs that maybe will help him reign in his dragon.

“Hey,” Its just a puff of air that greets him, softly and shy, “you look surprised.” 

“Oh uhm I didn’t know you would be coming over.” Jimin mumbles, able to, for a split second, avoid his eyes, looking down at himself instead, just to hear a surprised huff and be greeted with a deep frown as soon as he looks up again. 

“Thats, uhm, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to overstep, maybe I should…” Jeongguks eyes flit through the living room, that is a bit tidier than it has been these past few weeks since Tae has arrived here, and points behind himself to were the door is. 

“NO!” Jimins voice is loud, even shaking himself out of the stupor that he has been in for the last few minutes, startling Jeongguk who looks at him with even bigger eyes. “No, stay. I wanted to invite you over for a long time anyway.” He can’t say if it is more his dragon speaking, probably not though, and they are just on the same page for once with Jeongguk in front of them. 

“A…alright.” Jeongguk mumbles, eyes dragging away for a split second before they come back to Jimin, he wonders when the last time has been when Jeongguk has been this shy around him, it must be years. 

“How did you two made these plans?” He asks after some seconds, figuring that something to talk about is better than standing randomly in his living room without having anything to talk about at all. Also he doesn’t remember Taehyung and Jeongguk exchanging numbers during the couple of times they barely ran into each other at the clinic. 

“Oh, uhm,” Jeongguk was rubbing his neck, still a blush high on his cheeks, “I ran into Taehyung yesterday, we talked a bit and he invited me over for dinner, said you would have nothing against it.” 

Jimin doesn’t like how unsure Jeongguk looks at him, like he wasn’t sure if Jimin really hasn’t something against him being here and if it wouldn’t be better if he would go instead. He doesn’t like how reserved the younger is around him as well, so he shuffles closer without really thinking about it, a hand landing on Jeongguks shoulder squeezing it lightly. 

“I’m glad you’re here Jeonggukie.” He smiles at the younger, whose shy smile transforms into a bunny one, his nose scrunching softly, looking absolutely adorable, so much so that his heart clenches uncomfortably and his dragon swoons. 

“You look like you had a stressful day.” 

“Its nothing big,” He hears himself say reassuringly, while he watches his hand slowly fall away from Jeongguks shoulder where it has laid way too long already to come of as casual, just why does it seem so much more difficult to be around Jeongguk right now? He tries to take another deep breath, to shake himself out of it.

“You should rest more on your free days.” 

“Like you do?” 

Its beautiful, Jeongguk is beautiful, watching the blush intensify his eyes flitting around the room just to come back to Jimin, looking at him so innocently. Not even the deepest breath he could possibly take can make his dragon not surge forward once more, trying to get Jimin to act somehow, on instinct, possessively. 

From all the ideas Taehyung had have during their lives, this must be the worst. 

A loud clearing of throat makes the two jump back a little bit and Jimin has to take his all to not grab Jeongguk and push him behind himself, instincts flaring protectively, declaring whoever else is in his home as a threat now that Jeongguk is here, his dragon roaring in his mind, overshadowing everything else for a couple of seconds. 

“Would you mind to grab all of us a glass of the wine you brought? I need to talk with Jimin for a second, we will be quick.” He hears Taehyung say, watching him walk over to where they stand. 

“Oh, uhm sure.” Jeongguk nods, a quick look towards Jimin like he asks for approval and Jimin feels himself nod, wherever he takes that much energy from he can’t say. 

He didn’t even saw Jeongguk bring something when he appeared in his doorway, Jimin must have blacked out for significantly more seconds than he thought he had. 

A hand on his arm, fierce, grabs him and drags him away from Jeongguk, who looks a little lost before the door to his bedroom prevents him from looking at the younger for longer, which almost has a growl rip out of his throat and Taehyung swears under his breath, his hands on Jimins shoulders shaking him. 

“Fuck, you have to get a grip!” Taehyung swears, his voice barely above a whisper, slightly panicked when his wide eyes and the wild look in them is anything to go by.

Jimin gets shaken another time, “take a deep breath.” He hears Taehyung say, blindly follows the instructions multiple times, enough to calm down, to not hear his heartbeat overly loud in his ears and push his dragon far enough back to not feel him crawl right beneath his skin, ready to take over entirely. 

“I thought you didn’t really have a crush on Jeongguk!” 

“I don’t.” Jimin shakes his head, stomach turning, he wants to puke. 

“Sure, I can see that because you and your dragon are fully calm with him here.” 

“You shouldn’t have invited him over!” Jimin holds his voice as low as possible, doesn’t want to risk Jeongguk hearing him, after all the walls aren’t that thick. 

“I wouldn’t have would I have known…” Taehyung gestures wildly with his hands at Jimin.

“We can’t just make him leave now!” Taehyung has to take a deep breath himself, before his eyes find Jimin again, almost glaring at him, “not that I think you would let him leave right now anyway.” He growls, visibly upset. But he is right, neither Jimin nor his dragon would let Jeongguk leave right now, not before they have made sure that he has eaten and was well, even after that it will be a fight. 

On the other side of the door they can hear glass clink against porcelain, Taehyung has pulled out the good plates for this dinner, putting them under timely pressure. 

“Get a grip on your dragon,” Taehyung points at him, still somewhat glaring, eyes dull with exhaustion, “at this point it takes a wonder for Jeongguk to not connect any dots!” With that he turns on his heels and escapes the room, leaving Jimin alone, for a second, two, three, another deep breath, the fluttering of his eyes for a heartbeat, the squaring of his shoulders, like he would prepare for a fight, which he does, an internal one though, then he follows Taehyung, smiling softly at Jeongguk as soon as their gazes meet, sitting down next to the younger.

“I ordered food from Jimins favorite place, since neither of us can really cook.” He hears Taehyung say while he fills Jeongguks plate with things he knows the younger likes the most, before he fills his own plate. 

“You can’t cook?” Jeongguks eyes are impossibly wide, reflecting an entire galaxy that Jimin wants to sink into, stare at the stars for an eternity. He has to clear his throat, feels his cheeks heat up, his gaze wandering onto the table, much safer. 

“Uhm no, I never really learned to.” He shakes his head, feels his cheeks warm up even more, now full on blushing he looks up again. 

“I could teach you,” Jeongguk whispers, not averting his gaze even once, “if you want to I mean.” 

“I’d love that.” Jimin receives a kick to his shin as soon as he answers, when he looks up Taehyung rolls his eyes at him, changing the topic as to how Jimin and Jeongguk got to know each other. The kick to his shin wouldn’t be the last one and at the end of the night, after talking far more over their work at the clinic, Jeongguks academic life, Jimins and Taehyungs hometown (even when they keep that as much on the surface as possible), over Taehyungs work (made up partially at least), Jimins leg had turned blue, but he thinks it was worth it.

He doesn’t want to let Jeongguk go, but it was about to hit midnight at that point and he could tell that Jeongguk was exhausted, so Taehyung called the younger a cab without asking, probably for the better. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the clinic then.” Jeongguk hums, when they say goodbye reminding Jimin that they share their next shift.

“Yeah,” He pulls Jeongguk in for a hug, something he wanted to do for hours now, his nose gracing the youngers neck, pulling a giggle from him, but he relaxes into Jimins hold instantly, hugging him back just as tightly. 

“Your cab is here.” Taehyungs voice pulls them out of their bubble, not for the first time that night and his best friend looks more than exhausted by now with an angry glint in his eyes, which does make Jimin feel guilty. 

“Alright, I’ll get going then. Thank you for the dinner and the nice evening.” Jeongguk smiles at them and then, with another wave, he is gone.

Silence engulfs them as soon as the front door closes. Taehyung and Jimin stare at each other. 

“You’re a fool!” Taehyung bursts out a couple of minutes later. “I don’t have a crush, don’t be so protective, we’re just friends! Who do you try to lie to?” 

“I don’t try to lie to anyone!” 

“Anyone that isn’t yourself then, because what the actual fuck did I just sit through?”  Taehyung paces through the living room now, hands pulling at his hair repeatedly. 

“I thought you don’t have much more than a crush that makes you and your dragon make stupid decisions, nothing so severe.” 

Severe, like it was a disease, something he shouldn’t have nor act on. 

“But this isn’t a stupid crush, is it now? You can lie to yourself all you want, that doesn’t make the truth vanish though and you know that, at this point, you’re ready to claim him.” 

Jimin growls, can’t stop himself, proving Taehyungs point. 

“Why didn’t you say something earlier? We could have found a solution together, could have prevented this whole choosing thing and moved on!” Taehyung asks, his voice a little bit louder than usual, dousing Jimin in cold water. 

“Someone else could have taken this damn job, this isn’t worth giving up everything for!” The fire in Taehyungs eyes, burning rage over Jimins feelings for someone else, a human at that, has him pull away, pull up any walls there are.

“Give up what specifically?” Jimin asks, can’t hold it back, doesn’t remember when he and Taehyung the last time argued like that, because that is what is going to happen. “Feelings? Because Jeongguk is a human, and not a dragon or a shifter like we are? Because feelings are predictable and controllable? I didn’t come here and took the job because I was on the search for something like this, I didn’t asked for it, but it happened anyway. I tried to ignore it okay?” 

Now it was Jimin who was pacing through his living room, rage burning hot beneath his skin. 

“I thought it was just a meaningless crush, shit like that happens all the time, but I had to realise that Jeongguk is everything but a meaningless crush. I can’t tell you what makes the difference, but it does. I didn’t like that in the beginning either, I still try to find lies to believe to, because I know you and others wouldn’t approve of it. But fuck that. I don’t have any control over it, I never had” 

Jimin pulls at his own hair now, the roller coaster of the last weeks and especially today finally coming to a halt, letting all the feelings out that he frantically tried to hold in for years by now.  

“What happened back then affected us all greatly, you know why I can’t approve of whatever this is.” Its almost a whisper that comes from Taehyungs direction, but even with his voice hold low, it was like a scream directed at Jimin, threatening to tear him apart. It does mostly one thing though, creating more rage.

“I don’t give a fuck about your approval at this point Taehyung. What happened five years ago is tragic, it effected us all greatly yes, especially you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t move on from it. I get that you’re worried, but how you approach it is absolute shit.” He really tries to reign in his emotions, not let them get the better of him, he has always had a bad temper and this conversation right now is definitely getting the better of him. 

“He is a human Jimin!” Taehyung throws his arms into the air, “his kind will always find a way to hurt our kind, they can’t do something else, its against their nature! At least you could have said something.” 

Jimin ignores that last part, his hands balled to fists, knuckles white, “so you think Jeongguk is the same as Kwang?” the words are pressed out of his lungs, everything within him doesn’t want to ask and look the expression in Taehyungs eyes run through multiple emotions that would all answer his question with no, which makes the solid yes that he gets just two seconds later even heavier.   

“He is a human Jimin, they don’t change their ways.” Taehyung doubles down, “its not too late to separate you two yet, we could stop whatever this is.” 

Jimin halts in every movement he might have made, he even stops blinking, breathing, everyone who would look at him right this moment would assume he had become a statue, a statue with massive cracks. 

He had known that Taehyungs hatred for humans was running deep, he also thought that over the past few years he had begun to accept what happened, that they can’t change it, that they have to live with it, he thought Taehyung had at least begun to move on. That he now proposes something like this though, not caring about the amount of distress and hurt he would cause his allegedly best friend was flooring, actually it was cracking a bond that Jimin thought was made of a stronger material than glass, but it shatters easily right in front of his eyes.

“We need to talk more, I say for months now that you have taken steps back from our bond, I was right all along. I know someone who can help us with this situation, she’ll do a good job.” Taehyung just blabbers anything now, nodding to his own proposition like it actually is a good idea. 

“Stop right there Taehyung.” 

“What? We need to do something and that is the only solution there is. I won’t let my best friend succumb to feelings!” 

Succumb to feelings.

“You’re overstepping big time right now.” Jimin tries to take a deep breath, he really does, but his lungs constrict, his skin crawls, his dragon wants to surge forward, but he is holding him tight. 

“What..?” 

“You’re overstepping. Don’t. Project.” He takes a breath, walks over to his living room window. “You might not like it. I don’t care. You might not approve of it. I don’t care. This decision is not yours to make. It’s mine. That you even suggest such a thing is beyond outraging. You can hate humans all you want. You have every right to, just don’t project your own feelings onto me.” 

He opens the window, lets the cool air into the overheating room, in the reflection he can see a flabbergasted Taehyung. 
“I’m not…” 

“You are. You think you’re above your own feelings, claims that your crush on Yoongi isn’t what it very much is, how often did you tell me that you could never? Do you think about it whenever you two fuck? Because I don’t think you do, I think all you are right now is a fucking hypocrite. Or do you think it is something different because he is a shifter like we are?” 

Jimin climbs onto the windowsill with practiced ease, ignores the gasp that comes from behind his back. 

“How do you…?” 

“You two choose my home for your fucking, didn’t think you would forget that small detail, like you forget the cameras regularly.” Jimin doesn’t wait for more than another gasp that comes from Taehyung before he jumps out of his window into the luckily low hanging clouds tonight. 

He wants to rip Taehyung to shreds for this, his dragon and he barely holding on, holding back, so jumping out of his window in the middle of the night was by far the safest option. 

Because would he stay back, he probably would say and do things he would regret later, and like this they at least have the chance to maybe, someday, talk about it in a somewhat civil manner. 

Before he falls through the last cloud, enjoying the wind and adrenaline from his jump far less than he usually does, he shifts, lets his dragons wings pull him into the night sky, far up over the city, and towards the mountains, ignoring the echo of his name flying through the night.