Beta read by the awesome xfallenangel13x
Another long day of labor had passed. Not only had Joey cleaned out all eleven pens, but he had also been forced to help his father build Kaiba's new stall. Progress had been painstakingly slow, but his father had insisted on supervising every little thing that was done, saying it had to be perfect. To Joey, it was all ridiculous. A flowing fountain built into the walls, which were heated, and stone floors that retained said heat. Seto's stinking dragon could sleep on the concrete just like the rest of them for all he cared.
"I still dun get it," he muttered as he sanded down an uneven piece of brick in the floor. "I mean what's the difference? It's not like it's cold in here."
Quite the opposite, actually. It was scorching hot; the fiery breath of nearly a dozen dragons serving as insulation. The only thing cold in his barn was the occasional gust of wind, or a piece of frozen fish served as dinner. He glanced over at his father, who was glaring at him. "You work when someone pays you to work; that's what way of the world Joey. Get used to it."
With a heavy sigh Joey sat back on his knees, looking at the now-perfectly-even floor. His shirt lay uselessly by the door, and his pale body was sleek, covered in a thin layer of sweat. Along his arm ran an angry red scar, fresh from where his wound had healed over. After days of care and receiving much less rest then he should have, Joey came to the conclusion he'd lost a substantial amount of feeling in his hand.
He came said conclusion just a few days ago, when a hammer missed its mark and slammed against his thumb. Of course it had hurt, but not nearly as bad as it should have. Silently, he studied his father, fiddling with the wires that connected to the heated floor. Unspoken was the fact that his father was doing a piss-poor job, his welding sloppy and his wires barely connecting. "Go home, I'll finish here," Joey said as he stood, grabbing a pair of wire cutters and a set of gloves.
"What the hell do you know about this?" his father snapped as he yanked a wire from the wall, causing a stone to come loose.
"Great." Joey pouted to himself. "Another thing I have to fix." Sliding his gloves on, his eyes lifted to meet those of his father. "I know that welding needs to be smooth, wires need to be tight and grounded, and loose ends need to be bonded."
Matt stood, dropping the wire he held in his hand and pulling his gloves off with his teeth. "If you fuck this up, don't bother coming home Joseph. Get it done tonight too, Kaiba will be here tomorrow."
Joey had to bite his lip from speaking. "Don't fuck up on purpose…..don't fuck up on purpose…." His eyes almost screwed up at the restraint he was secretly displaying.
"Yes, sir," he breathed out quickly, surprised when the words left his mouth. Phew; that had been a close one.
Stepping aside his father whisked past with a grunt, brushing his shirt free of stone dust as he left the stable. Joey's head stuck out of the stall as he watched him leave. The snap of the barn door as it closed could be heard, and at the same time Joey threw his gloves off and onto the ground. Grabbing his shirt and putting it on, Joey rushed out of the stall. Tripping on the edge of the door in his haste, the teen scrambled to the end of the barn, down to the stall where the gray dragon (whom he now affectionately referred to as Nai) lay.
He clicked his tongue between his teeth and snapped his fingers to get her attention, waiting as she stretched awake, her tail wrapped around her clutch of growing eggs. A lazy yawn escaped her mouth, waves of heat rushing from her as she stood, giving the stall a circle to work out her stiff legs.
"Hey, Nai." His voice was smooth and calm, a hand reaching out to touch her muzzle. Slipping his other hand into his pocket he pulled out a small piece of deer jerky and tossed it into her mouth. Her teeth snapped shut around the small treat and she hummed happily, closing her eyes and leaning her head into Joey as he scratched at the scales on her head. "How is our love doing, hm?"
With another rumble the dragon pulled back and lowered her head over the eggs, picking up the darkest of the clutch and settling it at Joey's feet. With a smile he flopped onto his butt and sat down, pulling the egg into his lap. "Nai, you're a fine mother," he cooed as he smoothed his hands over the egg and it gave a twitch in his lap. "Haha, see? He agrees!"
The dragon thumped her tail, amused as one of her own eggs gave a quick jerk. All attention was suddenly on the eggs as another rocked violently, rolling onto its side. Joey's hand rested on his egg as he watched it roll again. It twitched, then split right down the center. His heart hammered against his chest as another crack appeared, his one larger than the last.
It didn't move for quite some time after that. Seconds passed, then minuets. Worried for the baby Joey leaned forward, mindful of his own egg and went to assist the hatchling, only to be stopped by Nai, who gazed upon him with accusing eyes. "But it needs help…."
She snorted in response, and Joey sat back once more. Minutes later, the egg cracked and a small leg popped out, looking as if the dragon had karate-kicked the shell off. Joey had to fight back his laughter. "Guess it was juss' savin' up its energy." He chuckled as the dragon's nose popped out of the hole its foot had made.
Slowly, the dragon made the hole bigger and while it was taking on the monumental task of coming into the world, its brother and sister decided to make an appearance as well. One came out quickly, a sharp jab of her nose breaking off a large piece of shell that allowed her to roll out onto the floor. Her damp wings flopped hopelessly at her side and she let out a shriek, desperately calling for her mother. The cry was not left unheard as Nai leaned down and nuzzled her mouth against her baby's body, lifting the delicate baby up and onto her back, waiting for her eyes to open.
While Nai tended to the baby, licking her clean and nudging her, the other dragons found their way out of their temporary home and into their new lives, crying out just like the one before. Joey watched in wonder and finally he looked back to his egg with anticipation. "Aw come on…" he sighed rubbing the shell of his egg with both hands. "Don't make me wait longer."
As if on cue, the egg gave a great shudder and Joey slid himself back to give it some space, swearing his heart had stopped. Again it moved, and rolled around, just like the others had before. First one crack appeared, then another. The first part of the dragon to appear was a small tail, the sharp tip poking through a weak point in the shell.
Upon seeing the tail Joey's mind began to work again, it dawned upon him what, exactly, was happening. "Shit!" He jumped up at the realization. He didn't have towels, a heating pad, or anything!
"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" he shouted as he ran out of the stall like an idiot, running all the way to the end of the barn to a storage closet. Not bothering with keeping organized he yanked a fistful of towels off the shelf, the rest falling to the floor. Grabbing a bottle of water and a sponge, the blonde quickly returned to Nai's pen.
His dragon had made quick work of the egg. Joey slid to a stop on his knees just in time, watching as the dragon gave a great stretch, and split the egg in half. It stood up, unbalanced, but began shaking the shell free from its small body. Not wanting to miss a moment, Joey scooped the baby up in the towel and began to clean it off, removing the egg membrane and generating warmth. Like the others, it shrieked and called out, its eyes still closed as it tried to climb onto Joey's shirt, seeking the warmth of his chest.
"Hey, calm down, now," Joey said as he took water and wetted the sponge, using it to clear away the thick mucus that surrounded the dragon's eyes. Struggling in protest, the baby nipped at his hands and moved its head away. Joey continued until a small ruby eye was blinking open and looking up at him. He cleared the other away, stopping as the baby clung to his shirt, both red eyes watching him, taking him in.
Without a warning, it sneezed, a fireball escaping its mouth, catching the boy's shirt on fire. "What tha-" Joey stood frantically and unhooked the baby from him, setting it gently on the floor. Stripping his shirt, he stomped on the blaze to put it out. Glaring at the youngster, it gave a small hiccup and walked over to Joey, ignoring Nai altogether. While the rest of her young slept soundly on her back, between her wings, the sleek black dragon stretched its nails and proceeded to climb up Joey's jeans.
His jaw slacked in disbelief at how mobile the small thing was, Joey looked to Nai, his face lost and confused. The mother dragon snorted and looked at Joey with apprehension. "I did my part, now it's your problem," the offhanded glanced seemed to say.
Looking back at his dragon, who was now desperately clawing at the bare skin of his waist, he reached down to grab her before she could scratch his skin. "Okay, okay! Geeze." She settled down as soon as she was pressed against Joey's chest. Not knowing what else to do Joey grabbed the dirty towels, sponge, and shirt, before leaving the stall. He felt as if he should somehow thank Nai, but he wasn't sure how. If it weren't for her, this baby dragon wouldn't be around.
Closing the stall door, he set the hatchling down long enough to put the dirty towels and sponge away then drank the rest of the water, trying to ignore the blistering heat in the barn. On his way out of the laundry room he stumbled over his dragon, falling flat on his face when he danced around to avoid stepping on its fragile body. Apparently displeased with Joey's sudden departure, it had gone looking for its parental figure, wandering with shaking legs down the hall.
Joey's face was level with the dragon's, and his honey-brown eyes looked square into the face of the baby. "Was that really necessary?" he muttered, the dragon squeaking in response, pleased to have found him. "Now you look here-" Joey lifted himself off the floor and bent down to pick the dragon up. "-I have work I gotta do, okay? If I dun finish it, I'ma be in big trouble."
He stepped into the unfinished stall and set the dragon down, picking up the gloves he'd thrown down earlier. "Be good!" he warned the infant sternly.
A job that would had only taken an hour took four, as breaks were often needed for accidental fires, escape attempts, indigestion of foreign objects, and, of course, the occasional chasing of a mouse, all compliments of the new born reptile. Quite rapidly Joey had been thrown into the world of parenting, reminding him of the days he would chase Serenity around the house, trying to keep her out of trouble.
"I thought you guys needed a few days to grow!" Joey muttered as he put his tools away, satisfied with the wiring and began to sweep out the stall. The baby chased a few small rolling pebbles that moved when Joey swept and after that Joey sat down, his bare back pressed to the warm wall. Without hesitation the baby curled up in his lap and Joey gave a deep yawn, glancing outside through the skylight to be greeted by twinkling stars.
"It has been a long day, huh?" he mused, tickling the baby with the tip of his finger behind a budding horn. Tail tucked to its nose, and wings limply clinging to its sides, the youngster fell asleep. She was cute, in her own way, although dangerous. Its scales were as dark as the night sky, its tail was tipped perfectly, and soon it would solidify into a deadly weapon. The hatchling gave a hiccup in its sleep, making Joey smile. "Harmless as a tiny salamander," he chuckled quietly before closing his eyes, drifting off into sleep.
"Oh, god..." An unpleasant tone woke Joey early the next morning. For some reason it sent a wave of aggravation through him, like a loud alarm clock. He knew that voice from somewhere, he was sure. Still not opening his eyes Joey stretched and yawned, realizing he had curled up around his dragon.
"I didn't know they allowed morons the right to own dragons." Damn... that voice was back again. Joey's face scrunched together unpleasantly and he sat up, opening his eyes, rubbing them furiously. "It figures, too; your dragon is as lazy as you."
Finally it set in, that familiar snarky tone that accompanied those ungodly blue eyes. "Seto?" Joey sat wide awake and eyes open, looking at the young boy who stood at the stall door. At his side was something Joey hadn't seen before. Next to him, stood a white dragon, with blue eyes as stunning as his owner's. Although young, it was strong, with broad shoulders, thick legs, a slim but toned neck, and a sturdy tail that looked like it could knock a hole in a wall. This had to be one of the great white dragons that the tamers so often spoke of.
"Magnificent isn't he? Take it in, Wheeler. This is what a real dragon looks like," he sneered as his eyes looked pathetically over the hatchling that stood by Joey.
"He was only born yesterday!" Joey spat back defensively. Who gave a shit if this kid's father paid for his dinner or not; he wasn't about to allow his dragon to be spoken to like that!
Rolling his eyes, Seto leaned his shoulder against the frame of the stall door. "And? Addis had already been spitting fire by then."
Anger flared in Joey, his eyes burning and his hands clenched into fists. About to tell Seto he could go piss off, the other boy spoke before he could get a word out.
"Look, I don't care if I have to be around you, just keep your inbred dog away from my dragon, okay Wheeler?" Seto walked into the stall, Addis snapping at the hatchling as it moved out of the way, clinging closer to Joey's leg. Protectively, Joey bent down and picked up the baby. "Oh, and put a shirt on, would you? You're making me nauseous."
With wide, disbelieving eyes, Joey backed out of the stall, at a loss for words at just how damn rude a person could be. Standing in the hall Joey watched as Seto inspected the stall, looking for mistakes that he would never find, ignoring Joey, as if he had turned invisible.
"Whatever." Joey snorted as he set his dragon back down, turning to leave the barn. Opening the large door he stopped in his tracks when he realized two things. One, his father was now standing in front of him, and two, the baby dragon was still stuck at his heels, giving Joey an expectant look.
"Uhh... hey..." Joey stammered to think of something coherent to say.
Matt's eyebrows furrowed and his lips set into a deep frown. "What is that?" he asked pointing at the baby dragon, which looked remarkably similar to his own...
Left it on a slight cliffhanger. Any thoughts on what'll happen? R&R :)