The Fire Dragon and The Wizard

[ fantasy au / fluff / 1,563 words ] 

Kyungsoo is not particularly pleased right now.

All around him, autumn leaves of various color, of yellow, red, orange and brown, fly about erratically in a storm of light and magic. A few blades of wilting grass also get swept up in the mini wind vortex, and it adds a dash of the departed summer to the ongoing elemental chaos. Kyungsoo squints at the magnificent creature fluttering anxiously on top of the lilac magic circle and he stands firm, steadied by his tall, wooden staff. A tiny, worried frown begins to grow in between his prominent brows and the young wizard holds back the urge to start tapping his fingers against his staff. Chanyeol hates that; it will only make him more irritated. The last thing Kyungsoo needs right now is an even more irritated dragon. There has already been enough damage done for today.

“It's still not working!” A frustrated voice shouts from the center of the vortex and it is immediately followed by a burst of flame swiping across the clear fall sky, “why am I still puny?!”

The colorful leaves flying about instantly turns crispy and black in the flames, and unable to weather anymore beating, they quickly dissolve into dust in the wind. Gradually, the raging vortex calms and the disappointed dragon within becomes more visible. Kyungsoo cringes at the mist of black soot now covering him from head to toe and with an annoyed wave of hand, he puts a definitive end to this magical demonstration deemed to fail from the beginning. As if the jinx from a dwarf can be broken this easily.

When the wind stops, Kyungsoo heaves a quiet sigh. Unhurried, he marches up to the tiny black dragon slumped on the burnt ground with wisps of silky smoke rising out of his nostrils. This creature may be the size of a newborn dragon right now but upon a closer look, it is obvious that he is actually a miniature version of a mature black horn fire dragon. His distinctive black scales are flickering with a maroon sheen as the dusk light bounced off of them. The once dangerous and deadly tail now swishes through the soot on the ground in despondency and little puffs of dust clouds float about the jinxed dragon. Frustrated with his diminished stature, Chanyeol bares his sharp bangs at the sky and lets out another scorching breath of hellfire.

Normally, Kyungsoo may have found that act to be fearsome and even a little concerning for his garden, but now he just finds Chanyeol very adorable in his current state. Hiding his smile, the young wizard squats down and cups his defeated friend inside his palms. He gently caresses Chanyeol’s forehead like he always does when the dragon is feeling down; although Kyungsoo used to do so with his entire hand but now his thumb alone is enough to cover the creature’s forehead.

The wizard had warned Chanyeol not to tease the dwarves before but the dragon had pridefully ignored his advice. So this cheeky fellow is now living the dreadful consequence for his tactless words: he has been shrunken to the size of a large teapot by a temporary jinx from the dwarfs living beyond the meadows. Chanyeol cannot transform into his human form either and traveling back to his cave deep in the rocky mountains is definitely out of the question. He’d die of exhaustion before he could even cross the crystal lake half way between his home and Kyungsoo’s cottage. Thus, the poor fire dragon is stuck being an uninvited guest at Kyungsoo’s place until his curse breaks.

“Kyungsoo…” the dragon whines pitifully and nuzzled against the wizard’s thumb, seeking much-needed comforts. Chanyeol has been trying to break the dwarves’ jinx on him for the past three days already. Aside from having almost destroyed Kyungsoo’s garden three times, he has achieved no substantial result that is favorable. The young wizard also tried to help with breaking the jinx however to no avail. From magic potions to magic circles, they’ve practically tried everything and yet, still nothing. Not that Kyungsoo minds, actually; after all, the young wizard thinks it is much easier handling a doll size dragon than a full-fledged one. The fire damage to his property has dramatically decreased in size and severity in comparison to the last time the fire dragon visited him. Plus, Chanyeol is looking so cute right now, Kyungsoo almost wants him to stay like this for a long while.

“Come on, let go in a get some food,” the wizard replies softly and picks up the small dragon in his arms. With a slight wave of his staff, the burnt grass beneath his feet quickly regrows. Simultaneously, some fresh vegetables also snap off their stems in the garden and follow Kyungsoo into his cozy cottage. Watching the spellbound vegetables bouncing in midair and trailing behind them, Chanyeol’s spirit rises a little. He had always loved Kyungsoo’s magic, so gentle yet whimsical. Unlike the magic of the dragons which is quite destructive and harsh, wizard’s magic is more nurturing and flexible, especially for an earth wizard such as Kyungsoo.

“I want to eat your meat stew…” Chanyeol mumbles and pouts cutely in the wizard’s arm as they step inside. Kyungsoo glances down at the small dragon, who stared at him with sparkly golden orbs b with anticipation, and he cannot help but break into a hearty chuckle. Giving Chanyeol’s a feather light flick on the forehead, Kyungsoo replies softly in nothing but fondness and love.

“Sure, meat stew it is. But you promise to help out?”

“Of course,” the small dragon nods and flaps his miniature wings in pure happiness, “I’d be more than glad to!”

Kyungsoo smiles broadly, his lips forming into Chanyeol’s favorite heart shape, and together they make their way into the kitchen.

By the time the stew is cooked and eaten, the sun has disappeared entirely behind the horizon and countless stars lit up the sky with their twinkling brilliance. The small dragon burps loudly on the table, his tummy round and extremely bloated. His golden eyes squint in contentedness as his three-prong claw rubs his soft belly in slow, circular motions. Next to him, a huge bowl almost the same size as him is empty and not even a drop of stew is left over. Chanyeol his lips again in reminisce of Kyungsoo’s delicious cooking and smacks his mouth as if tasting the stew again. Satisfied and satiated, he huffs a puff of smoke and falls back onto the tabletop with a muffled thump.

Kyungsoo smiles at the small dragon’s cuteness and he reaches a hand to pet the creature’s full stomach. Unlike Chanyeol’s scales which are cold and hard, his underside is warm and soft. Just like how many people assume that dragons are cruel and greedy creatures that only know how to destroy, they fail to recognize that Chanyeol is actually one of the kindest and innocent souls to ever roam the face of the earth. He never means to hurt anything or anyone, although he does often by accident since he is a clumsy fellow, but Kyungsoo has always known the fire dragon as the kind and gentle creature he has come to love as a friend and a soulmate.

“Kyungsoo,” the little dragon speaks suddenly and slowly wraps his tail around one of the wizard’s fingers that scratched his belly, “what if I never turn back to my normal size?”

Kyungsoo looks into Chanyeol’s bright eyes now overcast with worries and anxiety, and his gaze softens. In the soft glow of the candlelight, he leans closer and presses a comforting kiss on the small dragon’s scaly forehead.

“Then you can stay with me forever,” the young wizard answers sincerely and looks straight into Chanyeol’s widened eyes, “I think I can afford to house and feed a teapot-sized dragon for the rest of my life, provided that he have mercy on my garden.”

“I’m at least pot-sized,” Chanyeol mutters in response to Kyungsoo’s teasing but the uncertainties in his eyes gave away to gratitude and delight. Flipping over to stand on his stubby legs, he wobbles closer to the wizard regarding him with loving eyes and presses a fleeting, tender kiss on the man’s warm lips.  

“Thank you, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol whispers and also lightly the lips he has just kissed. Pulling back, his golden orbs twinkle with mischief as Kyungsoo gapes in surprise at him and blushes pink in the dim light. Chanyeol giggles, flapping his wings gleefully, and stomps his feet in dance. He does adore this young wizard dearly, more so than he has ever dared to do so before.

When the moon is high up in the sky and the all is quiet in the woods, a wizard and a dragon sleeps soundly side by side. Chanyeol curled his diminished body into a relaxed coil right beside Kyungsoo on their shared pillow and his tail wrapped loosely around one of the wizard’s fingers. Tomorrow will be another long and arduous day for the both of them for Chanyeol is still small and adorable. But they will enjoy every second of it, including more burned up garden and more magic circles, because they will have each other by their side. And that makes everything alright; them being together makes everything worth it.

FIN.