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The sound was unlike anything Jungkook had ever heard.
A painful, high pitched whining that if you weren't listening carefully for, could easily be missed. The young man's eyes widened, snapping his head towards the direction of the sounds. He hastily made his way through the bushes, shoving branches to the side as multiple dried leaves and twigs cracked under his steps.
Was there a creature in danger? Injured perhaps? Jungkook thought to himself, biting his lip in worry.
It was probably quite foolish for him to be so careless, following the sounds without a care in the world for what else it could possibly be. It could always be a trap from bandits, who lately had been taking a liking to Jungkook's small town area. Reports of thievery had been coming up far too often. Although of course, Jungkook hadn't thought about these things.
After less than a minute of walking, the young man stopped in his tracks, swallowing nervously as he realised how Namjoon would react after learning of Jungkook's actions.
You see, Jungkook hasn't really been doing this healer thing for too long. It's only just been a year since he became Namjoon's apprentice, and there was much, much more for him to learn.
Despite Namjoon being a good friend of Jungkook's before he had the sudden motivation to pursue healing, he was always strict in his mentor role. He always reminded Jungkook to not act hastily and to think things through before he did anything. Jungkook had learned from Namjoon that he was quite easily excitable, and although enthusiasm was welcomed, it wasn't ideal in many situations that a healer could be put in.
Lately Jungkook has been practicing some patience and self awareness, but it can be hard to break out of old habits. At least that's what the young man told himself anyway.
Jungkook was sent by Namjoon to harvest some juniper berries for a new potion he was teaching Jungkook to brew, it was apparently an effective painkiller for more intense pains, but required a steady hand and depth of knowledge.
He realised that taking this supposed detour of sorts would have him take a lot longer than Namjoon expected, but what could Jungkook do? He wasn't one to leave any creature, or human for that matter, in pain. The young man shook his head, clearing his head of all his anxious thoughts before continuing on. The sound only increased in intensity as he walked through endless amounts of prickly brush, carefully treading over thickened roots of the looming trees above.
Jungkook's vision was greatly obscured by the branches of a short little tree, closing him in next to another larger one. The man huffed, pulling a few branches out of the way, a gasp escaping his lips at the sight he was met with.
There was a small little cave off to the far right, one that Jungkook had never ever noticed before. But the shocking sight wasn't that, it was rather, the creature lying in front of it.
A dragon.
The young man wiped his eyes over and over again, in complete disbelief. Was he seeing this correctly?
Pained whines escaped from the dragon's mouth, and Jungkook quickly noticed the culprit; a tear in the wing of the poor creature, blood dripping from the wound.
He gasped heavily, and before he knew it, he slowly made his way towards the struggling dragon, careful in his approach.
If this was another time, Jungkook would have been completely enthralled by the creature's beauty. It's scales were a gorgeous jet black, however they shimmered all the colours of the rainbow when the light reflected off of them at the perfect angle. The dragon's eyes were glittering pools of liquid gold, and Jungkook almost couldn't believe the creature to be real.
The dragon quickly noticed Jungkook's presence, head snapping up towards him in alert. Although it seemed to have quickly regretted executing such a sudden movement because the creature immediately winced in pain.
Jungkook flinched at the display.
"Hey, hey, I'm sorry for startling you, you poor thing. I just want to help? I promise, that wing looks incredibly painful, I have some things in my bag I can use to help you out, if you'd let me?" Jungkook asked softly, making carefully and controlled strides towards the glittering dragon.
It was silent for a moment, the dragon giving him what Jungkook almost thought was an incredulous look, (but how could a dragon even give off a look like that?) before it simply huffed, placing it's head back down to lay quietly.
Jungkook was slightly speechless.
"Uh, I guess that's a yes..?"
The dragon gave no response, simply fluttering its eyes shut.
Jungkook frowned slightly, but made his way up to the magnificent creature anyway. He began stroking it's scales in sheer admiration, but also to hopefully calm it down somewhat. Although, It did seem much calmer than it did moments ago.
The man quickly opened up his satchel, pulling out his bottle of salve and a potion of sorts that he had concocted just the night before. He pulled out a few bandages as well, along with his flask of water.
"I'm so sorry if this hurts, but I promise I'm only trying to make it better," Jungkook said softly, as he poured the water on top, washing most of the blood off the wound. He also poured on the concoction Namjoon had recently taught him to make, which apparently effectively cleansed open wounds, although Jungkook hadn't the opportunity to properly use it himself before.
The dragon winced slightly, shifting at the uncomfortable sensation, but Jungkook shushed the creature gently, stroking it's side as he worked.
"Poor thing, how did this happen to you? This looks so terrible, I don't know how this is going to heal," Jungkook murmured softly, applying the relieving salve across the affected area. Jungkook was incredibly thankful he had a long roll of bandages with him today, he wouldn't have had anything sufficient if he didn't.
"I'll just have to wrap this for now, it'll apply some pressure so it so your wing won't bleed much further for now, there wasn't too much blood to begin with since they're quite thin. I think I might have to come back tomorrow to try and stitch it up? I'm not sure if that would work, I'll have to research a bit..." Jungkook mused, despite being one hundred percent sure the dragon couldn't understand a word coming out of his mouth. He probably seemed crazy, talking to himself like a mad man. Heck, Jungkook didn't even know dragons still existed until today, and that in itself was a lot. Was he hallucinating this whole thing? Had Jungkook officially lost it? Maybe he accidentally drank the wrong sort of potion this morning. This couldn't be real...
The young healer was pulled out of his thoughts as he felt the dragon nudge him, a small growl escaping it's mouth, although it didn't sound menacing.
Nope this was definitely real.
Jungkook petted the dragon's wing, frowning as he noticed the sun threatening to set below the mountain pass. There was a slight chill in the air, making him realise just how late it had become.
"Ah, um, you'll be here tomorrow right? Oh, of course you'll be here... Your wing's broken, gosh I'm an idiot sorry-" Jungkook rambled, realising how stupid he must have looked, talking to a creature that couldn't make a thing out of the words leaving his mouth.
"I'll uh, come back tomorrow, hopefully with some knowledge on what to do and I can help your wing recover some more? I'm sure you don't know what I'm saying since, you know, dragon and all, but please don't strain your wing for the next little while, you'd only make it worse. I guess though you knew that, cause well, you've been here for who knows how long... But anyway! I hope you can get some rest, I'll be going now," Jungkook blurted out, picking up his satchel and swinging it over his back.
The dragon's eyes were closed, although one opened just for a split second, to watch the young man leave, gold glimmering in the light of the sunset.
Jungkook rushed his way back to town, although he stopped dead in his tracks as the darkness of night began to creep upon him, panic coursing through his veins at the realisation.
"I forgot the juniper berries!"
-
Needless to say, Jungkook had an interesting time that evening. He was, of course, scolded by his Namjoon hyung.
"What took you so long Guk? I thought you knew what juniper berries looked like by now!"
Jungkook whined, a pout forming on his lips. "I do hyung, I promise! I just hit my head on this huuge tree branch, and I kinda just got dizzy for a while, and I forgot where I was in the forest so I spent my time figuring out how to get back. The berries completely left my mind hyung, really!"
Namjoon gave him a skeptical look at first, but it was quickly overshadowed by worry. "Wait, you hit your head?! I'll give you something to make the pain stop, I can't have you being this clumsy you know, you'll be needing healing yourself instead of healing others." He exclaimed, turning to his shelves of endless ingredients and bottles, searching for something to help.
"Oh no hyung I'm okay now don't worry! I felt better after a while, it's the only way I managed to come home, I'll be alright. I was just quite distracted today, I promise I'll leave early tomorrow to grab the berries, you can count on it." Jungkook grinned easily.
Namjoon sighed, "I trust you Guk but please be more careful next time. Now get some rest, you definitely need it."
Although rest was probably one of the last things Jungkook did that night. Instead, he waited, lying on his bed aimlessly until he finally stopped hearing sounds from the other rooms in their small home. Namjoon was finally asleep, or in bed at least. Jungkook took the opportunity to carefully sneak into the main room where Namjoon worked, and Jungkook trained. The apprentice quietly made his way towards the shelves full of books and scrolls on the art of healing. He frowned, quietly searching through them, hoping to find something on mythical creatures, or dragons, or heck just anything with wings would be helpful enough.
It was difficult to find anything in the darkness, the only thing illuminating the room was the dull light of the moon. Jungkook turned to find a candle resting on the desk behind him, and he easily lit it with the help of a match that was conveniently laying next to it.
Jungkook frowned, skimming through the various titles, pulling open any loose scrolls he could find. His gazed darted from left to right at a rapid speed, hoping that he could find something, anything of use.
He sighed, thinking it was all a lost cause as he went through the last few books, caked in dust and shoved into the far corner of the shelf.
That's when he saw it, 'Caring for Magical Creatures - The only "guide" you'll ever need!'
Jungkook was overjoyed that he found a book that could possibly help, but also confused on why Namjoon actually owned something on magical creatures. Everyone 'knew' that they didn't exist... Or at least that's what most of the human commoners chose to believe. If it didn't affect them, the majority of the population tended to ignore it. Especially as the rising human population did contribute to the so called death of many magical creatures.
The young healer opened the book hastily, instantly regretting it as a puff of dust tickled his nose, threatening to make him sneeze.
Oh there is no way he was letting that sucker come out...
With all his might, Jeongguk held in the urge to sneeze, rubbing at his nose in an attempt to relieve it.
It was a definite struggle, but thankfully he managed, letting out a sigh of relief.
He took a deep breath once more, flipping through the pages since he couldn't find any sort of contents page in the beginning of the book.
Hm, unicorns? No that's not it. Pegasus? Not that one... Wait- These creatures exist? Jungkook's mind was muddled by all the information, but he chose to ignore most of it. It could've be true that they once lived, but now most of them would be no longer. In fact, the more Jungkook read the pages of the book, he more he realised it was almost comical in the way it was written. Almost as if it was making a mockery of the reader for believing in the creatures depicted in the book. With phrases such as 'Beware, if you steal the blood of a unicorn, you'll be cursed for eternity, even though it will grant you eternal wealth... But who wants to live a life of despair even if you have all the riches in the world? Not me, that's for sure."
Jungkook groaned after reading it properly, checking the front cover once more.
It was definitely a comical book, written by someone with perhaps an ounce of knowledge no doubt. But it was intended as humourous entertainment for humans with pea sized brains that only saw magic as nothing more than fantasy, an act.
He finally found a page on dragons, skimming through most of the text as it was already prior knowledge that Jungkook had, or it was just some stupid joke about their features.
Jungkook was definitely giving up hope at this point, reading through the last paragraph on the page;
'-However they do have an incredible healing ability, as long as you know how to treat their injuries right. Nothing more than any other creature really. When you really think about it, aren't they just lizards with wings?'
Jungkook rolled his eyes at the comment, but breathed a sigh of relief as he realised he probably could simply treat the dragon as normal. He wasn't really sure if there would be any differences. Maybe there was, but it hopefully wouldn't become an issue. He decided he'd simply stitch the wing up and bandage it in a way that would act almost as a cast, so it wouldn't be strained.
The healer nodded to himself, blowing out the candle before setting the book back in it's spot, arranging it to look how it did before. He placed the candle back to it's original spot, waving his hand above it to dissipate some of the smoke rising from the wick.
In the quiet of the night, Jungkook quickly scrambled back to his room and into the comfort of his bed.
-
The next morning, Jungkook was out and about in the forest already. He had an early breakfast, heading out the door, his supplies safely tucked away in his satchel as he greeted a sleepy Namjoon.
"I'll be back by noon hyung, just wanted to grab some other things I needed for myself as well. I'm only making a head start, I'll see you soon!" He remembered calling out cheerfully, before scampering out the door, leaving Namjoon no time to respond.
Jungkook had just found an ample amount of juniper berries, shoving them into his bag. He decided that getting the berries would be the first thing he would do today, just in case he ended up running late again, at least Namjoon hyung wouldn't be terribly upset.
After he tucked the berries safely away, the young man headed straight up through the endless trees and bush, in the general direction that he recalled from his escapade the day before. After at least what felt like fifteen minutes of walking, he began to doubt that he was going in the right direction, stopping in his tracks to take a quick look around.
This section of the forest did look quite familiar, but then again, the whole forest practically looks the same.
Jungkook slapped his palm against his forehead.
Namjoon hyung wasn't wrong when he called him clumsy, and impulsive.
Jungkook was just about to turn around and head in another direction when he heard a soft grumble coming from through the trees.
He was right!
The wide eyed boy quickly pushed away the prickly bush around him, making his way towards the sound, and soon enough was greeted with the sight of the dragon, magnificent as ever, even with it's injured wing.
Just as yesterday, the creature's dark scales shimmered under the sunlight, reflecting a plethora of colours, which Jungkook thought was quite beautiful.
The dragon perked up at the sight of Jungkook. It seemed to have not moved position from when Jungkook had left him.
"Hi! I uh, promised to be back, so here I am..." He smiled kindly, feeling a little awkward since he didn't exactly want to have a one sided conversation, but he'd also feel strange not talking to the dragon at all.
The dragon simply stared at Jungkook, it's golden gaze almost hypnotising to look at. Jungkook swore he stared back for far too long to remember, but he quickly snapped out of it, turning towards the wing.
Jungkook noticed that it was the same as he had left it. There wasn't much extra bleeding he found, as he unraveled the bandages.
"This is looking promising so far! Um, so I have to stitch this up properly, hopefully you're okay with that 'cause I don't know what else I could do to help except ease the pain. I guess I'll just start it and you can see how you feel?"
The dragon only continued to stare at Jungkook, with absolutely no response whatsoever.
Jungkook wanted to slap himself for literally asking the dragon a question. Like the poor creature could have even answered him. He swore he had lost his mind at this point.
The healer simply continued with his work, pulling out a needle, along with a special kind of twine, which was quite strong but made of a certain fiber Namjoon had perfected himself.
He gently pierced the needle through the wing, pausing to check the dragon's reaction.
The creature flinched only slightly, but otherwise kept one eye open to watch Jungkook's actions.
-
A long time had passed since Jungkook had begun, the sun had passed the midpoint of the sky. The poor boy continuously wiped the sweat from his brow as the sun ruthlessly continued to beam down on him.
He was just about done with the final stitch and- There!
"It's done!" Jungkook cheerfully announced, stepping back to admire his work.
The dragon's head perked up at the sudden noise, watching Jungkook carefully as he grinned back at the creature.
"Uhh, right so you still shouldn't strain this wing at all, but you can move around now! Just walking and things I mean, no flying, obviously, haha," he ended awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.
The dragon only continued to watch him, and Jungkook swears dragons can't smile but he really did feel that the creature was making a mockery out of him.
"I'll be back in a few days to see how you're going! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Jungkook calls out to the creature, capturing one last glimpse of those shimmering scales before he ran off back home.
-
Almost a month had passed since Jungkook had treated the poor dragon he found in the forest. He had only visited after a few times, once or twice a week, and quite briefly, as he didn't really know what he could do apart from a check up. Although as the weeks passed, Jungkook found the dragon became more welcoming, allowing the young man to rest against the creature's side, or pet his head.
Jungkook's most recent visit was quite late in the afternoon, almost teetering on the edge of dusk. The sun threatened to set over the mountain ranges, quite reminiscent of the first time Jungkook had met the creature.
"I missed you this week, have you been doing well?" He asked softly, making his way up to the dragon, who seemed to be taking a nap, but really wasn't.
Jungkook had long gotten over the fact that he was practically talking to himself when he spoke to the dragon, he didn't internally cringe like he did before.
"I noticed your wing is doing a whole lot better! I read somewhere that dragons have amazing healing ability, you must be quite lucky," he commented, stroking the wing gently.
The dragon huffed, something Jungkook noticed it did often when he spoke, perhaps it was a way of it communicating? He wasn't so sure.
"I'm sorry I came quite late today, Namjoon hyung, my mentor, he had me busy all week running errands and learning new things... I haven't caught a break, but I couldn't forget to come see you," he rambled, feeling relieved to have let that all out.
Jungkook sat down, leaning against the dragon's side, head tilted slightly.
"I hope you don't mind, I'm frankly just quite exhausted," Jungkook murmured.
The dragon huffed yet again, before settling.
"You're incredibly sweet for a dragon I must admit... N-not that I thought they weren't sweet! But you know, the only stories I've heard are about them burning down towns and cities, and I never thought I'd be meeting one in the flesh..." Jungkook sighed almost dreamily, voice laced with drowsiness.
"I think, dragons are really lovely, truly..." He mumbled, eyes fluttering shut as his head fully fell against the dragon's side.
He was barely awake, could barely register that the dragon had curled itself in on him, encasing the young man within the safety of its glistening black wings.
-
He was warm.
Really warm.
Had his bed always been so warm during the autumn months?
Jungkook's eyes fluttered open, squinting as he was faced an incredulously bright light.
The... sun?
He turned his head, and was quickly faced with dark, shimmering scales.
Oh my god, I fell asleep with the dragon!
Jungkook's nind immediately went into panic mode. Namjoon hyung was probably worried sick... He must be out looking for him somewhere, goodness Jungkook felt so bad.
But he had to admit, snuggling up to the dragon was far more comfier than he thought.
The creature itself stirred awake, noticing the smaller body shift in its hold.
"Good morning! Thank you so much for keeping me warm last night, I would have frozen to death just falling asleep out of nowhere like that if it wasn't for you. But I think my hyung is really worried I didn't come home so I have to get going really quick," Jungkook sighed sadly, petting the dragon's uninjured wing.
The creature blinked at him, before it did something Jungkook didn't expect at all.
It brought its head closer to him, nuzzling his stomach with its nose.
The boy's heart felt warm at the action, and he gently held the dragon's face, peering into those never ending pools of liquid gold.
"Thank you," he whispered, before he ran back off to his home.
-
After that incident, Namjoon had gone into a slightly panicked, overprotective hyung kind of mode. He was only assigning Jungkook tasks within town or around the area, sometimes offering to come himself. He didn't want to overwork the poor boy and it worried him how Jungkook easily retold the tale of his late night slumber in the forest.
"I can't let that happen again! What if something got you hm? There are wolves out there, not even that, but those pesky thieves that've been coming around. Who knows what could've happened to you if you didn't find a little safe spot to sleep?"
Oh, how Jungkook wished he could just tell his hyung that he had a very capable protector with him the whole entire time he was there.
Unfortunately, the poor apprentice realised that this meant he had no opportunity to go see the lovely dragon whom he missed so dearly.
It had been almost three weeks since the last time he visited, by far the longest interval Jungkook had left between visits.
The dragon would have probably been quite healed by now. He wondered whether it would eventually leave, or if it would wait for Jungkook to visit.
It was a true miracle that Namjoon hyung had given Jungkook a whole day off just for him to do whatever he'd like to. Of course his hyung thought that would include him eating copious amounts of food and taking as many naps as he could, which normally for Jungkook would be just about right. However the thought of not seeing the dragon for another day clawed at his insides, he wanted to make sure the creature was still there.
Jungkook missed the dragon dearly.
-
It was afternoon when Jungkook set out for the forest, completely bewildering Namjoon, who truly did think Jungkook would take this golden opportunity to rest.
Jungkook made his way through the familiar pathway he'd made for himself, passing through this bush, walking past that tree. It was all engraved in his mind by now, he could probably get there blindfolded.
He reached the clearing before the cave, already smiling widely in hopes of seeing the majestic creature.
Although his smile fell flat when he saw the clearing was empty.
"You- Where did you go...?" He asked brokenly, voice wavering.
Did the dragon really just leave him?
Of course it would right?
It was probably fully healed by now, what reason did it have to stay?
It wasn't obligated to stay for Jungkook, Jungkook only did the creature a favour.
The young healer took a few steps into the clearing, turning around like he may have missed some sort of clue.
But there was nothing.
He must have been acting like a baby, but tears managed to escape his eyes, dripping down his face as he tried to wipe them away.
He sniffled, taking a seat on the grass, running his fingers through the tufts of green.
"Oh, sweetheart, why are you crying hm?"
Jungkook stilled as he felt a warm hand lay on his shoulder.
He turned around and gasped softly at what he saw.
There he stood, with hair the colour of the night sky, skin pale as the moon itself but littered in glistening, jet black scales. They cascaded from his shoulders and joints, becoming more sparse in some areas than others, like a beautiful piece of artwork.
A smile graced the soft pink lips of the being, Jungkook tilting his gaze upwards to be met with that same intense gaze.
Those never ending golden pools staring straight back at him.
"It's- It's you," he managed to breathe out, voice still shaky from his previous crying.
"It is me darling. Now why were you so upset hm? We can't have that, no tears for such a lovely thing like you," he smiled, bringing his hands up to gently thumb away the tears streaming down the other's cheeks.
"I- You- I thought you left..." Jungkook whined quietly.
The other frowned at those words, "Now why would I do that Gukkie? Not when you took such loving care of me, I wouldn't just leave like that," he whispered, brushing chestnut coloured strands out of Jungkook's face, red from all the crying he had done.
"No human, or no other creature really for that matter, has shown me the kindness and compassion that you have, I hope you know that," the man muttered softly.
"You, you know my name?"
The other rolls his eyes, "You literally went on about how your Namjoon hyung kept scolding you for making silly little mistakes, so many times when you came to visit. It was always Namjoon hyung said 'Jungkook you need to be more careful!' and 'Guk don't use things that I told you you can't use!' ... How could I ever ignore all that?" He grinned, tucking a stray strand of Jungkook's hair behind his ear.
The healer flushed at that, realising that in fact, this whole time, the dragon understood every single word he was saying.
"Hey! Wait, why didn't you turn into a human and tell me you could do that?! That's so unfair I can't believe I spent this long looking after you, and for what?" Jungkook pouted, scrunching his nose.
"Well it was quite endearing listening to you ramble sweetheart. I was afraid you'd stop if I ever let you know I could understand. Plus I wasn't able to properly shift until my wing was fully healed anyway," he answered, still grinning widely.
"So... This means you have a name?" Jungkook finally asked, his heartbeat quickening just at the thought of being able to.
"It's Jimin," the other answered.
A beautiful name, for a beautiful dragon, and man. Well actually, Jungkook isn't sure he'd call Jimin another man. He did still retain some of his dragon-like features, such as the slits within his golden eyes and the scales littering his body, along with the dark horns protruding from the top of his head, which he only just noticed. They weren't very large, however they were quite intricate, twisting upwards, covered with little ridges and slightly pointy at the tips.
"How... How old are you?" Jungkook questioned with a tilt of his head.
"Ah, in human terms, I'd say I've seen about twenty one winters, however dragons age slightly differently so it's sometimes hard to tell. I'm not so good at the comparison," Jimin mumbled in response, shrugging slightly.
"So you're my hyung?" Jungkook smiled.
"I would say so, yes," Jimin hummed amusedly, tracing a finger across Jungkook's cheek.
"Would you like to come see my home little bunny?" Jimin asked, gesturing to the cave opening behind them.
"Wait, you live here?"
Jimin chuckled and nodded, "Well at least now I do, I didn't before I was injured however, this is quite a recent development."
Jungkook opened his mouth again, ready to ask about the other's injury, but was quickly shushed as Jimin brought a finger to Jungkook's lips.
"Shh baby, I'll answer all your burning questions once we get inside, it's getting a bit chilly out here don't you think?"
The healer's face flushed a deep pink as he nodded, truly unable to speak against anything Jimin said to him.
He had a mysterious, calming yet alluring aura and it made Jungkook feel a certain way that he never thought he'd feel before.
He's pulled into the cave, noticing the small fire lit in the centre of the small area, along with a little makeshift bed of leaves and some kind of cloth like blanket strewn over the top.
Jimin plopped himself down onto said bed and
suddenly Jungkook was pulled straight onto the dragon boy's lap. His cheeks flushed a deeper red as he shyly snuggled into the other's hold.
As he moved around, Jungkook felt fabric that seemed all too familiar brush against his skin, making his brows raise in question. "Hyung, are those my clothes you're wearing?"
"They are! I think you left them behind one time, an extra pair that you took out of your bag but you forget to put back. I kept it to give back to you but it always slipped my mind," Jimin mused as he brushed some dust off his plain white tunic to.
"Oh, that's okay, at least it came in good use. Otherwise I would've met you naked... Or something..."
Jimin nuzzled Jungkook's neck, the younger able to feel the smile forming on the dragon boy's lips.
"Hm, why do you sound almost disappointed Gukkie?"
"Wha- Hey!" The younger whined, wriggling slightly in the dragon's hold as he felt his face flush even more at the sheer thought.
"Anyway, what did you want to know again darling?" Jimin quickly asked, changing the topic with a mischievous grin.
Jungkook couldn't even answer before the other continued.
"How my wing got torn you asked? Well, some archer with terribly good aim attempted to take me down. Those humans from the town nearby are truly horrifying, hunting me down to kill me. I'm positive they wanted to sell my scales for gold and jewels, all those pointless material things humans seem to care about so much," he sighed, like he had seen such things far too many times before.
"He shot me as I flew past a cliff, dangerously close to it as well and the arrow practically pinned me against it. Goodness knows what it was made of to have that sort of strength, but I pulled away from it so he wouldn't be able to get my heart, and it teared then and there. I struggled to fly and then walk all the way until I collapsed here, on the other side of the mountain pass." He finished, resting his chin against the young healer's tuft of chestnut brown hair.
"I might have not been able to fly again if you hadn't come along Gukkie, you have no clue how thankful I am for you," he whispered, pulling back to nose along the younger's cheek.
Jungkook turned to face Jimin in surprise, "You flew already?"
Jimin shook his head, "I haven't little bunny, but I've tried my wings out just a bit so I'm convinced they're practically fit for use. However, I've been saving that first flight for you instead."
Jungkook's jaw dropped.
"What? You want me to ride you? As a dragon?"
"Only if you aren't scared, I don't want you to panic up there. But you are the reason why I still can to begin with," he answered sincerely, carding his fingers through the younger's hair.
"Oh hyung... I'd love to if you'd let me."
-
"Uh, hyung, is it safe for me to ride without any kind of like... Equipment?"
Jimin grinned, "There's no need Gukkie, just hold on tight to my neck, I'd never let you fall regardless."
"You're lucky I trust you so much hyung," Jungkook pouted, turning around as Jimin pulled off his clothing, preparing to shift into his dragon form.
"You know darling, I wouldn't mind if you didn't turn around during this part. I have a feeling you'll be seeing me like this eventually anyway," Jimin chuckled as he stripped off the last of his clothing.
"Wha- Hyung! You can't just say stuff like that!"
"You know it's true sweetheart," Jimin sing-songed.
Jungkook didn't respond, crossing his arms with a huff.
"At least turn around to watch me transform?" He asked, pout evident in his tone.
Jungkook, if he had already seen it, probably wouldn't have turned around, trying his best to stay pouty and upset, although he did really want to see how the dragon boy looked when he transformed into his proper self.
The young healer around at a rapid speed, watching with wide eyes as Jimin's whole bone structure contorted into something much larger, skin shifting and bunching up in a slightly horrifying way that made Jungkook flinch.
The shimmering jet black scales slowly spread further across the growing body, wings sprouting out of his back as his body fully contorted into that of a dragon. The transformation looked truly gruesome but Jimin didn't seem to be in any pain, perhaps he was used to it by now? Jungkook wasn't too sure.
Before he knew it, Jimin stood before him, glittering under the light of the sun, deep golden eyes staring at Jungkook expectantly as his head lowered to the ground.
"Hyung, I'm trusting you with my life here, you better not pull anything crazy once we're up there!" Jungkook whined, before making his way to the dragon, jumping up and grabbing Jimin's body to hold himself there.
His legs fell across each side of the beginnings of the dragons upper back, his arms tightly wrapped around the neck.
"Okay, I'm ready Hyung," Jungkook whispered, pressing a kiss to the dragon's neck before stroking it lovingly.
Jimin let out something akin to a soft growl, before it shifted its wings, moving back as to get ready to flight.
It all happened in a blur really, Jungkook yelling for dear life as the dragon ran a few steps and then immediately took off from the clearing, soaring straight up into azure skies with absolutely no remorse.
"Oh my god! Why are you going so fast hyung I thought you said you'd be careful!" The healer whined, gripping onto Jimin far more tightly than was probably comfortable for the dragon.
Jimin only let out a huff in response, probably scolding Jungkook for being such a baby or something of the sort.
After the intense launch into the sky, it actually became relatively calm, the dragon simply gliding through the air, darting past clumps of white clouds, that to Jungkook's surprise weren't really like fluffy balls of wool but rather wispy clusters of cool air.
He took a deep breath, blinking up at the cerulean blue skies above, admiring them for all their worth before he glanced downwards at the town and the forests below.
A soft gasp escaped his lips at the sight. Meadows upon meadows of open grassy fields to the left, and endless expanses of lush forest and snowy white mountain ranges just above it. The sun beamed down on the two of them, a gentle warm caress as to bless the precious moment between the two souls.
Jungkook felt absolutely amazing.
He swore nothing could top this feeling.
Nothing in the world.
-
A good month had passed since Jungkook had the honour of being with Jimin on his first flight since his injury.
During this time, Jungkook had quickly realised that Jimin was quite confident in himself and very flirty.
Jungkook, being as shy as he was, never really knew what to make of it. Of course he liked Jimin, there was no doubt about it. Jimin was gorgeous, an absolutely breathtaking sight, but not only that; he provided Jungkook with a loving sort of warmth that the young healer didn't even know he was missing. It was something he found himself constantly craving, feeling empty when Jimin wasn't around him. Not being able to cuddle him when he was tired after a long day of work, or simply not being able to hear his voice rambling about countless things greatly upset the younger.
The younger tried to ensure that a day wouldn't go by where he didn't aim to visit Jimin, although it was hard at times, especially when Namjoon had a whole plethora of tasks assigned for Jungkook to do, he was a healer in training after all. It was becoming harder and harder for the healer to make up little white lies or excuses about where he'd been when Namjoon needed him most. Even Jimin himself told Jungkook not to visit if he was tired, or didn't have the energy to.
"Don't tire yourself out baby, you work far too hard for Namjoon hyung and yourself already. No need to tire yourself out more just to see me, I'll always be here, but this opportunity won't be."
Jungkook knew Jimin had a fair point, but gosh, he missed him.
-
"Hyungie..." Jungkook mumbled, squinting at the bright light as he woke from his nap, instictively burying his face between the junction of Jimin's shoulders.
He felt the other's body tense slightly before relaxing.
"Morning sleepyhead, did you rest well?" Jimin's voice was especially rough, sounding like he had just woken up from a nap not too long ago himself.
"Mhmm, what time is it?"
Jimin gently pulled away from Jungkook so he could turn to face him, eyes immediately lighting up at the sight of Jungkook's adorable, puffy face smushed against the blanket.
"It was only about two hours since we feel asleep I think. I'm glad you got to sleep darling, you've been so tired lately, you really shouldn't be putting in extra effort to come visit," Jimin frowned as he cupped the younger's cheek in his hand.
"You don't want me to visit?" Jungkook whined, a pout forming on his peachy pink lips.
"Of course I do you little bunny, but not when you could be using this time to take care of your health. You'll wear yourself out if you keep doing this you know?" He scolded him, frown deepening.
"I know, but I don't think I could go more than two days without seeing you, maybe just a day. I'm not sure..." Jungkook mumbled, reaching out to hold Jimin's hand within his own, gently caressing the few scales littered on the back of his hand.
"Maybe you'd like to finally tell Namjoon hyung about me, baby?" Jimin asked with a small grin, twisting his hand to hold Jungkook's gently.
"No! I mean not like, in a bad way, but what if he gets all serious and makes me stop seeing you? Either that or he'll just make fun of me for keeping my dragon boyfriend a secret for almost two months, and he'll never let me hear the end of it!"
"Oh, so we're boyfriends now?" The older smirked.
Jungkook immediately clasped his free hand against his mouth as his cheeks flushed a deep rose.
"Wait I- I did not say that hyung..."
Jimin shrugged, grin spreading across his face. "I'm pretty sure you did bunny. You know, I wouldn't be opposed, I could you know, finally kiss you like I know you've been wanting for like the past month at least."
"Hey we don't need to be boyfriends for you to kiss me! We could totally just- Wait how do you even know that I wanted to do that?"
"I'm very good at reading people, and frankly Gukkie, you're like an open book," Jimin smiled softly, admiring how adorable the other looked. The winter sun peeked through the clouds and into the little cave, illuminating the younger's face in the most angellic way, like the angel Jimin always believed him to be.
"I am not an open book," The healer mumbled, sheepishly looking off to the side.
"You really are sweetheart, I don't know what else to tell you," Jimin said with a laugh, eyes crinkling into small crescent moons.
"So uh, does this mean we can kiss now?" Jungkook asked quietly, his gaze shyly finding it's way back to meet those piercing golden eyes.
He doesn't get a verbal response, instead met with the press of soft lips against his.
Jungkook had obviously never kissed anyone to save his life, although he put in his darn best effort to do so, tilting his head slightly as he kissed back, slightly unsure of himself.
The older of the two smiled into the short, but sweet kiss.
"Gosh you really are just a bunny baby. Just a small, innocent little thing," Jimin mused, stroking the side of Jungkook's face lovingly.
Jungkook felt his face heat up at the comment.
-
"So, uh, here we are!" Jungkook announced, quite awkwardly yet endearing nonetheless.
"There's no one here Guk, are you sure your head's feeling okay?" Namjoon asked, looking around the empty woodland clearing in worry.
"What? No I'm fine hyung. He'll be here in just a moment, he's probably fixing his hair or something," Jungkook answered quickly, himself beginning to feel slightly unsure of Jimin's whereabouts.
A few moments passed peacefully before the silence was interrupted.
"It's pleasure to meet you Namjoon hyung," a voice rang out in amusement, causing the two to immediately turn around.
Namjoon's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he was faced with the sight of Jimin. The oldest of the three opened his mouth to speak, before he promptly, (and worryingly), fell to the floor.
"Jimin hyung, he fainted!"
"What?! How was I supposed to know he'd react like that?"
-
Needless to say, Namjoon was completely enthralled by Jimin as a species. His mouth rambled endlessly about the countless theories and conspiracies he had on how dragons must still be around, just unwilling to present themselves around humans.
It was more bewildering to Namjoon that Jimin had a human form, the dragon boy explaining that it was actually due to evolution through the centuries. Humans were the main cause of the dragon population wiping out, so their magical prowess slowly dispersed out into developing the power to change into humans, disguising themselves among the masses.
However, in Jimin's case, he had lost his parents at a very young age and never properly learned how to conceal his true self fully. Thus his glistening black scales, little horns and glittering gold eyes stayed.
Jungkook found himself tearing up slightly at the fact that Jimin lost his parents so young, despite himself having experienced something similar, Jungkook never actually got to grow up with his parents to begin with. He didn't exactly have that kind of connection with anyone, Namjoon was probably the closest family he had, like an older brother. (But also, a very strict mentor).
Jungkook, however, wouldn't change Jimin for the world.
- - -
The crunch of dead leaves under his boots and the slight chill of the air made Jungkook feel eerily nostalgic.
The way the trees were becoming stark, leaves drifting through the breeze. The forest animals were making themselves scarce and it all felt far too familiar.
A smile graced the young healer's lips, as he remembered.
He met Jimin in autumn.
It had been almost a year of the two being together, Jungkook heavily focusing on his healer studies as an apprentice, yet also managing enough time to see Jimin whenever he could. Once Namjoon knew of Jimin, he easily let Jungkook go about whenever he wished, and lightened up the load of work he had put on the young man.
Jungkook was actually an incredibly fast learner, much to Namjoon's surprise.
The elder had been mentoring him for about 3 years now, but in the past year, Jungkook picked up things at a frighteningly quicker pace than he thought.
Often Namjoon wondered if Jungkook's newfound motivation had anything to do with a certain dark haired, scaly young man. He chuckled to himself at the thought. What was he thinking? Of course it did.
However Namjoon didn't complain, completely ecstatic when Jungkook managed to get potions down on only his second or third try.
-
Jungkook curled up against the elder, nuzzling his neck as he closed his eyes shut.
He felt Jimin shift, pulling the blankets further upwards. Once they were comfortably tucked in, a pleased sigh left the younger's lips.
"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life like this, with you, hyung," Jungkook whispered dreamily, basking in the warmth that the other provided.
"Me too bunny, I can't think of anything else I'd want more than that," Jimin murmured, stroking Jungkook's hair back gently, carding his fingers through the soft locks.
"You know though sweetheart, you are doing all this healer training for a reason. Wouldn't it be a waste if you didn't join Namjoon hyung once he leaves for the northern kingdoms? Your business would surely skyrocket, you'd make an ample amount of money," Jimin pointed out, his forehead slightly creased from his frown.
"I um, told Joon hyung that I was thinking about it still, but I don't want to go. Not without you," Jungkook whispered, his tone almost afraid.
"You're such a lovely little angel, always thinking of others before yourself hm? It would be a wonderful opportunity Gukkie, and you've been training so hard for it, I don't think you'd want to just do some healing on the side after all this hard work," he pointed out, a small pout forming on his pretty pink lips.
"I don't wanna think about that right now hyung," Jungkook whined softly, "Can we just make out or something?"
Jimin raised his brows in surprise, letting out a quiet chuckle, "Gosh you're beginning to sound like me baby," he muttered, before he tilted the others head up to face him, pressing his lips against the younger's.
Jungkook let out a pleased hum, making Jimin laugh through the kiss at how adorable it sounded. The two tangled themselves up in eachother, tongues dancing together in perfect harmony. Jungkook pulled back, quietly gasping for air.
Jimin took a moment to admire his spit slicked lips, cherry red and bitten by none other than himself. He grinned at his work, loving how wrecked Jungkook could end up from just a single kiss.
Gosh he loved his golden hearted boy so so much.
"I love you too hyung," Jungkook breathed out, his deep, brown eyes glittering as if they were filled with all the stars in the night sky.
"I said that out loud?" Jimin asked, cheeks warming at the realisation.
Jungkook giggled softly, poking the older's nose.
"You did hyungie~ And I love you so, so much you wouldn't even begin to fathom how much love I have for you," he teased sweetly, eyes forming little crescents as he smiled.
Jimin gazed at him lovingly, golden eyes glittering with adoration at the sight of his precious boy.
"I think I can fathom that baby."
Because it's probably just as much as the love I have for you.