CHAPTER NINE

Shiro walked back in the direction of Kurosu's apartment at a slow pace, too busy processing everything Azalea revealed to him an hour before. It had gotten dark by now and most of the shops were closed minus the Guild House as he walked past it.

The guild had a bar on the bottom floor open til the early hours of the morning. Shiro could see the lights peaking through the windows and hear lots of shouting and hollering of very inebriated dragon men.

Shiro thanked his lucky stars that he had an aversion to alcohol due to its bitter taste. Never sat right with him.

"I can never get behind why dragons drink that shit" Shiro thought to himself as he walked past the Guild.

THUNK

Shiro turned around as he heard a loud crack as the large door to the front entrance of the Guild swung open hard and fast. A red blur stumbled out onto the ground.

A familiar red headed dragon had just came tumbling out of the bar.

"Kade!?!" Shiro yelled in surprise as he ran over to the red dragon who was still on the ground.

Kade reeked of booze. The odor was strong and pungent to Shiro's sensible nose.

"Ugh! What you doing out here!?!" Shiro asked, pulling up Kade from the ground with ease.

Kade leaned into him, not able to hold his weight up at the moment.

"What does it look like I'm doing!?! I'm in a fight!!"

"With the dirt!?!"

"Oooooooh-! Was that his name?!?"

Shiro learned from Kurosu that Kade liked to drink heavily but he's never seen him being drunk in person.

Shiro wasn't exactly thrilled to be dealing with a drunk at the moment.

"I can't just leave him here. Dammit!" Shiro grumbled as he felt Kade leaned on him more, not keeping himself up anymore.

"DUDE!!! DUDE!!!! WHERE'S KUROSU!!! HE NEEDS TO HELP ME WITH THIS FUCKER!!!" Kade was hollering at the top of his lungs right into Shiro's tiny dragon ears.

Shiro grimaced, "he's not here, dumbass. I'm taking you home."

"WHAAAAAAA-!?! NOOOOO!!!! I NEED MY MONEY!"

"Forget the money!!! You're drunk!!!"

"AM NOT!"

"IM NOT FIGHTING WITH YOU ON THIS WHEN YOU SMELL LIKE SHIT AND CANT STAND UP!! I'M CARRYING YOU!!!"

"FREE RIDE!!!"

Shiro groaned loudly as he started to one arm hold Kade up to waddle him back to his Uncle's place. be very upset that his nephew was drinking yet again so late in the night.

Jamaal didn't deserve to have deal with his nephews alcoholism

Shiro dragged Kade down the street until he reached the part where it split into three different smaller paths. The left one would lead him to Kurosu's apartment and the the right one lead to Jamaal's Forge and the trading post Kurosu frequented for junk.

"I could just take him back to Kurosu's place and wait for him to sober up since it's closer. I don't want to keep carrying him! He smells so bad!" Shiro thought to himself, annoyed at having Kade's scent of booze waft around him.

"Jamaal won't be happy to see you in this state so we're going to crash you at Kurosu's place." Shiro proclaimed loudly

Kade didn't respond as he was now half asleep.

"Ugh, don't hate me for this Kurosu" Shiro grumbled under his breath.

"Hate you for what?"

"!?"

Kurosu stepped out from the cover of darkness in front of Shiro, not making a sound.

"Aah!! Damn you showed up out of nowhere!!" Shiro panicked and internally screamed at how fast Kurosu just appeared out of thin air.

"Was he following us the whole time!?! He couldn't have snuck up on us that quickly without being noticed!" He told himself.

Kurosu moved closer to him with a stone cold expression, no anger at his tardiness back home or disgust at Kades drunken state.

Kurosu was now in front of the two other dragons and sighed

"Will take him to my place but if he vomits, you're going to take care of it."

Kade vomited at Kurosu's apartment in the sink as soon as they went inside, much to the two other dragons' annoyance.

"I shouldn't be drinking like that ever again!! Mmmmmph!!!" Kade groaned in pain as threw up once more.

"You keep saying but your dumbass will grab another bottle by the next evening" Kurosu admonished Kade as he kept coughing.

"Hey, don't be so harsh. I think this is punishment enough" Shiro interjected as he held up Kades hair while glaring at Kurosu who sat at the table.

"Trying carrying his drunk self back home every other night and you'll see why I'm not happy with this"

"How is this guy friends with you!?! Your such a dick!"

"Is that why you keep disappearing after training? To not be near me!?"

"Oh Jealous, much?"

"BLEGHHH!!!!!!"

Kade threw up again for one final time and pulled his head weakly. Shiro pulled him up and sat him on the couch but Kade tried to claw him.

"Hey-! You need to lie down a bit!" Shiro yelled

"But I want AZAAAALEEEAAAA-!! Kade drunkenly whined like a child.

Kurosu came over to his side and swatted Kade's head lightly.

"Azalea won't be dealing with your stupidity. She has enough on her plate so your staying here"

Kade fell back still whining

"NNNNOOOOOOO-!!"

"Yes"

"I WAANNNTT AZALEA!!!!"

Kade held out his arms while ugly crying. Shiro held him down bit he kept trying to get up.

"Dude I don't want to have to restrain you!" Shiro yelled in frustration.

"Just put him in a headlock for a bit. He'll calm down" Kurosu suggested.

"I couldn't kill him if I did that! You know my powers!"

"Ugh!Dumbass"

Kurosu sighed and flicked Kades head which seemed to knock the red head back.

He was out cold, snoring softly.

Shiro stepped back

"W-what did you do!?!"

Kurosu folded his arms, proud of himself.

"Don't freak out, I just put him to sleep"

"B-but how!?!"

"I have Magic too idiot"

"I'm not an idiot! I just didn't know you could do that!?!"

"You never asked about it so I never said anything"

Shiro stomped over to Kurosu and gripped his scarf, pulling the taller dragon towards.

"Listen here, dickhead! This is why I don't like being around you! You act like that!"

Shiro screamed at him in pure anger that he had bottled up for some time.

Kurosu snarled, seeing Shiro as trying to challenge him.

"Like. What."

"THAT!! THE HOT AND COLD ATTITUDE!! ONE MINUTE WE SEEM TO BE GETTING ALONG AND THEN THE NEXT YOUR PUSHING ME AWAY AND ACTING LIKE A JERK!!!"

Kurosu growled, his sharp teeth showing. His dark horns were glowing around the purple rings.

"Don't act like the victim, here. This is a contract, you signed up for this! If you hate me that much. Just go-!"

Shiro dragged Kurosu into the hallway with ease even though Kurosu was trying to get away from his grip.

"I'M NOT LEAVING! DONT THINK I'LL GIVE UP THAT QUICKLY! " Shiro half yelled half whispered

Kurosu responded with equal venom

"YOU'LL REGRET THOSE WORDS! YOU'LL PROBABLY LEAVE BY THE END OF MONTH!"

"IS THAT WHAT YOU TELL YOURSELF WHEN YOU GET A NEW PARTNER-!?! THAT THEY'LL LEAVE-!?!"

Shiro felt a wave of guilt hit him as those words left his mouth.

Kurosu had a look of surprise and his eyes seemed to change but quickly go back to his golden yellow.

"...Azalea just can't keep her mouth shut, can she?"

"Don't be mad at her! She wanted me to understand you better!"

"WHAT! SO YOU'LL RUN FOR THE HILLS!?!"

"SO THAT I MIGHT STAY!!"

"...?"

Shiro loosened his grip on Kurosu scarf and let him go. Taking a step back away from the taller dragon.

"I don't want to leave. I want us to at least be on good terms but you keep pushing me away. I'm really trying to get you to open up to me. I understand why you're so scared! But I'm not like that!"

"...I'm an outsider-"

"So am I!"

Kurosu looked away

"...I thought you were toying with me…"

"If I was toying with you, I wouldn't be wanting to take beatings with you everyday at training! I wouldn't be playing shogi with you and losing miserably! I even tried to make tea for you!!"

"..."

The two stood around for a few moments in silence.

Not sure what to say to each other anymore.

"He doesn't want to leave…." Kurosu thought to himself in shock.

"...I'm sorry"

"!"

Kurosu looked down at Shiro as he spoke.

"Look, I didn't mean to bring that up so suddenly. I'm sure I could've picked a better time than now!"

Shiro spoke with a quiver in his voice, embarrassed or scared, Kurosu couldn't tell.

"J-just! Ah-! I don't know what to do next!"

"...you've never had to apologize to another?" Kurosu looked at the shorter dragon with a puzzled look.

"Eh-! W-well…no"

"..."

"H-hey! L-Listen here big guy! At Least I know HOW to say sorry!"

"...are you sure?"

"Shiro gets red in the face and starts to talk about nonsense.

Kurosu stood still asthe other

dragon finish their monologue.

Kurosu took more note of his appearance. His fangs were short but more rounded at the top that made it look more cute then ferocious. His eyeliner made his eyelashes longer. His cheeks were red like they were blushing but it was just from Shiro talking without pausing for air on occasion, making them flushed.

"I can't take Shiro seriously when he looks like that." Kurosu thought to himself.

Shiro hadn't stopped his long winded speech of awkwardness.

"I can't keep looking at you like that-!" Kurosu mumbled and proceeded to pinch both of Shiro's cheeks and pull on them.

"EEEEEEEEEEH-!!" Shiro whined loudly.

"I didn't listen to single pieces of that babbling but the previous words, I understood."

"MMPH-!"

Kurosu continued.

"...I don't want to be on bad terms with you either. I don't deal with loud dragons like you who want to be in my space often. If you wish to stay, that's fine. Just…don't go out late like that again. You should tell me these things before I decide to hunt you down and drago you home myself"

Kurosu lets go of Shiro's cheeks and walks away abruptly. Leaving Shiro alone rubbing his cheeks confused.