Sorry for getting this up so late. Not that it matters. No one's reading this anyway XD.

Also, sorry for another short one. The next one will make up for it.

Chapter 5

The Solution

"Whoa…"

CJ took a moment to examine the creature in front of him. He stared into their yellow eyes, gazed at their bright, purple scales, and even patted their big belly. All the while, Devon and Cornwall let him take in their presence.

"So…pretty unbelievable, huh?" Madeline asked after a minute went by.

"Yeah, I'll say." CJ answered. "I mean, I've seen people with pet Komodo dragons, but never pet two-headed dragons."

"Hey! Who you callin' a pet?" Cornwall demanded. "We ain't nobody's pet!"

Devon nodded. "Yes, I believe the more proper term you're looking for is 'reptilian companion.'"

"Temporary companion, you mean." Cornwall reminded him.

"Oh, why must you keep bringing that up?"

"'Cause once we become a real dragon, we won't be 'companions' anymore! You know the rules! We can't be friends with a human!"

"Well, with that attitude, is it any wonder you don't have any friends?"

"I don't got friends because no one wants to associate with someone who has a boil that never stops talking!"

"Nonsense! If anything, we don't have friends because you never wear deodorant!"

"Hey, news flash! Real dragons aren't supposed to smell like lilies!"

CJ turned to Madeline. "Boy, for two heads that share the same body, they tend to disagree a lot, don't they?"

"That's not true, my boy," Devon said matter-of-factly. "Cornwall and I may have our differences, but that doesn't mean we butt heads on everything."

"Yes it does!" Cornwall insisted.

"No, it doesn't!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"Honestly, you can be so stubborn!"

CJ quickly changed the subject. "So, uh, does your mom know about this?"

"Nope." Madeline replied. "And she can't find out, either. That's why we need to get Devon and Cornwall flying before they inevitably get caught."

"But…I don't understand. Why can't they fly like other dragons?"

"Good question, kid." Cornwall retorted, pointing at Devon. "Why don't ya ask the dodo over here?"

"Well, if you ask me, I think it's because you've made us put on too much weight!" Devon snarked. "Anything with wings isn't meant to be over 2000 pounds!"

"But you guys said all the other dragons can fly and they have to be at least as big as you." Madeline pointed out. "I don't think that's the problem."

"Maybe they just need help getting in the air." CJ suggested. "I know! Why don't you two try standing on that rock over there?" he pointed to a rather large stone in the yard.

"I thought the idea was to get us in the air?" Cornwall responded sarcastically.

"Come now, Corny, why can't you just trust the lad?" Devon coaxed.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe 'cause real dragons don't trust anyone, especially not a human who doesn't even have wings."

"Let's just give it a try and see how it goes. You never know, it could work."

Cornwall sighed. "Fine. Whatever."

The two-headed beast stood on the rock.

"Okay, now what, genius? We still ain't flying!"

"I know that." CJ chuckled. "Now jump up into the air and flap your wings as hard as you can!"

The dragon shrugged and, figuring they had nothing to lose, did as they were told. But it didn't take long for their wings to give out and they hit the ground.

"Oh, great plan." Cornwall griped. "I think we broke through the stratosphere with that one."

"Hm. Maybe they need to start somewhere higher." Madeline said. "Let's see. Baby birds learn how to fly by falling out of trees. We could try that."

"I'm not sure a dragon that size could fit into a tree." CJ worried.

"Then we'll use the roof!"

Devon and Cornwall looked up at the roof of Madeline's house. To them, it seemed much higher from a distance. The duo gulped, but once again, decided to go along with it.

"Okay, you guys!" Madeline called to the two once they made it on the roof. "Whenever you're ready!"

"Trust the humans, you said." Cornwall remarked.

Devon laughed nervously. "I'm sure they know what they're doing."

"Yeah, but clearly you don't! If this doesn't do us in, then I'll do you in!"

Without any second thoughts, Devon and Cornwall took a few steps back and then leaped off the roof. This time, their wings managed to keep them in the air.

"Look! They're doing it!" Madeline exclaimed.

"Hey, I think she's right!" Devon cried excitedly. "I can feel ourselves going higher!"

"Feels more like we're going lower." Cornwall replied.

"Oh, how typical! You never have a hint of positivi-WAH!"

With no warning, the reptile began to plummet.

"Watch out!" Madeline warned and she and CJ moved back before they were squashed.

CRASH!

Devon and Cornwall landed flat on their faces, the impact of their fall creating a cloud of dust. When it cleared, they sat up with dazed expressions and Madeline and CJ rushed over to check on them.

"Are you guys okay?" Madeline asked. "That was a pretty big fall."

"Yeah. But not big enough." CJ concluded. "We'll have to go bigger!"

"But the roof of my house is the highest thing here. How can we get them any higher?"

"Hm…I think I know…do you still have some balloons left from your last birthday party?"

"I think so. Why?"

Inside the house, Tiffany was on the couch, still chatting with her friend.

"Look, all I'm saying is, she is absolutely nuts if she thinks he's gonna ask her to prom. Have you seen the way she dresses? So last century!"

While Tiffany was distracted, Madeline and CJ were able to sneak inside and run upstairs to Madeline's room. After checking the closet, they found a whole box of deflated balloons and carried them out to the backyard. CJ then took out a balloon, blew it up, and handed it to Madeline so she could tie it to Devon and Cornwall's tail. The whole time, the dragons had no clue what was happening. The kids repeated this process a few times until Madeline asked:

"So, why are we doing this again?"

"To help these guys get in the air!" CJ explained. "I saw this movie where some old guy ties a ton of balloons around his house and gets it to fly. So, if we tie enough balloons around their tail, they should fly, too!"

Madeline shook her head. "CJ, that was just a movie. Stuff like that isn't real."

"Well, yesterday, we thought dragons weren't real."

"Hm. Good point."

"Madeline…" Devon spoke up. "Are you absolutely certain this will work?"

"Oh, so now you're questioning these ideas!" Cornwall said, frustrated. "About time ya started using that walnut you call a brain!"

"Well, at least I have a brain!"

"Oh, clever comeback. Not like you've used that one a hundred thousand times."

As the two heads argued, Cookie, who had been sniffing around the yard, noticed the brightly colored balloons tied to their tail. He gained a huge grin. To him, the balloons looked like giant squeaky toys. Barking, he ran up to the dragon, jumped up, and grabbed the strings with his mouth, much to Devon and Cornwall's surprise.

"Oh my!"

"Hey! What are ya doin', ya mangy mutt?"

Cookie ripped the strings loose with his teeth.

"Cookie, no!" Madeline warned.

"Arf! Arf!" Cookie jumped off Devon and Cornwall's tail and made a run for it with the balloons in his mouth.

"He's getting away!" CJ cried.

Madeline and CJ climbed onto Devon and Cornwall's back.

"Boys, looks like we got ourselves a runaway pup!" Madeline spoke in a Southern accent.

CJ played along. "We'd better wrangle that little feller up before he causes a ruckus! Giddyup!"

"Oh, what? Are we a horse now?" Cornwall complained. "Is this a game? We're not these kids' toy!"

"Oh shush!" Devon ordered. "This sounds like fun. We could use the exercise anyway."

Fun fact: Cookie was actually named after and inspired by my dog in real life, Oreo (it's a female, irl though).

As promised, I've begun work on my first crossover fic. Expect Chapter 1 to go up in the beginning of October...hopefully.