kittensinboxes | Dear Friend, Across The River [Rivalshipping Mer AU]

Dear Friend, Across The River [Rivalshipping Mer AU]

It was odd to crave after the sky, when you held no claim to such, was it not?

It didn't stop Seto from yearning for it, however. The glow of the moon entranced him and pulled him to the surface quite often, reflecting off of his markings as he broke past the waves. He was careful, always, to break the water's surface at night, where none could see him.

After all, who would be out at midnight to catch sight of a sea dragon, reclined upon a rocky outcropping to gaze into the entrancing light of the moon, puller of tides, silent deity that called to this one child in particular. Mokuba was probably right to warn him from this behavior. Their pod had strict rules regarding fraternization between humans and dragons, which all boiled down to "don't". As the strongest in the pod, Seto was expected to challenge its current leader, and this behavior put his stake under question.

He had no such interest, however. He knows what others think of him, expect of him, and he has no interest in fulfilling their expectations or guesses for what he might get up to. Wasn't it enough to be under the claw of said pod leader, forced to obey by hook or by crook?

The man spent an immense amount of time trying to quash the look of rebellion in Seto's eyes, expecting that it would lead to a coup. After all, he had no children of his own, and the royal line would thus perish with him. Seto didn't care either way: the royal blood was thin and weak. In need of replacement. Maybe one day it would come about that he'd assert himself. After all, the rakes along his flanks still stung something awful. He'd love to pay Gozaburo back for the favor someday.

For now, he tilts his head up to the sky, long slender neck held in a loose curve of repose as he hummed contentedly with the waves, his markings gently glowing in indeterminate patterns.

As his scales dried in the air, the snout drew in, shifting back into something more akin to a human, but for the finlike ears, the glowing scales beneath his eyes. Because his hindquarters were submerged, his lower half remained fully draconic, the thick, bulky tail ready to propel him if needed.

His song is hums and trills directed at the moon, a tribute to the beautiful sky. It's midnight, beautiful midnight with its placid sky, dark as the depths. He's glad to know he's alone, at least.

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This poor guy...

Clearly humans hurt him before; what could he do to make him feel safe? To...

Know that he was going to get home?

"Don't worry," he put his two burgers on a plate. "I won't let any humans hurt you. I promise."

"I don't need your protection. I can protect myself if need be."

Only...he'd have to be extremely careful about it, if he had no intention of endangering his fellow dragons. Thus far, they enjoyed a life of comfort some miles away from here, at their ancestral home. Pickings were getting slim as the humans encroached upon their territory, but that would be worsened if they were revealed.

Seto shifts, peeking over the back of the sofa with narrowed eyes.

"You're awfully confident that you can make a difference, aren't you?"

"I think it's important to be the change you want to see in the world. I may not be able to fight, but I can help you heal and get you back without someone seeing you."

He put the burger to his lips, taking a small bite.

Mmmmn. He couldn't help it: Yuugi moaned a little at the taste. A good burger always helped with stress!

Well, if anything was going to pull a scandalized look out of Seto, it'd be that. He sits up, wincing at the movement, then stares at Yuugi flatly.

"...That's an inappropriate sound to be making over a piece of meat," he says pointedly. Listen, anything else Yuugi said was irrelevant because why is he moaning about food?

"S'not just a piece of meat," Yuugi mumbled, "It's a burger."

As though that explained everything in the world, right? Local beef enjoyer declares he enjoys beef, news at 11.

"Want to try? I made two."

"Whatever it is, it's still meat," Seto argues firmly. "And I said already that I'm no longer hungry."

But even still, he pauses, glances at one of the burgers with curiosity. His earfins slowly flare upward, and his tail tip curls upward once, twice, before...

"...I'll try a small piece."

"Okay!"

Utensils--ah, there was a knife, perfect. All he had to do was cut off a small piece from the burger -- complete with fixings -- and then hand it to the sea dragon that just happened to be chilling on his couch.

"Here. Give it a try."

Huh. Seems he was already prepared to share, as if the dragon hadn't already eaten a massive bowl of rice in the bathroom. This guy...he was too generous. Seto isn't sure if he...likes it? But then again, he's been contrarian this whole time, what's new?

He takes hold of the small morsel, holding it between his thumb and forefinger delicately, then sniffing it. Hm. Definitely not a flesh he's used to eating. Mostly Seto eats fish though, so that's not too hard a bar to clear.

After a few long moments of hesitation, he takes a bite, letting the flavor of it settle on his tongue before he swallows it mostly whole.

"That's...different," he concedes. "Nothing like fish."

Maybe close to a breed of swordfish based on the texture, but...the flavor isn't quite the same. He doesn't loathe it, at least.

It was understandable that he would be wary of someone like Yuugi, though; most were not used to his kind of generosity, even amongst humans. He was a rare breed, even if he himself didn't think much of it.

Still, Yuugi grinned.

"Isn't it good?!" Yuugi beamed, "Nothing beats a good burger. Some of my friends prefer sweets or veggies, but...I dunno. There's something about this that's so satisfying. It's the way it fits in your mouth, you know? A good burger takes up all the space in your mouth and the juices are just...!"

Oops, he was rambling.

He coughed.

"Aha. You...uh. I'm glad you like it."

"It's serviceable," Seto offers blandly, despite not entirely hating it. "Marginally more interesting than marlin."

He doesn't need to let the human know that he found it even remotely tasty. Nope. Besides, Yuugi was being weird about how open he's behaving around Seto, and he's not sure if he likes anything about that. Seto wasn't a very social creature, not even among his fellow dragons. Sure, he cared about their well-being more than the current leader, but that didn't mean he wanted to talk to them all the time, he wasn't that kind of person.

More to the point, now that Yuugi was here, he should probably share more of the current sitting arrangement, shouldn't he?

...Only if Yuugi asks or asserts himself would Seto be moving, thanks very much. Until then, the dragon is remaining splayed out.

Oooof course he was. That wasn't surprising in the least.

For a moment, Yuugi simply held the burgers on a plate and watched him, sitting splayed out like he owned his couch. In a way, he wasn't that different from someone taking up two seats on a bus, and it wasn't like he was unused to guys trying to do things like that.

Being short and taking transit (and his friends' motorcycles) everywhere taught him many things about how to conduct himself around seat-hogs.

You know.

Sit down in an empty space between the dragon's legs before setting the plate down on a tea table so he could eat.

Excuse him?!

Seto's lip curled up, revealing pointed fangs, and a low growl emanated from his chest. Why is the human so close to him?! Much like an antisocial cat

(or given the timbre of his vocalization, an antisocial TIGER)

he immediately tried to slither away from the point of contact, which is made more difficult by his human-compliant anatomy. That only makes him snarl louder. It's Yuugi's misfortune that he's decided to "rescue" the one dragon who doesn't even want most members of his species touching him, other than when necessary for social cues.

Oh, you don't like being touched, Mr. Dragon? Then maybe don't take so much room on his couch and act like you own it, jerk.

He's going to just keep on eating as though an antisocial dragon isn't just growling at him (though that takes a lot more effort than he was willing to admit).

Problem?

Yeah, Yuugi had a problem, too. That the man was taking up his couch and wasn't bothering to move. How's this for a power move, you ass.

This is not asking.

This is taking, and Seto responds to it with about as much tolerance as the injuries he's received. He curls in, until his snarl is damn near by Yuugi's ear, and that's the final warning he gets before the dragon snaps at his shoulder. Not enough to cause irreparable harm, certainly his teeth would have sunk into Yuugi's flesh more if he wasn't wearing clothing. Little mercies. But they do find purchase, and his fangs pierce shallowly into flesh.

Then, he pushes away from Yuugi, struggling with his gangly, unwieldy limbs to remove himself from the couch. It's not quite as artful as he would like, and he lands on the ground with a thump and a hiss before moving away from the couch entirely and putting distance between the human and himself.

"I don't care who you are," he snarls, "I will not tolerate that!"

Now, at least, they're both bleeding. It satisfies Seto, even if Yuugi's wound was far from grievous, and his...well, it's seeping through the bandage more now since he fell, but he's fine. He's a dragon! He'll survive worse than this, and has before!

"OW! Shit!"

He should have seen this coming. He should have absolutely seen this coming, but like an idiot, forgot the man on the couch was a fucking dragon and not the combination of an anxious man and a cat. He was a feral creature! A dragon of the sea!

A man that could and would kill him if he wanted to! What was he thinking?!

Yuugi's hand flew to where he was bit, clamping down on it just enough to stem the bleeding, but...ouch.

Shit.

Did you expect this man to be angry, Mister Dragon?

Did you expect his kindness to fall away?

Did you expect retaliation?

Yuugi's response?

Nervous laughter.

"Ah...h-hahaha...I uh. I deserved that. S-sorry."

Skittish, but not afraid. Nervous, but respectful.

...Until he saw...

"Wait. Your wound is...Shit, I'm so sorry!"

Edited 2025-06-04 01:04 (UTC)

Biting the human had been a good idea for creating distance. That was the right thing to do, Seto was sure of it.

But the blood tingled on his lips and tongue in a way that felt strange. He had, initially, been sitting up, but slumps forward slightly as that strange feeling spread throughout his body, a bit at a time.

"Don't," he says, but his tone is hazed, his gaze distant. Blue eyes seemed to glow more brightly, his pupils slitted so narrowly that the blue is about all Yuugi would see. "Don't...patronize me."

He licks his lips, swallows hard. A mistake. The blood...it's like fire down his throat, little that it was, and it makes him dizzier than the wounds ever could. Before he can think of his next move, Seto lets out a low snarl and loses balance completely.

...Because his right arm was no longer human, and no longer proportionate with the rest of his body. It was a smooth-scaled foreleg, full-sized with talons, fin and all.

Human blood did this?! How...?

"I'm not patronizing you, I'm--"

Wait. Shit, what the fuck was that?! What, what, what?!

Fuck, he had to think. He was getting a full-ass dragon in the middle of his living room and he didn't have space for him?! And this was from biting him! Did dragons biting people make them just. Transform into full-size? The burger and the fish didn't make him do it, so the common denominator was...

...Him.

Him?!

Fortunately for Yuugi's living space, Seto isn't going to transform any further. Just the arm, it seemed. But the arm's enough to inconvenience him and have his tail writhing in aggravation behind him.

"Ghh! Why isn't--it listening?" he hisses in aggravation as his talons snag against the floor. It's like he's in water again, but the effects are faster. The human blood he'd ingested had caused this, and he's not sure yet if he has control over the boost to revert back!

"I need--I need a moment," he growls, glaring at Yuugi as if it's his fault. Maybe it is, partly, but Seto was the one who had swallowed the blood, that tingling sensation on his lips should have been warning enough.

Why wasn't it...listen...ing?

That meant it wasn't transforming back, despite him wanting to...

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck, this could be bad. But that's fine, it was just them! In this apartment! In the middle of the day! Nothing weird here, just two dudes in the apartment dealing with one of them being a dragon! Nothing...

...

Off about a loud knock at the fucking door shit shit shit--

"Hide!" Yuugi hissed. "My room. Down the hall, first door on the right! I'll see who it is!"

The door knock was getting louder.

"Yuug? You in there?"

F U C K.

The growl that rises from deep within his chest is a mix of frustrated and angry. Why...why now, was he having to deal with this?! He should never have ended up here!

And then there's the knock, which makes his earfins flare and the scales on his face and draconic limb glow bright in alarm.

"Hide?!" he snarls, but not so loud as to be heard. "Hide how?!"

Nonetheless, he does his best to try and backpedal his way into the indicated room, all the while dragging the massive limb that he couldn't yet reduce down to a manageable size. The scales scrape against Yuugi's floor, and Seto winces at the discomforting sensation of the massive edges being rubbed the wrong way.

But if there's anything he doesn't want to face right now, it's a human whose motives he hasn't yet ascertained. And if Yuugi seems concerned, then he should be ten times that!

It takes him too long, but he does eventually make it out of sight. And without too much blood smearing on the floor, at that.

He'll betray you, his mind whispers cruelly. He's trapping you so that when he tells his comrade, they can both strike you down.

But if he does...then Seto will be ready. He'll defend himself.

Shit.

Shitshitshitshiiiiiit.

Okay, this was fine. Totally fine! He just had to think through this and get Jonouchi outta here as fast as possible! No big.

"Yuug?"

Shit, the doorknob was rattling!

"You all right in there?" Jou asked.

"Yeah!" Yuugi said, "You just caught me in the middle of--"

He swung the door open.

Stopped.

Stared.

He was not expecting the shit-eating grin, he had to be honest.

"Jonouchi...?"

Seto has the door to the room closed well before Yuugi opens the entrance door, and he remains incredibly quiet, despite the, uh. The difficulties of his current state. If he can avoid extra conflict, especially while he's bleeding, then that'd be for the best.

But he is listening, ear pressed close to the door.

...What did the new human assume that Yuugi was doing, he wonders.

"C'mon, Yuug, you don't gotta hide it from me."

Yuugi blinked.

"I'm sorry--"

"I mean, clearly there's something going on you don't want me to see, right?"

....

Okay, what.

W h a t--

"So, who's the guy?"

"What guy? There isn't a guy--"

"C'mon, the guy you brought home last night? Pops Tanaka said he saw you with some drunk stud walking towards your apartment--"

Fuck. Someone saw him?! Shit shit. But if it was from that distance, then they thought he was helping a drunk guy instead of an injured man, so...

He could spin this. Yeah.

He could do this.

"I just wanted to help him out and get him on his feet since he wasn't feeling well! Yeah! Nothing weird about--"

"Him fuckin' you?"

The mortified scream that came out of Yuugi's mouth could wake the dead.

"We're not-- that's not--I--"

"Holy shit you are, I was just kidding--"

"I am not--"

What?

What the hell is--WHAT THE HELL IS THIS GUY SAYING?!

Seto's scales have never prickled quite like this before, but the actual insult he feels at the mere insinuation that he'd be fraternizing with a goddamned human makes him have to suppress a growl. Does this creature show no decorum?! Does it understand privacy, even?!

"Rrrrrrrgh...!!"

Shit. That was audible.

At that roar, both men stopped.

Shiiiiit.

Yuugi bit his lip.

"What... was that?" Jou asked.

Shit. Think, idiot!

"Oh, uh...roleplay! We like to pretend we're dragons and roar and stuff. Pretty convincing, huh?"

Don't eat him, please.

Oh, good. Jou seemed... convinced. Perturbed, but...convinced.

"Ewwwww, okay, I did n o t need to know that."

"You asked!"

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firstrateduelist - 2025-06-14 15:48 (UTC) - Expand

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