Moments pass as the group simply stand in peaceful, awed silence; enthralled in the sight before their eyes. They can see fish in the water, even from where they’re standing, and there are flowers dotted around the water’s edge, all swaying delicately in the gentle breeze. The gentle sound from the wind jostling the leaves on the trees surrounding the lake and clearing contributes to the sense of untouched isolation of the place.

Eventually the two men look to each other, and Baekhyun suggests they have some food and then explore. Chanyeol readily agrees and they turn to their dragons, rooting through the leather packs to pull out their food supplies. They head to a spot a couple of metres from where the water is lapping against the lake edge as the breeze stirs the surface, and sit down to eat, silent as though trying not to damage the delicate, quiet atmosphere around them.

Leukos slinks down to the lake’s edge to drink from the clear water, closely followed by a slightly less graceful Seraphina who’s just as eager to quench her thirst. They drink side by side, heads bent down to dip into the water and front legs submerged in just an inch or two of cool water.

Leukos drinks his fill and then lifts his head, casually observing their surroundings for a moment before focusing back on the water. Without warning, he takes two large steps forward and submerges his head under the water, tail flicking from side to side for a moment until he abruptly lifts his head up and shakes the water off with a snort.

Seraphina gives him an unimpressed look and backs off, heading to a spot on the grass not too far away and curling up with her tail wrapped round her body and her head resting on her feet. Chanyeol shakes his head with an amused smile at her aloof behaviour and glances over at Baekhyun. He watches with interest as Baekhyun’s expression flicks from one emotion to another as his eyes stay fixed on his dragon.

The amusement fades as he once again finds himself pulled down into thoughts of why Baekhyun behaves so distantly with him in comparison to the others on their team. He’s tried many a time to remember whether he’s said anything that could be perceived as offensive, perhaps whilst lacking his usual inhibitions after an ale too many? But the answers continue to elude him.

Baekhyun keeps his eyes fixed stubbornly on Leukos, ignoring the prickling of his skin from where he feels Chanyeol’s gaze upon him. He’s aware that he’s probably coming off unfriendly, or maybe even rude, but he can’t think of anything to say that won’t sound either completely awkward, or just lay his feelings out on a platter for Chanyeol to pick over and laugh at. So he stays silent, preferring to maintain a distance and hold his feelings close to his heart rather than risk opening his mouth and making Chanyeol dislike him any more than he probably does already.

Eventually Chanyeol pulls himself out of this thoughts, abruptly deciding against just starting off with an apology for whatever he’s done, with the reasoning that he’ll probably sound more pathetic and needy than he’d like. Instead he opens his mouth with the intention of asking Baekhyun something simple; like so when did you and Leukos start flying together, or so what made you decide to become a hunter.

He takes a deep breath and opens his mouth, but whatever he was going to say is cut off without warning as Baekhyun suddenly stands and calls out to Leukos, tone slightly urgent. He finds himself starting to rise too as he looks over at Leukos and watches as Baekhyun splashes into the water, reaching the stubborn dragon, and starts tugging him out of the water where he’d clearly been intending to submerge himself completely.

Baekhyun hassles Leukos away from the water, grimacing at the feeling of the now sopping wet leathers trousers he’s wearing. Leukos nudges against him with a bit too much strength to be considered polite and he starts fumbling with the fastenings of the dragon’s saddle, muttering under his breath about how much of an utterly unpleasant flight back it’s going to be with soaking wet legs I hope you’re happy.

Chanyeol finds himself transfixed, watching Baekhyun as he grumbles to himself, a slight flush on his cheeks and a charming furrow of concentration on his brow as he berates Leukos and works to free the saddle and his supplies from Leukos’ back; no doubt Leukos will end up in the water at some point.

He startles as his thoughts are rudely interrupted by a disgruntled rumble from his left. He rolls his eyes when he’s faced with Seraphina’s expectant gaze, but heads over to start taking off her saddle, knowing she probably just saved him from the awkward situation of having to explain to Baekhyun why he was staring at him like a lovesick fool. He doesn’t want to think how that conversation would go down when Baekhyun rarely even looks him in the eye.

A splash to his right prompts him to turn; Baekhyun is standing, hands on his hips and a reluctant smile playing about his lips as Leukos glides underwater towards the centre of the lake, ripples surrounding him when his back occasionally breaches the previously smooth lake surface.

Baekhyun appears frozen as he watches; tender eyes enraptured and admiration plain on his face, and Chanyeol can’t blame him. Leukos appears to almost glow as he moves like an eel through the water, the effect of the afternoon light and the crystal water creating a beautiful effect on his almost translucent scales. Although Chanyeol’s never seen it himself, he’s heard that Leukos’ breed of dragon is able to glow in the dark due perhaps to its diet, though no one’s really sure. Watching him now though, the sun reflecting off his scales in such a beautiful way, he feels as though he can imagine it.

For once, he’s found himself transfixed on something other than Baekhyun, and he startles when another pair of hands joins his in working on loosening the leather straps that he’d almost forgotten entirely. Baekhyun’s voice is soft when he speaks up, gifting Chanyeol with a small smile when he sees the surprise in his eyes.

“He’s lovely isn’t he?”

Chanyeol looks back to his hands in order hide how jittery he suddenly feels now that Baekhyun appears to be talking to him out of a flying context, and concentrates on loosening the last fastening on the straps he’s working on.

“He’s beautiful. I always feel like my breath has been stolen away whenever I see a sight like that. We spend so much time with our dragons but I’m repeatedly reminded that there’s so much more to them than we know. It reminds me how lucky we are to be allowed so close to them.”

He glances up in time to spot a breathtakingly tender something in Baekhyun’s gaze fixed upon his face before Baekhyun snaps his head down to stare at his hands as he tugs the last strap free, mumbling a suspiciously hoarse agreement. Chanyeol is helplessly confused for a moment as he watches Baekhyun swallow nervously and catch his lower lip between his teeth, a beautiful flush spreading on his cheeks and to the tips of his ears.

It’s only when Baekhyun stutters something about food and hurries off that the realisation hits and Chanyeol feels his breath shudder out of him in a rush, because oh, maybe Baekhyun likes him too. He’s left staggering under the sudden weight of Seraphina’s saddle in his hands when the dragon shifts to dislodge it impatiently, but he can’t even bring himself to scold her, his mind too caught up in staring at Baekhyun’s tense and retreating back, in trying to force the sudden surge of hope within him down into something more manageable that won’t leave him utterly, completely heartbroken if it turns out he’s imagining this.

He swallows the tight feeling in his throat as he places the saddle down on the grass and slowly follows Baekhyun, unsure what his next move should be but leaning towards just pretending he didn’t see what he hopes Baekhyun has been hiding, and just being friendly. He’s not sure he’s brave enough to just lay his heart out for Baekhyun to see without something more to give him some confidence he won’t be left dealing with a painful rejection. Perhaps if this was just someone he was only interested in sleeping with, but this is Baekhyun, and he knows he wants more that that; wants it to mean something more than just that.

The knowledge that Baekhyun is perhaps nervous or shy around him does give him a bit more courage however, and as he sits down once again beside Baekhyun and their little spread of food, he’s actually able to open his mouth and encourage Baekhyun into a quiet conversation.

As the hours pass, Baekhyun swallows down the fear he’d felt after leaving his guard down when Chanyeol gives no indication of any desire to laugh in his face, and Chanyeol hides the slight nervous, but excited shaking in his hands as he teases out increasingly bright peals of laughter from Baekhyun’s usually withdrawn form.

The light is starting to fade just slightly when Baekhyun sighs and props himself up on his elbows from where he’d previously been lying, arms folded under his head and expression content as he mapped the shapes of the clouds with his eyes.

“I suppose we should probably start leaving soon,” he says softly, eyes resting upon their two dragons in the lake. At some point in the afternoon, Leukos had bullied Seraphina into joining him in the cool water.

Chanyeol follows his gaze and murmurs an agreement as he feels a warm, happy feeling stir in his belly, watching his usually serious and reserved dragon playing freely in the water, little wisps of steam rising off her nose whenever she comes to the surface to breathe.

“They make a strange pair those two,” comes Baekhyun’s voice from his side, “but I think they suit each other in a weird way.”

Chanyeol glances over to him, taking in the way the dimming light, falling on him at just the right angle, makes his eyes twinkle and highlights the lighter strands in his hair as it falls over his face. “Yeah I think so too,” he murmurs.

Baekhyun turns to look at him, a questioning look in his eyes at Chanyeol’s perhaps overly serious tone. Chanyeol chooses just to smile, unsure how best to put what he’s feeling into words and unwilling to risk messing up their progress so far.

Baekhyun scans his face for a second, confused as to what exactly he’s seeing in Chanyeol’s expression and smiles slightly uncertainly for a moment before turning away to reach for his food pack, swallowing down his confusion and putting his remaining food away.

When he turns back, he sees that Chanyeol has already finished and is waiting for him. He’s probably not as subtle as he’s like to be when he reaches out to take Chanyeol’s outstretched hand and is unable to hide the slight shakes in his hand before their hands meet and he’s tugged up.

He ducks his head, murmuring his thanks and heading over to store his food pack in his saddle bags, calling out to Leukos as he goes.

Leukos comes when he calls him, weaving his way leisurely across the lake, Seraphina being more stubborn and eventually following when Chanyeol, in exasperation, threatens her with not coming back here again if she doesn’t come over.

They direct the two dragons to a patch of grass slightly to their left to dry off a moment as they finalise the secure storage of their belongings in the saddle bags. Chanyeol is done first and calls Seraphina over, crouching down to pick up the saddle in preparation to strap her in. He glances up when he doesn’t hear her approaching and frowns when he sees her still standing by Leukos, unmoving and gaze fixed determinedly on his face.

He slowly puts the heavy leather down again and straightens up, frowning in confusion and calling her again, unsure why she’s suddenly so unwilling to meet him half way as she usually does, and not liking the idea of arguing with her in front of Baekhyun and Leukos.

He sees Baekhyun glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, but keeps his eyes fixed on the dragons, confusion increasing as he hears Baekhyun call Leukos over and watches Leukos subsequently start backing away.

He shares a bemused look with Baekhyun before stepping slowly around the saddle on the ground and walking towards Seraphina, deciding that putting his foot down is the best way to pull her from whatever stubborn mind set she’s gone into.

He flinches slightly when she narrows her eyes at him and huffs a hot cloud of smoke in his direction, but after a pause he decides to continue on, knowing that she’s making a point about something; something tells him this is bigger than just being stubborn about leaving the lake.

He takes one more step forward and is suddenly forced to take several steps back, recoiling in shock as Seraphina raises her head obstinately and abruptly bursts into flame, the fire spreading over her body as she secretes oil from her pores and shrouds herself in a swirling blaze of fire.

Baekhyun suddenly appears at his side, grabbing his arm and tugging him back. One glance at Chanyeol’s face shows hurt confusion. Baekhyun had seen Seraphina do this before, when other dragons had been pestering her too much and she eventually snapped, but from the expression on Chanyeol’s face she’s clearly never done this to him before. She’s obviously putting her foot down about something now though and Baekhyun isn’t sure Chanyeol knows what to do, so he pulls him with him to keep him from getting hurt.

They stand side by side, Baekhyun releasing Chanyeol’s arm once they’re far enough away from Seraphina that the heat doesn’t feel painful on their skin. Seraphina shifts slightly and the flames started to fade out; clearly she’s decided that her point has been made.

Leukos slinks around Seraphina’s side and heads towards them, stopping only when he’s close enough to rest his snout against Baekhyun’s forehead, Baekhyun’s eyes closing automatically, before crouching down to nudge Baekhyun gently but firmly against Chanyeol.

Baekhyun stumbles slightly and Chanyeol reaches out to steady him, arms slipping around his waist to steady him against his chest. Baekhyun just stands frozen as Chanyeol presses against his back, staring as Leukos rumbles at him contentedly before turning and loping off towards Seraphina. He gives a few bounding leaps and then he’s soaring into the sky, climbing up to a height just above the trees surrounding the clearing before tilting slightly and beginning to circle above them.

He feels Chanyeol shift, and glances over his shoulder to see him gazing over at Seraphina, eyes slightly narrowed in something like suspicion. She stares right back at him for a long moment, before crooning high and soft in a manner that could almost be called apologetic, before crouching low and pushing herself up into the sky with great of her wings.

They stand, pressed together in silence, helplessly watching their dragons disappear out of sight. Baekhyun lets out a shuddering breath. He knows his dragon, he knows that they’re important to each other, knows that this isn’t Leukos leaving him for good, but it still makes his heart clench uncomfortably at the sight of his dragon just refusing him and flying away, leaving them in the middle of nowhere.

Chanyeol knows he should let go of Baekhyun, that he’s probably holding him against him more tightly than could really be considered normal, but he’s honestly a little shaken. He’s never been afraid of his dragon before, and even then, as Seraphina stared him down and pushed him away in the most poignant way she knew how, he doesn’t think he felt actual fear, mostly shock and quite a lot of hurt. But then she’d shown him she was sorry, he knows she had; they know each other well, and she isn’t going to leave him he’s sure, so now he’s just a bit hurt, a bit confused, and a lot suspicious.

“What the hell was that?” He hears Baekhyun whisper, confusion marring his tone, and Chanyeol unconsciously tightens his arms around him.

It’s then that his mind abruptly chooses to finally fixate on the fact that he has Baekhyun wrapped in his arms and pressed against his chest, and his heart suddenly goes into overdrive. He stands unable to move for a moment, even though his mind is screaming at him that Baekhyun can probably feel his heart racing, and then he manages to draw in a shuddering breath and loosen his arms a fraction, giving Baekhyun the option to move away.

Baekhyun can in fact feel Chanyeol’s heart rate against his back. Of course he knows it could be a delayed reaction of panic after what just happened, but he’d felt Chanyeol’s arms tighten around him, felt his eyes on him all day, seen the soft look in his eyes, and he’s not stupid. Perhaps he’s just been deluding himself into seeing what he’d seen, but based on what he thinks he’s seen, he musters up the courage to stay where he is; not that he has any desire to move away.

“Whose idea do you think this was then?” He asks softly.

“I don’t- what?” Chanyeol stutters, brain still not quite catching up everything that’s happening, still half caught up in deciphering Seraphina’s reasoning for acting up like that and half blank except for feeling Baekhyun against him.

“God I hope I’m not wrong about this,” Baekhyun says breathlessly, “but I’ve seen Kyungsoo do this before.”

“What, set himself on fire?” Chanyeol asks dazedly. He’s rewarded by the heavenly feeling of Baekhyun laughing against him before taking a deep, nervous breath.

“No, but he did lock Sehun and Jongin in a cupboard until they sorted themselves out.”

“Until they…” he mumbles, and then it hits him and his breath catches. “They set us up. This was most definitely Seraphina, she’s a scheming little thing when she wants to be.”

Baekhyun shifts against him, and he frowns, suddenly realising that he hasn’t really made it obvious that Baekhyun can just leave his arms, and makes to let go, afraid he’s making him uncomfortable. Sehun and Jongin may have finally gotten together, but rumour has it that Kyungsoo had also locked Joonmyun and Yifan in a cupboard too and Yifan had gotten his nose broken.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he says in a rush, “You probably don’t-” He cuts himself off when he feels Baekhyun’s gentle hands move to grip his wrists and prevent him from moving away.

“Do you like me?” He hears Baekhyun ask quietly but steadily, no hint of anything unkind in his voice.

He takes a deep breath, letting his forehead drop onto Baekhyun’s shoulder and closing his eyes as he decides to be brave. “Yes. I like you quite a lot actually.”

Baekhyun feels his heart soar at the words he’s wanted to hear for longer than he’d be willing to admit. He slides a hand down Chanyeol’s wrist until he has his hand clasped in his, and pulls it up to press a kiss against his palm before pressing it against his chest so Chanyeol can feel his racing heart too.

He feels Chanyeol’s breath hitch in his chest and twists carefully in his arms until they stand chest to chest and he’s gazing up at him. Chanyeol looks back at him, cheeks slightly flushed and full lips slightly parted in surprise. Baekhyun reaches up and brushes Chanyeol’s fringe out of his eyes before slipping a hand around to the back of his neck and gently tugging him down to press their lips together.

“Good, because I like you quite a lot too.”

Their mischievous dragons don’t come back until morning so they end up spending the night there, curled up together for warmth because they hadn’t planned or packed for an overnight trip. But, they think to themselves as they gaze up at the beautiful, clear night sky and try to name all the constellations together, with the lightness in their heart and the smiles on their faces, this feels a lot like flying.

P.S
Kyungsoo was merciless with his teasing of the couple until Baekhyun shoved him into his long time crush Lily and told him to "get a cupboard" and his face turned redder than ever before.

Mehehehe

Sorry this took so long Eleri, and everyone who subscribed.

Let me know what you think if you have time? :) <3 Thanks for reading.