"My buddy!" Axia's voice repeated inside of Drum's mind as he lay at the foot of Gao's bed. The blue dragon invading him mentally was asleep just a few inches away, and Drum could feel Axia consciously invading his personal space, despite being asleep. It didn't help that both dragons had stripped to their white briefs to sleep, besides the stupid little flat-topped hat that Axia wore. It resembled an American graduation cap, and it seemed to perch itself immaculately on top of his head regardless of the position he was in.

Drum sighed, not able to ferret the thoughts out of his mind. Axia was annoying, sure, but he was still a fellow dragon. It was a mental conflict that kept him up on more occasions besides this one. He wanted to show his love, but it often got too touchy for him to handle. He looked at Axia; the blue dragon slept peacefully on his back, one hand on his chest. Drum reflected on his decisions while he stared at Axia.

Drum watched Axia's chest rise and fall, illuminated by the moonlight from the open window. He broke himself out of his gawking trance after what seemed like a few minutes.

Drum figured that there was no use waiting anymore. He had to do something about his sleeplessness due to brooding over what gradually became a trivial matter to him. He was Drum Bunker Dragon! He could tell this little dragowizard how he felt. He sat up, glancing at Gao, who was fast asleep and snoring quietly.

The brave armor dragon reached his arm over to Axia, gently shaking him.

"Axia?" he whispered. "Hey, wake up."

The dragowizard stirred, but only muttered something and rolled onto his side, facing away from Drum.

He tried again.

"Come on, Axia…! Wake up," he half-whispered in a feeble attempt to not awaken Gao.

This time Drum had results, and Axia rolled over onto his other side to face him.

"What's up, buddy?" he inquired in his sleepy, but certainly not less cheerful tone. Gao shifted, which made Drum freeze, but Axia stayed lax with his… admittedly, cute blush and smile.

Drum shook the thoughts away, addressing his fellow dragon in a whisper. "Mind if we talk?"

Axia grinned widely, cheerily replying: "Nope!" He sat up, still facing Drum,

Silence froze the room as Drum collected his thoughts to speak. "Do you know how… you've been… y'know," Drum forced out.

"You mean 'been your buddy?' I love being your buddy, Drum!" Axia giggled lightly like a schoolgirl at the thought.

"Yeah… it's about that." Drum stopped, and he felt his face flush. This "trivial matter" was harder to deal with than he thought.

Axia gasped, "Y-you wanna b-be my b-buddy too?" He was practically bursting with excitement, and it's a miracle that Gao hadn't woken up just from Axia's excited trembling.

"S-sorta…" Drum trailed off, looking away from Axia. "I have… feelings for you, Axia. I don't know if-if it's all your affection, or what, but… it's making me-"

Axia cut off Drum with a finger pressed to his lips. "Do you want me to back off, buddy? I can do that, even if I am a bit rambunctious. Maybe I was just a bit excited about meeting my buddy." Axia's usual tone faded as he spoke, a more serious one replacing it. He stared sincerely into Drum's golden eyes.

Drum didn't know what to say. He wasn't expecting - well, this. Maybe he came off wrong, or gave the wrong message, or… darn it, he'd messed it up! "No!" He screwed his eyes shut as if taking a blow. "I like you more than a buddy, Axia!" he blurted out, looking away immediately after that, an ashamed frown on his face.

"Oh," Axia began, his blush reddening, "I… like you too, Drum. Not just as my buddy."

"Really?"

"Really."

Drum gave a relieved sigh, and his invading thoughts left him, replaced with serenity. "I didn't think you did," he managed to say. "I thought you just wanted to be buddies."

"I'm fine with being more than buddies with you, Drum," he replied, his cheery demeanor suddenly returning. "Is there anything you wanted to do?" Axia flushed as if to suggest something.

Drum obviously didn't take the hint. He pondered for a good minute, before Axia cleared his throat and obtained the scrying dragon's attention. Axia extended a finger, looking away as he gently tapped it on his lips with a short giggle.

The blue dragon did not get what he expected. Instead of the gentle peck that seemed fit for Drum's first kiss, he pursed his lips and pressed them hard against Axia's. The kiss was awkward for sure, but held all the power of Drum Bunker Dragon, and Axia felt it.

The dragons' lip lock was cut short as Gao stirred, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Both dragons quickly fell to their sides and pretended to sleep to the best of their abilities. Drum's heart was pounding, his temples throbbing. He hoped Axia had liked it… but there was no time to worry about that now.

Gao looked around the room as if he sensed some sort of phantasm. "Jin? You're not here are you?" he yelled angrily to no reply. The disturbance Gao had felt couldn't have been from his dragons, as he deduced. They were "asleep" at his feet, facing each other. He made a wary grunt, laying his head back down. "No-good Katanas…" he muttered as he drifted off to sleep again.

Drum opened one eye, and Axia did the same. The blue dragon winked his open eye, which made Drum sigh in relief once again. He took it that Axia had enjoyed himself. The next signal he received was Axia's beckoning claw, and both dragons slipped off the bed silently. They stood behind the baseboard of the bed.

"Did you like it for real?" Drum had to ask.

"Of course I did, silly armor dragon. Always worried about the small things, like I always say," Axia teased.

Drum caught it, laughing softly. "I'm sorry, that was only my first kiss. I thought it might have been bad," he admitted.

"It was only mine, too… Maybe we could teach each other!" he suggested excitedly, only really seeking for another excuse to put his lips on Drum's. Axia bent over with his arms at his sides, fingers pointed outwards. "I didn't feel it enough last time," he said, puckering up his lips and closing his eyes.

Drum hesitated, but he puckered up and leaned in to kiss Axia again, this time not stunted by Gao. He was able to feel Axia's energy this time, feeling a connection he never did before.

They broke the kiss simoultaneously, both having differing reactions. Axia simply smiled, but Drum ran his claws across his lips. Axia opened his eyes, still grinning. "That was nice," he commented.

Drum plopped down on his rump, giving a nod of agreement.

"What do you say we make a new card? Dragon snuggles!" Axia laughed out, hopping back up on the bed.

"Okay, but Gao can't know!" Drum climbed up with, laying on his side. "Just hug me from behind, it'll look like you did it," he suggested.

"But then I can't see that cute face of yours," Axia pouted, laying in front of Drum, sliding closer. "And, you know, you're really cute when you're flustered."

Drum groaned out of annoyance. "Fine." He extended his arms outwards. Axia practically jumped into them, locking his arms around Drum and pressing the tip of his muzzle to Drum's.

"Good night," wished Axia.

"…Good night."