Work Text:
How'd they meet? Well-
It was kind of like a speed dating type thing…? Except- San was shaped like a cat and he was in a cage and Wooyoung was none the wiser that that little trapped cat was actually a man. So really actually nothing like speed dating, but that was what Wooyoung would tell the people that asked.
He'd only realized something was off because he'd taken a liking to said cat, and when he circled back around the market with the intent to purchase it, he noticed it had turned into the tiniest little black Shiba Inu he'd ever seen. He stopped in his tracks and stared, basket full of fresh herbs on his arm, brow furrowed.
"...where'd the little cat go?" Wooyoung turned and faced the seller, who wasn't paying much attention to any of his animals. He had quite a few cages, all only a couple feet tall and wide, varying from bird cages to little glass mice homes.
"Cat… cat. Right here for ya." The man turned his attention toward an orange, one eyed cat and Wooyoung sighed, pointing to the caged Shiba pup.
"This one. He was a cat, and now he's not." Wooyoung raised a brow and the salesman sighed, wandering over to peek inside. The pup whimpered and Wooyoung felt like he had a pretty good idea of what was going on. He'd seen this kind of thing before. He could practically see the enchantment attached to those metal bars.
"Damned fuckin'-" The man raised his hand, as if to smack down on the cage, but Wooyoung stopped him, one finger raised in the air in front of him. The man didn't seem the least bit surprised, but he did seem rather pissed off. "You fuckin' witches-"
"You should really let all these poor folks go." Wooyoung raised a brow and let go of his hold, the salesman stepping back a few feet from him. "Or I could tell the guard and have your permit revoked." Wooyoung grinned, cocky. The man sighed, grabbing for a little glass vial tucked underneath the podium he'd been hocking human lives from. "I wouldn't." Wooyoung warned, but it was promptly ignored.
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" The man made a face and Wooyoung lifted his hand again, twisting his wrist sharply, sending the vial over to him in an instant. It zipped through the air so fast he could hear it wizz. "Hey-" Wooyoung snatched it and tucked it into his basket.
"One last chance." Wooyoung nodded to the cages, but the salesman didn't move, and Wooyoung sighed. "Fine-" A few finger flicks popped each and every latch, setting free the shapechangers that had been trapped in tiny, enchanted prisons.
"Hey! How- How're you-"
"I've been around a long fucking time, old man."
And Wooyoung had been around a long time. He couldn't exactly recall how long, but he knew he'd passed one hundred a few decades ago. And yet, he still looked the picture of youth, features sharp and soft all at once, skin supple and flushed with life.
He insisted to anyone who asked that he just had a really good skincare routine.
Instead of bending to the fickle laws and rules that magic existed alongside, Wooyoung existed to make magic bend to his will. There were few like him, those that used and bent chaos in ways it probably shouldn’t be. Those that were born like that, feared, adored.
So, he knew his way around magic, that's what really mattered.
He was also deeply invested in the rights and fair treatment of magical creatures, which this very much was not fair, or right.
✴
"You can't keep people in cages." Wooyoung was still scolding him, even as the guards had bound his hands and started taking him away.
"They ain't people!" He watched the man be dragged, his entire stall abandoned, at that point- all of the shapechangers he'd freed had run off, as humans or otherwise. So, Wooyoung started collecting the cages, smashing the thin, frail wire under his boot.
The only thing that had been keeping those shapechangers locked up was the enchantment placed on them. Probably something one of these other witches were selling.
He found it quite unfortunate he wasn't able to trace the source. He'd been looking forward to upending some crooked enchantment dealers' entire operation. He supposed freeing the enslaved might be enough good karma for the day.
✴
Once the stall was cleared, Wooyoung smiled at his handiwork and pulled out a few gemstones. He mumbled something to himself before crushing them, a plethora of things replacing them instantly. Bottles, plants, books, weapons- It wasn't that he'd come here today with the intent to take over some criminals stall… he was just always ready in case the occasion presented itself.
Age-old witches needed to make a living, too.
"Ah- Shit." Wooyoung huffed to himself and gathered up a large potted plant that had landed on its side, its soil spilling all over the packed dirt of the market square. He was scooping the last of the soil before he noticed he was being watched. Which was kind of freaky, that it'd taken him so long to sense it. That wasn't like him. "...not that I don't love myself a secret admirer, but it is a little creepy." Wooyoung looked up from under the brim of his hat, noting there was nobody there but that small black Shiba he'd set free. "You're free to change back, you know." Wooyoung smiled, but the pup just sat there, then stomped its little foot with a huff. ".... you'd be nude, wouldn't you?" Wooyoung snickered and got himself another stomp and a huff. " I'm surprised you even care about that kind of thing…" The pup sent him over a little yelp and Wooyoung sighed. "I mean like- If I were trapped as a cat-dog for who knows how long, I know I'd want to be a human again as quickly as possible." He dusted his hands off over the soil and smiled down at the little creature, watching it waddle over before it shifted to a cat again right in front of him. "Tell you what, kitty. You wait around here for a while, and I'll take you home when I go. Sound good?" The cat-dog-cat rubbed its face against his boot. "Gosh, you are tiny." Wooyoung smiled and scooped the kitten up, watching its ears flick before it forced its way out of his arms.
Before it could land back on the ground, it’d transformed again, and Wooyoung wondered just what the hell this thing was.
Birds, cats, dogs, even horses, he'd seen many kinds of shapechangers in his time. He thought he’d seen it all.
Panthers were an entirely new beast- literally.
"Change back before somebody sees you-" A scream erupted from the stall across from them and Wooyoung sighed. "Great. Nice going, pussy cat." He was a tiny Shiba again, trotting around to paw at the scattered soil Wooyoung had spilled. "You're a little shit, you know that?" Wooyoung felt himself grinning, watching the pup pounce his two front feet off the ground and bark at the dirt. "...dumb too."
The pup didn't have very much to say about that.
✴☽𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊☾✴
"I'm kind of sad you'll be a human, soon. I was looking forward to having a little pet."
Wooyoung had tucked the kitten into his hood for the walk back home. He'd sold basically everything he'd transported, so he only had a few books tucked under his arm, along with all the herbs and spices he'd bought for himself. And the cat-dog-cat-panther-dog. He only got a tiny mew in response before pushing his front door open, plopping his basket by a neat pile of shoes. His kitten jumped from his hood, trotting along a shelf precariously before jumping down onto a cushion. "Okay, just- through here, and find something that'll fit you." Wooyoung nodded to his bedroom, then pointed at a hamper of clean laundry. "That's all clean, so, take your pick."
Wooyoung watched the cat slip through the door and he shut it behind him. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but he heard a series of human sounding noises filter through the door before he skittered over to his kitchen, not wanting to be caught creeping. He busied himself with his herbs, tugging down jars to restock. It wasn't long before he heard a shuffling behind him.
"Th- ahem." His voice cracked and Wooyoung snickered, turning. "Thank you for the pants." Wooyoung didn't really know what to do, how to act. He was honestly expecting a child, or a woman, with how small he'd been as an animal…
“...why are you big?” Wooyoung spoke a little too plainly and bit his tongue, eyes wide as he looked over the full grown man that had come from his scrawny little kitten.
“I- I’m not that big.” The man looked down over his chest, covering his nipples with his palms before dropping his hands, standing there a bit awkwardly. “I’m San. By the way.” He nodded, and Wooyoung just blinked at him, then turned suddenly, clapping his hands together.
“You hungry, San?” Wooyoung tried not to let his voice sound too squeaky. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, pants hanging loose and low on his hips- Every one of his features was beautiful, cat-like for lack of a better term. His hair was even sticking up at some points, looking a little bit like ears until he patted them flat.
“I guess so. Tuna?” San moved a little closer, watching Wooyoung’s back before he plopped to sit at his feet, leaning against his leg. Both of them froze the second San’s cheek hit his knee. Wooyoung immediately decided he didn’t want to make it awkward, so he’d just play it off. Not that he hated having an incredibly muscular young guy latched to his leg, but it wasn’t exactly the norm in any situation.
“... do you want tuna?” Wooyoung tried to clarify, slowly looking down at the man by his foot. San was looking up at him with wide, pretty eyes, shining under the many candles he had melting in various spots in his kitchen.
“Not… particluar- Partic-” San stuck his tongue out and made an annoyed sound- he couldn't get his words right.
“Particularly?” Wooyoung’s mouth quirked into a bit of an endeared smile and San nodded, patting his lips because they didn’t seem to want to listen to him. “You don’t want tuna?” San shook his head. “...Then, why, if I may be so bold, did you ask for it?” Wooyoung giggled, watching San look up at him again. He mostly looked confused. “...how long were you an animal for?” Wooyoung worried, realizing he may very well have been trapped like that long enough for it to mess with his brain. Wooyoung knew quite a bit about shapechangers, knew that sometimes, being an animal stuck with them even when they were a human. Nothing that time couldn’t fix, but still, it’d explain some of the… behavior.
“...I think a year.” San made a face and looked back down, watching the fire in the stove rumble to life. He was used to magic, so it didn’t scare him. Mostly just comforted, with how warm it was. He shifted a little closer, keeping his arms linked around Wooyoung’s leg.
“A year? In that cage?” Wooyoung stared and San shook his head, eyes glazed orange from the embers he was staring into, wide with wonder.
“No- It was a building, before. Lots of stone and … things.” San muttered, clearly hypnotized by the flames but Wooyoung had looked away, rummaging around to make some kind of stew with whatever he thought a cat would never eat. Something to cleanse the palate, since San had apparently been eating tuna for well over a year.
“... So you were in a dungeon, then.” Wooyoung huffed, becoming some meat he’d been drying, sending it floating over from the other side of the kitchen so he didn’t have to move.
“Mm. Probably.” San reached to warm his paw by the fire. Hand. Not paw. He batted his hand for a second, wiggling his fingers.
“And before that?” Wooyoung was trying to get to the bottom of where this man belonged. He was far too handsome and well behaved to be some kind of stray.
“...don’t remember. I think they took it.” Wooyoung stopped and set his utensils down, glancing back down at San, watching him tap between his brow.
“...took it…” Wooyoung sighed and went back to his cooking. Memory manipulation was taboo, generally illegal, and evil. Wooyoung had dabbled, before. “San?” Wooyoung kept his voice level, cheery. “After dinner, could you take me to where you were, before the cage?” Wooyoung felt him shake his head and tighten his arms around his calf. “Just for a bit. We won’t stay, and you won’t be in danger.” Wooyoung nodded, but he felt San shake his head again. “...will you please show it to me? We can leave, if you’re scared.” San finally nodded, slowly, and Wooyoung sighed heavily. “Good boy.” Wooyoung reached to pat his head and felt his hair push up against his palm, San making some small pleased sound in his throat and Wooyoung bit his lip.
Adorable.
✴☽𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊☾✴
The building San had pointed out was a small looking shack. Wooyoung had bundled him in one of his nicer robes and given him a shirt to wear, a flowing white top that wouldn’t feel too constricting. He’d also offered him some shoes to slip on, even though San said he hated the feel of them and whined about it for a good ten minutes after putting them on.
San stuck close behind him, but Wooyoung had given him a protective necklace just to be sure he’d leave unharmed. Not that he was expecting any kind of real fight. He knew damn well he could singe this entire place on his own, had he felt like it. One step into the shack made Wooyoung realize it was way, way larger on the inside than the outside. Warehouse sized, even. There didn’t even seem to be anybody there, from what Wooyoung could sense. Just caged shapechangers and a few stray rats.
“...this is really it, huh? Is there some kind of office?” Wooyoung wondered aloud, keeping a tight hold on San’s hand since he seemed so skittish. He really worried he’d bolt if he didn’t keep a close eye on him.
“Office… Kinda? Back there, there’s a room with papers and files and bad snacks.” San nodded and Wooyoung fought the urge to laugh at that last part, leading him toward the back. He flicked locks as he moved past, watching all different kinds of animals skitter away, some turning back to humans as soon as their feet hit the floor. “What’re we looking for…?” San ducked his head a little when a few animals flew past, screaming before turning back to their human forms by the door.
“Two things. One, whatever spell or enchantment they used to take your memory. I need to know it if I’m to fix it for you.” Wooyoung sent him back a wink and San nodded, hustling to stick as close as possible. He’d really wanted to turn back into a cat just to hide in Wooyoung’s hood, but the witch had convinced him to stick to his human form, just long enough for him to start acting a little more human again.
“And the other thing?” San wondered, the both of them stopping to undo a more convoluted lock on a cage to set a large wolf-like creature go.
“The other thing, is the information of whoever is responsible for this. Human trafficking was outlawed, obviously- But, that doesn’t mean people don’t still do it.” Wooyoung shouldered an office door open and flinched when a few mice scurried over his boot. “-oh, yuck-” Wooyoung huffed, turning when San ripped his hand away and lurched onto the mice, snatching two of them in his hands before he froze, the poor creatures screaming in his fists.
“Oh- Sorry-” San stammered, blinking a few times before letting them go, watching them scurry away under a set of rusty looking shelves. “Sorry!” San called after them and slumped a little, letting Wooyoung tug him back up to his feet.
“I’m sure they forgive you, sweetheart.” Wooyoung chuckled, tugging his new friend into the office. “I’m going to dig around- Will you keep watch?” Wooyoung watched San nod slowly, nervously, wringing his hands as he stood half in the doorframe.
“What am I watching for?” San asked, squinting into the dark, his vision a little blurry from being an animal for so long.
“If somebody comes this way, you tell me.” Wooyoung called, sifting through a drawer full of files, parchment bent and crumpled, but he managed to find the names scrawled on its fibers. All of them had been stamped with the same seal, so he assumed that would be the key to finding the company that had done all this. San had quieted, so Wooyoung got a little deeper into his focus, watching letters flash vibrant purple before they stopped, halfway through the third stack. “Choi San? That’s your name?” Wooyoung called and San nodded, bouncing on his toes impatiently.
“Yes.” He called back, and Wooyoung plopped into the seat there.
“Alright…” He muttered, sifting through a tiny stack of paper, smaller than most stacks that were there. He found his name, age, and a physical description. It looked like the memory alteration was a common one, so he should be able to undo it rather easily… But… he had no family. He had no profession. He had nothing, it seemed. No assets, no property-
Slave.
“Alright.” Wooyoung lifted the pages and took the one from the top, the one that had his birthday and name scrawled on it, then sent the rest up in flames. “That’s all I needed. They didn’t write down whatever they changed your memory with, so- I can’t fix it.”
Lie.
“Oh… well, it’s okay, I guess.” San nodded, blinking a few times before taking a few steps forward. “Uh-” Wooyoung heard angry voices and popped to his feet, tucking the page away in his pocket before moving back over to his new friend. He heard a growl rise in San’s throat but Wooyoung pushed a hand over his chest.
“Have you ever killed, Choi San?” Wooyoung asked and San made a face, but shook his head.
“... don’t think so.” San was meek, for someone who’d just been snarling.
“Don’t start now.” Wooyoung smiled and San felt calm, his metaphorical hackles relaxing. He didn’t bother changing into the animal he’d been thinking of, instead deciding to watch Wooyoung step between him and the group of men approaching them. Something told him he could trust Wooyoung to keep him safe. He listened to whatever was telling him that.
He was right, to listen. All Wooyoung had to do was flick his wrist and send every cage rocketing toward the men as if pulled by some strange force. The cages knocked the men to the ground and Wooyoung took San’s hand, leading him around the pile of metal and men, ignoring the groans and wails of pain as they echoed behind them.
“I’ve no mercy for men like you.”
✴
San found himself staring into fire, again. Just as hypnotized, just as captivated. The inside of the building was glowing orange, the outside singed black, wooden and metal adornments melted and charred beyond recognition.
“S’pretty.” San mumbled, letting Wooyoung tug him along, around a bend until he couldn’t see the building, anymore.
“What’s pretty, pet?” Wooyoung smiled and San looked from the destruction back over to him, the man that set him free and got his name back for him. Wooyoung had handed the paper over as soon as he could, and San clutched it in his fist, the other still holding tight to Wooyoung’s hand.
“Your chaos. S’very pretty.” San nodded, and Wooyoung’s smile faltered.
“You can’t see chaos… can you?” Wooyoung wasn’t sure if he knew what he was saying. If he meant the fire, or the spells he cast? If he meant his magical aura itself, the one nobody was supposed to be able to see, except Wooyoung?
“Oh… I can, though. Like here-” San reached a hand up, focused, and flicked his fingers in the air, knocking violet particles astray, and Wooyoung stopped. He’d felt it. Felt his shapechanger push his chaos around, something nobody but he was supposed to be able to do.
“Don’t do that.” Wooyoung spoke sternly and San ducked his head in apology. “It’s- It’s alright, that’s just something I’ve never felt before.” Wooyoung softened because he knew San had no ill intent. He didn’t even know what he was doing let alone how freaked out Wooyoung was by it.
“Did it hurt?” San worried, following quickly when Wooyoung started walking again, keeping his companion a little closer to his side. Why could he see it? Invade it?
“...no, not particularly.” Wooyoung shook his head and San looked over to him, blinking a few times at the way Wooyoung’s aura shifted to accommodate him in his space.
“...did it feel nice?” San whispered, and Wooyoung felt his whole body catch fire.
“...what? No- I-”
San dared to do it again, reaching over, focusing like he had before, gripping the purple waves that surrounded his new friend, giving them a tug. Wooyoung made a noise in his throat but tightened his grip on San’s hand, shaking his head.
“Doesn’t feel like much of anything.” He lied, his body tingling all over. Nobody had ever entered his aura before, if that was what he was to call whatever the hell it was San was doing. He’d never have allowed it, even if somebody had tried.
It felt good to have someone so close, like that.
Like San was meant to have been with him, invading his chaos.
Like he was meant to tug on what little heart he had left.
✴☽𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊☾✴
Wooyoung kept San extremely close. He had come to terms with the fact that San enjoyed being an animal most of the time, so he’d made him a little space to sleep, cushions piled up in a tight nook under the stairs. He set water out for him, not bothering with food because San always preferred to eat human things. He also loved eating with Wooyoungie, but he wouldn’t tell him that. Wooyoung liked to think he just loved his cooking.
They got closer, in a way San didn’t bother thinking too much about and Wooyoung worried was dangerous but he let it happen, anyway. He felt so warm when San chose to invade his chaos, slip so close to him he burrowed through his aura and right into his heart. Whether he was a cat, a dog, a mouse, a human. He curled up with Wooyoung whenever he could, seeking affection and praise whenever Wooyoung would give it- Which was all of the time.
Neither of them could ever recall a closeness like that, a connection that came so easily. On one hand, it was terrifying. On the other, it was the happiest Wooyoung had ever been, and the happiest San could ever recall being.
☾
It was early, when Wooyoung heard a pounding at his door.
“Open up, witch!”
Oh, lovely.
Wooyoung had of course been the subject of witch hunts before. He was too obvious, loved to piss the wrong people off, and acted however the hell he so pleased because he knew he was strong enough to do so, to protect himself. He’d opened the door as he had before when these kinds of things happened, but maybe he was foolish not to at least check before opening the door.
He felt something pierce his chest the second he opened the door, noting the woman at his door was a witch herself. That hadn’t happened before. His vision faded with his consciousness, and the last thing he worried about was where San may have been.
☽
Wooyoungie got taken, he saw it happen from the rafters.
He should have been more aggressive, probably. Turned into a panther, a wolf, maybe. But he’d been high on catnip and hardly able to keep his balance, meowing pathetically while they took him away. His favorite person in the whole world, his Wooyoungie. They stabbed him in the chest with something bright. Or- The aura around the object was bright. The chaos. The magic.
Once he was sober enough to do so, he started tracking. Turned into a stout little basset and waddled his way through town, getting a little too distracted by children and sweet old ladies that had bread and meat scraps to give him. But each time he got distracted, he always remembered what he was doing, who he was looking for. His Wooyoungie. His Wooyoungie. His.
Because somebody took him. His favorite person in the whole world.
He whined as he trotted along dirt pathways, snuffled through the thick leaf litter on the forest floor, through large fields of veggies and grains and manure that did a bang up job of covering his Wooyoungie’s scent.
He could still track it, though. He had a very good nose, and was a very good boy.
He hobbled upon another town, a fancier looking place San had never seen before. He could smell him stronger, now, which he assumed had to be a good sign. He trotted around a few buildings, tripping over his ears a few times but he kept on trucking, lifting his head once he made it to a big open area, stone bricks under his paws as he followed his nose. He lifted his head high in the air and saw dissipating wefts of purple chaos, hopping a little in excitement because those were Wooyoungie’s! He was sure of it.
“...really don’t have to go this far. They were committing crimes! Seriously!”
Wooyoungie!!!
☾
When Wooyoung came to, he’d been tied and bound to a post in the center of the square in a neighboring town. He was honestly surprised, for once. He thought burning witches at the stake was a little tacky, but here he was, surrounded by an angry mob, blood seeping out of his shirt where he’d been stabbed.
He wasn’t exactly sure on how that had happened, either. But it was evident whatever magic they’d used had been extremely powerful, to puncture all of his protection and actually pierce his skin. It was superficial, luckily, whatever blade had been used far too dull to do much more than nick him pretty good.
He’d recognized a few witches at his feet, which was shocking, because why would fellow witches be trying to kill him?
“That’s our livelihood!”
“We’re sick of you meddling wherever you want because chaos bends to you!”
“You can't even comprehend the lengths we have to go just to survive, can you?!”
Did Wooyoung feel bad for interrupting their revenue stream? Yes. Did he feel bad that he’d stopped criminals from making money by selling prison enchantments to other criminals? Hell no.
“And you all think fire is going to be enough? You really believe that?” Wooyoung scoffed, bluffing mostly because he could feel how vulnerable he was. He was cut off from most of his chaos somehow, and all of his protective enchantments had been taken away and destroyed.
“As you are now? Yes.” One of the witches smiled up at him, evil, crooked, and lit a match, still a few feet from his pyre.
“Okay- And, what if I told you I could teach you how to manipulate chaos? I can, if you’ll let me down from here!” Wooyoung tried, attempting to not sound frantic, but he knew how pathetic he sounded. He’d only been this close to death a handful of times, and all of those times had been well over a hundred years ago. He’d never been taken down by other witches, before. He’d never trusted others to begin with, and he knew now how right he’d been to do so.
“We know that’s impossible.” They all looked quite serious, until he watched panic flood all of their features. Why, he wasn’t sure- But he’d roll with it.
“Is it?! I can do whatever I want! Who says I can’t teach you?” Wooyoung felt heat at his back and panicked. Had they lit the pyre from behind?
Fuck, I’m going to burn.
“...oh my gods-” He heard some kind of guttural, menacing growl from behind him and his whole body locked up, gripping the ropes he’d been secretly attempting to untie. The corner of his vision filled with midnight colored scales, sleek and shining as they moved past him from behind, hot even from the distance he was at. That was probably what had made those other witches look so terrified. Some kind of beast.
“Please don’t kill me-” Wooyoung squeaked, breath caught in his throat as he watched the creature turn its head, blinking over to him, horned head cocking at his words. Then it chuffed and moved to his face. He’d have screamed, if he had any breath. Then its huge nose bumped his cheek, warm to the touch, huffing warm air over his face and shoulder.
“Where the hell did you get a drago-” The witch with the match had dropped it, fizzling out in the dirt at her feet before the dragon lurched forward, jaws snapping around her torso. Her legs fell away and Wooyoung felt his whole body go cold. This was not what he wanted. But, he realized very quickly that he didn’t have a choice.
“Don’t-”
He couldn’t stop it, he knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t even comprehend why that creature had snuggled up to him but snapped someone else in half. He watched it throw her lifeless torso across the square, then rear back and blast blue flame over the remaining witches. It engulfed them instantly, whirls of white heat eating them alive before the beast got a chance to swallow them whole. The fire took hold of a few nearby buildings, trees, and a stray carriage, probably the one he’d been brought here in. He felt the post he was tied to shake, looking up to see giant claws wrapped around the top, the dragon climbing its height to get a better vantage point. It blasted more flames across the city square, and Wooyoung went back to trying to escape his binds, ignoring his own crying in favor of trying to survive.
“Shit, shit, shit-” He struggled but got nowhere, sobbing uselessly until the dragon must have heard him. Its head lowered in front of him again and he stared, meeting its eye with terror on his face. It must have been his turn. Maybe Wooyoung looked like a juicy kebab and he’d been saving him for last. The beast scurried down and got behind him again, and Wooyoung squeezed his eyes shut, realizing struggling was pointless, and he should just let the damn thing take him. Quick, easy, painless, he hoped.
He watched the gaudy pendant the witches had put around his neck fall away, bouncing down the pyre, disappearing underneath some wood. He felt his chaos return and he sighed, then felt something invade it, felt San invade it-
☽
He found him!
His chaos was faint, but he saw the problem after a while, the ugly necklace on his neck keeping his pretty purple aura away. He snapped its chain with one claw and nudged Wooyoung’s cheek with his snout, so happy he was near him, again. He knew Wooyoung must have thought he looked scary. Maybe eating that witch and burning the rest wasn’t the right thing to do- But he was scared… They were going to hurt him, his Wooyoungie.
“...San?” Wooyoung breathed out his name and San chuffed happily at him, wrapping his neck around him protectively before backing off to try and tear the ropes away. “San- What did you do?!” Wooyoung sounded angry with him as he wriggled out of his ropes and stumbled, San catching him by his shirt to right him, setting him down on the ground by the singed bodies and pool of blood from the bit-in-half witch.
“Fire!”
San lifted his wing to block an oncoming rain of arrows, roaring in pain when they stuck all in his skin and hurt like little burning thorns. Wooyoung panicked, reaching up to tear some of the arrows out but all San had to do was shake them off, flapping his wing around to send them flying.
“Get- Get small! Make yourself small, I’ll get us out of-” Wooyoung was cut off when San picked him up by his shirt again, making him flail for a second as he spun his head around and plopped him onto his back, the ridges flattened down to make space for him. “Oh, do not fly-” he felt Wooyoung get a good grip on his scales before jumping, wings smacking through the air before he took off, flapping up and away, swerving a large fireball before weaving in the direction of home. “Put- Put me down- Land, right now, Choi San!” Wooyoung squawked but San felt so pleased, finally back with Wooyoung again, safe up in the sky as he made his way above the clouds.
Much to Wooyoung’s dismay, San didn’t land, not until they made it to a clearing near their home and he dove down, trying to be discreet with his landing but he couldn’t recall being a dragon, before. So, he didn’t know how to land very gracefully. He tore up the earth beneath his feet and skidded to a halt by the treeline, feeling Wooyoung climb off as quickly as he could.
“What the hell were you thinking?!” Wooyoung scolded, and San looked at him, then ducked his head with a sad whine and an airy chuff. “Oh, don’t give me puppy eyes as a dragon- That’s terrifying!” Wooyoung squawked, watching San quickly change into a puppy, almost two feet tall, buried in tall grass. “Gods- Turn human so we can speak!” Wooyoung looked really upset and San felt guilty, but he did as he was told, standing on his own two feet, nude. “Oh-”
“Sorry-” Wooyoung lifted his hand to snap, intending to conjure some pants for him, but he halted, eyes falling right to San’s thighs. Not because they were toned beyond belief, but because of the sigils burnt into his skin. From his hips to his calves, in varying sizes. He’d never actually seen San without pants, so he’d never seen them before.
"...it was never being nude you were worried about, was it?" Wooyoung kept staring, and San looked down, then disappeared, little black ears poking up out of the grass. "Were you scared to show me those?" Wooyoung wondered, watching San creep closer and scale his pant leg quickly. “Ouch- Those fucking claws, Sannah.” Wooyoung hissed, flinching when San scurried into his hood and Wooyoung sighed, rubbing his face for a moment. “We talk at home, then. And you tell me about your legs. Promise?” Wooyoung raised his brows and looked over his shoulder, feeling San’s cold, wet, velvety kitten nose brush across his entire cheekbone, then teeth, a gentle nibble under his jaw and Wooyoung smiled, reaching to scratch between his ears.
“Home it is, then.”
☽