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chocolattezone · 2 years ago

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Accidental Destiny (Part 3)

pairing: dragon!Seonghwa x afab!reader

genre: fantasy. non-idol!au. fluff. angst.

wc: 6k+

warnings: based on How To Train Your Dragon. canon-compliant violence. mentions of character deaths. description of injuries. might have smut or suggestive undertones in the future. NOT EDITED

summary: Having hated dragons since you were a kid, you want to avenge the deaths of your parents by bringing down the beasts that have ravaged your village for centuries. What happens when you get the chance to bring down the worst of the dragons?

Accidental Destiny ml

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a/n: Here it is! The third part hehehehe! Our Star finally shifts. *cough* It took me poking him with a stick (thank you, Bai, for that idea) and Hongjoong setting things in motion for Seonghwa to finally shift lol. Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that the series taglist is in the reblogs (and both the perma-taglist and series taglist are open if you want to be added to either!) <3

As always, thank you everyone who reads, leaves a like, comments, sends in asks, and reblogs! You're always welcome to tell me what you liked, what you didn't, your thoughts, predictions, literally anything, etc about the fic! Much love!

permanent taglist (open): @justhere4kpop @spooo00oky @dorothyplushie @simeonswhore @giiouis @lelaleleb @imababywolf @starillusion13 @jjaelly @jackinmyarea @starteez @sansblackwife @starrysvn @stopeatread @aestheticsluut @jexizia @vanishingboots

Morning’s first light spills on Seonghwa, its warmth adoring as it filters through the trees above. It cascades over the rocks lining the clearing before caressing his figure that is curled up on a soft grassy patch next to the pond. Despite the morning chill that lingers in the air, he is pretty warm and toasty, thanks to the natural fire that burns inside of him. Idly, his tail grazes over the grass, swishing back and forth, bending the soft blades of grass beneath his gentle touch. The ground is dewier today than it has been over the past week, and the realisation that storm week is approaching fast makes him sigh.

All around him, he can hear the chirping of birds as they fly overhead, already having left their nests in search of food and grain. Their sweet sounds entwine with the low gushing of the waterfall not too far away from where he rests.

In the haze between wakefulness and sleep, Seonghwa feels a hint of a smile curl on his mouth. The quietude of the morning in the clearing, along with the fact that he hasn’t felt this well-rested in years, makes him happy. Letting out a soft exhale, which sounds more like a low growl from the depths of his chest, Seonghwa curls further into himself. He does so gently, for you are still curled up beneath one of his wings, and the last thing he wants to do is to startle you awake. You need as much rest as you can get, especially after the stressful week you’ve had and all the crying you did last night before falling asleep.

Seonghwa has always been wary of humans. He has had enough run-ins with your kind to know that humans are not the kindest creatures to roam the earth. In fact, no other species is as arrogant and as cruel as yours. So, if another human had approached him back in the forest when he had been hurt and entangled in the rope the way you did, he wouldn’t have stayed as long as he did. In fact, he wouldn’t even have let anyone come close to him or touch his wound. He would probably have burnt the human down to a crisp.

But there is something about you that made him trust you quickly, and that worries him. With the passage of time, he feels himself growing closer to you. This trust and the soft spot he has for you challenge the very core of his upbringing. He wonders how it took a few measly minutes for you to make a home inside him as if you always belonged there. This fact terrifies him to no end. Humans and dragons have been at war for so long, neither emerging as winners in the cruel battle between the two races. He doesn’t even remember why the war started. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if anyone knew what caused this dispute between both your kinds. Another sigh leaves Seonghwa, this one more agitated than the previous one.

A slight breeze brings with it the scent of jasmine flowers to the clearing, tickling his nose. Unconsciously, he finds himself breathing in the sweet scent. This is precisely why he loves early mornings; they allow him a moment of peace and quiet from the daily grind of shadowing Hongjoong in meetings, heading any attacks during the nighttime, or sweet-talking the lords and ladies of Dháthaobh and any human merchants that visit the port city he calls home. Hence, the dawn is always a sacred moment for him, comforting his usually frayed and overworked nerves by giving him time to unwind from everyday stress.

And, despite his worries, today is no different—in fact, the moment is only made sweeter by your presence. To him, it feels as if nature is cradling both of you this morning—the exact same way he holds you gently by his side. If he had the option to do so, he would gladly stay like this forever, but unfortunately, life isn’t that kind.

For now, though, there is still time before he will eventually have to wake you up. There is still an hour before the people of Amberdale start rising, and with that, someone will definitely set out to search for you, considering that you did not return home last night. So he waits until he has no choice but to wake you up, revelling in the gentleness of the moment given to him by the golden hour.

It isn’t long after that Seonghwa feels you stir, a confused sound leaving your lips that he assumes is because of his wing that is still covering you. His speculations are proved correct when he feels you gently touch the underside of his wings, causing him to shudder at the light touch. Swiftly, he moves the wing that is enveloping you and tucks it into his side, exposing you to the chill of the morning air.

He watches idly as you blink until your eyes are clear of the sleep that still lingers around the corner. The chilly air definitely helps, and soon, you’re sitting up. He watches you with a smile as you take in the crimsons and blues that bleed into the eastern side of the sky. The sudden onset of light stings your eyes, for you whine again, burrowing your face into Seonghwa’s side, causing an amused rumble from him.

“Two minutes,” you mumble, burrowing into him as if he’s your sanctuary against the elements of nature. He might as well be, for he knows that his warmth—a dragon’s warmth—keeps you from the cold that still remains from last night. It is another reminder of the approaching storm week, and he can feel it in the air, both from the chill that lingers and the changed air currents.

Seonghwa just hopes his friends will not come looking for him before he was ready to leave, for it would be kind of awkward to explain to them what had happened during the last raid. It could also potentially endanger you and your village, and that is the last thing he wants. That said, he’s still surprised by how long Hongjoong has allowed him to stay away from home before sending out a search party. He would’ve expected multiple dragons to have come to look for him. He never stays away from Dháthaobh for longer than a few days at most. He allows his mind to wander, wondering about the reasons for the lack of a search party. He is curious if it is because everything is fine back home and he is not needed to handle things or if Hongjoong is so busy that he hasn’t had time to send out the others to look for him. He hopes it is the former, for if it is the latter, he won’t hear the end of it from the younger dragon once things settle down.

His spiralling thoughts are interrupted by you removing your face from his side and standing up. You wobble slightly, probably from how stiff your limbs are. Seonghwa reacts to the slight wobble in your step immediately, bringing his tail to rest against your back as a support to keep you from toppling over. The way you stiffen before relaxing doesn’t escape his eye, so when it seems that you’re stable enough to walk on your own, he retracts his touch.

“Remind me to never sleep in the wild ever again,” you groan as you walk to the pond and splash the cold water onto your face, washing off the dried tear tracks on your cheeks. “How have you been sleeping on the ground for the past few days, Star? It’s so uncomfortable!”

A huff of laughter leaves him at your whining. Despite his amusement, he agrees with you. He would always take sleeping out in the wild in his dragon form over doing as a human any day. It’s grossly unbearable as a human and causes aches in places he never knew could ache from sleeping in weird positions.

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh at my misery, you menace,” you mutter darkly, filling up your canteen with clean water from the stream of water falling into the pond. He watches, confused as to why you are doing so, but when you purposefully make your way to his injured side, he realises that you want to check up on his wound. He whines, not wanting to feel the sting of water against his injury so early in the morning, but it seems that you’re on a mission and won’t stop until you’ve done what you want to.

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he readies himself for the pain that will follow the stream of water. To his utmost surprise, however, it’s only the sting of the cold water that causes him to flinch. There is no pain otherwise, and the sharp inhale from you doesn't ease his nerves at all.

Is the wound so bad that all feeling in that area has left? What if it got worse for some reason?

Worried for himself, he turns his neck to see what you’re looking at. But instead his eyes land on your face. He chokes on air because you are smiling so brightly that it could rival the sun itself.

“Star!” You fling yourself at him, arms winding around his neck as you laugh happily. Your touch causes him to melt into your shoulder, though he is careful not to put too much weight on you. After all, his dragon form could crush humans in the blink of an eye. “You’re healed for the most part! You’ll be able to go back home once we establish that you are fit enough to fly. Isn’t that great?”

Letting out a confused sound, Seoghwa moves back to see what you're talking about. He lifts his wing to check his side where the injury was, and is surprised to see the wound is basically gone—the area is still slightly raw, but nothing too bad and it’s not something that he can’t handle. He has flown in worse conditions and has even carried San in his claws while being severely hurt.

The fact that he has healed for the most part basically means he can fly the distance between Amberdale and Dháthaobh without hurting himself anymore or opening the wound and making the injury worse.

Seonghwa turns to you, his gaze both thankful and impressed. Back home, it took healers longer to cure wounds, and that was when dragons already healed faster than humans. It seems their healers could learn a thing or two about healing from you.

Hongjoong would never agree to that, he sighs, and for the first time in his life, he wonders if the war between dragons and humans is worth it. Maybe they could join forces and work together for the betterment of both races.

“Come on. Let’s see if you can fly, Star!”

Being distracted by his thoughts, Seonghwa hadn’t realised you had walked away to create some distance which would allow him the space needed to spread his wings fully without hurting you.

At your encouraging nod, he retracts his wings from their folded position, allowing himself to get used to the feeling of the breeze catching against his wings. It has been a while, and it feels so good to do so. He waits for a moment, checking to see if his side will hurt, and when it doesn’t, he shoots into the sky. Seonghwa lets out a happy roar when the beating of his wings doesn’t hurt.

His eyes search for you. From his vantage point in the sky, you look like a speck of black against the ground. Seeing you like that, an idea strikes him, and he turns back around, landing on the ground in front of you and lowering himself a bit. He stays like that, hoping you will understand that he wants you to get on his back. However, it is taking you too long, and just as he is about to look back up, you speak up.

“You want me to climb onto you?”

Letting out a grunt of acknowledgement, he waits until slowly, you climb onto his back. Your hold on him tightens as he straightens back up to take off into the sky, gaining both height and momentum with each passing second. Seonghwa soars higher and higher until he is well above the clouds. The sun is still near the horizon, casting a golden glow over the world below. For the first time in his life, he sees the golden waters of Amberdale, and his breath catches in his throat. He knows he’s not the only one who is marvelling at the breathtaking sight, for he hears your sharp intake of breath.

Seonghwa flies higher and higher, changing his direction to fly past the mountains and circle back towards your village. As he does so, the sky begins to change from shades of pink and orange to bright blue. The sun has now fully risen, and the world below is waking up. From above the clouds, he can see the villagers of Amberdale starting to venture out of their houses. He realises he should go back, for it is dangerous to be flying in broad daylight when anyone could spot him and shoot him down. So, despite not wanting to do so, he returns to the clearing and waits for you to slide down his back.

“I should go back home,” you say, smiling at the dragon. “Your wound is much better now, Star. You should be able to return home after sundown.”

Seonghwa sighs, the thought of going back to his brothers makes him happy, but at the same time, the thought of him never seeing you again causes a pang in his chest.

“I’ll come back to say goodbye at dusk,” you seem to interpret his lack of reaction as sorrow and are quick to pat his snout.

Seonghwa nods and watches you leave sorrowfully. He trots towards a tree and warms a spot on the ground with his fire to curl on it, almost melting into the warm earth. However, in the distance, a call pierces the stillness of the forest. His sensitive ears pick up the hastening of your steps, and he realises that someone is looking for you. Seonghwa stiffens when the person calls your name again. This time, the voice is much closer. He is ready to shoot into the sky at the smallest inkling of danger, but then he hears the two pairs of footsteps move away from the clearing and towards the village, and lets out a breath of relief.

He’s safe for now.

It’s almost impossible to explain how electrifying it is for Yunho to be sailing through the sea. The feeling of the waves beneath the ship as it makes its way towards the destination and lightly rocks the vessel is unlike any other. The salty water being sprayed onto his face, the cool wind rushing through his hair, and the early morning sun shining on him as he sails towards the north make him feel alive. He wonders if this is exactly what his ancestors felt when they set out in search of a land to settle down: the apprehension of what lay beyond the horizon, the fear of the unknown, and the joy of sailing across the waters.

As he watches the currents of water and the seagulls circling overhead, he’s saturated with conflicting feelings. There is the desire to find the nest, which is what caused him to set out in the first place, but underneath that is a fear of coming face to face with his worst nightmares and also rage at himself for leaving without apologising to you. The devil on Yunho’s shoulders berates him, telling him how foolish it was of him to send Mingi and Wooyoung instead of crossing that bridge himself and talking to you. That way, at least, he could have left home with a lighter heart.

Yunho is many things, but beneath all the years of pain and control are the threads of a man who just wants the best for the people he loves, and those can be counted on the fingers of one hand. As the head of the village, it is his duty to protect Amberdale. But if one were to brush away all the superficial words and reasons he has used to justify his motivation to set sail in search of the dragon’s nest, one will see that he’s only doing this to protect your kind soul, Wooyoung’s carefree laugh, and Mingi’s warmth. That’s all there is to it, really. He just wants his friends and his sister safe from future attacks, and if he has to fight all the dragons in the world to do so, he will gladly go down fighting for you all.

That is also part of the reason he didn’t bring either Wooyoung or Mingi with him on this quest. He’s fine with getting hurt himself, but if something were to happen to either of his friends, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. Though, at times, he finds himself wondering what it would be like if he had brought either Wooyoung or Mingi and thinking about the three of you, missing the happiness each of you brought him even during the darkest days. He could use some of that sunshine right now, but until he returns home, the real sun will have to do.

It has been more than a day since he set out on the journey to find the nest, and they have docked at multiple ports to search for a clue that would lead the fleet to their destination. All the clues that he has found till now point to Dháthaobh, the most affluent port city that lies smack in the middle of maps—it is as if it is the heart of their world, for all sea and land routes converge in the port city.

He can hear the murmurs of his fellow villagers as they go about ensuring that the ship is on the right course while the rest are either exchanging jokes or just enjoying the early morning sun as it rises in the east and bathes everything in its glow. Others are preparing for the stop at Dháthaobh, making lists of supplies they will need if they set sail in uncharted waters from this point onwards. There is a stretch of sea that hasn’t been explored due to the heavy storms and mist that surround the area, and Yunho has an inkling that the stretch is where the nest lies.

They are only a few miles off the coast of Dháthaobh, and he can already see the tell-tale spires rising in the distance. From their last stop at Erith, a quaint seaside town, he got wind of a male living in Dháthaobh who might know the whereabouts of the nest. As the ship sails closer to the shore, he grips the bannister tightly, leaning against it as he wonders if answers lie there.

With a sigh, Yunho withdraws a piece of folded parchment from his jacket and opens it, letting his eyes take in the words that are already burned into his memory.

Let the fangs guide you towards the centre of the world.

He assumes the centre of the world to be Dháthaobh. As for the fangs, he assumes he’ll find out about those once the ship docks at the port.

Fangs, his lips quirk up in amusement. Quite apt for something related to dragons. Whoever came up with the message has a sense of humour.

Remembering that he was supposed to destroy the piece of paper, Yunho holds the parchment between his fingers, letting it flutter in the wind before letting it go. He watches as it follows the wind, first going up and then down before it touches the water and dissolves immediately. The wind causes the mainsail above him to flap rhythmically. He can also feel the wind against his hair and exposed skin. The contrast between the warm sun and the cold air is comforting, and it causes Yunho to close his eyes. He breathes in deeply, allowing the smell of salt and brine to fill his lungs.

A few minutes later, he hears footsteps making their way towards him, shattering the sense of peace that has enveloped him. The sound of boots tells him it’s the captain of the ship. Yunho sighs but does not turn around to greet the male. Instead, he waits until he feels the older man stand beside him, and only then does he nod his head in acknowledgement.

“Dháthaobh is dangerous,” his captain reminds him grimly. “I do not wish to dock for more time than necessary, and the same has been conveyed to everyone in the fleet. Whatever you are to do here, get it done quickly and come back so we can immediately set sail for Asterly. I’d much rather we dock there while we figure out what path we will take after today.”

A beat of silence passes between them, a pause in which neither dares to breathe. The captain’s words hang between them like a sword until Yunho releases a deep sigh, “I understand.”

Dháthaobh may be affluent, but there is an undercurrent of something sinister that lingers in and around the city. It doesn’t help how quickly the port city grew in both size and influence, and people are suspicious of the residents, and rightly so. All kinds of people converge in the city and as bright as the daytime in the city is, nighttime brings with itself horrors that he’d rather not think about. He’s on the same page as the captain when it comes to docking in the city—it’s best if they don’t stay for longer than is necessary. There have been curious events happening during the nighttime, and the right thing to do would be to leave before sundown.

While Yunho’s ship is sailing towards Dháthaobh, on the other side of the ship, near the shoreline, Hongjoong watches the fleet approach from the window of his room. The mansion is built strategically on a cliff, providing him with the best view of the city, the sea on one side, and the forest on the other. Nothing escapes his watchful eyes.

His brows furrow unconsciously while his mind roams with possibilities and strategies, and his fingers idly stroke the edge of the teacup he is holding. It is soothing, and the warmth that the cup provides him contrasts so beautifully with the chill in the air. Soft footsteps shatter the thoughts that are drowning him, and he looks away from the window to see San standing at the threshold, regarding him with a concerned and inquisitive expression.

“You seem troubled, hyung.”

A hum leaves him as he watches how war wages behind the younger’s eyes, “Just thinking about what our spies told me. Has Seonghwa returned?”

San simply shakes his head.

Hongjoong pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. “Since Jongho is out on an errand, I want you and Yeosang to head out in search of him. Start around Amberdale, for that was the last time any of us saw him. It has been more than a week now, Seonghwa should have returned by now.”

“What about the ships, then?” There is a sharpness in San's voice that Hongjoong doesn’t like, but he lets it go. He understands the frustration and worry that causes the younger male to act out like this, and being a Monstrous Nightmare, being dramatic is in his nature anyway. Moreover, the way San freezes when Hongjoong’s head snaps up from the cup to meet the younger’s gaze tells him that, the younger dragon knows that he is treading dangerous territory with the way he is talking.

Several seconds pass in tense silence before Hongjoong decides to speak up and ease San’s nerves. “I’ll handle them,” he looks up at the other male with a serene smile gracing his lips.

“Understood,” San breathes a sigh of relief when Hongjoong doesn’t question his tone or mind his transgression. “Yeosang and I will leave for Amberdale once we are done with the meeting with Lord Cass.”

“If he doesn’t agree to our conditions, you are free to revoke his access to our ports. We have been too lenient with him, and the human is getting a little too comfortable. And do not forget to have something to eat before you set out in search of our missing Night Fury,” Hongjoong reminds him with a gentle smile.

“Yes, hyung. Be careful while handling the fleet from Amberdale,” San says. “The guy heading the expedition is a remarkably good warrior.”

“Don’t worry about me, Sannie,” Hongjoong turns back to watch the fleet as the ships start docking at the port. “You don’t always need to match your opponent’s strength in order to defeat them. Sometimes, all you need is a simple strategy to bring them down. And if push comes to shove, I won’t hesitate to burn down the fleet. It won’t take much for it to look like an accident, after all.”

San gulps at the dangerous edge in the elder dragon’s tone. He just hopes that it doesn’t come to Hongjoong having to burn down the entire fleet. So close to home, even an “accident” could spark rumours that could have dangerous implications for the city.

Unfortunately, all he can do is nod at Hongjoong. So, with his heart filled with worries, San heads down towards the meeting room, where he knows Yeosang will be waiting for him before they head to the docks to meet Lord Cass. For now, dealing with the human Lord is his biggest headache. He’ll leave the worrying about the humans of Amberdale to Hongjoong until it becomes his problem.

Later that evening, as you’re leaving your house, you spot Yunho’s old crossbow lying on the table. Mingi must have repaired it and left it here for either Wooyoung or you; you are not sure. For some reason, your heart is telling you to take it with you. Not one to dismiss what your intuition tells you, you don't hesitate to grab the weapon. You look around for the quiver, shoulder it when you find it resting against the wall, and leave from the back door. It is a pleasant evening, but as you make your way through the forest, you can’t help but think that it is too silent, and the unnatural stillness has your nerves on edge.

As you draw closer to the clearing, you start to hear voices from somewhere in the forest. Your brows furrow and you are sure no villager would step into the woods around sundown. Most people are busy winding up work and heading home. And there have been no visitors to the village either who could be out and about during this time. Still, you look around to see if you can spot anyone, but it is fruitless as you can’t spot a single soul.

It is only when you are merely a few feet from the clearing that you realise the voices are coming from there. It takes you another second to remember that Star is also in the very same clearing. Your heartbeat increases at the realisation that he could be in danger.

Quickly, you hide behind the rocks that line the ledge that runs around the clearing and peek from behind it. You spot three males standing in the clearing, and they seem to be having a heated discussion, which is probably why they haven’t noticed you yet. You strain your ears to hear what they’re saying, but they are too far away from the ledge you are perched on. You scan the clearing for any signs of the Night Fury. Alarm bells go off in your head when you can’t spot Star anywhere.

Ever so slowly, you circle the rocks and make your way to the clearing. Being careful to be as silent as possible, you pull a bolt into position and move out from your hiding place. The three males finally hear the click of the bolt locking in the crossbow and snap their heads towards you, eyes widening when they see you are aiming the weapon at them.

The male who’s closest to you seems familiar for some reason, but you can’t seem to put your finger down on where you’ve seen him. Said male extends his arm back as if telling the other two males to stand down when they tried to move forward. He also extends his other arm, palm facing towards you as if in surrender.

“Listen, I can—”

“Who are you?” You cut the male off, voice sharp, and you raise your crossbow higher. “Where is the Night Fury? What did you do to my Star?”

The male blinks in surprise, his lips quirking up for a reason you can’t fathom. “Your Star?”

“He’s under my care and protection. So, yes, my Star,” you retort, narrowing your eyes and taking a step towards the three males in order to appear threatening. “What did you do to him?”

“Listen,” the male sighs as if exasperated. “You don’t understand what you are saying.”

“I don’t understand? Forgive me for thinking you’ve hurt the Night Fury when the three of you are here, and I can’t spot him anywhere,” you huff out, tired of this pointless banter. “I’ll ask you for the last time, where is Star? Remember, I won’t hesitate to shoot and kill you.”

“Seonghwa hyung,” the male standing behind the one you have been talking to, whose features resemble a feline, tries to take a step forward but is stopped by Seonghwa.

“Stand down. That’s an order, San,” his tone is sharp, causing a shiver to run down your back at the tone. He turns back to you once he is sure the two males won’t disrupt him. “It might be a bit too much to take in, but… I am the dragon you have been tending to for the past week, Y/N.”

The words that come out of Seonghwa’s mouth are so preposterous that you can’t help the laugh that leaves you. Something about what he has said is bothering you, but you’re too busy staring the male down that your brain is taking a while to catch up. Just as quickly as you started laughing, you stopped, turning serious. “Did you just say that you are Star? The Night Fury? Last I checked, dragons cannot transform into humans.”

“But we can, and all three of us are proof of that.” A sigh leaves him as his gaze turns pleading, “I wouldn’t lie to you, Y/N.”

It is at that moment realisation strikes you about what has been bothering you. He just said your name. How did he know your name?

“How do you know my name? Even if you are Star, I never told him my name,” your brows furrow in confusion.

“Someone was calling your name this morning as you left me here after I flew you around Amberdale. They were probably looking for you because you didn’t return last night after your brother set sail despite your disapproval.”

You look at the male carefully, truly look at him, and it strikes you how similar he looks to Star. His eyes are the same shape and shade of emerald as Star, and overall, his features do resemble the Night Fury.

“I still don’t trust your words.” Giving him the benefit of doubt, you lower your weapon, but you’re still wary of him. Any weird movement and you were ready to shoot the strangers.

“Yeosang, if you could,” Seonghwa nods at the other male behind him, eyes not leaving your figure as he does so.

Yeosang nods, moving backwards until he is far enough from the two males and, in a second, shifts. In his place, a Storm Cutter now stands. Your free hand flies to your mouth, and you can feel tremors in your hands as you try to process what you just saw. You can feel your eyes tear up as you realise what it means.

“I can’t believe this,” a bitter laugh leaves your lips as you shake your head at the males, no, dragons standing in front of you. “You are part human, or… well, whatever you are. Yet, you plunder our villages, attack us, steal our supplies and our livestock. Your kind has killed so many of us? Why?”

Your reaction is clearly not what they were expecting, and you can see that from the way all three of them freeze, gaping at the tears that line your eyes. You refuse to cry in front of them. You wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

“Leave.”

“What?” Seonghwa’s voice sounds breathless as he reacts to the single word you have uttered.

“I said, leave. Go away to wherever you came from,” you lift your crossbow again, aiming directly at his heart. It is the first time you’ve ever raised a weapon against a human, and the second time you’ve done so with Star–Seonghwa–whatever his name is. You almost laugh at the irony of the situation. “If I see you ever again, I won’t be as forgiving, and I will kill you. Leave.”

San’s face pales when he realises your threat is serious, and he tugs at Seonghwa’s shirt urgently. The latter is looking at you incredulously as if he cannot believe the words that have just come out of your mouth.

“I won’t repeat myself for the third time.” You knew you should never have trusted the dragon and should have killed him when you had the chance to. But it isn’t too late to right the wrongs you have committed.

“Fine. We’ll leave. But before that,” Seonghwa removes a sapphire studded ring from his finger and hands it out to you. “Since you saved my life, I am obliged to hold onto that favour because of our code. If you ever need my help, all you need to do is kiss the ring, and I’ll come to you as fast as I can.”

“Why would I ever need a dragon’s help?” You scoff. He’s quite arrogant if he thinks you’d ever need him or his help.

“You never know, Y/N,” he insists seriously. “I promise you won’t see any of us ever again. Just please take it, if not for yourself, then for my peace of mind. You can melt it down or sell it or keep it, I don’t care what you do with it. I don’t want to be indebted to you anymore.”

He throws the ring towards you. It sparkles in the light of the setting sun as it flies towards you. You reach out your hand to catch it, putting it into your pocket before nodding towards the sky as if telling him to leave.

You watch incredulously as the other two males also shift into dragons, a small gasp leaving you when Seonghwa indeed turns into the Night Fury you have come to know as Star. His companions take off immediately, but Seonghwa lingers for a moment, gazing at you with the most sorrowful expression. The two of you stand like that for a few seconds before one of the dragons in the sky lets out a grunt. Hearing his companion’s call, Seonghwa breaks the staring contest you have been locked in to spread his wings and join the other two males. You follow them with your gaze until their figures disappear behind the mountain.

With a sigh, you turn around, retracing your steps towards your home where you know Wooyoung is waiting for you. As you break through the treeline, you swear you hear Star’s frustrated roar in the distance, and when you look towards the horizon, you can see three specks of black growing dimmer and dimmer as the sun sets over the water.

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chocolattezone · 2 years ago

Text

Awwww omg that was so sweet!

Meant To Bean

pairing: barista!san x reader

genre: non-idol!au. sfw. fluff. a sprinkle of angst.

wc: 1.9k

warnings: fluff. mentions of finals week. rude customer. coffee pun. (lmk if I forgot something) NOT EDITED! I struggled with this... Can you tell lol... :')

Tumblr is based on a system of reblogs, not likes. Please reblog my work. Feedback is always appreciated.

a/n: I wrote this fic for @hwaightme after today's morning shenanigans with you-know-who... yeah this is what I was struggling with the whole day and why I asked you to choose a member and your favourite cookie lol. Sorry in advance for whatever monstrosity this is :') If I disappear after this, just know that I'm wallowing in self pity (jk I'm actually off to sleep lol)

Thank you to everyone who reads, leaves a like, reblogs, comments, sends in asks and all that jazz! You're always welcome to tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, your thoughts, etc, about the fic! Much love!

Unlike the belief held by most of the population about Mondays, to you, the most hated day of the week is your favourite. It is partly because you abhor the weekends, for the simple reason that, for the most part, you stay at home, labouring away at the desk where you work on your thesis, which will make or break your last semester at grad school. So, for you, Mondays come as a breath of fresh air where you can finally step out of your dreary studio apartment and revel in everything that the world has to offer.

Another reason for the skip in your step on Mondays is because, unlike every other weekday morning, the cute barista-slash-owner of Wonderland, whom you’ve come to know as San, works the opening shift at your favourite coffee shop.

You had first noticed him during finals week of your first semester when you were running on caffeine and not blood and had been pulling more all-nighters than can be considered healthy. You usually bought a cup of coffee from the cafeteria on campus, but on the last day of your finals, you were basically a zombie who needed caffeine to even reach the university. So, without much thought and fuelled with the thought of a deliciously warm cup of coffee, you walked into the first cafe you laid your eyes on.

The little bell chimed as you opened the door, and you could swear that half of your stress and fatigue melted the moment you heard the notes of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata being played on the cafe’s speakers. And then, when the cute dark-haired barista with a slit in his eyebrow turned around to smile at you, showing his dimples, you felt more awake than you had in the whole week.

“Hi, welcome to Wonderland. What can I get you today?”

“Um… can I please get a large cup of iced espresso?” It took you a moment to answer him, and you were sure your cheeks were red from embarrassment because you had been checking him out like a weirdo. You curse your brain for short-circuiting at having to talk to the cute barista while you looked like you’d walked out of a zombie apocalypse.

The barista’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when he heard your order, and he smiled sympathetically. “Rough morning?”

“More like rough week,” you replied with a grimace.

“Ah, finals week is here, I suppose?” He nodded in understanding. “Your large cup of iced espresso will be ready in a bit. You can take a seat at one of the stools near the counter while you wait.”

Following his instructions, you perched atop a stool which gave you unobstructed access to watching him work. You were in awe at the way the male moved while prepping your coffee. You were so enamoured by him that you didn’t even realise your order was done, and he had to call your name twice before you registered that your order was ready for pickup.

You apologised profusely, but the man shrugged it off with a wave of his hand, “I totally get it. I used to be a walking zombie during finals week as well when I was in grad school.”

He hands you your cup of iced espresso and a paper bag, which you squint at in confusion before meeting his gaze with raised brows.

“A white chocolate and macadamia nut cookie. It’s on the house,” he smiles again, holding out the paper bag for you to take, which you do a bit hesitantly. “I hope your finals go well, hwaiting!”

It wasn’t until you were out of the shop and looked down at the coffee cup that you realised a small message was written neatly on the c up sleeve which read, I hope you have a brewtiful day. Go ace that final, warrior. You got this <3

Ever since then, you made it a point to buy a cup of coffee from Wonderland every Monday morning. The rest of the week, you would walk into the shop at 5 p.m. sharp and work on the class materials and assignments until San closed Wonderland. He always made sure that the small table by the window was free for you and treated you to a cookie or a slice of cake when he felt like you were working too hard and deserved a break.

As the semesters flew by, your friendship with San also deepened, but with that also came the first inklings of a crush which only grew stronger the longer you spent time around him. It didn’t help that he was a kind and sweet guy who was always extra attentive to your emotions and customised your order for the day based on your mood. Sometimes the order would come with a cheesy message or an encouraging one written on the cup sleeve. You loved it when he did that, and you never threw those cup sleeves away, instead opting to store them in a little wooden box you had hidden underneath your bed.

That brings you to this moment on a beautiful Monday morning in spring as you make your way to Wonderland to get your caffeine fix for the day. Your hand meets the slightly cold metal of the door handle as you push the glass door, only to hear the familiar chime along with Debussy playing on the speakers. You’re surprised to see that a customer is already here. Usually, people don’t start trickling in until 8:30, but you don’t think much of it until you move closer to the counter.

“You should smile more, you look scary when you don’t. Also, can you hurry up with the order? I’ve been waiting for so long for a cup of iced coffee. I wonder how this shop is so well known even though the service is atrocious.”

The smile on your face wipes straight off at her words, and you narrow your eyes at the woman in business attire when San freezes in his tracks. You can’t see his face, but you know from the way his shoulders have tensed up that the comment hurt him.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, here’s—” San begins to apologise while placing the cup of coffee on the counter, but you cut him off.

“Excuse me, but you should be nicer to him. If you don’t like this shop or the barista, there are so many more in the area that you could go to to get your coffee.”

The venom in your tone causes both San and the woman to turn to you with wide eyes. San looks horrified while the woman narrows her eyes at you.

“And who do you think you are?”

“Just a concerned citizen who doesn’t like it when people are mean for no reason. Wonderland is one of the best coffee shops in the whole city, and San is a really nice guy. So I would appreciate it if you would be nicer to him, and if you can’t, you should take your entitled self somewhere else and throw a tantrum there.”

The lady gasps, holding her hand to her chest as she glares daggers at you. “Apologise,” she demands, voice low and threatening.

But you don't back down and shake your head firmly, “No.”

“No?” She gapes at you at your boldness and narrows her eyes.

You open your mouth to reply, but before you can get even a word out, you feel a cold sensation bloom from your chest and rapidly make its way down to your abdomen. You let out a cry of surprise, only registering the fact that she had thrown a whole cup of iced coffee onto you after the bell chimes, signalling that the woman has left.

“Well, I guess it’s great she didn’t order a hot coffee?” You try to joke, noticing San’s clenched jaw as he takes in your soaked hoodie.

He doesn’t say anything but gently guides you to the back room, opening one of the lockers to bring out a spare shirt and hands it to you silently. San then proceeds to leave the room for you to change into the shirt, and it’s only then that you realise the mess you’ve found yourself in. You probably shouldn’t have challenged the woman, but you couldn’t just stand by while she talked down to him.

You make your way to the front of the shop, only to find that San has finished mopping the floor and is standing in front of the counter as if waiting for you.

He looks up when you enter, “You can wear that over the shirt, it’s chilly outside.”

You look at the sweater that’s resting on the countertop, and it doesn’t take you long to realise it is his favourite one. It’s a light blue knit that you love to see on him because it makes him look soft and cuddly. You pull it over your head and instantly feel the sweet smell of his cologne envelope you.

“Are you angry? I’m sorry about that… I know she was a customer, but she had no right to talk to you that way,” you say, worrying the ends of the sleeves of the sweater nervously.

San sighs and walks up to you. A smile tugs at his lips when he reaches you and takes the way his sweater has practically swallowed you up. He raises his hand and gently tucks a few strands of hair behind your ear.

“I’m not angry at you,” he replies gently. “I’m mad at myself for letting her do what she did. What if the coffee was steaming? Then what? You could have been burnt badly.”

“I would still have done the same,” you tell him, causing San to gasp softly. “I meant what I said, Sannie. You are an amazing and kind person who doesn’t deserve shit from customers. And for the record, you look really handsome whether you are smiling or not!”

Your words cause him to smile at you with such fondness in his eyes that it makes your heart flutter.

“You’re such an idiot,” he mumbles while shaking his head at you. “What am I going to do with you, coffee bean?”

“Coffee bean?”

“Yes, you are a coffee bean. My coffee bean, it’s cute. And I’ll fight you if you don’t agree,” he states as he gently brings his hand to caress your cheek.

“Is that a friendly nickname or…” you trail off, genuinely confused by his behaviour.

San rolls his eyes playfully, “Yes, I go around calling all my friends coffee bean."

“Really?”

“Of course not! I probably should have called you cupcake or something equally sweet.” The last part is mumbled as if he doesn’t want you to hear, but since you’re standing very close to each other, you hear it anyway.

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh. Now, here,” San hands you your usual go-to for classes. “Come back here after your classes end so that I can take you out on a date as compensation for making me worry about you.”

“Shouldn’t it be me taking you out on a date as compensation?”

“I’ll be damned if I let you pay for our first date. Now shoo, ace those classes and rush back to me, yeah?” He pats the top of your head before pushing you towards the door.

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chocolattezone · 2 years ago

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Accidental Destiny (Part 2)

pairing: dragon!Seonghwa x afab!reader

genre: fantasy. non-idol!au. fluff. angst.

wc: 5.5k+

warnings: based on How To Train Your Dragon. canon compliant violence. mentions of character deaths. description of injuries. might have smut or suggestive undertones in the future.

Tumblr is based on a system of reblogs, not likes. Please reblog my work. Feedback is always appreciated.

a/n: So, I had planned on Hwa shapeshifting in this part, but things happened and Hwa hasn't shifted yet. I promise we'll see human Hwa in the next chapter! 💙 Also, just wanted to thank everyone for the love they showed to Night Fury!Hwa 🥺💙 As always, thank you everyone who reads, leaves a like, comments, sends in asks, and reblogs! You're always welcome to tell me what you liked, what you didn't, your thoughts, predictions, etc about the fic! Much love!

taglist: (send an ask to be added) @lelaleleb @giiouis @shley-chan @spocedam @drey127 @kpopnightingale @kpopnightingale @hotlinekim @leriece04 @emy1-9 @ihatemynewbangs @inkpot-winters @wooyoungjpg @a1sh1teruu @foreshadxw @4kunikuzushii @harmonie-writes @phebeedee

Around him, the world is dark save for the stars in the night sky, and the warm lights from Amberdale reflected in the waves of the sea. He is entranced by the reflections that move with the tiniest of ripples in the water, so much so, that he momentarily forgets about the battle going on not even a mile away from where he is perched. From the corner of his eye, San can spot the sliver of purple and deep pink peeking through from the eastern horizon. He scans the stars, well-versed with the way they move with the earth's rotation and realises that it won’t be long before the skies start to lighten with the faint glimmers of dawn. Soon, the fog that has descended around Amberdale and the surrounding waters during the night will lift, leaving the waters to reflect the golden rays of the sun, which is yet to rise. He has heard tales of how the waters around Amberdale turn golden every morning, and he has always wanted to see it with his own eyes at least once in his lifetime. But he won’t see it. He will never get to see it, not until the humans live in the village. So, despite what his heart tells him, he has to return home before the sun rises or risk the wrath of their Captain. San feels his chest tighten with longing for a moment, but then reality hits.

Humans are vile, selfish, and dangerous creatures who took everything from us. Our home, our freedom, our way of life. Once we take it back from them, I’ll be free to watch the golden sea to my heart’s content.

San lets out a sigh, wondering if he should alert the others that it is time to head back home. But before he can, he spots his friend soaring in the night sky against the backdrop of the burning village. Seeing him, San roars once, alerting Yeosang of his position. Said dragon adjusts his wings to fly closer to San, who has been perched atop a sea stack and gracefully lands beside him.

‘Have you seen Seonghwa hyung?’

San frowns when he hears Yeosang’s voice reverberate in his head. He is yet to see the Night Fury; the last time he saw the eldest dragon was when the latter had lifted off the same sea stack to help the others fend off the humans’ attacks. San hadn’t followed because Seonghwa told him to stay put and alert everyone when it was time to head back. The darkness provided them cover from being attacked too fiercely by the humans. Thus they needed to return to their homeland before sunrise every time they invaded a village for supplies.

‘I thought he was with all of you. He headed towards Amberdale an hour after midnight.’

Yeosang seems taken aback at his friend’s words. He cranes his head to see if he can spot their second-in-command in the midst of the retreating dragons being led by the youngest of the inner circle, which is made up of four dragons who are closest to the captain. Jongho glances at them while gliding between the sea stacks expertly and touches the tips of his wings to the water, causing it to spray around him. He tilts his head towards the rapidly lightening eastern sky—a warning to return home—when he notices that the other two dragons are watching him.

‘The last time I saw him was when he circled around the mountain to attack Amberdale again.’

San feels a multitude of emotions take over, fear and worry being the most prominent ones. He struggles for a moment to keep himself from launching himself towards the village to search for Seonghwa.

It won’t do anyone any good, he has to remind himself that if he were to go searching for Seonghwa now, it would open a can of worms that shouldn’t have been opened in the first place. Moreover, it is dangerous to venture anywhere close to Amberdale, especially with dawn rapidly approaching.

‘We should leave,’ this time, it is Jongho’s urgent voice that pierces through their consciousness.

‘We don’t know where Seonghwa hyung is!’ Yeosang grinds out, doing his best not to snap at the youngest. ‘He could be in danger for all we know.’

‘Hyung is known to roam around or disappear after we attack Amberdale. Considering that he’s the kindest out of all of us, the attacks take a lot out of him emotionally.’

‘Jongho is right,’ seeing the way Yeosang tenses up at Jongho’s blatant dismissal of Seonghwa’s disappearance and their worry, San jumps to placate the hot-headed dragon. The last thing he needs right now is a fight to break out between Jongho and Yeosang while they are still so close to the humans’ dwelling. All it would take is a well-timed and well-aimed ballista missile for them to take either down. ‘Hyung can take care of himself. He will return to us soon, he always does.’

Huffing in disbelief, Yeosang takes off without another word. He doesn’t waste a moment and clearly lets his displeasure show by flying by very close to San, the clawed end of his wing almost hitting the latter, which causes him to hiss out in annoyance.

San rolls his eyes, choosing to let his friend calm down before he tries to reason with him. He knows it’s best to leave Yeosang to his own devices when he gets like this. So, he flies to where Jongho is—in front of the hoard of dragons who all have the spoils of the attack clutched in their claws. The two of them guide the rest towards their home while Yeosang stays at the back, ensuring that no one attacks them from behind. When he spots one of the older dragons struggling to hold the huge cattle, he swoops down to lend her a hand.

The group of dragons crosses the vast ocean in a few hours, reaching the shores of their homeland—Dháthaobh. At first glance, it looks pretty much like any other port city that deals in trade, the only difference being that it is actually inhabited by shape-shifting dragons and not humans. The spire at the centre serves a dual purpose; it acts as a landing place for the dragons to shift back to their human forms and also as a warehouse to store anything they steal from the humans. The town is surrounded by unforgiving forest on all sides, making it difficult for them to grow crops, thus they have to supplement whatever they can get from traders with fortnightly expeditions to Amberdale.

The other dragons continue flying towards the centre without as much of a glance towards the ground, but Yeosang, San, and Jongho swoop down towards the shore when they see a familiar figure waiting at the edge of the water. As their claws are a few centimetres from the pebbles scattered across the shore, they shapeshift, breaking their fall by landing in a crouch.

“Welcome home,” Hongjoong greets them when they stand, but his eyes search the skies as if he is waiting for someone. When his second-in-command doesn’t appear, a frown mars his delicate features as he turns to face the other three dragons who are part of his inner circle, “Where is Seonghwa?”

Yeosang and San glance at each other, they don’t want to say anything that could be untrue and land Seonghwa in trouble.

Seeing their hesitation, Jongho steps forward, causing Hongjoong’s fiery gaze to land upon him. “We believe he has disappeared as usual. The fortnightly expeditions are both physically and mentally challenging for hyung, he will return soon.”

“I hope he does,” the frown doesn’t leave Hongjoong’s face, and his eyes flash red, causing all three males to stiffen for a moment. But when he glances at them, he does so with a smile, causing them to relax visibly. “After all, I have received some very interesting news from our look-outs, and we must prepare for what lies ahead for us. You must be tired, make sure to rest well because I’ll be calling for a meeting soon, and I hope to see the three of you there.”

“Yes, captain,” they chorus, walking away from the sea and towards the gates of the city.

As they disappear from view, Hongjoong turns his gaze upwards towards the sky, his eyes following one of the guardian dragons as it circles amongst the clouds on a lookout for any imminent threats. His mind, however, is preoccupied with the news brought to him by one of his spies. A smirk makes its way onto his face as he thinks of what he can do with the piece of information he has and hopes that his inner circle will have some interesting thoughts to share about it.

They say the sunrise is the epitome of hope and new beginnings, but for you, the dawn brings nothing but dread. As light seeps through the mist, breaking through the murkiness with a brutality that seems almost vindictive, you can’t help but wish for the sun to not rise today. But despite your prayers, the first rays of the sun touch the water, and gold consumes the sea, the brilliant colour creeping towards you at a steady pace. You breathe out a sigh when the rays of the sun touch you and close your eyes in the hope that you can dismiss everything as a mere dream.

Seagulls pass overhead, flying towards the open sea to prey on the fish that populate the waters just past the cove that separates Amberdale from the viciously raging waters of the ocean. Their cries are somehow calming and nostalgic at the same time. A smile tugs at your lips as you forget your worries for a moment, your eyes opening of their own accord as they follow the birds circling around above you.

Voices along the shore shatter the peace that had so mercifully touched you for the first time in days. When you spot the reason for the early disruption, you roll your shoulders back, trying to appear calm and collected as the port workers walk towards the ships docked nearby. You realise that the people have started to awaken, with many of them preparing for the expedition that is to leave at midday.

It has been a week since you found the dragon in the forest, a week since Yunho decided to lead the expedition, and a week since you have not returned home. After you tended to the Night Fury, instead of going back home to Yunho and Wooyoung, you snuck into Mingi’s workshop. He was surprised to find you there, almost knocking the tools off of the table in shock, when he noticed you sharpening your shortsword on the whetstone. He had frowned at you when you asked him if you could stay over but agreed quickly, considering he wasn’t too happy with Yunho’s decision either. You haven’t talked to Yunho since your argument, not that he has tried to approach you either. You know it is childish, but at the same time, you hold on to the hope that your displeasure will dissuade him from setting sail in search of the nest.

Footsteps in the sand alert you of someone’s approach and when they change to the soft thump! thump! thump! of them walking on the jetty you know for sure the person is coming to talk to you. Their movements are gentle as if they don’t wish to alarm you. You don’t turn around to greet the newcomer, partly because you don’t want to and partly because you already know who it is. You feel Wooyoung’s gaze burning on the side of your face as he settles next to you on the dock, one leg curled against his chest. He rests his chin on the top of his knee as he peacefully watches the sun climb in the sky.

“You have been avoiding me,” he mumbles with an uncharacteristically soft tone, his voice so soft that it is almost drowned out by the sounds of the port. But at the same time, the accusation in his voice tears at your chest, reminding you of how unfairly you have treated Wooyoung. He is your friend too, and doesn’t deserve your silence, not when it is not him you are angry at. The only reason you have not seen him is because you have been avoiding Yunho, and since, more often than not, the shorter male is around your brother, he has become collateral damage in the battle of silence between the two of you.

“It hasn’t been intentional on my part,” you reply calmly despite the waves of grief and fury that crash against your heart, much like the unforgiving current that guides the waves to roll against the wooden pillars of the pier.

Wooyoung sighs, the sound more of a hiss of exasperation than a defeated exhale. From the corner of your eyes, you see the male’s shoulders straighten as he prepares himself to chastise you for your behaviour, “You’re being childish, Y/N.”

“If that’s what gets Yunho to stop this madness, then so be it,” you are unsure when malice seeped into your tone, but the venom in your voice surprises you enough to be taken aback. You’re quick to mumble an apology, finally turning to face Wooyoung, who has his lips pressed into a thin line.

He sighs again, shaking his head as the irritation gives way to understanding. He regards you with sympathy as he mulls over his words, “Yunho… his decision comes from a place of love and worry. Every time our village is pillaged by dragons, the only thing he can think of is your safety. You are a big part of the reason he wants to put an end to the fortnightly horrors, Y/N.”

“I know,” you murmur defeatedly, the last dredges of malice dissipating like the mist around you. “And that is what makes his decision to set sail worse, Woo. It’s not like I want to hate him or punish him for thinking of my safety or that of Amberdale. But…”

You can’t bring yourself to finish your train of thought, so you fall silent with a defeated exhale. You know Wooyoung understands, having known you all your life and lived with you for more than half of it, he knows every cell in your body as if it were his own.

“Can you remove my stitches?” Wooyoung asks softly. The sudden change in topic has you reeling, but you acquiesce with a nod.

The two of you get up, crossing the length of the pier and making your way to the infirmary. People bustle about as you walk down the streets of Amberdale, doing their work and exchanging gossip with the other villagers. Even though it is pretty early, the marketplace is already bustling with traders trying to sell their wares and early shoppers wanting to buy the best items. Villagers greet you when you pass by them, and the two of you do the same. The baker hands you a piece of sweet bread, which you break into half to give to Wooyoung. He happily munches on the toasty delicacy, humming in approval at the taste.

When you reach the infirmary, you find it empty save for the head healer, who is napping in her chair. You smile at the sight, you have never seen the usually stoic woman with her guard down, and it somehow warms your heart. She has been hard at work since the attack last week, and you are glad that she is getting some well-deserved rest.

You quietly instruct Wooyoung to settle on one of the stools with his shirt off while you rummage through the cupboards to get what you need. You put some water to boil before walking to the back of the infirmary to wash your hands. When you return, you drop the blade and forceps in the boiling water, letting them sit in the bubbling water for a few minutes. Once satisfied, you fish the utensils out and rub some alcohol on their tips before moving to where Wooyoung is sitting. You sterilise the area before pulling each knot gently and snipping each loop with the blade. Wooyoung stays quiet as you remove the stitches and clean the area again, which is uncharacteristic of him.

“Are you really not going to talk to him? He’s leaving in a few hours, y’know,” you’re not surprised when Wooyoung finally breaks the silence to ask you about Yunho.

“He can come and talk to me as well. Every time we have a fallout, I’m the first one to offer an olive branch. Can’t he do the same for once?” Against your will, your tone takes on the nature of a typhoon—ruthless and sprinkled with the chill of destruction.

A frown tugs at Wooyoung’s lips as he searches your face for any sign of remorse but sees none. So, with a nod, he stalks out of the door, leaving you alone with nothing but thoughts plaguing your mind.

In a bid to clear your head, you decide to start making the salve you have been using on the Night Fury’s wound. In the week you have been tending to the dragon, you have come to know that it is a male and that dragons heal faster than humans on average. A wound of the same severity would have taken a human no less than a month to recover from, but at the rate the dragon has been healing, he should be okay enough to fly by the middle of next week. You’ve also discovered that he can understand a lot of what you say to him, if his reactions are anything to go by.

If you were to be truthful to yourself, you have come to see him as a friend and have been spending more and more time in the clearing with him. At first, it had more to do with the fact that you wanted to avoid Yunho as much as possible, but then you found yourself wanting to spend time with the Night Fury. Each interaction with him tells you more about dragons than you could ever have known from the various books that line the library at the centre of your village. You have also come to the realisation that a lot of what is said in those books is wrong.

“What should I call you?” You mumble to yourself as you watch the Night Fury roll around in the grass. You let out an involuntary giggle at how excited he is to do so, and again, the image of a cat flashes in your mind. “Night? Lightning? Storm? Fury?” You list out names that you think would suit the dragon, but none of them seems fitting enough, nor do they catch his attention.

“What about… Star?”

You gasp when the dragon stops rolling around to stare at you, blinking in question as if waiting for you to say something. It seems that he likes the name, so you repeat the word, giggling as he pounces around you in happiness, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he smiles.

Star stops in front of you, flopping onto his back. You roll your eyes at him, if there is anything you have learnt about dragons, it is that they love pets and chin scratches. Once, a herd of Terrible Terrors had swooped close to you and Star while he was munching on the fish you had caught for him. Until then, you had only tried petting Star, so you were very curious about whether other dragons liked it too. Much to your amusement, the moment you reached out to pet one of the Terrible Terrors, they had swarmed around you, forgetting their plan to steal some fish from Star. It wasn’t until the latter huffed out in annoyance and let out a growl at the small dragons for stealing your attention, did they fly away.

Star lets out a sound like a purr the moment you run your hands over his head and around his chin. He soon flops down on your lap, humming contently while you continue your ministrations.

“Who’s the cutest dragon in the world?” You tease him, laughing when he jokingly snaps his jaw near your nose.

“Y/N!” Mingi’s voice breaks your concentration, and your hands still over the double boiler which you had been using to stir the herb-infused oil with the beeswax to make the salve. You put out the fire before lifting your gaze, only to see an out-of-breath Mingi at the entrance of the infirmary. It shocks you when you realise that it’s almost midday and that the sun has climbed to the midpoint in the sky while you have been busy making the salve.

It seems that your reaction to Mingi calling your name is too slow for his liking, for he closes the distance between the two of you in five strides. When he is close enough, you realise his brows are furrowed, and his lips are tugged downwards in displeasure.

“Your brother is setting sail soon, won’t you come down to say goodbye to him and wish him a safe journey?” He cocks his head to the side and regards you with a coldness that is uncharacteristic of him. The male is always warm, like the fires in his workshop, in which he builds weapons and tools for the villagers to use. But the chill in his eyes today is reminiscent of the biting blizzards that visit Amberdale every year for a month in the winter.

“He could have come here to say the same thing. Yunho doesn’t need a messenger to talk to his own sister,” you challenge, your own eyes narrowing as you regard the taller male. “He has had so many opportunities to do so, yet he hasn’t even bothered to meet my eyes every time I pass by him on the way to the infirmary from your home, Mingi.”

“If you were in his place, would you have chosen another path?” The ice melts a bit, and you can see the warm embers of fire that lie beneath his exasperation at being caught in a war between his two closest friends. “Would you choose to deny us the hope that one day we too can live a life that isn’t plagued by the fear of our village being burnt to the ground by those monsters?”

Your expression falters, and an image of Amberdale without the fear of constant attacks flashes in the back of your mind. The image of a better, safer, and more advanced town with happy villagers milling about. But then another image displaces it, one that looks similar to the previous one but with dragons in it as well, with humans and dragons milling about in harmony.

What was that? You question yourself, shaking your head to discard the latter image. Humans and dragons can never live in harmony with each other.

You know what Yunho is doing is for the greater good, and you hate that Mingi is right. He has been nice enough to step back from your disagreement with Yunho and accommodate you when he didn’t have to do so at all. But at the same time, you know that he is exasperated by your behaviour. For all your anguish, for all your worry, and for the childish way you have reacted to this situation, you can’t fault Yunho for his reasons to search for the dragon’s nest at all.

But you can’t back down either, not when it is your brother’s life that is at stake. With a newfound resolution, you meet Mingi’s eyes with a storm of your own. For a moment, lightning crashes against the snowstorm, but the very next second, the snow melts, and Mingi’s shoulders drop in defeat.

“I see you cannot be reasoned with.”

Mingi doesn’t waste another breath in trying to reason with you and turns around to leave. You watch his retreating back mournfully, wondering if your stubbornness is going to drive a wedge between you and the three boys you call family. Without wanting to spend any more time dwelling on ifs and buts, you turn to the now cold salve and transfer all of it to a jar which you then carefully put in a bag and set aside.

As you walk around the building to check if there are any tasks around the infirmary that require your assistance, you hear the horn that signals a ship leaving the port. For every ship that sets sail from the waters of Amberdale, the horn is sounded once as it is said to banish bad luck. At the same time, it is said to alert the sea gods of the sailors’ resolve to set sail. Hence in a way, it is also a prayer to the deities for safety while the ship is sailing over the waters.

The horn sounds again, and before you realise what you are doing, you find yourself on the ground floor of the infirmary. When the horn sounds yet again, you walk towards the cliff that overlooks the port. It is almost as if the sound of the horn is pulling you to the cliffside, the way the calls of sirens pull sailors to their dooms.

As you look down at the port, you feel your nerves bristle in apprehension. It’s a strange situation you have found yourself in, you want to rush down there and properly see Yunho off, but at the same time, another part of you wishes that he would have come up to say goodbye to you instead of sending Wooyoung and Mingi to talk to you.

Then, as if he is a beacon, you spot your brother, who stands in front of the biggest ship, talking to Mingi and Wooyoung. On any given day, you would have admired how bright he is, his presence comforting as the morning sun that brings respite from the terrors of the night. But today, it is not just comfort but resentment as well that rises at the lack of remorse in his expression. You had hoped he would have felt at least an ounce of guilt for setting sail when he knew your reasons to dissuade him from doing so.

The horn sounds again, alerting everyone that it is time to set off. So, with a hug and a pat on the back from Mingi and Wooyoung, Yunho climbs the gangway to get onto the ship. People have gathered around the port to say farewell to the ships setting sail. You watch as Yunho crosses the deck to ensure everything is in place. A few minutes later, the anchor is lifted, and the fleet of ships begin to leave the port.

At that moment, Yunho looks up as if sensing your presence and his gaze meets yours. You feel the wet heat of tears prick at the corner of your eyes when Yunho's lips lift in the tiniest of smiles. It’s the saddest smile you have ever laid your eyes upon, and when he lifts his hand to wave at you, whatever it is that has been keeping your emotions in check breaks. The reality that he is really going to brave the seas to search for the dragon’s nest hits you and you can’t help but mourn the fact that you let a week go by without talking to him and that you didn’t even bid him a proper farewell.

All you want to do is hug him and feel his arms around you once, but you can’t do that now that he is already past the piers. You feel a tear trail down your cheek as you mouth ‘stay safe’ to him and pray to the heavens to bring him back to you safely. You’re not sure if he can even see you or discern what you said, but the nod he gives you tells you that he received your message. Someone comes up to him and tells him something. He nods once, eyes never leaving your figure as he mouths an ‘I’m sorry’ before turning around to attend to the ship.

Your mind churns with thoughts as you walk across the forest, your heart is as heavy as the bag of food you carry with you. A breeze blows cool evening air through the forest, bringing respite from the stifling heat of the day. The sun is low in the sky and there are only a few minutes till it sets for the day.

Just as dusk falls, you find yourself in the clearing. A chuckle leaves your lips when you notice the Night Fury hanging upside down from a branch, much like a bat would. He is sleeping soundly with his wings curled around him. This is the first time you’ve seen him asleep, and it amuses you to no end. Every time you see him, Star reminds you of animals other than dragons, sometimes a cat, sometimes a puppy, other times a panther, and now a bat.

“Star,” you call out, not wanting to startle him by moving too close to him when he is asleep. You don’t know how he will react to you touching him when his defences are down, and you don’t want to get hurt. He may be as cute and tame as a kitten at times, but he is still a dragon who can snap you into half with a swipe of his paw.

The dragon unfurls his wings and blinks his eyes languidly, still hazy from sleep as he looks for the source of noise. When he spots you, he lets out a whine, curling his wings around himself once more, causing you to gape at him in shock.

“Star,” you admonish sternly, hands on your hips as you narrow your eyes at the dragon. “Get down here this instant, I need to apply salve to your wound.”

Much like a child would when woken from sleep by their mother, the dragon lets out another whine and adjusts his position so as to get some more precious moments of sleep.

“Fine, I won’t give you the steak I got for you, then. I’ll just roast it for myself and feast on it since you just want to sleep,” you shrug, walking away from the tree he is hanging from.

Three. Two. And… one.

As expected, Star bounds to cut off your path, eyes sparkling and tongue lolling out of his mouth as he jumps excitedly, nosing at the bag you have with you. You roll your eyes at his childishness and use your palm to push his face away from the bag.

“Listen here, you menace,” you chide without any bite in your voice. “I’ll give you the steak, but you’ll have to be a good boy and let me tend to your wound, okay?”

Star huffs out in disbelief, but acquiesces with a nod. He plops down onto the grassy ground while you open the bag for him and drop the raw pieces of meat and fish you had brought with you from the village. Once he starts gulping down the food, you circle him to reach the wound on his side. You remove the piece of cloth and clean the wound with fresh water, smiling when you see that it is almost healed. You apply the salve on the wound but don’t attach a piece of cloth to it, seeing no reason to do so now that he is almost fine, and walk to the pond to wash your hands.

You sit down in front of Star, who has by now finished eating and is looking at you curiously. “You’ll soon be fine enough to fly home! Isn’t that amazing? You can go back home to your brothers and sisters…”

You trail off suddenly, the thought of Yunho out at sea suddenly attacking you out of nowhere. You wonder if he has eaten, if he is safe, and if he will return home safely. The more you think about him, the more your chest tightens with worry and the more your eyes sting with tears. The start of mourning blossoms like an inferno, needing only a spark to be set free. Not even a moment later, your lips part, and a sob tumbles out from the depths of your chest.

In the tense silence—punctuated by your sobs and the sound of rushing water—that surrounds you, you sense Star curling around you. He adjusts so that you are curled up against him, your face pressed against his neck while the rest of your body is rested against his upper torso. Star then proceeds to cover you with one dark wing as if attempting to shield you from the sorrows of the world. You close your eyes, feeling the tears slide down your face as he hums softly. You don’t know when, but the soft sound and the vibrations in his throat lull you to sleep.

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