Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jimmy… Jimmy…

At first, the voices he heard were indecipherable. But then, as his dream slowly turned back into reality, they became more familiar.

Jimmy opened his eyes, the brightness of the sun nearly blinding him. He squinted his eyes, raising a hand above his head to block the sunlight. As his eyes finally adjusted he slowly began to sit up. As he looked around, he noticed large patches of grass, daisies, dandelions and the occasional poppy flower surrounding him.

It had taken him a moment to finally realize that he had fallen asleep in the flower field.

“Hello, sleeping beauty!” He heard a voice next to him.

As he turned his head, he noticed his best friend Scott sitting next to him and smiling. His soft, silver-blue hair and his rainbow colored tunic added more color to the flower field.

“How long have I been out?” Jimmy asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Only about a half-hour, forty-five minutes.” Scott responded.
“What time is it now?” Jimmy asked.
“It should be close to four o’ clock by now.” Scott said.

Jimmy quickly stood up, Scott grabbing his wrist and gently sitting him back down.

“Relax, you still have plenty of time to get to work.” Scott assured him.
“I know…” Jimmy sighed, “It’s just that it’s starting to get really busy over at the tavern and I’d hate to be late.”
“Well, then at least give it a few more minutes to wake yourself up.” Scott suggested.

Jimmy took his advice. Taking in a few deep breaths and soaking in the views from the hilltop. The spires from atop Red Castle stuck out from behind the trees of the forest. It really was a beautiful view, one Jimmy could never get tired of.

Scott had actually shown Jimmy this spot only a few years ago, and it’s been the area they go to every time they need a break. Ever since Jimmy started working at the tavern, he’s needed to come up here more often. With the traveling season having just started, he’d practically run himself into the ground. So even a few minutes to himself up here kept him sane.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sound of a bird flying over the two of them. His face brightened as he recognized the sound and watched as a yellow bird landed in the flowers in front of him.

A canary.

“Hey little fella!” Jimmy smiled, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you!”

Scott watched as Jimmy started talking to the bird, sometimes making soft whistles at it. He couldn’t help but laugh. He knew Jimmy had a fascination with birds ever since they were both kids, but there was something about this bird that stuck out above the rest. Perhaps at how rare it was, how beautiful its musical chirp was. Either way, the bird made Jimmy extra happy, and it made Scott happy too.

After several moments of chirping and whistling, bells could be heard chiming from the castle signaling the new hour, startling both Jimmy and the canary as it quickly flew away.

Jimmy quickly stood up, “Crap! I’ve gotta head to the tavern!”
Scott stood up, following Jimmy down the hill and into the forest leading into town.
“Think we can do this again tomorrow?” Scott asked.
“Yeah! Sure!” Jimmy responded as he continued running down the hill.

Scott watched as he ran down the hill and disappeared through the trees of the forest. His heart felt a sudden heaviness, as if he was unsure whether or not Jimmy had meant what he said.

Jimmy was rushing to get to work, surely he meant it.
———
Jimmy swung the back door to the tavern open, immediately met with an intimidating stare by Joel, his co-worker and who owned the tavern with his wife Lizzie.

Jimmy smiled sheepishly, “Sorry I’m a bit late.”
“Yeah, well I had just finished serving a whole crowd of people and assigning them rooms all by myself!” Joel shouted. “You being here would’ve done some bloody good here about ten minutes ago!”

Jimmy frowned, he knew he shouldn’t have listened to Scott when he told him to wait a few minutes.

But then, he heard a laugh and felt several pats on his shoulder as Joel started laughing. His intimidating stance

“I’m just messin’ with you, Jimmy it wasn’t all that bad.” Joel smiled.

Jimmy glared at Joel. He could never tell at first whether he was actually joking or not. The only person who could tell was Lizzie. People would often call him the ‘maniac’ of the village because of it. He didn’t mind it though, it only caused him to embrace it even more.

After an awkward moment of silence, Jimmy watched as Joel took out a book from the shelf in the back room and handed it to him. He opened it up to show today’s date and over a dozen signatures scribbled on each line. Only three lines remained blank.

“All but three of the rooms have been booked for tonight.” Joel explained, “If anybody else comes in, it’s first come, first serve.”
“What if someone else comes in?” Jimmy asked.
Joel shrugged, "Unfortunately they’re out of luck. Not the first time we’ve had to turn away guests, it’s not going to be the last.”

Jimmy hated the thought of having to turn guests away, especially if it were late at night. But there was nothing he could do. Especially after the king had to enforce a law after stragglers kept coming in and sleeping in the lobby.

“I’m hoping once the traveling season ends, I can upgrade the tavern and add some more rooms, but I’d have to get permission from the king.” Joel explained. “He likes this place as does the captain so I don’t imagine it being an issue.”

The captain. Jimmy’s old friend Martyn. Someone both he and Scott had hung out with when they were younger. He was more of a troublemaker out of the three of them, and that’s maybe why he joined the militia. But he slowly made his way up the chain until he became second-in-command to the king so surely, it had changed him.

“Anyways, I’m heading home for the night.” Joel chimed in, interrupting Jimmy’s thoughts, “Lizzie will be by around midnight to take over.”

Jimmy nodded, watching as Joel left the tavern, leaving him by himself to run the place. He was still technically new, only having worked a few weeks, so he still wasn’t used to being by himself, especially with travelers' season beginning. Thankfully if anything were to happen and he were to mess something up, Joel and Lizzie were the owners, so he wouldn’t get into too much trouble because of it. But he would still hate to disappoint them.
———
It was about an hour into Jimmy’s shift, and surprisingly not much happened. The book remained untouched as nobody came in to request a room. Jimmy had only served some drinks and a dish or two to a few patrons.

Jimmy had been cleaning up those dishes when he heard the bell from the entrance ringing and a knight entered the tavern. He was only a bit smaller than Jimmy, but braun. blond hair, a black bandana wrapped around his head, wearing chain mail and iron with the Red Kingdom logo attached to the shoulder pads.

Jimmy smiled as he instantly recognized his old friend, Martyn.

Martyn gave a warm, welcoming smile to Jimmy before approaching the counter and sitting on top of one of the stools.

“Didn’t think I would ever see you casually stroll in here.” Jimmy said. He gave a small glass to Martyn, which he immediately refused.
“Yeah, well, it’s not because I want to.” Martyn sighed heavily.
Jimmy raised an eyebrow, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, as captain of the knights and second-in-command to the king, I must inform everybody when something alarming is occurring around the village.” Martyn explained, “As of yesterday, there’s been reports of a beast flying around near a neighboring village to the north.”
Jimmy’s eyes widened, “A flying beast? Like a dragon?”
Martyn shrugged, “We can’t say for sure it’s a dragon, but it definitely sounds like it.”

Jimmy was astonished. He almost didn’t want to believe it. It all sounded like something straight out of the stories he would read as a kid. The thought of possibly seeing a dragon got him excited.

But then, the thought of a dragon possibly destroying the village he grew up in terrified him.

“Did… this dragon hurt anyone?” Jimmy asked.
“Not that we know of, but there’s been reports of fires.” Martyn said. “And if the dragon comes near our village, everyone is going to be evacuated into the castle for precautions.”

Jimmy began feeling less terrified and more relieved knowing that there was now a plan.

Martyn got up off of his stool, went around the counter and approached Jimmy. Normally, people weren’t allowed behind there, but Martyn was second-in-command, so Jimmy was quite confident he was allowed. Hell, Martyn could suddenly decide to rob Jimmy of everything in the tavern and Jimmy would probably have to allow it.

“And I’m saying this to you as a friend, and not as a Captain,” Martyn stated, placing a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder, “If you see anything out of the ordinary, you come right to me.”

Jimmy could see the expression in Martyn’s face change from serious and stern, to a more caring and concerned look. That was the real Martyn speaking just then, not the persona of himself he has to put on as a Captain and second-in-command.

Jimmy smiled and nodded, “Will do, Captain Martyn.”
Martyn smiled back, giving a pat on Jimmy’s shoulder.

“It was great seeing you again, Tim.”

Jimmy froze, the name catching him off guard. He hadn’t been called ‘Tim’ in years. It brought back so many memories from when they all were younger. It felt nostalgic, but also bittersweet.

It made him miss those times.

“Please come back to the tavern whenever you can, drinks will be on me.” Jimmy told Martyn.
Martyn nodded, “Will do…”
“And try to stop by Scott’s place. He’ll be glad to see you.” Jimmy continued.
“I will most certainly try.” Martyn agreed.

Jimmy watched as Martyn gathered himself up, leaving the counter and made his way out of the tavern. The ceiling bell chimed as Martyn opened the door, and chimed once again as he closed it behind him.

It was just him by himself in the lobby yet again.

Chapter Text

The skies lit up a bright pink and orange color as the sun began to set over the horizon. After several minutes, the sunset dissipated and the darkness of the night sky began to take over.

Jimmy was struggling to stay awake behind the counter of the tavern. He had gone through the lobby several times, organizing furniture, dishes, chairs, anything to keep himself occupied but nothing was working. No guests were coming down to get any food or drinks, no travelers were coming to check into the last three rooms the tavern had available. Jimmy was beginning to question if traveler’s season really was as crazy as Joel had mentioned.

He thought back to what Martyn had told him only an hour or two prior. He began to wonder if he should go room to room to let the guests know or not. But he wasn’t sure whether that was allowed. Even if it was, he wasn’t sure if it was something Joel or Lizzie did if they were working instead of him. Did Joel and Lizzie even know what was happening?

Either way, he was too scared to say anything to anybody. He wasn’t one to interact with anybody unless he knew them well. And if he had the ability to say anything, it would surely scare the guests and that’s the last thing he would want is to drive anybody away.

DING! DING!

Jimmy jolted as he heard the sound of the bell chiming by the entrance of the tavern. The door creaked open as travelers began to enter.

Jimmy’s face brightened, finally ready to do something. Even if it was to give directions somewhere in town or to the nearest restroom, he actually had something to do.

He watched as four travelers entered the tavern and started looking around. He raised an eyebrow at their appearance. They were unlike any other traveler he had seen.

One traveler had silver hair, wore a navy blue tunic and pants with an army green vest, with a navy blue bandana wrapped around his head and wearing a black mask. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for a traveler to wear a mask, given the amount of diseases travelers get while traveling, it was probably better to be safe than sorry.

Another traveler next to him, wasting no time to sit down in a chair, had jet black hair. His tunic and white undershirt tore up at the sleeves. He looked like he had been through several fights, especially given the scars on his arms. But the thing that stood out to Jimmy was the red necktie he wore, as if still trying to keep himself formal.

The third traveler was a bit shorter than the others, wearing a red bandana around his head, a white long sleeved shirt and black pants, with holes exposing his kneecaps. He also seemed to wear some type of strap across his body, but it didn’t seem to have anything on it.

Finally, Jimmy laid eyes on the fourth traveler, who was only a few feet away from him, staring at one of the framed photos hung up on the wall. His hair was short, but wavy, bright and blond. The ends of his hair were orange, almost like fire. He wore a maroon tunic with a gray, zip-up vest and wore red gloves.

His eyes. They glowed a scarlet-like color. He had never seen anyone with that type of eye color before.

They looked beautiful.

“Excuse me, uh…” A voice said, “Can we check in?”

Jimmy was startled by the sound of a voice suddenly speaking to him. It was only just then he noticed the traveler with the red bandana was leaned over on the counter, giving Jimmy a confused look.

His heart began to race. He looked over at the traveler, his eyes shifting between him and the blond-haired traveler. There was a good chance he had caught Jimmy staring at his companion, friend, family, whoever he was. What made it worse was that he had no idea how long he had been staring. It may have only been a few quick seconds, but to Jimmy it seemed much longer.

Jimmy’s face grew red, but he tried to remain calm. “Oh… uh… no problem… Lemme uh… just get some documents.”

He quickly rushed to the door behind him and went into the back room. The moment the door slammed shut behind him, he slouched down and hid. His face still felt hot as the embarrassment was still fresh in his mind.

What are you doing you idiot? You’ve only just met these guys and you’re making a fool out of yourself! Cut it out, right now!

Jimmy got up and scrambled to find the book with the reservations on it. He took a deep breath and exhaled as he made his way back out into the lobby.

“Right, sorry about that.” Jimmy began, “I have the list of the available rooms. However, I must let you know that there are only three rooms left. We’re quite booked at the moment.”

The traveler with the red bandana looked back over at the others. He then held up his pointer finger, suggesting Jimmy wait a moment. He did and watched as he made his way back over to the group.

He tried not to listen in on his conversation, but the traveler wasn’t necessarily the quietest person.

“Yeah, he says there’s only three rooms.” He told the group, “Are you guys good with that?”
“I mean, I’m good with it.” The traveler with the black mask shrugged. He looked over at the traveler with the torn clothing, “What about you, Skizz?”
Skizz, the one with the torn sleeves, smiled and nodded, “Heck yeah! Tops and I can share a room!”

Jimmy watched as Skizz jokingly hugged the blond-haired traveler and made kissing noises at him. He was quickly pushed away and met with some awkward laughter by the others.

Tops… was that really the blond-haired traveler’s name?

The traveler who had originally approached Jimmy before came back up to the counter and nodded, “We’ll take them.”
“Okay.” Jimmy said. He opened up the book and handed him a quill, “Just sign the names of each person staying in a room.”

He watched as he signed a name on the first line.

BDubs.

He then looked over to the traveler with the black mask.

“Etho… come over and sign your name for the second room.” He said.

Etho, the traveler with the black mask, nodded and walked over to the counter to sign his name. After he finished, he looked over at Skizz and Tops, both of them making their way up to the counter.

Jimmy’s eyes fixated on Tops once again, drawn especially to his eyes and his hair. He looked amazing, and very much stood out compared to the other travelers he’s come across.

Jimmy… whatever you’re doing… however you’re feeling you’ve gotta knock it off…

He quickly listened to himself and drew his eyes away as Tops seemed to make eye contact with him. It wasn’t helping that he began to fidget in place.

“Do you want us to sign both names or just one?” Skizz asked.
Tops quickly chimed in, “I can sign my name, dude.”

Jimmy was almost caught off guard by the sound of his voice. It was much deeper and a bit raspier than he had originally thought. It actually sent a bit of a shiver down his spine.

He knew he needed a getaway plan. His mind, heart and body were racing.

“It doesn’t matter, just as long as there’s a name.” Jimmy responded, almost in a hurried tone.

Skizz raised an eyebrow at Jimmy for a brief moment before looking down at the book to sign his name. Tops then took the quill to write his name. Jimmy watched as he signed, but couldn’t quite decipher what he was writing.

Tops then simply closed the book and slid it over to Jimmy. He quickly took the book back and switched it with three sets of room keys. He gave one to BDubs, one to Etho, and was going to give the third one to Tops, but Skizz jokingly snatched it from his hands. Tops rolled his eyes, giving Jimmy a smile and a wave.

Jimmy froze, his heart racing a million beats per minute. He couldn’t even muster up the few muscles in his arm to wave back; he was just too flustered. He simply stood and watched as the group made their way down the hall to their rooms.

After they were out of sight, Jimmy could feel his entire body give out from underneath him and he almost fell right onto the floor. Instead of getting up, he just sat there, almost defeated after the complete fool he made of himself.

He had only acted like that one another time…

… and that was years ago, when he had first met Scott.
———
About an hour had passed by. Jimmy wasn’t on the floor anymore, but rather sitting underneath the counter. He would occasionally peek out to see if anybody had somehow entered the lobby, but nobody would be there and he would go back under the counter. He didn’t care at this point if he was caught under there, whether it be by a guest or by Lizzie or Joel. He already had his humiliation for the day.

While his body had finally calmed down, his mind hadn’t. It kept torturing him with everything he had said and done the moment he laid eyes on Tops. All the stuttering, fidgeting, scrambling, and flustering. He felt ridiculous.

Finally, Jimmy attempted to shake off those moments from his head.

“No…” Jimmy mumbled to himself, “You’re going to be different this time. Next time you see him, you’re going to say hello to him, maybe offer him a drink…”

“… No, you idiot. Offer all of them a drink. They had to all endure your humiliation. It’s the least you could do to apologize for the way you acted around them…”

“Hello?”

He froze and quickly grew quiet. He recognized that voice, and in that moment everything he had told himself quickly left his mind.

It was him.

His mind and heart began to race again and he didn’t move.

“Anybody there?”

Jimmy still didn’t move or say anything for at least another minute.

“Okay…” Tops said, almost in defeat, “I guess they’re closed.”
“NO!” Jimmy quickly shouted.

He immediately stood up from under the counter but banged his head in the process. Tears filled his eyes as held his head, he couldn’t tell whether it was from the pain or from the embarrassment.

But he had spoken, and there was no turning back now.

Jimmy rubbed his head and slowly stood up from under the countertop. He could see Tops looking, almost in concern, which made Jimmy turn more red.

“Are… you okay?” Tops asked.
“Y-Yeah…” Jimmy fibbed, “I uh… fell asleep that’s all…”
“Oh… sorry I woke you.” Tango said, “I just thought I’d maybe get a drink if I could.”
“Y-Yeah, absolutely, have a seat.” Jimmy responded, gesturing to the table.

As the pain finally subsided from his head, Jimmy took his hand off of his head and watched as Tops made his way to the counter.

“What would you like?” Jimmy asked.
Tops shrugged, “Whatever you guys have, surprise me.”

Jimmy immediately knew what to do. He quickly grabbed a glass that was hanging up behind him, filled it up with a bit of honey juice and poured some whiskey over it. He mixed the drink together and slid it across the table to Tops along with a straw.

“There we go, the owner’s special, but with my own special twist!” Jimmy exclaimed.
“Oooh! Sounds good!” Tango responded.

Jimmy watched as Tango took a sip out of his glass to see his reaction to it, whether it was good or bad he wanted to know. Tango simply gave a small shrug and set the glass back down at the counter.

“Did… you like it?” Jimmy asked.
“Pretty good!” Tops responded, “What was the twist you added?”
“The whiskey.” Jimmy said.
Tango smiled, “I like it! You should add it!”
Jimmy shook his head, "Trust me, if Joel saw I changed it he would want to kill me.”
“Then I gotta make sure to get it when you’re around I guess.” Tango said, giving a wink.

Jimmy grew red again. He laughed nervously to try and play it off.

“Thanks for letting us have the last rooms.” Tops said, “It’ll be nice to have a place to stay the next few days.”
“Yeah no problem, uh… Tops right?” Jimmy asked.

Tango was silent for a moment, raising an eyebrow. Jimmy grew nervous, fearing he completely got his name wrong.

Suddenly, Tango started laughing hysterically.

“That’s a nickname the guys gave me. Everybody gets it wrong the first time.” Tops laughed.

He then stopped laughing and cleared his throat to compose himself. Jimmy watched as he held his hand out over the counter, in a handshake.

“Please… just call me Tango.”

Tango… that’s not the name he would’ve expected out of him. But as he looked at his bright blond hair, tinged with orange at the ends and his scarlet-colored eyes, something seemed to click for the name to make sense to him.

Jimmy then looked back down at the hand. Was he really going to shake it after everything he’s done to embarrass himself? He almost didn’t deserve it.

But it would only add more awkwardness if he didn’t shake it. It’s already been a few seconds since he offered.

So Jimmy shook it. The grip between the two of them is tight, and almost welcoming.

“Jimmy… My name is Jimmy…”
“Jimmy huh?” Tango said, “I like that name…”

At that moment, Jimmy could feel all the embarrassment and anxiety slowly melt away like a puddle. Now that they knew each other, it felt like a fresh start.

“Sooo… Jimmy.” Tango began, “How long have you worked here?”
Jimmy was caught off guard by the sudden change in conversation, “Oh… uh a couple weeks now.”
“Yeah, I can tell.” Tango laughed, “You seem awfully nervous!”
“Yeah, uh… sorry about that.” Jimmy smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, “I-It’s something I’ve still gotta work on.”
“Hey, no worries…” Tango smiled assuringly, “I know it can take a while for people to adjust to their jobs. And I’m sure with the traveling season just starting, it’s probably crazy!”
“It hasn’t actually been that bad for me today.” Jimmy said. “My co-worker Joel, who owns the tavern, says it was swamped when he was here though.”
“Ahh, so you just got lucky then.” Tango said.
“Yeah, until you guys showed up.” Jimmy joked.

He froze, realizing that maybe the joke was too harsh. That Tango may not understand what he meant. But Tango’s laugh quickly changed all of that.

“That was a good one!”

Jimmy breathed a heavy sigh of relief. If he were to have said that to anybody else, they would’ve been insulted for sure.

“Yeah, we’ve all been traveling together for a few years now. And we’ve surprisingly never gotten tired of one another.” Tango explained.
“How did you guys wind up traveling together?” Jimmy asked.

Tango paused, staring longingly into the empty glass. Jimmy quickly regret asking as he saw Tango’s mood shift from happy to melancholy.

Nonetheless, Tango responded, “Our town was destroyed.”

Jimmy’s heart sank, “Tango, I’m so sorry… what happened?”
Tango was silent for a moment before responding, “If I’m being honest, none of us remember. One moment everything is fine, the next everything is set on fire and people are running for their lives…”

There have been reports of fires…

Martyn’s words from earlier. quickly entered Jimmy’s mind.

“The dragon…” Jimmy mumbled to himself.

Tango’s eyes widened as he heard Jimmy mumbling.

“The… what?” Tango asked nervously.
“A friend of mine came by earlier, who is second in command to the king.” Jimmy explained. “Apparently there have been dragon sightings and reports of fires, but they’re not sure if it’s connected…”

Tango began to shift uncomfortably. Jimmy noticed it almost instantly.

“I-I’m sorry if I made you nervous…” Jimmy pleaded, “I wasn’t really sure whether to mention it to the guests or not to begin with…”
“No, no… it’s fine.” Tango responded. “Just… not a lot of good memories, that’s all.”
“I can imagine…” Jimmy stated. “And you and your friends still have yet to find a place to settle?”
Tango sighed, “We just… haven’t been able to fit in anywhere. We’ve only lasted a few days at each place we go to.”
“Well… you guys are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need to.” Jimmy assured him. “There are a few nice places here where you and the others could settle.”
“Thanks, Jimmy.” Tango smiled softly, “Your hospitality means a lot to me.”

Tango took a coin out of his pocket and slid it to Jimmy. He stared at the coin momentarily, then shook his head and slid it back to Tango.

“It’s on the house…” Jimmy said.

Tango smiled, the two of them seeming to share glances at one another before Tango slowly got off of his stool and began to walk away. Tango stopped by the archway and turned back around to face Jimmy.

“Think we could do this again sometime?” Tango asked.

Jimmy’s eyes widened, as he thought back to Scott and the flower field.

Jimmy quickly snapped out of it to respond, “Yeah, yeah sure! I’ll be here.”

Tango gave a small wave to Jimmy before going back down the hallway.

Jimmy looked at the glass on the counter for a moment before picking it up to wash it. He then wiped the countertop where Tango had sat when he noticed the coin.

It was still there.

Chapter Text

The conversation with Tango helped his shift go by much quicker. Before he knew it, midnight came around and Lizzie came in through the back entrance to relieve Jimmy of his shift.

“How did the night go?” Lizzie asked, “Did anybody take the last three rooms?”
“Yeah!” Jimmy said, “We’re all booked!”

Lizzie didn’t respond, but instead continued to stare at Jimmy, squinting her eyes a bit as she leaned in closer.

Jimmy began to shift uncomfortably, “L-Lizzie? What are you doing?”
“Something is up with you, Jimmy.” Lizzie smirked, “You seem… too happy for this time of night.”
“Too happy?” Jimmy asked.
“It’s one of the guests isn’t it?” Lizzie asked.

Jimmy was caught off guard by how quickly Lizzie got right into it. It was very like her to do something like that, but Jimmy assumed it was more so for work stuff, not just personal gossip.

“It’s okay, you can say it!” Lizzie continued, “That’s how I met Joel years ago!”
Jimmy sighed. He knew at this point he couldn’t get Lizzie to drop the subject.
“Yes, it’s a guest. He was with the last group of people I checked in. And not too long ago he came in to have a drink.”
Lizzie leaned over with her elbow on the counter, listening with genuine interest, “Go on…”
“I just… I don’t know what it was. I just all of a sudden became a nervous wreck and almost couldn’t function. I haven’t felt that way in years…”
“Sounds like you completely embarrassed yourself.” Lizzie responded.
Jimmy laughed, “You either would’ve laughed at me or slapped me across the face to snap me out of it.”
Lizzie shrugged, “True, very true.”
Jimmy continued, “But…he’s only a guest. I can’t feel this way about somebody who might not even be here tomorrow!”

Jimmy frowned as he said that. Lizzie noticed and grew more sincere.

“Well… when I first visited this tavern, I was only going to be here for a night or two.” Lizzie explained, “But then Joel introduced himself to me and decided to show me around town. He was a mess just like you were.”
She nudged playfully at Jimmy, who rolled his eyes. “But because of that, what was only supposed to be a night or two turned into a week. Then I would come down here more, specifically to see Joel. His family would even make sure a room was available for me when I visited. Then, it all went up from there.”

Jimmy grew hopeful as Lizzie told her story. Maybe if he made an impression on Tango, even just a small one, maybe he would stay longer. Even if they couldn’t stay, hopefully he would at least come back in the future.

But then he thought of Scott. The boy he had fallen deeply in love with before only to remain as friends. Now his feelings for him are far gone, having moved onto another. One who may not even feel the same way, or one who he may also end up falling out of love with.

“But…What if he doesn’t like me back? Or what if I lose interest in him?” Jimmy asked.
“Don’t focus on any of that, you’ll only hurt yourself more.” Lizzie said. “Focus on the things that you can do with him now, and try to make the most of it.”
“I just hope I can do it.” Jimmy mumbled.
“I know you can.” Lizzie responded, “You just need to build some more confidence, and it’ll start by going home and getting some rest.”

Jimmy looked at the clock, 12:15am. He really did need to head back home.

Jimmy looked back at Lizzie and smiled, “You’re right, thanks Lizzie.”

As Jimmy walked away from the counter and out the back door, he could hear Lizzie calling for him and he turned to face her.

“What does this guest look like?” Lizzie asked.
“You’ll know right away.” Jimmy said.

Lizzie smiled and winked at Jimmy. He was a bit concerned as to what she may or may not have planned, but at this time of the night, he didn’t really care.

As he left the tavern and made his way back home, he could feel all the energy he felt earlier that evening turn itself into exhaustion. The moment he entered his home, he stumbled his way up the steps and into his bed, where he almost instantly fell asleep.
———
Jimmy…. Jimmy… Jimmy…

He could hear the voices saying his name, followed by more incoherent whispering.

No matter what he tried to do, he couldn’t understand what they were telling him.

He tried looking around through the darkness to try and find an answer, but all that could be seen, or heard rather, were the whispers.

But they finally spoke something other than his name.

Jimmy… He’s coming for you…

“Who’s he?” He asked.

He got no response.

“WHO IS HE?”

Lights suddenly flashed all around him. Through the strobe of lights he could decipher what looked to be a winged beast.

The dragon.

Martyn’s words about the dragon rang throughout his head again alongside the voices…

… And then there was silence.
———
Jimmy opened his eyes. Everything around him was quiet except for the small chime coming from his wall clock. He didn’t move and just listened to the number of chimes.

Fourteen.

He slept until two o’clock in the afternoon.

This was the first time he had slept decently in a while. But the dream he had certainly didn’t feel like it. The shadow of the winged beast still lingered in his mind. Jimmy knew it was a dream, but Martyn’s warning made it seem all too real. The voices in his dream, growing louder and a bit more incoherent, forming actual sentences.

He’s coming for you…

He never got a straight answer, and with the way the voices spoke he probably won’t know until it’s too late.

He got startled by a sudden knock on the door. Jimmy quickly got up out of bed to answer it. As he opened the door, he was greeted by Scott.

It was just then that he realized he forgot about the flower field.

“Hey Jimmy, are you doing okay?” Scott asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Jimmy responded, “I just woke up only a few minutes ago.”
“That late?” Scott asked, almost surprised.
“Yeah, it was a bit of a crazy night last night.” Jimmy responded.
“You got a lot of guests, huh?” Scott asked.
“No, actually not really.” Jimmy claimed. “I had four guests but only had three rooms. It was quite the dilemma but I got it figured out.”
“Lemme guess, two of them had to share a room?” Scott asked.
Jimmy nodded, “Yeah, they were kind of joking about it, so it worked out.”

There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Scott shifted around a bit before speaking.

“So… I take it we’re not doing the flower field today?” Scott asked.
Jimmy nodded, "No, I'm sorry Scott. If I had been awake earlier I would’ve been there.”
“I-It’s fine, we can do it some other time.” Scott assured him.
“Alright, just let me know.” Jimmy said.

Jimmy was about to close the door when he heard Scott call his name again. As he opened the door and made eye contact with Scott once more, he could see him grow nervous. Words were meant to be spoken, but they wouldn’t come out.

“I… uh… might stop by the tavern later on if that’s alright with you.” Scott finally spoke.
Jimmy nodded, “Alright, that’s fine.”

Jimmy watched as Scott seemed to have a defeated look on his face, “I’ll see you then.” He simply responded before walking off.

Jimmy closed the door, confused as to why Scott was acting like that. Scott was never the type of person to be scared of anything, at least around him.

He then thought back to the way he felt last night when he first laid eyes on Tango, and when he had spoken to him. That was exactly how he felt.

A sense of dread came over him at the thought of Scott possibly hiding feelings from Jimmy. Not only because he knew he wouldn’t feel the same, but because now he possibly had his eyes on someone else.
———
He entered through the back doors of the tavern. Joel was wiping off the countertop after just having served some travelers.

“Hey Jimmy.” Joel said, “Heard you had quite the night last night.”
Jimmy sighed, “Of course Lizzie told you.”
“Yeah, and she gave those four guests free breakfast this morning before I came in.” Joel explained, “Delivered it to their rooms and everything.”

Jimmy wasn’t surprised at all by that. He knew she would do something like that. However, he was surprised that she didn’t go overboard with it.

Jimmy then felt Joel put his arm around his shoulder, “Listen Jim. I’m all for you going out there to try and impress somebody, but I don’t want it to get in the way of business in the tavern.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow, “I had nothing to do with that free breakfast this morning. That was all your wife.”
“Yeah, but she’s my wife, and I can’t be annoyed with her about it.” Joel said.
Jimmy rolled his eyes and couldn’t help but laugh, “Okay fine, I’ll make sure I don’t do any more freebies.”
Joel patted Jimmy’s shoulder, “Thanks Jim, I’ll catch ya later!”

Jimmy watched as Joel packed up his things and headed out the back door of the tavern.

As the back door closed and Jimmy turned back around to face the lobby, he noticed the four travelers entering the lobby from the hallway. They all stopped and smiled as they noticed Jimmy.

“Hey! That was quick!” BDubs said, “The other guy must’ve been in a rush to get outta here.”
Jimmy shrugged, “Yeah well, that’s Joel for ya.”
“Hey listen, thanks for the free breakfast this morning!” Skizz said, “We really needed that after all the traveling last night.”
“Oh don’t thank me, that was Lizzie!” Jimmy responded.
“Really?” Etho asked, “Because on the letter we got it said it was all from you.”

Jimmy raised an eyebrow, and was almost about to question further when the realization settled.

Lizzie passed off her own idea as his. And now he had to play it out like he knew what they were talking about.

“Oh yeah!” Jimmy remarked, “I had suggested it, and she went through and cooked it all for you, so I can’t really take all the credit.”
“Well either way, we very much appreciate it.” Tango said, “This place has been great so far.”
Jimmy smiled as the two of them looked at one another, “I’m glad you like it, and I hope you can stay for a bit.”

There was a moment of silence as the four of them exchanged glances at one another, almost upset. Jimmy could tell something was wrong, but before he could respond, one of them spoke up.

“Yeah, we’ll have to think about it.” Jimmy could hear Etho respond, “But in the meantime, we’re gonna go and look around for a bit.”
“Okay.” Jimmy simply responded as he watched the group leave the tavern.

He could see Tango hesitate a bit, exchanging a quick glance to Jimmy before leaving with the others.

Jimmy grew worried, wondering if anything he might have said may have upset them. He only said that he was hoping they could stay longer.

… or maybe they knew they weren’t staying long and didn’t want to say anything.

As he kept constantly thinking about it, he could hear Lizzie like a voice of reason in his mind.

”Don’t focus on that… you’ll only hurt yourself more…”
———
As dusk began around the village, Jimmy continued working throughout the tavern. He had served some guests, cleaned some rooms and cleaned the lobby. He looked over at the time, almost seven-thirty at night. Still no sign of Scott, and Tango and his friends still haven’t returned.

As he made his way back behind the counter, he could hear the doorbell ring and the door opening. What he at first thought was Scott or the four travelers ended up being a single traveler. He was a bit shorter than him, had short, light brown hair and wore a simple red tunic, black pants and a dark cloak.

It wasn’t anybody that was staying in the tavern, and Jimmy was hoping he wasn’t about to ask for a room because he would hate to have to turn him away.

But instead, he simply approached the counter and sat on one of the stools.

“Can I help you with anything?” Jimmy asked.
“Just water, please.” The young looking traveler responded.

Jimmy nodded, grabbing some ice and turning the faucet as cold water poured out of it. He slid it across the counter to the traveler.

All he did at first was sit and stare at it.

The traveler spoke again, “You don’t by any chance know of a place to stay, do you?”
Jimmy sighed, “Sadly, we’re all booked up here.”
“It’s just that with this beast lurking around, I don’t want to take any chances.” The traveler explained.
“That’s understandable.” Jimmy said.

He noticed the lone traveler continuing to stare down at the glass of water. Was he going to drink it? Was he scared it was somehow contaminated?

Or perhaps he was nervous…

He didn’t want him to be out by himself, especially when it grew dark out and if he still didn’t have a place to stay.

“Hey, if I were you, I would look around town and see if anybody can take you in for the night.” Jimmy suggested, “And if they can’t, head straight for the castle and ask for Martyn. Explain the situation to him and how I sent you there, and he should offer a place in the castle to stay.”
“The castle?” The young traveler asked, “You really think they’d let me stay there?”
“It’s probably the safest place, given your concerns.” Jimmy nodded.
“Okay, I’ll consider it.” The young traveler said.

Jimmy watched as the young traveler stood up from his stool, giving Jimmy a small coin as a tip.

“Thank you for your help, goodnight.” The traveler said before leaving the tavern.

Jimmy looked down at the glass of water. His eyes widened as he realized the glass was empty. The traveler had never touched it once the few minutes he was there.

Jimmy looked at the coin, a strange inscription on both sides. One side had a drawing of an eye, the other was of a rectangle with two dots on the corners.

He had never seen this type of coin before. He wasn’t even sure if it was real.

Jimmy…

He jolted and looked around, finding no sign of anybody in the lobby or behind the counter who could’ve called his name.

Jimmy…

The whisper was softer this time, but he immediately recognized the whisper.

It was the whispers from his dreams…

They slowly began to trickle into his head, followed by a ringing noise that started out soft, then grew louder as the seconds passed.

Everything around him started to spin, he almost couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t anymore.

Then he felt himself hit the ground, everything growing black around him.

Chapter Text

“Sir? Sir?”

Jimmy opened his eyes. At first, he thought he was dreaming, but then as his vision became clearer he recognized the layout around him. He was laying down in between the counter and the cupboards, staring up at the ceiling and the small fan spinning around.

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a figure approach him. It was one of the guests staying in the tavern. He only knew him as BigB from the short conversation he had with him two nights ago.

“Hey are you alright?” BigB asked.
“I… I think so.” Jimmy responded.

Jimmy slowly started sitting up, the side of his head throbbing and he laid back down.

“Hey take it easy, you had a pretty bad fall.” BigB explained. “Somebody went and got help. They should be here soon.”

Almost immediately, the door swung open and Jimmy could hear footsteps running over to them. He could see both Lizzie and Joel running by his side.

“Jimmy! Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Lizzie asked.
“Yeah, I think I’m okay.” Jimmy responded, “My head hurts though…”
“One of the guests came and told us you had fainted.” Joel explained, “They said you might’ve hit your head on the countertop.”

Lizzie ran to the back room and came back out with a pack of ice, placing it on the side of his head.

“You’ve got a pretty nasty bump right there.” Lizzie said, “Besides the head hurting, do you feel anything else?”
“No.” Jimmy responded.
“Do you remember what happened before?” Joel asked.

Jimmy thought back to the young guest who he had served water to. How he somehow drank water without touching it, left immediately afterwards, and left the strange coin behind before he passed out.

Then, he remembered the voices in his head. They sounded exactly like the voices from his dreams. Before he could only hear them there, but now he could hear them while he was awake, and it seemed to have consequences.

He thought back to the coin again. Were the two of them connected?

“I… had given a traveler water.” Jimmy finally responded, unsure of how long he was silent. “And then right after he left, that’s when I grew dizzy and fainted.”
“I had heard him hit the ground and that’s when I came out and found him and got my friend to get some help.” BigB added.

Joel went and grabbed Jimmy by the arm, hearing Lizzie thank BigB profusely in the background.

“You okay to stand?” Joel asked.
“Yeah, I feel fine.” Jimmy nodded.
“Then Joel can help take you home, I’ll stay here and take over.” Lizzie suggested.

Jimmy looked over at Joel, who nodded in agreement.

“Okay, thanks guys…” Jimmy said as Joel walked with Jimmy out of the tavern.

There was a hint of orange still left as the darkness of the night sky began to take over. The lamps in the village lighting up every pathway.

“Hey, don’t worry about coming in tomorrow.” Joel assured Jimmy, “Lizzie will take over the rest of your shift and I’ll take over tomorrow.”
Jimmy frowned, “You guys don’t have to do that. I’m sure I’ll be fine by the time I have to work.”
“Hey, it’s not like we haven’t spent years running the place by ourselves before you started here.” Joel responded, “This is nothing to us.”

Jimmy thought back to his conversation with Tango last night, and it gave him an idea.

“Joel… last night when I was talking to one of the guests, Tango, he had told me that he and his friends don’t really have a proper place to stay.” Jimmy explained. “Do you think… maybe they could work at the tavern?”
“What? Are you looking for a reason to flirt with him more?” Joel asked.

Jimmy was a bit taken aback by Joel’s response, although he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“If I’m being honest with you though Jimmy, as much as I’d love to help them all out, we can’t really afford to hire somebody else right now.” Joel explained, “I can try to give a good word out to anybody else who may be hiring, but the four of them would have to be okay with it as well.”
“Do you think you or Lizzie could ask?” Jimmy asked.
Joel sighed, “I’d rather not, considering they are guests at my establishment. But knowing Lizzie, she would probably be all for it, so I’ll ask her.”
“Thanks Joel.” Jimmy smiled.

As they finally made it over to Jimmy’s house, the two of them exchanged farewells and Jimmy was about to go inside of his house when he heard Joel call his name once more.

Jimmy watched as Joel reached into his pocket and handed him something.

The coin.

“BigB told us that was apparently a tip that the guest had left you before you passed out.” Joel said. “Thought you would like it.”

Jimmy looked down at the coin again.

Jimmy…

He could suddenly feel his head spinning once again.

“Right, uh… yeah. Thank you Joel.” Jimmy quickly responded before rushing through the front door.

He stumbled up the stairwell and into his bedroom, his mind racing and confirming his suspicions about the voices. If he was going to pass out again, the least he could do was make it to his own bed.

He quickly located his bed through the darkness inside of his house and laid down, waiting for the moment where he would black out once again.

But neither happened. He just kept hearing his name.

Jimmy… look out.

Jimmy sat up in his bed, thrown off at the voice saying something other than his name.

Look out? Look out for what?

He slowly got up out of bed and made his way down the steps to the common area. He stopped as he heard the voice again.

Look out…

The window. It was right next to him. He slowly turned his head and looked. At first, he could see nothing. But as he approached the window closer and cupped his hands to get a better look out in the darkness, he could see something.

A figure.

It wore a dark cloak with a hood over its head and was standing, almost staring at him.

The dark cloak looked familiar. He had seen the lone traveler from before wearing it, but he couldn’t determine if it was him.

He walked away from the window, approaching the front door, slowly opening it and walking out. He took a few steps away from his house to see if he could see the figure, but the light emitting from the lampposts nearby blocked out the darkness ahead.

As he took a few steps further away from his house and away from the lampposts, he could see the figure again. It was still just standing there, although its back was turned this time.

“H-Hey, what are you doing all the way out here?” Jimmy asked.

The figure didn’t respond. Jimmy almost didn’t want to get closer, but he found himself continuing to move.

As he was a few feet away from the cloaked figure, it began to run into the forest in front of them.

No… I can’t go in there, he thought to himself. But he still found himself continuing to walk. He became confused. He still felt in control of his body. He could stop when he wanted and go if he wanted to, but he found himself not turning around to go back home.

Perhaps it was simply curiosity about the mysterious figure keeping him going.

He finally stopped as there was a break in the trees. He had stopped right at the flower field. The place where he was supposed to meet Scott today but couldn’t.

Maybe it was the guilt of turning him down.

But then he saw the figure once again past the flower field, and he kept running.

As complete darkness surrounded him once again from the trees blocking any sense of moonlight, he froze as he suddenly heard shouting off in the distance.

He kept hearing shouting coming from numerous people. As if they may have been arguing. But it was too loud for a simple argument.

Then he heard a roar, and his heart skipped a beat.

The dragon. It was here, and at least a mile or two away from the village.

He needed to go back, he needed to warn Martyn.

But that mysterious figure. What if the shouting came from it? He at least wanted to find it first.

He kept running through the darkness, until he came across an orange glow in the distance. The shouting was louder and it seemed to come from the direction of the orange glow.

He slowed down his pace but kept going in the same direction. The temperature around him slowly began to rise, the shouting continued and grew closer.

Finally, he could actually see the source of the orange glow. Flames. They were spreading slowly, but violently.

A silhouette could be seen near the flames trying its best to douse the flames however he could. But it wasn’t the cloaked figure that he had seen earlier. The person in the silhouette wore a bandana.

BDubs.

“BDUBS! QUIT DOUSING THE FLAMES! WE NEED TO TRY AND HOLD HIM DOWN!” He could hear a voice shout.

He watched as BDubs ran off. Jimmy followed behind him, ever so slightly as to not be seen, then almost immediately froze.

The dragon, it was right there in front of them. He could only see up to its wings but its body was dark, its wings black but with red veins coursing to its tips. Its tail was long, with small, red spikes sticking out throughout.

He looked back over at BDubs, who was now with two other people.

Etho and Skizz.

He watched as they were all pulling what looked like one big, giant chain together. With each pull, the dragon let out a guttural growl, attempting to fight back.

Why were they here? What were they trying to do with the dragon?

And… where was Tango??

Jimmy moved ever so closer to get a better look until he was almost directly behind the others. He almost wanted to jump out and help them, but that would probably ruin whatever plan they may have. He wanted to run back out into the village to warn the others…

But then he got a better look at the dragon.

The top of its head was covered in bright, yellow flames with orange tinging at its ends. Its eyes glowed an almost scarlet red.

Scarlet red eyes, bright yellow hair.

Jimmy’s heart sunk ever so deep.

No… It couldn’t be…

“LOOK OUT!”

Jimmy looked out from behind the tree. Etho, BDubs and Skizz all scattering as a giant ball of fire came out of the dragon’s mouth and was careening right towards him,

Jimmy quickly jumped back as an explosion rang out in front of him, losing consciousness the moment his body hit the ground.
———
Jimmy opened his eyes, barely even having time to process whatever was happening as an unbearable, burning pain ran from his torso down to his abdomen. It hurt to take even the shallowest of breaths, and he knew he wasn’t going to be conscious much longer, maybe even alive.

All he could do was let out moans, which seemed to draw attention to somebody.

“Crap! He’s awake!” He could hear somebody say. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Skizz running to grab something and then knelt down besides Jimmy, “Hey, hey. Try not to move too much, alright?”

All he could do at that moment was let out a loud moan, fighting through the pain.

“JIMMY!”

Jimmy slowly turned his head in the direction he heard his name. Just a few feet next to him was Tango. He was lying on his stomach, his hands tied up behind him as well as his feet. Tears were strolling down his face.

“Jimmy! Please be okay, I’m so sorry that this had to happen!” He heard Tango cry.
“Tops! Knock it off, dude!” Skizz hissed.

Even through his physical pain, he could feel his heart hurting to see Tango chained up like a prisoner, or like some animal.

Jimmy could feel himself start to lose consciousness again, but he tried to fight it off.

He struggled to speak, but could finally let out two words.

“P-Please… stop hurting Tango…”

Everything went black around him.
———
Jimmy opened his eyes. The burning pain that he had felt when he first woke up was now met with numbness. The same type of numbness that he would feel if he accidentally burned himself while working the stove at the tavern. But this was throughout his entire body.

He took a deep breath and exhaled. There was still pain, but it was bearable. He sat himself up, feeling sharp, burning pains as he moved around but quickly subsided after he had stopped.

He looked around, realizing he was still in the forest. It was still dark outside with a hint of sunrise on the east. The trees around him were burnt up, some of them still emitting smoke, but otherwise there wasn’t a flame in sight. The fire hardly did as much damage as he originally thought.

He looked over to where Tango had been laying down before. He wasn’t there, neither was BDubs or Etho.

“They went back to the tavern.” Jimmy heard a voice say. Jimmy turned around, noticing Skizz was still there.
“He wasn’t tied up anymore, was he?” Jimmy asked.
Skizz shook his head.
“Why did you guys do that to him?” Jimmy asked.

Skizz walked over to Jimmy, “How about you explain to me how you ended up all the way out here?”

Jimmy froze. Immediately thinking of the figure he had been chasing. It had slipped his mind the moment he came across the four of them, and saw Tango in dragon form.

Where did it go after he discovered Tango? Did it continue to wander off… Did it sit back and watch somewhere? He couldn’t just tell Skizz he was chasing after a mysterious figure, it would only raise more questions… and there was already so much going on as it is.

“I… went for a walk and wandered too far.” Jimmy simply responded.

Jimmy slightly cringed at his response. There was no way that Skizz was going to buy that. But Skizz actually never questioned it. Instead, Jimmy watched as Skizz paced around the forest, a look of stress across his face as he ran his fingers through his hair and down his neck.

After several moments, Skizz stopped to face him, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Listen, what I’m about to tell you, you better not tell a single soul, not even the others, got it?” Skizz asked.

”If you see anything out of the ordinary, you come right to me…”

Martyn had told Jimmy that before. And he was very tempted to do so after what he saw here.

But he wasn’t going to do that. Not to Skizz, Etho or BDubs, and especially not to Tango… who suffered the most from it all.

“I won't say a single word.” Jimmy nodded.

Skizz helped Jimmy up. The sharp, burning pain made Jimmy wince in pain and stumble. Skizz took Jimmy’s arm and placed it around his shoulder as a crutch and the two of them finally started walking out of the forest.

It took a few minutes of walking, but finally Skizz spoke.

“It was… a deal with a demon.” Skizz began.
Jimmy raised an eyebrow, “A demon?”
Skizz nodded, “Long story short, our town was destroyed along with everybody and everything we’ve ever loved. Tops somehow came across this mysterious figure, who offered him the entire town and its people to be restored in exchange for his soul. He instantly took the deal out of desperation, but neither ended up happening. And not only was Tango’s soul still taken, he was cursed to become a dragon.”
“Oh my god…” Jimmy frowned, “That’s awful…”
“Yeah…” Skizz said, “Every third night, Tango has to transform into a dragon, and the three of us have been the one to try and keep him under wraps so nobody would know. Sadly, it’s only worked a few times and that’s why we’re constantly moving. Because if he’s discovered as a dragon, it’ll be over for him.”
“I won’t let that happen.” Jimmy immediately responded.

Skizz stopped and looked over at Jimmy. He had almost thought he was joking, but he was serious.

“And what do you think you can do?” Skizz asked.
“I know someone,” Jimmy explained, “Someone who works for the Red Kingdom and who can help us, and he’s second in command to the king.”
“Hell no!” Skizz argued, “You may trust those people but we don’t! They will kill anybody or anything that is considered a threat to them.”
“If you can give it a chance, I can talk to Martyn to figure out the best course of action. He might be able to figure out a better way to tame Tango while he’s a dragon. Or better yet, he might be able to find somebody who might have a cure for this curse.”
“There are no cures for curses.” Skizz stated.
“Okay, but even if it’s something that’s temporary. Something that will keep Tango as a human for more than three days, or something that will keep Tango stable whenever he’s in his dragon form. Anything that could possibly give him a better life.”

Skizz was silent for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh.

“Listen, Jimmy I’m just going to cut right to the chase.” Skizz said, “We know that you feel something towards Tango. And I can tell that after everything that’s happened, he might feel a certain way about you as well.”

A lump formed in Jimmy’s throat. He could not have had confirmation over Tango reciprocating his feelings for him at a worse time. He wanted to be boastful, excited, celebrating. But instead, he had to find out through a curse.

“But Tops… Tango… is our best friend.” Skizz continued, “And there is no way we’re going to risk having him killed or treated like some type of animal for an experiment.”
“Says the one who kept him chained up earlier…” Jimmy mumbled under his breath.
“Hey, the others and I don’t like doing it, but it’s the only way to make sure he doesn’t do anything to hurt us or…” Skizz responded, pausing as suddenly choked up.
Jimmy quickly regret his mumbling from earlier, “I’m… I’m sorry, Skizz…”

Skizz was silent for a moment, looking contemplative. He then looked back at Jimmy.

“Jimmy, you might be right.” Skizz said. “We need to get some form of help, but I really don’t know if the higher-ups are a good idea.”

Jimmy paused, seeming to think of something.

“I might know someone else who can help you guys.” Jimmy told Skizz, “It all needs to be arranged, but I think it can be done before his next transformation. I know you guys are probably wanting to leave, but please stay a little longer while I work this out.”

Skizz thought about it for a few moments, but finally nodded.

“Ok, I’ll try and discuss it with them.” Skizz said. “But from here on out, anything we say or do, stays between us, alright?”
Jimmy nodded, “Yes. I promise.”

As they reached the break in the forest by the flower field, Skizz and Jimmy looked over the hilltop, the sky brightening up as the sun was just about to peak over the horizon.

Skizz turned to Jimmy, “You think you could walk a little bit faster?”
Jimmy nodded, “I think I’m okay to walk by myself now.”

Jimmy let go of Skizz’s shoulder, Skizz’s arms still outstretched in case he fell over. But Jimmy’s balance was normal again, both of them breathing a huge sigh of relief.

They both trekked down the hillside and made their way into the village. Nobody was out of their houses yet, so nobody was there to see Jimmy wounded and patched up. As Jimmy approached his house, Skizz was about to part ways when Jimmy spoke up once more.

“I might have to stop by the tavern in a bit.” Jimmy explained, pointing to the bandage on his arm, “I’m gonna come up with something for this.”
“Yeah, you better.” Skizz responded harshly, but with a bit of sarcasm.
“And Skizz… thank you for everything.”
Skizz shook his head, “No… Thank you for helping us.”

Jimmy watched as Skizz turned and ran towards the direction of the tavern before entering his home. He made his way to the sofa in the common area and slouched back in it. He had never been happier to be sitting in his own home again, mainly because he thought he wouldn’t be back.

It didn’t take long for Jimmy’s mind to begin thinking about the plan he had set for Tango.

It was entirely doable. There were only two things that concerned him about the plan.

He had to find the person who could potentially help Tango…

… And that required asking Scott.

Chapter Text

~~T~~

What have I done??
What have I done??

Did I kill him?
Please tell me he’s still alive…

Tears were strolling down Tango’s cheeks, his heart sinking down to his stomach as Jimmy slipped back into unconsciousness. Skizz was quick to check for a pulse, and thankfully there was one.

“Okay, the fire’s out, we need to leave now.” BDubs stated.
“You guys get Tops and go back to the tavern, I’ll stay here.” Skizz suggested.

Etho and BDubs both helped Tango to his feet.

“I-I don’t want to leave him…” Tango stuttered. “Not until he’s fully conscious again…”
“Tango, listen to me.” Etho said, “Jimmy’s going to be okay. Skizz is going to watch over him and bring him home safely. We need to bring you back to the tavern so you can rest.”
Etho then went behind Tango’s back, gently grabbing his wrists where they were tied.

“Can we trust you?” He asked.

No… he wanted to say.
Yes… he wanted to say and then run away the moment he was untied.

He knew he was much better off by himself. He had hurt his friends too many times for the past decade. Then the moment he finally met somebody new, somebody he could laugh with, somebody he could trust, somebody he could maybe consider more than a friend… he nearly killed him while in his dragon form.

He will never forgive himself for this, whether Jimmy survives or ends up dying.

But he stayed. He stayed for his friends and for the one-in-a-million chance the four of them would be accepted somewhere even with his dragon curse.

So nonetheless, Tango nodded.

Etho and BDubs slowly began to untie his hands and feet. His mind kept telling him to run, but he kept his feet firmly in place, digging his shoes deeper into the ground below him to try and prove it.

“Alright, let’s get going…” BDubs told Etho and Tango.
Tango hesitated, turning back to Skizz and looking down at an unconscious Jimmy. He held back tears, before finally turning back and following the others.
—---
Back inside of the tavern, BDubs was resting in one room, and Tango and Etho were in another. There has always been one person sharing a room with Tango and looking after him, in case anything were to happen. It annoyed Tango because he never got any time to himself, unless of course the person looking after him was asleep.

Sure enough, Etho was asleep on the floor in the sleeping bag.

Tango hid underneath the covers of his bed. He placed his hands together, took a deep breath and exhaled before rubbing them together. His hands grew hotter the more he rubbed them together until finally a small spark popped from his hand. He cupped his hand to reveal a small flame.

The flame then opened its eyes, as if it were a regular, living breathing animal.

Tango smiled, “Hey Torchy…”

The flame seemed to smile with its eyes and chirp excitedly.

“Yeah, I’m happy to see you again, too…” Tango whispered softly. “It’s been… another rough night…”

Torchy chirped sadly, its eyes growing sad.

“Torchy, I almost got someone killed.” Tango explained to the flame, “Somebody I met just the other night who works here at the tavern. Somebody I actually got to talk to, have a drink with, somebody who I felt genuinely connected to for the first time in my life.”

Tears filled his eyes again, “Then… I think I ruined it. I became a dragon again, I caused an explosion, and he somehow got caught up in it. Next thing you know, I wake up and he’s on the ground hardly moving. He somehow survived but, I don’t think anything is going to be the same after this…”

A tear fell down almost right onto Torchy, a small splash hitting the flame causing it to singe slightly. Tango panicked momentarily before the flame restored itself. It smiled again with its eyes and snuggled Tango’s thumb to assure him it was okay.

Tango smiled, “Y’know buddy, you’ve been the only good thing that’s come out of this curse. I hope I never lose that.”

Torchy shook its head. Tango quietly laughed.

A knock could suddenly be heard at the door. He quickly cupped his hands together and uncovered himself from under the blanket.

Etho stretched himself awake and watched as the door opened and both Skizz and BDubs entered. Tango’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes fixated on Skizz as he went to the middle of the room.

“Jimmy woke up and we were able to walk back here together.” Skizz explained, “He’s home and he’s honestly doing much better than I think any of us expected.”

Tango felt a wave of relief overcome himself as he fell back onto the bed.

“Thank god, thank god thank god!” Tango mumbled to himself, more tears filling his eyes.

As he uncupped his hand, Torchy was still there, its eyes filled with excitement and doing flips.

He knew he couldn’t keep Torchy around much longer, especially since the others didn’t know about him. So he gently pressed his hands together to send Torchy away.

“There’s a lot that I gotta explain to you guys, but just hear me out.” Skizz continued.
“That’s normally never a good thing.” BDubs said.
“Does any of it have to do with how Jimmy ended up finding all of us out there?” Etho asked.
“No, but it has to do with Tops possibly being able to live a normal life again.” Skizz responded.
Tango quickly sat up in his bed, his face brightening, “Wait what? Really?!”
“Jimmy says that he knows someone who might be able to help with Tango’s dragon curse.” Skizz explained, “He says he’ll try and meet up with them and plan everything out before Tango’s next dragon night.”
“And who’s this person he’s meeting up with?” BDubs asked.
“He didn’t really say.” Skizz shrugged. “He said he has to talk to somebody else first.”
“So this is going to involve multiple people?” Etho asked, “If any of these people find out about the dragon curse, Tango is screwed.”
“Hey listen, Jimmy’s first option was talking to his friend who happens to be second-in-command to the Red King! This option is a hell of a lot better than that.” Skizz explained. “Besides, he’s got the hots for Tops, I doubt he’ll give his secret away that easily.”

Tango slightly blushed. He knew they were aware of his sudden crush on Jimmy, but it’s never been brought up like that until now. But the talk of the plan and the thought of being able to live like a normal human being again quickly clicked back into his mind.

“Look, I really don’t care what happens at this point.” Tango responded, “I’ll take anything if it means I can try to live a normal life.”
“Alright, Tops himself said it, so the plan is on!” Skizz exclaimed.

Tango watched as Etho and BDubs exchanged concerned glances at one another. He grew nervous, eagerly awaiting for one of them to reject the plan and leaving them hopeless once more.

But instead, the two of them stayed silent.
—---
The group laid low inside of their rooms for the majority of the day. They had even asked Joel and Lizzie to not disturb them or not allow anybody to visit them.

Tango, however, was restless the entire time. Despite not having slept for well over a day, his mind had been racing from everything that happened to Jimmy, to the thought of him being able to live a somewhat normal life again. He wanted it so badly. He also wanted to see Jimmy again just as badly.

Etho could sense Tango’s restlessness.

“Why don’t we go down to the lobby and get some food?” Etho asked.
Tango nodded almost instantly and the two of them left the room.

As they entered the lobby, Lizzie noticed them entering and smiled.

“Hey! How are you guys feeling?” Lizzie asked with genuine concern.
“We’re feeling pretty good.” Etho responded, “Getting pretty hungry though.”
“No worries, I’ve got some soup cooking on the stove.” Lizzie said as she went over to the stove to stir up some soup.

Joel approached the duo from across the lobby, “You two just missed loverboy.” He said, looking at Tango.
Tango’s heart skipped, “H-He came in here?”
Joel nodded, “He had to stop by to tell us he wasn’t going to be here for a few days.”
“Oh really, what happened?” Etho asked, acting oblivious.
“Last night he had fainted after serving a customer, and then apparently while getting up in the middle of the night he’d fainted again trying to go down the stairs.” Joel explained. “He’s got a whole bunch of bumps and bruises, so we just told him to take it easy.”
“Oh jeez, that sounds scary.” Tango responded, playing along.
“Yeah, but I can’t say I’m surprised that he would do something like that.” Joel remarked.

Etho and Tango exchanged glances at one another, unsure of whether it was a joke and to laugh along.

The two of them watched as Joel reached over behind the counter and walked back over to them.

“He did tell me to give this to you guys though whenever we had the chance.” Joel said.

Tango slowly grabbed the letter, observing the envelope. It was plain white, and had no mention of a name on it. So he didn’t know exactly who it was for, but he didn’t doubt it was for him.

“Thanks, we’ll have a look at it later.” Tango said, sliding the envelope next to him.

The two of them stayed to have a drink and a bowl of soup before heading back into the room. Tango wasted no time in getting the envelope open and reading it.

Tango,

You and your friends meet at my house at sundown.
325 Mounder St.

~Jimmy

Tango stared longingly at the letter, not even at the words, but at the handwriting. It was neat and elegant, almost like cursive.

“What does the letter say?” Etho asked.
Tango jumped, almost dropping the letter.
Etho raised an eyebrow, “Did you even look at the letter?”
Tango grew flustered, “Of course I did!”
“Okay then, what does it say?” Etho asked.

Tango grew red before looking back down at the letter, “I-It said—“
“Okay hot stuff, hand it over.” Etho interrupted, snatching the letter from his hand. “It says Tango, you and your friends meet at my house at sundown, signed Jimmy.” He gave Tango an annoyed glance, “That’s it? That’s what all the fuss was about?”
“Okay listen, I just wasn’t sure whether you and the others wanted to do it or not.” Tango fibbed.

Although it didn’t feel like a lie, his friends could easily object to this.

Tango watched as Etho examined the letter once more, “I guess this means he’s got a plan set up for us, then. We should go tell the others.”
“O-Okay.” Tango responded as the two of them made their way out of the room.

~~J~~

Jimmy left the tavern, heading just outside of the village over to Scott’s house. His mind racing with how he should approach him, especially given Scott’s possible feelings towards him.

Maybe he was overthinking as per usual, maybe there aren’t any feelings and there’s something else going on that he doesn’t know about.

Even then, how will he explain that he needs a favor out of him, and what if he doesn’t accept the favor? After all, it involved somebody he hasn’t spoken to in years. It would make the letter he had Joel and Lizzie give to Tango completely useless.

He paused as he noticed Scott’s house in the distance. A quaint little cabin surrounded by flowers similar to the ones in the flower field. He noticed Scott coming out of the house and made eye contact with him.

Jimmy took a deep breath and exhaled before walking over to him.

Almost instantly, Scott noticed the bandage wrapped around his arm, followed by the black and blue mark on the side of his head from when he fainted.

“What happened to you?” Scott asked. “You look like you were in some sort of a fight!”

Jimmy knew Scott would be able to tell if he was lying. Thankfully, the bandages under his clothing where he had been burnt weren’t exposed, so he had a chance of getting away with it. He just had to play it right.

“I fainted at work.” Jimmy simply responded, “Hit my head against the counter and messed up my arm during the fall.”
“My God, Jimmy.” Scott responded. “What were you doing?”
Jimmy shrugged, “I dunno… one moment I got finished serving someone a drink, the next everything is spinning and I black out. A guest found me, and Lizzie and Joel quickly came over to help me.”

Jimmy was surprised by just how smoothly things were going. Normally if he were to lie, especially in front of someone like Scott, he would be a mess.

Maybe because he wasn’t entirely telling a lie. The only thing he lied about was messing up his arm after fainting.

“Do you need me to do anything for you?” Scott asked.
“Yes, actually.” Jimmy nodded, “But… it doesn’t have to do with what happened to me…”
Scott raised an eyebrow, “Oh? Then what is it?”

Jimmy was silent, unsure of how to explain anything about Tango to Scott. Not even the fact that Tango was a dragon or cursed, but just the fact alone that he had developed feelings for him. If he were to tell Scott, especially considering his possible feelings towards him, this could potentially turn bad.

Just then, an image of the flower field popped into his mind. It was the one place the two of them could share anything with little consequence. Walking over to the flower field would give Jimmy the time he needed to think of what to explain to Scott.

“Do you think we could maybe go to our spot and talk about this?” Jimmy asked.

Scott immediately agreed.
—---
The walk was unusually quiet for them and kind of awkward. Jimmy was too focused on what type of story to tell Scott to have a conversation with him at that moment.

How could he tell Scott about Tango without revealing that he was cursed with dragon powers and needed some type of cure? Maybe he could express his fascination with dragons onto Scott. Scott had already known of his fascination with birds. Dragons had wings and flew, so maybe he could count them as birds.

But then where would the curing part come in? Dragons wouldn’t need cures unless they were sick or injured.

Sick or injured.

That was it.

That would be the lie Jimmy would tell Scott.

The two of them made their way up to their usual spot atop of the hill in the flower field. Looking over the hillside towards the castle spires that peeked out from behind the trees in the forest. For a split second, Jimmy had forgotten about everything as the view had taken over his mind.

“So tell me, what’s going on that you felt the need to take me over here for?” Scott asked.

Jimmy sighed as he was brought back into reality, even though he had only left it for a moment.

He knew he couldn’t wait any longer.

“Scott… I’ve met someone.” Jimmy immediately began.

His mind began racing, knowing that he was already off to a rough start.

Nonetheless, he continued. “He’s currently staying at the tavern, and the two of us have really gotten to know each other quite a bit the past few days.”

Jimmy eyed over at Scott, his face showed definite disappointment but he was still listening intently.

“But just the other night, I found out that he’s actually very sick…” Jimmy continued. “Him and his friends have been out everywhere looking for answers, but haven’t found anything.”

Jimmy paused for a moment before looking over at Scott.

“I was hoping that maybe… you could get… Pearl to help me?”

Scott was silent for a brief moment. Jimmy could tell he was a bit uneasy, and he couldn’t blame him. He just randomly asked his friend to reach out to his ex-lover for help. Someone Jimmy didn’t know much about but was told by Scott that she is mysterious and unpredictable, and he could tell by Scott’s face that he really didn’t want to deal with that.

Jimmy was about to accept defeat, “If you don’t want to do this, I completely understan–.”
“What’s his name?” Scott asked.

Jimmy was taken aback by the interruption.

“The person you met at the tavern…” Scott emphasized. “What’s his name?”
“Tango…” Jimmy responded. “His name’s Tango.”

Jimmy watched as Scott sat in silence, staring down at the ground, almost lost in thought, but still processing everything that had been said to him.

Finally, Scott looked at Jimmy, smiling softly.

“I can go and talk to her for you, and I’ll let you know what she says from there.” Scott said.

Jimmy smiled, a glimpse of hope filling his mind and without hesitation, he hugged Scott tightly.

“Thank you Scott!” Jimmy exclaimed. “I owe you so much for this!”

There seemed to be a bit of hesitation, but Jimmy could feel Scott’s arm wrap around his. It was tight and warm, and felt sincere.

“No, you don’t.” Scott mumbled, “I’m doing this just for you…”

Just for me… Jimmy thought to himself. As his friend? Someone he cares about? Or more…?

He knew he couldn’t ask. The plan has pretty much been confirmed and begun, asking any of that might surely ruin the plan.

Instead, the two of them sat in silence as the sun slowly began to descend over the horizon. The color of the sky slowly changed from blue to a bright orange hue. Jimmy knew he had to be back home soon so that he could meet up with Tango and the others. But he almost didn’t want to move, almost out of guilt for having to leave Scott alone again.

However, that quickly changed as he noticed Scott standing up next to him.

He let out a heavy sigh, “If I have to go and talk to Pearl, it’s best that I go now.”
Jimmy nodded in agreement, seemingly breathing a sigh of relief. “Okay, I should probably head back home as well.”

Scott held out his hand to help Jimmy up. Jimmy took Scott’s hand and pulled himself up. As the two of them were at eye level with one another, Jimmy noticed Scott seeming to stare at him for a brief period of time. Jimmy tried his best not to acknowledge it.

“Please let me know how everything goes tonight, alright?” Jimmy asked.

Scott frowned, but nodded.

Jimmy then made his way down the hill and back into town.

Scott stayed behind and watched once more…

Chapter Text

~~S~~

Scott frowned, watching as Jimmy left the flower field and headed back into town.

He still could not fathom Jimmy telling him that he had fallen in love with someone else. It felt like only yesterday that Jimmy had expressed feelings for him, but he never reciprocated. Instead, he chose the beautiful, tall brunette girl because he still thought that deep down, he loved women. That’s what he had grown up to believe at least.

But now, that beautiful, tall brunette girl had resorted to witchcraft, and was deemed crazy by everybody in the kingdom, including himself. After she had left, Scott began questioning himself about the people he loved. It was then that he knew he wanted to reconcile with Jimmy. But by that point, he seemed to have moved on. The two of them still remained close friends, but nothing ever really felt the same again.

And now…

Tango… Tango… Tango…

The name was playing repeatedly in his head.

No… Scott told himself. I can’t let it get to me…

Scott began to walk down the hill of the flower field, through town and out the opposite way into another forest. He was going to Witch’s Way, a place named by the people in town and in the surrounding areas, but it was the one area where witches came and went to practice magic because of how secluded it was. It was about a half hour walk from town, and he hoped that Pearl would still be there by the time he arrived, otherwise this would’ve all been a waste of time.

The walk was quiet, long and boring. It wasn’t fun not having someone to walk with him. It was usually Jimmy who would accompany him on these types of walks. But between Jimmy’s apparent injury… and his newfound love, a walk together wasn’t meant to be.

Tango… Tango… Tango…

The name wouldn’t leave Scott’s mind. He hasn’t even met the man yet and he could feel himself more jealous with each time he thought of the name. Something about it sounded charming, beautiful even. It made him wonder if his own name sounded that way to Jimmy when he had feelings for him.

He doubted it.

Tango… Tango…

“Scott… you’re here…” said to himself.

He stopped as he saw a large hut in the distance up between two trees. A large stairwell wrapped around each tree leading up to the entrance.

This was it. Pearl had to be in there…

Scott sighed heavily as he began to walk up the stairwell. He only made it a few steps up, a slight creaking noise emitting from each step, when he could hear the front door to the hut abruptly swing open.

Scott watched as the silhouette of a figure from the darkness inside of her hut stepped out into the remainder of the daylight. Her long, wavy brown hair and red cloak outlined from the small bit of light behind her.

Scott frowned, “Hello Pearl…”
“Well, well well…” Pearl smiled, walking down the stairwell, “look at what the dogs brought in!”

Scott nearly rolled his eyes, remembering Pearl’s obsession with dogs. She used to own quite a few, one of them being Tilly, the one whom she cherished most. As he peered over to the entrance, he could actually see her shadowy figure sitting properly by the front door.

Pearl approached Scott with a welcoming, yet slightly eerie, smile.

“Scott Smajor…” Pearl said, “I never thought I would see your face again in these parts.”
“Of course I wouldn’t willingly come here.” Scott responded.
“Oh… so you were sent here by somebody, huh?” Pearl asked. “Lemme guess, that Jimmy fellow?”

Scott’s eyes widened, almost impressed but trying not to show it to Pearl. The last thing he would want her to see are whatever tricks she has working against him.

“Jimmy’s friend is sick…” Scott explained, cutting right to the chase, “and I thought you would maybe want to help out.”

Pearl didn’t respond right away. Instead, she seemed to walk around and examine him. He stood still and watched for several minutes as she just walked around him a few times. He began to shift around uncomfortably the more things grew awkward.

Finally, she stopped in front of him once more.

“What’s this… ‘friend’ sick with?” Pearl asked.

Scott noticed she put the word ‘friend’ in air quotes, almost as if she had already caught on about the relationship.

Scott quickly brushed off her response with a shrug, “They don’t know… so that’s why Jimmy thought maybe I could talk you into helping us figure that out.”
“You ask me that as if I’m some sort of doctor.” Pearl said.
“Well, you do work with potions and magic.” Scott said.
Pearl nodded, looking up at her hut. “Yes, but what I work with doesn’t have to do with illnesses.”
Scott raised an eyebrow, “Well then, what do you use them for?”

Pearl paused for a moment, a slight hesitation before finally responding.

“Well, I use them for spells…”

Spells… Scott thought to himself. Just spells?
“Would any of these spells help in any sort of way?” Scott asked Pearl.
Pearl shrugged, “I wouldn’t know because I don’t know what exactly is happening to this ‘friend’.

Scott noticed Pearl looking in the direction of the town. The town where she used to live before being sent off.

She then turned back to Scott, “But I do sense the feeling that there is more at play here than just a sickness, and I’m more than willing to get to the bottom of it.”
“What do you mean by that?” Scott asked.
“It means I’m willing to help Jimmy and whoever this ‘friend’ is!” Pearl said.
“No! Before that, you said that there may be more at play!” Scott exclaimed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Pearl reached into the inside of her cloak and handed Scott a small scroll, tied together by a small piece of string.

“Tell Jimmy and his ‘friend’ to stop by the hut tomorrow.” Pearl said, “I would like to meet them and get this sorted out myself.”

Before Scott could say anything else, with a large swoop of her cape, she seemingly disappeared, a small batch of leaves falling from the gust of wind she left behind.

Scott’s face grew red with frustration. He began to run up the stairwell and bang at the door. But as he pounded the door, it slowly creaked open. When he peeked inside, he saw nothing but darkness and not a sign of life anywhere, even Tilly seemed to have somehow vanished.

Scott huffed, stomping back down the stairwell. As his feet touched back down to the ground, he looked down at the scroll. He unraveled it and stared at the drawing on the paper. It was a map of the town, with red dashes showing the way to her hut and a red circle to show exactly where she was at.

Scott crumpled the paper up into a ball and threw it onto the ground before walking away from the hut, and back into the darkness of the forest as the very last glimpse of sunlight had just disappeared to the west.

Throughout his way back through the forest and back home, he could hear Pearl’s words echo in his head.

“But I do know there is more at play here…”

What is it that she knows that he won’t tell him?

Or more importantly… is there something that Jimmy knows that he doesn’t?

~~J~~

The sun had just set over the horizon, and Jimmy had just finished cleaning the downstairs part of his house. It was in no way, shape or form spotless, but stuff was picked up and organized.

Upstairs, however, was a different matter.

He quickly made his way up the stairs, picking up some clothing and shoving it in drawers and closets. He then went over to fix his bed. As he ruffled the sheets, he heard a small clinking sound as something hit the floor. Jimmy looked down and watched as the coin rolled a bit before spinning flat, the side with the eye facing upwards.

Jimmy hesitated, remembering the last time he even made eye contact with the coin that he got dizzy. But he knew he couldn’t just leave it there. He didn’t know what would happen if anybody else came across it, especially Tango.

He slowly made his way over to the coin, knelt down and picked it up.

Jimmy…

Jimmy jolted slightly as the whisper startled him. Not even a second into picking it up and it was already whispering to him.

They’re coming, Jimmy…

Jimmy raised an eyebrow at that sentence. Who was ‘they’? Was it in reference to Tango and the others? Was there another group of people now after him? After Tango? Maybe the figure?

Jimmy could feel himself growing dizzy once again.

“No…” Jimmy mumbled to himself, “I can’t let this happen to me again… not now…”

Jimmy immediately placed the coin on the nightstand by his bed. Surprisingly, as he let go of the coin, the dizziness subsided. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Almost on cue, he heard the sound of knocking coming from the door. He quickly ran down the stairs to open it. But before he could acknowledge anyone, he was met with a sudden embrace, tackling him to the floor and hugging him tightly.

It took hardly any time for Jimmy to know that it was Tango. His hug was so tight he could hardly breathe, slight shocks of pain running through his body where he had been burnt, but he didn’t want to say anything to scare him. After a moment, he hugged him back. Jimmy’s heart broke as he could hear Tango silently sobbing over his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s alright Tango… I’m right here.” Jimmy assured him.
“I know…” Tango sobbed, “I’m just… so sorry!”

Jimmy watched as the other three entered the house, Skizz letting out a huge sigh.

“Tops, you told us you weren’t going to do that.”

Tango quickly let go of Jimmy and stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Yeah, I know…” Tango responded, “I-I just couldn’t help myself.”
“Hey, it’s alright.” Jimmy assured him, “I’m sure you needed this… I kind of did too…”

Tango grew red, unsure of whether it was from crying or from blushing.

“Anyways…” Etho chimed in, changing the subject, “We obviously got your letter. How are things going with your little plan?”
“I spoke to my friend, and he’s currently talking to someone who might know how to help Tango with his curse.” Jimmy explained.
“Wait, so you told him about the curse!?” Skizz asked, very alarmed, the entire group suddenly on edge.
“Relax!” Jimmy responded, “I said nothing about the curse, I just said Tango was sick.”

The group released their tension and became more relaxed.

“Ok, so who is this friend? And who is he speaking to?” BDubs asked.

Jimmy looked over at Tango, his mind racing back to when he had to tell Scott about him, and how it potentially ruined any feelings Scott may have had towards him.

Did they need to know any of that?

No. He needed to keep it simple, at least for now.

“His name’s Scott.” Jimmy started. “And he knows someone who can maybe cast a spell or create potions.”
“So… a witch?” Skizz asked.

Jimmy was silent for a moment. He knew Skizz didn’t like his first idea of Martyn and the Red King possibly bringing in Tango. And considering a witch’s status in their society, a witch probably wasn’t going to be any better.

But Jimmy knew at this point he couldn’t turn back.

He finally nodded, “Her name is Pearl. I only met her once before she ran off to practice withcraft.”
“So you don’t really know yet whether or not she can help Tango?” Skizz asked.

A bit of relief filled Jimmy as he realized they didn’t seem to care that they were going to work with a witch.

Jimmy shrugged, “Scott knows her and what she does a bit better than I do, which is why I had him find her to ask.”
“If she says yes. What then?” Etho asked.
“I don’t know how it’ll go.” Jimmy explained, “But I assume we’ll go to see her, and she can see what she can do then.”
“And when will that be?” Tango asked.
“Probably not until at least tomorrow morning.” Jimmy said.

The four of them looked over at one another, almost hesitant of wanting to go through with this plan. Skizz, Etho and BDubs gave a look to Tango, who nodded confidently at the three of them.

They all then turned to Jimmy.

“We don’t seem to have any reason to doubt you as of right now.” Etho explained, “So we’ll agree to this, but the moment anything goes wrong, we’re leaving.”
Jimmy smiled and nodded, "Understood."

Jimmy looked over at Tango, who seemed uneasy after hearing Etho’s condition. Jimmy frowned, he knew Tango didn’t want to leave him, and if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want them to leave either.

He slowly put his arm around Tango’s shoulder and smiled assuringly.

“Everything is going to be okay.” Jimmy assured him. “We’ll get this sorted out one way or another.”

Tango didn’t say anything, didn’t even give a smile in response. Instead, he only nodded.

Jimmy almost felt guilty saying that. To a normal person, hearing ‘everything is going to be okay’ was reassuring. But Tango probably heard that sentence so many times, and nothing ended up being okay. He still ended up transforming into a dragon, hurting his friends and putting them all in danger.

Jimmy really did want to give Tango some sort of assurance, even if just for one night.

It gave him an idea.

“Tango, what if you stayed here with me for one night?” Jimmy asked.

Tango was almost taken aback by the question, as were the others. Skizz immediately rejected.

“No, absolutely not!” Skizz argued. “If anything were to happen to Tops, you wouldn’t have the resources to handle him!”
“The three of you have spent years taking care of Tango and his curse.” Jimmy explained. “It’s got to be frustrating for you guys, and I’m sure it’s especially frustrating for him.”

He was expecting one of them to continue arguing, especially Skizz. But instead, they kept listening.

“It’s an off night for Tango. Let me watch over him while you guys go back and get some rest.” He continued. “Then tomorrow morning, you guys can come back and get him.”

Jimmy watched as Etho, Skizz and BDubs looked at one another.

Etho shrugged, “His transformation happened last night. That gives us another two nights before it happens again. I’m sure being away for one wouldn’t hurt.”
BDubs nodded in agreement, “Besides, nobody’s really offered this kind of stuff to us before. I agree we do kinda need it.”
“I really don’t think we should risk it.” Skizz responded.

Skizz looked back and forth between Tango and Jimmy and Etho and BDubs. Jimmy and Tango both worried over his response, while Etho and BDubs seemed more relaxed.

Skizz finally responded with a heavy sigh before approaching Tango.

“Tops, listen to me very carefully.” Skizz mumbled, “If anything happens, leave this house immediately and run as far away as possible. Can we trust you with that?”
Tango nodded in agreement, his face brightening.
Skizz then faced Jimmy.
“If you see him running away from the house, come to the tavern and get us and we’ll go and take care of it.” Skizz demanded.
“Absolutely.” Jimmy nodded.

Skizz hesitated before turning to face the others.

“Alright, then it’s settled.” Skizz said, “We’re doing one night of this and ONE NIGHT ONLY!” Skizz then turned back to Jimmy and Tango, “I expect to see you both tomorrow.”

Skizz, Etho and BDubs started making their way out of the door. As the door shut behind them, Jimmy let out a huge sigh of relief. He then looked over at Tango, who seemed more shocked than anything.

“Oh my god, Jimmy.” Tango said, “You actually got them to let me stay with you…”
“You all need a break.” Jimmy said, “Even if it’s just for this one night.”

Tango’s lips curled into a smile but then curled down in a frown only after a moment.

“I’m scared that this may be a mistake…” Tango said, “If anything were to happen to me, you’d be all alone, and I… I couldn’t bear to see you get hurt again.”
“Hey, you guys had no idea that I was even there last night.” Jimmy claimed, “If anything, that’s my fault, really.”
Tango raised an eyebrow at Jimmy, “How… did you end up in the forest with us anyways?”

Jimmy thought about what he told Skizz when he asked the same question earlier that morning. He was almost tempted to tell Tango the same thing. But he didn’t want to lie to him.

“I kinda had to lie to Skizz earlier about this…” Jimmy began. “But… I had seen a figure outside of my house… and it had me follow it until I came across you guys, and your dragon form.”

Tango grew silent, his eyes widening. Jimmy almost regret saying anything.

“Th-This figure…” Tango responded, “Did it have a dark cloak over its head?”

Jimmy shouldn’t have been surprised to know that Tango recognized the same figure, but he was.

“Yeah…” Jimmy nodded. “Actually it did. I tried to figure out who or what it was, but I couldn’t, and I lost it after I had discovered you guys.”

Tango was silent again, growing more uneasy as he asked another question.

“And… did you hear voices in your head?” Tango asked.
Jimmy didn’t say anything, he had only nodded.

Jimmy watched as Tango began to pace.

“Jimmy, we’re in danger. You’re in danger!” Tango panicked. “That figure that you saw, the one that led you to me as a dragon, that was the same figure that completely destroyed my town and gave me this curse, and if I’m correct, that means it’ll come here next!”

Jimmy was silent, Martyn’s words ringing in his mind again. If this all ended up being true, this was something he could at least warn Martyn about. Even if it weren’t somehow true, it would at least give Tango some peace of mind.

But he thought about Skizz and how much he despised Jimmy’s original idea. There was no way he could go to Martyn about this.

Jimmy watched as Tango continued pacing the floor, his steps and his breathing growing faster to the point of hyperventilating. J

Jimmy couldn’t stand to see Tango like this.

“We need to get Skizz, Etho and BDubs back here and—.” Tango continued.

Jimmy stepped in and grabbed Tango by the shoulders, making direct eye contact with him. “Tango, stop! Take some deep breaths.”

Tango was silent, but listened to him as he took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Now I want you to listen to me,” Jimmy continued, “The two of us, we’re going to figure out and get through this mess we’re in. All of this stuff you’ve just told me has got me super freaked out as well, but panicking over it isn’t going to make anything better. We’re going to sit with the information that we’ve got, and we’ll come up with something tomorrow. Hopefully by then, we’ve got an arrangement with Pearl as well.”

Tango continued to take deep breaths as he listened. After Jimmy was finished, he had nearly completely calmed down. Jimmy watched as Tango’s expression changed from panic and worry to a look of awe and amazement.

Jimmy barely had any time to acknowledge the sudden change in Tango’s face when he suddenly felt lips connect to his. His heart jolted in a million directions at the unexpectancy of it all. Despite that, he didn’t push him off or pull away. He hadn’t felt anything like this in such a long time, and had almost forgotten what it was like. But now, he wanted it more than ever.

However, it quickly stopped as Jimmy felt Tango suddenly pull away from him. His face was red, embarrassed and almost ashamed.

“I-I’m sorry Jimmy…” Tango stuttered, “I just— you and your words are so warm and loving… I never felt like this before and I don’t know if I’ll ever feel that way again and—!”

Jimmy’s lips curled up in a gentle smile as he listened to Tango ramble before quickly pulling him in for a hug. Tango wasted no time in hugging back. Jimmy reciprocated the unexpected kiss from a minute ago and kissed the top of Tango’s head. He then rested his chin on top, running his hand through his soft, wavy blond hair.

“Don’t you worry, Tango.” Jimmy said, “I’ll make sure this won’t be the last time…”

Chapter Text

Jimmy…

Jimmy opened his eyes. All he could see was darkness.

Jimmy…

“What do you want this time?” Jimmy asked.

They’re coming…

Jimmy looked puzzled. He had been told that before and assumed it was because Tango and the others were coming to his house.

What is it actually supposed to mean?

“Who’s coming?” Jimmy asked. “I need to know!”

Suddenly, strobes of light began flashing all around him. A silhouette forming of a dragon.

Tango…

As the strobes of light continued, he saw what looked like silhouettes of people surrounding the dragon. They were fighting it, the dragon fighting back but with little to no avail.

Suddenly, another silhouette jumped in the air from above and struck the dragon down.

He wore a crown.

“No…” Jimmy said, shaking his head. “No, this is just a dream…”

They’re coming, Jimmy…

“No… they’re not. I won’t let it happen!”

You cannot run, Jimmy…

Jimmy watched as the dragon silhouette fell out of sight, and flames began to shoot out.

“No! Stop it! This won't happen!”

Jimmy could see the silhouettes suddenly turn towards him. They were going after him next.

He could feel bodies surrounding him, trying to weigh him down to the point where he couldn’t breathe. He almost felt like he was going to pass out.

But how could he? He was only dreaming.

At that moment, Jimmy opened his eyes, gasping for air as if he had been suffocating. He quickly sat up and looked around. He could feel the cold, hard floor beneath him as he had chosen to fall asleep on the floor. He looked up next to him, noticing Tango still asleep on the sofa, the blankets wrapped around him only showing the top half of his face and his bright, blond hair.

Jimmy couldn’t help but smile. He thought back to last night, where the two of them held each other close until they both grew tired. Tango playfully arguing with Jimmy over him being given the sofa to sleep on. It didn’t last long however, as Tango quickly fell asleep. He seemed so comfortable, and he only hoped he was sleeping well, even if he wasn’t.

Jimmy slowly stood up from the floor, being ever so careful not to let the floor creak beneath him to wake Tango. He tiptoed his way over to the window. A slightly disgusted look came across his face as he saw cloudy and foggy. He still had yet to step outside, but he could tell it was chilly.

He never liked cold days, or cloudy, dreary days. It made him wish that he could just stay inside and cozy up by the fire all day with a warm cup of coffee.

A warm cup of coffee…

Jimmy smiled as he had an idea.

He quickly but quietly made his way into the kitchen, gathering up some eggs, meat and bread to make some omelette and toast for him and Tango when he woke up.

He took out one pan and placed it on top of a burner, cracking a few eggs and watched as the yolks hit the pan. He mixed the eggs up together and let it sit. He then grabbed a second pan and placed it on the burner next to the other pan, placing the meat on top of it. He watched and listened as the bacon began to sizzle, the smell hitting his nostrils almost immediately after.

He looked over at Tango, still fast asleep on the sofa. Normally, the smell of breakfast would wake any of his guests up. But this time he wasn’t complaining, Tango needed the rest.

As he waited for the eggs and meat to finish cooking, he placed a few pieces of bread in a toaster and made a few small cups of coffee.

Finally, after a few moments everything was finished. He placed an omelette, sausage, bacon and toast on each plate and set it on the table. He then took two mugs of coffee and set them next to one another.

He stood there and smiled at the breakfast he made for the two of them. He hadn't actually cooked a meal at his house for a while. Ever since he started working at the tavern, he mainly ate there. ?????

Suddenly, he heard shouting.

“NO! GET OFF OF ME! GET AWAY!”

It was Tango.

Jimmy watched as Tango suddenly seemed to flail his body around and fall off of the couch.

Jimmy immediately ran over to him.

“Tango! TANGO! WAKE UP!” Jimmy shouted back, attempting to shake his body awake.
Tango still flailed his arms around, kicking his feet, trying to fight back. “GET AWAY FROM ME!”
“Tango!” Jimmy responded. “It’s Jimmy! You’re having a nightmare. It’s okay, I’m here!”

Tango stopped flailing and kicking. As Jimmy held him, he could still feel his body trembling in fear, his breathing unsteady and his heart nearly pounding out of his chest.

Jimmy watched as Tango finally opened his eyes. As the two of them made eye contact, Tango’s eyes began to water and his lip quivered.

“Jimmy…” Tango choked, “It really is you…”

He immediately wrapped his arms tightly around Jimmy. Jimmy hugged back with no hesitation.

“Hey… it’s alright. It was all a dream…” Jimmy softly spoke, “I… kind of had a bad dream as well.”
Tango looked back at Jimmy, “Y-You did?”
Jimmy nodded, “I did… but I had to remind myself that it was only a dream…”
“But… the dreams I’ve had…” Tango said, “They’ve connected with everything happening to us right now. If they continue to be true, then… I-I might die…”

Jimmy’s heart sank. Tango had the same exact type of dream he had. It made him wonder what other dreams that Tango had that were similar to his, or connected to them meeting somehow.

But that was a question for another time.

“That is not going to happen.” Jimmy assured Tango. “We are going to treat these dreams exactly as they are, and we’re going to figure everything out right now, in the real world.”

Tango rested his head up against Jimmy’s chest. Jimmy could feel his heart beating against his chest and he could hear Tango taking deep breaths to calm himself down

“That’s it…” Jimmy said, “Just like that…”

Tango looked up at Jimmy with a soft smile, a tired look still on his face, “Thank you, Jimmy…”
Jimmy smiled back, “No need for that, how about we have some breakfast instead?”

Tango looked over Jimmy’s shoulder, noticing the food on the table and quickly sprang up out of the couch and sat down in a chair.

Jimmy laughed a bit as Tango immediately started scarfing down his breakfast. Tango paused halfway through eating as he noticed Jimmy laughing, his face growing pink.

He swallowed the food in his mouth, rubbing the back of his neck, “Sorry…” Tango blushed, “I’m just really hungry, and I know your food is really good and—.”
Jimmy shook his head, “No, you’re fine. I just like it when other people are enjoying my food.”
“Oh yeah, I absolutely do!” Tango nodded, “A lot better than the tavern, actually!”
“Yeah well, kinda gotta follow a recipe there.” Jimmy said.

Tango gestured across the table to the empty seat, “Well, aren’t you going to sit and eat?”

Jimmy’s body froze, butterflies filling his stomach and a small wave of nostalgia suddenly hit him.

It was only a few nights ago that Jimmy had gestured for Tango to have a seat at the bar in the tavern, when they were merely strangers. Cut to only a few days later, the two of them are now basically inseparable and one is trying to save the other from a fate worse than death.

So much has happened. What usually would take years only happened in several days.

Finally, Jimmy snapped out of his thoughts and sat across the table. He still didn’t eat right away, however. He continued to watch as Tango finished his meal and coffee.

Jimmy looked down at his breakfast. He grabbed the silverware off of the napkin and was about to grab a piece of omelette.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The two of them grew silent, looking over at the door. Jimmy wondered who could be visiting him so early in the morning?

Perhaps it was Scott telling Jimmy that he had visited Pearl…

… Or perhaps it was Skizz, Etho and BDubs coming to get Tango. After all, they did say first thing in the morning.

He was kind of hoping it was the former. He wanted at least a little bit more time with Tango.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

He quickly got up from the table and answered the door as to not keep whoever was out there waiting.

But as he answered the door, he didn’t see anybody in front of him. He looked both ways, seeing nobody in sight. And the fog was not thick enough for anybody to hide in.

However, as he looked down at the front step of his door, he noticed a scroll.

He slowly picked it up and unfurled it, revealing a small map. The bottom of the map showed the village, and outlined in red ink were dotted lines that eventually led to a large circle in the middle of the forest just north.

Jimmy, please meet me at the location circled below.

P

At that moment, Jimmy immediately knew who it was…

… but how did the scroll get there?
———
Only minutes after discovering the map, Tango and Jimmy had left the village and went up north towards the forest, following the map that was mysteriously delivered to the doorstep. Jimmy had never followed a map like this before, he often found himself wandering freely through the forest and relying on surroundings to get him back where he needed, so he was nervous of getting lost this time.

But every time he looked at the map, he always seemed to know where to go, even with the drawing on the map being nothing but trees. Maybe his experience walking through the forest helped…

… or perhaps it was something else.

“Jimmy, look!” Tango said, nudging his elbow.

Jimmy looked up ahead on what looked like the start of a pathway. At the start of the pathway, there was a pole with several picket signs pointing in two directions. One labeled ‘town’ and the other labeled ‘Witch’s Way’

They began to follow the path, in the direction labeled ‘Witch’s Way’. After at least another half-mile, through the leaves and branches, they could see a large hut up in the trees, two large stairwells circling down its trunks.

“Whoa…” Tango said in astonishment, “So this is where she lives?”
“I guess so…” Jimmy said.

Jimmy looked down at the steps in front of him. There were no rails on either stairwell to keep them from falling over, so he started going up very slowly, Tango following only a step or two behind.

It took them several minutes to climb up the entire stairwell when they finally reached the balcony of the hut. Jimmy slowly made his way over to the door, balled his hand into a fist and gently knocked on the door.

Only a split second after, the door swung open, nearly startling Tango and Jimmy. Pearl then stepped out and greeted them, almost in a loving and warm manner.

“Jimmy!” Pearl exclaimed, “Long time no see!”
“Yeah.” Jimmy said, “I guess it has been.”

Pearl looked over at Tango, a look of surprise on her face, followed by a smile.

“And who is this handsome fellow?” Pearl asked.
“This is Tango.” Jimmy introduced, “He’s my uh…”
Pearl let out a giggle, “You don’t have to tell me something I already know.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow, “Wait… did Scott tell you?”
“No… but I already had a feeling based on his explanation.” Pearl responded.
Jimmy frowned, “So Scott is upset about it…”
“Hey, don’t get yourself all worked up over it! It seems that we’ve got bigger issues to deal with!” Pearl said.

She grabbed the two of them and pulled them inside of the hut, closing the door shut behind them.

As Jimmy and Tango regained their bearings and looked around, all they saw inside were a few small lanterns lighting up the interior of the hut, a small bed frame in the corner with a dog laying on top, a large shelf with lots of books and small glasses, and a long table with several chairs lined underneath it.

No large cauldron, no broomstick or witch’s hat like he had been told in folklore. It just seemed like a regular study.

“I’m so glad you got my delivery and made it to my hut safely!” Pearl began.
“Yeah, but… how did it get to my house?” Jimmy asked.
Pearl shrugged and smiled, “As they like to say, a magician never reveals their secrets.”

Jimmy wasn’t sure how to feel about her response at first. But given she was practicing witchcraft, performing magic spells was her thing, so he didn’t really question it further.

“Anyways… I take it that means Scott talked to you?” Jimmy asked, changing the subject.
“He did.” Pearl responded, “And he was supposed to hand deliver that map to you personally, but instead he crumpled it up and left it by the stairwell.”
Jimmy’s eyes widened, “He… did what?”
Pearl sighed, “Well, let’s just say I had to keep some stuff from him and he wasn’t very appreciative of that.”
“What stuff?” Jimmy asked.
“I know there is a curse going on.” Pearl immediately answered, looking right at Tango. “I just don’t know what kind, and I obviously couldn’t tell Scott about it without potentially putting you both in danger.”

Jimmy noticed Tango grow very uneasy. He quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly.

“It’s alright…” Jimmy assured him. “We’re still safe here.”
“I know…” Tango said, “But… if she could very easily figure out my curse, who’s to say others don’t know?”
“Oh don’t worry, nobody else knows.” Pearl explained, “I’ve just developed a great sense of intuition when it comes to reading people.”

She walked over to the table, reaching up to the lantern above her and brightening the flame. She then gestured for Tango and Jimmy to sit in the other chairs. Tango sat at the seat closest to Pearl. Jimmy took the chair from the opposite end of the table and sat down next to Tango.

Jimmy was startled as Tango seemed to jolt out of his seat. He watched as a small wolf slowly came out from underneath the table.

“Oh, sorry about that.” Pearl chuckled, “That’s Tilly’s favorite hiding spot!”

Jimmy watched as Tilly sniffed Tango. He hadn’t seen her since she was only a small puppy, and now she had grown a bit above his knees.

Jimmy noticed Tango tensed up as Tilly continued to sniff him. He almost wanted to get her away when she suddenly started to gently nuzzle him. It almost caught him off guard. Surely Tilly had a sense of Tango’s dragon curse, but was still not scared of it. Perhaps it was because her owner was a witch, or maybe perhaps she could still sense the warmth in Tango’s presence. Either way, it fascinated him.

Finally, Tilly left the group and leapt onto the bed, circled a few times before laying down. After another moment, Pearl had them all sit back down again.

“So, tell me Tango…” Pearl began, but she didn’t continue.
“Tell you what?” Tango asked.
“About the curse, and how you got it.” Pearl explained. “I need to know it all in order to try and help in any way that I can.”

Tango hesitated, but then finally spoke, “Well… about ten years ago, I started hearing these voices in my head. They kept calling my name and giving me subliminal messages. Then, only a few days later, a mysterious figure destroyed my town and everybody in it. I was the only survivor…”

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. He was the only survivor? What about Skizz, Etho and BDubs??

“After I had come out from hiding and seen all the damage, I had confronted the figure… or rather, it confronted me.” Tango continued, “And so I began pleading, begging for it to spare me, bring my friends and family back, restore the town, anything. I said I would do anything, and that caught its attention.”
“And so lemme guess…” Pearl interrupted, “It offered you your friends and family back in exchange for your soul?”
Tango nodded, “But even after all of that, it still never kept its side of the deal. I got three of my friends back, but nobody else was brought back and neither was the town. And now every third night, I transform into a dragon…”

Tango became choked up, looking down at the wood on the table, “and those same friends have to keep me from destroying everything, and getting others and myself killed…”

Jimmy watched as Tango silently started to cry. Jimmy had questions. Why did Tango never tell him about Skizz, Etho and BDubs? Did they even know their original fate?

But he never asked them. He reached over and put his arm around Tango’s shoulder, gently rubbing it. Tango reached up and held his hand.

Those questions could always be asked later.

Pearl quickly got up from her seat and headed over to the bookshelf. Tango and Jimmy watched as she went through almost every book before finally pulling one out from the very top shelf. She quickly turned around and rustled through the pages, sitting back down as she landed on the page she was looking for.

“I have a feeling I might know what this figure might be.” Pearl said, “These figures are incredibly rare, and have only been mentioned in stuff like fairytales. But even then, their stories are never told.”

She showed the page to Tango and Jimmy. The figure was cloaked from head to toe with multiple wings spread across its back, almost like an angel. The figure also wore a mask with a symbol engraved onto it.

Jimmy’s eyes widened as he immediately recognized the symbol. The rectangle with the two dots on the corners, like the coin he had been given before he passed out back at the tavern.

Jimmy could almost hear the voices calling his name as he continued to look.

“They’re called watchers.” Pearl explained, “They’re god-like beings that cause destruction anywhere they go, and with no rhyme or reason whatsoever. And, as their name suggests, they just watch as everything and everyone burns.”
“And what about the voices I heard before my town was destroyed?” Tango asked, “Were those watchers?”
Pearl nodded, “Watchers aren’t one for actually interacting with living beings. But when they do, they enjoy manipulation, whether it’s through dreams or creating voices in their heads.”

Jimmy thought back to the moment he heard the voice in his head and followed a figure out into the forest, where he would eventually come across Tango’s dragon form.

“I think I may have come across one when it had me follow it through the forest.” Jimmy said, “That’s when it led me to Tango when he was in his dragon form, and then it just disappeared.”
Pearl looked over at Jimmy, an eyebrow raised, “So you also began hearing these voices?”

Pearl sat back, almost perplexed.

“I’ve never heard of a watcher having more than one victim at once.” Pearl explained. “Let alone bringing them both together, and also adding the dragon curse on top of it. This is a difficult one for sure…”
“So… what will this mean for me with my dragon curse?” Tango asked. Tango looked over at Jimmy, holding his hand, “For both of us?”

Pearl was silent for a moment, still in thought. After a few moments, she sprang up from her chair and headed back to her bookshelf. She put the book that had the watcher back in its place on the shelf and went through several other books on her shelf.

“Well, unfortunately, as it is a curse, I can’t actually stop it.”Pearl explained, “Only the creature who cursed you can rid you of it. But I doubt a watcher would do such a thing.”
She reached for a book on the top shelf. As she grabbed it, she turned back around to face the two of them, “However, there are ways in which I can prolong the curse from transforming you into a dragon.”
“For how long?” Jimmy asked.
“Right now, for a day or two.” Pearl answered. “I have some ingredients to make only a few potions. But, if you drink them regularly, you’ll be dragon-free for possibly a week.”

Jimmy looked at Tango, a glimpse of hope on his face, but he could still sense some concern.

“I-Is there any way you can make more?” Tango asked, “I’d like to be dragon-free for as long as possible.”
Pearl sighed, “Unfortunately, the ingredients I plan on using for this potion are scarce, and these are all that I have. Besides, even if I brew up these potions in time, they may not have any effect at all.”
“What do you mean?” Jimmy asked.
“Curses such as Tango’s can unfortunately be very unpredictable.” Pearl explained, “Some curses can be worn off temporarily with potions, others are completely unphased by it and will show no results. And some curse–.”
“So you’re saying…” Tango interrupted, a growing frustration in his tone, “That this could all still be for nothing?”
“I don’t want to say no, because I’m frankly not sure.” Pearl shrugged, “But I can certainly brew one up and you could try it.”

Everyone grew silent. Jimmy looked at Tango. The sense of hope that he saw on his face before was drained away and replaced with hopelessness, defeat.

“This is just like everything else…” Jimmy could hear Tango mumble, “... Always ending in false hope…”

Tango then stood up from his chair, Jimmy watching as he walked out of the door.

“Don’t bother…” He snarled at Jimmy and Pearl in a deep, demonic tone as he closed the door behind him.

Jimmy and Pearl froze, Jimmy’s heart sinking deeper into his chest.

Pearl looked over at Jimmy, “That… did not sound normal…”
“I-I’ve never heard him sound like that, either.” Jimmy said, slightly panicked.

Pearl quickly rushed over to gather materials, turning back to Jimmy.

“I have a strange feeling that this curse is about to take a turn.” Pearl explained, “Between the connection you two have with one of the watchers, I have a feeling it’s going to plan something big, and soon!”

Pearl then turned back to Jimmy, her arms filled with glass bottles, herbs and other ingredients,

“I’ll start working on the potions right away and have the first batch ready by tomorrow afternoon.”

Tomorrow. That was going to be Tango’s next dragon night. If he got here early enough, he might be able to give the first potion to Tango before his transformation.

Jimmy nodded in agreement, “I’ll be here… Thank you, Pearl.”
She did not respond, only saying, “You go and take care of him.”

Jimmy nodded, rushing out the door to catch up with Tango.

Chapter Text

~~T~~
Tango hadn’t gone very far. He was only sitting at the bottom of the stairwell. As much as he wanted to run, get lost in the forest and perhaps never be seen again, he couldn’t do that, at least not to Jimmy.

Tango took a deep breath, rubbing his hands together and cupping his hands open as Torchy reappeared, its eyes smiling and chirping happily to see him again. But as it noticed Tango’s frustration, it grew worried.

“Torchy… everything that I was told a night ago may not even be true.” Tango whispered to Torchy, “The only temporary solution I have right now are these potions, but they will only work for a day or two, or may not even work at all!”

Torchy gave a puzzled look at Tango as it chirped in response.

“I know I should just take the potion, but what’s the point if it has the chance of not even working at all?” Tango asked. “Besides, Pearl even said she doesn’t have much of the potions. So even if it all worked out I’m only going to be dragon free for maybe a week, not even.”

Torchy continued to chirp.

Tango shrugged, “Yeah I know, I should just enjoy it while it lasts. But after that week is over, then what happens? It’s just back to square one, and—.”

“Tango? You okay?” He suddenly heard Jimmy say from right behind him.

Tango jolted up from the step, immediately brushing his hands off to send Torchy away, feeling bad for not giving it a warning before doing so.

“Oh… uh, yeah… fine. Why?” Tango asked.
“Well, first you get all mad and your voice grew all demonic-like, and now I come out here and you’re basically talking to yourself!” Jimmy explained.

Tango’s face grew pale, his heart sinking, “Y-You heard my voice change?”
Jimmy nodded, “Does that normally happen when you grow frustrated?”
Tango sighed, “Only a few times, mainly if I’m ever angry or frustrated over something.”
Jimmy rested a hand on his shoulder, “Listen, I know you probably wanted better results.” he began, “But… at least a week of not being a dragon is better than nothing.”
“Yeah… but only a week?” Tango asked, “And even then, there’s a chance it might not even work? Some witch she is!”

Tango looked out ahead of him in the forest, towards the direction of town.

Tango…

The voice in his head. The watchers. His frustration grew once more and his knuckles formed a fist as he thought of the supposed god-like creature that turned him into this monster in the first place.

He wanted answers.

“Better yet, I can try and find this watcher that cursed me and make it go away!” Tango said.
“Tango, it’s not going to work like that.” Jimmy said, “It screwed you over before by cursing you as a dragon and not bringing your town back, it’ll only screw you over again.”

Tango thought back to when he found Etho, BDubs, and Skizz emerge from the rubble of their destroyed homes unharmed after he had made his deal.

If he were to confront these watchers again, what would this mean for them???

And Jimmy… he’s now involved with this. Not only because he knows of his curse but because he hears the watcher’s voices as well. If he were to make another deal, what could happen to him??

No… he couldn’t do any of that again.

He sighed, slouching down onto the bottom step in defeat.

“I’m just… so worried, Jimmy.” Tango said, “Worried that everything we’re working so hard for will come crashing down once I turn into a dragon again, and I probably won’t ever get to see you again.”

Tears began to well up in his eyes, “You’re probably the only person I’ve ever met since having this curse, who I can trust with everything… I don’t want to lose that…” He explained, “But I also don’t want anymore feelings of false hope. I want to know for a fact that I’m not going to become a dragon the night of my transformation.”

He rested his head on his knees. Tears rolling down his face as everything grew quiet around him. Even the birds stopped chirping and the rustling of the leaves grew eerily still. It seemed the only thing he could hear were the sounds of his own heavy breaths.

Which is why when he felt Jimmy’s hand rest on his shoulder, it nearly startled him. He raised his head and looked over his shoulder, noticing a soft smile on Jimmy’s face.

“Hey, why don’t we go somewhere else for a bit?” He asked.

Before he could even answer, Tango felt Jimmy take his hand and help him up off of the stairs. He then led him through the forest.

But they weren’t going back into town, they seemed to be going around it.

~~J~~

Jimmy knew where he wanted to take Tango. He was frustrated, and needed a place to relax for a bit. Why not go to the one place that’s helped him?

As Jimmy looked back at Tango, he seemed to have a look of concern on his face as he looked back down the trees in the hillside, showing a few of the houses in the village, including the tavern.

“I-I don’t know if we should be doing this…” Tango mentioned, “We promised Etho, BDubs and Skizz that we’d be there when they came to get me.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Jimmy assured him, “I’m sure once I tell them we were speaking with Pearl, they’ll be alright with it. Besides, we’ll only be out here a little bit longer.”

Jimmy continued to lead Tango through the forest until they came across a break in the trees, revealing the flower field.

Jimmy let go of Tango and turned to face him. Tango had a look of amazement as he saw how big and beautiful the flower field was.

“This is where you wanted to take me?” Tango asked, “It’s… beautiful.”
Jimmy nodded, “This is the place I go to whenever I need to unwind. I figured you could probably use it too.”

Jimmy turned and walked over to the patch of grass that he and Scott would usually sit at. As he looked down at the now flattened grass, something felt off. Perhaps it was the fact that it wasn't going to be Scott sitting next to him this time. It made him think back to everything he had told him the day previously, and the things Pearl had told him today.

Scott was clearly upset. Hopefully it would be something that they could talk about eventually.

Jimmy then snapped out of thought and sat down on the grass. He then looked up at Tango and patted the grass next to him. Tango seemed a bit hesitant but then finally sat next to him. He watched as Tango looked out ahead of him, letting out a small gasp as he took in the view.

“Wow, Jimmy…” Tango said, “This is quite the view. I can see why you like this place so much!”
Jimmy smiled, “See? I told you it’s nice!”

Jimmy then laid back on the grass. He looked over at Tango, who simply watched.

Jimmy held his hand out. Tango hesitated, but then finally held it and slowly laid down next to him.

Jimmy looked up at the now partly cloudy sky. The sun just out of eyesight as it still was not at its highest point yet.

“Hey Jimmy…” Tango began.

Jimmy looked over at Tango, who was looking up at the sky, seeming lost in thought on what to say.

“I’m really sorry for everything that happened earlier.” Tango continued. “You didn’t deserve to see that side of me, especially whenever I’m not in my dragon stage.”
“Tango, you have every right to be frustrated about this.” Jimmy said, “You just want to live a normal life, both you and the others do.”
“I know I should just take the potions as Pearl instructed and enjoy being dragon free for a week if it were to work…” Tango explained, “But a week would go by way too quickly, and it would almost seem pointless.”
“Well, if you ever change your mind, Pearl told me she would still make the potions for you, and they would be ready before tomorrow night.” Jimmy responded, “So you have some time to think about it.”
Tango was silent for a moment before continuing, “And I take back what I said about Pearl earlier, she seems to genuinely care about me, and she seems to care about you too.”
“Yeah, well, I was never really one to show hatred towards her, even after she started practicing witchcraft.” Jimmy claimed.
“But that’s just who you are.” Tango said, “You never seem to show resentment to anybody, even after they’ve wronged you.”
Tango was silent again, seeming lost in thought again before letting out a heavy sigh, “Speaking of, I guess I should explain the stuff I had said to Pearl earlier.” Tango said, “The stuff about Skizz, Etho and BDubs…”

Jimmy raised an eyebrow, almost surprised that he was actually going to bring this up now. But he rolled over to his side to face Tango. His elbow down against the grass and his hand placed on the side of his head, showing Tango that he had his full, undivided attention.

“I was the only true survivor of the disaster.” Tango began to explain, “The voice in my head told me to run and hide, and so I did. But before I could even process why I was told that, it was already too late. All of my family friends, including Etho, Skizz and BDubs were already gone..”

“Then, after I made that deal with the watcher, the three of them were the only ones that it brought back.” He continued, “The three of them have only assumed ever since that they got lucky and somehow survived, and I don’t think I could tell them the truth.”

Jimmy thought back to when Skizz had first told him everything back in the forest. They knew about the destruction, and some form of Tango’s deal with the watcher, but not of their original fate.

“Why wouldn’t you want to tell them?” Jimmy asked.
“Because I feel like it would ruin everything.” Tango claimed, “Everything that they’ve worked hard for to keep me under control with my curse, everything they’ve done for me, they’d probably assume they were only brought back to be used…”
“I doubt that.” Jimmy said, “You didn’t know that the watcher wouldn’t keep his end of the deal. That was all out of your control.”
“But it’s still something I agreed to…” Tango said, “And now I have to deal with the consequences every day for the rest of my life.”
“No…” Jimmy said, “You’re going to find a way to gain control of your dragon curse somehow. It may not be here, but it’ll happen one day. But I don’t ever want you to give up on that.”

Tango smiled at Jimmy. Jimmy noticed Tango leaning in towards him as if to kiss him again. Jimmy smiled back, ready to kiss back when they were interrupted by a small chirp coming from behind them. Jimmy’s face immediately brightened as he sat up and saw the yellow canary looking at the two of them.

“Hey little guy!” Jimmy smiled, “Did you hear everything that we were saying?”

Jimmy cupped his hands and scooped the bird up from the grass. It continued to chirp happily as he held it and gently stroked its head.

“Are you… speaking to a bird?” Tango asked, his eyebrow raised.
Jimmy blushed, having not realized he ever told Tango, “Oh… yeah I guess I am. I… kinda have been obsessed with birds lately.” He looked down at the canary, “Especially this little fella… he’s always come to visit me and Scott whenever we were up here, and now I get to introduce him to you!”

Jimmy held the bird up towards Tango. He watched as he hesitated, but then gently stroked the top of its head with his pointer finger. Jimmy noticed Tango smiling as he continued to gently stroke it, the bird chirping happily. This was the second time an animal welcomed Tango with open arms. Whether it had instincts or not, it didn’t matter.

To them, Tango wasn’t a monster.

“You know…” Tango said as he stopped stroking the bird, “You’ve been one of the only good things that came out of this dragon curse.”
Jimmy raised an eyebrow, “Really?”
Tango nodded, “Well… there is one other thing.”

Tango clapped his hands together, took a deep breath and exhaled. As he cupped his hands open, Jimmy’s eyes widened as he saw a small flame emit from his hands, open its eyes and chirp happily, almost similar to the canary.

“It’s… alive?” Jimmy asked.
“His name is Torchy.” Tango said, “I don’t know how exactly I had created him, but it happens when I rub my hands together a few times. I did it once accidentally because of anxiety and then there he was… and we’ve been buddies ever since.”

Jimmy watched as the flame bounced around happily in Tango’s hand, mesmerized at the small being he created despite his curse. Jimmy watched as the canary started chirping to the flame, and the flame happily chirped back, almost as if they had been best friends the entire time.

“Tango… this is incredible.” Jimmy smiled, he looked back up at Tango, “You’re incredible.”
Tango’s face grew pink, “I-I am?”
Jimmy nodded, “You have a gift behind this curse. Maybe you could use that to your advantage, even as a dragon.”
“Do you… think I could actually do it?” Tango asked.
Jimmy smiled, reaching his hand out behind Tango’s head, pulling him closer.

“I believe you can do anything…”

Jimmy closed his eyes, his lips touching Tango’s.
The two of them couldn’t help but smile and chuckle between each kiss. Meanwhile, just beneath the two of them, Torchy and the canary were still chirping happily with one another without a care in the world.

After a minute or two however, Jimmy could hear the chirping stop between the two creatures. He could feel the small feet lift off of his hand and a sudden rustle of feathers as the bird flew away.

He opened his eyes, Tango also looking back in confusion. He looked down, finding no sign of Torchy anywhere.

“I guess I’m interrupting something…”

Jimmy and Tango both looked up at the person suddenly standing in front of them.

Scott.

~~S~~

He had been utterly restless since his confrontation with Pearl. Her words kept ringing in his head.

I do sense that there is more at play here…

He kept battling with the denial that Jimmy would ever hide something from him. Sure he was still hiding his feelings for him, but at this point it didn’t matter, and he was pretty sure Jimmy knew based on his reaction alone.

Tango… Tango…

The name kept racing in his mind. If it wasn’t his name, it was Pearl’s thoughts. No matter what he tried to do, he couldn’t get his mind off of either thing.

The flower field. The one place he could go whenever he needed to relax. Perhaps he could go there.

As he made his way through the village, he watched as children were playing in their front yards. At another home, an older woman was working on her front yard raking leaves, and just beyond the road was the King’s castle.

“They’re not here! We’ve looked everywhere!”

Scott turned his head, noticing three men seemingly in a panic. He almost wanted to go and ask if they needed help.

“Okay, let’s not jump to any type of conclusions.” The man with the black mask said, “Maybe they were told to visit that witch person.”

Witch person…

Pearl.

“Okay but Jimmy didn’t leave us anything to tell us what they were doing!” The man in the red bandana argued.
“But what if Tops—.”

They suddenly stopped and turned as they noticed Scott watching their conversation. Scott quickly turned and walked away, the three men turning and quickly walking the opposite direction.

Scott’s mind now raced with even more thoughts than before. Who were those men? How did they know about Jimmy? And who was Tops??

He found himself walking faster through the forest to get to the flower field.

He made his way to the opening of the forest, looking up at the hillside of the flower field. He noticed two people sitting towards the top of the hill, in the same place he and Jimmy would sit whenever they would be together.

He recognized Jimmy almost instantly. The other person however, he had never seen before but immediately knew who he was.

Tango…

He watched from the bottom of the hill as the two of them seemed to be holding something together. He could see a small head peeking out of Jimmy’s hands. The canary. The bird Scott always teased Jimmy about, Tango seemed to look at with fascination, and gently stroked the top of its head.

Scott never did that with Jimmy. All he would do was watch as he played and whistled to it.

He regret that now.

Scott wanted to turn around and leave. Leave the two of them to do their own thing and let himself battle with his own thoughts elsewhere.

I do sense there is more at play here…

This was his chance. He could finally confront Jimmy and try to get an answer out of him. If Jimmy still truly cared about him, surely he would be honest with him.

He started making his way up the hill, looking directly up at Jimmy and Tango when the two of them suddenly leaned in close to one another and kissed.

Scott froze, his heart sank. It was only just yesterday Jimmy had told him about Tango, he never thought the relationship was this strong and growing so quickly.

Scott knew there had to have been a reason behind this. Was it because Tango was ‘sick’ like Jimmy had mentioned, and they wanted to make the most of the relationship? Or had Jimmy truly fallen for Tango that quickly?

Had Jimmy fallen that quickly for Scott when they first met??

He continued up the hill until he was lurking over the two of them. He watched as the canary flew away from Jimmy’s hand.

Jimmy looked down, having noticed the canary’s sudden departure.

“I guess I’m interrupting something…” Scott remarked.

Jimmy and Tango both looked up at him. Jimmy seemed shock to see him, Tango’s face seemed to grow pale, almost scared.

Scott continued to stare at Tango. His bright, blond hair with an orange tinge at the ends. His eyes glowing a scarlet red. Scott had never seen scarlet red eyes like that before. They were beautiful, it was almost something he’d heard about in fairytales.

Fairytales… red eyes…

It suddenly gave him a weird feeling.

Jimmy quickly stood up to make eye contact with Scott. He seemed a bit caught off guard but quickly composed himself.

“Scott… wh-what are you doing here?” Jimmy asked.
“I came here to try and clear my mind.” Scott explained, “But then I saw you two up here, and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.”

The two of them grew quiet, but it was not an awkward quiet.

“Right…” Jimmy said. He held out his hand to help Tango up, “This here is Tango. I told you about him yesterday.” Jimmy looked over at Tango, “Tango, this is Scott…”

Tango looked over at Scott, a look of discomfort on his face before he finally reached his hand out.

“It’s… nice to meet you.” Tango said shyly.

Scott didn’t move, he only nodded.

“So Scott,” Jimmy continued, “Tango and I just got back from visiting Pearl.”

Scott grew confused. He had never given Jimmy the note, so how could he have even known where to go?

It’s Pearl… Scott thought to himself. Of course she would figure something out…

“Oh really?” Scott asked, avoiding suspicion, “And how did that go?”
“Not what we expected, but we’ve got some answers.” Jimmy responded.

Jimmy then gave Scott a serious glance, “She did tell me about the letter she wanted you to give me, and how you crumpled it up and left it on her stairwell.”
“It simply fell out of my pocket, that’s all.” Scott fibbed.
“I doubt she gave it to you crumpled up.” Jimmy responded.
Scott shrugged, “I just stuffed it in my pocket and it must’ve fallen out while I was leaving.”
“Either way, you still never came and told me that Pearl agreed to meet with us.” Jimmy argued.
Scott let out a heavy sigh, then let out a slight chuckle as he kicked the dirt from beneath him. “Pearl was a bit tiresome to deal with.” He explained, “She would twist words… like she was trying to hide something from me.” Scott looked back up at Jimmy, “Like you were hiding something from me.”

Scott watched as Jimmy had a moment or two of silence. His expression was still the same, yet seemed a bit panicked. As Scott eyed over at Tango, he seemed more scared, but was trying not to show it.

“I told you before, Tango is sick.” Jimmy finally spoke.
“With what exactly?” Scott asked.
“We still don’t know.” Jimmy claimed, “Pearl couldn’t figure it out either.”
“But you just told me before that you got some answers.” Scott argued.
Jimmy grew silent.
“Pearl told me that there may be something more at play.” Scott continued, “Surely if it wasn’t this bad, you would tell me.”
“And I am telling you, Scott.” Jimmy said, “I’m telling you it’s complicated and there’s still a lot to figure out.”
“Is it dangerous?” Scott asked, “What Tango has? Is it something that could endanger us if it’s not taken care of?”
“No!” Jimmy immediately responded, his voice raised.
“ENOUGH!” Tango suddenly shouted, letting out a deep, menacing growl.

Scott and Jimmy both grew quiet. Scott was especially taken aback hearing the sudden change in his voice. As he continued to look at Tango, he watched as his eyes seemed to glow with his frustration. Then after a second, the glowing faded and Tango seemed to grow uneasy again.

“Jimmy… what was that?” Scott asked.
“Enough, Scott.” Jimmy demanded, his tone clear and stern, “You need to leave.”

Scott furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips. He gave the two of them one last look as he finally turned and went downhill.

As he looked straight ahead, he could see the castle spires poking out from the trees.

That’s where he was going to go.