In the middle of a storm, Draco rushes into Arle's cottage with something she eagerly wants to say. Requested by a tumblr anon!

A Draconic Confession

"Gao! There you are, Arle!" Draco exclaimed, throwing open the mage's front door.

As it smacked into her wall and jostled her coat rack, Arle yelped, the hairs on her neck standing at attention. She shuddered, a draft quickly rolling inside as the rain slammed down onto the forest. Her brow furrowed as Draco barged inside, quickly discarding her leather jacket onto the wooden coat rock. As Draco flicked the door shut with her tail, Arle stood up and sighed.

"You know, I was just about to head to bed after I finished journaling," she said, pointing at the worn diary and quill pen on her desk.

"Yeah, well, I heard a rumor about ya!" She stomped forward, trekking water onto her carpet, and as Arle narrowed her eyes, she puffed her chest out. "You can turn into a dragon!"

"I can-huh?" She leaned back, wondering why stars were sparkling in Draco's eyes.

"You heard me! You! Dragon! Transformation!" She tugged at her own wings and smiled wide enough to show her small fangs.

Her string of words still left Arle confused. Despite her magical prowess, Arle couldn't transform into a dragon. She mastered the elements and statuses, but genuine transformation magic eluded her. Perhaps someone had mistakenly assumed she could transform into a dragon and passed that along to Draco, and as she mulled over Draco's exclamation, her eyes widened.

"Oh! I think there's been-"

"Man, why didn't you tell me you could turn into a dragon?" Draco clutched her hands, beaming down at the magician as if she were the only girl in the world. "That's gonna make this so much easier!"

Withholding her explanation, Arle quirked her lips into a grin. She knew Draco's impulsivity couldn't be stopped with mere words. Once she set her mind on something, she sought to do it every step of the way. Whether it was finding the perfect place to tan, practicing her runway walk, or honing her martial arts, Draco refused to back down. It was something she admired about the young dragon woman, and she decided to let Draco continue as she ran her thumbs along Arle's knuckles.

"So, hey, don't let this ruin our friendship, got it?" Her eyes seemed to dilate, stricken with some fear Arle couldn't place, but when she nodded, Draco relaxed. "Good! Okay, so, here I go! Gao! Gaooo! Gao, gao, gaooo!"

Only the thunderclap roaring through the clouds responded to her earnest, passionate cry. Lightning streaked outside, swiftly following his brother as the storm continued. The rain beat down on the world, and the cottage quaked, matching the rumbling thunder edging farther away.

Arle blinked, her mind blank. She listened to the storm and took in Draco's face. Her cheeks were singed with fiery red, and her eyes returned to their dilated pinpricks. She felt Draco's hands slip from hers, and she wasn't sure what to do, choosing to keep her palms pressed to her sides.

"Uh, didn't you understand me?" Draco asked, her weaker voice pinching Arle's heart.

"Oh, no. I was going to tell you that I can't transform into a dragon. I used my illusion spell to become a dragon, so I think you have a…" She sucked down a breath. "...misconception."

"A miscon-!" She clamped her lips shut and drew away. Narrowing her glare on the carpet, Draco balled her hands into fists. She struggled to smile as if to play off her embarrassment, but all she could do was manage a half-hearted smirk.

"But you know…" Arle drew forward, wrapping her arms behind her back. "...when I used my magic to become a dragon and spoke with Dragon, he told me something very interesting."

"Yeah? What's that?" Draco mumbled, glancing back to her.

"Dragons only communicate through gaos, and he told me the inflection used helps another dragon figure out what they wanna say." She smiled and cocked her head. "I think you just said 'I love you, Arle,' so without further ado…" She raised her hands like claws and flashed a bright smile. "...Gao! Gaooo! Gao, gao, gaooo!"

"H-h-heeey! Are you-? You better-you better not be makin' fun of me!" Draco cried, but when Arle shook her head, she lowered her defenses, her heart feeling as if it could flutter like a butterfly. She raised her fists to her chin, a high-pitched squeal shooting past her fangs. "Gaooooooo!"

"Gao!" Arle punched the air.

"Gao, gao!"

"Gao, gaoooo, gao!"

"Gugugu!"

They winced, Carbuncle appearing with his tiny blanket and soft bed. He squinted at them, his slumber clearly disturbed. As they gu'ed back at him, he nodded and ambled back to Arle's room.

"Gao, gao," Arle whispered, slipping her hand into Draco's and pulling her closer.

"Gaooo," she cooed, and she pressed a chapped kiss to her brow, the storm moving farther away until it was finally forgotten, replaced with gentle moonlight slipping in from the window to illuminate the lovestruck girls.