The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL]

"Not shinier!"

Riley blinked at the intense negation, staring at the equally small Kael in genuine disbelief even as the environment collapsed around them.

It certainly didn’t seem like the best time to piss off one devoted kid, but there was really no better time than right now.

"Am too."

"Are not!" Kael snapped back, his small face contorting into an indignant frown as though the creature before him had just made the most outrageous claim imaginable.

"Am too," Riley countered effortlessly, flicking his black draconic tail against the ruined stone behind him.

"Are not!"

Okay.

Apparently, insulting the shells had worked a little too well.

Riley probably should’ve stopped there. After all, the important thing was that Kael was finally looking at him, and those golden eyes that had seemed practically dead only moments ago were now glaring with enough offended intensity to reassure Riley that someone was definitely still in there.

Unfortunately, Riley had never been particularly good at leaving things well enough alone.

"You say that now," the little black dragon teased, "but in the future, you’ll look at me like I’m the best thing since sliced bread."

Kael’s tiny nose scrunched.

Riley nearly laughed.

"You’ll even love me so much that you end up like this."

That finally wiped the indignation from the young golden dragon’s face.

Kael froze, apparently only now registering the rather strange implications behind everything Riley had been saying.

And as amusing as that expression might’ve been under any other circumstances, Riley’s own face gradually softened as he looked at him.

"Then again, I’ll love you just as much," he added quietly. "Enough that I’m even willing to stay here with you if that’s what you really want."

"...What?"

Kael almost took a step back.

The question he didn’t ask was practically written all over his face.

Who are you?

Still, Riley couldn’t help noticing that the vibrant golden color was steadily returning to eyes that had been almost lifeless only moments ago.

So he continued.

"If you really want to stay here, then I’ll stay with you." Riley glanced around at the burning room currently threatening to collapse on top of them before grimacing. "Not exactly the best-looking place right now, and definitely less cozy than our current one, but if this is really what you want, then okay."

His attention returned to Kael.

"We’ll stay here together."

The child stared, rightfully confused.

"But..." Riley hesitated, unable to keep a note of hope from slipping into his voice. "If you’d rather leave with me so we can go back and see everyone else, I’ll make you a deal."

Kael’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

He still had absolutely no idea what was happening.

One moment, he’d been guarding what little remained of his mate, refusing to leave those precious fragments behind no matter what happened to the estate around him. Then this strange creature had suddenly appeared inside a place no one else should’ve been able to enter, distracted him from the shells he was supposed to be protecting, and somehow found the audacity to insult them on top of everything else.

Kael should’ve been furious.

Actually, he was furious.

He was grieving. His home was burning. His mate was gone, and the only thing he had left to do was protect what remained.

This insolent little dragon was interrupting something important.

So why was Kael still standing there listening to him?

More importantly, when had he stopped trying to get back to the shells?

"I swear I’ll agree to get married in every territory you want."

The little golden dragon’s eyes widened.

"I won’t even complain about the number of rings. For the next ones, we’ll do it your way. Whatever you want."

If Kael had looked offended before, that was apparently nothing compared to the sheer scandal now spreading across his little face.

Riley almost wanted to laugh.

Almost.

Because ridiculous as this entire conversation had become, this was still infinitely better than the heartbroken little husk he’d found kneeling over those shattered shells.

Then the question Kael seemed to have been holding back finally burst out.

"Who are you to say such things?!" the child demanded, visibly flustered despite his best efforts to hide it behind a sharp glare. "A-And how dare you?!"

There he was.

Riley would’ve recognized that particular brand of unreasonable arrogance anywhere.

And perhaps he should’ve been a little more intimidated by the tiny golden dragon glaring at him like Riley had personally committed some terrible offense against his dignity, but unfortunately for Kael, his mate already knew exactly how much of a colossal jackass he’d apparently been at this age.

So while keeping the increasingly unstable room from collapsing with his mana, Riley merely looked up at him and let out a tiny huff of laughter.

Then he leaned closer.

"Who else?"

Kael stiffened.

Riley’s emerald eyes softened.

"Your one and only mate."

The child’s breath hitched.

"I came to get you." Riley moved closer still, until barely any distance remained between them. "So if you could do me a favor and remember me now, Honey?"

Then the little black dragon closed the final gap and gently pressed his forehead against Kael’s.

The reaction was immediate.

Kael’s golden eyes widened as something seemed to resonate deep within him, the familiar endearment reaching a part of him that the insolent dragon’s face and teasing apparently hadn’t been able to touch.

Honey.

Something flickered through the child’s mind.

Someone.

He couldn’t see who it was, not clearly. There was only the vague impression of a person who felt impossibly familiar, accompanied by a warmth Kael couldn’t understand and a strange certainty that whoever it was belonged somewhere very close to him.

Then another echo followed.

Honey.

The scattered images sharpened.

That same person was there again, except this time, he wasn’t alone.

Beside him stood someone tall and golden, someone older and broader whose face Kael couldn’t quite see at first.

Until he did.

Kael’s breath caught.

It was him.

An older version of himself standing beside that familiar person as though there was nowhere else in the world either of them was supposed to be.

And then...

Honey.

This time, Kael saw him.

Emerald eyes. Black hair. A familiar smile directed toward an older version of himself as that same voice called him by that ridiculous endearment with such effortless affection that something buried impossibly deep within Kael finally snapped into place.

The person from those memories.

The little black dragon touching his forehead to Kael’s own.

His mate.

And suddenly, the child...

No.

Kael remembered.

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