Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lance stared unblinking at the acceptance letter in his hand. After waiting nearly four years, he finally had it. This was really happening. With this silly piece of paper, he would soon gain access to Easton Magic Academy, which was an extremely prestigious school, and begin his real training as an official, recognized MAGE.

This was no ordinary place of education. For starters, one couldn’t even apply before age 20, which was exactly what he’d done four years ago. The term MAGE was shorthand for Magick Alchemy Grimoire Efficient, which was stupid in his opinion. He preferred the shorter version. Basically, the title meant he was well-versed in all things magic as he’d studied hard to enhance his own natural born talent. Which in turn meant that he was a perfect candidate to be partnered with a dragon.

Yes, a dragon. Fearsome creatures of old. The ones from legend. Beings with near godly power. That kind of dragon. Just mentioning such a thing would surely strike fear into the heart of anyone who heard it, right? Perhaps a few hundred years ago that would’ve been the case.

In this day and age dragons were born into human forms. Mostly. They still had telltale signs like horns, tails, and fangs. It wasn’t like one didn’t know when they were looking at a dragon or anything. This anomaly began over 150 years ago and to this day no one had any idea why it started. No amount of research into the phenomenon could answer any of the questions around it.

All the dragons themselves knew about the whole thing was that they all had one singular goal in common: to be able to transform fully into their glorious bodies of old. Their most powerful form. It was possible. It took quite a lot of hard work and dedication, not to mention a little bit of dumb luck, but it was a more achievable goal than not. Though not everyone would get there, only those that worked the hardest and were willing to give their everything to achieve it even had a chance.

In fact, that goal of full dragon transformation was the entire point of the academy Lance had gotten into. It was unlike other schools in that it had no semesters. This was a year-round place. Students could join at any point after meeting specific qualifications. One could ace the physical and written tests (which he did), but if there was no one deemed compatible with them also enrolling at the time, they’d be denied entry.

Lance had been fascinated by dragons for as long as he could remember. He’d learned all he could about them and what they were capable of. He read his little sister stories about their great feats before bed. When he ran out of study materials at the local library he begged his parents to travel to other towns to look for more. Once he was old enough, he started going on those journeys all on his own. He’d always known what he wanted to do.

He worked as hard as he possibly could to master the magic he’d been born with so he could finally earn the right to become a proper MAGE. With that title, he’d be able to grow into a person that was proud to stand next to a mighty dragon. Someone that’d worked hard and fought his way to stand at the top.

Then he’d finally be able to shower his sister in all the gifts she deserved. Though she’d given up her dream of wanting to be a princess now that they were older, he still wished to spoil her. No one else in his life had ever been so supportive of his dreams. No one ever would again. So he’d cherish her as best he could. A new standing in high society would certainly help him do that.

That was one of many perks that came with being a MAGE partnered with a successfully transformed dragon. The others were also good. So he’d been waiting four years for the one deemed compatible with him to also register. Who was it that decided such a thing? Lance didn’t outright know, only that it was said to be scrutinized by more than one source. Pairs were matched using very specific data points and the system had proven itself many times over.

Partnerships were extremely important to reaching the end goal of awakening power in both a MAGE and dragon. That was why the entry process was such a hassle. It was never just about you. The person you’d be paired with for the duration of your stay at the school was decided before you ever even knew you were accepted.

Lance read over his letter once more. It was a generic thing, probably sent to everyone. There was no mention of the partner that’d been chosen. Maybe that was for the best, he didn’t know. It was something for future him to deal with.

Right now, he had to call Anna. He knew she’d be thrilled. She was always talking about how she worried he’d be lonely now that she’d moved away for university and how nothing would make her happier than if he were to meet his dragon match so he had a companion around. Anna really was the sweetest ray of sunshine. He needed to buy her something nice just because.

After that, he needed to start packing. Lance’s brow furrowed as he wondered what he might need to bring. Clothes, yes, but like what else? He’d had four years to plan it out and now he found himself a bit overwhelmed. No matter, he’d get it done. There was absolutely nothing that could stand in the way of him achieving his dreams now.

As it turned out, Lance was the first one to arrive at what’d be his and his new partner’s room for an unforeseen amount of time. He stepped inside and looked around. It was pretty cozy. There was a bed on either side of the room, though neither was too small for two people to lie in comfortably. Good to know, he liked the extra space.

He chose the side further from the door and got to work unpacking what little things he brought. There wasn’t too much in the way of material items he really needed. He had his special locket, some textbooks, and of course clothing. He could buy new art supplies for his personal hobby of creating merch so that wasn’t a big deal to him. Lance would probably check out the library at the first opportunity.

As he continued to make himself at home, he removed the necklace he wore and set it on the nightstand by his bed. Lance’s mind was elsewhere when he finally heard the click of the door opening. He turned towards the sound and waited.

A man about his height waltzed in. With fiery red hair that was spiked upward and a pair of crimson eyes to match, he looked straight out of some anime. The ridiculous headband certainly didn’t help. Lance took a moment to admire the guy’s pitch-black horns. He was a dragon, all right. Though admittedly, Lance hadn’t ever seen horns in such an interesting shape before.

They grew out of either side of his head, right above his pointed ears. The horns curved upward towards his back, taking a roundabout way towards his face before suddenly jutting up at a sharp angle. They were extremely aggressive looking and something told Lance that suited this guy just fine. Besides that, he took note of the dragon’s scaly red tail.

Their eyes met and the redhead grinned. Lance immediately noticed his fangs. Expected. Then there were his eyes. With the usual slitted pupils that dragons tended to have, there was something else that was quite special about them. Lance could swear that he saw flecks of gold swirling within that sea of crimson. It was enthralling. The dragon opened his mouth to speak and Lance’s breath hitched in his throat with anticipation. He’d been waiting for this moment since he could remember.

“Yo. Name’s Dot. ‘Sup?”

Lance’s eye twitched. Whatever expectation he’d just had was completely shattered in an instant. What kind of uncouth manner of speech had his ears just suffered? Was this guy serious right now? He stood there stunned as the redhead kicked off his shoes and stepped into the pair of provided slippers.

Dot set down his bag and gave him the once over before he raised a curious eyebrow at the other man and asked, “You got a name? Or should I just call you pretty boy?”

Lance could hardly believe such a lovely pair of eyes could belong to someone so uncivilized. He was stunned silent.

“Earth to you? Hello?” Dot asked loudly as he stomped into his personal space. He snarled as he leaned even closer and asked, “Something wrong with that pretty head of yours? Huh?”

Knocked out of his own disbelief, Lance cleared his throat. Every time the guy talked it was like he became less and less likable. Until this very moment, Lance hadn’t even known such a thing was possible. Still, it was for the best to play as nice as he could manage. He could do that.

“I’m Lance. Nice to meet you.”

“You too, man.” Dot replied. Finally satisfied with getting a response, he stomped over to the free bed and sat down. He stretched out completely, reaching far above his head with a soft grunt. After a brief moment of silence he muttered, “So. Partners, huh?”

“It would seem so.” Lance wasn’t sure he could believe it himself. He’d tried not to imagine any specific kind of person so he wasn’t ultimately let down in the end but this was still so shocking. He wasn’t entirely convinced that it wasn’t a prank of some sort.

Dot put his hands behind his head to make himself comfortable. He turned to look at him and asked, “What makes you so special then?”

“Excuse me?” Lance asked back.

“Tell me why they’d want to pair you with a main character like myself,” Dot clarified. It was clear he wasn’t joking at all. There was a smug aura about him that was unmistakable. Not to mention that grin which bared his fangs was so… haughty.

Lance was sure he must’ve made quite a disgusted face. Not that Dot even noticed. The guy was far too busy monologuing about how amazing he was and how it was an honor to be partnered with him because they’d surely reach incredible heights together thanks to his greatness. According to him the rest of the school best just step aside now that he’d arrived.

Now Lance was fully annoyed. And he had the beginnings of a headache. This wasn’t what he’d envisioned at all. He rolled his eyes then sighed, “Do you ever stop talking?”

“You’re kind of rude for having such a nice face, huh?” Dot asked right back.

“What’s your problem?” Lance snapped. Just how many times was this weirdo going to compliment his looks in the span of five minutes?

“What’s yours?” Dot retorted. He looked disgustingly confident when he declared, “I’m strong! I’m the best! We can go outside right now and spar if you want to get an ass kicking!”

“Why in the world would I want that?” Lance grunted.

“You wouldn’t! I’m far too intimidating!” Dot cackled.

Oh, god. That stupid grin of his was even wider than before. Lance was pretty sure he hated this guy.  His hands balled into tight fists by his sides. This was not good at all.

The two of them continued to chat, which mostly consisted of Dot pissing him off more and more by stroking his own ego for no reason at all. Eventually, Lance reached his limit. He snapped at the redhead, calling everything he’d said since he arrived complete bullshit. That lead to them getting into a shouting match. Well, mostly Dot shouting. That guy seemed to have no volume control whatsoever.

This bickering continued for much longer than it needed to. Neither of them was willing to back down and let the other win. Eventually they ended up seated on their own beds and silently glaring daggers across the room at one another.

Talk about the biggest disappointment ever. Lance didn’t even know how to process this. He’d been partnered up with the worst possible option for him. While admittedly eye catching at first glance, Dot was not at all what he’d been expecting. He was loud, rude, and overall a hotheaded moron. Everything Lance wasn’t. Everything he couldn’t stand. It was so annoying. Maybe the system that matched them malfunctioned somehow. A miscalculation was improbable yet possible.

Dot stood, stretched, then fiddled with the alarm clock on his nightstand. It was a clear attempt not to have to look at anyone else in the room. He looked down at the ground when something caught his eye and asked, “What’s that?” He walked over to the other nightstand and picked something up. When he stood again he muttered, “A locket?”

“Give me that!” Lance snatched his necklace away from the guy just as he opened it and peeked inside.

“Who was that?” Dot asked.

“My sister if you must know,” Lance grunted. He put the locket safely back where it should’ve been on his nightstand.

Dot raised a curious eyebrow in his direction. “Why do you have a picture of your sister in your locket? Is she dead?”

“What? No!” Lance shrieked. How dare he say such a thing?

“Then maybe you’re just some weirdo? You’ve got to be too old for that kind of thing.” Dot was just thinking out loud at this point.

“You must seriously have a death wish. Shut the hell up.” Lance growled through gritted teeth.

“You shut up!” Dot hissed. He wandered back to his own bed and flopped onto it face first, or the closest thing to that while keeping his head elevated a bit. After a moment he rolled onto his back and let out an exasperated sigh. He stared up at the ceiling when he muttered, “This sucks. You’re nothing like I imagined you’d be.”

Lance frowned to himself but didn’t reply. Well the feeling was mutual. This was not at all worth the four-year wait he’d done. All his years of dreaming couldn’t possibly have landed him here with this guy. It was a cruel joke.

After such a long bout of silence that Lance thought the dragon had fallen asleep, Dot spoke loudly once again.

“The two of us being partnered up has gotta be a miscalculation, right?”

“Huh?” Lance’s brain registered the question after he grunted. Now that the thought had come from someone other than himself, he realized it was idiotic. Not surprising coming from the redhead. He was sure he sounded like a robot reciting a textbook when he said, “The way they extrapolate potential partner data is said to be 99% accurate.”

Dot bolted upright and shouted, “That still means there’s a chance it’s wrong! We can’t possibly be compatible in any way!”

Moronic. It wasn’t even worth a response. Lance turned his head away, uninterested in the conversation now.

“See what I mean! You can’t even talk properly!” Dot yelled.

“I can. I just don’t have anything to say to an idiot like you,” Lance replied coldly.

“What’d you just say! You wanna fight, bastard? I’ll kick your ass anytime anyplace!” Dot exclaimed as he shook his fist in the air furiously.

“Brutish.” Lance muttered under his breath. He didn’t bother looking at the redhead. There was no point. He’d never get along with someone like this.

“Bastard.” Dot spat. He crossed his arms in a huff. “I’ll never get along with someone like you.”

Lance glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He watched Dot grumble some incoherent nonsense as he pulled his covers over himself and rolled over so his back was to him, leaving the tip of his red tail exposed.

It finally seemed like the dragon had enough with the conversation as well. Thank goodness for that. It wasn’t long after that when Lance also turned in for the night, he drifted off with the hopes that this was all just a nightmare he’d be free of once he awoke.

He simply wasn’t that lucky.

Lance awoke to the same small room as he’d fallen asleep in. The same sense of foreboding that he’d felt before he’d finally dozed off. He stared at the ceiling for a long moment, wondering what he might see if he were to turn his head right now. Maybe no one. If he’d gotten a bad case of food poisoning and hallucinated yesterday, he could still have to meet his partner today. That was the best-case scenario.

Slowly, he turned his head until he was looking at the bed across the room. There was a lump under the blankets and a scaly, red tail dangled over the side. Damn. His alarm went off suddenly and Dot yelped as he bolted upright. Now he was a tall lump under a blanket, frantically trying to find his way out. What a moron.

Lance casually reached over to shut his alarm. By the time it was silenced, the redhead finally managed to free himself from the blanket. Their eyes met but they both looked away again. After what felt like an incredibly awkward length of silence to him, Lance finally caved and broke it first. There was only one way to deal with this situation as far as he was concerned.

“Listen. Neither of us is into the idea of partnering up but there has to be some reason we were paired. Since we’re already here I say we make the best of this crappy situation.”

“True enough,” Dot said mostly to himself. He thought about what he wanted to say next for a moment. When he finally looked across the room he tilted his head and asked, “Should we start over, then?”

“Yeah, sure.” Lance muttered. Whatever got them moving forward from the bad first impressions. “Nice to meet you.”

Dot put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. He grinned like an idiot when he replied, “Of course it’s nice to meet a main character like myself!”

Ignore it. Don’t engage. He was seriously the worst. Right now it was time to play as nice as possible until they got things figured out. Lance understood this but he did have a limit. One he was sure Dot would find as quick as humanly possible.

He watched the silly dragon get out of bed and start to gather his things. Lance couldn’t help but stare at how goofy he looked. The guy was so unaware. It was almost embarrassing him by proxy. Lance acted as casual as he possibly could when he asked, “By the way, are those… pool noodles?”

Dot froze and let out a loud yelp. He quickly reached up to remove two objects from the tips of his horns. He hugged them to his chest as spun around and shouted, “They’re-! Yeah, yes! But, like, it’s not weird or anything!”

Lance simply blinked at him. That felt a bit subjective in his opinion. The redhead clearly took his silence as need for further explanation.

“It’s just a thing, ok? Lots of dragons do the same thing, using all kinds of objects! Horns can get very sharp and be crazy dangerous, you know! Not that I owe the likes of you any explanation!” Dot exclaimed.

Lance didn’t disagree with him on that. He stayed silent as he watched the redhead. If Dot had been tired a moment ago, he was wide awake now. He almost looked frantic to explain himself despite what he’d just said. All while he squeezed the little cushions to his chest. It was a silly display if Lance had ever seen one.

“My mom started making me wear them as a kid because I kept destroying pillows as my horns grew in. I haven’t stopped doing it since.” Dot shook his head. “That’s all! No big deal!”

After another long moment of silence Lance figured he might as well respond. So he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. He blinked slowly when he muttered, “So you’re a mama’s boy?”

“That’s not what I said at all! Stupid!” Dot shrieked. “I’m just a creature of habit!”

“Uh huh.”

Their argument, if one could call it that– it felt more like a disagreement to Lance– lasted throughout the time it took the pair to get ready for the day. They even continued to bicker as they left their room and headed for the cafeteria. By the time they’d gotten themselves breakfast, the subject itself had changed, but they still weren’t agreeing on anything. This really was exhausting. He had no idea how Dot had the energy to be so worked up for so long.

There were more important things to focus on. Like the fact that they had their first classes soon. From the research Lance had done on his own, he’d found out that the professors could be very strict. If they didn’t see potential in a pair they could even suggest expulsion. There was a lot riding on whether or not he and Dot could make this partnership into something functional. For the first time ever, Lance found himself worried about whether or not enrolling here was a good idea.

As it turned out, things were even worse than Lance could’ve imagined. The two of them were clearly outmatched by their classmates on practically every level. Just seeing how they were all so in sync with their partners, it was obvious that his and Dot’s bond was still at the weakest level. Something that was most definitely not even the bare minimum of beginner.

It certainly didn’t help how tense things were between them. Lance’s magic wasn’t what one would consider weak but it wasn’t anything near what he witnessed others cast. They were all high-level. Some even master-level. And so fast. As if the spell itself was always waiting on the caster’s beck and call. He needed to get to the same height– no– he needed to surpass it.

Dot wasn’t fairing any better with his practicing. While pretty good with offensive magic, he was struggling with what he needed to be best at. The dragon could only partially transform one arm, and it was inconsistent at best. It took so much effort that he ended up all sweaty and nearly passed out on multiple occasions. Frankly, it was an embarrassing showing from the both of them.

Whenever Lance tried to give the redhead some advice he was shouted at. That made Lance angrier and angrier until he ended up using a gravity spell on the guy to put him in his place for snapping at him. Dot sure did look pathetic there writhing on the ground and threatening everyone around.

So irksome. Dot could rant and rave all he wanted about how his transformation training didn’t have anything to do with Lance so he should just go away and he’d be wrong every single time. Lance was well aware of the fact that the redhead’s progress was tied to his own. They were a unit now. That meant where one achieved, so did the other. Failure, too, was shared.

So basically, Dot’s inability to transform on anything more than the most basic level was the same thing as Lance not knowing any spells besides Levitate. When looked at that way, it was unacceptable. Lance refused to be brought down because of a technicality. Though it did infuriate him, he did know it was a bit more complicated than that.

Admittedly, he felt a bit bad when he saw just how rough transforming seemed to be on Dot. The guy looked so frustrated every time it wore off. He had to grab his arm with the other hand to keep it from shaking uncontrollably as smoke tendrils wafted from it.  He gritted his teeth as he tried over and over again. The whole thing seemed painful and for little to no payoff.

Lance wasn’t sure he knew how Dot was still standing after multiple attempts in a row. A lesser individual would’ve passed out ages ago. Was it impressive or just that the dragon was far too stubborn to know when to quit? Hard to say. Either way, he was knocked out of his own thoughts when the redhead caught flak for his failed attempts.

In all honesty, Lance would’ve thought his fellow students of this prestigious academy would’ve long since grown out of the need to bully others. They were all adults, after all. That was not a good form of stress relief. He would’ve said as much had the redhead not snapped back at them immediately.

Dot was so hotheaded and always ready for a fight, no matter who the opponent was. He was a walking explosion waiting to happen. And he was never one to take insults lying down. No matter what pitiful display he’d put on, no matter how much pain he looked like he was in, he always had energy for a shouting match with a prick.

Most laughed his response off and walked away saying the whole thing was stupid. However, there was always one or two also hotheaded individuals willing to put their money where their mouth was and begin a physical confrontation. At that point it was the MAGEs duties to step in and get their dragons out of there.

Lance made sure to express his displeasure with the situation every single time it came to that. He especially disliked how Dot always told people to “die a hundred times”. Lance went on and on about how it was better to not give people like that the time of day. How they’d prove naysayers wrong when they surpassed them. Dot only ever grunted in response.

It was exhausting being a dragon’s wrangler.

Unfortunately, not much changed for the first three and a half weeks. They were pretty rough. Lance couldn’t even think about anything else now as he studied on his own in the library. He and Dot didn’t get along. Every time they interacted it was in the form of a disagreement. They weren’t showing any of the improvement that Lance deemed necessary for them to stay on track to reach their end goal. It was all incredibly frustrating. There had to be something they could do about it.

Almost as soon as he had the thought, an idea struck him. Confident that it’d work, he packed up his things and headed back to their room. Desperate times called for drastic measures. He checked his phone and saw it was a bit after dinner time. Oh, he’d studied through that. Whoops. Whatever, he’d survive skipping a single meal.

When Lance got back to their room he barely had a chance to kick off his shoes before Dot was nagging him about the time. He casually said that yes he knew it was late and walked over to his bed so he could set down his things. Dot continued to complain about him not eating properly, but Lance wasn’t really listening. He looked at the tray of food on his nightstand. That certainly hadn’t been there before. Had that guy really gone out of his way for him?

“Are you ignoring me! Hey!” Dot shouted behind him.

Lance turned towards him without a word.

Dot pouted– it was one of his cuter expressions. His tail whipped quickly once behind himself. Ah, the annoyed flick. Lance was familiar.

Dot put his hands on his hips and grumbled, “Didn’t your mother ever tell you that you need to eat to grow up big and strong?”

“I’m already grown and pretty strong, though.” Lance reminded him. There was something so satisfying about watching the redhead’s expression go from pissed to surprised in an instant.

“That’s not– you don’t have to be so literal about it!” Dot yelled. His shoulders drooped and he shook his head. “Food is necessary to keep your stamina up, which is required to cast spells.”

“I know this.” Lance mumbled. Now it was the dragon that sounded like a textbook.

Dot threw his hands upward in frustration and shouted, “Then stop arguing with me already and just eat! Stop skipping meals, idiot!”

Was he arguing? It sounded pretty one-sided to Lance. Either way he didn’t respond. He picked up an apple and took a big bite. Only then did the redhead walk back over to his side of the room. Clearly not satisfied with the outcome, it was probably one of the better ones, all things considered.

Lance sat on his bed and ate. Dot sat on his own bed and ignored him. The silence was nice for once. After he finished off his fruit and half sandwich, Lance was more than ready to bring up what he’d thought of earlier. Because whatever they were doing now just wasn’t working and he’d do whatever he had to if it meant he could achieve his goal. Desperate measure time.

Lance reached for the bottle of water on his nightstand as he casually said, “I think we should have sex.”

The shriek Dot let out could only be described as inhuman. He seemed to have no control over the sound of his voice when he shouted, “What the hell are you saying! Absolutely not! Never! Something like that with someone like you? Count me out!”

As Dot continued to yell embarrassed nonsense with a face the same color as his hair, Lance couldn’t help but think this felt like a bit of an overreaction. It was a very common practice for partnered pairs. This was because becoming intimate with one another had been proven to increase the abilities of both the dragon and MAGE. It deepened their bond in a way nothing else could. So when presented the opportunity, most agreed it was the best course of action.

Whatever Dot was on about was the outlier for sure. Still, there was something quite… interesting about how vehemently he was against the idea. A reaction like this felt so very telling. Then it hit Lance.

“You’re a virgin,” he said bluntly.

“S-so! Theres nothing wrong with that! Don’t say it like there is!” Dot shouted in his defense. He stumbled over his words, unable to figure out what it was he wanted to say next and got ultimately frustrated about it. So he just yelled, “Shut up! Where’d this come from! Do you even like me!”

As adorable as this whole mess was– his bright red face was so funny– Lance was thinking quite logically about it. He shrugged and replied, “What does liking you have to do with anything? It’s just sex. It’s a way to improve our standing in the academy and achieve a power boost we could both use. Other than that, it’s meaningless.”

Dot was momentarily taken aback by the response. His jaw fell open but no sound came out. For just a second he looked like he’d been punched in the gut. He quickly wiped that pathetic look off his face, squeezed his hands into fists, and frowned to himself. His brow furrowed when he growled through gritted teeth, “That right there is exactly why you and I will never be compatible. I hate that mentality and anyone who has it! Die a hundred times you asshole!”

Lance started to reply but didn’t get the chance. Dot stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind himself. It was suddenly deathly quiet. He stayed right where he was for a few moments, unsure what to do next. That hadn’t at all been the reaction he’d been expecting. He glanced at the tray of crumbs on his nightstand. Nor had he expected that. Dot was so unpredictable.

A small part of him wondered if he should go after the redhead. In the end that seemed pointless since he had to return to this room anyway. It was probably better to let him be alone for a bit so he could calm down. Lance laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling. In a world where everyone was focused on becoming the strongest was Dot not willing to do whatever it took to achieve that? It seemed so out of character when he already saw himself as number one. He was such a strange guy.

Lance rolled onto his side. He blinked at the wall. While the interaction had been brief, Dot seemed genuinely upset about the whole thing. Was it really such a bad mentality to have? Lance hadn’t ever given it any thought before. Perhaps with everything he’d read about partnered pairs in his studies he’d become desensitized to a subject he shouldn’t have.

That was an interesting idea in itself. Lance wasn’t exactly sure how true it rang. He wasn’t sure which of them was in the wrong in such an instance. Maybe both. Maybe neither. The more he tried to wrap his head around it the less he seemed to understand. The only thing he was sure of was that this whole thing would blow over and this nagging feeling of guilt would dissipate.

It was a few days later when Lance and Dot decided to have lunch outside. It was a beautiful day, most other students had opted for the same. The two of them were lucky enough to snag a premiere spot beneath a large cherry blossom tree that provided shade. They sat at its base and got right to munching.

Lance eyed the redhead casually without saying a word. They were right back to the usual rocky thing after not talking about what happened the other night. He’d been sure Dot would’ve had more to say on the subject but he never brought it up. Lance wasn’t one to poke the bear so he certainly didn’t have the desire to start another fight.

That didn’t mean the subject wasn’t on his mind, though. He’d been thinking about what happened with the utmost curiosity. He just couldn’t help it. Dot’s reaction was so visceral. The subject of sex clearly meant something totally different to him than it did Lance. He found himself rather curious to know more. Maybe there would be a point when the two of them could discuss it properly. Now just wasn’t it, unfortunately.

A light breeze tousled the branches above, then a ray of sunshine peeked through them and landed on Dot’s red tail. Lance immediately found himself distracted by how the scales shimmered. So pretty, so alluring. It was still hard to believe it was attached to an explosive idiot. The shimmering had him hypnotized. He reached out and touched it without even thinking about the action.

Dot immediately stiffened. He turned quickly and grabbed his tail. He pulled it away, hugging it to his chest as he yelped, “Just where are you touching!”

“Can’t I?” Lance asked softly.

“What’s with that face you’re making?” Dot grumbled. After what looked like a quick internal war, he released his grip on his tail and made a sort of grunting sound.

Lance mirrored the noise when the appendage flopped onto his lap. “Heavy…”

“What’d you expect! It’s all muscle!” Dot exclaimed.

If he said anything else, Lance didn’t hear it. He was already tuning the guy out as he touched the end of the tail on his lap. His fingers danced along the tip and then upward just a bit. He took note of the little shiver that Dot clearly attempted to hide, but didn’t say a word. Interesting. But not worth the distraction right now. Lanced focused on the feeling of the red scales. They were warm and rough against his fingertips.

He used his whole hand now, feeling them against his palm. In truth, the sensation beneath his hand was not something he normally would’ve associated with a pleasant feeling. But there was something so intriguing about these scales. Something that made him want to keep touching them, to learn every groove. Their shimmer was a lot like Dot’s eyes, having tiny flecks of gold in them. In a word, they were beautiful.

After what had to be just a little while longer than necessary, Lance muttered, “It’s nice.”

Dot burst into a fit of laughter. He grabbed his own waist and snickered, “What am I supposed to say to that? Thank you? You’re so awkward, man!”

The sound intrigued Lance. It got him to tear his gaze away from the tail and focus on its owner. On how his smile lit up his face and his fangs were on full display when he was genuinely joyous. This look was certainly a far cry from that snarl of his when he was bitching about something unimportant. Lance preferred this. It didn’t last, though, and Dot wiped his eyes then looked at him.

Lance turned back towards the tail and merely shrugged. It was probably best for him to say nothing at all. At least that way they wouldn’t end up arguing about anything.

Dot let out an exasperated sigh. He stuffed more food than necessary into his mouth before he mumbled something about it being all right for Lance to touch it again as long as he warned him first. He continued eating without looking at his partner.

“Okay.” Lance replied.

He watched the tail slide off his lap and settle back into the space between them. He glanced at Dot and watched him eat for a moment before he looked upward and wondered if a similar rule might apply to his horns. It was probably best not to test that right now. The guy might actually bite him like some feral beast. Lance turned his attention back to his own food. He’d take this peaceful moment for now.

*

“Hard to believe it’s been three months since we met, huh?” Dot asked completely out of the blue. He had his hands propped up behind his head and was laid back on his bed staring at the ceiling.

“Technically that and a week,” Lance corrected him. Not that he was counting.

They’d been an admittedly rough three months, but he was pretty sure the two of them were in a decent enough place now. At least they understood one another on a basic enough level. Though they disagreed more often than not, it was basically just how the two of them communicated these days. Neither of them even expected to make it this far back when they’d met so truly they’d surpassed all expectations as a pair. There was no telling what they’d do if they continued at this pace.

A knock at the door got both their attentions and they exchanged a silent glance. The two of them shrugged. Neither was expecting anyone.

Dot sat upright then shouted, “It’s open!”

To both of their surprises, when the door opened the headmaster himself stepped into the room. Both of them moved to stand and greet him properly but he held up a hand signaling they should just stay put. After a quick greeting, the headmaster got right down to the reason for his visit.

“We have looked into that transfer you requested, young mister Barrett.”

Lance’s eyes widened. This was news to him. He didn’t say a word as he glanced at Dot. Why did he look just as surprised?

“We take requests like these very seriously, so it took quite some time to respond.” The headmaster explained. He shut his eyes and bowed his head. “Unfortunately, there simply aren’t any other candidates that’d match with either of you right now. If you truly believe you cannot work together at all then you’ll both have to leave the school until a new potential match is found.”

“W-wait! That’s…!” Dot stumbled over his words. He turned towards Lance to find his hands were clenched into fists and he wouldn’t look in his direction. Dot looked back at the headmaster and asked, “Can I, um, we… have a little more time to think it over?”

“Of course, it’s a big decision.” The headmaster nodded. “You’ll both need to agree that it’s what you think is best.” After a brief pause he said, “If I don’t hear back from you I’ll assume you decided to work things out and stay at our school.”

He offered the both of them a quick goodbye before he took his leave. And then there were two. It was deathly silent in the room. Lance couldn’t even describe the way he felt right now. He wasn’t sure words existed to do such. There was no way he could even look in the dragon’s direction. He began to grab random things around himself without a word.

Dot rubbed the back of his neck slowly for a moment before he finally said, “Listen, I was pissed back when we had that argument about the, uh… the sex thing. I might’ve overreacted a bit. I’d completely forgotten about it until now.” He got no reaction. “Are you even listening? What are you doing over there?”

“Packing.” Lance said coldly. He continued to grab things with a frown upon his face. “You said it yourself; this clearly isn’t going to work out. We haven’t improved at all.”

“I mean… I don’t think I’d say at all…” Dot mumbled. His own frown deepened.

Lance continued what he was doing without acknowledging the redhead. They’d both put in a ton of effort over the last few months, and for what? Just to get sent home because his partner was a selfish prick? Great. He had no idea what he was supposed to tell his sister. If hearing about this upset her even in the slightest, he’d find the redhead and punch him in the face for it.

After a long moment of silence, Dot seemed like he was about to speak again, but Lance beat him to it. He slammed down the book he held and said, “This is supposed to be a partnership. It doesn’t work without both of us treating it that way.” He was just thinking out loud when he grumbled, “If my partner can’t talk to me about what’s bothering them then there’s no point in prolonging the inevitable.”

“I’m sorry, ok? You’re right. I should’ve talked things through with you instead of jumping to such an extreme decision all on my own.” Dot admitted with his hands clenched into tight fists. “But in my defense, you’re really fucking annoying. You know exactly how to press all my buttons so I start seeing red. I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time because I was so pissed.”

Lance finally turned towards the redhead, a fury in his eyes. He wasn’t one to get angry easily, but this had done it. He felt like he was the one with the overactive temper as he spat, “And what do you think it’s been like for me? Everything about you is so irritating. Your voice, your attitude, your short temper, the way you never clean up after yourself, not to mention your obvious disdain for me when all I’ve ever tried to do was strive for greater heights together despite all that.”

Dot’s mouth fell open but no sound came out. This was by far the most he’d ever seen the guy emote. It was kind of… hot.

Lance grabbed his suitcase from the closet then got back to packing, albeit a bit more aggressively now. He was muttering to himself when he grumbled, “It’s like you don’t even consider the fact that I’ve also hated you as much as you hated me but I showed up every single day and tried my best to achieve what felt like the impossible together.”

“I guess I didn’t really consider… that…” Dot mumbled.

“Of course you didn’t!” Lance exclaimed as he shoved things haphazardly into the suitcase. “You’re selfish. If the world isn’t revolving around you and your Main Character Syndrome then you can’t handle it. I have no idea who we were even kidding trying to make it work for as long as we did. There was never any point. My time was wasted. Your time was wasted. The professors’ time was wasted.”

Dot slid off his bed and walked across the room. Lance didn’t even notice. He was still ranting.

“You were right all along.” Lance continued to get lots of things off his chest. Now that he’d started he probably wouldn’t stop. “We’re just too incompatible. It had to be a miscalculation.”

“Don’t agree with me, you bastard.”

Lance paused his rant. The sound of the dragon’s voice was way closer than it should’ve been. He turned to look at his roommate and was immediately grabbed by the shirt and pulled forward. To say he found himself caught off guard when Dot kissed him suddenly would’ve been the understatement of the century. The shock of it silenced his rant even internally. Lance didn’t kiss back. He never even closed his eyes. He was frozen as he watched the redhead pull away and open his.

Dot’s entire face turned bright red in and instant. He yelped and released his grip so wildly it was as if Lance’s clothes burned him. Dot scrambled away with a shout of incoherent nonsense. “Don’t do that! What! I mean–! Ahhhh!”

Dot jumped onto his bed and pulled the covers over himself. He curled up into a little ball, as if that’d help him hide. Lance just sat on the edge of his own bed and blinked. His brain refused to process what just happened. Meanwhile, Dot started muttering loudly to himself.

“I can’t believe I’d give my first kiss to a guy like that while he was in the middle of berating me!” His voice was shaky now. “What’s wrong with me there’s absolutely something not right about that! Oh god, I need to die a hundred times!”

Lance lifted his hand to touch his lips gently. His first…? There were far too many questions running around his head right now. Was the guy out of his mind? What kind of person did such a thing with someone they were so loud about hating? Perhaps most importantly, what would’ve happened if he’d kissed back? Lance felt a bit nauseous. He needed some air.

He left the room without a word to the still panicking dragon. Where he was headed was anyone’s guess. He’d just go wherever his legs took him. Maybe once he reached his destination his brain wouldn’t feel so fuzzy. And maybe, just maybe, his heart would stop racing so uncontrollably.

To both of their surprises, Lance and Dot showed noticeable improvement the next day during practical training. Their spells were stronger. Dot’s partial transformation lasted a little bit longer with less effort on his end. Both of them seemed to have more stamina than usual. There was a very obvious difference in their performances. It would seem their little spat last night was just the heart to heart they’d needed to really kickstart things. Against all odds, they’d finally begun to show potential as a pair.

What did this mean? First and foremost, that leaving Easton Magic Academy would’ve been a huge mistake. It was an unspoken realization between them. The headmaster wouldn’t be getting a visit from either of them any time soon. They didn’t talk about that or the kiss. Instead, they ran with the newfound improvement they’d stumbled upon.

Still not quite where they should’ve been in comparison to others, they both knew they’d have to work even harder than their classmates to keep up. Then they’d surpass them. All too suddenly their end goal felt a lot more achievable again. A new fire was lit in both their spirits, it seemed.

What started out as a rocky situation with no indication that it’d last turned out to be quite a surprising partnership. They were like fire and ice in every way but when they put their minds to it, no other pair could work together quite like they could. Despite all the butting heads, the two of them spent pretty much all their time together. That kind of thing created a base level bond whether the pair wanted one or not.

The way Lance and Dot fought together was incredibly fluid. It was almost like a dance. Almost as if the two of them could predict the other’s needs before they happened. Sure, Dot wasn’t making the most progress on his transforming, but his spell casting had gotten exponentially better thanks to Lance’s harsh yet fair criticisms.

And Lance’s cool, calculated attack style suddenly needed to leave wiggle room for Dot’s spur of the moment antics. Making sure to allow leeway for this allowed him to see battles from a whole different perspective. His horizon expanded along with his battle prowess.

In no time whatsoever they began to get compliments from their instructors. All of them basically amounted to the same thing: the two of them had the synergy of a pair with an exceptionally high bond. It was impressive for new students to achieve such a feat. If a random onlooker were to see them in action, they’d never know the pair only got along in the barest sense of the word.

It was a situation as wild and untamable as the flames Dot loved to cast. Lance found himself so much more aware of the guy now. Of the way he grinned whenever he caused a massive explosion. There was a high probability that the redhead was out of his mind. Still, Lance felt an odd sense of pride whenever Dot’s larger spells were cast without a hitch. He’d worked hard to reach this point. They both had.

Lance found himself thinking back to when Dot kissed him more frequently than he would’ve expected. The whole ordeal had been a spur of the moment decision, he understood that. He also understood that impulsive though it was, Dot wouldn’t have acted on it had the thought not already been in his head. It left Lance quite a bit of food for thought.

While he’d been upfront about thinking they should have an intimate relationship, the redhead had been so vehemently against it that he’d figured it was off the table completely. If the thought of kissing him was at least somewhere in the back of Dot’s mind Lance couldn’t help but wonder what that meant. Maybe things weren’t as hopeless as he’d determined in that department.

Just the thought made the strangest little butterflies flutter in his gut. That certainly was an odd feeling. Lance couldn’t recall if he’d had such a sensation in the past. Probably not. He’d never met anyone else quite like Dot before, which was a blessing. One was more than enough. Yet his desire to get closer to the redhead had begun to trump even his feelings of annoyance now. That certainly was confusing.

It was a warm day when their classes ended just a bit earlier than usual. Everyone was ready to leave, instructors included, because it was the beginning of a long weekend. As soon as their last class ended everyone dispersed. Well, almost everyone. Dot collapsed and laid on the grass, breathing heavily. He just needed a second.

“You overdid it again,” Lance muttered. He stood above his partner and watched the way his chest rose and fell with each deep breath. A sheen of sweat was upon Dot’s brow and neck. He could only imagine the dragon’s torso was drenched under that shirt of his.

Lance received a grunt in response. It wasn’t like he didn’t understand why. Now that they’d gained some momentum, Dot didn’t want to lose it. To stagnate again was probably his worst fear right now. Understandable as it was, that didn’t mean it was worth working himself to death. They’d both end up on the losing side of that situation if he didn’t figure out a way to chill out a bit.

Lance sat down next to him and thought to himself for a moment. They had the next few days off. They should celebrate their achievement somehow. It might’ve been small in the grand scheme of things, but he knew it’d lead to greater heights. And it felt like neither of them took even a moment to really acknowledge just how far they’d come. Not really in the mood to overthink it, he said the first thing that popped into his head.

“We should go on a date.”

“What! Why!” Dot shrieked. He bolted upright then hissed and cradled his arm to his chest.

Unfazed, Lance reached into his back pocket and removed some rolled up bandages. He took the redhead’s arm and began to wrap it for him. It wasn’t a skill he’d ever thought he’d be decent at but with a partner so prone to getting hurt during training he knew his way around basic medical things now. And Dot knew better than to try and stop him, so he didn’t pull away.

Lance’s gaze was upon the arm he was carefully wrapping as he replied, “To increase our bond and raise the chances of improving our skills even more. Obviously.”

Dot’s flushed face managed to get even redder. He nodded once. “Right… um… I guess that makes sense. Ok.”

Honestly, Lance was surprised that it wasn’t more of a struggle to convince the guy. In the end he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He’d take what small wins he could. He finished wrapping up the arm and put the rest of the bandage back into his pocket. Good as new.

Dot pulled his arm back to himself. He pouted as he grunted, “Thanks.”

He sure didn’t sound grateful. Oh, well. It couldn’t be helped. Lance stood, brushed himself off, then offered the redhead his hand. Dot accepted with his non-bandaged hand and was pulled to his feet. Lance was quite aware of how the warm hand in his lingered for just a moment longer than usual before the dragon pulled it away.

“Where should we go?” Lance asked.

“You asked me! Shouldn’t you decide!” Dot shrieked.

Lance thought about it, but he didn’t really know. If he chose a place the dragon didn’t like he’d never hear the end of it. Truly, it was better to just sit back and let the redhead be the one that decided. Lance was cool with anything. That must’ve come across in his expression because Dot’s tail whipped once behind him in annoyance.

“You’re hopeless.” Dot sighed. He shook his head then declared, “We should go out for drinks.”

“Okay.” Lance nodded. That sounded simple enough.

Chapter Text

Since flying on a broom while intoxicated was illegal, as well as a near impossible task, Easton set up a special car service which went from the dorms into town. There was no problem with the students using that to go blow off steam. Mostly it was used for trips to and from bars.

Honestly, that service made going on their impromptu date that much easier. After a quick shower and change into casual clothes, Lance and Dot simply hopped on the next departing ride. Slower than flying, it gave people a chance to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Which in their case meant time to bicker over silly things. Lance knew there wasn’t any malice behind what they said to one another. It was all lighthearted good fun. Before they knew it, they were dropped off in town. The two of them quickly found their way to a nearby pub.

Lance and Dot meandered over to the bar and sat on a pair of free stools. Dot was totally gung-ho about ordering drinks. As soon as he finished one, he’d order the next. It didn’t take long for an alcohol induced blush to darken his cheeks. Lance wouldn’t be bested, of course. He kept pace with the redhead. The two of them began to make less and less sense as each drink hit their systems. It was actually a lot of fun.

Lance felt like he could let loose and Dot certainly wasn’t holding back a single thought. He even told the bartender “not to worry about boiling his drink” because he could do it himself. Then he proceeded to try and start a fire, which Lance put an immediate stop to. It was so random he couldn’t help but chuckle. That made the redhead laugh loudly and the two of them were lost in their own giggly world.

A few drinks later Lance was in ramble mode. He talked all about Anna and how cute she was when she was his little princess. His shoulders drooped as he mumbled on about how he missed her. Then he took out his phone and started showing pictures to anyone that’d look.

Dot blinked at the picture of a blue-haired girl holding a kitten then said, “Damn, I haven’t called my sister once since I got here. You’re making me feel kinda bad, man.”

“You should! She could be crying because she misses you!” Lance exclaimed. He was so passionate about the subject it was almost off putting.

“I doubt that,” Dot snickered. “Most siblings barely tolerate each other on the best days. You’re just a weirdo.”

Lance turned towards him and blinked. Dot was smiling again. And it lit up his whole face. It was so stinking cute. He beamed at him, warming him to the very core, almost like Lance’s own personal ray of sunshine. Lance looked down at his drink. He already had one of those, though. While true, Anna didn’t make him feel so… hm. He didn’t know how to describe it. Infuriated felt too tame. Curious too odd. A bit excited for what was to come? Maybe.

The short version was that it was complicated. Lance glanced at the dragon when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Dot laughed loudly at some joke he’d just made. The sound gave Lance goosebumps. Warmth blossomed in his chest and his heart felt like it was being squeezed. He lifted his glass to his lips then smiled into his drink. Perhaps it wasn’t nearly as complicated as he’d initially thought. Maybe, just maybe, it was as simple as could be.

Dot’s tail swayed happily as he continued to chatter about whatever popped into his head. Lance didn’t know how he’d known the guy for so long but never noticed all his cute little habits. Just what had they been wasting time doing? Far too distracted by that now, he could only hum softly as he pretended he was listening to whatever the guy was saying.

“Karaoke!” Dot shouted all of a sudden.

Lance jumped but turned to look where he was suddenly pointing. They’d just set up a machine on a small stage. Evidently it was open to anyone that wanted to give it a go. It certainly wasn’t Lance’s thing, but knowing just how different the two of them were he’d bet money that it was an activity Dot loved.

His assumption was a hundred percent correct. The redhead couldn’t get to the stage fast enough. He looked like he’d fight anyone that tried to get there first. While not good by any definition of the word, Dot sang his heart out. The way he bellowed into the microphone was as much an assault on the ears as it was utterly charming. His enthusiasm was infectious and soon the crowd was cheering. Even Lance couldn’t help but smirk at just how goofy the guy was.

Dot was way too into it. He was having the time of his life singing some ridiculous girl power anthem that he didn’t even know all the words to. Then there was a pause in the lyrics. The two of them made eye contact and Dot grinned so widely that Lance’s own face hurt by proxy.

For a brief moment in time, it was like they were the only two in the room. Dot was up there putting on his best show just for Lance to enjoy. Not unlike a siren trying to ensnare a wayward sailor, he wailed his heart out. He was trying way too hard of course but that was just like him in the end.

Lance blinked and shook his head, which caused the rest of the world to return. After that the impromptu dancing started. Dot spun around and wiggled his butt, making his tail sway side to side with the motion.

A random bystander in the audience shouted, “Woo! Shake it!”

That yell made Dot laugh and dance even faster. Lance on the other hand didn’t find it funny in the slightest. He glanced at the man that’d shouted out of the corner of his eye. If looks could kill, his certainly would’ve.

Once Dot finished up with his song, he laughed and took a bow. The same guy from earlier wolf whistled then applauded as the redhead stepped off stage. Dot was all smiles as he hurried back over to the bar.

“Man that was fun!” Dot laughed. He smiled from ear to ear as he chirped, “You should try!”

“I think you had enough fun for both of us.” Lance replied softly. Not that he particularly minded. It was nice to see him enjoying himself so unabashedly.

“That’s true!” Dot snickered.

There was something so very charming about how cheery he was. His flushed cheeks looked lovely paired with his red hair and eyes. There was a sheen of sweat upon his skin that was quite noticeable now. And he seemed raring to go again, which gave him a vibrant aura. Lance kind of wanted to touch him right now. Minimal skin contact like a hand grab. Anything, really.

Lance opened his mouth to say something to the redhead, though he wasn’t sure exactly what. He paused when someone called out to Dot and grabbed his attention instead. Lance glanced at the person in question when Dot turned their way. It was that same guy from the shout and whistle. Now he was praising the redhead’s performance. Lance’s brow furrowed. What an irritating person. Go away.

Lance took a sip of his drink as he casually cast a sectional graviole beneath that extremely annoying man’s chair. It immediately shattered under its own weight and he hit the floor hard. Everyone other than Lance looked at the commotion, confused about what just happened. As the guy was helped to his feet Lance turned towards the bartender and asked for the check. That was enough of this place for now.

He might’ve jumped the gun just a bit. That much was obvious to Lance when the two of them stepped out of the bar and he realized there was quite a bit of time left before the scheduled pick up. They’d just have to make the best of it. Night had fallen so it was pretty dark outside now.

The streetlamps were lit, maintained by magic. The flames encased in glass flickered all around them. Admittedly, it was quite a romantic atmosphere. He could easily see getting carried away in the moment with such a setting. Dot was close enough that their shoulders nearly touched while they walked. It’d be so simple for Lance to take his hand, or perhaps lean in close and whisper into his ear. Surely that’d get a great reaction out of him.

The two of them walked until they happened upon quite a large fountain. It had its own spotlights as well as a striking figure of a dragon in the middle. There was probably a plaque somewhere around which explained just who it was meant to commemorate. As Lance looked for something like that, his gaze fell downward where he noticed a lot of shining coins in the water.

“I’ve heard of this!” Dot chirped. He turned towards the other man excitedly. “It’s a wishing fountain, right?”

“Yeah.” Lance supposed it was.

“Should we try it out?” Dot asked.

“I don’t have any coins,” Lance sighed.

“I’ll go get some from that food truck over there! Be right back!” Dot hurried off. He turned back and yelled, “Don’t go anywhere!”

Because he had so many places to go. Lance shook his head. Even from where he stood he could see the redhead’s excited movements as he chatted up the person working at the food truck. Dot got his coins, waved goodbye, and hurried back to the fountain.

He showed off the shiny currency and chuckled, “Tada! Tell me I’m awesome, I’ll wait!”

“You’re something all right.” Lance replied. His gaze never left that beaming smile.

“Here you go! All right what should I… oh!” Dot handed lance his coin then squeezed his eyes shut as he put all his focus into charging his own coin with his wish. He opened them again and tossed it into the fountain. Satisfied, he turned towards the other man and tilted his head. “Go on, then. Your turn.”

Lance’s hand squeezed around the coin. He held it up as if he also needed to charge it, merely humoring the redhead at this point. He probably should’ve wished to be stronger or reach even greater heights together. Something along those lines. Instead, the first thing that popped into his head was a wish that this day would last longer. Because if it never ended, he could continue to watch Dot glow as he had a great time, which as it turned out was a great time to him.

He tossed the coin into the fountain, it landed with a ploop. Dot put his hands on his hips immediately afterward and exclaimed, “Ha! Mine went further! That means my wish will be the one granted!”

“I don’t think it works like that at all,” Lance replied softly.

Dot wasn’t listening, however. He dug his phone out of his pocket and checked a recent notification. He read the message then summarized it, “Well, it looks like our ride is going to be a little bit later than expected.”

“I see.” Lance couldn’t deny that he was a little bit happy to hear that. He glanced down at the water. It couldn’t actually have power, could it? He quickly shoved the thought aside. Now the two of them had more time for their date. Maybe they should just head back to that place from earlier.

Dot put his phone away. He didn’t seem bothered in the slightest by the minor inconvenience. In fact, he didn’t react at all to the news. He spotted something that stole his attention. He motioned in that direction and yelled, “Oh hey! Over there! Let’s go!”

Lance barely had a chance to look in that direction before the redhead grabbed his wrist and dragged him over. When they reached the convenience store, Dot released him and hurried to look around. Lance wasn’t sure what the excitement was about over something so normal but he also wandered a bit. He picked out a handful of snacks then ran into Dot by the alcohol fridge. Ah. They didn’t need a bar at all to continue drinking together. Now they were on the same page again.

Dot asked him if he had any preference. When Lance said he didn’t, Dot grabbed a bunch of random drinks and headed for the register. Lance didn’t even have the chance to offer to buy some before the redhead had checked out. Oh, well. He ended up buying the snacks instead. Dot seemed happy as could be when they left the store together. It made Lance curious about something.

“What are you so happy about?” Lance had to ask while they headed down the sidewalk together. He raised a curious eyebrow at the redhead. “Did you seriously waste your wish on booze?”

“Huh?” Dot turned towards him and his brow furrowed. “No, what are you talking about?”

Lance looked away from him and muttered, “You’ve got this satisfied look on your face as if something you wanted happened.”

Dot nudged him with his elbow. He smiled from ear to ear then chirped, “Who wouldn’t be happy if they got to prolong a good time?”

Lance couldn’t agree more. In that moment he was right where he wanted to be, right with the person he wanted to share it with. His ridiculous excuse of a companion was evidently so distracted by yapping about nonsense that he wasn’t paying attention to where he was walking. Dot yelped in surprise as he tripped over a hole in the ground. Lance reacted as quickly as humanly possible.

He managed to catch the dragon but somehow ended up dipping him and bent over so he was nose to nose with him in the process. The way Dot’s back arched against his palm as he was dipped backward made something primal stir within Lance’s gut. A desire he made no effort to hide as his gaze fell to the redhead’s inviting lips. Dot’s eyes were impossibly wide and his cheeks nearly the same crimson as his hair. Cute, cute, cute.  Lance was way too tipsy to deal with something like this.

“Surprisingly good reflexes for a human!” Dot yelled, shattering whatever moment was in the making. He wriggled free of the other man’s grip then chuckled nervously and added, “I must’ve rubbed off on you during training!”

Lance blinked at him. Dot had his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out now. Seriously, the dragon was ridiculous. Lance massaged his temples. That moment just a second ago would’ve been perfect for a kiss. Maybe he was the crazy one for wishing it had happened.

Dot frowned at the spot on the road that he tripped over. After that, the two of them walked until they reached the spot where they’d be picked up later. They sat on a bench there and each cracked open a drink. They tapped their cans together then both took big gulps before chatting about whatever random topic popped into their heads. All they could do now was wait.

Lance and Dot spent the entire ride back to the dorms disagreeing on who had the cooler hair. To be perfectly honest, Lance didn’t even know how that one started. He also didn’t care. It was all in good fun. The slightest comment from him set Dot off on a rant and it was really funny. Lighthearted arguments like these weren’t a nuisance at all. They were, in fact, quite enjoyable. If nothing else, this date of theirs proved that Dot could be fun to be around when he wanted to. Good to know.

Once back at the dorm, it was up to them to make it to their room. They leaned on one another for support the entire way. Thank goodness for elevators because they would not have managed stairs right now. Dot was laughing so much and Lance found it incredibly distracting.

He had to constantly shush the dragon and remind him that it was late so others were already asleep. Of course that lead to the redhead declaring they should all wake up then attempting to knock on the nearest door. Luckily, Lance prevented that by keeping his grip firm on the idiot. He really was actively trying to cause them unnecessary problems. And damn if Lance wasn’t tempted to go ahead and let him when he smiled like that.

The two of them finally made it back to their room and in one piece to boot. He was grateful for magic because he just knew neither of them would’ve had the coordination to get a key into a hole. Once it unlocked and the door swung open, they stumbled into the room together. Neither of them realized they’d been leaning on it for support.

They managed not to fall for a few steps. Then their luck ran out. At least when they finally did tumble, it was onto Dot’s bed. Their soft grunts were followed by snickers. Afterwards Dot mumbled that he was heavy and shoved him over with yet another laugh. Suddenly, the two of them were lying on the bed facing one another.

Lance was so lightheaded. It was like his mind was floating while nestled on the fluffiest cloud. The world wanted to spin but he was a couple drinks short of achieving that. His brain was running with thoughts he’d normally never allow. Right now all he could think about was the fact that Dot was really attractive when he wasn’t being the worst. More than that, Lance found himself in a really good mood after their date. Certainly an unexpected sentiment, but welcome nonetheless.

Lance took note of Dot’s half-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks. Was he sleepy or just intoxicated? It was hard to tell with the guy. Lance’s gaze traveled over his super close companion and his mind ran with the thoughts that should’ve been locked away.

His horns were cute. His fangs were cute. His pointy ears were cute. His flushed cheeks were cute. He was cute. All Lance knew for sure was that he felt good right now. Good about Dot, good about how they’d gotten along today. And now he had the overwhelming desire to lean in and close the distance between them. So he did.

He pressed his lips against the redhead’s on what had to have been a whim and was immediately kissed back. Quite enthusiastically, he might add. There was no overthinking things. Just the two of them in this moment, lost to their mutual desire.

It was only after they finally parted that Dot’s eyes widened. He gasped, slapped a hand over his own mouth, and let out a muffled, “Wha’ ya do tha’ fer!”

“Payback. Now we’re even.” Lance replied without missing a beat. Good for him, thinking so fast on his feet like that.

“Wha… oh!” Dot finally lowered his hand so he could rub the back of his head and smile sheepishly. “I guesss I did ki’hh you firsss.”

Indeed. Though his “payback” was achieved, Lance didn’t move. The two of them stared into one another’s eyes while the sounds of their own heartbeats filled their ears. It was a nice moment. Dare he say tender? Most certainly a lot more intimate than any they’d shared previously.

Dot’s gaze fell to the other man’s lips and he muttered, “Heyy… Lance…”

“Mm?”

“I’m drrrrrunk.” Dot snickered.

“You look it,” Lance snorted. A little smile spread across his face afterwards. As for why, well, he didn’t rightly know. He’d guess it was the alcohol.

Dot’s eyes widened. He stared unblinking when he said, “Wan’ to… kisss again…”

Lance looked momentarily surprised. But that quickly melted into amusement. There was nothing he could do about the little smirk upon his face when he asked, “You can’t hold back a single thought right now, huh?”

“Wha…?” Dot blinked and shook his head. “Wha’chu mean?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Lance whispered. He put his hand on the redhead’s cheek then surged forward and kissed him once again, much more passionately than earlier.

Dot stiffened, obviously not expecting it to happen though he just requested it himself. That passed quickly enough and his eyes fell shut. He completely melted into it. Dot met him kiss for desperate kiss, giving a hundred and ten percent. They kissed each other as if they were the very air they needed to breathe. Inhaling sharply through their noses, they didn’t dare pause for even a moment.

With how intense their day-to-day interactions were it only made sense that they’d bring the same energy to a make out session. Lance hadn’t ever given that thought before but now that he was aware he was sure it’d rarely leave his mind. He could see himself getting addicted to this.

Things quickly took a turn for something steamy when Lance gently tugged on his bottom lip and Dot moaned softly. Talk about maddening. Such a sound was not something he’d been prepared to hear the redhead make. It might just drive Lance crazy. The only thought in his head now was the fact that he wanted Dot in the worst way. He wanted to be as close as physically possible. To know every inch of one another’s bodies. Lance put his hand on the redhead’s lower back then pulled him closer so that their bodies were pressed together. The action seemed to alarm the dragon.

Dot put his hand against Lance’s chest and pushed him away, breaking the kiss in the process. He panted softly, not finding it easy to catch his breath. Still, he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as he mumbled, “…can’t. I can’t.”

Sensing the guy felt actual distress, Lance backed off. He put some space between them and gave him a moment to catch his breath. Once Dot’s breathing seemed to steady, he put his hand upon the redhead’s cheek and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Dot stared at him with tears glistening in his eyes. He sniffled, seemingly conflicted about something or other. After a second to gather what thoughts he could he said, “You… make me feel so… I mean– for you I… I think I really–”

Lance’s heart skipped not one beat but two. Yeah, him too. He understood. He put a finger over the dragon’s lips to silence him. Confusion flashed in Dot’s crimson eyes. Lance’s voice was a mere whisper when he said, “Shh, it’s ok. Tell me when you’re sober.”

Once he was certain Dot wouldn’t say another word, he pulled his hand away. Now he placed it back upon the redhead’s cheek. Dot shut his eyes and nuzzled his palm. Lance pulled him close once more, careful to avoid his horns, without any intention other than to be comforting this time.

Dot must’ve been able to sense this since he returned the embrace and shut his eyes then fell asleep almost immediately. Well, there was no choice now but to stay right where he was. Lance shut his eyes and breathed in deep, inhaling the familiar and comforting scent of the dragon in his arms. Something told him he wouldn’t have any trouble getting to sleep tonight.

Lance awoke first the next morning. He blinked slowly as his eyes adjusted to the morning light that shone in through the window. They’d shifted to less potentially dangerous sleeping positions during the night after he’d struggled to grab the guy’s horn cushions for him. Basically, that meant Dot ended up on his back with Lance resting on his chest.

He rolled onto his back so just one arm was pinned beneath the dragon. Then he rested his free arm across his own eyes. The memory of their date last night was still fresh in Lance’s mind. The fun, the laughs, the way his heart squeezed. Remembering how he’d felt was almost enough to make even Dot’s stupid drooling sleeping face cute. Almost.

Lance carefully detangled himself from the redhead so he could get out of bed. Thank goodness, he was still sleeping like a baby. That’d save a whole lot of early morning shrieking. That was the last thing he needed right now. Hydration was the first. Lance left the room quietly and headed for the vending machine at the end of the hall. He got two bottles of water, downed one, and returned.

He set the other bottle down on Dot’s nightstand then grabbed himself a change of clothes and left the room once again. This time his destination was the communal bath. There wasn’t anyone else around when he arrived, which was a small miracle. It was just Lance and his thoughts left to have a soak on their own.

Water rippled around him as he stepped into the bath and sat down. Warm. Soothing. There was a pleasant scent in the air. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes. An image of Dot grinning at him while singing karaoke last night popped into his head. Lance opened his eyes and blinked. That guy really went and made him feel like the only other person on the planet then nearly cried when they kissed a little afterwards.

What was it about intimacy that scared him so? Did he just not want that kind of thing? It wasn’t impossible to work around something like that, but Lance just wished the guy would be upfront with him if that was the case. Still… it hadn’t at all been one sided last night. Lance knew that much.

Tell me when you’re sober.

His own words echoed in his mind. The ball was in Dot’s court now. Whatever he’d wanted to say would be much easier to articulate without the alcohol in his system. There wasn’t really much else Lance could do but wait. He had to leave the rest up to Dot himself.

Lance quickly found out that was an awful decision. Not only did the silly dragon not remember a thing about their night past the first few drinks, he seemed like he was right back to being closed off and extra argumentative with him again.

After making the progress they did, it was extremely frustrating. Especially when Lance recalled every detail of the good time they’d had together. He considered suggesting they go on another date but even if that was fun too it wasn’t like they could recreate exactly what’d happened the first go around. And that was the one he wanted Dot to acknowledge, anyway. It felt like they were back at square one now.

Days of this turned into weeks. The longer it continued, the more frustrated Lance became. Dot’s affection for him was clear as day, the dragon simply could not hide how he felt. Still, he’d been avoiding the subject completely. He’d go as far as to literally run from any conversation that felt like it was headed in that direction, even knowing that they’d meet right back up again in their dorm room at some point that day. Never did he explain why he had such a reaction. It was beyond frustrating, and Lance had reached his limit.

It was true that Lance was an attractive man. He probably could’ve gone out on his own and found himself a date whenever he wanted. It never took much for someone to notice him. Heck, even Dot had called him pretty the day they’d met. But that just wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted one stupid dragon to get his shit together and admit the truth already. He wanted to feel Dot’s skin against his. To hear him whimper softly when the pleasure was just too much. To know what every inch of him tasted like.

Perhaps he was down bad. But it really wasn’t his fault. He blamed Dot for that a hundred percent. Now he just needed to find a way to get them out of the awkward stage they were stuck in. Having reached the end of his rope, there was really only one option left. A direct confrontation.

There was no better place for such than their dorm room. Lance waited there for Dot to return from his bath. Then it was time to take action. The redhead let out a funny little surprised squeak when he was suddenly backed against the door with Lance’s hands on either side of his head.

Dot was blushing furiously when he yelled, “What are you doing? Get away from me!”

“Not until you admit you feel something for me,” Lance replied flatly.

“Fat chance!” Dot shrieked. He shoved the MAGE away with both hands. His whole face was nearly as crimson as his hair now. “What’s your problem? Is your ego so big that you need to hear something like that?”

Lance sighed and shook his head. He should’ve known the aggressive form of the direct approach wouldn’t work. Dot would never make anything easy on him. In that case, it was onto plan b.

“Take a seat. Let’s talk.” Lance said softly as he motioned to Dot’s bed.

“Don’t wanna.” The redhead refused.

“Do it anyway.” Lance demanded.

Dot frowned but complied. Lance sat down next to him. An awkward silence filled the room. It seemed that neither was sure what to say. Lance really hadn’t thought up a plan b if he was being completely honest. This was just him at a loss for what else he could possibly do. Eventually, Dot just seemed to break. He hid his face in his hands and groaned.

“Fine. You win.” Dot mumbled into his hands. He shook his head then admitted, “I do have a thing for you, ok? But it’s not something I’m interested in pursuing.”

A bit surprised by the honest answer out of nowhere, Lance asked, “Why not?”

It took Dot over a minute to reply. He seemed to be trying to gather his thoughts into something coherent enough to share. He twiddled his thumbs and wouldn’t look at Lance when he finally said, “For me, I mean my kind… romance is more complicated than it is for humans.”

Lance blinked but didn’t say a word. He simply waited for the guy to continue.

“It’s all fun and games for you guys, but it's way more serious for us.” Dot sighed. He thought about how to explain. “Like if the two of us got together and then you decided you didn’t want me anymore, I’d…” He frowned and clenched his fists. “I’d never recover. You’re capable of calling something like that quits whenever it suits you, but I can’t. I’d be stuck in love with someone who’d never spare me another passing thought. It’d be devastating, maybe a fate worse than death because I’d have no choice but to endure it until my body withered away. That’s too much to ask of me, man.”

Lance took a moment to try and decipher his long-winded response. He read between the lines as best he could and finally managed to decode what it was the redhead was talking about. There was just a hint of surprise in his voice when he asked, “Are you trying to say that your specific breed of dragon mates for life…?”

Dot flinched at the words but nodded. He couldn’t bring himself to look anywhere but down at his own hands.

“Which is why you’re still a virgin…” Lance said mostly to himself. It all made perfect sense, he didn’t know why he’d never considered it before.

It’d never been cowardice or lack of desire that stopped Dot from pursuing an intimate relationship, but a sense of self preservation. Lance’s suggestion that the two of them have meaningless sex must’ve sliced through him like a red-hot dagger. It was a wonder the guy ever grew to like him at all after a blow like that.

“So you get it right? Why I have no choice but to rid myself of any feelings I have for you? Other than spite because that fuels my fire!” Dot shouted, completely ignoring the virgin thing. It didn’t need confirming. They were on the same page.

After a brief pause to contemplate things, Lance replied, “Do you really have to, though?”

Dot looked up at him in disbelief. “Hah?”

His eyes widened when he was kissed without warning. Dot’s eyes immediately fell shut as he melted into it. He parted his lips to allow Lance’s tongue entry then practically whimpered when it did just that. Just like with everything they did, this meeting of lips was intense. Dot claimed not to remember the night they’d made out, but it seemed that his body certainly did. Eventually, he put a hand on Lance’s shoulder and pushed him away.

Dot averted his gaze and ignored his burning cheeks as he muttered, “That’s not going to help me get over you.”

“What if I don’t want you to get over me?” Lance asked softly.

“Huh? Whoa!” Dot yelped as he was shoved back onto the bed. His eyes were impossibly wide but he didn’t try and move from this position.

Lance was above him looking down at his blushing face. Even the points of his ears were tinted pink. Cute tips of fangs peeked out from the shocked little gasp still upon his lips. Something within Lance stirred. He wanted to consume Dot. To make this dragon his in every imaginable way. Especially now that he knew what it meant. Something about that knowledge made him feel so possessive of the redhead. He wanted all of Dot’s firsts. And his lasts. For theirs to be a future bound together without question. It sounded crazy because it was.

Dot’s cheeks were the reddest Lance had ever seen. His eyes were full of a vulnerability that he’d never dreamed the redhead was capable of. Lance only ever wanted the dragon to look at him like this. Never anyone else.

Nearly overwhelmed by the emotions he found himself drowning in, Dot grabbed a fistful of his own shirt right above his heart and squeezed. His voice was a shaky whisper when he said, “The way my heart acts when I’m around you is crazy. I’ve never felt this way about anyone else before.”

Lance could relate. Though he didn’t say a thing. He was way too distracted by the shy expression on Dot’s face. Those flushed cheeks. Not to mention the way his lips practically begged to be kissed again. Dot glanced at him briefly before his eyes darted away again and he pursed his lips together.

“If you keep making that face, I’ll never want to let you go.” Lance sighed dreamily. Greed the likes of which he’d never known washed over him quite suddenly. This was a side of Dot no one else had ever seen and he wanted to keep it for himself. He bent down next to Dot’s adorable, pointed ear with the blush darkened tip and whispered, “Don’t fight it. Go ahead and fall in love with me.”

“Do you have any idea what you’re saying!” Dot cried.

“I do. I promise I’ll take full responsibility.” Lance assured him.

Tears filled Dot’s eyes and he turned his head away. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand before he said, “You can’t possibly want to bind yourself to someone like me. The two of us are so different.”

Lance pulled that hand away from his face and held it to the middle of his own chest. “Look at me. I’m fully sober and telling you this from the heart. I’ve heard and understood the consequences of what I’m about to say so don’t think otherwise.” He paused just to make sure he had the dragon’s full attention. “I want you, Dot. All of you. Not just for the power boost. Not just for tonight, either. I’ll be right by your side from here on out.”

Somehow, Dot’s eyes managed to get even wider at his words.

“The real question is whether or not you’re ready to admit you want me too,” Lance continued.

“Of course I do! You’re all I can think about these days! It’s been driving me absolutely crazy!” Dot shouted. He balled his hand into a fist and banged it against the other man’s chest in frustration.

Lance bent down and captured his lips in a heated kiss. Perhaps to silence him, perhaps to affirm their mutual feelings towards one another. It was anyone’s guess. When he pulled away he searched Dot’s pretty eyes. They were nearly overflowing with the feelings he’d been far too scared to put into words for so long. Lance would get him to admit every single one in time.

“Does that mean you’re finally ready to…” Lance let the question trail off because he knew the rest of it was pretty obvious considering he had the guy pinned to a bed and frankly wasn’t shy about what stiff parts of his body were pressed against him right now. Slowly, he traced the outline of Dot’s left ear. Though his finger barely touched it, the dragon’s shudder was unmistakable.

“Hurry up and get it over with before I change my mind!” Dot exclaimed. He was clearly so embarrassed right now that he had no idea what to do with himself. He couldn’t even look the other man in the eye but he also had his hand fisted tightly in Lance’s shirt so he couldn’t go anywhere.

“No way.” Lance huffed. He bent down and nuzzled Dot’s cheek. Breath hot against the dragon’s pointy ear, his voice was a gravelly whisper when he purred, “I’m going to take my time with you and savor every moment.”

*

Lance fought back a yawn as he followed Dot outside to the training ground. He had no idea how the guy had so much energy after the amount they’d expended last night. Heck, Lance expected them to be dead to the world this morning. It turned out the opposite was true. Dot kissed him good morning, dragged him out of bed bright and early, kissed him again, then forced him to eat breakfast. Now here they were, at the training ground, on what was supposed to be a day off.

Lance lost count of just how many times they’d made love last night, but it certainly wasn’t a small amount. It also wasn’t even sort of enough to quell his desire for the dragon. He’d never get enough of Dot’s reaction to his touch, or his expressions, or the sounds he made. It was actually crazy just how much more he wanted the guy now that he’d had him.

Sex while being head over heels in love sure did fulfill one in a way Lance hadn’t expected. Dot was just chock full of surprises for him, it seemed. Since it was a long weekend, not many stuck around. The training ground was practically empty save for a few stragglers. Lance shook his head when the redhead charged a training dummy out of nowhere and snapped it in half. He left the tattered remains where they were and immediately looked around for his next victim.

There was a moment last night just after the two of them climaxed together for the first time where a huge burst of magical energy seemed to emanate from them. It was so powerful that it made the room rattle. Right after that Dot told him his eyes were glowing and when Lance looked back at him, he saw the same was true for the dragon.

He’d also noticed a tear sliding down Dot’s cheek. Lance wiped it away and then kissed that spot. He knew it was neither out of pain nor sadness. It was overwhelming happiness with just a hint of relief. Lance totally got that. Dot had been forced to hold back on all things romantic his entire life. Being held and loved like that was an extremely special moment for him. Well, it was for Lance too. All things considered, it was basically their wedding night.

“Think fast!”

Lance was knocked out of his own thoughts by the familiar shout. He immediately dodged the incoming fireball then frowned at the redhead. That was a little too close for comfort.

“That’s what you get for zoning out, man! Come on, pick a dummy!” Dot laughed.

“You’re a dummy.” Lance snorted.

“Oy!” Dot yelled. Though he sounded annoyed there was an unmistakable gleam of happiness in his eyes. He was truly enjoying himself. “Let’s race then! Come on! Oof–”

As Dot spun around to take off running he slammed right into one of their fellow students. One of the most persistent bullies, as it were. The force at which they collided knocked Dot right off his feet and he fell onto his butt. The other guy was built like a brick wall so he barely even budged.

“Out of my way, loser. I don’t need you spreading that inability to hold your partial transformation to me.” The other man snapped.

Dot stood and just as he was about to respond, a hand landed on his shoulder. He clenched his hands into fists, ready to leave with Lance. Do not engage. That was the plan. The yard was big enough for everyone to train, they’d just go to another section.

As the two of them turned to leave, the bully shouted, “And that means you’re a loser by proxy, Crown! Hahahaha!”

Dot spun around in the blink of an eye and shrieked, “You take that baaaaaaaaaaaack!”

Lance watched in real time as something within the redhead snapped. There was no controlling what was happening now. A ferocious burst of energy exploded outward from Dot, causing dirt and debris to fly everywhere around them. Onlookers had no choice but to shield their eyes. But Lance could still hear the way Dot’s voice contorted until it was a fearsome roar.

When the dust finally settled, Lance craned his neck upward to see an enormous fully transformed red dragon standing above him. He was momentarily awestruck. Wow. Beautiful. Crimson scales with flecks of gold that sparkled in the sun like the most vibrant flames. His claws and horns were blacker than pitch. Smoke tendrils wisped from his nostrils and he seemed to be grinning. Truly, he looked like a beast of legend. One that humans were meant to fear.

However, Lance felt no such thing. Mostly, he was prideful. This gigantic crimson idiot was his Dot. His partner. His everything.

The dragon roared loudly enough to shatter eardrums. Then he opened his mouth wide and started to charge up a ferocious attack. Where was it aimed? Right at one prick of a bully. The guy let out a terrified ‘eep!’ and fell onto his butt.

“You were saying?” Lance asked smugly. The sheer power of Dot’s full dragon aura whipped around them like wind, making the question look a lot more menacing. The bully choked on his words then scurried off like the coward he was.

Calm as ever, Lance put a hand upon the dragon’s leg. Dot’s scales were nearly too hot to touch. He’d expect nothing less from his lover’s fiery personality. Lance didn’t even raise his voice above the usual level when he said, “Calm down, Dot.”

Just like that, the true power of a MAGE partnered with a compatible dragon was on full display. He’d only ever read about it before. Now he got to witness it firsthand. The magical charge stopped. Dot’s vengeful aura dissipated. Even in the midst of a full-on rampage any dragon would hear its MAGE’s voice and respond to the command. That was how deep their connection ran. It was a relationship built on the deepest trust, the truest bond.

The dragon lowered its head and grunted with an upward inflection. Lance pet its snout. He nodded as he hummed, “Yes, you did it. Good job. I’m sure it drained a lot of your stamina, though. You’ll have to eat an extra helping of dinner later.”

Dot grunted twice and nudged him gently.

“Yeah, fine, a dessert too. You earned it.” Lance agreed as he continued to pet him. Dot’s tail wagged quickly behind him. Lance couldn’t help but smirk at that. Was he a dragon or a puppy?

The unexpected sound of a totally different roar got their attentions and the pair both looked upwards to see yet another full dragon arrived on the scene. This one was larger than Dot as well as far more menacing. Its body was black save for the yellow underbelly. It had piercing yellow eyes that looked like they’d burn a hole right through anyone who looked into them too long. It also had a single yellow horn and one black one.

The other dragon landed and roared at Dot, who flinched. He didn’t exactly back down but it was clear he wasn’t sure what to do.

The black dragon crouched on its haunches. A rider hopped off its back and pat its side. The rider in question had brown hair and eyes, as well as one of the kindest smiles Lance had ever seen. He ran his fingers through his short hair to tidy it then tucked a necklace into his shirt. Not before Lance caught a glimpse of the gold ring that dangled from a black cord.

The black dragon growled then the rider pat its leg and hummed, “Calm down, Rayne. You should be kinder to an underclassman who achieved something so impressive!”

Rayne’s tail slapped the ground aggressively and he continued to glare daggers at the red dragon.

“No need to be grumpy,” The rider sighed. Then he turned towards Lance. “Hey there, I’m Max, MAGE and partner to dragon Rayne here.”

“Hello.” Lance replied as was expected of him. He looked up at the black dragon. It was hard to see, but was that something shiny around the base of his yellow horn? Lance looked back at the rider curiously. Instead of asking any questions he introduced them. “I’m Lance. That’s Dot.”

Max smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head while he said, “We sensed the explosive aura of another full dragon manifesting and hurried over to make sure everything was all right. I see you have everything under control, though.”

“I guess I do, yeah.” Lance nodded. Huh. He’d never thought this was an issue for even a second. He supposed he understood why someone else might’ve assumed otherwise, though.

Dot and Rayne wandered off just a little bit so they could inspect one another. They sniffed and walked in a circle, sizing each other up. Neither dared get too close or stay too far away. It was actually pretty funny if you asked Lance.

The next one to arrive on the scene was none other than the headmaster himself. Though in human form, he descended from above with wings as white as the purest snow. His landing was as graceful as one would expect. Both Dot and Rayne returned when they sensed his presence.

“Congratulations on this incredible achievement, young mister Barrett,” the headmaster hummed. He turned to look at Lance. “You too, young mister Crown. It was your combined effort that allowed him to tap into his dormant power.”

“Thank you, sir.” Lance nodded. He supposed that’d have to be from the both of them since Dot couldn’t exactly speak right now.

“Because of this wonderful new development, you’ll both be advancing to a special training course.” The headmaster hummed. He seemed quite pleased with himself when he added, “Rayne and Max here will be your instructors.”

As soon as he said that a rumble of thunder burst from deep within Rayne’s chest. He tossed his head back and roared as he shot a terribly destructive looking bolt of lightning skyward. Dot looked up at it quite obviously intrigued.

“Hey! No complaints! You already agreed to help if anyone achieved full dragon form this year!” Max shouted. He put his hands on his hips. “It’s not their fault you didn’t believe anyone would!”

Rayne snorted loudly. Tantrum evidently over for now, he wandered over to Max and bent down to nudge him gently with his snout. Max nearly fell over from the force of it. But he did so with a smile and hugged Rayne as best he could. The dragon’s eyes fell shut. If Lance had to describe what exactly he was seeing right now, he’d say pure contentment.

The headmaster’s smile never faltered as he said, “I’m sure you’ll all get along splendidly.”

“Big brotherrrr! Heyyyy! I thought that was you!”

Everyone turned towards the sound of the shout to see a young man trotting towards them and waving. Most of his hair was black but he had a group of yellow bangs on one side. As soon as he was close enough to them Rayne slapped him with his tail and sent him rolling head over heels backwards with a loud ‘eeeeee’ until he finally skidded to a halt.

“Rayne! Cut that out! You should be nicer to Finn!” Max scolded him. The dragon seemed uninterested in his words and turned his head away. Max pouted at him but hurried over to the younger man to help him to his feet.

Finn coughed but quickly gave a thumbs up and said, “It’s all right, I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t have to be,” Max sighed. They headed back towards where everyone else waited. When they reached the same spot as earlier Max turned and put his hands on his hips, giving Rayne quite a look. Max dusted the younger man off and rebuttoned a stray button for him. He was just thinking out loud when he said, “It’s not your fault you were born a MAGE in a lineage of dragons.”

“It’s fine. As long as I continue to work hard on my end, I’m sure one day my brother will–” Finn jumped when there was a loud clang right next to him.

To everyone’s surprise, Rayne had tried to tail whip him again but was blocked by something. Wait, not something. It was someone. Someone just using their forearm. What the heck!

Max’s jaw dropped. He was stunned speechless. Even Lance had to admit he was beyond surprised. To block a creature with godly power like it was nothing… who in the world were they looking at? A new student?

Rayne pulled his tail away and glared at the person in question. The black-haired man lowered his arm and otherwise seemed uninterested.

“Mash! Are you all right!” Finn shrieked. Now that he realized what had just happened, he was in full freak out mode. “You didn’t even partially transform or anything! Didn’t that hurt!”

“Hm? I’m fine.” Mash replied nonchalantly. He pulled a snack out of seemingly nowhere and offered it to Finn. “Creampuff?”

“N-no, thanks.” Finn sighed with a shake of his head.

“Not a scratch on him,” Lance said mostly to himself. He was in disbelief and probably would’ve called anyone that told him about this moment a liar had he not just witnessed it himself.

“So this is who you were partnered with when you enrolled, huh?” Max asked. He was back to being smiley and jovial.

Finn rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously. “Y-yeah. He’s a bit quirky but he seems to be a good guy.”

“I’m happy for you, Finn. You’re really coming into your own.” Max hummed with a warm smile.

Finn blushed and bowed his head. “I’ve still got a lot of room for improvement, but I appreciate it.”

The conversation was touching and all but Lance was more interested in watching as Mash wandered off and was now inspecting the dragons. He looked up at them, seemingly amazed. Well, Lance couldn’t blame him for that. They were quite a glorious sight. He found himself surprised once again when Mash walked behind Dot, lifted his tail up above his head effortlessly with a soft ‘oooh’ then dropped it. The resounding thud made the ground beneath their feet vibrate.

After that a strange game of cat and mouse began where Dot tried to swipe at Mash but the guy was just too fast. He appeared in another location entirely every time the red dragon tried to get him. When that didn’t work, Dot resorted to chasing Mash in a circle around Rayne (who did not seem amused by their antics in the slightest). He still couldn’t quite catch the guy.

The red dragon suddenly stopped its pursuit. It took a few wobbly steps forward then whimpered loudly. Dot’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed in a dramatic expulsion of magical energy similar to the one from earlier when he transformed. In the blink of an eye, he was falling out of the sky in human form.

“Oh.” Mash happened to be the closest at the moment so he reached out and caught him before he hit the ground.

Everyone forgot whatever else they were doing and hurried over to the pair as fast as their legs would allow. Though passed out, Dot was making a pained face and his breathing was labored.

“Dot! Hey!” Lance shouted, slightly more panicked than he would’ve liked. “Answer me!”

Max put his hand on Dot’s forehead and the guy groaned softly then turned away. Max nodded. He looked at Lance when he explained, “I’ve seen this before. He overexerted himself. He needs to be checked out by a nurse.”

Lance didn’t reply. He looked from his upperclassman to his lover. The distress upon Dot’s face made him want to throw up. Lance was at a loss. He didn’t know what he could do to help.

As if he sensed the other man’s internal panic, Max smiled comfortingly and put a reassuring hand upon his shoulder. His voice was calm and collected when he explained, “He’ll be fine after some rest, don’t worry. A full transformation like that, though extremely impressive, can’t be maintained for very long at first. Actually, I think he might’ve outlasted even Rayne’s first time.”

“Incorrect.”

Max yelped in surprise at just how close that voice was. He turned to look over his shoulder and see Rayne in his human form standing right behind him. Max put his hand over his own heart and breathed deeply.

Lance spared the guy a passing glance. Just like his brother, his hair was multicolored. It was also yellow and black two tone, albeit on opposite sides and split evenly down the middle. His multi-colored horns were slicked back elegantly, with the tips of them pointed upwards.

The gold band around the base of his yellow horn was much easier to see now. It must’ve been enchanted to change size when he transformed. Lance had no idea such a magic item existed. Pretty cool. That black tail with the yellow accents on the underside was perfectly still. He was serious about something.

“He was over a minute short of my time. Don’t say such things.” Rayne muttered.

“Sorry.” Max hummed. He smiled and tilted his head. “Forgive me?”

Rayne didn’t respond. His unamused expression remained unchanged but he did wrap an arm around Max’s waist and pull him close. Then he nuzzled the top of his head. That was a resounding yes.

“Should I carry him inside?” Mash asked.

“He’s my partner, I’ll take care of him.” Lance insisted with a shake of his head. He was the one responsible for Dot. He’d handle it. He took the limp idiot, tossed him over his shoulder like the sack of potatoes he currently was, then headed back towards the building. On the way he heard Max say that Rayne should apologize to Finn and then a soft ‘hmph’. That seemed like a complicated familial relationship.

When they got to the nurse’s office, it was empty. Guess that meant they’d just have to wait. Lance plopped Dot down onto one of the free beds. He pulled the blanket over him then brushed his red bangs out of his face. And then Lance smiled to himself.

His voice was positively dripping with the fondness he felt for the redhead when he said, “You really did it, you hotheaded idiot.”

More than just being proud of Dot’s hard work finally paying off, Lance was overwhelmed with the affection he felt for the dummy. This bond of theirs surpassed anything he’d ever thought possible. Guess there hadn’t been a miscalculation after all. Lance bent down and kissed Dot’s forehead. He started to leave after that but felt something tug on his shirt.

He turned around to look back at Dot, who grunted and made a pained face, still asleep. Lance’s gaze fell to where the redhead had his shirt held tightly in his palm. It was almost like his body reacted for him while he was unconscious. All right. Lance could take a hint.

He pulled his shirt free then grabbed a chair. Lance sat there and held Dot’s hand as they awaited the nurse’s return. Judging by how that previous interaction with all those new faces had gone before, they had a very interesting year ahead of themselves. They’d have to train hard to take on whatever life might throw at them next. But with their combined power now unleashed there was no telling what heights they’d reach together. He was really, really looking forward to it. Lance leaned back in the chair and smiled to himself as his eyes fell shut.

A few weeks later…

Lance didn’t look up from what he was doing when the bedroom door opened. He twisted the knife he held against the little piece of wood carefully, almost too focused on his task to think about anything else. Until he felt a hand on his shoulder, anyway. Then he kept his gaze on what he was doing but turned his head and accepted the quick kiss he knew was incoming. After that, he got right back to it.

Behind him, Dot stretched his hands over his head with a satisfied grunt. He punched the air while he said, “Nothing like a bath to soothe the aching muscles. I feel like I could win a fight with a boulder.”

“That sounds ill advised.” Lance tsked.

“You sound like a robot.” Dot snorted. He raised a curious eyebrow at what the other man held. “What are you doing over there?”

“Whittling,” Lance replied.

“Yeah? What you making?” Dot asked.

“My intention was another Anna for my collection but it’s not how things turned out,” Lance explained.

“Another what for your huh?” Dot sighed.

“I’ve mentioned it before. You probably weren’t listening.” Lance assured him. He set his little project down and picked up his phone.

Dot crossed his arms then countered, “Or I completely deleted it from my memory because you’re totally unreasonable when it comes to your sister.”

Ignoring him, Lance searched through the gallery on his phone until he found what he wanted. He held it up so the redhead could see the image of the dozens of little grinning Anna’s he’d carved. They were neatly lined up on a bookshelf.

“I’m torn between being impressed by your skills and horrified by how unhinged that is,” Dot snickered. He continued to smile as he sighed and shook his head. “But I guess that’s your thing so I can’t bring myself to hate it completely.”

Lance put the phone down and picked up his current project once again. He turned it side to side as he examined it. This one was probably done. Though there was one part he wished he’d taken a little more time on.

“So what’d you end up making instead?” Dot asked, unable to hide his curiosity at this point. “I can’t imagine anything else occupying your mind for an extended period of time.”

Lance held up the little wooden figure. It was smaller than his palm and kind of rough compared to others he’d made in the past. Though it did seem to get the point across. There was a pair of very distinct horns sprouting from above pointy ears on either side of its head as well as a thick little tail on the back to match. The mouth was open as if it was in mid-shout. The hair spiked in what honestly looked like a dangerous manner.

Dot made a choked sound. When Lance glanced over at him he saw that his face was red as could be. Part of him wanted to take a picture.

He looked back at the little figure and muttered, “I can’t quite get the face right. C’mere.”

Dot didn’t even have a chance to yelp before he was pulled onto his lover’s lap. Then Lance held up the figure and looked from it to the dragon and back again. When his gaze landed upon the redhead once more, he set the figure down and hummed, “Won’t you show me a cute face I can work with?”

Without waiting for a response, Lance surged forward and latched onto Dot’s neck. He started to plant sweet kisses all along it, positively reveling in the little squeak it earned him. The redhead’s hands squeezed his shoulders almost too roughly. Not that Lance would ever complain about that. He trailed kisses all the way up until he finally reached his lover’s lips.

Dot positively melted into the kiss. He had no desire whatsoever to leave that spot even as he mumbled something about them not having time for this against the other man’s lips.

“You smell so fresh and clean,” Lance purred. His hands slid up the back of the dragon’s shirt. Such warm skin against his palms. He loved it. Lance was basically just thinking out loud when he said, “Of course that just gives me the urge to make you absolutely filthy.”

Dot shuddered. In lieu of a verbal response he leaned into the kiss to deepen it. Lance very much approved. The room filled with the sounds of soft moans as they continued to make out.

It was Dot that finally found the strength to pull away. He bowed his head and took a few labored breaths before he finally said, “If we show up late and disheveled again Rayne will transform on the spot and fry us to a crisp way before Max can do anything to stop him.”

Dot was not being hyperbolic. Rayne had actually threatened them with those exact words last time such a thing occurred. And it had been clear as day he hadn’t been joking. Still, that was neither here nor there.

Lance’s grip on the dragon tightened. He was a hundred percent serious when he replied, “You really shouldn’t be so focused on other men while you’re in my arms.”

“You really should develop a sense of self-preservation!” Dot yelped. “I’m trying to save our asses here!”

Lance’s hands slid lower until he had a firm grip on the redhead’s butt then he purred, “The only thing I want to do with your ass is–”

Dot slapped both hands over Lance’s mouth before he had the chance to finish the thought. He shook his head as he shrieked, “That’s quite enough, thanks! Stop being stubborn! We have all night together to fool around as much as we want! Daytime is for classes!”

After a moment to mull it over, Lance finally grunted softly in agreement. When the guy was right, he was right. He watched the redhead breathe a sigh of relief before finally dropping his hands. Lance took the chance to kiss the corner of his mouth, which earned him another surprised squeak. Cute.

After reluctantly getting ready, the two of them finally left the room together. They walked shoulder to shoulder down the halls on the way to their destination. Lance didn’t mind the looks they received, he knew it was all part of their achievement. Lots of jealousy, some spite, and even a few glares were out of pure awe. His partner never seemed to mind any of them. Then again, Dot had joined the academy with the most insane ego he’d ever known so that probably made sense.

They turned a corner to find no one else in the next hallway.

“I saw a notice posted that there’s going to be a cooking course offered soon,” Dot said out of the blue. They continued to walk, nearly at their destination. “I was thinking it might be cool to take that together…?”

Lance glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “Why? I can cook just fine.”

Dot sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. His tone was positively dripping with his annoyance when he replied, “It could just be nice to do something like that as a pair? Sheesh, forget it. I’ll take it alone, you jerk.” Dot pouted and bowed his head.

Lance immediately noticed the tips of his ears were pink again. He seriously couldn’t take just how cute Dot was. It had to be bad for his health. The back of Lance’s fingers brushed against the backs of Dot’s while they walked. Neither motioned to grab the other. They’d agreed not to be affectionate in public. That kind of stuff was nobody’s business but their own. That did nothing to quell the desire, though.

“I guess extra credits would be a good thing,” Lance muttered to himself.

“You mean it?” Dot gasped. He turned towards the other man, eyes sparkling.

“No.”

“Gah!” Dot stumbled forward, tripping over nothing.

“Just kidding,” Lance chuckled. He smiled fondly at the redhead’s stupid, slack jawed expression. “I can’t help it. Your reactions are priceless.”

“You’re a big jerk and I should knock you on your ass right now just ‘cause I ca–!”

Lance looked around quickly then put a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. As soon as Dot looked his way, he leaned in and kissed him. He’d found that it was truly the best way to silence the guy these days. This squeak was muffled but funny all the same. When Lance pulled away he could practically see steam radiating from Dot’s crimson face.

Dot looked around in a panic. Coast clear. The dragon’s gaze fell to the ground as they continued on their way. Lance smiled to himself, quite satisfied with that outcome. His mind wandered to earlier when they were in their room. To think there would come a day when they’d be done with this place and could sleep in as long as they wanted.

No longer students on a schedule, they’d have their own place together and be able to laze around in bed for hours on end if they wanted to. He fought back the smile that threatened to spread across his face. Now the two of them had a brand-new goal to aim for together. He, for one, couldn’t wait until they achieved it.