Chapter Text
If you had told Nikolai that one day he'd be in a cave system making small talk with a dragon from a failed mission, he'd ask you what the hell you've been smoking and where can he find some to sell. Yet here he was. Talking to a seasoned warrior of the dragons.
Johnathan Price.
It was interesting, to say the least.
The whole reason for this favor Laswell had asked of him, for this damn mission, was due to the other.
"you mean to tell me that this mission was brought up by you?" Nikolai muttered fixing his coat a bit.
Price shifted on his feet for a moment thinking and mulling over the answer before nodding. "Sadly yes. If I had known those muppets held weapons to take down your mechanical birds... I would have personally taken them all out."
Nikolai sighed.
Price glanced at the other, mulling over what had happened. His tail twitched swishing against the floor of the cave.
"While you were there... did you see anything questionable?" Price asked.
"Questionable.." Nikolai mumbled he thought back to those moments... of that missile... "The tracking missile was different compared to others... instead of following the flares I sent out... it continued to me."
"Singal locking missiles..." Price muttered with disdain.
"You have a history with them?" Nikolai asked with a slight chuckle.
"You could say that... those damn missiles have been made as a determinant against dragon kind to corner us. Some damn humans are plotting something."
Nikolai would hum, "Makes two of us then..." He noted. Every damn scar and crash he had was from some sort of missile so he kinda got the dragons pain of dealing with that shit.
~~~
Conversations after that moment were a bit stale, but they were going on better than most questions humans had for dragons.
Way better than that. Price felt intrigued by the accent of the other, by the other's entire mannerisms, by the other's appearance.
Price had never felt himself ready for a mate, for a person to spend his life bonded to, yet this human, this man... He made his heart smolder. Nikolai was like the sun rocks of old. The moon to his dark sky. It was... fluttering to know he might still have a chance at finding people he liked. Hell, he even liked Nikolai. But he would never bear the other with his love. For a dragon to give their undying love to a human was unheard of.
It was strange. But it was nice.
Price shouldn't think about it too much, there was much more to pay attention to than his feelings and cravings to be someone's someone.
What was he thinking...
Maybe his age truly was catching up to him making him yearn for the touch of another. The touch of another in a more romantic way compared to harsh claw marks of fights. Maybe it was due to his hatchlings leaving the nest that made him yearn to have another. Let's just say it comes with the age.
Throughout the conversation that followed the basic lines of the mission information, and dragon life, Price was blessed with the question, "How do relationships work? Don't see a miss anywhere." from Nikolai.
Maybe it was a blessing but a comment about how much life his place lacked.
"Never had a miss's, never saw the point. For the longest time, it was just me and the hatchlings I took in, they're now off doing their things." Price would hum.
Conversations were nice, they were light, this is something Price could find himself doing more often later on. He wouldn't mind this human visiting more often.
"I see, don't plan on getting one anytime soon? Sure all the lady dragons are all over you" Nikolai's chuckle sent a firey purr throughout his body, in Price's mind that laughter was perfection. Maybe he had been alone for too long, or maybe Nikolai was just... Perfect.
"Well-" Price was cut off, a thunderous sound of a bomb went off... Price tensed looking down the cave's hall. He frowned.
"shit.. bloody muppets" He muttered with a hiss before going to the doorway, he paused. Glancing back at Nikolai who looked at him with confused eyes.
Nikolai was questioning why bombs were being dropped... Price already knew why. Fucking Makarov. A sinful little shit he should have killed long ago...
Price couldn't risk Nikolai getting any more involved, but with that injured leg, things weren't going to go too well in his favor if he were to leave. Price changed from walking off down the hall to going over to Nikolai, he should embay the other with a protective charm.
Another bomb going off though sent off a more... protective side of Price though. He growled glancing toward the hall once more. His expression going with anger he turned back to Nikolai who looked at the other confused.
"Hey, I'll be fine sitting in here," Nikolai said, "Мой медведь" {My bear}
Price didn't know what he said in Russian, looking at the other with a confused glint in his eyes before taking the other's hand into his own mumbling a short simple chant. "Rogo te, lapis solis, humanum hunc tuere dum pereo. Cum inimico pugnaturus ieris, humanum hunc tueare sole." {I ask you, stone of the sun, to protect this human while I am gone. Gone to fight with my enemy, please protect this human with your sun.}
Nikolai's eyes now held that glint of confusion before shock entered his system from Price giving him a small bite.
"Wha-" Nikolai was about to say something but Price left in a hurry. Leaving to go face those who try to take land that is not their own.
This would be quick. Johnathan Price would make sure of that.