Chapter Text
Jimin hears the slice before a thump sends the ground around him into shock.
He pops open one eye, the other still squeezed shut and a small fist clutching a dagger to his chest. The sight of sparkling crimson blood makes his stomach drop, and the iridescent purple scales stained with it makes him nauseous.
The body of the great dragon laid limp on the grass in front of him. It’s head missing.
Jimin’s gaze wanders to the left, watching as the other dragon hunters pick up the head of the dragon, already lugging it away towards the village. His father stands cleaning his sword with the cloth tied to his belt before slipping the weapon into its protective sheath placed at his opposite hip.
“Let’s go, Jimin-ah.” His father looks to the young boy before walking ahead to follow the group, ushering Jimin to follow with the flick of his hand at his side.
Jimin walks forwards to the headless dragon, bowing his head to the great beast. “I’m sorry.”
In his thirteen years of life he’d never enjoyed the slaying of such magnificent creatures. He notices how the scales glisten in the bright light from the midday sun. His admiration falls short when he catches a glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye, reaching for his dagger as he turns towards the opening of a cave the dragon seemed to be guarding.
Jimin stumbles awkwardly down the small dip in the mountainous terrain and towards the cave when he sees it. The tell-tale glistening of sun reflecting on scales gives it away before Jimin gets a proper look. A small dragon appears from the darkness of the cave, black with red accents, looking left and right almost completely ignoring Jimin who stood only ten feet or so away.
It only takes Jimin a few seconds to connect the dots. That must be the child of the dragon his father had just slayed mere minutes ago.
He turns back to the direction of the hunters, he couldn’t see them from the bottom of the dip but at least they weren’t on top of the hill.
“Go!” Jimin shoos the dragon towards the cave as he takes a few steps closer. “It’s not safe for you.”
The dragon lets out a small yelp at the sight of Jimin advancing towards them, making the human freeze just shy of the creature.
“Quiet!” He turns his head back, making sure no one heard the sound and is coming running. “Just-,” he pauses, realising the dragon probably doesn’t understand him.
The dragon is larger up close but still only stood to around Jimin’s height. Bright red eyes stare back at him, clearly cautious but Jimin doesn’t think he sees any fear in them. He notices a pink scar on the right side of its face, a sharp contrast to the onyx coloured scales.
Jimin carefully walks towards the dragon, outstretching his hand. The other looks between the small hand and his face as they shuffle back, still hesitant of Jimin. The human pauses before trying to move forward again, hand just shy of the dragon’s head.
“Jimin?” He hears a deep yell, startling both him and the dragon. He drops his hand, turning to the top of the hill, before back to the dragon.
“Go! Go, go, go!” He whisper yells, shooing the dragon back into the cave, the other being startled backs up into the darkness.
“Jimin!” He turns back around at the yell, seeing his father and a couple others. He walks back up the hill, hoping the dragon doesn't come back out.
“I went to check the cave.”
“You never check for beasts on your own, Jimin. Especially with only your little dagger!” His father scolds him, frown bringing his eyebrows together.
“It’s okay. No one was there.” He murmurs, already starting to walk towards the village, eager to get everyone away from the cave.
“And why does he need so much food? I thought you said it was just him.”
Jimin falters at that. Freezing at where he’s grabbing three loaves of bread from the kitchen’s bread basket.
“Because I don't know when he’ll be able to get more! Do you want him to starve, hyung?”
Jimin points a carrot at his friend, Jin, who stands only a couple metres away kneading dough to replace the ones Jimin plans on stealing from the village kitchen. Jin was sixteen, only three years older than him but competent enough to be accepted to work in the kitchens.
He grabs another basket, stuffing the three loaves of bread, some meat and vegetables inside. He wasn’t really sure what dragon’s eat. Or at least something that he could easily source.
“Of course not, Jimin-ah. You’re just taking a lot of food is all.” He mumbles grumpily, adding more flour to the dough and kneading.
Jimin lets out a small sigh. He’s still not sure if it’ll be enough. He had assumed that the dragon didn’t know how to source its own food considering how young it looked. And now with its mother gone, because of Jimin’s own father, he felt responsible for finding food so the small dragon didn’t starve.
“Thanks, Jin-hyung!” He grabs the basket from the table, and leaves the kitchen towards the dragon’s cave once again.
Jimin lets out a huff as he reaches the top of the hill, adjusting the basket in his grip. He purposefully makes an effort to avoid the corpse of the great dragon, walking the long way up the hill. He walks down into the dip and approaches the cave.
“Hello?” He calls out from the opening, nothing but pitch black in front of him. He opens up the basket, pulling out a candle and match he conveniently had slipped inside.
With the candle lighting his path he walks into the cave, slow steps and his heart beating fast.
“I brought you food.”
He hears a flap from somewhere in front of him and startles at the sound, dropping the candle and the light extinguishes along with it. Something rough brushes against his arm and he yells out at the touch, falling to the ground. He scurries back against the wall of the cave, regretting his decision to come back alone into the dragon’s den.
Jimin sees red eyes glowing in the darkness, slowly approaching him. His knees come up to his chest, trying to get as far away as possible and he squeezes his eyes tightly shut.
Then he feels a nudge against his leg.
He opens his eyes hesitantly, red ones staring back at him. No flames burning him alive, no sharp teeth digging into his flesh. Just two red eyes and a head nudging against his calf.
Jimin feels for the basket, finding the packet of matches again, shaking hands managing to light a match after a few gos. The match lights the small space around him and he finally sees the familiar black scaled rounded snout, two small fangs visible. The red eyes zone in on the match between them before coming back to Jimin’s face.
“Hi again.” Jimin whispers to the dragon right before the match burns out.
He feels the roughness of scales against his leg again, more incessant and pushing him to the right. Jimin takes that as a sign the dragon wants him to move and he gets to his feet, finding the basket and walking towards the opening to the cave. Was he kicking him out?
Jimin hears the heavy footsteps behind him until they’re back into the Spring sun and he turns to look at the dragon. It doesn’t do anything, just stares at Jimin.
“I-um. I brought you some food.” He lifts the basket, digging inside to pull out a slice of ham. The dragon steps forward eagerly, eyeing the ham in his hand.
“You must be hungry, huh?” Jimin offers the meat, the dragon ripping it from his hand and swallowing it all at once. He gives another and another until all the ham is gone and the dragon turns its nose up at any of the vegetables he offers.
“I don’t have anything else. Sorry,” he says apologetically. He doesn’t know how he thought just a basket would be enough to satiate a dragon's appetite. “I’ll try to bring more next time.”
The dragon just stares, blinking at him. Jimin shows the basket, void of anything but a few carrots and potatoes. He’s shocked when the dragon gives him a nod.
“You understand me?”
The creature lets out a rumble, not aggressive, but like it was trying to talk to him.
“Wow.” He whispers under his breath. Did all dragons understand humans?
“I’m sorry about your mother.”
The dragon’s head tilts as though it’s confused and Jimin’s heart sinks. It didn’t know?
“You don’t know?”
The dragon steps forward towards Jimin, eyes falling half shut as it squints at the human in question. Jimin heaves in a breath before walking up the hill, dragon on his feet. It had been nearly a day now so he was weary of how the great dragon would look.
When the corpse comes into view the creature’s running in front of him, falling against the purple scaled belly. Small yips sound from the dragon until there's a high pitched screech that makes Jimin flinch.
“I promise to look after you,” he whispers into the wind.
⚔
When Jimin’s fourteen, something unexpected happens.
After a few months, long months of trying to gain the trust of the dragon, he’d given him a name and visited him often
“Jungkook? I’m here.” Jimin yells out at the entrance to the cave, teeth chattering slightly due to the icy winter wind attacking him. He wraps his coat tighter around his body and opts to step inside to avoid nature’s attack. “Jungkook?”
The first few times Jimin had tried to visit the dragon it had snatched the basket from Jimin and screeched, growled or snapped at the human until he left. Eventually Jimin was allowed to stay with a few metres between them as he watched the dragon scoff down whatever he’d brought that day. He’d named the dragon Jungkook, always liking the name. And now the two could find a spot, Jimin leaning up against the warm dragon as he read a book or looked out at the world.
It had been a couple months shy of Jimin visiting the dragon for almost a year, almost always some sort of food in hand and a smile bracing his face. Jimin would chat away to the dragon about village gossip and what he had learnt in his classes recently. Jungkook wouldn’t respond apart from the occasional rumble or yip, but was happy to sit and listen to all the human had to say.
It was an odd situation that Jimin had found himself in. All he had ever heard about dragons was their bad temperament and the habit to burn whole villages to the ground. But Jungkook was far from that. After a few months of Jimin visiting he’d started to jump on the spot in excitement when he’d see the other, sporting a big toothy grin.
Another breeze sends shivers down Jimin’s spine and he can’t wait for the dragon to appear so he can lean against the heat of the warm-blooded creature.
“Jungkook!” He yells out again. He’s not sure where the other would have gone considering how windy it was, not prime conditions for flying. He hears shuffling from further inside the cave. “Finally.”
Instead of the usual red eyes and black scales, a boy, likely around his age, with shaggy black hair and the roundest brown eyes comes from the darkness.
Jimin grabs his dagger, pointing it in the direction of the other.
“Jimin, stop!” The other puts his hands out in an effort to defend himself. Little did he know Jimin had no idea how to use this dagger.
“How do you know my name!” He waves his dagger around in an attempt to look threatening.
“Jungkook! I- look at my eyes.”
Jimin watches as the deep brown switches to a familiar red before changing back to doe-like eyes. His heart hammers in his chest. Never had he heard of something like this happening.
“How did you- is there a witch here?” He quickly pivots around, waving his dagger around.
“No! I don’t know how. I was just thinking and it happened.” He pulls the large pelt of some animal tighter around his body.
Jimin blinks. He tucks the dagger back into his belt, looking at this new Jungkook.
“Well, just- change back or something.”
“You think I haven’t tried that?”
“I don’t know! How long have you been like this?”
“A couple days, I think.”
Jimin feels his heart drop slightly. It had been freezing the past few days and without his usual warmth that comes with his dragon body it would have been horrible. “Are you okay? You must be so cold.”
Jungkook smiles, his first real human smile Jimin has seen.
“A bit colder than usual but not too bad.”
“Well, let’s figure this out.” He smiles at the other and walks deeper into the cave.
It ends up taking a week to figure it out. Jimin still doesn’t understand how it works but Jungkook’s got it under wraps. Now he’s able to change between dragon and human with ease.
But they still don’t know why.
⚔
“I’ll come here for my birthday?” Jimin picks at the grass as they sit shoulder-to-shoulder, backs against the large oak tree.
It was a particularly hot day. Jimin had been at the waterhole with his friends from the village for most of the day but managed to sneak off just after supper to visit Jungkook.
“Oh. Yes! That would be nice.” Jungkook smiles that cute, bunny-like grin and Jimin resists the urge to reach out and ruffle his hair.
After seven months or so of Jungkook being some human-dragon, dragon-human person thing, Jimin’s come to adore him.
“Do you? Want- something?” He says all broken up like he doesn’t know if he wants to ask it.
Jimin turns to him with a quirked eyebrow. The other was always so awkward but so sweet.
“Just you is enough, Jungkook-ah.”
“You’ve been climbing up this hill for more than a year? No wonder your calves look like that.” Taehyung grumbles as he trudges up the hill Jimin had long grown accustomed to.
Jimin just laughs at the other, too excited to have his two best friends together to celebrate his birthday. He reaches the top a bit before Taehyung does, seeing a familiar face waiting for him.
Jungkook’s face brightens when he sees Jimin, picking up something from the ground and jogging towards the older of the two. When he comes closer there’s a bunch of wildflowers in one hand and he’s holding something small and dark in the other. When he’s only a few metres away Jungkook freezes, that bright smile slipping from his face as he looks past Jimin. He turns to see Taehyung, panting slightly.
“Jungkook, this is Taehyung. My best friend I told you about?”
“Oh. Hello.”
“Hi. You ever thought about living somewhere a bit flatter?” Taehyung asks sarcastically, leaning down to rub at his legs.
Jimin giggles and turns back to Jungkook who doesn’t seem as amused.
“I’ve lived on the mountains my whole life.” Jungkook responds in what he could only describe as an annoyed tone.
“Ah, alright then. Should we eat?” Jimin says with an awkward chuckle, holding up the basket filled with sweets.
“Right. Happy Birthday, Jimin-hyung.” Jungkook sticks out his hand, offering the bouquet to Jimin as he shoves whatever the small object was into his pants pocket.
“Thank you, Jungkook,” he smiles at the different assortment of flowers. “They’re lovely.”
Jungkook gives him a grin back, apples of his cheeks bunching up. He reaches out to take the basket from Jimin, walking in the direction of the clearing him and Jimin would always sit in.
Once they find a nice spot to sit Jimin plops himself between the two, for obvious reasons. Pulling out the different sweets Jin had made for them, Jungkook reaches to grab a muffin and Jimin slaps his hand away.
“Wait ‘til it’s all set up, greedy!” Jungkook looks like a kicked puppy but retreats, putting his hand back in his lap, waiting patiently and Jimin smiles.
Everything was going well, Jungkook enjoyed the chocolate banana muffins and Taehyung enjoyed the view from on top of the mountain, a perfect view of the valley full of greenery.
Then Taehyung started telling jokes.
Jimin falls against Taehyung’s side, laughter shaking his whole body. Jimin sees when Jungkook’s eyes flash red and a sound emits from the back of his throat, resembling a growl.
Jimin stops laughing and Taehyung’s back straightens like a board, scrambling back before he manages to stumble up onto his feet.
“Jimin. Wh-what was that?”
“Tae, I can explain.”
“Yes, you will explain because that did not sound very human like.”
Jimin looks back to Jungkook who has his eyes cast downward.
“He, uhm, he-“
“I’m a dragon.” Jungkook cuts him off with a quiet but firm voice.
“What?” Taehyung scoffs, eyeing Jungkook. Obviously not believing such a ridiculous statement.
“It’s true, Taehyung-ah.”
Taehyung looks between the two in silence for a few moments. Before his face transforms into an expression that looks angry.
“What are you doing with a dragon, Jimin?”
“He’s not just some dragon, Tae. He’s good. Kind.”
“No dragon is good and kind, Jimin. You’re going to end up roasted and toasted!” He yells, picking up his coat and standing to his feet. “You can sit here with a beast.”
Jimin’s mouth falls open as Taehyung turns and walks away towards the village, not another word or glance their way.
He’d never seen Taehyung that way before.
Jimin turns back to Jungkook, finding him fiddling with his fingers in his lap.
“I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah. Don’t listen to him.”
Jungkook stays silent, still focusing on his hands and Jimin reaches up and ruffles his hair.
“Hey, cheer up. I want to have fun on my birthday.”
Jungkook tilts his head back up, a small smile gracing his face. He looks back down, fiddling with his pocket and he pulls something out.
“I don’t really have access to the markets but I made this.” He opens his palm and a wooden dragon sat in his hand.
Jimin gasps and takes the small dragon from Jungkook.
“Jungkook, this is amazing.”
“I-uhm. I made it so I’m always with you, even in wooden form. And a lot smaller.”
Jimin laughs at that and the smile never leaves his face. He lunges at Jungkook, crushing him with a hug.
“I love it.”
⚔
When Jimin is sixteen the worst happens.
He knew it was going to be a bad day, grey skies filled with clouds and angry thunder. He had a bad feeling, mind drifting constantly to Jungkook since the moment he woke up. That’s what had him walking swiftly through the forest, eager to find Jungkook (and beat the rain that was clearly coming).
“Jungkook? Are you home?” He knocks on the cabin door, surprised when it creaks open under his light knock.
He pushes the wooden door open, worry eating at his brain. However, the sight that greets him has his heart plummeting.
Jungkook sits slumped against the opposite wall, a sparkling red hand clutching his bicep which was oozing blood.
“Jungkook!” Jimin rushes over to the younger, falling to his knees next to him. “What happened?”
“Hunters. Sword. Slash. Came here. Shifted.” He manages to spit out between large heaves, eyes nearly closed.
Jimin looks around the cabin before his eyes catch a cloth, using it to tie around Jungkook’s bicep in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
“I-I don’t know what to do.” He almost whispers to the younger, the sparkling blood nauseating, reminding him of the day he met Jungkook. The reason he was here was because he vowed to protect and care for Jungkook and he was certainly failing at that.
“This is fine, hyung. The healing should start soon.” His head thumps against the wall behind him, eyes falling shut.
“Hey,” Jimin pats his cheeks gently and brown eyes meet his gaze again. “No sleeping. Look at me.”
“Okay.” Jungkook’s eyes flicker around his face, still half lidded and Jimin witnesses his lips upturn at the corners.
“No more going out around dragon hunters, okay?” Jimin shifts to sit on his butt, letting the younger lean his head against his shoulder.
“Okay.”
⚔
It had been a while since he last visited Jungkook.
His classes and his new duties around the village made it hard for him to find time to visit Jungkook’s cabin he’d been building. And his parents were becoming stricter on him leaving the village and not telling anyone where he was going.
“Jungkook?” He calls out in the open.
Jungkook had definitely put a lot of work into the cabin. He’d planted flowers and chopped away trees to make the space more open.
“Jimin hyung?” He hears a familiar voice call out from behind the cabin.
Jimin goes around the left side of the house, taking the jaggard stepping stones Jungkook seemed to have recently placed down. There was freshly dug soil around the stones, and he could see little seeds throughout the dirt.
When he rounds the side of the house, surprise floods his body. He finds Jungkook standing next to the back door, adding to a pile of logs. He looks up quickly, a bright smile lighting up his face when he sees Jimin. But something else had Jimin surprised.
The other had become noticeably taller and more… toned. Biceps thicker and a clear outline structure to his abdomen where Jimin’s stomach was softer.
“Jungkook.” A smile pushes to his face and he draws his eyes away from Jungkook’s torso.
The younger takes long strides towards Jimin before wrapping him in a tight hug. It makes Jimin falter for a second, not used to getting hugged by someone shirtless. But his arms raise quickly, finding place across Jungkook’s back, warm from being under the sun.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Jungkook-ah. I’m sorry it took so long to come visit.”
“It’s okay. I know you’re busy.” He smiles cutely at Jimin, walking backward to where a white shirt was thrown over a rock. He picks it up, tugging it on before walking back to Jimin.
“I like what you’ve done with the place.”
Jungkook chuckles, opening up the back door and ushering Jimin inside. There was more furniture now, a small table with two chairs filling the space between the bed and the kitchenette. He takes a seat on one of the chairs, watching Jungkook wash his hands by the sink.
“You’re so much taller,” Jimin chuckles, looking around the cabin at the small bits of character. Little wooden carvings lining one of his shelves, all handmade by Jungkook. He notices some of the books he leant the dragon piled up under the bed.
“Well it’s been a couple months, hyung.” Jungkook walks over, taking a seat opposite Jimin. “How have you been?”
Jimin bursts into a fit of giggles. Never had Jungkook asked him how he was in all the years they’d known each other. Jungkook looks so confused, eyes wide in surprise.
“I’m good, Jungkook-ah.”
And Jimin falls into his usual talkative self, telling Jungkook everything that has happened in the past two months.
⚔
Being eighteen meant that Jimin’s parents couldn’t baby him anymore. A lot of the village kids once turning eighteen would move away to different towns, some closer to the sea and some to the forests. Jimin likes to think he was kind to his parents, staying around for another year whilst hinting that he would move away soon.
His village was a dragon hunter one. One that he wished to be no part of. He visits Jungkook more frequently now, sometimes staying late during the summertime when it isn't too cold or raining. Jungkook’s cabin was nice but it was definitely the quality for a dragon that had been in the elements his whole life.
He’s pretty sure his parents think he’s found someone in another town… but technically that’s not too far from the truth.
They’d probably have a heart attack if they knew Jimin was actually meeting a dragon.
Today, it was Jungkook’s eighteenth birthday.
They spent the whole day together, like every other day, but today Jimin woke up early, picked up the sweets Jin had baked for him and trekked to Jungkook’s cabin eager to share the momentous birthday with him.
The younger had come to the door after three knocks, messy hair and eyes closed. Jimin yelled a happy birthday in his face and Jungkook definitely woke up.
Now they sat out the little bench Jungkook had made, watching the sunset between the forest trees. The only sound being the soft sway of branches and crickets chirping.
“Do you want to go for a ride?” Jungkook asks softly, almost hesitantly, his long, wavy hair falling into his eyes.
It had been a while since Jimin had helped him cut it. The younger refused the last time, saying he liked it longer.
“As in,” Jimin pauses and points up at the sky, receiving a small nod from Jungkook.
“I thought it would be nice. You love the moon and I love the stars, so why not see them up close?”
Jimin’s lips part into a small ‘oh’ shape. That was so poetically sweet. And so Jungkook.
“I don’t know, Jungkook. It’s a bit high up.” He looks up at the sky and back down to the ground. Yeah, he wouldn’t survive that.
“Hyung, I’d never let you fall.”
He looks back to Jungkook, his eyes sincere and as brown and round as when he had first seen them five years ago. He promises.
“Alright.”
It had been a long time since he last saw Jungkook in dragon form since the younger often opted for the safer route of staying in his human form.
The black dragon walks out from behind the cabin, way bigger than he was when they met. He would almost be full size now, towering over Jimin. Jungkook lays on the ground and outstretches one of his wings, moving his head between Jimin and the wing. Jimin walks up to the wing, grazing his hand over the black scales before hopping on, crawling up to be plastered against Jungkook’s back.
“Don’t drop me, Jungkook-ah.”
Jungkook makes a rumbling sound at that, walking them through the forest to a space with less trees. Jimin grabs at the leather reigns Jungkook had given him, wrapping them over the dragon's neck and holding on tight.
Jungkook starts moving his wings and actually starts moving up into the air, Jimin letting out a short scream, hiding against the black scales.
“Oh my god. Oh my god.” He squeezes his eyes shut, the loud flapping of wings being the only thing he hears until there’s nothing.
He opens his eyes, and he’s amazed. They were in the sky. He could see so many more sparkling stars from up here and the moon was so bright and large.
“This is amazing, Jungkook.” He says in awe, the other emitting a sound Jimin’s come to associate with agreement. “Thank you.”
They pass by mountain peaks and dip down closer over the valley. Jimin didn’t even want to blink once he’d open his eyes.
When the sky gets dark Jungkook turns back towards home, the landing definitely not Jimin’s favourite.
He sits at the bench as he waits for Jungkook to shift and change. The excitement and adrenaline still tingling inside him.
When Jungkook reappears he runs up to the younger, wrapping him in a hug.
“Thank you so much, Jungkook. That was beautiful.”
Jungkook reciprocates the hug, chin falling against Jimin’s shoulder and he squeezes.
“I wish we had done that sooner.” Jimin says as he pulls back from the hug and Jungkook smiles that adorable smile.
“We have the rest of our lives.”