Sehun stares up at the ceiling. The glow-in-the-dark stars he’d stuck up when he took astrology the previous semester are faint, barely glowing. The alarm clock on his nightstand reads just after midnight, and he really should be asleep right now, but that’s not happening. Sometimes he goes through phases where he can’t sleep, staying up until six or seven in the morning before his body finally passes out from the exhaustion of being awake for so long, and unfortunately it looks like this is the start of yet another one.
It’s torturous, the waiting up all night and hoping that maybe, just maybe, his mind will shut off and he’ll be able to sleep. Sehun rolls onto his side, fluffs his pillow up a little, and closes his eyes. His brain won’t shut off, though, and within ten minutes Sehun is sitting up, blankets bunching at his waist, and rubbing his eyes with a groan. Fuck it. Sehun had tried to sleep; it didn’t work. There’s only one thing he can do now.
He doesn’t bother to put on proper clothes; his flannel pajama pants and ratty old t-shirt are enough for a visit next door. It’s not as though Minseok expects him to show up at his window looking like a model. Sehun shoves on some sneakers and sneaks down the hall, being careful not to wake up his roommates. He slips out the back door and jogs around the side of the apartment townhouse. Luckily, Minseok lives in the townhouse right next to him (it is a popular college area, after all) and Minseok’s room is on the ground floor; the light is still on, so Sehun taps on the window.
A breeze passes between the two buildings and Sehun shivers, crossing his arms and stomping his feet in the cool air until someone pulls the curtains back and Minseok peers through the glass. His confused expression melts into concern when he sees Sehun, and he’s quick to open the window and help Sehun clamber over the windowsill and into the room.
“What’s wrong?” Minseok asks as he pushes Sehun across the room and onto his bed. He wraps a large comforter around Sehun’s shoulders and Sehun sighs, content, and pulls the warm blanket tighter around him. “Can’t sleep?”
Sehun nods. He scoots backward on the bed until his back is against the wall and lets out a sigh. Minseok grabs a book off the bookshelf and joins him, leaning against Sehun’s side until Sehun opens up the blanket and lets him in so they can cuddle together.
Whenever he can’t sleep, Sehun comes over to Minseok’s home and Minseok will read to him. Usually the sound of Minseok’s soft voice lulls him into a restful state, surrounded by the feeling of comfort and warmth. It's especially true tonight, when Minseok starts reading from one of his favorite epic fantasy series, and Sehun finds himself burrowing into Minseok's side and closing his eyes, blocking everything out but the soft whisper of Minseok's voice in his ears and the gentle caress of love.
"The dragon on the ridge stared down at him. It's eyes, dark as obsidian, had seen a millennium. It'd seen kingdoms rise, and kingdoms fall. And it had lived through it all..."
* * *
Sehun watches the dragon, body tense and ready to run at any moment. The dragon’s scales are a brilliant scarlet, sunlight glinting off of them as he stretches his long neck, regarding Sehun carefully. Looking at the size of its jaws, the dragon could probably swallow him whole.
What are you doing here, human? He asks, voice a deep rumble in the back of Sehun's mind. Relax, I won't harm you.
Sehun blinks once, twice. His body relaxes automatically, an odd sense of security enveloping him. He doesn't know why, but he finds himself opening up to the majestic creature poised on the ridge just above where he's standing. "I need your help."
He stops there, unsure of how to continue, and the dragon tilts his head. Yes?
Sehun opens his mouth again, but it's so hard to let the words out when he's standing in front of, well, a dragon.
Would it be easier if I were in human form? The dragon asks, and Sehun nods eagerly. Wait here. I will return.
The dragon disappears behind the cliff, presumably into the monstrous cavern carved into the side of the mountain. Sehun waits. A few minutes later, a man appears at the top of the ridge, signalling for Sehun to wait as he makes his way down. His hair is the same scarlet that his scales had been when he was in dragon form, and his eyes are still sharp, all-knowing. He doesn’t look as though he could still swallow Sehun whole, though, which is nice.
His black robes drag through the dirt and the grass and the bottom hem is caked with mud by the time he reaches Sehun’s side, but he doesn’t seem bothered by it in the slightest. “You may call me Xiumin,” he says.
“Xiumin,” Sehun repeats. A divine name for a divine being.
“You requested help.”
“I did.” Sehun bows his head, embarrassed. He stares at the dirt and clumps of grass scattered around by their feet instead of looking at Xiumin. “I…” Sehun doesn’t know how to ask this without being rude, and anything he could offer in return for what he wants from Xiumin would never measure up.
Before he’s able to answer, the world starts to tilt. It starts slowly at first, and then Sehun feels like he’s in the middle of an earthquake that only he can feel. A butterfly flutters past him on a gentle breeze while Sehun fights to keep his balance. Xiumin seems unaffected, still staring at him with those dark eyes and his hands clasped in front of him.
And that’s when Sehun wakes up to Minseok shaking his shoulder, murmuring for him to wake up.
* * *
Sehun makes a noise that’s halfway between a whine and a grunt, then he blinks blearily and realizes he’s fallen asleep tucked against Minseok’s side. It’s nice and warm here, and Sehun tries to burrow into the crook of Minseok’s arm, pressing his nose against Minseok’s neck with a sleepy sigh that has Minseok shiver.
Minseok laughs a little, poking Sehun’s nose with his index finger and tapping it twice when Sehun doesn’t respond. “Hey, sleepy head. You need to get up and go back to your own bed.”
“Don’t want to,” Sehun grumbles, clinging to Minseok with all the strength his tired body can muster. It’s not much.
“You can come back again tomorrow if you need to,” Minseok says, extricating himself from Sehun and laughing when Sehun flops onto the bed with a whine once Minseok is out of reach.
Sehun doesn’t think it’s funny, opening one eye to glare at Minseok. “Promise?”
“Have I ever been able to say no to you?”
That makes Sehun smile. “Nope.”
* * *
Sehun’s sleep schedule returns to normal during the next few days. He’s able to sleep by eleven which allows him to wake up rested in time for classes in the morning. Once Friday rolls around, however, Sehun finds himself struggling again. All he seems to want is Minseok.
Luckily, Minseok never seems to mind when Sehun comes on over, knocking on his window in the middle of the night. Minseok isn’t even surprised. He opens the window and helps Sehun clamber on in, wordlessly grabbing the book he’d been reading last time Sehun had come over and making sure Sehun is nice and comfortable on the bed.
Sehun burrows into the nest of blankets and leans against Minseok’s side when he finally sits down on the bed next to him.
“Where were we?” Minseok asks, flipping through the novel in his lap.
“The dragon,” Sehun says. “The guy wanted something from the dragon and he was about to ask about it.”
“Ah, okay.” Minseok stops turning the pages and settles back, leaning against the wall. Sehun scoots closer to Minseok, resting his head on Minseok’s shoulder as Minseok starts to read.
* * *
Xiumin regards Sehun carefully. “I will not judge, human. Tell me what you require.”
“I need a scale,” Sehun whispers, eyes downcast. “One of yours.”
“Why?”
“My friend, Han… he’s sick. The warlock near our village said he’d cure him in exchange for a dragon’s scale. Please, Xiumin, I think…” Sehun’s words falter. He takes a deep breath, willing himself to be strong. “I think he’s going to die if I don’t find someone to help him.”
“You wish to exchange one of my scales for your friend’s life?”
Sehun nods.
“And what if I had said no?”
“Then I would find something else,” Sehun answers. “I would do anything to make sure Han recovers. He’s my best friend.”
“Anything…?” Xiumin muses over Sehun’s words for a moment. “If you truly would do anything for your friend, then bring him here.”
Sehun freezes. He can’t take Han on a journey like this; it’s too intensive for Han’s body to handle right now. He needs to rest, not to traverse the countryside in search of Xiumin’s lair. “I… I can’t. He won’t make it.”
“Then I cannot help you.”
“Please,” Sehun’s voice almost cracks, but he’s able to hold in his anger and frustration. “I can take you to him, instead. Would that work?”
Xiumin’s eyes glint with an emotion that Sehun can’t quite place, but he nods. “Of course. That would also… suffice.”
* * *
“Sehun.”
Sehun’s eyes feel heavy and he snuggles closer to the warmth next to him with a little groan.
“Are you still listening to the story or should I stop?”
“I’m listening,” Sehun mumbles. “What happens next, hyung?”
“Mmm, well they make their way back to the village…”
* * *
The trip back to Sehun’s home is uneventful, to say the least. Xiumin had offered to change into his dragon form and fly him back, but somehow Sehun didn’t think the other occupants of his village would appreciate a forty foot dragon flying around. Instead, they had walked.
When they finally reach his home, it’s close to midnight. Moonlight gives the garden in front of his home a pearly glow, and Xiumin stops to run his fingers across the various flowers and vegetables that Sehun has spent most of spring growing. The garden visibly preens under Xiumin’s attention, and if Sehun wasn’t so eager to see how Han is doing, he probably would’ve stayed behind to watch the garden come to life under Xiumin’s vibrant touch. As it is, they don’t have a lot of time. Sehun ushers Xiumin inside and into the back bedroom where Han is fast asleep.
Unfortunately, while Sehun was gone, Han seems to have taken a turn for the worse. His face is pale, gaunt, and he looks like death. Sweat beads along his hairline and Sehun grabs a damp cloth to wipe his forehead. He doesn’t look at Xiumin when he asks, “Will you help?”
“Do you trust me?”
Sehun takes a moment to think about it. He turns, shaking his head. “No. I don’t.”
“Good. You shouldn’t trust me,” Xiumin says. He smiles.“And no, I will not give you one of my scales -”
Sehun tries not to let his heart sink, but it’s hard. Han doesn’t look as though he’d survive long enough for Sehun to go on another long, arduous adventure for a cure. Sehun takes a breath, letting his eyes flutter shut as he calms himself. He needs to stay rational.
“But,” Xiumin’s voice cuts through his thoughts, startling him. “I can help.”
* * *
Sehun is startled awake when Minseok jostles him a little as he stretches, arms raised above his head. Sehun whines and presses closer to Minseok, and Minseok laughs, wrapping his arm around Sehun and squeezing while he uses his other arm to toss the book onto the nightstand by the bed.
"Wait," Sehun says, yawning. "What happens next? Does Xiumin help them? Does Han get better? Does he die?"
"No," Minseok laughs. "Would you rather I tell you what happens or would you rather I finish reading the book later?"
Sehun makes a noise that's somewhere between a groan and a whine. He wraps Minseok's blanket tighter around himself, basking in the warmth it provides. "Tell me," he ends up saying.
Minseok kisses Sehun's forehead before he speaks again. "Well, Xiumin saves Han by giving him the Blood of a Dragon."
"Ew, he gave Han his blood? Wouldn't that make Han like a dragon vampire?"
"It's more symbolic than that. He didn't give Han his actual blood, but he did cure him."
"And what about Sehun?"
"Sehun and Xiumin end up together and they adopt three kids and live happily ever after."
Sehun snorts. "I can't believe you actually wrote a book about us."
"Hey!" Minseok pokes his nose. "It's romantic. That’s what you get for dating an author."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You even used that silly name Lu Han likes to call you. And you made me sound like a crazy person at one point."
“I apologize,” Minseok says, but Sehun can hear the fondness in his voice. “But, to be fair, you did act a little odd when we first met.”
“It’s called a crush.” Sehun frowns, relaxing when Minseok kisses him again, this time on the lips.
“Is it still a crush?”
“Mmmm, no.” Sehun says. “Now it’s love.” Even that’s a little sappy for Sehun, and he turns red, burrowing his face into Minseok’s shoulder so that Minseok doesn’t see how embarrassed he is. Sehun snuggles closer to Minseok and they both end up falling over, Sehun's head on Minseok's chest. The blanket covers them both and Sehun lets out a happy sigh. "Sleep time, now."
Minseok runs his fingers through Sehun's hair once, twice, then reaches over to turn out the bedside lamp. "Goodnight, Sehun."
"G'night."
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