Work Text:
Hatching is hard work. No one tells you how to navigate having your own body while also feeling sensations from another. Yes, the rider bond formed from the moment his rider put him into the nest and poured in his soul to give him life, but it was different outside of the egg.
He hadn't even gotten a name yet when the strange fuzziness he'd been feeling reached a peak and his rider (Legs, the other humans had called him) collapsed to the floor in a heap. Which was incredibly distressing to the freshly hatched dragonet.
He ran over as quickly as his stumbly little legs could take him and nudged Legs’ hand over and over, hoping for a response.
“Oh, he passed out, don't worry little dragon,” the white haired girl that had been talking with Legs earlier placated. “He'll be okay, I promise.”
And, just as she promised, Legs woke up moments later with only a slight sense of disorientation.
The little dragonet wished he could do more, but all he could do was try to comfort his rider, so he shoved his way into his rider's arms to get pet.
He preened at the shy smile that blossomed on his rider's face.
── ࣪˖ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ──
His name was Gadget.
His rider's friends were Graecie, Zam, and Sausage.
His friends were Fleece, Twilight Sparkle, and Penny.
He was starting to get better at realizing when he was feeling something of Legs’. Sometimes his chest would feel fluttery and wrong, and then the fuzziness would slowly take over his brain until Legs fell to the floor. But he was just a baby dragon. There wasn't really much he could do besides comfort his rider when he woke up.
Until one day, right when the fuzziness had just barely started to hit, Sausage coincidentally beckoned Legs to join him on the couch by the fire.
The fuzziness receded. And then the fluttering wrongness went away.
Interesting.
── ࣪˖ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ──
The next time the fluttering wrongness took root in his chest, Gadget knew what to do: convince his rider to sit down.
This was easier said than done. Especially because he was actively talking with Sniff in the kitchen.
Nudging his leg to get his attention just got an absentminded “not now”. Nudging harder and pulling at the hem of his pants got him put in backpack jail with an exasperated huff.
Great. Now what?
Sniff left. Legs passed out. Gadget was still in backpack jail, which was rude. He couldn't even escape the squish.
Once Legs woke up (and apologized for the squishing), Gadget managed to convince him to let him out of the bag properly and cuddle for a while. That always made his rider feel better.
── ࣪˖ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ──
The next time the group was all together, Gadget took the opportunity to ask his friends about his growing conundrum.
“I keep trying to get him to listen, but he's just so stubborn!” Gadget complained, flopping upside-down in the grass. “He put me in backpack jail, and then he squished me when he passed out!”
“Squished? Like a hug? I like hugs,” Fleece chirped.
“You haven't figured out how to escape the backpack yet?” Penny asked, tilting her head as if this were the most egregious offense.
“You have?” Gadget shot back.
“Yep!” She gloated, eyes squinched in self-satisfaction. “I just whack Sausage with my wings or tail and wiggle a lot and he lets me get out and run around! Works every time.”
“Or you could just bite his hair. That's how I let Zam know I want out,” Twilight chimed in lazily.
“I don't know if his hair is long enough for that, but thanks anyway, Twilight,” Gadget replied.
Fleece gasped excitedly. “You could bite him!”
“Don't,” Twilight said, not even bothering to look up.
“Bite! Bite! Bite!” Fleece started chanting, dropping to a play stance. When no one else responded, she ran off into some taller grass giggling the whole way.
“How do you even know that he's gonna pass out? I don't think even he knows!” Penny asked.
Gadget looked thoughtful for a moment. “I can feel it. His chest gets all fluttery and wrong, and then his brain feels all fuzzy, like it's wrapped in a blanket and all stuck in it.” Gadget thought for another moment. “Sometimes it's fuzzy in a different way, and he doesn't pass out. That one's more like crawling, or buzzing. Like bugs, I think?”
“Bugs?” Fleece chirped with a slightly muffled voice, popping up from a large tuft of grass with half a still-wriggling beetle sticking out of her mouth. “I like bugs! They're yummy!”
“EW!” Penny shrieked, puffing up her wings and arching her back in disgust. “THAT'S SO GROSS!”
Fleece got a mischievous glint in her eyes and crunched on the beetle just hard enough to make a sound. That was all the warning Penny got before she started getting chased by Fleece with the partially crunched beetle held out, presumably to touch her with. Penny ran away, screeching her disgust to all who would hear.
Twilight huffed in amusement at the antics of her friends. “Bugs. Like bees, maybe?” She asked, looking back at Gadget.
“Yeah, I guess like bees. Why?” He asked.
“Sometimes Zam feels like bees. Sitting on her helps, and laying by her heart. Maybe that could help Legs?” She offered.
“But he won't sit down!” Gadget complained.
“So trip him,” Twilight said, still as regal as ever. “And then trap him. Humans hate moving us when we act cute.”
Gadget turned to look at his friend. She looked far too nonchalant for someone who had just suggested tripping and entrapping his bonded rider.
Fleece was still tormenting Penny somewhere in the background, judging by the intermittent shrieks.
Maybe he should try to take some of the advice his friends gave.
“EW EWEWEWEW SHE TOUCHED ME WITH THE BUUUUUUUG!” Penny wailed, distantly.
…Maaaaaybe not Fleece's advice.
── ࣪˖ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ──
It was on a trip to the resource world that Gadget next noticed the fluttering wrongness. And, because they were in the other world, he was (of course) backpacked.
Ok, what would be the best way to get Legs’ attention away from woodcutting? Think, Gadget, what did your friends suggest?
Bite his hair? Nope, too short to reach from here. Oh, what was it Penny suggested? She said it worked every time…
Oh! Wing attack!
Gadget started shifting his wings and tail around, trying to hurry as the fuzziness crept in along the edges. Finally, he got into a decent position to just start obnoxiously bapping Legs in the head with his wing. He even mixed it up with a couple tail baps to the ribs.
Legs heaved a sigh and set down his axe, shrugging off the backpack and holding it in front of himself, leveling Gadget with a tired yet stern look.
“Buddy, you can't just be flailing around back there, I've got sharp stuff in my hands, ok?” Legs chastised with a little finger wag in front of the dragonet's snout.
Gadget looked him dead in the eyes and (very gently!) nipped at the finger, then wiggled some more. “Let me down!” He squeaked in protest, despite the fact that his rider definitely could not understand dragon noises.
Legs sighed deeply, running his free hand down his face. “Why do I even let you hang around with Penny?” He groaned. “Your friend is a bad influence on your backpack manners, mister.”
He then set Gadget down, finally freeing him from the backpack. Before the dragonet could lose his golden opportunity, he turned on the cuteness as much as he could, using every trick he'd used before when study sessions in the library went too long (and even a couple he'd noticed some of the other dragonets using to garner attention from their own riders).
Legs smiled at the adorable display, leaning further down into his crouch to get a better angle to scritch the base of one of Gadget's horns. “Awww, I can't stay mad at you when you're this cute, huh buddy?” He cooed.
Checkmate.
Gadget surged forward and caught his rider off balance, knocking him onto his butt right next to a fallen log. Before Legs could really protest, Gadget was making himself at home across his rider's entire lap. He made extra sure to really sink his weight in and spread his little wings out as much as he could to try and trap Legs down like Twilight suggested.
“Buddy, this is really inconvenient,” Legs protested, not making any moves to change his situation in any way.
Gadget rumbled happily. The fluttering was already starting to quiet down.
Legs cracked a grin and resumed petting the dragonet. “You didn't have to tackle me for this, you know.”
But Gadget did not care. He would do whatever it took to take care of his really unobservant rider. Even taking Fleece's shoddy advice.
He was doing a good job.