Chapter Text
“Henry, I’m back!” Charles called, removing his shoes and walking across the newly tiled kitchen floor.
Charles shrugged out of his coat and hung it up, then glanced around and headed down the hall.
”Henry?” he called again.
Henry suddenly scooted down the hall on his back, propelling himself with his back legs.
Charles jumped aside.
”Hen, what’re you doing?”
He hurried after the little dragon to see him start rubbing against the edge of a counter with low growls.
”You itchy?” Charles asked, kneeling to examine Henry. “I don’t see anything…”
There was a knock on the front door, then a pause before two more quick knocks.
”Hey, Ellie!” Charles called. “Come on in.”
The front door opened and Ellie rushed in, then quickly shut and locked the door.
”Hey, Char!” she said with a smile. “You have a good day?”
”Yeah, thanks, how ‘bout you?”
”Pretty good!” Ellie answered with a grin. “Glad to be home though!”
She glanced down.
”What’s up with Hen?”
”I don’t know,” Charles said, glancing at Henry, who was still rubbing against the counter.
“Was he doing that when you came home?” Ellie asked, reaching out to scratch Henry between the shoulder blades.
“Yeah.”
Henry arched his back as Ellie scratched him.
”Does that feel good?” Ellie asked, leaning down to examine his back. “I don’t see anything, but it feels a little bumpy there. See?”
Charles touched the spot Ellie was indicating.
”Yeah, I see what you mean,” he said. “Poor Henry…wonder what’s going on.”
”Maybe it’s his wings?” Ellie wondered. “He could have them after all and this is like the teething phase for dragons.”
“Maybe, yeah!” Charles agreed with a nod. “The only place he’s scratching is his back.”
”Maybe dragon babies get wings early?” Ellie murmured, frowning in thought.
”I guess it would make sense,” Charles mused, sitting next to Henry. “It’d be useful in the wild…or wherever he came from.”
“Actually, about that…” Ellie said, pulling out her phone. “I heard about this on someone’s radio when I was waiting in traffic.”
Charles’ eyes widened as he saw a photo of a light blue egg on a pedestal.
”It was one of the exhibits at the museum and it just disappeared one night.”
”I remember that,” Charles said. “There weren’t many details at the time. I thought the Toppats might’ve stolen it when they stole the Tunisian Diamond.”
“I found Henry about six months ago,” she said. “He seemed really scared, like he’d been running from someone.”
”Do you think he hatched in the museum and then escaped?” Charles asked.
”I think it’s likely,” Ellie said, looking down at Henry. “So he is a baby, then.”
”Poor little guy…” Charles murmured, scratching Henry behind the ears. “That must’ve been scary, huh?”
Henry nudged Charles’ hand to his back.
”Okay, I’ll keep scratching,” Charles laughed. “So uh…what should we do? Henry escaped from the museum but the egg was reported stolen. We technically robbed a museum.”
”I guess, but he shouldn’t have been there in the first place!” Ellie huffed. “He should’ve been in a warm nest with his parents.”
”Oooh…” Charles said with a grimace. “What if they show up one day and want their baby back?”
”What else could we do?” Ellie asked with a shrug.
”Maybe we could adopt them too if they weren’t that big,” Charles said.
Ellie smiled and bit her lip, then pointed at the photo of Henry’s egg.
”I didn’t think of this earlier,” she said, “but that’s a pretty big egg. They’re probably at least a decent size.”
”Darn,” Charles muttered, slouching. “We’d need to live in the Black Forest or something.”
“And unless the military transfers you to Germany,” Ellie said with a little smile, “that’s not happening anytime soon.”
“They’d let you come too!” Charles said, lightly punching Ellie’s arm. “Or I’d convince them. I’d never leave you out of living in Germany with three dragons!”
”Heh, thanks, Charles,” Ellie chuckled.
Henry growled and rolled over to Ellie.
”Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about you,” Ellie cooed, scratching his back with both hands. “You’re a smart, brave little baby to have escaped, aren’t you?”
”I’m glad he got away,” Charles sighed. “Who knows what would’ve happened if they’d caught him again.”
“Nothing good,” Ellie muttered, using both hands to scratch Henry’s back. “If they’d known it would hatch into a dragon, they probably wouldn’t have had it in a museum.”
”Probably not,” Charles agreed.
”Maybe the Toppats were trying to steal it,” Ellie said. “Maybe they wanted a dragon to guard their treasure or something.”
”That would’ve made them impossible to deal with,” Charles muttered. “And they’re bad enough…”
Henry growled quietly and locked his jaws around Ellie’s wrist.
”You hungry?” she asked, scratching Henry’s ears until he let go. “I’ll get his leftovers from last night.”
”He seems to be healthy, right?” Charles asked. “I mean…we’re feeding him meat and vegetables, and he likes them, but is it good for him?”
”I think it’s alright,” Ellie said. “Or it’s the best we can do after looking up so much about reptile diets. He doesn’t throw up or seem sick or anything.”
She took a large container from the fridge and spooned some of the leftovers into a bowl.
”Wild dragons probably eat raw meat but that’s just asking for Henry to get worms again,” Ellie said, wrinkling her nose. “Hopefully he doesn’t mind we cook his food.”
”Maybe they do cook,” Charles said. “They could be smart enough to use their fire for that.”
”Mm…maybe,” Ellie said, setting a timer on the microwave. “If they did use fire on their prey, I wonder if it would be a way to hunt and not for food safety…”
Charles sighed and scratched Henry under the chin.
”I wish we knew more,” Charles muttered. “But I guess we’re just doing our best.”
Ellie took the food from the microwave and stirred it, causing Henry to sit up and raise his ears.
”Yep,” Ellie said, putting the bowl of chicken and veggies on the floor. “Come and get it!”
Henry stampeded over to the bowl and eagerly began chowing down.
”Bon appétit!” Charles said with a grin, then stood up and sat on the couch.
Henry let out little growls as he ate, his tail swishing.
“Doing our best is all we can do,” Ellie said, flopping onto the couch next to Charles. “At least until we find where the librarian hid the dragon care manuals.”
Charles laughed.
Ellie’s phone buzzed and she quickly pulled it out.
”Got a couple deliveries to make,” she said. “I’ll get some groceries after I’m done. I’m thinking of making barbecue chicken for dinner.”
”Thanks, Ellie,” Charles said with a grateful smile. “That sounds great!”
”Okay then!” she chimed. “See you two later!”
“See ya!” Charles said with a wave.
Henry finished eating and got on the couch, curling up next to Charles.
”Was that good?” Charles asked with a smile. “I’m glad it turned out well. I don’t know if I’m that good at cooking, but Ellie likes my food.”
Henry nuzzled Charles’ hand and yawned, closing his eyes.
”If my cooking sucked I know she’d tell me,” he said. “She’d put it nicer than that, though.”
Henry yawned again.
”Mind if I watch some TV?” Charles asked. “I won’t have it too loud so you’ll still be able to have a good nap.”
Henry started purring.
”Then when Ellie gets back we’ll make dinner. You’ll probably be hungry again, so we’ll make you something good.”
Charles smiled as Henry rolled over and stuck his front legs in the air.
”We’ll keep you safe here,” Charles said, scratching Henry’s chin. “No Toppats or museum guards or anybody else will find you, I promise.”