Chapter Text
Dragon Love
Chapter 1
Robert had never been a man of sentiment. When you were an immortal being, watching friends grow old and die, seeing whole empires rise and fall you quickly learned not to get too attached to anything in the world. And yet every one of his kind would eventually find that one thing in this world they would protect with their life, their treasure. It could be anything, something material like a beautiful gem, a geographical place or even a living being. Something they would mark as theirs, so no one would ever dare to take it away from them.
Robert had stopped believing he would ever find his treasure centuries ago. He was over 4,500 years old by now and even for his kind this was an awfully long time for finding something they would center their life around. So Robert had stopped searching a long time ago, preferring to view his life as several stages he had to concentrate on. Living the life of a mortal, restricting his thinking to that of a human made it a lot easier to live an eternity without purpose.
It had been easier when there had been more of them and there had still been magic in this world, demons and other mythical creatures inhabiting the world. Now the world seemed to have lost its colors, the magic almost having disappeared completely. It made Robert feel out of place, like a relic from a time long gone. He didn’t belong here anymore.
Robert shook his head, trying to clear his head from those useless thoughts as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had just come out of his shower, a pair of tight-fitting black jeans riding low on his hips. He was about to put on his favorite white shirt when the sight of his own torso made him freeze. If he had been a human, he would probably look sick, the skin at his chest looking thin and slightly translucent. His magic was wearing off, soon his real form would break through the flesh. For a moment he contemplated calling the others and telling them something had come up and he wouldn’t be able to make it tonight, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He knew his powers well enough to be absolutely sure that the spell would last another day or two before he would have to feed again to keep up the illusion. Still, he opted for a black shirt, just in case the spikes on his back would start to pierce the skin. He didn’t want to explain the small bloodstains on his shirt to his human and not so human friends…
A little smile ghosted over Robert’s face as he thought of the latter ones, one of the main reasons why he was feeling so comfortable at the BVB. He loved playing football, exerting himself with a sport that satisfied his competitive spirit, but it was the unlikely friends he had found here that made him want to stay for as long as possible even though he shouldn’t.
Because of the man who was now pulling up in his driveway.
Robert hadn’t been surprised when he had first seen Erik and discovered what he truly was. It wasn’t the first time that the appearance of a wyvern would have forced him to start a new life. Wyverns were naturally attracted to Robert and they oftentimes were drawn to him from dozens of miles away without knowing it. Usually Robert left his old life behind as soon as possible because once the first wyvern was there, others would follow within the next few years. And more than two or three magical creatures in one place would not end well, that much he knew from experience. So what surprised him wasn’t Erik joining the BVB a few years ago but Robert’s own refusal to just leave. And he had known the time was due the first time he had seen the man now climbing out of the passenger’s seat and realized what he was.
A witch. A white witch as he would find out later.
The times where Robert’s kind had been at enmity with them was long past, but he had still expected Nuri to try everything in his might to make Robert’s peaceful life a living hell. Instead they had quickly become friends.
What a strange time they were living in…
The doorbell rang and Robert hurried down the stairs as fast as he could, grabbing his black leather jacket before opening the door.
Erik raised an eyebrow at him. “All in black? Not that it doesn’t suit you but still.”
Before Robert could respond, Nuri replied, “He is running low on soul energy.” Of course he would be able to tell, white witches were able to look beyond illusions created by magic. It had been a while since Robert had last been in his true form and able to see the things Nuri was seeing every day. Just like Erik Robert had shifted to a human body to disguise his true form and live an ordinary life. But that also meant limiting his own magic which included the sight . The human vision – not seeing what things truly were but what they appeared to be – never failed to frustrate Robert. It made him feel blind. Blind to the truth.
Nuri tilted his head to the side, a worries expression in his eyes. “You should feed soon. Are you sure you want to go out with us tonight in that state?”
“I’ll be fine for another day or two,” Robert tried to soothe him. “Besides you don’t seriously expect me to stay at home when I know that Marco is coming along too, do you?”
Nuri’s eyes softened, a small smile appearing on his face. “No, I don’t.”
Erik however frowned. “Robert, when was the last time you fed?”
“Two weeks ago. Why?”
“I remember that you used to feed only once a month, sometime you could even last for a few weeks longer. Have you ever considered that perhaps your feelings for Marco are the reason why you use up more energy lately?”
Robert let out a heavy sigh. It had only happened a handful of times that he had developed feelings for a mortal but often enough to know that Erik was right. He desired Marco’s heart and longed to make him his treasure, the one thing in the world that Robert would protect at all cost. Contrary to most of his kind he had never had a treasure before and he had never understood why one would go to such lengths to protect their treasure; that there had been wars started over a treasure. Not any longer though.
The mere thought of somebody daring to take Marco away from him made hot rage surge through Robert's veins like acid. He balled his hand to a fist when he felt a familiar pain in his back, the spikes at his spine threatening to break through the thin skin. He took a couple of deep breaths. “It doesn't matter. I didn't mark him as mine, so you can relax, Erik.”
When he saw the way the defender cast his eyes down guiltily, Robert regretted his snide remark. He had known about Erik's feelings for Marco longer than he had known about his own, yet nothing had happened between them until now. Robert couldn't completely shake the feeling that he was partly to blame for this, after all his behavior indicated that he already saw Marco as his treasure even though he hadn't marked him yet and all wyverns felt inevitable submissiveness when it came to Robert's kind. Perhaps Erik would have already made a move on Marco if Robert hadn't made his own interest so obvious.
Marco seemed to be the only one left who was oblivious to Robert's feelings for him and that was relieving as much as frustrating. Robert wanted to be Marco's lover but at the same time he didn't want to hurt Marco, two things that just didn't go together.
Humans were too fragile to survive the love of a dragon.
With a heavy heart Robert stepped forward and put his arms around the startled Erik. “I'm sorry. I have no reason to be jealous, neither is this your fault nor did you ever do anything wrong.”
Erik returned the embrace without hesitation. “You don't have to apologize to me, Robert. I can't even imagine how hard it must be to be in love with someone but having to stay away from them for their own safety.”
After a long moment they let go of each other and Robert turned towards Nuri. “We should go now. Marco must already be waiting for us.”
Nuri still had a sympathetic expression in his eyes but his lips were twitching into a grin. “A dragon, a wyvern and a witch going out together. Sounds like the start of a lame joke.”
Robert and Erik chuckled at that before heading for the latter's car, Robert getting into the back while Nuri was sitting down in the passenger's seat.
They spent the short drive to Marco's house in comfortable silence while Robert was trying his best to channel his remaining soul energy, making sure the human form he had created with his magic would be able to contain his true form for a while longer. Marco was already pacing in front of his garage impatiently, yanking open the door at Robert's side and making him move over before the car had even stopped moving.
“Finally, what took you guys so long? In case you haven't noticed, it's pouring rain outside.”
Nuri grinned teasingly. “Well, according to Robert and Erik you look much hotter when your hair is wet.”
Marco stared at him for a moment, clearly wondering if Nuri was joking. When nobody laughed, he turned towards the two men in question and even though Robert was fixing his gaze on the street outside, he could feel the sudden heat radiating from the man sitting in front of him, Nuri's suggestive words making Erik blush.
Marco gave a little, embarrassed cough and Robert could see him carding his fingers through his wet strands from the corner of his eye. The drive to the club took barely twenty minutes but it felt much longer to Robert. He soon gave up his attempts to avoid looking at the human sitting right beside him, allowing his eyes to take in all the details of Marco's appearance. From the skinny dark blue jeans that were enhancing his delicious narrow hips up to the black and white striped shirt visible underneath the black leather jacket. His gaze lingered on Marco's lips for a moment, the strong desire to lean over and capture them with his own taking Robert by surprise. Robert could feel his body starting to hurt again, his human body feeling even more fragile than usual now that he could feel the veil of magic getting thinner and thinner. Nuri and Erik were clearly able to sense his inner struggle, both of them shooting him slightly worried glances. And judging the way Erik had gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, he was not doing much better either. But contrary to Robert he didn’t have to rely on the magic of soul energy to keep up his human appearance, the ability to shift being in the blood of all wyverns.
When they finally reached the club, Robert had himself under control again and despite his wish to be as close to Marco as possible, he stayed at Nuri’s side until they had reached the bar, trying hard to shift his attention to the pure magic that was rolling off the witch in strong waves. He started to regret not having fed earlier even more so when he could see the look Marco was giving him, confusion and hurt at Robert distancing himself from him.
Nuri ordered them drinks and Robert smiled at him gratefully when he saw the other man whispering a few words before turning back to them and handing Robert the drink he had just enchanted. Nuri winked at him before shifting his attention to their two friends while Robert took a big sip of the cocktail, instantly feeling the burn of Nuri’s magic in his throat. The spell was doing its purpose even before Robert had swallowed down, a distinct numbness spreading through his body and drowning out the pain. It wouldn’t work for long, but it was all Nuri could do at the moment to help him.
Robert was surprised to see Marco staring at him with narrowed eyes, wondering whether his struggle was so obvious to see or if he had unconsciously started to shift. But then Marco turned away again.
They were talking to each other at the bar for half an hour before finally heading to one of the couches in the corner where they would hopefully be undisturbed. Marco and Nuri had just started a heated discussion whether the latter's beautiful, black cat Kali was a diva or simply didn't like Marco; something that almost made Robert choke on his drink. It was quite funny hearing Marco call out this cat for being way too intelligent for an animal when one knew the truth, that Kali was Nuri's spirit animal.
Most witches had one and though Robert was a solitary being like all dragons, he knew that they shared a close bond and were able to draw power from one another. Kali had disliked Robert for months, most likely due to him being a dragon, but when Robert and Nuri had started to form a strong friendship, she had slowly warmed up to him. Nuri had told him, she hadn't even liked him when they first met even though she must have felt that they belonged together. Well, she was a cat – stubborn and headstrong and just because it was her destiny to become Nuri's soul animal didn't mean she had to follow through with it. She would have been a wonderful dragon, Robert had thought to himself and even told Kali so. That was the moment the ice between them had been broken.
Robert was torn from his thoughts when he caught Erik's gaze, wariness, hesitation and hope. It wasn't hard to figure out what he wanted to do when Robert recognized the song that was playing right now and saw several other couples heading for the dance floor. Erik wanted to dance with Marco.
Robert tried to give Erik an encouraging smile, watching silently as Erik stood up and extended his hand to the blond beside him.
“Would you like to dance with me, Marco?”
Marco stared up at him with wide eyes, clearly taken aback by the suggestion. He shot Robert a nervous look as though he wanted to say something and for a short moment, the former had the small hope that perhaps Marco would want to dance with him instead, but then he saw a honest smile spreading on Marco's face before taking the offered hand. “I would love to. But I have to warn you, I'm terrible at dancing. You should keep a safe distance from me.”
Erik snorted amusedly. “Not for the life of me! That would ruin my whole plan.”
“Your plan?” Marco repeated, sounding uncharacteristically coy while he let Erik lead him away from their friends. Robert stared after them with a mix of longing and jealousy.
He flinched when Nuri leaned closer towards him. “Why did you do that? Encouraging Erik when you want Marco to become your treasure?”
Robert took another sip from his drink, but his feelings were too much of a turmoil for the spell to work properly. “Who said anything about making him my treasure? Can't a man just desire another man?”
Nuri didn't buy his lie in the slightest, that much was clear to see. “But you're not just a man, Robert Lewandowski, are you? You're a dragon and you protect what you consider yours.”
Robert didn't even try to argue, keeping his eyes on the two men dancing together on the dance floor, Marco blushing and presumably mumbling apologies every time he accidentally stepped onto Erik 's toes. Erik however didn't even wince once, a look of happiness on his face as he continued moving to the rhythm of the music.
They were so obviously in love with each other. And yet Marco seemed to have feelings for Robert too.
Robert had contemplated several times to give in to his feelings for this special human. But it just wasn't possible unless they wanted to let this end in tragedy...
From the corner of his eye he noticed a young woman in her early twenties approaching him from the side and he turned towards her with a frown. She was clearly drunk, her dark hair a mess but she gave him a shy smile. “Um, would you... I'm so sorry, my friends were betting I wouldn't do this, but... would you dance with me?” Robert was so surprised that he wasn't able to respond for a moment, prompting her to add in a pleading tone, “Please, just for one song?”
Robert was not at all in the mood to dance with anybody beside Marco, but on the other hand he badly needed a distraction. She looked like the kind of woman who wouldn't stop talking throughout the entire song, perhaps that would work before he accidentally set something on fire with the intensity of his gaze. He was just about to accept when he felt someone else grabbing his hand and he turned his head to find Nuri dragging him away from the poor woman. “If you want to dance with someone so badly, then do it with me.”
Robert raised an eyebrow questioningly but put his hands onto the smaller man's hips to pull him closer. “What was that?”
Nuri chuckled. “You will know in twenty seconds. Just keep your eyes on her.”
Robert had no idea what to expect but obeyed, absentmindedly moving to the music while he was following the woman as she walked back towards her snickering friends. And exactly after twenty seconds he saw her going rigid, leaning forward and vomiting all over her sparkling dress.
Now he knew why Nuri had decided to come to his rescue. “I guess having a white witch as a friend has some perks. Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Nuri responded with a warm smile. “Getting random visions has to be good for something every now and then.”
They shared a laugh and automatically his eyes wandered to the left where Erik and Marco were still dancing together and he froze so suddenly that he threw Nuri off balance as well, the latter calling out his name worriedly. But Robert was deaf and blind for everything else, his eyes fixed on the two men who were kissing right in this moment, a soft kiss that was becoming more heated with every passing second. Robert let out a strangled inhuman sound and pain shot down his spine like lightning, his fury and jealousy too strong now to fight it any longer. Robert could feel the spikes cutting through the thin skin like sharp razor blades, his vision changing to the one of a dragon, human bodies turning into shapes with the light of souls calling out to him.
“Robert, you need to get out of here!” Nuri urged him and he started pushing him towards the exit. Robert bit his lip to keep his protest inside and allowed the other man to manhandle him, but was unable to look away from Marco and Erik. Both of them had parted, the latter presumably sensing what was going on inside of Robert and they were staring at him in shock. To the clueless Marco it must look as though Robert was simply not feeling well, but Erik must know the truth.
Nuri pushed at his shoulder to make him hurry up. “If you show your true form here and now, it will be over. You could hurt Marco.”
That finally made Robert turn away from the man he was in love with and he stumbled out of the club with shaking limbs, hearing Nuri whisper a spell to hold off the transformation even though it wouldn't be of much use. They barely made it to the edge of the park before Robert screamed in agony when he felt his wings ripping the skin at his shoulder blades. Then everything turned black.