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Nesting Habits	By : trystkinkou Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 12185 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: :I do not hold any rights to anything in the Yugioh world. That all remains with it’s creator. No monies, etc were recieved.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Nesting Habits
Author: Kinkou
Rating: M
Genre: AU Romance/Humor
Pairing: Jou/Seto, Yugi/Yami, Malik/Marik, Ryou/Bakura
Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to anything in the Yugioh world. That all remains with its creator.
Summary: This is the story how Jou finds an injured Black Dragon Duel Pet one night and raises it regardless of petnappers, lovesick dragonesses, or sadistic CEOs.
Chapter {2/?}
Chapter 2
“AH!! Slow down! Slow down! Eeeeaaaaasy! WATCH THE CLAWS!!!!!”
Laughing at the new morning chorus in the house, Ryou strolled happily into the kitchen. Today was only the second day Jou and his little Black Dragon had stayed with him, but it already felt like they’d been there all along. Breakfast was already set out on the table waiting for him. He filled his plate and started enjoying the bursts of flavor Jou somehow managed to coax from the simplest of foods. Now that had been a pleasant surprise. Even though Ryou was a wonderful cook himself, Jou’s culinary skills were far above his. He’d definitely suggest Jou become a chef after school; it would be too much a waste otherwise.
Then again, he thought, maybe I should just convince him to remain here. This is just heavenly. Taking another bite, Ryou glanced towards the door. The hectic yelling abated so he could only assumed the little one had finished his breakfast. He knew what was next; his smile grew in anticipation. And true to his instincts, not ten minutes later, as he was washing the dishes, a freshly washed Jou strolled in carrying a drenched Kigai wrapped in a fluffy towel. He was a little disappointed to see Jou was mostly dry. “Did Lucky not play in the bath?”
Sitting down, Jou started toweling Kigai off gently. His voice laughed lovingly as the little dragon purred and snuggled closer. “Naw, he did. I just decided that if I was going to get wet anyway, I should just go ahead and join him.” Golden eyes sparkled at Ryou mischievously, “I’d wait a little while before going in there. It was a war zone.”
Ryou couldn’t hold his giggles. “I see. I’ll just wait until you get it cleaned up then.” With a trained eye, he studied the little dragon’s actions and movements. “He seems to be moving easier and with a greater range. He’s also not wheezing as bad as before. I’d say he’s almost fully healed. Which is amazing. Most dragons heal quickly, but not that fast. He really is a lucky guy.” Reaching out, he pets the little one’s snout. “Aren’t you, Lucky?”
“He also didn’t flinch from any of my touches either so he’s not as sore.” Jou sighed in thought. “Are you sure it’s ok for you to call him Lucky? I mean, his name is Kigai. Won’t he get confused?”
“No. Most Duel Pet owners, especially those that need to develop really strong bonds, have a name that is ONLY used by the master and another as a general use name. That way when they are working together, the pet knows to only listen to its master and not just anyone that knows its name. That’s why it was so important for YOU to feed and take care of his basic needs these few days after he hatched. It started that strong maternal bond most young forge. With you always calling him ‘Kigai’, he’s learned that YOU are his master or ‘paternal’ figure and that he is to listen to just you. Since he has no bonds to me, he won’t listen to anything I say. So if I call him ‘Lucky’ and everyone else does, he may learn to look at us and that we mean him, but he will not listen to any command we give. Does that make sense?”
Jou tapped his chin as he thought about it. He did vaguely remember that some masters even used other languages to command their Pets. So this was just a part of that technique. After a few moments, he nodded with a smile. “I think I get what you’re saying.” His golden eyes settled on the purring black lump in his lap.
It was hard to tell if Kigai was sleeping or not since his eyes still were not open. But by his even breaths and purrs, Jou thought it was nap time again. All he seemed to do right now was eat, sleep, and grow in leaps and bounds. Ryou had laughed when Jou’d asked him about it before and explained that was what most babies did. True, he’d not opened his eyes yet, but that was not unheard of. Each Pet was different from another. So when Kigai was ready to open his eyes, well he’d open them.
“I guess I better go put him to bed. You’re sure there’s nothing wrong with him sleeping so much?”
Ryou shook his head at Jou’s question as he himself stood up to go into the clinic. “Yes, Jou. I’m sure. He’s being a normal baby right now.” Moving to the side, he allowed Jou passed into the main house. “And if you really think about it, he’s grown from the size of a small house cat to the size of a medium sized dog in only two days. His body’s expending a lot of energy to grow at that rate, so of course he doesn’t have the energy to do much else.” Ryou headed down the hallway with a wave. “But don’t worry so much. The rapid growth will slow down soon enough and he’ll be running around no problem.”
Jou watched his friend walk off. He couldn’t help it if he was worried about Kigai. Jou’d often dreamed of having a Duel Pet of his own, but he never had the money to afford one. With his father’s drinking and gambling habits, not much was left over for food for the humans much less for a Pet. And if he was entirely truthful with himself, he knew how mean his father could be when drunk. If the Pet managed to get in the way at the wrong time, it would have been seriously hurt. No. It was all together better that Jou had waited.
Jou smiled as the little one in his arms yawned and snuggled closer. Yes. It was far better that he waited so Kigai could come into his life. Once Jou reached his room, he laid Kigai down in his bed and then started making his own. Every so often, he’d glance over to check on Kigai’s shifting in his sleep.
Finishing his room, Jou moved on to the bathroom. He gathered the mop on his way. He opened the door and promptly froze. He wasn’t kidding when he said it was a war zone. At least a foot wide puddle of water stood freely in the middle of the floor; the sink had several inches in it as well. Sighing, he looked up in askance only to frown in thought. Now how did we get that much water on the ceiling?! Jou’s grip tightened on the mop in determination and he started trying to order the chaos.
He had no idea how long he’d been mopping and drying the room; all he knew was his arms were aching. Turning around to wring the mop out, a soft mewling startled him. Jou whipped around with the mop out like a staff in defense. His panting breath the only sound he made.
The soft mewling came again from the small black dragon toddling unsteadily towards Jou. Reaching his little arms out, he valiantly tried to transverse the slippery tiles. But his legs were not ready for such a long, tricky trek just yet; he plopped down mere inches from his goal. By the pout, he was not happy about his failure. Little legs and arms struggled to push him up once more.
Jou watched Kigai’s progress. His chest burst with pride with each tottering step forward. When Kigai fell, Jou had a hard time restraining his impulse to race forward and cuddle the dragon. But he knew it was part of the learning, Kigai had to figure it out on his own. Finally with a staggered push, Kigai grasped onto Jou’s pants leg. And that was Jou’s clue; he picked Kigai up gently into his warm hug.
“That was GREAT, Kigai! I am so proud of you!” Mewling in delight, Kigai snuggled closer to his momma. He knew he could find momma. He was a big dragon now! He let his purr deepen and looked at his momma. Happiness brightened his gaze.
It took a few moments for Jou to process what he was seeing. When it finally clicked in his brain, his scream was easily heard in the clinic. “RYOU!!!!!!!” Gathering Kigai closer, he rushed to the front of the house and into the open door of the clinic. Visions of hemorrhaging eyes, blood pouring from those small sockets, pushed Jou faster. His mind reeled from the fears that his little Kigai’s eyes might be damaged from the abuse. Truthfully for him, that was the only excuse for what he’d seen. Nothing else could explain it. By the time he got there, Jou was near hysterics. Kigai was even picking up on his momma’s fear; hiccupping screeches pulsing from his throat.
Luckily Ryou was not with a client when they came skidding in. Looking up startled, he crossed to the pair. “What’s wrong? What happened?” His worry rose as Jou laid the still screeching Kigai onto the table. Nothing was wrong as far as he could see.
“His eyes… they’re… something’s wrong with them! I was in the bathroom cleaning up when I turned and saw him walking to me. But after he got there and I cuddled him, I saw…. his eyes…” Breaking off with a sob, Jou moved the slightly calmer Kigai around so Ryou could exam him.
Ryou glanced down; afraid Kigai’s eyes may have been damaged. Doe brown eyes stared into crimson red. To say it was a surprise would be like saying Seto Kaiba had a little money. Usually Black Dragon Duel Pets had golden yellow eyes, or rarely an amber color. But this little one that someone had tried to kill had the rarest of all the eyes. They were so rare Ryou’d only seen pictures of them in his books. He was a Red Eyes Black Dragon!
Ryou continued to stare in wonderment at the little one. It wasn’t until Kigai blinked that Ryou shook off the spell. Reaching out a trembling hand for his stool, he sat. Out of all the Pets and breeds, Jou with his amazing luck not only found a Duel Pet, but one of the four rarest dragon breeds ever. Second only to the Blue Eyes White Dragons. Both were highly treasured and sought. Even though the Black and White Dragon breeds were fairly common, it was their eye colors that made them so rare. It was those abnormal colors that bespoke the strength of the Pet. The more brilliant and vibrant the shade, the stronger it was.
Kigai’s depth of crimson clearly displayed that he was going to be one of the strongest yet. There was still the off chance of blindness or some form of damage, but Ryou strongly doubted it due to Kigai’s reaching out to Jou in his distress. Ryou’s eyes strayed over to the still frantic boy. He took a few moments steadying his breathing and performed a simple exam on the little one. Afterward he motioned Jou to sit; Jou’s pacing was starting to get on his nerves.
“Calm down, Jou. He’s going to be alright.” Ryou couldn’t help chuckling at that. The little one was definitely going to be alright no matter what happened in the future. “His eyes are perfectly ok.”
Not entirely trusting him, Jou glared at Ryou. “How can you say that? His eyes are red! All the other Black Dragons I’ve seen had yellow eyes. Why are his red?” Ah, there was the hysteria trying to creep back in. Jou was certain there was something wrong and Ryou just didn’t want to tell him.
“Jou. Breathe. You’re scaring Lucky.”
Looking at his Kigai still hiccupping in fear, Jou took the suggested breath. And then a few more for good measure. Once he was calm enough, he asked his questions again. Jou noticed the bemused smile Ryou held as he started with the explanation.
“To start off, his eyes are perfectly fine. There is no damage to them what-so-ever. Now, you are aware that there are different breeds of dragons, yes?” Jou’s nod prompted him to continue. “Now in those breeds there are ...well some call them sub-breeds. It is not a correct classification, but it helps to think of them in levels. Dragon sub-breeds are arranged by their eye colors much like Dark Magicians are arranged by their hair colors. The most common and therefore the lowest ranked eye color for the Black Dragon is the golden-yellow, which is also its standard strength. The next rank up is the rare amber color. This one is stronger than the yellows, but not the strongest. That is reserved for the highest ranking, the Red Eyes. Lately, there has been an added level, but it is still very new and no one is sure of the strengths of them. In fact there are only two documented cases of these hatchlings. More studies are being launched, but have nothing to do with this case so we’ll skip it for now.”
He waited for Jou’s mind to catch up with him. When Jou leveled his startled gaze on him, he merely nodded and continued the lesson. “Red Eyes are REALLY rare. So you’re going to have to be careful with Lucky around. People will probably offer a lot of money for him or worse yet steals him. His training is going to have to be a little more intense than most Black Dragons’. He’s going to be a STRONG one when he grows. Do you still think you can care for him?”
“Are you nuts?! Course I’m going to take care of him!” Jou smiled down to reassure Kigai. Finally calming his hiccups, Kigai grinned back. His tail twitched in pleasure as he purred. He loved Momma’s smile. Momma glowed prettily when happy and he made Momma smile the most! Closing his eyes to snuggle deeper into Jou’s arms, Kigai promised himself that he’d make sure his Momma kept smiling. When Momma’d screamed earlier, Kigai didn’t like it one bit. Momma’s glow disappeared and that was not acceptable. Momma should always glow!
“Training isn’t going to be a problem either.” Jou’s voice lulled Kigai into a peaceful nap. After that emotional rollercoaster, his growth, and walk down the hall, he was exhausted. “I’ll do whatever I have to so Kigai’s safe.” His purr deepened. He’d do whatever needed to keep his Momma safe to. He knew he had a lot to learn and it would not be easy, but he’d do it. He was a Big Dragon now and Momma needed him. “And I’m sure he can handle it.” That’s for sure. Kigai thought as he drifted off.
Laughing, Jou shook his head at the sleeping form. He had no idea what Kigai was dreaming, but it had to be good. Jou stood to take Kigai to bed. “I got to admit his eyes are so kickass. If he’s as powerful as they are, so will he- kickass that is.” Ryou only smiled in answer to Jou’s shit eating grin.
Watching the two leave the exam room, Ryou chuckled. Things definitely were not dull around the place anymore. He quickly checked the appointment book before heading back to the living quarters. Since Jou was finally finished with the bathroom, Ryou was going to take a bath and finish getting ready before his first client. He told Jou to watch the front then locked the bathroom door. The mundane tasks of toiletry couldn’t occupy his mind for long. It kept settling back to little Kigai. Jou may be taking everything in stride, but Ryou understood exactly what would happen in the future. By the time the door was unlocked, he had a plan.
First stop on his way back to the clinic was his study. Grabbing two books from his shelf, he continued. The second stop was his computer to place a very special order. He wasn’t happy to learn the little microchip he wanted was backordered, but a three week wait was better than the alternative. Once that was completed, he tracked down Jou in the kitchen.
Finding him once again feeding the now awake Kigai, Ryou plopped the two books in front of him. Jou’s confused gaze settled on the ‘Dragon Training for Dummies’ and ‘How to train your Dragon’ books; eyebrow raised in question. “These are some training books that should help you start the basics at least. They’ll tell you the generals of what to expect and techniques you can try.” Ryou felt bad. Jou’s grin clearly said he was expecting too much. “Don’t get your hopes up. These are for regular dragons. Kigai may be faster or slower than what the books suggest. You just have to take it at his pace.” Nodding, Jou started flipping through the one closest to him as Kigai finished his bottle. “We’ve got to get started soon. After all, we have school tomorrow.”
Jou’s impression of a stranded fish was adorable. His mouth opened only to close seconds later; no sound passed his lips. Ryou giggled. On the fifth open, Jou’s voice squeaked out. Coughing, he tried again. “Tomorrow?! Already? What are we going to do? I can’t leave Kigai here alone! Who’d feed him? And I can’t skip.” Wide golden eyes stared in shock. His breath hitching.
Rolling his eyes, Ryou sighed. It seemed Jou was easily excited where Kigai was concerned. “Jou, calm down. It’s not that bad.” He ignored Jou’s frown as he motioned for silence. “The school has a Petcare center for students whose Pets can’t be left behind either for bond purposes, age issues, or training points. If the Pet can’t be left, it’s brought to school. All we have to do is take Kigai to the center and log him in. They’ll take care of him until school is over. You’ll be allowed to visit him between classes. They’ll even call you out of class if there's an issue.”
“But you said I had to feed and care for him.” By the set of Jou’s jaw, Ryou could tell a fight was coming.
Hands on his hips, Ryou glared defiantly right back. “And you did, for the first few days to establish the paternal bond. By tomorrow, it’ll be safe to leave him alone for a few hours. He needs to start getting used to it. Besides, he’s almost big enough to cut the nutrient solution back and start on solid nutrients, then real food.”
Jou blinked. “Already? He’s only a few days old.” Burping, Kigai lowered the bottle. He’d already grown to stand with his head at Jou’s knees. Jou frowned at his thoughts. “Just how big will he get? All the one’s I’ve seen have been pretty small.”
Shrugging, Ryou picked the bottle up from Kigai. “Black and White Dragons grow very large. He’d need his own building at full growth.” Waving a hand to settle the startled blond, “Don’t worry. They usually do not reach full growth until around fifteen to twenty years of age. They grow fast the first few days, and then slow down. I suspect he’ll probably get another growth spurt before tomorrow or the next day. I doubt he’ll grow anymore after next week for a while.” He crossed to the sink and washed the bottle in thought. “I don’t know if you’d seen them, but Kaiba’s White Dragons are only five years old. They only stand shoulder height to him on their hind legs. Kigai’ll probably be the same at that age.”
Kigai giggled-purred at Momma’s scrunched face. Jou didn’t even want to think of that ego-maniacal jerk much less compare his sweet Kigai to Kaiba’s three spoiled bitches. But Jou had to admit, Ryou did place the whole growth thing into perspective. “Alright, I get what you’re saying.”
Nodding, Ryou turned back to the clinic as the bell above the door sounded. “Good. I’d suggest reading. I’ll call if I need anything.” After getting Jou’s agreeing wave, he headed back to work.
Pulling the first book closer, Jou sighed to the curious Kigai. “Well, I guess we better start this mess. Whatcha think?” Kigai rumbled softly. “Alright then. Here we go.” Jou flipped the page and was soon submerged in techniques, commands, and lessons. From everything on cleanliness to courting, swam through Jou’s mind as the minutes bled to hours. He didn’t know there were so many delicate issues one had to address with their Pets. One thing came clear to him though; each of the books treated the Pets as simply owned objects. They had no minds or feelings of their own. Jou detested people that held that belief. He was certain the Pets held their own feelings and desires. They had their own wishes and dreams. His eyes narrowed. Whoever wrote these books didn’t know squat about Pets. They may know the best techniques, but they didn’t know what was best. Taking a deep breath, Jou resolved to reread the books and glean what info he could and then change it to suit Kigai and him.
Taking in the fading light with a sigh, Ryou popped his back. It almost seemed like this day would not end with the long list of patients walking through his door. Luckily, he was finishing on his last one. Turning back to the young boy, he glared gently. “Just remember to keep the wound clean and bandaged lightly. And DON’T let her fly for at least a week. Her wing has to rest if it’s to heal.” He walked the boy and his Pet out. “I mean it this time Jaden. If she doesn’t rest it, she’ll be crippled.”
The young boy paled. “No Sir! Of course Sir!” Cradling the little winged Kuriboh tighter, Jaden jolted out the door. “Thank you Sir!”
“Don’t call me ‘Sir’!” Ryou yelled back good naturedly while closing the door. With a turn of the lock, Ryou officially ended his work day. “Jou?” He called towards the back. He frowned when neither blond nor voice answered. Walking back, he looked through each room he passed. Still he found neither hide nor hair of his roommate. Now where could he be? He wouldn’t leave without telling me, especially with Kigai. So where is he? One by one he eliminated the various rooms until only one was left. The kitchen, where he left Jou earlier. Walking in, Ryou was not prepared for what greeted him.
White. Gleaming, shining, powdery white everywhere. With the back of his hands, Ryou rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Opening them once more, nothing changed except more details became apparent under the white. The refrigerator was wide open; shelves pulled out with all the food spilt. Pots and pans sat on the floor in various states of disarray. Some held food, others held … something. Ryou didn’t even want to think WHAT all was in them. Chaos seemed to have exploded rather violently in the small room. What was more surprising than the mess was the simple fact that Jou sat at the table, covered in the white powder, sound asleep. Ryou knew he was a sound sleeper but this was just plain ridiculous. Moving further in, Ryou noticed a now white Kigai whining pitifully in the middle of the floor. Three empty bottles sat beside the little one with a forth between his legs, open. An empty sack of the nutrient supplement clutched tightly in his claws was the only clue Ryou needed as to the cause.
Looking up, Kigai’s teary reds met Ryou’s chocolate browns. His hopeless whines broke Ryou’s heart. Leaning down, he wiped Kigai’s eyes and smiled. “Don’t cry, Lucky. I’ll help you.” It didn’t take long for Ryou to have another bottle made, regardless of the mess. As he handed it to Kigai, he noticed the little head now reached just below his waist. True, Kigai was toddling on his hind legs, but to grow so much in just a few hours was staggering.
Kigai happily squeaked, holding his prize close. Not paying any more attention to the small human, he turned back to the table. A smile stretched his draconic lips. Momma and he had been looking at that strange thingy the small human gave Momma earlier. He thought they called it a “buhk”. He didn’t see anything special about it to hold most of Momma’s attention, but it must have something really important to make Momma ignore him for so long. Momma’d barely looked up from it all light-time. It was light-bedtime now and that was a LONG time. He’d even gotten his own bottles outta the cold thing Momma kept them in after Momma decided it was Momma-naptime. He’d never seen a Momma-nap; it was always his naptime. But there Momma was, head laying on the buhk-thing sound asleep.
Toddling over, Kigai planned out his next step. Ryou watched while cleaning the mess, confused. The table was way above Kigai’s head, but that didn’t stop him. He put the bottle nipple in his mouth, leaving his claws free, and grabbed the other chair by its seat. Now, the thought of trying to climb up it did cross his mind, but even he realized he was still too small to manage that. Pushing, Kigai got the chair beside a small radiator cover box that was within his height.
Once he had it positioned just right, Kigai scrambled onto the cover box. Ryou couldn’t stop giggling as he watched the little dragon’s antics. Those little legs pushing in the air with his little wings twisting every which way trying to propel himself upward was just too adorable. Ryou was astounded by Kigai’s problem solving and strength, at first. If Ryou had to guess he’d probably place Kigai’s intelligence right now as equivalent to a two or three year old human. Which was amazing given he just hatched two days ago. Ryou could already tell teaching Kigai would be interesting to say the least.
Finally pulling his body on the cover’s top, Kigai focused on scrambling onto the chair seat next. This time was a little easier since it was not much higher than the cover. It was the next step that proved most difficult. Moving from chair seat to table top would not be easy and Kigai realized this as his chin rested on the table- calculating. He could almost get his claws to support himself, but was unsure if he could manage the pull up. Then he spotted the other buhk-thingie. It was within reach. Purring happily at the solution, Kigai reached out with a claw tip and snagged its corner. Slowly… ever so slowly, he pulled it closer. His claw came loose a few times, but Kigai’s eyes narrowed in concentration as he snagged it again. When, at last, it reached the table’s edge Kigai grabbed it with both paws, squealing happily. Now it got tricky. Keeping his precarious balance, he picked the heavy buhk-thing up, turned ever so slowly to the side, and set it gently down on the seat.
Ryou listened to Kigai’s soft panting after moving the book. It was pretty big, and Ryou was surprised Kigai could even lift it to start with. Ryou started to take a step to aid the little dragon, but stopped. He needed to evaluate Kigai’s development and this was a perfect opportunity. Settling back, he finished cleaning the mess so he could start dinner.
Kigai actually took no notice of the other human’s scrutiny. He was focused on the task at paw. After his short rest once the buhk was in place, he was ready to tackle the next step- literally. Stepping on the buhk-thing, Kigai could now easily place his elbows on the table top. A little concentration-frown slighted his lips as he gathered his strength and tried to pull himself up. His little legs beat the air frantically in an attempt at more thrust. Even his wings tried to help, but it still appeared he’d fail. Narrowing his eyes further in defiance, Kigai pulled everything he could manage into his plight. He would NOT give up!
As his strength waned, Kigai didn’t know if it was his determination, will, or maybe the explosion of tail gas, but he finally managed to haul himself onto the table top. Where he promptly closed his eyes and flopped boneless in exhaustion. At least he made it, and now for the bottle…. Red eyes popped open in fear. Crawling to the edge, he peered over to the chair… and the bottle sitting so innocently out of reach- taunting him. He couldn’t help it. He was tired. He was hungry. He was even starting to get a bit cranky. So he did as all Big Dragons do in such instances. He sat up on his haunches, bawling.
No truer testament was there to how deeply Jou sleeps than to have a bawling Kigai in his ear and not even twitch. Ryou took pity on the little one. He grabbed the bottle and handed it back to its owner. He’d seen enough to gage the dragon’s intellect at this point.
The crying stopped as suddenly as it started. Bottle now firmly in his paws, Kigai spared a grin to his human accomplice. He pushed himself back on his feet to toddle back to Momma. Crouching down, Kigai gently raised the treasured bottle up… and promptly plunged it in Momma’s mouth, happily squealing.
Not even Jou could sleep through the bruising thrust of a high speed object trying to acquaint itself with his teeth, permanently. Jerking awake, Jou cursed loud and long in pain. He was sure a few teeth cracked under the force trauma. Ryou, on the other hand, stared in amused astonishment. His face reddened at Jou’s extensive vocabulary and once the shock wore off he could only laugh. Frowning, still counting teeth fragments, Jou glared at his friend. “Yew tink iz fonny?” Ryou’s laughter grew. After several more minutes of the uncontrollable giggles finally settling, Jou tried again, this time with less pain. “You thought that was funny?”
Ryou nodded, fighting more giggles. Jou’s glare lost its fire as Kigai, again, tried to feed Jou the bottle. Confused, he took it from the little dragon. “What do you want me to do with this?” Ryou’s giggling won as Kigai harrumphed, paws on hips in clear exasperation. Storming up, he snatched the bottle from Jou’s hand. Kigai narrowed his eyes and mimed drinking before giving it back.
Ryou watched as comprehension dawned on the blonde’s face. Jou looked at Ryou for confirmation of his fears. Smirking, Ryou nodded. Kigai decided Momma needed dinner, so he was gonna feed his Momma. It was cute. It was adorable. It was totally hilarious. Ryou turned and grabbed a canned soup from the cabinet; one of the few things Kigai could not get into. Let Jou handle this one on his own. Ryou’s giggles started to creep up again, but he pushed them down.
Jou, on the other hand, blushed deeply as he took the offered bottle; ignoring Ryou’s giggles. He was touched the little dragon wanted to share. “Thanks, Kigai. I appreciate it.” The answering purr brought a smile to his lips. He brought the bottle up and acted like he was drinking to the baited breath of his Pet. Bringing it back down, he handed it back. “Yum yum. That was good. Thank you, but I’m full. Think you can finish it for me?” Kigai became a bouncing black ball at Jou’s praise. Taking the bottle back, Kigai moved into Jou’s lap to drain it.
As the level in the bottle dropped, so did the dragon’s eyelids until his breath evened out. Jou gently removed the bottle from Kigai’s mouth. Standing, he nodded to Ryou as he carried his precious Pet to bed. Once he was tucked in soundly, Jou returned to dreading Ryou’s reactions.
A steaming bowl of soup and a sandwich met him at the table, along with a smiling Ryou upon his return. Jou braced himself for teasing, but the silverette just ate in silence. Relieved, Jou settled down to the simple meal. Neither said anything as the softly clinking spoons echoed in the silence. Casting a glance at Ryou out of the corner of his eye, Jou frowned slightly. His thoughts were running rampant and the silence of his friend was not helping at all. Finally with a slosh of soup, Jou had enough. “OK! Just say it already! I know you want to say something!”
Calmly, Ryou sipped his tea. It was a few moments before he looked at the fuming blond. A grin stretched gently across his lips. “You’d make a good parent.”
Blinking in confusion, Jou didn’t know what to say. That was not what he was expecting. “Huh?” It clicked mentally as Ryou started snickering. “Oh, that.” Jou’s cheeks dusted lightly in pink. “Well, Shizuka never wanted to eat on her own when she was a baby. You’d first have to pretend to like it then ask her for help. Even as a baby she always liked to help others. I just thought since Kigai wanted to be helpful, it’d work on him to.” Rubbing the back of his head, Jou’s eyes slid back to his food.
“That’s not what I mean.” Ryou sipped his soup. “ You had every right to yell and be mad at Lucky, but you didn’t. You held your temper; true you cursed, but you never took it out on him. You never made him feel responsible or guilty for any of it even when you were in pain. Another thing is you kept a positive spin on everything. You praised him for little stuff and ignored negative comments that would have belittled his achievements. THAT’s what I meant by you’d make a good parent.”
A simple, ‘oh’, was all Jou could answer. He hadn’t even thought of his reaction to Kigai. He’d acted first. Now that he had time to think, he was happy he’d not flown off the handle. He’d, for the longest time, been afraid that he’d act like his father in such instances, but as Ryou pointed out he had not. Happiness welled up inside. Reflecting back on his thoughts, Jou finished his sandwich and soup in record time. Ryou, smiling, cleaned his dishes and left his friend alone. He had a feeling tomorrow was going to be a long and entertaining day.
Jou was too lost in his thoughts to hear Ryou leave. Maybe this was all a mistake. Maybe it WOULD be better off to let someone else raise Kigai. Round and round his head, the thoughts and fears raced. Jou was close to giving up as the tons of fears rose ever higher , but the image of Kigai’s happy face as he tried to feed Jou battled them down. No. Kigai belonged to him and he would do his best to raise him right.
Resolved, Jou finally came back to himself as the hall clock chimmed. Standing, he made quick work of cleaning up his dishes before heading to bed. Tomorrow was a new day and he was going to meet it head on. As he settled under the blankets, his eyes settled on the sleeping dragon. Correction; THEY would meet it head on.
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Nesting Habits