Fic: I set a course for winds of fortune (Hungry like the wolf) - [3/4]
Title: ‘I set a course for winds of fortune (Hungry like the wolf)’ [3/4]
Author: jen_jm
Beta: el_defe
Pairing: Bojan Krkić/Sergio Canales (Bojales \o/), Cesc Fabregas/Gerard Piqué, mentions of others. Appearances of Iker Casillas, Pep Guardiola, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Esteban Granero, Álvaro Arbeloa, Leo Messi, Carles Puyol, Xabi Alonso and various WAGs. Oh, and a very special Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rating: R, I think?
Category: slash
Word count: about 20,605 total
Warnings: AU, mild language, madness, unicorns (yes, seriously)
Disclaimer: I wish I owned them, but I don’t.
Author’s Notes: Just as crazy as it sounds, hopefully just as good. The title is a joint effort of Kansas and Duran Duran.
Summary: “Son,” Bojan’s father starts, wide-eyed. “Why on earth, do you have a tail?”
Crossposted
Part 1 || Part 2
Banner by miss_hale
~~
3. The one with the unicorns and the dragon
They’re all sitting in the living room after dinner, and they can hear the unicorns come back towards the house one at a time, quiet and peaceful like there’s nothing in the dark that scares them. Bojan envies them a little for that.
Helena is making tea, while Zlatan is sitting with his son on his knees. Now that Helena has taken off the pale coat and she’s left with only a white dress, they can see she’s expecting another child. Thankfully, Cesc has resisted the urge to suggest that the archenemy might become dad too.
“Mh, I see,” Leo mutters as he examines Bojan’s tail. “It looks like a nasty curse.”
“Can you help us?” Sergio tries to look at him in the eye and Leo faces him without hesitation. “We really need a unicorn hoof.”
“Well, I can’t let you kill a unicorn,” Leo replies with an apologetic smile.
“That was never an option,” Bojan immediately says, shaking his head with conviction.
“But unicorns aren’t immortal, right?” Gerard looks at Leo first, then at Helena, Zlatan’s wife, who was pouring them some tea. “They age.”
“They do,” Leo confirms with a slow nod. “The oldest unicorn here, Alice, is three hundred years old.”
“What's the average life span of a unicorn?” Cesc frowns at that number, truly impressed.
“About five hundred years,” Helena says as she sits down next to Leo.
“We don't have two hundred years,” Sergio points out with a sigh, then rubs his eyes in a way that betrayed how exhausting that journey really has been to all of them. “Bojan’s turning into a wolf and it’s happening pretty fast.”
“What about the already dead unicorns?” Bojan looks at his boyfriend, then turns his attention to Leo and Helena.
“They don’t die here,” Leo tells them and takes a sip from his tea. “They leave when they sense the end is coming.”
“They go to the paradise of unicorns!” Maxi, Zlatan’s son, offers with a wide smile.
“You mean the unicorns’ graveyard?” Sergio’s eyes widen and he turns his attention from the kid once again to Leo. “That’s just a legend.”
“That’s what we want people to think,” Leo explains with a brief laughter. “Or it’d be raided in no time, and unicorns deserve respect.”
“What’s this graveyard?” Cesc looks at them with a even more confused expression and that earns him a smirk from Zlatan.
“According to legends, it’s the place where magic was born,” Helena answers and hands Maxi a slice of apple. “Unicorns go there to die.”
“That’s it, then,” Sergio declares with a hopeful smile. “We only need one hoof, we’ll tell nobody about the graveyard.”
“It’s not an easy place to travel to,” Leo objects, but his tone isn’t hostile as Sergio expects it to be. “You’ll have to go up north-east, ride to the end of the kingdom.”
“We’re not very far from Terragona, the kingdom border is a day away,” Cesc offers, just as hopeful.
“What is it that you’re not telling us?” Bojan looks at Leo directly in the eye and once again he doesn’t even try to avoid it.
“Only a magic creature can let you into the graveyard,” the guardian explains with a quiet, posed smile.
“You mean an elf?” Gerard groans, not too keen on having to deal with el Pirata and his brother again.
“No, I mean a dragon,” Leo corrects him and laughs a little at their shocked faces.
“Tell me you don’t mean we have to ride a dragon,” Sergio stares at him like he’s grown two heads; there’s no way on earth they can find a dragon and convince it to fly them to the graveyard. As he knows a little too well, dragons aren’t the most docile of creatures; also, they tend to hate wizards. Forcefully.
“I’m afraid that’s exactly what he means,” Helena answers for him and smiles too, amused by the not very enthusiastic responses those words cause.
“It’s not as terrible as it sounds,” Leo objects, still laughing, and stands from the chair.
“And how exactly are we supposed to find a dragon who’s willing to cooperate?” Sergio tries to keep his voice calm and collected as he asks, but the entire conversation is just driving him crazy, and by what he can see, it’s the same for his friends. Zlatan, on the other hand, is sitting quietly and holding his son, but he’s keeping an eye on the whole exchange.
“You can’t,” Helena says like Sergio has just said the most idiot thing she’s ever heard.
“You’ll have to find a dragon trainer,” Leo explains with a patient smile. “I have a friend who might be able to help you,” he adds, then takes a deep breath. “Go to sleep and get some rest, I’ll see if he’s willing to help.”
“You have a friend who’s a dragon trainer?” Bojan blinks several times, trying to figure out how he’s ended up in that crazy place. Oh, right, the tail.
“I’m the Guardian, I have very odd sorts of friends,” Leo confirms with a careless shrug, then gestures them to stand. “I’ll show you your rooms.”
They follow him upstairs without another word and Cesc is vaguely aware of Gerard throwing glances back at the living room as they leave. He tries to ignore it, but it makes his stomach flip upside down.
~
“How’s your leg doing?”
Cesc tries to keep his tone casual, but clearly fails to hide his worry completely; Gerard turns his head and smiles at him, almost surprised by his question, which pisses Cesc off a little bit. The other boy seems to notice something is wrong and his grin fades.
“A little sore from the riding, but the wound doesn’t hurt much,” Gerard says, a little quiet, then looks at Cesc with an unsure smile. “Is everything alright?”
Ask your precious knight, Cesc thinks, and does his best to keep it to himself, but what comes out of his mouth is precisely that. “Ask your precious knight.”
“What does Zlatan have to do with this?” Gerard blinks several times and stares at him like he’s gone completely crazy; he sits down on the bed, facing him, and waits for him to say something.
“Never mind,” Cesc mutters and stands, not willing to answer that question; it has taken him a very short amount of time to admit to himself he’s dead jealous of the attention Gerard has been paying to Zlatan, but he surely isn’t going to tell Gerard that. Not in a million years.
Besides, he’s still struggling with the idea of being a little too fond of Gerard in the first place.
“I don’t get it, he’s fun,” Gerard offers, but doesn’t move from his spot, just watches him pace in front of the bed.
“He’s a jerk,” Cesc objects in a low mutter, keeping his eyes on the floor.
“He’s brought us here, he’s helped us,” Gerard points out with an unbelieving chuckle. “Or maybe you forgot why we started this journey in the first place?”
“I didn’t leave for the same reason you did,” Cesc reminds him with an equally annoyed tone, but stops pacing when Gerard gets on his feet.
“And clearly you aren’t staying here for the same reason we are,” the boy retorts, looking at him in the eye, but Cesc feels his heart sink when he realizes his tone is more disappointed than challenging. “Why are you still here?”
“You know why,” Cesc just says and looks down at the space between them, but looks up again as soon as he realizes how girlish that move is.
“Because I asked you to?” Gerard doesn’t sound impressed and surely not happy, which Cesc doesn’t really find surprising. “Well, you can go, if this is so horrible.”
“It’s not-- hell, you’re stupid,” Cesc spits, incredulous, then turns around and reaches his bed. “You’re the most stupid being I’ve ever met, and I’ve met trolls.”
“Hey!” Gerard grabs his arm and forces him to turn, angry. “You’re the one who’s not making sense, so stop insulting me for trying to understand why you’re acting like a jerk,” he adds, but before Cesc can escape his grip, he continues, “I understand this isn’t your fight, but Bojan needs all the help he can get and honestly, I thought you liked--”
“I don’t like seeing you with him, alright?” Cesc cuts him off, unable to deal with the quantity of words leaving his mouth in such a ridiculously short amount of time.
“Oh,” Gerard just says, clearly stunned by that admission, but he doesn’t let go of his arm. “I thought you-- I mean--”
Cesc looks away and takes a deep breath, then gently tugs his arm away from Gerard’s hand, a little disappointed when he finds no resistance. He turns around without a word and reaches his bed, determined to go to sleep and leave that conversation way behind. Gerard, on the other hand, just stands there for a few more seconds, then silently heads for his own bed.
He doesn’t get under the blanket, though, he just sits there and chews on his lower lip, thoughtful. “D’you want to leave?”
“I want to sleep,” Cesc deadpans, but he’s taken aback at the sadness in the boy’s voice.
There’s a few long minutes of silence, in which Cesc hopes he can pretend to be asleep; he can sense Gerard is still widely awake a few feet behind him, but he can’t find a single intelligent thing to say. He doesn’t know where they stand anymore, he doesn’t know how to interpret his reaction, and he’s not even sure Gerard understood what he really meant with his confession.
“I was just joking around with him,” Gerard eventually says and yes, at least Cesc has that confirmation. “He’s not my type, anyway.”
“Good for you,” he mutters, conscious that the boy knows he’s not really sleeping.
Gerard seems to give up at that and sighs heavily; a moment later, Cesc can hear the soft shifting of the blanket as Gerard slides into the bed. He’s almost tempted to turn around and face him, ask him what’s going to happen to them, just talk to him, but before he can make up his mind, Gerard blows on the candle and the room goes dark.
~~
“Oh my--” Helena almost drops her tea when Bojan walks in the room the following morning. “What happened?”
“The curse is progressing,” Bojan informs with a depressed sigh as he sits at the table. Maxi smiles at him and reaches out to pet his newly acquired wolf ears and Bojan lets him. “We need to move fast.”
“Where is Leo?” Sergio takes a seat next to his boyfriend, but doesn’t make a move to take any of the food ready for them.
“Outside,” Helena says and points at the door, then smiles at them. “He’s waiting for a reply from his friend.”
“Let’s hope he has good news,” Bojan huffs out before taking a long sip of tea.
Gerard and Cesc join them a few minutes later, but from the way they’re avoiding looking at each other, Bojan can tell something is wrong; before he can ask, though, Gerard sees his wolf ears and barely chokes back a fit of wild laughter.
“I’m sorry, I’m--” Gerard presses his hand on his mouth and tries to calm the irresistible urge to laugh his ass off. “I know this isn’t a good sign, but-- you look ridiculous.”
“Thank you, now I really feel better,” Bojan mutters with a dark glare in his direction, which convinces Gerard that yes, he’s probably already laughed enough about it, it might be time to be worried.
Cesc just squeezes Bojan’s shoulder with a hand as he sits down at the table, but doesn’t make any remark, which Bojan appreciates. Zlatan, luckily enough, is nowhere near and hasn’t seen him yet, something he secretly hopes to never change, even thought he knows it’s not possible.
And in fact, five minutes later, Leo walks in with Zlatan, and they both stop dead in their tracks when they see Bojan.
“He’ll meet you in Figueres,” Leo announces as soon as he reads in Bojan’s eyes just how much he’s craving to hear good news. “He owes me, so he’ll help you.”
“How can we repay you?” Sergio smiles widely at him, a little unbelieving, and stands from his seat.
“By keeping the secret,” Leo immediately says, like he’s just waiting for a good excuse to remind them that. “About this place and about the graveyard.”
“We’ll never tell a soul,” Bojan promises, jumping on his feet. “We’ll--” he stops, not knowing what else to add, then just settles for hugging Leo. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” Leo laughs a little, surprised by that gesture.
Zlatan watches them and shakes his head, but the smile on his lips is genuine; he brings his hand up to touch Bojan’s ears, then grips one and uses it to force him away from Leo. Bojan complains about the pain and tries to slap his hand away, and Sergio can’t help laughing at the scene. Even Cesc cracks a smile at that, able to ignore the way his stomach burns whenever he sees Zlatan.
They leave an hour later with their sacks filled with the food Helena insisted on giving them for the journey; the sun is covered by a thick wall of clouds and they all sense they’re going to get wet pretty soon. Still, in no way that makes them any less hopeful.
They promise to come back and visit once the whole thing is over and Bojan has to admit he’d love that, and not just because he hopefully won’t have a tail - and claws and wolf ears -, then: he likes Leo and Helena and he has to admit he doesn’t dislike Zlatan either, but mostly, he loves being surrounded by the unicorns, by those mysterious creatures that can pass on so much peacefulness with just their presence.
“I like this place,” he tells Sergio with a wide smile as they ride through the forest. “My mom would love it.”
And for the first time since leaving, he allows himself to think about his family back home; maybe it’s the hope that the curse is going to end soon, but he feels his heart skip a beat at the thought of going back to his village, of seeing his parents again. It’s only now that he realizes he was slowly giving up as the journey proceeded. He shakes that thought out of his head and looks up at the grey sky he can see through the leaves; a first drop hits him on the cheek and he smiles, even though he knows it’s not exactly good news for them.
“We should find shelter somewhere, we can’t ride in the rain,” Cesc proposes with a worried look at the sky.
“Of course we can, it’s just water,” Gerard snaps, not even looking at him.
“Yeah, tell me that when you’re coughing up your lungs,” Cesc retorts angrily, but avoids responding to Sergio and Bojan’s curious looks.
“Let’s just go on, if it rains too much, we’ll find shelter,” Sergio declares after a few seconds, uncertain on what is going on between their friends. When he looks at Bojan, he can see he’s clueless as well.
They ride in silence for the following hour; the rain is light and almost refreshing, mainly due to the leaves stopping most of it. Gerard and Cesc keep not looking at each other and that’s surely the oddest change in the journey; Bojan almost regrets when they used to spend the entire time talking and laughing together.
The rain doesn’t increase enough to force them to stop, and by the time they exit the forest, it has stopped completely, leaving space to a pale sun. The hills in front of them are covered in small, colored flowers, shiny in the daylight thanks to the raindrops sitting on them; they still have half a day ahead, and they decide that’s a good enough spot to stop for lunch.
“Should we set up a fire?” Cesc asks as he looks around, trying to figure out what a good place for fire would be.
“Let’s just eat something and keep going,” Bojan objects as he looks warily at the still grey sky. “I’d like to get to Figueres as quick as we can.”
Gerard ignores the conversation and, after he’s done tying the horses, sits down under a big oak tree, silent. He barely touches his lunch and watches them from his spot, but doesn’t join them until they decide it’s time to resume moving; at Bojan’s attempt of asking him what’s wrong, he just shakes his head and waves it off with a careless shrug.
“This is going to be a long ride,” Sergio mutters, throwing Bojan an exasperated look.
~
The rain slows them down and they’re forced to stop for the night while they’re still in the woods. They know they’re near enough to allow themselves some sleep; after that, it’ll only take them a couple of hours to get to the meeting point Leo has given them. Bojan is glad for the chance to rest, but he doesn’t really look forward to having to deal with Cesc and Gerard and their childish behavior. Somehow it has gotten worse during the day, they went from not talking to each other to object stubbornly at everything the other one says.
Once they’re settled, Bojan watches them take place on opposite sides of the fire and sighs as he sits a few feet away; the warmth of the fire reaches him even there and he closes his eyes, resting his back on the tree behind him. A few moments later, he jumps when he feels a hand on his shoulder, but smiles when he recognizes Sergio’s soft, careful touch.
“Are you okay?” Sergio almost whispers and Bojan’s smile widens as he opens his eyes.
“Are you?”
Sergio chuckles at that answer and lies down on the ground with his head in Bojan’s lap, something they’re used to, something they do whenever Sergio sneaks into Bojan’s room without his parents knowing it; they know about them, they accepted Sergio and treat him like a son, they’re the family he never had - expect for Iker -, but they surely wouldn’t allow them to sleep in the same room, not yet. Considering what they’re going through together, not sleeping in the same room seems like the stupidest prohibition on the planet, right now. Sergio laughs briefly at that thought and earns a curious look from his boyfriend.
“Once this is over, your parents really need to back off a little,” Sergio points out with a grin. “I mean, we’ve slept in all sorts of weird places lately, I think I can stay in your room.”
“They don’t have a problem with you staying in my room,” Bojan corrects him and laughs as well. “They have a problem with you staying in my bed.”
“Which is practically the same thing,” Sergio objects, looking up at him. “Am I supposed to sleep on the floor or what?”
“Well, you’re lying on the floor now,” Bojan jokes and that earns him a soft slap on the cheek.
Sergio closes his eyes and smiles as soon as he feels Bojan’s hand in his hair, fingers threading softly through long locks. For a moment he thinks he should cut them really short, but discards the idea when he remembers how often Bojan says he loves his hair.
“I like the forest at night,” Bojan whispers after a while and rests his head back on the tree.
“It's a little creepy,” Sergio points out and looks up at him, smiling widely.
“It's peaceful,” Bojan disagrees and looks down to meet his eyes with no hesitation. “Just you and me, and those two idiots who won't even talk to each other.”
Sergio laughs quietly at that and shakes his head a little, feeling his heart get lighter for a moment at the realization that Bojan hasn’t lost hope or sense of humor. After all, they’re one step away from getting what they need, and then, it’s just a three days ride back to the witches.
When Bojan tilts his head down a little, though, Sergio can’t help the grin that curves his lips and he forgets about routes and how many days it’ll take them.
“Geri's right, you do look a little ridiculous,” he admits as he stifles a fit of laughter. “Those ears are--” he doesn’t finish, just laughs against the palm of his hand.
“Thank you,” Bojan glares down at him, a little unbelieving, but soon enough, gives up and laughs as well.
“You’re very welcome,” Sergio chirps back, and sits up to face him. Bojan reluctantly lets go of his hair and leans closer, but Sergio moves back and grins. “Can I touch them?”
“You’ve been playing with my tail for days,” Bojan reminds him, rolling his eyes, then realizes how that sounds and blushes a little. “Don’t make a dirty joke.”
“Too late, I already made it in my head,” Sergio admits cheerfully and raises his hand to touch Bojan’s wolf ear. “D’you realize you have two sets of ears?”
“Yes, I kind of noticed,” Bojan replies, laughing, then glances at Gerard and Cesc; they seem to be asleep, but he knows better than that. At least, he knows Gerard well enough to know he can fake sleep pretty well.
“I still prefer your tail, though,” Sergio confesses as his other hand brushes the tail that’s resting on the ground beside them.
“When you’re a grown wizard, we’ll talk about whether to experiment with tails or not,” Bojan concedes with a solemn nod, then moves the tail out of reach, satisfied to see he has it under control.
“You’d let me?” Sergio’s eyes widen at those words and he doesn’t know whether to take is as a joke or a promise.
“Not a permanent one,” Bojan just says, but it’s not a ‘no’ and Sergio feels his heart clench in his chest.
“Stupid sap,” he mutters as he leans closer and rests his lips on the corner of Bojan’s mouth. “I love you with or without a tail.”
He gets a slap on the back of the head for the first part and a kiss for the last one.
~
The moment they see the dragon sleeping next to the river, they know they can stop. There’s a man tending to a horse next to the huge sleeping beast and, compared to it, they look almost insignificant. Carles - at least that’s the name Leo’s given them - however, is tall and built, and not even his curly long hair helps to give him a friendly look.
“Oh, you must be Leo’s friends,” Carles greets them with a smile as soon as they approach and they have to admit, he does look a little less threatening up close. “You got here pretty quickly.”
“I’m afraid it’s my fault if we’re in a hurry,” Bojan admits with a vague gesture towards the ears and tail.
“Looks bad,” Carles admits with a grimace. “I guess you really do need that hoof, uh?”
“Just one hoof, nothing else,” Sergio confirms with a slow, careful nod.
“It’s not me you have to convince,” Carles replies with a shrug, then whistles at a volume most of them find way too high. The dragon wakes up a second later and they all take several steps back as it gets on its feet. “This is Xabi, he’s the one you have to convince.”
“I thought you already convinced him,” Gerard points out as he watches the animal warily.
“I’m a trainer, not a master,” Carles retorts with a frown. “I convinced him to listen to you.”
“Great,” Sergio mutters and takes a deep breath before stepping forward; Carles gestures the other to move away and they all walk until they’re out of earshot, which Sergio is grateful for. “Uh, hi Xabi.”
“Hello, young wizard,” the dragon turns to look at him and Sergio swallows around the knot in his throat. Dragons have always fascinated him, but Iker has taught him to be careful around them, no matter how much respect you have for them; they hate wizards with incredible fervor and they tend to be less than friendly. “What is it that brings you to beg for my help?”
Sergio would argue on the word ‘beg’, but he knows better and he figures it’s just a way to provoke him, or to test his humility. “I really need to get to the unicorns’ graveyard.”
“Why so?”
“The person I love the most in the world will die if I can’t find a unicorn hoof,” Sergio confesses, looking at Xabi directly in the eye.
“Did you cause what’s killing him?” Xabi doesn’t sound annoyed, just plain curious, and he takes it as a good sign.
“No, King José’s court wizard did,” Sergio tells him with a calm, measured tone. “As a revenge for being rejected.”
“Oh, I see,” Xabi mutters with a disappointed voice and a hint of sarcasm. “The pride of a wizard once again causing pain to innocent people. Shocking news, really.”
“We’re not all like that,” Sergio objects, feeling his knees shake a little when the dragon huffs air out of his nose, irritated. “I don’t want power or money, I just want Bojan to be alright.”
“Being with a wizard, the boy has a lot of nerve,” Xabi admits with a slow nod of his big head. “I wonder what he thinks about the Trial,” he adds, studying the boy’s reaction carefully; when he sees what he’s looking for, he continues, “You haven't told him yet, have you? Typical.”
“All I care about right now is saving his life,” Sergio insists, feeling his heart sink low in his chest. He hasn’t though about the Trial in months and the idea of telling Bojan makes his blood freeze. “We'll figure out the rest later, together,” he adds anyway, trying to believe in his own words. “Which, by the way, is none of your business.”
“Watch it, wizard,” he retorts, but Sergio can tell he’s laughing. Sort of. In his dragon way.
“So?”
“Fine, I’ll help you,” Xabi concedes with another loud huff, then adds, “But that abomination is not coming with us.”
“Watch it, dragon,” Sergio protests, only half-mocking him. “That’s Bojan.”
“You never said he was cursed, I thought he was sick,” Xabi points out, narrowing his big eyes at him. “You can’t break a curse.”
“I’m gonna deflect it on the wizard who casted it,” Sergio informs, leaving out the part about the witches. If dragons hate wizards, there’s no word to describe what they feel for witches.
“Guardiola,” Xabi muses with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “I hate him more than I hate most of your kind.”
“Tell me about it,” Sergio mutters with a sigh, then looks up at him. “When do we leave?”
“Now,” Xabi declares, lowering himself on to the ground. “Get on my back.”
“What, but-- just me?” Sergio looks back at his friends, who are addressing him worried looks; he forces a smile on his face and focuses once again on the animal.
“I’m waiting,” Xabi insists, a little impatient, and Sergio doesn’t let him say it twice; with a little effort, he climbs on the dragon’s back and finds a good grip on the neck. “Hold tight.”
Before Sergio can ask him anything, Xabi takes off and in a moment they’re flying high above the ground. He’s a stunned at how easily they got up there, but when he looks at the size of Xabi’s wings, he figures it must be everyday routine for him. He’s not an expert on dragons, Iker has never brought him to see one, but from what he’s read, Xabi must be a fairly big one for his kind, probably at the peak of his life, which means he’s at least eight hundred years old. For a moment, he’s tempted to ask him, but eventually decides it’s safer to ask that after they come back from the graveyard. You never know what pisses off a dragon.
From his position on the back Sergio can’t see where they’re going, so he just tightens his grip and waits for the fly to end. Somehow, he knows it’s not gonna be a short one.
~~
A/N: first, I apologize for updating so late, but I was in Spain and I didn’t have the file with me. But here it is now, and hopefully it’s worth the wait. Also yes, the madness has reached a whole new level. LOL
This chapter is dedicated to lisachanoando, whose birthday was last week and yes, I’m late for that too. <3
Author: jen_jm
Beta: el_defe
Pairing: Bojan Krkić/Sergio Canales (Bojales \o/), Cesc Fabregas/Gerard Piqué, mentions of others. Appearances of Iker Casillas, Pep Guardiola, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Esteban Granero, Álvaro Arbeloa, Leo Messi, Carles Puyol, Xabi Alonso and various WAGs. Oh, and a very special Cristiano Ronaldo.
Rating: R, I think?
Category: slash
Word count: about 20,605 total
Warnings: AU, mild language, madness, unicorns (yes, seriously)
Disclaimer: I wish I owned them, but I don’t.
Author’s Notes: Just as crazy as it sounds, hopefully just as good. The title is a joint effort of Kansas and Duran Duran.
Summary: “Son,” Bojan’s father starts, wide-eyed. “Why on earth, do you have a tail?”
Crossposted
Part 1 || Part 2
Banner by miss_hale
~~
3. The one with the unicorns and the dragon
They’re all sitting in the living room after dinner, and they can hear the unicorns come back towards the house one at a time, quiet and peaceful like there’s nothing in the dark that scares them. Bojan envies them a little for that.
Helena is making tea, while Zlatan is sitting with his son on his knees. Now that Helena has taken off the pale coat and she’s left with only a white dress, they can see she’s expecting another child. Thankfully, Cesc has resisted the urge to suggest that the archenemy might become dad too.
“Mh, I see,” Leo mutters as he examines Bojan’s tail. “It looks like a nasty curse.”
“Can you help us?” Sergio tries to look at him in the eye and Leo faces him without hesitation. “We really need a unicorn hoof.”
“Well, I can’t let you kill a unicorn,” Leo replies with an apologetic smile.
“That was never an option,” Bojan immediately says, shaking his head with conviction.
“But unicorns aren’t immortal, right?” Gerard looks at Leo first, then at Helena, Zlatan’s wife, who was pouring them some tea. “They age.”
“They do,” Leo confirms with a slow nod. “The oldest unicorn here, Alice, is three hundred years old.”
“What's the average life span of a unicorn?” Cesc frowns at that number, truly impressed.
“About five hundred years,” Helena says as she sits down next to Leo.
“We don't have two hundred years,” Sergio points out with a sigh, then rubs his eyes in a way that betrayed how exhausting that journey really has been to all of them. “Bojan’s turning into a wolf and it’s happening pretty fast.”
“What about the already dead unicorns?” Bojan looks at his boyfriend, then turns his attention to Leo and Helena.
“They don’t die here,” Leo tells them and takes a sip from his tea. “They leave when they sense the end is coming.”
“They go to the paradise of unicorns!” Maxi, Zlatan’s son, offers with a wide smile.
“You mean the unicorns’ graveyard?” Sergio’s eyes widen and he turns his attention from the kid once again to Leo. “That’s just a legend.”
“That’s what we want people to think,” Leo explains with a brief laughter. “Or it’d be raided in no time, and unicorns deserve respect.”
“What’s this graveyard?” Cesc looks at them with a even more confused expression and that earns him a smirk from Zlatan.
“According to legends, it’s the place where magic was born,” Helena answers and hands Maxi a slice of apple. “Unicorns go there to die.”
“That’s it, then,” Sergio declares with a hopeful smile. “We only need one hoof, we’ll tell nobody about the graveyard.”
“It’s not an easy place to travel to,” Leo objects, but his tone isn’t hostile as Sergio expects it to be. “You’ll have to go up north-east, ride to the end of the kingdom.”
“We’re not very far from Terragona, the kingdom border is a day away,” Cesc offers, just as hopeful.
“What is it that you’re not telling us?” Bojan looks at Leo directly in the eye and once again he doesn’t even try to avoid it.
“Only a magic creature can let you into the graveyard,” the guardian explains with a quiet, posed smile.
“You mean an elf?” Gerard groans, not too keen on having to deal with el Pirata and his brother again.
“No, I mean a dragon,” Leo corrects him and laughs a little at their shocked faces.
“Tell me you don’t mean we have to ride a dragon,” Sergio stares at him like he’s grown two heads; there’s no way on earth they can find a dragon and convince it to fly them to the graveyard. As he knows a little too well, dragons aren’t the most docile of creatures; also, they tend to hate wizards. Forcefully.
“I’m afraid that’s exactly what he means,” Helena answers for him and smiles too, amused by the not very enthusiastic responses those words cause.
“It’s not as terrible as it sounds,” Leo objects, still laughing, and stands from the chair.
“And how exactly are we supposed to find a dragon who’s willing to cooperate?” Sergio tries to keep his voice calm and collected as he asks, but the entire conversation is just driving him crazy, and by what he can see, it’s the same for his friends. Zlatan, on the other hand, is sitting quietly and holding his son, but he’s keeping an eye on the whole exchange.
“You can’t,” Helena says like Sergio has just said the most idiot thing she’s ever heard.
“You’ll have to find a dragon trainer,” Leo explains with a patient smile. “I have a friend who might be able to help you,” he adds, then takes a deep breath. “Go to sleep and get some rest, I’ll see if he’s willing to help.”
“You have a friend who’s a dragon trainer?” Bojan blinks several times, trying to figure out how he’s ended up in that crazy place. Oh, right, the tail.
“I’m the Guardian, I have very odd sorts of friends,” Leo confirms with a careless shrug, then gestures them to stand. “I’ll show you your rooms.”
They follow him upstairs without another word and Cesc is vaguely aware of Gerard throwing glances back at the living room as they leave. He tries to ignore it, but it makes his stomach flip upside down.
~
“How’s your leg doing?”
Cesc tries to keep his tone casual, but clearly fails to hide his worry completely; Gerard turns his head and smiles at him, almost surprised by his question, which pisses Cesc off a little bit. The other boy seems to notice something is wrong and his grin fades.
“A little sore from the riding, but the wound doesn’t hurt much,” Gerard says, a little quiet, then looks at Cesc with an unsure smile. “Is everything alright?”
Ask your precious knight, Cesc thinks, and does his best to keep it to himself, but what comes out of his mouth is precisely that. “Ask your precious knight.”
“What does Zlatan have to do with this?” Gerard blinks several times and stares at him like he’s gone completely crazy; he sits down on the bed, facing him, and waits for him to say something.
“Never mind,” Cesc mutters and stands, not willing to answer that question; it has taken him a very short amount of time to admit to himself he’s dead jealous of the attention Gerard has been paying to Zlatan, but he surely isn’t going to tell Gerard that. Not in a million years.
Besides, he’s still struggling with the idea of being a little too fond of Gerard in the first place.
“I don’t get it, he’s fun,” Gerard offers, but doesn’t move from his spot, just watches him pace in front of the bed.
“He’s a jerk,” Cesc objects in a low mutter, keeping his eyes on the floor.
“He’s brought us here, he’s helped us,” Gerard points out with an unbelieving chuckle. “Or maybe you forgot why we started this journey in the first place?”
“I didn’t leave for the same reason you did,” Cesc reminds him with an equally annoyed tone, but stops pacing when Gerard gets on his feet.
“And clearly you aren’t staying here for the same reason we are,” the boy retorts, looking at him in the eye, but Cesc feels his heart sink when he realizes his tone is more disappointed than challenging. “Why are you still here?”
“You know why,” Cesc just says and looks down at the space between them, but looks up again as soon as he realizes how girlish that move is.
“Because I asked you to?” Gerard doesn’t sound impressed and surely not happy, which Cesc doesn’t really find surprising. “Well, you can go, if this is so horrible.”
“It’s not-- hell, you’re stupid,” Cesc spits, incredulous, then turns around and reaches his bed. “You’re the most stupid being I’ve ever met, and I’ve met trolls.”
“Hey!” Gerard grabs his arm and forces him to turn, angry. “You’re the one who’s not making sense, so stop insulting me for trying to understand why you’re acting like a jerk,” he adds, but before Cesc can escape his grip, he continues, “I understand this isn’t your fight, but Bojan needs all the help he can get and honestly, I thought you liked--”
“I don’t like seeing you with him, alright?” Cesc cuts him off, unable to deal with the quantity of words leaving his mouth in such a ridiculously short amount of time.
“Oh,” Gerard just says, clearly stunned by that admission, but he doesn’t let go of his arm. “I thought you-- I mean--”
Cesc looks away and takes a deep breath, then gently tugs his arm away from Gerard’s hand, a little disappointed when he finds no resistance. He turns around without a word and reaches his bed, determined to go to sleep and leave that conversation way behind. Gerard, on the other hand, just stands there for a few more seconds, then silently heads for his own bed.
He doesn’t get under the blanket, though, he just sits there and chews on his lower lip, thoughtful. “D’you want to leave?”
“I want to sleep,” Cesc deadpans, but he’s taken aback at the sadness in the boy’s voice.
There’s a few long minutes of silence, in which Cesc hopes he can pretend to be asleep; he can sense Gerard is still widely awake a few feet behind him, but he can’t find a single intelligent thing to say. He doesn’t know where they stand anymore, he doesn’t know how to interpret his reaction, and he’s not even sure Gerard understood what he really meant with his confession.
“I was just joking around with him,” Gerard eventually says and yes, at least Cesc has that confirmation. “He’s not my type, anyway.”
“Good for you,” he mutters, conscious that the boy knows he’s not really sleeping.
Gerard seems to give up at that and sighs heavily; a moment later, Cesc can hear the soft shifting of the blanket as Gerard slides into the bed. He’s almost tempted to turn around and face him, ask him what’s going to happen to them, just talk to him, but before he can make up his mind, Gerard blows on the candle and the room goes dark.
~~
“Oh my--” Helena almost drops her tea when Bojan walks in the room the following morning. “What happened?”
“The curse is progressing,” Bojan informs with a depressed sigh as he sits at the table. Maxi smiles at him and reaches out to pet his newly acquired wolf ears and Bojan lets him. “We need to move fast.”
“Where is Leo?” Sergio takes a seat next to his boyfriend, but doesn’t make a move to take any of the food ready for them.
“Outside,” Helena says and points at the door, then smiles at them. “He’s waiting for a reply from his friend.”
“Let’s hope he has good news,” Bojan huffs out before taking a long sip of tea.
Gerard and Cesc join them a few minutes later, but from the way they’re avoiding looking at each other, Bojan can tell something is wrong; before he can ask, though, Gerard sees his wolf ears and barely chokes back a fit of wild laughter.
“I’m sorry, I’m--” Gerard presses his hand on his mouth and tries to calm the irresistible urge to laugh his ass off. “I know this isn’t a good sign, but-- you look ridiculous.”
“Thank you, now I really feel better,” Bojan mutters with a dark glare in his direction, which convinces Gerard that yes, he’s probably already laughed enough about it, it might be time to be worried.
Cesc just squeezes Bojan’s shoulder with a hand as he sits down at the table, but doesn’t make any remark, which Bojan appreciates. Zlatan, luckily enough, is nowhere near and hasn’t seen him yet, something he secretly hopes to never change, even thought he knows it’s not possible.
And in fact, five minutes later, Leo walks in with Zlatan, and they both stop dead in their tracks when they see Bojan.
“He’ll meet you in Figueres,” Leo announces as soon as he reads in Bojan’s eyes just how much he’s craving to hear good news. “He owes me, so he’ll help you.”
“How can we repay you?” Sergio smiles widely at him, a little unbelieving, and stands from his seat.
“By keeping the secret,” Leo immediately says, like he’s just waiting for a good excuse to remind them that. “About this place and about the graveyard.”
“We’ll never tell a soul,” Bojan promises, jumping on his feet. “We’ll--” he stops, not knowing what else to add, then just settles for hugging Leo. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” Leo laughs a little, surprised by that gesture.
Zlatan watches them and shakes his head, but the smile on his lips is genuine; he brings his hand up to touch Bojan’s ears, then grips one and uses it to force him away from Leo. Bojan complains about the pain and tries to slap his hand away, and Sergio can’t help laughing at the scene. Even Cesc cracks a smile at that, able to ignore the way his stomach burns whenever he sees Zlatan.
They leave an hour later with their sacks filled with the food Helena insisted on giving them for the journey; the sun is covered by a thick wall of clouds and they all sense they’re going to get wet pretty soon. Still, in no way that makes them any less hopeful.
They promise to come back and visit once the whole thing is over and Bojan has to admit he’d love that, and not just because he hopefully won’t have a tail - and claws and wolf ears -, then: he likes Leo and Helena and he has to admit he doesn’t dislike Zlatan either, but mostly, he loves being surrounded by the unicorns, by those mysterious creatures that can pass on so much peacefulness with just their presence.
“I like this place,” he tells Sergio with a wide smile as they ride through the forest. “My mom would love it.”
And for the first time since leaving, he allows himself to think about his family back home; maybe it’s the hope that the curse is going to end soon, but he feels his heart skip a beat at the thought of going back to his village, of seeing his parents again. It’s only now that he realizes he was slowly giving up as the journey proceeded. He shakes that thought out of his head and looks up at the grey sky he can see through the leaves; a first drop hits him on the cheek and he smiles, even though he knows it’s not exactly good news for them.
“We should find shelter somewhere, we can’t ride in the rain,” Cesc proposes with a worried look at the sky.
“Of course we can, it’s just water,” Gerard snaps, not even looking at him.
“Yeah, tell me that when you’re coughing up your lungs,” Cesc retorts angrily, but avoids responding to Sergio and Bojan’s curious looks.
“Let’s just go on, if it rains too much, we’ll find shelter,” Sergio declares after a few seconds, uncertain on what is going on between their friends. When he looks at Bojan, he can see he’s clueless as well.
They ride in silence for the following hour; the rain is light and almost refreshing, mainly due to the leaves stopping most of it. Gerard and Cesc keep not looking at each other and that’s surely the oddest change in the journey; Bojan almost regrets when they used to spend the entire time talking and laughing together.
The rain doesn’t increase enough to force them to stop, and by the time they exit the forest, it has stopped completely, leaving space to a pale sun. The hills in front of them are covered in small, colored flowers, shiny in the daylight thanks to the raindrops sitting on them; they still have half a day ahead, and they decide that’s a good enough spot to stop for lunch.
“Should we set up a fire?” Cesc asks as he looks around, trying to figure out what a good place for fire would be.
“Let’s just eat something and keep going,” Bojan objects as he looks warily at the still grey sky. “I’d like to get to Figueres as quick as we can.”
Gerard ignores the conversation and, after he’s done tying the horses, sits down under a big oak tree, silent. He barely touches his lunch and watches them from his spot, but doesn’t join them until they decide it’s time to resume moving; at Bojan’s attempt of asking him what’s wrong, he just shakes his head and waves it off with a careless shrug.
“This is going to be a long ride,” Sergio mutters, throwing Bojan an exasperated look.
~
The rain slows them down and they’re forced to stop for the night while they’re still in the woods. They know they’re near enough to allow themselves some sleep; after that, it’ll only take them a couple of hours to get to the meeting point Leo has given them. Bojan is glad for the chance to rest, but he doesn’t really look forward to having to deal with Cesc and Gerard and their childish behavior. Somehow it has gotten worse during the day, they went from not talking to each other to object stubbornly at everything the other one says.
Once they’re settled, Bojan watches them take place on opposite sides of the fire and sighs as he sits a few feet away; the warmth of the fire reaches him even there and he closes his eyes, resting his back on the tree behind him. A few moments later, he jumps when he feels a hand on his shoulder, but smiles when he recognizes Sergio’s soft, careful touch.
“Are you okay?” Sergio almost whispers and Bojan’s smile widens as he opens his eyes.
“Are you?”
Sergio chuckles at that answer and lies down on the ground with his head in Bojan’s lap, something they’re used to, something they do whenever Sergio sneaks into Bojan’s room without his parents knowing it; they know about them, they accepted Sergio and treat him like a son, they’re the family he never had - expect for Iker -, but they surely wouldn’t allow them to sleep in the same room, not yet. Considering what they’re going through together, not sleeping in the same room seems like the stupidest prohibition on the planet, right now. Sergio laughs briefly at that thought and earns a curious look from his boyfriend.
“Once this is over, your parents really need to back off a little,” Sergio points out with a grin. “I mean, we’ve slept in all sorts of weird places lately, I think I can stay in your room.”
“They don’t have a problem with you staying in my room,” Bojan corrects him and laughs as well. “They have a problem with you staying in my bed.”
“Which is practically the same thing,” Sergio objects, looking up at him. “Am I supposed to sleep on the floor or what?”
“Well, you’re lying on the floor now,” Bojan jokes and that earns him a soft slap on the cheek.
Sergio closes his eyes and smiles as soon as he feels Bojan’s hand in his hair, fingers threading softly through long locks. For a moment he thinks he should cut them really short, but discards the idea when he remembers how often Bojan says he loves his hair.
“I like the forest at night,” Bojan whispers after a while and rests his head back on the tree.
“It's a little creepy,” Sergio points out and looks up at him, smiling widely.
“It's peaceful,” Bojan disagrees and looks down to meet his eyes with no hesitation. “Just you and me, and those two idiots who won't even talk to each other.”
Sergio laughs quietly at that and shakes his head a little, feeling his heart get lighter for a moment at the realization that Bojan hasn’t lost hope or sense of humor. After all, they’re one step away from getting what they need, and then, it’s just a three days ride back to the witches.
When Bojan tilts his head down a little, though, Sergio can’t help the grin that curves his lips and he forgets about routes and how many days it’ll take them.
“Geri's right, you do look a little ridiculous,” he admits as he stifles a fit of laughter. “Those ears are--” he doesn’t finish, just laughs against the palm of his hand.
“Thank you,” Bojan glares down at him, a little unbelieving, but soon enough, gives up and laughs as well.
“You’re very welcome,” Sergio chirps back, and sits up to face him. Bojan reluctantly lets go of his hair and leans closer, but Sergio moves back and grins. “Can I touch them?”
“You’ve been playing with my tail for days,” Bojan reminds him, rolling his eyes, then realizes how that sounds and blushes a little. “Don’t make a dirty joke.”
“Too late, I already made it in my head,” Sergio admits cheerfully and raises his hand to touch Bojan’s wolf ear. “D’you realize you have two sets of ears?”
“Yes, I kind of noticed,” Bojan replies, laughing, then glances at Gerard and Cesc; they seem to be asleep, but he knows better than that. At least, he knows Gerard well enough to know he can fake sleep pretty well.
“I still prefer your tail, though,” Sergio confesses as his other hand brushes the tail that’s resting on the ground beside them.
“When you’re a grown wizard, we’ll talk about whether to experiment with tails or not,” Bojan concedes with a solemn nod, then moves the tail out of reach, satisfied to see he has it under control.
“You’d let me?” Sergio’s eyes widen at those words and he doesn’t know whether to take is as a joke or a promise.
“Not a permanent one,” Bojan just says, but it’s not a ‘no’ and Sergio feels his heart clench in his chest.
“Stupid sap,” he mutters as he leans closer and rests his lips on the corner of Bojan’s mouth. “I love you with or without a tail.”
He gets a slap on the back of the head for the first part and a kiss for the last one.
~
The moment they see the dragon sleeping next to the river, they know they can stop. There’s a man tending to a horse next to the huge sleeping beast and, compared to it, they look almost insignificant. Carles - at least that’s the name Leo’s given them - however, is tall and built, and not even his curly long hair helps to give him a friendly look.
“Oh, you must be Leo’s friends,” Carles greets them with a smile as soon as they approach and they have to admit, he does look a little less threatening up close. “You got here pretty quickly.”
“I’m afraid it’s my fault if we’re in a hurry,” Bojan admits with a vague gesture towards the ears and tail.
“Looks bad,” Carles admits with a grimace. “I guess you really do need that hoof, uh?”
“Just one hoof, nothing else,” Sergio confirms with a slow, careful nod.
“It’s not me you have to convince,” Carles replies with a shrug, then whistles at a volume most of them find way too high. The dragon wakes up a second later and they all take several steps back as it gets on its feet. “This is Xabi, he’s the one you have to convince.”
“I thought you already convinced him,” Gerard points out as he watches the animal warily.
“I’m a trainer, not a master,” Carles retorts with a frown. “I convinced him to listen to you.”
“Great,” Sergio mutters and takes a deep breath before stepping forward; Carles gestures the other to move away and they all walk until they’re out of earshot, which Sergio is grateful for. “Uh, hi Xabi.”
“Hello, young wizard,” the dragon turns to look at him and Sergio swallows around the knot in his throat. Dragons have always fascinated him, but Iker has taught him to be careful around them, no matter how much respect you have for them; they hate wizards with incredible fervor and they tend to be less than friendly. “What is it that brings you to beg for my help?”
Sergio would argue on the word ‘beg’, but he knows better and he figures it’s just a way to provoke him, or to test his humility. “I really need to get to the unicorns’ graveyard.”
“Why so?”
“The person I love the most in the world will die if I can’t find a unicorn hoof,” Sergio confesses, looking at Xabi directly in the eye.
“Did you cause what’s killing him?” Xabi doesn’t sound annoyed, just plain curious, and he takes it as a good sign.
“No, King José’s court wizard did,” Sergio tells him with a calm, measured tone. “As a revenge for being rejected.”
“Oh, I see,” Xabi mutters with a disappointed voice and a hint of sarcasm. “The pride of a wizard once again causing pain to innocent people. Shocking news, really.”
“We’re not all like that,” Sergio objects, feeling his knees shake a little when the dragon huffs air out of his nose, irritated. “I don’t want power or money, I just want Bojan to be alright.”
“Being with a wizard, the boy has a lot of nerve,” Xabi admits with a slow nod of his big head. “I wonder what he thinks about the Trial,” he adds, studying the boy’s reaction carefully; when he sees what he’s looking for, he continues, “You haven't told him yet, have you? Typical.”
“All I care about right now is saving his life,” Sergio insists, feeling his heart sink low in his chest. He hasn’t though about the Trial in months and the idea of telling Bojan makes his blood freeze. “We'll figure out the rest later, together,” he adds anyway, trying to believe in his own words. “Which, by the way, is none of your business.”
“Watch it, wizard,” he retorts, but Sergio can tell he’s laughing. Sort of. In his dragon way.
“So?”
“Fine, I’ll help you,” Xabi concedes with another loud huff, then adds, “But that abomination is not coming with us.”
“Watch it, dragon,” Sergio protests, only half-mocking him. “That’s Bojan.”
“You never said he was cursed, I thought he was sick,” Xabi points out, narrowing his big eyes at him. “You can’t break a curse.”
“I’m gonna deflect it on the wizard who casted it,” Sergio informs, leaving out the part about the witches. If dragons hate wizards, there’s no word to describe what they feel for witches.
“Guardiola,” Xabi muses with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “I hate him more than I hate most of your kind.”
“Tell me about it,” Sergio mutters with a sigh, then looks up at him. “When do we leave?”
“Now,” Xabi declares, lowering himself on to the ground. “Get on my back.”
“What, but-- just me?” Sergio looks back at his friends, who are addressing him worried looks; he forces a smile on his face and focuses once again on the animal.
“I’m waiting,” Xabi insists, a little impatient, and Sergio doesn’t let him say it twice; with a little effort, he climbs on the dragon’s back and finds a good grip on the neck. “Hold tight.”
Before Sergio can ask him anything, Xabi takes off and in a moment they’re flying high above the ground. He’s a stunned at how easily they got up there, but when he looks at the size of Xabi’s wings, he figures it must be everyday routine for him. He’s not an expert on dragons, Iker has never brought him to see one, but from what he’s read, Xabi must be a fairly big one for his kind, probably at the peak of his life, which means he’s at least eight hundred years old. For a moment, he’s tempted to ask him, but eventually decides it’s safer to ask that after they come back from the graveyard. You never know what pisses off a dragon.
From his position on the back Sergio can’t see where they’re going, so he just tightens his grip and waits for the fly to end. Somehow, he knows it’s not gonna be a short one.
~~
A/N: first, I apologize for updating so late, but I was in Spain and I didn’t have the file with me. But here it is now, and hopefully it’s worth the wait. Also yes, the madness has reached a whole new level. LOL
This chapter is dedicated to lisachanoando, whose birthday was last week and yes, I’m late for that too. <3