⟢--- welcome to beatopia, a magnitude of endless songs await you. what shall you choose?
⟢--- pick a song that your requested fic will loosely be based off of and any character from these options ->
jjk : anyone minus naoya
haikyuu : anyone minus the coaches!
blue lock : only hiori, rin, bachira, chigiri, sae (maybe), bunny, kaiser, nagi, reo! (you can still request another character, these are the only ones i can think of right now. however, please don't get shocked if i reject your request for that specific character.)
⟢--- duration: aug 16-31
⟢--- these are your options below;
⋆ beatopia cultsong
⋆ 10:36
⋆ sunny day
⋆ see you soon
⋆ the perfect pair
⋆ broken cd
⋆ talk
⋆ lovesong
⋆ pictures of us
⋆ don't get the deal
⋆ you're here that's the thing
? - i don't know anything about beatopia, can i still request?
= - of course! please consider this post that roughly explains the vibe you will get of each song! (i still HIGHLYYYY recommend you still look through that post even if you are familiar with the album/themes to see just exactly what you're getting.)
? - what about ripples, fairy song, and tinkerbell is overrated?
= - to me, these songs are centered around the singer themselves and i, as the author, cannot make any way to incorporate a romantic relationship within my interpretations of these songs (believe me, i tried) so they are exempted!
rules:
one entry per person
anon asks are allowed only with emojis. if your anon ask does not have an emoji or a name i can call you, it will not be answered.
thank you, and enjoy your stay at beatopia!
dividers by: @uzmacchiato @feimingo and me! // main m.list
you do something thoughtful for osamu without asking him first, and it sparks the first real disagreement of your friendship.
part ten of the after school series, a friends-to-lovers AU featuring you, osamu, and the relationship you build solo-parenting two girls in the same kindergarten class.
When Yachi showed you her final draft of Osamu's new sign for Onigiri Miya, you had to stand up from your chair.
"Sorry," you apologized, smoothing your skirt down and tucking yourself back into the table. The downtown coffee joint she suggested was packed and a little too trendy for your liking, but it was the only spot that accommodated both of your busy schedules. "It's just — holy shit. Osamu's going to love it."
"You think so?" The designer a few years your junior examined her work with a taut smile, as if trying to convince herself of her own talent. "I tried to keep the spirit of your original mockup while adding a bit of my personal style. I hope it's not too distracting."
"It's not." You shook your head — still reeling over her design choices, the smart balance between illustration and text. "It's so much better than I pictured in my head. How much do I owe you?"
"Oh, not much. I'll send you the invoice later." Yachi waved a hand, accustomed to your years-long exchange of work-related favors. "So long as your friend gets more customers, that's all that matters!”
"I could kiss you right now, Hitoka." You slid the documents into your work bag and downed the rest of your coffee. "Osamu will want to give you free onigiri for the rest of your life."
The wind upended your hair the moment you stepped out of the café and onto the busy sidewalk.
"You know, you caught me at a good time," Yachi confessed over the sound of office workers, self-driving cars, and drivers honking at self-driving cars. "I'm actually going back to school in a couple weeks.”
"Hitoka!" Your jaw went slack, furious she hadn't told you sooner. “That's amazing! What for?"
"Typography classes." She shrugged, although her lips tugged into a giddy smile. "It's just an evening course at my local community college, but it'll probably take up all my free time.”
"You know, Osamu has been wanting to go back to school for the longest time. Do they have a website or something?"
"Oh, for sure!" Yachi frowned, already reaching for her phone. "I actually think they're having an open house in a couple of weeks. He should totally look into it.”
The link appeared in your inbox not a moment later.
"You know," she began, sliding her phone back into her work slacks. "You're doing an awful lot for this guy who's just your friend."
"Please. I'm just making up for all the times he's fed me," you breathed. It didn't exactly help, given the way Yachi’s smile turned saccharine. "I'm serious!"
"Whatever you say,” she half-sang, turning back in the direction of the Yajakudo Designers office. "Let me know if you need a wedding invitation, okay? My treat!"
You didn't remember her being so brazen, you thought, fishing for your parking validation at the bottom of your work bag. Then again, I guess I've changed, too.
The thought clung to you like a piece of chewing gum as you sped-walked toward the parking garage and spent the next fifteen minutes trying to find your car.
On the other side of town, Osamu was actively trying not to crash out. Lunch hour was the busiest it had ever been; he was down two whole crates of avocados. The toilet in the family bathroom had been clogged since this morning, and Itsuki had just called out sick with mono.
"You know they call it the kissing disease?" he shared over the phone. "She was like a siren, boss. Beautiful on the outside, lethal on the inside."
"Alright." Osamu rolled his eyes from where he'd locked himself inside the freezer room. "Just drink lots of fluids. And stop stickin' yer tongue down everyone's throat."
"You're tellin' me," the eighteen-year-old sighed. "I think I’m a changed man now."
Before Osamu could open his mouth to respond, his phone rang with another call. It was Miss Yuki.
"Shit," he murmured under his breath. "I gotta take this. Lemme know if ya need anything, alright?"
He always figured there would come a time Kina wound up in the principal's office. He just didn't think it'd be today.
"I can't believe ya got into a fight," he grumbled after twenty-five minutes of traffic and a stern talking to by the head-of-school. "The hell happened?"
Kina hung her head low and dragged her feet across the asphalt, really exercising her right to remain silent.
"I don't wanna talk about it," she said, a repeat of what she'd told Miss Yuki and the head-of-school ten minutes ago.
"And here I thought ya got along with Yui..." Osamu muttered, unlocking his truck and tossing Kina's backpack into the backseat. "The hell am I gonna do with ya for the rest of the day?"
The drive back to the restaurant was silent save for the sound of Kina's legs swinging against her booster seat. Maybe he could set her up in a booth. Ask one of his employees to walk her through the puzzles on the back of the kid's menu.
"...she called me weird because I don't have a mommy," Kina murmured at a red light. Voice small. Knees turned protectively toward the window. "She called me weird because I don't have a mommy, and I punched her in the eye.”
Now, Osamu knew his daughter was unpredictable. Half the time, it aged him. The other half made him laugh so hard his sides hurt. This, though?
All he felt was his stomach drop, his insides twist. He wanted nothing more than to unbuckle his seatbelt and wrap her into a big hug.
Before he could, though, the light turned green.
"Oh, sweetheart," he said. Voice strained. Knuckles turning white as he drove through the intersection. "Yer not. Even though mommy ain’t livin’ with us, yer not any less than those girls at school. Ya hear me?"
“I know.” Kina nodded in the rearview mirror, although her bottom lip still trembled. "That's what Misa said, too.”
"Good." Osamu swallowed, the thought of you easing his nerves like a balm. "That's...that's good."
He'd been so distracted lately. By missing ingredients. By sick employees. By his foolish, painful crush on you — which wasn't your fault. He knew that. Maybe if he hadn't been so absentminded, he would've picked up on Kina and Yui sooner. Maybe if he were a little less selfish, his daughter wouldn't be crying in the back seat right now.
The thought stuck with him the entire afternoon, rotting like a fruit in the back of his mind.
"Did your phone die or something?" The front door to the restaurant jingled open as you stepped inside and fixed your hair. "I've been calling you for the past hour."
"Shit." Osamu adjusted his backwards baseball cap and checked the digital clock above the register. Sure enough, it was already five. "Sorry. I've had a crap day."
"Tell me about it. I'm so behind on work, I had Kuroo pick up Misa from school." You massaged the inner corners of your eyes and laughed. "I bet all my life savings he feeds her ice cream before jiu-jitsu."
You walked inside the mostly empty dining room and blinked at the child napping in a nearby booth — limbs splayed, mouth wide open.
"You picked her up early today?"
"Long story." Osamu winced. Luckily, you didn’t push. Merely snorted before sliding into an empty barstool. "How'd yer meetin' with the designer go?"
"Oh, great. She saves my ass at the JVA more times than I can count, so I'm on a mission to give her as much business as possible."
You reached for your work bag to show him the designs, but stopped abruptly.
"I need to tell you something first, though."
"Oh?" He paused. Tossed the towel he'd been using to wipe the counter over a shoulder. "I'm listenin'."
"Remember when you told me you were considering going back to school?"
Osamu nodded. He was pretty sure you were sitting in that same exact spot, too.
"Well...my designer sent me the website of a community college she's attending in the spring, and I may or may not have signed you up for their last open house in a few weeks."
Osamu blinked at your words. The slight guilt beneath them.
"And before you come at me!" Your eyes grew panicked. "I checked your Google Calendar backwards and forwards; I made sure I was free to babysit. They have this incredible scholarship for business owners wanting to finish their degree, and I think if you just looked into it — "
"I can't."
It was out before he could stop it. Osamu swallowed, stunned by the bite in his own voice. "I appreciate the offer, but...I can't."
"...oh." You clamped your mouth shut. Furrowed your brow in confusion. "Are you busy that day? Do you have a catering gig?"
“No." He shrugged, brushing a pile of imaginary crumbs off the countertop. "I just don't think I got the time. Between Kina and the restaurant, things are already crazy as-is."
"Well, lots of people make it work," you offered. "Plus, you've got a great support system. You have your mom, your brother. I can even take Kina to Misa's Tiger Tots program on the days you have class."
"What? No." He blanched, having already witnessed his daughter's appetite for violence. "I couldn't ask ya to do that. Plus, Tsumu's trainin' for the Emperor's Cup in December. It'd be too much."
"Osamu." You frowned at him from across the bar. "I know it'd be hard, but...I wouldn't want you to give up on something you clearly want."
He scoffed, gesturing for one of his employees to take over the register. "Think I gave up my right to do whatever I wanted a long time ago."
You narrowed your eyes at him, then. As if looking for subtitles to help explain wherever the hell this was coming from.
“Are you okay?" you pressed, following Osamu as he retreated into his office. Between the tall stacks of paperwork to the dust bunnies behind the computer monitor, you had no idea how he got any work done back here. "Did something happen with Kina at school?"
"When doesn't somethin' happen with Kina at school?" he snorted.
“That’s fine. You're not obligated to tell me," you huffed, leaning against the aging doorframe. "I just don’t think you should be making such sweeping decisions when you’re like this.”
“Like what?”
“Snippy." You gestured to the old shoebox you were standing in. "Clearly auditioning for the latest season of Hoarders."
"I make it work." He plopped into his broken desk chair, tufts of memory foam puffing out the cracked leather with a wheeze.
"You don't even have any windows!" you cried. "Seriously, Osamu. When's the last time you did anything for yourself?"
"Are ya seriously askin' me that right now?" he balked. "When's the last time ya took somethin' off of yer plate? Or went to sleep at a decent hour?"
"Hey. I take vitamins for that and you know it."
He rolled his eyes. "Face it. Ya can't berate me for not takin' care of myself because, at the end of the day, yer the same way."
"At least I don't act like a martyr about it," you muttered. Osamu arched an eyebrow at that. You sighed through your nose.
"Look. I get that you're busy. Hell, I get that a program like this is a huge expense. But don't use those as excuses for not going after what you want when I actually think you're just scared."
Your accusation hung in the air like a pungent smell. Osamu slid his eyes away from yours, although the blush creeping up the side of his neck told you that he'd heard you. Loud and clear.
"Daddy?" Kina interrupted after several long, agonizing seconds. She popped her head inside the office and frowned. As if she could smell the tension off the both of you. "What's the password for the potty?"
Osamu recited it to her. "Will you go in with her?" he asked apologetically. "Last time I let her in there by herself, she fell into the toilet."
Despite everything, you snorted.
"Roger that. C'mon, Kina."
"…were you and my daddy having a lover's quarrel?" he heard his daughter ask as you walked with her to the bathroom.
You didn’t answer right away. Kina asked again, just in case you didn’t hear her the first time. Meanwhile, Osamu's forehead hit his desk with a soft thunk.
"Wow..." Atsumu's thumbs flew across his controller at record speed. "For once in my life, I'm not the idiot twin."
Osamu cursed as his brother sent Captain Falcon flying straight into Ike's chest. "The hell ya mean by that?"
The apartment was quiet save for the low rumble of Super Smash Bros on the television, the occasional snore floating in from Kina's ajar bedroom door. The scent of fried salmon still lingered in the air — and while there were dishes in the sink and leftovers on the stove, Osamu couldn't bring himself to take care of it.
"What I mean is that Y/N went out of her way to sign ya up for somethin' you've been talkin' about for ages — and ya went and shot her down for no reason!"
"No reason? Did ya hear anythin' I just said?" Osamu spat, trying to regain offense. "Tsumu, I'm drownin' over here! I've got the restaurant and my kid — "
"Eh, you've been sayin' that for years now," Atsumu scoffed. "Find a better excuse. Or at least sound more convincin' when ya say it."
A muscle feathered in Osamu's jaw as Ike was blasted off screen, Atsumu's Falcon Punch delivering the final blow of the match. "GAME!"
Sighing, Osamu let the controller fall into his lap. "Kina got into a fight at school the other day."
"Really?" Atsumu pushed out his bottom lip. "Did she win?"
"That ain't the point!" Osamu snapped. "It's just...one of her classmates bullied her for not havin' a mom, and I've been pissed off ever since."
"Damn." His brother frowned, watching as Captain Falcon flexed his muscles in victory on the television. "Kids are real assholes."
"Yer tellin' me," Osamu grumbled, picking at a loose thread on one of Kina's plushies she hadn't put away yet. "I know Y/N meant well by what she did, it’s just...how the hell am I supposed to think about finishin' school when my kid needs me to be two people at once?"
Atsumu considered his brother's question for a long while. Arms folded, feet kicked up on the coffee table. Osamu almost thought he'd fallen asleep before —
"Well, unless ya suddenly grow a pair of tits, I don't think you'll ever be her mom."
“For fuck's sake, Tsumu,” Osamu swore, sinking deeper into the couch cushions. "I thought ya were gonna say somethin' profound.”
"Think about it, though! Kina's mom is the way she is. It sucks and it's unfair, but...it's also out of your control. So why would ya spend all yer wakin' hours pretendin' that it's not?"
Atsumu reached for his controller to start the next game. "Kina doesn't need ya to be anyone else but her dad. And given the fact that you've managed to keep her alive this long, I'd say yer doin' just fine."
Osamu didn't say a word. Merely sniffed back his exhaustion. Regained his own controller once it came time to pick the next stage. Stuff like this wasn’t intuitive to him anymore. Playing games instead of tidying up. Going to college open houses instead of watching Kina. It all felt backwards. Too indulgent. If everyone around him was well-fed and happy, why should anything else matter?
I wouldn't want you to give up on something you clearly want.
He didn't need to think too hard about what he wanted. Actually getting it, though...
"Do ya think it'd be crazy if I asked her out on a date?" he asked quietly.
"No," Atsumu said without missing a beat. "But if ya fuck things up, I will run ya over with my car and ask her out myself."
"Fuck you," Osamu snorted. Then, because he still had some pride left in his body, "Ya ain't even her type."
"And yer somehow better? Yer hobby is brooding."
Osamu's jaw tightened. "Can't argue with that."
He proceeded to lose the next three games before shutting the television off entirely.
The following day, Osamu stood in the lobby of your office building. Bento box in one hand. Cell phone in the other. He'd been scrolling through the website of the community college whose open house you'd signed him up for — and while he'd only intended to glance at it for formality's sake, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested.
To your credit, they did seem pretty flexible with their evening business program — offering scholarships, online course options. They even had an on-campus daycare at no additional cost to parents. The more he scrolled, the more he could picture himself being there. Learning there.
The idea excited him, if only for a second.
"Osamu?" An unfamiliar voice called out to him from across the lobby. The stranger wore a loose tie and a blue button-down, and his hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in days. "I don't think we've met! Tetsurō Kuroo."
"I — pleasure to meet ya," Osamu managed, pocketing his cell phone before taking the young man's hand for a shake. "How did ya know it was me?"
"I know a Miya when I see one," he drawled, gesturing to Osamu's face. He pointed toward the bento box. "You treating Y/N to lunch today?"
"More like offerin' her an apology meal," Osamu admitted. "She said she'd come down once she was out of her meetin'."
"Ah.” Kuroo nodded. “So you're in the doghouse."
Did Osamu even have the right to be in the doghouse? That felt like something reserved for people in relationships. Not...whatever the two of you were.
"Well, we're not — "
"I'm just shittin’ you, man. That food smells delicious,” Kuroo enthused, ever the portrait of attention deficit. He clapped Osamu on the back before stalking off toward the exit. "Good luck on your apology! I'm sure she'll be down any second now."
Sure enough, after minutes of hovering around and making unwanted eye-contact with your security guard, Osamu spotted you. Heels clacking against the tile. Work badge swinging from your belt loop. You always walked like that, he realized. Like you were going somewhere important.
"Sorry to make you wait!" you apologized, picking up speed as you approached. "Everyone and their mother was in the elevator today. Someone let it rip in there, too. It was bad."
"Yer good." Osamu grinned, relieved by how easy things felt despite your previous conversation. "Why don't we take a walk? Get ya some fresh air?"
"I'd love nothing more," you chirped, already heading for the exit. Your expression faltered once you spotted the bento box in his hand. "You didn't have to bring me lunch. I would've been happy just to see you."
"Eh." Osamu shrugged, popping open the box as you pushed your way out of the building and onto the busy sidewalk. "I wanted to do it.”
You began your slow, easy walk around the block — Osamu offering you small bites of hot dog and rice, you folding them into your cheeks like a squirrel.
"Even though I'm the one who owes you an apology?" you asked eventually.
"I — " Osamu blinked. "I didn't think ya did."
"I do, though." You swallowed, eyes glossing over with an emotion Osamu couldn't place. "I was way out of line the other day. I got excited and I overstepped, and...I should have asked before signing you up for the open house. I'm sorry."
Osamu soaked in your words. The tenderness beneath them. All this time, he'd been mulling over how to apologize to you. He didn't consider the fact that you might be doing the same.
"Well, I appreciate that, but ya were just bein' thoughtful," he offered gently. "Besides, ya weren't wrong. I was scared. I was scared and pissed and hypoglycemic, and...I was just lookin' for excuses to say no to ya. So I'm sorry, too."
You accepted his apology with a soft smile, eyes drifting down to your shoes.
"Do you want to talk about it? What was bothering you the other day?"
“Yeah…” Osamu sucked in a sharp breath and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Kina got into a bit of a fight with Yui at recess."
You fought back a sheepish look and confessed, "I know. Misa told me when she got back from jiu-jitsu."
Then, because you couldn't help yourself, "Did she win?"
“Why is everyone askin’ me that?” Osamu griped. He plucked a cherry tomato from the bento box and popped it into his mouth. "Yui told Kina she was weird for not havin’ a mom, so Kina…gave her a black eye.”
"Sounds like a win to me," you hummed. "And honestly? I would’ve done the same."
"No."
"Absolutely! You should’ve seen me when a Levi’s sales associate told me I couldn't fit my postpartum hips into any of their jeans. Misa gave me the stink-eye at a ripe three months of age.”
Osamu was full-on laughing now. "Well, despite yer appetite for violence, I think ya raised a good egg."
"You did, too," you reminded him with a light shove. "At least Kina can defend herself in a fight.”
"Yeah. I've got myself and Tsumu to thank for that," Osamu drawled. "It's just...Kina's my whole world. How am I supposed to focus on anythin' else?"
"Well, how's that saying go?” You weaved around a throng of office workers on their way to lunch — grabbed Osamu by the arm so you wouldn't lose him. “You can't pour from an empty cup?"
"Yeah. Suppose yer right," he sighed, squeezing your hand with his bicep. "It's just not in my nature to do that. To be selfish.”
"It's not selfish, Osamu. It's self-preserving."
"Yeah?" The corners of his lips tilted into a smirk. "And have you self-preserved at all in the past year?"
You shoved him again, a little harder this time. "Do as I say, Osamu. Not as I do."
His chuckle, low and teasing, rumbled right through you. "So full of wisdom today..."
You eventually found your way back to your office. Bento box empty. Hand still tucked into Osamu's arm. You tried not to think too deeply about how warm he felt, pressed into your side like that. But as you both pulled away from each other, you couldn't help but notice the difference.
“If I go to that open house in a couple weeks, will ya promise to take a day off?” he asked, snapping the lid back on. "I can take Misa for the day."
"Really?" The expression you gave him was touched. "You’d do that?”
"Course I would! I’ll take her and Kina to a volleyball game or somethin'. I'm sure Atsumu could spare us the free tickets.”
"Well...yeah, okay. I'd like that." You blinked, suddenly overwhelmed by the idea. "God. What am I gonna do with all that free time?"
"Well, ya could craft. Book that nail appointment you've been puttin’ off — "
"Oh!" You snapped your fingers. "I could read the smutty novel that's been sitting on my nightstand!”
"I — that, too," he chortled. It didn't escape you, the way his ears turned bright pink at the suggestion. Before you could tease him about it, though, he held his pinky out to you. "To takin' care of ourselves?"
You rolled your eyes slightly before hooking your pinky around his. "To taking care of ourselves."
Osamu still had a ways to go before he could fully want things like he used to. After all, his circle of happiness might as well have been drawn in permanent marker.
But as he waved you goodbye and walked back to his truck, he found himself scrolling through the community college website again. Reading up on the classes. Doing the tuition expenses in his head.
He'd be open to having this, he thought.
Then maybe, once he worked up the courage to ask, he'd be open to having you, too.
✨ next time: osamu and atsumu take the girls to a volleyball game, misa and kina meet a few familiar faces, and y/n gets tipsy for the first time in years...
✍🏼 author's note: thank you so much for everyone's patience! i participated in my first summer fic exchange last month, so it took me a bit of time to get the ball rolling again on our lil' kimori family. rest assured, though, these next few chapters are probably some of my favorite in the whole series (for reasons i'll keep to myself for now). 😏 💖 *squeeeee*
@miyasmagnolias
summary: Oikawa Toru is about to lead the kingdom's first battalion of dragon riders within the royal knighthood. You're about to show them that they all have a lot to learn.
a gift for @purpleqilinwrites as a part of the haikyuu x reader summer fic exchange hosted by @sodaneko! so, so sorry for the wait, kaija! i really hope that this might be worth it. and many thanks to @tonystonem for beta reading. i owe you my life, as always
His time has come.
Toru has thought this many times in his life so far — when he became a soldier, when he was first given the role of commander of his battalion, when he was eventually knighted, and the several times he's been promoted within the knights' ranks. It's surreal to think that he can still feel this sense of anticipation and ambition even in the highest commanding role within the kingdom's royal knights.
He has been chosen to lead a completely new unit, the first of its kind in this kingdom — a dragon riders' squadron.
Obviously, the very concept of getting to ride a dragon exudes an image of elite training and combative prestige. And it's been the dream of plenty of young boys with fantastical dreams — himself included.
He can still recall the days when he would play in the fields or mountains with Iwa-chan, climbing on large boulders and pretending they were riding their dragons into their next adventure. He remembers gathering around encyclopedic books about dragons and other mythical creatures whenever he would visit the library or bookstore. He could probably still find some of his old pictures that he drew as a kid of dragons in the sky or himself riding atop one.
Little did that young boy know that he was going to be assigned to command a battalion of men and their dragons by the kingdom's royal council itself. He couldn't imagine how starry eyed he must've looked in front of the council when he was given the news. That he would have his pick of the most capable knights in the country as a part of his team.
It was as if all of his childhood dreams were coming true. It almost felt too good to be true.
But he didn't realize just how good it all sounded until he finally reached their new training grounds out in the countryside. And met the dragon trainer.
"First things first: I assume you're all prepared to fall to your deaths in this occupational hazard of a unit?"
There's a slight fidgeting that passes through the men lined up before you, Toru standing at the leftmost side as the leader. He has to speak for them with honor and confidence as their commander.
"As knights, every single one of these men here is prepared to die in combat for the sake of protecting our kingdom. They've faced countless dangers before in preparing for battle, fighting on the front lines, and making harsh journeys across uninhabitable regions. We're here because we're among the best in the kingdom's ranks."
That makes a few of their backs a bit straighter. They're all ready to be here. To become dragon riders.
"Yes, that's what I figured." You say without a hint of awe or even curiosity, "But that's not what I'm asking. I'm checking in to make sure that all of you understand the risks of training to ride dragons. Because no matter what you faced before or whatever accolades you may have accumulated leading up to this point, none of that matters to the dragons you will meet. They will decide whether you're worthy as a partner, or better off as tinder."
There's silence among the lines once again. A stiffness in the air that even Toru feels the urge to bite his lip against.
"I don't say this to scare you," you continue before he can say anything, "I'm sharing this as a warning so that you know what you're getting into. Dragons, while bright, incredible, and occasionally accommodating creatures, are not horses. They're far sturdier, and they're far more dangerous if you don't put in the effort to learn about them and give them the same respect as you would yourselves.
"I know all of you must have come here today with grand dreams of soaring through the skies or with boundless confidence you've built up as knights on the ground, but if you're not fully prepared to risk losing your life to the wind rather dying in a blaze of glory, then I'd suggest you keep your feet close to the earth."
Toru takes one last cursory glance at his line of men before standing at unwavering attention with a fist over his heart in salute, "I, Oikawa Toru, commander of the new unit of the Scaled Knights, pledge our allegiance, loyalty, and respect to the dragons we hope to work with, and trust in you, dragon trainer, to guide us to properly forge a relationship with the dragons, so that we may aid in the protection of our kingdom together. As do my men."
In quick succession and unison, all of the men lined up beside him pound at the metal plates on their chests in a matching salute, shouting, "Aye!"
You consider them for a few seconds before shrugging, rather nonchalantly, "Alright, if you all say so. If you're really sure about all this, then follow me into the warehouse. We'll start our lessons there."
There's a titter of excitement that runs through the group as they all march in their lines towards a large building made of stone and brick. Toru's heart is already pounding at the thought of seeing dragons inside.
While it is a large building, surely it can't house that many dragons, can it? Perhaps it acts like a horse stable for the younger or smaller ones that prefer to be cared for in domestication? He wonders what kind of dragons they'll see. Fledglings? Red scales? Blue? Maybe even the illustrious black? No, surely he wouldn't be lucky enough to see a black dragon on his first day. Still, it's all he can do to keep from bouncing on his feet and speeding up the march.
His unit is likely feeling the same. Some of the chattier ones are already whispering to one another some of his own thoughts. They're all excited to see some dragons.
Until they enter the warehouse, and find tables lined up with chairs and a blackboard…
"Alright, have a seat wherever you're comfortable. So long as you can hear me and see the front."
With some slightly hesitant steps, they all file into the chairs that stand in pairs with each available table. Which is slightly difficult to navigate with all the armor they're wearing. There are clunking noises all over the room as this group of large men with chunky armor fit themselves into sitting positions behind desks.
"Oh, you can take off all the armor if that's more comfortable." You tell them with a wave of your hand, "You won't be needing it for a while, so feel free to come to training in regular clothes until we're ready to move into actual combat training."
"And how long is that going to take?" One of Toru's more brusque knights, Kyotani, grunts out.
"That depends on how well you guys pick up on the material, but I suspect at least a few weeks, if not months." You guess.
"Months?!"
There are some noises of surprise and outrage about the room. Even Toru feels his heart sink at the realization.
"So we're not going to meet any dragons today?" Kindaichi asks in a disappointed voice.
"Oh, heavens no." You choke out a laugh, almost snorting at the concept, "You have much to learn about dragons before you're anywhere near ready to meet one, let alone ride one into combat. I told the council this when they first brought this idea to me, but I suspect it'll be at least several years before you're all ready to function as a deployable unit."
"What?"
"Seriously?"
"No way…"
More noises of disappointment.
Until his Vice Commander, Iwa-chan, pipes up in his no-nonsense voice to the room, "Hey. Enough complaining. We're here to be the first of our kind in the knighthood. Of course it's going to take time to learn everything properly. So get it together."
"Aye, sir." The men shout.
"And I didn't hear a single one of you address our Dragon Trainer properly when speaking to them. Show some proper respect." He reminds them, with an extra intimidating glare that somehow commands respect in a different way that Toru does.
"Aye, sir!" They all repeat.
"Oh, I don't care too much about all that." You say with another wave of your hand, "I'm not your commanding officer or anything like that, so feel free to just call me by my name. Or 'trainer' is fine too, I guess."
You ask everyone to introduce themselves to you, then proceed to pass out some bound booklets of blank parchment paper, along with some ink and quills.
"I assume most of you are fairly literate as knights. But in the case that you're not good with words, you're free to use the parchment booklets as you like. Draw pictures, make charts, whatever works best for you. You don't even have to use them at all, but I figured for these first few lessons, it might be helpful to retain the information I give you."
"What? So we're supposed to take notes like we're back in school?" Kyotani, ever the brute, says.
"For the beginning, yes. As much as I'd like to take the practical approach, there are a few things that I've learned in all my years interacting with dragons that I think you should know up front before you learn them the hard way. So get comfy, boys, because class is in session!"
They spend weeks on what you've designated to be "prerequisite training" for dragon riding. Mornings are filled with lectures in a classic school classroom style, where many of them do end up diligently taking notes about all the things that you teach them.
"There are many breeds of dragons. Probably just as many as dogs or cats. Some can fly while others remain on the ground, or even in the sea. Usually, the ones on land are herbivorous."
"Dragons have very distinguishable personalities. If I had to compare them, I'd say they're overall very haughty, like cats. But they're also very agile and fast, like birds and horses. And incredibly strong, almost as much as they are stubborn, like mules."
"Some dragons have stronger affinities for magic. Usually elemental, based on what kind of dragon they are. But the strongest ones are usually bigger and more brightly pigmented in color — perhaps in order to blend in with the sky or to stand out, as leaders of a flight. Herbivorous dragons are generally more earthy toned."
"While they are considered the highest apex predator in most ecosystems, they are able to get along with other species in mutually beneficial relationships. For example, they fly alongside birds during certain migration periods in order to find lands with more resources during colder seasons with lower harvest."
Not that Toru is uninterested in any of this information, but it really is quite a lot. He originally thought he was a bit of a nerd when it came to dragons, but he's coming to see that there is much more to them than he expected. He and many of the other knights end up needing extra parchment booklets to make record of all of the information you teach them.
Then after a quick reprieve for lunch, they come together again to do physical training. Which is unlike any of the combat training Toru had to learn as a knight with a sword and shield.
Here, you make them spend hours building their full body strength in ways he never imagined — holding heavy boulders between their thighs, standing on top of precariously stacked objects, scaling mountains from a cliffside. All of this to prepare them for mounting and balancing on a creature that will be moving at high speeds high in the air, gripping onto whatever scales are within their reach because dragons cannot be harnessed and saddled like horses.
You have them train until dusk, or their bodies give out on them for the day — whichever may come first. And then it's all they can do to drag themselves back to their quarters to eat and have a wash before collapsing in their bunks.
It isn't until about three weeks in, where they've crammed and quizzed and squatted and climbed to their brains' and bodies' limits that you decide it's time to let them see a dragon.
So you have them cart several crates for several miles until they reach a wide open plateau with a forest just at the edge of view, and a large mountain just beyond it. Then you turn to Toru and his men with a look of satisfaction.
"Alright, fellas. Remember everything I told you about etiquette when approaching dragons. Never get friendly too quickly, and show the utmost respect as if approaching a king." You remind them, prompting them all to shout with hearty fists against their chests, "Aye!"
"And maybe don't do that around them at the beginning either." You suggest with a slight wrinkle of your nose, "Organized group calls might be perceived as threats, so even if it goes against your knightly code, just take it easy. Remember, we're trying to make friends here, not train steeds."
With your fingers, you blow a loud whistling noise into the valley that might even reach the forest. It's silent for a few minutes, but then the rustling begins, and Toru and all his men are at attention as they see large, lizard-like creatures emerge from the forest's edge. And they approach fast.
Toru has to fight his inner instinct to draw his sword against the feeling of an imminent attack, not that he brought it, since you forbade any of them to come in uniform or with weapons for this excursion.
And in what feels like no time at all, the creatures are at their feet, standing just below their height level, heads atop their long necks ending just around your chin as they stand on all fours.
Based on what Toru has learned, he can guess that these are some of the land dwelling herbivorous dragons in the area, judging by their earthy yellow and brown scales, and wingless backs.
They approach slowly, likely observing the group of unfamiliar men standing behind you. But you somehow break the ice with them like they're old friends.
"Gaia, Sylvan! I'm so glad to see you!" You open your arms wide as you walk with slow steps towards them. The dragon you approach first is slightly larger than the others, standing on two larger hind legs with a bright sheen across their yellowish, almost orange scales. "It's been so long since two last showed your faces. Busy with the new hatchlings?"
To their surprise, the dragon responds to you with what sounds like an affirmative screeching sound. Toru watches in awe as you give the tops of their heads some gentle strokes and converse with them in a friendly voice.
"And of course, I brought you guys some treats." You say as you lug a crate from one of the carts, pulling out a few apples to feed them. As they chew, the other dragons begin to look curiously and longingly at you and the open crate. So you turn and call out, "Hey, commander! You want to grab a few apples and see if they'll eat from your hand?"
"O-Of course." He tries to ignore how hot his cheeks get from stumbling over his tongue.
But he does as you say, gathering all his muster as he takes two apples in each hand and slowly walks up to some of the dragons you have yet to feed. He approaches slowly and unassumingly, like he would a new horse, then gingerly holds out his handfuls of apples to them.
However, he jumps once they begin shrieking, swinging their heads down and then up to knock the apples out of his hands. Once they drop to the ground, some of the other dragons scramble for them and gobble them up before he can catch his bearings.
"Hey… that wasn't very nice." You chastise the dragons like you would children. "It's okay, Oikawa. Try again."
"Aye— Yes." He clears his throat, hoping to clear the embarrassment from his face as well, before returning to the apple crate and trying again.
Only this time to be shrieked at once again as they jump into the air menacingly, making him fall to his bottom on the ground in surprise, once again dropping all the fruit in his hands. They even seem to make what feels like chortling sounds at him once he's helpless on the ground.
To his chagrin, you seem to chortle a bit too, before saying, "Okay, don't take it personally. For some reason, they seem to have deemed you a funny target. They're just playing around. Thistle and Sorrel especially like to be a bit playful to the point of bullying sometimes."
"I see…" is all Toru can say before falling back in with the group.
"Alright, how about someone else? Vice commander?" You suggest, looking at Iwa-chan.
"Yes." He steps forward, approaching the apple crate and grabbing them in what Toru believes to be the exact same fashion as he did just at first.
And somehow, for some reason, the dragons observe him for a few seconds before eating directly from his hands! What in the—
"That's a good girl…" Iwa-chan says with clear affection in his voice, "I've got more where that came from." And somehow, one of the dragons goes even further and nuzzles its head against his chest!
"Wow, how did you identify that she was a girl, Iwaizumi?" You ask, in an almost quizzical way, like you're testing his accumulated knowledge.
"She seems to still be quite young, so I couldn't tell by her head shape or the bulges down at the base of her tail, but these pores along her thighs look much smaller than her friend's next to her." He explains gesturing at the small, faint looking dots along the softer skin creases between her inner thigh and stomach.
"Amazing observation." You praise, "And incredibly useful information for when you want to identify a dragon's strange behavior. Sometimes, increased aggressive behavior will occur more often in female dragons because…"
"They may be laying eggs or protecting new hatchlings. And they are much more sensitive to possible threats." Iwaizumi finishes.
"Excellent." You smile, then turn back to the rest of the knights, "Alright fellas, start unloading the crates and see if you can charm a dragon into eating out of your hands."
For the rest of the morning, they spend their time frolicking around with the dragons, for lack of a better word. You specifically told them to "play" with the dragons; go along with their whims, throw and catch large sticks with them if they so pleased. Apparently in order to build trust with a dragon, they must first forge a connection with them, a friendship.
Which seems to come easier to a lot of his knights than to Toru himself. While they're all able to feed them apples and yams and play catch or chase with these forest dragons within the hour, it takes Toru the better part of the morning to even be an acceptable presence to them.
Even with your help and suggestions, all of the dragons seem to just make fun of him if they don't simply walk away. What makes it worse is that you seem to find as much amusement in it as the dragons do!
"They're very perceptive. I think they can tell that you're quite eager to show off." You try to hide your chortle as one of the dragons pokes its snout at his head, rubbing his hair everywhere.
He tries to hold back his frustration as his men enjoy their lunches with their new dragon friends, some of them even offering a bite to them before laughing when they take a sniff and shake their head with a snort as if smelling something awful. Iwa-chan gets along especially well with many of the dragons, already on friendly terms with who you've introduced as the maternal leader of the flight.
As much as he doesn't want feel envy over his comrades' faster progress in their dragon riding endeavors, he does have some embarrassment as their commander. He should be able to set an example for the group, to lead by impressive skill and a natural affinity with their new partners — like he did as a soldier.
But none of it seems to be going in that direction as they finally move into riding basics in the afternoon.
"Since these are forest dragons who dwell on land, and are generally friendlier since they have to coexist with other land dwelling creatures, they'll make for great partners to start training. You'll be able to start somewhere familiar on the ground, but also get a taste of how a dragon generally moves — and get accustomed to it." You explain as you approach the largest male dragon of the pack; Sylvan, you called him.
They watch with rapt attention as you explain how to properly mount a dragon without a saddle, and what to expect of their movements since they are wildly different from a horse's gallop or trot, and how to brace and pivot your own body accordingly. And how you zip across the field faster than any land animal that he has ever seen.
Toru can hardly keep his jaw locked shut as he watches the way you ride Sylvan in multiple directions, twisting around boulders and jumping over large puddles. Once, he makes a jump so long that Toru almost swears that this forest dragon really can fly.
His men all exchanges murmurs of awe as they watch you dismount, and when they clap, some of the dragons copy their gesture in curiosity, which makes them all laugh.
Oh, what Toru would do to be able to ride a dragon with that amount of grace.
To his surprise, many of them are given the chance this afternoon. Many of them approach certain dragons that they've befriended that morning and are allowed to practice mounting them. Which takes up a great majority of their time, just learning how to mount and settle themselves on such a differently postured animal.
There is much more of an upward slope that Toru has to lean into, once he manages to get a dragon to agree to partner with him. And without a saddle to catch him from the back, sliding downward becomes the day's main learning curve.
By dusk, the only ones who have managed to successfully learn to sit and ride along at a slow walk without falling are Iwa-chan and Kyotani. How that mad dog of a boy managed to get along with a dragon well enough to be able to ride one is beyond him.
The way back down to their home camp is a tiring one, though rewarding for some of them. Many of them can't stop talking about their experiences getting along with the dragons and the issues they ran into trying to mount them. Many of the men crowd around Iwa-chan and Kyotani in hopes of learning from some of their successes. Some of them gather around you to ask you more about your expertise.
But they all fall into their beds with exhaustion curled into their bones and their thighs and backs aching from mounting practice. All they can talk about is how this really is a different set of skills to adapt to, and how knowledgeable and thorough of a trainer you are to have prepared them for this.
And soon, the conversation begins to revolve around you and your origins.
"I actually heard that they're from a small village near the edge of the kingdom. They told me that there are way more dragons there than around here. They mostly only started populating the area more because trainer actually convinced the council to improve the environment." Yahaba goes on.
"Improve the environment, like how?" Kunimi asks.
"You know," Yahaba waves his hand, "Like… dragon enrichment or whatever. The council had to start planting more fauna and produce that attracted dragons, and carved out more caves into the mountains for nesting and stuff like that."
Toru isn't surprised to hear that Yahaba has gotten this information about you. He gets comfortable with new people quite easily, and he didn't waste a moment trying to befriend you. Whether or not it was simply for a love of dragons is to be determined.
He is curious about you though, and how you came to accumulate such a vast hoard of knowledge about dragons despite being around their age. This was only their first day working with real dragons but you've already proven just how impressively experienced you are.
Quite honestly, he can hardly wait for tomorrow to come so they can practice some more. And so he can make some actual progress worthy of a commander of dragon riders.
"Alright, enough chatter. Head to bed, soldiers. We've got another trek at dawn again down to the valley, so get your rest in now so your muscles will be ready for tomorrow." He calls through the room.
"Aye, sir." They men chant out more casually than they do when in formation.
He supposes he's let them get a little too comfortable with him…
A mere two weeks later, you've decided that they're ready to begin flying practice.
"These here are some of the young bunch. As older children or young teenagers in their relative age, they're rather eager to fly, which makes them more willing to play with new partners who don't yet know how to fly either." You say pointedly, patting a tall blue dragon that stands beside you at almost twice your height.
There are several other young dragons gathered around the valley today, scaled in many different colors but most of them blue — dragons that spend more time in the sky and blend in with it. He supposes that's why the adolescents are so eager to fly with strangers.
"Now remember; each of these dragons is different, so you'll have to adapt your posture according to their flying style. Granted, they're young, so they have yet to really develop consistent flying habits. But the unpredictability of them makes them even better training partners for you! If you can figure out how to ride a young dragon without falling to your death, then you can definitely ride an older, stronger, more seasoned dragon."
After you go over the basic differences between mounting a land dragon and a winged dragon, you give another demonstration, somehow climbing onto that dragon with the ease of climbing some stairs.
And then—
Then you're in the air. Before Toru can even recognize that you've spoken to the dragon and given it a signaling pat to its neck, the dragon squats low to coil back and shoots up into the air, sending gusts of wind back at the knights like slaps to the face.
It's incredible.
Absolutely marvelous.
More beautiful than anything he could've imagined this to be.
Toru has dreamt of riding dragons like some fairy tale fantasy since he was a boy, but seeing someone actually soar through the skies before his very own eyes awakens something deep within him. Like he's uncapped a long sealed bottle of boyhood dreams and whimsy, and now all the dreams and possibilities are spilling over.
He can't turn away for even a second. It's all he can do to keep himself from blinking too many times, in case he misses this.
You're riding a dragon.
You look so comfortable up there, with a wide smile on your face, exchanging what must be a laugh with your flight partner, going farther and faster than any human would ever be capable of traveling.
It's astonishing, watching you defy the limits of humanity like this.
Once you land and dismount, none of the men can keep their voices quiet. Everyone is yelling and clamoring for your attention, lauding your praises, practically jumping at the opportunity to ride a dragon next.
You settle them all with a laugh and remind them to first befriend all these new dragons they're meeting today. Whether or not they can get off the ground will be up to them.
Which, at this point, they know means that you don't expect them to make it very far at all today. By the end of the day, the most that anyone can do is get permission from their dragon to begin mounting practice.
The one who gets closest to figuring out how to stay on his dragon's back is Iwa-chan, who has already proven to have a rather natural affinity with dragons. He gets along with several of the dragons and is able to stay aboard the back of the most rambunctious one, who continuously tries to buck him off as a form of play.
Toru, on the other hand, proves to become more of an embarrassment with each passing day. He feels like he had only just barely gotten a hang of how to sit atop a land dragon. And all these men who he was supposed to lead are beginning to leave him behind as they all continue to progress in their dragon riding training.
By the end of the month, Iwa-chan is the first one in flight — making it across several miles and back in mere minutes. And his success inspires the morale of all their subordinate knights, as he soon becomes something of an assistant to you as a mentor to help the rest of the group catch up.
And yet, even with Iwa-chan's help, even with all his efforts, even with following all of your advice and guidance, Toru is very clearly the runt of the group.
How utterly humiliating.
By the end of their sixth month, half a year into training as a dragon riding unit, Toru remains as the only one who cannot keep his seat after reaching several dozen meters into the air.
Despite your warnings, none of them have fallen to their deaths because you so graciously ride a short distance behind them in order to catch them if they fall off their dragons midair. And Toru is loathe to think of how familiar it is to fall into your arms now.
It's yet another day of failed flying for Toru that you find him sulking atop a tree branch during their midday break.
"Something got you down, commander?" You had appeared right beside his ear, from the other side of the tree trunk, making him jump in such surprise that he almost fell off of a non-moving surface this time.
"Oh— Gods! Where on earth did you appear from?!" He quickly scrambles for a hold on his branch, now looking more like a monkey than a commanding officer of knights.
"Climbed down from the top." You simply point upwards.
Clearly you must've been on a ride, going wherever it is that you go during your breaks. Which is obviously limitless, thanks to your riding freedoms and relationship with dragons.
Toru can only grunt in envy as he climbs back onto the branch and leans against the tree trunk once more, feigning indifference.
"Well, there are plenty of free branches available, trainer. But I got this one first."
"Not going to nap with the dragons during the rest of your lunch hour with your comrades?" You ask with a teasing smile.
As if Toru could get comfortable enough to sleep beside a dragon. Iwa-chan may have amazed everyone by cuddling up against a forest dragon for a midday nap several weeks ago, but Toru has yet to develop such an intimate relationship with any dragon to even let him ride properly yet.
"I just needed some time to myself today. That is all." He harrumphs, closing his eyes and crossing his arms, as if guarding himself from your presence will make you disappear.
"Hmmm…" You trail off, then ask, "In order to review your flight training studies?"
Toru's brow furrows, because how could you possibly know he was doing that? Then when he opens his eyes, he sees that you've somehow gotten ahold of his small little notebook — a separate booklet of bound parchment that he compiled for himself to keep on hand and take new notes on.
How did you—?
You must have caught it when he dropped it in his scare earlier. He didn't even notice…
"These are all great notes," you commend, flipping through the small pages, "But I don't think any extra studying is going to help you with what you need at the moment."
Toru snatches the booklet back and tucks it away in his breast pocket, trying not to snarl when he says, "Well, it's the only thing I can manage at the moment, since I don't seem to be able to make any progress in the air."
"Hmm…" You trail off again, giving him a considering look. It almost makes him uncomfortable, being under your intense gaze. It almost resembles the feeling of a dragon staring him down.
After a few scrutinizing seconds, you announce, "Come to the grove of sequoia trees before dawn tomorrow. Alone. Bring an extra pair of clothes with you."
"What? Why do I—?"
You're jumping down the tree branches before he can finish his question.
"If you want to be a commander of dragon riders, you'll need to be able to ride a dragon, yes?" You ask.
"I— well— Yes…" He can't deny it.
You give him a brief glimpse of a smile, then finish with, "Before dawn, commander."
Before dawn is much too early. Toru can hardly keep his eyes open after lugging himself out of bed three hours before any of his comrades will be getting up, and walking for ten minutes on his own down their usual route to the dragons' valley to find the grove of sequoia trees.
He feels like his head just hit the pillow only moments ago, and now he's dragging his body about for some unknown reason to meet his trainer. Perhaps for a remedial lesson of some sort?
Will forcing him to fly in isolation give you a chance to focus all your coaching attention on him and help him improve faster? Will you be giving him extra training that's different from the others to make up for his shortcomings?
He has no idea, yet at this point, he's willing to toss aside all of his pride in order to catch up with his men. There's no way he can continue to command them if he can't do the same things they can. He only hopes that whatever you have planned for him works.
"Morning, commander." You greet him once he gets deep enough into the grove. "Hop on and let's get going."
The large shadow that you pat beside you begins moving with a deep, rumbling growl until it stands as tall and strong as some of the trees in this forest. Or at least it feels that way.
It's so dark that Toru hadn't even realized there was a dragon behind you. And now it stands taller than any of the dragons you've been bringing around them for their training. Of course, you had mentioned to them that they would be moving on to riding adult dragons that could fly longer and harder eventually, but Toru hadn't even begun to picture how enormous they would be…
This tall, dark-colored dragon stands at least three times his own height, if not more. How is he ever supposed to mount this thing?! Let alone ride it into battle??
Gods, he's starting to think that maybe he was a little in over his head about this whole thing after all.
But you smack him out of his slack-jawed stupor to start climbing up the dragon's large, muscular leg.
"Come on, get moving now. There's no time to waste."
Even the scales on this dragon are larger than the young teenagers they've been training with. In a way, it almost makes finding a foothold easier.
But getting up to the top of its back takes much longer. If he trips and loses his foot placement, it'll be a harder fall to the ground.
After some huffing and trying not to embarrass himself climbing up this large dragon, you put him to shame by backing up to take a running start to spring up the length of the dragon's arm and climb across whatever scales remain along its shoulder to land on its back in front of Toru.
"Alright commander. This lovely creature who will be escorting us to our destination today is Dawnspire. She's incredibly fast. Much faster than any of the dragons you've ridden so far. So you'll need to hold on tight to me, do you understand?" You say with your head turned back to him, Dawnspire's long neck bent around to take a matching look at him as well.
Being scrutinized by dragon and trainer alike feels just as intense as it sounds, and yet, there's a strange charm to it. Like the two of you are a team, or even good friends working together.
"Understood." He nods, then with only slight hesitation, brings his arms to wrap around your waist.
"Good, now put this on." You hand him something that was attached to the belt on your waist.
Toru takes them and realizes they're a type of eyewear. He sees a similar pair hanging around your neck by a strap that you pull up to place around your eyes. So he does the same, assuming that it's for protection against the wind.
"Take us away, Dawn." You pat at the dragon's comically large shoulder blade. Just the size of the bone underneath looks like it could fill the room of a small house.
Toru doesn't have much time to be amazed as Dawnspire rises to her full height, bringing them even closer to the tall branches of the surrounding trees. His heart is pounding as he simply watches as the dragon leans into a crouch, and then takes off into a slight run before jumping into the air.
Somehow, as she rises up higher and closer to the already tall branches of the sequoia trees, she expertly swerves through many of them, barely letting any leaves brush against them with how agilely she moves between them.
Higher and higher she rises, until they break through the trees like an owl in the night. The only thing Toru hears is the wind blowing past as they begin to soar faster, and faster. And faster still.
And the faster they get, the tighter he clings to your waist. He can feel his knuckles starting to strain as he squeezes around you, trying to keep his heart in his throat. It's all he can do to keep his eyes open.
Even with the eye goggles, he's afraid to open them and see just how far they're getting off the ground. But then after a while, he feels your torso twist slightly in his hold before you yell to him, "Eyes open, commander! You're going to be up here soon enough."
He takes a deep breath, bracing for some kind of psychological impact, because he knows you're right. He's the commander. He's going to lead his battalion into the skies just like this one day in the future. He can't be afraid of this.
Still, once he opens his eyes and sees just how close they are to the moon, he screams.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" He shrieks into the night.
"Ahahaha!!!" Your laugh echoes with his screams.
It's all Toru can do to keep hold of his stomach for the rest of the flight.
What feels like hours later, but was apparently only about thirty minutes of flying, Toru falls to his knees on the sweet, steady ground. If he wasn't so busy catching his breath and wheezing to adjust to the change in air pressure, he'd have kissed it.
They're surrounded by sand, with the ocean lapping at the long shore of what looks to be a rather large, empty beach. Likely inaccessible to civilians since it's surrounded by large cliff side mountains.
While he's taking in the area, you send Dawnspire off on her own, which confuses Toru. Is he not here to train with you further?
"Caught your breath yet, commander?" You ask as he finally stands back on his feet like a respectable knight.
"My apologies, trainer. I should not have put on such a humiliating display." He bows his head.
"Oh, don't worry about that. I found it amusing." You chuckle, "However, we're here because you are eventually going to have to get over that. I assume you intend to keep your position as a commander of a dragon riding unit of knights?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then that's why we're here; to practice the basics." You announce, which doesn't make anything any clearer to Toru about what's going to be happening.
You disappear off towards a large formation of beach rocks, and bring out two long boards made of some kind of lacquered material. Had you already hidden those there beforehand? Have you done this before?
As you come closer with the two boards, he sees that they're even longer than he expected up close. When you stand it up to stick it in the sand, it's taller than him by over a head.
"What is…?"
"We are going to take these boards out into the ocean, and you are going to practice balancing on them out in the water." You announce.
"In the water?! But I— You mean to say I have to stand up on this board?? In the ocean??" Toru can hardly wrap his head around this concept.
"Yes, it's called surfing. You ride the surf. It's a rather popular sport in beachside towns." You explain, nonchalant.
"Sport?!" He feels himself getting dizzy. He's been a land dweller all his life. And he's only just started to learn how to get his feet in the air. Now he has to learn how to do it on water too?? "Why are we doing this?"
"The ocean waves are at their strongest early in the morning. Riding on a flimsy board of wood can resemble riding a creature of the wild, all while you're being attacked by merciless elements." You explain, "And here, you can fall on your face as much as you want and won't even die!"
"It's not like I'm trying to fall!" Toru retorts indignantly.
Then he heaves a big sigh. Is this what it's come to? He's so lacking in the basic skills of dragon riding that you have to resort to training him on the ocean instead of wasting the dragons' time?
It's humiliating. It's disheartening.
And at the same time, he understands. It sobers him. Perhaps even feels appreciation. He knows that you're taking away extra time to train him because he's lacking as a commander. You can see that he wants so badly to improve and you've put in the effort to take him aside and train him again from the ground up.
He can't blame you for his own lack of skill as a dragon rider. He can only pull up his britches and learn once more.
"I… I'm not the strongest swimmer…" He admits.
"Then you'll be learning with the same stakes as flying. Learn fast or die trying." You say with a cheeky smile, "Now take that shirt off, commander, and let's go ride some waves."
There is no way Toru is going to survive this. If he's not taken down by the waves or the wind, he'll die by humiliation at this point.
He's long lost count of the number of times you've had to fish him out of the water to find his way back to his board, clamber back on after slipping several times, and then try to stand up while another wave approaches him. Only to lose balance again and fall right back into the ocean.
Actually, with how often he's gone through this survival routine and had to scramble back up to the surface for air, he almost forgets to feel embarrassed at some point.
But somehow, slowly, very torturously slowly, he starts to find his balance. He starts to get a hang of it. His body begins to predict how the waves will move and how he should adjust his weight distribution accordingly, how he should use his muscles.
While it is different than riding a dragon, he still gets the sense of danger and skill and control being beaten into his body by the elements. And as he slowly grows accustomed to it by the time dawn breaks, he feels a slightly new sense of accomplishment by the time he's able to ride one small wave without falling down.
Though he does feel like his body is about to give out by the time they climb back onto shore to dry off and change into new clothes.
For some reason, Toru is hoping to hear praise from you. Some kind of acknowledgement that he's making clear progress. Any kind of reassurance that maybe he will be fit to be commander of a unit of Scaled Knights soon.
Instead, you say, "You've got a weak knee, don't you?"
"Excuse me?" He asks, readjusting his belt on his trousers.
"Your right leg. You don't use as much pressure on that side when you mount a dragon. I felt it when you rode behind me." You say, purely observational, "And every time you fell off your board, you would collapse onto your right side."
Toru stares at you, unable to deny your claims, yet not ready to admit to them.
"Is it a recent injury? Or has it always been weak?" You ask, undeterred.
"It was an injury I sustained in a battle against cursed monsters, about three years ago." He admits with a tight jaw.
"And why did you not think to share this with me when you first began training?" You ask.
He swallows nervously, unable to look you in the eye. If he had admitted to you, to anyone, that he had a long-sustaining injury, he would never have made it to the position he has now. He would have been tucked away to the sidelines, never to know honor and glory of a knight again.
He never would have been given the chance to become a commander.
But he doesn't need to weigh you down with all of that. It's been his responsibility to carry, and that it will remain.
"A knight is only worth what his body can offer." He says with a sigh, "I have proven that I can still be a worthy knight even with this knee."
"Without admitting that to anyone." You add, making Toru's jaw clench again.
"Do not worry, I will not be reporting you or anything like that." You say as you pack everything back into your belt and pull out a whistle to call for Dawnspire. "But even a healed knee isn't as strong as it once was. You'll need to remember that if you're going to be a dragon rider."
It's a silent ride back to their quarters. The first hour of first light is nearly over by the time they land back in the grove of sequoias where they first started.
When you send Toru off to get ready for the day's regular training, he has no idea whether you're disappointed in him, or if you expect him to work harder, or if you're going to let him work himself into the ground until he breaks or dies — whichever comes first.
He joins his men for their usual morning routine; breakfast and then gathering cargo to bring to the valley, and Iwa-chan walks close by his side.
"Where were you all morning?" He asks, low enough that no one around them can hear.
"Trainer took me out for extra training." He answers simply.
Iwa-chan isn't too fazed by his answer, it seems.
"I guess that explains why you look so haggard."
"Shut up." He rolls his eyes at his friend. His closest friend since childhood. The man who knows everything about him. Strengths and weaknesses alike.
So with a deep breath, he admits, "They found out about my knee."
Iwa-chan tries not to let it show too much on his face, but Toru doesn't miss the slight widening of his eyes. "And?"
"Nothing. I'm not sure what action they'll take, if any. Perhaps they just want to see how far I can take it." He shrugs, feigning nonchalance.
Iwa-chan gives him that unreadable hum of his, but eventually lets the matter go.
"I believe in their judge of character. Someone who understands the nature of dragons will surely understand the nature of people too." He says, "So what kind of training did you have to endure anyway?"
Toru sighs, feeling the exhaustion settle into his bones as he remembers that he'll have to endure regular training today as well, "Let's just say I'm a better swimmer now."
Before Iwa-chan can question him further, they reach the dragons' valley and are greeted with excitement by their many young dragon friends, who have come to expect their visits. As well as their treats.
As they all disperse and begin their day's greetings and play with the dragons before training commences, Toru comes up to one of the dragons who has been kinder to him throughout the fast few months.
Apparently, he's a bit of a runt of the litter, with slightly shorter wings than the other young dragons his age. He can't fly as high or as fast as many of his brothers and sisters, but Toru appreciates how he never stops trying.
You gave him the name Bark, explaining that he's tough and protective, despite what the other dragons may think of him. And Toru thinks it's quite fitting for a young, resilient forest dragon.
They're birds of a feather, or rather, dragons of a scale. So to speak.
"Hey, Bark." He greets him with a softer voice than usual, which the dragon seems to notice, tilting its head slightly as if in inquiry.
"It's nothing, I was just… doing some extra training. With [Surname]." He goes on, petting the dragon's rough snout and head with affectionate familiarity, "They've been hard on me, but I can see that they're doing it for me. No one else has pushed me to my limits like you guys and they have. No one else… has noticed my struggle like they have."
For some reason, he finds himself feeling softer as he talks about you. He even realizes that he's smiling a bit when Bark comes up to nuzzle his face, and his lips are already pulled tight at the corners when he breaks out into a laugh.
Perhaps you bring out something similar in him that the dragons do. You weed out parts of him that are weak and need improvement, and you force him to better himself. Perhaps that's why he sees you and the dragons in a similar vein.
"Commander." A voice suddenly appears behind him.
"Ah—! Uh, yes!" He jumps as he turns to find the very person in his thoughts appear before him.
Somehow, despite having been up all morning, gone into the ocean to teach him how to surf, and flying all the way back to lead your regular training sessions, you seem right as rain.
You hold out a rolled up white cloth to him, "This is a special blend of cotton and dragon hair that the kingdom has been developing. Sky dragon hair, so it should be lightweight but protective against certain elements. Try using this to wrap around your knee for support and let me know how it feels."
"Wha— My— For me?" He stutters.
"Yes, for you. If you want to fly, commander, you're going to need to figure out a way to balance yourself. You can't rely on your left side or for someone you catch you from your right forever." You say bluntly.
"I— Yes. Of course." He blinks himself back to sense, instinctively saluting you with a fist to his heart.
"Now come bend your knee. I'll show you how to wrap it properly."
As Toru comes down to bend on his left knee, you squat down to tightly wrap the thick white cloth around his right knee, making sure that he can bend it and walk properly while still feeling enough pressure to act as support.
For some reason, he feels closer to you like this. Closer than he did when he was sitting right up against you on your dragon this morning. Maybe it's because he can see your face clearly, and how concentrated you look as you wrap him up to protect his most vulnerable part of his body.
He can see the short, windswept baby hairs sticking up around your face, the little specks of color in your eyes, and how your lashes frame them like butterfly wings. Despite how fiercely you embody a dragon's spirit, there are still parts of you that are soft.
"Alright, here we go. How's that, commander?"
"Huh? Oh, it feels good." He says, blinking himself out of his thoughts. What was he even thinking about?
"Good." You say, not seeming to have noticed Toru's slight drifting thoughts, "That should hold during flight training, but let me know what you think about it later. I can bring notes back to the developers to improve on it."
"Thank you, trainer." He says before you walk off, "I… thank you. It means a lot to me."
You only stop to blink at him for a moment before breaking into a smile, "I know you're working twice as hard to keep up with your men, Commander Oikawa. So I'll meet you halfway. Same time tomorrow morning."
Toru sighs in exhaustion at the thought of getting up early to throw himself into the ocean again, but also finds comfort in the fact that you're willing to take the time to make sure he becomes a proper dragon rider. That you notice how badly he wants to be one.
And he'll prove himself to be one. The best one. Not only to himself, or his unit, or even the kingdom. But also to you.
"Good, good. You're starting to get the hang of this." You say when Toru splutters water out of his lungs after resurfacing for what feels like the hundredth time this morning.
It has been two weeks of surfing training before dawn now, and Toru has finally managed to ride a medium-sized wave with relative confidence.
The big waves, however, he still has some work to do. He is still face planting more times than he doesn't when the waves get too high, but he has gotten a good feeling of what to expect with the unpredictability of the ocean waves.
It reminds him of how the winds can change midair when he's riding a dragon. Bark has already noticed a bit of a change in him, and the dragon's confidence has risen in turn, much to Toru's pride.
The two of them are managing to keep up with the rest of the flight during training these days without too many falling incidents. Toru has a better understanding of how to use his body and navigate the wind pressure and adapt to Bark's movements, and his confidence helps him keep his seat much better now.
The knee wrap helps a bit too. He finds that he can put more pressure on it without fear of overexertion when it's tightly bound and supporting his muscles from overwork.
He keeps it on for most of the day, since the material is rather resilient to both air pressure and water as well. He wears it during surf practice and it doesn't weigh him down like his regular clothes do, which has been helpful.
And yet, even with all of these improvements, he still has plenty of falls. And you still laugh at him every time he takes an embarrassing tumble.
But now, he finds that he's come to enjoy your laugh. As indignant as he feels being made fun of, he finds your laugh rather pleasant. Occasionally, he finds himself hoping that you'll laugh, bracing himself in anticipation for it.
He doesn't want to dig into what that means, so he continues to train as he's told. He surfs, he flies, he takes care of their quarters with his men, he goes out to a pub in town with them on their free nights every so often.
Toru throws himself into this life to become the dragon rider he's always wanted to be.
Until eventually, several months later, he conquers the waves. He rides the largest ones without fear and without falling anymore. If he anticipates falling, he dives right into the water himself and swims himself back to his board without incident.
And then, about another year later, he conquers flight. He's able to ride not only his partner in crime, Bark, through the skies for over an hour at a time, but other dragons too.
As you begin to teach them to practice combat while atop dragons, he learns to balance on a flying dragon as he shoots an arrow, a crossbow, throw a spear, and even how to stand on a dragon while wielding a sword.
Combat training is an entirely different beast for all of them, because it reminds them that they are not simply riding dragons for the fun of it. They are soldiers meant to fly into battle. Against whatever enemies may swarm them; land, sea, or air.
The knights' confidence in their commander returns. They see his incredible progress as nothing short of a miracle. Perhaps because they don't see all the extra hours that he puts in before dawn, riding alongside you to throw himself into the ocean for the sake of his livelihood and honor as a knight.
They don't see all the hours you spend with him, giving up your own free time to train him into a worthy and deserving commander of the first battalion of Scaled Knights this kingdom has ever had. They don't realize how deep his relationship with you has grown, as you share scars and stories and laughs over the many months you spend together.
Toru finds himself taken with you more and more with everything he learns about you on those rides to the ocean and back to camp every morning.
On occasion, when the surf is too quiet for Toru to catch any real waves to practice on, you pull aside to the nearby town for breakfast instead. These become some of his favorite mornings, where he shares food and exchanges tender gazes and old stories with you.
It's a moment of peace and reprieve that neither of you get very often because of the hustle and bustle of working with dragons and men. A moment where Toru can really look into your eyes and see what you're feeling, understand the soul the lives beneath your skin. A moment where you both get to see the humanity in each other.
He learns that you have been smitten with dragons since you were a child living in a small village deep in the mountains. A village that revered dragons because they surrounded and protected the mountain area that your family lived in. And you were the village's pride and joy for having such a natural gift with them.
He learns that you would wander off on your own every day, playing with dragons, young and old, earth and sky, dangerous or not. Until eventually you learned to communicate with them somehow. Not through language, but through some kind of unspoken connection built up through trust.
And you would make more and more dragon friends over the years, until it became a familiar sight in your village to see you soaring through the skies atop a dragon's back, going far and wide to gather whatever it is your little village needed. You became the star of your humble little mountain hometown, until word spread about you to all the neighboring ones.
Until word got far enough to even the capital, where patrolling knights and soldiers would come to investigate, to see if the rumors were true about a child who could ride dragons across the skies like a hero of legend.
"Granted, I was already almost an adult by this time, but I guess it took time for rumors to circulate." You had added with a chuckle.
Toru learns that you were scouted by the kingdom right around the time you turned sixteen years of age. And that you had refused to join them for years, not wanting to be away from all your dragon friends.
"Then what possibly changed your mind?" Toru had asked as you both walked back towards the outskirts of town, where Dawnspire was waiting for you both.
You smile as you look up and cup the edge of Dawnspire's jaw in your hand, "This girl did."
Apparently, the kingdom had acquired a dragon egg, and was looking for someone with proper expertise to care for it. And while you knew it was the property of the kingdom, you couldn't simply let them raise a dragon however they wanted.
"And so, I packed up all I had, said goodbye to all of my mountain dragons back home, and came straight here to care for my little sunrise baby." You explained as you mounted the dragon you cared for with such deep affection, "That's where she got her name; Dawnspire, the 'bastion of first light.' I cared for her as an egg until she was born on the very first sunrise of the year."
"It's beautiful." Toru says, almost too soft for you to hear with the wind whipping around you.
You're beautiful, he wants to say. But, of course, he holds his tongue.
That's not something you can simply say to the person who has been training you for your job for the past two years. Even if he feels closer to you than anyone else in his unit now. Maybe even closer than he feels to Iwa-chan, who he's known since he was a child.
Those mornings are few and far between, but every time he shares one with you, he finds himself wishing that they didn't have to go back to camp. Just so he can be with you for a little bit longer, to cherish the fleeting joy that comes over him every time he feels his relationship grow deeper with you.
During the flights back, he usually ends up holding you a bit closer.
Toru knows that something is growing in his heart for you. He feels like he's known for quite some time now.
But as a knight, he also knows that he will always be bound to his duty. His duty as a commander, as a blade for the kingdom. There are always many risks that come with being a knight, which is often why they live and die by the sword, with nothing to leave behind but their honor.
It is why so many knights do not take spouses or have families, even after the royal council lifted the restriction on knights and soldiers of the military decades ago. Because they are bound by duty, many have found that they cannot leave their hearts in one place when they have sworn fealty to their nation.
That is not to say that it not done. In fact, as time goes on, married and parenting knights have become less uncommon. A small number of his own men in the past have had partners and children. And while it was hard on them to be away from their families, Toru did always feel a bit of envy when he saw his knights reunited with their loved ones every so often. There was never quite a joy so bright on a person's face as that of a returning knight.
Toru and all of his dragon riders are all bachelors, for the most part. There are a select few knights that have dedicated lovers that they left back home, whom they send occasional letters back to, but all of them are aware of the hazard risks that come with joining the unit. Some of them even prefer the life where they're free to meet and connect with the people in any town they pass through.
However, many of them are still fully prepared to live out the rest of their days married to their duties. Toru was always one of them. Nothing mattered to him more than his ambitions.
But now, as he spends time with you, he's begun to see that there can always be balance. He can still become a dragon riding knight commander and have feelings for someone special in his heart. As a matter of fact, that person can become something of a motivator for him to do even better.
He never feels prouder of his accomplishments than when he earns a wide smile from you.
Toru wonders more and more if this could ever be something that he could realistically pursue. If perhaps, his unit gets cleared for active duty in the future, maybe he could stay in contact with you. And spend more time with you… beyond learning about dragons.
In those seldom moments of peace in his busy days, Toru finds himself thinking about you. Thinking about all the things he's learned about you, and how he's developed an appetite for more. More knowledge about you, more intimacy that you share with him and no one else. Time you spend with only him, becoming closer to only him.
He contemplates what the future might look like… as friends. Perhaps lovers. He finds himself wondering if you would ever smile at him for reasons beyond his clumsy failures and training with dragons. If you would even look at him that way.
Sometimes, he catches you looking at him. Your gaze is always concentrated and observant. Usually watching his progress with dragon riding. An unbiased trainer's eye that you share with all your other pupils. But he's self-aware enough to know that you watch all of his men with the same discerning eye, full of professionalism despite your nonchalant style of teaching.
Toru sighs to himself and returns to his training every time he has to remind himself that you treat everyone fairly and equally. Even with the extra time you dedicate to him, it's under guidance and support to make sure he keeps up with the rest of his men.
So he does his best to concentrate on that, even as the desire to become closer to you grows by the day. He continues to work harder than anyone else, setting an example for his men, and showing you that he's worth your time.
Until finally, the day comes when you decide that they are ready to meet the adult dragons.
They're in their third year of training and most of them are comfortable flying longer distances now on their young dragon partners. Many of them have already built up a confidence that edges the line of arrogance every time they climb atop a dragon's back now.
So you have deemed this to be the perfect time for them all to raise the stakes.
"I think you're ready." you say, sending a shiver of excitement down the backs of many of his men.
You have them pack necessities for several days of camping before leading them into a mountain forest at the break of day. You explain that entering the dragons' nest on foot is the most harmless way to approach them as a group.
"Remember, all the kids and teenagers we've been flying with enjoy playing with humans and other creatures alike, but fully grown dragons have really settled into their personalities." You remind them as you lead them through the increasingly thick foliage, "Many of them are old and arrogant, so they'll be harder to win over. Which is why we have to stay around their nest and give them a chance to become familiar with us first. If they come to like you enough, then maybe one of them will choose you as a partner."
Hanamaki lets out a sigh as he ducks under a lower hanging branch, "I miss Pampa. He and I got along really well. Any chance that he'd grow fast enough that I could ride him into battle once we're able to deploy?"
You laugh as you continue hiking, "Maybe one day. But Pampa and the others are still so green, they would never move as fast as the adults in the face of dangerous situations. And their scales and wings need time to get stronger as well. They can't fly nearly as long as the older dragons can."
The hike takes another few hours of climbing, so you take the opportunity to teach them about the land as well, since they'll be camping out here for the next few days. You show them the different fruit and game that grow and live in the forest, as well as which plants to be wary of.
"Most of the foliage have little to no effect on the dragons' diet, but I am privy to believe that many of them can taste flavor. So whenever they give me something from their hunt, I season it heavily and offer them a bit as a treat." You offer as a tip, "The friendlier ones at least give me something of a positive reaction to it."
"And how often is it that a dragon will be 'friendly'?" Yahaba asks, sardonically.
"Not often at all!" you answer easily, "There are some dragons that I've known for years here that still don't feel too warmly about me. When I first moved here from my hometown, I was so hellbent on making every dragon like me. But I've come to realize and accept that you can't always win everyone over."
"A dragon who doesn't like you? I'll believe it when I see it." Iwa-chan says from his spot behind you.
"Oh, you'll be very surprised." You smile at the comment.
A smile that Toru swore he only ever saw when you were out surfing with him in the early hours of the morning.
He tries not to think about it as you announce that they're approaching the clearing where many of the dragons gather to sunbathe.
As they move closer, you make it a point not to hide your presence, using the dry brush or scattered rocks around you to subtly warn the dragons of your arrival. Once they're through a thicket of trees that opens up into a large grassy clearing that extends to the edge of the mountain, Toru tries to keep his emotions settled within his body when he sees them.
Dragons. Everywhere.
Larger than any of the adolescents they've been training with for the past two years. Much larger. The average size of them is at least twice as large as any of the younger dragons they've gotten used to riding. Even Dawnspire feels small compared to all of these dragons mowing about in this clearing.
Some lie curled up in the grass or under the shade of the tall trees, while others settle beside the wall of earth at the mountainside edge of the clearing, nuzzling with or grooming one another. Some tear into a fresh kill they just made — an incredibly large moose. Some play or drink or wash up by the stream running through one end of the clearing.
"Hello, all!" You wave at the dragons nonchalantly, like a friend passing through, "I brought my friends that I've been telling you about. These are the guys that have been keeping the little ones company for you."
Some of the dragons lift their heads in attention, watching them with cursory gazes as they move through the clearing. One of them stalks up to you first, a dragon with greenish white opal scales, lowering its head to stare at you with it's intimidating black eyes.
Yet, you greet the dragon with a warm smile and your arms out, "Zephyron! You're back! I'm so glad to see you! You were gone for at least three or four moons, no?"
The knights can only watch as you converse with this dragon who only huffs or growls in response, and you seem perfectly capable of holding a conversation with them. As you talk, the other dragons begin to take interest and start slowly approaching as well.
Before long, there's a wall of curious, and intimidatingly large dragons lined up before them, and it's all the men can do to hold their ground as they're scrutinized by some of the most majestic and other worldly creatures they've ever had the privilege to see.
Toru understands now, just how fantastical his childhood dreams were. Nothing could have prepared him for the feeling of being stared down by a dragon ten times his size as it decides whether he's worthy of living, let alone riding them.
Once you finish your conversation with the dragon you greeted as 'Zephyron,' you address all the other dragons who have lined up to see them. And you begin introducing all of them to the knights.
They're introduced with many different foreign sounding names. Toru recalls you teaching them that dragons can identify each other without verbal names like humans do, but in your experience, forging a human and dragon connection has been easier when you have a specific way to address them. So you often find a name for a dragon after you've gotten to know them a bit.
"Sometimes I'll think of a name that comes from the region I know they're native to, and other times I'll just use my own judgement of their personality to come up with something." He recalls you telling them once.
Eventually, some of the dragons lose interest in them and walk away, and some even fly off to go elsewhere. So you decide to take the men around and show them the nest they'll be guests at for the next few days.
"Come along, boys. I'll give you the tour." You announcing, walking towards the cliff side of the clearing.
Toru didn't expect that he could be any more amazed than he already was today, but his jaw goes slack the moment he looks over the edge of the cliff.
Miles and miles of rock beds that descend upon the mountain, the fault blocks along the sloping rock that flatten out into settlements that form more clearings for the dragons to nest in. Some with openings that lead deeper into the mountain for a cave shelter, and some with their own pools of water. With dozens and dozens of dragons lounging or playing by each and every clearing, creating a rainbow of life that colors this side of the mountain.
Suddenly, Toru recalls that instance where Yahaba mentioned something about you persuading the royal council to improve the environment for dragon settlement and enrichment. Is this all here… because of you?
"Holy crap…" Matsukawa whistles among the other murmurs of awe, "I had no idea there were so many dragons that lived around here."
"Many of them are immigrants." You point out as you look out into the dragon rock beds below, "About ten years ago, none of this was here. But with the help of some dragon magic and royal government money, we were able to carve out a better nesting environment in this area for dragons to nest and hunt and play. I'm beyond grateful that we've been able to increase the dragon populous around here and I've gotten to meet so many cool new dragons."
You look out into the mountain with such warmth and pride, it makes Toru's heart ache a bit. They all simply thought of you as their trainer, but it's plain to see that your love and respect for dragons has made you into a pioneer of your generation. Who else can say that they've designed and built a settlement for the most elusive and powerful creatures in the world?
"This is astounding." Iwa-chan is the one who voices Toru's thoughts aloud, "You've studied and done more for dragons than anyone in modern history.
"I'll say!" Yahaba is more slack-jawed than anyone else as he stares out into this entire dragon civilization that you've helped build, "This is a level of impact that the kingdom couldn't ever dream of achieving! How is it that no one knows about this?"
That makes the smile on your face fall a little in melancholy. But you pose another question in return, "Why do you think?"
Many of them blink in confusion while others stiffen as they guess at the implications. Toru exchanges a look with Iwa-chan that tells him that they're thinking the same thing.
So Toru is the one who decides to speak this time, "The kingdom intends to utilize them for combat."
You give him a proud and slightly affectionate smile for voicing the answer that could very well have gotten him penalized for speaking beyond his station in another setting.
With a small nod, you continue looking out into the mountain that has become a dragon den, "Everything I've taught you all up to this point is out of my love and respect for dragons as their own entities. I took this job working for the kingdom in order to learn more about them and to protect them.
"But as I'm sure you know, the kingdom's priority is to protect itself. And while there are plenty of malicious things out there to protect ourselves from, it's not my personal wish to let them use dragons as their pawns. That is why I've done my best to teach you all to view and approach dragons from a place of respect."
You take a pause to gesture at all of the dragons living in peace and freedom in this unassuming mountain just off the cusp of the capital, like you're reminding them to take in the majesty of the place once more.
"This is something that I think is worth protecting. So I hope that as you continue your journey as dragon riders, you'll keep all of this in mind. We are being given the grace and privilege of entering this sacred place. Do not ever think that just because you know how to ride and fight alongside a dragon that you can ever forget that."
There's an air about you that feels like a higher authority, like a captain that has earned the respect of every soldier in the military. And it makes all of the knights yell out, "Aye, trainer!" in a salute on pure instinct.
Toru has not come across many individuals with this kind of aura of leadership in his life, but he knows that the ones who do have made him feel just like this — immobile with awe.
They spend the rest of the day exploring the mountain and visiting the nests, getting familiar with some of the dragons and trying to get along with them.
Toru has just about the same amount of luck getting along with the adult dragons as he did the adolescents. They all either turn their snouts at him or find a way to laugh at him. He's already despairing over the thought of having to go through yet another long period of dragon ridicule before he feels like a commander again.
Night falls over them and the knights tuck themselves into a thick patch of grass in the clearing with their sleeping pads and blankets. Many of the dragons are still active through the night, so they can still see them flying above through the sky full of stars every so often.
It seems that every one of the knights understands that this is an otherworldly experience that they would never have gotten to see in any other circumstance. It makes your words from earlier today sink in a little deeper into their bodies as they speak in murmurs to one another, as if trying not to disturb the tranquil wonder of the environment around them.
He's so focused on drinking in his surroundings that he doesn't notice the rustling from beside him, until he hears your voice say, "Evening, commander. Do you mind if I rest beside you tonight?"
Toru's heart immediately starts pounding faster in his chest. He hopes that you or the dragons nearby don't hear it.
"Yes, of course. Go ahead." He says, trying to hide the nerves in his voice.
You're only a few feet away, a comfortably private distance that parallels how far his knights sleep apart, but he's never felt this nervous sleeping beside anyone before. He tries to distract himself with something when he notices that you only sleep with your backpack beneath your head and a thin blanket on.
"You didn't bring a sleeping mat with you?" He asks, ready to offer up his own, even considers offering to share it somehow — though he quickly smacks the notion out of his mind.
"No, I'm used to sleeping outside like this. I've been napping with dragons since I was a kid, so it's just easier to find a nice soft patch of ground than carry around a mat with me everywhere." You explain, resting your hands behind your head, the picture of ease. "If I ever wanted to be extra comfortable, I would bring a hammock with me to tie up to the trees, but I don't always have the leisure time to set it all up and take it back down."
He chats with you for a few more minutes before you ask him, "So how was the den? Did you make an impression on any of the dragons so far?"
Toru snorts before he can stop himself, "I think it'll be another while coming before I'm able to find a dragon who wants to pair up with me. I don't suppose more surfing lessons will help me out this time around."
You give him a good natured laugh in response, "Who's to say? Sometimes, surfing is a good way to clear your head that's different from being in the air. I still enjoy it for fun myself every so often."
Glancing over, Toru sees you looking up towards the sky, a small smile still on your face. As much as he'd like to keep staring, he forces himself to look upwards too with a sigh, "The ocean is miles away from the mountain. I don't want to run away from the dragon den."
"It doesn't have to feel like you're running away," you remind him, "I know you work harder than anyone else around here. It's just a matter of time."
This time, when Toru glances over at you, he sees you looking back, an expression full of confidence and faith in him staring him right in the face. A look that Toru couldn't refute even if he tried.
If you're willing to believe in him to that extent, then he has to believe in himself even more.
Weeks pass by as the knights spend equal time in the dragon den and returning to their own camp to continue flying practice with the younger dragons. Some of them make progress building camaraderie with the adult dragons, Iwa-chan being one of the first, of course. And Kyotani, surprisingly, getting to mount an adult dragon as well to fly a short distance away.
"He wanted to show me a part of the mountain he liked to play in." he had said.
And while Toru is getting on well with several of the dragons to an extent, he hasn't developed any kind of deeper connection with any of them the way that his knights have been doing. All of them go on and on about how they somehow bonded over something unexpected and the rest came naturally to both of them. Toru hasn't experienced anything like that yet. At least, not outside of Bark.
Often now, he finds himself escaping to Bark's favorite spot in the forest to play by the waterfall. Toru strips down to his underwear and swims and splashes around with Bark in the river until he tires out or gets too cold. Bark, being a young and high energy dragon, never gets enough of this time spent playing around in the water. Toru sometimes wonders if he's actually more of a water dragon than a forest dragon.
"You do know that I'm actually a commander of my group, don't you? I can't play around all day!" He protests when Bark tries to pull away from his clothes and back into the river. "Besides, we're heading back into the mountain den tomorrow. I need to get my rest if I'm going to try to win over some of the adults in your flight."
Bark tilts his head slightly in an inquisitive manner, which Toru understands to be confusion. Likely in a way where this young dragon can't understand his silly human problems, so he just shrugs it off with a sigh.
"It's just that— You know, creatures like us? We have to fight and put in extra effort to get what we want. It doesn't come naturally to us like it does to others. I mean, Iwa-chan's practically another dragon whisperer like [Surname], at this point. And here I am, a supposed 'commander' of an elite military unit, spending all of my time with a kid."
Instead of giving some kind of indignant reaction, Bark tilts his head again, to which Toru shakes his own head in response.
"Never mind, it's my own problem. Obviously, I really enjoy playing with you, since you and I seem to understand each other somehow. But I can't ride you into battle. So I need to find a dragon who'll accept me as a rider to lead the pack, you know? It's not as easy as it sounds!" He babbles on like he usually does as he puts his clothes back on.
But as he's pulling his pants on, a strong gust of wind blows through the forest that almost makes Toru lose his balance.
"Ngah!" he yells, landing against Bark's body.
The wind is so strong that Toru can't even open his eyes properly to see where it's coming from. It feels like air being whipped around by dragon wings, but Toru and Bark don't often see other dragons around this area. Certainly not dragons powerful enough to create a wind tunnel like this.
However, Bark is making excited squealing noises in his dragon voice as the wind slows and the ground shakes with the landing of a large dragon on the other side of the river.
Toru has to blink and rub his eyes several times to make sure he's not mistaken. Because right there across the running water, staring down at them with the most intimidating turquoise blue eyes, is an enormous, towering, white dragon.
A white dragon.
Toru has never seen such a color on a dragon before. And he doesn't recall learning about them from any of your lessons either. As far as he knows, black dragons are the rarest to find in the world, as they're more powerful and dangerous than any of the others. But a white dragon? It's a concept he has yet to even imagine.
He stands shock still for a few moments before Bark titters excitedly over to the white dragon, flying the short distance across the river to greet the newcomer with a familiar nuzzle. And to Toru's surprise, the white dragon uses an arm and a wing to cover the young forest dragon in a protective gesture that resembles a hug.
Then for some reason, Toru feels his body relax. Perhaps it's because Bark trusts this dragon that he feels he can trust them too. Something about this picture feels like he's watching a child greet a parent who's been away for a while.
After the white dragon greets Bark, it sets its eyes back on Toru, observant and judging. So Toru does all he can to show his respect, getting down to one knee and bowing his head, "H-Hello."
He waits for a few moments before Bark's excited tittering makes him lift his head, and soon he's being nudged back and forth by Bark's large, earthy-green body, like he's showing off his new toy to his guardian. Toru can only trip back and forth as Bark plays with him before the young dragon all but scoops him onto his back with his neck.
"Aghhh! Bark, hold on! What are you—" He starts bouncing around on his feet in front of the pensive, white dragon, so Toru can only hold onto the little wedges in his shoulders than he's become familiar with to stay atop his back.
Next thing he knows, they're shooting up into the air above the trees. Bark flies a few hundred meters away before Toru spots the white dragon joining them in the sky. It's clearly much faster and more powerful than Bark, but it still flies at a leisurely pace anyway, truly like a parent accompanying a child on a walk.
Bark is making all kinds of excited, happy noises as he flies and Toru just watches as he exchanges some kind of conversation with the white dragon flying beside them, who makes rumbling, grunting sounds from somewhere deep in its core.
They fly like that for over an hour until Bark eventually tires out and has to land. They're somewhere farther west in the kingdom now, and they land by a gorge where Bark can rehydrate.
After drinking his fill, he jumps right into the water and begins splashing around, making shrieking noises as he calls for Toru to join him.
"Again? We were just playing at the waterfall earlier!" Toru complains.
He isn't about to give in to this child again, but then Bark bites onto his arm to start pulling him in towards the water.
"Wait! Wait! Stop— Okay, okay! I'll come." Toru relents, "Just let me take these off first. I don't have a second pair and I can't get sick before we head into the den again."
So Bark lets him go for a brief moment so Toru can take off his clothes and drop them on the ground before wading into the water in his underpants again. The water in this gorge is much colder and the current is stronger, but somehow, it relaxes Toru a bit. It reminds him of his hours surfing on ocean currents more.
He begins thinking about what you said to him about surfing to clear his mind. So after splashing around with Bark in the water — all while the white dragon sits from the side on land like a chaperoning parent — he searches around until he finds a large enough piece of driftwood.
After testing the strength of the wood, he manages to use Bark's body as a balancing wall to climb atop the piece of wood until he can firmly sit on top of it. And soon, the currents of the gorge bring him downstream, giving him enough space to stand up on the driftwood to begin a slow, surfing rhythm.
"Ahahaha!" He laughs loudly as Bark splashes after him in the water, "You know what, I actually forgot how fun this can be."
Bark makes an excited croaking sound that sounds like laughter as well, and they continue to play for the remainder of the afternoon.
It's only when the sun begins to set that Toru shouts about having to get back to camp. Even though Bark protests at first, the white dragon makes what sounds like a noise of reprimand and eventually, Bark climbs out of the water and shakes himself off to prepare to fly back.
Toru tries his best not to fall asleep on the flight back, since the water play really wore him out. The white dragon joins them on their flight for the first half but arcs off in another direction about halfway through with a noise of goodbye to Bark.
The remainder of the evening passes by in a blur as he returns back to camp, washes off, and falls right to sleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.
That evening, he dreams of white wings blending in with the clouds of a blue sky.
Den visits continue to bring slow progress to Toru's relationships with the adult dragons. Many of his comrades are flying now, and he is still being introduced to new dragons by you like he's being set up on blind dates. While they all consider him and offer him some time to observe him, none of them seem particularly interested in him.
You can't seem to pinpoint why that is, since there's usually a dragon personality for everyone.
"It is strange," you muse one day as you and he are both helping prepare one of their meals for the group, "You're nothing like you were when you first started. There was almost the scent of green that came off of you, like you were a newborn fawn learning to walk."
"Thank you." He rolls his eyes.
"I had assumed that was what made you amusing to most of the young dragons. But you don't have any of that kind of presence about you anymore, so I'm wondering why it's hard for you to find a good match. I mean, some of the boys have already befriended two dragons to ride."
"Again, thank you for the reminder." He deadpans, making you laugh. He supposes that makes up for it just a little.
He can't deny that he feels like he's falling behind again though. While he's here struggling to make close friends with an entire den of dragons, guys like Iwa-chan and Mattsun are already juggling flying practice between two or three different dragons. Iwa-chan in particularly has already opted to stay in the den for more days instead of returning to camp to fly with the younger ones.
Meanwhile, Toru's best days are usually just spent playing around with Bark at the same waterfall or returning to the gorge with the white dragon they encountered before. It's still something of a parent chaperoning two children on a play date kind of situation, so Toru can't even pretend to imagine he'd be able to ride a white dragon into battle as a knight.
However, as the weeks continue to pass, and Toru and Bark see the white dragon more and more, eventually he begins to understand and communicate with the white dragon in a similar way to Bark. He can read and predict his behavior (Toru has since figured out that it is a male dragon), which makes it easier to get along with him when they're out with Bark.
There was actually one day that Bark ended up being too tired to fly back to the den, so the white dragon allowed Toru to ride on his back while he carried a sleeping Bark in his claws for the flight back.
He has to say, riding an adult dragon as majestic as this is beyond his imagination. It exceeds the feeling he first felt when riding a young dragon, or riding atop Dawnspire with you. He's up here in the sky, on his own, riding what he can tell is one of the most powerful dragons he's come across in the world.
He's holding on for dear life and can barely see without his goggles to block the wind, but it's still quite amazing.
Toru doesn't realize it, but as the weeks pass through and bring them into their fourth year of training, and his relationship with the white dragon grows, he becomes more confident in his flying once again. He can sit up straight and keep his seat the more the dragon allows him to ride him.
He's been trying to find a name to call him by, but the dragon disapproves of most of the names he comes up with.
At some point, Toru grows exhausted of thinking about it, and he's grown comfortable enough with the dragon to say, "Well, if you don't like any of these, then I'm just going to start referring to you as 'Shiro-chan'!"
Bark seems to find the name amusing, but Shiro-chan is not too fond of it. He even uses his wing to swipe Toru off his feet with a gust of wind. That makes Bark laugh even more.
Toru knows that he could ask you what his name might be, since he is a dragon of this mountain den, but he gets the sense that Shiro-chan wants to keep his presence hidden from the others. He doesn't know how he knows that, but he does, so he hasn't brought up anything about a white dragon to you or any of his knights for these past few months.
Which is kind of embarrassing, since he wants to prove that he has been progressing on a relationship with an adult dragon and learning to fly at higher, more intensive speeds. It's just that he can't prove it with any of the other dragons in the den.
Somehow, of course, you can sense the change in him anyway. You notice how he stands taller even on the ground, and he's no longer worried about keeping up with the rest of his knights like he once was.
"So who is it?" You ask one day after cornering him after training.
He should have known that you'd notice. You've always been observant and sensitive to changes in his behavior. The fact that you pay such close attention to him almost makes him a bit giddy.
Still, how he feels about you isn't enough to make him betray Shiro-chan's trust.
"I beg your pardon?" He asks.
"Who's the dragon you've been training with? I'm really curious to know who you've bonded with enough to train somewhere that even I don't have eyes on." You ask, unrelenting.
"I've just been training with Bark. He's gotten a lot faster this past year." He lies, not even convincing himself.
"Uh huh," you deadpan, "And where exactly has 'Bark' been taking you to train? Because as fast as he's growing, he still isn't ready to be flying all day."
"We don't fly all day. Most of the time, we just play." He says, which is the truth, "I mean, I know we should be flying more, since I have the opportunity to train with the older dragons now, but this is a precious time for him. I want him to enjoy his youth."
You stare him down for another minute, but eventually let him go with a shrug, "Alright. Well, I trust that you are doing what is best for you and your training as a dragon rider, commander. I hope you'll be able to show us what you can do as a leader one day."
It serves as both encouragement and a reminder; Toru is here to command a unit. You are here because you were told to train that unit. You and the dragons and even the knights are all able to live and train here because they are being supported by the kingdom.
And while he knows you don't wish to use dragons as the kingdom's weapons, you still have a job to do. And you believe in him to be able to do his.
He starts training with Shiro-chan a little more intentionally, asking if they can fly out farther than Bark can follow along. And Shiro-chan, for the most part, is accommodating. The more they train together, the more Toru begins to realize that he has won Shiro-chan's approval. Certainly, he wouldn't be letting Toru ride him at all if that weren't the case, right?
He learns that Shiro-chan is a rather old soul; very caring, very nurturing. Bark isn't the only young dragon that he cares for like a parent, because whenever they encounter other young dragons, he dotes on them the same way. Honestly, he's rather scolding and doting even with some of the adult dragons that they meet.
Many of the other dragons clear a path for them when they fly through, and they always allow Shiro-chan to fly in front, he's noticed. Toru can't tell if it's out of respect or simply because they can't keep up with Shiro-chan's speed, because he is very much the fastest dragon he's ever ridden.
Either way, it's clear that Shiro-chan has been around much longer than many of these other adult dragons. The way he flies and maneuvers through the sky makes that much clear. Toru is fairly sure that he's in a position of leadership within the flight.
Which confuses Toru to some end, since he wants to keep his presence hidden from those outside of the den. Whenever he brings you up as his trainer, and how you've helped him come closer to achieving his ambitions, Toru feels the weight from Shiro-chan's turquoise eyes zero in on him. A questioning look that resembles the feeling of someone raising a pensive eyebrow at him.
"What?" He says, defensive, "They're my trainer. And my friend. I hold them in the highest regard, so I simply want to be able to be honest to the person who's taught me everything I know about dragons."
He's given another heavy look of warning that shuts down any prospects of revealing the truth to you.
"I know, I know," he sighs in slight exasperation, "But I do want to tell them one day. Is that day ever going to come? Will we ever ride out as a pair with the other knights and dragons? These are the things I worry about, Shiro-chan. I know they may be silly little human problems to you, but I won't get to live as long as you do. I want to be proud of the life I've lived. Being able to experience flight with you is something that's made that all the more worth living."
Shiro-chan heaves a long, hot breath out of his nostrils in response, but eventually lowers himself to the ground so Toru can climb up and mount him. Toru hopes to take that as a positive response.
As their days are filled with training, only the changes in weather offer any notion of the passage of time. The seasons are milder in the capital, but atop the mountain, they're closer to the sky, so the elements feel that much harsher.
They're coming up on their fourth winter here in these mountains. While the dragons are resilient to most temperature changes, the knights have to find ways to adjust their combat practice while flying in wind protective clothing. Some of their dragons have the advantage of elemental magic, which makes it easier for them.
Kindaichi, who's befriended a sky dragon, doesn't even have to wear goggles around his eyes when flying because of his dragon partner's air magic.
The rest of them, however, are stuck in their wind breaker coats and gloves, which make it harder to grip onto their dragons. Toru's knee has also been acting up every so often even with the support of your dragon hair-cotton guard. Even with special flight uniform clothing you've been helping to develop with the kingdom's engineers, flying in the colder months remains a work in progress.
However, before they know it, their mettle as dragon riders is tested when you receive a missive from a kingdom falcon.
"There's been a report of dark magic activity inside the chapel of a town to the north." You debrief to the knights after calling them out to their main campsite, "Witnesses and authorities confirm that there's fiend activity growing from the hazard area. The closest soldiers and magicians that are qualified to contain it are in the capital, which is at least two days' ride to the town."
Fiends.
Dark anomalies that sprout from unnatural, cursed dark magic. They form from misuse or overuse of magic or an environment's resources and become strange, parasitic beings that feed off any kind of energy within its reach — land, water, animals, humans… If left to run rampant, they could eat up entire cities until they become a dry, barren wasteland.
It's been said that they could even take over dragons as their hosts for a while, turning them into cursed monsters that rampage through the land before eventually feeding off of them too.
Toru has spent a good portion of his knighthood fighting off fiends. He's lost a good number of men to fiends… They are, without a doubt, one of the greatest threats to humanity outside of humans themselves.
Some say that fiends are simply products of human evil and magical misconduct, but that's an entirely different issue.
"Because this specific case of fiends seem to be going airborne, we have been summoned as first responders to contain the growing threat." You go on, "So it looks like you've received your first mission as dragon riders."
You turn to Toru with a serious and professional look, and gesture for him to step forward to speak, "Commander?"
This is it.
It's finally time for them to prove themselves as dragon riders. To prove that all this time and effort they've been investing into this battalion has been worth it.
And it's up to Toru to lead them.
He steps forward, clears his throat, and stands at attention before his squadron of knights, "Soldiers! We have been training long and hard for this day. While we did not know it would come today, we have prepared for it nonetheless. I believe each and every one of you will form fearsome, reliable teams with the dragons you've bonded with, and bring this threat to rest."
Slamming a fist into his heart in their salute of duty, faith, and honor, he calls out, "We are the Scaled Knights! And we ride!"
"Aye!" All of the men salute in harmony with their own fists to their chests.
They all dress in riding gear in record time and run towards the valley where they usually train with the young dragons. You've blown a whistle that apparently sounds like a distress call to the dragons, calling them over to meet them.
"So?" You ask him as they all run towards the valley, "Will your companion be coming?"
Toru has absolutely no idea. Which scares him more than anything, because how is he supposed to command a squadron if he's not leading them from the front?
Shiro-chan still hasn't revealed himself to any of the other knights or you since Toru started training with him. Toru has always feared that Shiro-chan is one of those dragons that simply despises humans and refuses to be a part of their petty disputes. He supposes he can't blame the dragon for that, humanity considered. But if Shiro-chan doesn't show up for him, then Toru just might not be able to lead his knights.
With a nervous breath, Toru simply answers, "Let's hope so."
They reach the valley first, but they can all see the dragons flying in fast. Both the older and younger ones.
And there— right there, at the front of the flight, is a large white dragon leading the group to land with a loud, prominent screech.
He came.
If Toru wasn't so busy blocking his face from the wind of all the dragons landing, he'd cry from happiness.
"Shiro-chan!" Toru runs up to him, eyes all but sparkling up at his reassuringly enormous, white dragon friend, "Thank you! Thank you so much for coming. Does this mean you're going to come help us?"
Shiro-chan lowers his head with his long neck to reach down and let Toru touch his forehead with his hand. A gesture of cooperation.
Toru can feel his heart soaring straight out of his chest.
"No way."
"Is that… a white dragon?"
"A white dragon?"
"I've never even…"
"There are white dragons?"
"That's insane…"
Voices flutter around behind him in reaction to the white dragon standing before them. Toru understands their reaction. He had the same one when he first saw Shiro-chan, after all.
But when he turns around to introduce his companion to everyone, he's struck by your expression the most. You're standing there, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, like you can't believe what you're seeing. You almost look more stunned than all of the knights beside you.
"Amadi…" You breathe, "You're still… You're still here."
Toru hears a crack in your voice and sees a glisten in your eyes as you take in the sight of Shiro-chan. Or wait, what was it that you called him? Amadi? Is that the name that he's always identified with?
Shiro-chan/Amadi makes a huffing sound that is clear pride and indignance, like he's telling you, of course he's still here. Did you think you'd be rid of him that easily?
"Oh my gods…" You bring your hands up to cover part of your face for a bit as you take in the presence of Shiro-chan/Amadi.
When you close your eyes, Toru sees tears drop down as you press your hands together as if in prayer for a moment.
And you whisper, "Thank goodness. Thank goodness."
Your voice is light, like finally you can breathe after having a heavy weight lifted from your shoulders.
Then you turn to Toru, giving him a bright-eyed look that could make him collapse on the spot from the heart palpitations it gives him. Especially when paired with that teary smile.
"Oikawa, I don't know how you got Amadi to trust you to ride him, but be proud. This is the first I've ever seen him let a human on his back."
"What?"
Now Toru is the one wide-eyed.
"You— you mean, even you haven't ridden him?" Toru asks, shocked.
"Never." You shake your head with a proud smile. "So hold your head up high. It looks like you were meant to be a commander after all."
Toru flies through the air feeling lighter than he ever has before.
Not only because he's soaring through the sky as the dragon riding commander knight that he always dreamed of being, or because he's riding one of the rarest and pickiest dragons to exist. It's also because he clearly managed to touch your heart in some way.
You didn't have much time to explain, but you revealed Amadi (Shiro-chan has since made it clear that it is his preferred name) had been gone for a while. Long enough for you to suspect that he was dead, even — since dragons tend not to be away from their primary flight or den for too long.
But with the urgency of their mission, they couldn't take much longer to dispatch their squadron, so once everyone was mounted on their dragons, Amadi jumped into the air right away. And all the other dragons followed behind like it was the most natural thing to do.
Even without fully understand dragon communication, Toru can tell that Amadi is sending messages to the other dragons as they split off into different flight formations to increase coverage. He studies each and every signal Amadi makes to his dragons and sees that he very much is a commander as well.
He couldn't ask for a more trustworthy partner.
They fly directly to the north, and within two hours' of flight, they spot the action coming from the chapel at the edge of town.
Clearly, the fiend has already taken over the building that was once a place of worship. Many of the surrounding buildings and homes are already crumbled into pebble and dust. And from above, they can spot the dark, moving anomalies branching farther and farther out from its main body rooted at the site of the chapel.
It resembles something of a fluid, dancing tree, its limb-like branches moving about and searching for more life to feed off of. It's already grown over a dozen meters tall, with its dark, branchy reach extending outwards several times longer. And already, its reach has taken hold of many of the birds that must have been flying through, using them as hosts to spread farther and wider.
Most of the citizens in the immediate area have already been evacuated, but many in the neighboring areas will be within its reach soon.
Toru shouts to his men behind him, hoping that somehow the message will get across in these windy skies, "Those with arrows, shoot down any of the flying hosts! Those with special abilities, spread out and find out what kind of attacks are most effective on the fiend!"
His voice sounds like it's lost in the wind, but below him, Amadi makes a grunt of affirmation. And somehow, Toru knows that means that he's sent the message to the other dragons.
"Thank you, Amadi-chan."
All of his knights and their dragons spread out towards the many different branches of fiendish energy, or chase down the flocks of fiend-hosting birds that are fly around. Those attacking the main body of the fiend focus their own specialty attacks on the black branches. Toru keeps watch for the different reactions the branches have to each one.
Immediately, he spots where Yahaba and Kyotani's fire dragons blow harsh flames at the branches, they begin to recede and eventually disintegrate.
So he taps on Amadi's neck and asks him, "Amadi-chan, can you relay the message for all the fire breathing dragons to try and torch the fiend?"
Amadi responds by a strong flap of his wings to straighten his neck and let out a loud, echoing screech — presumably, to relay the message that Toru asked of him.
And to his satisfaction, many of the dragons that can breathe flame or acid begin funneling all of their attack energy into the roots of the fiend at the chapel, including Amadi, whose acidic breath feels hot even from Toru's place on his back.
Within in the hour, they've gotten the fiend curbed, and a local magician manages to snuff out the rest of its remains to destroy it completely.
In the hours following, Toru and the other Scaled Knights aid the town with purification of the cursed magic site, evacuating or temporarily relocating local citizens, and helping gather information for an investigation on how the fiend came about.
The cleanup and reporting takes up far more time than the actual battle, so the dragons flew off to explore or hunt in the mountains and lakes nearby in the meanwhile. Which may have worked out for the better because the knights also get a chance to celebrate with the townspeople for a disaster overcome — as well as the debut of the kingdom's first Scaled Knights squadron.
Of course, there was mourning for those who were lost in the fiend's rampage, but there was also relief and gratefulness that the situation didn't turn out for the worse. If not for the speed of the dragons, the town may very well have been reduced to dust by the time help from the capital arrived.
It's late evening by the time they actually get to relax and enjoy a meal provided by the townspeople at their largest pub. But all the knights are generously fed, fawned over, praised, and ravenously questioned by all the curious citizens of the kingdom. Many of them had heard rumors of a dragon rider unit, but had never thought they'd see one for themselves.
Toru finds himself surrounded constantly by curious strangers, especially young women. He enjoys all of their attention equally, politely answering and speaking to all of them.
As it turns out, many of them have heard of his name or his endeavors, and he's suddenly reminded that he's actually a heavily decorated knight. How he had a long line of accomplishments that made him a well known name and presence across the kingdom.
It's funny how he's spent the past few years being humbled over and over by creatures he knows he can't control, but wanted so badly to get along with, that he forgot about the person he had already built himself into. It feels good to remember that he's a man well appreciated by the kingdom and its people. And getting fawned over by dozens of pretty faces is pretty nice, too.
However, as the night begins to die down and he's invited to spend the night in several rooms, he finds that he's still searching for someone.
He hasn't seen you all night. He knows that you came with them on this mission, simply as an observer and to provide support rather than to fight with them. But he hasn't seen you since they sent the dragons off on their own.
He clearly remembers Amadi looking between him and you among the ruckus, giving him an expression that was clearly pushing him towards you.
Toru could only respond indignantly, "Stop it! Now's not the time. And I'll do it when I'm ready!"
It isn't until the crowded pub begins dwindling down in numbers for the night that he finally notices you, sitting at one of the long tables laden with food and drink. You're drinking from a barrel mug as you laugh at something a local regales for you and Iwa-chan.
His feet bring him to you without him realizing it, and before he knows it, he's sat down beside you on the long bench.
"Hello, commander." You raise your mug up at him with a flushed smile, "Amazing work out there today."
"Thank you." He says simply, unable to stop himself from staring at you.
You really don't look all that different from usual. Windswept hair, lackadaisical demeanor, and frustratingly professional affection that you share with all of the knights.
But Toru knows that Amadi's appearance deeply effected you today. He'd like to think that it was in a positive way, and thanks to him by proxy, since he was the one who finally brought him out of hiding.
"So. How'd you do it?" You ask, smile a little tipsy and even a touch flirty, "How'd you get so close with Amadi?"
Naturally, he gets to talking with you about his white dragon friend, and how it really all started thanks to Bark. You listen with rapt, affectionate attention, like you're being told a lovely fairy tale as a bedtime story.
And in turn, you reveal to him the answers to all the questions he didn't even know he had about Amadi, the white dragon.
"Amadi is something of an anomaly himself because, from what I've gathered, he's actually from a family of black dragons, but was born with white scales. I always assumed it was like some dragon equivalent of human albinism, if you're familiar with that.
"So he's a rare breed among even a rare breed. He survived a long life of suffering from being different, and ended up becoming a great leader of a flight of misfits that flocked around him. That's probably why he's so protective over late bloomers like Bark. But as it turned out, Amadi became his family's strongest and longest living descendant."
You pause to take another sip of your drink, your eyes far off but your smile incredibly present and warm, "It's actually thanks to Amadi that a lot of the dragon population grew down in the capital. He brought an entire family with him on the way here to find a home."
Toru gives you a moment of pause to reflect and rejoice in the memory of such a special dragon. But he's so curious to know something else.
"Were you the one who gave him that name?" He asks.
You turn to face him again, your lips turning up higher in your smile. It makes Toru's heart skip another beat.
"I had heard of a name from the region most black dragons descend from. 'Amadi' felt special because it meant 'freedom' and 'being unbound.'" You take another pause to lean in towards him, showing a more secretive smile, "But I always liked to interpret it to mean, 'one who's destined for greatness.'"
Leaning back once more, you give Toru a considering look before finishing with, "I think it's rather fitting that he chose you to ride him."
That smile.
A smile filled with such pride and secrecy. One that is very clearly and obviously for him. One that tells him how proud you are of him, and that makes him feel like someone special to you, after all.
His heart can hardly take it anymore.
He does it. He kisses you.
It happens faster than he can even process for himself, but his hands feel so at home cupped around your face. And his lips feel so warm pressed against yours. And the sound they make, when they pucker slightly and press together again, he wants to hear it again and again.
When he finally pulls back, you look both surprised and unsurprised at the same time.
Toru doesn't know what to think until you break into that same mischievous, teasing smile you always give him, "Are you sure you're not feeling a little reckless after your first dragon riding mission? The near death experience tends to make people rather bold."
He releases something combining a sigh with a laugh of relief, then takes your face in his hands again.
"I'm sure."
When he leans in to kiss you, you kiss him back.
Over the next few years, the reputation of the Scaled Knights spreads far and wide across the kingdom as they take on more emergency missions.
They continue training with their partnered dragons, taking on smaller tasks like that first fiend attack every so often at the borders of the kingdom — places not so easily within reach of military action.
As they are dispatched more and more often, Toru's elite unit of dragon riders truly comes alive like he dreamed it would. Even as they merge back towards the path of prestige and glory as royal knights, nothing truly brings them satisfaction more than riding a trusted dragon friend through the skies.
He supposes being humbled by said dragons helps keep their egos close to the earth as well.
Yet another one of Toru's greatest dreams has been achieved, and somehow, they keep growing bigger. Thanks to all these spectacular creatures he's met, and the person who saw every part of him and took a chance on his potential, he's learned to dream bigger. To fly higher, farther than the skies can reach.
"You coming, commander?" You call out from the seashore, waiting for him with your surfboard in hand.
The smile lights up his face as he runs up to you with his own board in tow, "Coming!"
And he's also learned to take his time when it's needed. To enjoy the surf and whatever waves it may carry him through.
You couldn’t help but let out a shocked laugh, completely caught off guard by your best friend’s sudden declaration. You watched Semi with amused eyes as he settled into the chair across from you. The two of you had agreed to meet at your favorite Miyagi cafe for brunch after finally having off time that aligned with one another.
“Good afternoon to you too, Eita,” you teased.
“Good morning is more like it,” Semi grumbled. He gave you a pointed look, grabbing the menu to look it over. “And I mean it.”
“Oh I know you do. What was it this time? Another modeling offer?”
“Yep. I’m pretty sure it’s the same company the Haiba siblings model under.”
“And you turned it down?!” you exclaimed.
“Of course I did,” he said matter-of-factly. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Oh I don’t know?” you quipped back sarcastically. “Exposure for you and your band? You could have used the Haibas as clout. Say you know them or something.”
“I’ve met them once.”
“Still could have used that to your advantage. Lev is like best friends with Hinata and Kenma too. Wait, why do you know so many famous people? And why don’t you ever use Ushiwaka? He could always recommend your band in a random tweet or something.”
“I’d like my band to make it ourselves,” Semi said with a shake of his head. “Besides we have a gig at Zepp Shinjuku next month. Well kind of. We’re opening for The Back Horn.”
“YOU’RE OPENING FOR THE BACK HORN?!” You squealed, slamming you hands on the table dramatically and shooting up out of your seat.
“SHHH!” Semi hushed you, grabbing your arm to tug you back down.
Your body went stiff and slowly you looked around you. About a dozen other people in the cafe were now staring at you with judgey eyes.
“Oh god,” you whimpered, face heating up. You sunk back into your seat slowly, head burying into your hands with embarrassment.
Across from you Semi laughed. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I already saved you two tickets and backstage passes.”
Your head snapped up immediately. “Wait? Really?” you asked. “Do not fuck with me right now.”
“I’m not fucking with you. You and a date get to sit in the front row and then go backstage and meet the band.”
“I get to meet The Back Horn?!”
Semi let out another laugh. “Yes, yes you do,” he said. “But you also get to meet my band too, you know?”
“I literally went to university with you guys,” you deadpanned. “And Tendo.”
“And Oikawa. And it was only for what? A year? You’re a baby compared us.”
You froze at the mention of the setter’s name. “Why did you mention that bastard? Ruining my mood and shit.”
Semi snorted in amusement. “You know he’s in Japan on vacation, right?” he asked. “Apparently he’s going to be here until November. Maybe even December.”
“Yep,” you said. “And then he’s going back to Argentina.”
“I heard he’s looking around at coaching jobs here though. Since he’s most likely going to retire before the next Olympics.”
You shook your head at that. “No way in hell,” you said. “That bastard will be playing for Argentina until he’s old and crippled.”
“Not when his knee can’t keep up with training he won’t,” Semi said, voice softening. “I heard it was pretty shot after the summer in Paris.”
“Why wouldn’t he just coach in Argentina then?” you asked with a pout. You tried hard to ignore the squeeze of your heart when you heard the new about his knee.
I thought it was getting better.
“He got an offer from both Chuo and Waseda Universities.”
You blinked a few times at that. “Wait what?” you asked. “I thought Ushi got offers from them?”
“He turned them down,” Semi said. “He just renewed his contract with the Adlers for another three years. He said he wants to try to make it to one more Olympics before he retires.”
You hummed at that. “He is gonna be thirty-four…”
“Oh god,” Semi groaned. “Do not remind me of our age.”
“Hopefully you’ll be a famous musician by then and you can finally give up that damn civil servant job. Ooo! And maybe you’ll get married to a model and have pretty babies.”
“That sounds more like your dream than mine.”
You sighed dreamily. “I wanna marry a rich pretty boy that will take care of me and our kids.”
“Then Oikawa is perfect for that!” Semi exclaimed, slapping his hands together in excitement.
Your face completely fell at that. “Absolutely not. I hate that man with every fiber of my being.
“Now that sounds a bit dramatic.”
“It’s not.”
“I’ve never understood that,” Semi said.
You blinked at the sliver haired man across from you in surprised. “What? You hate him too!”
Semi laughed. “No, I don’t!” he defended himself. “Maybe back in high school I did. You know because of the whole rival schools thing? But now? I’m just… neutral.” He tilted his head at you. “Why do you hate him though?”
“Oikawa Tooru is a rich bastard with an ego the size of Russia and stick so far up his ass that Merlin wouldn’t be able to pull it out.”
“But you two grew up together?”
“Yeah because our moms’ and sisters’ are best friends.”
“So there’s never been a time when the two of you gotten along?” Semi asked.
“Nope,” you said with a pop of the ‘p’. “Not even once.”
“Then maybe you can start your enemies to lovers journey then.”
“The fuck we can.”
“It would be like the plot of one of your romance novels. Sister’s best friend’s little bother or some shit. Slow burn enemy to lovers, fifteen years in the making.”
“I think you’re losing it, Eita,” you deadpanned.
“Let me give you some advice to you, my young Padawan,” Semi said, pointing a ring clad finger at you.
You squinted at him. “How do you even know that term?” You asked. “You have never seen a Star Wars movie in your life. You’re nerdy but not that nerdy.”
Semi shushed you. “That’s not the point here,” he dismissed. “As I was saying… my advice to you is: stop fighting it.”
“Stop fighting what exactly?”
“Your attraction to him.”
Your mouth fell open and you gawked at him. “My fucking what?!”
“You’re attracted to him! Just admit it!”
“I abso-fucking-lutely am not!”
“Oh come on!” Semi groaned, throwing his hands up frustrated. “You’re telling me you’re not attracted to him at all? Not even a little bit? I call bullshit.”
“What part of ‘I hate him’ don’t you understand?” You asked, exasperated.
“But he’s hot as hell. I’d climb him like a tree.”
You couldn’t help with huff in amusement at that visual. “Go right ahead,” you said. “He’s all yours.”
“I can’t though,” Semi whined
“Why not? He’s bi too.”
“Because, I can practically see the sexual tension rolling of you two when you’re together.”
“Sexual wha—“ you shook you head. “I really think you need to get your damn eyes checked. Go ask Shirabu for a good optometrist recommendation.”
“But think about it, Y/N!” Semi said. “You two go to the show together next month and while you’re there the two can finally come to a realization of how you feel about one another. You talk it out— or fuck it out— after the show and boom! Have your happy ending.”
“Happy ending? What am I? A massage parlor?”
Semi shot you a ‘shut up’ look before rolling his eyes. “Is it a shame to want my best friend to be the man of her dreams?”
That made you actually laugh. “Man of my dreams? Tooru? Absolutely not. I will admit— even though I don’t want to— that I’m attracted to him.”
In your mindless rant you didn’t notice the way Semi’s eyes comically widened when they focused on something— or someone— behind you.
“But!” You exclaimed paying the man no mind. “The only happy ending we’d be getting is my hands wrapped around his neck.”
“Wowza. I didn’t know you thought so highly of me.”
Your whole body immediately froze at the sound of that oh so familiar voice.Your eyes connected with Semi’s and he seemed just as perplexed as you.
Slowly you turned around in your seat and looked up at the tall brunette man now standing there. His brown eyes softened when you guys finally made eye contact and his large hand found his way to your shoulder.
“I missed you too, Y/N,” Oikawa said with his annoying singsongy tone that he always used to tease people. “And I didn’t know you were that kinky. Should have figured as much though.”
“Why are you here?” you asked completely ignoring his last statement.
“Vacation,” the setter said. “I’m here for the off season. Visiting family. Which I mean, you should know since our families are having dinner together on Saturday.”
Semi choked a little on his ice tea, coughing into his elbow.
“Huh?!” you gawked. “We’re what?”
“Did you forget our families’ are friends or…”
“Don’t remind me,” you grumbled. “They are the only reason I put up with your annoying ass. Takeru is my favorite.”
“Hey!” Oikawa protested with a whine. “He’s my nephew. Back off.”
“Well, he likes me better,” you quipped back happily.
“No, he doesn’t!”
“Yes, he does.”
“No! He does not!”
“God, it’s university all over again,” Semi muttered.
You and Oikawa’s heads both snapped over to him. “Shut up!” You said in unison.
Semi held up his hands in faux retreat, struggling to hold back his laughter. “Sorry, sorry.”
Oikawa crossed his arms with a huff and a pout. You almost wanted to coo at the man but stopped yourself.
“You said something about a show next month?” Oikawa asked Semi.
“Damn you heard that too?” he asked.
Oikawa hummed. “I heard most of your conversation.”
“Creep,” you mumbled.
Oikawa clapped his hand on top of your head, giving it a small warning squeeze.
“Next month my band is opening for The Back Horn at Zepp Shinjuku,” Semi said.
“The Back Horn?” Oikawa asked eyes shifting down to you. “Isn’t that your favorite band?”
You blinked a few times in surprise and nodded. He remembered that? “Yeah,” you said slowly.
“I got her two tickets,” Semi said. He shot you a mischievous look. “And I was telling her to ask if you to go. Since you were back and all.”
“Tooru doesn’t even like rock—“
“So like a date then?” Oikawa asked cutting you off.
“Yeah exactly,” Semi agreed.
“Why the hell would it be a date?” You protested immediately looking between the two men frantically.
“Eh?” Oikawa raised an eyebrow at you. “Why not? I thought you were attracted to me?”
“I am but—“ It was your turn to cut yourself off.
Oh god. No. I did not just admit that to his face like that.
Oikawa beamed at you. “It’s a date then! Where’s the tickets?”
“I have them,” Semi said holding up his phone. “They’re digital.”
Oikawa hummed. “Send one to me yeah? And I’ll plan everything else with you later, Y/N. Got to go. Meeting Takeru because I am his favorite.” With one finally pat to your head he started walking away towards the cafe exit.
“Huh?!” You gasped. You watched as the setter slipped outside completely and utterly frazzled. “What the fuck just happened, Eita?”
Semi shook with laughter. “You have a date with the Oikawa Tooru.”
“I didn’t even agree to it!” you squeaked. “And stop laughing!”
Semi clutched his stomach with one hand, wiping away tears with the others. “I can’t help it,” he said. “That was great.”
“No, no it was not.”
“You’ll really be getting your happy ending now.”
“Yeah when I strangle him to death after the show,” you grumbled, cracking your knuckles.
୨୧ Ever since you were kids, Oikawa Tooru has been the bane of your very existence. And for over a decade, you were free of him and his dramatic ass― at least for the most part. But now, he's back in Japan and apparently looking to stay permanently. Could this be the chance your relationship needs to finally turn around?
Genres: Drama. Humor. Fluff.
Warnings: Oikawa because he needs a warning of his own. Attempted humor. A little bit of angst. (I'll add more warnings if I decide to expand on it).
Author's Note: Here's a little something I wrote forever ago for a friend. It's originally a very short twoshot but, I'm considering making it a little bit longer.
warm up game: send a character + time for a drabble
kuroo; 9:45pm
i'll be there soon -- it's strange, how bitter words can taste when said too often, and kept to too rarely. still, you glance up at the clock ticking away the minutes on the wall, your heart thudding at the back of your throat, waiting --
"-- ah -- i'm sorry i'm so late --"
the door bursts open, letting in a rush of cold air, making you shiver. you shuffle to the hallway, peer around it to find him standing there, framed by the snowstorm thundering beyond the barricade of the front door, his dark hair dusted in a fine layer of powdered white snow.
his lips are purple with the cold, a bright red scarf wrapped around his neck -- remnants of a christmas gift from year's passed.
"sorry, sorry," he says, his voice cracking as he kicks off his shoes and reaches for you, tugging his gloves from his fingers with his teeth. you fall into his arms, squeeze your eyes shut. he smells damn, like water on metal -- snow and train tracks and the heavy exhaust of a taxicab.
'why didn't you text?" you ask, words muffled by his thick outer coat. kuroo chuckles, running his half-frozen fingers through your hair before pulling back to tilt your chin up towards him.
"cell towers are down, dollface," he says, that easy smirk slung across his lips as if you were both still young enough for the world to seem large.
you crinkle your nose, "yeah? could've still called from the station..."
he snorts, shaking our his hair and shrugging off his coat. a fine layer of snow flurries off his shoulders as he slowly extricates himself from the layers of outerwear, leaving him, finally, in a soft cashmere sweater and slacks.
"what? d'you think it's still 1984? none of those phone booths work anymore," he teases, grinning as he pokes at your nose. you step back, scowling, heat curling into your cheeks.
he lets you lead him back into the dining room, all the bitterness from before forgotten. you heat up the food in the microwave, pour hot tea for him from the kettle.
he pulls you into his lap, nearly spilling the tea. you tut at him, but he cups your cheeks and kisses you quiet.
"missed you," he murmurs against your lips. and for a second, you think about leaving the food beeping in the microwave, about letting him have you for dinner instead. but then his stomach grumbles, and yours follows suit -- the pair of you pull away, reluctant, and a bit sheepish. you lick your lips, pulling back to grab your dinner.
you eat in relative silence, him making small noises of contentment with every bite, you watching him through the curtain of your lashes, wondering if there were anything else you could do to make him stay... just a bit longer.
"keep starin' like that, and i might not want to leave next time."
his voice cuts through your reverie like a speeding train, rumbling through his chest, making you jump. you blink, flushing as you catch his wink.
"not like it'll ever work," you say, rolling your eyes.
kuroo softens, reaches out to grab your hand.
"hey... if you miss me... you can just say --"
"i do," you say, your voice cracking on the incline, the sound like a missed shot, stunning you both into silence. you take a long breath and try again, "i do... but i know you... i know you can't stay -- you love your work --"
"yeah, well --" he clears his throat, frowning down at his half-finished dinner, "i love you too."
you can't help the stunned little intake of breath. he cards a hand through his hair, setting down his bowl.
"damn... i must've really fucked up for you to be so surprised..." he chews on his lips, shoulders hunching, "i... i'm sorry... i should be around more... i know -- it's just..." he lifts a hand as if to make an excuse, but stops himself at the last second.
"just...?" you ask, hesitant.
he sighs, licks his lips, "just nothing, doll... i've not been the best husband and... i'm sorry. i'll -- i'll take the next week off, and we can go somewhere -- anywhere, just as long as it's with you..." he flashes you a guilty, tired little smile.
you can't help the hopeful grin spreading across your lips. you can't remember the last time you've done this -- either of you.
"really?"
he nods, "yeah, really. i'll call the boss right now -- let him know." he pulls out his phone and hits speed-dial. four minutes later, he hangs up with a nervous grin.
"there. it's done. a week's vacation. i'll get my ass handed to me when i go back for taking it at such short notice but... well -- that's my own damn fault, i guess. so -- where'dyou wanna go?"
you find yourself tumbling into his arms, burying your face in his chest as you let out a breathless laugh..
"anywhere," you say, tasting something so very much like hope, sweet as cotton candy melting on your tongue, "anywhere..." you look up at him with bright eyes, "as long as it's with you."
how on earth is sakusa kiyoomi supposed to get the girl when she's got real big romantic expectations!?
you've never been quiet about how romance worked in your head.
sakusa knew it. it was easy, really! what any guy just had to do to secure a place in your heart was be hopelessly devoted to you and worship the ground you walked on!
well, no. maybe not to that level. but what he did know was that, thanks to all of the collection of shojo and josei manga you had not so hidden in your apartment, to all the open tabs on your ipad of romance and historical webtoons, to all the love songs on your playlist and to all the times you gushed to kiyoomi about the latest rom-com movie you watched on netflix, your expectations were up to the fucking sky.
and kiyoomi did not care at all, damn once in a while he would tease you as you eat lunch on the MSBY main gym's bleachers just because you had your sandwich in one hand and a stupid manga volume on another. multitasking! you claim.
and he truly did not give a fuck until he started feeling his heart skip just a bit whenever you were around. or when you casually handed him a bottle of water after doing his reps. or when he heard your laugh when atsumu said something stupid. or when— whatever! the point was, after much deliberation and after hinata literally smacked his head, he came to the conclusion he was utterly whipped for you.
now what?
what did he have to offer that you wouldn't turn down in seconds just like you did with other men?! because he has witnessed it!
"sorry, your job sounds pretty... fake" he recalls you saying to some 'creative director' whose parents were still paying his rent. kiyoomi panicked, wasn't being a volleyball player literally a fake job?! he only had to chase after a ball!
"passiveness sounds pretty unattractive" you announced one time as you examined a cliché bouquet of red roses that some MSBY sponsor sent you. sending flowers was passive to you?! was it better if he had delivered him personally?
hence why, sakusa is now sitting on atsumu's couch, elbows resting on his knees as his head is between his hands at some lame ass hangout that miya, bokuto and shoyo insisted he needed to 'clear his head'
"what about some fancy restaurant! like one with a years long waitlist!" koutarou suggests.
"buddy, if you think a fancy dinner isn't bare minimum then just marry akaashi at this point"
"can we just... focus on what actually matters?!" kiyoomi groans, leaning back in despair "why doesn't anyone know what she'd like for a first date!"
"'kusa, y'literally hissed at us if we stood too close to 'er after practice. how are we supposed to know now y'jerk!" the blonde miya attacks, and kiyoomi hates he's right. maybe he shouldn't have gatekeepen you a lot.
they spend at least twenty minutes more debating about a what grand gesture could the least romantic person in the room pull so you even considered saying yes to a first date to him. even natsu was called by his sunshine-like brother.
"yikes" the teenager said over the phone, mocking the pro volleyball players "if none of the things you've read of the books she likes convinces you then—"
sakusa's eyes widen. "what did you just say?"
natsu then was flabbergasted "hold on a damn second, you haven't read the stuff she likes so you know what she wants?! oh my god! men are such dumbasses!"
of course! what's more trustworthy than the original source of your expectations?!
three weeks later, you had to stop dead in your tracks when you catched a glimpse of kiyoomi, the sakusa kiyoomi, after hours at the gym's bleachers reading one of your favorite shojos like he was reading the bible or some huge paper he needed for his thesis.
and that was not all, he had a fucking notebook next to him.
the volume of the manga he was currently scanning, had dozens of post-its peeking out. you guessed by the variety of them he was color-coding shit you didn't even know was possible. in your case, you just used any sticky notes you'd find in your desk or purse and maybe circle with a pen some phrase you loved and that's all!
this man was on a mission.
"firework festival, fuck off, we're in november and that's until next july!" you heard him complain under his breath, since you quietly approached him from behind.
and when you saw your name written next to the female lead, you couldn't help but freeze and let out a tiny gasp.
kiyoomi wanted to die.
he closed the notebook and manga so quickly you sure now knew why the coach always praised him for his reaction time while on the court. "no!" you squeaked, getting closer, demanding "let me see!"
"the hell are you talking about?! that was nothing!" sakusa's ears were so red as he yelled at you. why, why did god hate him so much?
"no, it was not. that was my name!"
"don't flatter yourself!"
"too late!" you said, lunging forward trying to take his sources from him "is it true? you really have a crush on me!"
against all odds for a germaphobe like him, he pressed his palm against your forehead "crush is a really strong word..."
yet, he was using the softest tone voice you've ever heard. yet he couldn't hold eye contact as you slowly stilled. and seeing how your gaze was equally as earnest as his, he had no other choice to fold. he extended the notebook.
and so you started reading his notes:
"fireworks, do all male leads say 'yeah, so pretty' while she looks at the fireworks but he looks at her? well yn is pretty", "'sports festival' damn, i should've met her in high school", "office romance, standing up to the boss for her. fuck yn and i don't even have common bosses but the coach, should i bribe the coach", "sick day, take care of hear. yn never gets sick, fuck fuck fuck!!!"
you have never felt your heart ache like this. this guy, the guy who once said twenty seven dresses was the most predictable rom com ever, was making notes on how to... get you?
you?
when you look up at him, mesmerized, you don't exactly know what to say. and you're sure he doesn't either. minutes strecth by and kiyoomi is just waiting for you to end his suffering and tease him but reject him since what kind of man needs to study to do romantic gestures?
