"What about clothes?" he asked in between the many mouthfuls of chicken he was still stuffing his face with. He was already on his fourth one. At first Minho had just assumed the boy was starving and had the appetite of a dragon, but now just suspected he loved chicken a little too much. He'd be sure to remember that.

Minho groaned, "Clothes? Why on earth would you need clothes?"

"Because unlike some people," he stared pointedly at Minho, "I don't feel comfortable walking around ."

"I don't see why. You're built fine."

"Don't lie, I'm a total twig."

"But a cute twig." Cute twig? Had that sentence really just come out of his mouth? He really needed to get out more. Jinki's expression said the same thing.

"I need clothes. Especially if I'm going to meet up with other dragons... do you really think I could be a half breed?"

"I'm almost certain of it, but the old one will know for sure."

"The old one... what, he's too cool for a name?"

"He's so old he's forgotten it, so old one fits well, don't you think?" Jinki shrugged. Senile more like. His doubts were stacking higher and higher. What if Jinki just tasted good and Minho wanted to share him with his friends? He had done an awful lot of when he had been tied to that post, after all, and quite a bit of staring since then. He could be more delicious than chicken! He looked down at his own arm in contemplation.

"Are you done then?" Minho's gruff voice spurred him out of his cannibalistic thoughts.

"What? Oh.. I guess so. I eat when I'm nervous."

"I see." Minho said no more after that, leaving them in awkward silence. After washing his hands in a separate water pool that was no wider than he was, he stood up and stared awkwardly at the dragon shifter before him. Damn if he wasn't the most perfect specimen of human kind he'd ever seen. Made sense since he wasn't truly human.

"How does that work anyway?"

"What?"

"Shifting, immortality, being a dragon really," Jinki shrugged again.

"Ahhh," Minho responded as they walked back to his room, sitting once again on the furs. They'd leave in the morning for the dragon keep, but tonight Minho had mentioned he'd need to prep him. Can't argue with that.

"Do you get to choose your appearance? Like, can you change it from what you look like now?"

"I suppose I could, but it's easier to just stick with how you originally look in this form."

"Oh.. really? Well are you more comfortable in dragon form? Probably?"

"Well, originally when I was born, I was a human, but I suppose I've gotten used to being a dragon as well."

"What... I'd never heard of anything like that."

"I'd imagine not since I'm one of the only ones to be like that. I'd only known of one other, but he died a while ago."

Jinki tilted his head. "So you were a man at some point?" Another score for Minho, apparently he had been born perfect as a human. Figures.

"You could say that, but it's been so long that I don't remember. I used to resent it, but not anymore. Dragons haven't been able to have children in centuries either so I'm the youngest left, and that's only because of a curse. Well, you're the youngest now."

"Huh... mind if I ask how you came upon this curse?"

"I seduced a witch then cheated on her," Minho shrugged. "They aren't very nice about that sort of thing."

Jinki blushed. "I would suppose not..."

"I can already tell, you know..."

"What?"

"That your change to immortality is coming soon. Immortals first born human, though there aren't many species that are, grow to a certain age then peak with a ual maturity."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning that during your change into immortal-hood, you'll go through one hell of a kick. You'll need it at least three times a day until the change happens, and even then, immortals are ual creatures. Our drive is much higher than that of a humans."

"But.. what will I do? Are there any female dragons?"

"Hah, no. Why do you think dragons haven't been able to conceive? Someone came and offed all the females of the race, and even with magic, no one's figured out how to have hatchlings..." The 'until you' was left off and they both knew it.

"Why do you crave children so much?"

"Well, mine's part of my curse. Every year I have a chance to impregnate a female. If I cheat, or she doesn't conceive, I... Hmm, I don't really want to talk about this right now." Minho sighed, then laid down on the furs. "But born dragons just want to continue on with the species, nothing wrong with that. There's only five of us left."

Jinki placed his hand on Minho's bare shoulder, "I'm sorry. If there's any way I can help..."

"The main reason I'm taking you to the keep is to help them. They might be able to understand how you were born in the first place. You're just a puzzle to me."

"I'm scared about that part," Jinki admitted, leaning back to lie next to him.

"It's not something you'll have to worry about. I'll be there the whole time, and I'm the fastest. If something goes wrong we'll be out of there in no time." The fact that the other four already knew where he lived would be kept a secret for now. He'd deal with that if he had to.

Jinki relaxed a little more next to him. "I still don't understand why you're being so nice to me."

I don't quite understand it either, Minho thought to himself, but kept silent. The thought bothered him enough to say, "Go to sleep, I'll prep you on the rest tomorrow." Jinki tossed and turned for a good hour before Minho finally conjured some magic to will him to sleep, no nightmares this time.

Looking down at the soft boy beside him, he sighed. His body wanted nothing more than to take him, but his mind was confused as to why. If he did sleep with him, would the curse follow him? Would he have to kill him in a year like all the others? Just a few hours ago he could have cared less, would have ed him and been done with it, but now he felt a strange... attachment to the boy. He shook his head.

Curse or not, he'd have to sleep with him eventually. The change wasn't easy to resist, and Minho found he didn't really have the heart to resist Jinki in the first place, for whatever reason...

He fell back to sleep, his hands resting behind his head, and tried his best to ignore the boy that was now cuddling into his side trustingly. Whether either of them wanted it or not, there was a definite bond between the two.



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The purple black scales shed off to reveal a shorter man, well built with blond tipped bangs. He snuck over to where the two beings slept soundly. Well he should hope so after the spell he had cast over the both of them.

"So this thing is what's got the den all riled up? Cute enough, but nothing to brag about," the boy scoffed, but picked him up nonetheless. "And of course Minho was too naive or too worried about the curse to claim him yet. Oh well, more for me. Let's see what you really are, halfling." Shifting back to his natural dragon form, his blue eyes glowed back into the cave, trying to sense movement. Shrugging after a few seconds, he took off into the skies, a near comatose Jinki in his claws. "See you in the morning, Choi."
 

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A/N: Gee, I wonder who THAT dragon is xDD And to sum this up, Minho is under a curse, he's not really a dragon at all. But his curse can't be cured, he can't be like, yay you're pregnant and now I'm human again! He'd still be a dragon OTL Crap curse I guess. And witch lady? I wouldn't be pissed if Minho cheated on me, I'd just be happy he slept with me xD