Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Zarc blows on his fingertips and shoves them under his armpits, desperate to keep any remaining warmth within his body. He sees his breath mist out in front of him, little white plumes of smoke that make him think he’s a dragon. He would laugh at his own joke, but currently his lips are stiff and frozen together. Tucked under his blanket and with his dakimakura, Zarc has no plans of getting up anytime soon.

It is winter inside his apartment – gross, freezing, snowy winter, with sub-zero temperatures complemented by white shit all over the ground. Frost clings to the windows of his apartment, and icicles hang from edges of the building. Whenever Zarc looks outside, he sees pedestrians parading around in thick parkas and boots, with hats on their tiny heads and gloves on their hands.

Disgusting.

Zarc hates winter the most because there is no escaping the seeping cold when you can’t afford heating.

However, his other tenants don’t seem bothered by the chill. Just outside the bedroom door, in his living room, he can hear his four dragons jumping on the couches and tables. The racket they make puts a headache in Zarc’s mind, but he can’t help but smile at their antics. His dragons have become much more outgoing ever since he brought them home. Through the doorway he spots Yuugo charge full-speed; a moment later, Yuuya makes a peal of joy.

Yuugo, watch out! Yuuya says. You’re gonna break something in the kitchen.

I’ll be fine, Yuugo says back.

Zarc’s teeth sink into his lip.

“Hey,” he shouts into the living room, “I said you can run and play in the living room, not in the kitchen. You will break something in there, and I cannot afford to replace it.”

A moment later, Yuuto says, Yuugo is out of the kitchen.

Crisis averted, Yuuri says.

Zarc sinks back into the blankets, but no sooner has he settled in the warmth does he hear something crash! and shatter. Next comes the rumbling gasp as at least two of his dragons realise their mistake. The scrabble-scrabble of their feet on the hardwood tears around the living room. Yuuya and Yuugo come tumbling into his bedroom, barely managing to get on the bed. Their eyes are wide in panic, and the words they try to say end up all mushed together so that Zarc can’t discern what they’re babbling about.

“What did you do?” he says.

It was –

We were just –

“Take a deep breath.” Zarc sighs into his fist. He wiggles himself forward, keeping the blanket tightly wrapped across his broad shoulders, and the lewd dakimakura hidden behind his back. “I won’t understand you if you jumble out your words.”

Unfortunately, once Yuugo and Yuuya get started, they find themselves unable to talk coherently. Yuugo, the largest of his dragons, flaps his wings as if that might calm him down, but instead it just sends an icy breeze into Zarc’s face and makes him flinch. Meanwhile, Yuuya begins to fall quieter and quieter, his voice petering into gasps.

Yuuto appears around the doorway then, purple scales catching the sunlight that, while beautiful, can’t warm up the room. They broke an entire shelf of bowls.

Zarc feels the headache grow tenfold.

We really didn’t mean to, Zarc, Yuuya says. It was an accident, and I’m so sorry.

We were just playing – and we didn’t even go into the kitchen!

Zarc fixes Yuugo with a long stare. “The bowls are in the kitchen, Yuugo. How am I supposed to believe you broke the bowls if you didn’t go there.”

At that moment, Yuuri comes sauntering by. The smallest of the dragons, and oftentimes the quietest, Yuuri reminds Zarc of a snake with poisonous fangs. However, Yuuri doesn't just come by – he’s dragging something with his tail, a long string of socks that Zarc made for the dragons when he first brought them home. Sock toys have still been the favourite.

Zarc never thought it possible, but at that moment Yuugo goes sheet-white.

Yuugo chucked this into the kitchen, Yuuri says.

N-no! No I didn’t! That was an accident! Yuugo leaps onto Zarc’s blankets, coming nose-to-nose with him. His scales seem to have sucked up the cold, and they feel like ice cubes on Zarc’s face when Yuugo touches him. Of course, Yuugo has to get under the blankets too, burying himself into Zarc as he continues to lament that it wasn't his fault and that Yuuri is making up lies.

When Yuugo gets himself too far under the blanket that Zarc’s chest is frozen, he gives up on staying warm. He kicks out the blankets, grabbing hold of Yuugo’s tail before he rips up the bed sheets, and hauls him out. “Yuugo, I’m not mad, god damnit, just listen! It’s fine, whatever. We don’t eat dinner in bowls anyways.”

But I broke something! Yuugo continues to wail, tossing his head back dramatically.

Sitting next to him,  Yuuya’s tail snakes out to wrap around Yuugo’s leg. He smiles, rainbows and sunshines and fuzzy shit that makes Zarc gag, and says, We’ll just be more careful next time, and throw the sock toys at the door instead of towards the kitchen.

Leave it to Yuuya to have a diplomatic answer. Zarc sighs and settles back into the bed. Now that the blankets are off, he feels a chill seeping into his bones. He’s wearing his jacket, cotton pyjama pants, and a long-sleeve shirt – there are even fuzzy, dragon-shaped slippers on his feet! However, none of that seems to counteract the chill in the apartment. On cue, a violent shiver takes over his body.

All four dragons seem to notice it. Their tiny ears prick and they turn their heads towards him.

Are you … cold? Yuuto asks. He shuffles forward and hops up on the bed, gliding gracefully so that he can sit a foot or so away from Zarc. He curls his long tail around his feet, and tucks his wings into his body.

You look cold, Yuuri says. He flaps his wings to get up on the bed, but doesn't come closer. How come there’s no heat in here?

“I don’t need heat,” Zarc says. “Just … go and play.”

Yuuya doesn’t hear his words though. He comes closer to Zarc, stretching out his neck to touch one of Zarc’s hands. He buries his tiny, red head into Zarc’s palm – a silent invitation to come closer. When Zarc doesn't say anything, Yuuya tucks himself into Zarc’s lap. It’s a sweet gesture meant to share warmth; however, Yuuya’s scales are as cold as the river water running through the dimensions, and the moment the he makes contact with Zarc, Zarc hisses like he’s been burned.

Zarc? Yuuya says, voice pitching high in panic.

“It’s … fine. I’m fine. Just” – he flaps his hands at them, as if they could understand what that means.

They don’t. They all cock their heads to the side, somehow in sync with one another.

Zarc groans.

Click!  

The room plunges into darkness. The little bits of light coming from the window grow brighter like the glow of a flashlight, but every tiny shadow in the room grows exponentially larger and sweeps across the room. With Zarc’s building being crammed in such a small space, only threads of light can get through the window and into the room. Furthermore, seconds later Zarc feels the temperature drop even more.

And then Yuuri screams – an unearthly, horrid, shrill cry that reverberates off every single wall.

Zarc abandons his blanket fort at once. He can see Yuuri at the edge of the bed, curled up in a tight ball now with his head tucked under his body and his tail swishing angrily back and forth, knocking aside anything or anyone that dares to come near him. However, the fear is there: his ears are pulled back and flattened to his quivering skull. He looks even smaller in the space at the end of the bed.

Yuuri! Yuuya says, burying himself against Zarc’s side. Yuuya’s wide, dichromatic eyes stare up at him. He's scared of the dark! Help him, Zarc!

Yuugo, tight to Zarc’s chest, and Yuuto, standing in front of him, nod in agreement. They all appear shaken up, but Zarc’s mind narrows down to the little, purple dragon.

Carefully, Zarc settles himself down in front of Yuuri. “Hey, hey – it’s all right.”

Yuuri screams again.

“It’s still light out, Yuuri – hey, we’re not in total darkness anymore.” He hovers a hand out, ready to pat Yuuri’s head, but then thinks better of it. Were this Yuugo or Yuuya, they would gladly appreciate being held and touched. Yuuri though … Yuuri needs space. He needs silence.

“Yuuri,” Zarc says, “when you open your eyes, I will still be here.”

And … he waits. When Yuugo tries to open his mouth, Zarc closes it with a finger. The last time Yuuri took a panic attack, Zarc had been loud, anxious, impatient, and worried. He’d fretted around the apartment, unable to figure out anything to soothe Yuuri who just bawled and screamed. Now though, Zarc thinks he knows what Yuuri might need.

Yuuri’s lithe body gives a violent tremor. He releases a shaky breath that mists the air. He doesn’t open his eyes though, squeezing them tightly.

Zarc’s hands ball into fists. He’s doing the right thing … right? Is this working, or is it making it worse? The suspense twists his gut and makes him wince.

But then Yuuri’s shoulders relax, no longer bunched up tight like mountains on his back. Yuuri’s neck stretches out, and his head comes out from underneath him. He doesn’t open his eyes, but no longer is there painful tension lines all around his face. He breathes through his nose, in and out, steadying the beat of his erratic heart. Zarc feels himself visibly relax as well, his hands uncurling from fists and his breath whooshing out of him.

Carefully, Zarc opens his mouth. He worries about whether or not he should speak, in case Yuuri is not quite ready to talk. However, before he can wheel the words back, Zarc blurts out, “I’m here,” which sounds both cheesy and pointless. It awakens Yuuri though: his eyes flick open, wide and wet, and the dragon gives a violent shiver from head to tail.

“Hey,” Zarc says, “you can see me now.”

Yuuri curls himself in tight, but he keeps his eyes open, moving them from one end of the room to the other. Then he relaxes again, body melting to the thin sheets on Zarc’s bed and the edge of the blanket Zarc has wrapped around his shoulders. Weariness seems to grip Yuuri, and he yawns before he can snap his mouth closed again. Zarc bites his lip so as not to smile, but he can’t keep the expression off his face.

Yuuri, Yuuya says, I’m here too.

And me! Yuugo says.

You opened your eyes … and we’re still here. Yuuto steps forward, sitting down right in front of Yuuri. We haven’t left you – all of us are still here. And you’re here too, with Zarc, and with us.

Yuuri glances up to Zarc, and the stare drills into Zarc’s soul and makes him shift uncomfortably. But not a moment later Yuuri’s expression dissolves to something akin to bliss, and he settles down on the bed and takes slow, deep breaths – in through his nose, out through his mouth. Zarc lets him be, not moving, not touching him. The rays of light creep in through the window and begin to chase away the shadows littering the floor.

“I think,” Zarc says, “the power went out … damn it.”

That’s bad? Yuuya says. But you just said the heat isn’t on anyways.

Zarc rolls his eyes. “It’s going to get dark in here, and it’s not warm to begin with.” A glance out the window shows that the weather isn’t too disastrous, so it can’t be a snowstorm that knocked down the telephone pole. “I bet there’s an accident somewhere.”

What do we do then? Yuugo says, clambering along Zarc’s shoulders and up his head. His nails dig into Zarc’s skin, pinching and pulling.

Zarc swats at Yuugo and tosses him down onto the bed sheets. “Off,” he growls, shaking his head to floof out his grey hair. “There’s nothing we can do about it. We just wait until some mechanic shows up and fixes it, and that could mean no power for a few minutes or a few hours depending on what the hell happened.” He groans into his hands, smothering the sound. “I hate the cold.”

Yuuya stumbles around on the bed. He makes it to the window, where he stretches his body up so that he can get his front paws on the window ledge. He peers to the window, nose to the glass, and fogs it up with his heavy breathing. Zarc, he says, voice soft, I’ve … never seen snow before.

“Yeah?” Zarc says, tugging the sheets back up on his body; with his foot, he pushes away Yuugo who tries to wrap himself up in the blankets too.

I wonder what it’s like.

Stretching from his spot on the edge of the bed, Yuuri comes over to stand next to Yuuya. He doesn’t stretch himself up to peer out the window, but from his vantage point he must still be able to see the thick, white clumps on the rooftops of the buildings in the Original Dimension. For about a week now the snow has remained on the ground. The first night it fell, Zarc remembers hearing his four dragons running around the house shouting that the clouds were falling from the sky. It had been quite the surprise for all four of them to find out that snow exists. However, not until today had any of them shown any interest in going outdoors.

Yuuri glances back at Zarc. What’s it like?

“Snow?” Zarc says. He pulls a face, stretching his lips down and pinching his eyes shut. “It’s disgustingly cold and wet and damp, and the wind hits you in the face and makes your bones hurt. It’s gross weather that makes you want to stay indoors.”

Having given up on trying to get under the blankets, Yuugo prances around the bed with a goofy grin. Are you allergic to snow too, Zarc? he says.

“No,” Zarc says, growling out the word. “Nobody is allergic to snow – it just sucks.”

But it looks so pretty though. Yuuya rests his chin on the windowsill, staring out the window as if he might be able to magically transport himself into the snow banks along the road. He glances back at Zarc, bundled under the blankets, and asks, Will you take us out in the snow, Zarc? Please?

“No.”

But Zarc! Yuugo cries, climbing up the blankets so that he can, once again, burst Zarc’s personal space bubble. None of us have ever seen snow before! Ever! And what can we do in here now that the power’s off? Nothing, that’s right!

Yuuto nods in agreement. We could make the most of the power outage if we went outdoors. I see sunlight.

“I see cold,” Zarc says into the blankets. “Y’all don’t realise it’s shit out there – freezing cold and disgustingly wet. And it’s busy on the roads. Besides, you’ll catch hypothermia or something if you go out there.”

How? Yuuri says, narrowing his eyes.

“I don’t know, you’ll get cold –”

Zarc …. Yuuya says, leaning his head to the side. I think you're the only one who's cold.

Zarc tucks his hands under his armpits, refusing to let himself shiver. “You aren't?”

Not really, Yuuya says. The feeling is echoed by the other three dragons. At their expressions, Zarc begins to wonder if dragons can feel cold. Sure, whenever Yuugo tries to cuddle him his scales are ice cubes, but perhaps the dragons’ scales protect them from hot and cold temperatures. Come to think of it, all morning his dragons have been bouncing around the flat appearing unfazed by the chilly temperatures. Only Zarc has been affected.

It’s so unfair that Zarc growls low in his throat.

Does that mean you’ll take us out? Yuuri says. He looks hopeful, green-glass eyes catching the sunlight. The baubles along his arms and legs have healed too, though the scratches still remain. Yuuri’s tail flicks once, and the horn-like appendages along his head quiver with excitement. Zarc has to rip his gaze away from Yuuri’s excitement before he says –

“Fine.”

Fine? Yuuto echoes.

He said yes! Yuugo says with a cheer. All at once Yuugo goes tearing across the bed and tackles Yuuya. The two of them tumble off the bed and wrestle on the floor, nipping playfully at each other’s throats and snaking their long tails through each other’s legs. Yuugo doesn’t play fairly though: the moment Yuuya has him pinned to the ground, Yuugo’s stained-glass wings shoot out of his back like gem-studded swords, and Yuugo frees himself from Yuuya’s hold.

Yuuri jumps down on the bed and circles them, careful not to get in the way of Yuugo and Yuuya’s play-fighting. Yuugo no longer jumps Yuuri, having learnt that not everyone appreciates being tackled first thing in the morning, or at any time during the day. However, when Yuuto walks back, Yuugo wastes no time hooking his tail around Yuuto’s back leg and dragging him into the mishmash of legs, necks, and tails, as all three dragons wrestle together on the floor.

You’ll be tired before you even make it out the door, Yuuri says. He looks over his shoulder, back to where Zarc is still huddled on the bed. You coming, Zarc?

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t agree to this,” Zarc says, but by this point he’s peeled himself free of the blankets. His teeth clamp shut as the cold festers in his weary bones. He scoots himself to the edge of the bed and carefully sets his feet down on the chilly tiles. An electric shock courses through his body, and a second later he’s adjusted to the drop in temperature. He pushes himself off the bed then; he already has his winter coat on, but he finds his gloves and toque lying just outside of his door and he snatches them up.

“You … sure you won’t get cold?” he says to the dragons wrestling on the floor, at to Yuuri who sits right by the door, waiting expectantly.

Honest! Yuuya says. He tumbles out of the dogpile of dragon-bodies, and giggles as he flutters up to Zarc and settles down on his shoulder. Yuuya’s nails don’t dig into the jacket; Yuuto, who makes himself comfortable on the other side, does. Zarc winces, but he can’t do much about it when Yuuto’s nails just seem to grow long and sharp no matter how much Zarc tries to trim them.

Not a second later, Yuugo is on his head, tail around his neck, popping his wings out, and purring in Zarc’s ear – the sound reminds him of a loud, obnoxious motorbike, and he hastily swats at Yuugo to put his mouth somewhere besides Zarc’s ear.

Yuuri remains on the ground. He doesn’t outright smile, not like the other dragons do, but the joyous feelings bubble up in him. His fear is still there, and he stays as far away as he can from the shadows in the corners of the room, but for the first time in a while Zarc sees promise and hope in Yuuri’s twinkling gaze.

Chapter Text

He should be warm. The parka he wears is thick and made for sub-zero temperatures. His toque and gloves are made of wool and keep his fingers and ears toasty-warm. Even his feet are snuggled in a pair of thick wool socks that he shoved into a pair of rainboots. All of this should keep him warm – and there’s no chance of rain, so he’ll remain dry – yet the moment Zarc steps out the front door the wind seems to find a way under his jacket and into his bones, and he shivers involuntarily.

“Fuck it’s cold!” he shouts, hopping on one foot as icicles seem to run up his legs.

Giddily, Yuugo leaps down from his spot on Zarc’s head and lands face-first in a patch of snow to the side of the cement pathway. Yuugo buries his face and legs, shivering from the cold but smiling at the sensations. Oh Zarc, he says, just feel it!

“I can feel it all right,” Zarc says through his teeth. He tucks his hands under his armpits, forcing Yuuto and Yuuya, both on his shoulders, to grip tightly to his parka. Yuuto’s claws go right through the fabric and pinch Zarc’s skin; again, he hops, this time stumbling down his front stairs and onto the path.

Yuuri comes toddling after him, but the moment his toes touch the edge of the snow he whines in protest. It’s –

Cold! Yuugo finishes. He kicks the snow onto the cement, watching with glee as it makes a little clump that doesn’t lose its shape. This is the snow, isn’t it, Zarc?

“Right,” Zarc says. He shivers again, blowing on his chilled fingers. “You want to play out here?”

Yuuya shakes his head, flicking his tail down and along Zarc’s back. We should go to the park, Zarc! Imagine how much snow there’ll be out in those fields.

Those fields, thankfully, won’t make Zarc an allergic mess; instead, he’ll be standing in an open park where the wind has an even greater chance of turning him into an ice sculpture. The more Zarc thinks about it, the more this trip sounds like a terrible idea. Who could have fun in the snow? Maybe someone who couldn’t feel the cold as easily, but Zarc hates this weather just as much as he hates spring and summer.

Zarc? Yuuto says. Will you take us to the park?

Please, Yuugo says, drawing his voice out with a whine. You’d be the greatest person ever!

It really would mean the world to us, Yuuya says, pushing his face up against Zarc’s. Yuuya’s chilly scales make Zarc clench his teeth and the contact stings his exposed skin.

With his gloved hand, Zarc pushes Yuuya’s face away. “Fine, fine – Yuugo, climb back on unless you’re walking there. We’ll go see what’s at the park, and then we’ll go home. It’s too cold for any normal human to be outside.”

Yuugo leaps through the air, kicking snow off his feet, and settles atop Zarc’s toque. His tail curls around Zarc’s neck, acting like a scarf … only a cold, damp scarf that Zarc tries to unwind. “Yuugo, your tail is sopping wet and gross – get it off me.”

Yuugo doesn’t seem to listen.

“ … fine,” Zarc says after a moment. “Just fine.”

Tucked between the towering skyscrapers of the Original Dimension, only patches of sunlight appear on the ground to guide them out of the city centre and to the park. Zarc follows one of the main streets, staying on the sidewalk where at least it’s been salted and he won’t slip on a patch of ice. Yuuri walks just beside him, keeping close and never straying more than a step or two behind. At times, Zarc worries that someone might step on Yuuri, who, as the smallest dragon, is hard to see from eye-level. However, Yuuri refuses to climb up and sit next to him, and so Zarc has no choice but to let Yuuri follow him.

He leaves the busy street prematurely then. The sky opens up as they exit the city; dotted with white clouds and shimmering an eye-catching blue, Zarc can’t help but marvel at the beauty of the day. His sole blessing is that it’s not snowing today. However, clear skies on a cold day just means chillier weather. The more Zarc walks, the more his hands and toes ache from the cold. His nose and lips burn from the cold, and quickly he begins to sniffle.

What keeps him from turning around though are the expressions of his dragons: all four of them are alert and bright-eyed outside. He takes them outdoors whenever he can, and each and every time they tell him they love the Original Dimension a little bit more. Freedom appeals to all of them.

Yuuto’s wings flutter open first, knocking into the back of Zarc’s head. Before he can chastise Yuuto though, the black dragon shoots forward into the open sky.

Yuuto, wait for me! Yuuya says. He flicks his wings open too – again, knocking Zarc across the back of the head – and vaults off Zarc’s shoulder and into the open air. At first, Yuuya stumbles. He’s not as used to flying in open-air as Yuuto is, and his wing muscles are still developing. However, a moment later he seems to find his momentum, and he arcs up in the sky to flutter around Yuuto.

Yuugo, Yuuri! Yuuya calls to his friends. Come up here! The wind is so nice on your face!

With a giggle of glee, Yuugo leaps into the sky. His great, glass-like wings catch on the rays of sunlight and create mesmerising patterns on the ground below. Yuuri comes up afterwards, his own wings weaker and unable to keep him in the air for more than a moment.

“We’re not there yet though,” Zarc says under his breath. They’ve exited the city, escaping the choking confines of the concrete buildings. The park is several blocks away though, past a couple shops and down another side-street.

I know, Yuuya says, but this feeling, Zarc … I just want to leap and laugh with joy.

I wish you could fly, Yuugo says, so that you could enjoy this with us.

Zarc wishes he could fly too. When his dragons get bigger, someday he’ll be able to ride them. He has sketches in his college notebooks of himself riding great, gargantuan dragons around the dueling stadium. His dragons are even built to be ridden: they have horns along their head that would make for good hand- and footholds. None of the dragons have ever seen these designs before – they’re a special secret of Zarc’s.

“Humans don’t fly,” Zarc says instead. “And come on, we need to keep going.”

Wings tired, Yuuri flutters down to walk beside him. The other dragons remain in mid-air, swooping and twirling through the chilly air. Their warm breath creates a mist that makes Yuuya and Yuugo giggle to one another. Yuuto leads them on ahead; before he lived with Zarc, he used to spend a lot of time at this particular park.

Today, the park is decorated with snow. Zarc stops right out front of it and gazes at fields and hills dusted with white, fluffy snow. Icicles hang from the barren branches of trees, needle-sharp at the tips. There are footsteps all throughout the snow from pedestrians walking through the park. Most of the steps seem to head towards a makeshift skating rink made up of wooden boards encircling a patch of icy ground.

Just as Zarc turns his head back, something cold and wet hits his face – thwap!

“Yuugo!” he snaps.

It wasn’t me! Yuugo says. It was Yuuya!

Zarc swings around to meet another snowball landing right in his face. He brushes away the snow with his hand, spitting out chunks that remained on his lips. His frozen eyebrows crease together when he spots Yuuya sitting among a patch of snow with two visible, snowball-sized chunks missing.

I’m making snowballs, Zarc!

“I can see that,” Zarc says. “Don’t throw them at me though.”

Why not? Yuuya says. Isn’t that how you have a snowball fight?

“A – how do you even know what that is?”

It’s Yuuri who responds this time. There are kids out the window that play in the snow like this. Isn’t this … how you play in the snow?

In all of Zarc’s childhood, he doesn’t remember playing in the snow. He grew up in the Original Dimension, but in a different city where it didn’t have cold winters. His father forbade him from playing outdoors anyways. Zarc spent all his time studying how to be a top-notch duelist, only to find out that professional dueling requires a lot more than ‘believing in the heart of the cards’ or ‘bringin’ it to ‘em.’

Come to think of it, Zarc thinks to himself, have I ever played in the snow?

Thwap! Another snowball lands on his shoulder.

“Yuuya –”

That was Yuuto! I swear!

This time, Zarc doesn’t spin around. He keeps his feet firmly planted and facing forward, and listens for the sound of traitorous dragon footsteps as one of his dragons tries to attack him. Just behind him he hears a whoosh!, like the sound of something flying through the air, and Zarc ducks before the snowball hits him in the back of the head.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he says.

Playing! Yuugo says. Come and play with us, Zarc!

Just for a moment, Zarc doesn’t feel the cold on his face. He glances around at all four of his dragons, knee-deep or more in the snow, and all grinning at him. Yuugo and Yuuya have snow on their heads from frolicking around together. Yuuri, the shortest and smallest, is swallowed up by a snowbank, whereas Yuuto has used his tail to clear a path for himself. They all look happy though, unfazed by the freezing weather.

Zarc blows on his hands and brings them to his face. Then, slowly, be sets them down in the snow. Even through his woolen gloves he can feel the cold seep into him. He bites his lip but does not remove his hand. He never has played in the snow before.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zarc sees Yuuya come to stand in front of him. Yuuya dips his head towards Zarc, and rests his chin on top of Zarc’s hand. His shiny eyes, red and green respectively, look up to Zarc with wonder and hope in them.

I really like this, Zarc. Thank you.

The words seem to leave Zarc’s mouth, yet for the first time today his cheeks burn so brightly it melts the frost off them. “I – um – well –”

Something big lands right across Zarc’s shoulder blades. Zarc doesn’t have a chance to put his arms out in front of him, too stunned by Yuuya’s sweet words. He lands face-first into the snow. Naturally, the cold seeps around his face and neck, and Zarc feels even more chilled to the bone. He doesn't have to look up to know who’s climbed atop him: Yuugo is the loudest dragon he has ever heard of. Naturally, Yuugo keeps on chattering about the snow and the cold, both which Zarc can feel sticking to his skin.

“Off, Yuugo –”

What is that? It’s Yuuto this time, his voice taking on such a childish wonder that Zarc throws his head up to see just what has captured Yuuto’s attention. Ahead of them is the skating rink. They saw it when they entered the park, but the dragons, too busy with their frolicking, must not have spotted it. Yuuto sees it now though, and he whips his tail from side to side and hops from foot to foot.

“Skating rink,” Zarc says.

What … do you do? Yuuto leans down into the snow and begins to crawl towards it. Like a predator hunting his prey, Yuuto approaches the wooden boards encircling the skating rink. Zarc comes closer too, with Yuuya, Yuugo, and Yuuri on his heels. Now that he’s closer, he sees that the ice has been heavily marred by skates.

“You skate on it, with blades on your feet.”

Yuuto’s eyes narrow, and then he glances down at his toes. He flexes the talons on his feet, as if imagining how similar blades are to nails. Then he taps his nails on the ice. Yuuto’s talons are the sharpest of all, and they pierce through the ice as if it were made of paper.

Careful! Yuuri says. You’re not supposed to cut through the ice.

Well then what are you supposed to do? Yuugo asks. Before anyone can answer, Yuugo figures it out himself: he launches forward, all four paws hitting the ice, and he slides right across. Yuugo’s claws retract, allowing him to glide around the icy ground all the way to the other side of the rink. As he slides, Yuugo cheers with joy.

Look at me! Look at me! I’m skating!

Yuuya wastes no time joining in. He sails over the ice for a second, wings spread wide, and then his four little feet hit the ground. He skids across the ice, legs wobbling as he tries to retain his balance. The choppy bits of ice slow his gliding for a second, but Yuuya still ends up crashing into the opposite boards with a loud bang! It doesn’t take away his smile though.

Come on, join us! he says.

Carefully, Yuuto and Yuuri head onto the ice. Without the fast start, they don’t glide, but instead slide from side to side as they struggle to remain upright. Yuuto’s legs, long and gangly, make it difficult for him to stay on all fours, while Yuuri seems to pick up the rhythm at once.

Zarc remains on solid, non-slippery ground. He leans up against one of the boards, cradling his chin with his hands, and watches his dragons try to maneuver around on the slick ground. Yuugo and Yuuya both learn quickly; soon they are skidding and skating along the ice, using their talons to twist and turn in beautiful, elegant spirals. Yuuri soons join them. Even though his wings can’t lift him up, he uses them like sails on a boat to steer himself around the track.

You really don’t have any balance, Yuugo says to Yuuto.

Yuuto growls deep in his throat. I’m fine.

Zarc chuckles into his sleeve. Within a few minutes later though, Yuuto seems to find his balance and can slide from side of side along the ice, occasionally following after Yuuya and Yuugo who begin to leap through the air, soaring momentarily before landing on all fours.

“You’re like ice skaters,” Zarc says from the edge of the rink.

Yuuri spins around in a circle, the baubles along his body shimmering in the sunlight. When he slows down, he spots Zarc and says, Hey. Skate.

Yeah, Yuuya agrees, come skate with us, Zarc.

Zarc throws his hands up though and shakes his head. Though the ice might be well-worn, Zarc knows the moment he steps foot on the ice his feet will slip out from underneath him and he’ll end up on his ass before he can catch his balance – not to mention that he’ll make a fool of himself in front of his dragons. Zarc’s pride doesn’t need any damage done to it today. However, he knows that excuse won’t fly with the dragons.

“I’m good here – I’d rather watch you.”

Come watch us on the ice then! Yuugo says. Or can you not skate?

Zarc growls low in his throat. “I can skate just fine!” he says. “I don’t need to get on the ice to prove it to you.”

Yuuya comes skating towards him, using his tail as a rudder to guide him along the ice. It’s OK if you can’t skate all that well, he says. We all just learnt how to skate too.

“I know how to skate,” Zarc says. “I just don’t want to get on the ice.” He blows on his hands, noting the lack of feeling in any of his digits. “Besides, we should go home anyways.”

I’m not getting off the ice unless you get on, Yuuri says. He plops himself down on the ice, curling his purple tail tight around his body. Show us you can skate, even if you can’t.

A low moan bubbles in Zarc’s throat. Why must his dragons be so stubborn? Why must they test his patience? The cold winter is already testing his survival skills, and now Zarc realises that, unless he wants to head home, he’ll need to appeal to his dragons.

He sighs, making sure the sound echoes through the park and reaches his dragons’ perked ears. “Fine, I’ll come stand on the ice with you. Geez.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and makes his way around to the entrance, until his toes touch where the snow meets the ice. Zarc takes one step up to the ice and feels his foot slip underneath him. Before he lands flat on his back, he shoots out his hands to brace himself on the wooden boards.

Are you scared you’re going to fall? Yuuya says, his voice sweet and, unfortunately, mocking. I’ll catch you if you fall.

“I’m not going to fall,” Zarc says, voice breathy as he brings his other leg up onto the ice. Wearing only his running shoes, there is little traction to keep him upright. The grooves in the thick ice provide him a bit of grip that he uses to take another step forward. His hands cling to the boards as if they are his only lifeline.

You should let go of the wall, Yuuto says.

“No thanks.” Zarc clenches his teeth as he feels his shaky legs try to work with the slippery underfoot conditions. He’s only made it a few steps into the rink, but already Zarc feels his energy drain from him. Furthermore, the ice appears clearer – and therefore slipperier – at the other end of the rink.

He braces himself and takes another step –

And his foot goes shooting forward. Unfortunately, his back leg locks up and holds tight, so instead of stumbling Zarc’s feet go sliding apart into a painful split. He groans as his muscles are stretched tight, but he clings onto the boards to that he doesn’t face-plant on the ice.

He hears giggling – bubbly, giddy laughter coming from more than one of his dragons. In his current position though, Zarc doesn't have a chance to look around his shoulder, so he snaps out a, “Can it!” and brings his legs back together. It takes some twisting and pulling to get his legs up and no longer painfully stretched. He massages his leg muscles with a frozen hand, shivering at the frosty breeze.

Then he looks over his shoulder. All four of his dragons are rolling on the ice, gasping for breath from their ceaseless giggles. Flecks of snow and ice gather on their pristine scales; their claws drag fresh tracks on the ice. Every time one of them tries to stop, they only end up pealing over with stronger laughter.

A dark crimson blush burns on Zarc’s cheeks. “And what do you think is so funny?”

Y-you! Yuugo says. Your legs – and you –

You nearly fell! Yuuya says.

And the sound you made – your cry – Yuuri keels over in a new wave of laughter.

Zarc’s hand rises to his mouth. What did he do? Did he let out a high-pitched squeal?

“That’s not something to laugh at!” Zarc says, crossing his arms.

But the dragons just keep on laughing and giggling, falling over each other and rolling around on the ice. It takes them minutes to stop, during which Zarc keeps rolling his eyes and groaning, and eventually gives up entirely and goes back to walking along the ice, hands gripping the boards. The dragons seems to settle after that and return to their antics on the ice, though every so often one of them begins giggling, which starts another wave of merry laughter.

“It really isn’t funny,” Zarc says the third time he hears the laughter.

Yeah, but … you’re funny. Yuuto waves his tail back and forth along the ice, drawing half-circles with his sharp tail-spikes.

Yeah! Yuuya adds. It’s fun to be with you, Zarc! Thank you!

The sentiment seems to pass through all of the dragons, and then a feeling shoots through Zarc’s heart. He can’t even put a finger on how he feels, but the emotion nestles deep within his soul.

For the first time that day, Zarc feels a little bit warmer.

Chapter Text

Eventually, the dragons let him go free.

Zarc drags his weary, aching body back to the entrance to the outdoor skating rink, ignoring how the insides of his legs throb painfully. He'd done the splits twice more on the ice, both times sending his dragons in stitches. He never let go of the wooden boards, too afraid to land on his face. His knees hurt too; once he learned how to not split his legs so far apart, he began falling knees-first onto the ice.

The moment Zarc’s feet hit solid, non-slippery ground, he lets out a moan of relief and tumbles into the snow. His hands, toes, and face are too cold for him to feel the chill seeping into his bones, and he buries himself in the snow and hopes to never get up again. Unfortunately, as soon as he relaxes he hears his dragons scrabbling past him and into the snowbanks. They’ve all spread out their wings, allowing the wind to caress their bodies. Yuuto and Yuuya can’t seem to stay on the ground, leaping towards the clouds and crowing as if they’re birds. On the ground, Yuugo stirs up the untouched snow. Yuuri moves slower, but he drags his tail through the snow to create a narrow pathway.

You OK there, Zarc? Yuuya says from the sky. You look kinda tired.

“Go figure,” Zarc says. He pushes his chest up with his arms, but even the minimal amount of movement forces a groan from his lips, and he sinks back down towards the ground. Everywhere in his body hurts, even places that he never landed on. How can skating hurt this much?

Yuuto rockets down from the sky, tumbling into the deep snow. He appears moments later, his large, black head dusted with white powder. He looks like a Santa Claus dragon; the snow has even clumped around his bent horns.

What else is there to do in the snow? he asks.

Zarc’s next groan is drowned by Yuugo’s enthusiastic cheers.

So, so much, Yuuto! Like you can dig in the snow, and roll in the snow, and – wait, rolling!! Zarc, get up! Get up! We’ve gotta roll the snow!

Roll the snow? Yuuya echoes. He twists his face around, deep in thought for a second. Oh, you mean like the kids did outside. They rolled the snow like … this? Dipping his head in the snow, Yuuya emerges with a small chunk of sticky snow. He uses his forehead to push the snow around, gathering more and more pieces.

It clicks in Zarc’s mind what exactly Yuuya is doing.

“You making a snowman?” Zarc says.

Is that what this is called? Yuuya says. He rolls the ball over; it’s now the size of his head, and gaining mass with each roll. Soon it’ll be become too hard for him to roll by himself. As Zarc looks around, he notices that much of the snow in the valley outside of the skating rink is the sticky kind of snow perfect for making snowballs and snowmen.

It doesn’t look like a snowmen though, Yuuri says. I think you’re doing it wrong.

I think this is how those kids made it though … Yuuto approaches, touching his jaw to the curve of the ball. They were rolling snowballs like this outside.

You could always come and help, Yuugo adds, rolling his eyes towards Yuuri.

Still on the ground, Zarc raises a hand. “You need to stack them, guys,” he says. “Snowmen have like two or three snowballs on them.”

A flicker of awe passes over all of their faces. Then Yuuya is animated, rolling his large snowball further and further across the field. Yuuto comes to Yuuya’s aid, and together they push the ball with their heads. Meanwhile, Yuugo begins to make another snowball; however, unlike Yuuya, he can’t seem to find a small snowball to start with. He jumps throughout the churned snow, looking for a large clump.

You need to make a snowball first, Yuuri says, still lounging atop a snowbank.

I know that, Yuugo says, and if you wanted to be useful, you could come and help me.

Not in a million years.

Yuugo huffs and returns to his work. He uses his glass wings and strong tail to push aside the snow, but no matter what he does he can’t seem to figure out how to get the beginning ball of snow. Across the field, Yuuya and Yuuto’s ball has grown to be as tall as them.

With a heavy sigh, Zarc pushes himself off of the ground and stumbles over towards Yuugo. His teeth chatter loudly and echo around them. He crouches down next to Yuugo, now spinning his tail around in circles.

“Hey,” Zarc says, “stop throwing the snow around everywhere. That’s not helping.”

Yuugo kicks a chunk of snow at Zarc, face twisted in frustration.

Zarc throws up his hands. “Stop it, Yuugo. Just … relax. Chill.” He shivers again, keeping his arms braced in front of his face should Yuugo continue to kick snow everywhere. Yet the little dragon has stopped, now staring lonesomely at the snow. Despite being the largest of his dragons, Yuugo looks as small as Yuuri. He hangs his head as if all the strings have been cut, and more than anything Zarc wishes to hold Yuugo’s face.

“Hey,” Zarc tries again, reaching out an open hand. His fingers quiver and refuse to open all the way, but the universal gesture makes Yuugo shove his face into Zarc’s hand. Zarc flinches at the contact – Yuugo’s scales feel like dry ice! – but he doesn’t break away. He sinks his teeth into his lip, and then mumbles, “Let’s … do this together.”

You do it for me, Yuugo says, face mushed into Zarc’s palm.

“That’s not what I said at all,” Zarc says. “I’ll start it for you, and then you can roll it through the snow.”

He removes his hand, only to shove it a second later in the cold, wet snow. Zarc grimaces at the feeling of icicles on his fingers, but he doesn’t pull his hands up until he’s packed together one snowball. He tosses it from hand to hand, measuring the size of it and whether it’ll break when Yuugo begins pushing it, and then he tosses it into one of the remaining untouched patches of snow.

“Go wild,” he says.

Yuugo charges through the snow. He headbuts it through the snow, determination like a raging fire. He never looks up from his work, following the little ball through a path in the snow. Soon it’s larger than Yuugo’s head, then his body, and finally –

“Wait, Yuugo!” Zarc says. “Yours needs to be smaller that Yuuya’s and Yuuto’s.”

Nuh uh, Yuugo says. Mine’s gonna be bigger than everyone’s.

“That’s –” Zarc slaps a sopping-wet palm to his face, not even caring when his cheeks sting with the cold. That’s not how it works, he wants to say, but he keeps his mouth closed as he watches the dragons bustle around on the field. None of them seem to remember how exactly the kids they watched built the snowmen – they’re having too much fun rolling the balls.

Behind him, Yuuri comes down and sinks into the snow. He pushes the snow around with his nose, and then lifts his face.

You’re not shivering anymore.

Zarc shrugs. “Hypothermia must have already set in.”

Yuuri pulls a face at him. He turns his heads towards the others, who have begun to climb atop their massive snowballs and use them as diving boards to tumble into the snow.

Become … one.

Zarc raises an eyebrow. “What the heck does that mean?”

Yuuri stiffens. Nothing.

“Then don’t blurt it out.”

Bristling, Yuuri turns away. I didn’t mean to. Then, under his breath and swept up by the wind, he says, It means … being together. Being one.

“Like a family?”

No.

“Whatever then.” Zarc sniffles against the cold, wiping his hands over his face to ensure that there is no condensation or water on his face. If Yuuya or Yuugo think he’s crying, they won’t let him hear the end of it. “I’m just … glad you like this.”

I do.

Those two words, so small, just a breath of air through the lungs and out of Yuuri’s mouth – yet they strike like arrows deep into Zarc’s heart. He looks down at Yuuri, but the dragon darts forward and into the snow, charging up to the snowballs that the others have now rolled side-by-side to make a larger platform. As Yuuri approaches, Yuuya singsongs, Let’s jump off at the same time, Yuuri! Let’s all do this together!

Zarc feels himself smiling. The warmth in his chest blossoms; for a second, he forgets how cold he is.

Then it plows him over when something cold hits him in the head, and he hears Yuuri pealing over in laughter.

Your head’s in the clouds! Yuugo says. He reaches down and nips off a clump of snow, which he then tosses forward using his long neck. Zarc’s eyes widen, but he ducks out of the way.

“Stop throwing snowballs at me,” he says. “Throw them at each other.”

Yuuto and Yuuri’s tails shoot out, and Yuugo and Yuuya go tumbling towards the snowbanks. They land with their bottoms and tails sticking out from the snow, and their heads and shoulders buried. At once they begin to twist and groan, using their wings to brush aside the snowbank they’ve fallen into. Above them, Yuuto and Yuuri chuckle.

Zarc breathes a sigh of relief. He can have some peace now. He glances over his shoulders, back to the clear skies and the outcroppings of the buildings in the Original Dimension. By now, the power in his apartment should be back on. He could drag all his dragons back home and huddle under his blanket. His apartment can’t be much warmer than outside, but in there he’d have his blanket, Em Uni, and a hot drink …

Hot drink!

He looks back at his dragons, tumbling in the snow together, with Yuuri kicking snow all over their faces. It would take some bribery to get them out of the cold. Zarc thinks back to the warm drink though, and the lack of feeling anywhere on his body, and the bruises on his knees and legs and arms and –

“Hey, listen up!” he calls out to them, cupping his hands over his mouth to amplify the sound. “Want hot chocolate?”

Yuuya’s head pops up from the tussle. What’s that, Zarc?

“What’s – oh, it’s like … well, it’s chocolate, and it’s sweet … and you get little marshmellows in it.”

It’s … food? Yuuto’s head appears next, snow dusted all over his body.

“A drink. Trust me, you’ll like it.”

Is this just because you’re cold? Yuuri says, narrowing his eyes. The shit-eating grin on his face reminds Zarc a little too much of his own cocky smirk.

“No,” he says, “I’m just … look, if you want sugar, come with me.”

That gets them all moving; soon the jumble of dragon-bodies breaks apart and they run across the field after him. Yuuto arrives first, landing gracefully on Zarc’s shoulder and shoving his claws right through the parka and into Zarc’s skin; fortunately, the cold has destroyed his sense of pain. Next comes Yuuya, who slaps closed his wings and sends snow right down the back of Zarc’s jacket.

Zarc braces himself for –

Thump!

Yuugo slams into his back with the force of an elephant. Zarc stumbles forward, throwing out a hand in case he face-plants. He rights himself before he falls though, and by that point Yuugo has scrambled up his back and taken his place on Zarc’s head. His cold, wet feet drip onto Zarc’s face.

“Yuugo, get off!”

Do we all get marshmallows in our hot chocolate? Yuugo says.

You don’t even know what marshmallows are, Yuuri says, walking alongside them and dragging his tail through the snow once more, creating swirls and patterns with each step he takes.

“Yuugo, off of me, “ Zarc says, though his voice ends with a pathetic whine.

Yeah, Yuugo says, ignoring Zarc’s words and coiling his tail around Zarc’s throat, but if Zarc’s offering marshmallows that must mean they’re good.

Maybe it’s candy! Yuuya says.

“It’s not,” Zarc says to them. “And you’re not all getting hot chocolate – I can’t afford that. We’re getting one and we’re splitting it.”

Yuuto’s eyes narrow. But that means we’re drinking out of the same cup as you, and you never let us drink your coffee or your booze or –

“Special occasion,” Zarc says, cutting off Yuuto’s prattle. “Just this once, and only because I can’t afford any more. I’m just dying from the cold and need this.”

He takes them out of the park, where, towards the end, the snow reaches past Zarc’s boots and soaks his socks. The city soon opens up though and the snow is tightly packed onto the ground or pushed up against the buildings in towering, dirty heaps. The street is caked with brown slush that splashes aside by the tires of the buses and cars. On the sidewalk, peoples feet splash the slush too.

It’s not as busy as Zarc thought it would be. He receives a few stares from having three dragons on his back. Yuuri refuses to get onto him, so he sticks hot to Zarc’s heels. It still causes seeds of worry to bloom in Zarc’s mind and heart, and he religiously checks over his shoulder every minute in case Yuuri has disappeared.

Soon though, they find the cafe – a hole in the wall spot with a wooden sign hanging in front of it. The inside looks like the poster board picture of a warm and cosy cafe: soft reds and creams for the furniture, with a deep mahogany wallpaper. Even through the frosty glass outside, Zarc can feel the heat seeping through.

When he steps through the doors, he gives a sigh of relief. The snow melts off his body and puddles on the ground behind him. Yuuri follows him through the door, shaking off his back, tail and legs.

There’re cookies here! Yuugo says.

Where? Yuuya says, snapping his next around.

Zarc groans under his breath. Ahead of them is the counter, and to the side is a glass shelf displaying a wide assortment of baked goods – cupcakes and slices of cake frosted with pastel-coloured cream; cookies decorated in the shapes of pop culture characters; and an assortment of square-shaped bars and tarts oozing jam and pudding. Even he feels his stomach grumble at the sight of the delicious food; however, one step forward reminds Zarc of the silent jingle of change in his pocket.

He can’t afford a treat.

He can barely afford this simple drink.

All around his head he hears the dragons chatting about all the sweets in the counter, and it pains him that he can’t treat them better. When he gets to the counter and in front of a cheery girl in an apron and chef hat, it’s with great sorrow that he mutters, “One small hot chocolate with marshmallows.”

But Zarc –

“Quiet,” he says.

The girl across from him raises an eyebrow. “Sorry, sir?”

Zarc stumbles on his words. “Talking to myself there, sorry –”

“That’s all then?”

But the cookies!

“Yeah, that’s it.”

He scrounges in his pockets for the change, which he sets on the little tray for the cashier to pick up. He heads over to wait at another counter, ignoring the gloom cloud that settles over him and his dragons. None of them speak up when Zarc picks up his hot chocolate and carries it back out into the blistering cold.

It feels ever colder now.

Zarc hunches his shoulders up around his neck, biting his lip when strong gusts of wind threaten to blow him over. Thankfully, his apartment complex is just up the street from here, and from the cafe he can see the building and the glow of lights. The power has come back on.

I’m sorry, Zarc. Yuuya tucks his head down into the groove between Zarc’s shoulder and neck. It was rude of us to ask you for more … after you’ve already done so much for us.

I’m sorry too, Yuuto says. Thank you for the hot chocolate.

“Whatever,” Zarc says. “Just forget about it. I’d be lying if I said I wanted one too –”

Why didn’t you get it then? Yuugo asks.

It’s Yuuri who answers: Because we’re broke.

Zarc wishes he could challenge that remark, but he just sighs. He climbs the frosty steps to the apartment; this time when he steps into the warm lobby, he doesn’t notice the change in temperature. He drags his feet down the hallway to his flat, where he turns the key and opens the door. All the lights are turned on – they forgot to turn them off when they left – and the brightness assaults their vision like a great flash.

Power’s back on, Yuuri says, and he sounds a bit happier.

The other dragons scrabble off Zarc, their wet paws creating tracks all along the cold hardwood floor. Zarc kicks off his boots at the door and shrugs out of his parka – it won’t do any good to be in damp clothing. The hot chocolate in his hand has warmed through the paper cup and seared his palm, but his sense of feeling has disappeared along with the enthusiasm of everyone in the flat.

“I’m not mad you asked, you know,” he says.

I know, Yuuya says. But maybe, if we weren’t around –

“I don’t want to hear the end of that sentence, Yuuya,” Zarc says. “Now come on, I’ll pour this in a bowl –”

We don’t have any of those, Yuuto says. Remember, they broke.

Zarc gives out a dry laugh. “Right. OK, I’ll put it in a mug then, and you’ll take turns drinking from it.”

He heads to the kitchen, stepping over the mess of ceramic that he forgot to clean up when he left the house. He pulls out a mug for the dragons and divides the drink in half. He got such a small size that when it goes in the cup it doesn’t even make it to the top. With a groan, he takes a sip and then dumps the rest of it in. When he returns with the mug, the gloom cloud still hangs over them. They all sit in a row, tails curled around their bodies.

“Stop looking so down and drink up,” he says. He sets the hot chocolate in front of them.

Yuugo drinks first, noisily slurping up the chocolate and flicking out his tongue to get at a marshmallow.

Yuugo, you’re going to spit in there, Yuuri growls.

I want a marshmallow! Yuugo says, voice garbled by his nose and mouth being shoved into the opening of the cup. A moment later he pulls his head out, triumphant.

“Well?” Zarc says, settling down on the floor next to them. “How does it taste?”

Sweet! Yuugo says.

Yuuya’s eyes light up. I’ll have some next. He shoves his head into the cup, slurps the drink, and then returns with a bright, beaming smile. You’re right – it really is sweet! Thank you, Zarc!

“Don’t mention it.” The warm, fuzzy feeling spreads through his heart, momentarily abating his shivering.

Yuuto goes next, and then Yuuri. Each time they drink, their faces seem to light up with a smile. They continue to take turns until the glass is empty, and each of his dragons looks sleepy and ready to tumble over at any moment. None of them seem able to keep their eyes open, and Yuuya sways into Yuuto and Yuugo.

Zarc claps his hands to rouse them. “You’ll fall asleep on your feet if you stay there. Come … on. Let’s go to bed.” He rises to his feet, groaning at his tired, achey muscles. Nowhere in the house feels warmer than outside, even when he tumbles into the bed and buries his face in the sheets. He feels the pitter-:patter of feet on the sheets as each of his dragons climbs up. Yuuya’s favourite place to sleep is by his heart, with his body tucked in the space between Zarc’s ribs and arm. Yuuto lays just under Yuuya, with his tail wrapped around Zarc’s arm.

Needing to be the closest, Yuugo lays on Zarc, in the space between Zarc’s shoulder and neck. Yuugo’s limbs splay apart and his tail snakes over Zarc’s chest; once Yuugo is asleep though, he stays as still as a rock and doesn't move until he awakens.

Across the bed, Yuuri stands. He pads across the mattress and, using his tail, flicks open Zarc’s hands. Then, as if the weight of the day has crashed on his shoulders, he drops his head into Zarc’s hand, just like before.

Zarc throws his head back and sighs. The position he’s sleeping in isn’t comfortable, and it’s still cold … but he’s content.

Thank you, Yuuya says, slurring the words together, for … today.

His lips twist into a smile.

“No prob.”